Indeed Tests Job Listing Search Engine
Indeed.com is beta testing what could be the world's first comprehensive job search engine. Indeed is a vertical search engine that indexes results across hundreds of disparate sources of job listings such as job boards, newspaper sites, as well as professional association and niche databases.
Searches are performed as they would be with a classic search engine such as Google, and specific queries can be saved into RSS feeds.
Microsoft to Squash Malware with 'A1'
Microsoft's upcoming antivirus/anti-spyware subscription service, dubbed "A1" is going beta. Microsoft Watch is reporting that even while Redmond has remained tight-lipped, it has silently begun to inform partners of its plans for the service. A1 will "secure the perimeter" around Windows, making flaws in its design less significant than in the past.
The news about A1 comes as the first indicator of what form the software giant's much anticipated antivirus solution will take following its acquisition of GeCAD in the summer of 2003. What's more, Microsoft also purchased Giant Company Software last month to obtain anti-spyware technology, and common sense dictates that the software should also turn up in the service.
Rumors Swirl Around Apple Office Suite
Exactly one week before Macworld begins in San Francisco, details have emerged about a rumored replacement to Apple's aging AppleWorks productivity suite. Called iWork '05 and code-named "Sugar," the new suite is expected include Keynote 2 and introduce a word processing application currently know as "Pages."
Meanwhile, Apple's iLife will be refreshed with a new version of GarageBand that will be complemented by Jam Pack 4.
Carmack: No Quake III Source Yet
id Software programming guru John Carmack has revealed in his blog that the source code for Quake III will not be released any time soon. Although the release was pegged for the end of 2004, Carmack has stated that such a release would be met with "hard feelings" by partners who paid for licensed access to the bits. The source code will eventually be released under the General Public License (GPL), but no date has been specified.
Microsoft Heats Grid Iron with 'Bigtop'
Details have emerged revealing Microsoft's intentions to enter the grid-computing space by developing what will most likely be a distributed operating system. As first reported by Microsoft Watch, the project, code-named "Bigtop," will couple together moderately powerful computers into grids to allow customers to maximize computing power and create low-budget, high-performance systems.
Grids are software engines that pool together and manage resources from isolated systems to form a new type of supercomputer. Once considered to be the gilded plaything of researchers, grids are currently being harnessed in finance, engineering, and even the battle against cancer.
TraveLazer Betas Search Without Sales
It is common knowledge that most online travel sites consistently battle it out over who can offer the best deals on hotels and airfare, but what happens when a user just wants to learn more about their destination?
Newcomer TravelLazer.com has publicly unveiled a beta test of its "objective" travel search engine that it claims will leverage a vertical filtering system to narrow down results -- verifying that Web sites are travel related -- as it spiders the Net for information limited to travel without returning results that sell services and travel packages.
Visual FoxPro 9 Goes Gold
Midway through December, Microsoft's Visual FoxPro 9.0 development tool struck gold. The release, formerly code-named "Europa," is billed as the best new version since FoxPro 3.0.
Although that claim rings a familiar bell, the proof may be in the pudding: FoxPro 9.0 contains substantial reporting enhancements, embeds SQL in the FoxPro language, and is more extensible, allowing developers to introduce code that benefits their end user applications.
Novell Opens Enterprise Server Beta
Approximately one year after purchasing German Linux vendor SuSE, Novell has opened a public beta of its Open Enterprise Server. Novell initially held a private beta test that started in October.
The server marries Novell's proprietary NetWare kernel with SuSE Linux Server 9 Enterprise Edition, borrowing from the hip of NetWare to flesh out the company's Linux strategy. Once it is completed, the software will enable customers to manage a mixed environment of both NetWare and SuSE Linux servers using a central management console.
Mozilla Throws Lightning in Outlook's Direction
The Mozilla foundation has unveiled a new project called "Lightning" that will be tightly integrated into Mozilla's new Thunderbird e-mail client and sharpen the client's elbows against rival Microsoft's Outlook software. With Lightning, Thunderbird will have user features that may compete with Microsoft in the enterprise and thwart the software giant's size advantage by being free of cost.
Mozilla developer Mike Shaver announced the project saying, "The first Lightning release is planned for the middle of 2005. Lightning is a different project as the current calendar extension for Thunderbird and it is not planned to replace the current extension with Lightning. While the current extension only aims for a loose integration with Thunderbird, Lightning aims to integrate into the main Thunderbird UI and user interaction model as tightly as possible."
Opera Lets its Browser do the Talking
Opera Software has made available a beta of its next generation Web browser which promises better viewing capabilities, improved RRS handling, a refreshed user interface and built-in speech technology.
The beta is classified as a major release that is sure to place added pressure on rival Microsoft, which has seen its market share slipping as of late. The currently unnamed browser innovates over previous releases by accepting voice commands and will even read Web pages to the user.
AOL Takes on Rivals with Free Web Mail
America Online is currently beta testing a refresh of AOL Mail on the Web in preparation for a rollout of its own free Web mail service to the masses early next year. The Mail on the Web beta went live late Wednesday with a new user interface and several performance enhancements.
The new Web mail service features rich text, drag and drop capabilities between folders and automatically refreshes the inbox so users can view new mail in real time. Eventually, AOL will make the service presence aware with AOL Instant Messenger Integration.
Adobe Leaves Behind 9x with Acrobat 7
Customers who have not made the upgrade to Windows 2000 SP2 or XP will find themselves unable to view and create the newest PDF files. Adobe Acrobat 7.0 does not support the Windows 9x code base; instead, Adobe has opted to offer its latest release only to users who are running recent versions of Windows.
The 7.0 release offers up many enhancements that industry analysts have hailed as "groundbreaking," but will not be back ported to earlier versions of Windows. Acrobat Reader 5 and 6 will remain as the primary options for legacy Windows platforms.
Project to Boost Open Source Efficiency
Although open source software may be gaining in popularity, more projects mean a steady rise in complex managerial challenges.
With efficiency as its driving goal, a consortium of European research institutions and open source software companies have paired up to manage the complexity of large scale, modular projects by establishing a program called EDOS, Environment for the Development and Distribution of Free Software.
Apple Extends iBook Replacements
Macworld is reporting that Apple has announced a continuation of its iBook Logic Board replacement program for customers who purchased their Macs between May 2002 and April 2003 and have encountered logic board failures. All customers are entitled to a free repair whether they care still under warrantee or otherwise.
Video component failures may cause iBooks to exhibit distorted video playback, unexpected lines on the screen, intermittent images, video freezes or computer start ups with blank screens. The replacement program extension lasts until March 18, 2005.
Froogle Gets Thrifty with Product Reviews
Careful buyers have a new reference to check out before they spend their hard-earned cash. Google has announced a beta preview of Froogle Product Reviews, as an add-on to its Froogle shopping engine that provides both product and store ratings.
Whether consumers are attempting to minimize buyer's remorse or merely acting on impulse, Froogle has also been updated with a "Shopping List" feature similar to what is found on most e-commerce Web sites.
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