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GmailFS
And you thought that making your Gmail your online storage makes you cool. Meet GmailFS.
GmailFS provides a mountable Linux filesystem which uses your Gmail account as its storage medium.
For a non-techie overview, GmailFS allows you to use your Gmail account as a linux storage (hmm, i wonder how many non-techie people uses linux...). To put it loosely, by using GmailFS, your Gmail account becomes your 1 Gig Drive, completely accessible using your Linux Desktop. You can read more details about the filesystem and a screenshot of it at work on the developer's site. Caption from the site:
What's next, Linux installation on your gmail account?
GmailFS provides a mountable Linux filesystem which uses your Gmail account as its storage medium.
For a non-techie overview, GmailFS allows you to use your Gmail account as a linux storage (hmm, i wonder how many non-techie people uses linux...). To put it loosely, by using GmailFS, your Gmail account becomes your 1 Gig Drive, completely accessible using your Linux Desktop. You can read more details about the filesystem and a screenshot of it at work on the developer's site. Caption from the site:
The obligatory screenshot shows me reading my Gmail via a Firefox launched from an executable stored on the same Gmail account I'm checking my email on. Très nerdy.
What's next, Linux installation on your gmail account?
Blue, Flame... The New Apple iPod from HP
The new Apple iPod from HP wearing Tattoos
Months ago HP and Apple announced a deal allowing HP to sell HP-branded iPod. This came out both as a surprise to the industry and a smack in the face of Microsoft (HP has been a long time MS ally). Apple has been famously known for having a closed strategy in many of its products and the partnership with HP came as a sign that the Company is taking a different approach in its music platform strategy.
I was already wondering what happened to the deal since it took a while before the final HP ipod was announced. It turned out that HP intentionally pushed back the launching date when they learned of the 4th Generation iPod (already being in the works back then). And last Friday HP unveiled the iPod clone (the Miami Herald News is here). Contrary to initial announcements, the "Apple iPod from HP" will be offered by HP in its original clean white color, after finding out that the color has a strong importance to the iPod customers. HP is however offering a new twist in customizing the iPod: customized stickers (Tattoos). The designs shown above are just two of the many stickers that HP will be offering as a way to customize your iPod. (Don't worry, they're easy to put and peel off.)
Apple and Virgin
The Virgin Mega Online Music Store in France is accusing Apple of abusing its dominant market position by not allowing other companies access to FairPlay. It seems that Virgin France values interoperability strongly. That is until you visit their site using Firefox and discover that you need IE to view it. Them shit!
Browse by Name
This (actually a similar feature) has been one of the top features of the firefox browser that I have come to love. And now Google is bringing it to the IE world. Browse by name. So what is it really? And what's the big fuss about it that I'm taking time to blog about it? (I am supposed to be on hiatus...). If you decided to to finish reading my blog first before following my outside links, then here' s the thing about browse by name...
Browse by name is a functionality that's added to your IE browser when you install the Latest Gooogle Toolbar. If you don't know what the Google Toolbar is, you must have been under hibernation my friend and you're missing a lot, but I forgive you. Go here. If you don't know what Google is, then kudos to your Translator, for making you understand my blog despite the fact that you are not from Planet Earth. oseir08hondsfwehr093hfdsnf0892hfnf0h0fsdnf... got that?
Okay. Browse by name lets you type just words instead of complete URL's in your IE browser's addressbar, and Google will take you to the page where you want to go based on the word(s) you typed. If google is not sure about where you really want to go, it displays a google search of the word(s) you typed. For example, typing friendster (yes i know, my example sucks) will take you to the friendster homepage. On the other hand, typing vibester will take you to a search result of the keyword vibester. The burden of deciding whether to search or to take you directly to a page (and to which page) depends solely on Google's algorithm and the company has officially stated that no marketing force affects it. Although similar to the I'm feeling lucky feature, Browse by Name is different because as I have mentioned, there are two possible scenarios that can happen when you do a Browse by Name while only one sure thing happens for I'm feeling lucky (which always takes you directly to the actual web page of the number 1 search result). This is what makes Browse by Name better than Firefox's own version(which is actually just an implementation of the I'm feeling lucky feature of Google). Sometimes, the top result is not always the page that you want, so in this case hopefully Google gives you the search results rather than take you directly to the page. I have no doubt in the merits of the feature-I think it's a step forward in making the Web more relevant and easier to the user. The question now would be: will people discover it? and if yes, will they use it?
Update: Do you feel that Browse by Name is better than Firefox's default Im Feeling Lucky keyword service? Here's how to change the firefox settings to use the Browse by Name service:
Browse by name is a functionality that's added to your IE browser when you install the Latest Gooogle Toolbar. If you don't know what the Google Toolbar is, you must have been under hibernation my friend and you're missing a lot, but I forgive you. Go here. If you don't know what Google is, then kudos to your Translator, for making you understand my blog despite the fact that you are not from Planet Earth. oseir08hondsfwehr093hfdsnf0892hfnf0h0fsdnf... got that?
Okay. Browse by name lets you type just words instead of complete URL's in your IE browser's addressbar, and Google will take you to the page where you want to go based on the word(s) you typed. If google is not sure about where you really want to go, it displays a google search of the word(s) you typed. For example, typing friendster (yes i know, my example sucks) will take you to the friendster homepage. On the other hand, typing vibester will take you to a search result of the keyword vibester. The burden of deciding whether to search or to take you directly to a page (and to which page) depends solely on Google's algorithm and the company has officially stated that no marketing force affects it. Although similar to the I'm feeling lucky feature, Browse by Name is different because as I have mentioned, there are two possible scenarios that can happen when you do a Browse by Name while only one sure thing happens for I'm feeling lucky (which always takes you directly to the actual web page of the number 1 search result). This is what makes Browse by Name better than Firefox's own version(which is actually just an implementation of the I'm feeling lucky feature of Google). Sometimes, the top result is not always the page that you want, so in this case hopefully Google gives you the search results rather than take you directly to the page. I have no doubt in the merits of the feature-I think it's a step forward in making the Web more relevant and easier to the user. The question now would be: will people discover it? and if yes, will they use it?
Update: Do you feel that Browse by Name is better than Firefox's default Im Feeling Lucky keyword service? Here's how to change the firefox settings to use the Browse by Name service:
- go to about:config of firefox (type about:config in Firerfox's address bar then hit enter)
- in the filter text field of the about:config page type keyword.to show all keyword-related preferences
- select keyword.URL from the list, right click on it and select modify from the context menu
- you will be prompted to Enter string value. Enter the string:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q= - That's it. You're Done. Happy Browsing-by-name!
Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL IM interconnection?
From The Inquirer: Microsoft is to announce a deal with Yahoo and AOL that will allow the three companies' Instant Messenging protocols to interconnect to each other. This is good news for everyone. It's about time that efforts be started to bridge the IM divide. I wonder what this means to Trillian and other third party Instant Messenging apps that at the moment fills the interconnection (or lack of) vacuum.
Nokia Lifeblog Beta
Another last bite of the cake before you close the fridge... Another puff of smoke before you totally let go... Another sip of your favorite drink when no one's looking... Another last blog post before I stop (temporarily).
Nokia's Lifeblog is now available. Ideally it works perfectly well with Nokia 7610, but for the rest of us without one, the PC version might suit us just fine...
From the Lifeblog website:
I'm currently downloading the beta software for the PC to test the app. An installer for 7610 is also available. Head on to the Nokia Lifeblog site to download your own. Word of warning: from the way it looks, the software is no light one. It requires Microsoft DirectX 9.
This blog post is my reward to myself for: making the ADC work (and ingeniously mounting it to the PC case)
Nokia's Lifeblog is now available. Ideally it works perfectly well with Nokia 7610, but for the rest of us without one, the PC version might suit us just fine...
From the Lifeblog website:
Nokia Lifeblog is a PC and mobile phone software combination that effortlessly keeps a multimedia diary of the items you collect with your mobile phone. Lifeblog automatically organizes your photos, videos, text messages, and multimedia messages into a clear chronology you can easily browse, search, edit, and save. Nokia Lifeblog does the work of organizing the items you create and receive, and you can also add notes throughout the day, or tag and update your favorites so they're always on your phone.
I'm currently downloading the beta software for the PC to test the app. An installer for 7610 is also available. Head on to the Nokia Lifeblog site to download your own. Word of warning: from the way it looks, the software is no light one. It requires Microsoft DirectX 9.
This blog post is my reward to myself for: making the ADC work (and ingeniously mounting it to the PC case)
Sound the Horns...
Microsoft launched a preview of it's own home-grown search technology today. Along side with the launch, the Redmond giant also revamped its MSN search. As Arstechnica reported, the MSN search will still be using Yahoo's Inktomi search engine, however it will now have fewer ads to make the search results cleaner and more user-friendly.
Microsoft's entry to the search arena has been long anticipated by the industry since its presence makes the search engine war a lot more interesting. Having the money and resources, the company can indeed deliver an impact to the industry. It remains to be seen however if they could compete with Google's market and mind share, and its already proven search technology and features. With the impending war it will be the users who will reap the most benefits, as we have already seen in the Web Mail wars. I only hope Microsoft doesn't do something unfair again.
Microsoft's entry to the search arena has been long anticipated by the industry since its presence makes the search engine war a lot more interesting. Having the money and resources, the company can indeed deliver an impact to the industry. It remains to be seen however if they could compete with Google's market and mind share, and its already proven search technology and features. With the impending war it will be the users who will reap the most benefits, as we have already seen in the Web Mail wars. I only hope Microsoft doesn't do something unfair again.
Watching Steve Job's WWDC Keynote
I am currently watching a recorded Web Cast of Steve Job's WWDC keynote, where he previewed OS X's next version, 10.4, code-named Tiger. Damn it 's great... Some of features mentioned that i really like is Tiger's new Search Technologies. I was right when i predicted (undocumented, unfortunately) that they will just apply the iTunes paradigm to OS X's overall file system to attain the goal of a search-driver System. Made me wonder why MS is taking such a long time to deliver similar technology. Tiger is expected to be released First half of 2005, while Longhorn, if released on time will come on 2006.
Sigh. I really want an Apple.
(The audio portion of the stream stopped towards the end when Steve Jobs was doing a demo of ICHAT AV multi-conferencing. Decided to do a quick blog about the keynote)
Sigh. I really want an Apple.
(The audio portion of the stream stopped towards the end when Steve Jobs was doing a demo of ICHAT AV multi-conferencing. Decided to do a quick blog about the keynote)
Oh oh. Intel is in Trouble.
Intel is prepping up Prescott to become a dual-core processor.Great strategy move or an obligatory backup plan? A very good article by John "Hannibal" Stokes of Arstechnica explains the reasoning behind Intel's recent moves.
Head on to Ars and read the article
So let's say that you're Intel, and you've got this microprocessor architecture that's the backbone of your central product line, with millions invested into developing it and improving it. And let's say that the fundamental premise on which that microarchitecture was built craps out a few years too soon. What do you do? In Prescott's case, it looks like the answer is to try your best to adapt the old design to a new set of circumstances, rather than throwing it out the window. This means cranking way back on the clock speed increases, and taking advantage of Moore's Curves* by adding functionality to the die instead. This added functionality comes in the form of a whole other core, rather than a few new execution units and some cache.
Head on to Ars and read the article
A Piece on the Webmail Wars
Hotmail will not be left behind. This is according to Microsoft spokeswoman Kathleen Callaghan, as reported in the Washington Post.
(Bold comments in parentheses are mine).
Google is really shaking up the webmail landscape, and this is all good for the consumers. If it is not already obvious in this blog, I am strongly betting my money on Gmail, since it is the most revolutionary webmail among the three. Even with Yahoo's recent improvement, Gmail still offers the best feature set. The only problem is it's limited availability. If hotmail is serious about not giving up a big chunk of its webmail market share, they should deliver a better hotmail before Gmail opens to the public. By better I mean three things, in order of importance:
Speed is one of the two key factors why Gmail is able to deliver the new paradigm that it promises. Google's legendary data searching capability is of course the other piece of the puzzle. Why would then one choose searching over sorting when the search is not speedily done?
Features: Gmail is the first webmail to use a sorting paradigm that goes beyond your ordinary hierarchical file-folder metaphor. This is a huge improvement in organization and management of email, because it removes the limitations of the file-folder system, where a file (email) can only exist in one folder. In fact I can discuss Gmail's great feature set in a whole article (which I'm dong next), but unfortunately it is not as good as actually experiencing it yourself. Once a user experiences Gmail's features, he/she may find it difficult to go back to his/her old webmail.
Storage: The reason why i put this last is because in reality Google's 1GB is overkill at this moment, that Yahoo and hotmail (should they choose to match Yahoo)could get away even with a tenth of Gmail's offering. As all of them have said, they are just putting the storage issue out of the table. This is of course a usability point o view, the marketing effect of a huge email storage is another issue, as we have just saw with Gmail.
To conclude; maybe just like the rest of Gmail's early adopters, i will honestly say that the 1GB storage is what made me want a gmail. The feature set is the reason why I am sticking
Microsoft spokeswoman Kathleen Callaghan said she had not heard of any free accounts getting more storage. (this is a response to reports that some hotmail free account members have indeed seen their storage increase from 2mb to 25 mb)
But she did confirm that the company has plans in the works to beef up Hotmail: "Part of that will ensure that storage won't be an issue," she said. And a Microsoft vice president, Yusuf Mehdi, said last week that users will see a ton of innovation from Hotmail and Microsoft's other communication services over the next year.
(Bold comments in parentheses are mine).
Google is really shaking up the webmail landscape, and this is all good for the consumers. If it is not already obvious in this blog, I am strongly betting my money on Gmail, since it is the most revolutionary webmail among the three. Even with Yahoo's recent improvement, Gmail still offers the best feature set. The only problem is it's limited availability. If hotmail is serious about not giving up a big chunk of its webmail market share, they should deliver a better hotmail before Gmail opens to the public. By better I mean three things, in order of importance:
- faster response,
- new features that will match or top that of gmail's,
- and larger storage.
Speed is one of the two key factors why Gmail is able to deliver the new paradigm that it promises. Google's legendary data searching capability is of course the other piece of the puzzle. Why would then one choose searching over sorting when the search is not speedily done?
Features: Gmail is the first webmail to use a sorting paradigm that goes beyond your ordinary hierarchical file-folder metaphor. This is a huge improvement in organization and management of email, because it removes the limitations of the file-folder system, where a file (email) can only exist in one folder. In fact I can discuss Gmail's great feature set in a whole article (which I'm dong next), but unfortunately it is not as good as actually experiencing it yourself. Once a user experiences Gmail's features, he/she may find it difficult to go back to his/her old webmail.
Storage: The reason why i put this last is because in reality Google's 1GB is overkill at this moment, that Yahoo and hotmail (should they choose to match Yahoo)could get away even with a tenth of Gmail's offering. As all of them have said, they are just putting the storage issue out of the table. This is of course a usability point o view, the marketing effect of a huge email storage is another issue, as we have just saw with Gmail.
To conclude; maybe just like the rest of Gmail's early adopters, i will honestly say that the 1GB storage is what made me want a gmail. The feature set is the reason why I am sticking
Why I Would Want to Root for Firefox Again
I have not rooted for firefox for a long time now, or at least not as aggressively as I could have been. I have taken a "if you don't want it, then don't get it" stand in some issues, like in the browser war, specially in this browser war. Maybe this is because I am starting to be more mature and therefore realizes now that not everyone can think or thinks the same way that I do. This has changed however.
Last night i just finished reading Arstechnica's interview of Scott Collins from Mozilla.org. Good piece. It shed some light on some aspects of the Netscape/Mozilla, the organization's ups and downs and the mistakes and achievements of the organization. Scott's last statement made an impact on me though.
I work in part time in an Internet Cafe where I have at my disposal to make Firefox the default browser, but I don't. As I have said, I give our users the choice to use their favorite browser, and I have always thought that it is the right thing to do. In fact, I still do. The difference now is that I saw and agreed with what Scott said about IE being a browser with no soul. You can disagree, and that is OK with me. In fact Google Zeitgeist tells me that a lot will. But I digress. I will root for mozilla. And help them to take back the web.
Last night i just finished reading Arstechnica's interview of Scott Collins from Mozilla.org. Good piece. It shed some light on some aspects of the Netscape/Mozilla, the organization's ups and downs and the mistakes and achievements of the organization. Scott's last statement made an impact on me though.
It took a lot of things all happening together to make the web work and one key piece of that was the Netscape browser, and that became part of the consciousness of the world. That's the thing I learned to lust after as a programmer. It's not my ability to solve one problem, to plow this field, but the ability to build a plow that every farmer uses. The ability to make something that touches not ten people, not a hundred people, not a thousand people but a hundred million people. I want Mozilla to be there again. IE is a browser with no soul. I want it to be Mozilla because I think that people who care deserve a browser with a soul.
I work in part time in an Internet Cafe where I have at my disposal to make Firefox the default browser, but I don't. As I have said, I give our users the choice to use their favorite browser, and I have always thought that it is the right thing to do. In fact, I still do. The difference now is that I saw and agreed with what Scott said about IE being a browser with no soul. You can disagree, and that is OK with me. In fact Google Zeitgeist tells me that a lot will. But I digress. I will root for mozilla. And help them to take back the web.
Firefox 0.9 is here
Firefox 0.9 is finally here. Great improvements:
- The import function makes your transition both from IE or an older version of Firefox/Phoenix a lot smoother and automated.
- New default theme. Nice. Slick. Clean. Original. Now I can really make this as my default theme. Of course you can always chose your own. I still haven't checked if the themers have updated their themes to make it 0.9 compatible, just check them out here
- Improvements in Tools and Options organization. Better and easier to use than ever. Frequently accessed Themes and Extensions options are now readily available in the Tools dropdown menu.
- 0.9 Release notes here
Echoing the call from all the other Firefox users: use Firefox! Give it a try for a week, if you are really unsure about it.
Google's Next Step?
I was pondering over the possibility of Google eventually delivering an instant messenging client. Watching the company with its recent strategic moves and acquisitions, I can say that the IM is a logical next step. Of course I could be wrong. But in the case that I am right, I hope they chose to use an open protocol, or if they do choose to create their own, that they open it. AIM's Oscar protocol could be a good bet, and should Google choose to use it, then the (almost) instant interoperability with AIM and iChat could be a big plus for everyone.
Too bad Gaim is already taken. :-p
Too bad Gaim is already taken. :-p
Yahoo mimics a Gmail Feature
I first read the news from the Gmail Users community in orkut, and it was only now that I noticed: Yahoo has indeed introduced a new feature in Mail: Address Autocomplete. From YahooMail:
Autocomplete is one of the nifty features of Gmail, and now it seems Yahoo is trying to match the feature. While both rely on your address book to look for auto-complete matches, there are differences in the implementation. In Gmail, the feature is default for all users, and is not dependent on the computer that you are working on. Yahoo however requires each user to enable the feature in each computer she uses if she wants to use it. Although installation of the features is quick and pretty straightforward (i think the trick is just a cookie), the extra steps are not good for the user. Gmail's autocomplete is also smarter. It looks for matches both in the email and name field of the address book, and provides a better feedback of the match. Parity of feature is the minimum that Yahoo should do, if it doesn't want to lose a big chunk of its user base to Gmail. And though they did make the right step here, Gmail is still ahead.
You start. We finish.
- Begin typing an email address.
- AutoComplete lists matching addresses from your Yahoo! Address Book.
- You click on the exact address you want.
- That's it - dozens of keystrokes replaced with just one click.
Click Download Now to begin using the AutoComplete feature on this PC - but first, close any additional Internet Explorer windows you have open
Autocomplete is one of the nifty features of Gmail, and now it seems Yahoo is trying to match the feature. While both rely on your address book to look for auto-complete matches, there are differences in the implementation. In Gmail, the feature is default for all users, and is not dependent on the computer that you are working on. Yahoo however requires each user to enable the feature in each computer she uses if she wants to use it. Although installation of the features is quick and pretty straightforward (i think the trick is just a cookie), the extra steps are not good for the user. Gmail's autocomplete is also smarter. It looks for matches both in the email and name field of the address book, and provides a better feedback of the match. Parity of feature is the minimum that Yahoo should do, if it doesn't want to lose a big chunk of its user base to Gmail. And though they did make the right step here, Gmail is still ahead.
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