Archive for September, 2010

In the past months we worked with add-on developers to release new versions of their add-ons that follow IE’s guidelines and requirements for add-on development. We used the Upgrade Advisor to help update their users to the new versions. Some add-on vendors asked how IE determines and displays an add-on’s version. This post answers this question so that all add-on developers can design their versioning schemes to be compatible with IE features such as Manage Add-ons and the Upgrade Advisor.

There are two fields denoting the version of a binary file in Windows: file version and product version. Since IE add-ons are dynamic link library (DLL) files loaded into the browser, each add-on contains both of these version numbers. Here’s a screenshot of the properties dialog for one of our sample toolbars. Though the file version and product version are separate fields, they typically contain the same version string:

The file version and the product version of the Contoso Toolbar can be seen in the DLL file’s Properties window

IE displays the add-on DLL’s product version in Manage Add-ons. This is also the version that IE checks when determining whether the Upgrade Advisor dialog needs to be displayed for the add-on. IE looks directly into the DLL’s properties to extract the product version each time, and does not store the version in the registry. This design prevents incompatibilities when an add-on is auto-updated to a newer version.

We recommend add-on developers to update both version fields at the same time for consistency. It’s important to update the right version. For example, an error may result in the Upgrade Advisor dialog showing up for the wrong version of an add-on or the user believing that they have an older version of an add-on installed when looking at Manage Add-ons.

Thanks again to add-on developers for providing feedback and submitting questions. We wanted to answer this particular question as a blog post so that all developers have access to the information. We look forward to continue working with add-on developers in the coming months.

Herman Ng
Program Manager

The upcoming date of Sunday, October 10, is pretty unique from a numerical perspective: 10/10/10.  It puts me in a brain-teaser frame of mind, so why not check out some relevant apps to satisfy the occasional craving for a good puzzle?

Check out these goodies I found:

• Braingle — Teasers, quizzes, and memory drills that will sharpen your brain.
• BestCrosswords.com — A steady stream of online crossword puzzles makes a great time-filler.
• Daily Sudoku — Satisfy your craving for this popular game with a daily offering from Sudokuhints.com.
• Smartkit Puzzles — Sharpen your decoding and puzzle-solving skills with this wide variety of brain-teasing activities.
• The Oatmeal — These comic illustrations, quizzes, and totally random items are surprisingly irresistible.

 

Here’s hoping something unique and memorable will happen to you on 10/10/10!

Tom

My Yahoo! Editorial

Cross-posted from the Chromium Blog

As part of Google’s initiative to make the web faster, over the past few months we have released a number of tools to help site owners speed up their websites. We launched the Page Speed Firefox extension to evaluate the performance of web pages and to get suggestions on how to improve them, we introduced the Speed Tracer Chrome extension to help identify and fix performance problems in web applications, and we released a set of closure tools to help build rich web applications with fully optimized JavaScript code. While these tools have been incredibly successful in helping developers optimize their sites, as we’ve evaluated our progress, we continue to notice a single component of web pages is consistently responsible for the majority of the latency on pages across the web: images.

Most of the common image formats on the web today were established over a decade ago and are based on technology from around that time. Some engineers at Google decided to figure out if there was a way to further compress lossy images like JPEG to make them load faster, while still preserving quality and resolution. As part of this effort, we are releasing a developer preview of a new image format, WebP, that promises to significantly reduce the byte size of photos on the web, allowing web sites to load faster than before.

Images and photos make up about 65% of the bytes transmitted per web page today. They can significantly slow down a user’s web experience, especially on bandwidth-constrained networks such as a mobile network. Images on the web consist primarily of lossy formats such as JPEG, and to a lesser extent lossless formats such as PNG and GIF. Our team focused on improving compression of the lossy images, which constitute the larger percentage of images on the web today.

To improve on the compression that JPEG provides, we used an image compressor based on the VP8 codec that Google open-sourced in May 2010. We applied the techniques from VP8 video intra frame coding to push the envelope in still image coding. We also adapted a very lightweight container based on RIFF. While this container format contributes a minimal overhead of only 20 bytes per image, it is extensible to allow authors to save meta-data they would like to store.

While the benefits of a VP8 based image format were clear in theory, we needed to test them in the real world. In order to gauge the effectiveness of our efforts, we randomly picked about 1,000,000 images from the web (mostly JPEGs and some PNGs and GIFs) and re-encoded them to WebP without perceptibly compromising visual quality. This resulted in an average 39% reduction in file size. We expect that developers will achieve in practice even better file size reduction with WebP when starting from an uncompressed image.

To help you assess WebP’s performance with other formats, we have shared a selection of open-source and classic images along with file sizes so you can visually compare them on this site. We are also releasing a conversion tool that you can use to convert images to the WebP format. We’re looking forward to working with the browser and web developer community on the WebP spec and on adding native support for WebP. While WebP images can’t be viewed until browsers support the format, we are developing a patch for WebKit to provide native support for WebP in an upcoming release of Google Chrome. We plan to add support for a transparency layer, also known as alpha channel in a future update.

We’re excited to hear feedback from the developer community on our discussion group, so download the conversion tool, try it out on your favorite set of images, and let us know what you think.

By Richard Rabbat, WebP Team

by Mike Krumboltz

There's an old saying in Hollywood: Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. The creators of "The Social Network," the movie about the rise of Facebook, took that mantra to heart.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls the movie fiction. The filmmakers don't disagree. The film has little concern for accuracy, and it doesn't really pretend to. Critics don't seem to mind, either. The film is earning raves.

The movie, directed by David Fincher, tells the tale of the rise of Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg), from insecure but brilliant geek to boy billionaire. His motivation and muse, the movie would have us believe, is a young woman named Erica Albright, played by Rooney Mara.

Web searches on "rooney mara pictures" and "rooney mara bio" are both through the roof. Online lookups for the actress have soared more than 3,000% over the past seven days. Mara will also star as the title character in the upcoming Hollywood remake of "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," also directed by Fincher. The director is clearly a fan. When asked about Mara, he said, "She's smart and capable and works really hard. She is ridiculously photogenic in a very interesting way -- she can be plain, or she can be exquisite in a matter of moments -- and she's a great listener."

Interestingly, Web searches on Mara's "Social Network" character are also roaring. People are dying to know if she's based on a real person or if the filmmakers made her up. Lookups on "is erica albright real" and "erica albright real name" are taking off. Alas, it seems that for now, only Mark Zuckerberg knows the answer.

We scoured the Internet (and, yes, we checked Facebook, too) for any information on the real Albright and came up empty handed. That leads us to believe she's either a composite of different women who Zuckerberg dated or someone the filmmakers made up entirely. As the film hits theaters this weekend, more information is sure to come out.

While Mara is getting the lion's share of the searches, she's not the only actor generating buzz. Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, who was Zuckerberg's business partner and close friend. They later became bitter enemies as their site grew in popularity and Saverin was pushed aside. And Justin Timberlake takes on the role of Shawn Parker, the man who created Napster and "brought the music industry to its knees." He later became a key player in Facebook's march toward world domination.

What many people may not know is that the film is largely based on a partly fictionalized book entitled "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Menzrich. Bookmarks magazine remarked in a review that "it's no secret that Mezrich plays fast and loose with the truth." The New York Times commented that the book is "so clearly unreliable, that there's no mistaking it for a serious document." Court documents and other sources were also used as a basis for Aaron Sorkin's movie script.

Where do the facts end and fiction begin? Maybe that's not the point. Fortune argues that the film will end up being the best thing for Facebook since "your mother signed up."

 

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by Vera H-C Chan

Leisurely summer mindsets shifted into fall routine, Halloween costume planning, and fantasy football. Of course, not all has been at peace in this autumn transition, as a Baptist megachurch faces soul-wrenching accusations. And, people have had to make more sad farewells then they cared to do. Below, what passed through in September searches on Yahoo!. 

Bishop's longshot
In a year when the Catholic Church has been embroiled in handling decades-long abuse charges across the world, a homegrown scandal has erupted in one of America's biggest black churches. Four men have stepped forward with molestation charges against Bishop Eddie Long (+96,385%), who presides over the 25,000-member strong New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia. Long spoke out from his pulpit in defense, but followers have expressed fearful doubts, and pundits have demanded clarity. More damning accusations have emerged as reporters dig into his past, including claims in a 30-year-old divorce settlement about physical abuse. Although some observers wonder if this will open up a conversation in black churches about homosexuality, it's predominantly women following the details online, from reviewing the accusers and allegations, Long's background and family, as well as the investigation.

Laughter, Tears
While not household names, both Robert Schimmel (+11,092%) and Greg Giraldo (+23,836%) were mainstays on the national, stand-up comedy circuit. Schimmel's accidental death—a car accident—pained on many levels, suffering non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cirrhosis. Giraldo's accidental death (prescription drugs) cut short an admired, dark wit.

The passing of more familiar heartthrobs spurred remembrances of past works, sordid scandals, and famous unions. Pop singer Eddie Fisher (+22,503%)'s death at 82 (from hip surgery complications) spiked searches for ex-wives Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, the Brangelina-Jennifer Aniston shock of that time. Tony Curtis, who once joked that he wanted to be remembered as a handsome man, also died. Curtis had a substantial movie career that included classics "The Defiant Ones," "Sweet Smell of Success," and, most notably, the cross-dressing Frank Capra comedy "Some Like It Hot" co-starring Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. Both leave celebrity daughters, respectively Carrie Fisher and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The Quiet Huddle Before the Storm
As thoughts turn to flu shots (+2,141%)," "where to register to vote" (breakout), and who will win the baseball playoffs, others — many others — have become consumed with the start of the football season and searches for "college football scores," "yahoo fantasy football 2010." While the field should get intriguing this season — welcome to Philly, Michael Vick — the real offsides drama awaits next season: a possible NFL work stoppage over player million-dollar salaries versus millionaire owners' fair shares. Time to call in the last strike-busting umpire off the (Supreme Court) bench, Sonia Sotomayor?

Search Terms with the Biggest Percentage Changes Bishop Eddie Long (+96,385%). See above. Stink bugs (+50,709%). Less irksome than bed bugs, nevertheless the insects are irking the East Coast by eating crops. Waiting for Superman (+34,403%). The documentary about America's troubled school system's dominating the national conversation. College Football Scores (+34,227%). See above. Greg Giraldo (+23,836%). See above. Eddie Fisher (+22,503%). See above. Koran Burning (+22,503%). Terry Jones, a far-out pastor of a tiny Florida congregation, seized global attention with a fiery threat. Kym Johnson (+15,355%). The doomed dance partner to the reportedly temperamental David Hasselhoff, the first voted off from "Dancing with the Stars" Dream Act 2010 (+13,887%). Republicans and some Democrats blocked a Senate resolution to support children of illegal immigrants to earn citizenship through military or college.

Biggest Search Terms Lindsay Lohan Halloween Costumes Jessica Alba Dancing with the Stars Katy Perry Kim Kardashian Lady Gaga Love Quotes Britney Spears Miley Cyrus

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September brings the beginning of school, the beginning of autumn, and the beginning of the fall TV season. Here at Yahoo! Search we’ve spent the month serving up answers to questions about all of these …and more.

The opening of the school year brought students back to their computers with requests for guidance about everything from science fair projects to thesis statements. They also explored academic subjects including home economics (with queries about how to do laundry) and applied math (calculating how many beers in a keg).

This month we also saw plenty of searches for Fashion Week, the Toronto International Film Festival, and Oktoberfest, which, despite its name, opened on September 18^th in Munich this year. TV premiers and pilots were also at the top of many people’s search lists,  as shown by the many queries about the fall TV schedule and favorite shows like Glee and Dancing with the Stars.

More serious searches included requests for information on the controversial World Trade Center mosque and for specifics about Pastor Terry Jones, who suggested burning the Quran as a way to mark the anniversary of 9/11.  Interest in American hiker Sarah Shourd spiked on her release from detainment in Iran.  And the recent rise in bedbug infestations  brought an influx of queries about how to know if you have bedbugs, what bed bug bites look like, and how to kill them.

Mobile users took their searches to go this month, asking for information about the earthquakes in New Zealand, the US Open (and popular players like Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova), and the meat dress Lady Gaga sported at the MTV  Video Music Awards.

Fall means football and Yahoo! users on both PCs and mobile devices were keen to know the NFL and college schedules as well as all the latest scores. Those who preferred to play along at home searched for fantasy football. Interest in New England’s Tom Brady spiked early in the month when he walked away from a car accident.  And queries about Michael Vick increased when he returned to the NFL as a starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

September also saw a number of endings, including the passing of Titianic actress Gloria Stuart and the death of legendary entertainer Eddie Fischer. When news of his death was announced, we saw spikes in searches for information about his ex-wives, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, and Connie Stevens, as well as about his daughters, Carrie Fisher and Joely Fisher.

Find whatever you’re looking for: Visit Yahoo! Search to get the news and information you need this – and every – month.

Mireille Majoor
Yahoo! Search Blog

Some exciting news today on the Android Developers blog: Google Checkout is now supporting Android developers in 20 new countries, from Portugal to Mexico and beyond, bringing the total number of developer countries on Android Market to 29.

This comes at a very exciting time for Google Checkout. Looking back at the last year in particular, what stands out is the promising growth we’ve seen in the use of the service: The number of transactions on Checkout has tripled, the user base has grown 50 percent, and the number of active users is up by 120 percent -- all in the last 12 months. We’re now helping improve the online checkout experience for hundreds of thousands of sellers and developers, and tens of millions of buyers, in many locations around the world.

Checkout has also played a valuable role in enabling a fast, safe, and convenient purchase experience across Google products ranging from Android Market to YouTube Rentals. Looking ahead, Checkout will be featured as a payment method in upcoming initiatives like the Apps Marketplace, Chrome Web Store, and Google Editions, and we’re looking forward to working with an even larger set of developers, publishers, and buyers on them.

Like most of you, we’re focusing much of our energy right now on gearing up for the holiday season, and on helping merchants drive even more traffic and conversions from our rapidly growing user base during that crucial time of year. U.S. merchants should look for information about holiday promotions in your account and your inbox soon. (To be sure you don’t miss any promotion announcements, remember to opt in to receive emails from Google Checkout.)

Meanwhile, we want to thank all the sellers and developers who have helped us grow and improve Checkout over the last few years. We are more excited than ever to innovate for you, and we’ll continue to work toward delivering the fastest, the safest, and the most convenient purchase experience across the web and the mobile. Stay tuned!

Posted by Arun Balaraman, Group Product Manager

Over the last few weeks, we launched some exciting new updates that make it even easier for business users to create and collaborate on to Google Sites, Google documents, and Google spreadsheets.

• In Google documents, we launched a new revision history interface which lets you easily see what changes have been made to a document. Changes are color-coded based on each collaborator, so it’s clear who did what. You can click on a time stamp in the right column to see what changes were made at a given time, or use the arrow keys to quickly scan through many revisions. To learn more about revisions history, see the Google Docs blog.

by Claudine Zap

Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.

1. Tina Fey (Searches increased by 2,063%). The comedian will be honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. She's the youngest and only the third woman to receive the award.
2. "Deadliest Catch" (+1,559%). The two stars of the incredibly popular TV show have reportedly quit.
3. Kale (+755%). The stuff is so healthy, it makes spinach look like junk food.
4. Meg Whitman (+572%). She said, she said: The Republican candidate for governor denies her former maid's allegations that she knowingly hired an illegal immigrant.
5. Gugu Mbatha Raw (+311%). Despite the new talent that the actress brings to the J.J. Abrams show "Undercovers," ratings have slipped — and the show could be cancelled.

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Last December, we wrote about our immersive Google Earth environment, Liquid Galaxy: eight 55-inch LCD screens showing Google Earth in a unified, surround view.


Since then, we’ve taken it to a lot of conferences, built Liquid Galaxies in Google offices all over the world and even put one in the Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif. We love watching people try it for the first time. Almost everybody wants to see their own house first; but then they start to explore, and we can never guess where they’ll choose to go next.

But we just couldn’t bring it to enough people—we could only go to so many conferences, and only friends and family of Googlers could try out the Liquid Galaxies in our offices.

So we decided to put the features that make Liquid Galaxy possible into the latest release of Google Earth, and open-source all the supporting work, from our Ubuntu sysadmin scripts to the mechanical design of our custom frames.


Not everyone will have the know-how to network computers together and get view synchronization working, but we tried to make it as easy as possible. If you think you’re up to the challenge, check out our Quick Start page. You can also contact our supplier End Point if you’d rather buy than build (or just need some professional assistance). Here’s a video they made that shows Liquid Galaxy in action:



Liquid Galaxies don’t have to be made from eight big LCD screens; the view sync features scale just fine from two to dozens of screens. And they can run more than just Google Earth; we’ve had success playing video in sync in our Liquid Galaxies, and even modified a Free Software video game for after-hours fun. We’ve daydreamed about making panoramic movies, head tracking or even real-time video from distant panoramic cameras. Read more on the Liquid Galaxy page at earth.google.com, and show off your creations in the liquid-galaxy discussion group. We’re excited to see what you come up with!

Posted by Jason Holt, Software Engineer, Liquid Galaxy 20% Team