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Philip Brittan

Philip Brittan has been writing software and running software companies for 15 years. He grew up on a ranch in Montana and has a degree in Computer Science from Harvard University. He was lead developer, then VP Product Development, and finally CEO of financial software firm Astrogamma. Philip then founded and ran software development firm Spheresoft, and then founded Droplets, Inc., of which he is currently Chairman. In addition to starting companies and writing Java code, Philip enjoys skiing, hiking, mountain biking, composing music, and playing with his kids.

 

pbrittan's blog

The Rich Client Strikes Back

Posted by pbrittan on January 15, 2004 at 2:49 PM EST

Microsoft is redefining the application interface around rich clients, and if Java does not have an answer, it faces being cut off from end users. The answer lies in matching Microsoft's richness while trumping it on security.

Security Strategies

Posted by pbrittan on December 15, 2003 at 12:30 PM EST

The IT security outlook just seems to be getting worse. Maybe it's time to change the rules.

Fighting With Everyone

Posted by pbrittan on December 10, 2003 at 4:51 PM EST

Microsoft's campaign to take over the world is bringing it into conflict with a few people.

The Battle Over Java

Posted by pbrittan on December 8, 2003 at 10:39 PM EST

Is the cold war between Sun and IBM over Java heating up?

Microsoft retrenches around fat clients

Posted by pbrittan on November 11, 2003 at 10:21 AM EST

Microsoft is leading a charge back to the desktop. Will the world follow?

Confusion between grid and utility computing

Posted by pbrittan on October 31, 2003 at 12:51 PM EST

I just published an article on CNet News.com titled The new IT confusion which attempt to disentangle grid and utility computing concepts in less than 700 words.

Open Standards Definitions

Posted by pbrittan on October 21, 2003 at 12:07 PM EDT

What do we mean by open standards anyhow?

My last entry evoked a certain amount of name-calling in the arena of open standards. Today I'd like to explore just what "Open Standards" might mean. This will seem very simplistic to many of you, but I hope it’s helpful to sort things out in a simplistic way.

Sun: Threatened by Standards?

Posted by pbrittan on October 17, 2003 at 9:39 AM EDT

Can 'standards' and 'standardization' be two unrelated concepts?

There was an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Cloud Over Sun Microsystems: Plummeting Computer Prices, which dissects Sun’s current financial and strategic challenges.

RAD Tool Let-down

Posted by pbrittan on October 15, 2003 at 12:29 PM EDT

Rapid application development tools let you put together a great-looking mock-up of your app in no time, but often are of little use for the production version of your system. Visual GUI builders and data-aware controls are two such culprits.

ROI of UI Technology

Posted by pbrittan on October 14, 2003 at 9:29 AM EDT

I recently wrote a paper for The SAP Developer Network on user interface technology in the enterprise. I'd like to pull out one small section of that paper for further discussion here: