Articles by Jack M. Germain

A new coalition is building a low-cost solution to save lives in earthquake-threatened regions, rather than garnishing a profit from a new early-warning system. OpenEEW is an open-source IoT project with the goal to save lives by reducing the cost of earthquake early-warning (EEW) systems and accelerating their deployments globally. The Linux Foun...

The holiday shopping forecast and consumer spending patterns well into next year will be marked by a pullback in spending, an increase in consumer expectations for brand behavior, and a focus on supporting small businesses That prediction does not bode well for retailers and e-tailers alike. A report from customer engagement platform provider Braze...

Consumer spending trends and hackers' attack strategies continue to adjust to pandemic pressures, according to a report from digital payments player ACI Worldwide on the July U.S. Retail Sales Index The data, sourced from hundreds of millions of e-commerce transactions during July and the course of the pandemic, revealed a 19 percent increase in gl...

In-person workout sessions these days might seem like a thing of the past, while solitary workouts at home replace gym visits as an ongoing result of the pandemic. The use of artificial intelligence is not yet a common feature in fitness apps, but it is a main component in a popular India-based app now focused on growing users in the U.S. and Cana...

With hurricane season in full bloom and the additional prospect of natural disasters, the importance for companies to have disaster data plans in place is paramount. Companies that fail to make recovery plans for their electronic gear and essential data are inviting serious financial injury when an emergency strikes....

New studies reveal how solid personalization in marketing drives brand loyalty, but consumers feel brands fail to do enough to recognize them as individuals Formation, a company using artificial intelligence to drive loyalty programs for brands like Starbucks and United Airlines, released a report on Wednesday with data that shows that the more per...

A growing list of companies shares a common problem with Apple Stores. Technology may be the only solution as workers wait to return to their corporate workplace as the pandemic resurgence materializes Apple Stores recently tried to reopen but had to shut down again amid continuing COVID-19 infections. It only took a few weeks for Apple to close it...

As consumers get more acquainted with shopping and banking digitally, it seems logical that more people would be inclined to pay their bills online A consumer billing and payment trends and behaviors survey by ACI Worldwide shows that nearly 70 percent of respondents prefer digital payment options such as website and mobile app channels to pay one-...

The growing work-from-home movement amid the coronavirus and its likely continuing challenges has created the need for additional broadband capacity in more places. Mobile telcos and other service providers are rallying around 5G wireless as the most promising solution for reliably faster Internet connectivity But the path to rolling out 5G -- whic...

Calculate Linux is an impressively different Linux operating system This is a distribution designed with home and SMB users in mind. It has expanded its user interface into an appealing selection of desktop choices over the years....

If the ongoing struggles amid the pandemic have taught retailers anything, it is the need to automate their customer service experience. Customer experience automation (CXA) is making the difference between hanging on until closing down and ensuring more returning customers CXA can revitalize a merchant's customer relations process to drive more sa...

The Linux Foundation on Monday announced the formation of the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) as the latest initiative to improve software security OpenSSF is a cross-industry collaboration that brings together industry leaders to improve the security of open-source software by building a broader community with targeted initiatives and be...

In the new COVID-19 reality, consumers have extra time on their hands to find other ways to shop as traditional storefronts become less accessible and convenient Several recently-published reports and surveys tracking changes in consumer buying habits reveal a growing competition between old versus new shopping habits. This industry-wide tracking o...

If you are a Windows or Linux user, brace yourself for a long siege of vulnerability nightmares. The fix will be long and treacherous and could brick your computers Eclypsium researchers Wednesday released details of a set of newly discovered vulnerabilities dubbed "BootHole" that opens up billions of Windows and Linux devices to attacks.

Counterfeit hardware, especially in corporate settings, is a recurring problem that often goes unnoticed. Having such gear online poses serious financial, operational, and security risks Cybersecurity company F-Secure on July 15 released an investigative report detailing counterfeit Cisco Catalyst 2960-X series switches. The report highlights chall...

Panic buying and competition for consumer attention between in-store and online transactions have created a brave new world of retail that is bound to continue into a post-pandemic reality Marketing firms have been working overtime to plot new strategies for struggling brick-and-mortar stores that are battling to stay in business. E-commerce platfo...

Rancher Labs and Fujitsu on Tuesday announced an alliance to hasten the adoption of Kubernetes container orchestration technology industry-wide, starting within public sector institutions in the U.K. and Ireland The alliance was forged partly in response to the growing requirement by the U.K.'s Government Digital Service for public organizations t...

As traditional gyms, fitness centers, and health and wellness studios shutter during COVID-19, technology has kicked in to provide a replacement or an alternative for growing numbers of online shoppers. Digital at-home exercise sessions and sales of home exercise and health equipment purchased online are fueling new consumer trends that could perm...

AutoTux is a fully automated Linux distribution that is literally a hands-off event from start to finish. It goes a long way to adopting Linux a no-brainer for Windows and macOS converts AutoTux's self-installing approach is also the kind of Linux operating system that makes you wonder why more distribution developers do not use similar strategies ...

The success of The Linux Foundation's first virtual summit may well have set the standard for new levels of open source participation Summit masters closed the virtual doors of the four-day joint gathering on July 2. The event hosted the Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference North America 2020 and ended with more than 4,000 registrants fro...