Like much of the Web development world, we’ve learned that Google just announced Google App Engine which will allow users to host their python applications on their server infrastructure similar to Amazon’s EC2/S3 (AWS) offer. The timing is perfect, as we’ve evaluated the Django framework to deploy our next generation of web applications.
The fact that they’ve started with python and Django as the core runtime is huge. Server configuration and deployment was a little bit tricky: Google came, once again to the rescue and we now have an Enterprise-Grade sandbox to play with.

Check the secret projects section and expect more Django goodies to come soon.

Following this discussion on Loic Le Meur’s blog, I ‘m sharing my view on the re-centralization of online profiles and discussion:

I think this clearly shows time has come for a new communication platform.
The volume and pace of information we have to manage today need a new approach: how long does it take you Loic to do do your “pre-flight” checks before starting your day?
Distributed profiles can’t survive without losing the user “stikiness” with new services coming everyday.

Should we start by dropping or rethinking emails?
Can we make the blog this unique platform as Loic suggested?

Microsoft announced Friday it had offered to buy Internet portal Yahoo! with a cash and stock bid worth $44.6 billion.

It has been rumored for a long time but the news came this morning with a publicly released letter sent by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to Yahoo’s board of directors.

Read the entire letter here.

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Following our post on the internet connection breakout, CNN covered the news today.

From FLAG Telecom, the company managing the cables:

FLAG Telecom said a ship was en route to the first cable, which was cut off Alexandria, Egypt, on Wednesday. It said the ship would arrive by Tuesday and would complete its work within a week.

In case you didn’t know, my favorite web radio is Lounge Radio.

Relax, tune-in and just chillout with us.
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Today we suffered a major internet connection breakdown in Dubai.
According to Gulfnews,

“Dubai: UAE telecom service providers, etisalat and du, were badly hit on Wednesday due to the breakdown of internet connection and international calls after a major cable in the Mediterranean Sea snapped.
Officials from the service providers were unable to say when the issue will be resolved as the submarine cable system operators (FLAG Telecom and SEA-ME-WE 4) are responsible for repairing the cable.
Etisalat, however, said in a statement that it was able to re-route the traffic through its network partners in Asia, Europe and UAE.”
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As I was reviewing the latest news about IBM/Lotus software for an intranet project we are bidding on,
I said to myself “why the hell IBM products offer now looks like the computer associates catalog?”
Lotus Quickr (formally Lotus Quickplace), Lotus Connections, Lotus Symphony, Lotus Forms …
Not to forget the indestructible Notes and Domino 8 fresh release.

And that’s maybe the point!
Let me venture a quick explanation:

It looks like IBM hired a smart marketing guy who got this brilliant idea:

“We coulnd’t kill the Lotus platform, and the enterprise 2.0/collaborative (replace with whatever buzzword you’re comfortable with) trend is strong.
So lets keep the name and bury Notes(pre-eclipse era) and Domino into a new product family! In 5 years time, only some nostalgic geeks will remember what Domino was…”

Judging by the warm welcome Notes 8 received in the Lotus community (myself included), it could work pretty well don’t you think?

Less glamorous but we hope as usefull, one of our latest project aims to help people find, locate and source products and services in the middle east.
We are still in beta but in a couple of weeks should go live for a new B2B experience.

Well, after 20 hours of discontinuous work, trade-media.com redesign is almost done.

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