Google's Chrome browser is now out in beta for Linux (Google Chrome for Linux).  Installation on Ubuntu Karmic 32 bit is straightforward, and the app launches quickly.  Only been running it for a short while, but so far, I've noticed:

1 - The default Chrome window doesn't obey my normal window management.  So the title bar is different, and the behaviour also differs (I have my windows set to roll up when the title bar is double clicked - in Chrome double clicking maximises the window).  However, the options in Chrome are easily accessed, and it's obvious there how to set Chrome's appearance to that of the rest of my desktop.

2 - On first run, Chrome offers to import data from Firefox -  this seems to be effective and quick.  Bookmarks seem to be moved effectively.

3 - Been quickly looking through Chrome extensions, and installed a couple.  As an inveterate Firefox extension user, I would miss quite a few of my favourite extensions, including this one, ScribeFire, which I use for blogging to a variety of blogging platforms (Joomla, Wordpress and Blogspot).  There's a neat-looking  Chrome extension for Blogger, which will bear investigationure the number of extensions will grow rapidly.

I'm looking forward to using Chrome...it's too early to say whether I'll make a major shift to using it.  At the very least having it is essential for website development.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Zuckerberg pictures exposed by Facebook privacy roll-back • The Register
Serves him right.  And everyone should take care to keep their Facebook data restricted to those they actually want to see it. 

Powered by ScribeFire.

Apparently the Google Toolbar has a new addition, Sidewiki. It's kind of passed me by, as I don't use the Google toolbar, but it's a bit misnamed.  It's not truly a wiki, but it does offer website visitors an opportunity to leave comments about a website or webpage. 

These comments are only visible to Sidewiki users (see picture). 

Some months ago, I wrote briefly on my early attempts at developing a website with Drupal. (see Drupal vs Joomla! part 1, part 2 and part 3)  I was pretty impressed by Drupal, but considered it had some odd omissions from the default installation.  In particular, the lack of a stock WSIWYG editor seemed pretty glaring, especially as installing an editor turned out to be so fiddly.

I've restarted the development of that website, and have concluded that:

The Register reports today (UK gets final warning over Phorm trials) that the UK Government has moved closer to Infringement proceedings over the Phorm phiasco.

The UK government today came a step closer to international embarrassment over its failure to act against BT and Phorm for their secret trials of mass internet snooping technology.

The European Commission said it had moved to the second stage of infringement proceedings after the trials, revealed by The Register, exposed failings in the UK's implementation of privacy laws.

Lord Mandelson, the unelected Minister in charge of a vast swathe of Government business via his roles as the current First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, President of the Board of Trade and Lord President of the Council, has been pretty vocal of late over what to do about illegal filesharers.  As one who presumably mingles with the dinosaurs of big media, he's keen to hit back at individuals seen to be stealing content from the big media.

His latest proposals seem to strike at the core of justice - to disconnect individuals accused of illegal downloading.  Presumably accused by big media?  Anyway, The Register reports (TalkTalk to fight net disconnection plan) that at least one ISP is preparing to put up a fight. 

Some weeks ago, I noted the existence of Google's Sidewiki (Is Sidewiki evil? (Probably not, but it's annoying)) and mentioned that I'd planned to install a Sidewiki blocker on my websites.  Well, I've done that.  I've also installed the Google Toolbar thing, and now have a Sidewiki button nestled up there next to my Firefox URL box.

Every so often, I click on it to see if a website has any Sidewiki annotation, but thus far, I've yet to see one.  Does this mean that Sidewiki's a flop?  Or just reflect the nature of the sites I visit (many are forums or blogs with pages of relatively transient interest)?  And need I have bothered to install a Sidewiki blocker at all?

This looks to be good.  As legal blogger Jack of Kent writes today (Libel Reform: Free Speech is not for Sale), two pressure groups, English Pen and Index on Censorship, have conducted a joint inquiry into English libel law - their report is now available on a new website:

The Libel Reform Campaign

The Guardian reports (Office of Fair Trading to investigate targeted ads and pricing online) that the Office of Fair Trading is to investigate aspects of behavioural advert targeting. 

"We are also considering including the use of personal information in advertising and pricing," said the OFT. "In particular, we may look at behavioural advertising where information on a consumer's online activity is used to target the internet advertising they see.

So, we're in the midst of a major recession, the Government has spent huge amounts bailing out the fat cats of international banking, and Joe Public is tightening his or her belt.  The Higher Education Sector, in which I work, is certainly feeling the chill wind of cut-backs, and in my Institution's case this comes on top of the Goverment's ELQ policy.

So, one might have thought that costly and pointless exercises such as the dreadful ID card plan, and the even more despicable Interception Modernisation Programme might have been curtailed or dropped.  Not a bit of it.  Computer Weekly reports (Home Office trebles consultancy spend):

I've been having all sorts of problems with the North Bucks Road Club website.  These manifest themselves at intermittent connection problems earlier this week, followed by complete loss of function yesterday morning.  A bit of probing revealed that the issue lay with the hosting company (it's not the company that hosts this site) - as far as I could tell, database connections were timing out.

Yesterday lunchtime, this became more severe, with no access whatsoever.  I have had a series of recent backups using Joomlapack, an excellent Joomla! extension that backs up entire websites.  After a number of false starts (consuming several hours yesterday evening), I was able to restore a functional site on a local PC, thereby reassuring myself that at least the backup was functional.

I spent some anxious hours towards the end of last week restoring access to the website I run for the North Bucks Road Club (see here for an outline of the woes).  I've now been moving the site to a new hosting company, which (apart from distracting me from blogging activity) has proven to be quite straightforward, apart from ensuring that both www.northbucksroadclub.org.uk and northbucksroadclub.org.uk point to the same place!  I have a temporary fix in place, and I'll sort out a proper resolution next week.

The reasons for the anxiety has been the upcoming British Time Trial Championship on 6th September, which is organised by the North Bucks together with TeamMK.  It's important that access to the event information is maintained, which is why the problems last week were so disruptive. 

So, off to France in a couple of weeks, so I'd like to find out whether I can use my Vodafone USB broadband modem over there, and what the charges will be.

Can I find out from the Vodafone website?  No I flipping can't! It is perhaps the most disorganised customer-focussed website I've ever had the misfortune to get lost in.

Well, I have taken the decision to switch to a new web hosting company.  The repeated "500 internal server error" events (which included about 12h solid early this week), coupled with totally inadequate response for the "technicians" at my current hosting company have swung my decision to act.  By totally inadequate, I mean that I received a prompt "cut and paste" response on 13th July, and not a whisper since.

I'll migrate the site as soon as I can make a backup of the database and files.  Unfortunately, this probably means the site will be moribund for a few days.  This affects both the main Flies & Bikes site and the Wonderful Life blog.

Well, switching hosting company was pretty straightforward, though I'm not sure how quickly the "real" domain name will be active.  For the time being, the site's reachable at http://www.rsaunder.myzen.co.uk.

My new hosting company uses cpanel to administer the account, which appears to be an improvement over the previous setup.   The pages seem a bit quicker to open, though it remains to be seen whether I get 500 internal server errors.

One of the more bizarre features of the Phorm business model has always been the question of why businesses would allow their webpages to be scanned by Phorm's deep packet inspection system.  My understanding of Phorm's system is that individual web users' browsing habits are monitored by kit installed within the ISP's infrstructure, and that key words are extracted from visited web pages and used to target advertisements to the user.

What's always surprised me is that companies weren't flocking to request their exclusion from this system: after all if web users are looking through my product line, why would I want them to be offered adverts from my competitors?

It's been a while since I mentioned Phorm on this blog.  Mostly that's because it's become less of a threat to the UK ISPs (but other murky operators lurk in the wings, judging from the nodpi.org forum), since BT confirmed they had no plans to implement Phorm.  BT's announcement was closely followed by Carphone Warehouse and a rather lukewarm statement from Virgin Media.

The market responded to the rug being pulled from under Phorm by a mammoth drop in share price, a decline which has continued since.  Interactive Investor now has the price at 130 pence, possibly its lowest event point.

The Guardian reports (BT drops Phorm targeted ad service after customers cry foul over privacy) that BT have decided not to implement the vile DPI system for targeting adverts that has been devised by the former spyware company Phorm.  

The company, which has received complaints from customers about Phorm, said the decision was down to its need to conserve resources as it looks to invest £1.5bn in putting a next-generation super-fast broadband network within reach of 10 million homes by 2012. Privately, however, BT bosses have been increasingly concerned about consumer resistance to advertising based on monitoring users' online behaviour and specifically about the backlash against Phorm.

According to The Times (Phorm stranded as BT and Carphone pull plug on online 'spying' technology), Carphone Warehouse, who's TalkTalk subsidiary were one of the ISPs lining up to use Phorm's invasive DPI technology, have now decided to fall into line an announce they would likewise not implement it.  BT's role as the market leader is evident:

After BT's move, Charles Dunstone, head of Carphone Warehouse, said: "We were only going to do it if BT did it and if the whole industry was doing it. We were not interested enough to do it on our own."

In a brief article in The Guardian (Consumers will see benefits - The case for Phorm), Guy Phillipson and Nick Stringer the chief executive and head of regulatory affairs respectively at the Internet Advertising Bureau attempt to make the case for Phorm.  Of course, they are (in my opinion) slightly economical with the truth in that the objections of the "Privacy Pirates"* over at nodpi.org lies not with targeted advertising, but with the probably illegal interception of internet traffic via deep packet inspection.  The objections focus largely on privacy issues, on copyright issues (making copies of web pages without authorisation), and on legality (e.g. interception of communication).

It would seem that the EU share the objectors' concerns having repeatedly requested the UK Government to respond to their concerns about internet privacy.  Unfortunately HMG won't release their response to Commisioner Reding.  Messrs Phillipson and Stringer believe that Phorm have signed up to the AIB's principles of good practice.  But how sure can the consumer be where Phorm is concerned, given its past identity as 121media?