Just read, via Twitter, on The Guardian website that ICann, the Internet regulator, have approved the use of Internationalised Domain Names, allowing near complete web addresses in languages other than English.

The article, http://bit.ly/2ANqfL, makes interesting reading; suggesting that half the world’s web users don’t use a Latin alphabet and that it will be a major step change to the internet.

An over reliance on the English language for web addresses has probably been a bit of a bug bear for non-English speakers.  The article gives Korea’s prefix as an example - .kr, whilst standing for Korea, isn’t how a Korean speaker would write the name of their own country.

However, looking at a smaller picture here, what impact could it have on piracy or internet filtering?  At the moment, if you choose to go to www.illegalmovies.ch, you can pretty much be sure that you knew you were going to a contentious website.  If the address was in Chinese, could you claim ignorance?

I remember using a Chinese website years ago in order to obtain some drivers for a piece of hardware.  Whilst the whole website was in Chinese, I’d been given a relatively direct link and it didn’t take me long to figure out which driver I needed.  Yes, it was a tad frustrating, but it wasn’t insurmountable.  Applying the same logic to a Chinese piracy site, for example, it won’t take a genius to realise that the underlined text is a link to a film or piece of software, regardless of their inability to read the native language.

Perhaps I’m just being a bit negative here, but you just know that some people in authority will be thinking the same thing and before we know it we’ll have “Only English Internet for England” all because it’s easier to monitor.

Speak to anyone in IT this week and they’re probably talking about the upcoming launch of Windows 7.

Speak to some people, and you’d be mistaken for thinking it’s the Second Coming!

I’ve heard people say how it’s going to be the best Windows every, better than the previous version, faster, less hardware intensive, safer, easier to use and Heaven knows what else.

Admittedly, I heard them say this about Vista too.

Apparently, the difference this time is that the people waxing lyrical about Windows 7 have forgotten what they were saying about Windows Vista pre-launch!

Soooo, it’s nearly that time again.  Well, three months really.  My phone contract with o2 is up for renewal and it seems that, despite veiled suggestions to the contrary, o2 probably won’t be stocking the Nokia N97 in time for my renewal date, leaving me with the choice of sticking with o2 or shifting network just to get a swanky piece of kit that I’m pretty sure will get better and better with each firmware upgrade.

However, something happened this week that really piqued my curiosity - the Nokia N900.

The Nokia N900 is the latest in the line of Nokia’s Internet tablets, except this one is also… a phone!

Running Maemo 5, a Linux based OS that has been the mainstay of Nokia’s range of Internet tablets, with a bit of a community following, it has a 3.5″ resistive touchscreen, 32GB of storage, memory card slot, 3G, GPS/A-GPS and, fully-featured web browsing (in other words, it supports Flash) and will do all the usual things that phones do.  It also has a 5MP camera built in.

By all accounts, it’s a pretty swish affair and heralds a departure from the Symbian OS, the flagship OS that has appeared on a range of N-series devices.  Symbian OS is a decent enough operating system as a niche OS; I like it, really like it.  Even when it locks up and resets, I forgive it, however it it has really suffered over the past few years with competition from Apple OS for iPhone and, to a lesser extent, Google Android.

I’m going to suggest that Nokia is testing the waters with the use of Maemo.  They know it’s a robust system and there’s a number of applications that have been ported to it from fully-fledged Linux OS.  By making Maemo extensible, Nokia could be onto a real winner in the smartphone category - a smartphone that neatly marries the abilities of a phone, with the potential of a media device and the accessibility of a netbook.

Is it likely to dislodge the iPhone?  Only time will tell.

The web has been a twitter with news of Chrome OS from the stalwart Google.
Google is a huge success, there’s no doubting it.  It’s up there with Biro and Hoover as a verb in everyday use.  Let’s face it, there’s relatively few companies that have that kind of brand recognition.  But, can the probably (but not definitely) Open Source Chrome OS do for the Open Source OS what Google has done for search engines?

I like Linux.  I like the idea of Open Source.  I like using new stuff and just seeing what it can do.  However, I’m sitting on the fence over the idea that Chrome OS could be a success to more than a niche market.

You see, whilst it may be successful amongst IT professionals, as a netbook/smartbook OS it’s going to struggle for shelf space amongst the behemoth that is Windows.  Go into any high street retailer (yes, people do still buy from there) and the majority of machines are likely to be Windows based, with the odd Mac if you’re lucky.

Whilst Linux based netbooks are still available, the number of sales of Windows based netbooks has been far superior (as has the sales of HD versus SSD based.)  The reason for this?  Well, people are familiar with Windows… though the use of Linux isn’t like a foreign language, it’s common to see people just buy what they know, regardless of the cost.

On top of this, Chrome OS apparently launches a browser.  It’s a Linux based OS that’s offering cloud functionality from a thin client.  Cloud computing may be the future, but why should it be at the expense of local application endeavours.  Why can’t it be produced as an OS that, amongst its many OS features, syncs my data with the cloud and allows me seaminglessly function from a locally stored app or the cloud app depending on my connectivity at the time.  How about extending Google Gears?

What I would have been more interested in is Google putting its weight behind the Linux community and bringing together the diaspora of distros, developers and doodahs into one giant something or the other.  See, I thought that bit through, didn’t I!   Okay, how about Google just developing their own full blown Linux distro… that seamlessly integrates cloud and local app functionality?

Oh, whilst we’re at it… did I miss the screen shots?  It’s not being suggested that this fantastic OS is going to revolutionise computing without showing anyone anything?  I mean, all that will lead to is speculation… which is what I’m doing here!

Sooooo, my N95 is about a year old now… and what a year it’s been.

Thanks to the mobile version of Opera, I’ve got to say I’m pretty much addicted to web on the move.

Yes, as I walk along the streets of my home town and at various points during the average day I can be found tweeting, Facebooking, accessing my email and god knows what else.  When I’m shopping, I sometimes check out online retailers to see if I’m really about to buy a bargain or, more frequently, do a quick search for a review to stop myself buying completely the wrong thing.  It’s an addiction, but a very useful one.

Not sure what to cook as you stand there in the supermarket?  A quick search and I’m sorted.

Not sure whether the R2 DVD is better than the R1? dvdcompare.net sorts it.

About to drop £30+ on a game but not sure whether it’ll be good? gamespy.com will probably help you.

Okay, so you get the idea.

I like having access to Hotmail via Nokia Mail.  It was down for no more than three days recently and you’d think that the world had come to an end looking at the Nokia Forums.  Seriously, people were posting “I bought my Nokia phone specifically to use Hotmail. This is not good enough.”  Hoooooold on, I can still access Hotmail through the MSN Mobile website!

I guess I do far more social networking than casual browsing.  As I mentioned earlier, Facebook, Twitter and email have become just as common for me to use as text messaging.  There are also certain tools I’m particularly interesting in from Nokia… something that allows me to locate other Nokia users/friends (not that I really know that many, they all seem to have iPhones these days!)

I’ve even given BBC iPlayer a try.  Not too convinced by that one on the N95, but on the N97 or 5800 it’s probably fantastic.  The N95, albeit a fantastic phone, just has too small a screen for my video enjoyment.

On the other hand, Mobbler, an application for  S60 phones that let you access Last.fm is a lot of fun, even though I have to be attached to a wireless network to get the best from it.

Oh, yes.  That’s the other thing.  Wifi in the mobile.  It was a feature I sorely missed from the first Nokia Smartphone; the shiny brick N91.  Having the choice of access types is just icing on the cake.  Sometimes, it’s nice to have faster access.

Of course, eventually, I’ll replace my N95.  I’m looking at the N97 - bigger touch screen, slide out keyboard.  It’s probably going to increase my web use from my mobile phone!  One day, I’ll even get rid of this laptop.

Sooooo, a few weeks ago I decided to ditch my Xandros installation on the Asus EeePC 900a.

I’d enjoyed using Xandros; it was relatively stable, booted up very quickly, was quite slick in it’s own way and did everything I’d initially needed it to do.  Then, I tried to add software… and things didn’t go quite as expected.  Xandros, for reasons that escaped me, didn’t seem to want to give me short cuts to my software, or refused to acknowledge that some files were suitable, or just denied that any additional repositories existed.  Perhaps it was just me…

Anyway, I thought I’d switch my Linux distro… to Ubuntu.  And, all is even better.  I’m now working with a very much standard implementation of Linux where I’m not presented with anything bizarre or confusing.  If I have a problem, I can Google it (other search engines are available) and find a solution that isn’t “Ditch Xandros.”  I like the option of Add/Remove or Synaptic for package management.  I like the fact that I didn’t have to fiddle to get a full desktop, or have it recognise my 2GB of RAM.

There are things I’m a bit disappointed by… it takes longer to boot than Xandros did, for example.  I’d love a hibernate feature, instead of just suspend.  But, there’s plenty to love - AWN is a brilliant dock, the touch pad seems infinitely more responsive (rendering the mini-mouse I bought recently redundant), I feel like I have more control over where things go (but that’s perception, I’m guessing.)  Let’s not forget updates, lots and lots of regular updates… and it’s an efficient update system too.

All in all, it seems to have been a flawless replacement.  I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who finds Xandros a bit… quaint.

Now, I’m eyeing up a new SSD!

I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon a couple of months ago.

I didn’t really see the point of the micro-blogging phenomena; I mean, what could I say in 140 characters?

Anyway, I finally succumbed, initially tweeting through the Twitter website, then on my mobile phone using Twim and now I use a combination of that and Tweetdeck on the Mac and PC, or Choqok on Linux (until I can get Adobe Air working on Ubuntu.)

I follow people.  People follow me.  It could all be a bit dull, but I’ve found it really quite interesting.  It’s become my main way of getting news thanks to The Guardian and a local newspaper both using Twitter.  I’m able to follow Stephen Fry (doesn’t everyone?); Aceybongos, SuperKaylo, Major Nelson and MrPointyHead from Xbox; Empire and Total Film; along with many other who I have probably missed.

What are these people saying, though?  Well, the news outlets obviously link to news articles, Stephen Fry seems to be all over the place, but it’s the guys at Xbox that have really piqued my interest… they use Twitter for nonsensical chat, Xbox news and, most interestingly, they also use Twitter for online code giveaways and competitions.  It’s this that has moved it to more of an interactive experience.

Is Twitter the start of a new age of web access?  I’m not sure.  It’s the type of thing I can imagine someone like Google or Microsoft acquiring and monetising, or delivering advertising to make it turns a profit.  Ooooorrrrr, will it become like RSS, a really useful tool that is the type of thing that people rave about but often don’t use?

I was listening to one of Major Nelson’s podcasts recently (majornelson.com - he’s one of the guys over at XBox 360 who does important work) and there was a discussion on the difficulty of allowing sexual orientation to feature in a gamer profile.  Basically, the line in the policies on XBox Live! is that it can’t appear in the free text; be it straight, gay, bisexual or other.

The reasoning behind this is that the policy has to apply to all users and be good for all users.  The Live! online community has millions of users of all ages.  That aside, it shouldn’t really matter.  It’s not like you’re planning on picking up the user.

The discussion then led onto other issues.  The difficulty of producing a multi-national community where one word can mean something totally different somewhere else.  Fanny, for example.  (See, I’m writing this really so that I can say words like that and not be sent to bed early without supper.)  I write on a number of forums (fora?) based primarily in England and America and occasionally we do run into the language barrier, or struggle with the odd colloqualism here and there?  Clearly, I speak English, whilst they speak some foreign language with a passing resemblance to English.  English seems to have become a standard language for the Internet, specifically in the ‘Western World’ but the differences we see in it, at times, are quite remarkable.  Not only that, English isn’t exactly native to a number of territories and it must cost money and time to convert an English concept into other languages and have it makes sense - take a look at Google Translator and type of any sentence you like, convert it, then convert it back to English… the things I find fun!

The whole orientation thing had come up after a girl who openly identified herself as lesbian was subject to abuse on the Live! service.  I assume it was verbal and text based.  Her account was suspended.

Naturally, there was a bit of a backlash over this.  Suspended for being a lesbian?  So, many people retorted with “I bet they wouldn’t that if we put straight/heterosexual.”  Result, an upward spike in the number of people who were suspended for identifying their own sexuality.

Okay, okay.  Is it a bit draconian to suspend users for what is, in effect, a really minor point in life?  Think about it for a moment.  When you introduce yourself, do you say “Hi, my name Bob, I’m straight” or some such?  I doubt you do, unless you really want to get the point across (or terribly, terribly insecure.)  Not only that, it turns out that the term ‘gay’ was most often used as a negative term - “That’s so gay” (I, for one, want people to start saying “That’s so ethnic” just to see how far they get in society!)

Anyway, enough of this.  What I’m basically trying to get across is the idea that it must be really hard to create a truly global community.  What might seem acceptable in one quarter, might not be in another.  Not necessarily due to prejudice or acceptance, but down to other issues… age being the most minor of them.  Sure, we could say “Well, if you don’t like it, don’t come here” but that just smacks ever so slightly of exclusion.  We could even say “If you don’t fit in, stay away” but isn’t that a bit elitist? There are rules to the Live! service, quite extensive rules, and whilst I’ve not entirely read them all, I’m pretty sure that if I take as much care as I do in day-to-day life, I’m not likely to come a cropper (even though I do sing, from time to time, whilst playing games online!)

How should we go about creating a global community? Is there really a need for one, or do Facebook and MySpace fulfil the function in a limited (friends only) kind of way?

MCV, the magazine of the video game industry, carried this article on its website http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33453/Government-attacks-deadly-games highlighting an advert for the Government Change4life campaign suggesting that you risk an early death by doing nothing.  The advert has a child holding a game controller whilst sat on a sofa.

I won’t suggest for one moment that video games are the most active activity one can carry out, but I do wonder what the Government (and the organisations in the advert) are trying to suggest.  Is it just playing video games?  Will we discover the same warning about reading books for long periods?  Would it have taken that long to do a montage shot of kids reading books, listening to music, watching TV and playing games in order to highlight the dangers of such sedentary activities?

Surely these activities are okay in moderation, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sit at a desk for hours a day through risk of ‘early death.’  I wonder if I can take that to a tribunal sometime!  Less cynically, I’m wondering what can be done about these parents who would sit their own children down for many hours in front of the TV doing whatever they happen to be doing.  Is it likely that the campaign will work?

So, I’ve been using the netbook and I’m pretty convinced that it is a viable tool for my day to day computing.  It’s quicker to start up than any other computer hardware I currently used, it’s got all the tools I need for web-browsing and office work, and runs far cooler than one of the laptops I use.  It’s not a power house, but that’s not the point of the hardware… you don’t use a chainsaw to fillet fish.

I’m wondering, however, if we will see a netbook specific games market in the near future?  Something that relies on digital downloads to deliver content (not DVD drives, you see) or even being able to buy games on flash media - I noticed that Game are stocking a range of USB flash drives with movies on them, incidentally.

With the Linux version of World of Goo apparently securing 4.6% of sales on the Linux platform as downloadable content, it’s a good start.  Okay, it’s not a great percentage but we all have to start somewhere.

Of course, Netbooks don’t have the raw processing power of the current standard desktops and would struggle with the more powerful 3D games, but look at God of War on the PS2… the platform was in its last years when one of the most graphically sophisticated pieces of software came out for it, then they released God of War 2!

I’m not asking for clones of years old games, I’m talking about new or ported IP.  No Tux-Man or Tuxtris, but ports of things like god-games, strategy games and 3D games - if netbooks can run Quake 3 Arena, then chances are it’ll be able to run other stuff too!

In fact, it’d be nice to see a broadening of Linux offerings, or WINE specific installations of software… or instructions to get the stuff running.

Storage space isn’t really a problem either, if you think about it.  Stick the installation on a flash drive (how cheap is a 16GB one these days) or SD card and the jobs a good ‘un.  The screen size might be a challenge, but it’s not an impossibility… hell, we play games on our phones, handhelds and PDAs without complaining.  Sound, well they’ve all got sound.  Oh, let’s not forget the webcam… perhaps games could use that.

Here’s to hoping…