Posted by Matt Buck on July 22nd, 2008
Sorry I haven’t been here for some time – we’ve been really busy. Work has begun on the prestigious Cognoscenti Software Project and with it comes a large upgrade to our internal systems to web-manage software projects. This means, that software clients can log directly into our project management system, view milestones, roadmaps, tickets and wiki pages related to their project. This interface is secure and live 24/7 and also allows the user to view trial versions, submit and track bug tickets and generally keep involved through long spells of coding. I will include more details on the main site as soon as I’ve finished setting up permissions, but the benefits are as follows:
- Secure and round-the-clock access to our project management system.
- View project roadmap, timeline and source code in real time.
- Submit and track change requests and bug tickets.
- Set up email notification, so that changes are communicated directly to the client.
The new Project Management System has now replaced Mantis (the old bug tracking system). The new system is not intended to replace face-to-face discussion, but is intended as another level at which our customers can check on progress and keep involved in short to long-term software development projects.
The new system is based on an open-source implementation of Trac. I am really pleased with it so far and we’ve had extremely positive feedback from customers who have tried it out. I’m hoping that in the future, this will serve as another example of our innovative and forward thinking.
More news and an update will follow this week.
Posted by Matt Buck on June 26th, 2008
This week, the governing body for all the internet assigned names and numbers (ICANN) met to discuss a huge problem that faces the internet in the next decade – the provisioning of IP Addresses and Domain Names.
Whether it’s your mobile phone, internet gateway or website, all of these use an IP address. Plus, they have to be unique. Domain Names like www.ebay.com, which resolve to an IP address, also have to be unique. As you may imagine, companies have been buying up domain names constantly and with more and more consumer devices like MP3 players and phones connecting directly to the internet, the scope for unique IP addresses and domain names is now very small. The world is running out!
In order to combat this issue, ICANN is pushing for the complete implementation of IPv6 (providing approximately 3.403 × 1038 unique host addresses) and also custom TLDs (*.ebay, *.ibm etc.) The custom TLDs are especially interesting as not only will this allow companies to express their brand in a more creative way, but it will also free up a large amount of unique names and combinations which are currently not on the radar.
For more information visit the ICANN website.
Posted by Matt Buck on April 13th, 2008
I’ve spent most of the weekend testing out a distribution of Linux called Back Track. The latest version is a BETA release and from what I’ve seen so far, it is the most convenient and comprehensive set of security and vulnerability tools I’ve seen. Expect a full review of this distro on my blog at some point in the future.
The rest of the weekend has been dedicated to meeting an old business partner and long time friend of mine, Chris Bishop. Chris is Hotel Chocolat‘s Online Marketing Manager turned e-business guru. He’s now moving onto House of Fraser leaving behind a 200% increase in online sales at Hotel Chocolat through his affiliate marketing schemes and Google traffic engineering. Truly inspiring. Chris now undertakes Online Marketing Advice and Consultancy for various clients and will be assisting with the online marketing of RatwareUK
We spoke for a while about life-cycles and eventually touched on Microsoft’s aspirations to go virtual within the next decade, but the most surprising topic, which I knew nothing about, was the use of technology and the Internet by large corporations to categorise individuals and market their products dynamically. Chris tells me that Tesco are developing their clubcard so that their computer systems know when you are in the stores; know when you are passing the small aisle displays and know what your product choices and moods may be. Through the displays they can visually alert you to a product you were probably 50/50 on the way to buying and help you make up your mind. I guess it’s easy when you know a person’s sex, age, address and weekly buying habits. There is a lot of information an artificial intelligence system can derive. Our conversation was a timely reminder of how the Internet and technology has only just been born and we have not yet even begun to understand its potential.
Posted by Matt Buck on March 13th, 2008
Welcome to the new RatwareUK Website and also to my blog. I hope to make my first entry soon, in the meantime, please continue browsing our new website.
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