DaniWeb IT Discussion Community http://www.daniweb.com/forums/ Tech support, programming, web development, and internet marketing community. Forums to get free computer help and support. en-US Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:51:31 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.daniweb.com/alphaimages/misc/rss.jpg DaniWeb IT Discussion Community http://www.daniweb.com/forums/ <![CDATA[News Story I'm in love with an eight megapixel Android]]> http://www.daniweb.com/news/story236243.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:31:59 GMT Now that's what I call an Android phone. Actually, that's what I call an Android phone that might just kick some iPhone ass.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 social networking phone is Android powered and feature rich. How rich? Well, how does 1GB RAM plus 16Gb of flash storage and a stunning 8.1 megapixel camera that comes complete with a geo-tagging function strike you?

That's on top of the 4" (854 x 480, 262,144 color TFT) touch-screen and GPS, and WiFi, and Bluetooth of course. OH, and not forgetting the Qualcomm Snapdragon, a 1GHz system-on-chip that you can also find inside the new Acer Liquid phone.

And, of course, there's the all important Android inside. This time working with the Sony UX layer for social networking. The new UX platform, as I understand it, throws a new UI on top of the Android OS which will integrate and sync a variety of social networking and comms media content. From what I can tell it would appear to be the Sony take on the HTX Sense UI.

There will be UX specific apps coming, although they are in short supply right now. So far you get a unified comms management app called Timescape which supports Twitter and Facebook as well as your email and text message services. Plus there is another called mediascape which integrates media content for playback from sources such as YouTube and PlayNow.

Expect the Xperia X10 to arrive early in the new year, with Japan getting first dibs on the sexy 8 megapixel Android.
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]]> Cellphones, PDAs and Handheld Devices newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread236243.html News Story $50 Wolfram Alpha App Makes iPhone Top Grossing List http://www.daniweb.com/news/story234228.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:36:07 GMT I got a gloating email today from those awfully clever folk at Wolfram Alpha which informed me that the iPhone app version of the 'Computational Knowledge Engine' popped up on the App Store What's Hot list. What's more, they positively gushed at how they were "pleasantly surprised" to see the app "appear on the store's 'Top Grossing' list on the second day it was available and remain there through the week".

Perhaps whoever wrote that email should have first asked the Wolfram Alpha engine why the app was on the top grossing list. I suspect that drawing on more than 20 years of development, 50,000 plus built-in algorithms and 10 trillion pieces of continually updated and curated data, it might have popped out the following answer: because it costs fifty bucks, stupid.

Sure, it may well let you get "expert-level answers to your specific freeform questions—complete with stunning, dynamically generated visualizations and tables, and richer and deeper information than you imagined possible" right there on your iPhone. It may well come replete with "elegant native iPhone interface that includes a special notation keyboard, customized iPhone output, editable history, and integration with maps and other iPhone services" for good measure.

It may well also be less than half the price of a graphing calculator at $49.99 as one Wolfram Alpha spokesperson has insisted, while missing the point that an iPhone graphing calculator app can be picked up for just a couple of bucks. And missing the point that a graphing calculator doesn't need an Internet connection to work. And missing the biggest point of all, that anyone with an Internet connection (including iPhone users) can use the full Wolfram Alpha service on the web for a lot less than $49.99 - to be precise, for £49.99 less as the service is totally free.

Which makes me sit back and ask myself just who is buying this app on the iPhone in such volume as to push it onto those top grossing and what's hot lists? Now I don't claim to be the brainiest of boxes, but I'm not stupid enough to be paying $50 for something that I can get for free. ]]> Apple Hardware newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread234228.html News Story Are you a Citizen Developer? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story232589.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:13:39 GMT Within the next five years, Citizen Developers will be responsible for building at least 25% of all new business applications. That is the rather startling claim being made by Gartner analysts ahead of the Gartner Symposium and ITexpo in Cannes, France next month. So what is a Citizen Developer... Within the next five years, Citizen Developers will be responsible for building at least 25% of all new business applications. That is the rather startling claim being made by Gartner analysts ahead of the Gartner Symposium and ITexpo in Cannes, France next month.

So what is a Citizen Developer then? No, it is not somebody who creates avatars for immersive virtual world projects but rather, so says Gartner, a "user operating outside of the scope of enterprise IT and its governance who creates new business applications for consumption by others either from scratch or by composition".

Eric Knipp, a senior research analyst for the company, is convinced that citizen-developed applications will, over the next few years at least, start to leverage IT investments below the surface. The idea being that IT can then focus on the deeper architectural concerns that should be of most concern anyway, while the end users can concentrate upon 'wiring together' services within business process and workflow.

"Citizen development introduces the opportunity for end users to address projects that IT has never had time to get to" Knipp insists "a vast expanse of departmental and situational projects that have lain beneath the surface".

As long ago as 1982, when James Martin coined the term 4GL in his "Applications Development Without Programmers" book, this notion of application development performed by business users themselves has been floating about. So what's changed to push it into the limelight now? Knipp thinks the answer is cloud computing which has "unlocked the market for 4GL-style development environments delivered as a service" and predicts "rapid growth will occur through 2014 as cloud computing matures".

During the last Gartner Symposium in Orlando, which has just drawn to a close this week, Knipp identified four converging forces that are advancing the cause of Citizen Development:

Mass personalisation is custom tailoring by a company in accordance with its end users' tastes and references. End users start to become developers when they start to personalise software for their use. Mashup tools enable personalisation while allowing reuse of existing service-oriented-architecture investments. Ubiquitous access via mobile devices drives the need for further personalisation of content and applications.

Infrastructure industrialisation is coming via cloud computing, a model of delivering elastically scalable computing resources as a service over the internet. Cloud computing frees application development from infrastructure ownership.

Changing demographics are resulting from the retirement of baby boomers, and the maturation of "digital natives" means that the workforce will expect technology to "just work." The consumerisation of technology is not a trend for these people — it's a way of life.

Developer tool evolution resulting from stepwise advances in programming tools (programs used by software developers to create, debug, maintain or otherwise support other programs) has made application development more accessible than ever. ]]> C++ newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread232589.html News Story Google finds 700 million lost messages http://www.daniweb.com/news/story232001.html Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:51:16 GMT Once upon a time, Usenet newsgroups were the Twitter, Facebook and forums of the online world. All the early Internet community makers were there, and important announcements such as the arrival of Mosaic by Marc Andreesen broke there first. Then the inevitable happened, and Usenet slowly... Once upon a time, Usenet newsgroups were the Twitter, Facebook and forums of the online world. All the early Internet community makers were there, and important announcements such as the arrival of Mosaic by Marc Andreesen broke there first.

Then the inevitable happened, and Usenet slowly imploded. That could have been the end of it, but everyone assumed this fairy tale would come with a Hollywood ending after Google got involved and waved a magic wand over the Usenet archive and turned it into Google Groups.

Unfortunately, not a lot happened in the years since February 2001 when Google acquired Deja.com and that archive, with some 700 million Usenet posts appearing to be lost as far as anyone performing a Google search on specific newsgroups were concerned.

As Wired reported, "Searching within a newsgroup, even one with thousands of posts, produces no results at all. Confining a search to a range of dates also fails silently, bulldozing the most obvious path to exploring an archive" - oops! And Wired was reporting a year after the Usenet search bugs had first been spotted and Slashdotted.

The good news is that Google has, it would appear, finally fixed Google Groups. Apparently a bug was found within days of the Wired feature, and it is now possible to search specific groups for specific text and actually find what you are looking for.

The bad news is that date range searches are still not working, although Google has promised that it is now working on applying some tender loving care to Google Groups and getting the kind of functionality we expect from Google into place. ]]> Search Engine Optimization newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread232001.html News Story Warning: Trojans Hiding In Facebook Apps http://www.daniweb.com/news/story231627.html Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:01:33 GMT It's not just phishing scams that Facebook users have to worry about right now,

According to Roger Thompson, the Chief Research Officer with security vendor AVG, hacked Facebook applications are increasingly reaching out to exploit sites based in Russia. As Thompson says, this is different to the normal run of things whereby people are linking to hacked pages innocently enough on social networking sites. "These seem to be actual Facebook applications that have been hacked" Thompson points out, adding that the application developers are "innocent victims too".

AVG researchers first spotted the trend when a fire-fighter simulation game which it assumed was a developer hack, pointing to a Russian site where a scareware scam was being peddled. But when they looked closer, they discovered in the source code for the web pages an injected iframe that did the damage.

What is not obvious at the moment is just where the holes are in the infected Facebook apps which are letting the bad guys inject their code, but Thompson is as sure as he can be that the app developers are just as much victims as anyone else in these matters. So far AVG has uncovered at least 8 Facebook apps which have been compromised, and the full details can be found here along with screenshots of one exploited app and the exploit sites it reaches out to.

Maybe it is time to rethink the way that Facebook approaches app development and reconsider adopting the Apple approach to app security? ]]> Network Security newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread231627.html News Story Do stressed women love to blog? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story231239.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:58:56 GMT Apparently, women are more than twice as likely to go online and vent when stressed than speak to their partners. That's according to the results of a recent survey which also suggests that when stressed many women go and blog instead of turning to alcohol or chocolate.

The survey, conducted by women's online community Powder Room Graffiti reveals that some 58% of women will write more online during difficult times, either by blogging, commenting or taking part in social networks. Only 23% said they turned to their partners when things got on top of them.

"Our research would certainly indicate that the blogosphere has a real psychological benefit for some women and appears more effective than the more obvious stress relievers of alcohol or face-to-face exchanges with a close confidant" said Diane Hayman from Powder Room Graffiti. "Being encouraged to speak honestly is clearly very liberating for women... we’ve seen people share and debate the full gamut of subjects, many of which would be off-limits in a coffee morning setting or on the pages of a glossy magazine" she added.

Or, of course, there's the alternative theory that the Internet in general, and social networks/communities in particular, are just great places to let off steam no matter what gender you happen to be. ]]> Growing an Online Community newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread231239.html News Story Who needs an iPhone FM radio anyway? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story231232.html Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:26:41 GMT Why so much fuss about the rumour (http://9to5mac.com/iPhone-fm-app) that Apple is developing an in house app to bring FM radio to the iPhone? Sure, the fact that (assuming the rumour is true) this will be a native application that can run in the background just like the iPod app does on an iPhone... Why so much fuss about the rumour that Apple is developing an in house app to bring FM radio to the iPhone? Sure, the fact that (assuming the rumour is true) this will be a native application that can run in the background just like the iPod app does on an iPhone is cool, but do we really need a FM radio on the iPhone? It's a valid enough question. Sure, the new iPod Nano has a radio and it adds a needed function, but the iPhone has apps. And, as any app lover will know, there are plenty of streaming radio apps already out there which bring all the radio functionality you could want, and then some.

Yes, I like the sound of integrating radio and iTunes Store so that you could get more info about a song playing and then go on to purchase it in just a click or two. But to be honest I prefer being able to stream that song through the likes of Last.FM or Spotify rather than having to buy it at all.

Yes, I like the idea of the live pause function, assuming that this carries over from the Nano into the iPhone app that is.

But I'm just not convinced that there is any real need for old technology such as FM radio on a next-generation device like the iPhone. It's almost as bizarre as having a Blu-ray player built into a top end HD TV which lets you play VHS tapes.

Maybe it's just a relatively simple thing to do, from the technology perspective, for Apple which will bring a nice but of publicity and no doubt get the media drooling over added features. The iPhone has been able to receive FM radio signals for a while, it is just not enabled as a radio application. The Nike+ fitness system uses the iPhone FM signal functionality to works its magic, for example.

So what do you think? Would you listen to FM radio on an iPhone or is it just a waste of time? ]]> Apple Hardware newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread231232.html News Story DVD Jon bites Apple on ass again http://www.daniweb.com/news/story229561.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:53:24 GMT Jon Lech Johansen is perhaps best known as DVD Jon, the chap who cracked DVD movie encryption at the tender age of just 15. He may soon have to adopt a new nickname, how about iTunes Jon, as he releases software that takes iTunes out of the iPod music equation. doubleTwist... Jon Lech Johansen is perhaps best known as DVD Jon, the chap who cracked DVD movie encryption at the tender age of just 15. He may soon have to adopt a new nickname, how about iTunes Jon, as he releases software that takes iTunes out of the iPod music equation.

doubleTwist exists on the foundation that in the same way you don't have a different web browser for every web site that you visit, you shouldn't have to have different software when you use an iPod, a Nokia smartphone, a Sony device and so on. "The typical household today has many such devices" the company website says "there is a need for a simple and powerful software that connects them." Which is where the newly released software comes in, and iTunes goes out the door.

doubleTwist co-founder Monique Farantzos has even gone as far as to describe Apple as the new Microsoft, referring to a dark side that has emerged with apps being blocked from the App Store for example, and the Palm pre not being allowed to sync with iTunes. And so we now have a piece of software that has all the functionality of iTunes, but does not restrict the user to just an iPod or even just to iTunes for that matter. doubleTwist will, so I am informed, allow iPod users to buy their music from the Amazon MP3 store if they prefer. That said, it's the ability to play an iTunes library of music on any device that really appeals to me.

Apple must be getting very fed up indeed with DVD Jon, especially after an advert was placed alongside the San Francisco Apple Store back in June to encourage people to turn their backs on iTunes and the iPhone. Not forgetting the 1984 video parody made by Johansen casting Steve Jobs as Big Brother, for good measure. ]]> Mac Rumors and Reports newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread229561.html News Story Can Sky beat Apple at the iTunes game? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story229555.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:14:37 GMT Sky, better known for news and sport television broadcasting, has today announced that it is entering the online music business with an ad-free streaming download service. All of the four million songs accessible by users of the service will be available by way of unlimited online streaming as well... Sky, better known for news and sport television broadcasting, has today announced that it is entering the online music business with an ad-free streaming download service. All of the four million songs accessible by users of the service will be available by way of unlimited online streaming as well as in MP3 format for storage and playback on any compatible device.

Launching on the 19th October, Sky Songs in the UK will start off by providing access to new release and back catalogue songs from EMI. Sony, Universal and Warner along with a host of independent labels for good measure.

Mike Darcey, Sky’s Chief Operating Officer, says "Our music partners bring an outstanding catalogue and unrivalled expertise that complements Sky’s strengths in content distribution. Sky Songs will reach out to consumers who want legitimate digital services offering choice, ease of use and great value. Offering legal access to digital music is a vital step in combating illegal downloading."

That's as maybe, but the service is up against existing online music powerhouses such as Apple's iTunes and the streaming service Spotify in a market which was worth £106 million in the UK last year, that's an increase of 48% from the year before. Not that the CD market should be ruled out either, in terms of competition, at least not just yet. Sure, it is on the decline with income down 8% last year but it still managed to earn £856 million in the UK which is none too shabby and far outstripped online music sales in terms of income.

So how much is Sky Songs looking to charge users?

According to the press release:

Quote:
Sky Songs offers users unlimited streaming, plus download-to-own tracks and albums from £6.49 a month. Customers can also purchase additional music on a per-track or per-album basis from 65p and £6.49 respectively.

There are two subscription options available:

pay £6.49 and download either a £6.49 album or 10 songs, and receive unlimited access to listen to over four million songs online for one month; or

pay £7.99 and download either a £7.99 album or 15 songs, and receive unlimited access to listen to over four million songs online for one month.

So, unlike Spotify there is no free ad-supported model, which means it will struggle to steal share away from them - although the subscription is cheaper than a Premium Spotify, ad-free, account. iTunes may feel the heat a little more, especially as the downloadable MP3s are in a DRM-free format and the streaming model is certainly starting to appeal to the younger listener these days. Just look at how the iPhone App Store is beating iTunes and the presence of streaming music apps on the iPhone for example. ]]> Mac Rumors and Reports newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread229555.html News Story Symbian C++ Toolkit announced, iPhone and Android support soon http://www.daniweb.com/news/story228677.html Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:17:10 GMT Mobile developers will be pleased to learn that Recursion Software has announced the availability of a C++ Toolkits Symbian bundle. The cross-platform, mobile and embedded app development tools specialist took the opportunity at the CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment Expo 2009 to announce that C++... Mobile developers will be pleased to learn that Recursion Software has announced the availability of a C++ Toolkits Symbian bundle. The cross-platform, mobile and embedded app development tools specialist took the opportunity at the CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment Expo 2009 to announce that C++ libraries for the iPhone and Android platforms would be forthcoming.

The Symbian C++ Toolkit promises to deliver a rich array of libraries, templates, and code samples to help the coder to create high performance applications requiring sophisticated computing and information handling functions while retaining a small program size. It comprises a total of five separate toolkits including Communications and Foundations, Standard and Extended Template Libraries (STL/ETL), Math, plus a collection of more than 500 example programs.

This Symbian implementation is just the latest in a long line of the Recursion code base, a code base that has been compiled more than a million times over the last four years.

Bob DeAnna, CTO, Recursion Software said "Symbian-based handsets from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Sharp and others represent a vast and vital market. These new tools will allow our many existing customers to extend their market reach by bringing their desktop, server and embedded applications to the many millions of Symbian device users, and will enable Symbian developers to bring their mobile apps to millions more new customers who use the many other platforms we already support. And with our planned releases for other C++ enabled mobile phones, we will make the promise of 'write once, run everywhere' a reality for mobile devices." ]]> C++ newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread228677.html News Story Ultra-thin iMacs coming this week? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story227930.html Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:33:56 GMT If you are in the market for a new Apple computer, you might want to wait a few days. It would appear that new super thin iMacs, MacBooks and even a cheaper Mac Mini are on the way real soon. According to AppleInsider... If you are in the market for a new Apple computer, you might want to wait a few days. It would appear that new super thin iMacs, MacBooks and even a cheaper Mac Mini are on the way real soon.

According to AppleInsider a raft of advertisements were published ahead of time, in error, by the Netherlands Apple Store online.

The Google Adsense adverts were spotted on Google.nl but when eager shoppers clicked the links they arrived at the Apple Store only to discover the goods were not actually available. And what goods. The advertising would appear to confirm many online reports over the last few months that Apple is about to launch thinner polycarbonate MacBook, am ultra-thin series of iMacs and a speed increased but price decreased Mac Mini.

AppleInsider expects them to be "accompanied by redesigns of the company's Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote, as well as aluminum wireless keyboards."

The online grapevine is suggesting that the new product line could be announced before the end of this week. ]]> Mac Rumors and Reports newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread227930.html News Story WARNING: iPhone Blackhat SEO Poisoning http://www.daniweb.com/news/story226535.html Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:13:58 GMT It seems that Google searches on terms that are related to iPhone SMS information are being used to return results that direct unsuspecting users to rogue AV sites. According to the Websense Security Labs ThreatSeeker Network blog (http://securitylabs.websense.com/content/blogs.aspx) malicious URLs... It seems that Google searches on terms that are related to iPhone SMS information are being used to return results that direct unsuspecting users to rogue AV sites. According to the Websense Security Labs ThreatSeeker Network blog malicious URLs related to Apple iPhone SMS/MMS searches are ranking as high as result number six. Examples of the kind of searches that are being poisoned include "iphone how to send multiple chats over sms" amongst others.

Websense researchers have tracked the infection trail should a user click on a link controlled by the attackers using this particular rogue antivirus coupled to SEO poisoning scheme. It appears that they will be taken on the usual runaround of 302 redirects until they land on a scareware site that does the old 'run into a room shouting fire' trick and then try and sell you a fire extinguisher. Although in this case it is displaying a warning that your computer is infected with malware and then offering to let you buy and download fake antivirus software in order to clear up the non-existent infection.

Websense concludes that "The use of Blackhat SEO leading to Rogue AV will only increase in the upcoming year. This scare tactic has proved to be a very successful method of social-engineering users into installing software onto their computers and tricking them into paying for it". ]]> Viruses, Spyware and other Nasties newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread226535.html News Story UK looks for bite of 110 million CERN contract cherry http://www.daniweb.com/news/story226530.html Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:45:58 GMT According to the British government organisation which helps UK-based companies to succeed in the wider global economy, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), it is currently helping some 76 UK companies pitch for business with the European particle physics laboratory, CERN. Apparently, CERN spent a massive £110 million ($175.75 million) on such supply contracts last year.

UKTI is working with the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to bring senior procurement officials to the UK who are looking to fulfil contracts in areas such as IT, mechanical engineering and electronics. The UK companies will be meeting with CERN officials at two roadshows, the first of which is to be held at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire today while the second will be tomorrow at the STFC Daresbury Research Laboratory in Cheshire.

Sir Andrew Cahn, UK Trade & Investment Chief Executive says "Working with CERN is not only a feather in the cap for a British company but also an excellent business opportunity. Firms which meet the highest scientific standards required by this facility win not only business but also a world-class endorsement of their innovation and quality."

John Womersley, Director of Science Programmes at STFC, added: "This is a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses to be involved in one of the world’s most exciting scientific projects, and for the UK to reap some of the benefits of the major scientific investment made by the Science & Technology Facilities Council in CERN."

UK firms that are winning business at CERN include:
  • ELITE, from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, won a contract for £68,000 to produce power packs for the new magnet protection system of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
  • Didcot’s Qudos Technology (RAL) designed, constructed and commissioned the large clean-room for the Tracker Integration Facility (TIF).
  • TM Engineers, from Kingswinford in the West Midlands, manufactured the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter endcap support structures.
  • Cemgraft Electronics from Newbury, Berkshire, provided half of the 700 ROBin cards in ATLAS.
  • eXception EMS, from Calne in Wiltshire, manufactured the tracker front-end drivers for CMS, an electronic system designed and developed at RAL.
]]> Computer Science newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread226530.html News Story Embedding Windows 7 in next-generation hardware http://www.daniweb.com/news/story225123.html Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:09:01 GMT The Microsoft Windows embedded product portfolio has just been given a hefty push into the limelight with the official release of Windows 7 technologies over to what Microsoft refers to as manufacturers of specialized devices. During an industry address at the Embedded Systems Conference in... The Microsoft Windows embedded product portfolio has just been given a hefty push into the limelight with the official release of Windows 7 technologies over to what Microsoft refers to as manufacturers of specialized devices.

During an industry address at the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston yesterday, Microsoft announced the initial roll out of the program through the release to manufacturing of next-gen platforms for Windows Embedded Enterprise and Windows Embedded Server to OEMs of specialized devices.

The same day, Microsoft also let slip feature enhancements and RTM details of Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3 for streamlined connectivity to Windows 7 based machines. This will deliver the Silverlight experience through the Silverlight for Windows Embedded user interface framework, an out-of-browser, native code implementation of Microsoft Silverlight technology used to create rich, immersive UIs on Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3-based devices.

“With the release of Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3, Microsoft has furthered its commitment to energize the evolution of consumer Internet devices (CIDs), which fall between Smartphones and the full-featured, small Windows-based notebooks, by empowering our OEM and developer ecosystem with innovative, new technologies to fuel rich, animated and compelling user experiences,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded Business Unit at Microsoft. “Microsoft has reaffirmed its investment in the Windows Embedded CE operating system and raised the bar by providing embedded OEMs with access to Visual Studio, Silverlight, Expression Blend and other advanced Microsoft technologies. These technologies help drive innovation and differentiation in devices, redefine the way users interact with devices at work and home, and deliver a consistent experience for end users across devices, Windows 7-based PCs, servers and online services.”

Meanwhile, the Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems are the next-generation platforms in the Windows Embedded Enterprise portfolio for OEMs seeking full Windows application compatibility. Both are fully functional, license-restricted versions of the Windows 7 desktop operating system with full Windows application compatibility intended for use in embedded devices, including ATMs, kiosks, industrial PCs and medical devices.

“The release of Windows 7 technologies to the embedded community underscores Microsoft’s strategic commitment to enable device manufacturers to extend the power of the PC and address the budding market for specialized devices,” said Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Division at Microsoft. “Providing Windows 7 technologies for OEMs to utilize in their next-generation devices will allow them to offer end users of enterprise and consumer devices enhanced capabilities through improved user experiences and connectivity to the established Windows ecosystem.”

Windows Embedded Enterprise features include:

Multitouch operation with Windows Touch allows users to control the device by touching the screen, while receiving visual feedback for touch and multitouch gestures (available with Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems).

Enterprise connectivity enabled by Microsoft DirectAccess and BranchCache provides a more secure and flexible network infrastructure to remotely update device application data (available with Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems).

Legacy support through Windows XP Mode provides a virtual Windows XP environment in which OEMs can run existing Windows XP applications on a Windows 7-based device (available with Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems and Windows 7 Ultimate for Embedded Systems).

Windows Embedded Server 2008 R2 features include:

Increased reliability with the Server Core installation option, which reduces the footprint of the OEM solutions by eliminating the graphical user interface, while supporting more server roles such as the .NET application.

Improved management with Microsoft Hyper-V by running new and legacy functionality side by side while ensuring workload isolation, and Windows PowerShell 2.0, which includes remote server management for improved ease of deployment.

Improved connection to other devices and services with Agile VPN for a highly reliable virtual private networking (VPN) tunnel; DirectAccess to configure a more secure communication path between remote devices and centralized data in headquarters, without going through VPN authentication; and improvements in failover clustering to help OEMs deliver a better connected system with improved application and operating system availability. ]]> Windows Vista and Windows 7 newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread225123.html News Story OFFICIAL: web application security is pants http://www.daniweb.com/news/story222936.html Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:39:43 GMT According to the 2009 Web Application Security Report from NTA Monitor, 90% of all web applications have at least one medium risk vulnerability and 27% have at least one high risk vulnerability. Apparently the most common vulnerabilities are those which involve SQL injection, cross-site scripting... According to the 2009 Web Application Security Report from NTA Monitor, 90% of all web applications have at least one medium risk vulnerability and 27% have at least one high risk vulnerability. Apparently the most common vulnerabilities are those which involve SQL injection, cross-site scripting and cross-request forgery. One data security specialist told DaniWeb that not only should this come as no real surprise, but nor should the fact that the problem is steadily getting worse instead of better.

Brian Contos is the Chief Risk Strategist at Imperva, and he points out that the high risk category percentage is up from 17% last year, while the medium risk number has risen from 78% a year back. "Although this comes as no surprise to us" Contos says "it is an appalling indictment on the software audit and control operations in most companies. With NTA spotting an average of 13 vulnerabilities per test, it's clear that IT departments really do need to pull their socks up in terms of testing and auditing of their software development processes."

Indeed, according to Contos, NTA Monitor's report proves what he has been saying for some time: few organisations have the in-house resources to perform regular software testing and updating a clearly-stated set of application security policies. Worse, even fewer do as NTA Monitor suggests and include security service level agreements into their contracts with Internet or managed service providers.

Maybe some of the recently projected increase in security budgets for 2010 should be diverted to ensuring that web application developers do a better job of protecting those who use their products?

If you are a web app developer, how much of a priority is security in the overall scheme of things? ]]> ASP.NET newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread222936.html News Story Opera 10 hits 10 Million http://www.daniweb.com/news/story222021.html Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:44:35 GMT They say it ain't over until the fat lady sings, well it looks like this particular Opera story is far from over folks no matter what some might tell you. Perhaps the most famous Norwegian export since the Vikings, Opera the web browser has certainly lost favour with the technology press. Once upon a time Opera was the big threat to Microsoft Internet Explorer, it was the only alternative browser client that anyone who was anyone would talk about. Then along came Mozilla Firefox and everything changed, pretty much overnight. Today, Opera struggles to get column inches ahead of even upstarts such as Google's Chrome.

You would be forgiven for thinking, then, that the fat lady has well and truly been singing as far as this web browser is concerned. But no, quite apart from the phenomenal success the cut-down mobile version has enjoyed within the mobile phone market, the full-sized original is not only still around but still kicking ass.

The latest incarnation, Opera 10 with Turbo (whoever thinks of these names should be taken out back and hit with a stick, by the way) has been downloaded a whopping 10 million times in just the first week of release.

Opera now reckons it has more than 40 million active desktop users of it's browser family, to which you can add tens of millions others browsing on Opera products for mobile phones, game devices and even televisions.

"While we have consistently grown in our download rates with each consecutive launch, Opera 10 has far exceeded any previous record we had" said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "To us, this means that Opera 10 delivers a more compelling reason to choose Opera, and that reason is Opera Turbo. The concept of turbo browsing was the result of our One Web initiative, as our goal is to ensure that Web browsing is fast, efficient and universal, anytime, anywhere." ]]> HTML and CSS newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread222021.html News Story Skype wiretap Trojan revealed http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220782.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:45:55 GMT Symantec has detected a new Trojan which targets Skype users in order to monitor and record conversations made using the Internet telephony service. Apparently the source code for this particular Trojan, called Pesky Spy, is already being touted around the usual places where the bad guys can pick... Symantec has detected a new Trojan which targets Skype users in order to monitor and record conversations made using the Internet telephony service. Apparently the source code for this particular Trojan, called Pesky Spy, is already being touted around the usual places where the bad guys can pick up such things.

It would appear to work by using the Windows API hooks that are intended for audio applications, such as Skype. The audio processes are monitored, calls recorded as relatively small MP3 files, and transferred quickly to anywhere on the Internet before the victim even knows their calls are being tapped. In fact, before the conversation even hits Skype.

Symantec explains that "Because the Trojan listens in the data traveling between the Skype process and the audio device, it gathers the audio independently of any application-specific protocols or encryption applied by Skype when it passes voice data at the network level. Essentially, it sits below these security measures, recording the audio at the Windows level—before outbound audio from the microphone gets to Skype and after incoming audio leaves Skype and reaches the speakers."

Skype is said to be aware of the Trojan, and is advising that users ensure their anti-virus and firewalls are up to date and operating properly. ]]> Network Security newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220782.html News Story Music industry serves up lyrical piracy lawsuits http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220777.html Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:58:07 GMT Continuing on its charm offensive, the music industry is apparently not satisfied with the $675,000 fine for sharing 30 songs imposed on Joel Tenenbaum or the $1.92 million Jammie Thomas-Rasset was hit with for illegally downloading 24 tunes. Now it is going after the lyrics pirates. The what?... Continuing on its charm offensive, the music industry is apparently not satisfied with the $675,000 fine for sharing 30 songs imposed on Joel Tenenbaum or the $1.92 million Jammie Thomas-Rasset was hit with for illegally downloading 24 tunes. Now it is going after the lyrics pirates.

The what? Well, exactly. But apparently three music publishers have filed copyright infringement suites against a couple of sites which display song lyrics so you can sing along while the music plays. According to an article in Billboard the two businesses concerned, Liveuniverse Inc and Motive Force LLC, have been accused of "exploiting unlicensed lyrics for profit through the operation of four web sites."

The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) accuses the businesses and their owners of engaging in willful copyright infringement on a vast scale. A press release explaining the action says "These sites are profiting on the backs of songwriters. It is unfortunate that copyright holders must so frequently divert energies to protect their rights to license and distribute their works. However, the demand for music prompts a seemingly endless stream of illegal business models."

The NMPA argues that music fans are the losers when free lyrics are posted online, and made available with iPhone apps for example when music is playing, because licensed businesses cannot prosper in the face of unlicensed competition. But some fans have been making it clear by posting to various forums online that they think just the opposite, with applications and websites removing the ability to display lyrics in fear of being sued themselves.

I think they, the fans, have a point. I cannot actually recall ever being tempted into going out and buying some sheet music to get the lyrics of a song. However, I have been known to buy more music by an artist when I have access to the words of the music I have already bought. Remember, in this digital age the CD sleeve with the lyrics printed inside has died out, why should I not be able to get those lyrics in the most convenient format and for free?

Until I see the details of how much money the music publishers are losing because of lyrics piracy I think I will choose to believe it's just a sinking industry desperate to screw fans out of every last penny before it finally dies. Here's a thought, Mr Music Industry Man, why not change your business model to adapt to the modern world instead of hitting music fans with the biggest sticks you can find at every available opportunity? ]]> Mac Rumors and Reports newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220777.html News Story Is the average gamer really depressed, fat and chasing forty? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220759.html Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:18:27 GMT I am, it appears, a lot more average than I hoped. Well, at least when it comes to the world of computer gaming. A new study (http://www.ajpm-online.net/content/pressreleases) reveals, amongst other things, that the profile of the average gamer looks a lot less like the hyperactive, cola drinking... I am, it appears, a lot more average than I hoped. Well, at least when it comes to the world of computer gaming. A new study reveals, amongst other things, that the profile of the average gamer looks a lot less like the hyperactive, cola drinking teen obsessed with kicking alien ass. In fact, it reckons, your average gamer looks a lot more like me: 35 and fed up.

Not that I am a perfect match, I will admit, as I don't consider myself to be overly aggressive (your average gamer is) nor introverted (I'm more of an Andrew WK 'Party Hard' type of guy) or even particularly overweight, so there is hope for me yet to escape the bondage of being average after all.

But then again it turns out that not only is the study based on data from 2006, but the original survey carried out in 2006 was restricted to just 552 people who lived in the Seattle, Washington. Which leaves me wondering just how representative of your average gamer the report really is. Mind you, it also concludes that playing video games is bad for your health and that many gamers show multiple signs of addiction. Nothing new in that opinion, of course, people have been telling us that gaming is bad for you for years. But there is also nothing new in this report that makes me take that particular opinion any the more seriously either, so I'll continue playing and getting older I think. ]]> Posting Games newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220759.html News Story Has Sony put mad scientist in charge of gaming research and development? http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220746.html Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:06:47 GMT Sony Computer Entertainment America has filed a patent application, number 20090195392, which could lead to a PlayStation controller that knows when you are happy, sad or just plain angry.

The patent application is officially for a 'laugh detector and system and method for tracking an emotional response to a media presentation' has an abstract which reads "Information in the form of emotional responses to a media presentation may be passively collected, for example by a microphone and/or a camera. This information may be tied to metadata at a time reference level in the media presentation and used to examine the content of the media presentation to assess a quality of, or user emotional response to, the content and/or to project the information onto a demographic. Passive collection of emotional responses may be used to add emotion as an element of speech or facial expression detection, to make use of such information, for example to judge the quality of content or to judge the nature of various individuals for future content that is to be provided to them or to those similarly situated demographically. Thus, the invention asks and answers such questions as: What makes people happy? What makes them laugh? What do they find interesting? Boring? Exciting?"

Is it just me, or is anyone else having some difficulty in contemplating exactly how this technology, assuming it even works, could be used to enhance the video gaming experience? It appears that a camera and microphone would be used to monitor your reactions during a game, but other than possibly mapping your emotions to an in-game character I cannot grasp any real use for it. I'm not even sure that I want my game characters to be feeling the emotions that I do as I play. That is kind of taking immersion a little far, no? Actually, no, says my son who tells me the notion of your character becoming more aggressive in a game if you get angry is 'well cool' apparently. My daughter, meanwhile, thinks it would be nice if the characters in her platform games got bouncier as she got happier. Shows what I know.

Siliconera reckons that while the patent focuses on laugher it can also "identify other emotions such as sadness, excitement, anger, joy, interest, and boredom. For example, boredom may be detected if a user is looking away from the presentation, yawning, or talking over the presentation." Actually, that could be useful, if the game senses I am getting too bored maybe it could switch itself off and save me doing it.

Actually, what I think is happening here is that SCEA has just lost it, and put some mad scientist type in charge of research and development. After all, only recently it filed a patent for a method of controlling video games using coffee cups. Maybe all that sales pressure from the Wii and Xbox 360 has finally become too much for poor old Sony.

Or maybe it is just feeling left out of the really stupid patents club, after seeing the likes of Amazon getting one for giving reviewers a badge, the now infamous Page Up Page Down patent granted to Microsoft and, of course, not forgetting the Nintendo Bouncy Cushion Controller for the Wii that I was reporting on just the other day. ]]> Apple Hardware newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220746.html News Story Nintendo patents bouncy cushion controller http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220744.html Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:57:57 GMT I love a good patent story (http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20193/53/), I love my Nintendo Wii (http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1264.html) and I love bouncy cushions. However, it is a rare thing to be able to write a news story which covers all three. Yet it would appear that Nintendo has,... I love a good patent story, I love my Nintendo Wii and I love bouncy cushions. However, it is a rare thing to be able to write a news story which covers all three. Yet it would appear that Nintendo has, indeed, filed a European patent for a bouncy cushion for the Wii. The actual patent refers to an inflatable air cushion or other seat, and comes complete with a special pocket for your Wii Remote in order to detect your movements and a Nunchuk can be used as reins. Did I mention that this particular bouncy cushion doubles up as a horseback riding or vehicle driving simulation device? Actually, it seems the bouncy cushion can be many different things as the patent also talks of using the Nunchuk as a lasso, sword or even for raising a balance hand in bucking bronco or bull riding. I quite like the bit where Nintendo talks about the cushion simulating elephants or dolphins, or how about dragons and giant eagles. You've got to love the imagination of these guys. There's even talk of it being a magic carpet controller... ]]> Cellphones, PDAs and Handheld Devices newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220744.html News Story Apple goes on a bug bashing safari http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220740.html Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:24:08 GMT Safari 4.0.3 is out now and available for download (http://support.apple.com/downloads/Safari_4_0_3) from Apple, for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. While there are the usual claims of making things more stable when using third party plugins and in particular for handling the HTML 5... Safari 4.0.3 is out now and available for download from Apple, for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.

While there are the usual claims of making things more stable when using third party plugins and in particular for handling the HTML 5 video tag, it is with regards to security strengthening and bug squishing that the real interest lies.

So with the latest update Apple says it has fixed issues which impacted upon users logging in to the iWork.com document sharing service, an Apple service embarrassingly enough and I should have said prevented users logging on to be precise. Other bugs trampled underfoot include an odd retro effect one which could make some content online display not in colour but in a grey scale rendering instead.

Apple calls them security fixes, I say they are simply more bug fixes by another name. Whatever the semantics of the situation, Apple has patched an EXIF data flaw which could lead to a remote code execution on the Windows platform, the same flaw which had already been resolved for Mac users incidentally. What else, about the only thing of note I can see is the beefing up of floating point processing code to prevent buffer overflow exploits. ]]> Mac Rumors and Reports newsguy http://www.daniweb.com/forums/thread220740.html