THE FUTURE OF OSs : MICROSOFT VERSION

1. Microsoft's involvement in playing a key role in the field of future operating systems can be gauged from the fact deciphered below in successive paragraphs.

2. So when Microsoft tries working on the futuristic versions of operating systems...the surprise is that windows does not come in the discussion....windows is out...yessss!!!it is terms like MIDORI,SINGULARITY,BARRELFISH,HELEOS.....the names must be sounding french to people like me....just read ahead!!!

MIDORI

3. Midori based on their Singularity operating system research project is an experimental operating system, in which all code, even device drivers, and the kernel itself are written in managed code, making the operating system much safer. The operating system also has a large focus on concurrency.Midori is in incubation, which means it is a little closer to market than most Microsoft Research projects, but not yet close enough to be available in any kind of early preview form to users.

BARRELFISH

4. Barrelfish, an OS written specifically for multicore environments. It hopes to improve the performance of boxes with such chips by creating a network bus and calls itself a multi-kernel operating system. Its focus is on leveraging the increasing number of cores in desktop processors. The mainstream operating systems today, Windows, and Linux, have both been designed for single-core computers, with multi-processing support added on later. 

5. The Barrelfish project instead tries to redefine the entire operating system keeping in mind that multi-core is here is stay. Today we have dual-core, quad-core, and even hexa-core, but given a decade, we may be looking at hecto-, kilo-, or even mega-core computers! These will require a rethinking of the very organization of the operating system.

6. Barrlefish does just that. It treats the multi-core processor environment as a collection of networked processor cores, and applies the concepts used with distributed computing to manage the execution of the computer's processes. This has the effect of making the system much more scalable. An interesting part of this approach is also 

that the processor cores need not be homogeneous! The multiple kernels could all be running on processors of different architectures, one kernel might be executing on an ARM, while another on a x86, and a third on a GPU!

HELEOS

7. Heleos, another research OS in MS labs and their latest revelation, takes the concept of heterogeneous multiprocessing further, and introduces "satellite kernels".It explains that current operating systems are designed with a homogeneous running environments in mind. For this reason, an operating system is written for either an IA64, or an x86, or a PPC, or an ARM platform, however it cannot leverage all of them. Our computers however are no longer homogeneous. We have CPUs and GPUs of different architectures, each with multiple cores. The GPU is highly optimized for a vector processing, and has an architecture which vastly differs from that of the CPU, with a completely different instruction set and performance characteristics. 

8. The Helios project introduces satellite kernels, which essentially presents the developers with a "single,uniform set of OS abstractions across CPUs of disparate architectures and performance characteristics." This satellite kernel is a micro-kernel, and runs all other services and drivers in individual processes.

9. With Singularity and Barrelfish both available as open source releases, it seems Microsoft might just be headed for a more open future. 

10. Thanks DIGIT and Microsoft for the updates.

DUAL SCREEN CAMERA : SAMSUNG ST 550 & ST 500

1. Earlier I had discussed about one dual screen laptop....then we all know about big touch screens on mobiles in so many versions,shapes and sizes.Ever wondered what purpose would a dual screen serve in a typical digital camera.Just scroll down and see the pics to get the concept...i am sure u will appreciate it!!!!

2. Delivering an unrivalled user experience, the 1.5 inch LCD screen located on the front of the camera now allows consumers to take first-rate photos by themselves in addition to the one who is busy clicking.

3. Thanks http://www.samsung.com/sg/news/newsPreviewRead.do?news_seq=14419

SECURITY ESSENTIALS : NO MORE "MORRO"

1. So it has been launched finally after a long wait...a few debates...a few hues and a not so lots of publicity....the microsoft antivirus "SECURITY ESSENTIALS". I downloaded it today and saw thats it is veri light at least as on date and has been able to capture the regular worms and malwares that were present in my desktop.

2. One problem for most of the Hindustani's......it only works on genuine microsoft windows....since prior to installation it checks if you have a genuine windows...if NOT ..then it comes out in between installation without procedding ahead....

MORRO : THE MICROSOFT SIDE OF ANTIVIRUS

1. Impregnable news is coming in that Microsoft is ready to launch its free anti-virus software called Morro for personal computers. This is a huge competition in making for security software leaders like Symantec Norton Antivirus and McAfee Anitvirus software.To address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, smaller PC form factors and rapid increases in the incidence of malware, Microsoft Corp. plans to offer this to the new consumer security offering focused on core anti-malware protection.

2. Code-named “Morro,” this streamlined solution will be available in the last quarter of 2009 and is likely to allow comprehensive security from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. 

3. The surprising news is that Microsoft isn't bundling Morro with Windows.Currently in beta testing, it was available for download to the first 75,000 people in the United States, Israel, People's Republic of China and Brazil.

4. Morro” will take advantage of the same core anti-malware technology that fuels the company’s current line of security products, which have received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs. 

5. “Morro” will be available as a stand-alone download and offer malware protection for the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. When used in conjunction with the ongoing security and privacy enhancements of Windows and Internet Explorer, this new solution will offer consumers a robust, no-cost security solution to help protect against the majority of online threats.

6. Microsoft in an open source mooood!!!!!!!!!!

LIGHT PEAK TECHNOLOGY : INTEL

1. Your internet connection at home and office would be happy biting at 10 or 100 Mbps, how about being able to get upgraded to 100Gbps over the decade! yes...INTEL has thrown some light on this vide the new Light Peak technology that uses light instead of electric signals to transmit data, meaning faster speeds, smaller cables, and less signal loss. The subject technology is already in use in data-centers, but has not been able to gate crash into mainstream computing yet. 

2. In the coming year Intel plans to release this technology for use in consumer devices and mainstream computing, for the first time giving people the taste of transfer speeds up to 10Gbps. Light Peak is the code-name for a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect electronic devices to each other while allowing high bandwidth starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade.

3. Light Peak consists of a controller chip and an optical module that would be included in platforms supporting this technology. The optical module performs the conversion from electricity to light and vice versa, using miniature lasers and photo detectors. 

4. Since this as optical technology, multiplexing multiple connections over a single cable will be much simpler, and thus a single cable cold be used to connect your computer to multiple "peripherals, workstations, displays, disk drives, docking stations, and more."

5. Light Peak is designed to be cheap, and in fact claims to be smaller and cheaper than current telecom modules. The Light Peak optical modules are up to 120 times smaller and up to 30 times cheaper than current telecom modules! The optical fibres used in it are in fact nearly as thin as human hair, and use LASER chips called VCSEL (Vertical Cavity, Surface Emmiting LASER) which are a mere 250 microns by 250 microns.

6. Comeeeeeeeeee ON....what r we heading for in next 50 years....our generation is the lucky one to see all this quick transition from files,postman to emails and Light peak transfer rate.No other generation other then the present one would see this difference....kids today are born without seeing a postman in their galiiiii....born with computers and laptops in hands of ma and pa..

7. Thanks DIGIT & www.engadget.com

SUBMARINE COMMUNICATIONS : IT HAS BEEN TOUGH

1. Ever wondered how the internet and communications right from telgraph days has been working across the globe?Everi one knows the technology behind these terms...but ever wondered how the same has been estabilished.I will not dig deep...the pictures below will make it amply clear...one pic shows the layout of submarine wires in the year 1901 and the other shows the OFC layout in the year 2005.......it would have taken amazing human effort.....salutes to the manpower that had been behind all the tough work.....HATS OFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!

2. Wanna get some light on the cost aspects? Cables with 10Gbps bandwidth were laid at a cost of $27000 per KM...thats right...per KM.....now do the calculations for the approx length.......

EXTERNAL DRIVES : ARE THEY REALLY FAST?

1. When one goes for buying a external hard disk,how important is for him/her to give due importance to speed that is mentioned as spec....like 7200 rpm and 5400 rpm?Does it really matter in this case?

2. Well not much and as a matter of fact the difference is ZERO = NULL = NIL.The faster the hard drive ,the better : this generally stands true for the internal drives that remain connected to IDE/SATA.In most of the cases pertaining to external drives the interface of connectivity is none other then USB which is significantly slower equated to SATA/eSATA/IDE on any day.USB drives at the most support a transfer speed of 33-37 MB/s...and thats all...whether u connect a 5400 rpm or a 7200 rpm..

HOW IS UR FAVORITE USB MADE?

WORTH A DEKKKO

PRINT A BATTERY : PRINTABLE BATTERY

1. Before I get into the meaning lemme tell you that this is again astonishing discovery.you can take a print out of something as shown in figure and use it as a battery..I mean as a source of power.....read ahead to find out.

2. A new type of low-power battery that does not require a case and is thin enough to be printed on paper is all set to venture on ur laps and desktop tables.The power source relies on an undisclosed mixture of chemicals to produce 20 milliamp-hours at a terminal voltage of 1.5 volts for every square centimetre that is printed. The battery material is roughly 0.5 millimetres thick and would, if mass-produced, cost just a few cents per square inch, according to Israeli-based company Power Paper.

3. The subject battery has been developed by a team led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems.

4. As this is a printable battery so the characteristics of this battery differ significantly from those of conventional batteries. As the name suggest it must have very less weight.It weighs less than one gram on the scales, is not even one millimeter thick and can therefore be integrated into bank cards.It's voltage is 1.5 V, which is general.The battery weighs less than one gram on the scales, is not even one millimeter thick and can therefore be integrated into bank cards, for example. The battery contains no mercury and is in this respect environmentally friendly. Its voltage is 1.5 V, which lies within the normal range. By placing several batteries in a row, voltages of 3 V, 4.5 V and 6 V can also be achieved. 

5. It is composed of different layers: a zinc anode and a manganese cathode, among others. Zinc and manganese react with one another and produce electricity. However, the anode and the cathode layer dissipate gradually during this chemical process. Therefore, the battery is suitable for applications which have a limited life span or a limited power requirement, for instance greeting cards

6. The new battery consists of three different layers. It has conventional zinc manganese-dioxide components as anode and cathode. Sandwiched in between, the cell's chemical power source remains a closely guarded secret.

7. Paper Power claims the material is non-toxic and non-corrosive, making the battery safe to use without casing."Technically it will work like any other battery, but you can cut the battery into any size and shape for your product."

8. Thanks www.newscientist.com,Digit.

SATA 1.0 vs SATA 2.0 vs SATA 3.0 : The hunger for speed

1. Today technology runs faster then u blink. Today when someone has not even come to terms from IDE TO SATA 1.0 and when mostly have not even heard of SATA 2.0,in comes with a bigul siren SATA 3.0.YESSSSS!!!!with a whooping 6 Gb/Sec, and a range of new features for bandwidth intensive users, a much rapider future lies ahead. SATA 3 is bound to increase the interface speed but to fully realize its potential the viscera of a hard drive need to get quicker. 

2.   SATA 3 introduces changes including "a new Native Command Queuing (NCQ) streaming command to enable isochronous data transfers for bandwidth-hungry audio and video applications, better power management, and the connection mechanism for compact devices with connectors designed for the smaller 7mm optical drives in laptops and a Low Insertion Force connector for 1.8-inch drives.

3. Thanks Digit again!!!!

INTEL vs THE SEVEN SAMURAIs

1. The old story of  “MUTTHI MEIN TAQAT" has come up with a new version in the 21^st century in the form of SEVEN SAMURAI

2. Dysphoric with Intel’s dominance in the sector, the conglutination of processor designers and manufacturers has teamed up to develop a revolutionary new microprocessor. The coalition is led by the recent merger of NEC, Renesas , Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Canon. Nickname for the group: THE SEVEN SAMURAI

3. The new microprocessor will be based on innovative energy-saving software. The final, commercial CPU will run on solar cells; it will be smart enough to use only as much power as is needed for the data being processed at the time; and it will remain switched on even during power cuts. A prototype is reported to be running at 30 percent of the power of current CPUs and remains ON even when mains power is cut. This new standard, along with the CPU is likely to be introduced in 2012.

4. Come on ….come on brains of the world…fight more with each other  for consumers like us who wish to get the best!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Thanks www.thinkdigit.com and http://www.osnews.com

xB Browser - Makes you anonymous

1. xB Browser is a free and open-source anonymous web browser in the world which is just a click away from anonymous surfing right now! With xB Browser you can securely and anonymously surf the internet, and bypass firewalls and website censorship.

2. The main advantage compared to other anonymous web browsers is that xB Browser requires no configuration or technical knowledge in order to achieve anonymity. xB Browser is open-source so you can feel safe knowing what goes into our code. Additionally, it is even portable on a USB stick .

3. xB Browser was previously known as Torpark. It does not store a cache on the user hard drive, nor does it store cookies, so there is no mess to clean up with eraser programs. xB Browser also has advanced features such as SSL MD5 RSA certificate vulnerability detection, DOM object and flash cookie protection,cross-site scripting attack prevention, user-agent cloaking, and java proxy control. xB Browser also detects and disables malicious browser addons that are hidden in the windows registry.

4. I recently downloaded the same from http://download.cnet.com/windows/3055-2144_4-10660326.html?tag=pdl-redir and I am really impressed with the same......the only thing I got perturbed was with the speed.Having ridden on chrome for over a year...the speed is not a match.It is about 45 Mb in size...isn't that heavy...well any way...CHROME rules still.

E mail a Web Page : http://www.emailtheweb.com/

1. This one also comes as a pretty handy tool when u expect your friends to open a web page by clicking the link you had sent to them on e-mail.It may open....and it may not open....the thing is ensured and guaranteed if u use the feature given at http://www.emailtheweb.com/

2. A few advantages this will be able to ensure are :

- will saves your recipients time by not making them click a link to read your web page. For busy people, this improves the likelihood that they will read the linked web page.

- All scripts and dynamic elements of a web page is stripped out. This protects your recipients from popups and other annoying activity that may be malicious.

- Allows you to email a page to someone who doesn't have access to the the web page (either because the page was dynamically generated or the page is password-protected.)

- Today's web is more dynamic than ever and web pages are changing all the time. By emailing the entire web page, you ensure that your recipient is seeing the same web page as you—even if the original web page is changed.

- Many people need to have a archive record of a web page and use.

3. I have tried the same and find it pretty okay.....you need to have a new account or you can simply access the same using your Google/Gmail account.

Use KEYBOARD for MOUSE

1. This one is a small worth a look trick which you can use to impress anyone.This trick allows you to move your mouse pointer using your keyboard ie Numeric keypad.

2. Press your left alt+shift+numlock in your keyboard to enable this feature.

3. Now press ok.

4. Use the keys 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 7, 8, 9 of numeric keypad to move the mouse pointer.

5. To perform mouse click use the key 5

6. To perform double click use + sign.

7. To disable this feature click on NumLock.

8. Got this one from http://informativetipz.blogspot.com/

WiMAX - THE POWER

For so long ....may be about two weeks I have not been able to upload any posts on this blog...courtesy an opportunity to slightly dig deep into WiMAX...and I am really happy to have finally got deeper into this.I got to know about various Wireless Technologies and terms viz OFDM, MMDS, LMDS, Blue tooth,WiFi,EVDO, the 'G' family, HSPA, 802.16M, 802.20, Cable modem, broad band over power line, LTE, FTTH, spectrum bands, base stations, CPEs, NOCs, EDGE,Gateways,Back haul links,Security aspects of WiMAX.....a lot of learning...gr8888...will share brief on all these aspects in days to come....

Being BUSYYYYY

For last few days...have not been able to upload anything new since i have been busy with a real task on hand......will get back soon....!!!

SSDs vs HDDs : WHO is GOOD?

1. Off late few notebook manufacturer's have been seen promoting their product for being the first to introduce SSDs. Now at the first glance they really seem to be promising since they offer less energy consumption, less weight, no mobile parts and also offer better speed in some ways than regular hard disk drives. But the question is whether they are strong enough to deliver the performance through out their life span. This puts a question mark????????????

2. If you have just bought a shiny new SSD, it isn’t likely to continue performing at blazing speeds after some usage. An empty drive will always perform better than one written to. The good news is that after an initial dip in performance, SSDs tend to level off. Even if they do drop in performance over time -- undercutting a manufacturer’s claims -- consumer flash drives are still vastly faster than traditional hard drives, because they can perform two to five times the input/output operations per second of a hard drive.

Why does performance drop?

3. Unlike a hard disk drive, any write operation to an SSD requires not one step, but two: an erase followed by the write. When an SSD is new, the NAND flash memory inside it has been pre-erased. But, as data is written to the drive, data management algorithms in the controller begin to move that data around the flash memory in an operation known as wear leveling. These algorithms are used to more evenly distribute data across flash memory so that no one portion wears out faster than another, which prolongs the life of whole drive. Even though wear-leveling is meant to prolong the life of the drive, it can eventually lead to performance issues. SSD performance and endurance are related.

4. Generally, the poorer the performance of a drive, the shorter the lifespan. That’s because the management overhead of an SSD is related to how many writes and erases take place. The more write/erase cycles there are, the shorter the drive’s lifespan. Consumer-grade Multi-Level Cell (MLC) memory can sustain from 2,000 to 10,000 write cycles. Enterprise-class Single- Level Cell (SLC) memory can last through 10 times the number of write cycles of an MLC-based drive.

What Matters ?

5. ALGORITHM : A read-modify-write algorithm in an SSD controller will take a block about to be written to, retrieve any data already in it, mark the block for deletion, redistribute the old data, then lay down the new data in the old block.

6. Some manufacturers use algorithms that combine writes to more efficiently use NAND flash memory space; others use cache to store writes in order to lay them down more efficiently.

7. BUGS : Bugs Can Cause Slow-Downs, Too Intel’s X25-M SSD had a firmware bug that led to major fragmentation problems that dropped throughput dramatically . But what’s clear is SSDs need more development to address these long term performance issues.

8. Thanks PC WORLD!!!

FREE UPGRADATION - ONLY A TRICK!!!

1. This trick comes for those who wish to upgrade their processors in the respective computers for free.......(only the name)

2. Start -> run -> type regedit.exe -> press ok

3. In registry editor -> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0

4. On right Pane Select ProcessorNameString and change the value to Pentium 5 or as you desire!!

Note: For those PC bugs only who just use the machine and don't worry of whats inside?Of course,they can be content with the name they give....viz an old celeron be renamed to QUAD CORE......and so on!!!!

5. Thanks again to http://www.technotips24x7.co.cc/

WHO ESPIED MY COMPUTER?

1. How many times would you be able to know who logged in or who used ur computer in your absence?NOt much most of the times!!!An easy to find out the details is a one liner solution......

2. So,here is the trick for that ..Simply type as given below in the RUN bar ie

Start - Run - TYPE eventvwr.msc

3. All details of login will be in front of your eyes.SIMPLE!!!!!!!

4. Thanks http://www.technotips24x7.co.cc/

DATA STORAGE IN BACTERIA : ASTONISHING-MUST READ

1. I had read about this about 2 months back but could not get any thing rock solid about what is the concept like actually?Although still not much detail is available,the crux from various sites is reproduced below for one to just imbibe the idea.

2. Artificial DNA with encoded information can be added to the genome of common bacteria, thus preserving the data. The technique was developed at Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences and Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus. So now what would happen to those USB flash memory "thumbdrives" which is claimed as being small!!

3. The technology aims at the succesful development of a DNA memory utilizing living organisms. The researchers proposed a method to copy and paste data within the genomic sequence of a living organism, Bacillus subtilis. Since microbs such as the Bacillus subtilis are very small and they keep gene information for generations, they can be applied for extremely smaller-size, larger-volume memory media that can store data for a longer period of time, compared to electronic or magnetic media including CD-ROM, flash memoryand hard disc.

4. According to researchers, up to 100 bits of data can be attached to each organism. Scientists successfully encoded and attached the phrase "e=mc2 1905" to the DNA of BACILLUS SUBTILIS, a common soil bacteria.The Bacillus itself creates new copies of the data every time it reproduces itself, thus making it an ideal archival storage system.

5. While the technology would most likely first be used to track medication, it could also be used to store text and images for many millennia, thwarting the longevity issues associated with today's disk and tape storage systems -- which only store data for up to 100 years in most cases.It is also claimed by the inventor that unlike optical/magnetic storage, data would be safe for thousands of years!!!

6. However, DNA sequences gradually change as their generations advance and that has been a hurdle in the research of biotic memory media. Changes in the DNA arrangements would make recovery of the stored data impossible, provided that no error correction techniques found at magnetic or optical storage media is available. The research group said its latest development indicated a possible resolution for this problem.

7. The technology proposes a method to copy and paste data within the genomic sequence of a living organism, Bacillus subtilis, thus acquiring versatile data storage and the robustness of data inheritance. Two or more different DNA molecules which carry the encoded data were duplicated into multiple genomic areas for data storage. The encoded data is then retrievable by complete genome sequencing and searching for duplicated coding regions using multiple alignments of all the possible decoded bit-data sequences of the genomic DNA. Therefore, even if the recorded information is partly destroyed, the original correct information can be restored.

8. Thanks http://www.technovelgy.com

HDD DOCKING STATION

1. In a typical IT savvy home,one would expect a desktop and a laptop today.So do Ihave that.I got my present desktop about 6 years back and have been since upgrading as and when I find an opportunity to make up with the race of not being left in obsolesence.Thus today I have about 6 IDE/sata based hard disks at my home that bear the back up and confine themselves to the shelves till they are required.

2. Once required,I attach them with the easily available USB to SATA or USB to the typical IDE port.Now when I do this,the table that I work on becomes a horde of wires with keyboard, mouse,power cable of this conversion kit ging bank intermingling with each other.To make this neater a new thing that I recently came across is the HDD DOCK STATION.More below :

3. The plug-n-play ready, high speed HDD Docking Station provides the user with flexibility, portability and performance. The unit supports both 2.5” and 3.5” SATA drives up to 1TB in size. The docking station is also hot-swappable using the USB2.0 and eSATA interfaces so it can be moved from computer to computer with ease for all your backup needs. If data integrity is your habit, then the HDD Docking is the perfect solution for you.

4. The dock is compatible with Windows and supports HDD upto 1 TB.

5. Thanks http://www.sunbeamtech.com