Europe Objects To Microsoft's Browser Bundling

European Commission accuses Microsoft of illegally tying Internet Explorer to Windows
Oslo, Norway and Brussels, Belgium — 17 January 2009
Following its investigation of Opera Software ASA’s antitrust complaint, the European Commission confirmed today that it sent Microsoft a Statement of Objections yesterday, accusing it of illegally tying Internet Explorer to the Windows PC operating system. Opera's complaint filed in December of 2007 described how Microsoft has been abusing its dominant position in PC operating systems and preventing competition on the merits for internet browsers in favor of its own Internet Explorer. Opera requested the Commission to take the necessary actions to compel Microsoft to allow consumers a real choice of browser.
“On behalf of all Internet users, we commend the Commission for taking the next step towards restoring competition in a market that Microsoft has strangled for more than a decade. The Commission’s Statement of Objections demonstrates that the Commission is serious about getting Microsoft to start competing on the merits in the browser market and letting consumers have a real choice of internet browsers,” says Jon von Tetzchner, Chief Executive Officer, Opera Software.
The Statement of Objections comes almost a year and half after the judgment of the European Court of First Instance confirming the European Commission's 2004 Decision that Microsoft had illegally tied Windows Media Player to Windows.
“The Court of First Instance’s judgment was clear that Microsoft illegally tied Media Player to Windows. We are not surprised that the Commission has issued a Statement of Objections based on the principles in that judgment. We are confident that the Commission will ultimately conclude that Microsoft has violated European competition law again and that it will take all necessary actions to restore competition and consumer choice in this important market,” says Jason Hoida, Deputy General Counsel, Opera Software.
The Commission’s action has not come a moment too soon as the internet browser, now more than ever, is the most important application on the PC.

Ordinance would give sagar university central status

New Delhi, Jan 9 The government will issue an ordinance to create 12 new central universities, it was announced here Friday.
'This is being done because the bill to create the universities could not be passed in parliament (in the session that concluded last month),' Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here Friday.
He was briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The new universities will be established in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, Chidambaram said.
In addition, the Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya at Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, the Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and the Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University at Srinagar in Uttarakhand would be converted into central universities, the minister said.
These institutions currently function as state universities.
'The proposed ordinance would contain all the provisions of the Central Universities Bill, 2008 pending in the Lok Sabha, with such changes as may be necessary to implement the accepted recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee, which include, among others, dropping of the conversion of Goa University into a central university,' Chidambaram said.
The conversion of Goa University was included in the bill on a specific request of the state government.
'However, the state government subsequently said the issue had been discussed by the various segments of the society in the state and their elected representatives, including members of parliament, and they had come to the conclusion that conversion of Goa University would not be in the interest of the state,' the minister pointed out.

Google says prefer Chrome or Firefox...

Google has taken the aggressive step of advising some of the people using its Gmail webmail to use Chrome or Firefox rather than Internet Explorer.

When users log into their Gmail using Internet Explorer a red text link appears at the top right of the page saying 'get faster Google Mail.'

If you click on the link then you are taken through to a Google answers page that suggests that you should use a faster browser.

The suggestions it makes are Google's own Chrome browser or Firefox 3.0.

We suggest you upgrade

"Browsers are getting faster and better at running web applications like Google Mail that use browser technology to its limits. In order to get the best Google Mail experience possible, we suggest that you upgrade your browser to one of the fastest Google Mail supported browsers that work on Windows," reads the text.

There is a proviso that IE8 is being worked on 'Note: A faster version of Internet Explorer, IE8, is in development and available in a beta release.'

Although not all users appear to be affected in our early investigation, at first glance it is a particularly aggressive approach from Google.

To actively push two browsers over the currently dominant Internet Explorer is far from the normal Google softly, softly approach – especially in a week where Internet Explorer has been beset by news of a major security problem.

It seems, however, that Google is only pushing users to the other browsers if they are currently using Internet Explorer 7. Those that are using Internet Explorer 6 are told to upgrade to either Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer 7 for a faster Google service.

Whether this is a silly overview on Google's part or an active push away from Internet Explorer by the search kings remains to be seen.

What is for sure, is that Google is sending out mixed messages to its users, depending on what version of browser they are using.

Wikipedia-A big fan of India

India has been a major attraction for Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopaedia, according to its founder Jimmy Wales.

Speaking to reporters, James, who is on a visit to Thiruvananthapuram, said he was a big fan of India. "India's IT sector is strong and it has a profound influence," he said.

It was a major challenge for them to explore more scope for Wikipedia, described as the "language of developing countries," in other developing countries, he said.

Admitting that collaborative writing had its own risk, he claimed many random surveys had proved that the errors in Wikipedia were comparatively not much higher than the ones in traditional encyclopaedias.

Wikipedia was the fourth most popular websites in the world, weathering the competition from monopolies, he said.

Happy Birthday! Mickey Mouse...

Mickey Mouse, was born from misfortune, formed in a creative flash by Walt Disney who had just been dispossessed of his previous cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, in a trademark dispute.

As the cartoon genius sought a replacement, he considered a horse, dog, cat, frog and cow. But his mind kept returning to the mouse he had kept as a pet growing up on the family farm.
Disney’s spark of insight was to create an anthropomorphic creature imbued with the roguish yet naive charm of Charlie Chaplin. Disney was smart enough to listen to his wife, who disliked his notion to name the character Mortimer Mouse.
“We felt that the public, and especially the children, like animals that are cute and little. I think we are rather indebted to Charlie Chaplin for the idea,” Disney once said.
“We wanted something appealing, and we thought of a tiny bit of a mouse that would have something of the wistfulness of Chaplin - a little fellow trying to do the best he could. When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity.”
Mickey was an instant hit from his very first movie: Steamboat Willie, released on November 18, 1928, as the first cartoon to feature an integrated sound track. The historic debut sees Mickey serving aboard a steamboat under evil Captain Pete, who reduces him to peeling potatoes when Mickey’s musical offerings get on his nerves.
In his early movies, Mickey was subtly yet importantly different from the character that became, and remains, one of the best known images in the world. He takes liberties with a cow’s udders in Steamboat Willie, and in another movie, Plane Crazy, Mickey lusts so hungrily after Minnie Mouse that she is forced to jump from a plane when he insists on kissing her.
Disney claimed that such behaviour was cut out after fans wrote in to complain. But many cultural critics argue that Mickey was emptied of personality to make him the perfect corporate symbol for Disney’s burgeoning family entertainment empire.
Mickey was changing shape, too, in what evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould has claimed was the key factor in cementing his place in hearts around the world. Gould tracked how over the early years, the proportions of his head changed, his limbs became thicker and shorter, and his eyes grew bigger in the face. The effect was to create a character that was a subtle variant of a human baby - the one image that humans are wired by evolution to love above all else.
Whatever the reason, Mickey became one of the most popular characters in the world, a symbol not only of the globe-spanning “Mouse House” but even of US cultural dominance itself. He became a superstar in the Depression years, and over the next two decades Mickey appeared in dozens of short movies before pioneering the merchandising and branding that is now such an important part of the entertainment business.
It started in 1930, when Disney licensed the image to a maker of school supplies for 300 dollars. Since then, Disney has made billions stamping the likeness of the little mouse on everything from computers to underwear to video games. Along the way, he became the only cartoon character with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
Mickey’s enduring stardom is all the more surprising because his last major film role was in 1952. But he has endured thanks to Disney’s cable TV channels around the world, and due to his role as the corporate symbol of the conglomerate.
Despite his advanced years, Mickey has no plans to retire.
“For us he is a timeless asset,” said a Disney spokesman. “He has the same relevance today as he had on his first day.”

Bollywood is not a hot story for British Media

Anil Kapoor is a megastar in India and Sonam Kapoor is one of the most sought after new faces in Bollywood but who cares in UK!

Anil Kapoor was invited at the London Film Festival recently to promote the movie Slumdog Millionaire where he made a guest appearance as a TV show host. So instead of his wife, Anil took along Sonam so that the girl gets noticed abroad.
But regrettably both of them got a big ignore by the British media. No one photographed them and no body approached them for interviews.
“None of the British press was interested in taking photos of Sonam or her father. To them they were unknowns and not newsworthy,” says the source.
Well, Bollywood and Indian Media is OK for both. Don’t try in Hollywood.

Obama will induct republicans in his Team

Just two weeks after his historic election, US president-elect Barack Obama yesterday confirmed he would have Republicans in his administration and admitted there were times when he did not know where to begin in trying to deal with the enormous challenges awaiting him in the White House.

In his first interview since the election, Obama acknowledged the daunting nature of assuming office at a time of war and global economic crisis.

"The challenges that we are confronting are enormous and they are multiple. And so there are times during the course of a given day where you think: 'Where do I start in terms of moving - moving things forward?'," the president-elect told CBS television's 60 Minutes programme.
While in Chicago, Obama has been focused on assembling his team in the White House and the cabinet. He told CBS he would have at least one Republican in his cabinet, making good his pledge to welcome powerful personalities with competing views to his White House. But he gave no further details last night.

Obama also gave away nothing about whether Hillary Clinton was on his shortlist of candidates for the post of secretary of state.

The impression that Obama was leaning towards a "team of rivals" including even his most formidable opponent - Clinton - grew over the weekend with neither camp trying to damp down speculation. However, Obama said only that he valued Clinton's advice.

Another potential contender for secretary of state, the New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, has also met Obama to discuss the post. So far, Obama's transition team has focused on filling positions at the White House which are not contingent on confirmation by the Senate. The choices since then have revealed a mix of campaign loyalists and veterans of Bill Clinton's administration.

Bollywood’s UNICEF connection

Few know that NISHABD fame Jiah Khan was an UNICEF ambassador. A close friend of the actress revealed, “Jiah first modeled for UNICEF when she was barely six. She became a UNICEF brand ambassador once again when she 12.”

The friend said at the tender age of 6 Jiah had no idea what charity was all about. By the time she turned 12 she felt very strongly for charity work and thus chose to be UNICEF brand ambassador once again.

“Jiah has always believed in doing charity work and has even made short film on child abuse. Jiah feels very strongly for the issue of child abuse and aims to take active steps to put an end to it permanently.”