Jim Milbery

There's nothing better than a technology trade show in New York City in the fall. While leaves may be gently falling from the trees in New England, the movers and shakers of the Internet gather like so many Gordon Geckos to plot strategy, change the world and otherwise meet and greet the masses in the city that never sleeps. Having spent years as a sales consultant for a variety of high-tech vendors, I always feel a slight trepidation when I cross the threshold onto the exhibitor's floor. For a sales consultant the trade show floor is one long line of unqualified prospects filling their trick-or-treat floorshow bags with giveaway goodies and looking for a quick demo. The booth is either filled with eager faces or a ghost town - there's no middle ground. Attending one of these things as a civilian is a lot more fun, take my word for it. Thanks to JDJ, I was able to ... (more)

Java 2 Platform Standard Edition 1.3/ Enterprise Edition 1.2.1

I'll be the first to admit I was a little reluctant when JDJ approached me about reviewing the newest release of Sun's Java 2 Standard Edition platform. It's a little like asking a Jim Morrison fanatic to review the Doors Greatest Hits CD. Since I spend most of my days working and thinking in Java, I find it a little hard to be truly objective about it. (And it's even more difficult to choose which topics are worthy of inclusion in a review!) Nevertheless, the Java 2 platform is jam-packed with critical technologies for building enterprise-class applications. Sun has released new... (more)

SQL 2000 v7.5 by Pervasive Software

Pervasive Software has released version 7.5 of its ubiquitous database engine and software development kit. I got the chance to take a look at the database and the various tools using an evaluation copy of the software for Windows NT 4.0. Installation and Configuration I installed the software from the PervasiveSQL 2000 SDK CD-ROM. Pervasive automatically searches for the presence of a working copy of their workgroup database engine when you install the SDK kit. If you don't have a running copy of PervasiveSQL, the SDK will install the database server kit first. The install rout... (more)

Jim Milbery Interview with John Lee, CEO and Founder of Xtime

Jim Milbery: Tell me a little about Xtime's core product and why you made the jump to IVR. John Lee: Well, the core value proposition is to eliminate the pain and frustration that exist when service consumers are interacting with service providers. The scope of what we're talking about is potentially enormous. There are personal services such as health care and auto maintenance. There are enterprise services such as professional services, capital equipment leasing and training services, and many other things that businesses buy. But in all cases there's typically a lot of ineffic... (more)

Cyberflex Open 16K Development Kit by Schlumberger

One of the coolest pieces of technology I'd ever used was a programming interface for HK Systems' mechanical cranes. However, my coolness factor just went through the roof when I got a chance to try out the Cyberflex Open 16k Development Kit from Schlumberger Smart Cards and Systems. Schlumberger is well known in high-tech oilfield and measurement systems, and the Cyberflex development team is part of their Testing and Transactions group. The Java Card technology offers some exciting opportunities for building security and "wallet" applications using the Java language, and Schlum... (more)