To NTFS or not to NTFS—that is the question. But unlike the deeper questions of life, this one isn't really all that hard to answer. For most users running Windows XP, NTFS is the obvious choice. It's more powerful and offers security advantages not found in the other file systems. But let's go over the differences among the files systems so we're all clear about the choice. There are essentially three different file systems available in Windows XP: FAT16, short for File Allocation Table, FAT32, and NTFS, short for NT File System.

FAT16
The FAT16 file system was introduced way back with MS–DOS in 1981, and it's showing its age. It was designed originally to handle files on a floppy drive, and has had minor modifications over the years so it can handle hard disks, and even file names longer than the original limitation of 8.3 characters, but it's still the lowest common denominator. The biggest advantage of FAT16 is that it is compatible across a wide variety of operating systems, including Windows 95/98/Me, OS/2, Linux, and some versions of UNIX. The biggest problem of FAT16 is that it has a fixed maximum number of clusters per partition, so as hard disks get bigger and bigger, the size of each cluster has to get larger. In a 2–GB partition, each cluster is 32 kilobytes, meaning that even the smallest file on the partition will take up 32 KB of space. FAT16 also doesn't support compression, encryption, or advanced security using access control lists.

FAT32
The FAT32 file system, originally introduced in Windows 95 Service Pack 2, is really just an extension of the original FAT16 file system that provides for a much larger number of clusters per partition. As such, it greatly improves the overall disk utilization when compared to a FAT16 file system. However, FAT32 shares all of the other limitations of FAT16, and adds an important additional limitation—many operating systems that can recognize FAT16 will not work with FAT32—most notably Windows NT, but also Linux and UNIX as well. Now this isn't a problem if you're running FAT32 on a Windows XP computer and sharing your drive out to other computers on your network—they don't need to know (and generally don't really care) what your underlying file system is.

The Advantages of NTFS
The NTFS file system, introduced with first version of Windows NT, is a completely different file system from FAT. It provides for greatly increased security, file–by–file compression, quotas, and even encryption. It is the default file system for new installations of Windows XP, and if you're doing an upgrade from a previous version of Windows, you'll be asked if you want to convert your existing file systems to NTFS. Don't worry. If you've already upgraded to Windows XP and didn't do the conversion then, it's not a problem. You can convert FAT16 or FAT32 volumes to NTFS at any point. Just remember that you can't easily go back to FAT or FAT32 (without reformatting the drive or partition), not that I think you'll want to.

The NTFS file system is generally not compatible with other operating systems installed on the same computer, nor is it available when you've booted a computer from a floppy disk. For this reason, many system administrators, myself included, used to recommend that users format at least a small partition at the beginning of their main hard disk as FAT. This partition provided a place to store emergency recovery tools or special drivers needed for reinstallation, and was a mechanism for digging yourself out of the hole you'd just dug into. But with the enhanced recovery abilities built into Windows XP (more on that in a future column), I don't think it's necessary or desirable to create that initial FAT partition.

When to Use FAT or FAT32
If you're running more than one operating system on a single computer, you will definitely need to format some of your volumes as FAT. Any programs or data that need to be accessed by more than one operating system on that computer should be stored on a FAT16 or possibly FAT32 volume. But keep in mind that you have no security for data on a FAT16 or FAT32 volume—any one with access to the computer can read, change, or even delete any file that is stored on a FAT16 or FAT32 partition. In many cases, this is even possible over a network. So do not store sensitive files on drives or partitions formatted with FAT file systems.

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Run Native Linux Applications in Windows Vista - Via Ulteo Virtual Desktop. Binaries tailored specifically to the open source Linux operating system can coexist on the same desktop with Windows Vista and Windows XP programs via Ulteo Virtual Desktop. Essentially, the promise of the Ulteo Virtual Desktop is to deliver Linux applications on Windows via the Ulteo panel. The virtualized environment will permit end users to run native Linux solutions right on the Windows Vista desktop, and integration complete down to the level of sharing the Windows Aero graphical user interface.

"At the moment, you will find a selection of applications that include: Firefox web browser enabled with Flash & Java, the full OpenOffice.org office suite that can deal with your MS Office documents KPdf to deal with your PDF documents, Kopete: the multi-Instant Messaging software that supports MSN and other protocols, Skype, Thunderbird + Enigmail, Gimp and Digikam to manage your pictures and Inkscape and Scribus to create great graphics and newspapers," reads a fragment of Ulteo's description.

But most importantly, Ulteo permits users to seamlessly add and remove layers of applications, from desktop items to gaming products, with development solutions planned to be added in the future. By any measure, Ulteo is a virtualized Linux operating system, but not in the sens of traditional virtualization software. This allows Ulteo to provide a level of performance which is very similar to a genuine Linux platform. The secret behind this is the fact that Ulteo is based on the coLinux port of the Linux operating system to Windows.

"Ulteo Virtual Desktop requires a PC (x86-based) with a modern 32-bit CPU and at least 512MB RAM. At least 4 GB of free HD space is required. A PDF reader is needed. For a better experience, we recommend a DualCore CPU and 1GB RAM. Ulteo Virtual Desktop has been tested successfully on Windows XP and Windows Vista (32-bit only for now)," Ulteo makers added.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Application incompatibility is one of the aspects that have managed to deliver extensive damage to the adoption rate of Windows Vista. However, as Vista matured throughout 2007 and with Service Pack 1 in 2008, so did the ecosystem of software solutions orbiting around the operating system. Despite this, the actual perception of application incompatibility managed to survive, especially in corporate environments. If one end user can deal with a program that is incompatible with Vista rather easy, the same cannot be said about an enterprise dependent on a specific business application with tens of thousands of machines.

"Part of this is perception based on fact - Windows Vista is built on a new architecture that promises tightened security and reliability. Consequently, the applications that ride on top of Windows Vista need to communicate with the kernel in different ways. So what has helped fuel current perception around application compatibility? Why did many applications 'break' in the migration from Windows XP to Windows Vista?" Microsoft asked rhetorically.

And it seems that application compatibility issues consistently point to a single culprit: User Account Control. The watch dog Microsoft introduced in order to train both end users and developers to utilize and respectively build applications running with standard privileges for security reasons has come back to bite Vista uptake.

"Standard user mode limits file and registry access by applications on the computer. User Account Control exposes non-compliant actions, with permission prompts to standard and administrator users. Changes in permissions will cause most of the issues with earlier versions of applications, where administrative access was assumed during development and testing," Microsoft explained revealing the first reason for Vista application incompatibilities.

But two additional sources of compatibility problems are also connected with the UAC. Microsoft pointed to Internet Explorer 7 Protect Mode killing web-based applications as well as the Windows Resource Protection preventing programs to writing to protected areas of the operating system. In the end, the Redmond company traded flexibility for security, and legacy applications tailored to Windows XP running with administrative privileges bit the dust.

Additionally, Microsoft informed that "operating system and browser version numbers change with each release, which might cause issues with applications that check for a specific version number upon installation. Application shims are available to fool the application into thinking the operating system or browser is the application-required version."

And on top of it, the new driver model introduced in Vista, that enables the eye candy Aero graphical user interface, along with undocumented APIs, also caused compatibility issues. Over a year since Vista hit the shelves, the Redmond company claims that the operating system benefits from in excess of 15,000 signed devices and components and the advances brought on by Service Pack 1. In this context, Microsoft is not shy to put forward an invitation to give Vista, now with SP1, another try.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Future Microsoft security products could make use of an additional operating system running on top of Windows in order to protect the underlying platform from malware. A new patent from the Redmond company titled: "System and method for proactive computer virus protection," authored by Adrian Marinescu was awarded on May 20, 2008, describing a solution that is a step forward from the reactive antivirus approach. Proactive technology is currently implemented into all modern top security products available on the market, and as such objections might be raised to Microsoft owning a patent.

However, the Redmond company's patent specifically refers to delivering a dispensable, virtualized operating environment designed to masquerade the actual operating system in order to simulate the execution of potentially malicious code and determining from the behavior whether it is malware or not. The virtualized operating system which would run on top of Windows would be completely isolated from the platform in case the simulated executable is actually malware.

"In accordance with the invention, a virtual operating environment for simulating the execution of programs to determine if the programs are malware is created. The virtual operating environment confines potential malware so that the systems of the host operating environment will not be adversely effected during simulation. As a program is being simulated, a set of behavior signatures is generated. The collected behavior signatures are suitable for analysis to determine if the program is malware," is explained in the description of the invention.

Microsoft has failed to inform whether the solution is a standalone product or integrated into its security offerings. The system described in the patent is tailored to Win 32 operating systems, but according to Microsoft, it can be easily extended onto other platforms which also make API calls. There are, of course, two major issues with this patent. First, members of the security market are bound to object to Microsoft owning a patent on proactive detection. Second, modern malware authors generally take precautions in writing malicious code that checks whether it is running in a virtualized operating.

"Components of the virtual operating environment include an interface, a virtual processing unit, API handling routines, an Input/Output emulator, a loader, a stack data structure, and a memory management unit that manages a virtual address space. These components perform operations similar to a real operating system that receives API calls including but not limited to generating events so that stub DLLs may be loaded into memory, employing a memory management unit to map physical locations in memory to a virtual address space, and allowing potential malware to generate Input/Output (hereinafter 'I/O') when making API calls. The present invention generates computer-executable instructions that are only capable of being filtered by the provided virtual operating environment," reads an excerpt of the patent.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Microsoft is consistent down to perfection in avoiding to reveal any details related to the evolution of Internet Explorer 8. The successor of IE7, which debuted into its first public testing phase at the start of March at MIX08, is built under the leadership of Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. In this context, the translucency strategy for product development, which is Sinofsky's tactic for gaging all details about upcoming products, affects not only Windows operating systems and the Windows Live platform, but also Internet Explorer, specifically IE8.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 has been available for download as a release focused on web content developers and designers since March 5, 2008. Following the launch of the first beta, Microsoft indicated repeatedly that there would be additional testing milestones for the next iteration of IE. At the same time, IE8 Beta 2 was promised for the summer of this year, a version tailored to end users this time, rather than on developers.

Questions about the upcoming Beta for IE8, as well as for the final version of the browser have become nothing short of a refrain for the IE team. And so have Microsoft's answers. During April's Windows Internet Explorer 8 Expert Zone Chat, Eric Lawrence, IE Security Program Manager, explained that a date for the delivery of IE8 Beta 2 was not set in stone.

"Beta-2 will be available later this year. Sorry, I don't have a precise date available," Lawrence stated, adding that the same is valid for the general availability of the browser. "We haven't announced a release date thus far. We're all working hard and very eager to ship a great browser as soon as we can."

Little has changed between April and May as far as details on the next stages in the development of IE8 are concerned. Answering a question about the next build of the browser, a member of the IE feedback and release team had this to say: "We'll have another Beta sometime later this year. Thank you for using Beta 1!"

In addition, John Hrvatin, program manager for developer tools and script engine integration revealed that "IE8 Beta 1 was developer-focused, but we've been listening to input on how to improve the overall browser's appearance and customization that we'll incorporate in future releases." Lawrence emphasized that Microsoft is yet to announce the complete feature set of IE8, and that future releases will build on top of IE8 Beta 1.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Just a couple of days ago, Mike Shroepfer, Mozilla Vice President of Technology, revealed the roadmap for the open source browser beyond version 3.0. According to Shroepfer, Mozilla plans to make available the final version of Firefox 3.0 by the end of June 2008, and push onward with the development of Firefox 3.1. In this context, Firefox 3.1 is planned to hit the second half of 2008, followed by Firefox 4.0 in 2009. But, at the same time, these versions are not set in stone. Mozilla might release Firefox 3.2 or even 3.5 instead of 3.1, and 4.0 is too far way in order to provide anything palpable.

"Although we are talking about a '3.1' as being the next Firefox release and a '4.0' as being the next major release to come from Moz2 (Mozilla 2, the successor of the Gecko rendering engine), the actual version numbers are likely not decided, it is just useful to have one for now to talk about. It also turns out to be easier to increase the version to what you are really going to use later than decrease it which tends to mess up extension authors and nightly testers," explained Dave Townsend, Firefox Engineer.

Shroepfer's version 3.1 contradicts the official Firefox Product Release Roadmap provided by Mozilla, which has a version 3.5 planned between 3.0 and 4.0. But, at the same time, version 3.1 might evolve at least to 3.2 if the situation requires it. This means, of course, that there is a chance end users would be running Firefox 3.5 by this year's end, although it is quite slim. Mozilla will most likely stick to the roadmap offered by Shroepfer and deliver Firefox 3.1 as the successor of 3.0, although version 3.2 cannot really be ruled out.

"Based on the current planned scope of the next release, its all but certain that we'll call it 3.1. If we need to bump api compat in a stable release before 3.1 ships, we'd just bump from 3.1 to 3.2. We've never done so though, and in any case once 3.1 ships, 3.0 has a six month support timeframe before it reaches end of life. If we needed to drop api compat during that timeframe, due to something major, its highly unlikely that we'd rev 3.0 vs. simply bumping everyone to the same 3.2, rather than having them go through two api bustages inside of six months," added Mike Connor, Mozilla Software Engineer.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Even though SP1 for Windows Vista was released to manufacturing in February 2008, and the gold bits of the service pack began being available to the general public in March, Microsoft is still issuing updates for the RTM version of its latest Windows client. It is the case of a compatibility and reliability update for Vista RTM, re-released on May 21, 2008, well after Microsoft wrapped up with Service Pack 1.

"This update resolves some compatibility issues and reliability issues in Windows Vista. By applying this update, you can achieve better reliability and hardware compatibility in various scenarios," reads Microsoft's description of KB938194 which is offered in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions for the respective editions of Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

In the fall of 2007, the Redmond company issued two Vista compatibility, performance and reliability update packs that were essentially bits of the first service pack, but offered to Vista RTM users almost half a year ahead of SP1 via Windows Update. Following the availability of SP1, Microsoft informed that there are users who cannot implement the service pack due to a variety of issues, but mainly incompatibility problems. For them, the KB938979 and KB938194 update packages were reissued. Users of Windows Vista SP1 need neither of the packs.

According to Microsoft, KB938194 will resolve the following problems:
"The screen may go blank when you try to upgrade the video driver.
• The computer stops responding, and you receive a "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error message.
• The computer stops responding or restarts unexpectedly when you play video games or perform desktop operations.
• The Diagnostic Policy Service (DPS) stops responding when the computer is under heavy load or when very little memory is available. This problem prevents diagnostics from working.
• The screen goes blank after an external display device that is connected to the computer is turned off.
• There are stability issues with some graphics processing units (GPUs). These issues could cause GPUs to stop responding (hang).
• Visual appearance issues occur when you play graphics-intensive games.
• You experience poor playback quality when you play HD DVD disks or Blu-ray disks on a large monitor.
• Applications that load the Netcfgx.dll component exit unexpectedly.
• Windows Calendar exits unexpectedly after you create a new appointment, create a new task, and then restart the computer.
• Internet Connection Sharing stops responding after you upgrade a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista and then restart the computer.
• The Printer Spooler service stops unexpectedly.
• You receive a "Stop 0x0000009F" error when you put the computer to sleep while a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection is active."


Source: news.softpedia.com

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Ubuntu Ultimate Edition 1.8, a Linux distribution that's based on Ubuntu Hardy Heron, was launched with the codename "Harty Hotrod". This release is built manually, without the help of the "Reconstructor" application that was used for the previous versions of Ultimate Edition.

This Linux distro comes in two flavors, one for 32 bit platforms while the other is a 64 bit edition. It was created starting from Hardy Heron will all the things that you were used to and many new other features. For instance, if you fancy sounds playing as you’re using your computer, you should know that you will enjoy a new soundscheme created for Ultimate Edition 1.8. Usplash, featuring a dragon, will appear only after you install the distro on your system, and not when you boot it from the Live media.

Ultimate Edition comes with everything you might need. It can be used by novices and even system administrators, as it is packed with applications ranging from media players to tweaking tools. You can listen to MP3s out of the box, and watch your favorite movies with audio and video players like Amarok, XMMS, VLC and Totem. When you have to write a document, view a spreadsheet, make a presentation, etc. you can use OpenOffice, as it comes with all the necessary stuff for your office tasks.

If you want to tweak and tailor the system to fit your needs, you can play around with sysv-init, sum and a few other handy tools for tweaking. Besides, you can keep an eye on your system with the help of sysinfo, MGM (Moaning Goat Meter), and write your own programs with the development tools that are provided with the distribution.

If you are interested in KDE4, you should know that a version featuring KDE4 is being prepared for you, although it has not been officially released.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Google Maps and YouTube on Your Sprint Handset - A new collaboration between the companies has been announced. The American company Sprint has announced today that it would expand its collaboration with the Mountain View giant, Google. Sprint is a wireless and wireline communications service provider that offers its products to both mainstream and business users. Google and Sprint have joined forces for the development of another project that was also announced today.

The new agreement will allow Sprint users to access some of Google's most popular products. As part of its efforts to improve users' dynamic mobile experience, Sprint will start providing easier access to Google Maps for mobile, YouTube and many others. The new tools provided to the Sprint clients are meant to lure more consumers, mostly with the help of the continuously increasing popularity belonging to Google's products.

Providing a fast and easy way to access the Google mobile search engine from their own Sprint handsets will most certainly allow users to better appreciate Sprint's services. Doug Garland, vice president of product management at Google declared that "Google and Sprint have a lot in common when it comes to our vision for the mobile web". He also added that "we both believe in openness and providing compelling, easy-to-use mobile services that consumers can use every day. We look forward to working together to deliver a great experience."

The collaboration between the two companies dates back to November 2006, when Google's Gmail was made available from Sprint's portal.

Google's interest in the world of mobile handsets has long been speculated. There were a number of rumors over the release of a potential G-Phone developed by Google but until now they were only simple speculations. The only thing that Google released, which comes close to a G-Phone, is the Android. The Linux-based operating system was unveiled in November 2007, as a joint venture between Google and the Open Handset Alliance.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Feature Comparison: XP SP3 Professional vs. Vista SP1 - Courtesy of Microsoft. Call it a sign of desperation, a new attempt to blow some wind in the sails of its latest platform, or a reaction to the proverbial last drop, but Microsoft is delivering its own perspective in terms of the comparison between its two Windows clients sharing the vast majority of the operating system market. Just ahead of the availability cut-off date for Windows XP through the OEM and retail channels, the Redmond company has "come out gunning" in a move designed to settle once and for good the XP vs. Vista face-off. And what better way for Microsoft to do this but with a Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 vs. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 comparison? Microsoft's point of view of Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3 is focused on Vista's advances in areas such as security, management, deployment, mobility, and productivity. And believe or not, but Microsoft is doing it all for its customers, in order to help them adjust their expectations.

"During the past year, Microsoft and its ecosystem have made great progress in improving the overall quality and performance of Windows Vista, making the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) release a key milestone for broad enterprise deployments of Windows Vista. Microsoft recommends that all business customers who have not started to evaluate Windows Vista should start deployment planning and piloting Windows Vista with SP1. Windows Vista offers customers unique value from increased security and data protection to improved mobility and productivity to capabilities that customers can use to optimize desktop infrastructures and reduce management costs," reads a fragment of the Redmond company's Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3 feature comparison whitepaper available for download here.

In the same month that Microsoft released Service Pack 1 for Vista to the general public, March 2008, the company touted in passing the 140 million sold licenses milestone. At the same time, internal Microsoft concerns surfaced of how customers, especially in the corporate environments, were failing to embrace Vista. The vast majority of new Vista users acquired the operating system preloaded on new machines instead of dropping XP for the "newer model."

What Microsoft is seeing is that customers who are not upgrading their hardware infrastructure are also sticking with Windows XP instead of making the jump to Vista. Unless users buy new computers, they are not upgrading to Windows Vista at all. For the Redmond company, this means that customers will most likely update Windows XP to Service Pack 3, available as of May 6, and ride the operating system for all it’s got until the next version of Windows, labeled Windows 7, drops, sometime in the 2009 - 2010 timeframe. Even though XP Sp3 is still very much Windows, and Microsoft will be able to at least conserve its share of the operating system market, inexistent Vista upgrades translate to lost business for the Client division. Not a dramatic loss, as over 80% of the Client revenue comes from sales of OEM machines with Windows pre-loaded, but sufficient so that Microsoft would perform its very own XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 comparison. At the same time, customers that are sticking with Windows XP on older hardware instead of upgrading their IT infrastructure and migrating to Vista are the ones really hurting Microsoft.

"Microsoft knows that many customers will adopt Windows Vista gradually, through hardware refreshes (i.e., attrition). During hardware refresh, customers will co-manage Windows Vista and Windows XP. Enhancements to Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3), such as Network Access Protection (NAP), make it easier for customers to more securely integrate both operating systems into their environments. During the transition, using Windows XP with SP3 will help ensure that client computers still running the Windows XP operating system have the most recent security and software updates," Microsoft added.

The Windows XP SP3 vs. Vista SP1 feature comparison covers a few areas of the operating systems from security to management, deployment, mobility, productivity and focuses on items such as: Security Development Lifecycle (SDL); Defense in depth; Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption; Windows Firewall; Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode; ActiveX Installer Service; Group Policy; Standard user accounts; Reliability and diagnostics; Event management; Task scheduling; Image-based setup (IBS); Deployment, compatibility, and asset-inventory tools; Windows Setup; Worldwide single-image deployment; Windows Mobility Center; Sync Center; Offline files; Network Projection; Secure Sockets Tunnel Protocol (SSTP); Power management; Wireless networking; Search and User interface and navigation.


Source: news.softpedia.com

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Fake Windows XP Security Center in the Wild - Beware of Adware/XP-Shield
Back in the past, we saw a huge number of rogue anti-spyware technology which did nothing than to misinform users and trick them into buying unneeded security solutions. Today, a similar scam has been reported by security company Panda Software but, in comparison with the previous attacks, this one relies on a Windows function closely related to security. The Adware/XP-Shield poses as a Windows security center which usually informs you about the status of the security applications on the Windows workstations.

However, this piece of malware misinforms users that their computers are infected and, just like many other rogue anti-spyware products, it asks them to buy a certain security product. Only that buying the product does nothing to the computer because all the attackers want is to actually steal your money.

Once installed on the computer, the malware displays pop-up windows every once in a while, notifying users about the existence of an infection. If the user chooses to continue "unprotected", the application stays in the background and minimizes the window to System Tray.

"It is possible that while we are visiting different websites, several popups are displayed informing us that our system is infected or that our computer is not working properly and in order to solve these problems they recommend us to purchase a certain program. Be careful with this type of software, which will not really solve the problem and will make you lose money," it is mentioned in the Panda Software security advisory.

The malware can be easily identified by the name of the executable files, XPShieldSetup.exe, and by the fact that it drops a shortcut on the Desktop and in the Start menu. The infection only affected the Windows machines, including here Windows 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows ME and Windows 98.


Source: news.softpedia.com

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Microsoft Mute on IE8's Evolution - No deadline for the next stages in the browser's development
Microsoft is consistent down to perfection in avoiding to reveal any details related to the evolution of Internet Explorer 8. The successor of IE7, which debuted into its first public testing phase at the start of March at MIX08, is built under the leadership of Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. In this context, the translucency strategy for product development, which is Sinofsky's tactic for gaging all details about upcoming products, affects not only Windows operating systems and the Windows Live platform, but also Internet Explorer, specifically IE8.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 has been available for download as a release focused on web content developers and designers since March 5, 2008. Following the launch of the first beta, Microsoft indicated repeatedly that there would be additional testing milestones for the next iteration of IE. At the same time, IE8 Beta 2 was promised for the summer of this year, a version tailored to end users this time, rather than on developers.

Questions about the upcoming Beta for IE8, as well as for the final version of the browser have become nothing short of a refrain for the IE team. And so have Microsoft's answers. During April's Windows Internet Explorer 8 Expert Zone Chat, Eric Lawrence, IE Security Program Manager, explained that a date for the delivery of IE8 Beta 2 was not set in stone.

"Beta-2 will be available later this year. Sorry, I don't have a precise date available," Lawrence stated, adding that the same is valid for the general availability of the browser. "We haven't announced a release date thus far. We're all working hard and very eager to ship a great browser as soon as we can."

Little has changed between April and May as far as details on the next stages in the development of IE8 are concerned. Answering a question about the next build of the browser, a member of the IE feedback and release team had this to say: "We'll have another Beta sometime later this year. Thank you for using Beta 1!"

In addition, John Hrvatin, program manager for developer tools and script engine integration revealed that "IE8 Beta 1 was developer-focused, but we've been listening to input on how to improve the overall browser's appearance and customization that we'll incorporate in future releases." Lawrence emphasized that Microsoft is yet to announce the complete feature set of IE8, and that future releases will build on top of IE8 Beta 1.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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Although this update could be seen as early as a few days ago, the Mountain View-based company officially introduced the new Google Translate languages today, along with several other improvements to the translation technology. The newly introduced languages are Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish, raising the total number of supported languages to 23. This means that you can translate websites, texts and words from and to any language supported by the service.

As mentioned, along with more languages, Google has also came with a few other updates. "You can now translate text and web pages as well as perform cross-language searches between any two languages that we offer. For example, we now support Chinese translation to/from any of our languages (e.g., Chinese to French). So for those of you who will be following or attending the Olympics in Beijing this fall, you'll be able to more easily find and access content from local sources," Jeff Chin, Product Manager, wrote on the official Google blog.

Besides that, a "Detect language" function has been added to Google Translate that helps you detect the language of the website or text, and automatically translate it to the language you choose. "Keep in mind that the longer the text, the more accurate it will be. And for those of you who have embedded the Google Translate My Page gadget in your website to give it global reach, these new languages will automatically appear. Developers can also take advantage of these new languages in our AJAX language API," the Google official added.

Just like in the past, Google Translate also provides the "Suggest a better translation" link, which allows regular users to help the technology improve the quality of the translations and thus provide more accurate texts.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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FoxyTunes now supports Blogger
Mozilla and Google are already two good friends but using the power of the browser extensions, the two companies aim to bring more consumers to their solutions. In case you forgot, the search giant designed a browser toolbar, 100 percent Firefox compatible, which comes with one click access for many of the Google services. In addition, the toolbar brings a little bit more security to Firefox, blocking all the pop-ups discovered while you browse the Internet. Today, the Blogger team proudly announced that a Firefox extension becomes compatible with their blog service which is supposed to be the most popular one on the Internet.

FoxyTunes is an interesting browser add-on, especially designed for the Mozilla application that allows you to control your audio player straight from the Firefox interface. Basically, FoxyTunes adds a new bar in Firefox which comes with control buttons such as volume, play or stop a song. However, the FoxyTunes – Blogger interoperability is not about this music control bar. Using the Firefox extension, a user who posts a new article on a Blogger page can easily add a signature in the message with the current artist and song.

"Signatunes is built into the latest version of FoxyTunes for Firefox - it adds a small icon to your favorite webmail and blogging services. This allows you to add a music signature to your message with a click. There is also an 'auto-insert' mode, which allows you to automatically add a Signatune to every message you compose," the official page of the Firefox extension reads.

However, Blogger is not the only blogging service which supports FoxyTunes. In addition, the add-on is compatible with the AOL Blogs, Bebo, Facebook, Yahoo 360, WordPress and many others. Also, you can add a signature into a Gmail, Yahoo, Thunderbird and other mail technologies.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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As we have already informed you, Google has done a good job in providing Google Earth users with information about the latest disasters that struck Asia. Besides the large amount of data meant to inform users about the status of the Myanmar victims, users can also see satellite imagery of China's 7.9 magnitude earthquake. This can be easily done by downloading a KML file to your own Google Earth.

If you want to increase your knowledge about the earthquake disaster, the best way to do so is to turn to YouTube. There, you will see cell phone recorded videos, uploaded by people who lived through the disaster. According to the Chinese mainstream media, there are approximately 600 million cell phone users in China, which means that you are going to see an impressive number of videos uploaded on YouTube. According to the official YouTube blog, most videos and photos have been uploaded by users from China's Sichuan province.

The 7.9 magnitude disaster is the worst experienced by the Chinese people in over 30 years. The earthquake that struck China in 1976 is said to have been the worst mankind has experienced in the 20th century. Estimates indicated it had a dead toll of approximately 255,000, with several thousands being severely injured. Until now, the 2008 earthquake hasn't reached the high amount of victims of its 1976 counterpart, but the number of reported people is in the range of thousands.

Videos that might be considered shocking by some can now be seen on the largest Internet video service. A number of users have uploaded footage from surveillance cameras that displayed people running in the midst the disaster. Scientific videos showing the movement of the tectonic plates and offering a better insight into the causes of the disaster are also available. People are also trying to offer their support to the victims, by placing a pay tribute and trying to raise money and supplies through a YouTube video.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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In case you haven't visited Google Maps recently, you’re probably not aware of its latest updates. This last Tuesday, users visiting Google maps have been faced with a new functionality. Between the Traffic and Map buttons, a new "More..." button has surfaced. The new button has been set to provide users with more information about the different locations on Earth. The "More..." button provides two choices: Photos and Wikipedia.

Clicking the two options will fill your Google Maps with a bunch of icons featuring photos and links from Wikipedia. These links display additional information about specific landmarks and locations. The images are geotagged photos from Panoramio or from different users around the world. By adding this feature Google intends to enhance the users' experience and provide them with as much information as possible about a place. Since the release of Google Maps, Google has continuously brought new features to the online product.

We also informed you, early this week, that Google had added Real Estate information into Google Maps, which you can access by clicking the "Show search options" link and choosing Real Estate. This search options is, at the moment, available only to US users. Adding these new features to Google Maps, the search engine will most certainly provide its users with a comprehensive understanding of their surroundings. Unlike the Real Estate information, which can be used by a restrictive number of users, the photos and Wikipedia links are available worldwide.

News about Google's upgrade to its Maps product surfaced at the Where 2.0 conference, where another piece of interesting information was released. According to Lior Ron, Product Manager of Google Maps, the Mountain View company plans to add a Google News layer for both Google Earth and Google Maps. As some of you might know, Google has reached an agreement with New York Times, which resulted in the first built-in live updating layer of news from the NY Times in Google Earth.


Source: news.softpedia.com

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Google Maps and Google Earth are two of the Mountain View company products that can provide users with a number of useful tools, meant to solve their everyday problems. Since its release in early 2005, Google Maps has received some important new features and upgrades. At this point in time, Google Maps can be used to locate almost anything of significant importance. And because the guys at Google never rest when it comes to improving the quality of their products, Google Maps has recently received a new feature.

If you are planning to relocate and you find it difficult to search for an appropriate place where you and your family can reside, Google Maps might just make your day brighter. Yesterday, Google Maps was announced to have received an upgrade which will provide users with information about real estate. Searching through Google Maps search engine will now give users information regarding the location of any building or real estate available for sale.

Details on the searched real estate includes price, number of rooms, photos and webpage, where users can find more details regarding the property in which they take interest. Google is not directly involved the real estate business, it only provides professional companies a platform for presenting the offers. A number of real estate companies have recently updated their websites with Google Maps' Street View feature, which ultimately provides users with a better understanding of their future-to-be home.

When you want to search something on the Google Maps search engine, you will have to press "Show search options", which enables you to restrict the search results to just real estate. At the moment, the feature is available only to US users.

Adding new features to Google Maps in order to enhance the users' search experience is just another confirmation that Google is continuously trying to improve its products.


Source: news.softpedia.com

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Slackware, one of the most important Linux distributions around, has reached version 12.1 today. The new release comes with many software updates and enhancements, new technologies and lots more. "This first Slackware edition of the year combines Slackware's legendary simplicity (and close tracking of original sources), stability, and security with some of the latest advances in Linux technology. Expect no less than the best Slackware yet." - says Patrick Volkerding in the release announcement.

Slackware 12.1 includes:
• Linux kernel 2.6.24.5, patched with Speakup to support speech synthesizers providing access to Linux for the visually-impaired community;
• System binaries are linked with the GNU C Library (glibc), version 2.7. This version of glibc also has excellent compatibility with existing binaries;
• Xorg 7.3.0;
• GCC 4.2.3;
• Support for fully encrypted network connections with OpenSSL, OpenSSH, OpenVPN, and GnuPG;
• Apache 2.2.8 web server compiled with Dynamic Shared Object support, SSL, and PHP 5.2.5;
• PCMCIA, CardBus, USB, IEE1394 (FireWire) and ACPI support, which makes Slackware a great operating system for your laptop;
• Automatic hardware detection and configuration with the udev dynamic device management system for Linux 2.6.x;
• Updated versions of the Slackware package management tools;
• Large repository of extra software packages compiled and ready to run.

Included applications:
• KDE 3.5.9
• Pidgin 2.4.1
• The GIMP 2.4.5
• Firefox 2.0.0.14
• Thunderbird 2.0.0.12
• Konqueror 3.5.9
• KOffice
• Amarok
• K3B
• SeaMonkey 1.1.9
• gkrellm 2.3.1
• gxine 0.5.11
• XChat 2.8.4
• XSane 0.994
• Qt designer
• KDevelop 3.5.9
• Pan 0.132
• Perl 5.8.8
• Python 2.5.2
• Ruby 1.8.6-p114
• Subversion 1.4.6
• git 1.5.5
• mercurial 1.0

About Slackware Linux:
Slackware was started by Patrick Volkerding with ease of use and stability in mind. This distribution is considered one of the most secure and stable at this moment. You will find the latest popular applications in an environment that offers simplicity and ease of use and, at the same time, power and flexibility. Slackware was created to melt the two worlds, of beginners and advanced users, into a single distribution that could satisfy everyone. Also, it is one of the oldest distributions, being started in April 1993, with the aim to give birth to Linux distribution that's closer to its ancestor, Unix. Slackware can work acceptably even on a 486 machine.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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After six months in the making, since the 3.01 release, Puppy Linux comes with a brand new version, 4.00. The size was drastically reduced, due to the new way of making the distribution: all the packages were compiled from source, with the T2 project. The older release, 3.01, was built by using Slackware 12 binaries.

The developer, Barry Kauler, decided to abandon the old GTK1 and Tcl/Tk and replace them with only GTK2, to provide a much more consistent user interface and reduce Puppy's size. Because this switch was done, GTK2 replacements for some of the applications had to be found.

Here are some of the new GTK2 applications included in Puppy Linux 4.00:
• A PDF viewer called ePDFView
• Osmo, a personal organizer
• Pcdripper and RipOff, two audio CD ripping tools
• mhWaveEdit - audio editor
• MTR (traceroute)
• Pnethood, a Samba client
• Pwireless - wireless network scanner
• pStopWatch (stopwatch)
• With Homebank and ExpenseTracker you can manage your personal finances
• Fotox image viewer
• Gwhere, a disk cataloger
• Prename - batch file renamer
• Pidgin, one of the most popular multi-protocol chat clients
• Gtkam, an application that offers a digital camera interface

Because there was no GTK2 graphical interface for 'xset', Barry Kauler wrote pupX, a frontend that lets you configure the mouse, keyboard and monitor. The theming system for GTK, JWM window manager and desktop background was completely revised. The same Linux kernel that was used in Puppy 3.01 is also being used in Puppy 4.00 (Linux kernel 2.6.21.7). The only thing changed is the Squashfs module that was an upgrade from version 3.2 to 3.3.

PETget, the package manager for Puppy, has now an improved GUI, with package categories and multiple repositories. The type of packages used by Puppy Linux is .pet.

Puppy 4.00 is approximately 88MB in size, and comes with all drivers built-in for scanning and printing, digital camera, audio recording/editing/conversion. Also, it is a complete office environment and has a large collection of utilities.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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The first beta version of GoblinX 2.7 (Standard edition), the popular Slackware-based Live CD Linux distribution, was released on May 4th, bringing many updated software, including Linux kernel 2.6.24.3, KDE 3.5.9 and all the Gnome libraries and applications. Other important features, bug fixes and improvements included in GoblinX 2.7 Beta 1 are:

• Upgraded AuFS, SquashFS and Linuxlive;
• Upgraded several more libraries and packages;
• Upgraded Magic Center and Media Manager;
• Added gosfiles to be read by our interfaces;
• Added webmount features allowing anyone to use modules without downloading them;
• Changes are restored/saved by default now, if the device allows rewrite;
• Changes can be saved to a FAT32 filesystem;
• Upgraded Isolinux menu and added options help text;
• Corrected some bugs and errors;
• Uselivemod will remain activated;
• Added GoblinX Firefox start page;
• Corrected mode and owner issues with Konqueror;
• Added KDM Themes;
• Upgraded KDE, Xfce and Fluxbox default settings;
• Added some more packages.

Source: news.softpedia.com

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