Google's new OS is almost ready to challenge Microsoft

It’s the ultimate showdown in the technology world, the clash of giants that has been eagerly awaited for years. Web giant Google is taking its clearest aim yet at Microsoft with its plan to produce its own operating system that would optimise the way computers work on the Internet.

The Chrome operating system is due to be out in the second half of next year and will initially be used in netbooks, company executives Sundar Pichai and Linus Upson said in a blog posting. The operating system would be released as free, open-source software, which would allow anyone to use or modify it.

At the core of Google’s vision is the most important trend in the networked world: the move from running applications on a desktop computer to running them through a web browser.

From Gmail to Facebook and Picassa to Twitter, the most popular uses for computers are no longer the disc-churning software programmes like Microsoft Office, which have clogged up hard drives for years. The new paradigm is cloud-based computing, where all the heavy lifting and storage is done on companies’ server farms, which people access over their broadband connections. According to Google, it’s time that computers reflected the change.

“The operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web,” Google executives Sundar Pichai and Linus Upson wrote in a blog posting announcing the move.

The Chrome operating system is Google’s “attempt to re-think what operating systems should be”, based on three key attributes: “speed, simplicity and security”.

“We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you on to the web in a few seconds. We are completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.”

That vision sounds like digital heaven for computer users who have wrestled forever with bloated software and computers that progressively get slower and slower.

“People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them,” the Google blog said.

“They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware or have to worry about constant software updates.” As enticing as that prospect may seem, it’s not guaranteed to work, says Don Retallack, vice president of research at Directions on Microsoft – a company that tracks the software giant.

“Google may or may not have the experience and capability of actually producing an operating system and getting it deployed,” he said. “It may not realise how hard it is.”

25,000 jobs for Intellectual Property professionals in next 2-3 years

Rising awareness and growing competition will hike the Intellectual Property job opportunities in the country creating 25,000 jobs in the coming 2-3 years. Experts say, with the increased awareness about patents and trademarks due to increasing competition among companies and growing cases of infringement of IP rights, the Intellectual Property space in the country is increasing, PTI reports.

"We expect that over 25,000 jobs for Intellectual Property professionals will be created in the next 2-3 years. As there is an increase in the need for IP professionals in law firms, knowledge and legal process outsourcing companies and other corporate houses," said, Atulya Nath, CEO, Global Institute of Intellectual Property.

The lack of awareness of IP as a career option will gradually decrease with the need of professionals in the industry increasing and it will be seen as a lucrative career option, experts define. At present, there is shortage of IP professionals in the country as compared to the world over.

"Enforcement of IP issues is an area which would generate so many jobs in the coming days, as we all are witnessing an increase in the number of cases related with the infringement of intellectual property rights," said Rodney D Ryder, IP Expert, Kochhar & Co.

Over the last decade, IP laws in the country have been in a transition, as the country follows with its obligations under Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs). The IP industry includes patents, trademarks, design, geographical indications and copyrights.

"The role of IP professionals would further increase in the coming days as the issues related with patent, trademarks, design and copyrights are becoming more vital," Ryder added.

The industry is growing at an unseen pace; experts believe it will grow much faster.

"We estimate around 4,000 people are working in different areas of IP and should double in the next 2-3 years. IP, particularly trademarks and patents are considered vital in growth strategy of businesses and this can be seen from the increase in the number of patent and trademark filings in the recent years and the increase in litigation related to IP matters," said Bhaskar Bagchi, India Head, CPA Global.

In sectors like pharmaceutical and IT where there are large, diverse and complex trademark and patent portfolios, the need for IP professionals is greater, experts said.

World is recovering from Recession

The world is beginning to pull out of its first recession since World War II, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.

In an updated economic forecast, the IMF said the global economy was already stabilising, the financial crisis has eased and the recession will end in the second half of this year.
The report marked the first time the IMF has sounded a more positive note since the financial crisis struck in October, though the global lender also warned against complacency.

"While the global economy is still in recession, the recovery is coming," said IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard. The world economy will shrink 1.4 percent this year but grow by 2.5 percent in 2010, the IMF said. That compares to an April forecast of a 1.3-percent contraction in 2009 and growth of 1.9 percent next year.

But the IMF warned the recovery would be "uneven" and growth would remain "sluggish" for much of the next 2 years, especially in wealthy countries where the economic crisis began.

Much of the growth over the next 2 years will come from the emerging world. Wealthy countries will shrink 3.8 percent this year and grow only 0.6 percent in 2010, the IMF said. Developing countries will grow 1.5 per cent in 2009 and 4.7 percent next year.

Six lakh jobs lost in India in 4 months

More than six lakh Indians have lost their jobs in the duration of just four months after the economic crisis has hit Indian shores in the month of Oct'08.

According to the Economic survey, about five lakh people lost their jobs in the October-December 2008 period, while over one lakh were shed in January this year, the Economic
Survey said. In September, the crisis turned severe following the bankruptcy of
American financial services major Lehman Brothers. Since then, millions of jobs have been shed worldwide, as companies resorted to massive layoffs as part of their cost cutting measures.

According to the survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, during the three months from October to December 2008, there was a decline in employment of about half a million workers. Among the sectors, the most hit by the financial turmoil are gems and jewellery, transport and automobiles.

"The most affected sectors were gems and jewellery, transport and automobiles where employment has declined by 8.58 percent, 4.03 percent and 2.42 percent, respectively during the period (October to December 2008)," report said.

However, the survey conducted by the Labour Bureau for the January-March period showed improvement in the employment scenario in selected sectors. The Labour Bureau survey, which covered 3,192 units, indicated improvement in the selected sectors with employment rising by a "quarter million".

"Sectors registering increased employment were gems and jewellery (3.08 percent), textiles (0.96 percent), IT-BPO (0.82 percent), handloom-powerloom (0.56 percent) and automobile (0.10 percent)," the Survey said quoting the Labour Bureau.

In the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12), about 58 million employment opportunities are projected to be created and the unemployment rate is anticipated to fall below five per cent.

How to Take up Test

Before you Begin Test:

• 1. Preview the test before you answer anything. This gets you thinking about the material. Make sure to note the point value of each question. This will give you some ideas on budgeting your time.
• 2. Do a mind dump. Using what you saw in the preview, make notes of anything you think you might forget. Write down things that you used in learning the material that might help you remember. Outline your answers to discussion questions.
• 3. Quickly calculate how much time you should allow for each section according to the point value. (You don't want to spend 30 minutes on an essay question that counts only 5 points.)

Taking a Test:

4. Read the directions. (Can more than one answer be correct? Are you penalized for guessing? etc.) Never assume that you know what the directions say.

5. Answer the easy questions first. This will give you the confidence and momentum to get through the rest of the test. You are sure these answers are correct.

6. Go back to the difficult questions. While looking over the test and doing the easy questions, your subconscious mind will have been working on the answers to the harder ones. Also, later items on the test might give you useful or needed information for earlier items.

7. Answer all questions (unless you are penalized for wrong answers).

8. Ask the instructor to explain any items that are not clear. Do not ask for the answer, but phrase your question in a way that shows the instructor that you have the information but are not sure what the question is asking for.

9. Try to answer the questions from the instructor's point of view. Try to remember what the instructor emphasized and felt was important.

10. Use the margin to explain why you chose the answer if the question does not seem clear or if the answer seems ambiguous.

11. Circle key words in difficult questions. This will force you to focus on the central point.

12. Express difficult questions in your own words. Rephrasing can make it clear to you, but be sure you don't change the meaning of the question.

13. Use all of the time allotted for the test. If you have extra time, cover up your answers and actually rework the question.

India pays heavy penalty for not utilizing its loans

Even as India is trying to get more loans from World Bank to improve infrastructure and transport, an internal assessment from finance section reveals that the loans given to India before are not properly utilized. Many past projects are running behind schedule and the government has been paying commitment charges in crores every year.

In 2007-08 and 2008-09, India has paid Rs 240 crore as commitment charge for the undisbursed portion of the loans sanctioned by World Bank and other multilateral agencies such as Asian Development Bank (ADB). In last five years time, Indian government has paid close to Rs 700 crore as commitment charges

Due to a lack of coordination among different government departments, several projects and development schemes are not completed on time. According to a source from Finance Ministry, there were 231 externally aided projects of which more than 40 percent were paying commitment charges.
Government has approached for loans even when they already had a portion of undisbursed loans. According to ADB portfolio, undisbursed loan amount has increased from $850 million in 1999 to $3.5 billion at the end of 2006.

Commitment charges are a penalty on the failure to utilize the committed aid. Funds have been sought for many highway and power projects even before they are ready, or even before the previous loans had been utilized.

India has borrowed Rs 12,800 crore from ADB from 2001 and 2007 and between this time, it paid Rs 230 crore to the agency as commitment charges. An estimated 60 percent of World Bank and ADB loan portfolio are currently paying commitment charges. Questions have also been raised on the way the loans have been negotiated.
In many cases, the government had bargained loans with commitment charges as high as 0.75 percent when the rate of interest in the international market was around one percent.

Benefits of Certification

Why should you become Certified?

"Life-long learning are the keywords to your future success".

Do you want a career with a future? You should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge. Unless, you have already decided that your current skills and job are good enough for your future.

Knowledge is power, especially in the current job market. Documentation of your skills enables you to move upwards in your organization.

Getting a certificate proves your commitment to upgrade your skills, gives you the credibility needed for more responsibilities, larger projects, and a higher salary.

In addition, documented knowledge is often the key factor when hiring new personnel. Your certificate might advance your career or help you to start a new one.

Also have in mind that employees with certifications increase their company's chances of retaining old and getting new customers. You will do your company a favor getting certified. Expect your company to support you in this.

Thank You