Larry Dignan Resources on ZDNet

ZDNet Author Biography: Larry Dignan is executive editor of ZDNet news and blogs. Larry was most recently executive news editor at eWeek. Prior to that, he was news editor at Baseline, and also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial...; more about Larry Dignan »

ZDNet Resources

If you want to sell a startup, plan a shutdown: Almost a month ago, Mowser founder Russell Beattie was lamenting his debts and telling folks his creation was disappearing. He also questioned the idea of the mobile Web overall. Fast forward a bit and Beattie is announcing the sale of Mowser to dotMobi. Go figure. ...; Tags: Web, Phone, Mobile, Web Browser, Russell Beattie, Advertising & Promotion, Channel Management, Marketing, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09
Logged into Google? You may see more ads: Google may be using its properties--iGoogle, Gmail and Apps--to step up its behavioral ad efforts. That's the conclusion from Piper Jaffray Gene Munster who tracks 400 searches on Google and Yahoo each month. Munster defines a behavioral ad as one that pertains to a past query. ...; Tags: Google Inc., Advertisement, Munster, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09
Blockbuster can start due diligence on Circuit City: Circuit City said Friday that it is exploring strategic alternatives and will allow Blockbuster and investor Carl Icahn to "conduct additional due diligence." Last month, Blockbuster announced a rather perplexing plan to acquire Circuit City in an attempt to take two struggling retailers and make one strong...; Tags: Circuit City Stores Inc., Blockbuster Inc., Diligence, Corporate Governance, Financial Accounting, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Finance, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09
Oil's superspike may make telecommuting the norm: Can the price of crude--currently above $125 a barrel and the high gas prices that go with it--make telecommuting the norm? These questions come up typically with crises and natural disasters. For instance, if there was an avian flu outbreak workers across the U.S. would have to...; Tags: Information Technology, Worker, Telecommuting, Help Desk, Call Centers, Strategy, Human Resources, Workforce Management, It Operations, Management, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09
Wall Street: Too much sway over the tech sector?: Every technology company has three main constituencies: Employees, customers and shareholders. Does that last category overwhelm the first two? Should it? These questions are worth asking--at least when it comes to putting technology companies in context. Vinnie Mirchandani and I had this back and forth about Wall...; Tags: Shareholder, Technology Company, Wall, Vinnie, Construction, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09

News to know: Office 2007 SP1; Microsoft security; KVM vs. Xen; AMD: Notable headlines: Mary Jo Foley: Mark your calendars: Microsoft to push Office 2007 SP1 on June 16 EIC podcast: SAP; JavaOne; AMD, Microhoo Larry Dignan: Microsoft previews three critical bulletins; two for Office Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft shares...; Tags: Security, Microsoft Office 2007, Xen, Microsoft Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Microsoft Office, Office Suites, Software, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-09
EIC podcast: SAP; JavaOne; AMD, Microhoo: In this week's EIC squared podcast, Dan and I talk SAP Sapphire, JavaOne; AMD and Microsoft and whether it'll come back around to its Yahoo bid. As for Sapphire this week, the big question was what was happening with Business ByDesign, SAP's software as a service rollout....; Tags: Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Microsoft previews three critical bulletins; two for Office: Microsoft on Thursday previewed three critical bulletins for Microsoft Office and Windows and a moderate denial of service vulnerability for the company's security software. According to Microsoft's advance notification, the software giant will address the following in its Patch Tuesday update May 13: A...; Tags: Denial Of Service, Microsoft Corp., Bulletin, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Operating Systems, Security, Software, Office Suites, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
JavaOne: The week in video: JavaOne has come and gone and we've learned that Sun is gunning for LiveMesh, is bringing applets back and wooing developers. Here's a look at some of the key stories: Microsoft Live Mesh to get more competition -- from Sun Sun's continuing open...; Tags: Sun Microsystems Inc., Video, JavaOne, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Facebook reaches safety plan with states: Facebook has joined MySpace and inked a deal with 49 state attorneys general on a safety plan. Texas was the lone holdout. News.com's Caroline McCarthy reports: "We've agreed with 49 states and the District of Columbia to set up principles around Internet safety," Facebook...; Tags: Facebook, Agreement, Phishing, Cyberthreats, Spam, Harassment, Viruses And Worms, Security, Spam And Phishing, Human Resources, Gender And Diversity, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
AMD still mum on its 'asset smart' strategy: The wait for AMD to outline its so-called "asset smart" strategy continues. AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in his annual shareholder meeting address failed to add any more detail about its manufacturing strategy going forward. AMD outlined its new server roadmap on Wednesday. In many respects, Ruiz...; Tags: Asset, Shareholder, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Strategy, Asset Management, Financial Accounting, Management, Operational Planning, Business Operations, Finance, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Vonage narrows losses; Inks deal with Covad: Vonage is still losing money, but the bottom line is moving in the right direction. The company also signed a deal with Covad to offer DSL service. The VOIP provider on Thursday reported a first quarter net loss of $9 million, or 6 cents a share, compared...; Tags: Covad Communications Group Inc., Vonage Holdings Corp., Company, DSL, Broadband Internet, Network Technology, Marketing Research, Telecommunications, Personal Technology, Networking, Marketing, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Malware shipped with Firefox 2 language pack: Mozilla is warning that a Vietnamese language pack for Firefox 2 is carrying malware. In her blog, Mozilla security chief Window Snyder writes: The Vietnamese language pack for Firefox 2 contains inserted code to load remote content. This code is the result of a virus infection,...; Tags: Mozilla Firefox, Malware, Mozilla Firefox 2.0, Mozilla Corp., Language, Virus, Cyberthreats, Web Browsers, Viruses And Worms, Security, Internet, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Monetizing social media: Still an uphill climb; Some friends may be worthless: News Corp. confirmed what had been reported for weeks: Fox Interactive revenue isn't going to hit its targets. The problem: Social networking is still very hard to monetize. Does inventory matter when you can't sell it? Peter Chernin, News Corp.'s operating chief, delivered his state of MySpace...; Tags: Social Media, MySpace, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
AMD's new roadmap: Can it execute?: AMD has revamped its server processor roadmap with plans to jump to six and then 12 cores in the first half of 2010, but the larger question is whether the company can actually deliver. Given that AMD has had a hard time delivering its quad-core chips and...; Tags: Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Asset Management, Manufacturing, Processors, Strategy, Operational Planning, Business Operations, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components, Management, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-08
News to know: AMD; Oil and telecommuting; Verizon's EV-DO modem; Linux: Notable headlines: Jason O'Grady: Review: Verizon UM150 USB EV-DO modem Gallery (right). Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft Live Mesh to get more competition -- from Sun News.com: AMD revises server road map Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: How long can AMD...; Tags: Facebook, Larry Dignan, Oil, Telecommuting, Sun Microsystems Inc., EVDO, Verizon Communications Inc., Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Linux, Modems, WiMAX, Microsoft Windows Vista (Longhorn), Federal Government, 64-Bit, Microsoft Windows, Open Source, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware, Components, Wireless, Government, Processors, Semiconductors; Blog posts 2008-05-08
Microsoft still shopping; Approached Facebook: Microsoft, just a few days removed from walking away from its Yahoo bid, is reportedly sniffing around Facebook. According to Kara Swisher, Microsoft's bankers contacted Facebook to see if Mark Zuckerberg and company would be interested in selling the company. The Wall Street Journal also reported the...; Tags: Facebook, Microsoft Corp., Channel Management, Web Site Development, Construction, Marketing, Internet, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-07
WiMax saved: Sprint, Clearwire form joint venture; Google, Intel among backers: Sprint and Clearwire have combined their WiMax businesses to form a new venture that will be focused on next generation broadband services. The company will be backed by $3.2 billion from the likes of Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. This new venture,...; Tags: Google Inc., Clearwire Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Sprint Communications, Intel Corp., WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Wireless, Corporate Governance, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-07
Interview: IBM Cognos chief Rob Ashe: Rob Ashe, general manager of IBM's business intelligence and performance management unit, has had a busy year. He sold his company, Cognos, to IBM for $5 billion and has stayed on as a member of IBM's leadership team. Ashe's role day to day hasn't changed too much....; Tags: Cognos Inc., Software-as-a-service, IBM Corp., Pricing, Tools & Techniques, Business Intelligence, Software As A Service (SaaS), Databases, Enterprise Software, Marketing, Management, Software, Data Management, Emerging Technologies, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-07
Midmarket IT folks: Belles of the conference circuit: Want a few free trips to lovely places such as Vegas, Orlando and other conference hot spots? Work as an IT guy for a midmarket company. That's one takeaway from Orlando where the Vision Events Midsize Enterprise Summit conference happened to be held in the hotel where...; Tags: Orlando, Information Technology, Conference, Strategy, Virtualization, Management, Hardware, Larry Dignan; Blog posts 2008-05-07