Internet Archive

EU Approves Browser Ballot

Thom Holwerda 2009-12-19 Internet 45 Comments

We've already talked about this whole browser ballot thing so much, that it really slipped past us that the deal has finally been finalised this week. This means that the EU has accepted Microsoft's browser ballot proposal, and that the other browser makers can't complain any more.

Submitted by poundsmack 2009-12-15 Internet 13 Comments

The groups responsible for standardizing the language used to build Web sites have begun tackling technology to provide a direct interface to Webcams. The World Wide Web Consortium has begun work on the HTML Device addition to the Hypertext Markup Language specification. "The device element represents a device selector, to allow the user to give the page access to a device, for example a video camera," according to a December 11 draft of the specification.

Microsoft Amends Browser Ballot Proposal Once Again

Thom Holwerda 2009-12-04 Internet 108 Comments

You thought the whole browser ballot thing in Windows was behind us, right? That everybody was finally happy, so that we could continue doing what an overwhelming number of people have already done without a ballot screen - that is, install non-IE browsers? Not exactly. Opera, Mozilla, and Google still had complaints, which Microsoft addressed, making everybody happy.

Chrome Beta for Mac Comes December

weildish 2009-11-12 Internet 28 Comments

According to a message on one of the development mailing lists, Google seems to be planning a beta of Chrome to appear sometime in December. There isn't any set date, and the message wasn't even addressing the release of a beta for Mac, but Nick Baum, a Google Chrome product manager, also the author of the mailing list post, let word fly. "Why make the switch now? The earlier you switch, the more time you will have to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December. We realize this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have people working on that. If you prioritize the Windows and Linux versions, we'll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!"

Lunascape 6.0 Orion Beta Released

Thom Holwerda 2009-11-10 Internet 14 Comments

There are a number of browsers allowing you to switch between rendering engines, with Lunascape being one of them. We've covered this browser before quite extensively, and today, the Lunascape team released the first beta of Lunascape 6 ORION, the bext version of this triple-engine web browser.

Apache at 10: You Can’t Buy Your Way in

Thom Holwerda 2009-11-05 Internet 1 Comment

"Money can't buy everything, especially when it comes to freely available open source software from the Apache Software Foundation. The ASF is now celebrating its 10th anniversary as a non-profit foundation that has grown from its initial project, the Apache HTTP Web Server, to more than 60 projects today. The Apache HTTP Web Server remains the most widely deployed Web server today, with more than 42 million active sites, according to the latest data from research firm Netcraft. At the ApacheCon conference today, pioneers of the ASF talked about their experiences at the trail-blazing open source foundation. They also outlined why the ASF remains relevant today, and why money doesn't buy many favors."

Submitted by poundsmack 2009-11-03 Internet 49 Comments

We waited a little while with this news, because we wanted official confirmation from Skype before jumping on the internet bandwagon. It's official now, so here we go: Skype has announced that it will release its Linux client as open source. A little late, but welcome nonetheless.

Web Open Font Format Backed by Mozilla, Type Foundries

Thom Holwerda 2009-11-02 Internet 4 Comments

"Type designers and Web designers have reached a consensus on a format specification for embedding fonts on the Web. Mozilla is already including support for the font format in Firefox 3.6, and wide adoption could come sooner than many expected."

Dive Into HTML5: Video on the Web

Thom Holwerda 2009-10-16 Internet 27 Comments

"HTML5 defines a standard way to embed video in a web page, using a video element. Support for the video element is still evolving, which is a polite way of saying it doesn't work yet. At least, it doesn't work everywhere. But don't despair! There are alternatives and fallbacks and options galore."

Microsoft Offers Improved Browser Ballot for Testing

Thom Holwerda 2009-10-07 Internet 36 Comments

After long negotiations and back and forths between the EU, Microsoft, and other browser makers, Microsoft's browser ballot proposal has been amended and offered up for debate yet again by the EU; this time around, it will actually be tested out by consumers. A number of changes have been made since the first proposal, so let's take a look.

Submitted by linuxlinks 2009-10-04 Internet 17 Comments

Mozilla Firefox has been outperforming Internet Explorer for a number of years, and its latest version is even faster than ever. However, there is a new, lean, free web browser on the block which runs web pages at lightning speed. It goes by the name of Google Chrome.Tweak the right settings and with some experimentation, Firefox can keep pace with Google Chrome. Unknown to many of its users, Firefox has a raft of options that can unleash the browser's true potential. With just a few minutes of your time, you can make your daily web browsing more enjoyable.Read more

US Cedes Control ICANN, Internet

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-30 Internet 7 Comments

Since the early days of the internet, it has fallen under control of ICANN, which in turn was bound by an agreement with the US Department of Commerce. As the internet grew bigger and more pervasive, intentional calls for severing the ties between ICANN and the US government grew stronger. Today, the US has ceded control over ICANN.

Guest post by exien 2009-09-29 Internet 1 Comment

"The names are familiar: Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. These relatively new browsers have been shaking the foundations of Internet Explorer's complete victory over Netscape. These new browsers are implementing fresh ideas and breaking out of the crusty browsers of the early 21st century. With the second browser wars in full swing, let's see where things stand and what's coming."

Browser Makers Unhappy with Ballot Screen Proposal

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-28 Internet 67 Comments

As you all undoubtedly know, the European Union and Microsoft are trying to work out some sort of a settlement regarding the Internet Explorer case. Microsoft made a very detailed proposal for a browser ballot screen earlier this year, and the EU was relatively satisfied. Now, various browser makers have told Reuters that they are not satisfied with Microsoft's proposal.

CADNA Proposes Full-Scale Audit of ICANN

weildish 2009-09-23 Internet No Comments

"With just over a week left before the expiration of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Department of Commerce, the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) urges the US government to closely re-examine ICANN's structure, governance, and oversight mechanisms before committing to any further long-term cooperation. Significant adjustments must be made to the JPA in order to remedy the egregious problems CADNA has found with ICANN." CADNA not only proposes that an audit be made of ICANN, but they also have released a "top-ten list" detailing the most prevalent problems they find in the non-profit organization.

FCC Chairman Lays Out Net Neutrality Plans

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-21 Internet 28 Comments

Julius Genachowski, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, today laid out plans to enforce net neutrality upon the internet. While the FCC is a US-only entity, fact of the matter is that "control" over the internet lies within the US, so whatever the FCC decides, it will affect the rest of the world.

Microsoft Endorses HTML5 Audio, Video Tags

Thom Holwerda 2009-09-17 Internet 37 Comments

The draft of the HTML5 specification has been under discussion for a while now, but despite the fact that it's not yet finished, all major browsers have implemented at least the most important aspects of it - except Microsoft. The company did provide substantive criticism of the specification in early August, but now the company has also endorsed the video and audio tags.

Remotes and Connectivity: Reason No. 6 Why We’re Fat

weildish 2009-09-01 Internet 36 Comments

While browsing the ever-wider world web today, I came across a story about IBM's patent of a sort of "Facebook Remote Control." It was appalling. Do we seriously need more single-purpose devices that will enable us to sit around more wasting more time than we already do? Does anyone really need to seclude themselves from the world even more to publish their lives on yet another teen-infested network? Must we really always be connected to the net? Read on for my ramble concerning a dark side of technology.

Guest post by snydeq 2009-08-28 Internet 10 Comments

Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister questions whether the ideal of a truly standards-compliant Web will ever be possible given ongoing disagreements over HTML 5, including those most recently set in motion by Microsoft's latest concerns over the spec. "While some items on Microsoft's list seem like quibbles, others are valid issues," McAllister writes. And with others in the working group supporting the proposed additions in question as they stand, an impasse could conceivably be the end result. "Disagreements are an inevitable part of any standardization process. But if disagreements lead to irreconcilable differences, it calls in to question the validity of the final standard." So where does that leave HTML 5?

Safest Web Browser

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-28 Internet 74 Comments

Another instalment of Ask OSNews. A reader sent us in a question about browser security and privacy. "Could you please advise me and your readers on what you consider to be the safest web browser? I am considering the term 'safe' from both a privacy and security stand point."