Across the Spectrum
Firefox Download Day.
18/6/2008
Firefox Download Day.Mozilla will release the next version of its Firefox browser on Tuesday and attempt to set a Guinness World Record for software downloads.
The company has deemed June 17 "Download Day," part of a campaign unveiled on May 28 asking users to download Firefox 3 on the first day it is released to set what very well may be the geekiest world record ever -- the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours.
To help its cause, Mozilla is hosting a Download Day event, the Camp Firefox BBQ, at its offices in Mountain View, California, on Tuesday. The company also has asked Firefox fans to host parties to encourage friends to download with them, and place "Download Day" buttons on their Web sites as reminders of the big day.
Currently, there is no world record for software downloads; Mozilla is trying to create one.
Release Candidate 3 of Firefox 3 is currently available online for free download. A list of the browser's new features also is available online.
While the fanfare may seem a bit geeky, Firefox -- released in November 2004 -- has inspired a significant and rather fervent fan base. This is in part because it was the first browser in years to give Microsoft's Internet Explorer viable competition.
In response, Microsoft has had to add new features to IE in an effort to make it more innovative. On Wednesday, the company unveiled new features for IE's next version, IE 8, aimed at making deploying and managing the browser easier for IT professionals. IE 8 beta 2 is scheduled to be available in August.
The browser even has its own fan page (sign-in required) on the Facebook social-networking site, with 91,205 fans signed up and counting.
According to Mozilla, there are more than 175 million users of Firefox, which is available in more than 45 languages and used in more than 230 countries.
More information about how users can participate in Download Day is available on the campaign's Web site
Spectrum Networks Brings Enterprise Grade Virtualization to Australia.
2/3/2008
Spectrum Networks is proud to announce its range of Virtualization products are now available to Australian business.
Virtualization is a technology where virtual servers can be created to simulate a real hardware hosting environment. The advantages of this technology abound, but most notable is the ability to provide secure, reliable and redundant hosting at reasonable cost unlimited ability to scale as required.
Spectrum's Virtualization technology will allow your company to simply lease virtual slices. These slices can be arranged in any configuration of CPU, Memory and Storage then topped off with an operating system of your choice, Linux or Windows. The slices can be easily expanded at any time allowing additional memory and disk space as required. This keeps the cost of ownership low allowing businesses to only pay for what they use.
Disaster recovery/high availability, these virtual slices can be easily replicated, backed up or moved from the development environment to the live system. Backup can be on site or shipped live to Amazon S3 to provide worlds best practice in backup and disaster recovery.
"I am very excited to offer this product to our customers. We have been using Virtualization technology within our company for some time now, to offer high availability to our systems for our customers. It's time to share this service with our customers and allow them to utilize Virtualization for hosting their web based services and applications as well as Virtual Desktop infrastructure" said Matt Perkins Spectrum Networks' managing director.
"It's an excellent fit with our very successful Virtual PABX product, and the desktop based applications and the benefits offered in the web hosting space are too many to catalog" Mr Perkins said.
If you would like more information on virtual hosting, Virtualization or to setup a trial slice today, contact Spectrum Networks on 1300 133 299 or visit www.spectrum.com.au.
Yahoo bid bad news for the net, says Google
28/1/2008
Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo has caused tensions with arch-nemesis Google to boil over, with the search giant warning the planned merger could threaten the openness of the internet.
The two technology titans have taken pot shots at each other over the years - the most extreme example of which was when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer allegedly vowed to "f---ing kill Google" - but Google has largely avoided returning fire publicly.
But all bets were off after Microsoft launched a $US44.6 billion ($50 billion) unsolicited bid for Yahoo, the world's most popular internet portal and one of Google's main competitors.
"Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo raises troubling questions," said David Drummond, senior vice-president of corporate development at Google and the search giant's chief legal officer.
"Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the internet that it did with the PC?
"While the internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies - and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets."
In response, Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said the takeover would in fact create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a "competitive No.2" to take on Google in online search and advertising.
It is unusual for Google to weigh into the matter so early - Yahoo has yet to respond to the bid - but some are interpreting the move as payback after Microsoft in April last year urged US and European regulators to consider scuttling Google's plan to buy DoubleClick, an online advertising company.
A marriage between Microsoft and Yahoo would allow the former to compete far more effectively against Google in the online advertising space, search and internet applications.
For Yahoo, the takeover could help the brand return to its former glory during the dotcom boom, before Google out-engineered it with a superior search offering.
As well, it would be difficult for Yahoo's board to turn down the unsolicited offer, which represents a 62 per cent premium over the struggling company's market value. Microsoft and Yahoo have discussed the possibility of an alliance in the past but Yahoo eventually rejected the advances.
It is understood that Google, which dominates the global online search and advertising industry with a market share of more than 60 per cent, would be prevented by US regulators from making a competing offer for Yahoo for anti-competitive reasons.
Microsoft, despite running into trouble with regulators in several regions for monopolistic business practices, implied in a statement that its bid stemmed from Google's growing internet dominance.
"Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition," Microsoft said.
"Together, Microsoft and Yahoo can offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers, and publishers."
But even while Google continues to cement its stranglehold on online commerce, a Microsoft-Yahoo merger would give Microsoft a dominant share of online services such as email and instant messaging. It would allow Microsoft's Hotmail to be combined with the market leader, Yahoo Mail, and MSN Messenger to pair up with Yahoo Messenger.
"Could the acquisition of Yahoo allow Microsoft - despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offences - to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the internet?" Drummond said.
"In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the internet."
Drummond speculated that a combination of Yahoo and Microsoft could allow Microsoft to use its "PC software monopoly" to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' web-based services.
But those fighting words were no match for Ballmer's anti-Google tirade, revealed in a sworn court statement by former Microsoft employee Mark Lucovsky.
"I'm going to f---ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f---ing kill Google," Ballmer said of Google and its CEO, Eric Schmidt.