Google is challenging hackers to rip apart their ActiveX alternative called Google Native Client. Native Client allows users to run native x86 code on the web — something that has been deemed as extremely dangerous, especially from untrusted sources. Google says this challenge is to make Native Client more secure, but I think this may also be a great way to gain some trust points for technologies like this. Winners of the challenge are awarded cash prizes — the grand prize is $8,192USD. There are five cash prizes: The first prize is $8,192, the second prize $4,096, the third prize is $2,048, the fourth prize is $1,024 and the fifth prize is $1,024. All amounts are in USD. If they can get through this challenge without any serious problems being Read further »

It has been four months since Microsoft took the official wraps off its cloud-computing initiative.  Yet still relatively little still is known about the Azure platform and plans. The part of Azure which intrigued me the most was the cloud operating system, code-named “Red Dog,” that is at its heart. Late last month, Microsoft allowed me access to many of the principals behind Red Dog — everyone from the infamous father of VMS and NT, David Cutler, to the handful of top-dog engineers who helped design and develop the various Red Dog core components. Over the course of this week, I’m going to be publishing a post a day about Red Dog. Starting from scratch Read further »

Novell is now facing the consequences of leaving its fate in another company’s hands. (Picture from OS2Voice.org.) Its terrible horrible, no good, very bad quarter was driven partly by its troubles in the proprietary market, partly by its failure to line up the big Linux licensing deals that came in the wake of its 2007 cross-licensing agreement with Microsoft. Even our own Matt Asay has been Read further »

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that Today’s Apple annual meeting was dominated by questions about the charismatic founder’s health – and the board’s refusal to say much more. At bottom is the fear that Apple can’t survive without Jobs driving the company. Hogwash. Apple and Jobs in 2009 are very different from the Apple that lost its way after his ouster in 1985. Here’s what is new. Then: intuition. The Apple // and the original Mac were cool technology in search of a market. Fortunately, they both found a market – the // thanks to Visicalc and the Mac with PageMaker and the laser printer. Jobs knew these were cool systems. But the Mac almost sank Apple before desktop publishing took off. Today: process. Since Jobs 1996 return to Apple he and the company have Read further »

India mobile users in larger cities and the biggest states will be able to retain their mobile number even if they switch operator from September, the telecoms minister said on Thursday. Andimuthu Raja told parliament the government would announce on March 5 the successful bidders which will operate the mobile number portability (MNP) system and award letters of intent. “MNP is to be implemented in all ‘Metro’ and Category ‘A’ service areas within six months of the award of the licence and in rest of the service areas within one year of the award of the licence,” the minister said in a written statement.

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