PDF-XChange Version is an Adobe compatible, PDF file creation software. PDF-XChange offers an efficient compression and optimisation for PDF file generation. Create PDF files with ease from any Windows software application or if you're a Software Developer and would like information relating to the PDF-XChange SDK version to incorporate PDF-XChange in your applications for royalty-free distribution then the SDK could well be the right solution for you.PDF-XChange Pro is the as the Standard version with 1 additional application bundled, PDF-Tools.
Features: » PDF/A - 1b (RGB) is now supported » World beating compression and optimisation technology » Extended functionality provided for MS Office integration » Enhanced visual layout previewer allow you to resize pages via the printer preferences » Brochure/Booklet Mode print output » Flexible DPI output options 50 - 2400DPI available » CJK fonts/character set support » Add Watermarks or Overlay PDF pages to new PDF output » Auto Bookmark generation » Auto Header/Footer generation » Extended Font embedding options » Create specific printer preferences and save to Profiles for future use » MAPI/SMTP Email integration options » Convert Office files to PDF documents (Office2PDF) » Multilanguage user interface
Extreme acceleration, powerful privacy features, and advanced downloading tools. All these features are included in this single download Accelerator Unleash the full power of DAP! Download files with Extreme Acceleration, downloading with up to ten connections at once. DAP Premium provides the fastest possible download speeds. DAP Premium gives you powerful download tools. Use ZIP Preview to view and extract ZIP files as you download; Password Manager stores your download passwords to keep things simple. With DAP Premium you will receive priority Gold Support so you will always have the help you need. You will also receive one year of SpeedBit Upgrade Coverage so you will always have the most up to date version of DAP.
Firefox has a CPU usage issue and, consequently, can cause overheating problems in some laptops, particularly ultraportables. That's what I've found over the last couple of years.
But don't take my word for it. This is documented on a Mozilla support page entitled "Firefox consumes a lot of CPU resources." The page states: "At times, Firefox may require significant CPU [central processing unit] resources in order to download, process, and display Web content." And forum postings like this one about a Dell Netbook are not uncommon: "Mini9 would get way too hot."
The Mozilla support page goes on to say that "you can review and monitor CPU usage through specific tools" and describes ways to limit CPU usage, such as: "A Firefox add-on, called Flashblock, allows you to selectively enable and disable Flash content on Web sites."
Let me describe my experience. I find that tab for tab, Firefox uses decidedly more resources than other browsers--Safari, for example. And in the past (when I was actively using a Windows Vista-based machine) Firefox also compared unfavorably with Microsoft's Internet Explorer for CPU usage.
More specifically, here's the behavior as I see it. When I'm accessing sites with multimedia content such as the CNET front door, Firefox CPU usage will bounce around between 30 and 60 percent, and sometimes spike higher (80 percent and above), as indicated by the Mac OS 10.6.2 Activity Monitor.
On the other hand, the Safari CPU usage with the same pages open is much lower--typically between 2 percent and 10 percent.
My theory is that most users don't notice this because in mainstream laptops, this isn't an issue. But it can become an issue in ultraportables--typically under an inch thick--which are more sensitive to heat because of the design constraints. The ultrathin Apple MacBook Air, which I use as my main machine, is a good example.
The fan is usually an audible indicator of CPU usage issues. When I'm using Firefox and I have tabs open on multimedia-rich sites (which is par for the course these days), the Air's fan will almost invariably kick on and stay on until I close the tabs. As I write this, the fan has finally shut down after I closed the Firefox tabs (e.g, CNET front door). Those same tabs in Safari are still open and not causing any significant spike in CPU usage or fan activity.
When I contacted Mozilla, a technical support person guessed that Safari is possibly better at optimizing Flash-based sites compared to Firefox. And that may be true. However, I had similar issues before when I was using a Hewlett-Packard business ultraportable (also very thin like the Air) that were not necessarily tied to Flash usage. In short, Firefox was less efficient with CPU usage compared to Microsoft's IE 8. And the behavior was similar. The HP laptop would quickly heat up and the fan would kick on.
Finally, let me reemphasize that I'm guessing that most users don't notice this because heat dissipation is not a big issue for mainstream laptops that are not necessarily thermally-challenged when accessing multimedia-rich Web pages. That said, this has been a steady problem for me because I use ultraportables almost exclusively and has forced me to limit my use of Firefox
With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft showed Wednesday it's trying to retake the browser initiative.
IE remains the Net's dominant browser. But perversely, it became something of a technology underdog after Microsoft vanquished Netscape in the browser wars of the 1990s and scaled back its browser effort.
That left an opportunity for rivals to blossom--most notably Firefox, which now is used by a quarter of Web surfers, but also Apple's Safari, which now runs on Windows as well as Mac OS X, and Google's Chrome, which aims to make the Web faster and a better foundation for applications.
The acceleration feature takes advantage of hitherto untapped computing power in a way that's more useful than other browser-boosting technology--Google's Native Client to directly employ PC's processor and Mozilla's WebGL for accelerated 3D graphics, for example--according to Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Internet Explorer.
"This is a direct improvement to everybody's usage of the Web on a daily basis," Hachamovitch said in an interview after Sinofsky's speech. "Web developers are doing what they did before, only now they can tap directly into a PC's graphics hardware to make their text work better and graphics work better."
Why go to all this trouble? In short, to help keep the Windows business alive and kicking.
"Our goal in building a great browser for consumers and for everyone is that they are Windows customers. That's at the core of it," Hachamovitch said.
He didn't bring it up, but it should be noted that an increasing fraction of Microsoft's business is moving online, too, through its Bing, Live, and now online Office 2010 sites. "We want to build a better IE so all the Web sites have a better experience," Hachamovitch said.
Turning up the heat Microsoft began work on IE 9 just three weeks ago, Sinofsky said. But signs have been clear that the company has taken interest in its browser again.
When it arrived earlier this year IE 8 brought significant new security and privacy features, and in a significant departure Web developers appreciate, it attempts to follow various Web standards such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and Cascading Style Sheets.
"High-quality specifications that improve interoperability between browsers are important. Our goal is to help ensure these new standards work well for Web developers and will work well in future versions of IE," said Adrian Bateman, a Microsoft program manager who's involved in the standardization effort, describing the motivation. That point of view is music to the ears of programmers who struggle to make sure their Web sites work with the ever-wider variety of browsers on the Web today.
Hardware acceleration Under the covers, the IE 9 acceleration works by employing Microsoft's Direct2D interface rather than its GDI (Graphical Device Interface). Direct2D provides a general way for software to take advantage of hardware acceleration for graphics, and IE 9 will employ it.
"It's a remarkably different level of performance," said Hachmovitch, who's using the technology. "It's like the difference between watching Pixar or an Xbox vs. watching an old PC chug along."
Direct2D also facilitates a technology called sub-pixel positioning that can smooth the appearance of text on the screen. That cuts eyestrain, he said.
In a video touting the Direct2D browsing technology, Microsoft showed off the acceleration effect on a map-based Web site. While panning the view one way or the other, "The map literally keeps up with your mouse," said Microsoft graphics developer Christian Fortini in the video
Earlier in November, Firefox surpassed 25 percent usage share of Web browsers, according to Net Applications.
(Credit: Net Applications)
With the old technology, that chore can update the screen at a rate of about 5 to 10 frames per second while using 50 to 60 percent of the processor's horsepower, but using the Direct2D method, the frame rate jumps to a range of 40 to 60 per second while the CPU usage plunges, Hachamovitch said.
Compatibility sales pitch Hachamovitch touted Microsoft's approach as broadly relevant and compatible with the Web as it stands today. Unlike Native Client and WebGL, it doesn't require new programming skills for Web developers.
"Web sites didn't have to change behavior and code in a different way" to take advantage of the Direct2D technology, Hachamovitch said. "With a lot of other technologies, it takes a lot of work and a lot of time to figure out how to do something different. It isn't necessarily an interoperable, standards kind of thing--it's something from one particular vendor. We're taking interoperable implementations of things like CSS, things that developers are using and expect to work everywhere, and making them demonstrably better."
He didn't comment on whether Microsoft supports some Web standards for better graphics, including Canvas and Scalable Vector Graphics, but he did say the new display technology will broadly help whatever graphics technologies IE does support. "Once we're on top of this super-rich graphics infrastructure, all the graphics we do will have this," he said.
And although Microsoft certainly hasn't committed to it, Eliot Graff, an IE lead technical editor, is helping edit the Canvas interface at the W3C group.
Full standards support remains a sore point when dealing with IE. On one test, Acid3, IE 8 scores just 20 out of 100. IE 9 currently scores 32, and "the score will continue to go up," Hachamovitch wrote in the blog posting.
Faster JavaScript The acceleration is one aspect of performance Microsoft is focusing on. Another is the execution of JavaScript, a programming language used widely on the Web for everything from mundane tasks to full-on applications such as Gmail and Google Docs.
In another Microsoft video, John Montgomery, a leader of IE's browser compatibility and tools team, shows off the browser tackling all the components of the SunSpider JavaScript speed test.
"We're whipping through these faster than (IE) 8 was," Montgomery said. "We're pretty early in the development process. There's still some stuff we can still squeeze out of the engine, but we're doing a lot better than we were."
Hachamovitch, though, takes pains to point out JavaScript isn't the only bottleneck for browsers. Even though JavaScript engines are important enough to warrant brand names these days--Chrome's V8, Firefox's TraceMonkey, Safari's Nitro, Opera's Futhark and Caracan--Microsoft's prefers to shine a light on nine other aspects of browser performance.
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. •Adobe InDesign® CS4 •Adobe Photoshop® CS4 Extended •Adobe Illustrator® CS4 •Adobe Acrobat® 9 Pro •Adobe Flash® CS4 Professional •Adobe Dreamweaver® CS4 •Adobe Fireworks® CS4 •Adobe Contribute® CS4 •Adobe After Effects® CS4 •Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4 •Adobe Soundbooth® CS4 •Adobe OnLocation™ CS4 •Adobe Encore® CS4 •Adobe Bridge CS4 (offers direct access to Version Cue® and Adobe® Device Central) •Adobe Dynamic Link •Adobe Media Player
Minimum system requirements: Windows® • 1.8GHz or faster processor • Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista) • 512 MB RAM (1GB of RAM or more recommended)* • 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices) • 1,024x768 display (1,280x800 recommended) with 16-bit or greater video card • DVD-ROM drive • Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 • QuickTime 7.2 required for multimedia features • Broadband Internet connection required for online services
How to activate Adobe CS4 Master Collection: 1) Generate a serial using "Adobe CS4 Master Collection Keygen.exe". 2) Input the generated serial into the box when it asks for a serial. 3) Run "Activation Blocker.cmd" as an administrator by right-clicking it and selecting "Run As Administrator". 4) Go to wherever you installed Adobe CS4 Master Collection (default. C:\Program Files\Adobe) and open the folder "Adobe Photoshop CS4" 5) Rename the file "amtlib.dll" inside the "Adobe Photoshop CS4" folder to "amtlib.dll.mtc" 6) Copy the cracked "amtlib.dll" from the folder called "Photoshop Crack (inside the "CS4 Crack.rar" file). 7) Paste the cracked "amtlib.dll" into the "Adobe Photoshop CS4" folder.
Adobe CS4 Master Collection should now be completely activated.
DELETE cache.db IF YOU WHANT TO PUT ANOTHER SERIAL
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apache Software Foundation, which is being celebrated at the annual ApacheCon U.S. event. Microsoft is proud to be a platinum sponsor of both the ASF and ApacheCon 2009.
The Apache community is an important one for Microsoft and, as ASF President Justin Erenkrantz noted recently, Microsoft is now contributing to at least four Apache projects: HBase, Stonehenge, QPid, and POI.
"This really continues the significant sea change from within the organization - Microsoft now isn't afraid of having their employees contribute to Apache projects on Microsoft's time. Committers from Microsoft sign the same legal agreements that we require from all of our contributors. Microsoft's involvement in these specific communities range from having their employees being core contributors driving the project, to having folks contributing patches or ideas on our mailing lists, to even commissioning a third-party to contribute to our project as a work-for-hire. In other words, Microsoft is now actively participating within Apache projects in a broad range of way," Erenkrantz said.
A number of Microsoft folks representing the Interoperability, App Plat, DPE, Open Source Technology Center and Platform Strategy teams will be on-site and participating in a number of events.
In addition, Sandy Gupta, the Director of Platform Strategy, will participate in a Business Panel today, titled: "The Business of Open Source - Power, Prestige, and Propulsion," while Kent Brown and David Ingham will be giving a technical session on Project Stonehenge and Qpid.
Garrett Serack from the Open Source Technology Center gave two BarCamp sessions earlier this week ("How the heck do I get help from Microsoft?" and "The Road Less Travelled" about the new CoApp he has developed,) while David gave a BarCamp presentation on AMQP and Qpid and Kent did one on Stonehenge.
David also led a MeetUp about Qpid on Windows on Tuesday night; while Kent and the team will give a Lightening Talk on Thursday.
We look forward to meeting those of you attending ApacheCon, and please feel free to stop by the booth.
Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), makers of Norton security software, announced today the worldwide release of Norton Ghost 15, one of the industry's most advanced PC backup and recovery solutions. Windows 7 compatible Norton Ghost 15 now offers 25G and 50G Blu-ray Disc support. This version also introduces a new cold imaging feature that images computers without installing the product. In addition, Norton Ghost uses Symantec's powerful ThreatCon indicator to automatically back up PCs in the event of a severe security threat. Norton Ghost 15 is a robust and professional-grade backup solution for both home users and small businesses. With Norton Ghost, lost or damaged files can be recovered and restored in the event of a system failure, even if the computer's operating system does not start. It also allows backup of an entire system or specific files and folders while saving recovery points to offsite locations using FTP. Norton Ghost is also flexible, allowing users to decide when to back up their system, either on a schedule or based on an event.
"Norton Ghost has been the essential imaging and recovery product since 1996," said Dave Cole, senior director of consumer products, Symantec. "Consumers' PCs have never been more central to people's lives, or more at risk due to cybercrime and critical failures. Ghost 15 not only is a powerful disaster recovery tool, but also it adds important features such as Windows 7 compatibility and Blu-ray Disc support to keep current with the way people are using their computers today."
In addition, Norton Ghost works with both 25G and 50G Blu-ray Discs and most storage drives, including external hard drives, networked drives, and recordable and rewritable CDs and DVDs. It also includes a hot backups feature, which lets users back up their computers without having to shut it down first. Norton Ghost is also supported by Windows 7 Bitlocker, providing enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking, keeping stored data safe and protected.
Norton Ghost 15 now also includes cold imaging technology, which backs up files without installing the product, saving users time and money. After purchasing a new computer, users can image the PC immediately before any software is loaded so that factory settings remain intact. Also, cold imaging allows easy back up of a system by simply booting to the recovery environment (a light version of the Windows operating system) from the Norton Ghost CD, and then initiating a backup.
Backing up isn't just about saving files from accidental data loss; these days computers can fall prey to damage from cybercriminals. That's why Norton Ghost 15 leverages Symantec's ThreatCon, which uses intelligence from Symantec Security Response to automatically backup files whenever the landscape reaches a specific threat level.
Key Technologies See all NEW! Cold imaging NEW! Blu-ray Disc support File and folder backups NEW! Windows® 7 Bitlocker™ support NEW! Symantec ThreatCon integration Advanced compression and encryption
Key Benefits See all Creates full system and file backups — Safeguards your system, settings, applications, and files with flexible, comprehensive backup protection. Restores from system failuress — Recovers your system and data even when you can’t restart your computer. Enables convenient, secure offsite backups — Saves recovery points to an FTP site for easier offsite management and even backs up your data to network-attached storage devices. Features See all NEW! Cold Imaging lets you back up files without installing Ghost. NEW! Blu-ray Disc allows you to back up large amounts of data to high-capacity Blu-ray Disc — up to 25 GB per disc (50 GB dual-layer). NEW! Windows® 7 support including support for Bitlocker™ provides enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking.
Norton Ghost 15.0 System Requirements Windows® 7 Starter/Home Basic/Home Premium/Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate Must meet minimum Windows 7 operating system requirements Windows Vista® Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate Must meet minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements Windows® XP Home/Professional 300 MHz or faster processor 512 MB (1GB recommended) of RAM 430 MB of available hard disk space CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive for software distribution on media Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor Supported File Systems and Devices FAT16, FAT16X, FAT32, FAT32X NTFS, GUID Partition Table (GPT) Dynamic Disks Supported Hard Drives and Removable Media CDR/RW, DVD+-R/RW, Blu-Ray devices USB and FireWire® (IEEE 1394) devices Iomega® Zip® and Jaz® drives
Developer: Symantec Corp. License: Key Language: English OS: Microsoft Windows 2000, XP and Vista Size: 119.68 Mb
802.16 standard, called WirelessMAN, providing a new perspective in accessing high speed internet without depending on the network or modem cable. Year 2002 established a forum Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) which refers to the 802.16 standard and served menginterkoneksikan various technical standards that are global to a single unit. WiMAX technology is more expensive than other broadband technologies like Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
Security aspect is very important for broadband technology in accessing information from the Internet. Is discussed in the writing hand security systems found on WirelessMAN technology based on 802.16 standard specifications.
IEEE 802.16 standards provide internet access to the metropolitan area with only establish some base station (BS) is able to coverage of millions of subscribers (SS). WiMAX technology is the solution for the city or rural areas that have not developed in the provision of internet access. Encryption data used in the form of data encryption standard (DES) and authentication on each client / subscriber station (SS) is very good with X.509 certificates are unique, powerful and reliable toughness.
Urges users to block ports until a patch is ready, but workaround cripples browsers By Gregg Keizer in computer world news
Microsoft late on Friday confirmed that an unpatched vulnerability exists in Windows 7, but downplayed the problem, saying most users would be protected from attack by blocking two ports at the firewall.
In a security advisory, Microsoft acknowledged that a bug in SMB (Server Message Block), a Microsoft-made network file- and print-sharing protocol, could be used by attackers to cripple Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 machines.
The zero-day vulnerability was first reported by Canadian researcher Laurent Gaffie last Wednesday, when he revealed the bug and posted proof-of-concept attack code to the Full Disclosure security mailing list and his blog. According to Gaffie, exploiting the flaw crashes Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 systems so thoroughly that the only recourse is to manually power off the computers.
At the time, Microsoft only said it was investigating Gaffie's reports.
Then on Friday, it took the next step and issued the advisory. "Microsoft is aware of public, detailed exploit code that would cause a system to stop functioning or become unreliable," Dave Forstrom, a spokesman for Microsoft security group, said in an e-mail. "The company is not aware of attacks to exploit the reported vulnerability at this time."
Forstrom echoed Gaffie's comments earlier in the week that while an exploit could incapacitate a PC, the vulnerability could not be used by hackers to install malicious code on a Windows 7 system.
Both SMBv1 and its successor, SMBv2, contain the bug. "Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 are not affected," assured Forstrom.
Attacks could be aimed at any browser, not just Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft warned. After tricking users into visiting a malicious site or a previously-compromised domain, hackers could feed them specially-crafted URIs (uniform resource identifier), and then crash their PCs with malformed SMB packets.
Microsoft said it may patch the problem, but didn't spell out a timetable or commit to an out-of-cycle update before the next regularly-scheduled Patch Tuesday of Dec. 8. Instead, the company suggested users block TCP ports 139 and 445 at the firewall. Doing so, however, would disable browsers as well as a host of critical services, including network file-sharing and IT group policies.
Gaffie's vulnerability was the first zero-day reported and confirmed by Microsoft in Windows 7 since the new operating system went on sale Oct. 22.
As you've likely read and as was originally reported here, we've been investigating a report that the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, might contain GPLv2 code. The WUDT is a free tool that was offered by the Microsoft Store and which enabled customers to create bootable USB drives or DVD backup media from the electronic software (ESD) edition of Windows 7 that comes in an ISO format.
After looking at the code in question, we are now able to confirm this was indeed the case, although it was not intentional on our part. While we had contracted with a third party to create the tool, we share responsibility as we did not catch it as part of our code review process. We have furthermore conducted a review of other code provided through the Microsoft Store and this was the only incident of this sort we could find.
When it comes to our attention that a Microsoft component contains third party code, our aim is to be respectful of the terms under which that code is being shared. As a result, we will be making the source code as well as binaries for this tool available next week under the terms of the General Public License v2 as described here, and are also taking measures to apply what we have learned from this experience for future code reviews we perform.
Cisco is placing bets on the future adoption of collaboration tools for businesses by unveiling later today a enhanced suite of offerings, including a new social networking software designed for a corporate setting and a new cloud-based e-mail hosting service, as well as video and voice integration into the collaboration platform.
The company said that the idea behind the new collaboration platform is to be less “document-centric” and more “people-centric” by working with voice, IM and video to create business-to-business communications - and meetings - more efficient. In part, that includes the ability to bring Facebook-like tools into the mix, but secure them in a way that meets the needs of a company. The company explains its social video system, called Show and Share, like this:
Cisco Show and Share is a social video system that helps organizations create and manage highly secure video communities to share ideas and expertise, optimize global video collaboration, and personalize the connection between customers, employees, and students with user-generated content. It allows organizations to record, edit and share video with comments, ratings,. tagging and RSS feeds, ans speech-to-text transcripts can be uploaded for easy video search and viewing.
The other announcement - Cisco WebEx Mail - stems from the company’s acquisition of PostPath and offers a cloud-based system that also has Outlook interoperability. Through its acquisition of Jabber, the company also said it has integrated the XMPP standard to give it a secure but widely available presence in the collaboration tools.
n some ways, Cisco - which has been competing with companies such as IBM, HP and Dell in the data center - is now adding Microsoft, which recently dropped the price of its hosted versions of Exchange, Sharepoint, and Office Communications Server, and Google to its lineup of competitors with these new services. For some time, Google has been pushing its cloud-based apps for businesses and even scored a major deal with city of Los Angeles recently to manage its email system. And now, it’s previewing Google Wave, a Web-based, real-time collaboration tool that allows users across the Web to communicate with each other in e-mail like message thread or instant chats and share documents, videos, images, charts and more.
Under the Google Wave approach, users can open the collaboration projects, or “Waves,” to anyone over the Internet, allowing collaboration with anyone via the Web. Cisco’s new offering also breaks down the walls of the traditional network, allowing users to work with customers, vendors and others who normally might have been locked out of the collaboration process
Cisco said that, upon rollout, its mail offerings - priced “somewhere south of $8 per mailbox per month” but still being finalized - will be cloud-based only while the collaboration platform will reside on-premise. Eventually, the company will offer the ability to split data between the two worlds - on-site and in the cloud - but still sees companies being more comfortable with e-mail in the cloud than they are with collaborative documents and correspondence in the cloud.
The company has been vocal about its visions for the future, notably its belief that video will be “the center of everything” in future communications. With this push into collaboration software, the company is subscribing to the idea that e-mail is losing some of its luster as a tool for conducting business. Anyone who’s ever exchanged two dozen emails with a half-dozen people just to set up a meeting knows how ineffective e-mail can be when working with teams.
Cisco has been transforming itself during the economic downturn to be more than just a networking company by the time the economy started to recover. As part of the movement, it’s been beefing up its offerings, largely through acquisitions. In October alone, it made three acquisition announcements - $3 billion for Tandberg, a video conferencing equipment maker, $2.9 billion for Starent, a provider of mobile Internet Protocol gear, and $183 million for ScanSafe, an Internet security company.
The YouTube Downloader software is a great solution for the folks who would like to download their favorite videos from the net onto their computers. Although it has a simplistic look and interface, it is loaded with numerous easy to control options for the user. You can even convert the saved FLV YouTube files for use on your iPod, Cell Phone and other digital devices.
Once you begin the installation, two options can be ticked or unselected based on your preferences. The first one will set Yahoo as the default search engine of your browser, while the second choice will install the Dealio toolbar. Uncheck both if you don't want these options.
The second load screen will ask if you’d like the downloader to check for automatic updates for the YouTube Downloader. It's up to you whether or not you want this.
As mentioned before, one of the greatest points about the YouTube Downloader is its simple working interface. There are three fields to work with to actually commence downloading your videos from the net. The first one is by manually entering the address of your favorite YouTube video file and then using the folder icon on the right to choose where the file will be saved to. Press the OK button and your file will begin downloading.
If you are interested in using the media conversion utilities, the YouTube Downloader can easily change the extensions of the videos downloaded to formats like iPhone, iPod, AVI and MPEG-4.
By clicking on the drop down menu, the listing of all supported files extensions can be shown, allowing you to chose which one suits your needs best.
By checking the download qualities options, you can easily select how you’d like your files to be saved onto your machine and at which visual quality. This does affect the overall sizes of the files, however.
You can download the YouTube Downloader software by visiting the URL below: http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html
Recently there were some updates to the Bravenet Mailing List Service. So we thought this would be a good opportunity to show you how to redesign your newsletter header to make it more custom.
Sending out newsletters is an excellent way to keep people up-to-date. The reasons for sending a newsletter are endless, so use your imagination and have fun!
First thing, do you have the Mailing List Service? If not, get it here.
Now get ready to start editing your newsletter. Log into Bravenet and get into the Mailing List Service Manager. From there, click 'Create an Email' and select the first method of creating a newsletter, 'Email Builder'.
Next we need a topic, it can be anything you like - I am going to make mine about my summer vacation at the beach.
Now that we have our topic picked, we can create a header. I am going to create my header using some of the free Bravenet Stock Photos. If you have Professional Hosting you can download free stock photos from the 'photos' tab that appears when you are logged in. Don't have Pro Hosting? Sign up here and start downloading free stock photos.
If you want your header image to fill the entire width of your newsletter you must first set the width of your newsletter. From the HTML Email Builder screen click 'edit layout', click the settings tab at the top. Here you can edit your width. I have made mine 650px - for the rest of this issue of Tips and Tricks I am going to assume you have done the same. The height of your header image is not important.
NOTE: you can change the layout of your newsletter using the 'Layout' tab that is found under the 'Edit Layout' link as well.
There are two different ways you can make your header. You can edit/create it yourself in an external third party program or you can upload a full size image and then crop it using the Bravenet Crop Tool.
Creating your Header:
1. From the Mailing List Service Manager click 'edit title'. 2. Under the 'Logo Image' section click 'Image Picker'. 3. Upload your image using the box at the top of the windows that pops open. 4. Once your image is uploaded, click the thumbnail for your image. 5. To crop your image, click the 'Crop this Image' link. 6. Now you can drag and expand the box on your image to crop it to size. Remember to make it 650px wide to fill the entire header. When you are finished, click 'Crop Image'. 7. A new thumbnail is then created for your cropped image, click the new thumbnail. Then click 'Use Image'. 8. Click Save.
If your header image is pre-made and already the correct width then skip steps 5, 6 and 7.
Multiply members no longer have to choose between sharing securely with the people they know and extending the audience for their media. Now you can have the best of both worlds, sharing your content all over the Internet without having to visit another service to do it.
Set-up is easy: simply check the "Twitter" or "Facebook" box when posting content to Multiply and we'll walk you through the process. Once you've done that, cross-posting to these services when sharing on Multiply is just a simple checkbox away. You can even cross-post a Multiply QuickNote to let people on these services know what you're doing!
Owing to these services' limitations, we made sure to include something sure to make even the most 140-character-limit-savvy sharer happy: our very own built-in URL shortener – http://mltp.ly/ – so that your posts always link back to the original content on Multiply. Don't worrying about accidentally going over these services' character limits, either... we're watching out for you.
If you happen to know anyone who uses those services, but doesn't use Multiply, let them know they can now take advantage of Multiply's full-service media solution (share safely, store permanently, create beautiful photo products) while still sharing with the contacts they already have on Facebook and Twitter.
Over the years, we've had great opportunities to get to know many Multiply members, both via our interactions with them though customer service, as well as through the content they share in groups.
Now, we'd like to get to know everyone, and have put together a survey to help us better understand the people using Multiply, including their interests and feelings on a wide range of subjects. If you'd take the survey, we'd greatly appreciate it... and will extend to you a coupon for 50% off the purchase of a Multiply Photo Book!
In last month's Tips and Tricks Newsletter we showed you how to greatly reduce your image sizes to save hosting space. We took a 2MB file right off our digital camera and got it down to 24KB by resizing and reducing quality - allowing you to upload 97 images in place of just one. If you missed or would like to re-read last month's Tips and Tricks you can do so here. Just a quick side note, did you know that you can find past issues of Tips and Tricks here?
This month we are going to talk about saving as a GIF. First, I want to clear up any confusion - an image you take with your digital camera should never be saved as a GIF (more on this below). This Tips and Tricks will teach you how and when to save as a GIF rather than a JPG.
What is a GIF?
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format.
"The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel, allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 distinct colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space. It also supports animations and allows a separate palette of 256 colors for each frame. The color limitation makes the GIF format unsuitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color, but it is well-suited for simpler images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of color." Wikipedia
As you can see from the text above, there are limitations when savings as a GIF. A GIF only supports up to 256 colors - this is why you should never save photos from your digital camera as a GIF, or any color photograph for that matter. Not only would a color photograph saved as a GIF look worse but the file size could also be larger than if you had of saved as a JPG, yikes! It really is all about learning to use the right format for the right images. Just a note, while GIFs can only have 256 colors - it can be any colors, you are not restricted to web safe colors.
See the choppy lines in the sky on the GIF?
GIFs work awesome for stuff like logos/text/computer drawings - images with few and solid colors. For stuff like logos saving as a GIF will result in a cleaner looking image as well as giving you the smallest file size.
Spread spectrum communication is a technique that is characterized by wide bandwidth and low peak power. Spread spectrum communications using a variety of modulation techniques in wireless LAN and has many advantages when compared to its predecessor, the narrow band communications. The signals spread spectrum similar to the noise (noise), difficult to detect, and even more difficult to arrest or didemodulasi without using the right tool. Jamming and interference has a lesser effect on spread spectrum communication when compared to narrow band communication. Because of these reasons, spread spectrum technology has long been the leading technology in the military.
Esia has prepared 1.7 million number Esia GoGo forth to face the surge in customers Esia holiday 2009 season.
Esia GoGo readiness was in line with the increased network capacity Esia 2-fold for both sms and voice. It is expected that this capacity will provide convenience for customers who will be going home Esia so that they can still use the phone at home Esianya.
"We are preparing specifically Esia GoGo this year because the number of cities has increased dilayanan Esia, namely in 73 cities. Most also had to reach small towns like Cilacap forth goals, Brebes, Klaten in Central Java and Wonogiri or Binjai, Siantar, Batusangkar and Bukittinggi in Sumatra, "said Director of Corporate Services BTEL Rachmat Junaidi, through its official statement on Thursday (17/9/2009).
GoGo Esia Bakrie Telecom is a service to customers Esia order can still use the number Esianya even outside the city or area code. Due to the fixed wireless access licenses that have been, Esia services can only be used in one area code. But with the Esia Esia GoGo then the customer can still use the phone even outside the city. It's easy, simply SMS to 6060 or call into the # 6060.
In addition Esia also provides insurance protection guarantees valued at Rp1 million to customers Esia GoGo the unfortunate.
While the network readiness also been prepared well in advance. According to Grace, the capacity of Bakrie Telecom has been increased 2-fold of normal capacity, both for voice and SMS. For that Esia also has prepared a special team, both on the technical and customer service that will serve 24 hours in turn.
Seeking to create an alternative to the United States' global positioning system, China is busy building its own GPS network. On Wednesday, it launched the second satellite designed to support the system. It will need 30 more to complete the system by 2015.
China fired into orbit Wednesday its second satellite in a program to build an alternative to the global positioning system based on U.S. satellites.
The geostationary satellite is one of a series being slung into space to form the Beidou, or "Compass," navigation system, the official Xinhua News Agency said, calling the system a "crucial part of the country's space infrastructure."
Home-Grown GPS The system is touted by China as an alternative to the U.S. satellite GPS More about global positioning system network, the dominant positioning system, although it isn't clear how far China has progressed in bringing the project to fruition.
Although the U.S. government says China has already launched at least five navigation satellites, Xinhua said Wednesday's launch, which was fired off at 00:16 a.m. (1616 GMT) from the southwestern Xichang launching center using a Long March 3C rocket, was only the second directly tied to the global navigation system.
It said China's current satellite navigation system only covers China and adjacent regions.
The launch comes almost exactly two years after the first Beidou satellite was placed into orbit, Xinhua said.
Competition and Cooperation Xinhua said 30 more satellites would be needed before 2015 to complete the system, with 10 going up by the end of next year.
China has been both a competitor and a partner in global positioning system efforts. While seeking to operate independently of the U.S. system, it has invested in the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system and is talking about participating in Russia's GLONASS system.
Enhance the user experience and personal freedom with support for Bluetooth. Increase business continuity by taking advantage of a new ruggedized industrial design. The Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7925G for mobile professionals extends the functionality of the existing Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phone 7921G with the following new features:
* Support for Bluetooth v2.0 headset profiles gives you more freedom * Hermetically sealed phone/display is IP54 rated, protects against dust, liquids, and moist wipes, and is ideal for deployment in more demanding environments * Ruggedized industrial design is compliant with military 810F standard and includes a rubber casing to shield the phone from damage caused by drops and shocks * A more compact form factor gives you an IP phone that is easier to hold
Device and hardware makers are discovering the flexibility of the Linux stack as the foundation of a platform for mobile applications that bring value to the wares they want to sell. Complications exist, but manufacturers are working through them to further drive the adoption of the Linux stack.
In a sagging economy, doing business as usual is rarely prudent and usually disastrous. Companies often must change the course of strategies, or in some cases accelerate them. After a spate of business meetings during the marathon that is Mobile World Congress, one takeaway is the acceleration in the mobile handset market of operators moving to open source More about open source software-based devices. Two specific device types are driving the increased adoption of open source software stacks: smartphones and netbooks, with many operators and OxMs also forming plans for Linux-based mobile Internet devices (MIDs) in the coming year.
Projections for Growth
The trend is more than anecdotal. In-Stat notes that "smartphones with Linux OS (including Android) will see the highest growth and the second highest volume behind Symbian More about Symbian. Linux OS will outpace Windows Mobile, RIM and iPhone OS X."
Meanwhile, industry analysts' projections for netbook (running either Linux or variants of Windows) sales growth rates in 2009 range from 50 percent to 128 percent. Many of these are being offered through operators with (profitable) data plans underwriting their already low costs. MIDs are also starting to appear on the horizon, fitting squarely between the smartphone and netbook.
Indeed, operators are viewing Linux as a strategic terminal platform on which they can build new revenue sources, new business models and a new customer base, regardless of device type. A Linux-based terminal platform offers them significant benefits over the legacy and proprietary platforms that formed the foundations of yesterday's mobile devices. Based on an open source license, these platforms give operators a significantly greater ability to customize, tailor and brand the platform for their network. And, as the base for various open source consortia including the LiMo Foundation, Open Handset Alliance and Moblin, these platforms offer operators the power to influence their development and direction. Many operators are reviewing where to put their investments, some are outlining plans for a single platform while others continue to work with multiple platforms. Stacking the Deck
Operators, OEMs and semiconductor manufacturers are now taking these open platforms and creating reference designs that will accelerate product development. Operators are integrating signature applications and other legacy assets with the open source platforms to create an operator-specific version that will be provided to OxMs as the starting point for final product development. OxMs are rapidly building competency in these open platforms to be better prepared to quickly deliver mobile devices for the operators. Semiconductor manufactures are also investing to pre-optimize their hardware platforms with these open source stacks to reduce early development cycles, differentiate their hardware platforms and accelerate hardware adoption.
This cross-value chain collaboration points to a new form of industry cooperation enabled by open source. By starting with a baseline open source software stack and a pre-optimized hardware-software platform, operators and their suppliers are innovating on new mobile devices at more effective levels -- the much vaunted value line shift higher up the stack that has long been promised by open source but rarely realized. By not having to worry about first enabling a video stream or building support for 14 Bluetooth More about Bluetooth profiles, when utilizing the community's stack investments, the ecosystem can now focus on developing new consumer features, services and advanced user experiences that will drive chip, device and subscriber sales.
Getting to the point where all the benefits are realized is proving to be more of a challenge than some have anticipated for several reasons:
* Open source mobile software stacks are relatively new, and expertise is not as widely available as with older, proprietary stacks (but is rapidly improving). Indeed, who will develop these reference stacks is a major question for operators -- are they in the software development business themselves? * Open source license provisions and how they affect open source software's integration with an operator's signature applications must also be addressed. * Discovering ways to speed the testing process for the integrated stack without sacrificing quality may be the key to achieving development project reduction goals. * The specter of fragmentation haunts the reference stack architecture, as no one wants to find themselves alone on a branch two years from now with no inexpensive way to rejoin the mainstream.
Despite these issues, operators are clearly moving full steam ahead with a variety of open source projects, including Android, LiMo and Moblin. The opportunity to quickly get a differentiated mobile device to market that will drive average revenue per user and subscriber growth is too alluring to ignore. Operators are driving the ecosystem to make it happen -- look for the mobile devices soon!
It's rumored that carrier Orange is gearing up to sell MacBooks at a discount in return for data service plans. What sort of MacBooks might they be talking about -- big, shiny MacBook Pros, or smaller, as-yet-nonexistent Mac netbooks? Also making news this week was a bit of malware disguising itself as a Mac application. As always, be careful what you download and install.
It's been a relatively quiet week for the Apple-focused blogosphere. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) More about Apple did announce the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which is set for June 8-12 in San Francisco. WWDC just so happens to the be the venue in which Apple is widely expected to release its next version of Mac OS X -- "Snow Leopard" -- which may be prettier than expected.
Meanwhile, Apple quietly added an option to double the memory in its 15-inch MacBook Pros, a security company caught some nasty OS X malware on video, and an international cellular service provider is rumored to be planning to sell a highly subsidized MacBook tied to a data service plan. Interesting stuff indeed.
Don't Touch My Scroll Bar!
As for Snow Leopard, AppleInsider.com reported that Apple may be working on a new user interface to Mac OS X, which may forgo the platinum (silvery white) color scheme in favor a darker, more charcoal-like scheme going by the name "marble."
"Details were sparse, but speculation pointed to the adoption of the smoother iTunes-style scrollbars and a move towards a darker chrome motif for application windows alongside an inverted menubar with light text on a dark background," AppleInsider.com reported.
Comments are all over the map, but at least a few expressed concern over Apple's bright blue scroll bars.
"I would just HATE for them to remove the blue glass scroll bars and replace them with some ugly Linux style like they have in iTunes. I'm glad it's just speculation. For the UI changes, I'm expecting it to be like iWork.com and Safari 4," commented macosxp on the AppleInsider.com post. 8 GB in a 15-inch MacBook Pro?
Moving on to the here and now, Apple started offering an 8 GB memory upgrade kit for its latest 15-inch MacBook Pros (MBPs). The 17-inch MBP already has a build-to-order option to jump up to 8 GB of memory. The upgrade kit is available on the Apple Store's set of memory pages. The kit is 2 1066 MHz DDR3 4GB SO-DIMMs and costs US$1,200.
9to5mac.com reported, however, that OWC has the same kit for $719, while Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) More about Amazon.com has it for just over $1,000.
"That's cool, but it's not like my 4 gig MBP is slow or anything," Wei-o commented on 9to5mac.com. Good point: Who really needs 8 GB of memory in a 15-inch MacBook form factor, anyway?
"Pro apps like Photoshop and Final Cut Pro suck lots of memory -- the more you have, the better you are," Sven Rafferty, founder of hyperSven and SvenOnTech.com blogger, told MacNewsWorld.
"Since many pros are now doing video on the road and graphic work on 'desktop replacements,' this option makes sense. Not everyone wants to carry a huge 17-inch around -- I didn't -- and opt for the smaller-but-just-right 15-inch MacBook Pro. I think Apple is wise to offer this feature to its Pro community," Rafferty explained.
"It'll further prove to videographers and photographers that the only computer they need is a Mac," he added. Malware Caught on Tape
Ars Technica noticed a blog post by security firm Sophos that provided a video of a new version of the RSPlug OS X trojan, OSX.RSPlug.F, masquerading as a media player application with a convincing yet fake Web site.
Basically, to get the malware, you have to download a fake HDTV/DTV program called "MacCinema" and/or an HDTV app called "HDTV Player."
"The website in the video looks legitimate; it appears to be a pretty close copy (right down to the box art) of the product page for a legitimate application with the same name," Ars Technica reported, noting that the real product is actually for Windows-based machines.
So what does the trojan do?
The RSPlug-F Trojan horse changes DNS Settings on Mac computers, meaning users may find they are taken to bogus Web sites which may attempt to steal personal information, display revenue-generating adverts, or install further malware. (By the way, if you visit the Web site from a Windows computer, it will serve up a malicious Windows executable from the Zlob family of malware rather than the RSPlug-F Mac OS X Trojan horse.)
"You should not be allowed to use a computer until you demonstrate that you can refrain from installing random sh*t from random websites because they told you to," commented mrsteveman1.
This trick, however, has very likely convinced at least a few users.
"Web-based attacks like this are the most common type of malware-delivery mechanism we see these days," Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant for Sophos More about Sophos, told MacNewsWorld.
"A lot are in the form of SQL injection attacks, but we do also see social engineering attacks like this used to install financially-motivated malicious code," he explained. Cluley posted the original video on his Sophos blog.
How, then, is a Mac user able to determine the fake from the legit?
"It's really not possible for the average guy in the street to spot a fake site from a legit site. Furthermore, most of the infected sites we encounter are actually legitimate sites that have been hacked and had malicious code planted on them," Cluley said.
"We see around about 20,000 new legitimate Web sites every day that are hosting malicious code -- presumably without the knowledge of the Web site owner. The best thing to do is make sure you have proper security in place, which means patches for your OS, plugins and applications, firewalls, and anti-virus software," he noted.
"It's worth stressing that Mac malware is much less frequently encountered than Windows -- but it's clear that some gangs are very happy to take advantage of what they see as a smaller but less well defended group of potential victims," he added. Cheap MacBooks on the Way?
While some Apple lovers are pining away for a Mac netbook, looks like one international mobile phone carrier isn't bothering to wait around. According to Macnn.com -- itself sourcing a report in Mobile, a UK-based magazine -- carrier Orange may be planning to sell MacBooks at a significant discount in return for a two-year mobile data contract.
If completed, the deal would represent the first time a MacBook has been offered alongside cellular service, Macnn.com reported, noting that while other computer manufacturers have provided PCs to phone carriers, Apple has limited its cellular deals to the iPhone.
"If they subsidize a MacBook PRO you can count me IN!!!" commented Rolando_jose on the Macnn.com post.
Of course, the whole deal, assuming it's legit, might simply be a way to pave the way for Orange selling a Mac netbook or tablet some time in the future. So, can we look forward to a new future where laptops are subsidized by mobile phone carriers, similar to our cell phones?
"Aside from netbooks and laptops, carriers want more revenue from the investments that they made in their new data infrastructure. This is true of 3G More about 3G and will no doubt be a fixture when 4G networks are more prevalent," William Ho, research director of Wireless Services for Current Analysis More about Current Analysis, told MacNewsWorld.
"The data use will not be in the laptop and netbook domain alone as new consumer electronics devices will have embedded cellular modules with wholesale data agreements that do not look like any data plan to the end user -- a great example of this is the Kindle," he added.
The world's leading mobile phone maker Nokia earned the top spot in Greenpeace's ranking of big electronics manufacturers' eco-friendliness, the environmental organisation said Tuesday.
Nokia scored seven points out of 10 in a report ranking companies on their policies regarding chemicals, waste and energy. Japanese game maker Nintendo came in last with a score of 0.8.
Greenpeace praised among other things Nokia's improved return programme in India, where it has 354 collection points enabling customers to return their old mobile phones to the maker for free.
"Nokia scores very well on toxic chemical issues, launching new models free of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) since the end of 2005 and aiming to have all new models free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and antimony trioxide (a chemical flame retardant) by the end of 2009," Greenpeace said in its report.
It also noted that 25 percent of the energy used by the Finnish handset maker in 2007 came from renewable sources and that it aims to increase use of renewables to 50 percent by 2010.
"We want manufacturers to eliminate harmful chemicals in their product design. We want to see an end to the stories of unprotected child labourers scavenging mountains of cast-off gadgets," the group said in a statement.
Korea's Samsung came in second position with 5.7 points. It scored well on chemicals and waste criteria and for making energy-efficient products.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers took the third spot with 5.5 points, having set late 2010 as its deadline for eliminating toxic PVC plastic and all BFRs from its products.
Greenpeace slammed Nintendo and US software maker Microsoft for their use of toxic chemicals and poor handling of discarded electronic products. The companies received scores of 0.8 and 2.2 points respectively.
Russia lags behind the United States in aerospace research and development. It has yet to produce decent competitors to America's two new, fifth-generation fighter jets, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter and the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor.
The main Russian rivals to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightnings are the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 (NATO designation Fulcrum F) and the Sukhoi Su-35 (NATO designation Flanker). The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 is an upgrade of the MiG-29M/M2 and the MiG-29OVT. Both are fourth-generation jets.
The Russian government has been eagerly selling the Sukhoi fighter jets to its friends, so these aircraft are likely to be found in areas where the potential for conflict is greatest, while financing development of the fifth-generation fighter from these export revenues.
Russian analysts like to note that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning JSF, with a maximum speed of only 1,200 mph, is slower than both the Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker -- maximum speed 1,680 mph -- and the MiG-35 Fulcrum -- maximum speed 1,587 mph. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning's range of 1,320 miles is below the Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker's range of 2,260 miles as well.
While these measures make the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter seem inferior, they are actually fully consistent with its projected mission: F-35s are designed to operate in tandem with Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptors, which would clear the way for F-35s in real combat.
Moreover, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning JSF's reported service ceiling of around 57,000 feet is superior to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 Fulcrum's 56,000 feet and the Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker's 55,000 feet. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning JSF also claims a significant advantage in maneuverability because of its smaller size, advanced materials and lightweight construction.
On the record, Russian defense officials insist their Sukhoi and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG fighters can stand up to their American rivals. But a Russian Defense Ministry expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Pravda.ru that Russia "patches" its fourth-generation modifications to extend their lifespan, while most of its fifth-generation fighter program has largely remained on paper.
In fact, statistics are only the broadest indicators of an aircraft's performance. Combat performance analysis includes maneuverability, stealth, tactics, training, avionics, situation awareness, weapons, countermeasures, interoperability and supportability as major factors.
Stealth is a major discriminator between a 5G fighter like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter and "Gen 4 plus plus" competitors like the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 Fulcrum and the Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker that are essentially modernizations of their respective progenitors, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 and the Sukhoi Su-27. No operational Soviet or Russian stealth aircraft has ever been reported to have entered service.
A U.S. analyst who requested anonymity said that while the Russians have some good specific system technologies, their ability to effectively integrate them often lags behind that of the West, and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter takes integration of off-board intelligence to a step well beyond proven Russian capabilities.
"From the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union until crude oil prices recently rose to $100 per barrel, the ability of Russian aircraft designers to transition their advanced scientific knowledge through RDT&E (research, development, test and evaluation) into production-ready systems has been restricted, with funding available almost solely from sales of its legacy 4th Gen MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters to other countries," the analyst said.
With oil prices collapsing, the challenges of serial production of advanced aerospace weapons systems remains, while the Russian highly skilled military space and aviation industry labor force is pushing 60 -- beyond the life expectancy of an average Russian male.
Sukhoi Su-30 fighters bought by China and India were more advanced than those in Russian air force service, which were procured only in small quantities. Progress in completing the production development of the PAK-FA T-50, Russia's first 5G fighter design, remains dependent on Indian funding.
While notable improvements have been made in the reliability and supportability of Russian aircraft systems, they still fall far short of Western standards. This is particularly true of aircraft engines.
Russia has a long way to go to catch up with the United States in the prestigious new generation fighter competition. Only domestic politics, such as in Europe; declining economic fortunes of potential partners; and high production costs of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter may slow down its triumphant march.
(Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., is a senior research fellow in Russian and Eurasian studies and international energy security at the Catherine and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute at The Heritage Foundation).
