Jawed’s Blog

Today, the SUN Microsystems, Inc has released the first Java code under version 2 of the General Public License (GPLv2), which governs Linux and other open source products. According to Sun, this move will promote Java and make it easier to bundle with Linux.

Sun is now the biggest contributor to the open-source community. Already Sun has released open-source implementations of its Solaris Operating System, NetBeans, Project Looking Glass, Project JXTA, Jini, OpenOffice, OpenSPARC, and Java EE technologies and is continuing on its path to open all of its middleware.

Commenting on the development, Rich Green, Executive Vice President of Software, Sun, said, this is a milestone for the whole industry, and that not only are they making an influential and widely-used software platform for the Web available under open source, but that they are paving the way for a paradigm shift in how software is enhanced and developed.

By open sourcing its Java implementations, Sun will open new market opportunities, fuel innovation, and drive broader adoption of this Web 2.0 platform while minimizing fragmentation in the mobile community by delivering a consistent application platform across devices.

While additions to software available under GPL have to also use the license, Sun is making an exception in the case of Java Standard Edition (Java SE). Meaning, programmers creating applications using Java SE will not be required to use the GPL license, and can instead opt for any other license for their applications. Also, Sun will continue to offer commercial licenses that give other software vendors legal indemnification and official standards certification.

All in all, Sun’s move comes as a pleasant surprise, considering the company has continually resisted calls to open source Java, citing fears that such an action would cause incompatibilities among “forked” versions of the code.

Read full story: Open Source Java

There is no question that you can make some good money with Google AdSense, but you’re setting yourself up for disaster if you make any of these Top 10 mistakes!

1. Do not use fake information when opening your Google AdSense account.

2. Do not hack or modify Google AdSense code other than to change the parameters that Google authorizes you to change.

3. Keep AdSense ads off of your registration, confirmation, and all “thank you” pages.

4. Do not display AdSense ads and a competitor’s ads (like Overture’s) on the same page at the same time.

5. Don’t “beg for clicks” or provide any incentive for clicking on your Google AdSense ads.

6. Never click on the ads running on your own site, even if you are genuinely interested in the product or service and are thinking of buying it!

7. No misleading labeling

8. Avoid keyword spamming and other divisive tricks

9. Don’t advertise anything on Google’s prohibited items list.

10. And the 10th dumbest thing NOT to do with Google AdSense is to let the other nine things stop you from running an honest site that’s designed to make the most out of this very profitable opportunity that Google offers!

Google will be launching a new “custom search engine” tomorrow — something I thought would happen after seeing the domains “IndexBench.com” and others a month ago. The Financial Times reports it will be similar to other excellent services like Rollyo.

“Marissa Mayer, vice-president of search products and user experience, said it was the most significant launch that Google would announce in the final months of this year. By letting companies and individuals build their own specialised search engines, it will also create competition for the many new “vertical” search products that have recently been launched on the web, she added.” — Financial Times.

Not only will this new service be used by the person customizing it, but the creator can also “paste” a search box on any website to share their search engine with others — and they will enjoy a slice of ad revenue generated through the AdSense network.