blog

Could Microsoft’s Phone Summit mark the beginning of a new era?

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:34:30 +0100

Microsoft has arranged a developer summit in San Francisco on June 21^st and 22^nd with hopes of grabbing the attention of tech enthusiasts; they’re currently recruiting developers with the intention of closing the gap between their offering and the iPhone’s App Store and Android’s Google Play.

In May 2011 the Windows Phone App Store featured 30,000 apps. With the release of the Nokia Lumia, and with many more phones in the pipeline, this has now almost tripled to 80,000. Microsoft seems intent on taking a piece of the app market pie.

Despite this, the tech giant currently appear to be focusing the latest version of their mobile operating system around speed and usability rather than applications; we can only hope that in the future we will start to see our much-loved Xbox games and other Windows applications appearing on handheld devices.

The up and coming conference seems to be the official start to Microsoft’s calculated plans for mobile dominance; we imagine that they will be discussing the integration between the Windows Phone, Windows 8 Tablets and PCs as this will most likely be one of the main selling points for the new OS. Microsoft are so far proving successful in persuading companies to build apps for the Windows Phone and thereby expand the marketplace inventory.

Even though there is not as much hype surrounding the Microsoft conference as, say, Apple’s WWDC – where some have been willing to give an arm and a leg to be there – it should nevertheless be a landmark summit with plenty of prominent new features on show.

(Source: CNet)

Epicentre Says: “Given the current capability to view and edit most Office file formats on a Windows Phone’s ‘Office hub’ there is no doubt that Microsoft are interested in building new apps for business users as well as your everyday phone enthusiast. Integrated Flash could also prove to be a celebrated feature that could rattle Apple’s cage and create a whole new generation of Windows Phone users – at least in the short term.”

The Mountain Lion Roars

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:00:42 +0100

With the release of Apple’s next operating system update (OSX. 8 or more commonly known as Mountain Lion) set for summer this year, just one year after their previous major update (OSX 10.7 or Lion), it is clear that we can now begin to expect yearly updates to OSX via the App Store – breaking previous trends of a major update every two years.

So what is Mountain Lion all about? It would seem that the main focus of this update is to further implement iOS and iCloud integration on the Mac, creating a more seamless experience across all Apple devices and operating systems. The new OS is now incorporating a number of features directly from what has been learnt from the iOS experience. Apps such as reminders, notification messages, notes and the game centre are to be available on the Mac just as they are on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Even the naming conventions of applications are being changed to be more consistent with portable devices; ‘iCal’ will now be known as ‘Calendar’ and ’Address Book’ will become ‘Contacts’, for example.

iCloud was launched alongside OSX Lion last year and is becoming a feature which is second to none among Apple users. Replacing the previous “MobileMe” service, iCloud is used to sync all contacts, photos, emails, calendar entries, messages, documents and media across all Apple platforms as well as acting as a cloud-based media service for iTunes. Apple has also announced a new API service to help third-party developers make document-based apps work with iCloud, so this really is going to be an integral part of Mountain Lion.

Social media will be further integrated with Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo being built into the OS. This means that once signed into Twitter, for example, users will be able to tweet directly from their Apps, including Safari, Quick Look, Photo Booth and Preview as well as third party apps. Communicating between Apple devices will also be changing, with iChat dropped and iMessenger introduced. Users will be able to send unlimited messages and share files between other Macs and iOS devices for free.

Games on the Mac? Apple have never enjoyed much success when it comes to desktop gaming but games on iOS devices have been very successful, so it comes as no surprise that Apple would include Games Centre as part of the new operating system. Apple has demoed cross-platform gaming with releases such as “Reckless Racing” and it all looks very promising! Expect many other games to follow suit.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, in light of the latest Trojan scare – which has brought into question just how secure the Mac platform really is (especially with so much personal information stored within iCloud) – Mountain Lion will also include new security software known as Gatekeeper. The software will be built into the OS and operate on three levels defined by the user. The first and most secure option is to only allow the system to download and install software from the App Store; the second is to allow downloads from “identified developers” using a digital signature system; the third option is to allow software to be downloaded from anywhere. Gatekeeper will be set to the second option by default.

It would seem that Apple are definitely taking steps to move closer towards tablet and mobile-based computing, with heavy emphasis placed on iCloud, iOS integration and the App Store being the trusted place to download all your Apps – not only for your iPhone, but also now for your Mac.

The Implications of Windows 8

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:54:43 +0100

Currently scheduled for a late 2012 release (a provisional release date which is largely expected to be met), Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system currently has the tech world abuzz.

Redmond’s operating system represents a potentially significant shift in desktop operating system function, promising a more user-friendly app-based experience, simultaneously touch-optimised and retaining traditional desktop function. Indeed, early indications of the Metro UI can be seen in the company’s Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, which integrates a number of MS-exclusive technologies such as Office and Xbox Live into the mobile operating system and provides a seamless user experience. While consumer preview reactions of the upcoming OS have been largely positive, the shift is a considerable one, particularly as it pertains to user experience in testing.

As Windows 8 ships with Internet Explorer 10 as the default browser, suddenly browser-based testing changes in scope. In the same way that closing off Internet Explorer 9 to users of Windows XP limited some users’ ability to upgrade to the latest version of the browser, IE10 has the potential to further segregate the IE browser base for clients requiring testing. Keep in mind, too, that Internet Explorer 10 follows its’ predecessor’s pattern of only being available on the two most recent operating systems, as Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Vista will not receive the ability to upgrade to Internet Explorer 10. As a result, clients developing web-based applications will have to work on a much larger cross-compatibility matrix, which could then lead to an increased workload for testers.

Also of note is that with Windows 8, there will be two versions of Internet Explorer 10. One will be a Metro-enabled experience, which will not support plugins, and one will be a standard browser experience with plugins enabled. With that in mind, developers may find themselves having to build two distinct websites for the same product or service, as Flash support will not be possible on the Metro-enabled IE10 as it stands now.

Application development, too, will no doubt see a change. As applications favour the more enclosed approach (popularised by iOS and Android based mobile devices, and now representing a significant market share in computing sales), clients could be forced to develop two versions of a product: A pre-Windows 8 application which continues to function as it currently does, and a Metro-supported version, which could take the form of a standalone app or at the very least necessitate additional functionality like touch controls. With additional development costs to incorporate this functionality, will testing take a reduced focus, or will the new functionality require even more testing than before? In any event, the release of Windows 8 requires developers to take a lot of new considerations into account.

One advantage of the new Windows 8 OS is that Microsoft has kept true to its word that the hardware requirements necessary to run the OS will not be significantly higher, and indeed the consumer preview is capable of running more than adequately on the same baseline standards as Windows 7, meaning that test houses with sufficient levels of Windows 7 capable kits will not be required to invest in a lot of new and expensive hardware in order to keep up to date with the newest release. This can only have positive implications for test houses, but also represents good news for developers as their products, once adapted to any new software architecture, will not suffer any ill effects from new hardware specifications (at least, in an ideal scenario!).

With these things in mind, one thing is absolutely certain: There are plenty of considerations for developers and testers alike in order to be ready for Microsoft’s most ambitious OS offering in some time, and developers and testers alike need to start considering the potential impact of the new Metro UI.

Mac OS.X infiltrated by Trojans

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:39:58 +0100

Last week, Apple confirmed that a trojan, codenamed Flashback/Flashfake had affected a number of its Mac computers, and published a patch after a significant number of Macs were discovered to be afflicted by the trojan.

Flashback affected a portion of the Java Virtual Machine, which is used in Apple’s OSX operating system, and at its peak had created a botnet of 650,000 computers worldwide.

Trojans and minor viruses are nothing particularly new on Mac. Previously, affliction rates have been in the tens of thousands, rather than the hundreds of thousands, but it’s not an entirely new trend. Traditionally, however, the operating system has been associated with security, although a transition can be observed in the choice of language used in marketing materials (Originally, Macs were said to not get viruses, then it became “PC” viruses). Although the capacity existed for Macs to be carriers for PC viruses via email attachments, the reputation has generally stood strong, and many is the time a customer browsing Mac will comment favourably on their security reputation.

Flashback, however, has the potential to represent a significant shift in perception for the Cupertino-based technology giant. The implications of a significant Mac trojan are numerous. One thing that this could suggest is that Mac computers are now to a significant market share that more and more creators of malware are taking notice of the operating system, and indeed reports are already surfacing of another trojan, named Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a. While less catchy a name, the trojan itself represents just as troublesome a threat as Flashback, and the recent barrage of security news has the potential to cause upset with regards to Apple’s security record, which previously has been strong.

Another possible implication concerns Apple’s readiness to deal with threats to operating system security. In addition to the number of machines affected, users are said to be frustrated by Apple’s delay in addressing the trojan’s impact. Indeed, a combination of a significant affliction rate combined with Apple’s delay in addressing the issue via a software patch could lead some cynics to suggest that Apple are not as prepared as they could be for security issues, with a possibility that a lack of malware has led Apple to become complacent in their approach.

Potentially, too, the demographic shift in the Mac user base, which has now extended past the creative industries to the more affluent home user, could contribute to this shift. Where before, Mac users were of a relatively technical disposition and thus more capable of self-managing their computer security by safe web browsing and heightened security awareness, the average skill base of the Mac contingent will undoubtedly decline as more and more users adopt the operating system. It could also be the case that some of these users would have been the portion of the Windows user base who would have infected their PCs with viruses and malware due to insecure browsing habits and inferior Internet security solutions.

Whatever the resolution from this point, one thing is apparent: Regardless of operating system choice, there is no 100% safe solution.

Pioneering new features for the Web Accessibility Toolbar

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:57:51 +0100

The Web Accessibility Toolbar is an essential tool for web developers and advanced users alike, and its latest update sees that trend further consolidated.

The toolbar helps users examine the components, structure and accessibility features for any web page and is provided free by the Web Accessibility Tools Consortium. Unfortunately, it can only be downloaded for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox at present.

It offers various integrated tools to examine tables, frames, style sheets, images, download speed and features many more useful tools as well. The toolbar is intended for a range of uses with its main strengths being that it can recognize components and coding on any given webpage, assist in the use of 3^rd party online applications and also enable access to alternative views of the page content.

Through the use of the toolbar it’s effortless to see what the webpage you’re working on would look like for users running a different browser version or viewing the content with an alternative screen resolution. This can drastically reduce the time needed to perform basic checks e.g. whilst creating a website.

The latest features for the toolbar allow a developer or advanced user to check the current page using the W3C Mark-up Validation service feature. This can check behind firewalls using DOCTYPE or HTML DOCTYPE by either overwriting the page or opening the page in a new window or tab, all of which can be done relatively easily as long as there is an active internet connection. The toolbar also has a newly added feature to filter out non-relevant errors.

(Source: Paciello Group, Webcredible)

Epicentre Says: “There is a vast amount of functionality in the WA toolbar and its new features will benefit IT workers from designers to support specialists to testers. We strongly recommend the Web Accessibility Toolbar as it continues to be one of the best free bits of software we have seen in a long time. We’re hopeful that a version will be available for Chrome in the near future.”

New content needed to fuel the searing Kindle Fire

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:46:28 +0100

The number of physical books sold on Amazon has now been surpassed by e-book sales.

This conversion from physical to digital has proven such a great success that Amazon are now planning to make over 120,000 movies and TV shows available to fortunate new Kindle Fire owners.

Amazon is currently on a quest for new and exciting content (and promotion) for the Kindle Fire as its launch into all international markets is just around the corner. There have however been some mixed reviews on the Kindle; one source describes the Fire as offering a “disappointingly poor experience”. Criticisms include the touch screen being often unresponsive and the lack of an external volume control.

All of these issues could be negated by its price point: the Fire will probably be the most affordable tablet on the market and will also most likely have the most inexpensive virtual store. Amazon has even said that they are willing to lose money on each Kindle Fire sold in an attempt to dominate the market.

There will be plenty of popular Amazon Apps familiar from other devices such as Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies and Imo, and with additional features such as streaming of the LoveFilm catalogue this new tablet could give devices such as the Blackberry Playbook and the Asus Eee Book a run for their money.

The tablet fits into the 7-inch range so will do a first-rate job displaying sites designed for mobile devices, but web pages designed for desktop displays may suffer. Still, the Kindle was originally produced specifically for e-books; Amazon has not forgotten this and intends the device to be focused on e-books alongside its broader endeavours.

(Source: El Reg, NY Times)

Epicentre Says: “Although the tablet has had many diverse reviews we are eagerly anticipating its UK release date. We are optimistic it will make a great addition to the tablet market and force other companies to up their game as well as reduce the price of other market-leading devices. The creation of Amazon Studios will also hopefully result in plenty of appealing and innovative apps.”

New iPad ahead of the competition

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:05:25 +0100

The release of the iPad is causing all kinds of hysteria; is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Sales for the new iPad have surpassed 3 million only four days after its launch on the 16^th of March. This figure is quite astonishing especially considering Apple is yet to launch the product in certain parts of Europe. These figures demonstrate a dramatic improvement on sales of the previous two models.

This increase in sales could indicate that many consumers have been holding on to their wallets until a model with a superior camera arrives on the market. The new iPad features a 5-megapixel camera which is a dramatic improvement on its predecessor but still doesn’t quite match the hardware of the iPhone 4S.

The tablet also includes 1080p recording and a higher resolution screen to allow for HD movies and TV shows. This tech is backed up by the new quad-core graphics processor. The glossy retina display has a 2048-by-1536-pixel resolution at 264 pixels per inch whereas the previous model featured 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch. This increase in pixel depth allows for a superior viewing experience.

The new model does include 4G but unfortunately there aren’t currently many UK locations where the user can take full advantage of this feature. Coming months may however see more 4G hotspots popping up around the UK.

Aside from the display change and the new camera there is not much new here: the battery life remains the same as does the design aside from being 6mm thicker and slightly heavier, which is understandable given the more advanced hardware.

(Source: El Reg, CNet)

Epicentre Says: “There are many competing devices on the market that are visually more appealing and others with added storage for a more reasonable price, but what it really comes down to is the usability. The range of apps for the iPad surpasses that of any Android device although in the future we will likely see this level out as the market for other tablets grows. The ability to sync a user’s calendar, music and other features between their iPhone and iPad using cloud technology is also a very appealing feature that could be the deciding point for many buyers. However, we believe that the general simplicity of the product, how user-friendly the iPad is, and the strength of Apple and iPad as brands are the reasons behind the iPad 3’s success.”

Google issues a bounty for Chrome bugs

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:04:14 +0000

Google wants Chrome to be the most secure browser on the web and they are willing to give out hefty monetary awards to any developer who can exploit the world’s second most-used browser.

The initial release of Chrome was on December 11 2008 and ever since then, thanks in part to the availability of Apps such as Google Talk, Google Books and the Web Store, its popularity has grown tremendously. Chrome is now the most popular browser in South America, India, Russia and Pakistan.

Although there is already a large team undertaking continual security audits for the browser, Google would like to challenge outsiders to find bugs in the system. They will be giving away a total of one million dollars to a select few who can fully exploit Chrome. There will also be smaller awards to users who can find bugs in WebKit or Windows sandbox. Google is also being generous enough to offer a consolation price to anyone who can find a bug outside of Chrome - for example, in Flash, Windows or a driver. The reason behind this being the findings will help the company build defence in depth, engage online communities and generally make the whole web safer. The Chromium Security Rewards Program is even offering users additional financial rewards if the developer can create a fix for the newly found bug.

This modernized, almost crowdsourced method of tracking down bugs is a great way for Google to show the public that they care about users’ personal information and want to build the safest possible browser. This could not have come at a better time as Google’s new privacy policy updates are causing some controversy; with this new update the company will be able to take the information provided on users’ Google profiles and apply that information across other sites.

(Source: TheNextWeb)

Epicentre Says: "With more and more bug bounties being rewarded by Google the web is perceived as a safer place to surf. Combining your data across multiple Google services can improve your overall web experience - for instance viewing new online content that is related to your hobbies and interests – although data security is not the only privacy concern that critics have raised.

"As to crowdsourcing bug hunts – it will no doubt turn up some interesting problems and solutions, but it is far from the process-driven and structured testing undertaken by their internal team. It is best understood as destructive testing – real-world users trying to break the product in unexpected ways!”

ICT Syllabus Reboot

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:08:34 +0000

The giants of the computing industry are backing the government in their reboot of the current Information and Communications Technology syllabus.

When the new curriculum is introduced in September young students from the ages of 11 will be taught how to write basic 2D computer animations, adolescents will learn how to build apps for tablets and smart phones and young adults will be seen writing code. These are intended to replace classes of Microsoft Word and Excel, which many argue are dull and outdated, whereas the new syllabus will give children and teenagers the enthusiasm and drive needed to pursue a career in ICT. However, there is some concern amongst educators as there are not currently enough qualified computer-science teachers who possess the necessary knowledge to teach these classes.

The new curriculum will be boosted by the anticipated release of iBooks 2, which introduces new interactive textbooks that can be updated, will include interactive features in which teachers can make notes for the students, and a study card feature that will make those long revision sessions easier on the eyes. iBooks have many advantages over traditional textbooks: not only are they affordable, lighter and contained all in one place, they give the user the option to search for specific material.

Surrounding school children with technology that is appealing offers endless possibilities and should motivate more to choose a future in IT. This will give all involved a greater understanding of the subject and its place in the modern world.

(Source: Cnet, Cnet)

Epicentre Says: “It’s great to know that the often dreary classes of the past, with a curriculum that felt ten years or more out of date, will be replaced with something which better reflects modern digital media and today’s IT industry. Plus, ICT teaches good multitasking skills alongside mathematics, and will educate children and adults alike in thinking forwards. We hope to see many more technically-minded computer users in the future who are interested in more than just social networking.”

The giants of the computing industry are backing the government in their reboot of the current Information and Communications Technology syllabus.

(Source: Cnet, Cnet)

Epicentre Says: “It’s great to know that the often dreary classes of the past, with a curriculum that felt ten years or more out of date, will be replaced with something which better reflects modern digital media and today’s IT industry. Plus, ICT teaches good multitasking skills alongside mathematics, and will educate children and adults alike in thinking forwards. We hope to see many more technically-minded computer users in the future who are interested in more than just social networking.”

Shiny New Firefox for Christmas

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:03:21 +0000

Mozilla has released version 9 of their Firefox browser, introducing new features and tablet device stability.

Keeping in line with their promised quarterly release cycle, Mozilla’s flagship browser brings a new feature called Type Inference which allows JavaScript-heavy sites, including those that deliver games and video, to render much faster. Mac users running Lion will see two-finger swipe gesture support and visual updates to the browser to bring it in line with Lion’s look and feel.

Android tablet users will see a new look for the interface of the browser, with tabs hidden in portrait-mode orientation and some of the navigational controls slightly rearranged on the shell. Mozilla also claims some performance improvements for the tablet version. The layout is likely to change again soon, with the browser getting a native Android-code update in the near future.

(Source: CNet)

Epicentre Says: “Firefox has quite rightly dented Microsoft’s market share in recent years and looks set to continue that trend with their rapid release cycle. New features are generally well received in Firefox and they look set to retain the share they’ve gained over other browsers, having created a faithful Firefox audience. As with any new release of a browser, the updates may introduce unknown compatibility issues – Epicentre advises testing all of your web-based applications for any such issues.”

64-bit Windows 7 Crashed by Tags

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:02:00 +0000

A blue-screen-of-death bug has been found in Windows 7 and currently remains unpatched.

This critical flaw is provoked by a simple HTML script which induces a kernel-triggered page fault in the system’s RAM, causing the system to crash. The crash fault is known to only affect the 64-bit version of Windows 7, with no other versions of Windows seen to be affected. Further to this, the flaw has only been seen when using Apple’s Safari browser.

The flaw is thought to allow malicious code to be injected into a user’s machine at the kernel level, which may allow hackers to seize control of a machine. Proof-of-concept code has leaked on the internet, though the simple nature of the HTML script that causes the issue--an IFRAME tag with an excessively large height attribute--should be easily reproducible by even novice hackers.

(Source: El Reg)

Epicentre Says: “A flaw of this kind has a very specific set of conditions required to trigger it, and with the flaw currently relying on an Apple browser being used on a 64-bit Windows machine, the chances of users being affected appears to be quite low. However, it’s only a matter of time until the underlying issue is exploited in another way, in another browser.”

Mobile Flash Finished

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:52:58 +0000

Adobe has announced that Flash 11.1 for Android and Blackberry is the end of the line.

The mobile version of the web’s most widely used plug-in will be the final mobile release for Flash, though Adobe plan to continue patching bugs and issuing security updates where needed. This doesn’t mark the end of Flash as a whole, though, as Adobe wants to foster a community of Flash-app developers coding apps to be run through the Adobe AIR system.

The move to bring mobile Flash to an end is almost certainly a result of the introduction of HTML 5 to mobile devices, which requires a lot less effort from developers to run on smartphones and tablet machines. Adobe can now focus on bringing some of its bold claims for Flash 11 to life, such as the promise of bringing ‘console quality’ graphics to web browsers, through the harnessing of a machine’s GPU.

HTML 5 has gained support, at least verbally, from many of the big names such as Apple, Mozilla and Opera, who plan to support the new standard fully in future iterations of their browsers.

(Source: El Reg)

Epicentre Says: “Flash for mobile would always have faced a huge struggle against the growing love for HTML 5, which has the big names behind it, backed up by a much more straightforward way of developing for it. It’s likely that Flash will be around for a few years to come, but its days could be numbered.”

Ten Years of Windows XP

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:33:15 +0000

Windows XP has been with us for just over 10 years and still appears to be going strong.

When it appeared in October 2001, Windows XP slowly but surely kick-started something of a revolution in home computing, introducing an operating system that eventually boasted greater stability, better functionality and more visual flair than had previously been seen from any OS vendor.

A very interesting blog-piece at arstechnica gives an overview of the aging OS that illustrates both the highs and the lows of XP’s life span, which saw a slow start and a long, drawn-out end that will, with official support being repeatedly extended beyond the original 2009 date, reach far into 2014. Service Packs 1, 2 and 3 have brought new life to Windows XP over the years, increasing and extending its capabilities for many domestic users and, perhaps more importantly, enterprise users who have come to heavily rely on the OS.

Further to this, OEM installations of XP were originally brought to an end back in 2007, around the launch of the beleaguered Vista operating system, which inspired many canny vendors to offer a rollback service to XP for those who didn’t want the newly-released, unfashionably-bloated and resource-hogging Vista on their shiny new computers. Thankfully this hasn’t been the case with Windows 7, which has seen Microsoft reaffirm its position at the top of the operating system food chain.

With literally millions of users still running Windows XP it’s hard to imagine a time when it will have disappeared completely, having become such a ubiquitous part of computing. However, as hardware advances, the old man of the Windows family will soon be entirely obsolete and many users will find themselves forced to update. Better they make that choice sooner rather than later, before their machines reach full obsolescence too.

(Source: Ars Technica)

Epicentre Says: “Windows has been around for so long that it’s hard to believe there was ever a time before it. Ten years of updates, service packs and minor innovations have made XP something of an elder statesman amongst the other operating systems that have grown in steadier increments than Microsoft’s most-sailed-ship. Convincing the many that continue to run XP to upgrade will be difficult, especially with growing competition from alternative vendors and a switch to different forms of computing, such as tablets and other hand-held devices. Come April 2014, however, many won’t have an option, as both their hardware and OS fade into the legacy of Windows XP’s natural supported life-cycle.”

Ubiquitous Ubuntu

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:19:45 +0000

Ubuntu’s popularity has grown massively in recent years, but the announcement that it’s heading to more than just your laptop or desktop could see it grow even further.

Canonical and Ubuntu’s founder, Mark Shuttleworth, will announce that the Linux distro is going to make its way onto tablets, smartphones and even smart TVs at the upcoming Ubuntu Developer Summit in the US today. Shuttleworth sees this as the natural route for the distro to take once version 12.04 has been fully belted and braced for home computers. With so many users shifting to smaller devices and expecting more from home technology, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to Linux-loving devotees out there.

There is undoubtedly a huge battle to be fought for the smart-device market in coming years, with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android already pinning the market down quite neatly. A true open-source alternative seems a sensible move. Google’s forays into operating systems have proved a positive move for the millions of Android device wielding users out there, and a new contender may be just what the market needs for another boundary-pushing shake-up.

(Source: ZDnet)

Epicentre Says: “An Ubuntu-based handheld device certainly has an appealing charm to it, but with nothing likely to appear until 2014 Canonical will need something very special to set itself apart from competitors. It will also need to make sure people are aware of their developments as well as provide constant updates to remind people of their intentions.”

Flash 11’s bold claims

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:13:13 +0100

Adobe’s Flash 11 and AIR 3 are set to release in two weeks, with some bold claims pinned to their new features.

It’s been a tough ride for Adobe in recent years with public spats over security concerns still ringing in peoples’ ears. Adobe are soon to release new versions of their most widely used plug-ins, which bring with them promises of, amongst other things, ‘console-quality’ games, suggesting that graphical quality will match that of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 but running within a web browser. This will be achieved with GPU (graphics processing unit) power being accessed directly by the plug-in for the first time. Flash has been integral in providing online games for many years, with a wide range of sites offering hundreds of Flash-based games to the internet.

One of the more memorable fracases over Flash stemmed from Apple’s banning of Flash-coded apps from their App Store, resulting in many apps being pulled from the store, and many more never seeing release. To address this, Adobe has built in functionality to AIR 3 that allows Flash apps to be packaged as standalone applications, with the Flash content built directly into the app. Adobe have also introduced 64-bit support into Flash, with the intent of future-proofing the plug-in as the market shifts towards more powerful processing units.

(Source: CNet)

Epicentre Says: “With the recent announcement from Microsoft stating that they’re looking to a plug-in free browsing solution with their Metro-style browsing embracing HTML5, and further support for HTML5 from other big-name vendors such as Apple, Mozilla and Opera, Adobe may have a hard time keeping their plug-ins at the forefront of the web. However, the market may yet find more love for Flash if their new claims are to be believed.”

New Firefox has smaller feet

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:09:48 +0100

Mozilla has released Firefox 7, and claims it will use considerably less memory when used.

It seems like only days ago that Firefox 6 was released and, for many users, the changes it brought with it seemed minimal at best. The latest version, 7, has been seen to consume between 20 to 50 per cent less memory when browsing, dependent on the type of online tasks a user carries out. For some time now, Firefox has been gaining a deserved reputation as a memory hog.

Benchmark testing has shown Firefox 7 to be the leader of the pack in memory efficiency, though this is of course dependent on the type of activity a user is carrying out as well as the various plug-ins they have installed to the browser. Firefox’s memory savings have been achieved with a memory-optimising project Mozilla has returned its focus to, known as MemShrink.

Plug-ins remain an issue with Firefox in light of its new rapid release cycle, with many becoming obsolete upon on the release of a new browser. Though there is little word on how this will be addressed, Mozilla plan to tackle this in future releases.

(Source: Ars Technica)

Epicentre Says: “Firefox’s tendency to slow down a system has been a long-standing issue for Mozilla and it’s good to see that this has been addressed. This should help keep them on track in their plan to ‘take back the web’, though with Metro-style browsing rapidly gaining favour and recognition, the browser war will no doubt continue as normal.”

Microsoft Plugs-out with IE10 and Windows 8

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:56:38 +0100

Microsoft has revealed that their upcoming releases will push for a full HTML5 browsing experience, without browser plug-ins.

In a move that may surprise a few, if only for how immediate the plan is, Microsoft has announced that the next versions of IE and Windows will run entirely with HTML5, to allow for growth of their Metro-style browsing. This will allow for greater visual consistency across desktop and mobile devices, though many may find this visual style unfamiliar and unwieldy. Further to this, Apple, Google, Mozilla and Opera have all stated huge support for HTML5, which could spell the end for Adobe’s beleaguered Flash plug-in.

Flash has, in recent years, had a hard time with security issues and bugs that have resulted in some very public airing of laundry, with Apple in particular making loud noises around their concerns with Flash.

However, plug-in support will not disappear entirely as the web has yet to fully embrace and harness the powers of HTML5. As the internet shifts towards a plug-in-free model, legacy technology will begin to hamper the development of the web and, moreover, the experience users have when using the web. To this end IE10 will be available in two flavours on desktop versions of Windows 8, with a Metro-styled mobile-like browser that uses solely HTML5 functionality, and a plug-in supporting desktop app available for those who would like to make plug-in decision themselves.

As there’s currently no specific release date for the latest version of Windows, it’s likely that there will be floods of details emerging over the coming months. It’ll be interesting to see what Microsoft has in store and how they plan to top the success of Windows 7.

(Source: MSDN blog)

Epicentre Says: “With the public slanging match between Apple and Adobe still fresh in many minds, Microsoft’s choice to move away from plug-ins seems a very sensible idea. Even more sensible is the decision to have both browser-styles accommodated within Windows 8. While many have rapidly become accustomed to the more streamlined and slimmed down approach of mobile browsing, the majority of internet usage is still from the desk or the lap. Failing to accommodate both types of browsing would have been a foolish move, as Microsoft’s grip on the browser market has been slipping consistently over the last couple of years.”

Curtains drawn to reveal Windows 8

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:54:39 +0100

Microsoft’s Windows 8 has been released in the form of a developer preview build to show off all the new bells and whistles.

It’s little surprise that the Microsoft Build conference was the site of the first big reveal of Windows 8, where Microsoft unveiled a huge range of new features in the upcoming operating system, which is due for its retail release in 2012. The updated interface has been streamlined to a very pleasingly-minimal new look, with very little on-screen clutter. The biggest surprise in the new look Windows, however, has to be the removal of the Start menu. In Windows 8 you have a Start screen, which exists as a separate entity to the Desktop – using the familiar Start button will launch the new screen, rather than popping out a cluttered menu. Pressing the Start key on your keyboard will open a new searching interface.

Windows 8 also gives a much more refined and robust solution to touch interfaces, with improved support for touch-screens and gestures, for those that like to poke their grubby fingers all over their screens. Windows 8 will, of course, be available for tablet machines as well as desk- and laptop machines so again, no surprises here.

Tipping its hat to the green-minded, Windows 8 will run on ARM powered machines, providing a much more energy efficient operating system, though the version previewed at the Build conference was running on more power-hungry x86 machines.

(Source: TechRadar)

Epicentre Says: “As computers move away from the exclusive realm of the techy-minded more and more, it’s a logical step for Microsoft to make the look and feel of Windows 8 as accessible as possible by implementing sleek, minimal design and removing the highly familiar interface that has featured in increasingly minimal iterations of XP, Vista and 7. With the new Metro interface, users of tablets and touch-screen monitors will have an easy time of navigating around the system and launching their apps. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the interface isn’t too alien to long-time users who are accustomed to the current style, which brings with it the risk of users trying something entirely different from a competitor.”

The End of the Power PC?

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:53:17 +0100

Apple will no longer issue security updates for PowerPC Macs

After a recent security update to address ongoing root certificate vulnerability, Apple sort-of revealed they would no longer offer security updates for the many Mac users still running PowerPC-based machines. The recent update even shunned users of Tiger, 10.4 and Leopard, 10.5, meaning only users running 10.6 and 10.7 versions of OS X could take advantage of the update.

The recent fix to the DigiNotar root certificates issue may have left many users out in the cold, though it is still possible to fix the issue manually by disabling the service on older Macs. However, the lack of a fix for users with older OSs suggests that security updates in future will also pass these users by, resulting in a huge number of users being wilfully put at risk by Apple’s policy of built-in obsolescence.

(Source: CNet)

Epicentre Says: “Apple appears to have turned its back on many users with this update, with thousands of users facing the possibility of having to not only upgrade their operating system to receive security updates, but also upgrade their hardware. Whilst in a sense this does ensure some level of future-proofing when it comes to security, many may see this as a highly-cynical approach to keeping the web, and the many machines attached to it, safe.”

‘Devastating’ Apache Bug Stomped

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:29:42 +0100

The open-source Apache webserver was found to contain a critical weakness, allowing hackers to crash websites.

The widely-used open-source webserver has now been patched, to resolve the issue, which stemmed from processing multiple web requests. With a little help from some software that overwhelmed a server, errant hackers were able to bring websites completely down. A second issue connected to this, which has been known about for some time, is thought to potentially affect all webservers.

Weaknesses of this kind are often exploited by hackers in denial-of-service attacks, which aim large levels of traffic at a webserver and cause it to be overwhelmed, resulting in a full loss of the service. Attacks similar to this have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, as they are relatively easy to carry out. In the case of the recently patched issue with Apache, the flaw could be provoked with a single request.

Epicentre Says: “The patch to resolve this issue is now available through Apache’s website and we advise updating all webservers running versions 1.3 to 2.0 to ensure the flaw is stamped out. In recent months denial of service attacks have increased and have been gaining more attention in the press, in the wake of the recent Anti-Sec attacks.”