Archive for April, 2008
Quality search engine?
Google is an admirable search engine but the results often contain a lot of spam or other useless sites. According to Search Engine Land, the alternative search engine Hakia is going to try to do better:
The Hakia blog explains how the engine is taking a “quality” approach, trying to assess the credibility of sites in [...]
Update Readiness Tool for Vista
There have been reports that the installation of Vista SP1 and/or other updates have hung up the system or caused other problems. Microsoft has issued something called the System Update Readiness Tool. The tool checks for inconsistencies in the Windows system resources that may prevent the successful installation of future updates, service packs, and software.
Via [...]
Google to use recent searches to fine-tune results
Google Operating System reports that Google will start to personalize search results based on the previous query or even a number of previous queries. The post reports:
Until now, Google personalized the results based on the search history only for users that were logged in and enabled the Web History service. Google created a profile from [...]
Phony anti-virus program
Beware of something called “XP Antivirus Protection”. It is a fake anti-virus program that will install spyware on your system. More details at The Blade.
No more Hotmail with Outlook Express
InfoWorld reports:
In the latest death knell for Outlook Express, Microsoft announced Thursday that it will turn off access to its Web-based Hotmail service from the desktop e-mail software at the end of June.
Outlook Express users who want to continue to access their Hotmail accounts offline after June 30 are being encouraged by Microsoft to [...]
Ballmer says Windows Vista is a “work in progress”
Todd Bishop reports:
More than a year after Windows Vista’s release, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer this morning acknowledged some of the operating system’s shortcomings — calling it a “work in progress” during a speech to the company’s Most Valuable Professionals conference in Seattle. He also acknowledged Windows XP’s fans, but he stopped short of committing to [...]
Is the desktop dying?
It began as a trickle of statements that the Web would replace the desktop. The browser would be the platform, some began to say. Now more and more voices are joining that chorus. Even Microsoft has a major program of Web applications. Is the desktop really going to be replaced by the “cloud”? No one [...]
More details of Flash malware
The details of the infected Flash ad that appeared on the USA Today site that was mentioned in the previous post can be seen at this Websense link.
Malware in Flash ads
The problem of malware infected ads in normally respectable sites is growing. Windows Secrets reports on this serious problem:
A Flash-based advertisement that appeared last week on the USA Today site downloaded malicious code to users’ computers, generating erroneous warnings of a malware infestation and offering a phony solution.
The Flash vulnerability is so widespread that such [...]
Updated Google Earth
Google keeps working on Google Earth. Here’s the latest:
New navigation – We’ve improved the zoom control so you can swoop down from outer space to street level in a single seamless motion. And with the addition of the “look” joystick, you can look up at buildings or across a mountain range.
More, faster 3D buildings [...]
Windows XP SP3 imminent
The site Neowin.net has posted what it says is the schedule for releasing Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. According to the post, SP3 will be available at Windows Update on April 29 and will be pushed out on the regular June patch day. Also, see this link at PC World.
From what I have read, [...]
