Mediaboss Marketing

The Russian search and software company announced free software that brings a Yandex-flavored experience to Android phones.

Yandex.Kit builds on Google's Android software, but replaces many Google-specific tools with Yandex alternatives for home screen, maps, e-mail, search, and more.

Russian search and software company Yandex is offering a collection of free tools to turn the Android open-source foundation into a usable phone operating system.

The software, called Yandex.Kit, gives a Yandex-flavored experience by linking to the company's own services -- e-mail, maps, contacts, online storage, and app store -- rather than Google's alternatives. It's also got lower-level components like a browser and home screen.

Two phone makers who've signed up for the approach, Huawei and Explay, will show the technology next week at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Yandex announced Wednesday.

There are two basic varieties of Yandex.Kit: a 15-package collection of programs for devices sold in Russia, and a narrower collection for devices used elsewhere in the world, the company said.

Android's foundation are open-source software, but much of Android's utility stems from apps that are hardwired to connect to Google cloud services. Yandex.Kit is designed to swap out that higher-level layer for phone makers that want to sidestep Google's requirements, the company said:

There isn't much use of a free operating system if you cannot offer your customers all the basic features mobile users now take for granted. The Android mobile OS is free, but all the defining features of a mobile experience -- app store, browser, email and maps -- are all available under special, case-by-case agreements...

While we primarily were working on covering all the bases for our users on Android devices, what we've got in the end was a full-fledged Android 'ecosystem'. A comprehensive, out-of-the-box solution, versatile and technologically honed enough to be offered to original device manufacturers as firmware that they can install on their devices shipped to the Russian market. This is the key to the car they were given for free and now they can drive it.

Yandex.Kit has a lot less appeal outside Russia, naturally. But within the country, Yandex has defended its turf against Google for years. Yandex.Kit is a new step in that defense by giving the company a better way to adjust to the mobile device revolution that Android itself is helping to bring about.

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Yandex suite of free Android tools sidesteps Google

There are endless software tools and utilities out there to help you in managing your network. Here are some of the best free ones. They can help you with deploying, maintaining, troubleshooting, and upgrading Window Servers, your domain, and aid with other miscellaneous network tasks.

Best Practices Analyzer

Microsoft provides the Best Practices Analyzer tool right inside Windows Server, starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, available on each role's home page in the Server Manager console. It scans and analyzes key settings of the server roles and reports compliance of them compared to the best practices standards. This can help you identify potential issues that may affect security and performance.It scans for a variety of rules, including those relating to predeployment, security, performance, and configuration. Statuses shown in the results include compliant, noncompliant, and warning.

Core Configurator

Starting with Windows Server 2008, there's a Server Core installation option. It's great if you want a minimal installation, but it only gives you the Command Prompt for the interface. However, there are tools that give you a GUI on the Core editions of Windows Server. You can setup and configure most features via the GUI rather than being forced to use text commands.

+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD 12 free Microsoft Exchange tools every IT admin will love +

Core Configurator 2.0 supports Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 and Corefig is for Windows Server 2012 Core and Hyper-V Server 2012.

Exchange Server Deployment Assistant

Microsoft offers the Exchange Server Deployment Assistant, an online tool that asks you deployment related questions and then generates a custom step-by-step checklist to use during an Exchange install or upgrade.

It asks questions about your current configuration, desired deployment environment (on-premise, cloud, or hybrid), migration questions, and desired features/functionality. In the end you're presented with a wizard type of checklist, which is saved so you can return later and can be printed out as well.

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Free tools for Windows Server admins

Belarc Advisor's complete inventory of your system helps you spot potentially unwanted programs that CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, and Windows 8.1's own uninstaller don't list.

Belarc Advisor's system inventory points to the location of unwanted programs that uninstallers miss.

Software happens...sometimes more often than we intend.

Distributors of free apps are adept at getting us downloaders to agree to including special offers along with the programs we mean to install. Often the option to add the extra software is preselected, so we have to uncheck a box to prevent the unsolicited programs from hitching a ride.

Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) can be a challenge to uninstall. I recently found myself with some PUPs that eluded the Windows 8.1 uninstaller as well as two popular utilities: Piriform's CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller. Fortunately, the system inventory created by Belarc Advisor (free for non-commercial use) pointed to the sticky PUPs.

Search Event Viewer logs for software installations When you suspect you may have inadvertently downloaded more software than you intended, you can check Windows' Event Viewer logs for a chronology of your software installations. In Windows 8.1, open Event Viewer by pressing the Windows key and X then V.

In Event Viewer, choose Windows Logs > Application in the left pane. Then select Find in the right pane, type "msiinstaller", and press Enter. The most-recent installation is highlighted in the top window, and its details are shown in the bottom window.

Search Windows' Event Viewer logs for the most-recent software installations on your system.

You can scroll through the Event Viewer logs by double-clicking one and then using the up and down arrows on the right side of the dialog to move between entries.

Inadvertent downloads may elude the Event Viewer logs, however. In my case, only the program I intended to install was shown in Event Viewer's logs. I had downloaded a backup program and neglected to uncheck the options for a search program and another unrelated backup program. The logs recorded only the installation of the first backup program and did not refer to either of the other programs.

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Free utility finds unwanted programs uninstallers miss

02/26/2014

Offshore staff

HOUSTON Paradigm has launched the Paradigm VIP Consultant Program, which will provide individual oil and gas consultants around the world with access to Paradigm software and training. Consultants selected for the program will receive a one-year renewable lease for Paradigm software, unlimited access to Paradigm Online University training courses, and early access to beta software.

Participants in the program will also work with Paradigm to illustrate the value of geophysical solutions using advanced science across the full range of G&G disciplines. The consultants also will provide an independent voice for the worldwide application of these solutions by authoring technical papers and white papers, securing customer testimonials, jointly testing Paradigm solutions, and participating in other marketing efforts.

Paradigm offers a qualification form for industry consultant organizations that are interested in joining the Paradigm VIP Consultant Program.

02/26/2014

Link:
Paradigm to provide free software to consultants

Lunatic Soul - Where the Darkness Is Deepest [DOWNLOAD] [HOW-TO]
MusicFinder is free software for Windows. With MusicFinder you can search and download mp3 music for free. Download at http://www.getmusicfinder.com/ Downloa...

By: Peter Noskov

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Lunatic Soul - Where the Darkness Is Deepest [DOWNLOAD] [HOW-TO] - Video