Spring Framework upgrade set for November

Technologists building the Spring Framework for Java application development are mapping out improvements to the platform as well as determining which versions of Java will no longer be supported by upgrades to the framework. Version 2.5 of the open-source framework for is set for release on November 19. Key improvements include greater use of annotations and metadata. The metadata is information that supplements Java code by providing extra information that can tell the Spring container how to process a class or a method.

"Many of the new features in Spring 2.5 concern really making extensive use of the new language features in Java 5 and also Java 6," said Rod Johnson, founder of the framework and CEO of Interface21. Java 5 features, for example, more options to add metadata inside Java source code, he said. With version 2.5, greater use of annotations is offered for configurations. Also, developers with version 2.5 can define components using XML outside Java or define components using source-level metadata, Johnson said. By maintaining metadata outside of Java, developers can change the configuration of an application without recompiling Java code.

InfoWorld

The Pirate Bay Sees a Future Without BitTorrent

The guys from The Pirate Bay are always working on interesting side-projects, but there is one in particular that’s so significant, it might be the future of filesharing. For a while now, they have been working on a brand new protocol - which may come to replace BitTorrent in the near future. Why a new protocol? Well, the current BitTorrent protocol is developed and maintained by BitTorrent Inc. This company, founded by BitTorrent inventor Bram Cohen, recently decided to close the source of some newer additions to the protocol. According to The Pirate Bay, this gives them too much power and influence.

Another reason for a new and improved protocol is the massive number of spammers and anti-piracy organizations that abuse the BitTorrent protocol, either to make money or to bust people who download infringing material. The new protocol will be designed with these potential problems in mind. The protocol will most likely use the .p2p file extension compared to the .torrent extension BitTorrent uses right now. The good thing is that the .p2p files will be backwards compatible which should ensure a smooth transition from .torrent to .p2p files.

TorrentFreak.com

Sun Microsystems CEO Gets $7.7 Million in Compensation

According to Associated Press calculations, Sun Microsystems Inc. Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz received a compensation package which the company valued at $7.7 million for beating financial goals. The new CEO helped the server and software maker emerge from its prolonged dot-com-era-induced slump and return to consistent profitability. Schwartz, who replaced Sun co-founder Scott McNealy as chief executive in April 2006, saw his base salary increase 9 percent over his pay before the promotion to $980,769 during the latest fiscal year.

Schwartz's pay package included substantial bonus money - $2.5 million - for hitting certain financial targets, including boosting revenue and operating profit margin, which measures how much a company makes before interest and taxes on each dollar of revenue. In the fiscal year ended in June, Sun pulled in $13.87 billion in sales, a 6 percent increase over the prior year, and had $309 million in operating profit, which compared to operating losses of $870 million in the prior year. Improved profitability of its products and Schwartz's cost-cutting campaign, which has included cutting about 4,000 jobs through layoffs and attrition since June 2006, also helped lift Sun's financial fortunes.

SiliconValley.com

FlashFXP 3.6 RC1

FlashFXP offers the easiest and fastest way to transfer any file using FTP, providing an exceptionally stable and robust program that you can always count on to get your job done quickly and efficiently. There are many, many features available in FlashFXP. Here are just a few of them:

* Local and Site to Site File transfers.
FlashFXP allows you to transfer files from any FTP server directly to your local hard drive, or transfer files between two ftp sites (Site-to-Site transfers), giving you total control over any situation.
* FTP Proxy, HTTP Proxy, Socks 4 & 5 support.
FlashFXP can handle thousands of connection types. If you are behind a firewall, proxy or gateway, no need to worry, as FlashFXP can be configured to support almost any network configuration.
* Full Featured User Interface with Drag & Drop Support.
FlashFXP has an intuitive and full featured user interface, allowing you to do all the common tasks with just a few clicks. It also support full drag & drop, so you can transfer files, synchronize folders, find files and schedule tasks with just one click.
* Want to learn more about the FlashFXP Features?
Click here for a more complete list of features.
New Features in FlashFXP 3.6 RC1

* Added 'Activate Synchronize Browsing on Connect' per-site option.
* Added -approvessl command line param, this is used for automation to always accept the SSL certifcate. Use with care.
* Added support for MLSD (machine formatted directory lists).
* Added support for UTF8 (iso-8859-1/Latin-1).
* Added parsing of host:port when pasting into the host field of the proxy dialog.
* Added drag/drop support between the local browser and external applications.
* Added support for custom commands in the right-click menu in the FTP File Search Dialog.
* Added move to the right-click menu in the FTP File Search Dialog.

Changes
* Upgraded Zlib component to 1.23.
* Upgraded the folder browse dialog to use the BIF_USENEWUI flag, which gives the dialog a Make Folder button and makes it resizable.
* Optimized the status window text scrolling. It scrolled slower and slower as more text was put into it. This is no longer the case.
* Optimized the FlashFXP load up time. It's about 30% faster now.
* FlashFXP now uses FastMM4 memory manager.
* Upgraded OpenSSL Dll's to 0.9.8e. [view full changelog ]

Home Page

Acunetix Launches Free Cross Site Scripting Security Scanner

Acunetix today launched a free edition of its popular web vulnerability scanner, which allows companies to check for cross site scripting vulnerabilities in their websites at no charge. The Free Edition of Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner (WVS) is available immediately at http://www.acunetix.com/cross-site-scripting/scanner.htm.

What is Cross Site Scripting?
Cross Site Scripting allows an attacker to embed malicious JavaScript, VBScript, ActiveX, HTML, or Flash into a vulnerable dynamic page to fool the user, executing the script on his machine in order to gather data. The use of XSS might compromise private information, manipulate or steal cookies, create requests that can be mistaken for those of a
valid user, or execute malicious code on the end-user systems. The data is usually formatted as a hyperlink containing malicious content and which is distributed over any possible means on the internet. Cross site scripting vulnerabilities are extremely dangerous and the number of the attacks is on the rise. More information about Cross Site Scripting can be found at http://www.acunetix.com/websitesecurity/cr...e-scripting.htm

Acunetix

Indian Firm Touts "Alternative Internet"

Indian technology firm NetAlter Software has unveiled details of what it claims is a virus and spam-free "internet alternative". According to the company, it has patented a "true P2P" system that offers a domain-less alternative to the web and the internet. The NetAlter system will "offer a secure, trusted, spam-free and virus-free software and network for end users and businesses". Users wishing to access the network will have to use the NetAlter Service Browser, available free to end users worldwide, enabling them to connect, communicate and share with other users from their PCs via a P2P network.

"Users will no longer have to worry about their personal and financial information being hacked or misused as the NetAlter browser will not allow unauthorised programs to run and will protect the intellectual property of creators of content and applications," NetAlter claimed. The network will provide features such as email, file sharing, information sharing and messaging, as well as allowing the creation of personal and business networks. "Wherever you are, by simply installing the NetAlter browser on your PC, you can publish content across the network without registering a domain name or hosting a web server."

vnunet.com

Monster says millions of users' data may be stolen

The theft of contact information for job seekers in the database of Monster was greater than the 1.3 million individuals the company reported last week, Chief Executive Sal Iannuzzi said on Wednesday.

While investigating the recent theft, the company learned that its Web site had previously been hacked.

"We're assuming it is a large number. It could easily be in the millions," Iannuzzi said in an interview with Reuters.

The hackers didn't get the kind of information it takes to pull money out of a bank account, according to Monster.com, but the contact data is valuable to criminals who use social engineering techniques to conduct scams.

Contact data provide criminals just enough information to convince some recipients to let their guard down because the use of personal information and other social engineering techniques make the e-mails seem legitimate.

More @ Reuters

Open Source Pulls in $1.8 Billion in 2006

According to a new IDC study, the growth in adoption of stand-alone open source software reached $1.8 billion in 2006 and will grow 26% annually for the next four years, hitting a total market worth of US$5.8 billion in 2011. IDC found that the open source market is in a significant stage of growth, as previous barriers to adoption fall away. Software distribution is growing, but revenues will take longer to follow suit, researchers found. That's partly because much open source software is free, while other products use a subscription revenue model rather than getting users to pay a lump sum up front.

In the business world, companies are waking up to the fact that open source opens up more choices and gives them something to use as a bargaining chip with proprietary software vendors. Companies are also becoming more comfortable with subscription revenue as a business model, something common among open source companies, while larger enterprises are also getting on board. Financial backing from venture capitalists is helping boost growth, IDC said.

PC World

IT worth $2 trillion to the US economy

A report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) claims that IT is responsible for nearly all of the US pick-up in economic growth over the past decade, adding $2 trillion annually to the economy. The integration of IT into virtually every aspect of the economy and society is creating a digitally enabled economy responsible for generating the lion's share of economic growth and prosperity, both in the US and abroad, the report stated.

Source: vnunet.com