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Google Chrome: Links to the Best Coverage

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Everyone seems to be talking about Google’s open source browser today huh? Instead of rambling on that as well, I will just give you some links so you can check what the fuzz is all about.

Here is a link to the comic book that Google used to introduce the project (yeah I find it weird as well, but hey its Google).

Here is a link to the official Google Blog, where they commented on the launch:

All of us at Google spend much of our time working inside a browser. We search, chat, email and collaborate in a browser. And in our spare time, we shop, bank, read news and keep in touch with friends — all using a browser. Because we spend so much time online, we began seriously thinking about what kind of browser could exist if we started from scratch and built on the best elements out there. We realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that’s what we set out to build.

Here is a link to the TechCrunch article, which claims that Chrome is a direct punch at Microsoft:

Make no mistake. The cute comic book and the touchy-feely talk about user experience is little more than a coat of paint on top of a monumental hatred of Microsoft.

Chrome, the Webkit-based Google browser that launches tomorrow at Google.com/chrome, will give them a real foothold on the desktop and way more control over how web applications perform. While it seems that Chrome is aimed at IE and Firefox, the target is really Windows.

And here is a link to post defending that unless the browser manages to take some market share, it won’t matter:

This has the blogosphere all excited. Everyone is writing about the features of the new browser, and its strategic significance. The product sounds great, but I can only get but so excited.

Why?

Because as a developer, Chrome seems to me to be little more than pissing in the wind.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer controls around 75% of the browser market, and that’s not the bad news. The bad news is that Internet Explorer version 6 has 25% of the market.

August 2008: Thanks to Our Sponsors

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Just wanted to make a quick shout to our sponsors and thank their support. They provide useful services for web-savvy people, so check them out.

Squarespace: If you need to publish anything online, Squarespace might be a good place to get started. They have a platform that is suitable for pretty much any purpose. You will be able to easily add a blog, forum, contact form and many other modules to your website.

iThemes: Created by Nathan Rice and Cory Miller, two of the best WordPress designers around, iThemes is the must go location if you are looking for premium and CMS WordPress themes. There are so many quality options that I am sure you will find a suitable one for your projects.

FreshBooks: Whether you are a blogger, web designer or freelance writer, sooner or later you will need to invoice someone for advertising or for your services. FreshBooks is the easiest way to do this, and by using their service you will also make sure that your invoices are correct and professional looking. The service is free for up to 3 clients, so test it out right now.

WhiteSmoke: WhiteSmoke has the leading English writing software on the market. Among the advanced features that you will find on their software there are a grammar checker with artificial intelligence algorithms, a punctuation checker, text enrichment utilities and more.

Directory Maximizer: A reliable company for web directory and blog directory submissions. Their campaigns cost $14 for every 100 directories. They make sure that the links will send you juice, and that you get a gradual number of backlinks over time.

Doreo Hosting: A long time sponsor, Doreo is also the company that provides the web hosting for all my blogs and websites. Facts speak louder than words right? Just browse around the site and see how fast it loads (keep in mind I don’t use cache plugins).

Krumler: What about a social bookmarking website in the Twitter style? That is what Krumler is about. You can follow friends and they can follow you in return, and you all will be able to share interesting web pages or stories from around the Internet.

Online Quizzes To Kill Some Time

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If you have some time to spare, here are online quizzes that I came across this week. The first one is about how much money you could take in a bank robbery. Weird huh? Apparently I could take as much as $3 million…

Now robbing a bank is risky right? Why not find the chances of you ending up in prison then? You can do that on the Are You Going to Prison? quiz. (I have 7% of chances of ending behind the bars).

Finally, we have some vocabulary, spelling and grammar quizzes on Daily Writing Tips. On those you might at least learn something!

Understanding Arithmetic is Key

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There is this video on YouTube called “The Most IMPORTANT Video You Will Ever See.” One would think that it reveals some secret about our life right? Well not quite, the video is in fact about arithmetic!

The old professor is basically trying to convince us that “the greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” Crazy as it sounds, the guy almost convinced me! Worth watching.

Vista Owners Mass Downgrading to Windows XP

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I am really not sure how Microsoft is still trying to argue with people, defending that Vista is a very good operating system, and that it is only problem is a bad reputation. They even tried to do a “blind taste test” with Vista, making users experiment it without knowing that it was Vista. Pathetic!

Anyway to confirm the fact that Windows Vista sucks (period!), there is an article on The Register claiming that around one third of all Windows Vista equipped machines have been downgraded to Windows XP (some by the PC manufacturers directly…).

Vista’s death march picked up some pace yesterday, after a metrics researcher revealed that nearly 35 per cent of PCs built to run the Windows operating system have been downgraded to XP.

In a survey of more than 3,000 computers, performance testing software developer Devil Mountain Software estimated that more than one in three new machines had either been downgraded by vendors such as Dell, or by customers once they bought the PC.

One third is a really big number, especially if you consider that downgrading an operating system is not a trivial task, and most users would think twice before going through that.

Windows fans, let’s hope that Windows 7 will hit the target. Or give Ubuntu a try, as I have been recommending for a while.

Best Online Flash Games: The Bowman Game

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I am pretty sure you have already played an archery or bowman game once in your life. This online flash game is probably not what you are expecting though. There is no target. The objective is to throw your arrows directly at another opponent!

bowman game

Good thing about the game is that it is not very addictive. Once you kill the computer a couple of times it gets boring. You can spice it up by aiming at specific body parts…