Yahoo Using Dirty Tactics to Switch Google & Firefox Users?
”...a recent upgrade to Yahoo Messenger includes an innocuous ‘auto-update’ option. When the user gives Yahoo permission to ‘update’ – what they think is just Yahoo Messenger – the updater… then proceeds to hijack many browser preferences – including search engine settings.”
Firstly, the updater associates all web links with Internet Explorer instead of your default browser (very annoying for Firefox / Opera users!). Secondly, it pops up an ambiguous error message telling you that your search settings have been changed and that you can either “fix” them or “allow change”. Thinking that they’re about to lose their browser defaults, most people will click “fix settings”. Upon doing so however, they’ll find that their default homepage has been switched to Yahoo! And for its final trick, the updater switches IE’s default search engine to Yahoo! without your permission. Nice work :-(
When Andy complained about this to Yahoo!, the response he received (from Yahoo! spokesperson Terrell Karlsten) said “This is an industry-wide practice.” Great stuff. So if everyone else is doing it, that makes it OK does it? What would his Mum say? “If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would Yahoo!?”
Betavine - Vodafone To Launch Mobile Web Portal
The Mobile Web isn't just about the Googles and Yahoos of this world muscling in to the lucrative mobile content market. The present mobile network operators and handset manufacturers are also busy adjusting to the WEB, to defend their turf and just maybe get a jump on their competitors. On 31 January Vodafone will launch a new open source community portal, called "
Betavine". It will be a research and development space, run by Vodafone Group R&D. It aims to encourage collaboration in the area of mobile and internet communications, so they will be targeting developers and early adopter users in the Mobile Web arena.
For example, users will be able to download and test applications, plus comment and contribute on the forums and blogs. Developers can create projects and host applications, plus blog and interact with their users and the Betavine community. Indeed, interaction between developers and testers will be a key part of Betavine - Vodafone hopes it will provide them with a testing ground for the latest Mobile Web concepts and technologies.
Betavine is similar to Nokia's open source community, Maemo, which we recently discussed on Read/WriteWeb. It's good to see the traditional mobile companies 'opening up' a bit more in this era of Mobile Web, at least when it comes to development and new apps. We'll not mention walled garden general content and services for now.
Paul Walsh, who was involved in the portal set-up, has more details over on the Segala blog. Paul can also hook you up with a pre-launch trial of Betavine, so if you're interested contact him.
MySQL gets another database engine
NitroSecurity Inc. and MySQL AB said yesterday that they will develop in common a motor of the storage for the data base of MySQL of the open-source that is optimized for the very great data bases of high performance.
The engine will be based on the technology of NitroEDB de NitroSecurity, that now is used in the Portsmouth, N.H., software in real time of the security of the network of the salesman. The technology is said to offer the fast operation for the data bases with billion files -- even though working in the hardware of the matter.
MySQL has a modular architecture that allows that the users connect a engine of the storage of their own one to choose. MyISAM, the engine of the storage of the defect for MySQL, continues being more widely used, according to the CEO of MySQL, marta Mickos. The most popular alternative, nevertheless, is InnoDB, that are developed by Innobase Oy in Helsinki, Finland.
In the last year, MySQL Oracle Corp. rival has bought Innobase and Sleepycat Inc. Software, that data base of BerkeleyDB can also be used like motor of the storage for MySQL. Whereas Oracle decided to continue developing InnoDB for MySQL for a number without revealing of years, MySQL has taken many measures to wean its users of possible dependency of the Oráculo-had technology.
In April, MySQL created a program to help to animate to companies of third person that make the compatible engines with their data base whereas also it announced that it would create his the own ones, code-named hawk. In August, MySQL said that the future versions of their data base will not support BerkeleyDB.
Solid Information Inc. Technology is sending the engine of the storage of SolidDB for MySQL by the end of the year.
Student Develops Paper Capable of 450GB of Storage
According to a report of the Arab news, named a Sainul technology Abideen student of the university has invented a method to store massive amounts of digital data in a level piece of paper that he demands could often store the capacity of the best Blue-ray or discs of HD-DVD. In fact, Abideen says that its technology of the rainbow can permitirte store until 450GB in a piece of paper. Reason why 450GB goes a demonstration of the real life of a paper, the technology still needs the development.
Abideen demand that that its system of the rainbow is better than a binary storage because instead of using and zeros to represent geometric forms of the data, of the square and hexagonal applications of Abideen such as to represent patterns of the data. The color also is used in the system to represent other data items. According to Abideen, everything that is required to read the impressions of the rainbow is an explorer and a specialized software.
The reporter in the Arab news demands to have seen 450 pages of of 33 by 40,6 cms. completely printed that is stored in 4 pieces of the square inch of paper of the rainbow. The reporter also demanded that they demonstrated to a second paper clip video to you 45 that was stored using the system of the rainbow in a level piece of paper. Interesting, 45 seconds of video are not much, and if the system of the rainbow can store until 450GB, then we needed to watch videos of integral high resolution of a piece of paper.
One of the main advantages of the system of the rainbow is the fact that it must cost much less to the product that polycarbonate typical DVD and discs of the CD. Abideen demand that the enormous data banks can be constructed outside storage means Arc rainbow-based. Although the main attraction is paper cheap now, other means can also use the system of the rainbow.
In date now, the system of Abideen still is under investigation in the university of Muslim educative engineering of the society and although no important companies have expressed interest, Abideen is faithful of the future of the system. According to the report, Aibdeen is hard in the work in developing an explorer of the rainbow that would be quite small for integration in the computers of the notebook. If it is developed, a printer of the rainbow will be probably ascending following.
F-Secure takes aim at rootkits on Windows XP, Vista
F-Seguro Corp. it is announcing today a version increased of his software of fire-resistant of the antivirus and the board of the writing-desk of the security of the client, adding the detection of rootkit and the prevention host-based of the intrusion. It hoped to send to the half-full ones of January for Windows XP, client who security 7,0 will include what the F-Safe calls its detection of rootkit of DeepGuard to identify malilious code hidden and to clear it, although the retirement requires the action of the administrators of systems. Rootkits can be used to hide any type of malicious code or archives.
The retirement of Rootkit continues being a far more difficult process that retirement of the virus traditional because rootkits is designed typically to fit itself more deeply in the operating system. There is discussion between experts of the security on how it is easy is to clear them without damaging the operating system. F-Seguro, which they developed the independent tool Blacklight of anti-rootkit, says that rootkits can be cleared surely but the administrators must carefully supervise the process that the F-Safe tools facilitate.
To the half-full ones of January, F-Safe also hopes to send to a beta version of security 7,0 of the client for the version of Vista, not it Vista 64-bit of 32 small pieces, that includes the mechanism of the nucleus-protection of PatchGuard of the corporation of Microsoft. PatchGuard prevents the access deprived of authority to the operating system 64-bit, but several vendors of the security say that also he prevents the effectiveness of some of his products. In answer to the orders of the vendor more openness in Vista 64-bit, Microsoft has said that it hopes to provide APIs of support in package 1 of the service in a date without specifying. ?We trusted that this new APIs the Microsoft has glided will surpass the challenges of PatchGuard,? Ari Alakiuttu says, vice president F-Seguro of the marketing. Security 7,0 of the client will cost $41 by user by the year, based on 50 users.
Firefox vs IE vs Opera vs Safari
People can be enthusiastic on her equipment of the sports of the favorite, but really you wish to obtain ignited it for above, asks what web browser she uses. It has ?if it is not broke it, does not fix? crowd that tends to stick with browser that it is included with its operating system -- Internet Explorer of Microsoft in Windows and safari of Apple in the Mac. There is ?I finishes being able to be I? it to people who prefer browsers less well-known, such as opera of the software of the opera. And there is the ?free alive one or it dies? to believers true of the open-source that defends Firefox de Mozilla on commercial his contrapartes. Then there is that people who demand the best experience simply leafing through is there.
She will defend his to browser favourite to the death because she thinks that she strikes the ends in elegance terms, characteristics, security of all the others browsers with the foot and so on. But an option comes better ahead, she will change and speak outside happy towards hardly like in high voice her new one browser of the option. In Computerworld, we fall in this field, always looking for the great following Browser.
In terms of quota of market, the winner is obvious. Most of the estimations they somewhere demonstrate the Internet Explorer that 85% of the market of browser order between 80% and, with Firefox crawling in between 8% and 13%. Safari is third most of popular browser, with approximately the quota of market of 2% to of 4%, followed by Opera and Netscape de AOL, with around 1% by each one. But in quality terms, there is no clear winner now. Per years, the Internet Explorer was far delayed behind the competition in both characteristics and security, but the IE7 launching, a quite radical reacondicinament of October of aged browser, has brought it until equality with the rest.
Almost simultaneously, Mozilla sent Firefox 2,0, an update less ambitious than nevertheless carried out some important improvements and of well-thought-towards outside. Meanwhile, safari (at the moment in version 2.04) and the opera (in version 9.02, with 9,1 in the way) have been reserved that improved and of innovations far from the projector. Thus, for the first time in years, browsers superior is rough equal. (Note: We chose to leave Netscape of our roundup of browser. In our test, we also found cochecillo and unstable for the serious consideration.)
That browser must you use so? Which is really the best one? For ayudarte to decide, we requested that four users of the energy made battle in support of his browser chosen: Scot Finnie for Firefox, Preston Gralla for the Internet Explorer, Dennis Fowler for the opera and Ken Mingis for safari. Each expert is positive that his browser is the best one and will try his more duro convencerte of that. These are not rational revisions, separated; these are opinionated the tests meant to shake your point of view. When you have read all the discussions and watched ours of side to side comparison of characteristics, beams the call voting in our better survey of browser. You can also fall a line to us and you let to us know what you think. Many readers have been against the assertion of Preston Gralla who the quota of market in head of the Internet Explorer demonstrates that the users are happiest with that browser. For your commentaries, to see the readers they say that the numbers of the market-part of the IE depend on how, and of what, you they count. Other readers have taken this opportunity let know to us what browsers loves or hates particularly, and because. You will find those answers of partly posteriora connection of tortazo of the readers in browsers of the Web.
Google Wins Dismissal of Patent Lawsuit
Google, the Internet search engine company, has gained a dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a company of Wisconsin on four patents that covered technology with the search of the data base. To judge to Juan C. Shabaz of the federal cut of districto in Madison, Wis., granted to the 21 Dic the request of Google to send towards outside before test that a game of the patent-infraction filed by the technologies of fence carried out of HyperPhrase. The game, filed in April, was directed the interface to toolbar used in browsers of the Internet, its characteristic of Google de AutoLink allowing that the users league together to the information on Web site selected and to AdSense, technology of Google to place announcements in its site. Google, based on the Mountain View, Calif., Also is facing a challenge of the patent to its land of Google map-looks for service, and is in a battle of copyright on its electronic library of the Internet of the book of Google.
Raymond Niro, the lawyer for HyperPhrase in the case, was not immediately available to comment, according to his secretary. A spokesman of Google, Barry Schnitt, immediately did not return a commentary that she looked for of the call on the decision. The disputed patents to store, to recover and to look for data in computer science systems were published in 1999, 2002 and 2003, according to the Web site of the office of the patent and the registered tradename of the United States. HyperPhrase, based on Madison, demanded Microsoft in 2002, affirming the infraction of three of its patents, including one implied in the case of Google. A federal judge in Madison governed against HyperPhrase in 2003.
EBay buying StubHub for $310M in cash
Ebay Inc. is buying the runner in line quickly increasing Inc. StubHub of the ticket for $310 million in cash, future extending the electronic bazaar of auctioneer of the Internet. The Jose-based company San announced the distribution the last Wednesday after the news had been saved already to means. The sale of StubHub, waited for to close itself before April, scores another improbable history of the success of the Internet.
Jeff Fluhr, Co-founder of 32 years of StubHub and executive, the 1/2 years ago with another ex--student in the school graduated as the business sent to the starting of San Francisco against the boring context point-COM of bust 6, baker of Stanford de Eric. ?The model of the business of StubHub is an excellent adjustment with eBay, a company that we have admired during long time,? Fluhr said in a declaration. ?StubHub exists to serve the enthusiastic ventilators and we felt that great to know our clients it will benefit from the energy from eBay and of its community of users.? The commercial value of EBay has sunk by almost 50 percents, or $37 billion, on last the two years in the middle of preoccupations of the investor to slow down growth in its auctions in line, puncturing to the management to extend itself to traverse in other channels of the electronic commerce. Their recent acquisitions are including the telephone service of the Internet Skype and the service in line Shopping.com of the comparison of the price, neither nor others of which they have gotten to be so integral at eBay as his purchase 2002 of the service in line PayPal of the payment. StubHub works a market in line to resell tickets to the important events, creating an alternative market that is been prospering as well as its existence incensed to some of the equipment of the sports that tickets are being resold on their value of face. StubHub says that the buyers paid more than $400 million the tickets sold in their site in 2006, generating more than $100 million in yield the last year.
To populate the payment an honorarium with 15 percents to sell tickets in the site, whereas they load to the buyers a commission of 10 percents. From its beginning, StubHub has brokered the sale of more than 5 million tickets. Although the private company carried out does not disclose benefits, StubHub is making well enough to use to near 350 workers in San Francisco, a Hartford, conec. to call the dispersed center and 10 other small offices through country. Fluhr had been reflecting on a possible initial public offer but tabul? apparently those plans after eBay intensified his courtship. Ebay has been persecuting StubHub dull and ignited per years and almost bought the starting for $20 million of 2002 before they lower the negotiations aside. StubHub is ?a perfect complement to the business of tickets of eBay,? said the Cobb account, president of the market of North America of auctioneer. ?Together we can consolidate both businesses and of providing with the ventilators more selected affluent service better and.? Other great winners in the sale include the previous young people of Steve of the strategist of San Francisco 49ers, one of the earliest investors of StubHub.
Other financial supports of StubHub include frank Biondi, previous CEO of Viacom Inc., and Harvey Golub, previous CEO of the corporation of American Express. Fluhr and the baker founded StubHub after developing the concept under the name of ?NeedATicket.com? like part of a competition whereas he took care of the school graduated as Stanford of the business. Although they were chosen like finalists, removed from the competition because they feared that somebody robbed its idea. The baker, 33, left StubHub in 2004 but conserve a significant stake in the company and now he works to similar European remarketer of the called ticket Viagogo.com. Under direction of Fluhr, StubHub has tried to be placed as asylum of rough saving in the market $10 billion to resell the tickets that have been bought already to another part. Desemejante of stereotypical scalper of the right ticket outside a stage, the buyers of the guarantees of StubHub all the tickets sold in their site are authentic. The approach has won to the excess near 30 professionals and equipment of the sports of the university that direct the ventilators to StubHub for tickets. The list of the equipment that works with StubHub includes the bears of Chicago, shippers of San Diego and red skins of Washington of the national league and the Portland Trailblazers of the soccer football and networks of New Jersey in the league of national basketball. But other equipment has whipped towards outside in StubHub, with patriotic and New York Yankees de Nueva England of NFL in the important baseball of the league that emerged like the estridentes critical.
The patriotic ones demanded StubHub in November, alleging the site are animating to the ventilators that break a law of Massachusetts against the sale of tickets more than $2 on value of face. StubHub countersued the last month, representing the equipment of the soccer football like monopolista contracted unjust commercial practices. The Yankees has gone as soon as to revoke tickets of the station of the ventilators that sold their seats in StubHub, discussing the activities to violate the rights that license of the equipment. StubHub thinks that the Yankees is trying to choke to the competition for a market in line that the hopes of the baseball equipment to work ignition his the own ones. In an interview the last month, Fluhr these few equipment is trying to dissuade StubHub because they make that the company is helping to fill the seats you that could go of another way without filling if the original sostenedor of the ticket cannot take care of the event. Although an equipment directly does not benefit from scalped tickets, he can immovable do the money selling the food, drinks and memories to the secondary buyer of the ticket. ?Whereas the equipment has learned on our early business and adopters has been true successful with us, we have had more and more shows of the equipment ignited,? Fluhr this. ?I feel that we have a true wind of the tail with us.?
Internet Explorer 7.0 Reaches 100 Million Mark
Internet Explorer makes a strong showingin its first few months on the market
Microsoft reached a milestone for its new Internet Explorer 7.0 (IE7) browser on January 8. IE7, which was released on October 18 has achieved the 100 million installations mark.
Also according to the latest browser usage figures by WebSideStory, 25% of visitors to U.S. websites were using IE7. That number is expected to grow rapidly once Windows Vista is released to consumers on January 30. IE7 is the default web browser on the three consumer-oriented versions of Windows Vista (Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate).
Firefox, always a popular browser with techies, was pulling in 10.7% U.S. marketshare as recently as December 19.
IE7 and Firefox still don?t quite have the muster to take down the perennial browser leader: Internet Explorer 6. IE6, which was first released on August 27, 2001 is still the leading browser on the market with around 62% marketshare.
