This is a post to test the working of the greasemonkey's blogger script. This will add technorati tags and del.icio.us tags to the post.
http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/1240
20051204
20051023
Ubuntu OEM Installation
A nice tutorial about how OEMs like Dell, HP can install Ubuntu Linux for their customers. Ubuntu OEM installation mode is available in Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
20050628
20050625
Google Summer of Code results
Google's Summer of Code results have been released. The mails were sent to all the applicants. Here is a breakdown on the mentoring organisations.
I got rejected for my Mambo Project. But I am planning to do something really useful this semester rather than sit idling around.
I got rejected for my Mambo Project. But I am planning to do something really useful this semester rather than sit idling around.
20050618
Introducing GNU/DOS 2005
GNU/DOS version 2005 was released today. GNU/DOS is a FreeDOS distribution for desktops which includes some FreeDOS utilities, much of the DJGPP suite including many GNU utilities, vim, Arachne, and OpenGEM. All code used in GNU/DOS is open-source or public domain with source. ISO images are currently available, and there are plans to produce commercial CDs very soon. Installation is currently difficult due to the lack of an open-source CD-ROM driver. For more information, go here.
Microsoft Office Formats Not Compatible With GPL
The royalty-free license under which Microsoft plans to make its upcoming new Office Open XML Formats widely available is incompatible with the GNU General Public License and will thus prevent many free and open-source software projects from using the formats, community officials say.
Total Conversion HL2 Mod
A comprehensive total conversion of the Half-Life 2 game has been released. Crafted by students from SMU's Guildhall, Eclipse is a beautiful change of pace from the average FPS. From the site: 'You play as a young Sorceress named Violet whose father went missing five years back. After learning the secrets of Telekinesis, you are teleported into Auld-Haven, a lush and fertile land where Violet grew up. Your objective is to return to Violet's home where she last saw her father years ago and dig up any clues to his whereabouts. In the broken down tower of her home you discover a journal left by her father. The journal unlocks a handful of secrets that ultimately leads you on a quest to find the ancient teleportation device - the Standing Stones.
Google to Challenge PayPal
According to a WSJ report (sub), Google is preparing to introduce an electronic payment system later this year, similar to that of PayPal. The service is code named Google Wallet.
Exact details of the search company's planned service are not known, the report said, but quoted people familiar with the matter as saying it could have similarities with PayPal, which allows consumers to pay for purchases on Web sites by funding electronic-payment accounts from their credit cards or checking accounts.
This could put a dent in eBay's revenue, with $233 million (23%) of its revenues in the first quarter, coming from PayPal. The move could also signal Google's desire to diversify its products and reduce its dependency on AdWords revenue, which accounts for 99% of the companies current earnings.
So how likely is Google Wallet to become a reality? Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor, said he believed the payment service would be launched soon.
In an interview, Mr. Wingo said he based his statement on questions from retailers with which his company works. Mr. Wingo said the retailers have asked him whether ChannelAdvisor would support the service, which some believe goes by the code name Google Wallet.
Could Google Auctions be too far behind?
For those of you without a WSJ sub, click here.
Exact details of the search company's planned service are not known, the report said, but quoted people familiar with the matter as saying it could have similarities with PayPal, which allows consumers to pay for purchases on Web sites by funding electronic-payment accounts from their credit cards or checking accounts.
This could put a dent in eBay's revenue, with $233 million (23%) of its revenues in the first quarter, coming from PayPal. The move could also signal Google's desire to diversify its products and reduce its dependency on AdWords revenue, which accounts for 99% of the companies current earnings.
So how likely is Google Wallet to become a reality? Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor, said he believed the payment service would be launched soon.
In an interview, Mr. Wingo said he based his statement on questions from retailers with which his company works. Mr. Wingo said the retailers have asked him whether ChannelAdvisor would support the service, which some believe goes by the code name Google Wallet.
Could Google Auctions be too far behind?
For those of you without a WSJ sub, click here.
20050617
Google Trucks
The news may seem strange but this time Google is all ready to create a realistic 3D online version of San Francisco, and eventually some other major US cities.
This all will be done with the help of trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment. The trucks would drive along every San Francisco street using the lasers to measure the dimensions of buildings, to create a 3D framework onto which digital photos can be mapped..
The service will be much better than Amazon’s A9 service, which offers two-dimensional photos of buildings on US city streets.
One problem is that vehicles and people can block the automated laser and digital photo systems. This could be eliminated with a second pass, but Google wants to achieve results with a single run.
To this some dude suggested that they should use low flying airships instead.
I just hope to see Google Trucks in India soon…
Stanford CityBlock Project
This all will be done with the help of trucks equipped with lasers and digital photographic equipment. The trucks would drive along every San Francisco street using the lasers to measure the dimensions of buildings, to create a 3D framework onto which digital photos can be mapped..
The service will be much better than Amazon’s A9 service, which offers two-dimensional photos of buildings on US city streets.
One problem is that vehicles and people can block the automated laser and digital photo systems. This could be eliminated with a second pass, but Google wants to achieve results with a single run.
To this some dude suggested that they should use low flying airships instead.
I just hope to see Google Trucks in India soon…
Stanford CityBlock Project
20050616
Sun delays "Linux on Solaris" feature
Sun Microsystems had scheduled to release a feature in Solaris 10 - codenamed Project Janus - that would allow consumers to run Linux applications unmodified on Sun's operating system, but the feature is missing in OpenSolaris.
Instead of bringing attention to the missing feature, Sun is emphasizing a related open-source project - named Xen - as an alternative. Janus - officially called the Linux Application Environment - takes Linux commands and translates them to Solaris so Linux programs can run unchanged on computers using x86 microprocessors, like Intel's Pentium and AMD's Opteron. This feature is part of Sun's strategy to compete against Linux.
Last year, Sun claimed that "Solaris 10 will be the only OS to run Solaris and native Linux binaries side-by-side with no modifications, providing customers with investment protection and broader access to applications written for both operating systems."
Sun had marketed the Janus feature as a helpful way to let users migrate from Linux in favor of Solaris. Originally seen as a migration tool, Sun seems to be looking towards running Linux side-by-side with their own version of Unix - Solaris.
Director of Solaris marketing for Sun Tom Goguen told News.com, "The interest in doing Linux applications on Solaris has been for migration. But when you talk about running certified data center applications, you're going to run that on the full stack of software that's been certified."
The open-source project "Xen" allows Linux and Solaris to run side-by-side on the same computer. Sun expects that the Xen feature will get wider use and provide more value to customers.
Instead of bringing attention to the missing feature, Sun is emphasizing a related open-source project - named Xen - as an alternative. Janus - officially called the Linux Application Environment - takes Linux commands and translates them to Solaris so Linux programs can run unchanged on computers using x86 microprocessors, like Intel's Pentium and AMD's Opteron. This feature is part of Sun's strategy to compete against Linux.Last year, Sun claimed that "Solaris 10 will be the only OS to run Solaris and native Linux binaries side-by-side with no modifications, providing customers with investment protection and broader access to applications written for both operating systems."
Sun had marketed the Janus feature as a helpful way to let users migrate from Linux in favor of Solaris. Originally seen as a migration tool, Sun seems to be looking towards running Linux side-by-side with their own version of Unix - Solaris.
Director of Solaris marketing for Sun Tom Goguen told News.com, "The interest in doing Linux applications on Solaris has been for migration. But when you talk about running certified data center applications, you're going to run that on the full stack of software that's been certified."
The open-source project "Xen" allows Linux and Solaris to run side-by-side on the same computer. Sun expects that the Xen feature will get wider use and provide more value to customers.
Google for Mobile devices
Google recently launched Google search for mobile applications. Here is the excerpt from the Google Blog
Since millions of people across the globe already use mobile phones like there's no tomorrow, we're launching Mobile Web Search in many languages. Try it the next time you visit Google on your mobile phone - you'll see a new option to search the Mobile Web. How different is it than standard web search? There are sites out there that have already been designed for your mobile phone, which makes them more navigable on the small screen. So we've created an index specifically for these sites. And so your phone can now be that much more useful.Read more posts from other blogs about mobile search here.
20050611
Microsoft launches Acrylic against Photoshop
Microsoft has launched its first professional graphics tool. Its code name is Acrylic and the beta version, which is free until October 1, is already available for download , here. The software is based on Expression, a graphics application acquired from Creature House in 2003.
According to the program’s description from Microsoft’s site this is an innovative illustration, painting and graphics tool that provides exciting creative capabilities for designers working in print, web, video, and interactive media.
In addition to the Metro proprietary format, Microsoft is releasing another product aimed at competing with Adobe.
It remains to be seen if the giant from Redmond succeeds to outperform Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator. Microsoft has to provide innovative tools and advanced algorithms to convince professionals to switch from their current solutions (Photoshop and Illustrator) to Acrylic.
The application has already started on the wrong foot, the developers recommending users to have a Pentium 4 machine, with Windows XP Service Pack 2, 512MB of memory which makes us wonder if this product won’t be another program that requires a lot and does little.
According to the program’s description from Microsoft’s site this is an innovative illustration, painting and graphics tool that provides exciting creative capabilities for designers working in print, web, video, and interactive media.
In addition to the Metro proprietary format, Microsoft is releasing another product aimed at competing with Adobe.
It remains to be seen if the giant from Redmond succeeds to outperform Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator. Microsoft has to provide innovative tools and advanced algorithms to convince professionals to switch from their current solutions (Photoshop and Illustrator) to Acrylic.
The application has already started on the wrong foot, the developers recommending users to have a Pentium 4 machine, with Windows XP Service Pack 2, 512MB of memory which makes us wonder if this product won’t be another program that requires a lot and does little.
Tabbed browsing in IE
Microsoft's new MSN toolbar implements the tabbed browsing interface for Internet Explorer. But not everyone is happy, as there are some bugs.
20050607
Microsoft admits Apache is superior
Tired of playing second fiddle in Web hosting, Microsoft is revamping its server software in an attempt to snatch market share away from the popular Apache-Linux combination.
When the software giant releases Longhorn Server in 2007, it will introduce a re-architected edition of its Internet Information Services Web server, said Bob Muglia, senior vice president in charge of Windows Server development.
The changes will make IIS more modular, which will speed up performance for Web applications, he said.
"We're componentizing IIS so you can load just the pieces of the Web server that you really need," Muglia said. "In the process of doing that, we'll be supercompetitive to Apache."
The open-source Apache Web server, which is often run on Linux, is the most widely used Web server and frequently used to serve Web pages on public Internet sites.
Taking a page from Apache, Microsoft intends to introduce a "plug-in architecture" to run applications inside the Web server, Muglia added.
"Web (hosting), security and high-performance computing are the three areas where Linux has more strength," he said. "Clearly, the one we're weakest in is hosting."
To make Windows Server a more attractive option than Linux for security, Microsoft intends to bolster its software with policy-based administration tools to simplify the task of setting up virtual private networks and authenticating network access across several servers.
The company is also looking to adapt its existing antispyware software to its Windows Server and business customers, Muglia said.
He declined to detail packaging plans, but he said that these enhancements would not be worked into the R2 update of Windows Server 2003, which is due by the end of this year.
"Right now we've got an antispyware beta that's out and we're looking at how we can deliver that technology to the enterprise on a broader basis," he said. "The big difference is that enterprises need to manage things, whereas consumers manage themselves."
To combat Linux in the high-performance computing market, Microsoft next year will release its first product in that area, called Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition, Muglia said.
20050605
Knoppix 3.9 Released
The Debian-based live-cd Linux distribution Knoppix has been updated to version 3.9. Among the most notable changes are the update to kernel 2.6.11 and the inclusion of OpenOffice 2.0 BETA and KDE 3.4. This is likely the last single-CD version of Knoppix before the split into 'Light' and 'Maxi' versions. Torrent links here.
Linux Kernel Gets Fully Automated Test
An anonymous reader writes "The Linux Kernel is now getting automatically tested within 15 minutes of a new version being released, across a variety of hardware and the results are being published for all to see. Martin Bligh announced this yesterday, running on top of IBM's internal test automation system. Maybe this will enable the kernel developers to keep up with the 2.6 kernel's rapid pace of change. Looks like it caught one new problem with last night's build already ..."
20050604
MSN Korea Hacked
Hackers planted a password stealer on the news page of South Korea’s MSN which went undetected for many days.
Thats the situation in South Korea, a leader in high-speed Internet users worldwide. On the otherside company was confident its English-language Web sites were not vulnerable to the same type of attack.
The company finally learned about it and removed the nasty code. Microsoft confessed it removed the password-stealing software from the MSN site hours later. The hackers could have harvested stolen passwords from visitors to the MSN site for up to three days.Our alarms went off (Sunday). We noticed it was infected,said Dan Hubbard, its senior security director.
Thats the situation in South Korea, a leader in high-speed Internet users worldwide. On the otherside company was confident its English-language Web sites were not vulnerable to the same type of attack.
Apple Switching To Intel Chips In 2006
According to C|Net, Apple has officially decided to drop IBM, and will use Intel processors starting in their '06 line of systems. This change was rumored last month. The announcement is expected Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, at which Chief Executive Steve Jobs is giving the keynote speech." From the article: "Apple successfully navigated a switch in the 1990s from Motorola's 680x0 line of processors to the Power line jointly made by Motorola and IBM. That switch also required software to be revamped to take advantage of the new processors' performance, but emulation software permitted older programs to run on the new machines.
20050602
Yahoo - Safari2.0 friendly
As of yesterday, Yahoo!'s front page is freshly compatible with Safari 2.0. Before the update, the search tabs at the top of the main page failed to display.
Google Sitemap
Today, Google has unveiled a new Google Sitemaps program allowing webmasters and site owners to feed it pages they'd like to have included in Google's web index. Participation is free. Inclusion isn't guaranteed, but Google's hoping the new system will help it better gather pages than traditional crawling alone allows. Feeds also let site owners indicate how often pages change or should be revisited. Below, a Q&A on the new program with Shiva Shivakumar, engineering director and the technical lead for Google Sitemaps.
This helps the Google crawlers to be notified of what pages are present and which have changed recently, and to crawl the site accordingly. Google is releasing the Sitemap project under the Attribution/Share Alike Creative Commons license so that other search engines can do a better job as well. Eventually this will be supported natively in webservers (e.g. Apache, Lotus Notes, IIS).
There is also a Sitemap generator which automatically generates the XML file which contains the details about the URLs. But you would require Python2.2 to get the script runing on the server.
Read more about Google Sitemap and also read the Sitemap FAQ
This helps the Google crawlers to be notified of what pages are present and which have changed recently, and to crawl the site accordingly. Google is releasing the Sitemap project under the Attribution/Share Alike Creative Commons license so that other search engines can do a better job as well. Eventually this will be supported natively in webservers (e.g. Apache, Lotus Notes, IIS).
There is also a Sitemap generator which automatically generates the XML file which contains the details about the URLs. But you would require Python2.2 to get the script runing on the server.
Read more about Google Sitemap and also read the Sitemap FAQ
Find Linux Torrents Quickly
If you're on the hunt for Linux ISO Torrents you might want to check out the long list of recently released distro torrents over at LinuxISOtorrent.com. They've got frequently updated torrents from A (Arch) to Z (Zen). The site only does one thing, but does it well - helps you get the latest Linux distros downloaded via BitTorrent, quickly.
Microsoft Office 12 has new file formats
On Thursday the company will announce that it plans to make XML-based file formats the default in the version of Office due to ship in the latter half of 2006.
Microsoft is introducing the new formats as part of Office 12, officials said, and will share more details about them at next week's Tech Ed 2005 conference in Orlando, Fla.
The new Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats will be designated as .docx, .xlsx and .pptx , respectively. Microsoft is referring to the family of new formats as "Microsoft Office Open XML Formats."
Microsoft is committing to publish the forthcoming XML formats and make them available under the same royalty-free license under which the current Office 2003 file formats are.
Licensees will be able to integrate these formats into their servers, applications and business processes "without financial consideration to Microsoft," according to the Redmond software vendor.
For users of older versions of Office — specifically Office 2000, Office 2003 and Office XP — Microsoft will make available software downloads that will allow them to read, edit and save using the new file formats.
Microsoft also plans to release a conversion tool that will allow users to point to files in an older format and convert them en masse to the new Office 12 XML format.
And for users who want no part of the new formats, Microsoft also will provide as an option in Office 12 the ability to continue to use the existing Office 2003 file formats as their defaults, officials said.
"We wanted to make sure we didn't repeat the errors we made with Office 97," explained Jean Paoli, senior director of XML architecture for Microsoft. "
A big part of our thinking was to make sure everything would be backwards-compatible."
(Microsoft's decision to change the default Office 97 file formats caused chaos for many users and software-vendor partners.)
While industry watchers acknowledged there could be some hidden "gotchas" that will become evident once partners and users get their hands on Office 12 code (Beta 1 is due out this fall), they were upbeat about Microsoft's file-format plans.
Making XML the file-format default "was the right thing for Microsoft to do," said Peter O'Kelly, a senior analyst with The Burton Group.
"Invariably, there will be disruption for some people, but Microsoft is providing mechanisms to minimize that disruption."
"This is the direction Microsoft had to go in to take Office the next step forward," concurred Jim Murphy, research director with AMR Research. "
It will enable Office to integrate better with other systems, as well as improve the ability to integrate between desktops and enterprise applications."
Microsoft is introducing the new formats as part of Office 12, officials said, and will share more details about them at next week's Tech Ed 2005 conference in Orlando, Fla.
The new Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats will be designated as .docx, .xlsx and .pptx , respectively. Microsoft is referring to the family of new formats as "Microsoft Office Open XML Formats."
Microsoft is committing to publish the forthcoming XML formats and make them available under the same royalty-free license under which the current Office 2003 file formats are.
Licensees will be able to integrate these formats into their servers, applications and business processes "without financial consideration to Microsoft," according to the Redmond software vendor.
For users of older versions of Office — specifically Office 2000, Office 2003 and Office XP — Microsoft will make available software downloads that will allow them to read, edit and save using the new file formats.
Microsoft also plans to release a conversion tool that will allow users to point to files in an older format and convert them en masse to the new Office 12 XML format.
And for users who want no part of the new formats, Microsoft also will provide as an option in Office 12 the ability to continue to use the existing Office 2003 file formats as their defaults, officials said.
"We wanted to make sure we didn't repeat the errors we made with Office 97," explained Jean Paoli, senior director of XML architecture for Microsoft. "
A big part of our thinking was to make sure everything would be backwards-compatible."
(Microsoft's decision to change the default Office 97 file formats caused chaos for many users and software-vendor partners.)
While industry watchers acknowledged there could be some hidden "gotchas" that will become evident once partners and users get their hands on Office 12 code (Beta 1 is due out this fall), they were upbeat about Microsoft's file-format plans.
Making XML the file-format default "was the right thing for Microsoft to do," said Peter O'Kelly, a senior analyst with The Burton Group.
"Invariably, there will be disruption for some people, but Microsoft is providing mechanisms to minimize that disruption."
"This is the direction Microsoft had to go in to take Office the next step forward," concurred Jim Murphy, research director with AMR Research. "
It will enable Office to integrate better with other systems, as well as improve the ability to integrate between desktops and enterprise applications."
20050601
Linux Powers Airborne Bots
British researchers are turning to Linux and embedded processors to build a fleet of tiny, robotic helicopters capable of swarming like angry bees and evaluating their surroundings with a single hive mind.
The University of Essex's UltraSwarm project is an experiment in swarm intelligence and wireless cluster computing that might one day spawn military surveillance applications. In one scenario, a flock of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, with video cameras could take in a hostile landscape from a variety of angles and process the image locally, in the sky.
For their proof of concept, the researchers are using lightweight $69 Proxflyer Bladerunner toy helicopters equipped with gumstix processors -- tiny self-contained computers weighing 8 grams (0.28 ounces), but packing enough power to run the Linux 2.6 kernel and communicate over a built-in Bluetooth module.
The coaxial Bladerunner weighs only 50 grams (1.8 ounces) and is held aloft by two rotors, one atop the other, spinning in opposite directions to achieve a stable, insect-like flight. It's sold as a remote-control toy, but after adding the gumstix and a downward-facing video camera, the Essex University researchers have already turned one of the choppers into what they describe as the world's smallest flying web server.
If all goes according to plan, the helicopters will communicate with one another over Bluetooth, allowing them to move as one entity, and even to carry out sophisticated computation-heavy tasks using distributed computing techniques.
Read more about these robots here
Microsoft drops 'My' in Longhorn
Microsoft has announced that it will drop the 'My' prefix in the upcoming OS Longhorn. This was a custom to have the prefix 'My' attached to some folders like My Documents, My Pictures, etc. This was just to make the user more comfortable in using the computer. Nowadays technology is very much integrated into the user, that such stupid prefixes are not needed. In Longhorn, the folders will be called Documents, Pictures, etc.
20050531
Google Summer of Code
Google has launched a new program called Summer of Code which is aimed at students. This is designed to introduce students to open source software developmen
The Python Software Foundation (ideas)
The Perl Foundation (submission guidelines & ideas)
The Apache Software Foundation (ideas)
Ubuntu Linux (ideas)
The Mono Project (ideas)
The Gnome Foundation (ideas)
The Wine Project (ideas)
The Subversion Project (ideas)
Google
The last date for registration is June 14. For more details visit the website.
The Summer of Code is Google's program designed to introduce students to the world of Open Source Software Development.There are a some open source organisations participating, likeThis Summer, don't let your programming skills lie fallow...Use them for the greater good of Open Source Software and computer science! Google will provide a $4500 award to each student who successfully completes an open source project by the end of the Summer. (payment details can be found in FAQ)
By pairing applicants up with the proven wisdom and experience of established prominent open source organizations (listed below), we hope to make great software happen. If you can't come up with a great idea to submit, a number of our organizations have made idea lists available.
The Python Software Foundation (ideas)
The Perl Foundation (submission guidelines & ideas)
The Apache Software Foundation (ideas)
Ubuntu Linux (ideas)
The Mono Project (ideas)
The Gnome Foundation (ideas)
The Wine Project (ideas)
The Subversion Project (ideas)
The last date for registration is June 14. For more details visit the website.
Linux replacements for Windows softwares
This is a worthy bookmark for those contemplating a switch to linux. There is a fairly complete list of applications in common use on windows and possible replacement programs that are available on linux.
Xbox 360 Embedded OS Speculation
This is a bit old, but it’s probably worth mentioning, since it will affect the ‘hackability’ of the next Xbox. Windows For Devices has speculated on the nature of the operating system behind the Xbox 360. Their source claims that the 360’s OS is a highly modified form of the original Xbox OS which, in turn, is a highly modified form of Windows 2000. The importance of a stable and intuitive operating system is much higher with this generation of consoles and especially in the 360, given the immense focus on the device as a media center and communications system. Instead of simply maintaining enough firmware to run whatever game is plugged into the machine, the 360 will maintain your media library, interact with other devices and more. Either way, they unequivocally rule out Linux as the 360’s OS (but that doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t figure out how to install it post-purchase).
The Xbox 360’s Embedded OS [WindowsForDevices]
20050530
Google Pagerank Reappears
SEO addicts are breathing a sigh of relief today after the Disappearance of Google Page Rank seemingly being rectified in the last few hours. The green bar on the Google Toolbar has returned.
For the average web surfer and blogger the loss of PR would have had little impact but I know a few SEO experts whose businesses rely upon it who will be very relieved today.
Update: Reading between the lines on what ‘Google Guy’ has to say on the WebMasterWorld forum it looks like this was just an upgrade of infrastructure that was timed to coincide with a holiday weekend in the US. It is not an roll out of ‘Trust Rank’ or even an update of PR. Things should be back to normal by now.
TargetPoint Ads
I have registered for an Ad system for this blog at Targetpoint. The ads shown are very similar to Google Adsense.
The registration was simple and the website was approved by afternoon. I can show two kinds of ads called
Look at the side bar for a sample ad.
Exitpoint is an innovative type of ad where links are displayed on external pages. The external links on the page are changed to display a small frame on the external page. The user has a choice of closing that frame if required. For example click on these external link to see exitpoint in action.
My Livejournal blog
The registration was simple and the website was approved by afternoon. I can show two kinds of ads called
- Adpoint
- Exitpoint
Look at the side bar for a sample ad.
Exitpoint is an innovative type of ad where links are displayed on external pages. The external links on the page are changed to display a small frame on the external page. The user has a choice of closing that frame if required. For example click on these external link to see exitpoint in action.
My Livejournal blog
20050529
BBC - Linux Powered Weather Format
BBC launches new weather format using Weatherscape XT. This may be one of the higher profile deployments of Linux based systems. Weatherscape XT supplies weather graphics for all UK BBC channels plus the BBC World Service. The system relies completely on openGL graphics and there are demonstration clips of the system in use at Metra.info . Developed in NZ by MetService as a cross platform system for Linux, OS X and Windows, the BBC solution has been deployed on Linux with MySQL DB. Data is replicated to remote studios and displayed live by the Weatherscape application using Nvidia Graphics and drivers. Future deployment options will depend on customer choice and platform support.
Source: SlashDot
Source: SlashDot
Adsense - Choice over ads
 | Google Adsense has a new format where the visitor to the website has the choice over what kind of ads to be displayed. The user can click the keywords based upon which the ads shown will change. There are five links that are related to the topic and there is also a textbox, where the user can type the necessary keyword and ads based on that keyword will be shown. This is a nice feature, but I wonder how many will use this feature. Visitors come to a website to read content, not to see ads. This feature will be really useful for those who want to know more (commercial) information about the other related topics. In the example I have taken, first the ads were about blogs, blogging software, blog hosts, etc. I tried a few keywords and then, I tried my own keyword "DVD" and I got ads related to DVD players. The keywords also have changed multiregion DVD, DVD players, etc. |
Nokia Releases Linux Internet Tablet Device
Nokia has released its first mobile device that isn't a phone, and it is meant for accessing the web anywhere you have a wireless connection. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is based on the Linux operating system, and they say that the plan is to publish the source code for the device in hopes that developers will write custom software to increase adoption.
With a price point of only $350, Nokia's 770 is a very attractive option to buying a laptop for around the house simply for e-mail or to connect to the internet. It weighs just half of a pound, is 3/4 of an inch thick, 5.6 inches wide and 3.1 inches deep, with a 4.1 inch touchscreen display. Also included with the device is a player for MP3s and other media, along with a USB port to connect with a Bluetooth transmitter for access to mobile networks.
"Linux is a logical choice for the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet as Linux and the Open Source development platform provide us with fast and efficient solutions to build products for this new, Nokia product category. This is the first step in creating an Open Source product for broadband and Internet services. We will be launching regularly updates of the software. The next software release planned for the first half of next year will support more presence based functionalities such as VoIP and Instant Messaging", said Janne Jormalainen, VP of Convergence Products for Nokia.
Additional applications of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet with the 2005 software include an Internet Radio, RSS News reader, Image viewer and Media players for selected types of media. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is planned to start shipping in the third quarter of 2005 to the US and Europe.20050528
Microsoft advises to uninstall Netscape
Microsoft Corp. recently said that users should either uninstall Netscape 8 or edit the registry to fix a data problem. The issue is that AOL’s new browser version disables XML rendering capabilities in Internet Explorer, which in return displays a blank webpage on selected websites instead of the ones with actual content. The problem occurs when the user is trying to view a contented webpage via a RSS feed.
Microsoft Senior Program Manager for Internet Explorer Dave Massy said that his company has confirmed the bug and offers two potential solutions. The first one is to completely uninstall the browser, and the second option is to delete the registry titled: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftInternet ExplorerPluginsExtension
AOL disregarded the issue as being a critical one and AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein said, "This issue affects a very small number of users who visit sites that require that advanced technology".
AOL said it has plans to fix this particular bug in Netscape 8 sometime next week.
According to security reports, this is the second bug that has been found in Netscape 8 after a group of 40 were discovered after the browser’s initial launch. Netscape is a hybrid to Firefox and Internet Explorer, which should yield in increased compatibility and security, overall.
Google Pagerank unavailable
Google Pagerank status is currently unavailable and Google cache was also not working.
Yesterday when I saw the cache of this blog, it was taken on 27th. But today, the cache is from 22nd. Also when I tried Google translation, it was also not working. Not long ago Google itself was down due to a DNS problem.
Yesterday when I saw the cache of this blog, it was taken on 27th. But today, the cache is from 22nd. Also when I tried Google translation, it was also not working. Not long ago Google itself was down due to a DNS problem.
20050527
GMail Illegal in Germany
A German court ruled it illegal for Google to use the email domain “gmail.com”, as Golem (Google translated page) reports. Google already changed their email’s name to “Google Mail" for German users, but the gmail.com extension prevails so far – now the state court of Hamburg said Google may not offer emails with this extension to German users. Daniel Giersch owns the trademark “Gmail” in Germany and isn’t willing to give up easily. He already rejected an offer from Google to buy the name from him, Giersch said on Golem. I wonder if he should truly have any more rights than to the domain Gmail.de?
Update: German Golem now reports Google said they received no cease & desist so far.
Yahoo Photomail
Yahoo’s Photomail is a photo sharing service that works on WinXP/2000 and IE5.5. Quick Select if the browser software which doesn't work in Firefox, Netscape or Macintosh. Don't know what it is. If someone tries it please comment on it here.
Yahoo Mindset
Yahoo Mindset lets you adjust a slider on the search results page – slide it to the left to get more commercial results (like shopping sites), slide it to the right to get more non-commercial results (like academic research). But I wonder on what basis they categorise the website.
Orkut giving Gmail
Orkut is giving away GMail invites. Orkut is an online community where you make freinds, share photo’s, discussion boards etc. Orkut itself works on Invitation i.e. you need an Orkut invitaion if you want to be part of Orkut. Gmail is under the Beta tag for more than a year.
I got my Gmail invite from Blogger and it was something great to have Gmail. But nowadays you can get an invite easily.
I got my Gmail invite from Blogger and it was something great to have Gmail. But nowadays you can get an invite easily.
Bittorrent's new search tool
Bittorrent launches a new search tool to search for torrents. I have already written about using Google search for torrent searching. But this tool from BT is nice and brings out better results and more information about the torrents like:
- estimated speed
- number of files
- filesize
- filenames
- tracker information, etc
Came back from Vacation
I was not in station for 3 days and came back yesterday. I got a nice idea of a website package for travels companies while travelling.
20050524
Mozilla FireFox v1.1
Mozilla Firefox project (formerly Firebird, which was formerly Phoenix) is a redesign of Mozilla's browser component, written using the XUL user interface language and designed to be cross-platform.
It is small, fast and easy to use, and offers many advantages over other web browsers, such as the tabbed browsing and the ability to block pop-up windows.
Please note that this a preview build of FireFox v1.1 code named as Deer Park v1.0 and this is a Alpha Build.
Features
"Sanitize" privacy feature
The "Sanitize" feature provides an easy way to quickly remove browsing history, cookies, cache, saved form information, and other personal data.
The items to be removed can be customized, and the feature can be activated using either a keyboard shortcut or through a menu item.
Image thumbnails as tab icons
When viewing images, tab icons now display thumbnails of the displayed image.
Fast back (and forward)
This very experimental feature allows much faster session history navigation.
The feature is off by default but can be enabled for testing purposes by setting the browser.sessionhistory.max_viewers preference to a nonzero number.
Anonymous FTP login failure behaviour
FTP users are now prompted to input a name and password if anonymous access fails.
CSS at-rule for matching on site/document URL
The new @-moz-document rule gives users the ability to match page objects per-site, using CSS.
This makes it possible to include site-specific rules in user style sheets (userContent.css).
David Baron's post to www-style explains how the rule can be used.
Report a broken website wizard
Users now have a simple tool for reporting websites that aren't working in Firefox. If installed (Reporter is a custom install option for this release) the tool can be accessed from "Report Broken Website" on the Firefox Help menu.
Improved Preferences
Instant Apply behaviour on Linux and Mac Changes made in the Preferences window now apply immediately, in line with typical behaviour in other Mac OS X and GNOME applications.
This changes conforms with the Apple and GNOME Human Interface Guidelines.
Searchable download actions manager
You are now able to search through Firefox's file associations for downloaded files by program name or their file extension.
Searchable cookie manager
Cookies can be searched by hostname/domain and cookie name, and are organized by hostname in a tree format instead of a flat list.
Deployment
Firefox MSI package
- The new MSI installation package facilitates distibuted installation and provides greater flexibility to network administrators wanting to deploy Firefox in a corporate environment.
- Support for profile "temp" directory on local filesystem
- It is now possible to store the network cache (copies of visited webpages) and the XUL fastload cache (precompiled user interface code) on a local disk, while keeping the rest of the profile data on a network drive.
- This will increase performance and reduce network traffic for users in a network environment.
Mac OS X Support
Accessibility
Supports "Full Keyboard Access" system setting
Drag and drop
Users can now drag more file types to the Dock icon to open in the browser
Menus
Menus function properly in windows without special menus and with no windows open.
Mouse Actions
Middle mouse buttons now function as expected.
Keyboard shortcuts
Cmd+Return and Cmd+Shift+Return are now supported for address completion as on other platforms.
Back, Forward, Stop and Help keyboard shortcuts are now exposed.
Download :
- Windows : .EXE | .MSI | .ZIP
- Linux : Installer | .TAR.GZ
- Mac OSX : .DMG
Screenshots
Additional Information
- Features : Click Here
- Web Develope's Feature : Click Here
- Extension Features : Click Here
- Deer Park Alpha : Click Here
- Dark Park FTP : Click Here
- FireFox Home : Click Here
- Mozilla Home : Click Here
Source : Mozilla
It is small, fast and easy to use, and offers many advantages over other web browsers, such as the tabbed browsing and the ability to block pop-up windows.
Please note that this a preview build of FireFox v1.1 code named as Deer Park v1.0 and this is a Alpha Build.
Features
"Sanitize" privacy feature
The "Sanitize" feature provides an easy way to quickly remove browsing history, cookies, cache, saved form information, and other personal data.
The items to be removed can be customized, and the feature can be activated using either a keyboard shortcut or through a menu item.
Image thumbnails as tab icons
When viewing images, tab icons now display thumbnails of the displayed image.
Fast back (and forward)
This very experimental feature allows much faster session history navigation.
The feature is off by default but can be enabled for testing purposes by setting the browser.sessionhistory.max_viewers preference to a nonzero number.
Anonymous FTP login failure behaviour
FTP users are now prompted to input a name and password if anonymous access fails.
CSS at-rule for matching on site/document URL
The new @-moz-document rule gives users the ability to match page objects per-site, using CSS.
This makes it possible to include site-specific rules in user style sheets (userContent.css).
David Baron's post to www-style explains how the rule can be used.
Report a broken website wizard
Users now have a simple tool for reporting websites that aren't working in Firefox. If installed (Reporter is a custom install option for this release) the tool can be accessed from "Report Broken Website" on the Firefox Help menu.
Improved Preferences
Instant Apply behaviour on Linux and Mac Changes made in the Preferences window now apply immediately, in line with typical behaviour in other Mac OS X and GNOME applications.
This changes conforms with the Apple and GNOME Human Interface Guidelines.
Searchable download actions manager
You are now able to search through Firefox's file associations for downloaded files by program name or their file extension.
Searchable cookie manager
Cookies can be searched by hostname/domain and cookie name, and are organized by hostname in a tree format instead of a flat list.
Deployment
Firefox MSI package
- The new MSI installation package facilitates distibuted installation and provides greater flexibility to network administrators wanting to deploy Firefox in a corporate environment.
- Support for profile "temp" directory on local filesystem
- It is now possible to store the network cache (copies of visited webpages) and the XUL fastload cache (precompiled user interface code) on a local disk, while keeping the rest of the profile data on a network drive.
- This will increase performance and reduce network traffic for users in a network environment.
Mac OS X Support
Accessibility
Supports "Full Keyboard Access" system setting
Drag and drop
Users can now drag more file types to the Dock icon to open in the browser
Menus
Menus function properly in windows without special menus and with no windows open.
Mouse Actions
Middle mouse buttons now function as expected.
Keyboard shortcuts
Cmd+Return and Cmd+Shift+Return are now supported for address completion as on other platforms.
Back, Forward, Stop and Help keyboard shortcuts are now exposed.
Download :
- Windows : .EXE | .MSI | .ZIP
- Linux : Installer | .TAR.GZ
- Mac OSX : .DMG
Screenshots
Additional Information
- Features : Click Here
- Web Develope's Feature : Click Here
- Extension Features : Click Here
- Deer Park Alpha : Click Here
- Dark Park FTP : Click Here
- FireFox Home : Click Here
- Mozilla Home : Click Here
Source : Mozilla
20050523
BitTorrent Goes Trackerless !
As part of our ongoing efforts to make publishing files on the Web painless and disruptively cheap, BitTorrent has released a 'trackerless' version of BitTorrent in a new release.
Publishing with BitTorrent gets easier! Read complete article to get more information.
Suppose you bought a television station, you could broadcast your progamming to everyone in a 50 mile radius. Now suppose the population of your town tripled.
How much more does it cost you to broadcast to 3 times as many people? Nothing. The same is not true of the Web.
If you own a website and you publish your latest video on it, as popularity increases, so does your bandwidth bill! Sometimes by a lot!
However, thanks to BitTorrent the website owner gets almost near-broadcast economics on the web by harnessing the unused upstream bandwidth of his/her users.
In prior versions of BitTorrent, publishing was a 3 step process. You would:
- Create a ".torrent" file -- a summary of your file which you can put on your blog or website
- Create a "tracker" for that file on your webserver so that your downloaders can find each other
- Create a "seed" copy of your download so that your first downloader has a place to download from
Many of you have blogs and websites, but dont have the resources to set up a tracker. In the new version, we've created an optional 'trackerless' method of publication.
Anyone with a website and an Internet connection can host a BitTorrent download!
Although still in Beta release, the trackerless version of BitTorrent, and the latest production version are available at BitTorrent.com
Additional Information
- BitTorrent Home Page : Click Here
- TrackerLess BitTorrent : Click Here
Source : BitTorrent
Publishing with BitTorrent gets easier! Read complete article to get more information.
Suppose you bought a television station, you could broadcast your progamming to everyone in a 50 mile radius. Now suppose the population of your town tripled.
How much more does it cost you to broadcast to 3 times as many people? Nothing. The same is not true of the Web.
If you own a website and you publish your latest video on it, as popularity increases, so does your bandwidth bill! Sometimes by a lot!
However, thanks to BitTorrent the website owner gets almost near-broadcast economics on the web by harnessing the unused upstream bandwidth of his/her users.
In prior versions of BitTorrent, publishing was a 3 step process. You would:
- Create a ".torrent" file -- a summary of your file which you can put on your blog or website
- Create a "tracker" for that file on your webserver so that your downloaders can find each other
- Create a "seed" copy of your download so that your first downloader has a place to download from
Many of you have blogs and websites, but dont have the resources to set up a tracker. In the new version, we've created an optional 'trackerless' method of publication.
Anyone with a website and an Internet connection can host a BitTorrent download!
Although still in Beta release, the trackerless version of BitTorrent, and the latest production version are available at BitTorrent.com
Additional Information
- BitTorrent Home Page : Click Here
- TrackerLess BitTorrent : Click Here
Source : BitTorrent
MSN Virtual Earth vs Google Earth
Microsoft sends news today that founder Bill Gates has announced a MSN Virtual Earth service is to debut in the summer.
The service is promised to provide:
- Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods.
- Satellite images with street map overlays.
- Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants.
Source : SEW
The service is promised to provide:
- Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods.
- Satellite images with street map overlays.
- Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants.
The service will allow users to choose from a number of different data types plus allow people to contribute their own information.
The announcement came today at the D3 conference happening this week.
Here are some screenshots from the service to come. You can click on the first to make it larger:
Last week, Google announced that its Keyhole software allowing satellite views of the Earth will be renamed Google Earth.
Better images will also be available to those getting satellite views via Google Maps.
In addition, Google Maps has also been getting enhanced by others adding on data from other sources.
So, the planned Microsoft service will help MSN compete against some Google gains in this area, not to mention moves others like Yahoo have been making with maps.
Indexed by Google
Finally I got indexed by Google. The search result for "srinivasan cnu" shows up my website as the first in the results. The cached page shows that it was indexed on 21st May. I gotta add more content and I will get indexed by Google regularly.
Haloscan Trackback
Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog. I still can't fully understand how this is useful, but since many bloggers use this I am also adding this Trackback system. Gotta read more about it.
GreaseMonkey
I installed GreaseMonkey and it is a cool tool to control your web experience.
Greasemonkey is a Firefox extension which lets you to add bits of DHTML ("user scripts") to any web page to change its behavior.
For example, you could:
- Make sure that all URLs displayed in the browser are clickable links
- Improve the usability of a site you frequent
- Route around common and annoying website bugs
- Use the Coral content network selectively.
20050522
Google Translator: The Universal Language
Still, many people around teh world cannot speak or communicate in English. Therefore the collective information that is distributed across the web is not available to them. When you browse the web, or saerch for information you may come across various documents that are written in other languages and have symbols that you cannot understand - like Chinese, Arabic, French, Spanish, etc. So those documents are inaccessible. Many translation systems have been developed but they cannot provide good accuracy to understand the gist of the document.
At the recent web cast of the Google Factory Tour, researcher Franz Och presented the current state of the Google Machine Translation Systems. He compared translations of the current Google translator and the status quo of the Google Research Lab's activities. The results were highly impressive. A sentence in Arabic which is now translated as "Alpine white new presence tape registered for coffee confirms Laden" is now in the Research Labs being translated to "The White House Confirmed the Existence of a New Bin Laden Tape".
How is it done?
It is complex to program such a system, but the principle on which it is based is easy - so easy in fact that the researchers working on this enabled to translate from Chinese to English without any researcher being able to speak Chinese. To the translation system, any language is treated the same, and there is no manually created rule-set of grammer, metaphors and such. Instead, the system is learning from the existing human translations. Google relies on a large corpus of texts which are available in multiple languages.
Let's take a simple example: if a book is titled "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" in English, and the German title is "Also sprach Zarathustra", the system can begin to understand that "thus spoke" can be translated with "also sprach". (This approach would even work for metaphors – surely, Google researchers will take the longest available phrase which has high statistical matches across different works). So the researchers need to feed the system with two text in language A and Language B and tell that both these are the same. The body of the text must be immensely large, else the system would stumble across many unrelated phrases.
Google used the United Nations Documents to train their machine, and all in fed 200 billion words. This is brute force AI, if you want – it works on statistical learning theory only and has not much real "understanding" of anything but patterns. We can expect that Google will release their translation system soon (by this or next year). So where can Google integrate these.
Google Search
Documents that are searched using Google Search can have a link to obtain an automatic translation of the text. You just have to specify your language in your Google preferences and the text will automatically be translated to your language of understanding. Also if you search for a particular keyword or phrase, it will be automatically translated to other languages and all the web pages containing that keyword (in any language) will be presented. So if you searched for "thus spoke, you would also get results containing also sprach.
Gmail
All mail will be translated to your language and you can understand what your German friend wrote automatically.
Google Browser
If at all Google brings out a Browser, it can integrate the translation tool right into the browser which automatically translates the web page you are currently viewing into our language of preference. So, if you know only English and you are viewing a French page, this browser can automatically show you the English translated version of it. You would be totally unaware of the translation and all the web resources will be available to you only in English.
Google Instant Messenger
If Google brings out a Google Instant Messenger (GIM ?) then it can automatically translate the conversation between two persons having different languages. If A and B (different language) communicate with each other, then GIM can automatically translate what A speaks to B and vice versa.
Google BabelFish
This is very advanced device and it right from a Sci-Fi movie. This is a small plugin for your ear which automatically translates what people around you speak. So that even if they speak various languages, all you would be hearing is your mother tongue.
Who knows Google might be already behind such projects. We will have to wait and watch.
Lara Croft's image makeover
In an attempt to appeal to more female players the creators of computer game icon Lara Croft have revamped her image to remove one of her most prominent and remarked-upon features - her generous bust.
For years, Croft's gravity-defying chest, waspish waist and long legs have delighted teenage boys playing the various editions of 'Tomb Raider', the computer game in which she stars.
According to The Times newspaper, British computer game firm Eidos, which created Croft, has changed her physique to one less likely to put off female players.
In the soon-to-be-released 'Tomb Raider: Legend', the eighth title to feature Croft, her DD-size bust has been reduced to a more modest C-cup and some of her more revealing outfits have been ditched, the report said.
The adventurer even sports a modest round-neck sweater with full arms for part of the game, the paper added.
"Lara's been on a diet and she's definetely gone down a cup size, but she's still quite well proportioned," Toby Gard, the original creator of the character, told the paper.
Created in the mid-1990s, Croft's series of adventures have made huge profits for Eidos, and were turned into a pair of films starring U.S. actress Angelina Jolie as the eponymous heroine.
However, the most recent Tomb Raider titles have fared less well. In March, shares in Eidos tumbled more than 30 per cent in a single day following speculation about a profit warning.
Source - The Hindu, 22, May 2005
For years, Croft's gravity-defying chest, waspish waist and long legs have delighted teenage boys playing the various editions of 'Tomb Raider', the computer game in which she stars.
According to The Times newspaper, British computer game firm Eidos, which created Croft, has changed her physique to one less likely to put off female players.
In the soon-to-be-released 'Tomb Raider: Legend', the eighth title to feature Croft, her DD-size bust has been reduced to a more modest C-cup and some of her more revealing outfits have been ditched, the report said.
The adventurer even sports a modest round-neck sweater with full arms for part of the game, the paper added.
"Lara's been on a diet and she's definetely gone down a cup size, but she's still quite well proportioned," Toby Gard, the original creator of the character, told the paper.
Created in the mid-1990s, Croft's series of adventures have made huge profits for Eidos, and were turned into a pair of films starring U.S. actress Angelina Jolie as the eponymous heroine.
However, the most recent Tomb Raider titles have fared less well. In March, shares in Eidos tumbled more than 30 per cent in a single day following speculation about a profit warning.
Source - The Hindu, 22, May 2005
20050521
Google search for torrents
You can use Google search to get search for your torrents.
You can search by using the tool filetype: in the advanced search. Just type the keywords for which you want to search the torrent and then include the line filetype:torrent.
For example if you want to search for torrents named eminem then type in your search box as
eminem filetype:torrent
Happy Bittorrenting.
You can search by using the tool filetype: in the advanced search. Just type the keywords for which you want to search the torrent and then include the line filetype:torrent.
For example if you want to search for torrents named eminem then type in your search box as
eminem filetype:torrent
Happy Bittorrenting.
20050520
Get $50 For one hour of blogging
Blogger is willing to pay you $50 to come down to Google for one hour and help improve the design and usability of Blogger.
Very cool. The program runs through early June, and is only eligible to people who have blogged for at least 2 months, are not employees of blogging companies, and are at least 18 years of age.
Oh, and of course you need to be able to make it down to the Googleplex, Mountain View, CA.
Here are the details from blogger website
Location: Google HQ in Mountain View, CA
Duration: about 1 hour
When: late May / eary June 2005 - during regular business hours (we will contact you to schedule a specific time)
Compensation: $50
In order to participate you must:
Very cool. The program runs through early June, and is only eligible to people who have blogged for at least 2 months, are not employees of blogging companies, and are at least 18 years of age.
Oh, and of course you need to be able to make it down to the Googleplex, Mountain View, CA.
Here are the details from blogger website
Location: Google HQ in Mountain View, CA
Duration: about 1 hour
When: late May / eary June 2005 - during regular business hours (we will contact you to schedule a specific time)
Compensation: $50
In order to participate you must:
- have used Blogger for at least 2 months
- be over 18 years old
- have never worked for a blogging company
- be able to drive to our offices in Mountain View, CA
- be willing to sign our Usability Non-Disclosure Agreement
Google Earth
Google is readying a software packagecalled Google Earth, which is a Google-ized version of Keyhole, an astounding 3D mapping program from a company that Google acquired. It includes some built-in searching features that let you do things like see driving directions rendered as photographic flyover animations of actual the route you'll take.
So what are Google's plans for Keyhole:
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Keyhole's technology and products are an excellent addition to our efforts to do that. We do not have any announced plans regarding how this technology will integrate with our current products and services.
From the website www.keyhole.com
So what are Google's plans for Keyhole:
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Keyhole's technology and products are an excellent addition to our efforts to do that. We do not have any announced plans regarding how this technology will integrate with our current products and services.
From the website www.keyhole.com
Google card trick
Check out Bondoogle, a card trick performed using Google. The trick works like so: Have the person pick a card, try to guess the card, and get it wrong. Then ask what the card was, and say "I bet Google knows what card it is". You then type into Google Images "What card did she pick?" and it returns pictures of that very card, with the name of the card in the search box.
How does it work? Bondoogle has a mirror of the Google search engine which masks what you are typing on the screen. Instead of your question, you type /3d/, where 3 is the number on the card and d stands for diamonds, the suit. Once you have typed the second /, you will see, instead of /3d/, the word "What". Until you type that second slash, Bondoogle will keep adding one letter at a time, up until it says "What is it that I am looking for?". When you type that second slash, everything you type is real, so, if you only type in 4 letters, you can continue to ask "What card am I thinking of, oh wise Google master?" and the only thing Google will search for is the text between the slashes.
What's more, while the script works best automating the number and suits in a deck of cards, you can type anything into either Google search or Google Images and pull off the trick. This means that you can type "/blue/s the color of my shirt?", your friend sees "What is the color of my shirt?", and Google returns the results for "blue".
Go to ipolygraph.com/google and try it out. To take the effect to the next level, Jim Bumgardner, who wrote the script, has created a Greasemonkey extension for Firefox that changes the actual Google search engine to exhibit this behavior. This means your "mark" will be very fooled by the address bar saying google.com.
This is all very cool, and I'm off to fool my loved ones.Gmail with Popfile
I was using a mail categorising software called Popfile, which uses Bayesian filtering mechanism to categorise your mail. It acts as a POP proxy and sits between your mail client and your mail server. I wanted to use my GMail account with Popfile and found out that I can do that easily with a ssl upgrade to Popfile. I just got that and got my GMail account running with Popfile categorising the mail. GMail automatically filters the spam mail and I can receive only legitimate mail. I can now ditch my old hotpop account, which had 10MB space and 512KB file attachment restrictions.
Click here to setup your GMail (SSL) account with Popfile.
Click here to setup your GMail (SSL) account with Popfile.
20050519
Customised Google search page
Google has unveiled a new service that allows people to consolidate various Google features they use, ranging from web search to email, into a personalized home page. Google has created a My Google page similar to what Yahoo and MSN had created before. You have a number of modules which you can add to your customised search page. The new page will look similar to the old search page, but below the search text box, there is an option to add a number of modules.
You can add
- Google News (top US stories)
- BBC News
- New York Times
- Slashdot
- Wired News
The option to add any feed will be introduced soon.
You can even decide upon the placement of the modules you have selected. This customised page is totally different from the regular search engine. This is expected from Google which will not push things into its users.
Get your customised Google search page here.
You can add
- Stocks
- Weather(US only)
- Quote of the day
- Word of the day
- Driving directions(US only)
- Movies(US only)
- Feeds, Headlines & The "Fusion" Strategy
- Gmail (support for other mail services pending)
- Google News (top US stories)
- BBC News
- New York Times
- Slashdot
- Wired News
The option to add any feed will be introduced soon.
You can even decide upon the placement of the modules you have selected. This customised page is totally different from the regular search engine. This is expected from Google which will not push things into its users.
Get your customised Google search page here.
Ten things to use Photoshop for
Most people don't use Photoshop to its fullest capabilities. Here are just ten uses to which you could put this highly versatile software.
- Restoring Old Photographs. Have a look through that old family photo album - the really old one from up in Grandma's attic. Inside there are probably a few photos from way back when that haven't stood the test of time so well. They've got cracks and tears that really spoil their appearance. Scan them into Photoshop, and then set to work with the Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, and Patch tools. The Healing Brush in particular is a great tool for this purpose as it samples data from one part of the picture and blends it in with what's already there.
- Correcting Mistakes. We've all done it: Had an attack of "finger over the lens syndrome," or got too close with the flash, so our subjects suffer from "red eye" and look like extras from a horror movie. Use the crop tool to salvage something usable from your obscured photo, and the enlarge wizard to blow it up to a reasonable size. For "red eye" and "pet eye," use the eyedropper tool to sample color from around the iris, and a brush to paint away the red.
- Adding Graphics to Videos. It's a little known fact, but many domestic and professional nonlinear editing systems (especially the Mac based ones like Avid or Final Cut) enable you to import Photoshop .psd files directly into the timeline.
- Creating Text Effects for Print and Web. There's an almost unlimited amount of things you can do with text in Photoshop. Use the Type Mask Tools to create picture filled text, then upload the results to your web page - or print them out for a one of a kind T-shirt.
- Turning a Photo Into a Work of Art. Everyone likes to have nice things to look at. Most of us like to have pictures on the wall, and something that looks different from what other people have on their walls is a definite plus. Unless you're blessed with artistic talent, though, this can be very expensive - until now. Use one of Photoshop's many Artistic or Brush Stroke filters to turn your photos into "new masters," then print them out on quality art paper.
- Designing Web Banners and Buttons. Photoshop comes with a predefined web banner sized canvas. Photoshop's sister application, Image Ready, comes with several - and lots of tools for animating text and pictures. You can also create interactive buttons that enhance a web browsing experience.
- Adding Text to Photographs. Impress your boss by putting the company name on the side of an airliner, building, or racing car. Use the Move Tool to skew the text to fit the contours of the picture, adjust the opacity a little, and hey presto! The text will look like it's always been part of the photo.
- Combining Pictures, Text, and Graphics to Make Covers for Books, Reports and CDs. Photoshop contains many of the image manipulation capabilities of high-end DTP applications that cost thousands. Use the "Layer via Cut" command to make your title text go behind part of the picture - just like on the cover of "Rolling Stone."
- Designing Web Pages. Did you know that Photoshop and Image Ready can turn your photograph or artwork into a web page? Use the slice tool to cut your work into easily downloadable pieces, then the rollover function to embed website URLs.
- Combining Pictures to Make the Impossible Possible. Come on! You didn't seriously think that Michael Moore and President George W. Bush really stood hand in hand on the White House lawn for the Fahrenheit 9/11 poster, did you? I don't know for certain that they used Photoshop to fake that picture, but they certainly could have done. With Photoshop you can remove the background from one picture, take some elements from another, and combine them with the background from a third to create a picture that could never have been taken for real. Who says the camera can't lie!
Photoshop Bluffs
Photoshop is an excellent image manipulation program brought out by Adobe. Many professional digital photographers swear by it. So you want to show your friends that you know Photoshop and want to bluff your way through. Then here are some tips.
Unsharp Mask
In order to bring out the details, most scans need to be sharpened. For this, most pros use Unsharp Masking. There are three parameters in the Unsharp Mask filter: Amount, Radius and Threshold. Threshold deals with levels of tonal seperation. Radius is the amount of sharpening you want. The Amount controls how effective your choice of Radius will be.
Is it too difficult to remember? I too find it the same.
Blending modes
These need two or more layers for any effect to work. You need at least two layers to blend together. A layer with a blending mode specified will blend with all other colors from layers underneath it. Photoshoppers call those original layer colors the base colors. The colors on top layer are called the blend color. The result is called the result color.
That was an easy one.
Texture Mapping
This is a favorite of wannabe Photoshoppers. They often say something that sounds like the following: "I've been having problems with using texture maps in my renderings. I'm trying to render a brick building using a texture map, but when it renders, I get these weird patterns all over my image. I've tried to increase the actual scale of the text-map, that didn't work. I tried to increase the size of the tiling, that didn't work. It happens for every image map I use for brick. It's getting frustrating..."
Just throw something like that at someone while you are looking frustrated, and they'll think you're a Photoshop pro!
Unsharp Mask
In order to bring out the details, most scans need to be sharpened. For this, most pros use Unsharp Masking. There are three parameters in the Unsharp Mask filter: Amount, Radius and Threshold. Threshold deals with levels of tonal seperation. Radius is the amount of sharpening you want. The Amount controls how effective your choice of Radius will be.
Is it too difficult to remember? I too find it the same.
Blending modes
These need two or more layers for any effect to work. You need at least two layers to blend together. A layer with a blending mode specified will blend with all other colors from layers underneath it. Photoshoppers call those original layer colors the base colors. The colors on top layer are called the blend color. The result is called the result color.
That was an easy one.
Texture Mapping
This is a favorite of wannabe Photoshoppers. They often say something that sounds like the following: "I've been having problems with using texture maps in my renderings. I'm trying to render a brick building using a texture map, but when it renders, I get these weird patterns all over my image. I've tried to increase the actual scale of the text-map, that didn't work. I tried to increase the size of the tiling, that didn't work. It happens for every image map I use for brick. It's getting frustrating..."
Just throw something like that at someone while you are looking frustrated, and they'll think you're a Photoshop pro!
Hello BloggerBot works
I am sending this picture to test Hello. This is an easy tool to attach images to one's blogs.
This was taken during the culturals. The people in the pic are (from left):
Yamini, Pratheema, Murali, Sudarsan, Raju and me.
AMD India launches 64-bit dual server
Bangalore, May 18. : AMD India on Tuesday announced the launch of a broad portfolio of what is said as the world's first 64-bit, dual-core server and workstation solutions for enterprise users to desktop and desktop-replacement notebooks for consumers and business users.
The new Dual-core AMD operation processors deliver up to a 90 per cent performance improvement for application servers over single-core AMD Opteron processor, an AMD statement said.
For desktop PC users, AMD announced the new AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual-core processor brand that will enable the multi-testing capabilities for richer computing experiences in near future, it said.
What would be the response by Intel? Watch this space regularly...
The new Dual-core AMD operation processors deliver up to a 90 per cent performance improvement for application servers over single-core AMD Opteron processor, an AMD statement said.
For desktop PC users, AMD announced the new AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual-core processor brand that will enable the multi-testing capabilities for richer computing experiences in near future, it said.
What would be the response by Intel? Watch this space regularly...
Google's Corporate Desktop Search tool
Google launched a destop search tool for corporates called as Google Desktop Search for Enterprise.
Google Desktop Search for Enterprise helps you easily manage the ever-growing mountain of information located on your computers and includes key standards-based administrator features that provide enhanced security, centralised configuration and easy company-wide deployment.
Boost your productivity with Google Desktop Search:
I really miss a Desktop search tool for Linux users. There are similar tools, but a product from Google really has its own value.
Google Desktop Search for Enterprise helps you easily manage the ever-growing mountain of information located on your computers and includes key standards-based administrator features that provide enhanced security, centralised configuration and easy company-wide deployment.
Boost your productivity with Google Desktop Search:
- Find your email, files, media, web history and chats instantly
- View web pages you've seen, even when you're not online
- Search directly from your desktop with the Deskbar
- View search results from your desktop, intranet and Google.com
- Centrally control user features and preferences
- Encrypt all user data and search index files
- Easily deploy using the included installation package
- Test new versions before distributing
 IBM Lotus Notes Email | |  Internet Explorer |
 Outlook Email |  Netscape Mail | |
 Outlook Express |  Firefox | |
 Word |  PDF | |
 Excel |  Music | |
 Powerpoint |  Images | |
 AOL Instant Messenger |  Video |
I really miss a Desktop search tool for Linux users. There are similar tools, but a product from Google really has its own value.
20050515
Microsoft launches Antivirus
BEIJING, May 16
Software giant Microsoft is launching a new security product, which offers virus and spyware protection, a new firewall and various tune-up tools for Windows PCs.
A pilot version of Windows OneCare is scheduled to be available by the end of this year. It marks the company's long-awaited entry into antivirus software.
It offers improved backup and restore capabilities and easy access to Windows PC maintenance tools for file repair and hard drive clean up.
Anyway I am not going to buy a Microsoft product.
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
Software giant Microsoft is launching a new security product, which offers virus and spyware protection, a new firewall and various tune-up tools for Windows PCs.
A pilot version of Windows OneCare is scheduled to be available by the end of this year. It marks the company's long-awaited entry into antivirus software.
It offers improved backup and restore capabilities and easy access to Windows PC maintenance tools for file repair and hard drive clean up.
Anyway I am not going to buy a Microsoft product.
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
20050512
CollegeRant - New Project
I was thinking of the website and got an excellent idea. Every college student wants to write about the college and how they torture them. Why dont I create a website which helps them do just that. I have decided to develop a website where the students can register and write what they think about their college. Hope this becomes a good project. I gotta start learning PHP/MySQL seriously in the holidays and must try to finish a beta version within 1 year.
Suspension revoked
Today we went and met SO and told that we had deleted all the content. He asked us to write an apology letter and our suspension was revoked. But he didn't allow Robi. I dont know what would happen to Robi.
20050511
Deletion of posts
Sudarsan and I went to a browsing centre to delete the blog and the discussion forum. First we thought that the president or someone must have searched in Google and found the link. When we seached for the keyword 'saveetha' our website came in the 3rd page of the search result. That too was an indirect link. Not a direct link to the blog or the forum. So I thought someone who knew about the site had shown the president.
I wanted to save a copy of the post in the blog, so I mailed the post to my email address. Then we went to the forum and it was a difficult time to search for that particular post. There were in total 417 posts. Luckily I had moved the very bad jokes about the staffs to a password protected forum and it saved our neck. Some one really knowing about our website must have brought up the issue. But we dont know who it was. We deleted all the posts and all the members.
Sudarsan and ananthu wanted to develop another website without using the college name and to show the real state of the college. But I was thinking of some other way. I wanted to write a review about the college in www.mouthshut.com.
I wanted to save a copy of the post in the blog, so I mailed the post to my email address. Then we went to the forum and it was a difficult time to search for that particular post. There were in total 417 posts. Luckily I had moved the very bad jokes about the staffs to a password protected forum and it saved our neck. Some one really knowing about our website must have brought up the issue. But we dont know who it was. We deleted all the posts and all the members.
Sudarsan and ananthu wanted to develop another website without using the college name and to show the real state of the college. But I was thinking of some other way. I wanted to write a review about the college in www.mouthshut.com.
Fall of CSECDept website
Today just before the exam (Electronic Circuits) Ananthu and Murali came in and said that Ms.Kalaivani (DBMS, 3rd sem) wanted to see us for publishing about her in our class website. We(Sudarsan and me) went and saw her. She asked us about the website and who had published such information in it. Sudarsan was prepared for it by telling that someone named X had registered and had posted about this. He said that we didnt know who it was. She said that the president had come to know about it and he had asked the Special Officer(SO) (Dr.B.MuthuKumaran) to enquire about it. After finishing the exam we went to see our HOD, but saw only Ms.Kalaivani who asked us to come with her and meet SO. We went with her and Ananthu was also there for geting a bonafide. She made us to stand there. Then Avanthi also came and said that she was called by SO. After a while we went in and Dr.Muthukumaran began to scold us by asking who developed the site and who gave the permission to develop the site. He kept scolding us that we had no right to comment about a staff and we were no match for her.
The entire story happened back in the 3rd semester. We had a new staff (Ms.Kalaivani) to teach DBMS for us and one day she asked us what is the difference between a compiler and an interpreter. We answered it and she said that it was wrong. She said that a compiler executes the program line by line and a interpreter reads the entire program in a single go and executes. We said that it was wrong. She said no - What she said was only right.
So I blogged about that in our blog. Here is the post from the blog.
Now back to the present, SO showed us some printouts which were from the blog and also the discussion forum. There was a principal joke in it where the mother persuades the principal to goto school...
For that Robi had replied something about the principal and also said 'The same can be applicable to the Special Officer'. So the SO began to scold us for developing a website in the name of the college. He began to tell 'what would others think about our college after seeing the website?'. He also began to scold us for misusing the college name. He even threatened to file a police complaint. :-))
The charges against us were -
Me(Srinivasan) - For developing the website
Sudarsan - For developing the website
Anantharaman - For developing the website
Avanthi - For chatting with boys in the discussion forum
Robi - For commenting about the principal(who has left college now) and mainly about the SO
Ms.Kalaivani began to tell that she asked only basic questions without which she couldn't continue with the class. When she asked about compilers and interpreters, she only said "Are you sure?" and nothing else.
I was totally enraged by this big lie. How dare she tell such a lie. She also said that during the class hours, the students used to message each other and also pass messages in the form of bits.
So Dr.B.Muthukumaran suspended all five of us. The secretary typed the letter and asked us to sign in it. The letter read that
'The following students are suspended from the college for their misbehaviour by misusing the website of our college'
I wanted to ask her about the words 'website of our college' but she didn't allow me to talk and got our sign. Then our HOD was called and she was shown all the printouts. The SO then said that all the things must be deleted and we must come meet him the next day. We went to the department and waited for HOD to return.
When the HOD returned we asked her how they came to know about it. She said, the president came to know about this and he sent the links to SO and asked to take printouts of the website. She said not to worry as she had recommended for us and to come tomorrow after deleting all the stuff and the suspension would be revoked.
So what was my/our mistake?? We created a website for our class. How could we identify ourselves without using the college name. We didn't say that it was the official website of Saveetha Engineering College. The website read "Computer Science Department, Saveetha Engineering College". I dont think there is anything wrong in it. When we can have websites that can review about products like www.mouthshut.com or when we can discuss about any topic on Usenet, what is wrong in having a community website for our class? Were any copyright laws infringed? All the content on the website were the views of the members. If the views were against the college, then it is the mistake of the college by not maintaining a standard in teaching. If I say Microsoft products sucks, then it is my personal view and Microsoft cannot sue me. They have to make sure that their products are maintaining the standard.
The sad part is that they dont realise the state of the college with such staffs. I don't know where the college will head to with such people teaching us and governing us.
The entire story happened back in the 3rd semester. We had a new staff (Ms.Kalaivani) to teach DBMS for us and one day she asked us what is the difference between a compiler and an interpreter. We answered it and she said that it was wrong. She said that a compiler executes the program line by line and a interpreter reads the entire program in a single go and executes. We said that it was wrong. She said no - What she said was only right.
So I blogged about that in our blog. Here is the post from the blog.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Today the most funny thing happened. DBMS ma'am today asked us what is
teh difference between a compiler and an interpreter. We said that a
compiler reads the entire code and an interpreter executes the code
line by line. Then she said that a compiler only reads the code line
by line and an interpreter executes as a whole. I don't know where she
got her degree. Hope the principal reads this blog or atleast HOD
ma'am reads this. I want to show the college the knowledge of our
teaching staffs. How can we expect to get within 10 ranks if such
staffs are present.
- posted by csec @ 5:37 AM
Now back to the present, SO showed us some printouts which were from the blog and also the discussion forum. There was a principal joke in it where the mother persuades the principal to goto school...
For that Robi had replied something about the principal and also said 'The same can be applicable to the Special Officer'. So the SO began to scold us for developing a website in the name of the college. He began to tell 'what would others think about our college after seeing the website?'. He also began to scold us for misusing the college name. He even threatened to file a police complaint. :-))
The charges against us were -
Me(Srinivasan) - For developing the website
Sudarsan - For developing the website
Anantharaman - For developing the website
Avanthi - For chatting with boys in the discussion forum
Robi - For commenting about the principal(who has left college now) and mainly about the SO
Ms.Kalaivani began to tell that she asked only basic questions without which she couldn't continue with the class. When she asked about compilers and interpreters, she only said "Are you sure?" and nothing else.
I was totally enraged by this big lie. How dare she tell such a lie. She also said that during the class hours, the students used to message each other and also pass messages in the form of bits.
So Dr.B.Muthukumaran suspended all five of us. The secretary typed the letter and asked us to sign in it. The letter read that
'The following students are suspended from the college for their misbehaviour by misusing the website of our college'
I wanted to ask her about the words 'website of our college' but she didn't allow me to talk and got our sign. Then our HOD was called and she was shown all the printouts. The SO then said that all the things must be deleted and we must come meet him the next day. We went to the department and waited for HOD to return.
When the HOD returned we asked her how they came to know about it. She said, the president came to know about this and he sent the links to SO and asked to take printouts of the website. She said not to worry as she had recommended for us and to come tomorrow after deleting all the stuff and the suspension would be revoked.
So what was my/our mistake?? We created a website for our class. How could we identify ourselves without using the college name. We didn't say that it was the official website of Saveetha Engineering College. The website read "Computer Science Department, Saveetha Engineering College". I dont think there is anything wrong in it. When we can have websites that can review about products like www.mouthshut.com or when we can discuss about any topic on Usenet, what is wrong in having a community website for our class? Were any copyright laws infringed? All the content on the website were the views of the members. If the views were against the college, then it is the mistake of the college by not maintaining a standard in teaching. If I say Microsoft products sucks, then it is my personal view and Microsoft cannot sue me. They have to make sure that their products are maintaining the standard.
The sad part is that they dont realise the state of the college with such staffs. I don't know where the college will head to with such people teaching us and governing us.
20050508
Formula 1 Live Timing
I could get the live timing of my favourite sport Formula 1 Grand Prix at the official website of Formula 1. It is very nice as it is created in Java and I could get the live scores from the cars, and also the weather, track conditions, etc.
And today is the Spanish GP.
And today is the Spanish GP.
20050507
Google goes down
Google went down for 15 minutes this past saturday between 6:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Entire Google services were brought to a standstill. Most of the users thought that it was a hacking attempt as they were redirected to another search engine. But Google confirmed the reports and said that it was due a problem with the DNS (Domain Name System).
Entire Google services were brought to a standstill. Most of the users thought that it was a hacking attempt as they were redirected to another search engine. But Google confirmed the reports and said that it was due a problem with the DNS (Domain Name System).
Yahoomail - 1GB
Today I saw that my Yahoomail account was upgraded to 1GB. This is very very late as GMail introduced this concept more than a year back on April 1, 2004.
No webmail service provider can match the ease of use, features and speed of GMail. I hate Yahoomail because it is very slow and devoid of many features. But Yahoo excels in integrating all of its services like Mail, Instant Messaging, etc.
I am still waiting for an Instant Messaging system by Google. Who knows we may soon get GIM (Google Instant Messaging).
No webmail service provider can match the ease of use, features and speed of GMail. I hate Yahoomail because it is very slow and devoid of many features. But Yahoo excels in integrating all of its services like Mail, Instant Messaging, etc.
I am still waiting for an Instant Messaging system by Google. Who knows we may soon get GIM (Google Instant Messaging).
20050505
Flash For Linux
Here is an excellent software by the Free Software Community for GNU/Linux. There has been a long complaint that there is no tool for creating Flash animations in GNU/Linux. Here is the software which can change the world.
Flash For Linux
Flash For Linux
20050502
Matrix Revolutions - Navras
I atlast downloaded the famous sound track Navras from the film The Matrix Revolutions by Juno Reactor.
It is available from this URL
It is 9:08 minutes long with 192kbps bitrate.
Really cool.
It is available from this URL
It is 9:08 minutes long with 192kbps bitrate.
Really cool.
20050430
Google Search History
Google has a cool feature called Google Search History. This is really cool where the user can sign up with their email address and log in using that email ID. Then all the searches that they do with that account will be recorded. This will help Google to enhance the search experience of the users by refining the seach results. But using this history, Google can maintain what every user is doing on the net. Every search that I do will be recorded and Google can use this database to create other services like Yahoo. Also if I search for any illegal things like cracks, warez, etc., I can face the wrath of the law.
See this link for an article on Google Search History http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/6914
See this link for an article on Google Search History http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/6914
Firefox reaches 50 Million
Firefox the most talked about browser has rolled over the 50,000,000 downloads line at 8:58 AM PST on 29th April. This is a huge achievement for an open-source browser. Keep it up Mozilla.org
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/fifty.html
http://www.spreadfirefox.com/fifty.html
AI Exam
Today was the AI exam and I wasted too much time getting my duplicate ID card. In the exam, I missed the 11th question altogether. I could have got atleast 5-6 marks in that question even if I had attended something in that.
20050425
Free Linux magazine
There is a new online magazine for GNU/Linux called TUX. I have subscribed for it and they even have the option to directly send me the PDF file via Email, so that I dont have to check their website every month.
20050424
Imola Grand Prix
In yesterday's F1 race at Imola, Fernanda Alonsa won the first place with Michael Schumacher coming in as the second adn Jenson Button at third. Alonsa is making waves at the F1 with 3 straight wins. Narain Karthikeyan came in as the 14th with his team mate Tiago Monterio coming in as the 15th. The Minardis failed to finish, though they had a new car.
Dual Core Processors
Today's Hindu had an article about dual core processors. That is two processor cores in a single chip. There would be a 65% improvement in the performance of the computer. This is useful for the hard-core gamers and graphics designers. Intel's hyperthreading will make the OS to think that there are 2 virtual processors. Thus in a dual core processor, you get the advantage of 4 processors.
A major problem when it comes to dual core processors, is that should the customer pay the license for 2 cores?
Major application vendors say 'yes' on the argument that you pay or two pieces of the cake - even if they are served on the same plate. This is the plight of the customers who are accustomed to proprietory software. The best possible solution is the switch over to free software like GNU/Linux.
A major problem when it comes to dual core processors, is that should the customer pay the license for 2 cores?
Major application vendors say 'yes' on the argument that you pay or two pieces of the cake - even if they are served on the same plate. This is the plight of the customers who are accustomed to proprietory software. The best possible solution is the switch over to free software like GNU/Linux.
20050422
Adobe Buys Macromedia
Adobe Systems has announced that an agreement has been made to buy Macromedia for $3.4 billion.
Two software giants join together. My favourite applications include Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver.
By acquiring rival software maker Macromedia Inc. in a deal originally valued at $3.4 billion, Systems Inc. is positioning itself to do battle with Microsoft Corp over the tools to create, distribute and manage content online.
The deal, announced Monday, would put Adobe's ubiquitous Acrobat document-sharing program under the same roof as Macromedia's Flash software for creating and viewing interactive content on Web sites independent of operating systems or devices.
Adobe, which also makes the Photoshop image-editing line and a host of other programs for creative professionals and consumers, also gets the Web site-building application Dreamweaver as well as software for enabling real-time collaboration among business users.Two software giants join together. My favourite applications include Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia Dreamweaver.
20050421
Linux for distributed computing is here
Linux for distributed computing is here by ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn -- It's called CHAOS, and it takes unused cycles from any PC on your network, then harnesses them for use by an application which needs them.It's a good example of a point made by several readers here the last few days, that adding new features to Linux simply makes Linux better, not more unwieldy. CHAOS uses [...]
Is Linux becoming Windows?
Is Linux becoming Windows? by ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn -- Is Linux becoming like Windows, so overwhelmed with features that it's bloated?Some people are starting to think so. There is support for so many features in the Linux 2.6 kernel that it may be getting so fat as to be unstable. (Just add one more feature. It's wafer-thin.) Andrew Morton of OSDL, who currently maintains [...]
20050420
Building a search engine
Building a search engine was my dream after reading about Google and its linux farm and the search algorithm. A team had tried to build a search engine called Mozdex. Mozdex is a open search engine where they show us how the search process is going on and how they rank their page.
They have released their source code as open source at SourceForge.
Currently the search engine is in beta and it has very small index. Many popular websites are not shown in the result as it is based on the DMOZ.org directory.
Really interesting search engine. I gotta go see how it is implemented but it is based on Java.
They have released their source code as open source at SourceForge.
Some people may say that providing the insight into the results will offer cheaters a better way to get higher ranks, but our view is it allows us to openly discover and communicate new methods and algorithms that give a better view and representation that is less Fallible to cheaters.
It is built using Open Source Softwares. Mozdex is based on the Nutch Search technology.
Currently the search engine is in beta and it has very small index. Many popular websites are not shown in the result as it is based on the DMOZ.org directory.
Really interesting search engine. I gotta go see how it is implemented but it is based on Java.
- Kuro5hin post at http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/4/28/172749/080
- Also see About Mozdex
20050419
Microsoft's Coding4fun
Microsoft has started a new project called Coding4fun similar to Google Code. It is based on the .NET framework and it has projects related to assembly, web coding, game development, XML based applications and other cool applications.
There are some articles about game development using .NET framework and DirectX, and about how to create an assembly program that can be used to control a LED display panel and interface it with Windows Media Player ot iTunes to show the currently playing song. There are more cool articles about personal web site starter kit, and system monitors, etc.
This is a good thing started by Microsoft, but as it uses the Microsoft Visual Studio and .NET framework, I am not at all interested in that. I don't have the time to study a new, difficult language like C# or ASP.NET. I am more into easier and faster-to-develop languages like Python. I gotta learn Python during the semester holidays. I would also like to learn PHP/MySQL. I think Google Code is far better as it has projects which are written in C++. But in Google Code, we can develop over the already existing 4 projects. But I think in Microsoft's Coding4fun developers can submit their projects. There are already websites which do the same for many years and they were successful - Sourceforge.
"Coding4Fun is all about giving something back to the hobbyist developer community," said Brian Keller, product manager for Visual Studio. "Coding4Fun is for the millions of hobbyist developers worldwide who write very cool software applications for fun – on the nights, on the weekends, in their spare time, whenever. We're excited to have the opportunity to bring new content and ideas to this audience, and it’s a two-way street where we can be inspired by their ideas as well!"Microsoft has also released Express products which is a light weight version of Microsoft Visual Studio, which has easy-to-use and easy-to-learn tools for hobbyists, students and novice developers. The beta2 of this range of products were recently launched and it is available for free download.
There are some articles about game development using .NET framework and DirectX, and about how to create an assembly program that can be used to control a LED display panel and interface it with Windows Media Player ot iTunes to show the currently playing song. There are more cool articles about personal web site starter kit, and system monitors, etc.
This is a good thing started by Microsoft, but as it uses the Microsoft Visual Studio and .NET framework, I am not at all interested in that. I don't have the time to study a new, difficult language like C# or ASP.NET. I am more into easier and faster-to-develop languages like Python. I gotta learn Python during the semester holidays. I would also like to learn PHP/MySQL. I think Google Code is far better as it has projects which are written in C++. But in Google Code, we can develop over the already existing 4 projects. But I think in Microsoft's Coding4fun developers can submit their projects. There are already websites which do the same for many years and they were successful - Sourceforge.
20050418
Gotta learn for exams
Exams are nearing and I gotta go learn for it. Sudarsan, Raju and Pratheema are busy studying for it. I gotta learn Probability and Queueing theory from wednesday to friday as Badri and Murali have agreed to teach it.
I think I will see something in AI today.
I think I will see something in AI today.
We will we will rock you - Lyrics
I like this song We will we will rock you by Queen. Pratheema teased me that I don't know the lyrics of the song. So I googled and found it.
Buddy you’re a boy make a big noise
Playin’ in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo’ face
You big disgrace
Kickin’ your can all over the place
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
Buddy you’re a young man hard man
Shoutin’ in the street gonna take on the world some day
You got blood on yo’ face
You big disgrace
Wavin’ your banner all over the place
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
Buddy you’re an old man poor man
Pleadin’ with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day
You got mud on your face
You big disgrace
Somebody better put you back in your place
We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you
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