SAN FRANCISCO — The browser, that porthole onto the broad horizon of the Web, is about to get some fancy new window dressing.
Next month, after three years of development and six months of public testing, Mozilla, the insurgent browser developer that rose from the ashes of Netscape, will release Firefox 3.0. It will feature a few tricks that could change the way people organize and find the sites they visit most frequently.
Not to be outdone, Microsoft recently took the wraps off the first public test version of the latest edition of Internet Explorer, which is used by about 75 percent of all computer owners, according to Net Applications, a market share tracking firm. The finished version of Internet Explorer 8 could be released by the end of the year and is expected to have additional features.
Even Apple, which once politely kept its Safari browser within the confines of its own devices, is making a somewhat controversial push to get it onto the computers of people who use Windows PCs.
In other words, the browser war — the skirmish that landed Microsoft in antitrust trouble in the ’90s — is heating up again.
“The typical browser for today’s consumer doesn’t look all that different than it did 10 years ago,” said Larry Cheng, a partner at Fidelity Ventures, one of the firms that invested in Flock, a browser start-up. “That is an unsustainable trend that is the launching point for the second browser war, which will not be won by monopolistic muscle but by innovation.”
Browsers have always been viewed as crucial on-ramps to the Web. Nevertheless, after vanquishing Netscape, the first commercial browser developer, Microsoft waited five years before releasing the sixth version of Internet Explorer in 2006. Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer group, says the company was focused on plugging security holes during that time.
America Online, which acquired Netscape, spun off the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation in 2003. Its Firefox browser soon inspired an open-source movement backed by computer enthusiasts. Early versions of Firefox introduced features like a built-in pop-up blocker to kill ads, and tabbed browsing, which lets users toggle between Web windows.
Firefox now has 170 million users around the world and an 18 percent share of the browser market, according to Net Applications. That is especially impressive given that most of its users have made the active choice to download the software, while Internet Explorer is installed on most PCs at the factory.
In addition to giving Microsoft a kick in its competitive pants, Firefox has also reinforced for the high-tech industry the financial and strategic value of the browser. In 2004, Google struck a deal with Mozilla to include a Google search box tucked into a corner of the Firefox browser. According to Mozilla’s most recent tax documents, in 2006 Google paid Mozilla $65 million for the resulting traffic to its search listings.
With tasks like e-mail and word processing now migrating from the PC to the Internet, analysts and industry players think the browser will soon become even more valuable and strategically important.
“People in the industry foresee a time in which for many people, the only thing they’ll need on a computer is a browser,” said Mitch Kapor, the software pioneer who now sits on the board of the Mozilla Foundation and has created a start-up, FoxMarks, that is developing a tool to synchronize bookmarks between computers. “The browser is just extraordinarily strategic.”
That notion has helped to rekindle the browser wars and has resulted in the latest wave of innovation. Firefox 3.0, for example, runs more than twice as fast as the previous version while using less memory, Mozilla says.
The browser is also smarter and maintains three months of a user’s browsing history to try to predict what site he or she may want to visit. Typing the word “football” into the browser, for example, quickly generates a list of all the sites visited with “football” in the name or description.
Firefox has named this new tool the “awesome bar” and says it could replace the need for people to maintain long and messy lists of bookmarks. It will also personalize the browser for an individual user.
“Sitting at somebody else’s computer and using their browser is going to become a very awkward experience,” said Mitchell Baker, chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation.
Internet Explorer 8, from Microsoft, promises its own set of tricks. One new tool, Web slices, allows a user to bookmark a dynamic piece of a Web site, like an online auction or a sports score, and save it in the margin of the browser, where the user can watch as it changes.
Another new feature, called activities, allows users to highlight text on a page, click on it, then instantly send it to another site, like a mapping, e-mail or blogging service.
Asked whether Firefox’s increasing popularity had motivated these and other improvements, Mr. Hachamovitch of Microsoft said only, “We love to compete.” But he did say that amid the new competitive pressures, “the quality and quantity of my team has gone up significantly.”
His group will have one other company besides Mozilla to keep its eye on: Apple’s Safari Web browser has a little over 5 percent of the market, according to Net Applications, and subsists mostly on the loyalty of devoted Mac and iPhone owners.
But in March, deploying the kind of strategic jujitsu more commonly associated with Microsoft in the past, Apple began using the automatic update software that is packaged with its iTunes music player to deliver Safari onto the computers of people who use Windows. (Users had to specifically decline the Safari offer if they didn’t want the browser to be downloaded to their computers.)
The tactic irked even Apple fans in the blogosphere, along with Apple’s browser rivals. But it was at least partly successful: Net Applications reported that Apple’s market share on Windows computers had tripled since March.
In a statement released last month addressing the comments about the maneuver, Apple said it had made it easier for customers to distinguish minor updates from new programs delivered through the update software.
Apple’s boldness underscores the new importance of the Web browser in a world that is increasingly shifting online.
Shawn Hardin, chief executive of Flock, which is developing a browser that helps users share photos, videos and blog entries more easily, said consumers would ultimately benefit from the new browser battle.
“We are seeing choice in the browser market really emerge as a significant force for the first time in a while,” Mr. Hardin said.
Source: nytimes.com
Monday, May 26, 2008
New Bangalore airport handles 331 flights on launch day
Bangalore: The newly launched Bengaluru International Airport said it handled 341 air traffic movements, including 172 arrivals and 159 departures on Saturday. This was a phenomenal achievement given that it was the inaugural day of the launch of commercial operations.
"It was business as usual on Day 1. Though a weekend, we have been well prepared to handle the heavy traffic from the new airport. The air traffic control guided about 100 aircraft in landing and take off during the first 24 hours of commencing the operations," a spokesperson of the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said.
The Rs 2,500-crore airport at Devanahalli, located about 40 km from Bangalore, launched operations in the early hours of Saturday, thanks to a Election Commission imposed moratorium on operations in place because of the ongoing State elections in Karnataka. India's flag carrier, Air India, had the privilege to fly out the first aircraft - to Singapore - 15 minutes past Friday midnight (00.15 IST).
The city's old HAL airport, located in the city, simultaneously closed operations.
"The first 18 hours of day one operations have been satisfactory in comparison to other such transitions the world over. Teething problems apart, the operational take-off has been smooth. The glitches will be tackled within a week," BIAL said in a statement later.
Source: domain-b.com
"It was business as usual on Day 1. Though a weekend, we have been well prepared to handle the heavy traffic from the new airport. The air traffic control guided about 100 aircraft in landing and take off during the first 24 hours of commencing the operations," a spokesperson of the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said.
The Rs 2,500-crore airport at Devanahalli, located about 40 km from Bangalore, launched operations in the early hours of Saturday, thanks to a Election Commission imposed moratorium on operations in place because of the ongoing State elections in Karnataka. India's flag carrier, Air India, had the privilege to fly out the first aircraft - to Singapore - 15 minutes past Friday midnight (00.15 IST).
The city's old HAL airport, located in the city, simultaneously closed operations.
"The first 18 hours of day one operations have been satisfactory in comparison to other such transitions the world over. Teething problems apart, the operational take-off has been smooth. The glitches will be tackled within a week," BIAL said in a statement later.
Source: domain-b.com
SBI raises deposit rates by up to 0.50 pc from next month
Mumbai (PTI): In order to lure depositors to meet its credit and other needs, country's largest lender State Bank of India today announced an increase in medium to long term fixed deposits rates by up to 0.50 per cent from June 1.
Last month too, SBI had raised fixed deposit rates and the latest move is likely to have a fall out on interest rates regime in the banking sector, even though the second largest PSU bank PNB said it would take a call on rates after its Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) meeting.
State Bank of India will increase interest rates on deposits of two year to less than three years by 0.25 per cent to 8.75 per cent.
Rates on deposits of three years to less than five years would be raised by 0.15 per cent to 8.85, while those on deposits of five years and up to ten years by 0.50 per cent to nine per cent, the bank said in a statement here.
Deposit rates for less than two years will continue to fetch the same interest rate.
The interest rate hike is expected to have an effect on the bank's net interest margin, which dropped from 3.41 per cent in 2006-07 to 3.07 per cent in 2007-08.
Source: hindu.com
Last month too, SBI had raised fixed deposit rates and the latest move is likely to have a fall out on interest rates regime in the banking sector, even though the second largest PSU bank PNB said it would take a call on rates after its Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) meeting.
State Bank of India will increase interest rates on deposits of two year to less than three years by 0.25 per cent to 8.75 per cent.
Rates on deposits of three years to less than five years would be raised by 0.15 per cent to 8.85, while those on deposits of five years and up to ten years by 0.50 per cent to nine per cent, the bank said in a statement here.
Deposit rates for less than two years will continue to fetch the same interest rate.
The interest rate hike is expected to have an effect on the bank's net interest margin, which dropped from 3.41 per cent in 2006-07 to 3.07 per cent in 2007-08.
Source: hindu.com
New Life College
New Life College, Bangalore
New Life College (NLC) is a Ministry of Nava Jeeva Ashram, the non-profit society founded by Dr. John Thannickal in 1978 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Over 700 have graduated since its inception, serving the cause of the Church in South and South-East Asia in various capacities as pastors, evangelists and teachers. The College was started at St. Thomas Town, Bangalore and was subsequently moved to the spacious new campus at Hennur, Bangalore in 2002.
Dr. John S. Thannickal, Founder and Principal of New Life CollegeStudents come from all over India. NLC has always been on the radiant path of growth from the day of its genesis, and had celebrated the Silver Jubilee Year in 2003.
Dr. John S. Thannickal, Founder and Principal of New Life College
Adress:
New Life College, Nava Jeeva Ashram,
50/12, Outer Ring Road, Kalyanagar, Bangalore - 560043
Tel.: 080-2544600,25441129. Landmark: Depot (BMTC Depot)
City buses 292- 296 (A-F) connects to Hennur Bus Depot.
Mission Statement
"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2
Location
New Life College is located on the outer Ring Road of Bangalore at the junction of Hennur main Road. The college is visible from the Ring Road only 100 yards west of Hennur Main Road. The Bangalore Bus depot at Hennur is less than half a Kilometer from the College.
New Life CollegeThe front gate of the New Life College is on the Ashram Road connecting to Hennur Main Road. Bangalore International Airport is only 10 Km away from the College. City buses 292- 296 (A-F) connects to Hennur bus Depot.
Music Education
NLC gives more importance to Music and Worship which is the core of Christianity. NLC Choir performs not only in Bangalore but across the different states in South India. Center for Music Education, Bangalore (The Music Education Department of New Life College) offers training in every musical instrument and also offers Degree level programs in Western Music. Dr. Vinita Henson is the Director for the Music Department. She has earned a Doctorate of Music Education from University of Southern California.Link to CME
Accreditation
The Programs offered at NLC are accredited by the National Association for Theological Accreditation (NATA) located in Bangalore, India
Courses offered
NLC Choir Trip to Madurai, TamilnaduMasters of Divinity (M.Div)
3 years for secular college graduates / 2 years course for B.Th graduates
Bachelors of Theology (B.Th)
3 years course for P.U.C or equivalent
Diploma in Theology (Dip.Th)
2 years course for P.U.C passed. English program offered in the evenings
Certificate in Theology (C.Th)
2 years course for P.U.C passed Tamil program offered in the evenings
The Master of Divinity is designed to enable the students to develop analytical, exegetical and dialectical methodologies. It provides impetus and explores new avenues in theological scholarship. The entire course intends to help students' perceive the importance of drawing relevance to their existing and social milieu.
NLC Choir Performance During Choir TripThe Bachelor in Theology program is designed to prepare students for various Church ministries. The course includes the study of the Bible, Christian Theology, Church History, World Religions & Philosophy, Missions., Pastoral, communication, etc .
The Diploma in Theology program is a two year evening Bible Training program for pastors, lay leaders who desire to know the systematic study of Bible and Theology.
The Certificate in Theology program is a two year evening Bible training program for pastors and lay leaders who desire a systematic study of Bible and theology, offered with strong ministerial focus.
Source: wikipedia.org
New Life College (NLC) is a Ministry of Nava Jeeva Ashram, the non-profit society founded by Dr. John Thannickal in 1978 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Over 700 have graduated since its inception, serving the cause of the Church in South and South-East Asia in various capacities as pastors, evangelists and teachers. The College was started at St. Thomas Town, Bangalore and was subsequently moved to the spacious new campus at Hennur, Bangalore in 2002.
Dr. John S. Thannickal, Founder and Principal of New Life CollegeStudents come from all over India. NLC has always been on the radiant path of growth from the day of its genesis, and had celebrated the Silver Jubilee Year in 2003.
Dr. John S. Thannickal, Founder and Principal of New Life College
Adress:
New Life College, Nava Jeeva Ashram,
50/12, Outer Ring Road, Kalyanagar, Bangalore - 560043
Tel.: 080-2544600,25441129. Landmark: Depot (BMTC Depot)
City buses 292- 296 (A-F) connects to Hennur Bus Depot.
Mission Statement
"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2
Location
New Life College is located on the outer Ring Road of Bangalore at the junction of Hennur main Road. The college is visible from the Ring Road only 100 yards west of Hennur Main Road. The Bangalore Bus depot at Hennur is less than half a Kilometer from the College.
New Life CollegeThe front gate of the New Life College is on the Ashram Road connecting to Hennur Main Road. Bangalore International Airport is only 10 Km away from the College. City buses 292- 296 (A-F) connects to Hennur bus Depot.
Music Education
NLC gives more importance to Music and Worship which is the core of Christianity. NLC Choir performs not only in Bangalore but across the different states in South India. Center for Music Education, Bangalore (The Music Education Department of New Life College) offers training in every musical instrument and also offers Degree level programs in Western Music. Dr. Vinita Henson is the Director for the Music Department. She has earned a Doctorate of Music Education from University of Southern California.Link to CME
Accreditation
The Programs offered at NLC are accredited by the National Association for Theological Accreditation (NATA) located in Bangalore, India
Courses offered
NLC Choir Trip to Madurai, TamilnaduMasters of Divinity (M.Div)
3 years for secular college graduates / 2 years course for B.Th graduates
Bachelors of Theology (B.Th)
3 years course for P.U.C or equivalent
Diploma in Theology (Dip.Th)
2 years course for P.U.C passed. English program offered in the evenings
Certificate in Theology (C.Th)
2 years course for P.U.C passed Tamil program offered in the evenings
The Master of Divinity is designed to enable the students to develop analytical, exegetical and dialectical methodologies. It provides impetus and explores new avenues in theological scholarship. The entire course intends to help students' perceive the importance of drawing relevance to their existing and social milieu.
NLC Choir Performance During Choir TripThe Bachelor in Theology program is designed to prepare students for various Church ministries. The course includes the study of the Bible, Christian Theology, Church History, World Religions & Philosophy, Missions., Pastoral, communication, etc .
The Diploma in Theology program is a two year evening Bible Training program for pastors, lay leaders who desire to know the systematic study of Bible and Theology.
The Certificate in Theology program is a two year evening Bible training program for pastors and lay leaders who desire a systematic study of Bible and theology, offered with strong ministerial focus.
Source: wikipedia.org
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