E-Business & Web 2.0

TimeTrade Systems Inc., which puts out a nice Web-based appointment scheduler called TimeDriver, said its software engine is supporting Sprint's new ReadyNow customer service program.

Google's releasing the not-yet-baked Chrome as 1.0, rather than continuing to develop it as a beta, is the company's biggest blunder yet. It's also a disturbing indication that the company has started to emphasize marketing over technology --- always the first sign of a company in decline.

Yesterday, President George Bush was attacked by an Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at him. Thanks to the power of YouTube, footage of the attack may be what some people remember most about his administration.

New Microsoft President of Online Services Qi Lu has given his first public interview, and it shows that the division may be headed in the wrong direction. Lu is taking dead aim at Google search, when he should instead be focusing on creating new services focused around Office and other Microsoft products. Microsoft will never catch Google, but it has a considerable lead it can build on when it comes to applications.

Google Chrome is officially out of beta. But is it any betta? Tynan doesn't think Chrome's ready for prime time just yet. He tries to break the news to her as gently as he can.

Microsoft has apparently seen the light, and is readying versions of Office applications that will be available for free on the Web.

Can possessing lewd images of Lisa and Bart Simpson earn you jail time? In the land down under, the answer apparently is yes.

In today's podcast: AMD gets smaller stake in Foundry spin-off; Dell, EMC extend storage partnership; and U.K. censors Wikipedia article for first time.

In choosing former Yahoo exec Qi Lu to run its online efforts, Microsoft chose exactly the wrong person for the job. Lu, an exceedingly accomplished technologist, has a superb background in engineering, and particularly in online search. But he doesn't appear to have a background in business strategy, and because of that, he won't be able to fix Microsoft's problems online.

In Friday's IT Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches bloggers watch Microsoft hire a top-level Yahoo! search exec. Not to mention truth in advertising...

Are the video games the devil's playthings? A conservative investment group offers its advice on how to keep the Antichrist out of your Xbox this holiday season. Tynan has some other ideas.

Thanks to the recession, Google has begun killing projects that haven't made it financially, with CEO Eric Schmidt warning the company will eliminate "dark matter" projects that "haven't really caught on" and "aren't really that exciting." Two are already on the chopping block, with more to follow. Check out my blog for details about which Google projects have already been deep-sixed --- and which should be.

Ordering people to use Linux, at $725 U.S. a crack, is no way to make Linux popular

YouTube and Ning are trying to shed adult-oriented content to appeal to mainstream advertisers. Will it work, or will people just go elsewhere to satisfy their prurient desires?

That's not my headline for Sun's general availability release of the newest version of MySQL, that's how Michael 'Monty' Widenius, MySQL's co-founder and today's MySQL's CTO describes it.