links for 2009-11-02

Thematic mapping library for Google Maps

IBM and Microsoft both offer quite good collaboration functionality. Which do you go with? That depends on your organization’s approach to messaging and IT infrastructure.

If you have decided that your collaboration strategy will focus on a suite approach as opposed to best-of-breed technologies, then you will most likely take a hard look at IBM and Microsoft to meet your needs. Both IBM and Microsoft have produced a suite of integrated technologies that deliver a collaboration functionality that addresses all four of the collaboration pillars. Microsoft delivers collaboration functionality in a combination of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007/ Exchange and IBM delivers the functionality in a combination of Quickr, Connections, and Lotus Notes/Domino.

In most technical circles, Microsoft has been considered the evil empire for many years. Well, Microsoft may have a new challenger for that title as Google has decided they want to rule the world, and the blogosphere has started to notice. Google has been given a free pass for quite some time because they changed the way we use the internet. They were the cool company to work for too. It is interesting how things change over the years.

How can we harness the enthusiasm of online gaming communities to improve software delivery by globally dispersed companies? This paper explores ways in which virtual teams might work more closely together.