Can Google Kill Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6?
On Friday afternoon, Google announced they will be discontinuing their support for “very old browsers.” They said, they will stop supporting Internet Explorer 6, commonly referred to as IE6, on many of their applications. Starting on March 1st, Google Docs and Google Sites will no longer be officially supported on IE6.
Google [...]
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Be Careful Who Your Friends Are
As more and more layers of the Google v China spy activity and accusations continue to get peeled back this onion really is starting to stink a bit. It appears as if the victims of “Googlegate” (you like that one?) were not just those labeled as human rights activists. In fact, it has been discovered that friends of employees of many of the companies that were attacked were targeted as well.
Personal friends of employees at Google, Adobe and other companies were targeted by hackers in a string of recently disclosed cyberattacks, raising privacy concerns and pointing to a highly sophisticated operation, security experts said.
The most significant discovery is that the attackers had selected employees at the companies with access to proprietary data, then learnt who their friends were. The hackers compromised the social network accounts of those friends, hoping to enhance the probability that their final targets would click on the links they sent.
This can certainly be a little disconcerting for those who are friends of these employees of the various companies who say things like “I can’t tell you that or I’d have to kill you.” It’s been said it’s good to have friends in high places but in this world that can be trouble.
McAffe has been keeping tabs on this situation for many reasons. George Kurtz, chief technology officer had this to say.
McAfee discovered that a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer had been used in the attacks. Mr Kurtz said the attackers also used one of the most popular instant messaging programmes to induce victims to click on a link that installed spy software.
Well, that’s what you get when you use IE instead of your own company’s browser, huh? I suspect there were some Googlers getting an earful about that aspect of this story.
So how does this impact those in the Internet marketing industry? Probably too early to tell but one has to suspect that as more and more security holes are discovered and capitalized on there will be more and more need to lock down systems. As systems become more closed it will be harder to reach people with marketing techniques and messages. The reality is that while the Internet marketing industry doesn’t try to make a big deal about it security concerns are a tremendous threat to commerce on the Internet. This quote sums it up.
Sam Curry, vice-president of security firm RSA, said: “This is a loud message for the commercial world, which is: wake up, this isn’t all happiness and goodness and new business.
“Doing business on the internet is as risky as sending ships through the Panama Canal.”
Having never been on a ship or sent anything on a ship that has gone through the Panama Canal I can’t speak to just how bad that is but the point is that doing business on the Internet may look different in the future more because of security and less because of innovation.
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Waste Your Day Away with Google Chrome Experiments
Chrome-huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…but playing games
Say it again
OK, maybe Google won’t adopt Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s "War" as the unofficial anthem of its Chrome browser, but fun and games? Sure, why not?
Since early this year, Chrome Experiments has been collecting a bunch of user-created JavaScript applications that are designed to show off the powerful technology behind Chrome. This one for example, I call the "Internet Explorer" emulator, because it (literally) crashes the browser! 
One of the newer submissions helps you turn Google Chrome into something ultra-productive: Ping Pong!
Or maybe you prefer a little asteroid blasting?
Of course, Google’s hoping that these experiments will help lift the browser’s 2-3% market share. I’d suggest that getting the Mac & Linux official builds released might have a better chance of helping with that goal.
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Google Chrome: 40x Faster at Attracting Malware in Internet Explorer
Whether you saw Google’s attempts to insert Chrome into Internet Explorer as genius or evil, both sides just upped the ante.
First Google. OK, technically Google didn’t thump it’s chest over these startling numbers…
- IE7 using Chrome Frame is about 40 times faster at running through the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test than IE7 alone.
- IE8 using Chrome Frame is about 10 times faster at running through the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test than IE8 alone.
But, Google employees were quick to help spread the word…
Jolly good! We can all inject Google’s Chrome into our IE then, can we? Safer than Botox injections, right?
Not so fast, my friend! A Microsoft spokesperson tells Ars Technica:
"Given the security issues with plugins in general and Google Chrome in particular, Google Chrome Frame running as a plugin has doubled the attach area for malware and malicious scripts. This is not a risk we would recommend our friends and families take."
Ouch! With Ars adding a picture of a Smith & Wesson–just for emphasis!
But, let’s be honest. Who’s going to run Chrome inside IE anyway? Not your regular internet user, that is for sure. It’s going to be geeks and web developers–wait, are they the same thing?–who probably know all about the risks involved when using experimental plugins anyway.
So, Pilgrims. What do you make of all this? Should Google even be messing with Internet Explorer?
Google Chroming Out Internet Explorer
The browser wars just got ugly. Google Chrome was unveiled just over a year ago (really? wow…). Sony is using them as their default browser and Chrome is coming to the Mac. And now it’s coming to Internet Explorer.
Back in January, we noted that Google was telling Internet Explorer/Gmail users to download Chrome for a faster email experience. And now they’ve launched Google Chrome Frame, which operates within IE but gives users the Chrome experience. Well, officially, it’s “an open source plug-in that brings HTML5 and other open web technologies to Internet Explorer.”
Mostly GCF is for developers, to allow their users to access Chrome’s faster JavaScript engine and other capabilities. But somehow I imagine they wouldn’t object to some regular IE users to giving Chrome a test run this way.
And for those of you who aren’t big readers, Google has a video:
What do you think? Would Google Chrome Frame be useful to you?
Shiny Future for Chrome?
For all of the talk of social media, software as a service (SaaS) and the future of the Internet one of the most important components for delivery is that workhorse of the whole deal; the browser. Right now, Internet Explorer is the market leader with Firefox a solid second. While Safari will always be limited to the Mac-iverse the introduction of Chrome version 3 for the PC reminds us that Google needs to be a part of this mix as well. Hey, it wouldn’t be the Internet unless Google was involved, right?
TechCrunch reports that there is more to the picture though as revealed in an interview by Reuters like Mac users finally getting their chance to see their reflection in the Chrome world.
While Chrome currently has just under 3 percent of the browser market currently, a year from now, they’re planning to have at least 5 percent. More importantly, 2 years from now, if Chrome doesn’t have at least 10 percent share, Google will be “exceptionally disappointed,” Chrome Engineering Director Linus Upson told Reuters. And Google’s own internal projections for the browser are even higher, apparently.
But Google also has a big wildcard it has yet to play: Mac support. And in the same Reuters article, Google confirmed that its Chrome for Mac will be available before the end of this year.
As pointed out in the article, right now Mac users are a bit stuck with a slow Firefox experience but a lot of add-ons or a quicker Safari with fewer bells and whistles. Chrome for the Mac promises to bring both to the table. Personally, I am very excited because I am wearing out the force quit on Firefox as a recent Mac convert. TC’s MG Siegler makes takes the anticipation to another level
Chrome promises to bring a combination of both speed and plug-ins to the Mac. I’ve been using the developer builds of Chromium (the open source project behind Chrome) for months now, and it’s definitely getting really, really close to being ready for prime time.
I’m in. What’s your browser preference and does Chrome look to be a part of your future?
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RockMelt: the Next Netscape? (And Do They Want to Be?)
Remember Netscape? Come on, you know you do. If you were online before 2000, you probably remember the erstwhile most-popular web browser, the predecessor of Internet Explorer, and ancestor of Firefox. The original Internet success story, Netscape went public before making a profit, then doubled its revenues every quarter in 1995. In the mid-90s, they had 90% of the browser market—but by the end of 2006, less than 1% of Internet users were still on Netscape. The following year, Netscape released its final version.
Now that we’ve had our history lesson for the day, let’s get up to speed. Netscape founder Marc Andreessen has finally anointed a successor to Netscape—and it ain’t Firefox. Although FF is the child of Netscape’s open-source Mozilla initiative, it’s another, as-yet-unreleased browser that has Andreessen’s attention these days: RockMelt.
Andreessen has worked with RockMelt’s co-founders before. Tim Howes worked at Netscape, and both Howes and Eric Vishria were executives at Andreessen’s Opsware (now sold to HP). The project is so early in development that no one is talking about it (and robots.txt blocks all user-agents from their site).
The company site only features the logo and a signup for updates. The New York Times says there used to be a privacy policy on the site, but after a reporter asked about it, the policy was removed. However, the NYT says the policy indicated RockMelt would somehow integrate with Facebook (a Facebook spokeswoman said they had no knowledge of RockMelt, but Andreessen is on FB’s board).
The policy says that a person could use a Facebook ID to log into RockMelt, suggesting that the browser may be tailored to display Facebook updates and other features as users browse the Web. Another browser, Flock, based on Firefox, already incorporates feeds from social networking sites.
The article also notes that Google Chrome has failed to gain much of a foothold in the browser market so far, despite Google’s prominent positioning efforts. Other startups without Google’s face time could face even greater barriers to entry—but integrating with FB could be a good way to gain some of that exposure.
What do you think? What kind of implementation would you expect for a browser integrated with Facebook? Would you be interested in that? Will Andreessen’s endorsement be enough to get RockMelt more than hype?
谷歌的工具栏现在包括自动语言翻译
Did you understand the title of this post? Well, if you had installed the new Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, you would have been able to automatically translate it to: “Google’s Toolbar Now Includes Automatic Language Translation.”
The official announcement suggest some pretty handy features:
If you go to another page in the same language, you will continue to see translations rather than have to translate one page at a time. And if the page has dynamic content, like Google Reader, you will get translations in real-time. Finally, if you frequently translate pages in the same language, Toolbar will let you translate that language automatically without any extra clicks in the future.
Right now, translation is available for over 40 languages and a Firefox version is coming soon.
The big questions is: Будет ли кто на самом деле это использовать?
Google Toolbar For IE Adds “Advanced” Translation
The Google Blog announced the latest version of the Google Toolbar for IE (Internet Explorer) has new “advanced translation” capabilities. The translation features include:
Automatic detection of languages other than your default language
One click translation
Client side (does not communicate with Google) language detection
Automatic language translation on page clicks
Real-time translation for dynamic content
Auto translation feature (bypass [...]
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Ballmer on Advertising: “We Have Reset and Won’t Rebound”
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was honored as Media Person of the Year at this year’s Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. As he addressed the festival, however, he pulled a bit of a Calacanis (you guys do remember when Calacanis called seo “bull@#&%” in an SES keynote, right?). Ballmer told the assembled media and advertising gurus that, basically, we can kiss the good old days of rolling in dough goodbye.
Among other tales of doom and gloom, as reported by the Guardian:
- “I don’t think we are in a recession, I think we have reset. A recession implies recovery [to pre-recession levels] and for planning purposes I don’t think we will. We have reset and won’t rebound and re-grow.”
- “There won’t be [only traditional] newspapers, magazines and TV programmes. There won’t be [only] personal, social communications offline and separate. In 10 years it will all be online. Static content won’t cut it in the future.”
- “Some say that the ad-funded model has not led to profitability. Google’s search site makes money but past Google is there a publisher with an ad-funded or fee-based model that has made lots of money? No.” [Sour grapes there, dude?]
- The old approach of simply trying to replicate a print newspaper online is doomed to fail, Ballmer added.
Meanwhile, ClickZ focuses on some of Ballmer’s other remarks, including how much MSFT has increased its advertising spend recently:
Steve Ballmer said the company’s spending on annual measured media has climbed from $200 million to $700 million over a four-year period, as the company serves up new campaigns for Bing, Xbox, Windows, Internet Explorer, and other products.
But ClickZ agrees that Ballmer’s bearish on the future of advertising overall:
Rather, he sees a bigger future for marketing investments that cost less — and will therefore contribute fewer jobs and less money to the economy. “In an economy where the cost of production is close to zero, you get all kinds of changes to the monetizaton models.”
What do you think? Has the Internet permanently changed the way advertising will work, or will models—and prices—recover to resemble their offline predecessors?
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