Articles by Jack M. Germain

The upcoming holiday season is looking a lot different than anyone would have suspected this time last year, as a result of the continuing pandemic. Holiday shoppers are forced to shift their buying habits, and merchants continue to struggle to find new processes to meet consumer whims Much is up in the air, from the fate of USPS, to travel plans, ...

RoboLinux is one of the most advanced desktop Linux distributions you can find. The latest release is even better, making it potentially THE best Linux variety available today for desktop users The Oct. 9 release of RoboLinux 11.13 is an upgraded build of the project's Ubuntu-based distribution. But wait, there is a whole lot more to RoboLinux than...

The Linux Foundation (LF) has been quietly nudging an industrial revolution. It is instigating a unique change towards software-defined everything that represents a fundamental shift for vertical industries LF on Sept. 24 published an extensive report on how software-defined everything and open-source software is digitally transforming essential ve...

Mandatory stay-at-home restrictions and bans on small-group gatherings indoors are easing in some locales, but social distancing and face coverings are still a reality that makes card playing among friends a bit risky Welcome to the new phenomenon of playing Zoom poker. It is a novel idea that is catching on as the pandemic continues....

The Linux Foundation (LF) is deploying an old adage to get stuff done: follow the money. In this case it is to battle climate change LF last month announced its intent to form the Linux Foundation Climate Finance Foundation (LFCF), which will empower investors, banks, insurers, companies, governments, NGOs, and academia with AI-enhanced open-source...

Marketers estimate that 61 percent of students started the new school year where they ended last school year -- remotely. So why are retailers still featuring traditional school supplies online, offering discounts and promotions retroactively, rather than using real-time data to inform decisions? That school advertising example seems out of joint i...

Toronto-based telecom company Unite Communications in July launched a subsidiary company called TextMeAnywhere to help retailers manage customer curbside pickup and other customer contact services during COVID-19 and beyond The new service uses a proprietary web application that transforms a business landline, VoIP, or toll-free number into a texta...

Even in these changing times of shuttered shops and pandemic-driven corporate layoffs, a flood of tech jobs goes unfilled due to a lack of Linux skills among IT workers That combination is contributing to a slowdown or delay in enterprise plans to migrate their local computing base to public cloud operations, as an already existing Linux tech pool ...

As the next step in its Linux expansion program, Lenovo on Wednesday announced the launch of Linux-ready ThinkPad and ThinkStation PCs pre-installed with Canonical's popular Ubuntu technology The company also now brings Linux certification to its ThinkPad and ThinkStation Workstation portfolio, along with easing deployment for developers and data s...

Buy now pay later, or "BNPL" services are growing in popularity during the pandemic as they enable consumers to pay for purchases over a short time with no interest and a small starting payment. However, money experts urge caution. Similar to credit cards, BNPL services can negatively impact credit scores and land people in debt or collections if ...

The stampede from offices to working from home has strained IT security teams to their limits. As a result, SMBs find they need to get more bang for fewer bucks to fight off cybersecurity threats Network security firm Untangle on Sept. 8 released the results of its third annual SMB IT Security Report. Polling more than 500 SMBs, the report explores...

E-commerce is experiencing rapid growth with no sign of slowing down. Retailers and brands are finding that the new normal in retail and e-tail marketing is much like trying to hit a moving target. They have to take a refined aim and build in some lead time This marketing strategy requires businesses to adjust their digital infrastructure and tacti...

SugarCRM last month announced its acquisition of Node Inc., an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that leverages customer relationship management data and vast external sources. This marks the fourth acquisition by SugarCRM since the company's investment by Menlo Park-based Accel-KKR in August 2018 The three previous acquisitions of Collabspot, ...

Jacque Montague Raymer, developer and creator of the MakuluLinux family of distributions, on August 24 released a new distro that is inspired by a project he shelved several years ago MakuluLinux Shift is a well-designed Linux distro that blends several mainstream design concepts with performance features not found elsewhere. One of Shift's unique ...

Fueled by the ongoing pandemic, consumers are now more rapidly embracing the use of digital wallets and are buying digital gift cards for personal use Branded payments provider Blackhawk Network released its 2020 Multinational Branded Pay report in July. The findings reveal a large upswing in digital wallet adoption among surveyed shoppers in eight...

When Linux was born on Aug. 25, 1991, it was little more than a hobby for then-21-year-old Linus Torvalds. Today the Linux community is estimated to be more than 86 million users strong Awareness of Linux in the enterprise was nonexistent 29 years ago. Since then, Linux has become the backbone of many large and small enterprises. It's installed in ...

Tech and finance professionals are joining the ranks of workers in other industries by delaying their return to in-person office work until as late as the third quarter of next year. Workers are balking at returning to their physical offices while fears of a resurgence of the virus are prevalent Meanwhile, major U.S. employers have postponed return...

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has a destructive reach that goes beyond that of a highly contagious and deadly illness. It is also contributing to the rapid spread of piracy -- as in spreading illegal copies of commercial software Software piracy involves much more than businesses and consumers using illegal copies of computer programs. What lurks...

CRM and CEM/CXM are essential tools for maintaining business flow with customers. Although similar, they have distinct differences. To choose the right one, organizations need to go beyond the alphabet soup of these hi-tech business applications Customer relationship management (CRM) software tracks interactions with sales prospects and customers.

Users of Zoom and other video conference tools should be aware of the growing risk of impersonation attacks. Even the use of other video platforms to keep in touch with friends on a social level now poses higher security risks A report released this month by Eli Sanders, chief data scientist at INKY, attempted to raise awareness of this growing vul...