The End of 2011
The end of 2011 brings with it the conclusion of another year, the optimistic view towards the upcoming new year and some tech industry news. Some of the latest update are major, some surprising and others are yet interesting.
From a little bit of all three we have the sale of major I.S.P. (Internet Service Provider) Internode to iiNet. Many believe this moves iiNet from the number 3-4 position in the ISP market to number 2, which beats Optus. Simon HACKETT, owner of Internode, well known for speaking sense about the proposed internet censorship by Stephen CONROY maintains that his position on the internet filter has not changed with this merger and that he is still opposing it.
Speaking of iiNet, we may have some upcoming, hopefully promising, new tech from iiNet as what some believe to be a rumour of a new BoB product coming out.
From the Linux side, more and more people are losing faith in GNOME 3, Ubuntu and Unity (did I just repeat myself?). Many are swarming to the LXDE and particularly the XFCE desktop environments. Even Linus Torvalds, (the founder and overall maintainer of Linux) has moved over to XFCE.
Also it seems Linux distribution or "distro", TinyCore Linux is shaping up particularly well and is rapidly expanding it's software collection. From a core system of just 8MB, to a graphical desktop in 11MB, TinyCore Linux is making waves on everything from embedded or specialised environments all the way to user desktops.
People in the IT job market are feeling the crunch and losing confidence in the sector. Many are afraid of venturing into the field due to the potential threat of even more positions being offshored.
Last, but not least, The Technology Column will soon be back to a regular weekly publication, rather than a highly irregular and rare one.
Best wishes to our readers, and we hope you get the very best of out the new year!
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Some Australian ISPs Going Forward With Internet Filter
Though their press releases from last year have re-surfaced recently in an effort to find out more about their intentions, plans and motives, internet service providers such as Telstra, Optus and iPrimus still seem like they are full steam ahead in forcing the read more...
Whirlpool 2011 Survey Results
The latest numbers are in and the results are interesting to say the least. While the majority of Whirlpool membership is no doubt more technically savvy than your average computer user, the numbers indicate just what many in the computing industry really are feeling about internet service providers in general, the National Broadband Network and Communications Minister Stephen CONROY's other plans. 25,513 people participated in the survey.
Over 58% of respondents have a positive or very positive sentiment about the read more...
The Case For User Responsibility: iiNet Wins
Do you sue the postal service for carrying letter bombs? Do you sue the telephone company because you receive threatening calls? Do you sue airline companies for the loud children on your flight? Do you sue the makers of a car or road because of a collision? No. All of these examples indicate how read more...
The Technology Column has a new site feature
We have undergone a few changes to our site. Until we know that people are actively needing and using it, we have decided to disable RSS. Please use our poll to the right if you are interested in it being supported again.
We are also interested in seeing what content our visitors might like to see that we don't already offer, or maybe more of the same. So please remember to answer the poll regarding what content you would like to see. For "Other", respond here with your thoughts and ideas.
Of course, if there is anything else that you think could improve our site, please let us know via the contact link or responding below this.
Thanks!
Vodafone CEO’s Message to Australia
An event that only happens once in a blue moon, something so rare that it actually deserves some attention and praise when it happens, no matter who or where it is from. This time, from read more...
Virgin/Optus 3G network problems in Australia
It seems lately that the Optus and Virgin, who use the Optus infrastructure for providing 3G access, are having similar problems as Vodafone are/were as indicated by the "Vodafail" incident.
Many users are complaining that general connectivity read more...
Is The Cloud About To Burst?
The question in the title is a rhetorical question. Of course it is not going to burst, because cloud computing as a concept is a great piece of marketing speak for "anything web-based". This means YouTube, GMail, HotMail, most intranet sites, etc.
But there are people who are promoting it as something more and pushing many people out there to put their entire digital life, public and private data, emails, even whole identity out there to be stored in the great "cloud" aka "a whole lot of external storage space".
Now, just because something is free does not mean it should be accepted or used. But many people are still using GMail, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, plus others, so I guess the general rule of advice is; there is no such thing as a free lunch, and invest in some USB flash drives for reliable, external storage that is completely within your own control.
So be careful out there, do not put blind faith in corporations to always have your best interests at heart and play safe out there on the world wide web.
Progress On The Australian National Broadband Network
There have been several updates and developments on the national broadband network front, some of which include agreements with Australia's largest telecommunications provider Telstra, changes in several internet service providers plans, realisations of a changing market and plenty more. So what has been happening?
The Australian government has purchased read more...
FamilyVoice calls for pool fence for the internet
FamilyVoice (formerly "Festival of Light") who was associated with the Rev Fred Nile of controversial fame, is calling for the implementation of Stephen Conroy's internet filter to be expedited and likens it to a pool fence.
It seems Roslyn Phillips, FamilyVoice research officer, is calling for a "pool fence"-like internet filter and explains how read more...