Yahoo China CEO resigned

自雅虎中國與阿里巴巴合併後，周鴻禕離職，田健做了一陣子，又好像做不來，現在的謝文又閃電離職。據說是雅虎中國的理念與美國雅虎不合有關。


雅虎中國 CEO 謝文，閃電離職

看來雅虎中國大佬的位置真的不好坐。

雅虎中國總裁謝文閃電離職
競報：謝文離職揭開雅虎中國未來之危

CIMB to create world largest plantation company

CIMB (CIMB Investment Merchant Bank Berhad) propose to merge three plantation company in Malaysia-- Sime Darby, Golden Hope and Guthrie. This will create the world largest plantation company, worth 31.4 billion ringgit (USD$9.8 billion).

Sime Darby, Golden Hope and Guthrie are the legacy of Brithish colonie, all these company around hundred years old history, just like the Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa, Jardine Matheson, Weelock and Swire Group.

Sime Darby remind me of Hutchison Whampao. Sime Darby was form by Middleton Sime and Henry Darby, Hutchison Whampao is a merger of Hongkong Whampoa Dock and Hutchison International. Both are conglomerate company. Hutchison Whampao investion a lot in telecommunication industry, especially 3G license in Europe.

Some chinese translation here:-
CIMB 聯昌
Sime Darby 森那美
Golden Hope 金希望
Guthrie 牙直利
Hutchison Whampao 和記黃埔
Jardine Matheson 怡和洋行
Weelock 會德豐
Swire Group 太古洋行

What a simple plan

No doubt DiGi has a very good marketing plan for it mobile package, no wander it's share price soar from RM4 to more than RM10, even higher than its long time rival Maxis. Maxis is still the leader now, but things could be changing.

It starts from pre-paid SIM pack. DiGi pre-paid selling at RM8.80 (now is RM8.50), it came with a RM20 talk time, Maxis hotlink follow DiGi foot step, selling with a cheaper price at RM8.50. Compare with RM88 a few years ago, pre-paid sim card never been as low as this price before.

DiGi is the first mobile telco came out with pre-paid services, then Maxis came out with its hotlink services. DiGi pre-paid top up value is flexible, it even can top up with RM1 value.

You though DiGi pre-paid packaging is good? It's post paid package is even better. Do you notice DiGi advertise it's 1 low flat rate, very frequent on newspaper and TV? I always confuse with those mobile telco charges, this sounds much better.

DiGi came out with other new call rates as well. RM0 call between family line, and is all free call from DiGi to DiGi number, once your call charges are above RM123. Monthly subscription for DiGi post paid is just about RM10 to RM20.

Maxis, DiGi and Celcom have unlimited data access package, about hundred RM per month, once you subscribe to the package, you have to pay every month.

DiGi give you an option with some flexibility, you can paid per used (about RM0.10 every 10K, which is very expensive), and once you data charges reach RM149, is all free. Getting confused? Even without subscribe to data access package, is still an unlimited access plan, but rate are higher, at RM150.

People use Maxis because they said Maxis coverage is better, but I believe things will changed.

TechCrunch and Krunch tech

Michael Arrington write TechCrunch, earning hundred thousand per month.

I write Krunch tech, my earning just two cents, from AdSense.

I know the reason, why?

Some people says, you can't make money from AdSense anymore. That could be true.

PS. Last line is just a joke.

Google on mobile

My friend suddenly remind me this.

Sooner or later, (I think) there will be Google Calendar on your mobile phone, this is not the SMS alert from Google Calendar, is a (java) application like the Gmail reader. I don't know Google will do it, but I just believe Google will do it very soon.

The impact of Google Calendar on your mobile is, you don't need your Motorola or Nokia calendar anymore. In another word, Google is going to put your PIM (Personal Information Managment) application (eg. calendar, address book) into your mobile devices (mobile phones or PDA), no way you can stop them, unless you can provide a better services than Google.

I have use Google Calendar and Google Gmail contact management, they are equally good, I have no complain, any complain will be on Yahoo's adress book. I am wandering why Nokia and Motorola not doing it earlier, what they are waiting for!? Google!?

Those who have used Treo smart phone before, I like one of the SMS application which group all messages into a chat log, similar as Gmail group those email with same topic into one. Image Google upload your SMS into Gmail, imagine Google Talk can send message to your mobile phone as SMS. Wow! I couldn't imagine further anymore!

FireFTP and Krunch

Some idea on web services.

FireFTP is a ftp client plugins for Firefox.


FireFTP, ftp plugins for Firefox

I didn't try it until today, it is quite useful, especially when I don't have a ftp client installed on my desktop.

Later it remind me of this website, krun.ch.


online file compress services

I thought it was useless, just like many others think that web base IM client is useless (too slow). You can install a 200k utility (eg. freezip, info-zip) which help you to do the job. After I have tried the FireFTP, I change my mind. Online zip/unzip services could be useful, especially when zip utility is not available and you are not allow to install extra program into your desktop computer (eg. for security reason).

If you are still not convinced, let me give another reason why online zip/unzip services is necessary. You can zip/unzip on your desktop computer, but how about other file format which was not supported like tar, Z, lha, gz, bzip2, rar? There are applications which support these compress format, but if there is an online service, it could be easier.

Online zip/unzip services might not be as useful as what I describe. Since bandwidth are always limited, you might have trouble to compress a large file (that's the reason why we want to compress it).

What other value-added services we can improve on top of the online file compress services? Remeber I blog on info-Zip? The zipnote can add a comment (or description) to the archive file inside the zip file. I was not able to do it using my desktop utility. If the online zip/unzip services have such a function, it add value to the web services, and make it different from the desktop utility.

Link:-
FileSquash.com

SUN plan for GPL Java

This is a BIG BIG news, and it sounds GREAT, if it is true.

SUN Microsystems set to use the GNU General Public License for its open source java. I am not too excited (but I am very surprised by their GPL license decision) about their open source decision. I am more concern that java have a better development path in the future. I hope java will still be stable and (backward) compatible.

For me the most valuable properties of SUN are Solaris operating system and Java, now both open source.

SUN have a long time struggling between open standard and open source, they always differentiate themselves with Microsoft by adopting open standard like Unix and XML. SUN still take a tight control of java, even though many parties urge them to release Java, especially IBM.

I think SUN has made a wrong decision to acquire Netscape server end product, but leave the browser to AOL. The Netscape server end product became iPlanet server and SUN One application server, but it was not a very successful product.

If SUN work closely with Mozilla foundation, java might not be diminish from the browser, but now is still not too late for SUN to strengthen Java platform in the internet back end.

Not sure what's the future of java, and where it is going, let's observe.

Thoughts on Firefox 2.0 release

I have written this quite some time back, but never get it posted until now.


Remember firefox put a 2 page advertisement on New York Times?

Is another year after the official release of Firefox 1.0, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 was released a few weeks ago (24 Oct), right after the release of Internet Explorer 7.0. The browser war continue.

Do you remember the very first browser war, Netscape vs Internet Explorer? Netscape browser was discontinue and rely on Mozilla code, but Firefox survive as an open source source software (now you can see the power of open source).

Firefox shares in the browser market just increase a little bit to 12 percent (and majority of the rest is IE). Firefox is one of the most successful marketing in open source software world. What is the success story behind it?

A browser is still a browser. Just a few years back, (Netscape) software developers try to put everything in one, functionality is much important than stability, especially in browser war with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Netscape include email client, html editor into its flagship product--Netscape Communicator browser, later it became a 20MB bloatware. Firefox browser is a strip down from Mozilla browser, just about 4 to 5 MB in size. It do what it originally doing when it was first started, a browser. This seems to be a smart move for Mozilla.

It doesn't means package a few software into one is a bad idea. Lotus SmartSuite is a good idea, Microsoft Office is a good idea, but you must do it right.

Firefox sounds cool. Firefox originally was named Pheonix and Firebird, but changed its name to Firefox, because the 2 earlier name have some trademark issue. A good name and icon, help in branding, most open source software has a interesting name compared with commercial software.

Tab browsing and plugins. Other than branding and marketing, , a good product must exist. Firefox came with some useful function like tab browsing.

Personally I don't think tab browsing is a great function. "Open html link in new window" (other than tab) make not much different for me. A lot of the users I know, switch from IE to Firefox for the tab browsing. IE only add in tab browsing function in version 7, which is few years time after IE 6.

Firefox function are extensible through plugins and extension. There is a lot of extension available, which can be downloaded from firefox add-ons.

Partner with Google. Partner with Google is another good move from Mozilla Foundation. According to Mozilla Foundation CEO, Mitchell Baker, Mozilla earn 10 of millions through partnership with Google and other website like Amazon.

The deal with Mozilla and Google was not reviewed, but many people says that, when you use the google search bar and the Firefox Google homepage to search for information, Google paid to Mozilla. Some rumors even said Mozilla earn 30 million to 70 million.

Is still a long way to go for Firefox to fight against with IE, and i would like to see both software improve, provide a better life for users like us.

Google ads one step further

My friend ask me a tough question, "How to make money through website?"

I give an easy answer, online advertisement.

"Other that that?", that will be difficult to answer, because even online advertisement can not guarantee you will make money.

Ten years ago, I heard my friend talks about double click, show me how good it is, what a bright future it has... bla bla bla, until Google cames in. How could he imagine such a company like Google will appear?

You can not imagine text base advertisement is more effective than a banner style advertisement, more effective than pop-out advertisement. Luckily I don't have to argue with you, because Google prove it.

A lot of my friends still asking me, is Google putting advertisement on its website? Why I didn't know about that? Without your notice, Google already making lots of money out of its online advertisement. Google give online services for free, what do you think their 100 billion market value came from?

Google is not the first company who sell online advertisement keyword, Overture (acquired by Yahoo in 2003) has been doing it much earlier. You know about Google and not Overture, simply Google has a better brand name.

Google online advertisement provided by AdWords and AdSense web services. One of the most valuable piece of AdWords and AdSense is the software application by Google, it provide an automated service for those who want to advertise and for those who want to make money out of Google ads. By just a few clicks and not technical knowledge, you can integrate Google ads into you personal website or blogs, and Google will share the ads profit with you.

Recently Google sign up with more than 50 newspaper including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, to sell advertisement space on traditional newspaper through online, Google is expanding it to some radio station too.

Please don't be surprised Google ads is everywhere, on every bus, every taxi/cab, every corner, every pillar, Wow! You will be surprised.

Meebo new face

Today I launch the meebo website. Oh! It has a new look.


meebo new face

There is a few changes for the new meebo release.

New visual design. Is not much different for me, the old design is good enough.

Drag and drop buddy list management. Ya! This is good, it make the buddy list management much more easier, just drag and drop will do. If they can merge 2 (or more) account into one, like AdiumX do, that will will even better.
(Some user, like me, have more than one IM account, in AdiumX, you can merge the 2 account into a same id, dislay as one in the IM client)

Updated chat logs. It make the browsing for the historical chat logs much easier, but still can't beat if you can search it (like what Google Talk does).

There are something that I don't like:-

Pop outs. If I like pop outs, I would never use tab browsing... Ok, I did once like to open url link in new browser window, but now I get use to tab browsing. :)

Where is the backgroup like buddy icon? I like the semi-transparent buddy icon, which display like a backgroup image on upper right corner of the chat window. I like the semi-transparent buddy icon, even though is so blur that you could hardly seen it sometimes. They have changed to a solid image, the wording will wrap around and never overwrite the buddy icon picture. I hope they can keep that on Mac OS X platform, because OS X like to use semi-transparent graphics, it look nice.

For those who prefer the old design, you can alwasy access to their classic skin.


You can always switch back to classic skin

I believe meebo will have more skins in the future.

PS. meebo is a web (ajax) base instant messenger, which use open source GAIM engine at the backend.