Picasa for Linux

Google has officially released a Linux version of the popular Picasa image management application.
The Linux version of Picasa includes integrated components of CodeWeaver's specially augmented Wine build, so users do not have to install or configure Wine independently before installing Picasa.
Built with Wine, it doesn't perform as well as native applications.

System Requirements

• Should work on any Linux system with Intel 386-compatible processor, glibc 2.3 or greater, and a working X11 display system.
• Desktop Integration features require a current version of Gnome or KDE.
• Camera detection and integration requires kernel >= 2.6.13, hal >= 0.56, and gnome-volume-manager or equivalent.
• Available in English

Yahoo IM Worm Hijacks Browsers

A worm running through Yahoo's instant messaging network is installing a browser of its own -- a first for IM malware -- that leads users to adware and spyware sites, several security firms said Monday.

The worm, dubbed Yhoo32.explr by IM security vendor FaceTime Communications on Friday and Browaf by Symantec on Monday, is installed when Yahoo users click on a malicious link embedded within an instant message.

Yhoo32.explr downloads and installed the so-called Safety Browser, which adds an IE-like icon to the desktop, and when used, takes the unsuspecting to sites where their PCs are infected with adware and spyware. The worm also changes the home page of IE to point to Safety Browser's site.

To complicate things, Safety Browser doesn't post an Uninstall option in Windows' Add or Remove Programs Control Panel applet.

Google releases AJAX development toolkit

Google announced yesterday the official release of the Google Web Toolkit (GWT), a Java-based platform for the development of AJAX web applications that work in all mainstream web browsers. Designed to simplify AJAX development, GWT generates consistent, browser-neutral Javascript from simple Java source code.

According to Google, the modularity of Java facilitates a higher level of code reusability. Google also claims that using Java for AJAX development is beneficial because powerful Java IDEs like Eclipse significantly increase developer productivity. GWT provides a number of unique features that contribute to more effective AJAX development. With GWT, developers assemble applications by laying out various AJAX widgets in panels and associating operations with application events.

Although Google's Java-oriented approach is innovative, generative AJAX development is hardly a novel or unique idea. A number of other development platforms are available that provide similar functionality. Ruby on Rails, a powerful web application development platform that leverages the model-view-controller pattern, also uses sophisticated generative programming techniques to enable construction of robust AJAX applications. In general, Ruby on Rails is more conducive to rapid development than most comparable Java technologies, and Ruby code tends to be easier to read and maintain. The dynamic nature of Ruby eliminates the need for compilation, which also serves to improve developer productivity. While GWT appears to be geared towards developing AJAX interfaces with familiar desktop application idioms, Ruby on Rails provides a more comprehensive architecture that focuses less on client side functionality and includes complete support for database functionality and other elements of web application development. GWT also seems similar to Microsoft's Atlas toolkit, which facilitates AJAX development with the .NET platform. Unfortunately, early reports indicate that Atlas provides less than stellar support for alternate browsers, a problem that will hopefully be fixed eventually when it becomes more mature.