where you can also find downloadable iCal entries to help you out the meetings in your diary.
This wiki page was used by the committee while we were putting the meeting programme together.
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Sep. 15 Smartsourcing |
| Logistics: |  time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Robb Mann
Robb has over 30 years of practical business and technical experience as a strategic business/IT consultant, systems and data base designer and programme/project manager.
He has many years experience in designing, developing and implementing products for the large international consultancies such as PA Group and IBM Global Services being the co-author of Tetrarch, an IT strategic planning product, now owned by PA. He has been the Technical Vice President for a US based software service supplier providing outsourced Business Intelligence capability to a number of large manufacturers, using internet based Data Mart technology.
He is a specialist in the application of structured methods and has a strong background in Operational Research and its application to metrics and benchmarking. He was an academic in his early life with a Masters in OR and doctoral research in Computer Science. He is a director of QVIP, a company specialising in driving improvements via balanced scorecard IS assessment and IT project benchmarking (see http://www.q-vip.net) |
| Title: | Smartsourcing |
| Abstract: | The IT industry has accumulated about 20 years of outsourcing experience, and most present-day organisations use outsourcing in one shape or another. This talk addresses today’s need to be selective and how with Smartsourcing we can assess outsource providers to ensure that they continuously strive to enhance their service levels. |
| Meeting Report | http://www.oxon.bcs.org/2005reports.htm#Sep |
| Comments: | More Detailed Abstract
In the early days, many organisations simply outsourced IT – lock, stock and barrel – and in most cases this was found to be a sub-optimal approach. Hence today’s emphasis on Smart Sourcing, whereby companies are selective, aiming to retain strategic capabilities while farming out services that can be provided more efficiently by specialist firms.
In the case of selective outsourcing of applications development and support, it is essential that these processes have a quantitative basis to help:
- Decide when outsourcing is appropriate
- Evaluate bids from suppliers
- Monitor supplier performance.
We have been retained to Benchmark application services providers to ensure that they sustain their focus on performance, improve visibility and transparency of their achievements, and to ensure that they continuously strive to enhance their service levels. Using our proprietary database (QuantiMetrics owns the world’s largest known validated database of completed software project and maintenance and support activities) our QPeP Benchmarking Service is particularly well suited to this purpose as it benchmarks projects on an individual like-for-like basis. |
Oct. 6 Using state transition testing |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Peter Quentin, from Qbit |
| Title: | Using state transition testing
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| Abstract: | Faced with the seemingly impossible task of testing a system that has an infinite number of operational scenarios, a tester needs practical test techniques that define a finite number of tests and at the same time give realistic coverage.
For the testing of function rich systems, state transition testing, enhanced by defining coverage level based on testing trees, fulfils this need.
This presentation will demonstrate state transition testing and discuss three different levels of coverage that can be achieved. |
| Meeting Report | http://www.oxon.bcs.org/2005reports.htm#Oct |
| Comments: | |
Nov. 10 Open Source: joint with BCS OSSG |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Alan Lenton – Chief Technology Officer and Game Designer, ibgames http://www.ibgames.net/alan/ Alan Lenton is in charge of game design and development and overall technical matters for Interactive Broadcasting. Alan has extensive management, publishing and software design experience, having worked as the manager of a rock band, manager of a bookshop, a graphic designer, and the production editor of a London listings magazine. He was for three years general manager of the UK's first commercial consumer network Compunet, before leaving to concentrate on writing IB's first award-winning multi-player game Federation. |
| Title: | Open Source Software |
| Abstract: | In the last ten years Open Source software has come from being an 'interesting' plaything for hobbyists and geeks into the mainstream of business computing.
The success of Open Source has been built on the rock solid components of the Linux operating system, the Apache web server, the MySQL database, and a scripting language whose name starts with 'P' – Perl, PHP or Python, depending on your religion. These components are commonly known by the acronym LAMP.
This talk will look at the LAMP components, as well as Linux distributions and some of the strengths and weaknesses of Open Source software, and strategies for deploying it in business. The talk will also attempt to strip away some of the myths surrounding Open Source software – myths pushed both by fanatical supporters, and by equally fanatical opponents. |
| Comments: | The “Open Source Technology Stack” which has been in wide use for many years but only recently gained an acronym, is referred to as “LAMP”. LAMP stands for four components
- Linux (or Free BSD?, or any other free Unix-like OS)
- Apache, the world's leading web server which also provides many other network services
- MySQL (or PostreSQL, or BerkeleyDB, or another open source database)
- Python (or Perl or PHP): a high level application programming and scripting language, usually combined with a web templating system to generate dynamic pages and forms.
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| Meeting Report | http://www.oxon.bcs.org/2005reports.htm#Nov |
Nov. 29 Christmas Lecture |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Neil Barrett |
| Title: | Computability and Crime – How Information Security Affects Criminal Prosecutions |
| Abstract: | As computers become implicitly involved in the execution, detection and prosecution of increasing numbers of cases, the issue of activity and responsibility becomes correspondingly more important. But ascribing responsibility for computer-recorded events is built on the foundation of information security – a poorly understood, poorly implemented aspect of our high-tech world. In this talk, I will explore the practical and theoretical limits of information security, and show that – at least in theory – a perfect solution is impossible and that we will therefore always be faced with ‘judgement calls’ in this crucial forensic arena. |
| Meeting Report | http://www.oxon.bcs.org/2005reports.htm#Dec |
| Comments: | |
Jan. 19 VoIP |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Peter Gradwell is Managing Director of Gradwell dot com Limited, an Internet Service Provider he started in 1998 during the second year of his undergraduate degree in Software Engineering. In 2004, he converted his company phone system and is now one of the leading providers of VoIP services in the UK.
For two years Peter chaired the Policy Advisory Board for Nominet UK, the co.uk domain registry.
He was one of the founding members of the Internet Telephony Service Providers Association, the defacto trade body. He also works with various government departments, notably the Home Office and OFCOM, particularly on developing next generation solutions for 999 emergency call handling. |
| Title: | Current Issues in UK VoIP – an Introduction |
| Abstract: | Starting from when we lift the receiver, Peter will follow a phone call across the public telecoms network and onto the internet, discussing the different types of VoIP available, the issues that surround implementing them, including phone number provision, call quality, firewalling VoIP, identifying the location of a VoIP subscriber and connecting a 999 call.
Topics covered: - What is VoIP? 3 types
- Skype
- PBX Link ups
- IP Centrex
- How does SIP work? What happens when you make a call?
- What sort of things are people doing with VoIP? Some examples from our customers.
- Some technical problems faced by VoIP Providers
- Firewall & NAT Issues – using VoIP across a firewall
- Quality issues – what does it sound like? How much bandwidth do I need?
- Regulatory Issues – Phone numbers & location
- Location Issues – connecting a 999 call – summary of our OFCOM Task Force work
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| Comments: | See John Naughton's Observer article for his thoughts on the consumer impact of VoIP.
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Feb. 23 Web Intelligence |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Prof Nigel Shadbolt is Professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Department of Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton University. He is a member of the Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia Group, Head of the BIO@ECS Group, Director of Interdisciplinary Research within ECS and Director of the EPSRC Advanced Knowledge Technologies IRC.
Nigel is also Vice-President Knowledge Services and Deputy President of the BCS.
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| Title: | Web intelligence |
| Abstract: | The extraordinary human construct that is the World Wide Web is a truly Disruptive Technology. There are now hundreds of millions of users, billions of indexed web resources, it is used in every country on Earth and yet only a tiny percentage of users is “trained” in any way. This remarkable construct is both massively distributed and largely open.
With this amount of content and usage the integration of information across space and time leads to new opportunities. From on-line shopping to collaborative e-Science the web is changing how information is generated, deployed and used.
This lecture will examine the extent to which intelligent web services are evolving to cope with diverse sources of information on a global scale. It will examine the particular way in which Artificial Intelligence is being woven into the web. |
| Comments: | |
Mar 23 Guided Tour of Science Museum (Visit) |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry. Full details and booking form |
| Speaker: | Geoff Marshall |
| Title: | Guided Tour of Science Museum, London |
| Abstract: | Morning 10:30: A guided tour of the Science Museum given by Geoff Marshall, a London Registered Blue Badge Guide and a professional scientist, finishing in the gallery which features Charles Babbage (1.5 to 2 hours)
The tour will include items from the following: - Science in the 18th century- the George III exhibition,
- The industrial revolution (causes)
- Power (Newcomen, Watt, Trevithick)
- Space Gallery
- Making of the Modern World (Railways, Internal Combustion Engine, etc.
- Flight, (Wright Brothers, Alcock and Brown, Amy Johnson)
- Computing (Charles Babbage)
Afternoon: Science Museum’s Ingenious Tours at their archive in West Kensington (45 mins). We plan this will be From valves to chips: the rise of British Computing from their current year’s programme.
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| Comments: | Travel by coach, with suitable pick-up points. |
Apr 27 Gaming technology |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Simon Prytherch, Head of Internal Development Empire Interactive |
| Title: | Computer Games Development: Past, Present & Future |
| Abstract: | This year will herald the arrival of new variants of both the XBOX from Microsoft and the Sony Playstation. The games industry is worth 20 billion dollars globally and UK companies are a significant force, contributing positively to the UK balance of payments to the tune of £200million in 2004.
Simon Prytherch is Head of Internal Development for Empire Interactive a leading computer games developer and publisher who produce a number of very successful titles across all current games platforms. The average game takes between 70 and 120 man years and several million pounds to make; this is a chance to look behind the scenes at how your favourite games are put together.
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| Comments: | Simon gave a talk for Oxford Uni Computer Society a couple of years ago and has given a number of talks at the Games Developers Conference in the States and Europe |
May 25 AGM /Semantic Web |
| Logistics: | time, location, iCal entry |
| Speaker: | Dan Zambonini is Technical Director of Box UK, an internet technologies company that provides web software solutions to large public sector and FTSE 100 organisations. His work includes the implementation of practical, innovative solutions through XML, RDF, Web Services, SVG, and other emerging W3C technologies.
He has consulted on and developed numerous high-profile projects, including 300 million GBP education systems, national and international metadata standards, and IEEE reports. He is currently writing a series of semantic-web biased articles for xml.com, and is the guest Content Management expert for e-consultancy.com
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| Title: | The Semantic Web: Too clever for its own good? |
| Abstract: | The Semantic Web is the natural next evolutionary step of the Web. By adding computer digestible semantics and logic to the currently available information, we can create software that helps us work more efficiently and discover new patterns and relationships.
The enabling technologies have been around for some time – XML, RDF and OWL – together with the software to process and analyse this exciting new information. So why isn’t the Semantic Web a reality today? Will we see the Semantic Web in our lifetimes? And, most importantly, what are the technical and non-technical issues holding it back? This talk will attempt to answer these questions, to discover if the Semantic Web will be relegated to the Betamax and MiniDisc of history – great technologies with little impact
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| Comments: | Box UK supplies XML-based content management software for many well-known companies. One of the most frequently referenced is the Imperial War Museum. |
