Technology As Innovator

We thought Web Service was good. It certainly is!

Web Service has brought the economy to the web. There is no need to repeat what Amazon, eBay, Yahoo! and Google all have done.

Web 2.0 and a different approach

But another approach is rising fast. Web service providers now make their product a Web Platform.

They build up a very good core based on solid philosophy. Then they provide API for developers to build applications on.

Browser

With their defeat by Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, Mozilla temporarily withdrew and launch their next hit: Firefox.

As in September 2007, market share of Firefox reaches 35.4%, according to W3C.

One important reason why Firefox has become this popular is due to its extensions gallery. A huge collection of well-done small web services are offered for free by developers worldwide.

Many of Firefox extensions are done to support other web services such as Google Search, Blogging, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, digg, Amazon, eBay.

Gradually, the browser becomes one of the largest centralized points of the web.

Social Networking

Talking about Social Networking today, we have to praise Facebook immediately.

Facebook is also doing very well to provide their API so that applications can be developed on a very good and mature skeleton.

Most successful Facebook applications support networking purpose such as free gifts, messages, testimonials, collaborative games.

The goal of a social networking site is to become the home of as many activities of users as possible.

Content Management Systems

WordPress, Joomla, phpBB have been building communities around them.

Themes allow personalization.

Plugins allow customization.

Most of all, the platform allow monetization.

Conclusion: Web Platforms

Looking at these obvious examples, we see that Firefox, Facebook, WordPress et al offer a very solid and useful core and highly flexible and open API on which applications, extensions, addons, plugins, themes can grow and develop.

They have become Web Platforms to Web Services.

These Web Services in turn make the Platforms new and ever-changing.

Future: Information Depot

In near future, or maybe now already, we’ll see these central points become Information Depot in Semantic Web.

When a web seller wants to approach specific market segment, it should know what and how the potential customers are like. How? From Information Nodes such as e-Commerce sites and Social Networking sites. It would go to Amazon to get information on the customers’ buying preferences, and go to Facebook to get information on the customers’ networks and personal interests.

Can you imagine what happens next? These Information Depots will be able to manipulate the information in whichever way they prefer, not limited to making the information available, for prices.

Conclusion

We’re moving from separated glamorous isles to metropolitans on the web.

You will be able to do many things on a single website. Enjoy the sweetness it brings, while not lowing your guard on diabetes.

Browsershots allows you to test your website on different browsers and operating systems.

Simply enter your site, select options such as size, color depth, javascript, java, flash and hit Submit. Screenshots will be generated for you in minutes.

Browsers supported

1. Windows
   1. Firefox 1.5
   2. Firefox 2.0
   3. IE 5.0
   4. IE 5.5
   5. IE 6.0
   6. IE 7.0
   7. Opera 9.23
   8. Safari 3.0
2. Linux
   1. Firefox 1.5
   2. Konqueror 1.5
   3. Opera 9.24
3. Mac
   1. Firefox 2.0
   2. Safari 2.0

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Setup the environment

Install and Turn on an many Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware software

Some free software may include:

• ZoneAlarm free version http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp
• Avast http://www.avast.com/eng/download-avast-home.html
• Comodo Firewall http://www.comodo.com/products/free_products.html

This is a screenshot of ZoneAlarm with Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware turned on. Your software may look different but dig for similar options.

Set security in your browsers

Click here to see the illustration

Develop Defensive Habits

• Scan for virus from external storage: flash drives, hard disks
• Scan for virus/spyware at least weekly
• If some program prompts you to install, don’t if you are suspicious. However, some ActiveX from trusted websites such as microsoft.com can be safe
• Don’t open attachments from someone you don’t know. Scammers and virus spreaders can even fake their email address to something familiar to you, so just don’t.
• Don’t visit sites that look suspicious
  • Check your browser’s status bar left corner (the bar at the bottom of the window) for the URL while hovering your mouse over the link
  • If the domain name is from a source you know well, it is safe. Example of domain name: taitran.com is this site’s domain name
  • If the URL is hidden then it is suspicious
  • If the URL contains commercial words such as “refer”, “bill”, “cash” in its domain name then it is suspicious
  • If a message sent to you via Instant Messages contains links and a message that looks like mass-sending and is ambiguous (come here and check), it may be auto-generated by a virus. It also applies for IM statuses
  • The recent virus spreading in Vietnam is Vietnamese without accent. We can assume that messages with accent might be safer, but this is not guaranteed.
• Confirm with the sender if they sent suspicious-looking messages. If they don’t know, the message contains virus.
• Resist temptation (!) to click on tempting links

How to send messages that contain safe links to people who have already been cautious

• Sign your message with your name
• Address the receiver by name or group name (dear RMIT alumni)
• Write in Vietnamese with accent