THE WALLACE E. CARROLL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
MD 240: Management Information Systems
Fall 2001
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Technology Analysis Exercises:
Your team will perform each of these exercises. Please turn in a jointly written write-up for each exercise.
Exercise #1
Software
For each of the applications or application categories listed below for the MS Windows operating system, try to find an application (by searching the Internet) that has similar functionality for the MS Windows application, but that runs on a Linux OS desktop. (If you really want to impress me, do this exercise for the FreeBSD and the BeOS operating systems too!) Note that the class page for the session on software includes some helpful links for starting your search.
MS Word
MS Powerpoint
MS Outlook
MS Excel
MS Access
MS Internet Explorer
Office Suite
C Compiler (e.g., MS VisualC++)
DBMS (e.g., MS SQL Server)
Media Player (e.g., MS Windows Media Player, Real Media Player)
Optimization Package (e.g., GAMS)
Statistical Analysis (e.g., Minitab)
File Compression (e.g., WinZip)
CAD
Graphics Editor/Picture Editor (e.g., Photoshop)
Virus Software (e.g., Norton AntiVirus)
Web Server (e.g., MS Internet Information Server)
If you can't seem to find a similar application, just take note of it, and don't waste an inordinate amount of time trying to track down something.
Briefly summarize your findings of your comparison between the platforms. Given the number and quality of applications you've found for the Linux OS, briefly consider the potential for adoption of the Linux OS on the corporate desktop over the long term.
Exercise #2
Hardware
(1) Configure a branded PC. Visit Dell.com, Compaq.com, HP.com, IBM.com, or any other site that lists desktop personal computers for sale, as well as their prices. Choose a desktop computer, configure it (without a monitor), and print out the computer that you have configured. Or, find an advertisement for a PC for sale through a local retailer, such as Best Buy.
(2) Configure a do-it-yourself (DIY) PC. Now, your job it to try to configure the same computer or a better computer for the same or better price. Use www.pricewatch.com for choosing the components that you will put into your computer.
If you have any questions about whether you have chosen the right set of components for your DIY PC, feel free to contact my MBA graduate assistant, Cedric Banker (bankerce@bc.edu), as he builds all of his own computers using pricewatch.com.
Summarize your findings in a paragraph or two, and attach the two price lists for the two systems.
Exercise #3
Part 1: Web Server Evaluation
You are the manager in charge of technology acquisition for a web startup. Before you can start building your web site, you much choose a computer operating system and internet server to use on the hardware on which your site will be hosted.
(1) (Do This First) Without doing any searching or information gathering (i.e., based on what you already know) decide among your group ...
(a) which operating system you should be running on each web server computer, and why (what information did you use to make that decision?), and
(b) which web server your company should use to serve out web page content, and why.
(2) (Do This After Completing The Above) Now, look at Netcraft's surveys of the OSs and web servers used at major corporations' web sites. Some interesting pages include top uptimes, top isp uptimes, most requested site uptimes, and other uptime pages. Decide among your group ...
(a) which operating system you should be running on each web server computer, and why (what information did you use to make that decision?), and
(b) which web server your company should use to serve out web page content, and why.
Part 2: Web Services Demo
Both Microsoft and Sun use reference applications to demonstrate their web service application platforms. Sun uses the Java Pet Store Demo. Microsoft has a site called Cold Rooster Consulting (www.coldrooster.com), where they have deployed two demos: the ColdStorage web service and the Favorites web service.
Try out Microsoft's demo of their XML-based "Favorites web service."
Go to www.coldrooster.com and set up an account for yourself so that you can use the Favorites web service (using the "LOGIN" link on the left menu).
Now, you will see two options on the right side of the pages on coldrooster.com ("Add to Favorites" and "Organize Favorites").
Visit some of the pages on the Cold Rooster site and click "Add to Favorites" when you are on each page. You will see the list of Favorites (i.e., bookmarks) grow as you visit each page. Note that the bookmarks follow you from page to page.
Write a brief report (a paragraph or two) in which you compare the process of collecting bookmarks using the Favorites web service, versus the usual way of collecting them on your own computer. What advantages and risks are there in the web service approach?