Performance Zen

Author: spierzchala

  • eBay still in trouble

    Looks like eBay is still seeing extreme fallout from their fee hike decision. [here and here]
    Now the SFGate/SF Chronicle story does remind us about eBay Seller whining over the years, but this is still a business whose entire existence depends on keeping their sellers and the sellers’ buyers happy. eBay is an intermediary; and intermediaries can and have been replaced before.
    I am not saying that eBay will fall soon. However, imagine if Google decided that it could provide an auction clearing/payment system at a much lower cost? Or Microsoft? Or someone else?
    eBay has the benefit of a near monopoly position. This makes the battleship slow to turn around when nimbler competitors appear.

  • Bad news for SSRIs

    As a consumer of SSRIs [here], this piece of news REALLY concerns me.
    Antidepressants increase risk of suicidal behaviour: study
    Suicide, depression, and antidepressants
    Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and suicide in adults: meta-analysis of drug company data from placebo controlled, randomised controlled trials submitted to the MHRA’s safety review
    Suicidal Behaviour Caused by Antidepressants “Cannot Be Ruled Out”
    Thanks GSK….

    More. [here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here]

  • Looks like GMail is going live soon

    I just got an invite to join GMail (have an account already…thanks!) that originated from filling out an interest form when GMail went live last year. Guess they are trying to get everyone in now.
    Beta going poof soon.

    SOGrady posted the email we have all received. [here]

  • Hiring…yes…companies are

    SOGrady notes that a number of the large bellweathers in Tech are announcing hiring. [here]
    I have noticed that, after a 3 year absence, my inbox is seeing slow trickle of recruiters, mainly those looking for low-hanging fruit in tech-support and junior development positions. *YAWN*
    If recruiters actually took the time to read my resume, instead of the work and education experience areas, they might notice that I am so far from what they want that asking me if I am interested in a position like that lowers their company’s brand in my opinion.
    I would love to see some quality enquiries; not because I want a new job, but because it shows me that someone took the time to find out about me before contacting me.

  • Private-Label Browsers and comments on a lost “browser war”

    Looks like Firefox could become the genesis of the private-label browser, unencumbered by nasty platform/OS/Service Pack limitations. [here — courtesy of the XSLT:General blog]

    I believe strenously that Microsoft has committed a serious error in limiting the upcoming MSIE 7 update to Windows XP SP2 machines. It will not drive the large corporate IT departments who still use Windows 2000 to upgrade. It will increase resentment towards the company, which will be actively commented on in places (such as here).

    I use Windows XP SP2. But as you see from the sub-title of this blog, the next computer I will buy for myself is going to be a Macintosh Powerbook. And I will run Safari, Firefox, Camino, and (very, very occasionally) fire up some 6 year-old, badly maintained version of MSIE for MacOSX.

    When I use Windows, I will use MSIE to compare the look and feel of the pages I build. And nothing more.

    If Microsoft wanted this new browser to be a true update, and not simply an addition to their program of forced obsolescence, they would have made it free of OS restrictions. What Microsoft has said is that if you don’t run Windows XP SP2, your browsing experience will be sub-optimal, less secure, and unsupported.

    Web designers, this means that you will have to have yet another platform to test your Web designs, as MSIE 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 will all interpret CSS, CSS2 and other design features differently.

    So, what is the big deal about MSEI 7.0? It shows the Web community that Microsoft has still not learned the lesson that Firefox is teaching: be everywhere. Microsoft, the OS is not the platform of the future; the browser is the platform of the future. And a browser that can run anywhere, anytime, in any language, on any hardware, will win.

  • More Blogger woes

    Damien Katz feels the same way about Blogger [here] that I do [here].
    You have to wonder why Google hasn’t done something about this…or maybe it no longer fits in with their master plan.

  • State of the Blogger

    Just to keep you up to date on what’s going on in my life…
    I will out of town for most of the next two weeks, so you will likely see postings at odd times and in aggregated chunks as I get caught up from performing my real job.
    Had the first of a series of meetings (concall today) with customers asking them key and probing questions about what they want to achieve. It is interesting to re-visit with some of these clients and refresh my memory of what they need to achieve Web performance excellence. I have been locked up in my office all winter, and need to re-gain some perspective on our overall purpose and mission.
    After this, I have to hunker down and attack the incoming flood of projects. A component of this will be learning the ins and out of Visual Interdev so that we can generate custom reports. Should be a lot of fun, as it has been a while since I learned a new programming language.
    Off to a meeting…

  • MSIE 7.0 won’t play in corporate America

    Oh yeah! Forgot this little tidbit…MSIE 7.0 will ONLY be available for Windows XP SP2. [here]
    So, all of those organizations (you know, the large corporate ones) which run Windows 2000: Tough Luck.

  • How AdSense works (or doesn’t) for you

    Some in-depth analysis on how AdSense may or may not be profitable or rewarding. [here and here]
    Now I have AdSense ads on my site, mainly because they are unobtrusive, and I need to finance replacements for my creaky hardware somehow. Although, it looks like that is not going to happen before the 256-bit PentiumX is released in 2030.
    Oh well, enjoy.

    Hugh, of course, nails my whining to the wall. [here]

  • Another reason why I won’t install the Google Toolbar

    As Steve Rubel points out, Google is stealing some of Microsoft’s worst ideas. [here]
    I wonder how long before the wave crests, and the undertow sucks Google out to the Island of the Damned.

    Seems that for once, Dave Winer and I are on the same wavelength. [here]
    And here comes Dan Gillmor. [here]
    TDavid kicks in his comments on Google Evil Tags. [here]