As I mentioned yesterday, I’m still grading the IS 6100 midterm exams. I should finish these by Monday.
Students should not be concerned if their TurnItIn.com originality score for this assignment changes during my grading. As the instructor, I can rerun an originality analysis to exclude the reference list. I can also choose to exclude any sections that the student put in quotation marks (“”), which are usually reserved for direct quotes from another source.
I use these two features a lot when I grade. The ability to exclude direct quotes is very helpful for me. Keep in mind that I almost always advise students to use their own words, and avoid quoting directly from the textbook. A direct quote demonstrates little more than the ability find a section and type it in accurately.
Reference lists usually produce false positives, because a properly formatted reference to the textbook should be almost identical in most students papers.
TurnItIn.com works very well as a deterrent against sharing
or submitting assignments
that students been found on other computers, email or the internet. As I
wrote in my syllabus, I assume that most graduate students are adults
and will act honorably. I don’t use TurnItIn.com as a “gotcha” tool to trap students.
Some students have asked why their originality scores changed before the assignment was due. I always set up my TurnItIn.com assignment so that every submission is reanalyzed any time a new submission is made. This step helps protect students who submitted their assignments early, because any new submissions will be analyzed against the previous submissions as well as TurnItIn.com’s vast database.
I’ve had a few students ask me why businesses should upgrade to Windows Vista, the newest version of Microsoft’s operating system. Microsoft has spent a great deal of money and time promoting Vista, and has claimed that businesses are accelerating their Vista migration plans.
I always tell people to wait until Microsoft releases their first Service Pack before installing new Microsoft software.
This article from ZDNet features an interview with Simon Szykman, the CIO of NIST, the US government bureau that sets Federal standards for cryptography, information security, and other areas. NIST also runs the Computer Security Response Center, which posts alerts and warnings about virus, worms, and other computer security threats.
Sadly, that article has a deceptive title. NIST hasn’t banned Windows Vista. The agency is evaluating the operating system.
NIST, like many large organizations, has several applications that were developed in-house. While Microsoft tested Windows Vista on thousands of computers worldwide, companies usually perform their own testing with these homegrown programs. This is crucial, as Windows Vista might not support hardware or software that companies rely upon every day.
In January, ZDNet described how Microsoft invited NIST and the National Security Agency and to review and comment on the official Windows Vista Security Guide. NIST is still examining how to secure its own computers wafter Windows Vista is installed. The Janaury 2007 version of the guide is available here.
Dell, HP and other computer manufacturers have largely stopped shipments of Windows XP on new computers. Customers who haven’t switched to Windows Vista usually wipe the new hard disk, and install Windows XP. However, some new machines might be used as testbeds to determine how much value Windows Vista might deliver.
NIST, like other organizations, has already adopted Internet Explorer 7, which was included in Windows Vista. IE 7 also shipped for Windows XP, and for most Windows users, it’s a good upgrade that closes some security holes and adds helpful features like tabbed browsing. Of course, Firefox has offered tabbed browsing for years.
Microsoft Office 2007 shipped earlier this year, but as I mentioned on February 21, some companies are encountering problems with Office 2007’s new file formats.
Personally, I don’t plan on using Windows Vista any time soon. I’m hoping to replace my university Windows XP computer with a Mac. I’m waiting for Office 2008 for the Mac, also.
My IS 7010 students just finished a case about MySQL earlier this week. In that case, MySQL had entered an alliance with SAP and planned to merge SAP DB into MySQL software. That product became MaxDB, and it’s an essential part of SAP NetWeaver.
Today, Oracle sued SAP. Among the charges: employees at TomorrowNow, an SAP subsidiary in Texas, used Oracle customer passwords to copy Oracle software and documents. SAP then offered support services to Oracle customers who were considering switching to SAP NetWeaver.
The TomorrowNow home page doesn’t list SAP at all, notr does it mention Oracle. TomorrowNow does provide third-party support for ERP systems from J.D. Edwards, Siebel and PeopleSoft. Siebel and PeopleSoft were both purchased by Oracle a few years ago. PeopleSoft had previously purchased JD Edwards.
This lawsuit isn’t a big surprise, considering how much the Oracle and SAP sales forces hate each other. According to this article, “Oracle has spent US$20billion over the past three years” to buy smaller competitive rivals in the ERP (enterprise resource planning) industry. The lawsuit states that “theft appears to be an esential — and illegal — part of SAP’s competitive strategy against Oracle.”
Articles and contents posted on this blog represent billso's personal opinion and does not represent the views of my employer, employees or my clients. Comments are provided by individual users.
