CodeGear, the developer tools subsidiary of Borland Software, has released second version of its tool set for PHP developers (Delphi for PHP 2.0). Announced Delphi for PHP 2.0 is an IDE (integrated development environment) for rapidly building interactive Web applications using visual drag-and-drop design capabilities. This new version comes with a number of enhancements geared to make PHP developers more productive. But off course this new release is also a move to keep on fighting the growing competition with Zend, PHP’s lead commercial sponsor, and the maker of Zend Studio IDE.

Delphi for PHP 2.0 features several enhancements, the key enhancements are following:

HTML templates with embedded dynamic PHP Ddatabase support for MySQL, CodeGear InterBase, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, IBM Informix and DB2, and Sybase’s SQL Anywhere The ability to build rich data-driven Web applications without requiring database connectivity coding New expanded and faster VCL (Visual Component Library) for PHP with support for popular PHP packages and libraries including the Zend Framework from Zend Technologies Productivity and performance enhancements including new error insight and source code formatting The whole new PHP debugging features and integrated PHP performance profiling and tuning.

Version 2.0 of CodeGear’s Delphi for PHP follows the launch of Zend Studio …

What could have been worse for Philippines’ tech industry than Intel Corp., the world’s top chip maker is considering pulling out of the country. Intel’s factory in Cavite which employing more than 3,000 people, is Intel’s second offshore assembly operations centre in Asia and also serves as a test site.

According to Intel source, they invested around 1.51 billion dollars in the country while high power costs are a problem in the Philippines. According to many industry experts this is part of an eventual pullout from the Philippines.

Though according to Intel spokesman it will take at least six months for Intel to decide whether to keep on running the factory, but as you can guess there is nothing for certain here. Intel is one of the biggest investors in the Philippine electronics industry. Electronics are the country’s top export, accounting for two-thirds of goods shipped overseas.

Rumours have been circulating 2005 that Intel had already made a decision to pack up and leave the Philippines after the year 2010. The rumours started to turn into reality in 2006 when Intel inaugurated a US$605-million test and assembly plant in Ho Chin Minh City in Vietnam. And also when Cavite plant didn’t receive any part of Intel’s US$1 billion investment plan for Asia in 2006, you can start to get the feeling.

In an interview Intel Chairman Craig Barrett said …

By no surprise Microsoft announced to extend the availability of Windows XP until 2010, which was supposed to be discontinued this summer. We all know Windows Vista’s got quite bit beefy system requirements and no way suitable on ultra low cost PC’s like Asus Eee PC or similar. So Microsoft decided to allow system vendors to preloads the Home edition of Windows XP on "ultra low-cost PCs" (ULCPC) for an extended period.

It’s not that Microsoft don’t want users to go for Windows Vista but to experience all of Vista’s features, PC users need a computer with at least a 1-GHz processor, 1 GB of memory, and a 40-GB hard drive. On the other hand, Windows XP Professional requires only a 300-MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, and a 1.5-GB disk. ULPCPC’s Like Asus Eee PC, which sells for less than $400, use discount-line processors and integrated graphics adapter, is completely incapable of handling something like Vista.

So why Microsoft so worried about ULCPC’s? Emerging markets like India, China and South East Asia are experiencing growing sales of ULCPCs. Now OLCPC vendors like ASUS won’t have any choice but preloads all their system with Linux, unless Microsoft has something to offer. So Windows XP lives another few years, but only for OLCPCs.

Microsoft has now set the phase out date of XP to June 30, 2010. On the other news, Microsoft …

After Microsoft made the Vista SP1 public a lot of users had encountered serious problems with SP1, including machines that refused to reboot, botched installations and ongoing driver support issues. Microsoft has responded to numerous complaints about its new service pack for Windows Vista with an offer of free support for anyone having trouble installing or running the update. According to Microsoft’s support Web site "unlimited installation and compatibility support" for SP1 free of charge until next March. Microsoft normally only offers free support to customers who’ve bought retail versions of its software.

Only customers who have a Software Assurance Agreement, Professional Contract, TechNet subscription, MSDN Subscription or belong to the Microsoft Partner Program qualify for free telephone support. Rest will be offered email support via the Microsoft Support site, within next working day after the support request.

The service pack will not install on computers that use device and system drivers that Microsoft has deemed incompatible. The list includes audio and display drivers made by Realtek and Intel, as well as drivers from several other manufacturers. Microsoft already issued press release that they are working on, to resolve the issue ASAP. Well this isn’t new; I remember when Windows XP Service Pack 1 was made available on 2002 that wreaked thousands of host computers and Microsoft fixed many of the problems with subsequent patches.

This free support for Vista …

Though recently Apple chief executive Steve Jobs slams Flash by saying at Apple’s shareholder meeting that the version of Flash for desktops and notebooks "performs too slow to be useful" on the iPhone, and the mobile version of Flash "is not capable of being used with the Web." But good news for Adobe, Microsoft just announced that in addition to its own Silverlight multimedia technology, Microsoft will support Adobe’s competing Flash technology on Windows Mobile phones.

Since already 450 million Flash-enabled devices out there and Flash is used to display the majority of online video, including that on YouTube, Adobe actually have to worry a very little bit about iPhone. Now it’s even merrier since Microsoft will include flash support to windows mobile. Microsoft has licenced Adobe Flash Lite, the Flash Player runtime for mobile devices, so that Windows Mobile phone users can view Flash content in the Internet Explorer Mobile browser. Microsoft has also licenced the Adobe Reader LE software, so that Windows Mobile users will be able to view PDF documents.

As smartphones become more and more common, people are starting to get fed up with the basic Web surfing experience offered by many phones. They want something that looks more like a PC experience, full RIA experience. Flash incapable device, is highly unlikely to give the complete rich media experience, user demanding today.

Microsoft didn’t disclose what it …

Many people consider Open Source can’t be suitable for corporate usage, especially when it comes to blogging. Some blogging platform even put out slogans like “Corporate/professional blog publishing platform”, well if you poke around a bit, soon you will find out that is nothing but just a sales speech. Reason for this post is in fact talking about a particular blog publishing platform, WordPress. In the past I came across quite a large number of people who blindly believe (never did try by themselves)- WordPress might be good, but not good enough to showcase their corporate/professional/enterprise blogging.

In no way I am claiming that WordPress is perfect, it does have it fare share of issues, short coming but it’s evolving. If I tried WordPress 1.5 and comparing its short coming till now, you are comparing 16th century with 21st century :). But regardless of its short coming, due to regular upgrade and easy to use functionality WP no longer treated as just another open source. Smart decision makers are using WordPress as blog engine as well as CMS for their organizations. Here is the small list of cool organization’s blog/Web Site powered by none other than WordPress:

1. CNN blogs—each blog are powered by WordPress MU.

2. Ebay Blog

3. AWNtv.com –a professional animation showcase site.

4. Election Fox News

5. …

Apple officially announced the long awaited iPhone 2.0 software, which is due to be released this June, but a beta release is already available for download from iPhone DevCenter. The beta version will include besides Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support and Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks, the highly awaited iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK).

This SDK will give freedom to any developers to create native applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Prior to this SDK release iPhone application development has been limited to only applications that can run under Safari browser. Did I even have to mention that this SDK release could be the beginning of a whole new iPhone era, as Apple opens up to developers, allowing them to create all sorts of applications for the smartphone. By opening up iPhone to developer Apple not only opens the door to application richness but as well as to unlimited business potential.

The iPhone SDK opens to developers, enthusiast, and testers– everybody. Anyone can download the beta version for free and run the iPhone simulator on their Mac. The SDK offer a series of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and tools, enabling third party developers to create new sets of applications for the iPhone. IPhone DevCenter got everything you need to start on iPhone development, from reference videos, guides, sample codes, iPhone OS overview and reference libraries. However …

Microsoft unveiled yesterday (March 05, 2008) its next generation of browser franchise, Internet Explorer 8, i.e. IE8 beta version at the MIX08 conference in Las Vegas. Just like many others I have been playing with it. But as Microsoft noted, IE8 beta is not for general uses at this point, strictly for beta testers and developers, freezing and crashes should be expected. I have encountered couple of freezes and crashes during my tests.

So far I have seen that IE8 isn’t an upgrade that will bring bunch of shiny, earth shattering features to make you amaze, rather you can say this is a small IE7 fix. Microsoft is promising IE8 will be fully compliant with W3C standards, which they have been overlooking ever since. Even with my not so smart brain I always wonder, why world’s most popular browser is deciding to get along with standards last in a row, where it should have been super compliant all along.

Among new features Automatic Crash Recovery (ACR) is one of them that Microsoft was bragging a lot, is sounds very promising. The ACR feature takes advantage of the Loosely-Coupled Internet Explorer feature to provide new crash recovery capabilities, such as tab recovery, which will minimize interruptions to users’ browsing sessions. Would have been nicer if IE8 beta don’t crash as often as monsoon rain, though I am confident the …

Microsoft Monday launched the public beta of Office Live Workspace and added a number of features to the service that users can team with the desktop version of Office. Microsoft, back in October 2007, revealed their first step in bringing Microsoft Office online, with the free web-based Office Live Workspace. They have now announced a public beta test for the services, to anyone who wants to give it a shot as an online extension of their desktop office.

Please note that Office Live Workspace is not an online version of Office but a number of services that let users share and store documents online, so it would be much appropriate to call it the online extension of your desktop office. So do not misunderstood online office products offered by Google, Zoho and others that allow users to do word processing and use spreadsheets online for free, the new Microsoft approach simply allows users who already have purchased their MS Office software to make easier use of it online. He! He! No free ride with big brother.

Microsoft Office Live enables users to save more than 1,000 Microsoft Office documents to one place online. With the software, a user or collaborators can access the documents and make changes. As obviously guessed the entire Live Workspace service is built on the back of SharePoint Server, which Microsoft is also offering as a service to …

Spyware sucks! Even the God dam! Spyware makers hate Spyware. You should be aware of that unlike viruses and worms, Spyware does not usually self-replicate. Like many recent viruses; however, Spyware—by design—exploits infected computers for commercial gain. Typical tactics furthering this goal include delivery of unsolicited pop-up advertisements; theft of personal information (including financial information such as credit card numbers); monitoring of Web-browsing activity for marketing purposes; or routing of HTTP requests to advertising sites. Many people have a misconception about Spyware that, since it don’t infect computer and rapidly spread it merely pose threat.

Call it adware, Spyware or badware—for general user it’s always harmful, since it does invade his/her privacy none the less. So here are some weapons that you may wish to armed with in order to stay one step ahead of those filthy, slimy Spyware. CounterSpy is first in this series:

CounterSpy Current Version: 2.5.1032 OS: Windows XP/2000/2003/Vista Price: $19.95/single user Memory & CPU usage: Minimal

CounterSpy 2.x is a top notch Spyware, adware, rootkits, and other malware killer, but is light on system resources and memory. Not only the attractive interface and usability but as well thorough scan, delete, quarantine and removal of  Spyware will attract you. Class A scheduler, …