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At last Google-Linux desktop

David Allen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:43:37 +0000

Is Google gradually taking on Microsoft through the back door, they have been doing this through various tactics but most could be considered to stealth, rather than directly advertising the fact that they are looking to become the world’s largest tech company.

Now with the introduction of Google Chrome, this finally showed to the world that they mean business and that they business they are interested in is the same one that has been dominated by Microsoft for what appears to be a lifetime.

It seems now that there is an attack on the operating system market too, but unlike a fully packaged OS, it seems that the Google Smartphone operating system, which can be used on a desktop with no real problems at all, so will Google finally be taking on Microsoft head to head?

Source [Computer World]

Microsoft offers pay per use PC

David Allen — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:11:54 +0000

When a large business talks about a pay as you go computer, most people would think that there is some sort of rip off there and there probably is, after all these are businesses and are only in it for the cash that they can make.

The concept is simple, a computer buyer wants to get the best computer available to them, but they do not want to wait to save up and they do not want finance either, what do they do!

Mircosoft are toying around with the idea that user may want to get their hands on a new machine, but without the huge costs involved, after all, it is not just the cost of the computer that hikes up the price it is the software too, luckily Microsoft can help there too.

Source [CNet]

Cybercops wanted

David Allen — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:53:08 +0000

There are calls for the internet to be policed if the amount of frauds and threats to personal data are to be controlled, according to Mary Landesman of ScanSafe.

Recently there has been a huge increase in the amount of scareware being pushed around the internet; this is where computer users are being lured into downloading free software in an attempt to rid the computers of viruses.

The idea being to pursued users to pay for something that they do not really need and in fact for a product that does nothing to protect the user’s computer from the threats out there.

However, an internet wide police force is going to be virtually impossible too, this will leave the problem down to the internet service providers and hosting companies.

Source [PC World]

Sites that fail the IE8 test

David Allen — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:29:04 +0000

With the release of Internet Explorer 8 due, it is supposed to be weeks, but we all know how that works with Microsoft. However, this is not the problem at the moment, what is, are the amount of famous websites that are not yet ready for the IE8 experience.

Here are just a few:

Techmeme
Dell Support
The New York Times
Emusic.com
Newsgator Online
Acronis.com
Google Analytics
Slashdot

These sites along with many others are not yet ready to cope with IE8, even though they only need to press the compatibility button to check and make sure that their visitors who use IE8 can do so without any problems.

Source [ZDNet]

No need to smoke with the iPhone

David Allen — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:19:06 +0000

Now is possible to smoke anywhere that you like, bars, restaurants and even at work, although the actual physical aspect of smoking cannot be carried out, in the work place or wherever. However, more like virtual smoking if that is any good at all.

It all starts with an application from the App Store with an application like Electric Smoke, which basically is a cigarette on the screen of the iPhone, which mimics the actions of a cigarette, which is more likely to be torture for a smoker rather than satisfying.

It that is needed now it the virtual ash tray and second-hand cigarette smoke for everyone to inhale and enjoy for the rest of the day.

Source [Tech Crunch]

Twitter looking to create revenues

David Allen — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 07:31:42 +0000

For a long time there has been talk of why the social networking site Twitter has not gone for the big money route, they have enough users to justify it and it is free to use. However, this means to start generating a revenue stream now is going to be a lot harder.

There is a classic example of this in YouTube they did exactly the same thing, but were fortunate enough to have Google come along with carrier bags full of cash, there are other examples too, some of which were not such a good investment for the larger company.

Yet it seems that the time has come for Twitter to take the bull by the horns and start earning some money. This is probably the reason that they posted a job advert saying that they are now looking for a Project Manager. Their job will be to define the products and features of a Twitter in the commercial world.

Source [Tech Crunch]

Chrome loses beta label

David Allen — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:01:59 +0000

When Google launched the browser, Chrome there was a great deal of interest, yet now things have settled down they have a market share of just one per cent, most users would have thought that this would have been larger but there it is.

However, this may begin to change with the beta tag being removed and the browser begin marketed as the full version which is ready to rock and roll the world of surfing for many people.

This has been a fast track out of beta for Google, for a lot of the time their products remain in the beta mode for years; one example of this is Gmail.

For users and Google removing the beta stage makes sense because businesses will very rarely go for something that is in the beta testing stage, but now could Chrome turn to gold for Google.

Source [NY Times]

Cutting down on web development time

David Allen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:45:34 +0000

Today some websites are so complicated that for many users they just take far too long to load, for some visitors this simply means pressing the back button, but for the website owner this means a lost visitor.

However, for many developers the pursuit for perfection this is a price that they are willing to pay. Yet the business owners cannot afford to miss out on any visitors as the one that presses the back button could be the one that is a buyer.

There are some options open to developers that can help, these are below:

Use frameworks
Use an Integrated Development Environment
Modularize
Debug front-end issues more effectively with browser tools
Code for reusability
Collaborate and track project status online
Automate code formatting and standardization
Invest time in requirements-gathering and planning phases
Use code that’s already written
Have less features

Source [Six Revisions]

Microsoft launches Oxite

David Allen — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:24:16 +0000

Oxite is a new open source blogging platform offered by Microsoft, the product is being target towards developers rather than trying to competing with the likes of wordpress and other favourite publishing platforms.

Oxite is available on the codeplex website it has been designed to offer support to blogs and websites as the users will be able to produce and edit webpage, add HTML and support many blog sites through a single site.

Microsoft say that they have no intention of making this into a regular blogging platform at all, so there is little chance of seeing this as powering any of the popular blogs in the near future, unless they have a large network of sites.

Source [Cnet]

ISP’s filter Wiki

David Allen — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:48:15 +0000

Customers of some UK based internet service providers have been finding it hard to access the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia. This is because a certain article has sparked off a blacklisting by the Internet Watch Foundation.

This blacklisting has been caused because of images that have been linked to child pornography, but because of this, all surfers have been tarred with the same brush and therefore have found themselves banned from the site.

The ISP’s in question are Virgin Media, Be - O2 - Telefonica, EasyNet - UK Online, PlusNet, Demon and Opal. Their customers are being filtered through a transparent proxy server, which effectively prevents them from getting onto the site.

Source [ZDnet]