Pale Moon 4: Firefox's leaner, meaner twin -- and, whoa is it fast
In the web browser wars, it has long been the case that two names crop up again and again -- Internet Explorer and Firefox. In more recent years, alternatives such as Opera and Chrome have entered the fray, but it is still these two names that get mentioned most frequently. Where Firefox differs from Microsoft's web browser is in the fact that it is open source, which means that anyone is free to work with the code behind the app. This is precisely how Pale Moon came into being, offering a stripped down version of Firefox that is optimized for speed and efficiency.
As Pale Moon is based on the latest Firefox 4 code, it is possible to take advantage of all of the latest features and enhancements that have been included, while eliminating superfluous features that, for most people, serve little purpose other than using up value system resources. The idea behind Pale Moon stemmed from the fact that Firefox has been designed for maximum compatibility with as wide a range of computers, and this includes very old systems.
Web Browsers Traces Eraser covers your Internet tracks
If you're looking to maintain your browsing privacy then there are plenty of tools that can offer at least some help, by deleting your Internet history, cookies and cached files on demand.
This is a surprisingly difficult task to do well, though, and many of these utilities fall short of what most people really need. Browser support can be poor, for instance; the tool may not be as thorough as it claims; and typically you'll get little control over the cleanup process.
Can Mozilla shame Firefox developers to do better?
I sure hope so. Mozilla has posted what Stan Schroeder, writing for Mashable, calls a "Wall of Shame." Firefox users, is this new? I'm just getting back to using Firefox after more than a year -- part of my experiment to purge all Google products and services; I haven't followed Firefox enough recently to answer. New or not, it's a simply brilliant idea. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Opera any other browser developers should copycat this one.
Praise is the carrot. Shame is the stick. Browser makers should use both -- or at least look to see how the stick works for Firefox. Mozilla's main list is 10 "Slow Performing Add-ons," but there are another 40 available to view. The poster-application for good behavior is add-on Firefox Sync, which doesn't slow performance at all. Linkular's FoxLingo - Translator / Dictionary tops the list, slowing the browser's performance by 74 percent. Firebug ranks second, also saps by 74 percent.
Dish's Blockbuster buy: A box office bomb?
Dish Network has won the auction to acquire nearly all of the assets of bankrupt national video store chain Blockbuster Inc., the satellite television company announced on Wednesday.
Dish Network expects to pay a mere $228 million in cash to acquire Blockbuster's 1,700 retail store locations, its brand and trademarks, and its alternative video delivery methods, such as its DVD-by-mail business, retail kiosk, and streaming video on demand services. The deal will close in the second quarter of this year.
More Windows 8 features: PDF reader, Internet Explorer 'Immersive'
A day after revealing Microsoft's plans to bring its ribbon interface to Windows Explorer and a new Welcome Screen, Microsoft bloggers Paul Thurrott and Rafael Rivera have now said the Redmond company plans to ship its own PDF reader with Windows 8, as well as a redesigned and 'immersive' version of its Internet Explorer browser.
Windows 8 is currently in pre-beta form, and is not expected to be released for another two years. While it's unclear whether these leaks are truly that, based on copies of the software obtained by either blogger or more likely part of a controlled leak by Microsoft itself, the posts have provided an intriguing glimpse into the possible future of the Windows platform.
Hotspot Shield snags 1 million users overnight, proves privacy can be monetized
Political unrest quite literally turned Hotspot Shield into an international success story overnight.
During the Egyptian uprisings against deposed president Hosni Mubarak in January and February, AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield software went from 100,000 users in Egypt to over a million over a single 24 hour period. Egyptians found they could use the desktop VPN freeware to obscure their IP addresses and access locally censored services such as Facebook and Twitter.
Apple's meteoric rise triggers realignment of NASDAQ index
The NASDAQ on Tuesday announced that it had changed the weighting of stocks in its NASDAQ 100 index, a move that seemed to affect Apple and Microsoft the most. The changes were necessary due to the fact that the index had not been realigned in quite some time amid the rapidly changing nature of the tech landscape.
For example, before the realignment Apple had a market value that is 46 percent larger than Microsoft, but a weight in the NASDAQ that was some six times as large. Following the realignment, the weight difference has been reduced to about the same as its market value, the apparent intention of the stock index.
MAGIX Website Maker 5: When Flash is enough
The web design market is packed with tools that promise to help you quickly build a website, even if you're a design novice. But while ease of use is great, the end results are more important still: and the dull, static HTML templates you get with many of these packages won't impress anyone at all.
The cross-platform MAGIX Website Maker 5 takes a different approach, by allowing you to create animated Flash-based sites, which you can then customize with a host of animated and dynamic components: music and video players, photo galleries, contact forms, guestbooks, embedded YouTube videos or Google maps and many more.
AT&T iPhone drops calls three times that of Verizon, study says
If you've heard less Verizon iPhone users complain about their phones dropping calls than AT&T ones, that's probably rooted in some semblance of fact. The latest survey from ChangeWave Research shows that AT&T iPhone customers are three times more likely to drop a call than those with a Verizon iPhone.
4.8 percent of those on AT&T had experienced a drop call in the past 90 days, versus only 1.8 percent on Verizon. While the latter model has not been out for the full three months that the survey period covers, the numbers do match up fairly close with that of dropped call percentages across all devices.
Launch Windows apps along the Radian
Radian is an app launcher to replace the Start menu that operates in quite a unique way. Rather than relying on a the usual system of menus and sub-menus, this launcher takes the form of a segmented circle whose sections can be customised to house shortcuts to the programs and documents you use most frequently.
Just like the Start menu, Radian can be accessed from any app, and it can be called up using either the mouse or keyboard shortcuts. The segmented circle is divided into four main sections -- upper, lower, left and right, and these different sections can be used to keep different types of shortcuts grouped together.
Symantec finds targeted cyber attacks skyrocket 93% in 2010
Antivirus software maker Symantec said Tuesday that attacks increased some 93 percent from 2009 to 2010, with a staggering 286 million new threats reported last year alone. An increase in the number of attacks on enterprise systems was noted, as well as the use of social networks as an attack vector.
The firm also noted that there was an increase in attacks using vulnerabilities within the Java framework, as well as the beginning of a shift towards exploits aimed at mobile devices. While many of these attacks come in the form of malicious apps aimed at stealing personal information, Symantec said attackers were beginning to find and exploit security vulnerabilities.
Texas Instruments is 'King of Analog' with National Semiconductor acquisition
Texas Instruments Monday announced it will be acquiring National Semiconductor in an all-cash transaction totaling about $6.5 billion.
National, once called "The King of Analog" has faced declining sales for four years, and had to significantly scale back its production during the recent recession, which meant closing down chipmaking facilities in both China and the United States, and shifting production to its three remaining plants.
'Apple's lead will be very difficult to beat'
Today, Gartner piped in on the fierce debate about media tablet platforms, by giving huge nod to Apple. Uh-oh, so much for Android 3.0 "Honeycomb." The message is intended for CIOs, whom the analyst firm also encouraged to begin supporting media tablets now.
"Fundamentally, the market battle will not hinge on features and specifications; on the fit and finish of a given device; or even on a device at all," David Willis, Gartner research director, says in a statement. "The platform that will prevail will have a strong supporting ecosystem of developers producing a wide range of applications. And in this area, Apple is far ahead of any competition."
Can you give up Google?
I'm going to try. Would you like to join me?
Google has come under increased scrutiny for being a monopolist -- heck, I've lobbed accusations, too. In December, the European Commission opened an "antitrust investigation into allegations that Google Inc. has abused a dominant position in online search." Google sure seems to offer lots of necessary services that businesses or consumers seemingly can't do without. Or can they?
Net neutrality challenges by Verizon, MetroPCS dismissed on technicality
Lawsuits filed against the Federal Communications Commission by both Verizon and MetroPCS earlier this year over its new net neutrality rules were dismissed by an appeals court on Monday. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the lawsuits had been filed too early.
Both wireless companies seemingly had hoped to make the issue about protection of rights to its respective spectrum holdings, but judges appeared to lean on rules surrounding how FCC regulations can be challenged. Legal action can only be filed in the 30 days following the publishing of the policies in the Federal Register.
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