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Microsoft's revolutionary positioning of Windows functionality continues with the introduction of native support for ISO and VHD Files in Windows 8. According to the 'Building Windows 8' blog, the next version of the OS billed for launch 2012 will let users open and view ISO and VHD files without the need for  third-party ISO utilities, which prior versions of Windows had required users to burn an ISO file to a CD or DVD before the program stored in that file format can be installed.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) file is a disc image composed of the data contents of the written sector of an optical disc. ISO image includes all the files contained on the archived CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disc. While, VHD files are virtual hard disk files used to store applications or an entire operating system.

These important storage formats (ISO and VHD) makes it relatively easy to store the ever increasing amount of data without the fear running out of capacity. While, the general usage is mostly in media, they are also useful as files within a file system. The facilities are especially handy for portability of system settings or to play back snapshot of a system.

The next version of Microsoft's OS, Windows 8, will allow users to read the contents by automatically creating a virtual disk drive of the file. It works as follows: Simply select 'mount' from the enhanced Explorer ribbon or double click on the file, a new drive is created, indicating that the contents are now readily accessible. And contents can be installed directly by clicking on the drive in Windows Explorer.

The ISO 'mount' feature definitely comes in handy for mobile device users, as data storage remains a critical requirement for tablets and other mobile devices.

Native Support For ISO And VHD Files

Tracking users online activities has taken a new dimension with the latest web tracking technologies, albeit, evading browser privacy add-on. The recent report on 'SuperCookies', extensively employed on MSN homepage to track users activities, had again brought to the fore the incessant concern on online privacy.

Microsoft admittedly employs ETag cookies to track the online behavior of visitors on its homepage; activities especially beneficial to its ads serving campaigns.

A group of researchers had earlier made available a white paper on their findings in relation to the above lines: whereby, many popular websites were circumventing users privacy settings by deliberately restoring previously deleted HTTP cookies using local storage outside the control of the browser.

The findings in part, iterated the porousness of most browser privacy settings, allowing persistent tracking of users, even when such users had taken steps to avoid web profiling.

The tracking vectors assessed in the report included the following: Flash cookies, HTML 5 local storage and Cache Cookies via ETags.

ETags, according to the report, represent tokens by a users browser to a remote web server in order to determine whether a given resource had changed since its last profiling. The Cache cookie method used ETags, and is still capable of unique tracking, even when all cookies are blocked by user and 'Private Browsing Mode' is enabled.

The safe web initiative must above-all call to respect the 'do not track' status of users, and necessary legislation put in place to check its default.

Web Tracking: Next On The Watch List

The Mozilla browser, Firefox, is perhaps notable for extensive add-on features which have greatly enhanced the open-source browser. However, malware programs have taken advantage of the feature to self-install on users PC thereby infiltrating such systems.

Mozilla in response to security threats posed by aggressive add-on that find there way into the browser without  users permission have scheduled two new features for launch in Firefox 8. The new features will serve basically two functions: The first been automatic disabling of add-on added to Firefox by other programs. And secondly, it kicks in at the initial Firefox run after upgrading to Firefox 8, and goes through programs installed and sort them into two categories: Self-installed add-on and user installed. While, on initial Firefox start after an add-on has been installed, a notification window prompts users to either activate or ignore such add-on.

The feature, additionally, will offer a confirmation lists of add-on you have ignored as another level of security. While, all third party add-on will be automatically de-activated unless you choose otherwise.

According to Mozilla blog post, about one and half million add-ons are downloaded daily, whilst some may booster performance and others, on the other hand hampers same.

Mozilla Firefox 8 is currently running on the Firefox nightly channel, but reports has it that its billed to move to the Aurora developer's build next week. And all things been equal, Firefox 8 may reach the stable channel around late September.

Firefox Add-On To Be Checked

The much expected search innovation, Instant Pages, announced by Google mid June is now live on the latest stable version of  Chrome 13, according to the Chrome Blog.  The Instant Search feature in Chrome renders top search results pages on Google even before a user clicks.

Chrome search page-rendering element begins from the top search results, where a user will likely click-on, its predictive-input, albeit not 100% accurate, definitely makes a top choice. The pages under the 'Instant Page' feature appears to load faster than without it, invariably meaning sacrificing accuracy for speed.

But, how much faster? Google had made available a video comparison of Chrome with and without the Instant Page feature on YouTube.

However, users that are worried about bandwidth cost can disable the feature by navigating to the tab settings/advanced and uncheck the 'predict network actions to improve page load performance' box.

Chrome's Omnibox, a combination of search box and address bar feature, is now even more smarter in the latest version. It now allows easier back and forth movement on pages visited.

The fact that Google is highly obsessed with speed remains visible in this search innovation. Also, following on the heels of its recently announced war against slow websites.

Chrome 13 Arrives With Instant Pages

The Facebook's Skype deal may perhaps have triggered a new trend in video calling consumptions on the web, coupled with the current Google's Project, Google Plus (Google+). Bringing the social experience to the fore, Facebook within the week, announced its Video Calling Feature, and also a new chat interface enabling Group Chat option.

Facebook Video calling was made possible by a Skype plug-in, which is downloadable on-demand with a single permission, allowing a user to launch a video chat session with another user in just 2 clicks. The recipient, however, can answer without having the Skype software installed.

Although, the much hyped Google Plus has promised a group video calling capability, comprising a maximum of 10 people, Facebook's new Video Calling feature maintains one-on-one calling for now. However, the likelihood of upgrading to a conference calling capability much later was declared possible according to report credited to Mark Zuckerberg.

The Group Chat feature, on the other hand, makes it possible for group assembly and interaction on the social network.

The current trends have pointed to apps as the driving force in the social networking innovations, which means that users experience and satisfaction will invariably depend on what is built on the platform, rather than the platform itself.

Next Trends: Group Chat And Video Calling

The latest project on Google's portfolio, Google+, has promised a more connected and realtime social experience, invariably intensifying its footprint on the social circle. Albeit, some early reviewers have termed it, a take-on on Facebook, its rather more a collaborative platform, intending to bring realtime sharing across the social networking platforms.

Google Plus is designed along what it calls plus circles, a realtime social interaction circle, that will allow users to selectively share information with specific groups, rather than all social connections. It also features a web conferencing option, in which up to 10 people can join.

It will incorporate web content on various topics, allowing users to subscribe through a feature known as Spark. And users can create custom categories, also share contents with friends.

Google Plus, 'Huddle' feature will automatically turn conversations into group chat. Amidst the cluster of information, however, will be the Cloud storage facility available for users photos and group chats, with an instant upload capability.

Google definitely is not a newcomer in the social circle, as its Buzz service has been briskly successful. But, how it will implement this new platform, against the ever increasing privacy issues remains to be seen. The company have commenced a total revamp on its page looks and feel, which will continue over the next few months, as it introduce a 'What Do You Love?' (www.wdyl.com) page.

Google Plus (Google+): Realtime Social?

Microsoft's radical shift in Windows 8 programming foundation has perhaps heralded the much awaited next generation of web applications development, albeit, presenting a credible challenge to the Google initiated WebGL project, an open-source cross-platform API intended to provide support for hardware graphics acceleration on the web.

Chrome requires hardware graphics acceleration to compete effectively with Internet Explorer, which introduced same in IE9 through Windows DirectX Graphics API.

The introduction of WebGL in Google Chrome 9 enabled the experience of high quality 3D direct on the browser. Microsoft dismissed the new technology citing its open vulnerability to attacks, given instance being the report posted on its Security Research & Defense Blog.

The next-gen Windows will allow developers build native apps with the same technologies employed for web application development, a possibility Microsoft has termed, 'Tailored Apps'. The Windows 8 'tailored apps' will employ: HTML (for describing web pages), CSS (for formatting) and JavaScript (for executing programs), all browser interfaces that run web programming.

Tailored Apps, unlike desktop apps, will make use of browser engines - higher level interface, possible reason for the change is to make room for the mobile web convergence as the new Windows code best support processor independence. However, the immediate challenge will be on how developers falls into the plan, how programmer can quickly churn-out tailored apps.

Next-Gen Apps: Windows 8 Challenge

Internet search technology invariably means instant information, hence the search giant, Google has enabled 'Instant' on all its search products: Instant Search, Instant Pages, Instant Image Search and Instant Availability in 32 languages. The latest addition being the introduction of Instant Pages, whose announcement follows at the Google Inside Search Event holding today in San Francisco.

Instant pages, automates query to open results nearly instantly, allowing a pop up to the given search page. The average time taken normally to launch a page under Google search is 5 seconds, whereas, the new feature takes only 3.2 seconds at most.

Google Instant has also been extended to Image Search, enabling instant change of images as your enter search queries.  

Google's lead in the search technology front is one that can never be questioned, with incessant churning of search innovations. Albeit, that Microsoft and Yahoo have combined their search technologies to challenge the Google advances, no tangible headway has been achieved.

The new features will be available starting this week on the Chrome beta, however, Mobile search version will follow soon.

Instant Search Everywhere - Google

The fact that Microsoft has shifted its tent in favor of the new coding tool, HTML5 is no longer news.The evidence even now more pronounce as it demos the next version of its operating system Windows 8 at the recent D9 conference, signaling its intent to switching Windows coding to HTML5 and JavaScript.

The signal observed through an app in Windows 8 written exclusively with the new developer standard HTML5, pin-points to the trend. Windows 8 will run a new API, that will not require writing web-pages to use.Given an instance in which Windows developers, already used to the traditional programming tools of Visual basic, .Net, among others, will have to employ HTML5 and JavaScript, portends a horrid reaction from such turn.

Albeit, that the specification of the emerging coding tool, HTML5 are still awaiting finalization. How developers would embrace tools termed less capable, renouncing their current platforms, may well put Windows developers at lurch.

Microsoft, earlier made available the F12 HTML tools in Internet Explorer, but until generally accepted a tooling for HTML5 on that platform, the traditional tools remains indispensable.

Definitely, Microsoft's ultimate aim of weaning developers off traditional Windows tools, perhaps will have to wait, at least for now. Microsoft's support for Silverlight will continue, and not just as a browser plug-in, among other things.

Traditional Programming Tools Exit?

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