Tech Dose of the Day Podcast, WinFX(.NET Framework 3.0), Spamdexing, HTTPS, blog, Android and Symbian OS.
Contributed by M&E (Media & Entertainment Delivery) Group (MphasiS Software Services) Podcast What is a Podcast? This has been the latest kid on the internet block. The word Podcast refers to an audio file which is available as a broadcast over the internet. The term arises from the words IPod and Broadcast. Though it has reference to the Ipod, you dont necessarily need an Ipod to listen to a Podcast. Any audio/mp3 player will do the task provided the audio format is supported on it. In other words, the podcast is just the RSS feed for audio files. Also, you can get the latest Podcasts by subscribing to them on the internet from various websites. Podcasting is the art of making Podcasts available on the internet. Now for the practical part, try these simple steps [You may try this out at home.] 1. Go to http://www.news.com/2324-11424_3-6222198.html , it is an article about Podcast and Gaming. 2. Click on the Download mp3 link on the page. 3. Save the mp3 file onto your computer (You can transfer it to your mp3 player later). 4. Listen to your first Podcast..!! Simple, isnt it..?!! What is its usefulness? Note that, your favorite songs may not fall under the category of Podcasts. But an audio book or a news report can be termed as one. For techies, reading a technical article of 100 pages might be a boring thing to do. What then? Get a podcast of the same article from the web onto your MP3 player and you can listen to it on the go..! Note that not all articles are available as Podcasts. Pros - 1. Easy to download, carry around and listen. 2. No software required for normal mp3 players. [But if you use an Ipod, youll need iTunes software.] Cons - 1. Not many articles are available as Podcasts. Further References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting WinFX(.NET Framework 3.0) What is WinFX? WinFX (pronounced as Win Effects) is an All-Managed, next generation API introduced in Longhorn(Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008). In Longhorn, Win32 will no longer be the primary API. It is however still continued for backward compatibility. WinFX has been a significant milestone in the history of Windows API. It puts .NET at the center of the platform as against the traditional C-style API. Rather put in simple words, WinFX is the set of APIs that a developer can use to write Windows application in Longhorn. To view the .NET Framework as being merely a wrapper around Win32 is to ignore a large part of the benefit that it offers. WinFX will not need to have a Win32 API to wrap itself around, as it will directly be able to access the low-level API, just as Win32 does today. What is its usefulness? The WinFX makes its point clear: managed code is the way of the future. It is the API used to write the next generation of Windows applications. Todays .NET Applications will still be able to run without modifications on Longhorn. Longhorn applications will now be managed (though we can still write unmanaged applications using Win32). It provides a ubiquitous solution across process, applications, networks and other communication boundaries. It will allow developers to churn out better applications faster. Further References http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/07/13/winfx.html http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2003/11/24/longhorn_01.htm http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/default.aspx http://msdn.microsoft.com/theshow/episode.aspx?xml=theshow/en/Episode054/manifest.xml http://www.blackmarble.co.uk/WhitePapers/Seminar%20Notes%20-%20Vista%20For%20Developers.pdf Spamdexing What is Spamdexing? Spamdexing, coined from spam and index, is the practice of including information in a Web page that causes search engines to index it in some way that produces results that satisfy the spamdexer but usually dissatisify the search engine providers and users. When the extraneous information appears in a page's meta tags, it is called "overstuffing". Some examples of spamdexing and overstuffing: Including a key word dozens or even hundreds of times on a Web page so that a search engine will weigh the relevance of this page to the subject word more heavily than pages on other Web sites. The subject words are usually placed at the very end of the page out of the reader's way or can even be made invisible to the reader (but readable by the search indexing program). Including one or more subject words that are totally unrelated to the subject of the Web site for the purpose of getting people to visit the site. In a typical example, a word might be listed as a key word (or spamdexed at the bottom of the page) on a site that really sells books on "highly effective sales techniques." Punishing someone by including their name as a key word on a site with which they have no connection or even a contentious connection. Trying to capture a competitor's traffic by listing their name or trademarks in the Meta tags (this is often a violation of copyright law). Spamdexing is not the same thing as properly using key words in the body text and in the Meta tags to ensure that search engines will index it accurately. Unfortunately, most search engine queries result in hundreds of matches. Since few users are likely to go beyond the first 10 or 20 result items, a technique that persuades a search engine to put a site near the top of the list results in more visitors to that site. What are the various techniques? Common spamdexing techniques can be classified into two broad classes: content spam (or term spam) and link spam. Content Spam: These techniques involve altering the logical view that a search engine has over the page's contents. They all aim at variants of the vector space model for information retrieval on text collections. 1. Keyword stuffing 2. Meta tag stuffing 3. Scraper sites Link spam: Davison defines link spam (which he calls "nepotistic links") as "links between pages that are present for reasons other than merit." Link spam takes advantage of link-based ranking algorithms, such as Google's PageRank algorithm, which gives a higher ranking to a website the more other highly ranked websites link to it. These techniques also aim at influencing other link-based ranking techniques such as the HITS algorithm. 1. Link farms 2. "Sybil attack" 3. Spam blogs 4. Page hijacking 5. Buying expired domains Further References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamdexing#Content_spam http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci214236,00.html http://www.searchenginepromotionhelp.com/m/articles/promotion-encyclopedia/spamdexing.php HTTPS What is HTTPS? HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (http). Secure means of transferring data using the https protocol in the World Wide Web where secure ecommerce transactions, such as online banking transactions and other financial transactions are involved. In other words, https encrypts the session with a digital certificate i.e., HTTP over SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) which can be used by Web browsers and HTTPS - capable client programs. So if the website begins with https:// instead of http://, it is a secure site. Almost 99% of the browsers can connect to web servers either using http or https. The address bar in the browser will begin with https instead of http, if a web site is secured. Web browsers like IE, Firefox etc., display a pad lock icon to indicate the website is secure, which also displays https in the address bar. This padlock icon is displayed only when an SSL certificate is installed by their web server. If the padlock icon and the web link begin with https then it can be concluded that the site is legitimate and secure to provide confidential information or carry financial transactions. Hence the HTTPS Protocol work with the combination of programs including the browser programs which takes care of the encryption/decryption routines that exist on the web hosting servers. Most typically HTTP data is sent over TCP/IP port 80, whereas SSL HTTP data is sent over port 443. How does it work? SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data, firstly a public key known to everyone and the second is the private key known only to the recipient. SSL an unique and effective way to achieve data and ecommerce security. So when a SSL - Digital Certificate is installed on a web site, a padlock icon can be seen at the bottom area of the navigator and also the address in the address bar will begin with "https" instead of http during a secure ecommerce transaction, which means that the data is encrypted. What is its usefulness? SSL Encryption or Https is a technique used to safeguard private information which is sent via Internet. To prove the site's legitimacy, the SSL encryption uses a PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) - public/private key, to encrypt IDs, documents, or messages to securely transmit the information in the World Wide Web. In order to show that our transmission is encrypted, most browsers will display a small icon that would look like a pad lock or a key and the URL begins with "https" instead of "http". SSL Encryption or https from a digital certification authority will helps the secure web site with confidential information on web. Further References http://wp.netscape.com/eng/ssl3/ssl-toc.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Https blog What is a blog? A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) and are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts. As of September 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 106 million blogs. What are its types?: There are various types of blogs, and each differs in the way content is delivered or written. by media type : A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog.[14] Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. An Artlog is a form of art sharing and publishing in the format of a blog, but differentiated by the predominant use of and focus on Art work rather than text. A rare type of blog hosted on the Gopher Protocol is known as a Phlog. by device : Blogs can also be defined by which type of device is used to compose it. A blog written by a mobile device like a mobile phone or PDA is called a moblog. by genre : Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, niche blogs, legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or dreamlogs. While not a legitimate type of blog, one used for the sole purpose of spamming is known as a Splog. A Slog (Site or website log) is a section or 'slice' of a regular business website, which is seamlessly integrated within the regular website structure but is produced with blogging software. by legal status of publishers : A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs, either used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or PR purposes are called corporate blogs. Further References wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog blogger : http://www.blogger.com Some famous blog sites : http://www.russellbeattie.com/blog/ (by Russell Beattie of Yahoo!), http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/ (by Jonathan Schwartz of SUN), http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf (by Ed Brill of Lotus) Rithish's blog : http://rithish.blogspot.com Android What is Android? Android is a mobile phone platform (by Google) based on the Linux operating system and developed by the Open Handset Alliance. The unveiling of the Android platform on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 hardware, software and telecoms companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. When released in 2008, the Android platform will be made available under the Apache v2 open-source license. History ofAndroid: In July 2005, Google acquired Android Inc., a small startup company based in Palo Alto, CA. At the time, little was known about the functions of Android Inc. other than they made software for mobile phones. This began rumors that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market, although it was unclear at the time as to what function they would perform in that market. At Google, the team had developed a Linux-based mobile device OS which they were marketing to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system. On 5 November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of several companies which include Google, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, and NVIDIA, was unveiled with the goal to develop open standards for mobile devices. Along with the formation of the Open Handset Alliance, the OHA also unveiled their first product, Android, an open source mobile phone platform based on the Linux operating system. Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt took a moment in the official press release to dispel all previous rumors and speculation of a stand-alone Google phone existing. Development: On 12 November 2007 the OHA released a preview of the Android software development kit which includes development and debugging tools, a set of libraries, a device emulator, documentation, sample projects, tutorials, FAQ and more. With the release of the SDK, features and specifications for Android are slowly being released Handset layouts, Connectivity, Messaging, Web browser, Java virtual machine, Media support, Additional hardware support etc. Further References http://code.google.com/android/ http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm http://techland.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/?s=android Symbian OS What is Symbian OS? Symbian OS is a proprietary operating system, designed for mobile devices, with associated libraries, user interface frameworks and reference implementations of common tools, produced by Symbian Ltd. It is a descendant of Psion's EPOC and runs exclusively on ARM processors. Symbian is currently owned by Nokia (47.9%), Ericsson (15.6%), Sony Ericsson (13.1%), Panasonic (10.5%), Siemens AG (8.4%) and Samsung (4.5%). While BenQ has acquired the mobile phone subsidiary of Siemens AG the Siemens AG stake in Symbian does not automatically pass to BenQ this will need the approval of the Symbian Supervisory Board. The latest version of Symbian is Symbian OS 9.5. Symbian is not Open Source software. However, phone manufacturers and other partners are provided with parts of its source code. The APIs are publicly documented and up to Symbian 8.1 anyone could develop software for Symbian OS. Symbian 9.1 introduced capabilities and Platform Security framework. To access certain capabilities, the developer has to digitally sign their application. Basic capabilities are user-grantable and developer can self-sign them, more advanced require certification and signing via the Symbian Signed program; which uses independent Test Houses and/or phone manufacturer approval. For example file writing is a user-grantable capability, and access to Multimedia Device Drivers require phone manufacturer approval. TC TrustCenter ACS Publisher ID certificate required from developer for signing application with Test House. Signing application with Test House is not free, Symbian Signed provides free certification and signing for freeware application via the mobile software publisher Cellmania. There are only three companies worldwide which tests Symbian applications and issues Symbian Signed certificates. MphasiS is one of them! What is its usefulness? Symbian OS, with its roots in Psion Software's EPOC, is structured like many desktop operating systems with pre-emptive multitasking, multithreading, and memory protection. Symbian OS's major advantage is the fact that it was built for handheld devices, with limited resources, that may be running for months or years. There is a strong emphasis on conserving memory, using Symbian-specific programming idioms such as descriptors and a cleanup stack. Together with other techniques, these keep memory usage low and memory leaks rare. There are similar techniques for conserving disk space (though the disks on Symbian devices are usually flash memory). Furthermore, all Symbian OS programming is event-based, and the CPU is switched off when applications are not directly dealing with an event. This is achieved through a programming idiom called active objects. Correct use of these techniques helps ensure longer battery life. All of this makes Symbian OS's flavor of C++ very specialised. However, many Symbian OS devices can also be programmed in OPL, Python, Visual Basic, Simkin, and Perl together with the Java ME and PersonalJava flavors of Java. One of the major drawbacks of Symbian OS is that it has been subject to a variety of viruses, the best known of which is Cabir. Usually these send themselves from phone to phone by Bluetooth. So far, none have taken advantage of any flaws in Symbian OS instead, they have all asked the user whether they would like to install the software, with somewhat prominent warnings that it can't be trusted. However, of course, the average mobile phone user shouldn't have to worry about such things, so Symbian OS 9.x has adopted a capability model. Installed software will theoretically be unable to do damaging things (such as costing the user money by sending network data) without being digitally signed thus making it traceable. Commercial developers who can afford the cost can apply to have their software signed via the Symbian Signed program. Currently, developers also have the option of self-signing their programs. However, the set of available features is smaller, and certain operators have opted on fully disabling certificates other than the Symbian Signed certificates. Devices using Symbian OS: Hundreds of phone models use the Symbian OS. Some of them are: Ericsson R380 (the first commercially available phone based on Symbian OS). Nokia N-Series phones like Nokia N70, Nokia N72, Nokia N73, N91, N92, and N95 among others. Sony Ericsson P800, P900, P990, W950, M600, W960. Motorola A920, A925, A1000, RIZR Z8, RIZR Z10 Further References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbian https://www.symbiansigned.com/app/page/overview/testhouses http://www.symbian.com Share files, take polls, and discuss your passions - all under one roof. Go to http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
