Category: Articles (page 1 of 1)

November 10, 2022

BlackBerry Debuts Cyber Threat Intelligence Service

BlackBerry has launched a new Cyber Threat Intelligence Service. The announcement was made at the BlackBerry Security Summit, a yearly conference. The service will provide proactive threat detection and analysis. It will also help organizations protect their networks from cyberattacks. The service is available to all BlackBerry customers.

CylanceGATEWAY ZTNA-as-a-Service solution

BlackBerry Limited has partnered with CylanceGATEWAY to provide zero-trust network access tools and security controls. The ZTNA-as-a-service solution incorporates endpoint security and a comprehensive AI-based cybersecurity solution. This solution will help businesses limit access to known and trusted users. The new service will also include a new BlackBerry Partner Program, which allows XXX MSSPs to offer cyber security services to SMBs. In addition, it will provide unique training for partners and a new pricing model that includes incentives.

The new service is based on BlackBerry’s gateway, acquired from Cylance in 2019. It uses machine learning algorithms to authenticate users and limit access to only authorized applications. The service also enables secure network connectivity for remote workforces. It protects critical assets from unauthorized users and improves overall risk posture. It hides apps and infrastructure from the public to minimize attack surface areas.

BlackBerry ZTNA-as-a-service is a cloud-native cyber threat intelligence service that continuously monitors network traffic for threats. It has various security features, including endpoint and network telemetry, a data loss detection module, and enhanced network anomaly detection. Additionally, it offers global network access and application logging.

The new solution is equipped with AI-based Blackberry models trained on trillions of data points, several years of threat data, and the ability to detect zero-day phishing attacks and lateral movement attempts. Its capabilities also include integration with Microsoft Office 365 cloud service.

Unlike traditional VPNs, ZTNA-as-a-service solutions are cloud-based and can be deployed quickly and easily. They are available from an AWS marketplace and can be configured to meet your needs. These cloud-based solutions enable organizations to use ZTNA as-a-Service without the expense of additional IT resources.

CylanceGATEWAY — Zero Trust Network Access

BlackBerry’s acquisitions

BlackBerry’s acquisition of cyber threat intelligence services is part of a larger strategy to expand its cybersecurity services and software offering. Those services include vulnerability assessment, threat detection, incident response analysis, forensic services, and training and regulatory compliance. BlackBerry also acquired the cyber security consulting firm Encryption Limited. Its clients include Fortune 500 companies and state and federal agencies.

BlackBerry has recently made several acquisitions, including the cybersecurity firm Cylance. This latest acquisition is the largest in company history, costing $1.4 billion. It also shows that the company is moving away from smartphones and is focusing more on enterprise cybersecurity. Although BlackBerry still relies on BlackBerry devices for enterprise spankbang security deals, the acquisition of Cylance indicates that it is shifting its focus away from devices and towards services.

Adding Cylance to its portfolio gives BlackBerry access to an advanced security platform, which it can deploy inside its current platforms. BlackBerry also hopes to add more channel revenue through the acquisition. The company says it will report to Chen. In addition to purchasing Cylance, BlackBerry also acquired the embedded operating system Cylance, which is now used in 120 million cars worldwide.

The new services are part of a larger strategy to improve the security of mobile devices.

With a portfolio that includes BlackBerry security and anti-malware solutions, the company hopes to keep customers safe from cyber threats and prevent data breaches. In addition, through its acquisition of Cylance, BlackBerry can now deliver more advanced cyber security and malware protection for its customers.

Threat intelligence helps businesses detect and counter cyber attacks. The information is helpful to security analysts, which allows them to investigate security incidents faster. It also empowers defenders with better decisions. The BlackBerry Cyber Sexverhalen Threat Intelligence service offers the ability to analyze the threats that companies face and make informed decisions based on the intelligence collected.

The two companies also plan to leverage BlackBerry’s Jarvis software composition analysis tool to help OEMs secure their IoT software supply chains. The service will offer actionable intelligence for IoT software supply chains and bill of materials analysis. With this information, Equipment Manufacturers will have better security plans.

Recorded Future

BlackBerry Limited has launched a cyber threat intelligence service to protect mobile devices from cyber attacks. This service will enable organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity posture, streamline workflows, and ensure business resilience. It will include new capabilities to analyze endpoint, network, and user telemetry. It will also enable organizations to monitor application and data access patterns.

The service is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. It identifies and blocks cyber threats. It also tracks global cybersecurity trends and prominent cyber threat actors. The service also includes tools to detect malware. BlackBerry’s cybersecurity experts will follow and block cyber attacks to protect businesses and organizations.

The company will also launch Advanced Technology Development Labs to focus on cybersecurity research. This group will be led by the company’s CTO and will include over 120 security experts, researchers, and software developers. Initially, the Labs will focus on machine-learning approaches to security. They will also work with existing business units to build solutions.

BlackBerry Cylance CylanceGUARD | AISecurityWorks.com.au

BlackBerry’s new service will be available in December for a quarterly subscription fee.

It will help companies to protect their data and make better decisions. The new service will be available for commercial organizations that want to stay ahead of the latest threats. It will help companies protect their data and save resources.

The new service will offer a single-pane view of critical security issues. It includes three security platforms: CylanceProtect, CylanceOptics, and CylanceGuard. It will also feature data leakage detection and visibility. It will also offer granular access control.

Threat Intelligence is a vital component of the security stack for many companies. It can increase the quality of alerts and reduce the time IT security experts spend triaging alerts. As a result, the market for threat intelligence is growing steadily and is expected to reach $15 billion by 2026. One of the biggest providers of threat intelligence is Recorded Future. Its Intelligence Cloud platform includes automatic analytics, search capabilities, and real-time threat response.

Cyber threats to businesses and governments are becoming more sophisticated. As a result, it’s vital to protect against them. The new service will help ensure that companies remain secure.

Silobreaker

Silobreaker provides comprehensive and contextualized analysis of unstructured data from millions of sources. By analyzing the relationships between cyber threats, their targets, vulnerabilities, and exploits, the solution helps professionals understand the context behind specific threats and proactively protect their networks. In addition, its technology makes it easy to identify and investigate threat actors, companies, and threats across the web.

The service is offered by BlackBerry Limited. The company announced the new Cyber Threat Intelligence product during its annual Security Summit. It was developed in partnership with AmiViz, a global cybersecurity company. Its roadshows were attended by hundreds of CIOs, CISOs, IT Heads, and senior executives from various industries.

Rome, Italy. Colosseum Also Known As Flavian Amphitheatre. Traffic In Rome Near Famous World Landmark In Evening Time. Famous World Landmark UNESCO

April 27, 2022

Italy Government Will Give Out Subsidy to Electric Car Buyers

In July, the Italian government increased the subsidies for electric cars due to the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic. The donations ranged from 6,000 euros to 10,000 euros for new electric vehicles with combustion engines scrapped. As a result, the current subsidy for PHEVs is lower than the summer subsidy. The 6,000 euro PHEV subsidy will no longer be available. However, the increased subsidies are likely to be back in effect soon.

6,000-euro subsidy

As part of an initiative to reduce carbon emissions, the government of Italy is offering subsidies to buyers of hybrids or electric cars with CO2 emissions between 21 and 60 g/km. The subsidies are available to buyers of new hybrid or electric vehicles and people who scrap an old vehicle. The money will be reimbursed to those who scrap a car. The government has set aside 65 million euros for these subsidies.

The Italian government has recently increased the subsidy rates for electric and chaturbate hybrid cars. Previously, the government had offered subsidies of up to 6,000 euros for purely electric vehicles with scrapped combustion engines. This new scheme will likely help the economy recover from the current economic crisis. In addition to the subsidy increase, the government will be giving PHEV buyers a further 10,000 euros in exchange for scrapping their old combustion engines.

In addition to these subsidies, the Italian government also offers assistance for cars with efficient combustion engines. These subsidies could add up to EUR2,500 for buyers. At the same time, those who opt for an efficient combustion-engine vehicle could get up to EUR1,250 to scrap their old vehicle. Other countries offer similar incentives for new electric cars. Still, the United States government has been running into legal trouble from trading partners because it subsidizes domestic vehicles.

As part of its plan to drive towards zero-emission mobility, the Italian government offers subsidies to buy hybrid electric cars. These subsidies will cover up to 45,000 euros and up to 2,500 euros in other cases. The incentives will also extend to buyers of new Euro-VI-compliant cars. So, if you’re considering buying an electric vehicle, now is the time to make the switch.

Exemption from annual ownership tax

The government has stepped up incentives for buying an electric car in Italy, giving buyers a seventy-five percent reduction on the tax rate. For the next five years, owners of plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles will be tax-free in Italy. Additionally, owners of these cars may enjoy free parking in ZTL zones or free circulation in urban areas. These incentives will remain in place through 2021, with new incentives coming into play.

During this reform, electric car buyers will receive a EUR30 tax bonus per year. The annual tax bonus can be extended up to five years, depending on their situation. It will be available for the first registration of an electric vehicle between June 2020 and 2024. In addition to this, the government also extended the existing exemption for electric cars, making the new rules valid until December 2025.

The tax benefit will then expand to December 2030.

While the government has introduced new policies supporting the EV industry, subsidies are still limited. In Italy, for example, a donation for electric cars of up to 6,000 euros is available. However, other incentives are available, including a 2,000-euro contribution linked to the scrapping of a polluting combustion-engine vehicle. But for now, these incentives are not enough to encourage buyers. EVs must reach out broadly and educate more users to ensure that they get the recognition they deserve.

Another significant incentive is the tax on EVs. The tax reduces from seventy percent to twenty-three percent of the vehicle’s cost. Besides the tax reduction, the new legislation also allows drivers to install 100kW Lupoporno chargers at their homes. Additionally, homeowners who cannot establish charge points can get a EUR20000 home installation grant. Businesses in Italy can also benefit from tax relief by investing in a hybrid or electric vehicles. However, the amount of financial assistance per company is EUR80,000.

Tax deduction for EV charging structures

In Italy, businesses can take advantage of a tax deduction for EV charging infrastructure. Companies can claim a EUR3,000 tax deduction for the cost of a charging station. The incentives designed to promote EV ownership and increase the use of electric vehicles in the country. In addition, the government has a program called Eco-Bonus, which

subsidizes charging infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 and mandates that all ICE vehicles change to electric cars.

In Italy, EV charging infrastructure can be purchased and installed for private, commercial, or public parking. Businesses can claim a tax deduction of up to 50 percent for this investment. Housing organizations can claim a tax deduction of 35 percent, or up to ninety thousand euros if they install EV charging stations. However, the tax deduction will reduce to 30 percent by 2023. However, suppose the charging infrastructure is digitally connected to a management system. In that case, a tax deduction is up to EUR1,500 for each charging point and taxpayer.

Moreover, governments also offer incentives to encourage EV adoption. For instance, a tax deduction of 75 percent of an EV charging infrastructure costs is available to individuals who buy or lease a new EV. The tax benefit is available for EVs in the private and public sectors. In Italy, tax deductions for EV charging infrastructure include public parking, toll fees, and ferries.

List price limit for PHEVs

While many different incentives are available to encourage EV ownership, the federal EV infrastructure tax credit applies to commercial and residential EV charging infrastructure in Germany, Amaporn, France, and Austria. However, this tax credit is non-refundable and cannot be used to increase overall tax refunds. It may be worth considering investing in EV charging infrastructure in Italy. In Italy, you can benefit from this program and save money on parking fees.

In Italy, the government has created an incentive program that pays residents for installing an EV charging structure. It provides 75 percent of the installation costs. The grant is available to all residents. However, you must complete your installation by 31 March 2022 to qualify. Once your installation is complete, submit your claim to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. In addition, residents in rental properties must submit their claims by 30 April 2022.

From 1 January 2022, the minimum range for PHEVs will increase to 60 km. In addition, these vehicles must also be less than 50g CO2/100km to be eligible for the state subsidy. Some models are already beyond this limit, however. Luckily, these new regulations will only affect a few types of heavy vehicles, which have the same issues with emissions and range as PHEVs.

March 19, 2022

NEW Amazon Web Services Office in Athens, Greece

The Minister of Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis, attended the inauguration of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) office in Athens this week. The Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, Development and Investment, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have signed a strategic mission statement that will support the creation of a vibrant, sustainable, competitive, and innovative space hub in Greece as a key to the planning part. National digital transformation goals. With this in mind, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the opening of the Athens office. Also, the Athens office to strengthen the commitment to investing in and responding to the growing customer base in Greece.

Specifically, as part of AWS’s ongoing investment in Greece to support better new customers looking to invest with AWS, reduce their IT costs, and improve their performance in the cloud to expand their business. As organizations of all sizes migrate to the AWS Cloud, its first office in Athens will support organizations of all sizes, including startups, enterprises, and public sector agencies. Its first office in Greece will also provide Amazon’s cloud computing unit with a great way to reach its customers and help them with any issues. With the addition of services, its first Greek office will now provide direct customer support to a range of companies, including Wind Hellas Telecom Group, τσοντεσ, PAOK FC, one of Greece’s leading football clubs, Greek Taxi, and l Beat mobile. App and Spitogatos.gr, the leading real estate website in Greece.

Amazon’s cloud computing arm already provides cloud services to companies and organizations in Greece.

This includes Wind Hellas Telecom Group, PAOK Football Club, one of Greece’s top football clubs, and many public sector organizations, the group said in a statement. Friday Opens to support the goals of Amazon’s cloud computing division; increase the number of public sector companies and institutions using its cloud services. In addition, Amazon’s cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS), officially opened its first Greek office. Located in Chalandri, a northern suburb of Athens, the office will support many startups, enterprises, and government agencies transitioning to the AWS Cloud.

AWS Partner Network (APN) partners in Greece also welcomed the opening of their first office in Athens, Greece. Earlier this year, AWS opened its first office in Athens and launched Amazon CloudFront in Athens in 2020. This offers all Greek organizations faster content delivery and improved cybersecurity protection.

Amazon became the latest global company to announce its innovation investment in Greece on January 15, 2021.

Impressed by how Athens “feeds Athenian innovators and reinvents itself with technology.” Cameroon Brooks, Amazon Web, Director of Public Sector Services for Europe, praised Greece for positioning itself at the forefront of the digital economy, which justifies Amazon’s decision. The new investment comes just a year after Amazon launched its first investment in Greece in January 2020, with CloudFront, Cam4 headquartered in Athens following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2020. This was between the company and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance.

American companies are interested in the privatization of Greece. Especially in the digitization of public services and energy transition efforts. The Greek tech sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, driven by giant Microsoft, Digital Realty, and Amazon Web Services investments in cloud infrastructure. AWS is a typical example of how American technology companies, with their assets, are playing a leading role in recovering the Greek economy and Greece’s return to growth.

Advancing new services

AWS is committed to supporting Greece in advancing new services to serve citizens and customers better, grow the Greek startup community and educate the cloud architects of the future. Thanks to the US Ambassador in Greece, Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt, especially Amazon Web Services, the CEO, and the entire startup team here in Athens. APN Partners create innovative solutions and services on AWS. APN helps them by providing business, support, marketing, and go-to-market (GTM) support for these organizations.

Accenture, ALEF, Ares Spikeseed, BlazeClan, Cambrian Technologies, Cloud Nomads, Cloudstraight Consulting, COSMOS, Deloitte, DI-VISION Consulting, Intrasoft, InTTrust, MTI, OTEAcademy, Bourdela, PCCW, Performance Technologies, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PRODYNA, Pylones Hellas, Quetri, Ralliton, Speedcast, and Stackmasters is partnering with Greek corporate. The same can be said about government clients such as municipalities, academic institutions, national broadcasters, infrastructure, energy, and utilities to help them move to AWS. All efforts to deploy critically important applications and provide a full range of services for monitoring, automating, and managing customer cloud environments.

In 2003, AWS was reimagined to make Amazon’s computing infrastructure standardized, automated, and web services oriented.

In 2006, AWS was relaunched and now includes three services, including Amazon S3 cloud storage, SQS, and EC2, officially making AWS a set of leading online services. A year later, in 2004, the first public AWS service, Amazon SQS, was launched. In addition, Greek customers have also taken advantage of Amazon’s Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, AWS Shield, and AWS Web Application Firewall.

October 22, 2017

Thoughts on the (iTablet) iPad – connectivity, apps, multitasking, integrating with Macs

The following is a draft I wrote prior to the announcement of the iPad, but which I didn’t publish because it was a series of hypotheses based on an as yet non-existing product. It’s a series of thoughts on how an interface of a touchscreen larger than an iPhone might look like. It is inspired by both my experiences with Macs and since recently with an iPod Touch. Here goes.

A couple of thoughts I had last night (written on 13.01.2010) about interfaces, the current state of development for the iPhone OS, how Apple could build a hybrid of Mac and iPhone OS, and how the company could build multi-tasking into its rumoured tablet. My thought were the following:

a. A new category: I don’t think the iTablet, if it exists, will be either a Mac or an iPhone. My super-superficial reason: it doesn’t fit in the Mac line-up depicted on the online Apple Store (see pic), but a more underlying reason is that I don’t see space for it in either a Mac-category or a Mobile phone/media player category. Which is not to say that it won’t do either well, but I think it will more fall into the class of Netbooks, though of course with the purpose of bombing those low-tech, low-innovation devices out of the water… just like Apple did with MP3 players and with Phones. Note from today: as it turns out, the iPad is depicted below the iPod, iPhone, and Mac lines, but time will tell where it will be once it’s on sale. owning an online casino

b. The Keyboard: I think that any 10″ screen will demand more connectivity to secondary (Apple) devices than the iPhone allows for. That means, an external keyboard and mouse, which transforms the tablet into a desktop. I have less complaints about the software-keyboard now, after working with a Touch for a while, but I still don’t see it as an alternative for longer texts, which a larger screen would warrant. Some months ago, I made a stupid mock-up of the iPhone + a keyboard (see pic), which is how I envision it looking (only better).

c. The App Store: 3 Billion Apps downloaded, Apple just reported, which also suggests a kind of lock-in. For better or worse, developers have accepted the App-store and I think it works for several reasons for both, namely more protection from pirates, more predictability for developers when developing for the black hole that is Apple, and more control by Apple, which is what Apple likes, not to mention new income streams for both. I think the App Store will continue to exist and will present new challenges when talking about a larger screen. Note from today: I don’t believe that what we will get to see in less than two months will be that what people were playing around with after the Apple keynote. iPhone apps inflated to a larger screen, come on? 4 pics 1 word

d: The User Interface: I’ve written previously about Quick Look in Snow Leopard and how I also dug its slight innovation in terms of in-icon playing of media. Previously, OS also introduced Dashboard into Tiger (I believe), whose interface, on the surface at least, resembles the iPhone. My view is that Apple will give developers the option to just keep the same resolution apps as they have offered before, though not exclusively of course. But imagine “Quick Looking” an app and still having it run inside its “Icon,” while the user does something else. For the rest, I of course think that full-screen Apps will exist, which is where Dashboard comes in, or at least a type of Dashboard. (Note: that was wrong. More below.)

Apple Dashboard in iPad-1.jpge. Integration with the Mac: One of the most underused interfaces, at least on my Mac, is Dashboard, which allows people to have continuously open widgets on anything from news, to games, to radio, to system monitoring. It’s useful for those purposes, but not really something i spend more than a few minutes at a time with. Yet the first thing that came to mind when thinking of a “Tablet,” using both iPhone and Mac interface components, was Dashboard. It creates a new layer on top of a traditional desktop, allowing for user-input and information display. When I envision someone running the apps that would work on the “iTablet” also, I think of it either being that you open up a new layer on your Mac and run the very same apps on it through something like a Dashboard-like interface. Or, and the simplest solution is usually the best, through having the Tablet sync through iTunes with regular applications on the Mac.

Note from today: well, obviously this was wrong, but there have been several theories aired of having a type of Dashboard on the iPad for apps like calculator and weather, which don’t at all make sense to run in single focus on a larger screen than the iPhone.

Further thoughts from today: I do think that we will see a new OS update for both the iPhone and iPad before the release of the iPad. This will address the concerns that people have about it just being a larger iPod Touch. For the rest, to me the only downside to this device is the lack of a front-facing camera for video-calling, and some minor things. And I also think it’s the perfect “parent device!” What the Wii was to gaming, the iPad is to computing, addressing a very very blue ocean.

As previously stated, I’m still in line to get one this year, though only after trying one first.

December 6, 2016

Seamless Roaming

Wireless LANs are being rolled out in places such as trains, railway stations, airports, coffee houses and garages, creating WLAN hotspots. These are pushing forward the dream of ‘wire-free’ working, but this does bring further challenges, such as integration of WLAN access, network security and other wireless access methods. This is where Brand can help.

Brand’s Apollo solution, matured over 14 years of successful deployment, is making mobile data a reality for business-critical data applications using Seamless Roaming for many carrier and enterprise users throughout the world. It removes the uncertainty of using a wireless network to transfer vital information by transparently integrating GSM, GPRS and 802.11b networking with LAN environments, both within the enterprise, and in the field, and provides automatic recovery from dropped connections without repeating a data transaction and assures that data is never lost, corrupted or compromised.

In a train application, the Brand Communications Seamless Roaming solution automatically manages data devices and aggregated bandwidth from whatever is available to it along a given route. The system can be sending data down all the public operator networks, packet or switched or any combination at the same time and will automatically bring on-line high speed WiMAX, Microwave, PWLAN, 2.5G, 3G or Satellite as they come into range. The system continually monitors the performance, integrity, availability and latency of each data pipe to ensure that optimal use is made of it. The solution can also accommodate asymmetric working to allow use of broadcast based bearers. The system can provide seamless roaming across all the bearers or aggregate them as required to achieve a high-speed service, ensuring continuity of connection without the end user having to re-start their Internet session. The system has also been fully tested with 3G devices incorporates these into the data path as they come into coverage which is more likely to be found in Metropolitan areas in early days of deployment.

If the signal is lost, for instance during travel through a tunnel, the system will recover the data connection when signal has been regained, buffering data so that the mobile user does not have to re-connect to the internet.

The solution also includes a Web Optimiser engine developed by Brand Communications that ensures that heavy graphics are optimised for un-wired connections, reducing the size of web site downloads and so enhancing the user experience.

Brand provides significant protection to the mobile user and the data by providing authentication using AES (Advanced Encryption Standard – 3DES replacement) as the VPN.

Brand’s solutions are deployed in many carrier and Enterprise customers across the world and the company specialises in implementing mission critical wireless solutions and strategies. Brand’s Apollo solutions make mobile data a reality using robust session management. It removes the uncertainty of using a wireless network to transfer vital information and ensures compatibility with almost all data devices and networks resulting in a future proof investment for any organisation.

The solution is equally at home in the hands of a single device consumer, or as an intelligent router managing a train backhaul or other mission critical broadband application. The system can also handle automatic hotspot logon through profiles which can manage the authentication for the user and not require the web based pop up screen. This can also be used to optimise connectivity for the user in cumulative time based billed public hotspots.

September 21, 2016

Code Server: a brief presentation

Q1. What is a Code Server?  A1. The term “Code Server” refers to the analogue of a “File Server” for program code.
A File Server arrangement allows you to open a file without the OS knowing the intricacies of how and where the file is stored. A Code Server arrangement allows you to open a program without the OS knowing where the pieces of the program are, and with only the immediately necessary modules at the client.
Until Code Servers were invented, operating systems had to refer to programs as files. Programs had to be directly visible as a file that the computer’s storage system could access. With a Code Server arrangement, the access intrinsics can be reduced to a series of protocol calls which avoid the issues of code management such as installation, versioning, and sharing. This “client-serverization” of the relationship between an OS and its program files (modules) is at the heart of the Code Server.

Q2. How does a Code Server work?  A2. The operating system, instead of making requests on files queries a Code Server.
The Code Server:  a. knows what kind of client and will send different versions depending on the client’s processor, Operating System etc  b. knows the client’s preferences and will search for particular versions before sending (eg test version, upgrade, encrypted version) the version that the client requires. Software subscriptions can be handled this way, for example.  c. can tell the client when it thinks that the client already HAS the code in question, thereby saving transmission bandwidth.
The Client:  d. can make up rules telling the server HOW to search  e. as long as it checks with the server on each request, is guaranteed the desired version even if an update has taken place since the last transmission.
The core of the technology is related to something called Dynamic Linking, which enables computer programs to be broken up into small pieces (modules) which exist and are maintained independently. What a Code Server does is to enable the distribution of these pieces while keeping control of the relationships between them, by storing information about those relationships. Our term for this is “association”.

Q3. There must be some client software on the client machine that is able to communicate with Code Servers and do the dynamic linking. Should this be a part of the operating system or a program you can download conventionally?
A3. To work nicely, the client will have a Mini Code Server (Mini-CS) that speaks the same protocol but is somewhat intimate with the dynamic linking mechanism of the operating system. To be clean, every LOAD by the OS needs to be routed through the Code Server. We did this with Windows to prove the concept – and it works.

Q4. Is machine code suitable for dynamic linking or do you need pcode or Java bytecodes or something similar?
A4. Yes. They had dynamic linking with machine code in the earliest versions of Windows and OS/2, and it remains the basis of most operating systems (DOS is the exception). We do NOT claim to be inventing dynamic linking, or pcode. However, dynamic linking of pcode was not done under Microsoft operating systems until our first Code Server!

Q5. So is the Code Server mechanism applicable to all kinds of processors?
A5. Yes. The Code Server idea is suited to any system that uses dynamic linking. A broader reading of the patent would suggest it is applicable to any operating system that makes requests for modules of a program.

Q6. Doesn’t dynamic linking require a different kind of compiler output (obj)?
A6. No one distributes OBJ right now. But all executables are dynamically linked. This includes EXE’s and DLL’s, as well as VxD’s. I am less sure about Unix (Linux) since dynamic linking is relatively new there (see the docs on SPRING). Current compiler/linker output is designed to resolve API and inter-module calls to some set of slots which are ready to call the outside world. Then DYNAMIC linking resolves these, usually one module at a time.

Q7. What do most users do currently to install programs?
A7. A typically large file is copied or downloaded to the computer and installed. This frequently involves copying support libraries to some known location, such as the WINDOWS directory. This is advantageous because once the copy is done, access is fast. The disadvantage is that to update the software, the download generally has to be repeated, and there is no simple mechanism to detect or control which parts truly need replacing, or where they belong on the target machine.

Q8. Why is it disadvantageous to execute remote files?
A8.  a. Slow – connecting to a file system requires lots of overhead both at connect and file-access time.  b. Insecure – you need to take all sorts of steps to protect the remote file system from abuse.

Q9. Won’t installing software over the network be extremely slow (especially for large applications)?
A9. Most internet connections are intolerably slow, and it might take too long to install an entire program over the network. This would not be a problem with a fast enough connection (e.g. ISDN or DSL), and seeing as there is a big push on the part of ISP’s for faster connections, the issue of network speed might well become secondary. However, Code Servers also help with the issue of speed – See here for an in depth discussion.

Q10. I assume that if you start an application distributed by a Code Server it begins execution immediately after the main module has been loaded while the loading continues in background. The modules are loaded in the sequence they are required for program execution.
A10. Correct. As long as all the pieces can be found. That is, in principle if not in practice, how applications work right now. It is only necessary to fault into memory the actual modules being executed – just as long as the tables and suchlike for the faulting in of the rest are completed during association, i.e. before we start.

Q11. I imagine a Code Server could be running either on one or more server-machines in a lan or on many internet servers. This could be combined in a proxy-like manner (I am not sure if I know what proxy really means today). On the internet, an application could could be located on several Code Servers – for example the main module on the vendors’ Code Server but the 3d graphics module on the server of the 3d guru.
A11. Right. But the intent is that all the pieces an application eventually end up on the client machine. Also, it is unlikely that the client would need to go farther than his local ISP for the required modules. The issue of distributed processing is entirely different.

Q12. What about data that comes with software, e.g. configuration files, scenarios? Can they be handled with the Code Server too, or do you need to download them conventionally? I am not referring to data that is produced by the user of the application, e.g. the text that is typed in a text processor.
A12. Yes, they could. The patent can probably be interpreted to mean any “recipe” with reference to other recipes as covering this. Of course most such data files lack the complicating property of reference to yet other such code files in a recursive kind of manner, so they are just the simple case of a referenced object. And the infrastructure we propose will handle these files as part of the packages – it will be as if there is a “code” envelope for configurational data. If you know how icons are embedded in Windows executables, you may be able to see a close parallel.

Q13. What is the preferable size for modules that are distributed by a Code Server?
A13. It doesn’t matter – but the better broken up they are, the more seamlessly they can be distributed. Against that, the more modules there are, the more entries in the module interrelationship diagram there are (more searching, more association time), but we say that the time to associate is small compared to the time to download as long as the network is slow (and it always will be). Also, Code Servers can store the results (i.e. names, locations, and reference lists) in a database. Use of large modules is a stupid optimization which works when you have a fast disk. The original system we built this for had a slow network (1 MBps) and (potentially) NO hard disk. EVery so often someone points out that things load faster with larger modules (see for example this technical note from Microsoft), but with the Code Server approach we are pushing for smaller ones.

Q14. When an application is completely in the client’s permanent storage cache and therefore can be executed offline, how can the client be notified about a new version available?
A14. The responsibility of the Code Server, starting with the Mini-CS on the client, is to check with its immediate superior if there is a change in status of the code file in question. It will make the same request to the Code Server it made before. If the answer it gets is different (eg checksum has changed) then it knows to download the new version. And the Code Server will check with its immediate superior in the same way. Of course when a change is made at the source level (way out there at the Guru’s computer to use our earlier example), there are two ways such a change can be forced all the way to the user
a. The Code Server periodically polls its superior for all “known” modules every so many hours/days/invocations.  b. The Guru (software maintainer) can send down a flag to the Code Server network to specifically force the clearing of the “ok” flag for that module. Of course even then the download doesn’t actually take place until there is a request for the object.
All this is technology that the “push” network folks (Marimba, Pointcast and others) must have already worked out.
And of course if there’s no network turned on then no checking is possible. That brings up the point that this technique could be used to install applications off CD’s. No more installation programs, hoorah!

Q15. Code Servers encourage you to easily try out programs offered in the web. How can you ensure or even make it more probable that the programs do no harm to your computer and the data stored on it?
A15. Easily – the Code server is a perfect way to license, meter or encrypt software. Thus it easily allows a Software Provider (or its agents such as ISP’s) to make rules about who gets what and in what version. This would allow the point-of-sale to be the ISP rather than Microsoft, for example. Wouldn’t that be a nice improvement for everyone? (postscript 14.7.99 the latest jargon for this is “software rental”, see for example this reference)

Q16. Will there be one Code Server standard (at least for PCs), or will there be several Code Server products incompatible with each other? Are you going to enforce standardization using the power obtained from the patent?
A16. The standard will be when the operating system is modified by Microsoft or Torvalds or whoever. It will represent a level of binary compatibility (the protocol) without which things won’t work. Vendors are right now doing a bunch of ad hoc things to distribute (Netscape smart update, Marimba, Ncompass, Microsoft) but they are all tacked on the outside of the O/S just as our original thing was. Once the OS itself does it, the whole OS can be distributed by Code Servers and there wont be an issue.
A pure application product for distributing software by this means will not succeed commercially, I predict. You might be able to sell an application which included it and depended on it for distribution (the killer app for the code server platform). The incremental improvements (eg NT5) in existing technology will encourage people to buy the Microsoft product or some other standard such as Linux. That in turn leaves our only option for making money as legal — unless we can get a competing OS vendor or an application vendor with some clout to embrace the Code Server idea.

Q17. How did you come up with the name Microtopia?
A17. Despite the rather obvious connection to Utopia, the name is more subtle in that the greek letter m (mu), which stands for the prefix micro, looks (and sounds!) a lot like a ‘u’ in the Arabic alphabet. We wanted a name that suggests how ideal is the world of Code Servers. The definitions on the index page mimic the Oxford English Dictionary definitions of Utopia; we put the second one up there because this idea really does sound too good to be true, but we have yet to find a fundamental flaw. Seriously though, this idea could make the computer world a lot more Utopian, and might even make order out of the chaos of the internet!

July 22, 2016

Paradigm Shifts Between Phone, Tablet, Desktop & Web Interfaces

…Or how not to approach development. It’s busy in Vincentland, but I’m still determined to regularly update Tech IT Easy. Today, my question is: What determines the choice for a platform? Is it market, personal taste and talent, or the desire to create something that fits a certain paradigm? In the end, no matter how cool or uncool, we’re talking about a technology choice, which is affected by cost (time & financial), the tools available, and the potential return on investment. Just to put it coldly…

I’ll be honest. I have become a big fan of the tablet paradigm. Similar to the Nintendo Wii, it’s a blue ocean that not only addresses the un-targeted space of everyone that doesn’t use computers (from toddlers to old people), it also represents a potential (!) future for computing, away from the constraints of the abstract mouse and the oh-so-square keyboard. It’s a portal into right-brained computing, which I’ve written about several times before. Traditional computing is left-brained, it’s logical and doesn’t allow for the unstructured approach to creativity & thinking that materials like paper does. We’ve long needed a digital equivalent, and it quite possibly is here today (or soon anyway).

The biggest obstacle to tablets becoming mainstream is not software, it is cost. You can justify the cost of an (Apple-priced) laptop in a work or school context. It drastically increases your productivity. While Apple has tried to keep the cost of its tablet-line relatively low, there’s no equivalent formula for calculating the return on investment from tablet-computing yet, because the money-making processes aren’t easily carried out via that medium yet. At some point, I envision tablets becoming clients hooked up to a massive server, docking into a pseudo-computer with a keyboard and (something akin to) a mouse. That would require a central computer to act as storage and a well-thought-out dock that is on people’s desks. The reason this doesn’t exist yet, is because no-one’s sure how to interact with the touch-screen when it’s standing up like a display — it’s an ergonomic conundrum.

The bigger problem is simply that having a device with too many faces — touch-interface on the one side, desktop power-horse on the other — creates a confusing paradigm for both users and developers. Would there be software that only works on the tablet-side, or would a software have to be “cross-platform?” It appears to me that this problem is being addressed in Apple’s new operating system Lion, that integrates features from OS X and iOS, but we’ll see if and how it works in practice. In any case, it will be designed to legacy-support the last few generations of Mac-computers, which all use a traditional mouse and keyboard interface. Future versions may be a fabled iMac that is also whole-or-part touch-screen, we’ll see.

Mac OS LionTouchscreen iMac

The difference between phone and tablet is clear: minimal screen-size and processing power (somewhat changing) and maximum portability. Tablets are also portable, but more armchair or go-to-a-café portable than wait-in-line-in-the-supermarkt portable. Not having used a tablet everyday yet (but it’s happening soon), I don’t quite know how this translates to applications. I do expect to use a tablet as a magazine and book reader, and would love to use it as a boardgame replacement with other people(!), both of which are natural to either the armchair or café context. The phone interface naturally lends itself to casual use, whether it’s a 1 minute game or a quick browse through the news or mail. While the iPhone’s retina-display is beautiful, beautiful for reading eBooks, it’s still a nicer experience on a bigger screen or a dedicated eBook reader.

Desktop software is geared towards productivity, both in an office and entertainment context. If you see how some people play StarCraft, you’ll understand that there will never be such a game on a console (though we’ll see about tablets). Equally first-persons-shooters that are released in parallel on desktop and console perform much, much better on the desktop. There’s no beating the mouse and keyboard-combo, whether you’re typing away in Excel or fragging your enemies to little pieces.

Regarding the web, I was fascinated to read the Ars Technica article, entitled “The Strategy Tax.” It refers to the scenario where Microsoft’s Office business unit was competing with the Web devision and was blocking the latter’s ability to innovate. Or so they say, but looking at what’s being on the Web now in terms of Office-alternatives, this is a credible claim. The desktop’s limitation is the lack of sync (something that the Google laptop is trying to address), which affects distribution and security (in the back-up sense). While it supposedly doesn’t yet have the matching horsepower that a Mac Pro or Alienware desktop computer would have, you can clearly switch between both — use the web for streaming and the desktop for processing — very effectively.

To summarise, following are the paradigms that I understand these four platforms to fit into:

Standing in line portable: Phone. Mostly used for quick activities on the road, like checking your todo’s, playing a 1-10 minute game, or browsing some quick news or mails. I see the interface for this being as reaction-fast as possible. We just want to launch it and go.
Armchair portable: Tablet. Mostly used for activities that take at least half an hour and can be done on the couch, e.g. reading or playing a game (I’m purposefully leaving out complex activities like drawing or making music, both of which have both hobby and professional applications. Launch time is important, but there’s more room for multi-tasking and displaying rich information.
Workhorse: PC. The powerful combination of mouse and keyboard, together with other factors contribute to its use for activities that require a lot of productivity. We care more about ability and features here than speed (though no one stops caring about speed).
Connected: Web. We favour the web because it keeps us in connection with stuff that is relevant to the task. That affects things like storage, security (both positively in the sense of backups and negatively in the sense of encryption), and more. Since the interface is used in the context of either a phone, a tablet, or a desktop, we tend to require a fitting interface and functionality from web-apps.

But why do I ask all these questions? In the end it’s a distraction, because I’m the type of person that asks a million questions to be sure before engaging a trajectory. In my case, I use so many Touch-interface apps and hate PCs so much, that I want to try developing (small) apps for that platform as well. But I’m also wondering about the future of these platforms and if developing for them is a safe investment. If you ask me, they are, but the exact shape isn’t clear yet. And it’s up to software developers, more so than hardware-developers, to define how tablet-platforms will be used, by toddlers, the elderly, and my generation—the 25-45 age-group.

July 14, 2016

EU investigation into roaming prices

The European Union Commission Thursday said it would launch a formal in-depth investigation into roaming prices charged in Germany by Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) and T-Mobile International AG (TMO.YY).

The regulators can impose fines of up to 10% of annual turnover if they find the two mobile phone companies guilty of abusing their dominant positions in the German cell phone market to set excessive prices for roaming, a service provided to cell phone users outside their home country.

In practice the levies are a fraction of the 10% limit.

The Commission said its aim was “to ensure that European consumers are not overcharged when they use their mobile phones on their travels throughout the E.U.”

E.U. officials in Brussels have been investigating T-Mobile and Vodafone since 2001.

Since the 1990s, mobile phone companies have charged higher prices for roaming than for conventional phone calls.

The E.U. Commission has been cracking down. In July it issued a threat to Vodafone and MmO2 PLC (OOM) about roaming rates in the U.K.

The problem, said E.U. spokesman Jonathan Todd, is that these companies have been overbilling foreign phone companies whose customers “roam” in Germany and the U.K.

Todd said the Commission had looked at other countries but “we established that Germany and England had the highest prices”.

E.U. competition commissioner Neelie Kroes had to absent herself from the case because she once served on the board of 02. Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso handled the case. It’s the third time Kroes has had to step down because of a conflict of interest.

Todd said that resolution of the Germany and U.K. investigations were “months away.”

As Dow Jones Newswires reported earlier this week, Vodafone has already promised the E.U. it will cut roaming charges throughout Europe this summer, according to an E.U. official who declined to be named.

When the new charges are applied, Vodafone clients will pay a flat fee for roaming calls, which will be much lower than the current charge of EUR0.89 a minute within the E.U., the official said.

Vodafone spokesman Jens Kuerten declined to comment, only saying that the company will talk about fees when it is ready.

July 14, 2016

Concerns for investors in mobile telecommunications

Slowing sales growth and increased margin pressure are shaping up to be the major concern for investors in mobile telecommunications equipment makers in 2005.

Market leader Telefon AB LM Ericsson’s (ERICY) fourth quarter 2004 gross margins Thursday came in below expectations in the face of intense competition. The company said the effect was specific to the fourth quarter – an assertion some investors appeared to doubt as the shares were marked down 7.8% to close at SEK20.20.

Market research firm Gartner forecasts the market for mobile network gear, which accounts for the majority of sales, will grow 5% in 2005.

That compares with estimated 10% growth in 2004, which helped major players show good revenue growth and recovering earnings to offset massive losses and falling revenue in previous years. Ericsson’s shares were up 64% in 2004.

Ericsson projects the market growing between 2% and 5% – both Gartner and Ericsson measure in dollars – and Gartner analyst Jason Chapman said he sees industry margins coming under pressure short term as there will still be a fairly high proportion of hardware sales during at least 2005.

Hardware sales typically attract lower margins than software. Competition for new contracts is fierce and vendors are forced to accept wafer-thin margins, hoping to increase them over time.

“Later, margins should be helped by a growing share of software as upgrades to third generation equipment show up in sales,” Chapman added.

Currently many new networks are being rolled out generating sales of hardware such as base stations and other network equipment. In emerging markets such as Russia, India and Brazil it’s primarily second generation networks using Global Systems for Mobile communications technology that is driving sales. In Europe, third generation network rollouts are now taking place on a large scale.

In connection with the fourth quarter earnings releases Alcatel SA (ALA), Nokia Corp. (NOK) and Ericsson all said that margins have been or will likely be negatively affected by low prices on some new orders the companies have signed for rolling out those networks.

Analysts are worried about the implications of these signs of margins weakness.

“We remain concerned that margins, both gross and earnings before interest and taxes, will remain under pressure through 2005,” said CSFB in a comment to Ericsson’s fourth-quarter earnings.

The bank sees Ericsson’s operating margin coming down to 20% in 2005 from 22% in 2004.

CSFB added that the mobile systems market remains one of the most competitive global industries.

Number two player Nokia said after its fourth-quarter earnings release on Jan. 27 that its targeted 14% operating margin in the infrastructure business will likely not be met short term, also blaming new network rollouts.

Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola Inc. (MOT), Alcatel and Lucent Technologies Inc (LU) showed a combined 14.5% sales growth from its mobile infrastructure and services businesses in 2004 measured in euros, according to calculations by Dow Jones Newswires.

Measured in dollars that growth was around 26%, implying that the major vendors gained market share at the expense of smaller ones.

Ahead, sales growth is seen being higher for services related to mobile infrastructure than for the gear itself. Ericsson said it sees the services market growing 10% in 2005.

Siemens AG (SI) no longer discloses figures for the mobile networks unit and Nortel Networks Ltd (NT) has yet to disclose its full year 2004 earnings due to accounting problems.

July 14, 2016

Watch TV While on the Run

New services let you watch TV on your mobile phone, but it may be tough on your eyes.
Tired of gabbing, writing text messages, and playing games on your mobile phone to kill time? Try watching some TV.

I’ve done just that for the past two weeks. And the experience has been, well, entertaining, to be honest.
Let me say from the start that I’m not a big TV viewer, but when I view, it’s generally in one of three areas: news, sports, and movies. All three are available in the Live portal of German network operator Vodafone D2, one of Europe’s first operators to offer a mobile TV service.

The mobile TV offering, designed especially for higher-speed 3G (third-generation) phones, currently offers a series of rotating shows, a sports channel that gives a roundup of the Saturday games shortly after they’ve finished, a news channel updated four times a day, and full-length movies. Live news or sports coverage is not available today but is technically possible and likely to be offered in the not-too-distant future, according to Vodafone D2.

Put to the Test
Because mobile TV is about viewing on the go, I checked out the service in a car, train, and streetcar. Reception in all three was fine as long as I remained in a 3G cell–which meant that when I recently boarded a train in Frankfurt, I lost reception shortly outside of the city. That’s a shame because I think many train commuters (and Germany has plenty of them) would readily use the mobile TV service.

Third-generation coverage is still spotty because most operators in Europe, including Vodafone D2, are initially concentrating on big cities. However, coverage will be gradually extended to major roadways and railways, and later to smaller communities.

The streetcar test was interesting. I found nearly everyone standing near me in the crowded compartment trying to get a peek of what I was watching: the N24 news channel.

The highway test was a lesson in itself. I let my young boys, who are under 12, view some programs on the phone–Motorola’s sleek E1000–while I sped around the autobahn near Dusseldorf. They went wild. So, there’s a toy for kids on long trips, I guess, but not only: drivers caught in hours-long traffic jams (not uncommon in Germany) should be interested, too.

Mobile TV, of course, isn’t just for people physically on the move; it’s also intended for those waiting for a train or taking a coffee break or even sitting in a cab waiting for a passenger. I asked a cab driver what he thought about the service after I tested it during a ride. “Nice,” he said. “Really nice, but I doubt I can afford it.”

Paying the Price
For sure, pricing will be crucial to the success of mobile TV. Although the service is currently free as a promotion, in April Vodafone D2 will begin charging about $4 per hour after the first two free hours as part of the monthly subscription fee, which, depending on the volume of minutes, ranges from $26 to $125. However, more differentiated fees, such as pay per view, pay per time, pay per news, or sporting event, are in the making.

For kids, those fees can add up quickly but they’re not the primary target group, according to Vodafone D2, which sees the most potential in 20- to 30-year olds, as well as businesspeople in that age bracket and older.