Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Apple Safari on Windows - Issues

There are few stuff that are annoying about Apple Safari. It would not allow me to open up SAP SDN website. Try opening https://www.sdn.sap.com/ using Apple Safari and you will get annoying
Safari can’t open the page “https://www.sdn.sap.com/” because it couldn’t establish a secure connection to the server “www.sdn.sap.com”.
I wonder how Apple Employees must be accessing SAP SDN, considering Apple uses SAP as ERP.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Apple Safari on Windows - Plug ins

Here is a list of what works automatically - if components are already installed on your machine:
  • Macromedia Flash
  • QuickTime and QTVR
  • Java Applets
  • Ajax

What does not work for sure:

  • Microsoft's new Silverlight

Finally - IE and Safari Side by Side


For Comparision, here is IE and Safari side by side. Safari offers better fonts by default (you can get them with IE too with twicking).

Apple Safari Beta... on Windows.. First Run - Screen 3


The Browser even on first run seems to suggest sights based on what you may have typed.

But on a closer look, it is actually reading the history of IE session from my machine.

Bad for someone who may not like such sharing.

Apple Safari Beta... on Windows.. First Run - Screen 2


For the multitasker, just pressing ctrl+t, will create new tabs to browse on. Just like Mozilla/Firefox and new IE 7.

Apple Safari Beta... on Windows.. First Run - Screen 1

After performing the installation, first run was just few minutes away. So is how it goes:

The UI has a very iTunish look (I am assuming that the normal windows user has never used Mac OS). It looks clean.

Apple Safari for Windows


Apple finally released a version of its Safari Browser for Windows. The Browser is currently in Beta. It will be a definite addition to what I have on my PC. I have used Lynx, Mosaic, IE, Netscape, Opera, Firefox/Mozilla before.


Let's take a look at Safari Running on Windows:


Step 1
The Installation Starts with a very simple screen.
Compared to installation of iTunes, the Beta has a very simple installation right now.


Step 2

It comes with an extensive Beta license agreement.
One of the key terms defined on the license are:
Consent to Use of Data. You agree that Apple and its subsidiaries may collect and use technical and related information, including but not limited to technical information about your computer, system and application software, and peripherals, that is gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, product support and other services to you (if any) related to the Apple Software, and to verify compliance with the terms of this License. Apple may use this information, as long as it is in a form that does not personally identify you, to improve our products or to provide services or technologies to you.
Indicating that the browser has something that calls home.
It also has several open source components - which is why Apple asks uses to refer to GPL and LGPL license (says the license is supplied with the software). I tried to look for the copy of LGPL and GPL license distributed with the software, but could not find one.


Step 3


Browser is supplied with Bonjour and Apple Software Updater (if you ahve iTunes, that you probably have both of these already).

Step 4


The setup ends. It does not provide any clue if Java is supported or of any other feature from the setup.

Monday, June 04, 2007

What is outsourcing and what are the terms around it

Sometimes, the terms such as outsourcing become to confusing. Hopefully this post simplifies it. It can be applied to any process such as manufacturing. This example tries to explain IT Outsourcing.

IT applications and infrastructure around it is an asset for a
company.

When a company would keep the ownership and hand over management and upkeep of IT applications to another entity, it is outsourcing.

Sometimes company would outsource the management to captive unit providers (subsidiaries, sometimes legal entities seperate from the company but part of same conglomorate) - in this scenario companies are mostly shifting jobs from one company to other company, one location to other location. Sometimes it is done to save taxes (Layers of companies, less tracabilities)

Sometimes companies will outsource to third party providers. This is what is most people understand at outsourcing. Sometimes, the providers execute the work from same location - which is called onsite. Sometimes, the providers execute
the work from different location - in same territory (country, timezone, region
- dffers per vendor) - which is called nearshore. When the proejct is executed
from a far off location - it is called offshore.