Google Chrome

Google recently launched its much awaited Browser Solution called "CHROME"; A report suggested that with in 4 days of it launching it captured close to 1% of the market share. Internet Explorer still continues to lead the market with close to 72% Market Share.

A lot people are keen to figure out how Chrome stands out vis a vis its competitors. Here is a Video which helps answer some of those questions.


Romit Dasgupta
Director - Technology
Globsyn Group

note: if the video does not load at first, keep re loading till it does.

SOA is the latest buzz-acronym for "Service-Oriented Architecture."

What is SOA?

SOA is not a technology or something you install. It is a concept, or rather an approach to modelling your system, and one that is different from the standard client/server model you may be used to. As opposed to large, proprietary applications that do everything, SOA is a design meant to try to integrate numerous and diverse software applications with common interfaces, in the name of code reuse/maintainability, and adaptibility. The notion of using a group of independent applications to accomplish a shared task is also sometimes referred to as grid computing.Everyone knows that "Web Services" are one of the hottest things lately. An SOA is essentially a collection of such services, communicating with one another, generally through XML. (Of course I am over-simplifying things: SOA can involve any kind of self-contained service communicating in any way.)SOA is not specific to any technology, indeed every "family" of technologies has its own SOA solution, and usually you can mix-and-match your own. However, open-source XML-based technologies such as BPEL, SOAP and WSDL are very commonly used.

By,

S.S.Baidya

Globsyn Business School

The future of Social Networking – V 3.0

Several studies have shown, that the concept of social networks has existed for several decades. The concept stems from the fact, that people are social beings, and their ability to work in social groups to create value, is their biggest asset. In 1954, J. A. Barnes popularized the term by using it to denote systematic pattern between two nodes. In the early 1990’s Internet was born, and that gave the concept of Social Networks a whole new definition.

Social Networking 1.0, focused mostly on establishing virtual connections between people , creating “Social Graphs”. Last few years have seen an emergence of Social Networking 2.0, where the priority has shifted from Connections between people to Content. We have seen the emergence of rich media sharing, RSS feeds, digital whiteboards, custom API’s, podcasts etc. The future, Social Networking 3.0 however, would see social networking being used as a technology (SNT) rather than a product or a service.

The future of Social Networks would see custom tools (API’s) being built for specific Interest group Networks. For example, a Business Networking Portal like Konnects.com might have a Business Lead Generation Tool, where as a Shelfari.com which is a social network for Book lovers, might see a tool to track authors and their recent releases.

Having said that, there are a few tools, which would form the basis for all Social Networks of tomorrow. Here are few TRENDS for Social Networks of tomorrow:

a) Smart Profile (Social or Professional) – Profiles form the introduction of individuals on all networks. Currently none of the social networking sites allow individuals to export their profiles for other networks. In the future, there might be opportunities to export and import profiles between networks.

b) Dynamic Buddy list (Social or Professional) – Segmented buddy lists would also get created. They would be divided in two broad areas, first Social Buddies, second Professional Buddies. Once again these could be imported or exported.

c) Real Time Collaborations – TEXT/VOIP/VIDEO based collaboration tools.

d) Integration with mobile devices – This would be a must for social networks of tomorrow simply because a user spends more time with a mobile device than a laptop or a PC. Also the reach is much higher (in some markets)

e) Ability to create niche stand alone networks – both in the professional and social front. Today, there are very few companies which are offering that. (Ning.com offers that for Social Space where as Konnects.com offers that for the professional space)

f) Custom API’s & Widgets – custom API’s - widgets would play a very important role in dressing up a social network of tomorrow. Companies like Facebook and Google (Open Social) have already taken a lead in this area.

g) Media Sharing & Interaction – Real Time Sharing of Rich and Lean media with interaction tools would also dominate the market. Specially in the area of Learning and Education.

By:
Romit Dasgupta
(Director, Globsyn Group)

What to expect from Web 3.0

Any veteran of the software industry will tell you that version 2.0 of any product tends to be a short-lived staging post on the way to 3.0, which is where it finally hits the mark. There is a possibility that Web 2.0 also turns out to be just a staging post on the way to a much more mature and durable Web 3.0 and it is going to deliver a new generation of business applications. There could be some new players like WebEx, WebSideStory, NetSuite etc. along with the old players like Google, Amazon etc. As with any shift from one generation to the next, there's plenty of scope for new leaders to emerge.

One thing about Web 3.0 is that it isn't just about shopping, entertainment and search. It's also going to deliver a new generation of business applications that will see business computing converge on the same fundamental on-demand architecture as consumer applications.

The Web 3.0 is divided into three (and a half) distinct layers: API services, Aggregation services, Application services, Serviced clients (half layer).

To read the full article click here.

What is Open Office and How do I use it ?

Open Office is an Open source software, which is absolutely FREE for all to use. To make things easier it is also compatible with Microsoft Office Suite.

Contributed by:

Romit Dasgupta

note: if the video does not load at first, keep re loading till it does.

New funding values LinkedIn at $1 billion

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - LinkedIn, an online destination for professional networking, raised $53 million from investors in a fourth round of financing, giving the company an estimated valuation of just over $1 billion, LinkedIn Chief Executive Dan Nye said.
Private equity firm Bain Capital's Bain Capital Ventures led the investment round, and LinkedIn's existing investors, venture capital firms Sequoia Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners and Greylock Partners also put in money, the company said.
Jeffrey Glass, Venture Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, said the $1 billion valuation is a "big number if you think about it in absolute terms."
But Bain felt comfortable with its calculation given LinkedIn's popularity and the growth opportunities that lie ahead, Glass said. "We... feel like we'll make a nice set of multiples on our money."
A handful of Web 2.0 start-ups, providing people innovative ways to interact online, have recently secured high valuations.

Source: Reuters

Full Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN1625440420080618

Comments :

A lot of us would find the valuations of Social Networks creeping up while the general market is at a Low. Ever wondered why it is so? In my personal opinion, I feel that social networks will revolutionize the future of Search Technology.

Social Networks have already started making a move from being associated with “products” to being a “technology”. Very soon, We would hear people say, “This product is built using Social Networking Technology”

On a Philosophical note, life is all about who knows who, i.e Personal Networks. Very often we hear people giving their Introduction by qualifying their personal connections. This is exactly what Social Networks have done. In years to come, I expect to see more “focus group” networks than general purpose networks. It’s a space that every youngster should watch out for. Just remember that Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook while he was still a student at Harvard.
He was a teenager then, and today 4 years later, Facebook is valued at over 15 Billion US Dollars…

Romit Dasgupta

(Globsyn Business School)

Who Will Rule The New Internet?

It's been riveting to watch three of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley—each representing a fundamental phase of the information era—battle it out. Apple, Google and Facebook are, respectively, an icon from the pioneering days of personal computers; the biggest, most profitable company yet born on the Web; and a feisty upstart whose name is synonymous with the current migration to social networks.

In many ways, these companies are technology's standard-bearers, though their guiding philosophies differ. Google, for instance, advocates an "open" Web and tends to push for open standards and alliances among developers. Facebook, with its gated community of 70 million active users, offers a more controlled experience and, so far at least, wants to keep its users safely within its walls. Apple comes from the old world. Its elegant products cocoon customers from the chaos of the information age, but the Apple experience tends to be highly controlled, with Apple hardware at the end points and Apple software and services, like the iTunes Music Store, in between.

The winners of the platform wars stand to make billions selling devices, selling eyeballs to advertisers, selling services such as music, movies, even computer power on demand. Yet the outcome here is far more important than who makes the most money. The future of the Internet—how we get information, how we communicate with one another and, most important, who controls it—is at stake.

source: an excerpt from CNN.com

Full Article : www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1811814,00.html