Rahul Dravid celebrates leading India to victory, India v South Africa, 5th ODI, Mumbai, November 28, 2005.



Rahul Dravid and Graeme Smith share the trophy after the one-day series was drawn 2-2, India v South Africa, 5th ODI, Mumbai, November 28, 2005.



Yuvraj Singh on top of the car he won for being named Player of the Series, along with Irfan Pathan , India v South Africa, 5th ODI, Mumbai, November 28, 2005.



Nel fined for obscene language

Labels: Sports

BANGALORE: FOSS.IN/2005, India's largest Free and Open Source Software Event was inaugurated at the Bangalore Palace Grounds today.

The representatives of the open source user groups, across the country inaugurated the event according to a FOSS.IN statement.

The four-day event has participants from across the world. The event will host talks, discussions, workshops, round table meetings and demonstrations by National and International speakers, covering diverse spectrum of FOSS technologies, community and culture.

"Free and Open Source is changing a lot of things for a lot of people in direct and indirect ways. The technology world has recognized this and that is the reason for the huge participation which you see at the FOSS.IN/2005 today," said Atul Chitnis, chairperson, FOSS.IN/2005 in his inaugural address. "It is important to understand that FOSS is not about contribution from companies and large organizations but contribution from individuals. This event makes its primary objective to empower individuals to allow them to get involved with Free and Open Source Software," he further added.

The inauguration was followed by an opening talk on 'Use the Source, Luke' by an open source expert, Alan Cox of Red Hat.

Labels: Technology

The K600i is a feature-packed 3G megapixel phone. Enjoy the latest mobile services – video call, media streaming and broadband mobile internet. You can have access to all the services and information you need – wherever you are. Inside, you have a 1.3-megapixel camera for the best images and video recording when you want to capture a special moment. The K600i is 3G - without compromising stylish design or long standby and talk times.

Nokia`s Launches New N Series Phones :

Nokia N70, N71,N80, N90, N 91, and N92.

For More Info : Nokia Nseries

Labels: Technology

Mumbai, November 27: If the home team can forget the pain of having lost gruesomely to the South Africans at Kolkata and attempt a courageous comeback, the fifth and final day-night ODI here on Monday could be a thrilling contest between the two teams.

India are in no mood to let the toss decide the course of the match and let the conditions play any role in their bid to save the series. Given the Kolkata banter and the fact that South Africa now stand on the verge of claiming their first-ever ODI series victory in India, the hosts have decided to set their own battlefield at the Wankhede Stadium.

Dravid’s eye caught a ‘‘smattering of grass’’ on the shaven Wankhede wicket and that was all that had been left by the groundsmen after a hard day’s work on Saturday. After the forgettable Kolkata one-dayer, India are feeling at home in Mumbai and they intend to make the best use of the opportunity.

In such a scenario, Greg Chappell’s ‘‘strategic’’ solutions to India’s worries will be put through the most important test.

India’s record at the Wankhede Stadium in the last decade has been dismal. The last ODI victory that India recorded here was in 1996-97 against the same opposition. South Africa, to their dismay, have toured India under Clive Rice, Kepler Wessels and Hansie Cronje in the past but none of these captains have been able to record an ODI series victory here.

In some ways, both Rahul Dravid and Graeme Smith agree that conditions played a major role in deciding the outcome of the three one-dayers that have been played in this series. While Hyderabad and Kolkata supported South Africa’s ability to generate pace and bounce, Bangalore gave India the option of carving the much-needed victory on a slow turner.

Chappell and Dravid admitted that it was a good opportunity to play against a competent team like South Africa and also hinted on taking a leaf out of their book on how to progress from being an ineffective unit to the second place in the ICC list of ODI rankings.

Labels: Sports

Microsoft India has launched the Windows Media Centre 2005, digital music devices, smart phones and educational software for home users; as part of its initiative to tap the ever-growing consumer market in the country. The company also outlined an ambitious retail strategy, wherein it will partner with over 500 retail centers in the country, over the next year.

Windows XP Media Center 2005 combines the functionality of a TV, PC, radio, music, plus DVD player, rolled into one device. It incorporates DVR (Digital Video Recording) capabilities, which enable users to pause live TV. In addition, the electronic programming guide (EPG), a free service, will also be available to all users of Windows XP Media Center.

During the next year Microsoft will partner with over 500 retail centers; across eight cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad. Microsoft says that the proposed retail centers are being set-up, to bridge the gap between tech conscious urban consumers and the need for information plus access to new products. Consumers will be able to walk into these centers, and play around with products under the guidance of on-site experts.

Microsoft's newly-launched products plus a wide array of its products in the areas of education, entertainment, productivity, communications and gaming, will be show-cased at these retail centers. The company also plans to provide its retail partners with marketing support, and will also invest in the necessary infra-structure.

Neelam Dhawan, managing director, Microsoft India, said that Microsoft's offerings provide a fantastic experience to the end-user, and that the recently set up consumer division will spearhead the company's foray into the consumer segment.

Labels: Technology

The company plans acquisition in US, Europe and India

NEW DELHI - Monday, November 28, 2005

Wipro is looking at acquiring a midsize company in US, Europe and India. Speaking to
media,Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, said that the company has $ 1 billion in cash reserves, which will be utilized for the acquisition and as well as paying dividend.

During his address, Premji indicated a "generous" dividend payout than in the past two years .

“The dividend payout ratio will be more generous than in the past two years, but in line with what we have indicated under the broad outline of the company's current dividend policy," he said.

On the acquisition, Premji said that the company is looking at specialized verticals. “We are not looking for general-purpose acquisitions, but at specialised verticals. We are looking for companies which can give us a good geography such as continental Europe," he said.

Meanwhile, Wipro is also looking at setting up an integrated IT and BPO facility in Bucharest (Romania) in the next 8-12 weeks. "The centre would serve the markets of Germany and France.

We are also looking at one more centre in Far East which will be more cost-efficient than China," he said.

Speaking on Wipro BPO, he said that the division is driving transaction-processing business along with the voice. “In two years we hope to increase our transaction processing business to contribute 40 percent of total sales”, he said. Currently it contributes 14-15 percent of the total sales.

Labels: Technology

TOKYO--Hitachi said on Friday that it would set up a joint venture this month with MasterCard International, Australia's Keycorp and a U.S. venture capital firm to promote advanced smart cards.

Japan's largest electronics conglomerate will invest $2.41 million to take an 18 percent stake in the venture, to be established in San Francisco.

MasterCard will take a 20 percent stake, while Keycorp, a provider of smart card operating systems, is set to hold 18 percent and Oak Hill Venture Partners will take the remaining 44 percent.

Smart cards have built-in microprocessors and memory for identification or financial
transactions. They offer greater functionality and are generally more secure than conventional cards that use magnetic strips.

Hitachi aims for its smart card-related business, such as equipment to read and write data on the cards, to total 80 billion yen in three years to March 2009.

Shares in Hitachi were down 1.3 percent at 815 yen by midday, slightly outperforming the Tokyo stock market's electrical machinery index, which fell 1.6 percent.

Labels: Technology

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer great George Best -- hailed as the world's first football superstar -- has died aged 59.

Best, who had been in hospital since the beginning of October, had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and underwent a liver transplant in 2002 after years of heavy drinking.

He was put on a life support machine at London's Cromwell Hospital last week after he picked up a lung infection. He then suffered multiple organ failure.

"My father has passed away," Best's tearful son Calum told reporters on the hospital steps on Friday. "Not only have I lost my dad but we've all lost a wonderful man."

Best died at 1255 GMT, according to a hospital statement.

The former Northern Ireland international is regarded by many as the greatest player ever to come from the British Isles.

Beloved by millions of soccer fans, especially during the 1960s, Best played in 1968 for Manchester United when it won the European Cup, the first English club to achieve that goal. That same season, he was named European Footballer of the Year.

Best scored 180 goals in 465 appearances over 12 years for Manchester United. He also played in the North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes.

With his good looks, agility on the pitch and an engaging personality, he was adored by millions in the 1960s and held in great affection in subsequent decades despite his descent into alcoholism, allegations of violence and a tortured personal life.

He once quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, attending a summit in Malta, described Best as "probably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation and one of the best footballers our country has produced."

A statement from Manchester United read: "George Best was one of the greatest footballers of all time.

"Naturally athletic, tough, confident and blessed with genius, his career was one of the brightest stars of its generation. His gifts were legendary.

"For the goals, the audacious dribbles and all the wonderful memories, Manchester United and its legions of fans worldwide will always be grateful. We feel a deep sense of loss but his spirit and his talent will live on forever."

The Irish Football Association led the mourning in Best's native Northern Ireland, for whom he made 37 appearances and scored nine goals.

IFA chief executive Howard Wells said: "This is a sad day for football. George was a complete one-off with a natural talent rarely seen since."

Most of Friday's British newspapers led with tributes to the player, who at the height of his fame in the 1960s, he was dubbed the "fifth Beatle."

Labels: News

"A new release of PHP5 is available. This version includes over 400 bugfixes, performance improvements over the 5.0.x branch, new date handling code, new versions of PCRE/SQLite/PEAR and over 30 new core/extension functions. A number of security fixes are also present and users are recommended to upgrade."

Labels: Technology

The Delhi High Court Thursday decided to watch the film "Mangal Pandey - The Rising" to consider allegations by kin of the freedom fighter that he had been depicted in a unflattering manner in the movie.

Judge A.K. Sikri decided to watch the film following a request by counsel for the petitioners and the producer and director of the movie. It was decided that Sikri would watch the film Nov 27 at 4 p.m. at a theatre to be chosen Friday.

On a request by a reporter covering the court proceedings, Sikri also allowed the scribe to watch the movie along with the judge and counsel.

The court has been hearing a petition filed by descendents of the freedom fighter Mangal Pandey, accusing the producer and the director of the film of denigrating the historic role of Mangal Pandey in the First War of Independence in 1857.

Pandey is widely described as the man who had triggered a mutiny by Indian soldiers serving in the British army, but some historians have questioned such accounts.

Labels: News

Labels: Technology

It seems no one is safe: Google is doing Wi-Fi .
Google is searching inside books.
Google has a plan for ecommerce.

Of course, Google has always wanted to be more than a search engine. Even in the early days, its ultimate goal was extravagant: to organize the world's information. High-minded as that sounds, Google's ever-expanding agenda has put it on a collision course with nearly every company in the information technology industry: Amazon.com, Comcast, eBay, Yahoo!, even Microsoft.

In less than a decade, Google has gone from guerrilla startup to 800-pound gorilla. In some ways, the company is a gentle giant. Whereas Microsoft infamously smothered new and open standards, Google is famous for supporting them. And the firm is softening its image, launching a philanthropic arm, Google.org, with nearly $1 billion earmarked for social causes.

But that doesn't reduce the fear factor, and Google knows it. Omid Kordestani, the company's global sales guru, said at a recent conference, "We're trying to find ways so we are not viewed as a gorilla." Given its outsize ambitions, that's one search Google might not be able to handle.

Is the sky falling? That's how it looks to panicked tech companies across the Valley as they contend with Google's ever-expanding power and ambition.

VIDEO
Today, Google Video is a motley mix: clips of monkeys performing karate and robot dogs attacking iguanas. Tomorrow? No one knows, but everyone is worried.
Who's threatened: Comcast and other cable providers, Yahoo!, TV networks that still shun the Net.

Signs of panic: Comcast wants to be the Google of television. Yahoo! bristles at any mention of Google Video. Networks were stunned to find Google compiling a database of their programs.

Reality check: Google Video is up and running. The question is, How much content can it attract - or pay for - to fill the database. Watch for a strategic acquisition, even something big. TiVo?

CLASSIFIEDS

When secrecy-obsessed Google let news of "Google Base" slip, it looked like an aggressive entrée into online classifieds. The test service can search ads like used-car and personals listings, which would mesh with Google Local and might even kick-start Orkut, Google's social network.

Who's threatened: craigslist, eBay, Monster, Tribe.net

Signs of panic: Within hours of the Base bombshell, eBay's market value dropped by almost $2 billion. And even before that, the classified sites were nervous. CareerBuilder and others fretted about letting Google host their feeds.
Reality check: This may be an extension of Froogle rather than a stand-alone product. But it could expand to everything from travel to eBay-like offerings.


TELECOM
Free Wi-Fi in San Francisco, instant-messaging software, a widely anticipated VoIP foray - Google's telecom initiatives seem designed to make life radically easier for users.

Who's threatened: Comcast, SBC, Verizon, Vonage, what's left of AOL
Signs of panic: Surprisingly few so far, partially because Google says it has no plans to offer Wi-Fi beyond San Francisco. Still, Comcast coined the word Comcastic - is that its

answer to Googlicious?
Reality check: Something's clearly afoot, and it could be big. With great power comes great regulation - so Google recently opened a DC lobbying shop to combat "centralized control by network operators."

OPERATING SYSTEMS
If anyone can fulfill the dream of turning the Internet into the operating system, it's Google. If the company chooses to develop an OS, the move will cement Google's other initiatives into a powerful whole.

Who's threatened: Apple, Microsoft
Signs of panic: When one of Microsoft's key operating system engineers defected to Google last year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer threw a chair across an office and vowed to kill Google.

Reality check: The migration of applications from PCs to the Net is already happening - and it's key to Google's future. But the likelihood of a Google OS depends on what Microsoft accomplishes with its new OS, Vista.

PRINT
What if a search engine trolled not just every page on the Web, but every page in every book? Amazon.com tried it first, then Google said it would "make the full text of all the world's books searchable by anyone."

Who's threatened: Amazon, Microsoft, book publishers
Signs of panic: Against the interests of a legion of obscure writers, the Authors Guild sued Google. The Association of American Publishers, with more to fear, did the same. Microsoft and Yahoo! have joined a group that's creating its own book search service.

Reality check: Making every book searchable sends a clear signal that Google has the brawn to organize the world's information. But a vicious backlash could drown out that message.

PRODUCTIVITY PROGRAMS
Google joined with Sun Microsystems in October to jointly promote and distribute apps like the Google Toolbar and Sun's free OpenOffice software. Wider distribution of the toolbar, Google's most potent Trojan horse, gives the search engine access to a world of desktops.

Who's threatened: Apple, Corel, Microsoft
Signs of panic: Microsoft launched its own toolbar and protested the decision of the
Massachusetts Information Technology Department to dump Office for open source alternatives.

Reality check: It may be a fiendishly clever way to attack one of Microsoft's highest-margin products, but this tactic can't be a top priority. Google Toolbar will thrive without Sun.

ECOMMERCE

Froogle threatens no one yet. But what if, as the development of Google Wallet suggests, Google handled your every online transaction? The potential revenue from Google's cut of each purchase would make AdSense look like AdCents.
Who's threatened: Amazon, Buy.com, eBay Signs of panic: After reports speculated that Google might take on PayPal, eBay said it would pay up to $4.1 billion for VoIP rebel Skype. Wall Street's read: With PayPal under fire, eBay needed a new growth area.

Reality check: Rather than take on PayPal directly, the company may start with something less ambitious, like handling payments for premium video content. But after that? Watch out.

Labels: Technology

The American movie industry has achieved a major break-through in its fight against Internet piracy, with the announcement of a collaboration between the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and BitTorrent - a P2P network.

So far BitTorrent's technology has been widely used for illegally copying movies and TV shows over the Internet. While downloading a movie, BitTorrent's technology takes parts of the file from different sources simultaneously, thereby facilitating a quicker download of the movie.




Under the terms of this agreement, Bram Cohen, founder and CEO, BitTorrent, has agreed to remove links which direct users to pirated content. It is said that the deal might also pave the way for eventual adoption of BitTorrent's technology by movie studios for new, legal services.

Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO, MPAA, and Bram Cohen said in a joint statement, that BitTorrent is an extremely efficient publishing tool and search engine, which allows creators and rights-holders to make their content available on the Internet securely. Cohen said that BitTorrent discourages the use of its technology for distributing films without a license to do so, and that the company is pleased to work with the film industry to remove un-authorized content from BitTorrent.com's search engine.

The agreement symbolizes a joint initiative, to fight against the continued illegal use of technology.

MPAA vehemently opposes piracy in any form, since it hurts the very many individuals employed by the movie industry, including carpenters, lighting and sound technicians, etc. Until now MPAA has sued many Web sites which use BitTorrent technology for illegal movie distribution; and 90 percent of these have shut down.

MPAA estimates losses to the movie industry due to piracy at around $3.5 billion last year; analysts express the view that the figure might close at approximately $5.4 billion this year.

Gartner has meanwhile said that the BitTorrent-MPAA collaboration might actually give rise to legitimate online networks backed by the movie industry, as a viable alternative to the illegal movie-sharing networks of today.

Labels: Technology

"Windows provides unprecedented power to users today and a foundation for hardware and software advancements of the next few years."

That quote might be right at home in a press release for the upcoming Windows Vista. But it's actually Bill Gates trumpeting the release of Windows 1.0, way back on November 20, 1985.

So how did Microsoft celebrate the Big Day? Well, there hasn't been quite the blowout party that we expected. So far, there's been a mention of the Windows milestone (and much speechifying) as part of the company's 30th anniversary party in September.

And, curiously, Microsoft has chosen Japan for the bulk of its celebration so far. Reports circulated last week that Microsoft will launch a special edition of Windows XP in honor of Windows 20th anniversary that will include trinkets such as Windows box origami and a preview version of Vista.

Labels: Technology

In the latest saga over online gaming addiction in China, the parents of a 13-year-old Tianjin boy are suing the makers of World of Warcraft, blaming the game for the death of their son, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua. The parents filed a suit against Blizzard Entertainment on Wednesday, saying their son jumped to his death while reenacting a scene from the game, the report said. The parents are backed by the anti-Internet addiction advocate Zhang Chunliang. Mr. Chunliang has spoken to 63 parents whose children have allegedly suffered from online gaming addiction and plans to file a class-action suit, according to the report.

Labels: Technology

“If Mr Gowda claims that the crow is white, I cannot help it,” says Murthy


BANGALORE: Infosys chairman and chief mentor, N R Narayana Murthy today denied the charges levelled against him by HD Deve Gowda that he was meddling with the state politics and his company was involved in real estate business.

"It is as good as somebody claiming that the Sun rises in the West. If Mr Gowda claims that the crow is white, I cannot help it," Murthy told reporters.

Meanwhile, Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor, Republic of Singapore, today visited the corporate headquarters of Infosys here.

Murthy welcomed Lee Kuan Yew to Infosys, where he spent three hours interacting with Infoscions and touring the campus.

Welcoming Lee Kuan Yew, Murthy said, "It is a privilege for us to welcome Mr. Lee Kuan Yew to Infosys. Singapore has clearly proved that the only raw materials required for economic progress are leadership, aspiration, imagination, meritocracy, openness to learn from others, focus on benchmarking on a global scale, hard work and discipline. He is a man I respect immensely since he has raised the aspirations of his people and made them courageous to dream the impossible, and work hard and smart to convert that dream into reality."

Labels: News

Bangalore, 19 November 2005 - India v South Africa -2nd One-Day International.

India Win South Africa by 6 Wickets.

Man of the Match : Irfan Pathan.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag celebrate another wicket.




Shaun Pollock Unlucky !.


Man of the Match Irfan Pathan backed up his three wickets with a vital 37.



Andre Nel falls to the ground after delivering a ball.

Labels: Sports

SAN FRANCISCO Friday, November 18, 2005 : Hewlett-Packard Co. on Thursday posted a lower quarterly net profit, due in part to charges related to ongoing jobs cuts.

Per-share results excluding items beat the average Wall Street estimate and shares of HP rose nearly 3 percent in extended trade.

HP, also the world's largest printer maker, said net income for its fourth fiscal quarter ended Oct. 31 fell to $416 million, or 14 cents per share, from $1.09 billion, or 37 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue rose to $22.9 billion from $21.4 billion.

Excluding items, HP said its profit rose to 51 cents per share, compared with the average Wall Street estimate of 46 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates. Revenue was pegged at $22.8 billion.

HP is in the process of rolling through job cuts of nearly 15,000 it announced in July to help cut annual costs by almost $2 billion. The company's per-share results, excluding items, in all four fiscal 2005 quarters have topped average Wall Street expectations as its businesses have improved.

For the current, first quarter, HP said it expects earnings per share before items of 46 cents to 48 cents, excluding 3 cents to 4 cents of stock-based compensation expense.

Analysts currently expect Palo Alto, California-based HP to earn 44 cents per share, on average, before items, in the first quarter. So far this year, HP is the best performing stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, with a gain of some 35 percent, based on Wednesday's closing price. Over the same period, shares of IBM, also a Dow component, have declined some 12 percent. The index is down roughly 1 percent on the year.

HP shares rose 73 cents, or 2.6 percent, to close at $29.00 on the New York Stock Exchange. In extended trade on Inet, the shares climbed to $29.80.

Sourav Ganguly November 18, 2005 : Both Greg and I are mature and can handle situations'

For the first time since the infamous public spat that rocked Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly has said he wouldn't have "any problem" with Greg Chappell, the coach, if he returned to the Indian side. He added that the differences between the two were "blown out of proportion" and also said that he had no reservations in playing under Rahul Dravid.

"I've always respected Greg and it was I who went to Sydney in mid-2003 for a one-on-one with him," Ganguly said while speaking to The Telegraph, a Kolkata-based daily. The Indian board worked out a truce between the two, during the review meeting in Mumbai on September 27, after an e-mail sent by Chappell to the board president was leaked to the media, but the two haven't come face to face since then. "Why should I have any problem in forging a [fresh] relationship once the selectors bring me back? Both Greg and I are mature and can handle situations. The issue got blown out of proportion by those who wanted to sensationalise. I'd been silent all these days as I didn't wish to add to what had been splashed all over. I did so consciously."

Ganguly missed the first two one-dayers against Sri Lanka, owing to a tennis elbow
conditions, and wasn't picked for the rest of the series even though he was available for selection. He was also not chosen for the first three games against South Africa and will now have to wait for the next selection meeting, in Chennai on November 22, for the last two matches.

Ganguly chose to break his silence on the whole issue a day after Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the board president, said that he "couldn't" be ruled out at any stage. Ganguly also said that he had no reservations playing under Dravid and added, "Why is this being asked? You must remember that Mohammed Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar, both former captains, played under me when I got the captaincy in March 2000."

Labels: Sports

Office 12 Screenshots

10,000 Microsoft beta testers received a long-awaited e-mail Wednesday evening: Welcome to Office 12. Beta 1 of the next-generation Office suite has been released and is now available for download -- assuming Beta Place doesn't buckle under the mad rush for bits.

In a statement heralding the beta's arrival, Microsoft vice president Chris Capossela called Office 12 "the most significant release in more than 10 years" that comes only after "many years of research and development." But the devil is in the details.


Beta 1 has been broken down into various separate components. Like its predecessors, Office 12 Professional includes Word, Excel, Access, InfoPath, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook.

Testers will get a taste of the new user interface Microsoft has created, which replaces the standard toolbars with "ribbons" that offer features specific for the current task. Outlook 12 has a few new features of its own, including a "To Do" bar for viewing mail, tasks and appointments in a single pane, and built-in RSS reader.

Despite the changes, Microsoft has kept its applications trim. The Office 12 Professional CD weighs in at just over 400MB. FrontPage 12, which has been re-focused for SharePoint development as Expression Studio becomes Microsoft's consumer HTML tool, stands on its own at 200MB.

Old Office hats like Microsoft Project, OneNote, Visio Pro, and Business Contact Manager are also available individually, ranging from 100MB to 200MB.

The newcomer to Office 12 is Groove's Virtual Office suite, which Microsoft acquired earlier this year. Aside from its main 190MB download, Groove has three add-ons: Groove Management Services, Groove Data Bridge and Groove Relay Server.

Beta testers will also get a taste of the new server-based offerings. Microsoft has packaged Office 12 Server into a single 408MB download, which contains Project Server and the new SharePoint Portal Servers. These servers will offer hosted Excel and InfoPath capabilities.

Also available on its own, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 weighs in at just over 160MB. Microsoft warns there will be no upgrade path from Beta 1 for the Office 12 Server products.

Aside from the new server functionality and task-oriented user interface, the big change coming to Office 12 is the new Open XML file format. Although not a published standard like OpenDocument, Microsoft Office Open XML packages editable XML files within a ZIP archive and will be licensed royalty-free.

Microsoft has provided testers a compatibility pack to add support for Open XML to Office 2003. However, the company says that the format will likely change during the Office 12 beta, and any files created in Beta 1 "may not be compatible with the new file formats in later releases."

Office 12 system requirements are also currently up in the air. But Microsoft is aiming to support all users currently running Office 2000 and beyond. "Our goal is that you will not need to upgrade your hardware (you may need to upgrade to a supported operating system)," the company says, adding that no performance optimization has been done for Beta 1.

With the first milestone complete, Microsoft is already looking down the road. Office 12 Beta 2 is scheduled for spring 2006, and will be open to a much larger number of testers. A final release of Office 12, which has not officially been named, is expected for late 2006 -- around the time Windows Vista hits store shelves.

Labels: Technology

In yet another interesting twist to the never-ending Blu-ray vs HD DVD Gen-Next format war, camp Blu-ray has declared that it will not adopt the proposal put forward by Hewlett-Packard.

HP, which has long been a supporter of the Blu-Ray format, said in October that if two technologies it considered important to PC users - iHD and Mandatory Managed Copy - were not included in Blu-ray's specifications, the company would consider switching over to Toshiba-led HD-DVD.

Mandatory Managed Copy lets users legally copy DVDs, and store the digital file on a home network; while iHD offers new interactive features, and is slated to be implemented in Microsoft's Vista operating system.

Blu-ray has announced that it will incorporate Mandatory Managed Copy, but will launch it in Spring 2006, with interactive features based on Sun Microsystems' Java software.

A spokesperson for Blu-ray said that while HP's request is being taken seriously and Mandatory Managed Copy will be part of the Blu-ray format, the Blu-ray group is not willing to delay the launch of the format, and will go forward with the Java-type option.

Maureen Weber, general manager - personal storage, personal systems group, HP, said that if Blu-ray remains committed to its latest stance, HP will adopt a more neutral position vs. being an exclusive Blu-ray supporter. She also said that if Blu-ray is unable to incorporate technologies that HP thinks are critical for the PC architecture, HP will be more neutral. The company will think of cost and implementation across the board. Potentially, it could support both HD DVD and Blu-ray. She added that people will see HP supporting both formats, in various trade show booths.

In a separate development, Microsoft has re-affirmed its support of the HD-DVD format. The format also enjoys Intel's support. But whatever HP, Microsoft and the rest might say, the fact of the matter is that current consensus seems to be in favor of the Blu-ray format.

With billions of dollars at stake, as the electronics, computer, movie and television industries gear-up for a technology change, it looks like the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD format war might leave behind utterly confused consumers, besides proving an expensive loss for so many companies involved.

Labels: Technology

Srinagar, November 17: Advocating restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir, the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference on Thursday said resolution of Kashmir issue was not possible without an end to violence in the state.

“Kashmir issue has soaked a lot of blood and time has come to put an end to the violence, in whatever form or level, so that there would be no hurdles in the way of peaceful resolution of the issue,” a statement issued by the separatist amalgam headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said.

However, the statement said restoration of peace and end to violence was not possible till the Kashmir issue is resolved.

Reacting to Wednesday’s car bomb explosion outside the Corporate Headquarters of Jammu and Kashmir Bank that left four people dead and scores others injured, the Hurriyat said the amalgam was against attacks on innocent people.

Labels: News

South Africa are 1 Up in the Series and unbeaten last 20 ODI`s.

Dravid predicts close series

Predicting a close series against South Africa, Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, has said that his team will strive to bounce back with an improved performance in the second one-dayer, to be played at Bangalore on November 19.

"Yes, we have got to come back strongly and play good cricket," Dravid told reporters in Bangalore, his howetown. He also insisted that he was satisfied with the courageous performance of Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and Ajit Agarkar, who helped to score a respectable 249 after the team was 35 for 5 at one stage. "[But] I think, we did well in the last game," he said. "The boys showed a lot of character and courage to fight back. I am very satisfied. We can take heart from that. If we do a few things, we will end up with better results."

He also said the team was looking to improve its batting in the first 15 overs and cut down on the number of extras. However, about the 24 extras conceded in the match, Dravid dismissed the issue as "not a problem" because despite conceding a few extras, he believed the Indian bowlers bowled well.

Can India Pullback a Victory to level the series ?

Labels: Sports

Will Ganguly be back in Indian Squad ?

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, One of Greatest Batsmen and Successfull Captain India has Ever Produced.

Statistics of Sourav Ganguly's Career :

Test Matches : Batting and Fielding 

 
    M    I   NO   Runs   HS    Ave     SR    100  50   Ct  St
   84   135  12   5066  173   41.18   49.07   12  25   57   0

Test Matches : Bowling 


    O      M    R     W    Ave    BBI   5  10   SR    Econ
  393.2   84  1312   25   52.48  3-28   0   0  94.40  3.33
One Day Internationals : Batting and Fielding 


    M    I   NO   Runs   HS    Ave     SR    100  50   Ct  St
   279  270  21  10123  183   40.65  73.79    22  60   96   0
One Day Internationals : Bowling 


    O      M    R     W    Ave   BBI    4w  5w   SR    Econ
   687.1  29  3470   93   37.31  5-16    1   2  44.33  5.04

M : Matches I : Innings NO : Not Out HS : Highest Score Ave :
Average Ct : Catches St :

Stumped O : Overs M : Maidens R : Runs W : Wickets BBI : Best bowling in an innings SR :

Strike Rate Econ : Economy





Can the Bengal tiger roar back into the Indian team?


What does Sourav Ganguly need to do to make a comeback?

Labels: Sports

Here is the Patch for Running BLC 2000 in Win XP.

BLC 99 / 2000 - Win XP Update

RTCW SP



RTCW MP

Free Download Multiplayer Game Wolfenstein ET Avaliable @ Wolfenstein Enemy Teritory

Will India Continue the Winning Momentum against South Africa ?

The India Skipper Rahul Dravid - holds aloft the Videocon Trouphy After Beating the Srilankans 6-1 in Videocon 7 Game ODI Series.

Greg Chappell has been India's coach for the last three months which include two overseas

tour to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Chappell's XI have come out on top in the current ODI series

against Lanka and the new look India team looks poised to take on the world. The Aussie

coach however would be facing tougher and better opposition in months to come and would need

a helping hand from Dravid & Co. how will he stack up against the big boys? Here is an

honest assessment.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Man of the Series.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed a swashbuckling half century as India continued to torment Sri

Lanka with a comfortable five-wicket victory in the final match on Saturday, wrapping up the

seven-match one-day series with a handsome 6-1 margin. Chasing a target of 245 for victory,

Dhoni unleashed an array of breathtaking shots to score a 73-ball 80 and steer the team home

with 10.3 overs to spare in what turned out to be yet another lop-sided encounter.

The Indians again outplayed the hapless visitors in all departments of the game to bag the

series with one of the biggest victory margins in recent times, staging a dramatic

turnaround in their fortunes after a prolonged period of indifferent outings in one-dayers.

The hosts relied on fine bowling performances by the young Rudra Pratap Singh (3/33) and

local hero Irfan Pathan (3/38) to restrict Sri lanka to 244 for nine and then rattled up the

required runs without much sweat at the IPCL Sports Complex to end the series on a rousing

note.

Skipper Rahul Dravid brought the victory with a delectable boundary off Chaminda Vaas,

sending the capacity crowd at the stadium into a frenzy. It also marked Dravid's first

series win as a captain. The Indian run chase began with a flourish as Virender Sehwag and

Sachin Tendulkar attacked the Sri Lankan bowlers from the word go.

Irfan Pathan Man of the Match - 7th ODI, Baroda.

Home favourite Irfan Pathan produced a fine all-round performance as India notched up an

easy five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the seventh and final one-dayer to wrap up the series

6-1. Pathan grabbed three scalps and slammed a brisk 35 with 2 sixes and four boundaries

during his first international appearance in his hometown as India raced to the 245-run

target with 10.3 overs to spare.

Irfan's brilliant performance with the willow and his accurate bowling has given Team India

the edge. Irfan has been particularly impressive. His prolific season with Middlesex in the

English County Championships has clearly lifted his confidence. Irfan has once again

rediscovered his pace and swing which had deserted him last year. Early breakthroughs and

tight accurate bowling has been the hallmark of the Baroda Bomber.

Labels: Sports

I really didn’t like it in the beginning but later on I started to Enjoy the Various Characters in South Park. Eric most funniest among all.

South Park is a comedy animated series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central since 1997, it follows the surreal adventures of four young
boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. South Park satirizes many aspects
of American culture and current events, and challenges deep set convictions and taboos,
usually using parody and black humor.


The main characters from South Park from Left - Right.

• Stan Marsh,
• Kyle Broflovski,
• Eric Cartman, and
• Kenny McCormick.
  

There are Several Episoded over 100+, Since I have only the Fifth Season.Here are Few Episoded I like from the Fifth Season.

• Rainforest,
• Spontaneos Combustion,
• Cat Orgy,
• Korn`s groovy pirate ghost mystery,
• Starvin marvin in spacel and
• Jakosaurs.

Labels: News

Free Microsoft Training on SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005.

To be delivered by Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning
Solutions, these workshops will be held in a classroom environment,
facilitated by expert Microsoft Certified Trainers.

For Registration of Visual Studio 2005

Date : 26th Nov

Mr.Dinesh Baliga
New Horizons
N-101, North Block,Manipal
Centre,47 Dickenson Road,Bangalore
Ph: (080)25595380,9845619201

Date : 19th Nov

Susheela N
NIIT
No 28,
Above Syndicate Bank, Opp to St.Patrick's Church,
Residency Road,
Bangalore-25
Ph: 91-80-25594637

Date : 10th Dec

Smith
IIHT
IIHT Ltd,
15, 4th Floor,
Sri Lakshmi Complex,
St Marks Road,
Bangalore
Ph: (080)51367700/7752

Registration For SQL Server 2005

Date : 3rd Dec

Mr.Dinesh Baliga
New Horizons
N-101, North Block,Manipal
Centre,47 Dickenson Road,Bangalore
Ph: (080)25595380,9845619201

Date : 20th Nov

Susheela N
NIIT
No 28, Above Syndicate Bank, Opp to St.
Patrick's Church, Residency Road, Bangalore-25
Ph: 91-80-25594637

Date : 10th Dec

Smith
IIHT
IIHT Ltd, 15, 4th Floor,
Sri Lakshmi Complex,
St Marks Road, Bangalore
Ph: (080)51367700/7752

For More Info :

http://www.microsoft.com/india/learning/cplsoffering.aspx


Free Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and Free Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Free Downloads (Beta Only)

http://www.microsoft.com/india/getthebetas/


Misrosoft Annonces New Certification for VS 2005 and SQL 2005.

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist for SQL Server 2005

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Administrator

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional Database Developer

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional Business Intelligence
Developer


For Visual Studio 2005:

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist .NET Framework 2.0 Web
Applications

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist .Net Framework 2.0
Windows Applications

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist .NET Framework 2.0
Distributed Applications, Web Applications and Windows Applications

• Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Web Developer

• Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Windows Developer

• Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Enterprise Application
Developer

Labels: News

Network Solutions, a Bangalore-based Rs 140 crore IT infrastructure firm founded by Sudhir Sharma, is being acquired by Big Blue. No financial details were disclosed. The acquisition will enable IBM to consolidate its position in the Indian domestic services market by strengthening its capabilities in the area of infrastructure services solutions in the mid-market business segment.

Said Sharma: "We will continue to operate as a separate entity and will continue to fully focus on the Indian market. The integration plan is being put in place and we should have a clear picture in due course."

Network Solutions topline of Rs 140 crore comprises of IT infrastructure hardware sales (55 per cent) and infrastructure management services (45 per cent).
According to industry analysts, IBM has acquired the firm as it is increasingly offshoring its global infrastructure management deals to India and Network Solutions has the required expertise to take care of a part of this.

The announcement of the deal comes just days after IBM chairman Sam Palmisano was on a visit to India.

"IT infrastructure forms the backbone of development and growth of any economic activity. The acquisition of Network Solutions will enable IBM to consolidate in domestic services and leverage its capabilities in building world-class infrastructure for our clients," said Shanker Annaswamy, managing director, IBM Global Services India.
Network Solutions has been a perennial competitor to Pradeep Kar-promoted Microland, another Bangalore-based firm which has seen many high-profile crests and troughs.
Established in 1993, NetSol focusses on implementation of convergence solutions for data, voice and video, security, wireless technology solutions, WAN & LAN implementations, infrastructure management, network design and implementation. Its focus has also been on structured cabling solutions, network management including remote management services and IP telephony services.

"Network Solutions is focussed on using continuous innovation to create value for our clients' business," added Sharma.

"As a combined entity with IBM, we will be able to achieve the mandate more effectively and be in a position to offer clients IBM's portfolio of offerings and expertise, in addition to our solutions, along with our industry and technology expertise."
Intel Capital had invested close to Rs 10 crore in the firm in 2000 which was bought back by NetSol later. In turn, Intel went on to acquire NetSol's consulting and software divisions.

Labels: News