Byte Into It - 18 Mar 09

20 years of the World Wide Web:

Top 10 best things about the web - Internet - iTnews Australia

Beyond just one site or service, this list ranks the best ways in which people have been able to use the internet.
Video:Prior to the web, video was hardly a democratic medium. If you wanted to reach a large audience, you had to own a studio of some sort and have a large enough budget to distribute your creations. For the individual user, videos were more or less an archival tool to collect family memories.
Humour: One of the most appreciated characteristics of the web is its ability to bring a good laugh. Not everyone feels that the same things are funny, and you only have to look at the furore caused by cartoons of Mohammed to see that not everyone enjoys a giggle at the same things. But humour is an indisputable part of human life, and the web helps export that to all. Laughter is always better than anger.
Gaming: The immediate benefit from web gaming that comes to mind is the ability for the socially awkward to better connect and enjoy the hobby that has largely isolated them in the first place. The average gaming geek probably has a much larger circle of friends thanks to the web. But what it has also done is open a new hobby to those who otherwise would have been turned off by the isolation and loneliness. One of the main reasons why online RPGs have sold and thrived better than their local PC and console-based predecessors, is that playing them is no longer a solitary activity. The social nature has also broadened the spread of gamers, so that the gender imbalance is a lot less of a problem than it was.
History: Historical preservation is one of the more underappreciated aspects of the web. But never before has there been such a powerful vehicle for people to share their collective history not only with new audiences, but more thoroughly with future generations.
Culture:One of the most profound consequences of the web has been the plethora of cultures it has spawned and will continue to spawn in the future. Before the web took off there were already subcultures developing online. Bulletin boards catering to particular interests used their own languages and conventions to spot people who didn't belong, the lack of physicality made for a more egalitarian outlook and users began to experiment with different organisational structures. Social networking has taken this phenomenon mainstream, and is continuing to affect how people organise themselves today. Groups are no longer based on a shared proximity.
Activism: Using the web, activist groups have not only been able to organise more effectively but to share information and campaign literature. In more mainstream protests the online petition is gaining credibility and services like theyworkforyou.com in the UK have made it much easier for people to get in contact with their elected representatives. The politicians may hate this, but they notice it. But it's not just politics; the web has made consumers more active as well. Had a bad experience with a supplier? There are sites to let people know and businesses are increasingly monitoring to see where they are falling down. Activism was also previously very limited by geography and surrounding demographics which could often reduce it to only the most dedicated individuals.
E-commerce:Not only have businesses seen the advantages of e-commerce, but consumers have benefited greatly as well. Just as a store owner can now sell an item to a buyer in another corner of the country, a consumer can buy a specialised item from a store hundreds of miles away that would have otherwise had to be ordered at a premium cost, or painstakingly purchased through a catalogue service. Then there's the bargains. A service such as Amazon would never have existed in the real world because doing so would have resulted in a sort of flea market layout that covered the entire state of Kansas. With the web, users can compare prices from dozens of retailers in multiple locations from a single screen. For things such as travel and hotel prices, it would be nearly impossible to match the efficiency of bargain-hunting web sites.
Neutrality:Often, it devolves into trolling contests or pointless back-and-forth, but when it does work, the web can become a truly excellent forum for debate and as reliable a method for presenting an issue from a neutral point of view as there ever was. Net neutrality was built into the foundations of the web, and long may it continue. Without neutrality we'd have no Google; lesser search technologies would have paid their way to faster access and we'd all be poorer for it.
Entrepreneurship: Fifty years ago, starting a small business meant either opening a restaurant or a local retail shop. A handful of people were able to expand those operations into regional outfits, and even fewer were able to go national. But when the web exploded, so did the prospects for entrepreneurs.
Information: The web is, was and will always be about the dissemination of information. With the web everyone has the ability to let everyone else know facts and data. This ability has opened people up to stuff they never even thought about, and has greatly expanded the ability of educators, researchers and businesses to go about their businesses. It has also democratised the information process. In the past newspapers could censor, publishers refuse manuscripts and governments ban writing. Now, with the ability to put all of this stuff online and spread it around, the consequences for human societies will be huge.For a start representative government depends on an informed electorate. Certain governments still try to keep their citizens uninformed about events and actions but the web makes that more and more difficult.

Top 10 worst things about the web - News - PC Authority

Overcommercialisation: At times, navigating the web can be a lot like walking through a giant bazaar of overenthusiastic street vendors and desperate used car salesmen.
Overexposure: Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube… we have become a society that is rapidly losing any sort of comprehension of the term "too much information." When Jim Carey made "The Truman Show" ten years ago, the idea of broadcasting a person's entire life was scary and surreal, these days it has its own term- lifecasting.
Conspiracy theories:While the internet did a great service by allowing everyone to engage in intelligent discussion and debate, it also created a giant annoyance by giving a platform to every raving lunatic capable of typing the phrase "wake up, sheeple."
Memes: With the wisdom of collective groups comes the utter stupidity of large groups of people as well. For a period after 'Waynes World' came out for example there was always some git who used the word 'Not' to show how clever they were. The web has made the power of them much more effective.
Stalking: For every tool that makes it easier to track down old co-workers and classmates, the ability for dangerous individuals to track their victims also becomes easier. The most disturbing trend seems to be with teenagers. As just about everyone seems to believe in their own invincibility between the ages of 15 and 24, the idea of handing over very personal information to strangers or casual online friends is given little thought by many kids. This is already leading to some very tragic and frightening stories.
Addiction: Some people are addictive personalities who are naturally prone to become hooked on things. Others have obsessive tendencies that can force them to neglect basic and necessary things in the pursuit of a single goal. The scary thing about the web is that it gives so many different types of people ways to become dangerously engrossed.
In some ways the web can become addictive for its ability to replace reality. However, it can be just as dangerous for its ability to supplement reality. A gambler may only be able to get to the casino a couple weeks out of the year, but an online casino can be accessed 24/7 from the comfort of your own home, without the travel or accommodation costs but with all the same abilities to drain bank accounts
Porn: erotica and sexuality have a rightful place in adult society; just about any psychologist will tell you that to deny those urges is to invite madness. But the wild-west climate that accompanied much of the online porn industry has also lead to some very dangerous new attitudes and operations. Psychologists are also concerned that it is warping people's expectations of what sex is all about.
Viruses/Malware: "Entrepreneur" isn't always a term that applies to good guys. While many code jockeys and retailers have been able to make millions of dollars making people's lives easier, just as many malicious individuals have managed to make big bucks by screwing things up. Prior to the rise of the web, identity theft was a fairly rare criminal occurrence. Now, it's a multi-billion dollar trade. Access to massive archives of personal information can be had for pennies on the dollar.
This has lead to the rise in malware. Once considered fairly harmless pranks by hackers, writing and spreading viral computer infections and malicious software tools has become a highly lucrative criminal enterprise.
Fraud: Fraud is yet another occurrence that may not have been invented after the web, but it was most certainly given new life by it.
Fraudsters used to be thought of as slick-talking cons. Now they can be anyone from a bored teenager in Canada to a crime syndicate in Eastern Europe.
Again, the problem comes down to anonymity. Just as nobody on the internet knows you're a dog, they also don't know that you're not a Swiss bank executive or a Mastercard account manager. The web has both streamlined and democratized fraud, making a sort of perfect storm for criminal activity to flourish.
Disinformation: If information is the best thing about the web then disinformation has to be the worst. Now the phrase “I read it on the internet” has become a term of derision. The situation has not been helped by services like Wikipedia. While the online encyclopaedia is a massively good thing it has also allowed misinformation to spread more quickly and effectively. It has even allowed the creation of alternative information sources which are intentionally biased, such as Wikipedia rip-off Conservapedia.

SitePoint » Can You Imagine the Web in 20 Years?

Here are three growing trends that I’m excited to watch over the next few years.

Even more web-based applications: Web-based apps have been around for awhile, so this is a no-brainer, but I think it’ll go gangbusters once popular apps reach the mainstream. Thinking about great web apps like 280 Slides, the Aviary graphics apps, Google Apps, and Photoshop Express, I think it’s fair to say that we’re well on the way to a world where everyone — not just us geeks — find it easy to manipulate and store files online. As these applications become simpler and more enjoyable to use, the more likely Joe Sixpack is to adopt it. Best of all, the ability to create brilliant, useful, and unique apps is increasingly available to web developers like you and me.

Security will become an even bigger deal: It seems as though every week there’s yet another story about a security problem with an online service — whether it’s a malicious Facebook app, private documents exposed to the world, or a compromised online banking service. As we move towards conducting more and more of our personal business online, and as more of us carry around a little web device in our pockets, this issue will have to come to the forefront of everyone’s minds — beyond the security experts, to everyday people too. I think the strongest evidence of change will be a lot more education, and a massive shift in people’s attitudes about security. From a techie perspective, however, the time is right (and the time is right now!) for useful, friendly tools that make it much easier for everyday consumers and businesses to secure their identities and data.

The mainstream media refuses to die: It seems cool lately to proclaim long and loud (and perhaps with a dash of smugness) that the end of the world is nigh for the mainstream media. But this is far from the truth — while the mainstream media as a whole might stumble from time to time with the new way, leaders in the field are now showing that they’re ready to embrace new media and all that it offers. Here’s one recent bit of evidence: UK newspaper, The Guardian, just released an API that exposes their news content, free to mash up and reuse. Developers are already using this data to create geographic visualizations of the news. It’s a great example of mainstream media reaching out to the new media, and I think this trend will keep on growing.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Apple unveils new iPhone features

Apple has unveiled what it calls a "major update" to the operating system that drives the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Some of the 100 new features included in the update replicate those already offered by other smart phones.

The new functions include cut, copy and paste, long demanded by iPhone users, picture messaging and an in-phone search feature, but not Flash video.

Dell unveils slim Adamo ultra-portable with $2K base price - Ars Technica

Dell took the wraps off its new Adamo luxury notebook line. The aluminum-clad machine is billed as "the world's thinnest laptop," and its stylish casing and overall specs make it a worthy entry into the ultra-portable fray. However, the Adamo's  starting price seems like an odd choice given the state of the economy and the popularity of inexpensive netbooks.

First, the specs: this notebook packs some pretty decent power into its 0.65"-thick, four-pound frame. The display is a 13.4", 1,366 x 768 pixel, LED-backlit flat panel with true 16:9 HD proportions, and has a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam and microphone. It comes with either a 1.2GHz or 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor with a Centrino chipset and 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The only internal drive option is a 128GB SSD, though Dell offers matching aluminum-clad external hard drives in 250GB or 500GB capacities, as well as external DVD-RW or Blu-ray optical drives. Of course networking includes draft-N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and gigabit ethernet—3G "mobile broadband" is an add-on option, but it doesn't appear to be available in Dell's configurator at this time.

BBC NEWS | Technology | The future beneath your fingertips

The success of the iPhone has given rise to a new grammar of touch control while the advent of multi-touch in Windows 7 will further accelerate the evolution of human computer interfaces, the South by SouthWest festival has been toldBen Rigby, from web firm Mobile Voter, told the conference that the "paper-like layered interface" of systems like Windows, Linux and Mac OS, did not work in today's social computing world. "It's essentially paper. we are socialising on a flat paper-like interface. This is a 30-year-old interface. Chris Bernard, a user experience evangelist for Microsoft, told BBC News: "In the real world we are working out how to build things like the Minority Report interface."Mr Bernard said: "It's hard to predict the future but it's hard not to say that touch isn't going to continue to innovate in mobile."Right now we talk about multi-touch screen; in the future it will be air-based gestural movements with the device.He added: "I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years every visual device had touch capabilities."Microsoft's second generation Surface will be able to read gestures as well as physical touches to the screen thanks to infrared cameras embedded in the device.

Today at Boing Boing Gadgets - Boing Boing

• Apple announced iPhone OS 3 in Cupertino: push notification, MMS, turn-by-turn GPS and, yes, cut and paste..
• Gazaro is a new price-tracking gadget site.
• Dell announced details of its Adamo luxury laptop today.
• Rob reviewed Ooma, the lifetime free VoIP system.

BBC - Newsbeat - Technology - Twitter growth explodes in a year

It's not just the public using the site either - celebrities like Barack Obama, Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have all jumped on the bandwagon.

Market research company Nielsen Online says Twitter grew by 1,689% from February 2008 to February 2009.

That means there are now more than 1.78 million people signed on.

This time last year the social networking site only had 100,000 members.

The same figures, however, show Facebook is still far and away the leading social networking site, with 17.8 million users and steady, strong growth of 114%.

Google: Internet disconnection a "disproportionate" penalty - Ars Technica

Google makes clear in its comments that it supports copyright and the ability of rightsholders to stop infringement, but it has serious concerns about the process, especially when no judge is involved in disconnection proceedings. "Mere allegations of copyright infringement should not trump users' rights," says the filing. "Copyright law is often complex and context sensitive, and only a court is qualified to adjudicate allegations of copyright infringement. Indeed, in Google’s experience, there are serious issues regarding the improper use and inaccuracy of copyright notices by rights holders."

This last bit seems like a direct shot at New Zealand's major labels, which said in a filing of their own that "the evidence that the recording industry provides to ISPs is highly reliable, well-tested and has been accepted in countries around the world as the basis of criminal and civil legal actions."

EFF's searchable archive of secret government docs - Boing Boing

March 15-22 is Sunshine Week, an annual, non-partisan initiative to promote government transparency and the public's "right to know." EFF is celebrating by posting a heap of uncovered government documents online and launching a new search tool that lets the public search through them all by keyword. The documents cover cutting-edge digital civil liberties issues, like the Department of Homeland Security's data-mining projects, and FBI's surveillance technology, for example.

Would you buy an Intel smartphone? | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

One thing is certain. A re-badged Apple iPhone running Windows isn't going to upset the Apple cart (pun intended).

So, one obvious challenge is for Intel to get its considerable weight behind a new smartphone or mobile Internet device (MID) design that resets the market.

Just so happens there's a design that Intel has been brandishing for a couple of years now (see photos). It's essentially a high-end wide-screen smartphone or MID (choose your favorite device category nomenclature).

A series of videos demonstrating the Intel Moorestown-based mobile device pretty clearly show how--by virtue of the wide screen--the device would be different.

The headset that will mimic all five senses and make virtual world as convincing as real life | Mail Online

A virtual reality helmet that recreates the sights, smells, sounds and even tastes of far-flung destinations has been devised by British scientists.

The device will allow users a life-like experience of places such as Kenya's Masai Mara while sitting on their sofa.

They can also enjoy the smell of flowers in an Alpine meadow or feel the heat of the Caribbean sun on their face.

Android sales to outstrip iPhone by '12? | Wireless - CNET News

Android smartphone sales will outstrip iPhone sales by 2012, market researcher Informa Telecoms & Media has predicted in a new report.

Last month, Telefonica Europe said that sales of the iPhone topped 1 million in the U.K. Although T-Mobile UK--the exclusive carrier of the first Android device, the G1--wouldn't say exactly how many of the devices had been sold, it did say the handset now accounts for 20 percent of its contract sales.
Photos: Hands-on with the HTC Magic Android phone

Web behemoth Google released the first beta developers kit for its Android open OS platform in August, with the first handset--the G1 smartphone--launching the following month. A second handset, the Magic, is expected to arrive next month.

Apple's iPhone has a slightly longer heritage--with the first device arriving in the U.S. in June 2007. However, the iPhone 3G hit stores last July, giving it only a few months' head start on its Google rival.

Both Android and OS X are eating into the market share of the best-selling smartphone OS maker, Symbian. Last year, just under half of smartphones sold were based on Symbian--a drop of 16 percentage points from the year before when it had 65 percent market share. BlackBerry OS, Linux, and Windows Mobile are also gaining popularity and eating some of Symbian's share, according to Informa.

However, London-based Informa believes Symbian's switch to open source will help the Symbian Foundation maintain its leadership over Android, Linux, and Microsoft over the next few years.

TG Daily - Palm OS: Dead, forever

There never will be another smartphone to utilize the Palm OS. The company announced today it will begin a transition to webOS while also supporting Microsoft Windows products. The current Centro smartphone will be the last phone to utilize the Palm OS.

Palm is currently working to convince about 30,000 Palm OS software developers to move their applications to the new operating system. Even so, at this point the company has divulged very little information about webOS, which reportedly supports many different web standards.

Google updates Chrome Web browser to boost speeds - Software - iTnews Australia

Google has released a new version of its Chrome Web browser, as the search giant continues its efforts to get a foothold in a market dominated by Microsoft.

The new Chrome represents the first major update of the software aimed at the general public since Google entered the browser business six months ago.

It offers Web surfers faster performance and a handful of new features, such as auto-filling of personal information on online forms and a new way for users to drag around tabs of different Web pages within the browser window.

Roll your own Linux, share with the world - My other OS is Ubuntu - Blogs - PC Authority

SUSE Studio is an experimental distribution customisation system from Novell, based on its SUSE Linux distribution.

From its web interface, you can build up your own customised Linux system, starting from a base template and adding the extra packages you need.

At the end of the process, SUSE Studio builds your configuration in to a disk image, in one of a number of formats: a raw image that you can write to a hard drive or USB key, a live CD image that you can burn and boot from, or a VMware disk image for virtualisation.

The SUSE Studio concept isn't entirely dissimilar to Red Hat's Kickstart tool, which lets sysadmins write scripts that automate the Red Hat installation process, complete with custom package selections or configuration changes.

Both could help a sysadmin roll out the same customised OS to multiple systems, but what sets SUSE Studio apart is its easy web-based interface and community-focused design.