March iiNews

editor's note

While doing a spot of research for this month's feature story I came across a term that I didn't recognise (though perhaps should have) called "Web 2.0".

According to wikipedia, Web 2.0 refers to the next generation of web-based services - such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools - that emphasise online collaboration and sharing among users. Flickr, Blogs, RSS news feeds and podcasts all fall under the Web 2.0 category.

While there's contention over whether Web 2.0 is just a clever marketing tagline or real development, the 2.0 is a good description of the next level of social interaction the web has reached recently. The concept of personal online space is really ramping up and being embraced by those who would normally watch technology unfold from the sidelines.

Now if Web 2.0 sounds like you're thing, then it's worth looking how you'll be accessing 2.0 content over the next few years. For some time now, web browsers have fallen out of the limelight, quietly doing the job but not really grabbing enough attention to demand fresh consideration.

But as interaction increases, the demands put on web browsers to support and develop your online experience has increased, particularly in the realm of online lifestyle management.

This month's feature story takes a closer look at some of the alternative browsers worthy of your attention, with a rundown of why you might consider using them - even if it's just to freshen up your view of the web.

Also this month, a reminder that we're in the last few weeks of our dialup to broadband upgrade offer - check it out in news. In site scan we check out space: the final frontier, a review of the new PC RTS Supreme Commander in entertainment, a stormy tech tip, virus info and lots more.

Enjoy.

Mark Welker
iiNews Editor

 

inbox

"Congratulations on the January and February editions of iiNews. It has really grown up and become a useful addition to my Inbox.

Here are a few random thoughts: I get NO spam in my iiNet account which I had had for a couple of years now - my wife has an account with a different ISP and continued to get 30+ spam emails a week. iiNet's anti-spam filtering rocks. Re: 'site scan photography' - I find Steve's Digicams very useful."
- Simon C, NSW

"Your list of download points for independent and unsigned artists might have (maybe should have) included e-music.com , an inexpensive music download site which guarantees their files will play on any hardware, and also permits as many copies as you care to make."
- Donald S, VIC

"Not really something you missed out on, but more like an alternative bang for your buck webcam. The Sony Eye Toy webcam may at first glance seem like a console only addition. This however is not the case.

Having a frame rate of 30fps, resolution of 640x480, manual focus ring, motion detecting and integrated microphone, this fits every aforementioned criterion of a decent web conference worthy webcam.

The reality is that most young people these days do own a PS2 and thanks to driver "hacking" the Eyetoy camera has now been given a second life allowing it to be used with most modern computers with a free USB port."
- Peter C, WA

"I think you missed out the biggy for webcams, low light performance. I just bought the new Logitech quickcam ultra which has a massively (comparatively) wide lens and the quality is a world away from the old Logitech I was using. I have never seen images this good from any webcam before."
- Pete, NSW

"Just got your review of webcams which was good and helpful. I like the short, simple, clear recommendations. I would appreciate a similarly simple article on putting it to good use to do video calls - what options are available and recommended?
- Tom R

Nice suggestion Tom. For video calls for PC check out Skype and Sight Speed and for Mac OSX comes with iChat AV built in.

Send your newsletter views, news and suggestions to iinewsfeedback@iinet.net.au

news

GO3 update
With GO3 inching closer (the show hits town March 31st) it's time for a bit of an update. Some recent additions to the lineup include the Playstation 3 which will be on show and available for play.

The iiNet LAN Area now has broadband connectivity which will allow players to browse the web and use chat programs such as ICQ and Instant Messenger. More exciting though is that players will now be able to participate in online games such as World of Warcraft - taking the gaming event to the next level.

Organisers of GO3 have also just announced that Koji Kondo has been confirmed as a guest speaker at the GO3 International Conference.

The Japanese composer and musician is best known for crafting the most recognisable themes and soundtracks for industry giant Nintendo. His songs are certainly memorable; the title theme song to Super Mario Bros. retains its iconic status two decades after its initial release.

A classically trained musician, Koji began working for Nintendo in the 1983 and has since composed music for Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS and most recently the Wii.

So GO3 is contiuing to impress and we're certainly looking forward to getting some game come March 31st.

For more information visit www.go3.com.au or reserve your tickets online today. Check out the GO3 TV advert on YouTube.

dialup upgrade offer
For a limited time, iiNet dialup customers can get a free VOIP-ready modem and free connection (valued at over $240) when upgrading from dialup to broadband on a 24 month agreement.

The free modem is "ADSL2+ compatible", which actually means "able to go really fast". Being ADSL2+ compatible also means that your modem won't go out of style any time soon.

The free modem is also "VOIP-ready" so if now or in the future you feel like shaving some dollars off your phone bill, you can get on to our broadband phone service: iiNet VOIP for just $9.95 per month.

If you're ready to make the switch and save $248, sign up online today or call us on 13 19 17. More info is available on our specials page.

Vietnam referral competition winners
This month our Vietnam referral promotion came to an end and we drew our final winners. 6 lucky people have won a 7 day cultural adventure in Vietnam for two including return airfares, accommodation, breakfast daily and a few tours thrown in as well.

Our lucky winners were Terry Demol from NSW, Craig Buckingham from NSW, Denny Pellegrino from VIC, Michael Pellegrino from VIC, Cody Chapman from QLD and Helen Lockhart from QLD.

Thanks for all those people who referred their friends and family to iiNet.

 

support & services

product spotlight - business pack
The business pack is available as a bundle add-on to our great broadband plans, providing additional features for business users. A business pack will get you:

  • The benefits of ADSL2+ speeds;
  • A static IP, with the option to purchase additional blocks of static IPs;
  • 20 email addresses and 60MB of webspace;
  • Reverse DNS lookup; and
  • Priority business support during business hours.

Adding a business pack is a great idea for businesses that want faster speeds but don't want to bundle with Phone Advantage or VoIP. It also allows more advanced options for a small or home office such as the ability to host an ftp server, configure a VPN, or even host your own mail server.

You don't even have to own a business to make use of the business pack features, you could use it to host your own services such as a virtual network or a game server or just for the extra speed and webspace.

You can add the pack to any light, medium, heavy or max business plan for $29.95 month. For more information check out the business section on our site.

tech tip - storms and black-outs
We've had some pretty heavy storm activity all over Australia in the last few weeks so this month's tech tip deals with some of the more unfortunate side effects that these conditions can cause.

If you notice some thunder and lightning in your area, it's a good idea to switch off your computer and broadband modem in case of power surges or blackouts which may cause damage to your equipment. This is not always possible or probable, but the few seconds it takes to flip a switch or two can save you a great deal of hassle down the track.

If the power goes off and back on, or the storm has blown over, it's best to leave your modem switched off for a few minutes to make sure there aren't any further power surges.

When you do turn the power switch back on for your modem, it may take a minute or so to check your ADSL line for sync, verify your username and password and then connect.

Problems can occur when there's a power outage that affects a wide area, as once power is restored, everybody's modem is trying to re-connect at the same time. This can cause a massive load on our servers as they attempt to verify all the usernames that are coming in all at once.

So, if you've just experienced a mass outage in your area (for example, when most of the CBD in Perth was down a few weeks ago), try turning your modem off and leaving it for a short while if you can't re-connect straight away. This allows our servers a little more time to process all the incoming connections.

 

security watch

top 5 viruses reported to Sophos in February

  1. HckPk-A
  2. Netsky
  3. Mytob
  4. Zaf
  5. Sality

List provided by Sophos. Remember, all iiNet plans come with industry leading Sophos email anti-virus and Ironport spam protection that is automatically kept up-to-date with the latest virus threats. However, to fully protect your system, we recommend that you use our email anti-virus in conjunction with a personal anti-virus product such as those listed on this page.

 

feature story: battle of the browsers

feature image Clicking on the big E is no longer an open and shut case. A recent survey on Australian Internet use revealed that more than a fifth of Australians now use the Mozilla Firefox web browser as their weapon of choice. Microsoft's dominance is still imposing, but the once smaller players are steadily gaining in stature.

Yes there is another web browser out there. In fact, there are many. In this month's feature article we take a look at the options and help you decide if a browser switch is on the cards.

There can only be one
A web browser is a facilitator. The prime goal of every browser is to present websites in the exact same way. You should, in theory, be able to hop from one browser to another and see the same view. But it's not always like this.

The same internet survey also concluded that many people use multiple browsers, citing inconsistent web site compatibility the most common reason for switching between two or more browsers. If this is the case, why is there a need for more than one browser?

Can't we all just get along?
After a messy battle with Netscape through the 90s, Microsoft's IE came out a clear winner in market share with its aggressive strategy of innovation and progress. IE went from version 1 to 6 in less than six years, introducing a host of new features and promises, then changed once in the next five.

Such rapid progress meant sacrifices were made along the way, and stability and security emerged as the two key criticisms of IE. A one browser market is great for compatibility, but not so great when everyone has the same browser with the same security vulnerabilities.

A new beginning
For the last five years Microsoft has stuck with IE 6, using the time to fix many of the vulnerabilities that have caused its users so much grief. During that time a number of new developers have put their offerings up for contention, niche brands Opera and Mozilla emerged as serious alternatives with a new philosophy of strict web standards compliance.

Today there are at least three major browsers and a bevy of smaller players all vying for prime placement on your desktop. But what's so different about a browser?

The simple answer would be "not much". While the general frame of a browser does change stylistically, there are no "revolutions" that deliver a radically different browsing experience.

Browser to browser what you'll find are subtleties of personality, features and usability. The one-size-fits-all approach is out the window, selecting your browser is now a more individual pursuit with features that play to different user preferences.

Differences can come down to milliseconds. The difference in button placement, hotkeys, start-up times, the extra shiny stuff that comes with a new interface design might mean that opening a new window takes 1 second longer than another browser. In a single session you might sort through 80-100 pages of information containing tens of thousands of words in need of filtering. With 5 windows open and many more on the way, a 1 second lag for some users can seem like an eternity.

Choosing a browser is about the fit with your own web experience. Below is a list of some more popular alternatives, with a short description of why you might choose each.

Firefox 2
www.mozilla.com
Definitely the office favourite. Firefox is all about customisation. It has an amazing community behind it dedicated to building "extensions"; essentially add-ons that help define your experience.

Why you might use it: The list of extensions available is astounding and really allows you to "build your own browser" including everything from HTML editing , google customisation to more fun stuff like Niaal's favourite Hammertime.

Opera 9
www.opera.com
With a history as long as Netscape's, Opera's developers have had a lot of time to practice and refine their offering. As far as speed goes, Opera is considered one of, if not the, fastest browser on the market.

Why you might use it: If you're a dedicated multi-tasker and you like testing the limits of eye to mouse co-ordination, then the speed of Opera will sway you. We're talking seconds, split seconds, milliseconds. Its built-in torrent client just makes sense and mouse gestures , while fun, will probably get lost in your keystroke sprint.

IE 7
www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie
IE 7 is a promise for an easier and more secure browsing experience. Coupled with the new OS Vista, only time will tell how well the new security features stack up. The look is undeniably slick, tabbed browsing works seamlessly, and you can now download (and pay for) add-ons.

Why you would use it: Most will just default to it because the icon comes with Windows and it's the closest browser icon in view to click on. Many people who got burned with the security vulnerabilities of previous IE incarnations will be looking to reunite with IE 7.

Flock
www.flock.com
Flock is strong on the social and lifestyle experience with built-in support for web services such as Flickr, Blogger and many others - a feature that will become more and more important as online lifestyles develop further.

Why you would use it: If you're like me and you're starting to build up your online portfolio with more and more distractions like photo and blog sites. Flock might not have all the other bells and whistles of its bigger brothers but it's strong on personal life management.

Safari
www.apple.com/au/macosx/features/safari
I remember switching over to Safari a few years back and thinking "where's all the other stuff?" Not a whole heap has changed since, but Safari is improving its feature set with the addition of RSS news feed support and tabbed browsing. It remains a stripped back browsing experiencing, which can of course be refreshing.

Why you would use it: Most will be using Safari because it's the closest (and the prettiest) browser icon in your dock. The biggest annoyance is the inconsistency; many sites still don't work well with Safari and require you to switch browsers mid surf.

Camino
www.caminobrowser.org
One of the reasons you buy a Mac is the feeling of everything working together in harmony, which is romantic speak for "everything is drag and drop". Camino is made for OSX and incorporates the features of Spotlight, Address Book, the Keychain, the Finder, the Dock, Bonjour, Services, and System Preferences.

Why you would use it: If you like Firefox, find Safari a bit limiting, but you want a browser dedicated to Mac users.

Others
Nobody likes to be lumped in the "others" bucket, but unfortunately even I have to put a word limit on myself. There are a lot of alternatives out there for people looking for something different, so here is a list of some other browsers that you might want to check out:

Conclusion
It may look like there's a lot there to consider, but consider this first: they are all free.

Choosing a browser can be a liberating experience. If you spend as much time online as me then it's important that your browser supports and encourages your online persona.

The hardest thing most people will find is actually sticking to the browser you switch to, especially if you've been using one that comes bundled with your operating system. There's a simple solution for this. Once you've chosen your browser and you intend to stick to it, make sure it's the only browser on your desktop or dock. If you want to keep a few spare ones around, keep them handy in a secondary location.

As Dr Phil has taught me, you can never fully beat a negative habit, but you can replace it with a better one.

Next month: Internet Forums

 

iipeople

staff img staff profile

Name: Gareth Byrne
Title: Information Technology Officer

What does your current role involve?
I am currently holding the position of ITO (Information Technology Officer) which involves the support of all the iiNet internal systems. It's a diverse roll with a number of challenges unique to iiNet. Mainly I help support the companies LAN to desktop solution and the internal security camera systems, but as with many IT roles the job changes to suit my customer's requirements.

What did you do before you came to iiNet?
My last job before I came to iiNet was a 5 year contract at Western Power. My role there was to lead a group of technicians which supported the company's internal desktop needs.

What is the best thing about working at iiNet?
There is only one answer to that question. The people! The staff here at iiNet are truly amongst the friendliest staff I have worked with.

customer img customer of the month

Name: Andy Porter
Location: Maylands, WA
Account type: broadband2+ with phone
Customer Since: 2005

Describe your typical day of living online?
I start work early because I deal with the eastern states a lot throughout my day. Emails are the main form of informal contact and take up a good 2 - 3hrs of my morning replying and chasing up work or project requests. We also have a national online service centre that generates work requests that is incorporated into my desktop SOE.

I need to access quite a lot of our customer websites throughout the day to check up on parts that have been ordered and I also do my banking, pay bills and perform online transfers as well. I am studying communications engineering at the moment so I need to access the online component of my course, and also to do some research. I have a blog which I regularly update and also like downloading music on sites such as iTunes.

Best thing about broadband for you?
Definitely the speed at which it allows you to access websites and download music, movies, software etc. It is also more reliable as it doesn't drop out like dialup used to. This is crucial for me especially if I'm in the middle of a banking transaction or an online quiz for university.

Your favourite site?
My favourite site would be any handyman, home & garden or woodworking forum. We are renovating our cottage and over the past year or so I have become a novice plumber, carpenter, plasterer and brickie. Online websites such as these have been an enormous source of information for learning and carrying out renovations.

What technology are you looking forward to most?
Faster speeds - goes without saying really. I see mostly everything going IT based in the future. Maybe some sort of virtual shopping technology where you can shop, attend lectures, see other travel destinations or places around the world without leaving your house. How cool would that be!

Interested in being our next customer of the month? Send your details to iinewsfeedback@iinet.net.au.

 

competitions

300 sneak preview tickets!
competition Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, "300" is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army.

The film brings Miller's (Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.

Because we love this film already, we've secured 20 double passes to exclusive preview screenings in Perth on April 2, and we want you to have them.

To be in the running for this prize, please email competitions with "Perth 300 Preview Competition" in the subject line, and provide your username, full name and address by 5pm WST, March 24, 2007, along with the answer to this question: If you were designing a web browser suited to your online experience, what would it be called and why?

Visit the official 300 website. 300 is rated MA.

Young Modern giveaway music
While many friends, family and fans had pretty much assumed Silverchair were no more after their last album Diorama, the trio instead were secretly at work on their next release - renting a remote house in regional NSW, living and playing music there for weeks at a time.

With no outside distractions and lots of time for bonding over bottles of red, the aim was to recapture a sense of their old creative freedom and inject it with the energy picked up in the band's recent live shows.

To celebrate the release of Young Modern on March 31, EMI music have passed on to us 20 copies of the new album to give away to our readers.

To be in the running for this prize, please email competitions with "Silverchair Competition" in the subject line, and provide your username, full name and address by 5pm WST, March 30, 2007, along with the answer to this question: Imagine you're releasing your latest album based on your life experience so far, what kind of genre would your music fit into and what do you call the album?


entertainment

game review 2 minute games review - Supreme Commander (PC)
with Niaal Holder

There's a time and a place for today's RTS gaming. More often than not, the 'time' half of this equation requires significant investment, to the detriment of one's love life, or pet's nutritional needs.

Welcome, siblings, to Supreme Commander, thumbing its nose at spare time since its release a couple of weeks back.

In a nutshell, Supreme Commander is a futuristic war strategy engine. Join up as one of three righteous forces, set to work on planetary landscapes to build up and roll out an ad-hoc military force as and when required. In short - nothing overtly new on the concept front.

However! It's nice to see a game that appears to have listened to our pointless banter about what would make a decent title, after all these years. While we're still waiting to see if anyone is listening to our thoughts on Tomb Raider, Supreme Commander has taken a popular step forward for RTS.

The key here is vast, unbridled scale. With the roll of a mousewheel, I can be sitting over the shoulder of my selected unit performing his menial task, or zooming right out for a complete battlefield view as my campaign strides onwards.

This single feature alone is so seamless and engulfing, that all of a sudden you genuinely sense the ebb and flow of war as an ongoing whole. And I wholly endorse any game that makes use of my second monitor, as Supreme Commander does in style.

This comes at some cost, however. With such smooth transitioning at scale, you'll want your gaming rig to step up to the plate. Significantly, I've recently invested in a GeForce 8800GTS and this is the first release title to nudge the boundaries of what it can handle. The young upstart who sold me this title went so far as to say that "you may want to reconsider this purchase, if you have doubts about your performance".

The game itself is rich in tech with vast build-trees for each faction, levels of technical expertise and a limitless geography with which to structure your base of operations.

I genuinely enjoyed the system of economy and energy. Instead of giving you finite amounts of cash and power to spend, you're more advised on your ongoing flow of income and expenditure with overspending slowing your rate of expansion, rather than bringing your machina of war to a grinding halt.

I have to say though, that the title features an unforgiving tutorial system - rather than stepping you through the basics with a single faction, you're given the build units for all sides at once, no limits. It's like giving an infant the keys to a harrier jet, before he's even tied a towel around his shoulders and run around the garden making 'pew pew' noises.

Overall, I'm 50/50 on this release. On the surface, I love the scope of interaction, and the depth of development is involving once you get stuck in. But it falls short for me through lack of variety (all three sides, despite differing architecture, are disturbingly alike) and a lack of pace - nothing says 'I love you' more in an RTS than knocking at someone's door with a helicopter full of bazooka troops, two minutes after the round has started.

Ultimately, Supreme Commander is worth picking up, as long as you're not spending dosh you'd otherwise be throwing at Tiberium Wars in the coming fortnight - which, based on the demo, looks set to shiver this writer's very timbers. Stay tuned.

movie review DVD review - The Departed - Rated MA

The Departed is about rats. How to smell em out and the slippery game of catching them. William Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the "dirty" rat, assigned to work undercover with the Irish mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) to gather evidence for a major crime syndicate arrest. Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is the "clean" rat, a protégé of the Irish mob boss bought up to send info back to Costello on State Police investigations.

As Costigan's and Sullivan's investigations begin to entwine, each officer tries his best effort to disclose the identity of the other rat.

Scorsese is back to his best. The Departed is a slick, fast moving crime thriller with great dialogue, a snappy musical score and more than enough twists to keep you glued to the screen.

Now pushing 65, Scorsese still seems to have no trouble making films that directors half his age would struggle with. Much like his previous film Bringing Out the Dead and elements of The Aviator, Scorsese presents a multi-layered film feast with genre flips throughout The Departed making it part thriller, part cop parody, part character study and part gangster flick, without losing control of the overall picture.

Dialogue is smooth and Tarantino-esque with many adlib moments bringing each character to life and adding to the eccentric nature of the film. The Departed swings between hilarious set pieces and tortured moments of sadness all cut together with stylised editing and visual flair.

Watching the film you often forget that Damon and DiCaprio don't actually appear in the same scene until the last 20 minutes. The way their stories are seamlessly entwined give the impression that each event or plot detail affects both of them simultaneously, clever edits stitch their fates together seamlessly.

It's testament to a solid script and great source material (The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong gangster flick Infernal Affairs ) that the split stories in The Departed work so well. Unlike most of split story ventures, here you're never left with that feeling that you wanted to know more about Costigan and less about Sullivan. Though they travel separately, their paths taken tell one complete story.

DiCaprio is brilliant as the tortured Costigan. The darkened persona he has been crafting since Gangs of New York fits perfectly with the ugly side of mob life. Costigan's plight is riddled with anxiety as he is constantly under threat from Sullivan's attempts to flush out the undercover rat from Costello's gang midst.

Damon is perfect as the straight man. As Sullivan, his smooth talking and impeccable record keeps him clear of any suspicion. Sullivan's smooth ride and constant trickery is perfectly juxtaposed with Costigan's bleak reality. You really get a sense of the vulnerability of Costigan and feel for him as he struggles to keep his hands clean.

Of course there are others that shine, everyone puts their hand up for Scorsese including Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Ray Winstone of Sexy Beast fame.

A surprise standout is Mark Wahlburg as the super aggressive, super insulting Sgt. Dignam. Much like the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket, Dignam's steady stream of verbal insults is a guilty pleasure and one that you look forward to scene after scene.

A tight and masterfully crafted film. Highly recommended.

 

site scan - space

www.nasa.gov
The NASA site is dense with content, everything from the latest images from space, short video documentaries, the history of NASA and my favourite; podcasts covering a range of perplexing space phenomena.

www.spaceweather.com
Not sure exactly why you might want to know, but for those looking for the latest space weather updates, there's really only one place to go.

www.hubblesite.org
Those looking for the latest Hubble telescope buzz should check this out. Pretty.