Ubuntu 12.10 @ SPYING

1.   What happens when someone you trust eyes closed,some you promote amongst ur friends is labeled a SPYWARE...or a Spying agent... that's what was felt by millions of UBUNTU followers and fans.I read about this two days back at ZDNET. The news doing the rounds goes like this :

Richard M. Stallman,creator of the Gnu General Public License (GPL) and the Free Software Foundation has announced that as far as he's concerned, Ubuntu contains spyware and that Linux supporters should shun Ubuntu for spying.

Specifically, Richard M. Stallman hates that Ubuntu 12.10 incorporated Amazon search into its default search function. So, if you searched for say "CISSP." you'd get results from both your PC and Amazon. When it was introduced, Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, defended this change by saying Ubuntu wasn't going to incorporate ads into the operating system, which Microsoft has done with Windows 8, and that no personalized data would be sent to Amazon.

2.   You need to re-read this yellow highlighted text above to exactly understand what goes on behind the scenes when you actually search for some string in your PC operating on UBUNTU connected to Internet.After the millions of immediate disapproves by the user community,it was announced by UBUNTU that now on Users of the upcoming Ubuntu 12.10 will be able to turn off a controversial 'shopping lens' feature that displays Amazon-stocked products when the user performs a unified local and online search....so the spying becomes optional....:-)

3.   What can be the need of a responsible OS community like UBUNTU to get into all this....if its my view it is not intentional for the purpose of spying.....but it could have been designed in the name of giving the user better results and experience!!!!!Jono Bacon, Canonical's community manager flatly states, "This is FUD" ie "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD)...now yess!!so it seems to be....

4.   All said and done..UBUNTU is doing a wonderful job and provisioning one of the best OS free editions for users like us who wish not to pay to WINDOWS and believe in FREE SOFTWAREs :-)

STORE UPTO 50 GB FOR FREE : @ ADrive

1.   Last week at Tech Conclave Delhi meet,one guest speaker was speaking about cloud storage ...how it will slowly become a definite requirement in coming days soon...which we may not think it will as on date...he gave one fine example....BANK...100 years back could any one have thought of lending money for storage to some company....it was securely felt to be safe in self custody...see the state today....times have changed and so has the scenario....today companies like Microsoft,ADrive ETC are offering amazing storage space in cloud for free...that too for free...off course it may just act as a initial bait....some good links of these free storage offers are as follows :

http://www.adrive.com/

http://www.justcloud.com/

https://www.sugarsync.com

https://www.cx.com

http://www.4shared.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

2.   Off all these ADrive offers the largest free storage for free...thats a huge 50 GB....good to start with....so start burning your modem's midnite oil....i have already started........ADrive offers the following features which are as on date unbeatable :

•  FREE 50GB Online Storage
•  Cloud Storage
•  Upload & Store Files
•  Access Files Anywhere
•  Share Files
•  Edit Documents Online
•  File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
•  ADrive Desktop

KINDLE : WELCOME TO INDIA

1. Kindle has finally reached the shores of Hindustan.For those of you,who are puzzled of what KINDLE is all about  what be able to judge a fair idea from the pics below.An e book storage and reading device. 

2. Capable of  wirelessly downloading  books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents ,the Kindle screen has no backlight, so it doesn't give out the glare a normal screen would. The navigation is fairly simple and all the text content is custom formatted.  

3. The device features a 2,50,000 word dictionary that can be accessed independently to look up a word, or from within text. It can also play MP3 but the quality of sound takes rating  this on the back foot.The  battery life that comes due to the electronic ink display. On a single charge it can last up to two weeks without the wireless network on. And 2-4 days with wireless! 

 4. Indian users can avail of a catalogue of 2,80,000 books, each downloaded in about a minute over 3G GSM or EDGE. There are no data charges for downloading a book, the service for which is provided globally by AT&T and its international partners.  

5. Kindle is weighs around 290 grams, almost the weight of advanced mobile phones. The display specifications include 6″ diagonal E-Ink® electronic paper display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 167 ppi, 16-level gray scale. The Kindle offers  2Gb of Memory Storage though 1.4Gb would be available to the user and they dont have to connect it to a PC if they need to transfer ebooks because it has inbuilt 3G connectivity & Wi-Fi connectivity. 

6. However, the Kindle does not have any sort of content filtration or rating system, so there is the risk of mature content being easily accessible to minors. So, will the Kindle tinkle in India? Well a few things go against it. First is the price tag …sources put it at about Rs 20,000/-.

7. Thanks www.thinkdigit.com and www.amitbhawani.com for info.

PAPER BOOKS CONVERGE TO E-BOOKS : KINDLE DX

1. We have been hearing often in our offices, in the forums, in various visionary speeches from bosses about a paperless office. I heard this word for the first time in late 90's when the company I was working in, the CEO gave a mention about a paperless office. The word induced internal laughs amongst most of the audience of how is it possible?

2. Slowly over a period of time, now 10 years, the thing doesn't look inconceivable. To add to the various options available today in form of e-mails, web sites, mobiles etc.....the latest IN thing is KINDLE DX from Amazon. The gadget is shown in the pic inset.

3. Recently read about the same in the June issue of Digit. It also mentioned about how the biggest library of the world ie British Library is putting in lots of effort in digitizing books available presently on its shelves. It has put up four giant scanners, working for last 2 years with the help of a 21 MP camera clicking all the way while a robotic arm turns them.

4. The configuration of this KINDLE Dx is as follows :

- Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

- Carry Your Library: Holds up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents

- Beautiful Large Display: 9.7" diagonal e-ink screen reads like real paper; boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and sharp images

- Auto-Rotating Screen: Display auto-rotates from portrait to landscape as you turn the device so you can view full-width maps, graphs, tables, and Web pages

- Built-In PDF Reader: Native PDF support allows you to carry and read all of your personal and professional documents on the go

- Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle DX, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, no annual contracts, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

- Books In Under 60 Seconds: You get free wireless delivery of books in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

- Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging

- Read-to-Me: With the text-to-speech feature, Kindle DX can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book's rights holder made the feature unavailable.