Archive for August, 2009
PS3 update 3.0
by Rootadmin on Aug.20, 2009, under Other
Well, the update for the PS3 version 3.0 looks very disapointing.
It’s due to be released on Setpember 1st.
i everyone, PlayStation 3 (PS3) firmware update (v3.00) adds a number of great new features that we’re excited to share with you. The latest update incorporates changes that improve navigation on your PS3. First, you’ll notice some cosmetic changes to the design of the XMB (Xross Media Bar). We’ve enhanced the look and feel of the XMB so that it’s easier and even more intuitive to use. We’ve also added network improvements and personalization options to help enhance your PS3 experience.
Additional highlights from update 3.00 include:
- “What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, “What’s New” displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
- Status Indicator – In the top right corner we’ve added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
- Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.
- PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We’ve added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
- Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
- Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories—base trophies and add-on trophies—that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection, and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.
GIVE IT UP!: IE6
by Rootadmin on Aug.15, 2009, under Microsoft
GIVE IT UP, microsoft have said they will support IE 6 until 2014. IE 6 was initially realease on August 27, 2001, come the prposed end of life date – 2014, IE 6 will be 13 years old! In computing terms, that will make IE 6 a dinosaur.
As of January 10, 2009, Secunia reports 142 vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 6, 22 of which are unpatched, some of which are rated moderately critical in severity.
“Microsoft has underlined support for its Internet Explorer 6 web browser, despite acknowledging its flaws.
The software giant said it would support IE6 until 2014 – four years beyond the original deadline.
Critics – some of which have started an online campaign – want the eight-year-old browser mothballed because they claim it slows the online experience.
“Friends do not let friends use IE6,” said Amy Barzdukas, Microsoft’s general manager for Internet Explorer.
“If you are in my social set and I have been to your house for dinner, you are not using IE6,” she said. “But it is much more complicated when you move into a business setting.”
“It’s hard to be cavalier in this economy and say ‘oh it’s been around for so long they need to upgrade,’” Ms Barzdukas told journalists in San Francisco..
Web monitoring firms estimate that 15-20% of people still use IE6 to browse the web.
Enough is enough
Among those speaking out against IE6 is a group of more than 70 developers who have banded together to form a project called ie6nomore.” – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8196242.stm
Why not take a look at IE6NoMore
Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Alpha Released – code named Namoroka Alpha 1
by Rootadmin on Aug.10, 2009, under Other
Mozilla has today released the Firefox 3.6 Alpha.
The first developer milestone of the next release of Firefox – code named Namoroka Alpha 1 – is now available for download. Namoroka is built on pre-release version of the Gecko 1.9.2 platform, which forms the core of rich internet applications such as Firefox. Please note that this release is intended for developers and testers only.
This Alpha of Namoroka / Gecko 1.9.2 introduces several new features:
- Compositor (Phase 1), which moves Gecko to using one native widget per top-level content document. See this blog post or bug 374980 for more details.
- A new focus model, described here and tracked in bug 178324
- The chromedir attribute has been replaced with a pseudoclass
- Several new CSS3 properties including background size and gradients for background images
- Speed improvements to the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine
- Startup and responsiveness improvements throughout the application
Anyone interested in Namoroka should read the article about Firefox 3.6 for developers on the Mozilla Developer Center. For a full list of changes, see this list (it’s big).
Please use the following links to download Namoroka:
- Windows: Namoroka 3.6 Alpha 1 Setup.exe
- Mac OS X: Namoroka 3.6 Alpha 1.dmg
- Linux: namoroka-3.6a1.tar.bz2
the above was extracted from https://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/index.php/2009/08/07/firefox-3-6-alpha-1-now-available-for-download/
Proof that the academic world has lost it!
by Rootadmin on Aug.10, 2009, under Other
For some time now I have believed that there has been too much importance placed on the acadmic world. Today it would appear I was proven right.
“A student at a British university has been awarded the first ever PhD in text messaging.
Linguist Caroline Tagg – now Dr Caroline Tagg – spent more than three years at Birmingham University researching the subject of text messages and the language used within them.
She trawled through 11,000 text messages sent by 235 people aged between 18 and 65 and together containing 190,000 words, and analysed them for the quality (or not) of their spelling, grammar and abbreviation.
She concluded that the average text contains 17.5 words and, contrary to the popular view that text messaging is eroding existing styles of written communication, that texts are good for the English language.
“Quite the contrary from destroying the English [language], [text messaging] is actually encouraging it,” she told newspaper The Telegraph. ®” – James Sherwood, http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/08/10/texting_phd/




