CyberNet Classics - All Articles

Google’s Search Engine Creator Makes Filtering Easy

Ryan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:46:28 -0600

This article was written on October 24, 2006 by CyberNet.

Google just released a Custom Search Engine Creator that lets you make your own search engine with a customizable list of sites that will be included in the search. I went through the initial set of options and had my own search engine up and running in just a few minutes. There are only a few sites that I added to the search list but it is open for volunteers that want to contribute more URL’s.

Some people are taking it even further, like this technology search site, by making custom pages for the search engine. You can do the same by going into the Control Panel after you have created your search engine. Once in the Control Panel you will be given several options that you didn’t have before and one of those options provides the necessary code to add the search to any page you would like.

You may even decide to make a little money off of the search engine by adding your Google Adsense account information. That way you can make some cash on the side if someone clicks on some ads while performing a search.

This is a great idea and a lot of people seem to be excited by it, but I think it will wear off very quickly. People will not want to clutter their bookmarks with multiple Google Search Engines. The only way that I can see people using this a lot is if Google added some sort of “filter” for people to use directly on the main Google Homepage. Otherwise these search engines are going to quickly be forgotten.

News Source: Official Google Blog

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Aftervote (Formerly Younanimous) Customizes Your Search Experience

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Mozilla Changes Search Box In Firefox 2.0

MyFive: Where to Find Answers…

Ashley — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:45:10 -0600

This article was written on May 17, 2008 by CyberNet.

Often times, the Internet is used for answering questions. A user goes to their search engine of choice, types in a question, and receives links that may direct them to the answer. Using this method doesn’t always work though, and so where is someone to go when they need an answer to a question? It doesn’t always take a professional expert to get an answer that you’re looking for, and so turning to a dedicated “answers” site is a often times a good solution. There are several answers sites out there, and most of them work by users submitting their questions and other users answering them. Today we’re taking a look at five different places you can go to find answers to your questions.

Yahoo Answers (link)

The first answer site that came to mind is Yahoo, because it’s actually my answer site of choice. I’ve never been one to ask or answer a question there, but I do browse through the topics that have been submitted and the answers that users have offered. You’d be amazed by how much you can learn. They originally started in 2005 and now they currently have over 500 million different answers available on the site. There’s a wealth of information that can be learned there!

Askville (link)

Before writing this, I hadn’t heard of Askville which was started by Amazon.com and opened to the public in late 2006. Just like Yahoo, it’s a place where the public can go to ask questions, answer, or discover. To help out with credibility, users can either gain or lose “experience points.” People are able to rate the answers that have been given, and eventually one answer is officially rated as “the best” based upon a five-star system.

Google Answers (link)

If Yahoo has an answers service, of course Google has to have one, right? Actually, Google came out with theirs first and Yahoo followed, but Yahoo’s has been much more successful. Google answers originally launched in 2002, but by November of 2006, Google had decided to permanently shut it down. It was quite a bit different from Yahoo in that whoever was asking the question would pay someone to get the answer or perform a search. The person asking the question would offer a price to get the job done and Google Answers Researchers found answers. While new questions can’t be submitted, they still make the archive of questions that had been asked and answered available to the public. Rumor has it that Google is even planning on bringing it back, but perhaps with a different business model.

Answers.com (link)

While I wouldn’t say Answers.com is the easiest site to navigate, they do have millions of topics available. Yahoo is the most popular answer service out there, but Answers.com comes in a close second. What’s nice with Answers.com is that if you go to ask a question, you will be directed to WikiAnswers (owned by Answers.com). If the question you submit has been asked before, you will be directed to the page that has a list of questions that have been asked previously that are related and you can see if there’s one that answers your question. Overall, Answers.com tends to be for the more practical questions.

WikiAnswers (link)

WikiAnswers is owned by Answers.com and provides a place where you can enter in your own question and have people respond. Those who respond aren’t experts, per say, they’re just people who want to contribute. As their logo says, it’s Q&A the Wiki way! Did you know that WikiAnswers used to be FAQ Farm until it was acquired in 2006? The mission of the site is “to enable anyone, anywhere, to ask a question on any topic in their own words and get a cooperatively written human answer.”

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RIAA Walks Away With a Win

Ashley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:30:07 -0600

This article was written on October 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

In the very first file-sharing case to go before a jury, Jammie Thomas of Minnesota was found guilty of copyright infringement and ordered to pay $9,250 for each of the 24 songs that were shared over Kazaa back in 2005. That means she owes the RIAA $222,000 dollars. While that amount of money is ridiculous for 24 songs, it’s better than the $150,000 that the RIAA originally claimed that they deserved per song, or a total of 3.6 million dollars.

With a win under their belt, you can bet that the RIAA just got filled-up with enough confidence to take another victim to court. Because this was the first file-sharing case to go before the court, and the industry won, this may influence the outcomes of other similar trials in the future. Ray Beckerman, a New York Lawyer who writes a blog about the Recording Industry versus The People said that the verdict was “one of the most irrational things I have ever seen in my life in the law. A verdict of $22,000 for infringement of 24 song files worth a total of $23.76? It is an outrage, and I hope it is a wake-up call to the world that we all need to start supporting the defendants in these cases.”

People around the Blogosphere, as you can imagine, are appalled at the fact that the RIAA won, but even more appalled at the fact that this woman has to pay $9,250 for each song. Here’s a sampling of the comments:

At Computer World: “How long will it be before you will not be able to play a song loud enough for someone else to hear it other than the person who bought the song?”
At Gizmodo:”This is shocking. not surprising, but shocking none the less. I guess my two mp3 players, that have thousands of songs that I bought on CD, are illegal contraband. My options of moving to Asian countries for work are looking more appealing. I’ve officially lost faith.”
At Ars: “I believe the verdict was correct according to the law but is the law right? $222,000 for 24 SONGS??? I would be very interested in knowing what the RIAA offered to settle for as it was probably much less that this judgement. Sucks for Jammie!”

Any thoughts?

What NOT to do when the RIAA Comes to your Door

Will The End Of Bearshare Result In A Domino Effect?

Another RIAA Victim Fights Back

RIAA May Lose Funding from Record Labels

Poll: How Many Remotes Do You Have?

Ashley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:19:02 -0600

This article was written on December 28, 2007 by CyberNet.

Time to count up all of your remotes! Today we’re asking how many remote controls you have in one single room. For example, in our living room we have five remotes sitting on the table. It would make more sense to use one universal remote, wouldn’t it? Yet I haven’t come across one that I like enough to use. I’m sure you have your own reasons for not using a universal remote whether it’s the hassle of programming it to work just right for all of your gadgets, or if it’s like my excuse, that you haven’t found one that you like.

Before you count them up and vote, let’s re-cap our last poll where we asked which messenger service(s) that you use to talk with friends and family:

Skype: 26% of the votes
Windows Live Messenger: 22% of the votes
AOL Instant Messenger: 14% of the votes
Yahoo! Messenger: 14% of the votes
Google Talk/Jabber: 14% of the votes
ICQ: 11% of the votes

Skype definitely came out on top followed by Windows Live Messenger.

New Poll

It’s time for the new poll, so go count up those remotes. I’m interested to see just how many remotes you have in a single room, and why it is that you don’t use a universal remote to help reduce the number if you’ve got a mound of them sitting on a table like I do. Vote in the sidebar, or if you have Flash enabled, go ahead and vote below:

New Poll: Which Google Service Needs More Updates?

New Poll: What Do you Think of the New iPhone 3G?

New Poll: Have you downloaded the Windows 7 Beta?

New Poll: How Old is Your Primary Computer?

CyberNotes: World’s Largest Plasma TV!

Ashley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:13:23 -0600

This article was written on July 03, 2006 by CyberNet.

Million Dollar Monday

Each year plasma TVs keep on growing, and growing. The anual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is where it is all revealed! I have yet to see this in stores! If you missed it when it was revealed previously at CES in 2005 , check it out! At the time it was said to be the World’s largest Plasma TV– made by Samsung with a 102-inch display! Can you even imagine watching tv on a screen that is bigger than you (not to mention how heavy it must be)? I can’t! I haven’t heard much about the mammoth plasmas making it to retail stores which makes me wonder just when (or if) they will be available for purchase.

As expected, Samsung’s competition didn’t want to feel left out of the game. As the saying goes, bigger is better (although not always true), Panasonic has developed a 103″ inch display to inch (literally) ahead of Samsung. This was revealed at the CES in 2006. At what point does big get… too big? With the 80 inch plasma carrying a price tag of more than just a few thousand, can you imagine the chunk of change a 102 or 103 inch would cost? Insane. Here you can actually purchase an 84 inch plasma display made by Orion– model PK-8401 for around $30,000.

Each year at the highly anticipated CES, I can imagine we will continue to see something just a bit bigger than the previous year unveiled. For now, Samsung has given up their title of World’s largest and has passed it on to Panasonic. Who gets the title next? Eventually there will be no need for paint or wallpaper– we will have TV’s to cover an entire wall! Now that… is big.

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World’s Largest iPod

Laser Plasma Used To Produce 3D Designs

CyberNotes: Your Week In Review With Sunday’s Summary

AMD LIVE! Media Vault Gives You 25GB Of Free Storage

Ryan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:09:27 -0600

This article was written on September 15, 2006 by CyberNet.

If you’re not into using AOL’s XDrive then maybe you’ll find a little more comfort with the AMD LIVE! Media Vault. The most obvious benefit of AMD’s offering is the increased 25GB file storage that they allow…but don’t forget to take a look at the fine print.

They let you upload/backup as often as you would like but you have to stay under the 25GB limit. However, you are limited to just 1GB of downloads per month! So what happens if you upload 25GB of photos or movies and you want to retrieve them all? Simple, it will either take you more than 2 years to get all of that information back or you could upgrade to the Elite plan ($9.95 per month) which will let you download 25GB of data in a month’s time.

There is also a backup/synchronization solution available that gives you a peace of mind by storing your information at a remote location. Even though the download limit is a bummer it is still a great deal. If you have a large photo library you can keep a backup on the Media Vault and if anything happens to your computer I’m sure it will be worth paying the $9.95 to get the pictures back. I think that’s what I’ll use the service for since I have over 6GB of photos and I don’t feel like splitting them up between multiple XDrive accounts.

A Look Inside the Lego Vault

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CyberNotes: K-Meleon Browser is Lightweight and Fast

Ryan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:57:48 -0600

This article was written on August 15, 2007 by CyberNet.

Web Browser Wednesday

More than a month ago I looked at 6 different browsers that were all based on the Firefox rendering engine (a.k.a. Gecko). The Gecko rendering engine is an important factor for some people when choosing a browser because most sites are tested and work well in Firefox, so it should be just the same in those other browsers.

I discovered the Windows-only K-Meleon browser when writing that article, and the low-memory performance really caught my attention. I was able to open about 10-tabs all while keeping the memory usage under a meager 40MB. That’s about what Firefox 2 uses immediately after starting it, and then when I get to work with Firefox, the usage quickly climbs upwards of 80MB or 90MB with about 5 tabs open.

So today I thought that I would point out some of the features K-Meleon has for those of you looking for a lightweight browser that is actually quite packed with features.

–General–

K-Meleon is a browser that only runs on the Windows operating system, and uses the same rendering engine as the Firefox browser. The reason why it doesn’t run on any other operating systems is because it uses a tightly integrated Windows-specific API to give you the best performance possible on your machine.

One thing that I should mention right off the bat is that K-Meleon makes it easy to drag-and-drop toolbars in whatever order you would like them (including the Menu Bar). You can also turn off the toolbars completely, however, you cannot rearrange and remove buttons from the toolbars very easily. If you wanted to do that you would need to dive into some configuration files.

–Layers (”Tabs”)–

K-Meleon doesn’t actually support a tab system, but it has what they call “layers.” Each time you create a new layer it essentially opens a new browser window, but it only shows one entry in the Taskbar which represents the layer you currently have selected. If you switch to a new layer, K-Meleon goes to work hiding the appropriate windows, and showing only the one you have selected.

It sounds crazy, I know, but I believe that is one way it is able to use respectable amounts of memory. Not only that but you won’t really notice much of a difference between the layers and a full tab system. If not having real tabs starts to get the best of you, feel free to try out the Alpha version that has a tab implementation.

–Preferences–

There are an insane number of preferences that you can configure with K-Meleon, and there are so many that I would have to post dozens of screenshots if I wanted to try and cover them all. So I’ll just go ahead and highlight a handful of them:

Manually select the window size and position (in pixels) for K-Meleon when it starts up.
Block Flash objects by default and/or block ads.
Manage how pop-up windows are handled.
It has the most extravagant search engine management that I’ve ever seen!
Define keyboard shortcuts for up to 9 different sites. The shortcuts correspond to the Ctrl+1-9 hotkeys (much like Opera’s Speed Dial).
And a lot more…

Click to Enlarge

–Plugins–

The screenshot above has a section dedicated to K-Meleon plugins. This isn’t like Firefox where you can download and install extensions, but it does come with some useful plugins that can be enabled. Here’s a list of what’s included that you can configure:

Netscape/Mozilla Bookmarks – Share and use your bookmarks with Netscape-based browsers (like Firefox).
IE Favorites – Share and use your bookmarks with Internet Explorer.
Opera Hotlist – Share and use your bookmarks with Opera.
Layered Windows – Customize the Layers Toolbar such as the minimum and maximum “tab” width.
Macro Extension – Adds several smaller features to the browser, and their is a designated macros page where users can submit their own homegrown macros.
Mouse Gestures – There is an extremely long list of actions that you can create mouse gestures for. Of course the most common thing you would probably use this for is going back and forward on a page.

–Themes–

As with most browsers you can customize the appearance of K-Meleon by using a variety of skins that they have available. The collection is no where near what Firefox and Opera has available, but it might be nice for something different.

–Overview–

Using a combination of Opera and Firefox seems to suit me quite well for my daily routines, but K-Meleon is transforming into a speedy little browser that would satisfy most casual users. It renders pages very quickly, starts up extremely fast, and doesn’t treat my system resources like they are a midnight buffet. If you haven’t been satisfied with your browser, try out K-Meleon to see if it is right for you.

Download K-Meleon (portable version available)

Daily Downloads: K-Meleon & Foobar2000

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Firefox Makes Rounded Corners In CSS Easy

Ryan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:56:14 -0600

This article was written on June 12, 2006 by CyberNet.

I was reading Google Blogoscoped when something caught my attention. Philipp had demonstrated how easy it is to get rounded corners on boxes, but the trick is that it only works for Firefox. Here is the example he used and the CSS code that is used to create it:

border: 2px solid gray;
-moz-border-radius: 25px;
width: 250px;
height: 100px;
padding: 15px;

I have done rounded corners in CSS before but it wasn’t nearly that easy. I wonder when there will be some kind of standard for creating rounded corners that works in all browsers.

News Source: Google Blogoscoped

Using Google To Make Perfectly Rounded Corners For Web Design

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Firefox 2 Visual Refresh Theme Now Implemented!

The Coolest WindowBlinds Theme: Novum OS

GMail Might Show Froogle Results Near Advertisements

Ryan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:51:33 -0600

This article was written on May 27, 2006 by CyberNet.

Google may soon be placing Froogle product recommendations in GMail whenever Google finds a product name in the content of the email. This is very interesting as Garett Rogers points out because this new service could anger some online retail sites. When companies send out emails showing their “hot” deals GMail will show recommendations for other people selling the same products, and possibly with lower prices. Companies may have to research Froogle before they start sending out their emails to ensure that their deal is the lowest.

News Source: Googling Google

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Google Homepage Gets A Few Changes

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CyberNotes: Fun Flash Games For Friday!

Ashley — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:50:04 -0600

This article was written on December 01, 2006 by CyberNet.

We’ve gotten several tips from readers who have come across some fun flash games to play. We thought that since it was Friday, we’d put together a list of some of those games just for fun. So, here we go…..

Road Blocks

First off the list is Road Blocks! It starts off simple as most games do, but it doesn’t last! You can only move the ball to where there are blocks to stop you. The key is to get the ball into the goal (the red bracket). The picture to the right shows the moves you need to make on level 4 to reach the goal. Don’t be fooled by how easy it starts off. Eventually, you will have to think about what you’re doing! It gradually introduces different kinds of blocks that do different things- like teleport you. So far I’ve gotten up to level 7. They give you a password at each level so that you can write it down and quickly go back to resume the level you were on. If you want to start at level 7, the password is ikes which is entered into the start page when you begin.

Thanks for the tip Max!

Play Game

Curveball

The next game on the list is Curveball which reminds me of ping-pong but at a whole new level. Just click the ball to get started. At the top of the screen, it will show you how many lives you have, and how many lives the computer has. There are bonuses for the amount of curve you can put on the ball. The white moving line will give you an idea of the depth of the ball which otherwise, would be hard to determine. On this one, I got up the level 5. As always, it starts easy and the computer won’t put much spin on the ball until the later levels. It is addicting!

Thanks for the tip Max!

Play Game

Four Second Fury

Four Second Fury is a bunch of games that they give you that need to be completed in 4 seconds. They don’t really give you detailed instructions on how to play each game, you just have to do it. One game that I played required that I shield a baby from bees for 4 seconds. The next was a shooting game, followed by a game that required I get to the x that marked the spot. You have no idea what is coming next, and have to think on your toes! The picture to the right is a game that simply requires that you don’t press a single key. Natural instinct when you start a game is to press a key. If you press a key in this game during the four seconds, you lose. Your goal is to get a high final time. If you don’t successfully complete the game in 4 seconds, you lose a life. You start out with 5 lives. It’s fast paced and fun.

Play Game

Thanks for the tip Pieter De Decker!

Flash Banner Games

This is a compilation of flash banner games. The picture to the right is one of the games where you need to put out the man who thinks he’s on fire. This is what you’d see for flash banner games on top of Web Sites which means most of them are pretty basic. One game that seemed to have a bit of challenge to it was “Tip the Cows” where you need to push the button just right to get the cow to tip. If you are one of those people who are tempted with the flash banner games, you will probably enjoy this site!

Play Game

Thanks for the tip Mike!

BowMaster

Your job is to protect your castle from the attacking foot soldiers, archers, ogres and dragons using your archers. There are all different types of archers for you to use, but you need to use them strategically to destroy the attacking army. You can purchase additional upgraded arrows and bombs using the skill points that you earn. There’s quite a bit involved to this game which makes it fun and challenging. As you continue on in the game, the amount of soldiers will increase which makes it even more difficult and that much more fun.

Play Game

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3D Flash will change the way we Play Online Games

Google Officially Launches Picasa 2.5

Ryan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:47:38 -0600

This article was written on September 19, 2006 by CyberNet.

Well, some of you were skeptics that Picasa 2.5 had officially launched but Google has finally made the announcement themselves. Their list of changes hasn’t really been altered since the other day:

Share photos online
Nested folder view
Save changes to disk
Improved import
Screensavers
Geotagging
Larger thumbnails
New RAW features
Improved caption editing
Starred photos organize automatically into a special album
“Just raw frames” option lets you export time-lapse sequences in the movie maker
The bottom row of buttons can now be configured to suit your needs

My favorite feature in Picasa 2.5, besides for the obvious integration with Picasa Web Albums, is the nested folder view. I have my photos meticulously organized on my computer with a lot of folders nested within each other. The biggest disappoint, however, is that they have not updated Piscasa Web Albums to use a folder structure. For that reason it is really not possible for me to upload my photos online.

This seems to be a pretty solid release and with the growing popularity of Picasa I’m sure Google will continue to update it. I wonder how long it will be before Google teams up with a manufacturer to bundle this software with a new purchase of a camera?

Related Posts:

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MySpace Enters Social News Market Today (Thursday)

Ashley — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:26:18 -0600

This article was written on April 19, 2007 by CyberNet.

MySpace is going from social network to social news today as they add on the addition of “MySpace News.” They’re expecting that their 100+ million users will make it the next social news success story as users will be voting on their favorite news items.

It’s been labeled the “Digg Killer” simply because it’s a social type of news service, however MySpace news will serve a much different purpose. Those millions of MySpace users go to MySpace on a daily basis to socialize with their friends first, maybe watch a video, or check on their favorite bands.The news will be a secondary service that not everyone will take interest in.

Digg users on the other hand, go to Digg for a more focused purpose– to read, vote, submit, and comment on the news. Labeling MySpace News a Digg-Killer really is exaggerating it. And un-like Digg, for now anyways, it is not user submitted content. MySpace will be pulling it in from RSS feeds that they have selected.

The screenshots above came from TechCrunch. You’ll notice that each user can vote on an article and give it a ranking between 1–5. With 25 main categories and 300 sub-categories, it sounds like they’ll be covering just about everything.

Why they chose Thursday as their big launch day, I don’t know. But it’s supposed to debut shortly at news.myspace.com. For now it’s password protected.

Related Posts:

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Firefox 2.0.0.5 Release Fixes the Big IE/Firefox Flaw

Ryan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:07:19 -0600

This article was written on July 18, 2007 by CyberNet.

Mozilla released an important update to the Firefox web browser today. The new Firefox 2.0.0.5 fixes a critical flaw that enables a hacker to control a user’s computer. Ironically, this was done by letting the hacker launch Firefox through Internet Explorer, and then Firefox would run malicious instructions that could compromise their system.

Firefox 2.0.0.5 fixes a total of 8 security related bugs: 3 are critical, 2 are high-priority, 1 is moderate, and 2 are minor. Aside from those there are an additional 91 stability fixes with 15 of those being related to Firefox crashing. So this version offers more than just significant security fixes.

No one is quite sure whether the big security bug is Internet Explorer’s fault for passing insecure data to another application, or whether it was Firefox’s fault for not validating the input. At least Mozilla stepped up to fix it before it turned into a widespread vulnerability. And just because Firefox has patched this issue doesn’t mean that you are in the clear from the attack. It was recently discovered that Trillian is also affected when using the AIM portion, and it is expected that other applications are susceptible to the attack as well.

Note: A similar update for Thunderbird is expected shortly.

Download Firefox 2.0.0.5 – It doesn’t appear that Mozilla has enabled the automatic updates through Firefox at this time, so you will have to download it if you don’t want to wait.

Source: Mozilla Links & MozillaZine
Thanks for the tip CoryC!

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Free Packet Loss Test

Ryan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:55:13 -0600

This article was written on October 27, 2009 by CyberNet.

Have you ever been in the situation where you’re left wondering whether your Internet connection is messing with the quality of your VoIP calls or your online video game experience? You can sit there and test your bandwidth all you want, but the fact is that the speed of your Internet connection might not be the culprit.

The creators of SpeedTest.net, my favorite bandwidth testing site, have also created a new PingTest.net site. Its goal is to test aspects that are important to services like Vonage and Xbox Live, which need almost zero packet loss for you not to experience any stuttering, buffering, lag, and/or delays.

When you run a test on the site you’ll get three different types of information: packet loss, ping response, and jitter…

Packet Loss – Much as it sounds, if you have anything less than complete success in transmitting and receiving “packets” of data then you are experiencing this problem with your Internet connection. It can mean much slower download and upload speeds, poor quality VoIP audio, pauses with streaming media and what seems like time warping in games — your connection may even come to a total standstill! Packet loss is a metric where anything greater than 0% should cause concern.
Ping – This measurement tells how long it takes a “packet” of data to travel from your computer to a server on the Internet and back. Whenever you experience delayed responses in Internet applications – this would be due to a higher than desired ping. Similar to packet loss, lower is better when it comes to ping. A result below 100 ms should be expected from any decent broadband connection.
Jitter – Jitter is merely the variance in measuring successive ping tests. Zero jitter means the results were exactly the same every time, and anything above zero is the amount by which they varied. Like the other quality measurements, a lower jitter value is better. And while some jitter should be expected over the Internet, having it be a small fraction of the ping result is ideal.

The next time you’re having performance problems with Xbox Live, Vonage, Skype, or any other service hopefully PingTest.net will be there to help pinpoint whether it’s a bandwidth problem, slow response times, or packet loss.

PingTest.net Homepage

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Sunbelt Personal Firewall for Vista

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Portable Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 (Release Candidate)

Ryan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:41:03 -0600

This article was written on July 08, 2006 by CyberNet.

I didn’t have any intentions of putting together a portable version of this Release Candidate build for Firefox 2 Beta 1 but there have been several people asking and emailing me about it. Just to let everyone know I am also working on an article for tomorrow that will walk you through some of the new features and how to change them around, like the Session Restore and scrolling tab bar. I guess you can consider it a guide to prepare yourself for the Official Beta 1 release. Now onto the portable version…

All you have to do is download the Portable Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 (Release Candidate) file below. Then you unzip the file and browse for the file PortableFirefox.exe. Just execute that file and you will be running Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 (Release Candidate)! The profile is kept with the PortableFirefox folder so you don’t have to worry about messing up your other profile and the uninstallation process is simple…just delete the folder!

Update:

A new Portable Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Release Candidate 2 is available.

I have also put together a nice guide for those people looking to tweak Firefox 2 Beta 1.

Portable Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 (Release Candidate) Download

Portable Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Release Candidate 3

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Candidate Now Available

The Official Firefox 2 Beta 1 Will Not Be Released Today

Download Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Release Candidate 2

Windows Live Messenger 8.0.0683 Leaked

Ryan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:27:49 -0600

This article was written on April 18, 2006 by CyberNet.

That’s right! The new build of Windows Live Messenger has been leaked to the web. It has the improved user interface that everyone couldn’t wait for as well as several new features. It also has a new icon package that is bundled with it for the installation and some visual customizations (like the option to add shadows or animations). You’ll also find calling services and the Rhapsody Music Service in this build. Go on…what are you waiting for?

Download Windows Live Messenger 8.0.0683

Windows Live Messenger Available To The Public

Microsoft Windows Live Messenger Beta 1 Released

Windows Live Messenger Release Date Incorrect

Windows Live Messenger Version 8.5 Leaked

Dell Offers Windows Downgrade Service

Ashley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:20:51 -0600

This article was written on April 15, 2008 by CyberNet.

June 30th is quickly approaching and you know what that means, don’t you? It means there are going to be a lot of unhappy people because that’s the day that Microsoft is going to stop selling OEM and shrink-wrapped copies of Windows XP. People will be forced to purchase Windows Vista, an operating system that many aren’t too eager to switch to. With this in mind, for those of you who don’t intend to upgrade to Vista and instead plan to wait until Windows 7, you may want to get your hands on a copy of XP before June 30th approaches.

Ever since Vista launched, users who purchased certain copies of Windows Vista have been able to downgrade to Windows XP for free. For example, someone who purchased Vista Business or Vista Ultimate could call up Microsoft and ask to be downgraded, and they’d then receive a new activation code that they could use with an older disc from a previous machine with the option to go back to their copy of Vista at any point. The key thing here is that Microsoft wasn’t supplying the media, the user had to. With the option to downgrade in mind, Dell has decided to make it super simple for their customers to downgrade.

Now when you purchase certain computers from Dell, there’s the option to have them install Windows XP for you and then they’ll provide you with a copy of Vista so that you can upgrade at any point. The Inquirer quotes Dell explaining how it works:

With Windows Vista Downgrade Service from Dell, you get a simple way to migrate to Windows Vista on your schedule.
Dell will factory-install Windows XP Professional and give you the DVD to install Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate when you’re ready (you will also receive the DVD for Windows XP Professional).
Dell will also support both operating systems on your PC throughout the limited warranty period.”

The screenshot above shows what we’re talking about. Notice how you can select “Genuine Windows Vista Business Bonus” in which case Genuine Windows XP Professional is factory-installed and the media is included?

The big deal with Dell is that users are getting OEM copies of Vista and XP, and XP will already be installed for them. This is a pretty big thing for Dell to offer, and certainly gives them a few reputation points from XP fans not ready or wanting to upgrade to Vista quite yet.

We do want to mention that this is all a bit confusing and we’re still not sure if this offer will be something that Dell can offer once June 30th comes rolling around. From our point of view, Vista isn’t as bad as many people make it out to be. After using it for over a year, the advantages make up for the disadvantages. Does it have flaws? You betchya! But there are plenty of reasons that it’s a great operating system so before you rule it out, try it out for yourself and come up with your own opinion regarding it. If you really don’t like it, well then at least you know you’ll be able to go back to XP.

Thanks for the tip Omar!
Source: Inquirer

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Give One. Get One. Today – Only 15 Days Left

Ashley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:18:45 -0600

This article was written on November 12, 2007 by CyberNet.

The One Laptop Per Child program has finally launched their Give 1 Get 1 Program today giving consumers the opportunity in the United States and Canada to purchase a laptop for their child or a child they know, and another one to give to a child in a developing nation. The price for the two laptops combined is $399 and $200 of that donation is tax-deductible. Here’s the thing, if you want one, you’ll need to make the purchase soon because the program will end on November 26th, just 15 days from now.

Those that make a purchase (only in the U.S.) will be thanked with one free year of HotSpot access from T-Mobile which is a nice gesture, don’t you think? They place the value of this at $350. HotSpot locations are commonly found at Starbucks, Borders, hotels, around airports, and other locations. A complete list of their Worldwide locations can be found here, and in the United States alone, there are over 8,587 locations.

If you’d like to order a laptop, you can do so online here. Ordering online will require a credit card or a PayPal account. You can also call 1-877-70-LAPTOP if you prefer to order over the phone.

I’m sure some of you are thinking to yourselves that $400 is an awful lot to spend for a computer that only has 1GB of Flash storage, a small 7.5 inch display and a limited amount of RAM (additional specs here). It is considering what you could get for that amount, but the whole idea behind the project is to empower the children of developing countries. Keep this in mind before you rule-out purchasing one.

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Apple Building An Intel iBook for January

Ryan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:07:07 -0600

This article was written on December 12, 2005 by CyberNet.

Yes, you read the title right, Intel and Apple have not only teamed up but rumors have it that the first Intel & Apple computer will be a 13.3 inch iBook laptop. Think Secret’s source said that we might see this Intel-based iBook debuting at the Macworld Conference & Expo in January.

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The Police Bay, I Mean Pirate Bay Is Back

Ryan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:02:04 -0600

This article was written on June 03, 2006 by CyberNet.

It looks like The PirateBay is back online, and they are seeking revenge. They have a new logo that mocks Hollywood and have changed the title of their page to “The Police Bay”. It didn’t even take them a week to get everything back up and running which is pretty impressive considering how controversial the case was. It is exciting to see that the MPAA couldn’t keep the PirateBay down even though they seem like the ones who took credit for it.

The PirateBay.org Homepage

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