Targetted Ad-serving - the proof!

Recently, I wrote that ISPs might choose to spy on their customers and I recounted an example of how my browsing behaviour was being tracked.

Following that post, try as I might, I could not replicate the scenario. Until, that is, today.

Yesterday, I was looking at possible new CPUs for my PC and a digital voice recorder and one of the sites I browsed was dabs.com.

This morning, whilst browsing for applications for my phone, I went to one site and there in an ad banner, were the products I had been looking at the day before, just like the last time:

Browser wars

The competition between browsers is hotting up.

The Netscape browser had its support officially rescinded earlier this year, with Netscape's development team recommending users switch to Mozilla-originated software (Firefox, Flock, etc.).

Since then, Google has recently released Chrome, Mozilla is gaining ground with Firefox 3.0, whilst Flock has quietly released version 2.0 (beta) of its 'social browser'.

I am a fan of Firefox, even though it has had a few problems recently. And I think it's important to have an alternative to the big players. For its faults, Firefox has made significant in-roads (cliché alert!) into an area dominated by Microsoft.

But Flock has got my attention - it's based on Mozilla's open source software, but it allows me to 'plug in' feeds and updates from all manner of social networking services and blogs, like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. I can browse and view 'media streams' (pictures from Flickr, etc.) at the same time. When I tried version 1.0 last year, I didn't get it. Now we have Twitter, I do. Very cool ;)

Tried Google's Chrome, too. Like a lot of Google Apps, it's still in Beta, but expect them to make small changes quietly and often. A faster, safer and more robust experience is promised. It's a very simple, very 'Google' layout, the most notable features of which are search and history available in the address bar (à la Firefox's 'awesome bar'); recent 'most visited' sites arranged on the one tab (each time you open a new one); and links on your desktop to Google applications. It's the last feature which is leading some to suggest it's not about browsers or that it's somehow the beginnings of a 'Google Operating System'.

And what of Microsoft? Well, they're busy with IE8. Today I downloaded MSIE8 Beta to try and straight away, I had this flashback to the moment I decided to ditch IE in favour of Firefox, as upon restart, it told me it's running without add-ons:

Click here to manage, disable, or remove add-ons.

So I check my add-ons: they're all enabled (those that are supported). I can disable them or add some more, but how do I manage them? How do I just get rid of the annoying yellow bar?

I gave up.

At this point, I should like to make it known that other browsers are available: Safari from Apple and Opera...from Opera.

Blogging from the Flock browser

Is blogging from within a browser any easier than just navigating to your preferred blogging service, logging in and then writing a new post in their dashboard/interface?

Well, Flock (downloadable here) makes it a little easier. With a click of an icon, you can be writing a blog post and with another, it's uploaded to your blog.

Which is how I wrote and uploaded this one.

If you want to save it as a draft and work on it later, you can. It lacks some of the functionality of Scribefire, the blogging plug-in for Firefox, but it's simplicity is a big plus.

And of course, it's another feature to win over new users, especially those who are either into or being drawn into the what 'Web 2.0' has to offer.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Problems with password manager on Firefox 3.0.2 & 3.0.3

I have been having problems with Firefox's Password Manager following the release of version 3.0.2.

There was a known issue and version 3.0.3, which supposedly included a fix, was released last week, but like a lot of users I was still having problems.

The problem first came to light before 3.0.3 was released and I realised that the 'Remember This Password' toolbar was no longer appearing when I was trying to log on to web sites. Neither could I get a couple of add-ons (TwitterFox & Google Reader Notifier) to accept passwords when configuring preferences. (Unlike other users, however, I was not having problems logging directly into websites).

A helpful discussion with TwitterFox's developer, Kazuho Okui, put me on to a potential fix. But this did not resolve my problem, so I resolved to wait for a patch or an update to Firefox.

When 3.0.3 was released, I thought this would clear the problem once and for all, but it wasn't the case.

So, further research led me to another possible fix, which has reportedly worked for some people.

Still no joy.

But this morning, I managed to fix it and the fix is below.

Now, you are welcome to try this fix, but I know that people using many different OSes have been affected and this was trial and error, so I offer no guarantees nor warranties - try it at your own risk. I would be happy to answer any questions, but really, I'm just a Joe Six-pack user when it comes to Firefox, not a developer, so please bear that in mind, too.

Note: I have not deleted any files, simply renamed them, so that you can recover reinstate the file if necessary.

FIX:

Firstly, I'm running 3.0.3 on Win XP Home SP3.

I had tried saving signons3.txt as UTF-8 encoding, but it did not work. And I was still getting errors of the type:

''this._storage is null Source File:
file:///C:/Program%20Files/Mozilla%20Firefox/components/nsLoginManager.js Line: 479''

in the Firefox Error Console.

However, I had noticed that signons3.txt (in the Profile folder) was blank, but signons2.txt had password details (it contains details of sites for which you have chosen not to remember the password as well as those you have), so with Firefox closed, I renamed signons3.txt as signons3.old.

I then opened signons2.txt in Notepad and saved it as signons3.txt.

I restarted Firefox.

And now I have the Remember This Password toolbar back and it is accepting passwords on sites and for add-ons.

I have since restarted Firefox several times and I am pleased to say that it is all working fine.

I can't believe my ISP would spy on me!

Here's a story which raises the question of how much - or little - your ISP might respect your privacy when browsing the Net.

They are apparently even more sneaky and underhand than the biggest Internet entity currently not being evil (or whatever their motto is), Google.

Your ISP could be gathering data from your browsing behaviour - and you probably didn't let them know that they could do that and they probably didn't tell you they would (OK, maybe it is in the small print, but I bet it's not crystal-like in its clarity) - and they might be selling it on to online advertising companies, who can then target users with more specific ads. Advertising (more than $21Billion in 2007) is what drives the online economy.

It's why social media sites, like MySpace, Facebook et al are seen as so lucrative. Millions of users just waiting to be served ads or, better still, targetted ads based on their browsing behaviour or the apps they use whilst on those sites.

As the article points out, ISPs may not be selling data which identifies an individual user, but it's only a matter of time.

And if you think that you are not tracked online by ISPs or online retailers (and for anyone not using Googlemail), I'll give you my first-hand experience.

A few weeks back, I browsed dabs.com for a specific brand of KVM (keyboard-mouse-video) switch and I looked at 3 or 4 models.

A couple of hours later, I went to sing365.com to look up some song lyrics. Lo and behold on the homepage was an ad for dabs.com displaying the very items I had looked at earlier.

Spooky! And I wasn't dreaming - I tried it several times with the same results and I even pinched myself.

I can only imagine that Dabs is placing cookies on my PC with specific information about products I have looked at on their site - or maybe it's passing information between online advertisers. Either way, users are being tracked. Tracking cookies are easily removed with anti-spyware software, but advertisers know that, so they'll want new ways of gaining your attention.

I tried it again tonight, but without success. Maybe it was a fluke.

But even if it were, BT (which now owns Dabs) is leading the way in this respect with its deal with Phorm and that is the shape of things to come.

Information has always been used as a currency, but never more so, as more and more aspects of everyday life are digitised and put online.

But I'm sure that no-one is going to do anything untoward with any of the data we have knowingly or unknowingly given them access to. And, in case anyone from my ISP is reading, it wasn't me browsing those sites - someone had borrowed my PC.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a copy of the film, Enemy of the State, for some tips on how to disappear from society...and, yeah, you probably should still worry about Google ;)

A Windows User's MacBook Diary - Day 2

Thursday

I needed help from an expert, which came in the shape of Nina - a MacBook specialist.

With Nina's help, I was able to set myself up as a user. Actually, with her help, I was able to remember Vlad's password.

As part of my 'journey' on the Mac, I have resolved not to look at the manual (such as it is). This means experimenting with keys, mouse-clicks and shortcuts. Admittedly, Nina has helped me with some, but I will need to learn others from the drop-down menus.

Whilst I can find most things I want, it sometimes takes several key presses to get there, e.g. opening up the Applications folder. The absence of a Home button (and indeed, many of the buttons normally found on a Windows-oriented keyboard) led me to intuitively hit the Up key, which took me to the beginning of the line.

However, I have not yet mastered deletion. I am reliably informed this is achieved using Fn+Backspace, but it doesn't seem to work. I am also used to using the Tab key in Windows to highlight the appropriate choice in a dialog window, whereas the most likely choice is already highlighted in Mac OS X and I just need to hit Return - that is taking some getting used to.

Minor observations for the day:

• The white glare from the keyboard takes some getting used to.
  
• When the lid is closed, it still looks lie a giant Nintendo DS. It's the colour, you see, and the styling. I am so used to black and grey slabs, it just doesn't look like a laptop (well, it was designed in California...).
• Restart is very quick - maybe because it's new and not loaded up with apps.
• My 4-year old son came up and said:, 'Oh, there's an apple," pointing to the logo on the lid. How's that for brand recognition? He then informed me it had lit up.
  
• Easy application installation - well, Skype was easy enough: drag this icon over to that icon and it inflated itself and installed itself. I have not quite got the hang of Devices yet. These can apparently be physical devices, e.g. USB stick; a user profile, e.g. Vlad; a programme; or an installation file. Some appear on the the 'desktop' whilst others are on the 'Macintosh HD'. I need to get to grips with this concept, because it irritates me not knowing where things should go or why they appear where they do.
  
• Built-in mic and speakers - useful if your own headset has just been chewed up by your wife's powerful new vacuum cleaner (it's a Dyson - the 'Mac' of the vacuum cleaner world funnily enough). And again, features reminiscent of the Nintendo DS.
• Nicely animated progress bars. This is a seemingly lame observation and would hardly seem to warrant comment, but I think it shows attention to detail and underscores the Mac's pedigree as a designer's computer. When you spend half your life staring at progress bars, it annoys me when they are badly animated or out of sync (I give you Microsoft's Windows Update site). Mac's 'initializing' progress bar, for instance, is easy on the eye and aesthetically pleasing. There is a sense of harmony about it, which adds to the enjoyment of using a computer.
  

A Windows User's MacBook Diary - Day 1

Wednesday

Vlad has handed me a MacBook he had bought for 'test-driving'.

When I first saw it, I thought it looked like a giant Nintendo DS - the curved corners, the slim case with its clean lines reminiscent of Nintendo's small, but perfectly-formed handheld console. But no stylus and no touch-screen.

Immediately, there are things which just strike you about the MacBook - the outside is less fussy: all the ports are arranged down one side (not dotted randomly around the edges of the case), just one cover underneath, magnetic power cord, low profile rubber feet (less prone to being knocked off than the awkwardly-shaped and ungainly rubber feet on my Dell - of which I have lost one or more).

My second thought was where does the extra memory go? My Dell has hatches and removable covers galore, so I can replace all the things that I need to replace on my Windows laptop. Never mind, maybe I'll find a secret hatch later.

Low-profile and integral CD/DVD slot. Nice.

Inside: magnetic closure on the lid (no catches to break), integral webcam, 'closed' keyboard to keep out dirt and food, expansive mousepad and one-piece mouse button.

Unfortunately, the battery was dead and thus I had to wait till I got home to power it up.

On doing so, I found myself looking at the Russian comedy video site, I think Vlad had been talking about in the car on the way back from our meeting. So I clicked on a link...network not connected, of course.

So I tried to connect to my home network. I looked up the 26-character key required to connect. Error. Made sure the router is in pairing mode (thanks, Inventel). Re-typed the 26-character key from memory - another 7 times. Error each time.

This was my first stumbling block - Apple's fault or the fault of my network? My router is not the easiest to interrogate. For some reason, the router is slow to serve up its webpages. I should probably do a factory reset or install the spare I have, but then I'll have to re-configure the nine or so devices I have connected to it, which is a major faff.

I continued to interrogate the crappy router.

[2 hours later...]

Finally, I managed to get connected to my network and online! (I had to change the security settings back to WEP...). And then I got a series of green lights for the AirPort connection and I was connected to the Internet.

My next thought was to log off Vlad and somehow set up a profile for myself. So logged off Vlad...and got stuck... :(