WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio™ version 3.1.1 for building Enterprise Web 2.0 applications.

I have been lurking around the WaveMaker Development community for a while now. But It never occurred me to tell others about it. But the fact that they released the WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio™ version 3.1.1, it is time to tell. It is a drag and drop assembly of scalable, web-applications using Ajax widgets, web services and databases. Trust me it was never easy for moi, to do those Ajax stuff, (look at this blog) ;0

If you want one more reason, there is a offer for 1GB Flash drive if you get through the tutorial and answer some questions.

Here is the company press release.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - February 27, 2008 - WaveMaker™ today announced the release of its WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio™ version 3.1.1 for building Enterprise Web 2.0 applications. WaveMaker’s Visual Ajax Studio lets users create database-driven Ajax Web applications without having to write complex code. New WaveMaker features significantly reduce development time while enabling increased participation, feedback and collaboration.

“WaveMaker is introducing a new era of point and click Web 2.0 development,” said Christopher Keene, chief executive officer at WaveMaker. “For the first time, mere mortal developers can build Java Web applications. We see this as a huge market and the first credible alternative to ASP.NET for casual application developers.”

WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio 3.1.1 now offers automatic form generation which reduces the time required to construct a form-based Web application to just seconds. This new feature treats forms as reusable widgets, making it easier to migrate from legacy client/server applications, such as Microsoft Access, Lotus Notes and Oracle Forms, to a standards-based, Ajax Web application. With WaveMaker, developers and IT managers can embrace innovative Web 2.0 technologies while adhering to the architectural, security and data policies of the CIO.

Additionally, the WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio 3.1.1 and the WaveMaker Rapid Deployment Framework 3.1.1 are now available under the open source GNU AGPL version 3 license as well as a WaveMaker commercial license. With the addition of the AGPL license, WaveMaker continues its commitment to open source and open standards, eliminating vendor lock while enabling developers and enterprises to choose the license that best meets their needs.

New features of WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio 3.1.1 include:

• Automatic Form Generation creates Web-based forms from a database table in a matter of seconds
• Extensible Palettes allow developers to add custom widgets to a palette within the Studio
• Developer Community Registration is now built into the Studio
• Dual license policy offers developers and enterprises the choice of an open source license (AGPL v3) or a commercial license
• DB2 is now a tested and supported database
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 is now a tested and supported browser
• Numerous bug fixes and improvements to widgets

Availability
For more information on enterprise support or to download WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio 3.1.1, please visit http://wavemaker.com.

Note, for more information on the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPL), please visit http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html.


tag: WaveMaker, Ajax Tools, Ajax widgets, web services, WaveMaker Visual Ajax Studio™ version 3.1.1, Enterprise Web 2.0

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White might have erred in WikiLeaks site case.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White issued a document late Thursday suggesting he might have erred last week when he signed an order that took down the WikiLeaks site and also locked "the WikiLeaks.org domain name to prevent transfer of the domain name to a different domain registrar."

A hearing on the issue is scheduled for Friday morning in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

Complete report here

EFF Sues DOJ Over Horvath and Google

Newsblog is covering information about lawsuit between EFF, The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the DOJ,Department of Justice.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice seeking information about communications between a former top privacy official,Jane Horvath and Google, which eventually hired the official.


tag: EFF, google, DOJ

European Union Regulators Fines Microsoft Corp. 899 Million Euros ($1.35 billion)

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- European Union regulators fined Microsoft Corp. a record 899 million euros ($1.35 billion) for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order to stop overcharging for using its patents to connect to Windows.

``Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision,'' European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement today in Brussels. ``I hope that today's decision closes a dark chapter in Microsoft's record of non-compliance.''

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, announced last week that it will help competitors' software work better with some products, such as Office, in an effort to allay EU regulators' concerns over its dominance. While today's ruling ends the 2004 antitrust case, for which the company was fined the previous record 497 million euros, the EU has two new investigations under way over Microsoft's business practices.

Bloomberg report

tag: Microsoft, Anti-Competitive, EU, EU regulators, patents

Firefox 3 Beta 3 is now available for download

Firefox 3 Beta 3 is now available for download. But you are warned that this is beta software and to pay attention to the fact. So if you are a developer or a tester it is your piece of cake. Others should perhaps wait out a little.

That said the new version has a lot of new features and improvements. Following are the information on Mozilla site.

New features and changes in this milestone that require feedback include:

• Improved security features such as: better presentation of website identity and security including support for Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates, malware protection, stricter SSL error pages, anti-virus integration in the download manager.
• Improved ease of use through: easier add-on discovery and installation, improved download manager search and progress indication in the status bar, resumable downloading, full page zoom, and better integration with Windows Vista, Mac OS X and Linux.
• Richer personalization through: one-click bookmarking, smart bookmark folders, location bar that uses an algorithm based on site visit recency and frequency (called “frecency”) to provide better matches against your history and bookmarks for URLs and page titles, ability to register web applications as protocol handlers, and better customization of download actions for file types.
• Improved platform features such as: new graphics and font rendering architecture, JavaScript 1.8, major changes to the HTML rendering engine to provide better CSS, float-, and table layout support, native web page form controls, colour profile management, and offline application support.
• Performance improvements such as: better data reliability for user profiles, architectural improvements to speed up page rendering, over 350 memory leak fixes, a new XPCOM cycle collector to reduce entire classes of leaks, and reductions in the memory footprint.

tag: firefox, firefox 3 beta 3, frecency, XPCOM

Get Ready For Micro-Hoo, Ya!

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — A Microsoft executive on Friday sent workers an upbeat email outlining a vision of how the software giant expects to take over Yahoo and merge the companies' cultures and resources.

Yahoo spurned Microsoft's 44.6-billion-dollar bid for the veteran Internet firm on February 11. Microsoft is reportedly planning a hostile takeover bid if Yahoo's board of directors doesn't change its mind.

In a message to employees, Microsoft platform and services division president Kevin Johnson shared "a perspective of the process going forward."

"We look forward to a constructive dialogue with Yahoo's board, management, shareholders, and employees on the value of this combination and its strategic and financial merits," Johnson wrote.

"Once Yahoo and Microsoft agree on a transaction, we can begin the integration planning process in parallel with the regulatory review."

If Yahoo capitulates, the transaction would likely close in the second half of this year, according to Johnson.

The email is a tactic from the playbook of Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang, whose messages urging employees and stock holders to have faith in the company and its board have gone public after being filed with US regulators.

Johnson's missive comes on the same day that pension funds for Detroit city workers filed a civil suit charging Yahoo with betraying its duty to stockholders by resisting Microsoft's advances.

In an effort to avoid being gobbled up by Microsoft, the struggling Internet firm has reportedly explored alliances with Google, Time Warner-owned America On Line, and social networking website MySpace owned by News Corp.

Some Yahoo stock holders in California are suing the firm for not accepting an offer Microsoft made to buy Yahoo early last year, when the stock price was higher.

Microsoft is currently offering a combination cash and stock deal initially valued at 31 dollars per share but which fluctuates with the price of Microsoft shares.

Yahoo's board is said to believe the company is worth at least 40 dollars per share, a price that would drive up Microsoft's cost by more than 10 billion dollars.

Microsoft is adamant its offer is "full and fair" and argues that the merger would create a needed and "compelling" alternative in an online search and advertising market ruled by Google.

"I have personally met with top executives of the major media companies, and I know there is a desire for more competition in search and online advertising," Johnson wrote.

Google has condemned Microsoft's takeover bid as an attack on the freedom of the Internet.

While not promising that a merger would not result in the elimination of redundant jobs, Johnson said Microsoft wants to hold on to top talent and is so large it can absorb people in other parts of its operation.

In an effort to keep Yahoo employees from bailing out in the face of a Microsoft takeover, Johnson promised "significant rewards and compensation" will be given to workers at a combined company.

Johnson brushed aside speculation that Microsoft's historically stuffy corporate culture would clash with Yahoo's relaxed, playful California style.

"We would have an opportunity to bring together the best of both companies," Johnson wrote.

"Some aspects of the two cultures will naturally merge quickly and some will remain unique in the near-term and merge more slowly over time."

Yahoo would remain in Silicon Valley, where Microsoft has a campus, according to Johnson. Microsoft's headquarters is in Redmond, Washington.

Until a deal is cut, Microsoft employees should treat Yahoo workers as rivals, not budding workmates, the email urged.

"It's important that Microsoft employees not speculate with Yahoo employees about the proposal or about what a deal would mean for the combined company," Johnson wrote.

"Prior to the close of the transaction, we must continue to compete with Yahoo as before."

tag: Microsoft, Yahoo, take over Yahoo, 44.6-billion-dollar bid,

AdSense for video, beta, Debuts

Google AdSense for Video beta has extended its advertisements into video medium. We all watch videos online one way or another and like any other medium, this is a good way for advertisers to promote their products and for consumers, another avenue to gain knowledge about products that match with their life styles.
"We have two major goals: to make it easier for publishers to monetize video online, and for advertisers to learn how to reach the video community. Towards these ends, today we're also launching a single destination with an overview of various options to expand online video opportunities called Google Video Advertising Solutions. We hope this will be your starting point to understand how to leverage the Google Content Network and YouTube to make the most out of the online video experience. You can also see our overview videos for advertisers and publishers -- because isn’t video the best way to experience video?

We've been working with a number of video partners (e.g. popular destinations like BobVila.com, eHow, MyDamnChannel, ExpertVillage, PinkBike, TheNewsRoom, and social video aggregators like Revver, blip.tv, and GodTube). And we're also working with several key video platform solution solutions like Brightcove, Yume, Tremor Media, and Eyespot Network, who have plugged our ads into their platforms."
Official Google Blog: AdSense for video now in beta
tag: google, adsense, AdSense for video, youtube

Vista SP1, Server 2008 RTMs leaked

February 6, 2008 (Computerworld) Paying customers may not get their hands on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) for weeks, but pirates can download the brand-new code today, according to searches at several BitTorrent trackers.

The RTM, or release to manufacturing, versions of both operating systems can easily be found on BitTorrent tracker sites such as Pirate Bay, which has made them available since yesterday.

tag: Vista SP1, Server 2008 RTM, BitTorrent