Web 2.0
About Windows bundled apps
The news mentioned yesterday about certain previously built-in applications being optional in Windows 7 has sparked some general appraisal of Windows’ bundled applications by Adam Pash at Lifehacker. Pash doesn’t think too highly of the apps included in Windows and compares them unfavorably with the many Apple applications that come with the Mac. Pash writes:
Microsoft [...]
Does Windows still matter?
That’s the intriguing title of an article in the New York Times by Joe Nocera. He writes:
But it seems to me that even without the browser-as-platform, Windows is already dying a death by a thousand cuts. Yes, Microsoft still makes billions by selling pre-installed Windows via computer manufacturers. But ever-so-gradually, the Internet is upending its [...]
Trying to shine up Windows Vista
Microsoft is trying to do something about Vista’s somewhat tarnished reputation with a new advertising campaign. Personally, I would rather that Steve Ballmer put the $400 $300 million that is supposedly being spent on this campaign into making Windows better. But Ballmer began his career in advertising so we are getting TV commercials with the [...]
Clouds for the “cloud”
Terms like “the cloud” and “Web 2.0″ have always been nebulous and Larry Dignan says, Cloud computing as a term: More meaningless by the minute. He writes:
The term cloud computing may have outrun its usefulness–it’s beginning to conjure up images of “Web 2.0″ and “paradigm shift.”
For the record, cloud computing refers to an all-encompassing hosting [...]
Google Earth add-ons
People keep coming up with new stuff for Google Earth. PC World shows some new additions at 10 Amazing Google Earth Add-Ons:
Maps from centuries past, paths of satellites whizzing by, global warming brought to life: User-created Google Earth mashups present a dizzying array of information in a new and imaginative graphical form.
Review of Google Chrome
The new Chrome browser from Google is still unfinished but a beta version is now available. Walter Mossberg has reviewed this early version of Chrome and he says:
My verdict: Chrome is a smart, innovative browser that, in many common scenarios, will make using the Web faster, easier and less frustrating. But this first version—which is [...]
Are operating systems on the way out?
The news is full of stories about the new Google browser called Chrome. It’s even on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Many see Google’s new browser as more than a challenge to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer; they see a challenge to the whole Windows operating system. The notion [...]
Online office applications
Most home PC users probably don’t need a very powerful word processor and forking out a lot of money for a suite like Microsoft Office is unnecessary.. A possibility to consider is one of the Web-based applications. PC World reviews three of the most popular- Google Docs, ThinkFree, and Zoho. The conclusion:
Overall Google Docs [...]
Shortcuts for Google Maps
Are you about to get in a little traveling in the dying days of summer? Google Lat Long has some shortcuts that you can use with Google Maps.
Dangers on the social networks
Social networks are a big thing on the Web. For many people, they are an important activity. Unfortunately, there are many security problems. Hackers have planted exploits at several social networks. However, an even bigger problem may be from social engineering. People who use social networks are looking for friends and people they can trust. [...]
Moment of sanity at the Patent Office
As previously noted, Dell has been trying to trademark the term “Cloud Computing”. The US Patent and Trademark Office has now made an initial ruling that Dell can’t trademark “Cloud Computing” because it’s already being generally used. MacWorld reports:
In denying Dell’s application, the USPTO included dozens of news stories and other material supporting its [...]
