beforetheend.org

It’s been roughly eight years since Microsoft released Internet Explorer 6, but in many ways the company is still very much tied to the aging product.

A growing chorus of Internet users have asked Microsoft why, if it really wants people to move to IE 7 or IE 8, it doesn’t just end support for IE 6. After all, there have been plenty of calls for the death of IE 6, particularly from Web developers, who are weary of the work required to make their sites work in multiple versions of Internet Explorer, as well as Safari, Firefox, and other browsers.

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Net Applications)

Amy Barzdukas, the general manager for Internet Explorer, said in an interview this week that Microsoft’s perception is “being built by a browser that was fine technology eight years ago or a decade ago.”

For many, Internet Explorer 6, is still the face of Microsoft's browser, even though the product has been updated twice in recent years.

For her part, Barzdukas was mum on where Microsoft is headed with Internet Explorer 9 and beyond.

Although Microsoft has released two major versions of Internet Explorer in the past couple of years, for many, the face of Internet Explorer is still IE 6 in all its tabless glory.

But that’s frustrating, particularly since Microsoft has invested a fair amount of effort in the last couple of years trying to rebuild IE after letting it languish for several years. Microsoft added things like tabbed browsing and a phishing filter back with Internet Explorer 7, which debuted in October 2006, and earlier this year launched Internet Explorer 8, with anti-malware features as well as a private browsing option and improved standards support.

Even with that work, though, IE 6 remains not only the most widely thought of version of Internet Explorer, but also the most widely used version of the browser, at least by a narrow margin. According to Net Applications, IE 6 accounts for 27 percent of the browser market, compared to 23 percent for IE 7. Microsoft’s new IE 8 has more than 12 percent of the market, while Firefox 3.0–the most widely used version of that product–has 16 percent (See chart below).

While in many ways, Microsoft would like that too, it is a bit of a double edged sword, since some number of IE 6 users might consider a rival if they were to switch browsers at all.

There, IE’s fate is tied largely to broader patterns of Windows adoption. Barzdukas said most businesses won’t move to a new version of IE unless they move to a new version of Windows that has a newer browser built in. So as many corporations have stuck with Windows XP, so too have they stuck with IE 6.

“As is the case with much work (Microsoft Research) does…they are often pushing us to think in new ways, which is part the reason we have them around.”

In large part, the shifting nature of the browser is what led Google to develop its Chrome browser, and now its Chrome OS, which posits that most computing tasks these days can be done from within the browser.

Microsoft is also at least exploring the possibility that the browser might need a more significant overhaul. Its research unit has a prototype called Gazelle. In an exclusive interview last month, researcher Helen Wang told CNET News that browsers need to act more like an operating system, taking a greater role in determining which Web processes get priority in accessing a computer’s resources.

In large part, that’s because many of Internet Explorer’s users are the ones who tend not to change the browser that comes with their operating system–either because that’s the type of consumer they are, or because they are working on a work machine in which they are not able to upgrade to a later version of IE or switch to another browser.

Beyond the question of adoption of later versions, there is also the question of whether IE doesn’t need an even more radical facelift, particularly in the era where the browser is used as an engine to run applications as much as it is a tool to move from Web site to Web site.

“I think this is the right way to go and I think this can be practical,” Wang said. “It will also take a lot of work.”

Overall, Microsoft has been losing ground for several years to Firefox and other browsers. After reaching near ubiquity in the post-Netscape era, IE’s global market share is now less than 70 percent. However, Barzdukas is hopeful that the trend is starting to shift with the release of IE 8.

“To the extent that IE was losing share over the winter, any rate of loss has substantially slowed since we came out with IE 8, and in some geographies IE overall has actually gained significant share,” Barzdukas said.

One of the biggest things that could help Microsoft, Barzdukas said, is if more people understood that there were better browser options available from Microsoft. She has taken part of that task upon herself, making a pest of herself when she is at friends’ houses for dinner–checking to see what version of the browser they are using.

“Many PCs don’t belong to individual enthusiasts, but to organizations,” Internet Explorer chief Dean Hachamovitch said in a blog posting this week. “The people in these organizations responsible for these machines decide what to do with them. These people are professionally responsible for keeping tens or hundreds or thousands of PCs working on budget.”

But Microsoft officials insist they simply can’t end support for IE 6, since it shipped as part of Windows XP and Microsoft has pledged to business customers that it will support that operating system–and its components–for some years to come.

3. Campus Visit: A nice program should be commended. Check out Campus Visit before you bring your kids to visit a college.

Campus Visit helps you get some discounts on Amtrak trips.

When you first start using TripIt, you’ll need to create a trip. From there, you can add a full itinerary, inputting everything from attending a concert to holding meetings. The site even lets you book a concert, restaurant, or play from within the app when you have TripIt Pro. That service costs $69 per year.

If you’re looking for more travel roundups, click here for some travel-search sites or here for sites that help you share your vacation plans.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used SeatGuru to help me find better seats on a flight. More often than not, I find myself in a bad location. But with the help of SeatGuru, I can find the right seat and go back to the airline with some locations I’d like. It’s a great service that any traveler should try out.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Hello Travel helps agents find your trip.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Also with TripIt Pro, you’ll get what I think is the site’s best feature: alerts. If your flight is delayed, your gate changed, or there is a cancellation, TripIt Pro will alert you to it via text message. It also gives you alternate flights that will get you to your destination sooner. In other words, this service could conceivably cut down on the time you spend sitting in an airport.

I should note that you can use TripIt for free, but you’ll lose many of its compelling features. If you’re a frequent traveler, TripIt Pro is the version to use.

SeatGuru is a must-see for anyone who wants to be comfortable.

1. SeatGuru: Maybe it’s just me, but being comfortable on a long plane ride is extremely important.

Campus Visit, a site that’s operated by Collegia, takes care of the coupon process for Amtrak. You’ll need to input where you’re going, what school you’re visiting, and whether or not there’s an interview scheduled. As long as the application is approved, you’ll have a discount coupon you can use when booking an Amtrak trip. It’s a highly commendable service.

When you first get to Hello Travel, you’ll have the option to research different countries around the world. Once you determine where you want to go, Hello Travel lets you create a full travel itinerary on the site. It’s then posted on its agents page where travel agents can review your itinerary, get in touch with you, and build you the trip you want.

Get your trip on

TripIt TripIt is a simple travel itinerary service that lets you input every leg of your trip to make sure you’re prepared when you go. But it’s the site’s alerts function that makes you a better traveler.

Hello Travel Hello Travel is the site for those who don’t want to deal with booking a trip on their own.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

TripIt lets you input several plans.

TripAdvisor Fees Estimator Although TripAdvisor provides several search tools for finding flights or creating a trip itinerary, the site’s “Flights” page features a new tool called Fees Estimator.

The idea behind SeatGuru is simple: book your flight, find a seat, and determine what kind of plane you’ll be flying on. From there, go to SeatGuru, find your plane by searching for the airline and its aircraft, and view the display of seats on the flight. Green-colored seats are ideal. They usually provide the most comfort. The vast majority of seats on the flight won’t have any color, making them normal airplane seats. If you see seats colored in yellow or especially red, stay away and move your seat–they are uncomfortable.

The problem with booking flights is that the total cost of traveling isn’t included. Most times, sites only show the ticket cost, but don’t account for baggage fees, in-flight amenities, and whether or not you’re a frequent flyer. Fees Estimator shows the real cost of your ticket to provide you better information on what you should expect to pay.

SeatGuru If you’re concerned about where you sit on a plane, SeatGuru is a must-see.

Fees Estimator saved me some cash on airline tickets.

2. TripAdvisor Fees Estimator: I like knowing exactly what I’m paying. How about you?

My top 3

When I tried Fees estimator for a flight from New York City to Atlanta, the site gave me cheap tickets for about $265 per person. But after I input that I wanted to check two bags, the cost jumped to $385. That cheap flight quickly became a more expensive alternative to some of the other options. Fees Estimator should help you save some cash.

Rainforest Alliance If you’re concerned about the impact your trip might be having on the environment, the Rainforest Alliance provides several tools that will help you find an environmentally-friendly itinerary.

Campus Visit If you have a high school student who wants to look for colleges outside of your area, go to Campus Visit and get an Amtrak coupon that gives that student 50 percent off his or her rail fare.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

When you first get to the Rainforest Alliance’s tourism page, you’ll find a series of tools to check out. Perhaps the most useful tool is its search, which helps you find car-rental companies, hotels, bed and breakfast spots, and more that have been certified as environmentally responsible. When you find a place you’d like to stay, you can learn about the hotel, get contact information, and even see pictures of it. Think of it as an environmentally focused Expedia.

The Rainforest Alliance helps you find eco-friendly hotels.

I wasn’t overly impressed by Hello Travel. Although the service is great as a premise, creating an itinerary took much longer than I would have liked. I’m also unsure what kind of agent response each trip will get. I’d prefer to work with an agent I know, but that’s just me. Hello Travel is a nice idea, but your mileage will vary.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

From now through December 13, Amtrak is offering students visiting a college campus the opportunity to save half of the cost of their train tickets. Whoever accompanies the student still needs to pay full price.

Finding the right services to help you save some cash (and headaches) when you travel can be difficult. That’s where this roundup comes in. Below you will find a few resources to help you enjoy a better traveling experience whenever you want to get out of the house.

Quicken Health Bill Pay, a free online service from Intuit, is meant to help consumers better understand and pay their medical bills online. The service presents the bills in an easy-to-read language, said Intuit, so patients can view the services they received and see the exact balance due after insurance. From there, they can pay the bill directly online.

Intuit is counting on its new service to help both patients and doctors. The company quoted industry research showing that 40 percent of patients don’t pay their medical bills because they can’t figure them out or didn’t think they were responsible for the amount due.

The service debuts as tech companies are increasingly directing their attention to the field of electronic health records, amid a growing national discussion of the need for doctors and hospitals to go digital. In April, for instance, computer maker Dell joined forces with IT services company Perot Systems to target medical enterprises. (Earlier this week, Dell said it would acquire Perot Systems for $3.9 billion.)

Making sense of medical bills can be a challenge for both the patient and doctor. A new service from Intuit is trying to ease that pain.

People can pay off the bills using credit or debit cards or through Flexible Spending Accounts or Health Savings Accounts. Intuit claims that through Quicken Health Bill Pay, patients can pay off their bills on average 18 days faster than through traditional methods.

Another plus, according to Intuit, is that Intuit Patient Payments can notify the patient as soon as the insurance company has paid its portion of the bill. That lowers the time it takes for the bill to be paid off and keeps the office from having to send out constant billing reminders.

In May, Intuit and other companies including Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, and Intel formed the EHR Stimulus Alliance to foster a better understanding among doctors of electronic health records.

Intuit said the Quicken Health Bill Pay service will work for anyone regardless of insurance provider. But it does require that the doctor’s office enroll in Intuit Patient Payments to process the bills. This service charges the doctor a monthly fee based on the number of people in the practice. The doctor’s staff can see the same bill that the patient does, so they can more easily answer specific questions, said Intuit.

But when it comes to batteries for products like power tools, electric bikes, and portables, the space is wide open. That space is open not only to emerging companies, but also as to which type of battery technology will succeed, according to Lux.

And Lux sees Johnson Controls-Saft and Compact Power as leaders in developing lithium ion batteries for electric hybrid cars.

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Martin LaMonica/CNET)

A123Systems, of which GE is an investor, and NGK Insulators are seen as leaders in power grid energy storage.

So far in 2009, battery companies have received over $600 million in venture capital funding, compared with $478 million garnered for 2008, according to research analyst Lux Research.

A123 Systems’ battery platform is being used for tools, transportation, and power grid energy storage.

The investment isn’t without reason. In a report released Tuesday, Lux predicted that the energy storage market will grow to become a $60 billion industry by 2013.

“Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), nickel-zinc (NiZn) and even lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithium-air (Li-air) batteries are all pitching themselves as lower-cost alternatives,” according to the report.

At least one company is already poised to make money off the uncertainty. Lux is offering a service to manufacturers and investors interested in the market. It’s dubbed the Lux Innovation Grid, a chart that plots the variables for evaluating companies’ battery tech and business models.

But for now, it’s hard for even the experts to predict who will emerge as the victorious innovators. Instead of a few key players, there’s a plethora of both established and start-up companies developing a wide range of approaches to power storage for things like cars, utilities, and gadgets, according to Lux.

Today, Seattle social-music company iLike upped the ante with a update to iLike Local Concerts, a very attractive iPhone app that was originally released in May. It downloads and caches a bunch of local concert information on first connection to reduce wait times in the future, and features a slick user interface with images for each listed artist. The updated version, which should be in the iTunes store shortly, will match iConcertCal’s ability to build a list of favorite artists based on your iTunes library, and will add notifications when one of your favorites announces a show in your town. Best of all, while iConcertCal costs $2.99, iLike Local Concerts is free.

But I was struck most by the optimism of Irving Azoff, who’s currently the CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment, but who’s better known as a long-time big shot in music management–he handled The Eagles, among many other acts. As he put it: “The performer on stage receiving the adulation of the fans–there’s nothing like it, and that’s never going away.”

He’s absolutely right, but I still think the days of paying more than a hundred bucks for the right to be herded into a stadium where they charge $8 for a beer and the ushers don’t allow dancing and the other “fans” yell if you stand up and the sound sucks and the performers can’t play their instruments and they look like tiny ants–that is, the big stadium concert experience–is becoming a relic like corded telephones and huge microwave ovens. It’s too expensive, it’s not fun enough, and there are far more opportunities for collective entertainment today than when I was a teenager back in the dark (pre-online) ages. Where are kids going to spend their allowance–on Xbox Live for $50 a year, or the latest enormo-tour for $50 (or more) an hour?

iLike Local Concerts has a wealth of information about local shows, plus crisp little images for each one.

In its typical stately and slightly behind fashion, The New Yorker magazine this week published a piece (subscription required) about big changes in the live music industry. The article used as its grounding point a recent dispute between Bruce Springsteen and Ticketmaster over scalping and ticket withholding by artists, but the larger point was that the concert industry may be following the recording industry down the tubes–a prediction I made more than a year ago. The article has reams of supporting statistics and quotes, but the simple point is that the big acts aren’t selling as many tickets as they used to, and some industry insiders are worried that there are no young bands today who will be able to fill stadiums in 20 years.

Live music’s far from dead. You just have to know where to look.

Follow Matt on Twitter.

That’s bad news for Ticketmaster, but good news for smaller venues. The only trouble with these smaller shows is that you might not hear about them unless you’ve got a good local weekly paper and are willing to scan the club listings regularly. That’s where a new crop of Web and mobile applications come into play. I’m still enjoying iConcertCal for iPhone, which I’ve only had for a week, but has already guided me to one amazing band (Garaj Mahal) I had no idea was in town until I opened the app.

For its part, Motorola believes that offering Blockbuster movies on its handsets will help it regain some of its appeal. The company once sat atop the mobile-phone industry. Today, it’s a shadow of its former self. And it’s trying desperately to regain some market share.

Blockbuster OnDemand, to be available on “select” Motorola mobile phones, will provide users with access to “thousands” of films, the company said in a statement. Users of the upcoming application, whose release date is yet to be announced, will also be able to choose films for home delivery or reserve titles for in-store pickup.

Check out Don’s Facebook profile, Twitter stream, and FriendFeed.

After inking a deal with Samsung last month to deliver movies directly to your home, Blockbuster announced on Tuesday that its OnDemand service is also coming to your mobile phone.

That might be coming through Android-based devices. Motorola has already signed on to deliver Android phones. Blockbuster’s app might become a component in that strategy. But by competing with the iPhone and its many multimedia capabilities, Motorola and Blockbuster will be facing an uphill battle.

Rumors are also swirling that Netflix will be coming to the iPhone in the coming weeks. If that happens, the iPhone will become an even more attractive handset for those who want multimedia features. And both Motorola and Blockbuster would be facing an even more powerful juggernaut.

The iPhone features a YouTube app, providing users access to just about any video they want.

According to Blockbuster, the Motorola deal is yet another element in its strategy of providing consumers with options to get its movies anywhere, at any time.

Apple’s handset also has iTunes, through which users can download their favorite films or television shows, then watch them on the iPhone while they’re away from home.

To that end, if you are the first to tell me (by e-mail to daniel–dot–terdiman–at–cnet–dot–com) what this is called, and where it is, you’ll win a prize.

Click here for the entire Road Trip 2009 package.

After tomorrow, however, there won’t be any more daily challenges. Until Road Trip 2010, that is.

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Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Do you know what this is? If so, you could win a prize in the Road Trip picture of the day challenge.

If you’ve followed the Road Trip picture of the day challenges, you may have noticed that a number of them have featured big rock formations. And why not? When you drive more than 5,000 miles through states like Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as I did during Road Trip 2009, you see some of the most beautiful things nature can throw at you.

But this is the penultimate daily challenge, so I figured, why not dip into the well once more and task you with identifying one last wondrous piece of nature?

So good luck.

Analysts have noted that security spending has been spotty. In addition, competition has been fierce. In a research note, Jeffries analyst Katherine Egbert said:

Symantec’s fiscal first quarter fell short of expectations as corporate customers opted for shorter-term maintenance and license renewals.

This was originally published at ZDNet’s Between the Lines.

As for the outlook, Symantec projected second-quarter revenue between $1.39 billion and $1.44 billion. Non-GAAP revenue is projected to be 32 cents a share to 34 cents a share. Wall Street has been expecting earnings of 36 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters.

In a statement, Symantec CEO Enrique Salem said that enterprise customers aren’t signing up for new licenses at a rapid clip. On the bright side, Symantec’s deferred revenue is increasing. Salem noted that Symantec is laying the ground work for a better second half. The problem: Symantec’s deferred revenue was $2.97 billion in the fiscal first quarter, which ended July 3, down from $3.01 billion a year ago.

In the backdrop of a weak economy, spending on Security and Compliance still appears soft. Our recent checks reveal particular weakness in the SMB market. We think intense competition from McAfee on larger deals could further the top-line pressure.

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Larry Dignan/ZDNet)

Here’s a look at Symantec’s first quarter with the trouble areas highlighted:

The company, which makes security and storage software, reported first-quarter net income of $73 million, or 9 cents a share, down from $172 million, or 20 cents a share a year ago (statement). On a non-GAAP basis, Symantec reported first-quarter earnings of $285 million, or 34 cents a share. Wall Street was expecting 35 cents a share. Symantec’s revenue for the first quarter was $1.43 billion, down 13 percent from a year ago.

Current status: Although Podcaster is still not available in the App Store, a Podcaster-like application called RSS Player Podcast Client currently allows users to download more than 10,000 podcasts. That said, it doesn’t let users search for podcasts through the app (another Apple request). It costs 99 cents.

Pull My Finger
Catalog this under the Apple-needs-to-find-humor-in-apps-to-accept-them category.

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Mac-Addict)

Ninjawords is (finally) in the App Store.

Google Voice
Google Voice is an application that allows users to to assign a single number to their home, office, and mobile phones. It was denied access to Apple’s App Store, along with already-approved third-party applications that used Google Voice to work.

In an attempt to highlight–and perhaps make some sense of–a few of the more questioned rejections, I’ve compiled a list of those that caused me to scratch my head.

After Ninjawords’ developers worked out some design issues, which Apple requested, the company rejected the application again, after finding that the dictionary contained vulgar words that “could be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod Touch users.”

Several developers whose applications have been rejected from the store, which hosts third-party software developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, have published their correspondence with Apple.

Current status: After realizing that it allows at least several useless applications into its store, Pull My Finger was eventually accepted and offered in Apple’s Store. It’s currently on sale for 99 cents.

Apple’s rejections of apps accused of infringing a patent or copyright make sense to most industry insiders. But some App Store rejections have raised quite a few eyebrows.

Current status: It’s available on your television, and it has won an Emmy, but you won’t find “South Park” on your iPhone because of its “offensive” content. Yikes.

Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor has embraced technology and the social Web unlike many other artists in the music industry. Perhaps that’s why it was so shocking that his band’s iPhone app update was denied access to the App Store for, what Apple called, “objectionable content.”

Apple wrote in a letter to CastCatcher’s developer, Amro Mousa, that the application’s update was rejected because it transferred “excessive volumes of data over the cellular network.” Mousa was a little perplexed by Apple’s decision to suddenly deny the application access to the store, considering that the new version of the app didn’t transfer more data than previous, approved versions. Worst of all, Mousa said, his app was using the same amount of data as competing streaming-radio applications.

At first, the application was made available in the App Store for $9.99. But Apple promptly removed the application from its store. NetShare’s removal is suspected to be related to wireless carrier AT&T’s agreement with Apple over use of its data network.

In one fell swoop, a Web firestorm erupted. Journalists started questioning why Apple would reject the app. Consumers felt disenchanted. And the Federal Communications Commission decided to investigate.

Current status: After having some discussions with Apple, a Eucalyptus developer wrote on the company’s blog that Apple had relented and would allow the full version of the app, Kama Sutra and all, into the App Store. It’s currently available for $9.99.

Ninjawords’ developers were desperate to get their app into the store,replica handbags, so they removed as many objectionable words as possible within a reasonable time frame. Their app was rejected again for containing fewer, but still some offensive, words.

Pull My Finger was sophomoric, for sure. The app allowed users to “pull its finger.” When they did, it played a sound mimicking flatulence. Apple blocked the application from entering the App Store because it had “limited utility” to the community. It seemed believable. But when one considers that the store is filled with absurd applications, Pull My Finger might have fit in quite well.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) In a political statement, a group of developers created an application called FreedomTime, to count down the days left until former President George W. Bush has been out of office.

Although that might be enough for some to agree with Apple, it’s worth noting that the same exact album, unedited, was already available in the iTunes Store.

Apple rejected the application on the grounds that it was “defaming, demeaning, or attacking political figures.” That’s an App Store no-no, evidently.

Nullriver's NetShare app was here and gone.

In a letter sent to Eucalyptus developers, Apple said that the app was denied because it gave users access to “objectionable” material. If the developers removed the Kama Sutra from its book listings, Apple would have allowed the app into the Store.

The shock starts here

CastCatcher

Although this is just a short list of many applications that have been denied access to the App Store, there’s a common thread among the rejections: Apple wants nothing to do with apps that can be found “objectionable,” have functionality similar to Apple-built features, or might conflict with a contract it has established with AT&T or other partners.

Current status: The events surrounding Google Voice’s absence from the App Store are still unclear. AT&T says it was not involved in an approval decision, and Apple said it didn’t actually reject the application from the store. In a statement,louis vuitton handbags, the company said its review of the app is still under way. It doesn’t look like this will be over any time soon.

The rejection led to outcry on the Web, as comparisons were drawn between software bundled with Mac OS X and those applications that users can install on their Macs that mimic or improve those bundled applications. To some, there was no difference.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) If there is a record for the number of times an application can be rejected by Apple, Ninjawords might have a shot. The dictionary app was denied access three times due to “objectionable” words users could find in its dictionary.

Current status: The Nine Inch Nails update was eventually allowed into the App Store after Apple realized its double standard. The full, unedited content is available in the Store.

South Park
“South Park” might be an extremely popular animated television show, but it just doesn’t have what it takes to make it into the App Store.

Podcaster
Podcaster was an app that allowed users to download their favorite podcasts without using iTunes to do it. After submitting the app to the store, Podcaster developers received notice that their app was denied access because it “duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes.”

CastCatcher is still in the App Store.

Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus, an e-book reader app, was denied access to Apple’s App Store after the company found that it allowed users to read the Kama Sutra. The ancient book on sexuality was downloaded from Project Gutenberg, which the app used to acquire books.

But in the end, determining what Apple will allow into its App Store isn’t an exact science. Developers want better direction from Apple on what types of applications will get approved for–and remain in good standing with–its App Store. Until the parameters are clearer, and the approvals and rejections are consistent, they will continue to face the risk of seemingly arbitrary rejection.

Current status: FreedomTime is still not available in the App Store. In its place, a Web site has been built to countdown the number of days former President Bush has been out of office.

South Park won't see the App Store.

Freedom Time takes on former President Bush.

The objectionable content Apple was referring to came from “The Downward Spiral,” a 1994 Nine Inch Nails album,prada bags, which was played in the app. That album contains explicit mentions of sexual activity.

Lessons learned

Apple didn’t reject the South Park iPhone app once; it rejected it twice because of “potentially offensive” content included in the app. The application featured several clips from the long-running show. Boing Boing reported that Apple did tell South Park’s creators that it might eventually allow the application into its store, since its policies have evolved in the past. According to the company, it didn’t originally allow explicit lyrics into iTunes, but it now does.

The app featured President Bush on an analog clock as it counted down until President Barack Obama’s inauguration. When users clicked on the President’s body, it played so-called “truthisms,” clips from speeches President Bush had given about leaving office.

FreedomTime

Ninjawords

Current status: Nullriver’s NetShare is not available in the App Store and will likely never make its way to the store. Internet tethering is a feature that’s built into the iPhone’s latest system software and will be made available to AT&T customers later this year, meaning that NetShare would be duplicating existing functionality–another App Store no-no.

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South Park Studios)

Current status: The application was allowed access to the App Store after removing any word that might be construed as objectionable. It’s currently on sale for $1.99 in the App Store.

Frustrated programmers have highlighted what they believe to be double standards, strange policies, and flip-flopping among Apple’s App Store guards.

Current status: Eventually, Mousa and Apple were able to reach a middle ground, and new versions of the application were allowed into the App Store. CastCatcher 1.4.4 is currently offered in Apple’s store for $1.99.

(Credit:
R7 Developers) CastCatcher Internet Radio was enjoying its placement in Apple’s App Store until the company decided to release version 1.3. The new iteration was rejected by Apple for a strange reason.

NetShare
Prior to the release of the iPhone 3GS, one of the most requested iPhone features was tethering, or using the phone’s wireless connectivity to connect another device to the Internet. Nullriver’s NetShare application provided the modem-like functionality last year.

This was the first coordinated attack on the sites, and all the companies involved were working closely on the investigation, he said. “My team and the teams that are working together at all these companies are doing a really good job very quickly,prada bags, and I’m proud and happy,” he said.

Facebook and Google were able to minimize any impact to their sites, including Blogger, YouTube, and Google Sites, a free Web site service. Facebook even managed to keep the Cyxymu account accessible to Web surfers from that region, Kelly said, though it was inaccessible to people in other geographic areas, including San Francisco.

A Facebook representative dismissed a theory that the attack was triggered by a spam campaign in which e-mails had links to the sites. It’s unlikely that there would be enough recipients–all clicking on the URLs at the same time–to bring a site down, he said. There was a spam campaign that directed people to Cyxymu’s accounts, but it wasn’t the cause of the DoS, he said.

A Google representative offered this statement: “We are aware that a handful of non-Google sites were impacted by a DoS attack this morning and are in contact with some affected companies to help investigate this attack. Google systems prevented substantive impact to our services.”

In the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the sites, computers that have been compromised by viruses or other malware are instructed by the attacker’s computer to visit the specific Web sites all at the same time and repeatedly. The barrage of connection requests overwhelms the target sites, making it so that legitimate Web traffic can’t get through.

Cyxymu LiveJournal account on cached version of Google.

For more information, listen to Larry Magid’s podcast interview with Elinor Mills.

The blogger, who uses the account name “Cyxymu,” (the name of a town in the Republic of Georgia) had accounts on all of the different sites that were attacked at the same time, Max Kelly,louis vuitton handbags, chief security officer at Facebook, told CNET News.

The site also apologized for a spam e-mail attack in which the sender was spoofed and made to look like the e-mails were sent by him. Screenshots are shown. It’s unclear whether or how the spam attack is related to the DoS attacks.

Updated at 7:39 p.m. PDT, with Facebook saying a spam campaign did not cause the DoS, and at 6:35 p.m.,gucci bags, with information from Cyxymu’s site, more about the spam attack, how DDoS attacks work, and background on the Russia-Georgia conflict.

Cyxymu’s LiveJournal page wasn’t accessible, but a cached version showed that it was updated on Thursday with a message about the denial-of-service, or DoS, attacks on his accounts on the United States-based sites. “Now it’s obvious it’s a special attack against me and Georgians,” said the message, in Russian.

“It was a simultaneous attack across a number of properties targeting him to keep his voice from being heard,” Kelly said. “We’re actively investigating the source of the attacks, and we hope to be able to find out the individuals involved in the back end and to take action against them, if we can.”

“The people who are coordinating this attack, the criminals, are definitely determined and using a lot of resources,” Kelly said. “If they’re asking our infrastructure to generate hundreds of pages a second, that’s a lot of pages our users can’t see.”

Political conflicts between Russia and its former republic spilled online last year with DoS attacks and Web site defacements going in both directions.

Kelly declined to speculate on who was behind the attack, but he said: “You have to ask who would benefit the most from doing this and think about what those people are doing and the disregard for the rest of the users and the Internet.”

A Georgian blogger with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, and Google’s Blogger and YouTube was targeted in a denial-of-service attack that led to the sitewide outage at Twitter and problems at the other sites on Thursday, according to a Facebook executive.

Twitter was down for several hours beginning early Thursday morning, and it suffered periodic slowness and time-outs throughout the day.

Twitter and LiveJournal did not immediately return e-mails and calls seeking comment.

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LiveJournal)

Such coordinated attacks require the efforts of tens of thousands or more of hijacked computers, which together form a botnet. Spammers send e-mails with malicious attachments or URLs to millions of people to create botnets. Criminals also can lease existing botnets for specific campaigns for as little as 5 cents to 10 cents per bot.