Category Archives: Development

Bing

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Anyone who knows me will know that I am a Google Supporter, but will also know that I am a Microsoft partner and believe that Open and Proprietary software can coexist and should.

When Bing was released I was not super impressed and didn’t like the whole image background and well images in general on a search page.

I have now made a point of testing queries in Google and Bing and am surprised to see the difference in results, Microsoft has come a long way in their search technology and Bing is starting to impress me.

I have set Bing as my default search engine in IE, I guess that they are kind of made for each other so I have paired them up on my system.

I do feel that Bing should clean up it’s interface a bit and that some of it’s features which may be awesome on a really fast uncapped connection, but consume a bit more bandwidth than I am willing to part with on my connection at this stage and may pose a serious impact for corporate users as well as home users on slower connections.

I find that Bing is really good at helping me find info MS related troubleshooting and have spent a lot of time using it to find solutions to vista related issues.

Something else that I really like about Bing is the fact that my website and more of my social profiles come up in the first page of results when searching for my name.

Either Bing knows I am actually just hoping to see my site at the top of their list or they are using totally different ranking methods, which is more than likely the case. Google also has a bigger index and more history of other sites to compare my query against, so results in Google have probably been weighted against a far greater data pool making the order in which results appear more relevant to the web at large and the context in which the search query was submitted.

Will I be switching to IE and Bing on a permanent basis, to that I would have to say no. I’ll be sticking to FireFox and Google for now and keep all my other browser for testing and site evaluation.

Google Changing the world

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Ever since I opened my Gmail account I have grown to become a Google Fan. I have seen Gmail and other Google services, change and grow demonstrating a unique breed of innovation. I believe that Google is changing the world as we know it and opening up numerous new and exciting ways of using the internet.

Google Voice

I recently got an invitation to Google Voice, I’m sad to say that it is not currently supported in South Africa, but the concept is great and I really hope that it becomes available internationally soon. I think this is going to make telecommunication providers think again about their exorbitant cost levels and hopefully spark some innovation on that front.

Google Wave

I have been one of the lucky few to get access to the Google Wave Sandbox. The day my invitation came, I was so excited. Wave is still a bit slow and as it is still in beta, it is a bit buggy, but it is great. Just as Gmail has changed the face of email I think Wave is going to change the face of collaborative working and social communication.

Currently Wave Sandbox users are only able to interact with other Sandbox users, so we’re not really getting the feel of what it is going to be like using it on a daily basis, but get to see just enough to look forward to the public release with eager anticipation.

Chromium

Since the release of Chome, I have switched to the developer channel and have seen Google roll out some really awesome features and serious speed. Chrome is seriously the best way to interact with any Google Powered product and if you haven’t tried it yet then now it is time you do.

Chrome OS

Since the release of the Chrome Browser, I think most of the web community have been waiting for the announcement that Google will be releasing their own OS. I simply cannot wait to get hold of Chrome OS and hope that I can afford a new little netbook to run it on when it is released.

Google is revolutionising the web, the way we use computers and changing the world.

Education System

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As much as I hate to say it, education is critical to success. The problem I have however is not with education but with the education system.

As a country we are suffering from less and less people qualifying with University degrees, as costs are increasing and entry criteria is hindering access to even distance learning institutions.

I feel that we need to review our education system as a whole and rewrite it from scratch.

Pre Primary

In the begging stages of schooling we need to focus on the development of efficient reading and mathematical skills. Classes should be smaller and more intimate. Younger learners need closer attention and more assistance. The curriculum should be based on language skills and mathematics only, other subject matter such as history and geography should be introduced to learners, via reading exercises, comprehension tests and group discussions

Primary

As the learner progresses, we need to gradually increase the number of learners in a class and focus more on additional content matter. Introduce computer and typing skills and electronic based learning as well as assessment.

Secondary

By the time a learner enters Secondary School, the learner should have developed good reading, interpersonal and learning skills. This combined with good computer and research skills will allow classes to be even bigger and the learner will be able to take more responsibility for what they are learning.

From this stage a learner should be preparing to either enter into a Academic University programme or into a Technical programme.

Tertiary

Access to Tertiary Education needs to be opened up. Universities, should be accepting learners even if they did not do the best during their Secondary Schooling.

The Tertiary Education system is currently only catering for people who are already doing well and it is very difficult for someone who did not to well at a schooling level to get into.

Even distance learning institutions restrict access to courses based on school results, even when they are not providing any form of support or interaction with the learner that could possibly justify this rejection.

The learners would still need to pay for their subjects even if they don’t pass, so what do the Universities have to lose.

Government should set up incentive schemes to encourage learners to progress and subsidise those who achieve good results. State owned institutions also need to offer far more competitive and accessible rates as they are being subsidised by tax payers money any way.

Energy Efficiency

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Energy efficiency is a doubled edged sword, it is not only the green way but it is the economically sustainable way. I feel that there is a lot that can be done around the topic of Energy Efficiency which is being ignored.

Legislation

As with most things in life it starts at the top. Our Government is not actively encouraging or should I say enforcing green legislation. In my humble opinion I feel that the government should be doing more to get greener energy systems in place.

Government housing schemes, should all be fitted with Solar or Wind Powered energy units. All new building plans should not be approved unless they are implementing green energy systems as well as Grey Water management systems to harness both energy and usable water from household waste.

All products that would cause damage to our food chain need to be outlawed, this way our food chain and the environment at large are protected.

Eskom

The Government, who were dumb enough to keep Eskom as a state owned entity, need to reposition Eskom. I feel that our energy market needs to be opened up and Eskom is perfectly positioned to become a national network provider for energy transfer.

The Government should be encouraging private sector investment into energy generation using green technologies. All homes and businesses, should be given the opportunity to participate in the energy harnessing network.

Homes with green energy units, should supply excess energy back to the national grid which can then in turn be used by businesses during the work day. In the evenings when industry closes down, excess energy should be returned to the grid and made available to homes.

Eskom should be placing themselves not as energy generator, but as energy distributor. All users of the network should be able to earn based on a usage in usage out system coordinated by Eskom, so that those who need to draw extra energy from the grid will pay for it and those who provide excess will earn an income and or rebate from this.
Eskom should place itself as an Energy Network and Systems Provider.

Transport

Our country is blessed with a large workforce of welders, electricians and numerous other professionals. We need to be focusing on the development of green vehicles and green energy systems locally.

The Government could be saving and creating jobs by setting up incentive scheme for industries which have got the skills but are currently focusing on slow moving expensive product lines, such as petrol driven vehicles or conventional geysers.

With the right governance and correct application of funding, we could be positioned to provide Southern Africa with energy efficient vehicles as well as green energy.

MyEcommerce Goes Dedicated

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I had the privilege of ordering a dedicated server today.

  • Core 2 Quad 2.33 GHz
  • 4 GB DDR2 667 MHz
  • 2 x 160GB SATA HDD
  • H/ware RAID 1
  • 99.9% uptime with SLA

It is something that has been a hot topic at the office, and a very important decision for me to make. I guess everyone would like to have one, but being ready for the commitment is another thing all together.

Ordering the server is only one step in the process. I will have my work cut out for me over the next few weeks, till the end of the month. I will be completing all the administration involved with the upgrades and transfers of the domains that we are currently managing.

MyEcommerce will be releasing some exciting new packages, and promotions for both new and existing customers.