network

MySpace's video czar gives details on new 'TV' endeavor

On Wednesday, CNET News.com checked in with Jeff Berman, MySpace.com's general manager of video operations, to hear more about the gargantuan social network's latest project: MySpace TV. The New York Times reported Tuesday that MySpace would be refurbishing its in-house video operations this week, creating a new video hub at myspacetv.com (site not yet active) to host a mix of amateur and professional media content. Berman filled us in on exactly what to expect.

"It's really just the next step in what has been a very busy few months for us on the … Read more

Startup news: ZipTie gets an upgrade

While I'm on the subject of new open source startups/projects, I just heard about ZipTie. The ZipTie open source community launched in November 2006, and recently got an upgrade from its corporate backer, AlterPoint.

I talked with AlterPoint about the new ZipTie release and was told the following:… Read more

LinkedIn reportedly jumping on the platform bandwagon

You've probably heard it by now--LinkedIn founder and chairman Reid Hoffman hinted to Dan Farber at our sister site ZDNet that within the next nine months, his site will be opening itself up to developers, Facebook-style. There's not a whole lot else to report now aside from speculation--and the speculation thus far has indeed been rampant.

This is especially interesting, because over the past few months I've seen a few trends: first, a more professional crowd gravitating toward Facebook; and second, that recent college graduates entering the work force haven't pounced on LinkedIn the way … Read more

Should LinkedIn do battle with Facebook?

Dan Farber, over at ZDNet, is reporting that LinkedIn's founder, Reid Hoffman, has made their plans clear to open up API's and create a developer platform. I am not exactly sure whether this means that developers will now be able to create applications, using LinkedIn's data to be displayed on their own site or if it will take the form of widgets on LinkedIn's own site like Facebook has done with their platform.

First off, let me make something clear. I do not think that LinkedIn can be the same type of social network that Facebook … Read more

Day of Net radio silence

Tomorrow, some of the most popular and prominent Internet radio stations will go silent to protest the imposition of new fees that many Webcasters claim will drive them out of business.

The protest stems back to a Mar. 2007 decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to impose per-song performance royalties on Web radio, starting at 0.08 cents per song (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2006) and increasing gradually to 0.19 cents per song by 2010. The former rules forced Webcasters to pay a minimum annual fee and 12% of their revenues. (Small Webcasters might be able to abide by these old rules … Read more

LinkedIn to open up to developers

LinkedIn, the social networking service, plans to open up to developers in an effort to boost its popularity.

"Over next 9 months LinkedIn would deliver APIs for developers, ostensibly to make it more of platform like Facebook, and create a way for users who spend more time socially in Facebook to get LlinkedIn notifications," according to a blog post by Dan Farber at ZDNet.

Also today, reports indicate that Plaxo, a rival site, has created a Web service to share data between major address and calendar programs.

Coming this fall: Two new Tivoli Wi-Fi radios

Tivoli Audio is well known for its tabletop radios, but the company has always remained somewhat on the conservative side when it comes to features: AM, FM, and CD, plus the occasional iPod dock and satellite radio. But the company is taking a firm step into the 21st century with a new pair of products, the NetWorks Table Radio and NetWorksGo. The models are essentially network-enabled updates of the Model One and the SongBook, respectively, with the Table Radio intended for stationary duty and the NetWorksGo offering space for six rechargeable C batteries (which you have to supply). Both models … Read more

The kids and their Facebook API implementations these days

Mark at Doomlaser (hey, maybe "the Macalope" isn't that wacky after all) has created a nifty screen saver that downloads pictures of your Facebook friends and goes all Quartz Composer on them.

The Macalope himself has not "gotten into" the Facebook as it presents certain obvious challenges (his visage sometimes frightens small children and should not be displayed around pregnant women), but perhaps his charming and erudite readers are more into the social networking scene.

The Open Source CEO: Kelly Herrell, Vyatta (Part 7)

In this seventh installment of the Open Source CEO Series, I talked with Kelly Herrell, CEO of Vyatta, the open source network software company (router and firewall).

I first bumped into Kelly back in 1998 when my employer (Mitsui Comtek, the high-tech subsidiary of Mitsui & Co.) invested in Cobalt Microsystems (Linux microserver company acquired by Sun for $2.1 billion). I bumped into him again years later when he was running operations and strategy for Monta Vista, an embedded Linux pioneer.

Kelly is one of those people that you respect even when he's kicking your tail (as was the case at Monta Vista - I was at rival Lineo). Once known for being "the world's best-dressed Linux backer" [Correction: I inadvertently linked to an article on Peder Ulander, who dresses much better than Kelly, though I do have to say the first time I met Kelly he was wearing a green shirt and matching green shoes :-) ], Kelly's reputation is now right where it should be: a tier-one open source executive.… Read more