Rishi

Comparing Old v/s New Google+ 1 button

Here's the tiny +1 button from Google+

... and here's the +1 button from Google Groups

Usage of Internet Explorer 6 has dropped below 1 percent. Microsoft and security pros everywhere are happy about IE6's demise.

A cake at the Hacker News Seattle Meet-up, where Microsoft announced IE dropping below 1 percent in the U.S.

Microsoft has some shtick about the whole IE6 death meme, but it's worth asking why this decrepit browser lasted as long as it did. In many respects, IE6's slow death--it was like watching paint dry--says a lot about the enterprise, which is one reason the browser stuck around as long as it did.

Here are some thoughts on the meaning behind IE6's end:

• Corporations moved at a glacial pace. Yes Virginia, you still can get a laptop with a Windows XP image and an IE6 browser. What's it mean? A few companies still don't value modern Web standards and may never upgrade PCs again until employees walk out.
• Enterprises boxed themselves in by programming applications to work with IE6. As Microsoft moved on, companies stayed in place. Tight budgets meant that IE6 stuck around way past its useful life.
• People view change and then puke. You'd think a browser swap would be simple. It's odd that Microsoft had to mount a kill IE6 campaign. People--who happen to make up companies--frequently resist change. IE6 was like an old blanket that wore thin after being carried around for a decade.

A new version of Firefox for Android uses the operating system's own user interface technology

• Startup--A native UI can be presented much faster than a XUL based UI, since it can happen in parallel with Gecko startup. This means startup times in fractions of a second, versus several seconds for a XUL UI on some phones.
• Memory Use--We believe a native UI will use significantly less memory.
• Responsiveness--A native UI has the potential for beautiful panning and zooming performance.

• As you can imagine, online video apps are at the top of the download list, both globally and regionally. These apps connect your TV set to a sea of video content on the Web and let you appreciate them on a bigger screen! YouTube ranked atop the chart, while Vimeo (video sharing) and vTuner (Internet streamed media) made it among the top five.
• On-demand news applications are also high up on the list. The mobile Internet gave us unlimited access to news and information anytime and anywhere, so why should we wait for regular news on TV? On Samsung Smart TVs, BBC News and WSJ Live offer top news in video and text throughout the day. CNBC Real-Time app and TIME TV are popular too.
• As family entertainment makes an important part of the Smart TV experience, games, sports and education apps are steady sellers on Samsung Apps. A variety of games are available from classic ones such as Pac-Man and Tetris to sports genre like Let’s Golf and Homerun Battle 3D, and to educational games for kids.
• Locally specialized apps are playing a big role in the success of Smart TV apps, thanks to local insights and contributions from our diverse app developer community. “Lovefilm” in the UK, “Berliner Philharmoniker” in Germany, and “Telstra’s NRL Game Analyser” in Australia are the examples of such Smart TV apps.

Google's new Galaxy Nexus is made by Samsung and will launch in November

Internet giant Google is all set to enter your living room. The Silicon Valley company is launching a service that includes Google Search and merges applications and a Web browser with television programming.

Google TV will serve as an `entertainment hub' that lets viewers search channels, recorded shows and websites.



Here's looking into Google TV, the innovation that has been called `the biggest improvement to television since colour'.

1. What it is?

Google TV aims to turn the TV into a regular internet terminal, allowing people to access services like Facebook, Twitter or any internet site while they are watching programmes on a split screen.

In a demonstration, Google showed a TV screen with an Internet search box. A search for a particular TV programme got both the programme playing on a traditional channel, and related episodes along with other content available online.

2. Who will make hardware?

Google will provide the software, while Sony will make the TVs with Intel chips, and Logitech will supply a special remote control and wireless keyboard.

The service will be incorporated into televisions and Blu-ray players made by Sony and set-top boxes from Logitech.


3. Software engine?

Google service will run on the company's mobile platform, Android operating system that is increasingly gaining traction in smartphone market. It also will use the Chrome browser.

Based on Android platform, Google TV will turn Android phones into controls that can be used in the same room as the television or remotely across the Web.


4. Ads on GoogleTV?

Google did not talk about its advertising strategy for Google TV. The company isn't currently selling ads specifically designed for the new platform, said Rishi Chandra, a product manager at Google. Users could see Google's ads as they browse Web sites when accessing the Internet on the new TV service.

"We want to get the product experience right first," Chandra said. "Over time, there will be opportunities to really rethink how ads can actually work better on this TV experience."
5. Search on TV?

According to Google, Google TV will be using search to give users an easy and fast way to navigate to television channels, websites, apps, shows and movies. For example, if a user already knows the channel or programme he wants to watch, all he needs to do is type in the name and he will be there.


6. Open source platform?

Since Google TV is built on open platforms like Android and Google Chrome, third-party developers will be able to build applications for it. In its announcement at Google I/O, the company challenged Web developers to start coming up with the Web and Android apps designed specifically for the TV experience.

Soon after launch, the company will release Google TV SDK and web APIs for TV so that developers can build applications and distribute them through Android Market.


7. Use Your Smartphone As A Remote?


Remote control apps will be available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. These free apps will allow you to use your smartphone like a regular remote and will also accept voice commands. You can use multiple phones to control the same TV.





8. Add-ons?

Google TV service will include video-on-demand products from Amazon.com, Netflix and Hulu, a video site partly owned by Walt Disney, Google said at the conference.






9. Threats?

The effort is likely to face formidable challenges. One, Google will need to persuade TV manufacturers other than Sony to use its software, as well as retailers to sell the devices.

Also, in the past too several companies have already tried to bridge the gap between the TV and the Web with little success. Microsoft for example, has for years sought to make technology that can blend Internet and TV content. Apple too has offered its Apple TV device for transmitting Internet content to TV.

Google executives said that previous efforts failed because they dumbed down the Web for television, were closed to participation by others, and made people choose between using the Web or television.


10. Pricing & availability?

Google and its partners said the service would be free and prices for Sony's TV and Logitech's box would be announced at a later date.

While Google TV will be launched around Christmas in the US, international launch is expected in 2011.

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A month ago an sms was received stating, “News to be proud for every Indian! Our national anthem has been declared best anthem in the world by UNESCO! Pass this sms to all Indians. Jai Hind!" The point is, who is UNESCO to decide which nation’s national anthem is the best? Every citizen of every nation is proud of their national anthem. And do we need some foreign body / organization to declare that our national anthem is the best and only then we are going to feel proud about being an Indian? It's high time that we all Indians should be patriotic about our country without any third party / organization / nation's recommendation! And it's a sincere request to all, not to fall prey to such sms campaigns! Be always a proud Indian!

Application Directory

The Tally program files reside in this directory.


Data Directory

The Tally data resides in this directory.

The default directory where data is stored is C:\Tally\Data. To change click on Change Data Directory button and enter the new directory.

When Tally is installed in a directory with an earlier version, it detects and retains the data configuration path of the previous installation.


Configuration Directory

Tally configuration files reside in this directory.

You can specify the path of the directory where the configuration files should be saved. It is usually the same path as the Application Directory.


Language Directory

Tally Language files (.dct) reside in this directory.

You can specify the path of the directory where the Language files will be maintained. It is usually the same path as that of the Application Directory.

Note: If you are a Multi-License User, select the Run Tally License Server at Windows Startup check box

Note: You will be prompted to install the i386 language support folder only if it is not available in your system

Firefox 5 has arrived with lot of changes and features such as ‘Do not track’, which allows users to control – how their behavior and data are being tracked or used on the internet. Firefox 5.0 has focused on adding social and useful features (such as PDF Viewer, Sync etc,) related to common desktop users that was already available in its competitor web browsers such as Chrome. Features can be easily added by means of plugins – and Firefox has a number of useful plugins available free to use.

On the other hand Google chrome has also added a lot of new and exciting features in vs 12.0. It has already most of the features implemented, what Firefox got now, Google has continuously trying to add cutting edge – innovative features to chrome. eg HTML 5 performance/support, hardware accelerated 3D CSS (which allow developers to create better animation effects in the browser, e.g in browser based games) etc. Plugins are available but the number is very less and it’s not so useful as compare to Firefox, despite of having better plugin architecture than Firefox. Firefox Wins in this case.

Firefox performs well in Windows and Mac based OS but it sucks when it comes to Linux based operating system, After the major release of Firefox (I mean after version 4.0), we expected better performance on Linux distros such as Ubuntu or Fedora, but things got bad, surely it’s not better than before. If you will use any plugin, then the performance is extremely bad.

On the other hand, Google Chrome rocks on Linux based OS as well as on Windows and Mac. The performance is quite well as compared to Firefox, on Ubuntu or other Linux based operating system. Chrome Wins!

Firefox often hangs if a number of tabs is open (specially on GNU/Linux) wile Chrome is stable. So Google Chrome is far stable than Firefox. Chrome wins in this case.

Both are secure but chrome had added some special features to protect users from downloading malwares or other infected files. Firefox seems better!

Firefox has improved speed a lot, because speed is the most dominant factor while choosing the browser for common purposes. Firefox supports HTTP pipelining which can improve the browsers speed a lot but it may cause instability, while chrome doesn’t support this. Google Chrome is fast from the beginning! Google chrome has added some advanced functionality such as Pre DNS fetching (The links pointed (from the current page) to other domain names are resolved before the user clicks on that link), Loading pages before the completion of URL in address bar etc, to improve the surfing speed. Chrome Wins!

 

Just days after the launch of Google+ it has become clear who is the king of social networking:  none other than Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, the most popular Google plus user.  He bested Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin by a long shot.  As noted on TechCrunch, Zuckerberg already has the “most friends in the world” and they did make a movie about him.  Never-the-less, I doubt the Googlers never anticipated his rise to the top of their soon-to-be social networking empire.

Google marks the 450th anniversary of Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral with a commemorative doodle on its home page. Known by various names, including the Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, Saint Basil the Blessed, Pokrovsky Cathedral, Russian Svyatoy Vasily Blazhenny and Pokrovsky Sobo, it was built by Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) to commemorate Russia's victories over Kazan and Astrakhan.

The construction of the Russian Orthodox church began in 1554 and was completed in 1561. Originally named the Holy Trinity Cathedral, over the centuries it became known as the place where St. Basil is buried. The church is located at Red Square, the centre of the city of Moscow.

Russia will celebrate the 450th anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral by opening an exhibition dedicated to the so-called "holy fool" who gave his name to the soaring structure of bright-hued onion domes that is a quintessential image of Russia.

The eccentrically devout St. Basil wore no clothes even during the harsh Russian winters and was one of the very few Muscovites who dared to lambast tyrannical Czar Ivan the Terrible.

Ivan, whose gory purges claimed tens of thousands of lives, feared St. Basil as "a seer of people's hearts and minds," according to one chronicle. He personally carried St. Basil's coffin to a grave right outside the Kremlin. The cathedral, constructed to commemorate Ivan's victory over Mongol rulers, was built on the burial site.

The structure was designed by two Russian architects, Posnik and Barma. Some sources, though, attribute it to an Italian architect who was blinded after the completion so that he could never build anything as majestic again. The structure got its vivid colours, in which we can see it today, in several stages from the 1680s to 1840s.

The building was severely shelled during the 1917 Bolshevik takeover of the Kremlin and was patched up during the subsequent civil war and famine.

Early Communist leaders - who persecuted countless clerics of all faiths and destroyed tens of thousands of religious buildings - wanted St. Basil's dynamited as it blocked the way to military parades, and only the cathedral's conversion into a museum saved it.

A century earlier, Napoleon Bonaparte also ordered St. Basil's blown up during his army's hasty retreat from Moscow in 1812, but a heavy rain put down the burning fuses.

The design of its nine onion-shaped, multicoloured domes combine the traditions of Russian wooden architecture with Byzantine and Islamic influences into a unique structure.

Batalov said the restoration focused on recreating the way the building looked by the late 17th century, when the nine domes were united by a wraparound floor.

By that time, St. Basil's became a symbolic New Jerusalem and the center of Palm Sunday walks, when the Moscow Patriarch approached it sitting on a donkey to recreate Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.

Google occasionally swaps its logo for an artistic doodle These Google doodles have gained immense popularity over the past few years and the Google doodle team has put out commemorative doodles on numerous events of international or national importance, ranging from news events, civic milestones, birthdays, death anniversaries and important dates in history.

Apart from the static image doodles Google also puts up animated and interactive doodles. The last interactive doodle was to celebrate the 96th birthday of the country and jazz guitarist, songwriter and inventor, Les Paul. 

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