Now u can add RSS feeds in orkut.
The edit feeds button is nw added to the left of the screen . By default the google application like picasa and blogspot are automatically searched and displayed in place and can be added to orkut in jus one click. option is alos available to add other rss feed to site.
These option whn added appear in the left part of the screen along with the other option , another cool feature by orkut.
Bloat. If you think that Americans are getting fatter, take one good look at the operating system (OS) your computer is running right now. It gets larger and more weighed down with every update. We are in the third decade of global personal computing, and have we really progressed that far?
Let's go back to the dawn of personal computing and grab an old sentimental favorite, the Apple Macintosh Plus. The Mac Plus is an icon of the '80s along with padded shoulders, big hair and Devo. It seems that we all had a little Mac, either in our college dorm room, in the upstairs bedroom, or on our office desk at some time. With its tiny 9-inch black & white screen and all-in-one packaging, the Mac Plus is a computing relic in the days of widescreen LCD monitors and dual- and quad-core systems.
However, to run these state-of-the-art PCs, we need to install one of the latest OSs. And that's where we run into trouble. Most people today have either Windows XP or Vista on their PCs. These OSs are modern, possess virtually infinite capacities and can run any of the most modern software. With the greater functionality comes size.
The Comparison
The generally recommended configuration for a Mac Plus is System 6.0.8. This is an OS that needs a legitimate minimum of 1 megabyte of RAM to be able to multitask, connect to a network, print, display WYSIWYG in millions of colours (on modular Macs), as well as run a reasonable GUI. Those are functions that usually require at least 500 times more memory under Windows XP and 1,000 times more memory under Windows Vista.
When we look at OS hard disk requirements, we find similar discrepancies. System 6.0.8 requires 1MB, Windows XP requires 1.5GB and Windows Vista 15GB. Yes, Vista needs 15,000 times the hard disk space as System 6.0.8. In simple text format, you can write 175,000 words in one megabyte which is the size of System 6.0.8. That works out to about two full-length novels. Windows Vista demands enough real estate on your hard drive that you could easily fit 30,000 full-length novels into it.
System 6.0.8 is not only a lot more compact since it has far fewer (mostly useless) features and therefore less code to process, but also because it was written in assembly code instead of the higher level language C. The lower the level of the code language, the less processing cycles are required to get something done.
The Mac Plus has a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 8MHz. The AMD has an Athlon 64 X2 4800+ with two cores, each running at 2.4GHz. In absolute computing power exclusively measured in processor speed, AMD's combined 4.8GHz is 600 times faster than the Motorola. However, the AMD is a far more advanced processor, thus performs in conventional benchmarks much faster than the old 68000 per Mhz. So it's very safe to say that the AMD is at least 1,000 times faster than the Mac Plus.
We decided to splurge and fit the maximum possible 4MB RAM into the old Plus. After all it was going up against AMD with its 2x512MB RAM for a total of 1,024MB or 1GB. That's about 250 times more memory than the Mac.
The Mac was fitted with an external SCSI 40MB Hard Drive. The AMD had an internal IDE 120GB Hard Drive with a 3,000 times greater data capacity. Both drives were under 10% filled.
The Tests
In order to keep the hoots and hollers of "unfair comparison" at a minimum, we designed the tests to be as fair and equitable as possible. There was no point running PCMark or Sandra Sisoft-type benchmarks on the two computers as the AMD would have the Mac for lunch. We focussed on running tests that reflect how the user perceives the computing experience. After all, most users don't know or care whether their computer has a 65nm dual-core CPU or a tiny midget wizard squatting in their cases. All they care about is how it works and how quickly it does the tasks we most often ask it to do. And no, we didn't include processing-heavy modern software like Photoshop or Crysis! We selected very basic everyday functions that were performed equally by the 1980's and the 2007 Microsoft applications.
Since the tests involve both different computers and different versions of software, it was important to design the tests to have as much consistency as possible.
1) Test timings were performed by a single person.
2) All of the tests were performed on the latest and most effective OS configuration. For the Mac Plus, that was System 6.0.8. For the AMD that was Windows XP Professional SP2.
3) All of the tests were performed with a generally recommended amount of RAM for the OS configuration. For the Mac Plus, that was 4MB. For the AMD that was 1GB.
4) All of the tests were done on original spec systems, therefore the hard disks were freshly formatted, the OSs just installed and no third party software beyond the standard Apple and Microsoft installations.
5) All of the tests were performed with only that single application open. Nothing but background and OS tasks that are part of a standard install of either OSs were running. The computers were not connected to the Internet or a LAN.
6) All of the tests were measured to within 0.1 second.
7) Each tests was performed at least three times per test per machine and the times averaged out.
The tests themselves went off flawlessly. Neither computer crashed or misbehaved in any way. They just did what they were asked, regardless of the technolgical advancements (or lack thereof) inside the case.
We didn't try any Web Surfing since the only browsers that are supposed to work well on the Mac Plus are Mozilla 1.2.1, Mozilla 1.3.1 and early versions of WannaBe and iCab. We thought that surfing the net on a b&w 9” screen would be a bit of a bummer, so we skipped it. However, there are some die-hard enthusiasts that are doing just that!
Then again there were various ways, including the Power R Video Driver Cable and various external dongles, which would let you connect all sorts of large external monitors to the Mac Plus. I remember lugging huge 80 lb. Ikegami 24” b&w monitors up and down stairs as they were the preferred screens for the later compact Macs like the SEs an SE/30s of publishing art departments around 1990. The photo of the monitor here is of a Hitachi 21” which was the biggest one I could find. Just picture that the Ikegamis were much bigger even than this monster! I guess that's why I still have a bad back!
We ran a variety of tests on two major software applications. The AMD got Word and Excel from Microsoft Office 2007. The Mac Plus got Word 3.01 and Excel 1.5. Yes, we know that these software versions were released one and two years respectively after the 1986 Mac Plus. But we just couldn't bring ourselves to run the earlier and hopelessly buggy versions.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is the single software application most often used by people around the world. The tests that hold the greatest relevance to everyday office and personal use of Word are the most basic ones: Application Launch, Find & Replace, Open File, Pasting, Saving, Scrolling, Typing and Word Count.
Microsoft Excel
With Excel, we concentrated again on the most repetitive and common tasks. We chose: Application Launch, Arrange Windows, Autoformat, Fill Range, In-Cell Editing, Scroll Vertical, Subtotals and Zoom Out. Most users use relatively small spreadsheets so we used a 640 filled-cell format.
Time To Boot
Just for fun, we thought we'd throw in a Boot timing as well, just to see how long the OS takes from the time the button is pushed until the desktop is ready to use.
Conclusion
Check out the results! For the functions that people use most often, the 1986 vintage Mac Plus beats the 2007 AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+: 9 tests to 8! Out of the 17 tests, the antique Mac won 53% of the time! Including a jaw-dropping 52 second whipping of the AMD from the time the Power button is pushed to the time the Desktop is up and useable.
We also didn't want to overly embarrass the AMD by comparing the time it takes to install the OS vs. the old Mac. The Mac's average of about a minute is dwarfed by the approximately one hour install time of Windows XP Pro.
Is this to say that the Mac Plus is a better computer than the AMD? Of course not. The technological advancements of 21 years have placed modern PCs in a completely different league of varied capacities. But the "User Experience" has not changed much in two decades. Due to bloated code that has to incorporate hundreds of functions that average users don't even know exist, let alone ever utilize, the software companies have weighed down our PCs to effectively neutralize their vast speed advantages. When we compare strictly common, everyday, basic user tasks between the Mac Plus and the AMD we find remarkable similarities in overall speed, thus it can be stated that for the majority of simple office uses, the massive advances in technology in the past two decades have brought zero advance in productivity.
Apple still rulzzz :D
source:hubpages
Mozilla has met a major milestone in its march to Firefox 3.0, developers said yesterday, by adding another chunk of the new Places feature to the alpha set for release late next week.
Places -- a complete revamp of the bookmarks and history functions of the browser -- was at one point slated to debut in Firefox 2.0, but was yanked a year ago in the run up to that version's October 2006 release. Instead, it will debut in Firefox 3.0.
"If you make any changes to bookmarks.html (say, by running Firefox 2 and editing your bookmarks) you will need to manually export them and re-import them into the bookmark-on-places [Firefox 3.0 alpha] nightly," they said.
Firefox 3.0 alpha 5 will likely post to this Mozilla page when it releases. The preview, also codenamed "Gran Paradiso," has been rolled out for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in past iterations.
Sanibel Island resident John Kanzius is a former broadcast executive from Pennsylvania who wondered if his background in physics and radio could come in handy in treating the disease from which he suffers: cancer.
| |
1. Open Office
I have yet to come across anyone who didn’t need access to a fully functionally, no excuses offered, office suite. Open Office provides the end user with easy installation, a rock solid word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software. Also included are powerful graphics, database and mathematical equation applications.
Open Office comes in handy for students and professional users of all types. Special bonus: the spreadsheet program can help you maintain your budget; you can also use Open Office to create invoices.
Compatibility: Windows and Linux (OS X users should look into NeoOffice)
2. Pidgin
Instant messaging is both an annoyance and blessing, especially when you work from home remotely. Locating a solid IM application that handles multiple instant messaging protocols can be frustrating – as there are so many options to choose from. This is where Pidgin comes into play. It supports everything under the IM protocol umbrella: AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, IRC, Jabber (Google Talk included) – it even supports protocols you may have never ever heard of.
The Pidgin interface is crisp, functional and provides a level of functionality without a lot of the “whiz-bang” features you might see with other IM clients.
Compatibility: Windows and Linux (OS X users should look into Adium)
3. Firefox
Using Safari, Internet Explorer, or even Konqueror (which is faster than Firefox), cannot hold a candle to the Mozilla-based browser when it comes to collective functionality and power. Its secure browsing and stable performance will continue to win over most new users.
When factoring in the ability to include extensions to further the browser's functionality, closed source alternatives simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
4. Thunderbird
Like its closed source counterparts, this open source email client is compatible with both POP3 and IMAP email services, in addition to offering further functionality for RSS feeds and newsgroups and of course, the ability to improve functionality with Thunderbird Thunderbird also provides phishing protection, along with a solid spam filter to help curb the influx of junk mail using Bayesian filtering technology.
By using some of the great Thunderbird extensions out there, you can turn this simple email client into a content management machine. User control: it's your email, so being able to mark, move, save and locate important message is easy with the latest release of this email client.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
An important feature of today’s desktops is the ability to play a variety of video formats. Unfortunately, trying to locate a single media player that can play every video format is frustrating – it actually borders on impossible. VLC supports almost everything with the exception of Real Player media files, and it’s is easy to install. It allows you to customize the user experience to best suit your needs.
Advanced functionality includes the ability to transcode video, stream video to other computers on your LAN, or simply watch your favorite DVDs cross platform without any video codec hassles.
VLC is stable, and will provide you with the tool set to retake control over much of the DRM nonsense we see floating around these days. It's your media, you should be able to enjoy it with one application, not five or more.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
6. Songbird
Said to potentially become the next “Firefox” for music players, Songbird is a powerful application that has been gaining attention. Designed to make music management a more pleasant experience, Songbird allows the end user to play any audio file they like – headache free; OGG, MP3, FLAC, WMA, in addition to some fantastic music discovery features.
Songbird will do practically anything iTunes can do, and then some. Sync your iPod, connect to a stand alone music device like the Squeezebox, or perhaps discover new, unsigned bands using Songbird’s unique music browsing capabilities. Songbird is the only music player out there that allows you to “browser music” as you surf a webpage, linking to an audio file for a particular band. It's pretty powerful stuff.
Unlike iTunes, Windows Media Player or amaroK, Songbird works on all three major platforms. And because it is based on Firefox technology, the user can add any number of extensions to further the functionality of this already powerful music player.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
7. Evolution
Anyone out there utilizing a PocketPC, an MS Exchange server at work and a contact list with all of your co-workers listed understands the need for a rock solid personal information manager (PIM). Evolution, considered by many to be the closest competition for Microsoft Outlook, is most definitely on my “must have” list.
Tasks, your calendar, contacts and even the ability to sync with your mobile devices thanks to MS Exchange support, Evolution helps the busy individual needing a dual-platform PIM.
Evolution brings junk mail filtering, email encryption, easy to manage mail filters and full support for Exchange 2000/2003 and Novell's GroupWise. If you work off of a tight schedule, Evolution is the mother of all PIMs.
Compatibility: Windows and Linux
8. Filezilla
Frankly, Filezilla is the single best FTP client I have ever used (and I’ve used plenty). The FTP client allows for simple changes to meet with the needs of your server. Everything from Active to Passive modes, easy entry for custom server commands, an intuitive site manager for multiple websites, and point and click simplicity when working with a large queue of files.
Control, logical interface and a simplified way to manage multiple websites are what make Filezilla a must have FTP client.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
9. GIMPShop
Like its closed source counterparts, this open source email client is compatible with both POP3 and IMAP email services, in addition to offering further functionality for RSS feeds and newsgroups and of course, the ability to improve functionality with Thunderbird Thunderbird also provides phishing protection, along with a solid spam filter to help curb the influx of junk mail using Bayesian filtering technology.
By using some of the great Thunderbird extensions out there, you can turn this simple email client into a content management machine. User control: it's your email, so being able to mark, move, save and locate important message is easy with the latest release of this email client.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
10. Audacity
Without a doubt, this one of the most commonly used, most proven audio editing applications on the Internet today. Relatively simple to use, Audacity allows the typical user to record, splice, mix, add effects, analyze and convert any sound file you can think of. Actually, the only challenge people generally run into is where to download and install the LAME MP3 encoder.
I have seen professional audio engineers marvel at Audacity's simplicity and power. In the end, this application is a must have when working with any kind of audio editing project. Whether it be for a video, podcast or even a personalized soundtrack –- you'll need this application.
Compatibility: Windows, Linux and OS X
