Boot2Gecko

This looks interesting, though I can't help but wish they were announcing their support for Open webOS instead. WebOS is so good, if the FOSS community really wants to take iOS head on, that's the way to do it.

Because Android is So Much More Secure than iOS

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes writes:

The report makes depressing reading. Across all platforms, mobile malware attacks are up 155 percent, with mobile malware samples increasing from 11,138 in 2010 to 28,472 in 2011. BlackBerry malware grew by 8 percent, and Java ME saw a 49 percent increase. But the platform hit hardest was Android, with malware increasing by an incredible 3,325 percent in a year. During the last six months of 2011, Android malware samples had increased from 400 to 13,302.

Conspicuously absent from the list of devices affected by malware attacks is the iPhone. You don't suppose that is because there is no malware for the iPhone, do you?

HT: Gruber

Windows Gets a New Logo

Sam Moreau posted a piece on Microsoft's “Blogging Windows” blog to show a history of Windows logos and present a new one for Windows 8. The retrospective is enjoyable; the new logo, on the other hand… Well, at least for me, I'll say the jury is still out.

I think I'll actually miss the “Windows Flag.”

Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper

John Gruber writes:

The default for this setting is, I say, exactly right: the one in the middle, disallowing only unsigned apps. This default setting benefits users by increasing practical security, and also benefits developers, preserving the freedom to ship whatever software they want for the Mac, with no approval process.

Call me nuts, but that's one feature I hope will someday go in the other direction — from OS X to iOS.

My thoughts exactly. The iOS defaults make perfect sense for most users: the App Store is open enough that the vast majority of apps can get into it, it is dead simple to use and most users have no business trying to figure out if third party sources are “safe.” But, it would be nice if power users could flip a switch to override that generally wise restriction and install third party signed apps (or maybe even unsigned apps).

In this respect Gatekeeper on the Mac is really ideal. Given the differing expectations for a computer over a cell phone, it defaults to allowing Mac App Store and third party signed applications. I probably wouldn't recommend that as a default on an iOS device, but it makes sense on a full fledged computer. Most users probably should stick to the App Store, but quite a few users will want apps like Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office, that (I suspect) will remain outside the App Store. By allowing third party apps, but requiring them to be signed, Apple avoids loosing (or severely limiting) these all-important packages while ensuring that any third party creating malicious software can still be blacklisted as soon as a threat appears.

Finally, and critically, Gatekeeper's restrictions can be completely overridden if advanced users want to run unsigned code. Giving the choice is good. For the most part, I suspect that users who are advanced enough to not be intimidated by switching off what sounds like (and is) an important security setting will also be knowledgable enough to safely judge what unsigned code is OK to run.

Mountain Lion

Apple's program of making Mac OS X more iOS-like looks like it is really going to bear fruit in Mountain Lion. Bringing iMessage to the Mac seems natural and Notifications is an obvious integration of the functionality Growl had added to most Macs for years now. Clearly the big feature, however, is deeper iCloud integration, promising to allow data to flow seamlessly from Mac to iPad to iPhone.

I'm anxious to see how this turns out.

Power Corrupts

As any Google watcher knows, the company seems to have strayed further and further from its motto of “Don't be evil” as it has grown more powerful. That's why some news today worries me:

Handling more than 70 billion domain name system (DNS) requests each day, Google is now the largest public DNS service on earth, the Web giant announced today.

Somehow I just don't think it is good for the web that the largest search engine and advertising network is also the largest DNS provider. I'd recommend using OpenDNS instead.

But, At Least

Donald Bell writes in a review of iPod touch alternatives for CNet:

This little guy is tough to recommend, but at least the $179 price comes in under the iPod Touch's.

Yes, the screen is small, dim, and plagued with a horrible viewing angle, but let's look on the bright side. The sound quality holds up well, audio and video format support is surprisingly broad, and the small size is very convenient.

Sounds like a winner.

493.17

I'm more than a little puzzled at what caused AAPL to jump up $16.49 per share today. There have been some rumors about the iPad 3 circulating — but nothing terribly surprising. In any case, I'm not complaining, and I do expect the iPad 3 to be a significant upgrade (the Retina display alone ought to guarantee that).

Is it just me?

I seem to be having issues using OpenDNS tonight. Right now, all sites hosted by my server are unavailable via OpenDNS, as is Facebook. I switched temporarily to Google DNS and everything seems to be working. Weird.

If you are reading asisaid via a connection that utilizes OpenDNS at the moment, please let me know.

Big

David Goldman reports on Apple's most recent quarter results, announced today:

It was one of the most profitable quarters ever for any U.S. company, trailing only ExxonMobil's (XOM) record-setting $14.8 billion quarter from the fall of 2008, when oil prices were at an all-time high.

That is an incredible quarter reflecting Apple's really compelling lineup of products versus the competition.

HT: John Gruber