Firefox 3 download: 1,800 Nigerians join 8m others

OVER 1,800 Open Source (OS) Nigerian software enthusiasts took part in the over 8 million global download day of Firefox-3 penultimate Wednesday.

Sources at Mozilla Download Day Headquarters (DDH), owners of Firefox brand said they were amazed following the number of downloads on Firefox 3 within 24 hours of its official release on Tuesday June 17 while download took place before the end of Wednesday, June 18, 2008.

Firefox is a free Internet fast browser which is in the third version of its release into the global market.

Firefox is seen as an alternative browser to Internet Explorer and is a small but easy to use open source browser that has many advantages over Internet Explorer.

ITRealms recalls that few weeks back officials of Mozilla announced the proposal to stamp a Guinness World Record attempt by inviting enthusiasts around the world to express their readiness to download the latest in its shelf, Firefox 3 within the 24 hours of launch.

Noteworthy is that Firefox 2 recorded 1.6 million download on its launch day, which gave the inspiration for the 8m demand.

And as at Wednesday, June 18, ITRealms gathered that Firefox 3 total downloads was at 8,937,974 as at 10pm Nigerian time.

In response to this invitation over 8 million downloads were recorded on the d-date with over 1,800 Nigerians participating in the world record-breaking exercise with accompanying free customized certificate for participants.

“That’s more Firefox downloads than we’ve ever had in a single day – an impressive feat indeed,” sources from DDH declared.

As at the time of going to press, DDH sources affirmed that over 8 million internet users and lovers of open source application like Firefox participated in the scheme and they were reviewing the download logs and validating record attempts alongside the in-house judges and officials of Guinness World Record.

Mozilla explained that it would only count downloads that were fully and completely transmitted and not partial or complete updates.

“We would also discard duplicate downloads with the help of a cookie system,” officials said, adding that they would be logging the downloads using Apache and these logs would be made available for audit to Guinness World Records as well as two judges, namely Corey Shields and Paul Vixie,” DDH official informed.

They further assured on the transparency of the exercise, saying that Mozilla deployed amMap, which would be associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address; which is a non-personally-identifying information, but with a geo-location.

“No private or personal information is tracked or collected,” DDH stated.

Just as Mozilla would host 10 per cent of the downloads and retain all the logs for these downloads.

According to the number of pledges made per country, the United States of America, home of the software giant, Microsoft Corporation, a major proponent of proprietary software; usually paid-for applications, topped the list with 2,729,086, United Kingdom recorded 327,082; Japan 409,435; Spain 319,103; Iran 261,424; Luxembourg 280,517; Russia 113,340 and Poland 220,145.

However, South Africa led the pack of African pledges with 19,995 with Mozambique 5,081, Namibia 305, Niger 28, Uganda and Zimbabwe recorded 203 each, Togo 46, Tunisia 4,153 and Zambia 162, among others.


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Steps to observe packet spoofing by ISPs (12)

YOU might still have NAT or a firewall enabled at one end of the connection, or your ISP might be forging or altering packets routinely, perhaps with a technique like transparent HTTP proxying that is invisible to most application software.

It is important to think critically about the significance of evidence and whether results are reproducible or attributable to confounding factors. pcapdiff and the techniques described here are meant to help users find anomalous discrepancies between packets sent and packets received, not to definitively assign blame for the source of those anomalies.

Learning more about TCP/IP and interpreting network packet traces:

For a deeper understanding of network protocols and packet traces like those described here, you can consult the Internet standards documents that specify the TCP/IP protocol suite.

Most of these documents have been published in the RFC document series available at http://www.rfc-editor.org/ and http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/. For example, the Internet Protocol (IP) is described in RFC 791, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) in RFC 793, and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) in RFC 768.

An excellent guide to the TCP/IP protocol suite in book form is W. Richard Stevens, TCP/IP Illustrated: Volume 1, The Protocols (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994), ISBN 0201633469.


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ISIF dangles N3.5m for Internet projects

The Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF) is dangling the sum of $30,000 (about N3,532,200) for each Internet and digital communication based projects.

ISIF is a joint initiative between the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Internet Society (ISOC), and the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), aimed currently at stimulating creative solutions to ICT development needs in the Asia Pacific region.

Under the ISIF guidelines, it provides grants of up to US$30,000 per project to help advance local and regional projects aimed at introducing, improving, and applying Internet and other digital communications technologies for the benefit of Asia-Pacific users and communities.

APNIC Director General, Mr. Paul Wilson said the proposed innovative projects, such as the ones funded by ISIF, are significant drivers to Internet and technology growth in the region.

APNIC, therefore, encourages members of the Asia Pacific ICT community to submit their projects for consideration.

For ISOC President, Lynn St. Amour, it is believed that the Internet could contribute to a better quality of life for people all over the world.

“ISIF helps ensure that local knowledge and experience are directed at tapping the potential of ICTs to address real-world problems with creative, innovative solution,” St. Amour said.

Stressing that in Asia Pacific, for instance, the Internet and mobile phone development are on different trajectories.

Chairman of the ISIF Grants Committee and Regional Director at IDRC, Southeast and East Asia, Mr. Richard Fuchs, said they hope the ISIF research fund could help illuminate and address the new ‘digital divergence’ in the region.

Equally, project proposals from Asia-Pacific based public or private sector organisations, university or research and development institutions, and non-government organisations would be considered. Applications, he said, must be aligned with ISIF programme objectives, selection criteria and administrative guidelines, noting that individuals are not eligible for grants.

The ISIF grant round for 2008 is now open and applications are due 1 September 2008.
A total of US$375,000 (about N44,152,500 million) will be available for grants in 2008 even as the grants would be made on a competitive basis and successful applicants will be required to make project details, outcomes and findings publicly available.


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NITDA ends work on ICT4D plan

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced the conclusion of work on the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development (ICT4D) plan.

Director-General, NITDA, Prof. Cleopas Officer Angaye, gave this indication last weekend at the final technical session by experts working on the document at NITDA’s headquarters in Abuja.

He expressed satisfaction that with the document and that the next stage would be to present it to the Minister of Science and Technology for onward delivery to Mr. President and the Federal Executive Council.

ITRealms recalls that the national ICT4D plan contains some actionable programmes, which cover various sectors for short, medium and long term implementations by identified stakeholders in conjunction with local and or international private organizations.

Equally, the ICT4D sets out time-sensitive action plans with realistic targets and benchmarks for sectoral applications of ICT for national development.

According to Angaye, it is targeted at using ICT to achieve the Seven-Point Agenda and vision 20-2020, to assist Nigeria in deploying ICT to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the New Partnership for Africa ’s Development (NEPAD) development initiatives and the World Summit on Information Society’s plan of action.

He explained that specific sectors with ICT plan actions, strategies for implementation and timeline include education, agriculture, health, eGovernment, infrastructure, human resource, research and development (R & D), legal and regulatory framework, national security and law enforcement, legislature and governance, IT popularization and deployment in communities as well as private sector development cluster which covers trade and commerce, banking, tourism, service sector, industrial sector development, local and foreign direct investment amongst others.

Angaye, also promised the committee that he would ensure that all necessary machineries are put in place to facilitate the immediate implementation of the plan.

Chairman of the national committee, Dr. Takang Armstrong also thanked the experts for their co-operation and input to the successful completion of this national assignment.

He reiterated the need to fully create awareness for the document and facilitate support for implementation by all MDAs, states and other stakeholders.

He also advised on making the document available for states to leverage on it and get the right impact.

The Coordinator of the ICT4D development activities, Director Planning Research and Statistics (NITDA), Dr. Moses Ubaru noted that the conclusion of the development of the Nigerian ICT4D Strategic Action Plan, coming at a time when the present administration was seeking ways of mainstreaming ICT4D in the vision 20-2020 is very timely and advised that NITDA should work very closely with the National Planning Commission to ensure that the final ICT4D document serves as the working document for ICT4D in Vision 20-2020.

ECA consultant, who supervised the work in the last four years, Prof. Clement Dzidonu, noted that the Nigeria ICT for Development plan, would move the Nigerian economy to the next level, describing it as the most comprehensive ICT4D document in the whole of Africa.

He advised on the publication of abridged versions on sector by sector basis in order to have plan ownership template for states and MDAs.

He further advised on the need to immediately set up the necessary guidelines to implement the plan. Resource persons in attendance included Prof Charles Akinyokun, Dr John Dada, Dr. Ado Dan-Isa, Jide Awe, Bankole Olubamise, Hakeem Ajijola, as well as NITDA directors.


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e-Tourism launches VoIP card

Lagos-based e-Tourism Limited, has launched a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) designed to make communications easier for Nigerians and foreign tourists in any part of the globe to stay connected with their loved ones.

Vice Chairman, e-Tourism Limited, Dr. Felix Obada, said at the launch in Abuja, last week that the card is a pre-paid calling card which could be used on any Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network for international calls.

According to him the card knocks off the roaming charges by telephone operators as users could now call from any part of the world at localized tariff.

Obada said, “Everything is on communication. Without communication there is no business, so we have made this card very cheap and it can be used anywhere because it is satellite based. It is going to remove the N600 for calls and N60 per text roaming charges.”

Equally speaking, the company’s Managing Director, Otunba Segun Oladunni, disclosed that the advantages of the card include its versatility, call quality, cost effectiveness and convenience.

“People can even purchase the card over the Internet, at the comfort of their homes,” he asserted.

Oladunni also said that the card is currently available in the market and is sold at airport terminals, partner banks, street shops, hotels and over the Internet among other places.

Applauding the Federal Government’s decision to pay more attention to the tourism sector, Otunba Solomon Oladunni, Chairman e-Tourism Limited disclosed that the introduction of the VoIP card also refer to as tourism communication card is a step aimed at engendering growth in the sector.

“We recognize the importance of ICT in developing the tourism industry, which is an industry with endless possibilities and prospects of becoming the most important sector to the economic emancipation of Nigeria in a few years,” he said.

Explaining that recharging mobile phone with VoIP tourism card is as simple as topping up your phone with the normal GSM recharge card.

“Just enter your trigger number, listen to the voice prompt, and then enter your PIN number. Calls with the VoIP tourism card can go as low as N15 per minute as in the case with Canada and America,” he said, even as the card could also be used to make Internet calls via the computer.

Among other products launched at the forum were the Tourism Cash card, National and State Tourism Portals.

Performing the launch, Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, noted that it is necessary that tourists in the country are assured of seamless communication with their families back home.

“Tourists need to know that they can call home and other places even when on a tour,” Prince Kayode said.

According to the Chairman, Ikeja Hotel Plc, Mr. Goodie Ibru, such e-Applications, have impacted greatly on the hospitality sub-sector, emphasizing that they have aided tour planning, making hotel reservations, car rental and payment for services, among others much easier.


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PwC concludes review of Siemens’ portfolio

Leading auditing and consulting services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), has concluded its review of the Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio for the year ended 2007.

A press statement from Siemens Nigeria, endorsed by Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Akinlabi Olusegun, said that this has been relevant because the issues of climate change has become firmly entrenched in public awareness.

According to him, the information regarding Carbon dioxide (chemical formula: CO2) CO2 emissions is no longer of interest to just a few eco-activists but is required by stakeholders across board: financial markets, consumers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and governments all assess companies at least partly on the basis of such information.

The CO2 value for models are being registered since March 2001 when the first registration and licensing document began.

Defined as a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom, Carbon dioxide is a gas at standard temperature and pressure that exists in earth’s atmosphere in this state.

It is currently at a globally averaged concentration of approximately 387 part per million (ppm) by volume in the earth’s atmosphere, although this is increasing due to human activities.

The current focus of policy-makers rests with companies reporting their own emissions and setting individual emission reduction targets. But other stakeholders expect more comprehensive information about the CO2 balance, notably the emissions intensity of products or their ability to reduce emissions compared with similar products.

Against this backdrop Siemens AG, said it has created a “Siemens Environmental Portfolio”, consisting of selected products and solutions from its complete existing portfolio.

A definable quantity of CO2 emissions, the telco said, could be saved annually by customers using products from the Environmental Portfolio.

PwC’s global Sustainable Business Solutions partner, Mr. Thomas Scheiwiller, said, “An external independent review enhances the credibility of Siemens’ statements.

Moreover, it helps companies to identify further potential for optimization of processes and structures and enhances the companies’ steering capabilities.”
He noted that Siemens had asked PwC to perform a limited assurance engagement on selected data regarding the environmental portfolio 2007.

As reported in the Siemens publication “Energy Efficiency” the PwC engagement focused on the application of the reporting criteria that have been agreed by the Initiative Greenhouse Protocol (set out in the publication “A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard – Revised Edition”).

PwC also conducted its work in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000. Within the scope of this engagement, PwC looked into the following some core areas including application of the reporting criteria, baseline which entails evaluation of the procedures and systems used to determine the reference values.

Additionally, the report said that on environmental portfolio effect inspection was carried out on the figures for saved CO2 emissions and revenues from the sale of Environmental Portfolio products.

“And we checked the consistent application of baselines and reference values and compared the percentage of Environmental Portfolio revenues with total revenues,” PwC official said.


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CWL, Wincor introduce new auto-cheque

Hardware subsidiary of the Computer Warehouse Group, CWL Systems and Wincor Nixdorf (WN) have unveiled new technique for automating cheques and cash deposits, for use in retail bank branches.

Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ms Morenike Popoola, while disclosing this at the just concluded Electronic Payment (e-payment) seminar in Lagos, said that these innovative terminals read handwritten cheques and deposit slips, provide on-screen confirmation of the details, complete the credit transaction and print a customer receipt.

As said by her, the same Wincor Nixdorf systems could handle cash by dentifying both notes and coins and providing a fully automated deposit service.

She also said that the Wincor Nixdorf automated deposit terminals (ADMs) automates and reduces time-consuming manual transactions by removing work from the bank’s cashier desks by cutting staff costs, and offer a rapid and reliable service to customers.

Equally speaking at the event organized by CWG, Regional Director, Wincor Nixdorf, Ms Isabel Nitz said, both banking and retailing are now moving towards greater automation of commodity tasks.

“And using the cost savings to provide enhanced customer service, Wincor Nixdorf understands the drive towards self-service, and delivers the products, solutions and services that reduce costs and increase user satisfaction,” she said.

Nitz noted that Wincor Nixdorf is one of the world’s leading providers of Information Technology (IT) solutions and services to retailers and retail banking.

“Our extensive portfolio is centered on optimizing business processes at banks and retail companies. It is aimed mainly at cutting costs and complexity and improving service to the end customer,” she said.

Nitz stressed that the firm leverages on know-how from its core business with banks and retailers to diversify into related sectors including postal and lottery companies and hospitality as well as service station chain operators.

Wincor Nixdorf, she pointed out, has a presence in over 90 countries, with its own subsidiary companies in 36 of these.

With over 9,000 employees WN positions itself as the leader in Europe and the number three in the world for programmable Electronic Point of Sales (POS) systems (EPOSs) and the number two in Europe and worldwide for Automated Teller Machines, even as it has production facilities at Paderborn, Germany, and in Singapore, Shanghai and Sao Paolo.

A new range of self-service retail solutions from Wincor Nixdorf was on display at the event which held at the Civic Centre Lagos, including solutions that allow consumers to price and pay for their own shopping without the need to queue for a cashier.
The systems are designed to enhance the customer experience – running a continuous checkout total as they shop – and to cut cashier costs for retailers.

The Wincor Nixdorf hand-held barcode scanner, Personal Shopping Assistant links to a central self-service checkout terminal that accepts card payments and issues receipts.

The system integrates with back-office stock and finance systems, simultaneously offering swifter service for shoppers and lower operational costs for retailers.

General Manager, CWL systems, Mr. Bukola Aluko, said that Computer Warehouse has the manpower to implement and support the solution in Nigeria and West Africa and is bringing this to add value to the financial sector in a bid to make Nigeria realize her stated goals of being one of the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020.


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ICANN approves introduction of new names

Global Internet administrator, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved the introduction of new names as Internet addressing system.

Chief executive, ICANN, Dr. Paul Twomey, who disclosed this at the end of ICANN 32nd meeting in Paris, France, said the approval would see to a whole range of new names to be introduced soon.

This follows the recommendation by stakeholders for an increased availability of names that could be used as Internet addressing system beyond the commonly used ones like .com, .org, .info to name a few.

Currently, Internet users have a limited range of 21 Top Level Domains (TLD) to choose from, even as this proposal allows applicants for new names to self-select their domain name so that choices are most appropriate for their customers or potentially the most marketable.

Media adviser at ICANN, Jason Keenan explained in a press statement made available to ITRealms that its expected that applicants will apply for targeted community strings such as the existing .travel for the travel industry and .cat for the Catalan community as well as generic strings like .brandname or .yournamehere. There are already interested consortiums wanting to establish city-based top level domain, like .nyc (or New York City, .berlin and .paris among others.

Keenan quoted Dr. Twomey as saying that the board has accepted a recommendation from the global stakeholders that it is possible to implement many new names to the Internet, which paves the way for an expansion of domain name choice and opportunity.
Twomey stressed that a final version of the implementation plan must be approved by the ICANN board before the new process is launched.

Thus, he said, its intended that the final version will be published in early 2009.
According to him, “The potential here is huge. It represents a whole new way for people to express themselves on the Net. It’s a massive increase in the ‘real estate’ of the Internet.”

Also commenting, ICANN’s chairman, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, pointed out that its one of the most exciting prospect before the current board to expand the system which is also being planned to support extensions in the languages of the world.
“This is going to be very important for the future of the Internet in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia. The present system only supports 37 Roman characters,” Thrush said.

Upon approval of the implementation plan, it is planned that applications for new names will be available in the second quarter of 2009.

In addition, Keenan said that ICANN is not “selling” new top level domain names, noting that there will be a limited application period where any established entity from anywhere in the world could submit an application that will go through an evaluation process.

“It is anticipated that there will be additional rounds relatively soon after the close of the first application round,” he said.

Emphasizing that the latest approval when on stream would ensure that trademarks will not be automatically reserved, but there will be an objection-based mechanism for trademark owners where their arguments for protection will be considered.

He stressed that the proposal came about based on the ICANN’s multi-stakeholder policy development process that served as the foundation for the process design, which involved consultation with domain name industry, trade mark attorneys, the business sector, users, governments and technicians.


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Cisco is breaking new grounds – Emelife

General Manager, Cisco Systems Nigeria Limited, Mr. Maduka Emelife, has said that the company is breaking new grounds with its networking academies all over the world, especially in the last decade.

Mr. Emelife who made this assertion at the recently concluded International Telecommunications Union (ITU) organized regional development forum in collaboration with the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) held in Accra, Ghana.

He said that his firm is committed to bridging the skills gap in developing countries via Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training within the platform of Cisco Network Academies.

He also said Cisco “will remain at the forefront of empowering developing countries not only with leading edge IT solutions but also with the skilled manpower with which to optimize economic value.”

Mr. Emelife further said there are presently over 50 Cisco Networking Academies with six regional academies at the University of Jos, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); the University of Benin, Edo State; the Nigerian Development Academy, Lagos and the Southwest Resource Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State.”

Also speaking at the forum with the theme “Bridging the standardization gap in developing countries,” the Vice President, Emerging Markets, Cisco, Mr. Massimo Migliuolo, said emerging markets are gearing up to bridge the digital divide and possibly overtake mature markets, in the nearest future.

Migliuolo who dwelt on “New business models and partnerships for productivity, competitiveness and innovation gains,” said the basis for this optimism is founded on a number of factors.

He underscored the factor in this area to include funding, stressing that it is no longer a problem as international banks and donor organizations are demonstrating growing appreciation of the significantly increasing role of ICT in social and economic development.

The World Bank, he said, for instance, has increased ICT funding available to emerging markets to $35 billion, adding that emerging markets are more willing to adopt more innovative business models than the ones presently in use in Europe or even North America.

Mr. Migliuolo said there is a willingness to go faster, to do more and to grow, hence these factors combined have the potential to launch emerging markets far beyond their present capacity.

The Africa region preparatory meeting which was organized in this region by the ATU and ITU, sought to enhance a greater understanding of and participation in the work of ITU-T by Information Technology (IT) stakeholders across Africa.

In addition, it was organized to sensitize the African region with topics that will be addressed later this year at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTA-08), in Johannesburg, South Africa.


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ITAN partners Mandriva, 4 others on OSPC

Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN), has revealed its partnership with four major local Personal Computer assembly firms in the country alongside Mandriva West Africa for Mandriva Linux (ML) an Open Source Operating and Application software provider.

The four PC firms include Beta Computers, Brian, Omatek and Zinox Technologies.
ITAN president, Dr. Jimson Olufuye said weekend in Ogun State that the partnership is to boost the group’s Old Students’ Computer In School Initiative (OS-CISI) now branded “OSPC” i.e. Old Students’ Personal Computer.

According to him, the OSPCs are PCs, laptops, notebooks and thumbdrives engendered by old students in the government (Federal, States and Local), private sector and in all areas of national life for primary, secondary and post secondary schools throughout Nigeria.

He said that through the OS-CISI model, at least, one million OSPCs powered by ML and its suites of educational software projected to be deployed to primary, secondary and post secondary schools in Nigeria by the year 2015.

Dr. Olufuye further announced the accreditation of OSPC Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Gold Partners at the event.

These include Omatek Computers, Zinox Technologies, Brian Technologies and Beta Computers, explaining that the OEMs are certified to deliver the hardware powered by ML with embedded educational applications for Mathematics, Languages, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Physics among others.

The following organizations and governments were also recognized as OS-CISI Strategic Partners in recognition of their support for the OSPC scheme: Centre for Information and Technology Systems (CITS), the University of Lagos; Yobe State Government, Ogun State Government, Kano State Government, Education Trust Fund, and ECOWAS Commission.

Responding, the Managing Director of Mandriva West Africa, Mr Dele Ajisomo, thanked ITAN for appointing ML as its Software Partner on the Project and assured of Mandriva’s full support and assistance throughout the OS- CISI project life cycle viz train-the-trainer training, research & development, technical and professional services through the Mandriva Academy that would be set up with ITAN’s Strategic/OEM Partners on the Project.

Mandriva, he said, is the publisher of the award winning and easy to use Mandriva Linux Desktop and Server products (operating system, Open Office, educational and financial applications, games etc. “Mandriva is one of the most popular Linux editions in the world with a global client base in excess of 7 million” Mr Ajisomo said.


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