Adblock Plus developer pokes holes in Mozilla's new add-on performance tests

Wladimir Palant, developer of the most popular add-on in the world, Adblock Plus, is also an active contributor to the Planet Mozilla blog community. Over the last few days, in response to Mozilla's new name and shame list of slow add-ons, Palant has been investigating whether Mozilla's testing methods are actually accurate.

Rather surprisingly, it turns out that Mozilla's numbers could be significantly wrong -- and if they're not wrong, the factors that Mozilla uses to tabulate an add-ons final score should definitely be made more transparent.

In the first set of tests, Palant shows that FlashGot's position in the top 10 is probably due to a fault in Mozilla's testing setup, and that add-ons can perform very differently depending on which operating system they're being tested on. In the second analysis, Palant uncovers an irregularity that doesn't seem to have an obvious cause -- but it could be due to an I/O bottleneck on Mozilla's test machines. Basically, even though performance testing of Read It Later is disabled because of a bug, it still (somehow!) manages to record a 14% slow-down on Windows 7.

Palant concludes both analyses by scolding Mozilla for going public with the performance data before its testing methods had been confirmed accurate. It definitely looks like Mozilla has been more than a little reckless, considering the importance of Firefox's add-on ecosystem.

Adblock Plus developer pokes holes in Mozilla's new add-on performance tests originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/adblock-plus-developer-pokes-holes-in-mozillas-new-add-on-perfo/

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Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps

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Up until a couple of years ago, I used to turn to RescueTime to figure out how I spend my time online. Then it got too complex, and I stopped using it. Personal Activity Monitor is like a vastly dumbed-down version of RescueTime, and I mean that as a compliment. It's free and bare-bones -- all it does is track what applications you're using and for how long.

A big drawback at this point is that it doesn't integrate with Web browsers to help you analyze how you spend your time on the Web. Still, if your work doesn't require constant Web app use, knowing how long you've used a browser overall might be enough to help you manage your time.

This is far from the only application in this space -- alternatives such as Slife and Chrometa are full-featured and impressive -- but PAM is good option for those who want a nice, simple tracker.

Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/05/personal-activity-monitor-lets-you-quickly-see-what-you-spend-ti/

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Nokia 808 PureView available this month in Russia and India

Nokia 808 PureView available this month in Russia and India

Are you eagerly awaiting to get your hands on that 41 megapixel Symbian Belle flagship? We bet you are, and perhaps today is your lucky day -- if you live in Russia or India, that is. Nokia's just officially announced that the 808 PureView will be available this month "in select markets." Strangely, the company didn't give a specific date or list any countries beyond the aforementioned two. The handset, which was revealed at Mobile World Congress in February, is expected to retail for 450 Euros and "revolutionize the imaging experience" with its large sensor, Zeiss optics and pixel oversampling technology. Speaking of which -- Nokia's also just renewed its partnership with the German lens manufacturer. Coincidence? We think not. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nokia 808 PureView available this month in Russia and India

Nokia 808 PureView available this month in Russia and India originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ltfCXo7ooEw/

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Why iOS Apps Look Better Than Android Apps

Design is built into Apple's DNA. Google's backbone on the other hand, is search. So it's not too surprising to guess which platform houses a greater number of polished apps -- and which platform makes it easier to create those apps.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/easier-design-apps-ios/

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Is This New Trashy MySpace iPad Mirror Photographer the Most Horrifying Yet? [Psa]

A new challenger appears! Boasting augmented powers of concealer thick enough to deflect a laser and hair extensions like something from a taxidermy shop, our red-dressed heroine is poised to steal the throne. The throne of iPad portraiture terror-demons. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LXulBAdbC9s/is-this-new-trashy-myspace-ipad-mirror-photographer-the-most-horrifying-yet

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LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory

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I don't know all that much about the Naval Research Laboratory when I arrive in DC for "the public's first opportunity to look inside" the space's new $17 million Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR). I give the cab driver the address, and he casually tells me that it "stinks," illustrating this notion with a universally familiar hand gesture. He means it literally, too - that you can smell the place, simply driving by in a cab, with the windows up. He says this with such assurance, such gusto, that I fully expect it to smell like the city dump. A wall of stink.

It's not much to go on, but it's something. And while I can thankfully report that his reaction was a bit overstated - at least on this particular day - there's certainly a distinct odor to the place. It's a sprawling 130-acre complex that sits sandwiched between the 295 freeway and the waters of the Potomac River; a series of nearly identical big, white buildings facing inward toward a grassy courtyard. On the way in, a space with what appears to be crushed cars is visible from the freeway.

Continue reading LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory

LASR: behind the curtain of the Navy's robotics laboratory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/uWdqhGMAzdc/

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Surprise! iOS still beating Android in enterprise penetration

Good Technology's latest data from their enterprise customers confirm that yes, iOS is killing Android in the business world. In the first quarter of the year, the iPhone 4S accounted for 37% of Good's activations, followed by the iPad 2 with 17.7%, while the new iPad is already claiming 12.1%.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/64ItUjZvvaM/story01.htm

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Google patent app describes NFC sharing between devices, gives us Beam deja-vu

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Android Beam has been with us since October of last year and now we might just be getting a look into how it came to be. A patent application made public today describes "sharing application states" across messaging apps, ongoing phone call status, as well as playback position for video and audio on multiple devices via NFC and "other" wireless communication. If you think the potential uses for the tech discussed in this filing from September of 2011 sound strikingly familiar, you're not the only one. Could this really be a part of Android Beam, or does Google have something else up its sleeve?

Google patent app describes NFC sharing between devices, gives us Beam deja-vu originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 16:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/01/google-beam-patent-nfc/

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MicroStylus Review

For 99.9% of the things you do on your smartphone you don’t really need a stylus. But if you’re as addicted to Draw Something as I am, you may find that a stylus is almost a necessary accessory (say that 3 times fast for bonus points). At least if you want your opponent to be [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/04/28/microstylus-review/

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Forget Bluetooth Keyboards. Try a Wired Keyboard With Your iPad

I’ve been trying to find the perfect keyboard case for the iPad and realized that the Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a stand is actually my perfect solution for the iPad.  Macally has something I hadn’t considered – a wired keyboard for the iPad.  The iKEY30 Keyboard for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch is a full-sized [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/01/forget-bluetooth-keyboards-try-a-wired-keyboard-with-your-ipad/

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