Abstract: A computer system processes reviews to generate personalized recommendations based on a user's preferences. User preferences relating to a subject category are received. A query is processed to retrieve one or more reviews for a plurality of subjects of the subject category, wherein each review is associated with a review score. Each review score of the one or more reviews for each subject is adjusted based on user preferences for a corresponding subject category and a subject score is calculated based on the adjusted review scores for each subject. A ranked list of subjects is generated according to the subject score of each subject. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and program product for processing reviews to generate personalized recommendations based on a user's preferences in substantially the same manner described above.

Abstract: A method, a system and a computer program product for detecting and managing obfuscation of a road sign may be provided herein. The method may include receiving, a plurality of images from a plurality of vehicles over a time period, determining an extent of obfuscation of road sign in each of set of images. A current extent of obfuscation of the road sign is the extent of obfuscation of the road sign in most recent of the set of images. The method further includes performing a time-series analysis of extent of obfuscation of the road sign in each of set of images to determine rate at which the extent of obfuscation of road sign is increasing and determining an impending risk of failing to spot road sign, from an appropriate distance by vehicle. The method further includes providing a recommendation based on impending risk of failing to spot road sign.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for distributing a software upgrade to client computing devices, the software upgrade being assigned to a software program, the client computing devices being communicatively coupled via a network, a target client of the client computing devices being adapted for executing the software program, the software program being adapted, when executed by the target client, for causing the target client to send via the network a signature specific to the software program, the method comprising intercepting network traffic from the client computing devices. The method comprises of detecting the signature in the intercepted traffic. The method comprises of collecting a network footprint from the intercepted traffic, the footprint being associated with the detected signature, the footprint comprising an identifier of the target client, the detected signature having been received from the target client. The method comprises of using the footprint for distributing the upgrade.

Abstract: A computer system processes reviews to generate personalized recommendations based on a user's preferences. User preferences relating to a subject category are received. A query is processed to retrieve one or more reviews for a plurality of subjects of the subject category, wherein each review is associated with a review score. Each review score of the one or more reviews for each subject is adjusted based on user preferences for a corresponding subject category and a subject score is calculated based on the adjusted review scores for each subject. A ranked list of subjects is generated according to the subject score of each subject. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and program product for processing reviews to generate personalized recommendations based on a user's preferences in substantially the same manner described above.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for distributing a software upgrade to client computing devices, the software upgrade being assigned to a software program, the client computing devices being communicatively coupled via a network, a target client of the client computing devices being adapted for executing the software program, the software program being adapted, when executed by the target client, for causing the target client to send via the network a signature specific to the software program, the method comprising intercepting network traffic from the client computing devices. The method comprises of detecting the signature in the intercepted traffic. The method comprises of collecting a network footprint from the intercepted traffic, the footprint being associated with the detected signature, the footprint comprising an identifier of the target client, the detected signature having been received from the target client. The method comprises of using the footprint for distributing the upgrade.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for updating a timeout value of an application in a computer system. Hardware and software configuration data of the remote computing device is determined. A local computing device in the server system is provided in accordance with the determined hardware and software configuration data. An application on the local computing device is executed for determining the execution time of the application. An echo request packet is sent to the remote computing device. A current network time delay is determined from the elapsed time between sending and receiving a response to the echo request packet from the remote computing device. The timeout value from the current network time delay and the execution time is calculated. The sending, determining, and calculating steps are repeated during execution of the application by the remote computing device for repeatedly updating the timeout value using the calculated timeout value.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for updating a timeout value of an application in a computer system. Hardware and software configuration data of the remote computing device is determined. A local computing device in the server system is provided in accordance with the determined hardware and software configuration data. An application on the local computing device is executed for determining the execution time of the application. An echo request packet is sent to the remote computing device. A current network time delay is determined from the elapsed time between sending and receiving a response to the echo request packet from the remote computing device. The timeout value from the current network time delay and the execution time is calculated. The sending, determining, and calculating steps are repeated during execution of the application by the remote computing device for repeatedly updating the timeout value using the calculated timeout value.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for configuring different computers of a network. Each computer plays a specific physic role (defined by an architecture of the network) and/or a specific logic role (defined by the applications running in the network). A reference model and a transition table are associated with each product to be installed in the network; the reference model specifies a target configuration for each role (defined by the components of the product to be installed), while the transition table specifies the actions required to reach each target configuration from each current configuration of the computers. A server identifies the role and the current configuration of each computer; the actions required to enforce the desired target configuration on the computer are then established and executed.

Abstract: Building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is provided. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. A descriptor is used to define a desired configuration of the system. The installation package is built declaring a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element into the wizard tree. During the installation process, the discoverer element detects a current configuration of the system. The producer creates a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program for installing a shared software component on a computer are proposed. The process is driven by an exploiter of this (new) shared component. If the required shared component is not available on the computer, it is installed at the desired location (specified by the exploiter). On the contrary, if another shared component is already available (for further exploiters), the process verifies whether this available shared component is at the required level. If not, the available shared component is upgraded accordingly; for example, this result can be achieved by causing the available shared component to refuse any new request and then waiting for the completion of any pending request. In this case, the install location of the available shared component is returned to the exploiter, so as to have it point to the available shared component automatically.

Abstract: Building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is provided. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. A descriptor is used to define a desired configuration of the system The installation package is built declaring a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element into the wizard tree. During the installation process, the discoverer element detects a current configuration of the system. The producer creates a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime.

Abstract: Building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is provided. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. A descriptor is used to define a desired configuration of the system. The installation package is built declaring a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element into the wizard tree. During the installation process, the discoverer element detects a current configuration of the system. The producer creates a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for configuring different computers of a network. Each computer plays a specific physic role (defined by an architecture of the network) and/or a specific logic role (defined by the applications running in the network). A reference model and a transition table are associated with each product to be installed in the network; the reference model specifies a target configuration for each role (defined by the components of the product to be installed), while the transition table specifies the actions required to reach each target configuration from each current configuration of the computers. A server identifies the role and the current configuration of each computer; the actions required to enforce the desired target configuration on the computer are then established and executed.

Abstract: A method (300) for installing a shared software component on a computer is proposed. The process is driven by an exploiter of this (new) shared component. If the required shared component is not available on the computer, it is installed (384) at the desired location (specified by the exploiter). On the contrary, if another shared component is already available (for further exploiters), the process verifies (312) whether this available shared component is at the required level. If not, the available shared component is upgraded (339-378) accordingly; for example, this result can be achieved by causing the available shared component to refuse (345) any new request and then waiting (348-351) for the completion of any pending request. In this case, the install location of the available shared component is returned (336,381,387) to the exploiter, so as to have it point (390) to the available shared component automatically.

Abstract: A method (300) and a corresponding system are proposed for configuring different computers of a network. Each computer plays a specific physic role (defined by an architecture of the network) and/or a specific logic role (defined by the applications running in the network). A reference model and a transition table are associated (306-312) with each product to be installed in the network; the reference model specifies a target configuration for each role (defined by the components of the product to be installed), while the transition table specifies the actions required to reach each target configuration from each current configuration of the computers. A server identifies (330-336) the role and the current configuration of each computer; the actions required to enforce the desired target configuration on the computer are then established and executed (333,339-366).

Abstract: A method (300) of installing software applications using a wizard-based installation package (for example, built using “InstallShield”) is proposed. The installation package is defined declaring a discoverer Bean (308), a producer Bean (312), a consumer Bean (314) and a debugger Bean (315) into the wizard tree (while the product tree is left empty). During the installation process, the discoverer creates (322-346) a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching a desired configuration (defined in a descriptor of the software application) from a current configuration (detected at run-time). The consumer executes (348-362) the installation operations defined in the working queue in succession. Whenever an error condition is detected (352, 356, 360), the installation process is suspended (368) and the debugger is invoked (372). An administrator can browse (378) an execution log of each installation operation and update (380-383) any wrong operative parameter.

Abstract: A method (300) of building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is proposed. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. In the proposed method, a descriptor is used to define (309) a desired configuration of the system (specifying the software products to be installed for each role that can be played by the different target computers of the system). The installation package is build declaring a discoverer element (312), a producer element (315) and a consumer element (318) into the wizard tree (while the product tree is left empty). During the installation process, the discoverer element detects (330-332) a current configuration of the system (including the role assigned to each target computer). The producer creates (337-351) a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system.