Archive for May, 2009

Linux Boxee users get Hulu relief

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

The Linux version of Boxee’s eponymously-named multimedia platform has finally been updated to include several new features introduced into the OS X and Windows versions over the past few months. Key additions include an “App Box” and restored support for Hulu.

Linux Boxee users may be able to upgrade to the new version of Boxee, version 0.9.11.5777M (April 26, 2009 build), by launching the Update Manager tool (Menu > System > Administration > Update Manager) on their Ubuntu systems. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can open up the Synaptic package manager (Menu > System > Administration > Synaptic), search for boxee using the “Quick Search” function, and then reinstall it by right-clicking on the program’s name and marking it for reinstallation.
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Posted in Internet, Software | 1 Comment »

‘Bad’ BitTorrent and Warez Sites Raided By Police

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Just recently the police in Hungary conducted raids on various torrent and warez sites, but few will have sympathy for those arrested. The site operators charged users for access via premium SMS, many of them unsuspecting kids. The police seized an impressive amount of equipment and also took some impressive photographs.

In 2007 the US planned to put a federal prosecutor in Budapest, Hungary, to “assist in the coordination of the enforcement of intellectual property laws”. Almost immediately action was taken against some BitTorrent and warez sites operating in the country.

In 2008 it was recommended in an International Intellectual Property Alliance report that Hungary should remain on a piracy ‘watch list’ for that year. The reasons were wide and varied, but included were problems related to widespread ‘pay to leech’ torrent sites, and pay for access warez sites. “It is difficult to energize police and customs officials to investigate Internet cases because Hungarian court decisions are not a deterrent,” said the report.
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Posted in Internet, Society | 2 Comments »

Zoho bests Google in mobile app suite?

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Google wants to own the future of mobile software, including office suite software, but Zoho launched a new capability to run its very solid, browser-based mobile apps on all major platforms, not just iPhone and Windows Mobile.

The SoHo suite supports iPhone and iPod Touch, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Symbian.

The suite includes Zoho Mail, Calendar, Writer, Sheet, Show and Creator. The company also offers a wide range of other apps on the Web that are not supported in the mobile version.

Here’s the press release.
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Posted in Internet, Software | No Comments »

Kernel Log: What’s coming in 2.6.30 - File systems: New and revamped file systems

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

The patches adopted in Linux 2.6.30 introduce many significant changes affecting data security and Ext3 and Ext4 performance. Support for the EXOFS and NILFS2 file systems is new, as is the cache for the AFS and NFS network file systems. There are also a few fixes for the almost forgotten ReiserFS file system.

Released mid-week, as is normal for the second phase of the development cycle, the third pre-release version of Linux 2.6.30 included mostly minor enhancements and fixes, although there were two code restructures.

The interminable discussions of the Ext3 and Ext4 file systems and the way they interact with other kernel subsystems have largely subsided. The H Open has reported on the early stages of these discussions – the occasionally abrasive discussion on the LKML (Linux Kernel Mailing List) continued for a further week, with a total of 650 emails, not counting other threads triggered by the discussion.
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Posted in Software | 1 Comment »

No more betas for Firefox 3.5: Browser on track for Q2 launch

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Beta 4 is the final beta version released for the next-generation Firefox browser, Mozilla told TG Daily. The browser mature enough to be entering the release candidate phase and Mozilla’s Mike Beltzner told us that the browser is well on track to be launched in the second quarter. 900,000 users are already using the new browser in its Beta 1-3 versions.

Beltzner said that Mozilla has completed all “remaining beta issues” in Firefox 3.5 and while there is always a chance that the actual beta testing in the current beta 4 will unveil additional challenges, the next pre-release of Firefox 3.5 will be a release candidate (RC). Mozilla is aiming for a single release candidate, but Beltzner said that every single Firefox release so far always had three release candidates and it is unclear how many RCs version 3.5 will see.
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Posted in Software | 1 Comment »

60% of Twitter Users Quit Within the First Month

Monday, May 4th, 2009

We’re hearing some pretty amazing statistics about Twitter (Twitter reviews) these days: growth from February 2008 to February 2009 was reportedly 1382%, with the incline increasing yet further in recent months.
But like many social networks, it seems many people lose steam with the service. Stat tracking firm Nielsen reports today that a full 60% of users who sign up fail to return the following month. And in the 12 months “pre-Oprah”, retention rates were even lower: only 30% returned the next month. That’s good news, to some degree: retention rates have increased over time.

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Posted in Internet | 1 Comment »

RIAA’s Hostile Takeover of the Internet

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

Until recently, the recording industry were committing publicity suicide by routinely issuing legal threats to file sharers. Now, they seem to have changed the routine, going for fewer, but bigger targets. The goal is clear: if you own the Internet, you don’t have to worry about pirates — or anyone else.

Earlier this month, four Pirate Bay visionaries were given harsh fines and jail sentences. Their only crime: creating the largest, free, uncensored, versatile file sharing platform on the Internet. Soon after, Taiwan passed 3-strikes legislation for copyright violations. The recording industry is no longer targeting pirates - they are actually trying to hijack the very fabric of the Internet.

The apparent strategy:

1. Outlaw file sharing
2. Outlaw personal encryption and anonymization services
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Posted in Internet | No Comments »

Apple iPhone “Mediapad” Could Be a Kindle Killer

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Is Apple’s rumored “mediapad” entertainment device a threat to Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader? I think it is, but the only people who may care are current Kindle owners, some of whom may end up wishing they had waited on their purchase.

As I have said before: The Kindle in kindling.

It is always nice when the industry rumor mill starts validating what I have been saying, namely, that rumors of a ready-to-release Apple netbook actually refer to a supersized iPod touch.

Described as having a larger touch-screen than the Kindle’s 6-inch display, while being physically smaller than the Amazon device, Apple’s baby has been dubbed a “mediapad.”
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Posted in Hardware | No Comments »

In Major Shift, Apple Builds Its Own Team to Design Chips

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Apple Inc. is building a significant capability to design its own computer chips, a strategy shift that the company hopes will create exclusive features for its gadgets and shield Apple’s work from rivals.

The Silicon Valley trend-setter has been hiring people from many different segments of the semiconductor industry, including engineers to create multifunction chips that are used in cellphones to run software and carry out other chores.
Apple could use the internally developed chips to sharply reduce the power consumption of its hit iPhone and iPod touch devices, and possibly add graphics circuitry to help its hardware play realistic game software and high-definition videos, people familiar with its plans say.
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Posted in Computers | No Comments »