MTNL gearing up for a revolution: PC for Rs. 4,500

If you happen to be a Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) customer in Mumbai or Delhi, you will soon be able to get a PC for as low as Rs. 4,500. This PC, is being offered by MTNL in partnership with Chennai-based Novatium and comes with an internet connection for a small monthly fee.

This computer, called netPC by Novatium, is a no frills device, this means, most of the common hardware that you find on any normal PC is absent here. But wait, don't underestimate it. Read on..

The terminals will be connected to a centralized server in the locality by MTNL and provide it with the internet service. The PC which looks and functions like any other desktop does not have a regular CPU or any storage devices. All applications, including the storage of data of all customers are done by the centralized server in the locality.

With regard to browsing the internet, common problems like the viruses, installation of different security software does not occur since connectivity to the World Wide Web is remotely managed by Novatium. And instead of just the internet broadband to your home, one can ask for a complete desktop with inbuilt internet access, educational packages, online games, chat, webcam, productivity suites and much more only served on the Nova netPC.

The netPC's advantage is that its customers do not have to face the challenges associated with a regular PC. The unique selling proposition for this model is the low cost of ownership, low maintenance and only server end system upgrades.

Customers have the choice of using either Windows or Linux operating systems. Since the entire concept is routed through a centralized server, customers are saved the hassles of hardware and software costs as well as upgrades as these tasks are carried out centrally.

High cost of owning a full fledged PC is one of the biggest bottlenecks for the uptake of broadband services in the country. The MTNL-Novatium partnership is expected to bring down the upfront investment for the consumer taking a broadband connection considerably.

So, let's wait and watch..!

GupShup: Its time for SMS Blogging....!

Well.. u can imagine how awesome this thing is that it deserves a second post on my blog..
(for earlier post, search: "SMS Redefined" on taran's den!)

Why another post?
Those who already read my earlier post, here is why i'm writing about it again. Well guys, this website has really evolved since then. There is no one else on the Internet who provides what this site does. Here are some new features..

• Now u can send messages from website also coz its absolutely FREE
• Create an SMS blog and share it across with your users
• Invite friends, Share groups through the website
• Follow stocks, sports, parties in ur town, campus buzz, jokes, theaters and movie events, and more.. the list is endless.. u think abt it and u wil find it here..
  

For those who are new..
What's GupShup?
It is the height of innovation. Believe me, I'm not exaggerating. But wait, who told you to take my word. There no bigger proof than trying it for yourself.. :P

Caution: Its really addictive coz there's no easier way on this earth to connect with ur frnds as faster and as cheaper than this.

So, all those who are game... read on..!

GupShup is a free group sms service to connect with your friends and follow your passions over SMS. It enables you to:
* Send messages to a group of friends or share your thoughts with the world
* Receive messages from friends or groups that interest you

What's good about it?
o Send and receive messages on the go
o Send one SMS for Rs. 3, & broadcast it to ur entire group 4 free (aur kya bachhe ki jaan loge)
o Create an online account and and send messages for absolutely NO COST (i kno this is wat u were lukin for.. hehe)

What's more?
Subscribe to your favorite groups on GupShup and get messages on your mobile phone.

Umm... Still not pepped up..? Dude shut this window and go to sleep, thats d best thing u can do..

Else.. Start your GupShup group, Sign Up now and shake yer mobiles with d buzz of the time..!
www.smsgupshup.com

Compress any file to ZERO bytes..!

The BARF* compressor will compress any nonempty file by at least one byte. Thus, by compressing already compressed files over and over again, it is possible to eventually reduce any file to ZERO bytes.

You must be thinking that can also be done with Winrar or Winzip by compressing files over and over again. Is it? Wait, read the first line again, "The BARF compressor will compress any nonempty file by at least one byte." Winrar or Winzip can't do this!

BARF has been tested on the Calgary corpus, a well known benchmark. In just one pass, it achieves the best known result of any compressor, compressing all 14 files to 1 byte each. Run time is under 1 second on a 750 MHz PC. Of course these files can be compressed again down to 0 bytes each, just like any other file. (Yes, they can be decompressed correctly).
BARF is free, open source software, released under the GNU GPL.

Download BARF! (Windows executable, about 1 MB).
Source code:barf.cpp (includes compilation insructions)mkstring.cpp

Read more about BARF @ http://cs.fit.edu/~mmahoney/compression/barf.html

*Better Archiver with Recursive Functionality (BARF)