You are now reading this article. That makes you one of the millions of people who are using the web on a day-to-day basis, not only for web pages, but also for the so-called applications: you’re uploading and watching videos, chatting with each other, playing web-based games.
From the beginning of web browsers, which dates back to late 1980s (when a number of technologies became the basis for the first web browser, the WorldWideWeb), lots of things changed. For example, the applications I was referring to earlier didn’t exist when the first browsers were created. That’s why there must be some kind of synchronization between the development of browsers and the permanent and uncontrollable reorganization of web users’ needs.
Starting yesterday, there is publicly available on The Official Google Blog a comic book meant to introduce their new open source browser, presented under the name of Google Chrome. Moreover, Google announced for today the launching of the beta version of the new browser in more than 100 countries.
Confident in the capability of adding value for users and helping drive innovation on the web, Google explains its decision like this: it would be more useful to start from the scratch and design a new browser according to today’s web applications and today’s users. In consequence, Google Chrome fits in the context, because it accomplishes all the requirements: it is more stable, faster, more secure and allows Javascript itself to be a lot faster for web applications. In addition, Google Chrome is a fully open source browser which features a clean, simple and efficient user interface.
People using the web spend a lot of their time working inside a browser, for different types of activities, from search to chat, email or even collaborations in a browser. The spare time isn’t forgiven either, as we shop, bank, read news and keep in touch with our dear ones, yes, you got it right, in a browser. As we tend to spend more and more time online, the best thing that could ever happen was the apparition of a browser built from scratch on the best elements out there. The web is not the same anymore. The simple text pages turned in time into rich and interactive applications which made imperatively necessary a fast reconsideration of the browser.
The browser window is streamlined and simple because few people are interested in the browser itself; they give more attention and importance to a tool helping them to run the important stuff, such as pages, sites and applications that make up the web.
As we leave the window behind, we get to the foundation of the browser, which runs all sorts of complex web applications much better. In order to prevent one tab crashing another and to improve protection from rogue sites, each tab is kept in an isolated “sandboxâ€. The browser is what we can call “speedy†and the time of response is considerably higher across the board. Because of the numerous web applications that aren’t yet possible in today’s browsers, Google designed a more powerful JavaScript engine, called V8, aimed to make those apps utilizable.
Google reaffirmed their desire concerning the competition: they think it would be in the best interest of the web to help each other on the path of innovation and they recognize the fundamental role other open sources projects had in the development of their own project. As they had the chance to use components from Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla’s Firefox, among others, they decided to join the team and share the spirit by making their code open source as well.
Concerning the announcement of Google’s Chrome browser, Tristan Nitot, the President of Mozilla Europe, commented the relationship between Google and Firefox, reassuring everyone about the fact that they’re not worried too much, even if they would never disregard their competitor.
As a matter of fact, Mozilla should keep their guard up, as from now on Google Chrome is available for download (for Windows Vista and Windows XP) right here.
What’s all the fuss about Microsoft’s Mojave Experiment?
Well, it seems that the event organized by Microsoft hosted a mass experiment consisting of a demonstration of the future operating system’s capabilities, by allowing all the visitors to operate it for a few minutes. The deal was to play a bit with Windows Vista before getting on the Mojave system.
Seen in the media as a sneaky method of promoting the operating system in a way never encountered before in history, the Mojave Experiment is a quite impressive idea.
The Vista trial lasted 10 minutes for each user so we’re not surprised to find out that the overall mark was of 4.5, from a 1 to 10 rating scale. After this failure, people went further on the Mojave system and there were about 120 users in total, invited to attend the demonstration. At the end they had to rate this one too, and here all had another surprise – the marks went higher at 8.5 on the average. Everything was fine till that point.
Microsoft though, threw a large bomb after all this interesting show, by announcing that Mojave is actually Windows Vista disguised. Yea, and this smart thing was done to prove that users of Vista-running computers have formed a bad impression about it, which is not correct and was influenced by advertisers who are hungry for black advertising.
Other details from the media are about the hardware of the system which was running on Mojave during this experiment. There was a HP Pavilion dv2000 computer integrating 2GB of RAM memory, no extraordinary configuration. The percentage of satisfaction was as follows: 89% of users were satisfied by Mojave, 83% would even recommend it to a friend or family member.
MorphThing is a cool website which helps you to combine two people faces and create a new figure having all facial characteristics from the uploaded pictures. It is a free and simple process that anyone can do in a matter of minutes with a very funny result. You’ll never know how the final figure will look like and it’s always a surprise.
All you need to do before starting to morph things is to create an account on the website. After that you will follow several easy guided steps to combine your favorite images. You won’t need any graphic design knowledge or to know how to work with complex programs similar with Adobe Photoshop. And there is also no maximum image size requirement.
To morph two uploaded images you have to prepare them, as i said earlier, by placing small green dots on specific face points, indicated by the guide, used to define each the face characteristics. You will start with the upper point of the face, continuing to the bottom, and placing dots on the eye, nose and hair margins. MorphThing advices you to choose the two pictures with people looking in front, preferably with the mouth shut, and having the same head position, these to avoid unpleasant results.
Pictures also should better have 300 x 400 pixels to minimize distortion, and you should try to find faces with no eye glasses, heavy makeups, cigarettes or other things.
The morphing process will always be a fun thing to play with in your free time, and consists of distorting an image while fading it into the second one by marking key points and vectors on both images.
There are other websites that perform morphing of two images and MorphThing is one of the best and friendly.
As Christmas is close, I thought to recommend you a nice screensaver I have just found on the Internet, with this feast theme.
It is a superb screensaver meant to spread the Christmas fragrance into your house, with its beautiful colors and specific music.
In the middle of your screen you will have the big and impressive Christmas tree decorated with flashing lights, warm candle lights, a snowman and elves.
If you add some sound effects and tree moving effects you will surely be introduced deeper in the Christmas atmosphere.
You can customize what you see by accessing the menu by clicking the right mouse button. You can start with moving the clock shown in the center, or turn the sound off, but maybe it is nicer to let it on and see how the spectacular lights are flashing according to the sounds.
Customize colors or lights and even lights’ shapes like rays or spirals. Add or remove some of the cones, make the snow fall in bigger quantities.
Coming from 3D FairyTayle, the latest version, 1.75, is a shareware version compatible with Windows 98/ME/ 2000/ 2003/XP.
What the latest version brings with are Musical Lights and the option to get music from your computer directly, like your favored Christmas songs.
For running it you need to have a 3D accelerated graphics card and at least version 9 of DirectX. For DirectX 8 I recommend you to get the previous version of the screensaver, Christmas Tree Screensaver 1.73.
You can download the demo version of this screensaver you can do it from here, and later if you would want to get rid of the nag-screen, have the possibility to save your own menu settings and to get free e-mail technical support and updates, you will have to order it for $14.95.
At this year’s edition of the Extend Firefox contest, the Firefox team invites all talented developers to show up with new plugins ideas for the popular browser.
A group of specialists formed by people from Mozilla, Yahoo, StumbleUpon, Netvibes, del.ici.ous and Adaptive Path, will review the projects and decide who will be rewarded with:
-The Grand Prize for 3 people, each receiving the Ultimate Firefox Developer Kit which includes:
• Travel and accommodation to a Mozilla Developer Day of the winner's choice, anywhere in the world
• Development gear, including a brand new 15" Macbook Pro with VMware Fusion and ActiveState Komodo
• 1 Year Unlimited Access subscription to O'Reilly's Safari Library
• Firefox Ogio Messenger Bag stuffed with t-shirts, books, stickers, mugs, and more
-The Runner-Up Prize for 12 people that will receive Firefox Pack each, including:
• Firefox Ogio Messenger Bag stuffed with t-shirts, books, stickers, and more
• ActiveState Komodo, mug, and t-shirt
• A $200 Gift Certificate for O'Reilly Books
All qualifiers will receive a Limited Edition Extend Firefox T-Shirt.
The Extend Firefox contest will last until the end of the year.
Besides this developing contest, there is another one initiated by Firefox, and that is Operation Firefox.
It consists of recruiting 50 future agents that will have the honor to place huge Firefox stickers in places like the Everest Mountain or NYC Rush-Hour Bustle.
We will wait anxious to know the winners.
