A post on the Washington Post’s “Security Fix” blog, was reported to have said that AOL’s password system should not be considered as secure as is thought of by you. Brian Krebs, the author of the blog said that even supposing AOL enables your password to be 16 characters long, it just counts up the initial 8m which might imply awful news for AOL members who may not pick their passwords sensibly– that is, those who may take in their usernames in them. Krebs wrote in his post, For example, take an imaginary AOL user called Bob Jones, who signs up with AOL utilizing the user name BobJones. Bob–thinking himself very clever–sets his password to be BobJones$4e?0…even though Bob thinks he created a pretty solid 13-character password–complete with numerals, non-standard characters, and letters–the system won’t read past the first eight characters of the password he set, which in this case is exactly the same as his user name. Bob may never be aware of this. However the Washington Post blog has definitely increased the profile of the possible password vulnerability, which is not new. As one of the readers has commented on the post saying that this is an older, famous, finely-documented basic question in the one-way hashing function crypt () once utilized by UNIX systems for passwords. Image 1 Image 2 Read
New Outlook gadget lets you view and interact with calendar, contact list, task list and inbox
A new gadget claims to offer trouble-free access to Outlook–your inbox, calendar and more–from within iGoogle. The appropriately called Microsoft Outlook gadget, which requires Office XP, enables users to view and interact with their calendar, contact list, task list and inbox, albeit Outlook isn’t working. Though, as it depends upon ActiveX controls, Firefox users will require to deploy the IE Tab extension and do some configuration tweaks. If you make use of IE, you are supposed to be good to go right out of the box. Excepting that, this is a potentially must-have gadget for heavy users of both Outlook and iGoogle. Image Read
VPIsystems releases OnePlan Access 3.0
The leading provider of network resource planning software and services for the telecommunications industry, VPIsystems has released its latest Access module for the OnePlan network planning system. The new Access 3.0 include enhanced modeling, reporting and forecasting capabilities. It has disaster planning feature with an updated user interface. Users would be able quickly plan, design and optimize broadband wireless and other networks. OnePlan Access 3.0 allows users to easily input data into the OnePlan Access configuration templates. It reduces their planning cycles and gives them significant complete advantage. OnePlan Access 3.0 includes additional features which are given below: 1) Enhanced Equipment Model: Now OnePlan Access supports both generic access equipment detail configuration and vendor specific equipment models 2) Layer Connection Model: It supports layer connection model, so that carriers can model logical connections in their access network domain 3) Dual-homing capabilities: It allows customers to plan for primary working and secondary back up paths within their next-generation access networks 4) Ability to import as-built networks: Now users can import a previously deployed network into the application when planning an upgrade or addition to their existing networks, using legacy components 5) Multi-period planning: It allows carriers to more flexibly plan their networks in different time intervals, ultimately increasing planning granularity. According to Hank Firey, CEO of VPIsystems, telecommunications industry evolves more complex technology, so network resource planning is crucial for the success of service providers. Image Credit: Spectrum Via: Managing Automation
Ericom releases PowerTerm WebConnect to support Microsoft’s Windows Vista
A leading provider of Enterprise Wide Application Access solutions, Ericom Software has released its Server Based Computing solution, named PowerTerm WebConnect to support Microsoft’s new Windows Vista platform. The PowerTerm WebConnect expands thin client support and has also option for universal printing, optimized Terminal Server performance and SSL VPN integration. The PowerTerm WebConnect is good and cost effective alternative of Citrix, which provides secure access to applications residing on Windows Terminal Servers, Virtual Desktops and legacy host systems. It reduces the cost of managing applications and desktops, business continuity, IT optimization, and privacy of information. It has following features, which are given below: 1 Microsoft Windows Vista Support: The PowerTerm WebConnect not only supports to Windows and linux desktop but also provides secure access to Windows Terminal Server and leagcy host applications from Vista desktops. 2 TriCerat Universal Printing: It also provides option to seamlessly integrate with triCerat ScrewDrivers for universal printing capabilities. 3 Enhanced Microsoft Active Directory and Novell eDirectory Support: The PowerTerm WebConnect automatically identifies directory of users and groups. 4 Thin Client Management: It supports for XPe and Linux thin clients, now administrators can also include and manage CE based thin clients with the PowerTerm WebConnect Admin Tool. 5 SSL VPN Integration: PowerTerm WebConnect integrates with SSL VPN providers for secure end-to-end enterprise application access. It also provides secure erver Based Computing environment to organizations. 6 Server Scalability & Stability: The PowerTerm WebConnect provides the option to incorporate RTO’s TScale memory & CPU optimization to enable applications to run more efficiently, use less memory and generate less page file activity. 7 PowerTerm WebConnect Server Clustering: It also allows the ability to manage multiple PowerTerm WebConnect servers from a single management tool. 8 Two-factor authentication security: It integrates with RSA SecurID for two-factor authentication. Image Credit: User Ful & IBM Via: Managing Automation
Hear natural sounds on Google Earth
Now, you would be able to hear the song of haunting whale or singing birds, while searching on Google Earth. Soon Google will add sound effects to its 3-D virtual globe program, Google Earth. Google Earth allows users to zoom in on any spot on the planet’s surface. Bernie Krause, Director of California-based company, Wild Sanctuary, has been recording sounds from all over the world for last 40 years. His company has developed the software, which will allow those sounds to be embedded into Google Earth. He has spent last 40 years in collecting more than 35,000 hours of sound recording of more than 15,000 animal noises and sounds from a huge array of habitats, including cities, deserts, mountains and the marine environment. The Wild Sanctuary sounds would be available when zooming in on specific areas in Google Earth. He is hoping that his project will make Google Earth users m0ore aware of the impact of human activity on the environment. Bernie Krause, said Our objective is to bring the world alive. We have all the continents of the world- high mountains and low deserts. He said that software is ready with 26 sounds for demonstration at a new technology conference in San Jose, California on May 29, 2007. Image Credit: ANT Web Via: Tech Tree
‘Scratch’: A new age programming tool developed by Resnick
Some years back, we heard about softwares and programming tools that would ease our tasks and would furnish us with easy-to-use on the go software modules. So, here is something that makes us feel as if we are in that futuristic time span! Scratch, a free programming tool, makes some unbelievable things possible – making our own artworks, animated stories, video games and interactive artistry. Scratch is a user-friendly software that enables the user to create his artworks without even having some previous knowledge of intricate computer languages. It helps you to amalgamate videos, images and sounds in a single frame and it is developed in the United States at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab. This digital tool-kit boasts of a sequence of user friendly and accustomed toolbars that make your tedious work look a lot easier than it would have been with any other non-ergonomically created softwares. Professor Mitchel Resnick, who is a key researcher at the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT, rightly remarked that – “Computer programming has been traditionally seen as something that is beyond most people – it’s only for a special group with technical expertise and experience, we have developed Scratch as a new type of programming language, which is much more accessible.” With the advent of high-speed internet connections, and that too with an added zing of “Broad Band”, eminent website developers around the globe are thronging the net with abundance of newly launched websites. Professor Resnick, who invented Lego Mindstorms (a robotics toolkit), remarked that – “These days, kids interact with all kinds of dynamic things on screen but it is usually a one-way street – they are usually interacting with things that other people have created, with Scratch we want to let kids to be the creators. We want them to create interesting dynamic things on the computer.” Seriously, this new programming tool would widen the aspects of media interaction throughout the world. Just as a developer handles the Lego bricks this newly developed software also works the same way. The researcher also opined that with Scratch, their goal is to facilitate people to mix all kinds of media and that too in creative ways. He analyses children closely and propounded a conclusion that kids make programs by simply snapping blocks together. So, likewise, the Scratch also works in the same manner. It helps you select objects and characters from the menu that eventually are cut and pasted into the so called “action blocks”. He claimed that – “They don’t have to worry about the obscure punctuation and syntax common in most programming languages.” Scratch is in a way inspired from the disk jockeys who try to make a different kind of music by just scratching and ripping the records on their DJ panel. He said – “With Scratch, our goal is to allow people to mix together all kinds of media, not just sounds, in creative ways, we want people to start from existing materials – grabbing an image, grabbing some sound, maybe even bits of someone else’s program and then extending them and mixing them to make them their own.” Website developers and software engineers who wish to upload their digital creations on to the net can find this programming tool to be of great use and definitely handy . Kids have a tendency to share stuff with the other people so this software would enhance their horizons by letting them use online sharing procedures as well as time-sharing tools. Professor Nigel Shadbolt, from the University of Southampton and President of the British Computer Society (BCS) also had to throw some light in regards to this – “The thing that’s very difficult for children encountering programming for the first time is that it is very unforgiving.” He strongly believes that by incorporating such multifaceted technologies on may be on the verge of creating top class future IT professionals. He thoughtfully added that – “A program doesn’t congratulate you for the 90% that you got right. It fails for the 10% you got wrong. So an environment where you are essentially assembling components that can only be configured in set ways takes some of that hardship away.” He made this clear that if still someone finds the Scratch to be a cut-copy-kids then one is free to use the contemporary way of programming, which is made available at the HacketyHack. This wonderful site teaches a code related to a language dubbed the “Ruby”. It is seriously unbelievable that one may create a “Blog” with just 6 lines of structural language code! Where do I find this tool, soon? The “Scratch” is fully compatible with Apple Macs and Windows PCs. The XO laptop would soon be getting the other variant of “Scratch”, which comes under the “One Laptop per Child Project.” Via:BBCnews
Aware showcases AccuRad, medical imaging software at ATA 2007
Via: Strategies A global provider of imaging and biometrics software, Aware, Inc has showcased its latest medical imaging product at the Annual Meeting of the American (ATA)Telemedicine Association on May 13, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. The company has demonstrated its AccuRad, which provides solution developers with software component that address these problems with ICOM-compatible JPEG 2000 and JPIP image compression, streaming, and viewing technology. Aware’s AccuRad contains three software development kit (SDKs), which include libraries, sample applications with source code, a command line codec, and a Windows GUI tool with viewer. It includes three software kits, namely, AccuRad J2KSuite, JPIPStream and DICOMView Active X component. The features of these software kits are given below: 1) AccuRad J2KSuite enables JPEG 200 compression and decompression. 2) The AccuRad JPIPStream toolkit allows developers to build JPIP-compliant servers and clients. 3) The AccuRad DICOMView ActiveX component combines the latest delivery and display technologies for viewing medical images in standard browser. It is easily integrated with other viewing applications. Aware’s AccuRad also implements the JPEG 2000 and JPIP imaging standards that employ advanced compression and streaming techniques to reduce the file size of medical images and also improves the transmission time. Additionally it also increases speeds of image viewing process. Image Credit: AWARE Via: PR Inside
Google launches Universal Search Engine
Search Engine giant, Google has again revamped its home page by including more features in it. Google Inc has launched its version of Universal Search, which will list in one place search results from various source of media. Google’s vice president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer made this announcement at the ‘Searchology’ media event at the company’s Mountain View, Calif. The universal search service will tough competition to its rivals. The Universal Navigation Bar would be added at the top of Google Search and other pages. The service is aimed to allow users to quickly get their results through Google services. The company will start showing videos on its main page along with photos, books and other content. Users would be able to find links to all those sources in single search attempt. Google will offer some Google Oneboxes, which will offer an instant result at the top of the search results, some features would be still displayed like weather. The search results will show show videos from video sharing site You Tube or Metacafe. Other Google results will more frequently show photos or information from the more than 1 million books. Google’ Universal Search allows users to sign up for Google Experimental and try for their features. Some features also include left-handed search navigation, which adds a time line to the top of search results and one that adds a map view to results. The company is trying to break language barrier on the web. Soon company will launch a features, which allows users to use their native language. The system will automatically translate the result into the language the query was conducted in. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, said, The changes will expose to more people some “underutilized” Google services, such as Book Search and Video search, and they will help boost Google’s already huge market share. Image credit: IT Business & Web Ware Via: Yahoo
Synopsys’ Discovery AMS 2007 delivers high-level performance for integrated analog and digital analysis
A world leader in semiconductor design software, Synopsys, Inc has released a comprehensive, integrated analog and mixed signal (AMS) verification solution for complex system-on-chip (SOC) design, named Discovery AMS 2007. Discovery AMS 2007 features is featured with three new technologies, which are given below: 1) Next- generation FastSPICE simulation technology 2) A unifies AMS debug and visualization environment 3) Tight integration with Synopsys’ VCS digital verification solution, which is built upon Synopsys’ technology-leading HSIM and NanoSim FastSPICE simulators. Synopsys’ new XA simulation technology enables customers to achieve SPICE accuracy while maintaining FastSPICE performance and capacity. The technology is transistor level simulation engine, which is designed to augment NanoSim and HSIM as an add-on option. The combination of the technology with NanoSim or HSIM delivers the complete transistor level verification solution. Synopsys’ high-performance HSIM and NanoSim circuit simulators are tightly integrated with Synopsys’ VCS digital verification solution through direct-kernel integration. Its delivers high level performance, verification and greater flexibility in verifying mixed signal SoC designs at all levels of abs, including SystemC, SystemVerilog, behavioral, gate and transistor level. Additionally, it also provides full-featured, powerful debug and analysis environment, which includes both analog and digital analysis capabilities. Hisaharu Miwa, general manager, Design Technology Division, LSI Product Technology Unit, Renesas Technology Corp said, Discovery AMS, with the combination of HSIM and the XA simulation technology, enabled us to reduce verification time by an average of 5x over traditional FastSPICE and over 50x over SPICE while maintaining SPICE-like accuracy. Image Credit: CPE & Cheap Software Via: ManagingAutomation
Salesforce PRM 2.0 expands on-demand channel management
The leader in market and technology in on-demand business services, Salesforce.com has released the next generation’s on-demand channel management application, named Salesforce Partner Relationship Management (PRM) 2.0. The Salesforce PRM 2.0 is one of the most successful products of Salesforce.com, which includes customers like Cognos, GFI Software and PGP Corporation. The application provides tools to increase channel growth and time to value through quick and easy management of portals and programs. The company is focused on solidifying its position as the PRM solution provider among high technology industry. The application, Salesforce PRM 2.0 will reach new level of success with advanced partner account management, customized messaging and partner communications, and streamlined administration of partner users and portals. The company has also revealed quick start templates, which are given below: 1) Deal registration 2) Point-of-Sale (POS) 3) Market Development Fund (MDF) 4) Partner ramp-up. There programmes are available from the Partner Relationship Management category on the AppExchange. Some features of the Salesforce PRM 2.0 is given below: 1) Spring ’07: It delivers the Most Customizable Partner Experience 2) Partner Role Hierarchies: Now reporting hierarchies can be created within partner company records so that partner sales managers can gain better insight into the partner pipeline and organizational coverage. 3) Enhanced Partner Emails: All partner communications can be branded and companies can create triggered emails to further increase partner engagement. 4) Joint Selling: Now users can create or modify opportunity product line items and allow partners to sell from price books that are tailored for individual partners. 5) Time-Based Workflow: The workflow functions can now trigger time-based actions and enable the scheduling of business processes through the Apex platform, 6) Winter ’07: Complete Visibility Across Direct and Indirect Channels 7) Custom Channel Processes and Branding: It gives customers greater flexibility in tailoring channel business processes and increased branding of partner communications. 
Channel Collaboration: With the release of Winter ’07, Salesforce PRM customers are now able to share any AppExchange or Apex application, component or object with their partners, allowing greater channel collaboration on of vital business information like leads and contacts through a variety of portals and channels. 9) Enhanced Partner Management and Performance Reporting: This feature delivers unprecedented visibility into a customer’s sales pipeline for both direct and indirect channels. Additionally the process of registering, on-boarding, activating, and servicing partners is fully automated and streamlined. Image credit: KTZinc Via: ManagingAutomation