Following Mozilla’s announcement in late 2010 of their plans to develop open web-based apps suitable for any device and any browser, liberating users from existing restrictive services that utilise APIs specific to a given device or platform, in the last week Mozilla have published the First developer release of their Web Apps Project, aiming to provide users with “open and flexible distribution options”. (more…)

Remember when you were a child, and you wrote in the sand on a beach? You’d take a stick or spade, and write your name and details, and in a matter of hours your information was washed away back to smooth beach, with no record of your presence. (more…)

There has been somewhat of a power struggle occurring in recent months, as all of the internets heavy hitters vie to take users from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer in the hope of damaging the monopoly that Microsoft have on the browser market. The recent announcement of the browser ballot scheme has evidently forced Microsoft’s hand as they have announced the long awaited arrival of Internet Explorer 9, albeit just a preview of it. (more…)

As of the first of next month, the Chinese Government will be requiring all new PCs to be loaded with state issued software, blocking certain websites considered inappropriate. The government is claiming that the move is aimed at protecting children and young people from some of the more harmful content available online, though many have suggested it might be more about controlling access to subversive sites not considered to be ‘in the public interest.’ (more…)

Yesterday I spoke about the the improvements that IE8 has made to its tab function. Well, I have one more improvement to tell you about. It seems that Microsoft have really gone for it with the tab stuff this time and in the process created what, for me at least, is perhaps the most interesting development in the whole of IE8.
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If you were to ask Microsoft about the new version of their (for now) market leading web browser, they’d tell you without hesitation that it’s easier to use and safer than ever. Those are the key watchwords this time, safe and easy, but how close to the truth is the Microsoft hype?
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Last month’s launch of Chrome is set to wake Microsoft’s bosses from slumber. They have feared this since 1990s. Chrome was very imposing. But its acceptability may take some time. Corporate houses may not switch over to Chrome just like that. They will need lots of convincing and for that Chrome has to be many times better than the IE and Fire Fox browsers. Even Microsoft had problems in convincing its IE users to switch over to newer versions. Along with Chrome, Google has packaged high performance Java-Script Engine with Google gears, a mechanism to store offline web applications.
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