e-Clippings (Learning As Art)

Firefox 3 not loved by Corp. IT, Not that it matters...

So Firefox 3 Download day was a pretty big success. That is if you count something on the order of 8 million downloads and quadrupling your market share in a single 24-hour period successful (1). I do want to point out though, that as much as I like FF3, Opera 9.5 is also out and is a fine, seriously fast browser in its own right.   

This article was one of the many that came out in the wake of Download Day; "Firefox 3.0 Doesn't Focus On Business IT." There are a couple of interesting points in this piece. The first thing is the sub-headline right under the main headline; "However, a lack of enterprise support won't stop employees from downloading and using the browser on their own, with or without the backing of IT." No doubt. This really is an extension of the already significant "consumerization" of the enterprise. I also like this quote "Give people the things they want and then they'll take it into the enterprise," Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's VP of engineering, said in an interview. "Our approach for a long time now has been pull rather than push." Give people what they want...wow what a paradigm shift for thinking RE enterprise software...

Finally, I am REALLY interested in this line "Boeing and Fidelity Investments are among the companies that support or encourage Firefox use." Hmmm, I need to find some points of contact at Boeing and Fidelity who'll talk about that.

Geez. 13 GBs per second on the Firefox 3 download.

This is the counter for Firefox 3 downloads as of 1655 EST. According to this story on CNET, the download rate at one point 14,000 copies per minute or 233 per second.

Help Firefox 3 Set a Guiness World Record!!

Geek Alert! Positively Giddy that Firefox 3 RC1

So yeah, huge geek alert. "Release Candidate 1" for Firefox 3 is supposed to ship in late May. That means that a release date for the final FF3 of June seems on track.
Why should you care?
Do you use a browser?
There ya go then. Check out benchmarks here.

Vintage Tech Predictions - Some eerily right.....

I love this stuff. The blog "Modern Mechanix" says that it covers "Yesterday's Technology Today"...so true. This site has tons of back issues of Popular Science, Modern Mechanics, and many more. Its just classic. One recently unearthed article, "40 Years in the Future" from 1968 has some really interesting predictions.

Some right:

"A business associate wants a sketch of a new kind of impeller your firm is putting out for sports boats. You reach for your attache case and draw the diagram with a pencil-thin infrared flashlight on what looks like a TV screen lining the back of the case. The diagram is relayed to a similar screen in your associate’s office, 200 mi. away. He jabs a button and a fixed copy of the sketch rolls out of the device. He wishes you good luck at the coming meeting and signs off."

"Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities."

"Money has all but disappeared. Employers deposit salary checks directly into their employees’ accounts. Credit cards are used for paying all bills."

Here are a couple focused on learning:

"Most of this study is in the form of programmed TV courses, which can be rented or borrowed from tape _ * libraries. In fact most schooling—from first grade through college—consists of programmed TV courses or lectures via closed circuit. Students visit a campus once or twice a week for personal consultations or for lab work that has to be done on site. Progress of each student is followed by computer, which assigns end term marks on the basis of tests given throughout the term."

**Hey look you jerk patent grubbers at Blackboard...turns out someone ELSE thought of the LMS, lets see like 30 YEARS prior to you!

And weren't we just talking about this.....
"No need to worry about failing memory or intelligence either. The intelligence pill is another 21st century commodity. Slow learners or people struck with forgetful-ness are given pills which increase the production of enzymes controlling production of the chemicals known to control learning and memory. Everyone is able to use his full mental potential."

Want RealPlayer without ads? Thank You BBC!

According to this article in the Washington Post, the BBC required Real to produce a version of its player without ads. While the article doesn't give a direct link, I think this is the one here - of course I can't install Real Player at work so I'll have to wait until I get home or rely on someone out there for confirmation that this version of the player is sans ads but I'm hopeful.

Top Ten AntiSpyware Apps from CNET

(CNET)

"Once again, we enlisted CNET Labs to design and perform our antispyware tests. For specific samples, we asked Download.com to send us adware and spyware they've seen in the wild, to better replicate the examples you are likely to encounter on your own, not theoretical or "zoo" examples. From the Download.com list, CNET Labs selected 10 independently verified, representative adware/spyware applications. These were first added to a clean Windows XP machine to test how the antispyware protection behaves to actively shield the PC from new spyware. Then, using another image, we added the antispyware program to an already infected hard drive to see how it scanned and removed the infections. For our tests, we looked at the registry files, specifically the system registry launch points, to see whether the antispyware application only blocked or attempted to remove the infection."

Web-based Replacements for MSFT Project

OK...haven't had the time to try any of these out but love seeing rich toolsets like this hit the cloud...if anybody out there has any reviews, I'd love to hear them...

(Webware story)
"If you use Microsoft Project, you might want to seriously consider three alternatives that run completely on the Web. In addition to supporting more contemporary features right now, and getting updated with even newer gadgets more frequently than Microsoft can muster, these products, being completely Web-based, offer much more robust collaboration tools."
Liquid Planner
Clarizen
Mumboe

Trying out PicApp...new image service..

...hmmmm...nice tech, I like the interactive features within the image but I don't care for the ad feature and looking around their site, I don't see an option for a paid version that would free the images from the ads...so, all in all, I probably won't be using PicApp all that much...

CNET Review of IE7 and Firefox 2

CNET has a great review of the new IE7 browser and the new Firefox 2. It is rich.
Hey Redmond - this is why your stock price is stagnant - this review is so dead-on.
My favorite quotes:

• "My installation went smoothly, but I got the feeling IE was reprogramming my computer's DNA as it worked."
• "Firefox, on the other hand, is a small download and installs in about 30 seconds, no reboots or gene sequencing required."

The review actually goes on for five 'rounds' with Firefox winning each round. Ignore that for a moment though and consider that the initial round which covers ease of installation has just stopped me from even trying to use IE7. I already get the feeling that IE does too much within the registry and this review sounds like MSFT has failed to learn many lessons from the up and coming Firefox.