Widgets, portable pieces of Web code, have become synonymous with interactive Web page components, often Flash-based games and ads can stick out like a sore thumb. Functions are great, but they need to be seamless.
Instead of just offering a page function, the widget technology is turning out native applications that blend seamlessly with newsfeeds and spread virally through friend lists. Accordingly, the w-word had to go and this morning iWidgets became Transpond. Transpond, a word that actually doesn't mean anything, calls to mind words like "translate" and "respond," more positive connotations than the has-been widget.
Widgets have moved to the wrong side of the hype cycle while apps have their own catch phrase ("There's an app for that.") Meanwhile, the underlying trend that powers what Transpond founder Peter Yared calls the "the atomization of the Web" remains strong.
Transpond offers an easy-to-use platform for creating native applications for Facebook, MySpace, and iGoogle and it's been humming along since its launch (as iWidgets) last summer. The company has big-name customers including CBS, CNN, Lifetime Television, and Revision3, all of whom had turned to the platform to get their content onto social networks.
Content publishers, marketers, and businesses can no longer slap up a Web site and expect to have an audience. Content has to find its audience wherever they happen to be, whether it's hanging out on Facebook or fiddling with their iPhone. Be it via widget or app, delivering the right content in the right way (with a bonus for interactivity) is the only thing that really matters.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
I ran across a recent blog post by storage vendor Cleversafe titled "Three Reasons Why Encryption is Overrated," and as I suspected it generated a lot of discussion in online forums (LinkedIn, Google Groups, log-in required for both) dedicated to those issues.
Beyond the sensationalist headline, the post does raise some interesting points for consideration on the topic of encryption.
- Future processing power--In the future, malicious hackers will be able to crack older encrypted files due to increases in processing speed.
- Key management--An encrypted file has a key to unlock it. Lots of files means lots of keys. Lots of anything equals management headaches.
- Disclosure laws--Such laws mandate that data breaches are reported. Whether or not that exposed data is safely encrypted or not doesn't really matter at that point--the court of public opinion has branded you guilty.
Distribution or dispersal of data (Cleversafe's approach) is certainly one way to deal with emerging security threats, but it may not be the right way for everything. The important thing is to start looking at new technologies and methods to determine what's right for your business and technology strategy.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
Start-ups peddling virtual goods raised $69 million in funding in the first quarter of 2009, holding at a steady pace from the previous two quarters according to data from Show Initiative LLC.
I've long held the stance that virtual goods and services are an interesting way to make money online. What's not clear is what business models work and what segments of user populations are the best targets.
The amazing thing about the 10 financings listed below is how large they are. This indicates that VCs are betting big, or that the companies are giving away a lot of equity for the dollars. Nonetheless, it's good to see entrepreneurs raising money in a down economy.
First quarter 2009 financings:
- IMVU - $10,000,000
- ngmoco - $10,000,000
- Nurien - $10,000,000
- Offerpal Media - $15,000,000
- Ohai - $6,000,000
- OMGPOP - $5,000,000
- OneSeason.com - $3,500,000
- Scrapblog - $4,000,000
- Viximo - $5,000,000
- Three Melons - $600,000
Somewhere down the line these sites and perhaps more importantly, the platforms they've built for distribution and commerce, will have a great deal of value to larger players. It's still too early to tell what bet to take, but there are dollars out there somewhere.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom
Video game sales were down by 23 percent in May, according to the latest data from NPD Group. The bright spot of the report is the ongoing domination by Nintendo, whose hardware and associated games outsold the competition by nearly 2 to 1.
As CNET's Lance Whitney reported, "NPD blamed most of the decline on the lack of blockbuster games rather than the weak economy. The report noted that last year's sales were boosted by the launch of popular software titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV. Nintendo's Wii Fit also was a hot commodity in 2008."
While there are a wealth of new games coming in 2009, including what appear to be some winners for PS3 and Xbox, Nintendo platform games made up just shy of 50 percent of the top 10 sales in May:
- UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) Xbox 360 - 679,600
- Wii Fit(Nintendo) Wii - 352,800
- EA Sports Active(EA) Wii - 345,800
- UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) PS3 - 334,400
- Infamous(Sony) PS3 - 175,900
- Pokemon Platinum(Nintendo) DS - 168,900
- Mario Kart(Nintendo) Wii - 158,300
- Punch Out!!(Nintendo) Wii - 156,900
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged(Activision) Xbox 360 - 120,700
- Wii Play(Nintendo) Wii - 109,800
Total other vendor software: 1,310,600 ... Read more
For all of its glory, Twitter is apparently not as sticky as many social media buffs would like it to be. A recent Harvard Business School study reported that 10 percent of the service's users account for more than 90 percent of tweets. (I wrote about Twitter's lack of loyalty back in April.)
However, I don't think it really matters. As with any service or piece of software, a rising tide lifts all boats, so a core user base can propel a service for quite a while. Somewhere down the line however, Twitter as a company will need to put programs and efforts into place to encourage people to actually use the service if it ever plans to monetize it.
The fact that 10 percent of users are driving 90 percent of the content is not dramatically different than what you see with sites like Wikipedia, or with personal blogs, which have an even lower rate of consistent publishing. According to a 2008 study by Technorati, 95 percent of the blogs they track hadn't been updated in at least four months.
Orphaned tweets, like orphaned blogs, are just as much part of the social fabric as anything else. The fact is that people abandon stuff all the time--TV shows, books, whatever. We shouldn't be remotely shocked that someone bails out of blogging or something else that could be considered work.
... Read more
New pics from the Punynari blog reveal that my biggest fear has come true: giant Gundam robots are being assembled in Japan to take over the free world.
More pics on the Moé Passion blog.
PCPro UK is reporting that Novell is considering an effort to bring a "wealth of open-source software to everyday users through an open-source apps store."
Novell believes that an open-source apps store would make life easier for customers, specifically those interested in Netbooks. This certainly seems logical, but considering that open-source applications tend be licensed in a way that doesn't require an upfront fee, it's hard to see how this represents a business model.
"I would compare what's happening on netbooks with what's happening to the smartphone," Holger Dyroff, vice president of business development at Novell told PC Pro. "There's a core experience, but then the ability to customise that experience. On the user end, all they'll see is an open-source applications store with one-click downloads of new software. Unlike the other stores though, they won't have to pay for any of those applications, which will be very attractive."
"It's a new way of marketing open source," he admits. "It's also a method of educating people about the benefits of open source."
This is not a bad idea, but it's not clear that this does anything more than market open-source applications--which is fine, but it's not clear that Novell (or any company) would generate much revenue with such an effort.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom
Over the last several months I've changed my opinions on open source any number of times. I like to think I'm not just being fickle and instead it's market dynamics that are shifting focus and opinion.
I was recently quoted in an article about open-source "leeches", and in many situations I stand behind the comments. As it turns out, one of the companies I mentioned is now paying, though many others are still not. Freeloaders will always be part of the open-source game, and I think we all accept that, even if it gets under your skin occasionally. At this point, I don't really care--I'd rather see more unpaid open source than expensive proprietary software in use.
In the past I've had bewildering conversations with CIOs and VPs where they told me that they wouldn't contribute code back because they had "created IP--why would we give it to you for free?" while generating hundreds of millions of dollars on top of open-source software that someone, somewhere had given to them for free. I guess that's the sticking point. Not the freeloading, but the assumption that what they created is somehow more valuable than the product that they built on top of.
This brings up a whole world of issues for those trying to build open source companies. Lately, I'm becoming less convinced that you can build a pure-play open source company if you don't fall into two broad categories: direct replacements or inventions.
... Read moreThe Linux Foundation is now offering membership to individuals that support the cause. Your support goes a long way in enhancing, promoting and protecting Linux for generations to come and your membership connects you with the information, tools and events needed to advance your career and stay current with the platform.
Linux Foundation Benefits:
- Your own Linux.com email address with forwarding service. Since this is a new service, new users will have a chance to grab a nice alias.
- A weekly Linux.com "Briefing Book" with news, technical tips, and analysis to keep you ahead of the curve.
- 30% off of Linux Foundation LinuxCon 2009 standard registration fees.
- 20% Discount on registration fees for Linux Foundation Training. This can save you (or your company) a lot of money.
- A Free Linux Foundation T-shirt so we can showcase your OS of choice at your next company meeting (or at the grocery store, the beach, Presidential news conferences, the Super Bowl, etc.)
Partner Discounts:
- 35% of O'Reilly Books and E-Books
- 20% Off O'Reilly's Open Source Convention (OSCON)
- 35% of No Starch Press Publications
- 15% off Subscription to Linux Journal
- 15% off Neuros Technologies NeurosLink. The Neuros LINK allows you to watch internettv (Hulu, Youtube) as well as downloads on your TV using Linux.
- 50% off Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE)
- $10 off every $40 order on Thinkgeek (excluding shipping and taxes)
Link: Linux Foundation membership sign-up page.
How soon until we see an @linux.com email address blackmarket?
Follow me on Twiter @daveofdoom
Open source backup and recovery provider Zmanda, today announced that Zmanda Recovery Manager (ZRM) now allows MySQL databases to be backed up to a destination of choice, including a remote cloud storage service. ZRM also allows on-premises MySQL databases to be backed up to the upcoming Sun Cloud Storage Service, which enables DBAs to create disaster recovery archives of databases on a flexible, secure and open public cloud.
I've written several times in the past that backups and disaster recovery are ideal cloud scenarios though there are still issues to be addressed:
- Automation: How does the data get from internal servers to the cloud, or how does it get from individual databases?
- Security: What is the security model that can be applied and managed universally?
- Data integrity: How do I know that my data is actually my data if I am not in private space or virtual machines?
- Risk: What is the risk of losing my data?
Targeting MySQL is a good idea--considering that the database is already geared toward web infrastructure, it's logical to assume that MySQL users would be comfortable using cloud storage and backups.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom
