JRun 4 Service Pack 1.

Brent: Northwest OS X Dinners.

Slashdot: C# and CLI Fast-tracked to ISO. “We're going to give a brand new car to the information technology industry, but we're going to keep the keys.”

The JavaServer Faces Tutorial. I hate it when I read a tutorial which makes me utter statements like “Hmmm…”, “Ahhh…”, “Ohhh….” or even “No, no, no.”

Dave on software, and Mike's law of diminishing software quality.

I agree, and I'd even go one step further. There are inherent expectations for most decision makers.

• Licensing must be expensive
• Support plans should be outrageously priced
• Reasonable functionality cannot be accomplished without purchasing additional modules/add-ons
• Finally, more buzzwords-compliance than actual features

As I said before it is not about technology, but hype. I guess that's what they call marketing nowadays.

Most people actually expect more out of a $49.99 piece of software. The minute something does not work quite right, they will start to send nasty emails, get angry on the phone, etc. and ultimately ask for a refund.

On the other hand, if the same problem occurs with a $50K+ ware, they'll gladly accept a cheesy hack, implement some crappy workaround or even patiently wait for a bug fix.

Charles explains that expensive software, such as SAP, would not benefit from easier installation procedures, etc. and that ultimately it has no bearing on the total cost. True. But in most cases a company can save a bundle by using a cheaper set of tools, assuming they hire the right people.

Russ: “IBM is offering free Websphere certification vouchers!!”

I'm tired of not being able to tape a show while watching another with AT&T Digital Cable. I've decided to buy a 2-Way Splitter and rig something up.

I've hooked my VCR directly to the cable and I seem to be able to get the analog channels. I'm hopping the splitter will allow me to tape an analog channel while watching a digital one.

Anybody experienced with such a setup? Please let me know.

[Update] Success! It works like a charm. The VCR is now hooked up to the TV via the A/V ports. I just need to get an additional cable to hook up the DVD player to the VCR.

Steven: Open Source product management.