Saturday, January 10, 2009
Work
Chrome For Mac And Linux Slated For First Half Of 2009
8:30AM Adam Pash | Google Chrome’s product manager, Brian Rakowski, said Google is aiming for Mac and Linux releases of the search company’s new web browser sometime in the first half of 2009, according to CNET. This news comes on the heels of the Chrome 2.0 pre-beta release for Windows, which took major steps away from dependence on the Windows platform.
Work
In 2009, Microsoft Still Underestimates The Web
7:30AM Gina Trapani | You’d think that getting soundly beaten by Google and Yahoo over and over in the online space would mean that Microsoft would take the web a little more seriously. You’d be wrong. Case in point: Today’s epic failure around the distribution of the Windows 7 public beta download. This morning Microsoft’s web servers fell to their knees under the pressure of constant web page refreshes by eager and willing enthusiasts who want to volunteer their time to test Windows 7 after Steve Ballmer’s announcement the download would be available today. Is it fantastic that Microsoft is offering this freebie preview? Yes. Is it shameful that they’d be so woefully unprepared for the demand it would draw? That also would be a YES. Sure, hosting a multi-gigabyte download on the web is an enormously expensive undertaking, but Microsoft has more money than God. Plus, while the download itself is large, it’s only of interest to a relatively small portion of the population. If lack of infrastructure to handle an insane traffic spike over a few hours was truly the problem (even though these were conditions Microsoft created), there are lots of alternatives they could’ve used that would have kept their servers up. In fact, users have been happily downloading and distributing the Windows 7 beta build 7000 now for weeks using an efficient file-sharing protocol called BitTorrent. (Think it’s a crazy idea for a company to use BitTorrent to distribute large files? Ubuntu is always seeding a torrent of their main distro.) Sure, Microsoft’s not the only one who’s blown web launches. Apple did it spectacularly with MobileMe, and even an occasional Google product craps the bed when the planets misalign. But for a company that’s pushing cloud computing and web services and trying so hard to prove that they’re ready to move off the desktop and onto the web, today’s Win7 borkfest proves Microsoft is still too clueless about how to do stuff online to be taken seriously. More »
Money
Avoid Binge Buying In Frugal Times
7:01AM Adam Pash | Whether it’s a diet or frugality, the problem with placing extreme limitations on yourself is always the same: Once we feel too deprived, here comes the inevitable binge. Personal finance weblog The Simple Dollar discusses frugality and binge buying, pointing out the difference between frugality designed to improve your financial state and frugality as a tradeoff for financial binges. Many people view frugality as exactly that – a bunch of little steps they can take in areas of their life that are less important so that they can afford to splurge in other areas. “If I eat a cheap meal the next few nights, I can afford to go out to that steak house with my date on Saturday.” “If I carpool, I can afford to buy that new gadget in a few months.” Instead of helping you build a financially stable life, frugal tactics are sometimes used as bartering trinkets to help you keep living the high life. And that’s okay, as long as you’re honest with yourself about what you’re doing. This type of frugality doesn’t serve to put you in a better financial state – instead, it serves to help you maintain a lifestyle that, in some regards, is beyond your means. I’m sure we’ve all done the financial binge, but it’s not as though the two are mutually exclusive, either. You can be thrifty, save tons of money, and still survive a binge or two without negating all the work you put into saving. Still, let’s hear what kind of frugality you practice more often in the comments.Photo by Alan_D. Frugality and Binge Buying [The Simple Dollar] More »
Work
Glims Turns Safari Into A Browser Worth Using
6:00AM Adam Pash | Mac OS X only: Free Safari plug-in Glims adds a handful of new features to Safari, giving it the kind of features one might expect from a more customisable browser. More »
Travel
Workplace Fear Factor Kills Productivity
5:00AM Gina Trapani | Faced with company downsizing and concern about your financial security makes people work harder and not smarter at the office—killing productivity with a fear-fuelled scramble. Business experts, psychologists, and human resources professionals gather over at the NYTimes.com to comment on how the recession is affecting what goes on at the office when everyone’s stressed and freaked out. There’s a reduction in creativity and risk-taking, but also a stronger bond between people having this common difficult experience. There’s a higher appreciation among the employed for their jobs and a willingness to work harder. How is the recession playing out for you psychologically? Are you working harder and getting more or the same amount done? Feeling more fearful and less willing to take risks, or has nothing changed? Let us know in the comments. Fear Factor in the Workplace [Room for Debate Blog | NYTimes.com] More »
Work
How to Dual Boot Windows 7 With XP Or Vista
1:15AM Adam Pash | If you’re dying to try out Windows 7 but aren’t ready to give up your installation of XP or Vista, let’s take a look at how to dual boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista. More »
Work
Windows 7 Beta Ready For (Official) Download
12:34AM Kevin Purdy | Ladies & gents, start your (2.5 million) downloads. The official Windows 7 Beta is ready for download at Microsoft’s TechNet site. It looks like downloading the 32- or 64-bit versions requires a Windows Live ID account, but you can sign up during the click-through process, of course. As you might expect, the servers are a bit bombed,. Having trouble getting through to download? Check out tips on getting the download, and post any work-arounds/mirrors you find in the comments (other than, of course, “use BitTorrent”). Windows 7 Beta [via Ars Technica] More »
Communicate
