Community Center

Inventor of the Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has been speaking out in favour of Net Neutrality at the [URL="http://www2006.org"]15th World Wide Web conference[/URL] in Edinburgh, Scotland this week. For once, my spin on the issue doesn’t matter. What the man who created the Web thinks does, so I’ll leave the …

Bill Gates today announced at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference ([URL="http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winhec"]WinHEC[/URL]) 2006 the immediate availability of Beta 2 versions of the three Microsoft flagship products. This is the first time that Microsoft has released such a trio simultaneously. “The release of these three betas is a significant milestone for Microsoft …

Having built an online empire around keeping the advertising simple and unobtrusive, [URL="http://www.google.com"]Google [/URL]is about to enter the video advert business. The announcement follows the [URL="http://www.aol.com"]AOL[/URL] acquisition of video search engine [URL="http://www.truveo.com"]Truveo [/URL]in January and video ad sales specialist [URL="http://www.lightningcast.com"]Lightningcast [/URL] last week, which will merge with [URL="http://www.advertising.com"]Advertising.com[/URL] which AOL …

Although Vista isn’t expected to go on sale until next year, Microsoft has thoughtfully announced the minimum requirements for the new OS so you’ll have plenty of time to save for the necessary upgrades. Just to muddy the waters and confuse the public, Microsoft seems to be adopting an Xbox …

In 2002, IBM scientists managed to produce a magnetic data tape capable of a storage density of 1 billion bits per square inch. This week the [URL="http://www.almaden.ibm.com"]IBM Almaden Research Center [/URL]boffins have done it again, in conjunction with Fuji, to the tune of 6.67 billion bits per square inch. That …

[URL="http://www.micron.com"]Micron Technology, Inc.[/URL], has unveiled a prototype of the World’s first 8-megapixel CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor using a miniature 1.75 micron pixel design in a 1/2.5 inch optical format. As well as being small enough to bring 3-megapixel performance to your camera equipped cell phone, the new sensor …

Remember this week, for it was the week that we lost the fight against spam. On May 5th I reported how militant spammer PharmaMaster had brought down the Blue Frog anti-spam vigilante service. I wondered then if it was the end of the toad for Blue Security, and sadly this …

This week [URL="http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/"]Adobe [/URL]released the Spry toolkit that finally allows web designers to join the, until now, programmer led world of Ajax development. At the same time, [URL="http://www.backbase.com/"]Backbase [/URL]introduced an Ajax development tool for Java applications. But what use is an Ajax powered website when search engines such as Google …

Sony used to have game. Its hold on the console market anything but inscrutable, being down to a long standing dedication to technical innovation, game play and pricing. But could that all be due to change following the debut of the PlayStation 3, dubbed PayStation, at E3 last week? Not …

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has voted against giving a green light for a proposed Internet red light domain. After a 5 year struggle to segregate online porn, the ICM Registry .xxx domain proposal was finally outvoted 9 to 5. This could be regarded as just …

The news that Jeffrey Toback, a representative in the Nassau County Legislature, has filed a 16 page complaint alleging Google profits from child pornography has ignited discussion of censorship, responsibility and technology. Yet I can’t help thinking that everyone is missing the real point: why are allegations covered by 10 …

“I believe the 2.6 kernel is slowly getting buggier

Here’s a question for you: being a clued up Internet user which browser client do you favour when it comes to being totally safe and secure on the web? The answer I know you are shouting loudly at the screen is ‘Firefox you freakin’ idiot’. But at the risk of …

With the failure of the amendment to the US Telecommunications Reform bill, itself a much diluted version of earlier amendments, it would seem that Net Neutrality is a dead legislative duck as far as Congress is concerned. But what is Net Neutrality, and why should anyone care? The Internet is …

Two of the largest webhosting companies around, [URL="http://www.ev1servers.com/"]www.ev1servers.com[/URL] (formerly RackShack) and The Planet ([URL="http://www.theplanet.com/"]www.theplanet.com[/URL]) have announced a merger today. The merger is a result of both being bought out by investment company GI Partners. As of right now, things are still in flux, and the only change to happen is …

Just when you thought the spam problem couldn’t get any worse, comes the news that spammers are fighting back against the pro-active anti-spam community approach using tit-for-tat Denial of Service attacks and intimidation. The [URL="http://www.bluesecurity.com"]Blue Frog[/URL] anti-spam approach is a relatively simple one of ‘hit them where it hurts’ and …

In an astonishing display of pique, Google (the new Microsoft) has complained bitterly to both the US DoJ and the European Commission about Microsoft (the old Google). What exactly has the Boy God Gates done to annoy billionaire double act Brin and Page so? At the risk of reading like …

Belkin has announced the launch of their N1 range of next generation wireless routers based upon a new WiFi standard that could extend the range of existing ‘wireless-G’ solutions by a factor of 4, and speeds by as much as 12. This might bring out the excited little geek in …

A couple of years ago, I thought I would never have seen an "Intel Inside" sticker on Apple hardware. Looking at the news today, I was surprised at the revelation that Intel Macintosh hardware can now run Win XP SP 2! Somebody please check if hell froze over. WOW. Go …

Fedora Core 5, the next version of software based on RedHat Linux of long ago, was released in Mid-March to the masses. I am sure that others have looked at the alpha and beta releases -- I waited until the the official release before looking at the software. Initial reactions: …

Recently I've been selected to participate on quite a few of the google 'beta' projects, such as analytics, Company based e-mail, and their google page maker. First off, let me just say that all of the google projects are wonderful. I've been playing with the google analystics recently and the …

Recently, I noticed some strangeness on my home wireless network. Sometimes the speed would be slower than normal, I couldn't print to my printer, and some of my more advanced router settings (for port forwarding, firewall, etc.) would seem to be "lost". As it turns out, my laptop was attaching …

As many of you already know, Apple has released a new line of computers with Intel chips inside -- namely the new iMac, and the MacBook. I took delivery of my new one the last week of February, and it was a wonderful new tool to take me into the …

Part of my new job as a Linux Engineer is to evaluate different Operating Systems. I am most familiar with RedHat, having grown up with their OS since 5.2 back in the mid-90's. Wow, have things changed. So, I looked at a linux that a lot of people are talking …

The Washington Post, among other news agencies is reporting a "severe" security flaw that affects Microsoft Windows 98 - XP. According to the article, the flaw allows computer virus and spyware manufacturers to disribute malicious programs designd to take control of affected computers. Macintosh and Linux users are immune to …

If you're in the SEO industry, most likely you're familiar with the Search Engine Roundtable at [url]www.seroundtable.com[/url], a blog / feed of all of the webmaster forums around. However, I just clicked on the "Forums" tab tonight to find my familiar list of other webmaster forums gone. In its place …

A couple years ago, RedHat Linux was a completely open-source, freely-available linux solution that brought linux to the masses. Then, RedHat changed the paradigm: they wanted to transform RHL to a corporate supported linux, and enjoined with the Fedora Project for community support. But now a choice had to be …

As many on Iceland recently found out last week, it certainly matters where you dig! I caught a recent article on the net mentioning Iceland was left without internet access when a local digger in England cut the fiber optic line that connects Iceland to Europe. Called the Farice Line, …

Lately, it appears that computer certifications are becoming one of the most important credentials that employers are looking for. It seems that while employers are looking for this key asset, corporations are starting to put out more certifications for people to get. Microsoft and Red Hat both have a 3 …

In the past, Apple Computer has used San Fransisco's MacWorld Expo to release new hardware and software. What's next on the list? The highly anticipated Intel-based computers, as Apple migrates away from the PowerPC architecture, and into Intel's chipset. At least one Apple-News website has credible information that Apple is …

Bram Cohen, the creator of bittorrent.com has signed a deal with the Movie Industry, that is hoped will reduce the number of pirated films, shared on the Internet, via the website. The deal means that BitTorrent must remove any links to pirated films. The deal between the Motion Picture Association …

Microsoft's new Visita OS -- expected to ship mid-2006 -- was recently reviewed by the Gartner group. The original document is available at Gartners' website for $95... unfortunately, I'll have to reference comments from others concerning it, instead of comments directly from it. The Windows Vista beta was released in …

Files, emails, and folders. Even the best of us sometimes misfile or loose things. Then, we need to locate that document in a hurry. Where did it go? Does this sound familiar? Microsoft launched this week a new tool called Windows Desktop Search ([url]http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/web/desktop_search.mspx[/url]) and it works to help you …

[url=http://www.inetinteractive.com]iNet Interactive[/url], a company that holds the titles on some of the largest web development and discussion communities on the net, was acquired this week by a group of investors, a company press release reports. Stoddard Hill Capital bought iNet from Aberration! Ventures, and terms of the transaction were not …

Happy Birthday to Firefox! Mozilla.org today confirmed that November 9, 2004 was when it's popular web browser Firefox, was released at version 1.0 Today, the software is at revision level 1.0.7 (Mac, Windows, Linux), and the company is working on 1.5. The announcement website: [url]http://www.mozilla.org/press/mozilla-2005-11-9.html[/url] mentions a contest to "extend" …

Sony BMG, a company that makes a variety of consumer electronics such as the Walkman, CD / DVD drives and burners, has released a product called XCP (eXtended Copy Protection) that prevents copying musical materials from the media onto the computer. According to investigators, XCP uses rootkit technology to run …

Earlier this week, Apple announced a new Australian iTunes Music store. This means that Australian Windows and Mac people can download and enjoy music on their computers and iPods just like those of us in the states. According to internet sources, Apple typically pays AU $.99 per song, and sells …

Early in November, Microsoft began a free web-based Virus Scanner, allowing members of the general public to come to their website, download a tool, and then proceed to tie up your box and scan it for all of the creepies that have infested your computer while on the internet. What …

Accusations are nothing new to Microsoft -- they continue to battle various groups in Europe and Asia for various antitrust violations. That is nothing new. What is new is that South Korea continues investigating, and Microsoft replied with a threat. "It might be necessary to withdraw Windows from the Korean …

Operating System software is an entity that lives and breaths on it's own. It requires little tweaks and enhancements here and there to make it better, and to fix problems. Such is the case with Apple's Tiger OS X, 10.4, and the release to 10.4.3 Let's look at some of …

Does anyone ever watch "live" TV anymore, aside from Football games? With today's busy schedules, and active people, I am willing to bet a lot of us record our shows, such as ER or CSI or Law and Order, and then view them at a comfortable time and date. Today's …

As of Sunday afternoon, Oct 30, 2005, DaniWeb has taken on a new look! I have been active with DaniWeb since early 2004, and we now have the 3rd revision to our community! I like the new changes, and I am sure that on behalf of the administration, others do …

Once upon a time, Symantec was a known leader in the computer software industry. They had compilers (Think C/C++), purchased and maintained Peter Norton's DOS / Windows Tools, and developed some products for the Mac. Today, they are well known for their Corporate Antivirus tools, although their reporting and functionality …

Microsoft this week updated Microsoft Works -- the consumer-level "home" edition of Microsoft Office. Microsoft Works Suite 2006 is now available for SRP $99.95 Microsoft Works is an integrated word processor, spreadsheet, database, calendar, and email client wrapped up into one large program. The programs are sufficient for most home …

An interesting paradigm shift came across my eyes today -- I caught an ad that some Adobe Photoshop experts are now doing Podcasts on how to work the state-of-the-art digital photo editing package Photoshop! PhotoshopTV! Their first podcast aired on October 24, and the show featured techniques on how to …

Studio To Go is a Knoppix-based Linux musical software environment that allows Windows users access to linux-based open-source software tools, without having to install Linux onto the Windows PC. Knoppix is a Linux that runs completely from a CD-ROM, although it probably takes some RAM and turns it into a …

Netflix -- those wonderful people who provide a website for you to choose movies from, and then will mail you a DVD that you can view at your leisure and return back to them via the US Mail -- was working on a plan with TiVo to download / stream …

I just went to WebmasterWorld and noticed that ... well ... it no longer exists? It looks as if it is now [url]http://www.searchengineworld.com/[/url] although I'm still a little confused. There are only a very few forums. Was this a merger? Hmm ...

Yes, it's finally out of Beta and into final release. New [url=http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/2.0/index.html]features[/url] are plentiful, and add both functionality and improved MS Office compatibility. Discussion of this upgrade to the excellent and well known freeware office software suite has been plentiful during the period of Beta release, so there's no need …

Apple has had a busy month -- a new iPod, new iTunes, new iMac G5, and now, 3 new ultra-cool Powerbooks! Available in the standard 12, 15, and 17" models, these new laptops have new features and performance levels not seen before in Apple's line, and after taking a look …