Internet the new media

Yesterday night having a steam boat dinner with some friends, after the dinner, we site down in-front of TV, watching the live broadcast of Malaysia Election 2008 results.

We read news from in internet too, like merdeka and Malaysia Kini. The news from the internet is faster than the TV live broadcast.

Malaysia largest political alliance Barisan Nation win federal, but lost 5 state (Kelantan, Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor) to the opposition. The is the best result ever scored by the opposition.

All the newspaper were sold off early in the morning. The 7-11 shop keeper say, already request to send in more newspaper, but all swap by the customer once the newspaper reach the shop.

For those who is able access to Internet, still can get the latest news update. When there is such things happen, is an opportunity for those new media to become popular.

Just don't forget Internet is the new media.

Not anti Microsoft

Tomorrow is election day for Malaysia

You must be hearing me talking a lot about open source, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris, Palm OS, but I seldom talk about Microsoft Windows, I am not anti Microsoft. In fact I was using Microsoft products since MS-DOS, I am still using Microsoft products like Windows and Word, because my office is using it.

I just want to support the minority, give other company (other than Microsoft) a chance, Microsoft already have enough supporters. All those software that I mention above are good products.

Palm is a successful commercialize PDA, it has a simple, easy to use and working user interface, even it is different from those software that we have used before. Spend just an hour or two with the new operating system, you will learn how to use it.

I have been developing software on Solaris operating system for many years. Solaris is unix, unix is powerful and Solaris is very stable. I am having a lot of fun with text base telnet to the Solaris machine.

I was always not an Apple supporter until I meet OS X. There are 2 things that attract me, the aqua interface and OS X is unix. If you read Mac OS history, the very first Mac OS (with graphic user interface) runs on 128k (yes! only 128k) Macintosh machine, you will surprise by Apple's technology and their innovative invention.

I know Linux and open source for many years. I am so excited about it, because I can get software for free (free beer is important for a poor user like me at that time), is unbelievable. Richard Stallman (open source evangelist , Free Software Foundation founder) has great vision, Linux is a great invention.

Frequent Microsoft users, please give other software company a chance.

Google calendar sync with Microsoft Outlook

Google always write some good, simple but useful application. Google release an application to sync your Microsoft Outlook schedule with your Google calendar.

The instructions on how to setup and sync Google calendar, refer here.

Just download a small application and install on your Windows desktop, configuration is easy, you do not need to specified where is your outlook located, just specified the sync method, one way or both way. You can just copy Google calendar to Outlook, copy Outlook to Google calendar, or sync in both way. If you want to change the configuration, right click on the Google calendar sync icon on the task bar.

I do a quick test, it work fine without much problem.

A mobile phone that never been off

My friend has a Nokia 6510 mobile phone that he never turn off, even while he was sleeping. So I ask him, did he ever off his phone? He says, only when the phone hang or not function properly, then he will off and restarted the phone, normally it can last for weeks or even months. He just need to restart the phone a few times a year (That's amazing, for a computer user like me).

Most people that I know, off their mobile phone when they go to sleep. The professional will suggest you to do so (off the phone), to cut down the wave and radiation which may affected our brain and body. The main reason is, we just don't want others to call our mobile phone and disturb us while we were sleeping, except for those who are on call 24 hours.

That's is not my main subject here. Why phone can on for months, but why can't I do the same to my desktop PC for weeks? Sometimes I need to reboot my desktop every week to get a better performance. The answer is simple, because the system runs on you phone is much less complicated that your desktop's operating system.

Is easier to write a stable software to perform some simple task, desktop PC's operating system design and implementation are complicated, especially for a mobile phone users. In simple words, desktop PC has more functions, more complicated, and not so stable compare to a mobile phone.

These days mobile phone are not just mobile phones, they have added more functions, and thus more complicated, and not so stable. My friend just told me, he need to reboot his new phone (not the Nokia 6510, and I don't want to mention the model here) every few days, or else the phone will become unstable. He just reboot his phone everyday to make sure it works properly, this is normal especially for smart phone users.

The system (including Symbian and Windows mobile) runs on your smart phone, can perform complicated task 'almost' like your desktop PC. You have calendar with notes and reminder, electronic dictionary, media player, games... on your smart phone, but I still miss the stable system on the old dummy phone which can only make calls and sms.

Macworld 2008 Steve Jobs keynote

Most rumors and predictions are quite correct. There are the new products announced by Steve Jobs at the Macworld 2008 keynote:

1. MacBook Air
A 13 inch (13.3 inch), the thinnest notebook ever, about 2cm thick, without sacrificed the performance.

Apple Macbook Air, very slim and thin.

I would like to see Apple release a MacBook mini, a 10 inch or smaller than that, but cheaper in price, like the Asus eeePC. This most likely will not happen as the direction for Apple now is, they make smaller device, but bigger memory and storage size.

2. iPod Touch. More application for iPod Touch, 5 new application, Mail, Maps, Stocks, Notes, and Weather.

3. iTunes movie rental. You can get movie by all major studio like Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, New Line Cinema, Fox, Warner, Disney (sure!), Paramount, Universal and Sony.

4. Apple TV take 2. The new Apple TV doesn't connect to the computer, but build in with a new software. You can rent movies with the new Apple TV.

Refer to my Pre-Macworld 2008 post, which I just summarize on what others people predicted. There is no 3G iPhone, Mac software is on new Microsoft Office, and nothing much. Slim macbook, iTunes video rental, new Apple TV is what other people predicted.

Updates:
If you are lazy to watch the 90 minutes keynote, mahalo has a summarize version here.

Pre-Macworld 2008

Macworld 2008 is coming very soon, January 14 to 18. What new products do you think Steve Jobs will announce this year? 3G iPhone? Or an ultra slim macbook?

Other than the above 2 product, most people will predict iTunes video rental, but I am not so interested on it.

New Apple TV. The Apple TV is not selling well, if Apple is not going to drop the product, is time for an upgrade.

For sure Apple is going to upgrade their software, Mac OS X, iLife or whatever it is.

So stay tune for great news from Apple Macworld 2008.

SE M600i is not a smart phone

I have a Sony Ericsson M600i phone. I am not satisfied with the phone, may be it is not a phone, it is just a device in between a PDA and phone.

M600i is not a smart phone, because it is not smart. If you try to search from the contact application, you can only search from the Last name, unless you didn't key in the Last name, then it will search from the First name.

Let say you have a contact entry, John Smith. If you key in as:

First name: John
Last name: Smith
Display: Smith, John
(Name display will depends on sorting sequence)

You will not able to search it by key in John, unless you key in Smith. If,

First name: John Smith
Last name:
Display: John Smith

You will be able to search it by key in John, but again you will not able to search the contact by Smith, and you will not get the right entry by key in John Smith.

This is only happen in those five years old phone. Today's phone, should have smart search capability. The smart search here means you can search John Smith by John, Smith, ohn, mith or even JS (John Smith).

M600i is a PDA. It has a large display, high resolution, touch screen, it is good for PDA usage. Take a look at the Schedule application, the monthly view display are just too small, is hard to click. When you change the date and time of your appointment, is not user friendly, compare it with Palm's Calendar application, you know what I mean.

M600i can install Dictionary and Timer application, but the basic application like Contact and Scheduler, is not easy to use. M600i is a PDA, but still not so good as a PDA.

By today's standard, M600i is not a phone. It don't even support profile setting (and many other basic function), if you are a Nokia phone user, you should know what is profile setting.

In Nokia, you can have a different profile for pre-set ring tone and message alert, eg.

Indoor, ring tone with no vibrate.
Outdoor, vibrate and ring tone set as loud as possible.
Meeting, silent with vibrate, or just a beep sound will do.

By preset profile, you can switch to different phone mode by just one or 2 click.

M600i is not a smart phone, is more like a PDA, or a device between a PDA and a phone.

DNA and social networking

Even biotechnology company is building up social community. 23andme, a newly startup biotechnology company is offering Personal Genome Service, the service cost USD1000, they will send you a kit, follow the instructions, send back your saliva sample. They analyse the DNA and help you to find out more about yourself, they can help you on friend matching by DNA as well.

23andme offer Personal Genome Service.

23andme is not the only company provide such services. In a news title, 'online dating site offer DNA matching', the story tells a company-- Scientific Match, use DNA to look for a match for married partner. For me is more like, 'Biotechnology company offer online dating service'.

23andme is a privately held company. Google has invested 3.9 millions into the company a few months back. Anne Wojcicki is the co-founder of 23andme, she married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Now you should not surprise why Google invested in 23andme, with 23andme join in the social community website, it make more sense.

When WiMAX is popular

Can you imagine, purely just imagine. When WiMAX is popular, Intel launch a mobile phone with build in Intel WiMAX mobile cpu, it is not using GSM or 3G network, but pre-installed with a Skype software. Skype became of the biggest telco in the world.

Before Intel launch its Intel mobile phone, Google already launch its Google phone with Google Talk client software, and not Skype. May be Intel, Google and Apple will form an alliance against traditional mobile phone maker like Nokia, Motorola and Samsung. Sony Ericsson is not sure to create a phone, a camera or a mp3 player.

When WiMAX is popular, just imagine, purely imagine, what will happen.

Google buy Jaiku

Google is one step further into mobile market. After Google ported their Gmail, search portal, youtube and news (quietly) to mobile version, Google now buying mobile community website Jaiku.

Jaiku is a Finland's micro-blogging website started in year 2006, it was described as a pownce and twitter like website.

Micro-blogging normally refer to short blog post which less than 200 characters, so you can send and received these post through mobile SMS.

Recently my friend introduce me a Malaysia local website call pacmee, I was quite surprised by pacmee, because is simple and the idea is good. Later I just found out that is just another twitter-like website. (Yes, I am a bit out dated)

Google is moving to mobile market, and they are acting fast.

Sony close its online photo sharing service

I received an email a few days back. Sony is going to close its online photo sharing service, ImageStation.

Sony to close down ImageStation.

I am not surprised. If the photo sharing web site can not build up its community or not as interesting as flickr, it will be closed down as a matter of time.

In another word, you must upgrade your web site to version 2.0, or at least make it as interesting as flickr. Is easy to browse, upload and add comments in flickr, there is a lot of third parties application build for flickr.

Yahoo already have its online photo sharing service, but Yahoo acquire flickr in year 2005, deal amount is not disclose, there is rumors says is about 30 million, that will be a very good buy for Yahoo, and Terry Semel has do something right before he left Yahoo.

On June 2007, Yahoo announce to close down Yahoo! Photo which has been launch for 7 years, move their online photo service to flickr. It start with Yahoo! Photo and now ImageStation, who's next?

Go green

I notice some company started to be environmental friendly, running some campaign and conform to the ISO 14000 standard. The ISO 14000/14001 is an environment management standard. Simple steps you do may help the environment, like switch off the light before you leave your office, don't keep the water pipe running if you are no using it...

IT people try to be environmental friendly these days, by cutting down paper usage. They use email, and not fax, they exchange documentation using PDF attachment in email. They use electronic yellow stickies on desktop...

Most software developers read their program source on their screen (monitor). I notice a lot of the junior programmers (or you can call the rookies if you want), always print out their source code on papers for reading, it is a waste of paper usage. Read it on the monitor or read it on printed paper is just a habit. Once you get use to it, is not a problem for most software developers to read program source code on monitor.

I know some senior programmers still need to print out their source code on papers, they must be born at 60s or earlier, then be it. If you are newer generation, please read your source code on your monitor, just get a bigger (19", 20") monitor, if one is not enough, get two.

My first job as a programmer in a MIS department, print a lot of papers. When they found out any bug in a program, the first thing they will do is print out the program source code (on paper). Even is just a minor change like adding an arithmetic operator or one line if condition checking code, they still print it out. Even we use up both page of the paper before we recycle it, is still a waste of paper.

The modern CPU design is not just go for speed, but target for low power consumption. It generate less heat, save more power and more cost efficient. Especially for those data center, running hundreds of cpu, lower down the power consumption will save the cost.

blackle.com, dark surfing experience.

Black web page surfing idea, try to create web page with back insteed of white background. They claim that back display consume less watts compare with a white display (refer here) on cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, but not LCD. Some software developer quickly develop a dark google search page, like Blacke. But there is a debate on white web page display really consume more energy or not.

This girl send 30 to 35k sms per month!

Recently I read a news on the internet, an iPhone user (Justine Ezarik) received a 300 pages bill, printed both side, from AT&T. The phone bill are so detail that, every call and data transaction was listed on it. The user has posted the video on youtube. AT&T announce that they will simplified the phone bill. That is good.

VMWare and VMWare server

I should buy VMWare's company share. VMWare was acquired by EMC in 2003, EMC is a company provide storage solution, I was wandering why they are buying VMWare. I think buying VMWare is a good decision, VMWare has good products, and they keep improving it.

(VMWare listed on 13 Aug, when I write this, VMWare is not listed yet)

vmware server, boot with OLPC image.

I have seen a lot of people using VMWare, especially my friends who use linux. VMWare normally refer to the software which allow you to create a virtual machine on you desktop (or server) machine, which allow you to install another operating system on your machine. VMWare will create a virtual machine with clean environment, without affecting your existing system. My friends will normally install and tried the latest Linux distribution on their windows system using VMWare, after they have finish testing it, they just remove it from their system.

I have not tried VMWare before, even I know this product for many years. VMWare is not free (at that time), and you need more resource like hard disk space, memory to run the virtual machine. VMWare release their VMWare server and VMWare player as freeware (you can download from their website here), which runs on Windows, Linux and even Mac OS X. The OS X version of VMWare called VMWare Fusion. Since WMVare products only runs on x86 base machine, VMWare Fusion only runs on OS X intel.

A few months back when I attended the Sun Tech Days, VMWare has a product which work together with a Sun Ray machine which attract me. According the representative from VMWare, you can install Windows and Solaris operating system at the server end and access it using Sun Ray thin client, I assume you can install Mac OS X and Linux operating system too. When I asked for more demos, the representative suggest visit to their customer site. Seems like VMWare does not have a good support here, they should closely with other company, not just Sun, but those company have a strong sales and support team.

Apple introduce new iMac

As most people and media expected, Apple introduced new iMac on Tuesday.

thiner, faster and cheaper.

Earlier news reported that Steve Jobs might not appear on this special event, but don't worried, Steve Jobs will always be there. I think Steve Jobs enjoy to be on stage, and he is good on it.

A new Apple product launching event without Steve Jobs, is not an Apple event.

Show girls at PC Fair (2) 2007

I don't know since when computer exhibitions are like motor show, employ a lot of show girls to promote their products, it happens these few years in PC Fair exhibitions. It did help to attract a big crowd. Even without those show girls, PC Fair exhibitions are just too crowded.

I can’t move, but luckily I still can breath.

I don’t really like to go to PC Fair like exhibitions, is just too crowded, sometimes you could hardly move around, you don’t have the luxurious to just stand there and take a close look at those products. They have just make the PC Fair like sales carnival.

There is not much new IT products to be displays and shown in the exhibition. If you are looking for new product and technology, you should go to CeBIT. If CeBIT is too far, you can consider attend ACM.

HTC Touch, the phone.

There are more show girls than new products, busy distributing flyers. What I can do is just take a few pictures and practice my shooting skills.

Size does (doesn't) matter

I always like to tell a 'joke' about my idea, about web site business.

Many years ago, I ask my friend to start web site business together, he ask me to give him a good idea about web site.

I told him, how about free web mail? "We already have hotmail, Yahoo! Mail." I said, "hotmail give 2 Mb email storage, Yahoo give 3 Mb (to 5 Mb), then we give 5 Mb, or may be 10 Mb."

Does it sounds like a joke for you now? Because Google is giving out 1GB email storage.

When Google launch its GMail services, instead of giving a 3 Mb or 5Mb storage quota, it gave gigabytes of storage, and increasing every seconds. It outshines Yahoo and MSN hotmail. Everyone started to get an gmail account, and so proud to own one.

MSN and Yahoo need to catch up, MSN increase their email quota 100 times, which is 250Mb. Yahoo give 1G for free email account and 2G for a paid email account.

So, size does matter!?

Gmail increase to about 2.8G by now, Yahoo must be so tired with the catch up game, so Yahoo give you unmilited email quota.

If you are a gmail user, are you going to switch to Yahoo! Mail?

So, size does matter, or size doesn't matter?

Please write a better software

Yesterday I tried to sync my Palm with Google Calendar with goosync, but fail.

They sync procedure just hang there like never ending story. I do a soft reset which results a non-stop reboot on my Palm device. I do a warm reset while stop the reboot, but my system data already mess up, most of the application on the Palm device is not able to launch properly.

I have no choice but perform a hard reset (what is all these reset?). Since I learn from experience, I always backup my data before I try new software, unfortunately after I retrieve my last image with NVBackup, I go back to the non-stop reboot again!

I have tried a few hours with different images and different solution, including restore back from Palm Desktop, It doesn't work. Restore image from InnerBackup was fail half-way. Finally I use "Selective restore" function in NVBackup, it works, I hope I did restore back my records.

"Selective restore" can restore a single or selected database, click on NVBackup menu, you should see the restore function there. "Selective restore" is not for casual user, because you need to know the original database name you need to restore, which was hidden from the user.

I retrieve the following database for my PIMS data (Palm OS 5):

CalendarDB-PDat, CalendarLocationsDBPDat.
DatebookDB
ContactsBDIndex-PAdd (may be this is from HappyDay)
ContactsDB-PAdd
MemosDB, MemosDB-PMem.
TasksDB-PTod

(This is just for reference, not guarantee it will works for everyone)

Palm OS 5 (Garnet) is a good OS, it support ARM cpu and support Non-Volatile File System (NVFS). It make backup and restore on the storage card so easy. But I think Palm need to re-design the OS architecture, because it just crash too easily, this remind my the early days of Microsoft Windows.

I hope the next Palm OS will be stable and efficient, but I really have no confidence when this will happen.

Universal Music may not continue contract with Apple

The Universal Music Group of Vivendi, largest music company may not renew their contract with Apple Inc, which will expired soon. If this is true, a long list (estimate one third) of songs will be removed from iTunes online music store.

There were five largest music publishing company, British's EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, German's BMG and Universal Music Group which is own by French's Vivendi. BMG joint venture with Sony and form Sony BMG in 2004, and become the big four record labels (EMI, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner). Universal has proposed to buy BMG Music Plublishing, and Warner is actively seeking to buy EMI (refer Warner Music mulls new offer to buy EMI).

Why don't Apple just buy one of the music company, since iPod and iTunes online music constribute a significant profit to Apple. Oh! Yes, they can't, in name infringement settlement with Beatles' music company-- Apple Corp (England) in 1980s and 1991, Apple Computer agreed not to enter the music business.

How about iPod and iTunes music store? In September 2003, Apple Corps (Beatles) sued Apple Computer again, for breach of contract. The court ruled in favor of Apple Computer, base on section 4.3 of the agreement, Apple Computer field of use include software, hardware and broadcasting services. Apple Computer using the Apple name on their (online) store and not the music. Beatles catalog is not available on iTunes music store.

May be Apple Computer should have just bought over Apple Corps. Apple did consider to buy a music company, read a cnet story here, "Apple may buy Universal Music", which dated back in year 2003. The Apple share price is $13.20 at that time, and now is $127!

"When your customers are iPod addicts, who are you striking back against?," said Ken Hertz, an entertainment lawyer who represents artists like Beyonce and the Black Eyed Peas (refer to the CNet news). Recently Apple Inc. and Apple Corp agree to reach a settlement (finally!), Apple Inc. are allow to use the Apple name and logo in all area including music.

I have a clean iPod

After collected a few hundred megabytes of songs on my iPod, I decided to backup today. When I try to copy the songs in my iPod using the iTunes software, it doesn't work.

I think may be I can do a sync again. I deleted everything in my iTunes library and do a sync, and hope iTunes copy the songs on iPod to my desktop. No, it doesn't work.

I search internet and read this:

"... iTune disable copy function since version 4.x... you have to use third party software like ephPod or iDump... sync a black iTunes library will erase all songs on iPod..."

I check my iPod, all songs has been deleted. Oh! Great, I lost all my songs, the ratings, and many hours of work, and I have a clean iPod now.

Hei! Apple, what you have done with the iTunes software?

You can't just copy back the songs from the iPod back to your desktop, after you encounter a system crash and re-install your PC.

I heard Apple disable copy function in iTunes to prevent users to copy DRM songs from the iPod device. I though Steve Jobs said that "DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy,"?

Backup your Palm data

I do a hard reset for my Palm after encounter a crash in Y! messenger software and a non stop reboot, this is the second hard reset in between one week time.

There are three types of reset for Palm PDA, soft reset, warm reset and hard reset.

Soft reset. When system crash or application just hang there, press the reset button at the back of the device.

Warm reset. When soft reset doesn't work, eg. when you encounter a non-stop rebooting sequence, try this, hold the up key and press the reset button.

Hard reset. Sometimes warm reset doesn't work, because your system or data already messy. Hard reset will remove all data on the device. If you are not sure take a look at Palm site.

I must be very lucky this time. The earlier hard reset, cost me one whole day to recover about 99 percent of the data. After that I decided to backup data quiet frequently.

Normally we do Palm backup with HotSync, backup using the Palm Desktop software, but recovering all data from Palm Desktop could be quiet slow. I have tried NVBackup and InnerBackup.

When I recover back using InnerBackup, records in Contacts and DateBook are double, and application doesn't recover. I try NVBackup, it works, I have recover 99 percent of the records, in just about 15 to 20 minutes, so I must be lucky.

What is the lesson of the story? Do you backup frequently, especially before you try to install new software on your Palm.