Webeye

Archive for 2008

January 15 2009 – Dropbox

In Software on December 15, 2008 at 10:30 am

Backing up your files is a problem that computer users find anything, but easy to overcome. Now some new software called Dropbox may help you.

It uses Amazon’s S3 cloud based, file system to store data. “Cloud” means that the data is stored “somewhere out there on the Internet”. Once downloaded and installed, Dropbox puts a little icon in the system tray, and creates a new folder called Dropbox. To backup files just put them in the Dropbox folder. They will then be automatically encoded and copied into your own personal storage space in the cloud.

The files have to be in the Dropbox folder to be recognised. To some people this will be a non-problem, they will just put everything into the Dropbox folder. Others may see this as a nightmare solution. As the files are not in the correct folders it will be tempting to copy, rather than move, them into the Dropbox folder. Having two copies of a file is a sure fire way to get confused about which is the most up to date. Luckily there is a solution to this problem. Simply create a “symlink” in the Dropbox folder to the file you want Dropbox to backup. Windows users will have to use the Mlink command for this. Now there is only one copy of the file, stored in the folder you want, but Dropbox knows about it because the symlink makes it look like the file is in the Dropbox folder.

Dropbox is more than a backup system. It also provides revision history, this neat feature saves a history of updates to the files stored in the Dropbox folder. If you happen to accidentally save a file after making some disastrous change, by using the revision history feature, it is easy to recover the version of the file you want.

Because you are able to install Dropbox on more than one computer it is also possible to synchronise your files across your multiple computer systems, even across different operating systems. This is handy for those with a laptop and a desktop. It can also be used to transfer files between your work, and home PC.

Contained within the Dropbox folder are two folders, “Public”, and “Photos”. These two folders allow the sharing of files with other Dropbox users, or via the web, with a URL that Dropbox generates. Remember putting a file into these folders doesn’t make them accessible to others until it is specifically allowed.

Using the Photos folder is an easy way to share your photos with others. Create a folder in the Photos folder, and fill it with photos. Then use the “Copy public gallery link” option, and email the generated URL to anyone with whom you want to share your handy work.

There is also a way to share files without using the Public or Photos folders. Simply create a folder in the Dropbox folder and put the files to be shared into it. Then all that is needed is to click on the folder and select “Share”. Combining this feature with the revision history is a simple way of allowing more than one person to work on a document at once. People that you “Share” folders with need to install Dropbox on their PC, but if that is a problem store them in the Public folder, and share them by URL, over the worldwide web.

Dropbox is available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux systems, and can be downloaded for free. The first 2GB of storage is also free.

November 20 2008 – Adeona

In Software on November 5, 2008 at 2:41 pm

More and more of us are carrying around laptops and notebooks. Their growing popularity means that our personal information and precious files, like photographs and mp3s, are at greater risk of loss. According to one report there are 12000 laptops lost in US airports every week, and 70% of them are never recovered. That’s a lot of laptops! And with the devices getting smaller, it only makes them easier to filch.

There are things that can be done to secure your laptop, and, hopefully, safeguard your Kodak moments. Locks are available, somewhat like those used to chain bicycles to power-poles, and products are available to ensure the identiy of the person, using the laptop, is valid. There is also software available to locate a lost laptop.

Until recently that software has been based on proprietary code, and used a third-party central service for tracking the whereabouts of the device. These offerings have also had questionable privacy, in that it was possible that others could track the laptop, as it travels around, and therefore track the owner.

Adeona, new software from the University of Washington, USA, claims to be “privacy-preserving”. Meaning that only the owner can use their system to track the laptop. But wait there’s more! It is free. Free in both senses of the word. Free at no cost, and free, as in open-source. Adeona was the Roman Goddess of safe return. The software is available for Windows, MAC OS X, and Linux operating systems.

Once downloaded, installed, and activated, Adeona goes to work. At intervals that average 30 minutes it will send information to a distributed storage system. This information includes IP addresses, nearby routers, the wireless hot spot, and, if you have a MAC, a photo of the current user. All this information is encrypted. An IP address is an identification number given to each computer connected to the Internet, for example 192.159.1.56. Think of it as your computer’s phone number. Routers are equipment that connects bits of the Internet together, and a wireless hot spot is where connections can be made to the Internet, via a laptop, without using cables.

If your laptop goes astray it is a simple matter of finding another computer on which you can install Adeona. Once installed you run “retrieval mode”, and this information is downloaded. The writers of the software claim that by giving this information to the police, they, with the help of ISPs, who can identify where the computer was used, will be able to locate the missing computer, and hopefully return it to its rightful owner. You should also take note of your laptop’s make, model and serial number, thus helping police to identify it, when recovered.

Adeona need not be restricted to laptops. It can also be installed on desktops, and servers. The university is also hoping to release a version for devices like the iPhone.

There is one major problem. The unscrupulous person that takes possession of your computer may have enough knowledge to wipe your hard drive, reinstall the operating system, or just remove Adeona before it can issue a report. In saying this, there is always the chance that expert thieves are going to get around any steps taken to prevent theft. In the majority of instances, the felon will be an opportunist with no knowledge of Adeona, thus allowing the software to report the laptops new location.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.

October 23 2008 – Google Chrome

In Internet, Software on September 19, 2008 at 12:37 pm

September marks Google’s tenth birthday. They celebrated by announcing just what the world needs, another web browser. They call theirs, Chrome. Why would Google go to all the trouble of creating a new web browser, when there is a perfectly good one available? It’s called Firefox, and most people don’t even know that it exists!

Google has some perfectly good answers to that question. Since 1998 the way, web pages present their contents, has changed. Back in the nineties there was no video, and the use of sound was minimal. Web applications were a rarity. Now videos are everywhere, and applications on the web have become so sophisticated that it is possible to use web-based, word processors, spreadsheets, and other office type applications.

All this functionality requires, according to Google, speed, stability, and security. They have addressed this by a fundamental change in browser design. In Chrome each tab in the browser window has its own environment, separate from others. This allows greater stability, because if one tab should fail due to a bug, only that tab crashes, not the whole browser. Security is enhanced, because there is no cross communication between the tabs. To address the issue of speed, Chrome has a new “engine”, they call “V8″, which speeds up the running of web applications. The code, that displays the web page, is also of a completely new design, allowing pages to appear much faster.

Google required this new approach as they are committed to computing in the cloud. That is, allowing people to use applications that do not run on their own PCs, but on Google’s servers, somewhere out there in the Internet. While this can be done with current browsers, it can be a little bit slow. By redesigning the browser, Google have openly declared that they are in direct competition with Microsoft for the future of computing. Cloud computing, sometimes called Software As A Service (SaaS), is effectively positioned to replace Microsoft Office, and make the Windows operating system almost redundant.

But TANSTAAFL (as Simon Jester scrawls on the walls of the lunar colony in “The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress” by Robert A. Heinlein). There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. The browser may be free to download but Google will want to recover the development costs, somehow. Google has, arguably, the largest database of individuals’ search details. By supplying these individuals with a browser, Google is now able to keep track of every page visited, as well. A much needed bonus, allowing those Google ads to be even more specific, and targeted to the individual, than they are now.

Chrome, at the time of writing, is only available for Windows. It has been released as a beta version, this means that there are bound to be some problems. Some have already been reported, and there are warnings that it may not be as secure as Google thinks.

Interestingly, one of the main developers of Chrome is ex-Aucklander Ben Goodger, who worked extensively on Firefox, concentrating on the extensions facility. Goodger joined Google in 2006, and immediately started work on Chrome. Unfortunately there is no extensions facility in Chrome. Extensions are one of the major features in Firefox, and Google have announced that extensions will be coming to Chrome.

For Chrome to succeed, Google has to battle against inertia. People are unlikely to change from Internet Explorer on a whim. Firefox, and the lesser known Opera browser have found this out. Sometimes, just being better, doesn’t mean that you get the largest market share.

September 9 2008 – The Dial-Up Conundrum

In Internet on August 25, 2008 at 12:16 pm

In August, Statistics New Zealand released the results of the latest Internet Service Providers Survey, taken in March 2008. For this survey, questionnaires were sent to sixty ISPs in New Zealand. Various questions were asked. I was interested in those related to broadband versus dial-up.

Users of the Internet increased, over the six month period from September 2007, to 1.5 million. The percentage of broadband users is now just over 59%, leaving around 41%, or 613,000, languishing on dial-up. Admittedly this has decreased around 9% in the same period, but it is still a considerable number.

There are many reasons why someone would choose to stay on dial-up. They may only want email, therefore dial-up is the best solution. I believe the most likely reason, is their budget may not allow them to afford the higher price of a broadband connection. This, I believe, is also the reason for the lower levels of Internet use by Senior Citizens, Maori, and Pacific Islanders.

This theory is confirmed by a report from the World Internet Project, on New Zealand Internet use, which coincided with the Statistics New Zealand survey. This report confirms that the Internet is the domain of young, urban pakeha with money. The over sixties, Maori, and Pacific Islanders, are substantially less likely to use the Internet.

What we are seeing in New Zealand is a three-way split between those that can afford broadband Internet connection, those that can only afford dial-up, and those that can not afford any connection at all. There is probably nothing that can be done to make the Internet more available to those with a small disposable income, but perhaps there is something that can be done about those that can only afford dial-up.

Recently I was subjected to an experience that I had not had for some years. I had to use a dial-up connection. It was not a pleasant experience, and web pages took a much longer time to load than I remember. There could be two reasons for this, one is that my memory is playing tricks, and the other is that the web designers of today’s websites are designing their pages only for broadband users. I plump for the later reason.

One has only to take a look at TVNZ’s horror show of a website, or try to use stuff.co.nz on a dial-up line to see what I mean. You might as well take a walk to the dairy and buy the Dominion Post – you will be home before the Stuff website displays on your computer monitor.

The BBC has two different ways of presenting its news website. It has the normal high graphic version, and a lower quality version. The lower quality version is not only better for people with slower Internet connections, but it is also better for the sight impaired to use, with a “speaking web browser”.

The fact that the BBC can supply a website for dial-up connections proves it can be done. There are demographics showing senior citizens will soon be a sizable percentage of New Zealand’s population as the baby boomers reach their mature years. Among them are some heavy Internet users. What is going to happen when they can only afford dial-up?

We need a two pronged attack. The first must be cheaper, affordable broadband for all, the second must be thoughtfully designed websites that work well in both the broadband and dial-up environments.

August 21 2008 – Podcasts, Are You Receiving?

In Internet on June 30, 2008 at 11:58 am

Ever wonder what people, siting next to you on the bus, are listening to on their headphones? The chances are that some of them will be listening to a podcast.

Podcasts are audio files, that can be downloaded from a website, and then transferred to an mp3 player. They can then be listened to on the commute to work, or while at the gym, gardening, or during any other activity. In 2005, when eStuff last talked about podcasts, they were in their infancy. Now it is possible to get podcasts from most broadcasters’ websites. Podcasts are also available from other sources. Apple’s iTunes is the most famous. Other sites like podcast.com, Podcast Alley, and Podcast Directory are also providing a service, while in New Zealand Big Pod is the place to go.

The last eStuff article on podcasts urged Radio New Zealand to take the example set by the BBC, and start providing podcasts. RNZ now has a podcast web page, providing downloads of most of their programmes. For instance each Morning Report, Nine To Noon, or Saturday Morning segment is available individually. This makes it very handy for people who missed, for example, an interview, to download just that bit of the show.

One podcast of special interest is the Podcast Classics, where local orchestras have been recorded by RNZ, and the subsequent performance is made available, free of charge, for download. As I write, Beethoven’s 6th and Anthony Ritchie’s Second Symphony are available. This is a wonderful way to build up a legal classical music library on your computer, and mp3 player.

There is however, as I found out, one problem with the general podcasts. Recently I missed the “Music With Manu Taylor” segment, of Nine To Noon. Knowing that RNZ had podcasts available, I went to the website, and downloaded the podcast. I then begrudgingly started the dishes while listening on my mp3 player. The concept of “Music With Manu Taylor” is to play three tracks from newly released CDs. Manu then comments on the CD. This helps listeners know what is available, and assists in CD purchasing decisions. I judge that on the weekend following Manu’s segment, a fair number of CDs are purchased, based on what people have heard him play.

So imagine my surprise when the podcast had no music in it at all. I made a quick trip back to the website, and found the following statements: “Due to copyright restrictions, all music has been removed”, and “Not all audio is available via podcast for copyright reasons”. I understand that RNZ is unable to include music on podcasts, because the record companies are worried that people downloading the podcasts would then pirate the music, and they would not sell any CDs. This seems a little counter-productive. The sole purpose of “Music With Manu Taylor” is to sell CDs. There are now three CDs that I haven’t heard, and because the music was removed from the podcast will never know if I want to buy..

We are in the 21st century, it is a digital age, people now listen to “broadcasts” in a different way than their grandparents. It is extremely short-sighted of record companies to impose this restriction on podcasters. No wonder CD sales are dropping faster than Labour’s popularity, in the opinion polls.

Podcast Links

Some Broadcasters that have Podcasts

Podcast Directories

New Zealand Podcasts

Podcast Software

Some Of My Favourite Podcast Sites

June 19 2008 – Blu-ray Wins The Day

In Elseware on May 19, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Over the years there have been many wars fought, in the entertainment industry, over formats. There was the battle between 45RPM and 33 1/3RPM records. Neither won outright, with the result being both singles and LPs. Then there was the skirmish between cassettes and 8-track cartridges. They were both seen as a replacement for reel-to-reel tape recording. The 8-track cartridge never really took off outside the USA, with the cassette being the more popular of the two formats. A real fight ensued between VHS and Betamax, two different formats for video cassette recording, and even though Betamax was the superior of the two, VHS won. Vinyl didn’t put up much of fight when CDs came along, but lately vinyl seems to be adopting a rearguard action. The DVD was announced as an attempt to replace VHS. The war of attrition has been so prolonged that the DVD is now going to disappear, while VHS tapes still appear in the shops, although in ever decreasing quantities. A replacement for the DVD has been on the cards for some time now, but the champion was only announced a while ago. The two formats slugging it out were HD DVD, a high definition format of the DVD, and Blu-ray, another high definition format, that gets its name from the blue light of the laser that reads the disc.

The majority of readers would be totally unaware that Sony and Toshiba have been trying to convince Hollywood to accept their format for all future movie releases. This spat between the companies has been going on since the turn of the century, and Toshiba finally threw in the towel in February of this year, announcing that they would no longer make HD DVD players. This means that Hollywood will be using Blu-ray, and leaves the path clear for consumers to make a decision about which player to buy, without having to worry about which format will have more discs on the video shop shelves. One problem is that the Xbox from Microsoft was designed with the HD DVD drive in mind, and Microsoft still say there are no plans to go with Blu-ray, leaving owners of the Xbox in a quandary. Meanwhile the PS3, from Sony, is already Blu-ray equipped.

Blu-ray promises the same, high definition picture that some TV programmes already appear in, on Freeview. Of course, not only will you need to replace your DVD player with a Blu-ray player, but also a new HD capable TV is required to get the full benefit. Audio quality is claimed to be much better than CDs. Neil Young, who has always been a critic of CD, and MP3 audio quality, has announced that he will be releasing a 10 disc collection on Blu-ray. Some Blu-ray machines will play CDs and DVDs, so need to worry about replacing your whole collection again.

Two other features that come with Blu-ray are, BD-Live, which will allow connection to the Internet for downloading of content that was not on the original disc, for instance the trailer for a new film in the same series, and BD-Java, which adds an interactive capability to watching films.

A bone of contention, for many, may be the digital rights management (DRM). Each disc contains a virtual machine, software that runs as a small computer within the Blu-ray player. This allows the Blu-ray system to check if the player has been tampered with allowing pirating of the content. Sounds like Hollywood is assuming that every customer is a criminal.

May 8 2008 – DAB+ The Future Of Radio Is Digital

In Elseware on April 16, 2008 at 3:39 pm

It sat in the corner of the room, on a shelf. A shiny wooden box, 600 by 400 mm, a row of knobs, below a lit dial, that listed names of exotic places like Hilversum, Cologne, Vienna, Luxembourg. It was the family radio, and it was a big part of my young life. As I grew, the radios got smaller, the big wooden box being replaced with one the size of a biscuit tin, then one you could clip to your belt, and now I have one that is no bigger than my thumb. Not only is the thumb sized device a radio, but it also plays MP3s, and is a voice recorder.

I grew up loving radios, and the sounds that came out of them. Now I hardly listen to anything other than the news on National, and find the current programming, provided by the commercial stations not to my esoteric musical tastes. All this could change with the introduction of digital radio.

Coming to New Zealand, some time in the very near future, is DAB+. It may sound like a new, wonder dishwasher powder with added gunk removal, but DAB+ is the format chosen by Kordia, the government-owned transmission company, to be the way we receive radio in the future. It is trialling DAB+ broadcasts in Wellington.

Currently, radio is broadcast in analogue format. Basically the fluctuations in air pressure caused by a sound, move a diaphragm microphone, this creates similar changes in an electric circuit, which are then broadcast through the ether, and a radio receives them, converting them back to sound by vibrating a speaker. However with digital radio, the sound picked up by the microphone is converted into a string of zeroes and ones, and the equipment then transmits those bits to a radio that converts them to sound. The reasons for converting to digital is an improvement in sound quality, and the ability to make more slots available to broadcasters. Where once there was one station broadcasting classic hits and banal chatter from announcers, there can, with digital, be many more. The lucky Norwegians, living in Sørlandet, now have 21 stations instead of 6. There may be many more stations, but the expected increase in sound quality was not experienced in parts of Europe, due to the broadcasting companies lowering the bit rate, so that they could squeeze in more stations. A high bit rate equals better sound. Listeners to the BBC classical station, Radio 3, complained, and the bit rate was increased to 192 kbps, which is, as near to CD quality as can be.

Kordia has chosen to go with DAB+, despite the fact that commercial stations keep mumbling about being unhappy with having to purchase new frequency licenses, and wanting to use HD radio which can be used on their current FM licence. HD is the digital format used in the USA. The reason for Kordia’s decision is that DAB+ is a relatively new standard that has superior specifications, hopefully making the radio experience more enjoyable.

All this does mean that, some day in the near future, you will have to replace the radios in your house, and your car. Current models in the UK cost around $70. However you can look forward to the new DAB+ radio’s features such as pausing, and rewinding live radio, and an electronic programming guide, allowing tuning stations, by name. There may even be slide-shows to accompany the music, true Radio With Pictures. And don’t forget that better sound-quality. I just hope there is better programme quality.

April 3 2008 – Freeview Vs Sky

In Elseware on March 20, 2008 at 11:04 am

Until recently there was only one choice, if you wanted digital television – SKY/Saturn. This has all changed with the introduction of Freeview, and receiving Freeview is about to get a lot easier.

Digital television promises many more channels, and much better picture quality, via the the use of high definition television (HDTV). SKY, along with its partner in Wellington, Telstraclear’s Saturn, have been offering digital television, either by satellite or in Saturn’s case, by cable, since 1998. Freeview came on the scene in May 2007. Both SKY and Freeview require the fitting of a satellite dish and a set-top box. However from April Freeview will also be available by using a UHF aerial, although a set-top box will still be required.

The UHF aerial is the same as the one used to watch Prime, Maori TV, Trackside, or Triangle. So if you currently get a good picture from one of these channels, it is more than likely you will have no problems receiving Freeview.

We all know what SKY has to offer, the many channels of sport, movies, entertainment, news, ethnic content, and audio, but what does Freeview have to offer? Currently available are 12 channels, TV1, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori TV, and some new channels: TVNZ 6, an advert-free entertainment channel for children, family and adults; TVNZ 7, again advert-free, showing documentaries, news and current affairs; TVNZ Sport Extra is sports coverage when available; Parliament TV, allowing you to watch the proceedings from the House live; Stratos, ethnic and educational programmes from around the world provided by Triangle TV; CUE, local news and sports; and Te Reo, a 100% Maori language TV service from Maori TV. Added to this is Radio New Zealand National and Concert. A programme guide, giving full details, is available on the Freeview website.

You will notice that Prime and Trackside are missing from the list. This should not be a problem, because if you are using your UHF aerial to receive Freeview, you can get Prime and Trackside, the same as usual. That is until analog TV is switched off. Did I forget to mention that sometime between 2012 and 2016 the current analog TV service (the way we currently watch television via an aerial), will be switched off, and we will need to have either SKY or Freeview. By this time it is hoped that the Government will have passed a “must carry” law, enforcing both SKY and Freeview to broadcast any free-to-air TV channel. This means that SKY must show TV1, TV2, TV3 etc and Freeview must show Prime.

So what do you need, to ensure you will be able to watch TV in the future? First off you have to decide if you want to have SKY/Saturn or Freeview. It is possible to have them both, if you wish. Secondly, for Freeview, you must purchase a set-top box, and if you do not have a UHF aerial decide if you want one installed, or use a satellite dish. Lastly, should you wish to benefit from the superior picture quality from HDTV, you would need to invest in a new HDTV-capable television and a capable set-top box. It is expected that, later this year, new televisions will have the required electronics included, so that a Freeview set-top box will be unnecessary.

February 14 2008 – Laptops/Notebooks All The Way

In Hardware on February 14, 2008 at 8:25 pm

A real change is occurring in the PC market. Laptops are becoming more popular. In 2007 sales of laptops, or notebooks as they are sometimes called, was expected to be 40% of all machines sold.

Laptops, are more versatile, you can use them anywhere. With a desktop, you’re stuck sitting in front of the screen, wherever you have it placed. No going out into the garden on nice days, and writing that novel in the fresh air. We are becoming a more mobile population. Cell phones have enabled people to be contacted easily and quickly. This mobility is now being extended to the computer. People want to be able to read their email, or favourite blogs, anywhere. Laptops provide this roaming.

The increase in processor power has seen a growth in functionality available with laptops, that would normally be described as having low-end specifications. Manufacturers have discovered that people are buying the lower-end laptops. The buyers are not concerned that Microsoft’s Vista operating system is not available, or in some cases won’t run on these machines. Vista is considered to be too bloated for some of these less powerful laptops, and therefore the manufacturers are having to look elsewhere. Some of the companies building laptops have stayed with Windows XP, others have taken a slightly different route, and are releasing machines with the Linux operating system installed on them.

Recently a small machine has become available in New Zealand. It is the Asus Eee PC, is about the size of a paperback book, and uses a version of the Linux operating system called Xandros. It also comes packed with some interesting features. It has a microphone, speakers, and webcam built-in. WiFi is also provided. The real innovation is the use of a 4GB flash drive, similar to those used in iPods. There are no moving parts, so this allows fast access to the data, and makes the device rugged. There is only 512MB of memory, and it runs on a 900 MHz Intel Celeron processor, which has been fixed to run at a top speed of 630 MHz. These are not impressive specifications, but by using Xandros, Asus have made available a machine that users can surf the web, process email, use Skype, work with digital cameras, and write documents and spreadsheets in OpenOffice.Org. Admittedly the screen is small only, 7″ (about 18CM), and users will need to practise on the small keyboard before becoming adept. It is the size, and the price, under $600, that make it attractive.

Other manufacturers are taking a different route. Acer have started selling a laptop, the Aspire 4315-100508Ci, which comes preloaded with Ubuntu Linux. There is nothing unique about this laptop’s specifications. The manufacture must have realised the potential in the market for a laptop in the $600 price range, and have reacted to consumer demand.

Apple have also announced a new laptop in the USA, called the Macbook Air. This is billed as the world’s thinnest notebook. At .76″ (19.30 MM) thick, it comes with a 13.3″ (33.78CM) screen and a 80GB hard drive, and is 12.8″ (35.51CM) wide and 8.95″ (22.73CM) deep. The only problem with this device is that, true to Apple, the price is high, US$1,799.

In the middle of last year I wrote about Dell releasing Ubuntu Linux machines, but not making them available in New Zealand. Now it seems that there is a rush to provide Linux laptops, and I can’t wait to see what develops latter in the year.

January 10 2008 – The Internet Revolution

In Internet on January 10, 2008 at 8:26 pm

Since the 1990s our world has changed considerably. The spread of the Internet, together with the exponential growth of power in microprocessors, has left us all, as David Lange would say, wanting a cup of tea.

No one could have predicted that whole industries would be founded, and flounder, on the back of the phenomenon. Thousands of people are now employed in jobs that did not exist before the Internet. These are the people providing your connection to the Net, the ISPs, the people who design and maintain the web pages, and the people that write the software, and build the hardware that it all runs on.

The whole of the recording industry has had the guts ripped out of it by the demolition of its business model. Sales of CDs are dropping daily. The record companies have failed to adjust to the concept that music can be downloaded from the Internet. First they ignored it, then they tried to prevent it with Digital Rights Management, now they seem more in tune, and are adopting it.

Banks immediately saw that savings could be made. They had already decimated their branch structure, replacing them with ATMs and phone banking. The Internet allowed them to provide home banking. Now the only reason to visit a branch is to deposit a cheque. There are even banks that have no branches at all, allowing deposits by mail.

Newspapers were badly hit by the rise of auction sites like Trade Me and eBay. The classified advert market disappeared as fast as people signed up with an ISP. They also lost readers who found more up-to-date news is available on the Internet. They fought back, and now provide some of the best sites on the Web, and Fairfax Media, who own this newspaper, now own Trade Me.

Television and cinema will be next to experience pain. Unless they adapt they could have the same problems as record companies. People now want to watch their favourite programme when they want, and not when a TV station dictates. Some stations are now allowing downloads of their programmes. The expectation is that movies will eventually be available directly from the studios.

Radio seems to be doing the right thing. Broadcasters have made their programmes available as podcasts. Although they are hampered by the stupidity of record companies not allowing music in podcasts. They tried to stop stations playing records when broadcasting first started. That didn’t work either. Some stations allow you to listen online via streaming and others, especially the BBC, allow programs to be listened to for 7 days after the conventional broadcast.

Phone companies, the same people that connect you to the Internet, will be under stress as the use of VOIP grows. VOIP allows phone calls to be made over the Internet, which makes them very cheap indeed, if not free. Technology now allows ordinary phones to be used as VOIP phones.

As Microsoft, and Google rush to digitise all the books ever published, and Amazon pushes the Kindle ebook reading device, book publishers will be next to have to adjust.

Even software companies are under threat. The spread of open source software such as Linux and Firefox could only occur because of connections, and communication made available, by the Internet, to the programmers.

The retail industry, strangely, remains relatively untouched, as people prefer the mall rather than the mouse to shop.

Meanwhile some people now retreat from real life by spending time in virtual worlds like Second Life.

We live in a marvellous time. The Internet Revolution will be recalled, by historians, in the same way we recall the Industrial Revolution and the Renaissance.