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We know the PS Vita has no user changeable battery. This could be an issue right? After all its meant to be a portable gaming unit. Not tied down to your mains power connection. The longer the battery life, the better for those long trips, flights, family meetings or whatever. And since we can’t just save our game and swap the battery for a fresh one, it really does count. And one Japanese gamer has run a battery test of sorts. Pitting the PS Vita. Model PCH-1100 AA01 with 3G/Wi-Fi against the Nintendo 3DS and PSP-3000.

All systems are run with everything on. Wifi, brightness to the max everything 100%. And the PS Vita did very well. Out lasting the 3DS which died after 2 hours 35 minutes. The PS Vita running Uncharted Golden abyss managed 3 hours and 47 minutes. Not bad at all considering it was rendering a tough 3d game like Golden Abyss. And the camera constantly spinning around like that means the GPU would have been working 100%. The PSP was rending more of a static image. And well it cheated somewhat too using an extended battery! The PSP-3000 with extended battery managed a cool9 hours plus…

3DS Fans will cry foul play as the unit is rendering 3D, which consumes more power. Fair enough comment but you also have to remember the battery sizes here. The 3DS sports only a 1300mAh battery and the PS Vita has a 2100mAh battery.

Personally I’m pleased with the result of this test. I think most would be buyers of the PS Vita can now rest somewhat knowing that with a mid level brightness. 3G and Wifi off we can expect over 5 hours at least! And we wont be rotating the camera like that non stop either in Uncharted.

Similar Posts:

• Famitsu’s PSV FAQ reveales interesting details
• Many Vita games priced
• PSBlog : Video of TGS’s Uncharted demo
• SONY PRE TGS PRESS CONFERENCE : Vita’s Battery Detailed

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One of the biggest disappointments for users of Intuit’s popular Quicken personal finance suites, was finding that the program would not work in Apple’s latest OS X Lion operating system.

Quicken 2007 and earlier versions are built extensively off of code that is specific to the PowerPC processor, and since Apple’s switch to Intel-based computers, Intuit has relied on the Rosetta translator included in Leopard and
Snow Leopard to keep its programs running. Quicken ran well with Rosetta, but unfortunately Apple removed it as an option from OS X Lion, which in turn prevented Quicken 2006 ad 2007 from running. While Intuit has released Quicken Essentials that will run in Lion, the program lacks a number of features that were present in older versions.

This finding has prevented a number of people from upgrading to Lion, and has also had others searching for alternatives to Quicken for their personal finances. There has been a rumor that Intuit was looking into getting Quicken 2007 running on Lion, and today the company officiated these rumors with an e-mail statement to its customers and a new FAQ on its Web site.

The good news is Intuit is now promising that Quicken 2007 will be coming to OS X Lion, and that it will be available by early spring. The potentially bad news is that the product is a reverse-engineered version of Quicken and as a result there may be some odd bugs that will need to be ironed out when it is released. Nevertheless, it should be able to run in Lion and allow people with years of Quicken records to continue their finances in Apple’s latest OS.

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Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or e-mail us!
Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.

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Limbo has won a zillion awards and was easily one of the biggest XBLA games of 2010. Since the game’s initial success, PlayDead has done everything they can to expand its player base, releasing the game on every system to which they can get access. It’s been a good strategy, so far.

 

 

 

Limbo is your basic platformer – your primary goal is to run from one end of a level to another without being killed. But the vague nature of your location and purpose help to create an intriguing experience, not to mention the monochrome visuals and eerie environment. Limbo is one of the most successful games ever released on XBLA, selling over four million copies to date.

Since its initial release, Limbo has been brought to PC and PS3 – it managed to sell more copies than any other PSN game in 2011 despite being a year old. As for the iTunes Store, Limbo is priced at a mere £6.99 – more than worth the cost considering the immense quality of the game and the value of having a way to get away from your family for a few minutes during the holidays.

In addition to the iTunes release, Limbo is set for release on Steam in January, officially putting it on almost every popular distribution platform. It’s nice to see an indie developer do so well.

Have you played Limbo? Would you consider picking it up on your iOS device?

[Edge]

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The PlayStation Vita will launch with 25 games including action-adventure Uncharted: Golden Abyss and platformer Rayman Origins, publisher Sony said Thursday.

The powerful upcoming handheld, which Sony will release in the U.S. on Feb. 22, will come with what Sony says is “the biggest and best lineup” the company has ever launched alongside one of its systems. In addition to 25 launch titles, the PlayStation maker says it has more than 100 Vita games in development.

The full list of launch games also includes Little Deviants, Escape Plan, Army Corps of Hell and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Sony also listed a handful of games that will be released during the system’s “launch window,” including entries in the Disgaea and Ninja Gaiden series.

Vita games will retail for $10-$50, Sony said. They will be available both in brick-and-mortar stores and for download on the publisher’s PlayStation Network.

Sony also detailed pricing plans for its proprietary memory cards, which are required to save data and play certain games on the Vita. The cheapest, at 4 GB, will run for $20. The 8 GB card will cost $30, the 16 GB card is $60 and the 32 GB memory card will be sold for $100.

The Vita launched in Japan last weekend, selling just over 320,000 units.

Image courtesy Sony

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Man pages are written by sys-admin and developers for IT techs, and are intended more as a reference than as a how to. Man pages are very useful for people who are already familiar with Linux, Unix, and BSD operating systems. Use man pages when you just need to know the syntax for particular commands or configuration file, but they are not helpful for new Linux users. Man pages are not good for learning something new for the first time. Here are thirty best documentation sites on the web for learning Linux and Unix like operating systems.

This article is dedicated to the memory of Dennis Ritchie (1941-2011).

Please note that BSD manpages are usually better as compare to Linux.

#1: Red Hat Enterprise Linux

RHEL Docs

RHEL is developed by Red Hat and targeted toward the commercial market. It has one of the best documentations covering basis of RHEL to advanced topics like security, SELinux, virtualization, directory server, clustering, JBOSS, HPC, and much more. Red Hat documentation has been translated into twenty-two languages and is available in multi-page HTML, single-page HTML, PDF, and EPUB formats. The good news is you can use the same documentation for CentOS or Scientific Linux (community enterprise distros). All of these documents ship with the OS, so if you don’t have a network connection, then you have them there as well. The RHEL docs covers everything from installation to configuring clusters. The only downside is you need to be a paid customer. This is perfect for an enterprise company.

1. RHEL Documentation: Unknown format
2. Support forums: Only available to Red Hat customer portal to submit a support case.

A Note About CentOS Wiki and Forums

Centos Linux Wiki

CentOS (Community ENTerprise Operating System) is a free rebuild of source packages freely available from a RHEL. It provides truly reliable, free enterprise Linux for personal and other usage. You will get RHEL stability without the cost of certification and support. CentOS wiki divided into Howtos, Tips Tricks, and much more at the following locations:

1. Documentation Wiki
2. Support forum

#2: Arch Wiki and Forums

Arch Linux wiki

Arch Linux is an independently developed, Linux operating system and it comes with pretty good documentation in form of wiki based site. It is developed collaboratively by a community of Arch users, allowing any user to add and edit content. The articles are divided into various categories like networking, optimization, package management, system administration, X window system, and getting installing Arch Linux. The official forums are useful for solving many issues. It has total 40k+ registered users with over 1 million posts. The wiki contains some general information that can also apply in other Linux distros.

1. Arch community Documentation: Wiki format
2. Support forums: Yes

#3: Gentoo Linux Wiki and Forums

Gentoo Linux Wiki

Gentoo Linux is based on the Portage package management system. The Gentoo user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen configuration. The majority of users have configurations and sets of installed programs which are unique to themselves. The Gentoo give you some explanation about the Gentoo Linux and answer most of your questions regarding installations, packages, networking, and much more. Gentoo has very helpful forumwith over one hundred thirty-four thousand plus users who have posted a total of 5442416 articles.

1. Gentoo community documentation: Handbook and Wiki format
2. Support forums: Yes
3. User-supplied documentation available at gentoo-wiki.com

#4: Ubuntu Wiki and Documentation

Ubuntu is one of the leading desktop and laptop distro. The official documentation developed and maintained by the Ubuntu Documentation Project. You can access a wealth of information including a getting started Guide. The best part is information contained herein may also work with other Debian-based systems. You will also find the community documentation for Ubuntu created by its users. This is a reference for Ubuntu-related ‘Howtos, Tips, Tricks, and Hacks’. Ubuntu Linux has one of the biggest Linux communities on the web. It offers help to the both new and experienced users.

Ubuntu Linux Wiki

1. Ubuntu community documentation: wiki format.
2. Ubuntu official documentation: wiki format.
3. Support forums: Yes.

#5: IBM Developer Works

IBM developer works offers technical resources for Linux programmers and system administrators. It contains hundreds of articles, tutorials, and tips to help developers with Linux programming and application development, as well as Linux system administration.

IBM developerworks

1. IBM Developer Works Documentation: Unknown format
2. Support forums: Yes.

#6: FreeBSD Documentation and Handbook

The FreeBSD handbook is created by the FreeBSD Documentation Project. It describes the installation, administration and day-to-day use of the FreeBSD OS. BSD manpages are usually better as compare to GNU/Linux man pages. The FreeBSD comes with all the documents with upto date man pages. The FreeBSD Handbook covers everything. The handbook contains some general Unix information that can also apply in other Linux distros. The official FreeBSD forums also provides helps whenever you will get stuck with problems.

Freebsd docs

1. FreeBSD Documentation: Unknown format
2. Support forums: Yes.

#7: Bash Hackers Wiki

Bash hackers wiki

This is an excellent resource for bash user. The bash hackers wiki is intended to hold documentations of any kind about the GNU Bash. The main motivation was to provide human-readable documentation and information to not force users to read every bit of the Bash manpage – which is hard sometimes. The wiki is divided into various sections such as – scripting and general information, howtos, coding style, bash syntax, and much more.

1. Bash hackers wiki in wiki format

#8: Bash FAQ

Bash FAQ

A wiki designed for new bash users. It has good collections to frequently asked questions on channel #bash on the freenode IRC network. These answers are contributed by the regular members of the channel. Don’t forget to check out common mistakes made by Bash programmers, in BashPitfalls section. The answers given in this FAQ may be slanted toward Bash, or they may be slanted toward the lowest common denominator Bourne shell, depending on who wrote the answer. In most cases, an effort is made to provide both a portable (Bourne) and an efficient (Bash, where appropriate) answer.

1. Bash FAQ in wiki format.

#9: Howtoforge – Linux Tutorials

Howtoforge

Fellow blogger Falko has some great stuff over at How-To Forge. The site provides Linux tutorials about various topic including its famous “The Perfect Server” series. The site is divided into various topics such as web-server, Linux distros, DNS servers, Virtualization, High-availability, Email and anti-spam, FTP servers, programming topics, and much more. The site is also available in German language.

1. Howtoforge in html format.
2. Support forums: Yes

#10: OpenBSD FAQ and Documentation

OpenBSD Documenation

OpenBSD is another Unix-like computer operating system based on Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). It was forked from NetBSD by project. The OpenBSD is well known for the quality code, documentation, uncompromising position on software licensing, with strong focus on security. The documenation is divided into various topics such as – installations, package management, firewall setup, user management, networking, disk / RAID management and much more.

1. OpenBSD in html format.
2. Support forums: No, but mail lists are available.

#11: Calomel – Open Source Research and Reference

This amazing site dedicated to documenting open source software, and programs with special focus on OpenBSD. This is one of the cleanest and easy to to navigate website, with focus on the quality content. The site is divided into various server topic such as DNS, OpeBSD, security, web-server, Samba file server, various tools, and much more.

Open Source Research and Reference Documentation

1. Calomel Org in html format.
2. Support forums: No

#12: Slackware Book Project

Slackware Book

Slackware Linux was my first distro. It was one of the earliest distro based on the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. The distro is targeted towards power users with strong focus on stability. Slackware is one of few the most “Unix-like” Linux distribution. The official slackware book is designed to get you started with the Slackware Linux operating system. It’s not meant to cover every single aspect of the distribution, but rather to show what it is capable of and give you a basic working knowledge of the system. The book is divided into various topics such as Installation, Network System Configuration, System administration, Package management, and much more.

1. Slackware Linux books in html, pdf, and other format.
2. Support forums: Yes

#13: The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP)

TLDP

The Linux Documentation Project is working towards developing free, high quality documentation for the Linux operating system. The site is created and maintained by volunteers. The site is divided into subject-specific help, longer and in-depth guide books, and much more. I recommend this document which is both a tutorial and a reference on shell scripting with Bash. The single list of HOWTOs is also a good starting point for new users.

1. The Linux documentation project available in multiple formats.
2. Support forums: No

#14: Linux Home Networking

Linux Home Networking

Linux home networking is another good resource for learning Linux. This site covers topics needed for Linux software certification exams, such as the RHCE, and many computer training courses. The site is divided into various topics such as networking, samba file server, wirless networking, web-server, and much more.

1. Linux home networking available in html and PDF (with small fee) formats.
2. Support forums: Yes

#15: Linux Action Show

Linux Podcast From LAS

Linux Action Show (“LAS”) is a podcast about Linux. The show is hosted by Bryan Lunduke, Allan Jude, and Chris Fisher. It covers the latest news in the FOSS world. The show reviews various apps and Linux distros. Sometime an interview with a major personal in the open source world is posted on the show.

1. Linux action show available in audio/video format.
2. Support forums: Yes

#16: Commandlinefu

Commandlinefu lists various shell commands that you may find interesting and useful. All commands can be commented on, discussed and voted up or down. Ths is an awesome resource for all Unix command line users. Don’t forget to checkout all top voted commands here.

Commnandlinefu

1. Commandlinefu available in html format.
2. Support forums: No

#17: Debian Administration Tips and Resources

This site covers topics, tips, and tutorial only related to Debian GNU/Linux. It contain interesting and useful information related to the System Administration. You can contribute an article, tip, or question here. Don’t forget to checkout top articles posted in the hall of fame section.

Debian Linux Adminstration: Tips and Tutorial For Sys Admin

1. Debian administration available in html format.
2. Support forums: No

#18: Catonmat – Sed, Awk, Perl Tutorials

Catonmat

This site run by a fellow blogger Peteris Krumins. The main focus is on command line and Unix programming topics such as sed, perl, awk, and others. Don’t forget to check out introduction to sed, sed one liner explained, the definitive guide to Bash Command line history, and awk liner explained.

1. catonmat available in html format.
2. Support forums: No

#19: Debian GNU/Linux Documentation and Wiki

Debian Linux Wiki

Debian is another Linux based operating system that primarily uses software released under the GNU General Public. Debian is well known for strict adherence to the philosophies of Unix and free software. It is also one of popular and influential Linux distribution. It is also used as a base for many other distributions such as Ubuntu and others. The Debian project provides its users with proper documentation in an easily accessible form. The site is divided into wiki, installation guide, faqs, and support forum.

1. Debian GNU/Linux documentation available in html and other format.
2. Debian GNU/Linux wiki
3. Support forums: Yes

#20: Linux Sea

The book “Linux Sea” offers a gentle yet technical (from end-user perspective) introduction to the Linux operating system, using Gentoo Linux as the example Linux distribution. It does not nor will it ever talk about the history of the Linux kernel or Linux distributions or dive into details that are less interesting for Linux users.

1. Linux sea available in html format.
2. Support forums: No

#21: Oreilly Commons

Oreilly books

The oreilly publishing house has posted quite a few titles in wiki format for all. The purpose of this site is to provide content to communities that would like to create, reference, use, modify, update and revise material from O’Reilly or other sources. The site includes books about Ubuntu, Php, Spamassassin, Linux, and much more all for free.

1. Oreilly commons available in wiki format.
2. Support forums: No

#22: Ubuntu Pocket Guide

Ubuntu book

This book is written by Keir Thomas. This guide/book is a good read for everyday Ubuntu user. The purpose of this book is to introduce you to the Ubuntu operating system, and the philosophy that underpins it. You can download a pdf version from the official site or order a print version using Amazon.

1. Ubuntu pocket guide available in pdf and print formats.
2. Support forums: No

#23: Linux: Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition

GNU/Linux Book

This book covers GNU/LINUX system administration, for popular distributions like RedHat and Debian, as a tutorial for new users and a reference for advanced administrators. It aims to give concise, thorough explanations and practical examples of each aspect of a UNIX system. Anyone who wants a comprehensive text on (what is commercially called) LINUX need look no further–there is little that is not covered here.

1. Linux: Rute User’s Tutorial and Exposition available in print and html formats.
2. Support forums: No

#24: Advanced Linux Programming

Linux Programming

This book is intended for the programmer already familiar with the C programming language. It take a tutorial approach and teach the most important concepts and power features of the GNU/Linux system in application programs. If you’re a developer already experienced with programming for the GNU/Linux system, are experienced with another UNIX-like system and are interested in developing GNU/Linux software, or want to make the transition for a non-UNIX environment and are already familiar with the general principles of writing good software, this book is for you. In addition, you will find that this book is equally applicable to C and C++ programming.

1. Advanced Linux programming available in print and pdf formats.
2. Support forums: No

#25: LPI 101 Course Notes

LPIC books

LPIC-1/2/3 levels are certification for Linux administrators. This site provides training manuals for LPI 101 and 102 exams. These are licenced under the GNU Free Documentation Licence (FDL). This course material is based on the objectives for the Linux Professionals Institute’s LPI 101 and 102 examination. The course is intended to provide you with the skills required for operating and administering Linux systems.

1. Download LPI training manuals in pdf format.
2. Support forums: No

#26: FOSS Manuals

FLOSS Manuals is a collection of manuals about free and open source software together with the tools used to create them and the community that uses those tools. They include authors, editors, artists, software developers, activists, and many others. There are manuals that explain how to install and use a range of free and open source softwares, about how to do things (like design or stay safe online) with open source software, and manuals about free culture services that use or support free software and formats. You will find manuals about software such as VLC, Linux video editing, Linux, OLPC / SUGAR, GRAPHICS, and much more.

FLOSS Manuals: a collection of manuals about free and open source software

1. You can browse FOSS manuals in wiki format.
2. Support forums: No

#27: Linux Starter Pack

Linux Starter Pack

New to the wonderful world of Linux? Looking for an easy way to get started? You can download 130-page guide and get to grips with the OS. This will show you how to install Linux onto your PC, navigate around the desktop, master the most popular Linux programs and fix any problems that may arise.

1. Download Linux starter pack in pdf format.
2. Support forums: No

#28: Linux.com – The Source of Linux Info

Linux.com is a product of the Linux Foundation. The side provides news, guides, tutorials and other information about Linux by harnessing the power of Linux users worldwide to inform, collaborate and connect on all matters Linux.

1. Visit Linux.com online.
2. Support forums: Yes

#29: LWN

LWN is a site with an emphasis on free software and software for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It consists of a weekly issue, separate stories which are published most days, and threaded discussion attached to every story. The site provide comprehensive coverage of development, legal, commercial, and security issues related to Linux and FOSS.

1. Visit lwn.net online.
2. Support forums: No

#30: Mac OS X Related sites

A quick links to Max OS X related sites:

• Mac OS X Hints – This site is dedicated to the Apple’s Mac OS X unix operating systems. It has tons of tips, tricks and tutorial about Bash, and OS X
• Mac OS development library – Apple has good collection related to OS X development. Don’t forget to checkout bash shell scripting primer.
• Apple kbase – This is like RHN kbase. It provides guides and troublshooting tips for all apple products including OS X.

#30: NetBSD

NetBSD is another free open source operating system based upon the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) Unix operating system. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design, stability and performance of the system. Due to its portability and Berkeley-style license, NetBSD is often used in embedded systems. This site provides links to the official NetBSD documentation and also links to various external documents.

1. View netbsd documentation online in html / pdf format.
2. Support forums: No

/etc

• GNU manuals – This site lists official GNU packages with links to their primary documentation, where available.
• IBM AIX – If you are into an IBM enterprise grade hardware, AIX and big irons, than this is a must for you. On a related note don’t forget to checkout IBM redbooks on Linux and Unix.
• Another site dedicated to Debian GNU/Linux.
• Safari Books Online‘s entire collection of over 18,000 books, training videos, rough cuts, short cuts, and articles from the world’s leading publishers is available online, in PDF format for chapter and whole-book downloads, or from your mobile device. This is not a free resource, but nevertheless quite useful for professionals.
• Another introduction to the UNIX (and Linux) operating system and the UNIX – Level I course material.
• Other suggestions made by nixCraft fans.
• Google. Enough said.

Your Turn:

This is my personal list and it is not absolutely definitive, so if you’ve got your own favorite Unix/Linux specific site, share in the comments below.

// Image credit: Flickr photo by PanelSwitchman. Some links are suggested by user on our facebook fan page.

// For those who celebrate, Merry Christmas! For everyone else, enjoy the weekend.

This blog post is 2 of 2 in the “Best Resources for Linux Unix” series. Keep reading the rest of the series:

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These are instructions on how to jailbreak your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 on iOS 5.0.1 without updating the baseband using RedSn0w for Windows. You may want to do this to preserve an unlock from a lower baseband version.

Please note this jailbreak is tethered for every device but the old bootrom iPhone 3GS which means you will need to connect your device to the computer each time you reboot. Also, it may be prudent to save your SHSH Blobs by following this tutorial before continuing if you haven’t already.

If you want to jailbreak a lower firmware version you can find the appropriate tutorial here.

Step One
Create a folder on your desktop called Pwnage

Download RedSn0w 0.9.9b9d or higher from here and place it in the Pwnage folder. Likewise, download the 5.0.1 firmware from here and place it in the Pwnage folder.

Extract the RedSn0w zip file by double clicking it.

Step Two
Launch the redsn0w application from the redsn0w folder we just extracted.

Step Three
Click to select Extras from the main menu.

Step Four
Click to select Custom IPSW from the Extras menu.

Step Five
Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the IPSW we downloaded then click Open.

If you are using the iPhone 3GS you may be asked to identify whether you are on a newer or older model.

Step Six
RedSn0w will now begin building a custom IPSW for you.

Step Seven
You’ll be notified once RedSn0w has completed building your IPSW. Click the OK button.

Step Eight
Click the Pwned DFU button from the Extras menu.

Step Nine
Plug your iPhone into the computer and make sure its OFF then click the Next button

Step Ten
RedSn0w will now guide you through the steps to get into DFU mode. You can find more help with DFU mode here

Hold down both the Home button and the Power button for 10 seconds.

Release the Power button and continue holding the Home button until RedSn0w detects the device.

Step Eleven
RedSn0w will run the LimeRa1n exploit.

Step Twelve
You’ll then be notified that your iPhone is in Pwned DFU mode.

Step Thirteen
Launch iTunes by clicking its icon in your dock.

Step Fourteen
Select your device from the list on the left then under the Summary tab hold down the Shift key and click the Restore button.

Step Fifteen
You will then be asked to select your IPSW for restore. Navigate to the Pwnage folder on your desktop and select the IPSW that begins with NO_BB then click the Open button.

Step Sixteen
iTunes will now restore and jailbreak your device using the Custom IPSW.

JAILBREAK AND INSTALL CYDIA
Follow these instructions to jailbreak your device on the new iOS 5.0.1 firmware.
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 3GS

BOOT TETHERED
Once you have jailbroken you will need to rerun redsn0w to boot tethered.

Step One
From the main RedSn0w menu click the Extras button.

Step Two
Select Just boot from the Extras menu to just boot tethered.

UNLOCK:
If you have a supported baseband you can now install UltraSn0w to unlock your device. Instructions are here.

*As usual a big thanks to the iPhone Dev-Team and Geohot for their hard work and contribution to the iPhone community.

One of Mozilla’s big plans for the future is called ‘Boot2Gecko,’ and could result in a ‘Firefox OS’.

(Credit:
Art by CNET)

Although Mozilla has never limited its stated goals to merely building an open-source browser, there’s no doubt that
Firefox has been the highest-profile project from the Mozilla Foundation. But now, with skyrocketing mobile connectivity and Google’s shockingly fast ascent in the browser world, Mozilla Messaging CEO David Ascher restated yesterday what the nonprofit organization is about, where it’s going, and why you should care.

Ascher noted that the first few years of the Mozilla mission have borne useful fruit. Internet Explorer may still be dominant, but it doesn’t command anywhere near as much of the market as it used to. Firefox was the first to prove not only that there was widespread popular interest in an alternative, but that alternative could be accompanied by modern Web standards, safer browsing, faster site loading, and, he wrote, “zarro boogs.”

But now, he says, Mozilla and the Web have reached a critical turning point because, “[t]he browser isn’t the only strategic front in the struggle to promote and maintain people’s sovereignty over their online lives.” That’s more than an allusion to the complicated and myriad ways that we get online these days, it references the principles of the Mozilla Manifesto, a guiding mission statement that the organization has used since its inception. But the organization has also seen some high-profile departures this year, and it’s hard to imagine that those haven’t taken an impact on the group’s direction.

One big change that’s now under Mozilla’s belt has been moving the browser to a rapid-release cycle, with only six weeks between stable versions.

(Credit:
Mozilla)

Ascher is right to say that Mozilla has a unique position beyond its locus for Firefox development. It’s the only major software development non-profit with popular name recognition, and it’s the only one that’s stated a protective interest in user privacy. And despite its competition with Chrome, Mozilla and Google just re-signed their Firefox search deal.

Even as Chrome’s market share has grown against Firefox’s, the number of people using Firefox has increased because its market share percentage has remained relatively steady as overall Web usage has increased. So new people are still finding Firefox, which means that even amid stiff competition from Chrome, a revitalized Internet Explorer on desktops, and a popular Opera on mobile, there’s something about Mozilla’s browser that continues to appeal to people.

Three new initiatives debuted this year to form the crux of Mozilla’s future, wrote Ascher. There’s Boot2Gecko, a root-level approach that could potentially result in a kind of ‘Firefox OS’ for smartphones; BrowserID, a project that aims to provide a safer alternative to Facebook Connect and Google account logins; and a Mozilla-powered Apps initiative, which aims to make Web technologies the best way to create apps that work on all devices, and to propose a standard for app purchase and installation that fosters competition.

Those goals are definitely bold, and perhaps foolish given stiff competition and aggressive development from Facebook and Google. Mozilla’s late entrance to these fields doesn’t help matters, and even Ascher admits that he doesn’t fully understand the details of Boot2Gecko, and that others at Mozilla feel similarly about BrowserID.

Firefox Share brought a new take on sharing to the browser this year, scrapping an older, more complicated approach called F1.

(Credit:
Mozilla)

Moxie Marlinspike, an independent security researcher and an expert on Internet authentication infrastructure, explained to me in an e-mail that the value-added feature of social connectivity was precisely what made Facebook Connect so appealing to identity providers.

“Assuming that the technical details of BrowserID make it an effective decentralized identity provider, it’s important to note that the identity provider a service employs is chosen by the service, not the user. When services choose identity providers, it’s most often not because they’re uninterested in managing their users’ logins/passwords, or even because they feel that their users are uninterested in creating another login/password. More often than not, it’s because they want to add social value to their service through whatever social data an identity provider can deliver. This is not something that BrowserID can really provide (by design), which makes it a tough sell in a world where Facebook Connect is available.”

Nevertheless, BrowserID is moving forward. One of its first public steps is Mozilla Watchdog, introduced yesterday. Watchdog is a research project within Mozilla Identity, meant to complement BrowserID by actively advising the user to make better, more informed password and privacy decisions.

Marlinspike was equally skeptical about Boot2Gecko, saying that without hardware directly tied to the Boot2Gecko plan, as Apple and Google have tied their mobile operating systems to hardware, Boot2Gecko will be “a tough sell.”

“In general, by not controlling a large social network or a set of hardware devices, it doesn’t feel like Mozilla is extremely well-positioned to push the envelope in the identity or mobile OS spaces,” he added.

And yet, Ascher wrote that he’s received positive response to these plans from Web developers and entrepreneurs. “[They] are very aware of the dangers of relying on Facebook, Google, or Apple as the bridges to distribution or users. They desperately want an upgrade to the Internet that solves these issues in an infrastructural way.”

 

They just keep coming and coming. The new apps that we all heard about a while ago for Xbox Live keep coming in waves. This newest wave features Channel 4′s 4OD service and Demand 5 in the UK, Dailymotion and ABC iView in Australia, and M6 and MSN Video in France. In North America, UFC on Xbox Live finally went live.

 

Another cool thing that rolled out with UFC on Xbox Live was that the first 25,000 users that logged on were able to purchase UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem for free. I noticed it very early this morning but it was already sold out. I was hoping to show my wife how I saved $55 on my UFC fix this month, but it was not to be. Regardless, you can now watch UFC pay-per-view events on XBL. Prelims and other TV fights are coming soon, but nothing has been announced yet.

 

Are you interested in any of these apps?

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