Migrated to Windows 7 ... finally!!

Today (20 March, 2010) is the National day of Unplugging. If you are unsure about what this means - it is a day to encourage people who are addicted to technology to practise abstinence towards all gadgets (for a day, that is). Ironically, I made a big switch from Windows Vista to Windows 7 today. Though I have been using Vista Ultimate since late 2007, I haven't really liked it. There were instances where I abhorred this operating system. I installed Ubuntu linux on my laptop in early 2009 and have been using Ubuntu and Vista in a 70-30 ratio.

I wanted to buy a new laptop but did not want to get rid of my ThinkPad. So, I decided to get rid of my operating system and my dual-boot option, which slowly became a minor nuisance. All it took was a stroll to Staples store. I bought a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade CD and the installation took 20 minutes. This is my first blog using Windows 7. Connecting to the network etc, was a breeze.

At the outset, I liked the look and feel of the OS. Till today, Windows to me was all about style and nothing much about substance. But looks like Microsoft turned the corner with Windows 7. They seemed to have worked on both style and substance. And as a result, Windows 7 looks to be a good blend of both as opposed to Windows Vista which was a hero in style and a zero in substance.

Anyways..my first impression is pretty good about Windows 7. Hope it stays that way!

Dim Dim - a free open-source web conferencing app

Easy, Open & Affordable! That's Dim Dim. I was searching for a free web conferencing application and then Dim Dim happened. There is a WebEx trial and I have tried Adobe Connect in the past but Dim Dim appears to be a better solution. Dim Dim free supports web conferencing with upto 20 people (audio and video). For anyone who intends to use web conferencing (even sporadically) this defintely looks to be a great tool. I tried Dim Dim out today and was pretty impressed with this freeware. All it took was 2-3 minutes to get started. Video turns on by default and sending out invites and organizing the meeting couldn't get more easier. There were three options - Share Desktop, White board and Share a Presentation. I only tried 'Share Desktop' and it was seamless. Overall, it looks very promising and I was mighty impressed.

Ubuntu 9.10 - more of an evolution than a revelation!

I am leaning more towards Ubuntu these days - have been using it regularly over the last 3-4 months. I was prompted for an upgrade to 9.10 yesterday night (it was officially released in the last week of Oct). And I gladly took it. Here is a link to 9.10 release notes.

Success of an operating system is majorly dependent on its usability, features and the interface. And Ubuntu is fast catching up on features and interface. 'Usability' is a tricky though. Device support or an applications' compatibility is proportional to the popularity of an operating system. Software companies are generally unwilling to spend time and money for R&D on their software's compatibility on less popular operating systems. And as long as this happens, these companies' software or related apps remain incompatible on that less popular operating system. This is like a circular reference and a major hurdle for Ubuntu. Workarounds exist for sure, but they reduce the usability. Case in point is Apple's iTunes. It is only supported on Mac and Windows OS. One can get iTunes to work in Ubuntu through WINE (WINdows Emulator), but those extra steps hit the usability of Ubuntu real hard.

But I am confident that more and more companies will continue to confide in Ubuntu or Linux in general as this OS is less cumbersome, robust and user-friendly. And 9.10 is a step in the right direction. It scores high on the user-interface part. It is not instantly distinguishable from Mac OS. Menu bar on the top of the screen and look and feel of the OS is almost the same. But Mac is more shiny and visually attractive. Polished is an apt word for the Mac OS. The log-off/shut-down button has changed significantly in both appearance and functionality. It now has many advanced options (including hibernate). You can also directly control your IM status from this function/button. Appearance of other logos like wireless signal strength, battery power have changed and make the overall appearance of the desktop look very slick.

There were around 200 packages that were disabled from 9.04 and around 400 odd new packages. Most of the apps I had continued into 9.10. A comprehensive list of apps is in the release notes. I still reiterate that usability remains to be the only hurdle for Ubuntu (or for that matter any variant of Linux). Once software corporations start opening up to Linux (obviously Microsoft and Apple will be stay away from producing Linux-friendly products - atleast till Linux becomes super-popular), the real evolution will begin.

"PERSONAS" - How does the internet see you?

MIT is at it yet again! Heights of innovation!!

Last week I came across MIT's PERSONAS, an innovative tool that creates a data portrait of one's 'aggregated online identity'. Once you enter your first and last names, PERSONAS algorithms scurry through the internet and characterize you based on your presence on the internet. It shows you how the Internet sees you.

I liked the explanation on PERSONAS' MIT homepage. The computer is corroborated to be far from an infallible assistant. PERSONAS' algorithms merely check for a name's presence on the internet and attempts to characterize him to a predetermined set of categories. However, it is absolutely fascinating to be able to see your digital imprint on the internet.

Here is a snapshot of my PERSONAS. Click the image to enlarge.

Ubuntu - Exciting Stuff!

I have been using Ubuntu for the past three days and it is working like a dream. It definitely doesn't feel like Linux of the past where one had to open a terminal to access a CD. Add/Remove programs, Update manager etc, make Ubuntu feel like Windows. I loved the numerous apps available under 'Add/Remove'. I selected many apps, most of them under Education and Games. My personal favorites are -
1. KBruch: An educational game that works in either freestyle or learning modes and tests your grip on fractions, percentages etc.
2. Kanagram: KDE Anagrams
3. KGeography: Lets you play with world geography
4. Four-in-a-row: Name says it all.
5. FontForge: Typeface editor program.

It is kind of an aberration from what we regularly do and hence the excitement to try them. I had a weird, although not unsual, problem when I first started off with Ubuntu. Ubuntu, like all other versions in linux, prompts for Username and Password before we actually get to use the session. We can choose to bypass this and enable Auto Login by going to:
System->Administration->Login Window.
Under Security Tab, select 'Enable Automatic Login'

All is fine till here, but when we restart, there is an annoying message waiting for you.
"Enter password for default keyring to unlock"

A blunt and inefficient way would be to type in your wireless network key in each time you login. This defeats the whole purpose of having an Automatic login. A second (also inefficient) way would be to have a 'blank' wireless password which would get rid of this prompt and in the process will deprive you of security a wireless network password gives you. I'd bet you'd find some complex workarounds if you google this. But a straightforward way to solve this is:

1. Right click on the 'Wireless Network Connection' icon/applet in the system tray (which is on the top right of your screen).
2. Click 'Edit Connections'
3. In the 'Network Connections' window that pops up, go to 'Wireless' tab.
4. Select the wireless network, and hit on 'Edit' which is on the right.
5. On the 'Edit Network' window that pops up, 'Connect Automatically' box will be checked, as you already chose to enable Auto-Login. If this box is not selected, select it.
6. In the same dialog box, at the bottom left corner, there is a check box stating 'Available to all users'. Check that box.

That is it. You will not get this annoying keyring message again. The only catch in this method is, anyone who logs on the machine can access your wireless internet connection. So, you are totally risk free if you are the only user.

Anyways, am looking forward to an exciting ride on Ubuntu.

iUbuntu - My experiments with Ubuntu

In what could be a major first step in me drifting away from Windows, I got Ubuntu up and running on my secondary laptop. About two years ago, I started using Novell's Suse linux but had to discontinue it due to Dell/Suse compatibility issues and the fact that most of the software I needed at school was pro-windows.

Honestly, installing Suse on Dell was a pain. The drivers weren't readily available and I had to get my hands dirty. And I remember trying out Ubuntu. It gave up on me - my screen went blank and it was tough to figure out what drivers were missing and how to fix it. That was 2-3 years back. I somehow hate the concept of dual boot, don't know why. Though I had it occasionally in the past, I was not keen on having it this time round. So, had Ubuntu installed on an independent machine. I got a used Toshiba U205-S5034 from craigslist. It was a steal for $200. It had Windows XP Media Center with Office 2007 installed on it and the first thing I did was download Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop. Burning the downloaded image couldn't be easier. Got the instructions from Ubuntu's website. And then, did a clean install. The installation process took 15 minutes. That is it. Total time to get Ubuntu up and running was 85 min (download) + 10 min (burning) + 15 min (installing).

I also liked the option of first running Ubuntu from the CD to check for compatibility issues and then proceed with the installation. One thing that I instantly noticed with this version of linux compared to my previous experiences is that the operating system itself has become very user friendly. It gives users the flexibility to either run commands/apps from kernel or through menus. I just started playing with it. Connecting to the internet was as easy as it can be. Just the WEP key and I am hooked. I remember having to struggle to connect to the internet in Suse. But that was three years ago and lot should have definitely changed since then.

I am eager to see what Ubuntu has in store for me. Next steps would be to have Ubuntu on my other laptops too. As of now, I don't see a reason why I shouldn't. I just tried out the default messenger - Pidgin. Need to find a workaround for iTunes. At the outset, the major pros I see using Linux over Windows are
- a different look and feel from the age-old MS Windows
- no annoying 'Live Updates', esp for someone migrating from Windows Vista
- more secure
- lot to navigate and learn
- comes with all basic features, connectivity and open office
Only cons I can think of are the compatibility issues of some apps/software and devices, most predominantly the iPhone. I should be fine though.

Go Ubuntu!

Chrome OS - Google's answer to Microsoft Windows?

Yesterday, Google has come out with two new announcements on its blog. Firstly, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Talk along with Google Apps are out of beta. Though it may not mean much for the company itself, it is definitely an eye-turner for corporates who may, to date, have restrictions in purchasing a beta product. As Google made it very clear, there would be no dearth in innovation in these services though they remove the beta tag. But, the second announcement, shook the tech world. Chrome OS. How you look at the word 'shook' depends on whether you like Google or not. An OS from Google's stable was due for quite some time but the timing of this announcement is slightly suspect.

I am a pro-Google guy with keen interest in all of their apps. But I find it so unlike-Google that they made an announcement about a product that they plan to release in late 2010. Stealth has always been Google's strength. You never know what to expect. But, somehow I feel Google kind of reacted to Microsoft's BING. In case you did not know what BING stands for, it is But It's Not Google. There have been some media reports and news articles how BING actually started eating into Google's search territory. It could be true. It could be false. I personally feel that the initial reports describing BING's share are biased. Users definitely have an urge to try out BING and that could have impacted the search shares. We will know the real picture in some time.

Coming back to the timing in which the announcement is made, it may be because Google wanted the spotlight back. It is more like an announcement to Microsoft. If Microsoft can challenge its territory, so can Google. That is the message. For now, we can ignore the fact that Chrome OS will initially be targeted at netbooks. The next logical step would be personal computers and enterprises. Odds are in favor of Google, given its brand image and innovative products. But, Microsoft is not underprepared. It already has plans for Gazelle - a web browser as a multi principal OS. Check this link. That Chrome OS announcement followed Microsoft Gazelle doesn't auger very well for Google.

I am pretty sure Chrome OS is not a vaporware. But how Google tackles Microsoft in the coming days will be pretty interesting. To date, Google doesn't have a quality rival in its flagship product - search. Microsoft could break that. Could.

Windows Se7en

In case you haven't noticed, Windows 7 Release Candidate is up for grabs starting today (5/5). Click here to go to Microsoft's Windows 7 website. At the outset, Windows 7 looks promising and may stand up to insider's talk - has all the eye candy of Vista without its bugs. Windows 7 will be a great product if it is anywhere near this aforementioned description. I think so because I have been using Vista since May 2007 and I should admit I haven't had much of headaches with it. Some of the User Account Control prompts are indeed very annoying. Though one can disable this feature through Control Panel, I'd hate to see the red 'X' shield in my system tray staring at me, as if my computer is prone to attacks. And there were some compatibility issues when I had to use my old HP all-in-one printer. My biggest complaint is the number and frequency of updates available. Almost every other day you will have a bunch of updates waiting to forcibly install on your machine. After 3 years of existence, one wouldn't expect these many 'Automatic Updates'. These installations (Remember Step 1 of 4 50% complete) extend the boot up time which gradually annoys users. But I think that is how it should be. I was surprised with Mozilla Firefox's updates. I have the automatic updates turned ON in my browser and I have noticed frequent security updates being installed. If a Mozilla browser would need so many patches, it is easy to understand that an operating system from Microsoft's stable will need infinitely more.

Anyways, there may be lots of other issues with Vista which I haven't experienced because I use Vista only at home for leisure. And the possibility that Windows 7 may address most of issues Vista has is encouraging news. Coming to the Windows 7 RC download, make sure you read all 'need to know' facts. Personally, I do not have the patience to toy with my existing OS, back up my data and in a way be a laboratory rat for Microsoft. On the other hand, the free version is valid through June 2010 and this is tempting. It feels good to have a peek at Windows 7 as is with any pre-release software. Still, I'd rather wait for the fully baked cake.

Home Network - Home FTP Server and/or Windows Network

It all started with me wanting to have a backup for my podcasts. My iTunes folder in ThinkPad was growing in excess of 20GB and I was in no mood to get rid of my podcasts and photo albums. I treasure them. I contemplated on getting an external hard disk but then toyed with a different option. There was lot of space (~250 GB) sitting around on my second laptop and obviously I'd want to use that. But I wanted that space to be a live drive accessible on my ThinkPad. And that's when my networking instincts took over me. And I should admit I almost made big weather out of it.

I was rather lazy to go with the least effective yet the most direct method of transferring files using an USB drive. It is a pain to transfer files (podcasts and pictures in my case) on a regular basis to the archive on the other computer. It was then I tried out the networking features in the 'highly acclaimed' Vista. It was not bad after all. The only catch is to turn the Network Discovery and File Sharing ON (Link opens in a new page). My other laptop was completely accessible and I could transfer all I wanted. There was still something missing. Speed.

Transferring multiple files in the background isn't a big deal especially with these dual cores but, choosing the folders and locations all the time is again a pain. That's when FTP came handy. I shortlisted some FTP servers from Sourceforge. FileZilla, Serv-U, WinFTP and CrossFTP were among the best I found. FileZilla is easily the best in the pack (and free) but for some reason, I was not able to get it working with a FileZilla client. The server was working fine but due to router and firewall issues, FileZilla client wasn't able to connect to the server. Serv-U and CrossFTP are free as well. CrossFTP is web-based application and is pretty good. For some reason I wasn't convinced entirely to have my files transferred through a web application. I used WinFTP for sometime. It is not free and that's the only bad part. The features are extremely good. I used it for 30 days and then was locked out of the interface. I have since used Serv-U. It is a pretty decent application with no features comprised. It is free in the sense after the trial period, only single user connection can be enabled which works for me. So, this home FTP setup worked best for me. And I chose to go with FileZilla client. Among its positives, simplicity stands out. I use SmartFTP and WinSCP at work and so, wasn't tempted to use those.

In the end, having a home FTP server setup made things really easy for me. Easy to keep my files organized and made my archiving process lot more efficient. I found these two links at Lifehacker very useful. Link 1: Serv-U. Link 2: FileZilla. 

Free Online Storage.

No aspect in technology has gone down so badly in monetary value as storage has. Storage space, which was once premium, is now mundane. 250GB hard disks have become the norm in laptops. External hard disks have become commonplace. Zip drives tread a similar path. But, as I keep referring to often, cloud computing is the next big thing and is fast catching up. There are many websites that offer free online storage; the maximum storage I have come across is 50 GB in A Drive. And all of them are ad-supported.

I found online storage immensely helpful, especially at work or when I am on a vacation. I seldom use Hotmail (and Live) services but found SkyDrive to be the second most useful application from Microsoft's stable (after, ofcourse, Windows). It offers 25 GB of free online storage space. This is pretty handy. Some good online storage sites include:

A Drive: It offers 50 GB of free space for Basic users. It also offers paid services that have more storage and more sharing capabilities but if you plan to use online storage for personal purposes, Basic plan will suffice. Ofcoure, you would have to bear the advertisements along the margins of the application. Who cares? There are no 'sharing' features in A Drive. Max file upload is 2 GB, which is the best I've come across. Check out the screenshot here.

SkyDrive: Microsoft's SkyDrive is very handy and is cosmetically superior to A Drive or for that matter, any other online storage interface. It builds on the already existing 'Live' brand. It offers a good 'sharing' feature on top of an excellent interface. Downside is that the max upload limit is 50 MB, which sucks. Screenshot.

4Shared: I like 4Shared the best because of its strong online presence. There is a lot of interaction going on and one can easily find good study material, songs, research papers that are available for download. You can also create an account and get 5 GB free online storage. And this private online storage interface is similar to that of A Drive. Max upload limit is 100 MB. And like with Google Docs, lets you share URLs of the files you upload. Screenshot.

Dropbox: Dropbox goes a step ahead and lets you sync your files across multiple computers. Downside is that you get only 2 GB of free space and syncing of big files (> 500MB) does take significant time. But, you can access this storage as an extended drive on your hard disk.

Zumodrive: I personally did not feel it is worth the effort I put in to install it. Installation was very easy. So, imagine how worthy it should have been to me. It is similar to Dropbox, with an added functionality; iPhone access. But for 1 GB additional space, I would not really go the stretch.

So, the next time you plan to go on a vacation or if you need to have a backup you know where to head to.

Will IBM gobble up the 'Sun'?

Looks like the next big things in the tech industry is the 'IBM-Sun Microsystems' merger. IBM is in talks with Sun and has offered ~6.5 billion. And at the outset, Sun is worth every penny of it. But what does this mean to IBM? How will IBM benefit? 

Sun Microsystems offers an array of services. Its Java programming language for internet computing and Solaris for servers are market leaders. It has an excellent presence in hardware industry too. IBM, on the other hand, is a market leader in software services delivery and data-center technologies. There is an overlap, for sure, but is it complementary? I think so. 

A lot has got to do with Cloud computing. Cloud computing enables corporates purchase processing power as a service, over the internet instead of purchasing and maintaining own servers and services. Cloud computing has vast potential - lower operating expenses, efficiency - processing is left to organizations that specialize managing vast data centers. In spite of these advantages, increase in corporates using cloud computing isn't drastic or even significant. It could be due to security reasons - companies unwilling to share information over the net or to an outside company, and the fact that cloud computing isn't yet scalable to large organizations. 

And here is where Sun fits into IBM's scheme of things. Sun can help IBM in the transition to cloud computing. Sun has announced its cloud computing strategy, Sun Cloud, that has Solaris, low cost servers powered by AMD and open source MySQL. This platform will bolster IBM's standing in data center technology. HP and Dell already compete with IBM in this space. And Cisco is the latest entrant (March 16, 2009). Given Cisco's reputation to reshape the market it enters, IBM has to be cautious. But Sun's innovation coupled with IBM's solid technology packaging abilities and on-demand services definitely sound complementary. IBM can market Sun's innovations more effectively. 

As with any merger, there is certainly an aspect of risk involved in the IBM-Sun merger. Sun Cloud is untested water. But I feel IBM has lot to gain with little to risk going forward with the merger. I don't think any other company is as poised as IBM is to merge with Sun. May be Cisco. Let's embrace for a seismic shift in the tech industry.

Renaming multiple files

Sometimes, I can't help the feeling that we (our generation) get so lost in this high-tech world that we lose track of small yet basics of technology. I came across an interesting situation today. 

I downloaded loads of podcasts (dated back to mid-2006) and archived them in my personal folders. I found it very difficult to go through each of those podcasts on my iPhone and so, I decided to burn these podcasts into CDs and listen to them on the road. Some of the podcasts were in mp3 format and made my job easy. But some of them, like Harvard Ideacasts, were in 'm4a' format. I renamed the file to have a '.mp3' extension and the file played seamlessly. And now, I wanted to change the extensions of hundreds of files. And this is when I, for a moment, was confused.

Like all other iPhone users, I am so used to iTunes. Editing the filenames, extensions or genres is a piece of cake in iTunes. And it is a piece of cake outside of iTunes too, but it doesn't seem to be so. Manually changing the file extensions of hundreds of files is monstrous and disastrous as well. That's when 'ren' (rename) in DOS comes into picture.

1. Open command prompt.

2. Navigate to the directory where the files reside.

3. ren *.m4a *.mp3

'Ren' saved my day!

Windows 7: What's cooking?

A beta of Windows 7, the next version of Windows OS from Microsoft, is available for free download from Microsoft's website. This is a good opportunity for all geeks out there to test the waters. I still don't have the patience, and more importantly the motivation, to download and get my hands dirty with Windows 7. Prominent reason being; I use Vista ultimate on both my notebooks and have had significant installation problems with it. I'd rather wait and watch Windows 7 establish itself than experiment with its beta version.

Anyways, out of sheer curiosity I may still download the beta sometime this week or the next (the free download is only till Jan 24th), and may test it out later this year. The beta license will expire on Aug 1, 2009. But at the outset, my instinct tells me Microsoft needs to come up with genuinely innovative ideas and designs and not try to ape Mac OS. That's the key to gain (or in this case, retain) consumer confidence and patronage. If it tries to design Windows 7 on lines of Mac OS, consumers will inadvertently start comparing them and this can be detrimental for Microsoft. Unfortunately for Microsoft, a lot of Windows 7's screenshots suggest the abovementioned similarity. As the saying goes, Originality and Innovation separate winners from the rest.

I can't stop myself from mentioning this analogy. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both wonderfully gifted and naturally talented players. But, had Nadal tried to mimic Federer's strengths and fathomed to shift to a serve and volley style of tennis, would he have succeeded? Most probably, No. Mimic products and mimic efforts generally suck. MSN Virtual Earth is a case in point. Microsoft will be better off if it concentrates on its strengths and come up with innovative products than try and create mimic products.

Coming back to Windows 7, it is encouraging to hear that this version is targetted to overcome many of Vista's compatibility issues and bugs. That is the first step in recognizing that Vista is indeed problematic. All said and done, Vista is visually a treat to watch. And Windows 7 is said to better that. Good for Microsoft. And when functionality is added to visual effects, efficiency creeps in; style with substance. Vista to me is only style. Hopefully Windows 7 will be better. There is no sidebar in Windows 7, but gadgets can be added to desktop. In fact, there seem to be many more cosmetic enhancements in this version like aero, peek features etc. There is the new Action center which overlooks security features. Other enhancements include, new paint , new wordpad, new 'home groups', new media center, quick boot. Another great feature is the absence of the annoying UAC feature present in Vista.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusion on Windows 7 yet. Honestly, I found Vista okay but like Mac OS X better. At the end of the day, it boils down to efficiency, user interface and how user-friendly the OS is. If Windows 7 has all these, good for the user. If not, we already have Mac.

iPhone 3G - What's hot and what's not !

It's been over two months that I have been using Apple's iPhone and wanted to share my experiences and my version of the phone's pros and cons.

Apple's strength has always been aesthetics and quality and the iPhone is a testimony to this. These two features together with Apple's brand make this a coveted product. What really prompted me to purchase the iPhone apart from the abovementioned qualities are it's functionalities as (in my order of preference)

- Efficient personal organizer
- Internet communicator
- iTunes & App Store friendly device
- iPod player
- Cool phone

I don't intend to describe these functionalities or features (Apple has a comprehensive support site for that), but it is to mention some tangible features that are otherwise unavailable. I use iPhone mostly as a personal organizer. I rate it very highly as a personal organizer. I have my Calendar synced up with my Outlook. I made it a point not to have office mail on my phone but am always logged in my GMail. The Clock and 'Notes' features are very handy. The Notes feature is similar to Google's notebook that allows me to save random thoughts and reminders. Stocks and Weather apps on the home screen are very useful. I track my portfolio constantly using the Stocks App and have nearly a dozen cities tagged to the Weather Apps. I have a habbit of adding all cities that I visited or plan to visit to this Weather App. It is weird but nostalgic too.

iPhone as an Internet communicator is a decent pass. Safari is adequate in the sense it opens most of the commonly used sites with minimal fuss. I haven't tried any highly secure logins, but browsing, booking flights, catching cricket or tennis updates can be done in a trice. One needs to get used to the 'proxy' keypad. Youtube is a very abridged of its original self. Videos or not sortable, which sucks, but it is again a decent feature.

A third important asset that lets Apple dominate its competitors is iTunes. While iTunes has a proven track record, App Store which is bundled in iTunes barges Apple's success. The fact that App Store enables developers sell their apps to iPhone users is a win-win situation for developers and users. And in the heap, Apple takes 30% of the revenue generated by App sales. 70% proceeds to the developer. This turns out to be a great strategy by Apple which Microsoft and even Google to some extent are trying to mimic. Also, because the App Store fosters apps from independent developers and organizations alike, the ensuing competition to develop user-friendly and productive apps gets intense much to the liking of consumers like me. I have around 20 apps in my iPhone ranging from Google Earth to AroundMe, TWC, Jott, Who and a whole lot of games like iGolf, Chess, Sudoku, iBowl etc.

That iPhone has an embedded iPod is a huge gain in itself. And an iPod that can connect to the internet directly to download podcasts and songs is all the more beneficial. I am always hooked on various podcasts, Knowledge@Wharton is my personal favorite. Audio & video quality and transmission are extraordinary. I don't listen to songs much but that doesn't hamper me from having close to 100 songs on my device. Who cares when you have 8GB of space?

iPhone as a phone - I would rate it as standard. Nothing revolutionary but has everything that is necessary. I like the details included in Contacts information and the ability to have personalized ringtones and photographs to be displayed for callers but that is not exactly new. Call reception and other technical stuff are good.

As with any revoultionary device, iPhone also has its share of cons. Some are really striking. Some are subtle, but very frustrating. 'Copy and paste' is a hackneyed shortcoming of the phone but it stands out because of its impact. While iPhone offers email friendly apps where one can send docs or notes instantly through email, it is frustrating not to have copy and paste options. Another commonly stated drawback is the camera and its inability to record videos. For a device which outstandingly organizes audio and video files and has an amazing iPod embedded, the lack of ability to record videos or frame high resolution pics is dissapointing to many. I don't expect my iPhone to be a substitute to a camera or worse still, a camcorder. So, I have no qualms regarding this or rather lack of this feature.

Sometimes you feel it would be great if you have the ability to personalize ringtones and obviously without any fee. I am impressed with Apple's cognizance regarding web security et al. But, I don't think it needs to delve too deep and prohibit users from using ringtones outside of App Store. There were ways to trick iTunes and get other ringtones to iPhone, but the latest release of iTunes prevents this. It is just not enough to change file extensions to .m4r and drop it into iTunes library. Sooner or later, someone will find a way to trick the present version too but it would be great on Apple's part to leave the choice to users to personalize their ringtones. A prudent way would be have a pre-fixed number of personalized ringtones - atleast 3 or 4. Anyway, this isn't major either and I wouldn't worry about it much. There are some trivial drawbacks like lack of bluetooth stereo, lack of mms capability, no removable battery etc which, to me, aren't the break-the-deal type.

Overall, iPhone is a slick and trendy communication device with excellent iPod and is also a very efficient PDA. I have no issues with it and would highly recommend it. It has style and substance in equal proportions.

Best of CAT (Common Admission Test) - 2

This post is the second in the series of my efforts to solve some of the best CAT problems in both theory and programming. It gives me a great pleasure to solve and then verify the answers to some puzzles using C++ or Python and sometimes SAS.

Here is an interesting puzzle that will make you look like a geek (or a nerd - depends on how you look at Mathematics) when you pose it to a group.

Question: There is a certain number X which when divided by Y, where all Y ε [1,10] yields a remainder (Y-1). That is, when X is divided by Y, which takes all values from 1 through 10, the remainder is (Y-1). To be more clear, if X is divided by 10 then the remainder is 9, if X is divided by 9 then the remainder is 8, so on and so forth, if X is divided by 3 then the remainder is 2. The condition should hold good for all numbers from 1 to 10. What is the least number X can take to satisfy this condition? (Hint: X is less than 3000.)

Solution: I programmed this in C++ and it is pretty straight-forward.

The same thing can be implemented in SAS. Let me withhold the answer for now.

Coming to the more important part - to solve this problem by implemting theoritical concepts. This problem pertains to Number Theory. 'Least Common Multiple' doesn't need any introduction. When there are a set of divisors that yield the same remainder (Remainder = 1 in this case), the least number that satisfies this condition =

LCM of those divisors - Common remainder.

By solving, the LCM of numbers 1 through 10 is 2520. Hence the answer = 2520 - 1 = 2519.

All multiples of LCM have the same property. (5040 - 1), (7560 - 1) etc, all have the same property. The objective here is to obtain the least number which satisfies the condition which is 2519. More often than not, confusion prevails in CAT. Also, time is premium in these tests and so the standard method of obtaining LCM may not work well if the divisors are too many or too big. Taking cues from the answers and back solving will be lot helpful. In this problem, it is stated that division by 10 yields 9 which implies that the last digit is 9. That holds the key to solve this problem.

Google's Chrome: What's the strategy?

It is disconcerting to even start thinking that Chrome was launched just to take on Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Mozilla's Firefox. I am pretty sure that this is not high on the 'Mission' list of Google, though a direct competition is intentional and inevitable. That leads to the question - What could be the strategy behind this move. Google is always known for its innovative projects and subtle debuts. They have a vast repertoire of such products and you never know what is coming next. This unpredictablity is Google's greatest weapon. Anyways, moving on to Chrome.

Let me start from the basics. Why do we need a computer? In no particular order - we use computers for casual browsing, news, personal (music/media), chat, office work (technical & non-technical stuff). There could be couple of other things that I may have missed out. Most of these, infact all of them, have been traditionally on desktop software. And this is Microsoft's stronghold. There are some conventions that we got used to - like saving our files on our hard-disks, transferring files using optical media, using the computer to access internet. And then came Google, riding the internet wave.  And it had a web-based business model. In other words, Google wants to use the potential of internet as an application platform and move the market away from conventional PC-based environment to a web-based one. And the starting point for this transition is Chrome. 

One may wonder the necessity to come up with a new browser when big guns IE, Firefox and Safari have saturated browser market. Well, for a complete integration of all its web-based applications it is no-brainer that Google will want to come up with an in-house browser than rely on a 'third-party' browser. It will give them better control on scalability of their applications and control over the evolution of various components related to their business. The beta version of Chrome is adequate. Firefox and IE 8 are far superior in features and reliability to Chrome but it is foolish to compare these three at this point. Chrome is in its infancy and is building a base to lauch its horde of services. Google's core business - its search engine is, ofcourse, web-based. The applications they provide like GMail are on the network. Google docs, a direct competitor to MS Office, is web-based. All of these help Google rake in advertising. So, what's the need for desktop software? Read Windows, Office.

It is too early to predict the penetration of Chrome into the browser market. The features are minimal but the potential is maximal. Once Google is ready to integrate its applications to Chrome, imagine this, all one needs to do is boot the computer and open Chrome. You can search from Chrome's navigation bar, open office suite from Chrome, chat through Chrome, watch movies here and what else do you need to do?

And what could be the impact of Chrome on Microsoft? Microsoft is tied to its legacy model of selling licenses of Windows & Office and is now realizing the potential of internet. Microsoft Office has a lion's share in Microsoft's revenue. And if Google can capitalize on its online office suite, it would be a huge blow to Microsoft. But, it'd be naive to write off Microsoft. Who know what they have in store. Are they transitioning to an online-office model? Not easy but not impossible either. For their benefit, I feel Microsoft should stop worrying about 'fancy vista' stuff and concentrate on functionality and user friendly apps/suites. Else they could find themselves swimming upstream very soon.

So, Chrome is here to stay. It cannot be compared to IE or Firefox right now, but I feel it has the ability to better both these browsers and above all, be more useful to the user. There are many 'to-do' items for Chrome of which the most important are stability and security. It's still a beta so chill and wait for the real version to roll-out.

Best of CAT (Common Admission Test) - 1

After a relatively refreshing hibernation, I am back to my web log to write a simple terse article, which is the beginning of a series of such articles that deal with some of the best CAT puzzles I encountered. Computational Mathematics - a domain that I am wildly passionate about, is trying to solve these puzzles in both theory and programming. I will start off with a very simple CAT problem that I encountered sometime back. It was rather interesting and deals with Number Theory, which is one of my favorite areas in Mathematics. I transitioned this logic in C++ and it was truly a good exercise.

It is to determine number of zeros in a given number's factorial. Determining the number of zeros in say, 10! is pretty straightforward. But to determine number of zeros in 100! for example is unwieldly - especially from an examination point of view.

Question: What are the number of zeros in 100!

Solution: To determine number of 0's, it is equivalent to determine how many 10's make up the number. For that 10 = 2 x 5 and (2,5) are co-prime. Hence the number of 10's in number N can be determined by N/5 + N/5^2 + N/5^3+ ..... + N/5^n, as long as N/5^n > 1. '^' stands for exponential operator.

=> 100/5 + 100/5^2
=> 20 + 4 = 24.

Answer: 24

I built this into C++ and the code is intuitive.



Click on this code image to enlarge. Also, edit your headers/libs as necessary.

I will keep posting similar problems (especially from CAT) and I believe this would be mutually beneficial.

Microsoft yahooing?

Last week ended (atleast for now) speculation about Microsoft acquiring Yahoo. But the intent and the way Microsoft carried on this process left a sour impression on techie community and consumers in general. Check out this letter that Steve Balmer, Microsoft CEO wrote to Jerry Yang, Yahoo CEO.

May 3, 2008

Mr Jerry Yang
CEO and Chief Yahoo
Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Dear Jerry:
After over three months, we have reached the conclusion of the process regarding a possible combination of Microsoft and Yahoo!.

I first want to convey my personal thanks to you, your management team, and Yahoo!'s Board of Directors for your consideration of our proposal. I appreciate the time and attention all of you have given to this matter, and I especially appreciate the time that you have invested personally. I feel that our discussions this week have been particularly useful, providing me for the first time with real clarity on what is and is not possible.

I am disappointed that Yahoo! has not moved towards accepting our offer. I first called you with our offer on January 31 because I believed that a combination of our two companies would have created real value for our respective shareholders and would have provided consumers, publishers, and advertisers with greater innovation and choice in the marketplace.
Our decision to offer a 62 per cent premium at that time reflected the strength of these convictions. In our conversations this week, we conveyed our willingness to raise our offer to $33.00 per share, reflecting again our belief in this collective opportunity. This increase would have added approximately another $5 billion of value to your shareholders, compared to the current value of our initial offer. It also would have reflected a premium of over 70 per cent compared to the price at which your stock closed on January 31.
Yet it has proven insufficient, as your final position insisted on Microsoft paying yet another $5 billion or more, or at least another $4 per share above our $33.00 offer.

Also, after giving this week's conversations further thought, it is clear to me that it is not sensible for Microsoft to take our offer directly to your shareholders. This approach would necessarily involve a protracted proxy contest and eventually an exchange offer. Our discussions with you have led us to conclude that, in the interim, you would take steps that would make Yahoo! undesirable as an acquisition for Microsoft.

We regard with particular concern your apparent planning to respond to a "hostile" bid by pursuing a new arrangement that would involve or lead to the outsourcing to Google of key paid Internet search terms offered by Yahoo! today. In our view, such an arrangement with the dominant search provider would make an acquisition of Yahoo! undesirable to us for a number of reasons:

• First, it would fundamentally undermine Yahoo!'s own strategy and long-term viability by encouraging advertisers to use Google as opposed to your Panama paid search system. This would also fragment your search advertising and display advertising strategies and the ecosystem surrounding them. This would undermine the reliance on your display advertising business to fuel future growth.

• Given this, it would impair Yahoo's ability to retain the talented engineers working on advertising systems that are important to our interest in a combination of our companies.

• In addition, it would raise a host of regulatory and legal problems that no acquirer, including Microsoft, would want to inherit. Among other things, this would consolidate market share with the already-dominant paid search provider in a manner that would reduce competition and choice in the marketplace.

• This would also effectively enable Google to set the prices for key search terms on both their and your search platforms and, in the process, raise prices charged to advertisers on Yahoo. In addition to whatever resulting legal problems, this seems unwise from a business perspective unless in fact one simply wishes to use this as a vehicle to exit the paid search business in favor of Google.

• It could foreclose any chance of a combination with any other search provider that is not already relying on Google's search services.

Accordingly, your apparent plan to pursue such an arrangement in the event of a proxy contest or exchange offer leads me to the firm decision not to pursue such a path. Instead, I hereby formally withdraw Microsoft's proposal to acquire Yahoo!

We will move forward and will continue to innovate and grow our business at Microsoft with the talented team we have in place and potentially through strategic transactions with other business partners.

I still believe even today that our offer remains the only alternative put forward that provides your stockholders full and fair value for their shares. By failing to reach an agreement with us, you and your stockholders have left significant value on the table.

But clearly a deal is not to be.

Thank you again for the time we have spent together discussing this.

Sincerely yours,

Steven A Ballmer
Chief Executive Officer
Microsoft Corporation

It is a win-win situation for Microsoft. Irrespective of whether or not Yahoo accepts their offer, Microsoft is set to gain from this episode. Yahoo is now in dire straits. Their shares fell down by 18%. I feel Microsoft knew in the first place that Yahoo will decline their bid. After fending off months of threats by Microsoft Corp, Yahoo Inc's directors still will have to fight for their jobs as the company's own irate shareholders plot a mutiny. I feel it is a very clever strategy from Microsoft to de-stabilize Yahoo. Their motive must have been to severely weaken Yahoo (as a competitor) or to acquire it. Either one is good for Microsoft - the latter, a better option. Now, with these diversions, Yahoo will either retrace back to Microsoft or will take a long long time to recover.

Idioms in Code (Google Blogoscoped)

It's been a while that I came across such innovative 'verbal' programming. A great compilation...

// idiom 1
cop[0].goodInPercent = 100;
cop[1].goodInPercent = 0;

// idiom 2
isCrowd = personCounter >= 3;

// idiom 3
injury += insult;

// idiom 4
1: board.draw();
goto 1;

// idiom 5
if (bird[1].feather == bird[2].feather) {
 bird[1].flock(bird[2]);
}

// idiom 6
a = getThickness('blood');
b = getThickness('water');
assert(a > b);

// idiom 7
a_spade_a_spade();

// idiom 8
die(1000);
function die(max) {
 for (i = 1; i <= max; i++) {        cut();    } }  // idiom 9 prey = 'worm'; time = getCurrentTime(); if (time >= 4 && time <= 8) {    bird.catch(prey); }  // idiom 10 while ( rome.fire() ) {    doFiddle(); }  // idiom 11 function getValue(garbage) {    return garbage; }  // idiom 12 take(salt * .01);  // idiom 13 var here = false; var there = false;  // idiom 14 if (i == 2) {    tango(); }  // idiom 15 days = 365; for (day = 1; day <= days; day++) {    if ( random(0,100) <= 50 ) apple++; } if (apple <= days) doctor();  // idiom 16 if ( !dogs.sleep() ) {    disturb(dogs); }  // idiom 17 function tunnel() {    var dark;    for (i = 0; i < dark =" true;" dark =" !dark;" a =" 0;" b =" 1;">= 1;
}

// idiom 23
if (cooks >= 3) {
 broth = null;
}

// idiom 24
if (a != 'cake') a.eat();

// idiom 25
doesStand = you == me;

// idiom 26
var location = getLocation();
if (location == 'rome') {
 do( location.getCitizen() );
}

[By Philipp Lenssen | Origin: Idioms in Code (Take a Guess)