Google Chrome 7 dev version is available for download.

Google launched their seventh dev version of Chrome, the browser which attracts many people by combining the minimal design with sophisticated technology, making it one of the fastest and one of the most advanced browsers available. I'm using it on both my Linux and Mac OS computers and, as expected, you won't see any important changes compared to the previous version.

Of course that there are many changes, but almost all of them are in the background, and they are not observable for the end-user. If you're on Mac, you'll feel that the loading time of the webpages was reduced, making it impossible for any other browser to keep up with it (Safari, Opera, or the so acclaimed Firefox). Most of the webpages load, literally, instantly, and if there are any delays, they are caused by the DNS or by the latency of the network.

Regarding the update, if you're on Linux and you used dev versions before and updated the system regularly, you already got Chrome 7 dev.

If you are a Mac OS X or Windows user (or a Linux user who needs the dev version), here is the official link where Chrome 7 dev is available for download: Google Chrome 7 Dev (it should automatically give you the version of Chrome according to your OS).

Is Yahoo! Messenger for Mac going to be a beta version forever?

I bought my Mac almost a year ago (10 months), and when I received it I hoped that it would support Yahoo! Messenger by default. I knew that Mac OS X is a very stable and a very complex OS. And mainly, so it was. Except that iChat, the default chatting application from Mac OS X, doesn't support anything else than MobileMe, Mac.com, AIM, Jabber and Google talk accounts. So here started the problem...Apple didn't implement a client supporting Yahoo!, so it was clear that I had to use Yahoo!'s own application.

I was surprised that at least there was a program developed by Yahoo!, for Mac. It was a beta, and it was the only option that I found for Mac. After installation, I noticed several problems, such as: unexpected crashes (prior to this the application becomes unresponsive), a bug which doesn't allow you to click on a contact (you have to move the pointer in order to do that), and the most...idiot problem, that one which displays you as "available" even if you logged in as "invisible". OK, you are "invisible" for all others, but you see yourself as "available". And this happens always.

What I consider that sucks is that you see only the small avatars of your contacts in the list, and if you move the mouse over a contact you will see only its name and status, without the picture. If you want to view the picture in "large" size, you have to open a window chat for that person. On Windows version of Yahoo!, you can view large pictures even on the list with all contacts (there's an option for that).

Those aren't critical problems, but they are very annoying because they seem that they will never be fixed. Yahoo! didn't launched any new version since I first installed it (it's still 3.0 beta (191946) ) and I don't think that Apple is going to move a finger to do something. But I still hope that Yahoo! didn't abandoned at all developing their application for Mac...

Get a Mac OS X-like dock for Ubuntu.

The dock from Mac OS X is one of the most beautiful docks for PCs. Unfortunately, you have to buy a MacBook/iMac in order to get that dock in front of your eyes (the process of installing a Mac OS X on a regular, non-Apple platform is very complicated). But if you have Ubuntu on a computer, you can get a dock that looks something like that one from Mac OS X on that computer.

It is called Avant Windows Navigator (or simpler, AWN), it can be found on Ubuntu Software Center, and it looks something like this:

The dock is not that simple to use as that one from Mac OS X, but after a few minutes you should already know how it works and be able to configure it without problems. But, this dock is even better than that one found on Mac OS X, because you can add many other widgets on it directly from its menu (like real-time statistics about computer or weather). You can put it on any part of the screen, even on the top, and this is something that you can't do with Mac's default dock.

Get it from the Ubuntu Software Center by searching "AWN".

iAntiVirus - free malware protection for your Mac.

As we all know, Mac is a really safe OS but the truth is that no platform is immune to any kind of malware. Even the Mac OS X. However, the risk on infection on Mac is really low, since most of the attacks are directed against Windows. So there isn't a real necessity to use an antivirus software if you're on Mac, but if you have "terrifying" experiences from Windows, you may use one.

iAntiVirus is a free antivirus solution for Mac, offering most of what a regular user needs. As the official site says, this application offers powerful malware protection (viruses, worms and trojans) - detection and removal-, spyware, adware and dialer protection, real-time protection via "IntelliGuard Real-Time Protection", free support by community and free "Smart Updates".

It offers just a basic interface, and uses very little resources as I even don't feel it working in the background. These are what the free version offers. If you need it for business and commercial purposes, 24/7 dedicated and phone support, paid version is also available.

Consult the official site for more details: http://www.iantivirus.com/.

Mac OS X 10.5.8 gets serious Wi-Fi bugs with latest update (May 2010).

Today I've decided to update my MacBook with the latest updates from 10.5.8, because it warned me in the last few days that updates are available. I know that it was the iTunes 9.1.1, a security update, and another one, which I can't remember exactly. I'm not sure if it wasn't the AirPort Base Station, which appears to be last updated on 31st of March ( I think it wasn't this because it's too early). But this doesn't matter now.

Everything worked fine, my Mac has been successfully updated, but after the first boot, the problems started. Mac OS X 10.5.8 is sometimes completely unable to communicate with my router via Wi-Fi (Asus WL 520-GU), which is my default internet gateway. Communication with my secondary router works (this is actually an Asus WL 520-GC, not GU), but it is useless since I can't access the internet at all (the secondary router is used to amplify the signal).

An temporary solution is to turn off the AirPort and start it again, but I can't do this again and again, every 15-20 minutes. I've surfed the internet and I found that a problem like this was occurred on the previous year, somewhere in September, again, after an update.

I'm now afraid that it will take a while until Apple will fix this, because they are now concentrating on the iPad/iPhone HD/4G/ iPhone OS 4.0, and I have the sensation that Mac OS X is currently not a priority for them. I hope I'm wrong.

If you have the same issues, please don't hesitate to leave a comment to let me know I'm not the only one having these issues !

It is 99% sure. Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx will have the buttons on left.

Since Ubuntu 10.04 Alpha 3 came out, nobody knew for sure what was going to happen regarding the location of the buttons for closing, maximizing and minimizing windows.

Somebody put on the internet a photo in which the buttons were on left, then a developer put a photo in which the buttons were on right. Now, if you have Ubuntu 10.04 Alpha 3 up-to-date, the buttons are on left. So, this is official now. The developers are trying to change the identity of Ubuntu from a normal OS (Windows like), to a Mac OS X like OS.

Many Ubuntu users declared that they don't like the new location of the buttons. I think that Windows users are now indirectly targeted with this new version of Ubuntu. If they were only once curious how is the experience on Mac OS X, they might now try Ubuntu (and most of them will like it, for sure). And the Mac OS X users are targeted directly, because they can now have a pretty similar experience on Ubuntu. And for those who don't agree with this change, they can put the buttons back on right, because Ubuntu is very customizable.

What seems quite weird is that the buttons are in the following order: maximize-minimize-close, while Mac OS X has maximize and close buttons inverted. This will cause confusion and had already caused for some users, and for unexperienced users will represent a real problem.

I really hope that the developers will let the buttons like they are now, because I like them like this. What do you think about this? Do you prefer the buttons on left or on right?

Opera 10.50 Beta for Mac OS X is here.

Opera 10.50 Beta has been launched yesterday, and I must say that there is a big difference between this version and that one that was launched earlier, Alpha. You can read more about the Alpha here.

This last version (10.50 Beta) is very fast and most of the problems which were present on Alpha are now gone. Flash is displayed correctly, and posting from Blogger works perfectly(I'm blogging right now from Opera) NO. Posting from blogger is not working. The "Publish Post" button is not working at all. It runs very stable (compared to the previous version), and all the scripts are working correctly.

However, it is a Beta version, so use it on non-important purposes.

Download from here (Mac only): http://www.4shared.com/file/230898428/6b8f05ea/Opera_1050_b1_Setup_Intel.html.