Gmail finally removes ‘beta’ label after 5 years

Like many software products, Google's Gmail service was first released with a "beta" label on it — meaning that while it was polished enough for public use, it was still in a testing phase, so any glitches were to be excused. Beta versions, which are sandwiched between internal "alpha" versions and final "release" versions, typically have a lifespan of weeks or months. 

But Gmail was different. Released on April 1, 2004, it was still in beta five years and tens of millions of users later. That changed on Tuesday, when Gmail finally shed the beta label, signaling that Google considered the product to be fully baked. Google is also removing the beta label from Calendar, Docs and Talk, three other applications that are part of a package of online software called Google Apps. 

So why the wait? The official answer doesn't entirely clarify things. "Obviously we haven't had a consistent set of policies or definitions around beta," Matthew Glotzbach, a director of product management at Google, said in an interview. 

Practically speaking, the change will mean little to Gmail's millions of users. But it could help the company's efforts to get the paid version of Google Apps adopted inside big companies, where Google is trying to compete with rival offerings from Microsoft and others. Corporate technology managers tend to shy away from beta products, and Google wants to remove any barriers to adoption that it can. 

Google Wave - A new way to communicate and Collaborate!!

What is Google Wave?
Google Wave is a product that helps users communicate and collaborate on the web. A "wave" is equal parts conversation and document, where users can almost instantly communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. Google Wave is also a platform with a rich set of open APIs that allow developers to embed waves in other web services and to build extensions that work inside waves.


Its coming later this year from Google!!!!
Please look at a snapshot for the same. For more details, please visit http://wave.google.com

Make your computer into a web server

1. How to make your computer in to a web server. Just through Opera Unite."Opera Unite is a unique technology that turns any computer or device running Opera into a Web server. In other words, your computer (running Opera Unite) is truly part of the fabric of the Web, rather than just interacting with it, and it’s something anyone can use".
2. The Alpha version is already released and download and test it. Just after installation, start your opera browser and lets start unite and share the folders that you want to share (Fridge, lounge, songs, etc) can be shared. You will be given a url and just share the url with friends.
3. There are choices to share the folder as public, private and password protected too....
4. just enjoy and follow the link to download opera unite http://unite.opera.com
   

Kota - A Education City

Kota is the magic city for most of the IIT Aspirants who takes coaching at Kota and every year atleast 1000 students are admitted to IITs from the City Kota....

• Kota is famous for coaching centers
• More than 95% are vegetarians, (We didnt see any hotel with Non Veg)
• Not even a single Government Bus plying around the city
• Only Autos (Maximum capacity is 10 only) but carries more than 20, sometimes 25.
• Any part of the city you can travel by Auto or taxi
• Famous clothing is kota silk sarees
• Most of the schools are CBSE board Schools

Students coming for Coaching to kota has to get admission to both +1 and as well a good coaching center and they need to stay on their own.....

Most of the houses in kota carries the board infront of the gate as "To let for Girls" or "To let for Boys".

A small room is divided into 2 ro 3 sub rooms with one A/C fitted in the room and charging on an average of Rs. 2500 to 6000/month for each student.....

Chambal river is another important place to see in kota... Some of the beautifacts of Kota is displayed here and just have a look at it......

Jaipur - Pink City

I had a recent visit to kota, Rajasthan for an official work and one day I visited Jaipur, what a colored city it is? Wherever looked at, the city is pink, pink and pink everywhere!!! and lot of places to visit at jaipur...

I along with my friends, took a taxi from the hotel where we stayed (The hotel itself arranged a taxi) and it is very reasonable and it just costs Rs.225/head for 8 hours. And it is always good to acquire an AC Car or Van, as in summer, you may experience a dry heat over there and of course, we too hired an Air conditioned Car....

The driver is from kerala, so we dont have any problem of communicating in tamil, of course we are good at Hindi. While travelling in the car, we got to know some facts about Jaipur,

• There was a little number of Government Buses plying around the city.
• The electricity is very high, so most of the peoples are using Air cooler instead of an Air Conditioner.
• Any foreigner who is visiting India, will definitely visit Jaipur.

We first visited the City Palace and covered Jantar Mantar, which is almost crowded all the days and it is very nice to see the pinky palace all over....

From there we reached amber fort, just 10kms away from the city and it is also having some three phases of palaces to see. we just completed just two phases and we got so tired of seeing the third phase......

the next place is the museum where you can see anything like monuments, historic event happenings, etc. Just its awesome, they are maintaining that in a very grand manner,

the last place we visited is the birla mandir and as usual it is like any birla mandir across India and its good to be there and from there we went for a shopping at Gandhi Market and spent some 50 minutes, we just roam there to see if we anything cheap... but no.... may be if we would have stayed for one more day, our job would have been done. anyway, its nice to be there at Jaipur and enjoyed really!!! Look at some of the snaps took over there....

Exploring Rathinagiri (Near Vellore)

Rathinagiri is a nice place near vellore, its just 12kms from the New bus stand and there is a Murugan temple in the small hill, just one hair pin bend. So anyone can go in a bike or car or even an autorickshaw. Even you can catch a local bus and drop over there. Buses to arcot from vellore will go to rathinagiri.

We went to that temple twice in bike and nice ride on the Bangalore – Chennai Highway. From Vellore we reached there by 20 minutes. To climb the small hill, you need to pay some toll charges Rs. 3 to 10. you can visit the lord muruga by climbing the stairs too. there are around 100 steps to climb and see the god.

Some of the pictures of the temple is attached here with.

Jalagandeshwarar Temple, Vellore

Around Vellore, there is another spot to visit is the Fort and the associated Places. One such nice place is the Jalagandeshwarar Temple (The history of the temple can be read at the temple itself).

Though we visited the temple lot of times in vellore, we visited the temple to get the blessings of eashwar on New Year Day.
Usually there wont be much crowd in the temple, during pradosham there will be crowd. But being a New Year day, there was huge crowd to get the blessings.

And even there were lot of adhoc shops opened due to this occasion. From our place to Temple, it is nearly 6kms.

But if you are coming from southern states to Vellore, you can drop down at Old Bus Stand itself (just opposite to the old bus stand, the Fort and temple is available). Apart from jalagandeshwarar, there are Murugan, Vinayakar (ganesh), Perumal, etc.

Being a New Year day, the Nadaswaram is performed for 24 hours continuously from 7AM to 6AM next morning. Associated with the temple, you can spend sometime in the park, go for a horse Ride, and can have a nice walk to see the museum inside the Fort. Apart from these facililites, outside the fort, you can enjoy a 45 minutes boating for Rs.30(INR).

For Vellorians, this place is considered to be the cheap and best place and picnic spot usually in the evenings.

A Visit to Lucknow

I had a chance to visit Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh by May 2008. Some of the places, i took some nice snaps and have a look at it….

The places we visited are chota imambara, bara imambara, The Residency, etc

A Trip to Mysore

Me and my family went for a short trip to mysore. Its a long time plan… and my son enjoyed a lot at Mysore. Mysore is best for its climate and heritage. But its not good for identifying a hotel for a good lunch or dinner. We stayed at Dasaprakash paradise, which is just 2km away from the Railway Station and its good to stay over there….

Though we went to mysore in A/C coach, we booked only a non A/C since the climate was good. But the food is extra costlier at the hotel (we gave a feedback too…). Since dasaprakash Paradise is located in a residential area of mysore, for getting a food (even to a “more” shopping) we could walk for 1km.



On the ugadi day, we visited mysore Chamundi temple, which seems to be a good place to visit and still its maintaining its cultural heritage!!! We took a bus from the CBS (Central Bus Stand) and they charged Rs 8. Since its a ugadi day, the temple maintains a 6 lane queuing system and it took nearly 90minutes waiting time to get the blessings of the god.




While returing, we dropped at the Zoo (which is also in the city limits) and one can nearly spend 4 hours at the zoo (if you are not taking a battery car). A more lot animals at the zoo, and the committee maintains the zoo in a innovative way. No one should take the food inside the zoo (of course, they provided an area where anyone can take their food near the entrance). And Even one can adopt any animal for one year (adopted animal will be in the zoo, but may be the expenses will be taken care by the owner). Its a nice decision, almost 70% of the animals has a owner in that zoo….


One place to see in Mysore is the Palace, What a neat place and how they have designed the palace. Actually, tippu sultan ruled the palace for some time and the palace which is available at Mysore now is constructed 100 years back.. inside the palace theres a temple too, and the children can go for either a camel or an elephant ride… (me and my son went for a camel ride).



Brindavan is one more place, which is really to be enjoyed by looking at the colorful flowers and lights in the nights. Its nearly 25kms to travel to brindavan gardens and mostly tourists are taking cabs or cars to come to brindavan gardens..

Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple

Madurai is a temple city and its also a sleepless city. It is famous for jasmine flower and in tamil usually we say “Madurai Malli”. April 8, Maha kumbabishegam held at Meenakshi amman temple. So for the next 45 days, crowd will be there and to get the blessings of god, one has to wait for nearly 2 hours.


This temple is one of the seven wonders of India and this temple gave competition for Wonders of the world too…….

Since its my native place, i love to roam around the four streets of Meenakshi amman temple right from my childhood days. last week, i went to my native and i just roam around the streets and took some of the snaps around 7PM in the evening. one can see the peoples gathered to worship the goddess.