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Red Hat CEO on certification, Jboss and open source (Red Hat Summit podcast)
Red Hat today unveiled several new open source projects at its second annual Red Hat Summit in Nashville, TN. One of the projects will seek to create a set of open source testing and certification tools.
At the event, the company's chief executive Matthew Szulik was kind enough to make some time in his scheduled to sit down and discuss his comapny's plans for the certification tools, the recent Jboss acquisition and Red Hat's role as a commericial software vendor in an open source world.
You can download this podcast interview as an mp3 file here or use the embedded player below.
Tags: Linux, Red Hat, Matthew Szulik, Red Hat Summit 2006, podcast
May 31, 2006 at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Red Hat beats the open source drum
Red Hat chief executive Matthew Szulik this morning kicked off the second edition of the Red Hat summit.
Where Red Hat last year in New Orleans focused on its software stack and middleware products, the focus this year in Nashville appears to have shifted back to developers.
The company during Szulik's keynote presentation unveiled several new open source projects to improve code quality and allow for faster testing.
The big picture of Szulik's presentation is a focus on transparency and open content. Red Hat has always positioned itself as the true commercial steward of the open source community.
But especially after Red Hat made a very old school capitalistic move by acquiring Jboss for $420m, the firm needed to reaffirm its commitment to open source and the "democratized content" ideals behind it.
Szulik did just that.
Tags: Linux, Red Hat, Matthew Szulik, Red Hat Summit 2006
May 31, 2006 at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
One Laptop per child computers work
The one laptop per child (OLPC) project has its first working prototypes - previous models were merely mock-ups. A Red Hat engineer who is a contributor to the project showed the picture below at the Red Hat summit this morning, displaying a working laptop.
The OLPC project is spearheaded by Nicholas Negroponte, who is scheduled to speak at the Red Hat summit on Friday.
Tags: Linux, Red Hat, Matthew Szulik, Red Hat Summit 2006, one laptop per child
May 31, 2006 at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft's Nascar approach to security
Computers aren't exactly known for their appliance-like characteristics, and the ability to customize them is probably on of the device's main strengths. But customization and openness is a curse when it comes to security.
Microsoft on Wednesday is launching its OneCare performance suite in the US, and has come up with the perfect analogy: that of the race car driver. He too needs optimal performance and control, but doesn't want to be bothered with changing tires, refuelling and fine-tuning the engine.
The company therefore has "borrowed" a Nascar vehicle from the BestBuy retail chain and will have it compete in OneCare colours on Sunday 4 June at the Dover Speedway in Delaware.
Now let's hope that it doesn’t crash.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft
Tags: Microsoft, nascar, onecare, security
May 31, 2006 at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kicking Microsoft’s beta tires
Microsoft’s parting gift to all those attending WinHEC this week was a set of DVDs with the Longhorn Server and Windows Vista Beta 2 software. The code should be available for the public to download within the next few weeks.
VMWare’s free (beta) virtualization software provided a safe testing environment, so it didn’t take long before a Vista virtual machine was made on my home computer and the x64 Vista beta disk was spinning around. Time to catch up on lost sleep and the next morning everything was done.
Similarly, downloading and installing the public beta of Office 2007 was a piece of cake.
Between the two applicaitons there are many new features and items that take some getting used to, but so far I’ve been able to at least locate everything.
The only serious issue is the inability to get the Aero graphical look to show up. To get semi transparent windows, you need an advanced graphics card and plenty of memory (1Gb). The system doesn’t recognize my card, even after downloading the special Vista 2 driver from the manufacturer’s website.
Word’s blogging feature furthermore turned out to be a disappointment, but for reasons outside of Microsoft’s control. The typepad blogging service that runs this blog doesn’t support FTP uploads. Posting text is no problem, but adding pictures is impossible. Boo! for Typepad.
Adding a link on the other hand is gem, since Word will display a list of recently visited websites to link to – although I doubt that that feature will support Firefox.
Tags: office 2007, windows vista, Microsoft, blogging, typepad, beta, winhec2006, winhec
May 27, 2006 at 02:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Investers say no to Vonage IPO
Vonage shares are down significantly following the company's IPO, dropping by a total of 23.5 per cent in the first two days of trading.
It's shouldn’t be too much of a concern for Vonage, as the company already has cashed in its $531m. But it looks like future sales aren't an option any time soon.
It furthermore appears that Vonage's spam campaign to lure in subscribers didn't result in any material demand for the stock either.
For a company that sells an intermediary technology that everybody knows will be gone in a few years, Vonage makes for a lousy investment. For a company that charges for a product that Skype gives away for free, Vonage makes for a lousy investment. For a company that was founded by a convicted criminal, Vonage makes for a louse investment.
Buy lottery tickets instead. At least they benefit some charities.
May 25, 2006 at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Microsoft dreams up niche UMPC devices (WinHEC pics)
The first ultra mobile PC (UMPC) devices might be somewhat of a disappointment, that doesn't prevent Microsoft from dreaming of niche applications for the device.
Below you'll find photos of slides that Microsoft displayed (so forgive the less then perfect quality), showcasing concepts of niche applications. Some of these are being pursued by manufacturers, but Microsoft declined to go into any details for competitive reasons.
Key is that all these systems use Windows XP (or Windows Vista in the future) on a small display device.
Media player with dedicated control buttons on the side of the display
Japan is looking to deploy UMPCs in education. It requires additional robustness and adaptations for small hands.
Communications device with a keyboard. Front...
... and back
Fitness/healthcare monitor. Targeting baby boomers who don't use PCs on a regular basis.
GPS navigation system - as a portable unit...
...or built in
And lastly: Gaming. Can you say: Xbox Mobile?
Tags: Microsoft, UMPC, origami, winhec2006, winhec
May 25, 2006 at 06:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Talking security with Microsoft's security boss
Talk to a Microsoft executive about Vista, and he'll tell you that security is the single most important feature of the forthcoming operating system.
So instead of taking their word for it, vnunet.com sat down with Michael Nash, Microsoft's corporate vice president for the security technology unit. He worked on bolstering Vista's security for the past four years.
To listen to the interview, use the embedded player below or download the mp3 here.
Michael Nash
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, windows longhorn server, beta
May 25, 2006 at 01:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft to offer Vista UEFI support after all
Windows Vista will receive support for the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface technology by late 2007, Microsoft promised. The technology is set to replace the Bios, leading to shorter boot times and unlocking advanced features.
Microsoft disappointed many users and developers earlier this year when it pulled support for the technology from Windows Vista. That was in part because Apple is using UEFI on its Intel powered systems and UEFI Vista would enable users to run Vista on their Macs. But Apple itself has solved that issue with the creation of Bios powered Bootcamp.
Only a limited number of PC systems will feature UEFI support by the time Vista comes out. PC manufacturers simply needed more time, and that's what Microsoft is giving them.
The latest Beta 2 release of Windows Vista offers UEFI support for testing purposes only. Microsoft will strip the feature from the final release.
Introducing new technologies such as UEFI is a chicken-egg dilemma. If there are no operating systems supporting the technology, system builders won't build them. But without hardware in the market, Microsoft is right to focus on finishing Vista.
Building ecosystems is hard, even for Microsoft.
Photo: Andrew Ritz, a Microsoft development manager for the core platform architecture team delivering his UEFI session at WinHEC 2006.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, beta, UEFI, BIOS
May 24, 2006 at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft shows off Vista-Office collaboration (WinHEC Video)
Windows Vista and Office 12 aren't just stand alone products. In this demonstration at the WinHEC 2006 show in Seattle, the company demonstrates how the two work together.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, beta, office 12
May 24, 2006 at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft tempts Vista's fate
Public workstations at WinHEC here in Seattle are running Windows Vista Beta 2 that was released officially only earlier today. Given that this is still a test version and should have plenty of bugs, Microsoft must be pretty comfortable about put this in the of the WinHEC crowd.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, beta
May 24, 2006 at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
From hardware to application virtualization: Microsoft explains virtualization strategy (WinHEC podcast)
Virtualization is far more than running a copy of VM Ware or XenSource, or even Windows Virtual Server. If you're getting lost between hardware virtualization and application virtualization, this podcast with Microsoft's group product manager for Windows Server Marketing Jim Ni is for you.
Use the embedded player below or download the mp3 here.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, windows longhorn server, beta
May 24, 2006 at 03:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Gates does a partner dance
Bill Gates in his opening keynote at WinHEC today had his usual photo opportunities with third party devices.
Having Gates hold up you device is considered a major honour for partners, althoug many devices that receive Gates' endorsement never make it very far in the market place.
Gates with the Samsung Q1...
... reviews have absolutely thrashed the device.
Motorola Q: the much anticipated smart phone that Motorola launched yesterday.
and finally: iriver clix
May 24, 2006 at 02:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bill Gates talks up Windows Live (WinHEC Video)
Video below shows Bill Gates talking about Windows Live, followed by a demonstration.
Don't expect Gates to stick around for the demo however, he always leaves the stage to make sure that he isn't around if a demo goes wrong.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, windows longhorn server, beta
May 24, 2006 at 02:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft talks virtualization: WinHEC demo video
Microsoft on the first day of WinHEC made a lot of noise about virtualization. In the video below you can watch a demonstration from one of the keynotes.
Tags: winhec2006, winhec, microsoft, windows vista, windows longhorn server, beta
May 24, 2006 at 02:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Microsoft declares Tuesday Beta day
Not that is came as big surprise, but Microsoft at WinHEC here in Seattle unveiled beta versions of Windows Vista, Longhorn Server and Office 2007.
The triple beta launch surely is intended to show that Microsoft is on top of its software development process and that every thing is on track.
But following Gartner's report in which the firm warned that Vista will likely face further delays, most people are already acting like further Vista delays are a fact more than an option.
The picture becomes even bleaker after talking to the Longhorn server team. The group may have launched Beta 2, but was unable to provide any data on its plans beyond that. Yes, there will be Community Technology Previews – the same interim beta releases that Microsoft used for Windows Vista. But as of yet it isn't clear what will determine when a CTP will be released.
It might not look like a big deal, this isn't representative for a company that is demonstrating that it is on top of its software development process.
May 24, 2006 at 02:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Intel talks low power
On the eve of WinHEC in Seattle, Intel organised a briefing at one of its Oregon campuses to talk about energy efficiency.
The timing for the event is suspect, as AMD last week unveiled its latest line of low power desktop processors.
Intel was beating its old platform drum: computers are about more than just raw performance. A good computer also offers wireless networking (Centrino) management functionalities (vPro) or entertainment features (Viiv). Similarly, a chipmaker can cut back on power usage by making sure that tasks like virus scanning or remote management are performed in a way that is as power efficient as possible.
Power usage hasn't been a big issue in the computer industry, but Intel now is claiming that it really, really has been working on this for years – ever since it launched the Pentium M laptop processor. But the company only last year decided to bring those features over to its server and desktop processor lines.
It's clear that Intel is on the defensive in the processor market. But the company admittedly is on its way back and should be able to soon take back the lead from AMD in terms of raw performance as well as performance per Watt.
The company furthermore has plenty of initiatives in its technology pipeline that do promise to take on power consumption. But the big "Intel power cutting picture" currently isn't very clear.
Intel's Jones Farm Campus - looks about as exiting in reality is it does on this picture
Photo courtesy of Intel
Tags: intel, power, performance per watt
May 23, 2006 at 01:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Symantec raises legal challenge to Vista
As Microsoft is preparing a major Windows Vista cheering session at its annual WinHEC conference next week, Symantec filed a lawsuit that could further delay the launch of Microsoft forthcoming operating system.
The company alleges that Microsoft stole intellectual property from Veritas, a storage vendor that is a Symantec subsidiary, and baked that into the Vista operating system. Veritas wants a judge to force Microsoft to rip out the technology and block any Vista development in the mean time.
If there is any truth to Symantec's claims, the latter part would be the most juicy. Delaying Windows Vista any more could force the product launch into the company's next fiscal year, thereby greatly impacting the 2006 fiscal year. Consumers furthermore are likely to further delay investing in new systems, dealing a severe blow to Dell, HP, Gateway and their peers.
Tags: windows vista, microsoft, symantec, lawsuit
May 20, 2006 at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blue Security admits defeat in spam war
Blue Security has ceased its anti spam operation that went after spam websites by counter-spamming them.
The company sent a slew of messages to websites that were advertised in spam, overwhelming their email systems.
The idea was to defeat spammers at their own game, but Blue Security didn't play the game very well. One spammer retaliated by launching a denial of service attack against the venture, which in the end force the company to pull the plug.
Security Vendor Kasperksy Labs in a blog posting cautioned that Blue Security called this upon itself.
"Destabilizing sites if the site names are mentioned in spam is a very dubious tactic - it’s neither ethical or really legitimate," the company pointed out.
"I think that the path Blue Security chose was more or less doomed, if not to failure, then at least to causing a lot of Internet users, not just spammers, to react negatively."
I'd argue that Blue Security programme wasn't necessarily bad, it was just poorly executed and vulnerable to retaliation.
Spammer spam because they have an economic incentive to send their messages. To kill spam, you have to kill their business: prevent spam from reaching inboxes (filters) or close down websites that are advertised in spam (Blue Security's approach).
Photo: Luis Alves
Tags: blue security, spam, security
May 19, 2006 at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Google product manager explains the Google Web Toolkit (podcast)
Google earlier this week at JavaOne launched the Google Web Toolkit. The tool allows programmers to create flawless Javascript for their Ajax applications, which today are mostly created through manual coding. The tool also ensures that the code works across browsers.
Shortly after the launch, I sat down with Bret Taylor, Google's program manager for the tool.
You can listen to the 7 minute audio interview through the embedded player below or download the mp3 here.
May 19, 2006 at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Apple shows off design to New York
Apple on Friday will cut the ribbon on its New York retail store. Passers-by will merely see a glass cube with the famous Apple logo. Visitors will be lead down a flight of stairs to the actual store.No bargain basement here, but a 24/7 retail bonanza.
Please don't touch the glass, the window washer already has a tough job here.
Tags: Apple, new york, architecture
May 19, 2006 at 01:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Anti war protesters flock to US army recruiting game
Anti war protesters are using an army recruiting tool to draw attention to Iraqi war casualties.
Joseph Delappe in March started logging in on the free America's Army online first person shooter game. But instead of wandering around the digital world looking for enemies to kill, he'll use the life of his "Dead-in-iraq" persona to enter the names and dates of death of the more than 2,000 US soldiers who died in Iraq.
The game was created as a recruiting tool by the US Army in its efforts to find future cannon fodder.
"The work is essentially a fleeting, online memorial to those military personnel who have been killed in this ongoing conflict. My actions are also intended as a cautionary gesture," the artist explains on his website.
Judging from the response that he is getting on the in-game chat, he at least is making people think.
Tags: Americas army, gaming, anti-war movement, iraq
May 19, 2006 at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Google Trends as a sociological barometer
I have no idea what this stat means… but one tipster pointed out that there must be a major need to find information on gay sex in the Arabic world. At least that's what Google Trends is showing.
Tags: Google trends
May 18, 2006 at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
IBM looks for a new stick to beat Sun
IBM and Sun Microsystems have a healthy rivalry going on.
Sun refers to Big Blue as the army of blue suits (consultants) that will keep coming up with billable hours until you're out of business. And IBM has spared no efforts to spark flame wars over Sun's refusal to release the source code of its Java technology.
But when Sun this week promised to release the Java source code, IBM lost a valuable weapon in its war of words. So instead the company used its open source Eclipse project to seed a rumour that Sun would be warming up to the development environment, which is a direct competitor of Sun's NetBeans.
During a keynote at JavaOne earlier today, IBM executives suggested that Sun had contributed the x86 version of Solaris to Eclipsse.
Sun quickly dogged the assault with some hard facts: a Sun engineer had assisted in creating a bug fix for Eclipse for a customer who was running the application on Sun hardware. Nothing less, nothing more.
IBM's poor attempted at a boobytrap blew up in its face. But the company only had two days to come up with a new Sun taunting scheme. Cynics would argue that blue suits like to take it slow. That makes for more billable hours.
Java mascotte Duke
May 18, 2006 at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Comparing Apples and Dells and Oranges
Contrary to popular belief, Apple computers aren't insanely more expensive then PCs, they are just plainly more expensive, claim financial analysts with PiperJaffray.
The firm found that PCs were about 13 per cent more expensive than similar models from Dell, and laptops were priced 10 per cent higher. Perception has them to be at about 30 per cent more expensive.
The study is great for those looking for an academic discussion, or merely looking for arguments for or against Macs/PCs. But it means very little.
Where does product variety come into play? Users demanding certain features are often forced towards high end Apple products. The PowerBook for instance used to have a hot-swappable battery that would allow users to replace the battery without having turn off their systems. You wouldn't find that in the lower priced iBook.
A hot-swappable battery might not be an option on a Dell or Thinkpad, but they accomodate dual batteries and battery expansion packs instead.
If flexibility in your battery supply is an important feature, Apple will force you towards a premium priced Macbook Pro (starting at $1999) where a $1500 model will do in the PC world.
Differentiation in the computer sector is about offering specific features. Each user has different priorities between unique technologies, price and performance. Manufacturers with a broad selection of models are more likely to win.
PiperJaffray's price comparison is cute, but not very relevant. In will loose in some cases and win in others. But how often will price be the sole determining factor?
Tags: Apple, piperjaffray
May 18, 2006 at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
AMD digs a low power moat
AMD is kicking some serious Intel but in the market place these days. The company in the retail segment is quickly catching up with its longtime competitors, and might even overtake the company this year.
Intel has made some major mistakes to fall so far behind, and AMD now has upped the stakes even further. The company this week unveiled several new low power processors that will drastically improve the performance per Watt.
Intel meanwhile has yet to ship its first chips that use the energy efficient Core Architecture that will be at the core of all future desktop, mobile and server processors.
Few people doubt that Intel won't take back the lead– both in terms of market share and technology. But AMD is putting in a major effort to make sure that it delays that moment as long as it cans, and in the process succeeds in making Intel look bad time and time again.
Tags: intel, AMD, semiconductor
May 18, 2006 at 01:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Google creates some Day 2 JavaOne excitement
The main news from JavaOne on Tuesday didn't come from any of the major sponsors. Instead Google made some big waves when it launched the Google Web Toolkit, the first software development tool for creating Ajax applications.
Ajax currently requires some major manual coding, leading to typos, bugs and bug hunting. The Google tool takes a Java programme and turns it into Javascript.
Sun was happy to accommodate Google, but merely provided the company with a regular session, where a keynote would have been more justified.
But holding on to a tradition of providing keynotes to the high paying sponsors, Oracle got the honour of providing the second day main keynote. There were some titbits of interesting news, but Oracle has yet to deliver a major impact keynote at a non-Oracle conference.
Judging by the audience's response to the Google announcement and the fact that the room was packed, the search engine's launch was far more relevant than Oracle's news.
May 18, 2006 at 01:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Schwartz steering for developer focus?
Sun's newly appointed chief executive Jonathan Schwartz today made his first major appearance at that JavaOne tradeshow in San Francisco.
While he's only been working in his new role for a few weeks, there are some signs of a fresh wind blowing through the company that brings an increased focus on developers.
The most visible example were the decision to open source Java and to change the Java license to allow the technology to be bundled with the Linux operating system (which previously was prohibited). It probably would have happened under Scott McNealy's rule as well, but it seemed to be going more smoothly now, indicated Sun's open source guru Simon Phipps.
Even Schwartz admitted during a questions and answer session with media that he has more of a developer focus than his predecessor. But when asked how that would impact future developer programmes, Schwartz quipped that:
"A lot of the DNA of the company was built 24 years ago. That's not new because of me. That's been there for an awfully long time."
"How I shape the dialogue and how I talk to the marketplace is different from Scott. How I cut my hair is different from Scott. But philosophically what we believe in is innovations and innovators."
"I would spend less time looking for differences [between me and Scott McNealy] and more for the way we see the markets and opportunities that we identify."
Tags: javaone, sun microsystems, java, open source
May 17, 2006 at 02:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sun bows to call for open source Java
After years of resistance, Sun has finally decided to release the source code for the Java technology.
To make sure that there's no misunderstanding: the company will put the technology under and OSI approved license – that's not the same as showing the code to developers.
The move will kill one of IBM's pet PR projects where the company could flame Sun for a lack of open source Java.
IBM furthermore didn't have much right to complain as Sun seemed to have done a great job in making sure that the latest Java EE 5 version met all the partner requests, RedMonk's James Governor pointed out.
Open source Java could attract even more developers, making for even more innovation.
Several developers after all still shun away from the technology out of a religious belief that open source is the only solution. And major technology vendors even more could be reluctant to put their future in the hands of a proprietary technology.
The only potential risk is that open source projects have a tendency to fork, where one group of developers decides to split off and go a slightly different route. That leads to confusion and erodes the group of developers backing a specific technology.
But at this stage, it would require a major fight to cause a rupture in Java. The technology is simply too large by now that any breakup will likely result in the break away group dying a soon, slow and unnoticed death.
Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz
Tags: javaone, sun microsystems, java, open source
May 17, 2006 at 02:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ebay patent ruling good news for patent reform
The patent system got a bit less evil today, as the US Supreme Court has overturned a provision that required an automatic injunction if a party was found guilty of violating a patent.
The expiration date on that provision has long since past.
When sewing machine maker Singer ripped off a competing design and actually pushed them out of the market, there was a need for the court to come in an force the company to stop its predatory practices.
But in the case of MercExchange vs. Ebay, there was no need for such protections. MercExchange exists for the sole reason of enforcing the "buy-it-now" patent, and the company had asked for an injunction because that would give it increased leverage in the license negotiations.
In short, MercExchange was using the system to make more money of its patents. And the Supreme Court now has ruled that the system wasn't designed for that purpose, and that it won't tolerate this abuse any more in the future.
If only RIM had had this ruling when the wireless email provider was forced to shell out $612.5m for a patent that will soon be invalidated.
The patent system is still in need of much more reform, but one of its most evil flaws got fixed today.
Tags: ebay, patent reform, mercexchange
May 16, 2006 at 01:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Google quietly flips switch on personal search feature
Google desktop search 4 in addition to delivering gadgets outside of the sidebar, has also introduced a personal search beta that the company didn't talk about.
The application is now manipulating the ranking of search results based on a user's personal information.
A query for "sleuth" on my computer for instance put this blog as the sixth result. With the personalized search feature turned off it drops to the 38th position. Both queries give the same number of total search results.
The personalized search feature appears only occasionally. It seems to be related to the possibility of the existence of multiple search categories for a query. Google has frequently used the example of the word "bass", being a music term or a fish. Personalized search was also offered when querying John Doe or my own (rather common) name.
Friends and family with less prevalent names wouldn't get a personalized search and neither would a query for vnunet, as most search results are likely in the same category.
In addition to delivering more relevant search results, Google could benefit even more by delivering personal ads based on the user's information. The ads stayed the same with the feature turned on and off.
In one search, the text advertising a erotic website changed from promoting sexy Russian women in the "personalized" version to sexy Asian women with the feature turned off.
Google, you still have a lot to learn to learn about me.
Tags: Google, personal search
May 13, 2006 at 02:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Vonage goes IPO spam crazy
Vonage is looking for investors to fund future growth and a tropical island for its founders through an initial public offering.
Making sure that no idle penny is left behind, the company is aggressively soliciting its customers to partake in the IPO. This week they've received spam emails and spam VoIP voicemails. And now we have the old fashioned letter.
Vonage seems to think that just because someone subscribes to its services, they also believe that the business would be a great investment.
Vonage's quest for investors must be getting desperate. And all the more reason to stay away from funding a business which business model will soon pass its expiration date and that was founded by a convicted criminal.
So if anyone with Vonage is reading this: enough with the spam already! Alternate VoIP providers are two mouse clicks away. (hint: that's two more reasons why you shouldn't invest in Vonage).
Cropped version of the letter below (full version available here).
Tags: vonage, ipo, spam, spim, voip
May 13, 2006 at 02:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Word 2007 becomes blog publishing platform
Office 12 will add a feature that lets users publish blog postings directly from the Word text editor.
For all the good things hosted blog publishing services offer, most users will still prefer to use a familiar applications such as Word, if only because it has some pretty powerful spell checking features.
Try pasting your Word text into Typepad today however, and you'll feel like you ended up in lay-out hell. Microsoft's aversion of standards caused the company to use a slew of unofficial HTML tags in Office 2003, which will severely distort the posting's look (mostly the fonts).
No longer so in Office 2007, promised lead of the World design team Joe Friend. Starting with the forthcoming Beta 2 of the application (due out later this month), you'll be able to publish your scribblings to your blog (including pictures) with the simple push of a button.
Tags: office 12, Microsoft, blog, blogging
May 12, 2006 at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ballmer does Silicon Valley
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer today visited Silicon Valley and dropped by for a lunch event at the Churchill Club and the Commonwealth Club. Later on the day he was scheduled to meet a group of 200 venture capitalists in what must be the corporate version of a shopping spree.
Speaking engagements like these typically offer no news, but can provide insights and clarifications on a company's standpoints.
At the question and answer-styled event, Ballmer mostly spoke about Microsoft's aspirations for the online advertising market, and how it plans to compete against Google and Yahoo. But he ended up talking a lot and saying very little.
The company wants to be the number one player in the market. Google isn't as great a company as some believe. Microsoft will rule the online advertising market - nothing new or noteworthy there.
More interesting were his comments on open source. He didn't just mindlessly bash open source, but instead argued that he could beat open source by focusing on creating better software with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
He also made an attempt at hyping Windows Vista, talking mostly about the operating system's security. He actually went so far as to predict that Vista's security will cause the end of virus and worm attacks.
Steve Ballmer
Tags: steve ballmer, Microsoft, churchill club, commonwealth club
May 12, 2006 at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Overactive spam filter nearly prevented Microsoft-Sun Microsystems settlement
It wouldn't have differed much or Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer would never have seen an email from Sun CEO Scott McNealy in which he proposed to settle the company's disputes, Ballmer told today.
The two companies for years were battling each other like arch enemies. But in April 2004 the two patched up in a $1.95bn settlement, which was symbolized by McNealy and Ballmer exchange (ice) hockey jerseys at a press conference in San Francisco.
"When Scott first sent me an email when we were reconnecting, the piece of mail wound up in my junk mail folder," Ballmer said during a speaking engagement before the Churchill Club and the Commonwealth Club.
Luckily, Ballmer occasionally goes through his spam email folder to check if any messages were accidentally flagged as junk. That's when he saw McNealy's message.
"It had the characteristics of spam: it was short, it was a one-liner, it wasn't sent through a rich text editor," explained Ballmer.
Tags: Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Steve Ballmer, Scott McNealy
May 12, 2006 at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
France chickens out of DRM interoperability
France has given in to pressures from Apple and others, as the Senate adopted a watered down version of a copyright and DRM law.
The revised law no longer requires interoperability between DRM standards and devices. The Senate instead proposed the creation of 6-member committee that will make non-binding interoperability recommendations. The committee will be made up of magistrates and industry insiders.
While it shouldn't surprise anybody that the initial draft was changed, France now is completely giving in to the DRM and copyright holder's lobby. This isn't a compromise but a mandate.
Few consumers will protest some form of DRM, as long as the copyright protection gets out of their way. Why should anyone have to consider what type of DRM that their device ssupport before they goes to a digital music store?
You could argue that the iTunes vs. Windows Media DRM war is no different than a CD vs. tape conflict. Although a CD is a medium and not a DRM standard, a user owning a CD player still has to remember to buy disks instead of tapes.
But at least he doesn't have to consider which brand of CDs he purchases to ensure that he can listen to the music.
The current lack of interoperability doesn't serve consumers, and only allows device manufacturers to lock in their customers. Walled gardens might be nice for copyright holders, but spell doom for end users.
Protests couldn't prevent the killing of a promising DRM proposal
Tags: france, Itunes, DRM, EUCD, CDMA
May 11, 2006 at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Sun closes Silicon Valley campus
Sun Microsystems is planning to sell one of its three Silicon Valley campuses. The 2,300 employees who currently work from the company's 1.4m square foot Newark campus will have to start commuting across the San Francisco Bay to either Santa Clara or Menlo Park.
Closing the campus should bring Sun about $200m, claims the Mercury News.
The move is a blow to the city of Newark, but could have come at a much worse time.
As the high tech market is expanding, companies once again are hiring and looking to expand their Silicon Valley real estate.
Apple last month revealed plans to build a second Silicon Valley campus that will house about 3,000 workers.
Tags: newark, sun microsystems, campus
May 11, 2006 at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Don't mistake Google Co-op for social bookmarking
Google at a company event today unveiled a total of four new products, most of which are aimed at making for more accurate online search.
Google Co-op offers to include search results from a series of partners sites such as Open Table or Digg.
Users furthermore can label websites inside Google's search index, for instance indicating is a medical website lists information about symptoms or cures, and if it's most suitable for physicians or patients.
You will furthermore be able to see the source of those attributes, enabling you to gauge a tag's credibility. A tag from the < a href="http://www.cdc.gov/">Center for Disease Control after all should bear more importance than one by a random Joe from across the street.
The service at first glance resembles social bookmarking websites such as Digg or Del.icio.us, but in reality the two are worlds apart.
Social bookmarking sites are a popularity contest, allowing users to discover interesting web pages based on their overall popularity.
Google Co-op however is an attempt to further classify sites inside Google's index.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt kicks off Google Press Day 2006
Tags: Google, google co-op
May 11, 2006 at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Does Google have too much money?
Google today hosts a press day at its Mountain View campus.
The on-site confrence centre is draped in Google curtains, from the walls to the tables and chairs.
Listening to the presentations, the company does a great job stressing that its still innovation driven. But is the company paying too much detail to detail? Or is creating Google themed drapes part of being a succesful search provider?
Tags: google
May 10, 2006 at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
HP unfolds disperate future vision
Wouldn't an iPod be far better if it would stream music off the internet instead of forcing users to collect music and transfer it to the device?
And what about a route navigation system that would get its maps as well as the latest traffic information in real time? Not to mention a Blackberry or Palm Treo - and of course a genuine, easy to use, cellphone.
There won't be one device to do this all. But having cellular radios and subscription plans isn't a solution either.
So why not unbundle all those bundled products and force them to share, proposes Philip McKinney, chief technology officer for HP's Personal Systems Group.
At a company event in San Francisco he demonstrated a concept (so it's merely an idea, don't expect any products anytime soon) using disintegrated technologies.
A special watch for instance could provide a gateway onto wireless broadband networks, connecting displays large and small to hosted applications and entertainment services.
(click on the images to get a larger view)
A watch could serve as an information gateway, and offer basic notifications (there is an envelope displayed in the right corner alerting the owner that he has mail).
The watch would provide network connectivity to a notebook with a keyboard that McKinney is holding up here, providing a full computer functionality...
...or could power a tablet-like display that would be used to consume information
On the road a small display could be used to check your address book or to view a shopping list.
How new is HP's vision? You'll get the idea when you look at Sanyo's Alviss concept that the company presented in 2003. It used a mobile phone as the central hub in a network of digital cameras, ebook readers, music players and photo viewers. And there were others.
Tags: personal mobile gateway, HP, sanyo, alviss, philip mckinney
May 10, 2006 at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Vonage pioneers VoIP spam
In an effort to push its forthcoming IPO, Vonage has pioneered the field of VoIP spam.
The company has delivered a voice mail message (you can listen to it below) to its subscribers, soliciting to purchase stock in the upcoming Vonage IPO. These messages were delivered as an audio email attachment and even to subscribers who don't use the Vonage voice mail service. The email offered no way to opt out from receiving Vonage spam in the future.
The message was preceded by email messages with a similar message earlier this week. In a move that reminds of the hyped IPOs of the internet boom days, the company has set aside some of its stock for subscribers.
Security experts for some time have warned against the threat of VoIP spam, where spammers would use an internet connection to place unsolicited phone calls to internet telephony subscribers. Few would have expected however that a VoIP provider would be the first to abuse VoIP for an unsollicited sales pitch.
Vonage is preparing a $550m floatation that would value the company at about $2.5bn.
The company is leaking money all over the place, posting a net loss of $85m over the most recent quarter on revenue of $119m. Its founder furthermore is a convicted criminal who is barred from association with any securities broker or dealer. In summary: if you want to bet, try the lottery instead of buying Vonage stock.
You listen to the spam (aka: spim) here.
Tags: vonage, ipo, spam, spim, voip
May 10, 2006 at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
HP launches mini laptop, disses UMPC
HP at a company event in San Francisco launched an ultra light laptop computer.
The nc2400 (picture below) will start shipping later this month and retails at $1599. It weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kg), boasts a 12.1 inch wide screen display and lasts for 3, 6 or 9 hours depending on the battery you're using.
Consumers looking for an ultra portable device with full Windows functionality will have to settle for devices like the nc2400 for now, and most certainly shouldn't look expect the company to launch a UMPC (aka: Origami) device.
HP's executive vice president for the personal Systems Group Todd Bradley called the UMPC a "tweener type of product".
"It's no laptop and no PDA," he complained. HP will monitor what its competitors are doing with the devices, but has no concrete plans to start developing any Origami devices.
Instead HP plans to hold on to its line of iPaq handheld computers. Never mind that Gartner yesterday unveiled that HP last quarter saw shipments of its iPaqs drop by over 30 per cent. Or maybe HP actually understands that the UMPC won't fly because of its experience with the iPaq.
Ted Clark, general manager HP's notebook business unit.
Tags: HP, ipaq, UMPC, origami, nc2400
May 9, 2006 at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) |