ubiquity

Symantec says it has a new method for combatting malware, one that taps into a wider repository of information on potentially malicious code.

The security vendor today announced its new Ubiquity product, which combines data analyzed from the PCs of Symantec customers with Symantec's own Global Intelligence Network to combat new and mutating types of threats.

First featured in Symantec's Norton 2011 security product lineup and in its Hosted Endpoint Protection, Ubiquity is now gearing up for a rollout across a wider range of enterprise products in the coming year, starting with Symantec Web Gateway, the company said.… Read more

On Monday Mozilla released a new version of Ubiquity, the in-browser command line-like utility. While mostly a "stability" update, the add-on has undergone considerable cosmetic change as well, sporting a new dark plastic look. This look can be changed by anyone as part of a new styling system that uses simple CSS. Presumably, user-designed themes will go into an add-ons site as the product matures.

In addition to its new look, Ubiquity now borrows a few features from Firefox 3's "awesome bar." It remembers some of the commands you've used in the past and … Read more

Mozilla has put out a road map proposal for the next version of Ubiquity, the company's user interface project that aims to mash up user-controlled shortcuts with information from the Web. Besides the promise of an interface overhaul, the plan's big hope is to integrate Ubiquity with Mozilla's Firefox and Thunderbird products, along with user desktops.

In Firefox's case, Ubiquity integration for everyone (not just testers) could come as soon as version 3.2, due sometime next year. According to the road map specifications, the upgraded Firefox implementation would integrate Ubiquity into the "awesomebar," … Read more

How popular can a piece of software get before being in "beta" is no longer a legitimate excuse for known software flaws? Or, to put it another way, is it responsible to allow hundreds of thousands of people to install your product, when you know ahead of time that doing so opens them up to attack?

The software visionaries at the Mozilla Corporation, which makes the popular Firefox web browser, have taken the approach that creativity and functionality is king--even if security has to take a backseat. Case in point: The widely praised "Ubiquity" software add-on, which brings an amazingly rich and extensible new form of interaction to the Firefox Web browser.

The technology press has showered praise upon the developers of this software tool. However, in prioritizing functionality over security, Mozilla Labs punted complex trust choices to end users--the vast majority of whom are ill-equipped to make such decisions. The end result is that the hundreds of thousands of users of Ubiquity face a significant risk of browser hijacking by attackers, which could result in the theft of e-mail and online banking account information.

… Read more

A new browser plug-in from Mozilla allows anyone to slice and dice the Web in almost anyway they want. It's a command-line interface called Ubiquity, and Webware.com's Rafe Needleman stops by to explain what this and similar applications like it mean for the future of the Web.

Also in today's episode: the RIAA wins an important victory, film studios possibly collaborating on a new DRM scheme, and a Facebook movie might be in the works. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Mozilla Ubiquity and the fracturing of the Web

Report: Studios want interoperable DRM… Read more

Mozilla on Tuesday released a public prototype of Ubiquity, a curious command-based interface to locating information on the Web and creating compilations of information from various sources. See: Mozilla offers do-it-yourself mashups for all.

At the moment, it's most capable as a command-line browser. You press the hot key, ctrl-space, and you can just start typing lookup commands, like "imdb Blade Runner." Or, if text is already selected in the browser, your command will act on them. Mouse over a restaurant page in Yahoo Mail, press the hotkey, and type "yelp" for a review, for … Read more

Mozilla released an experimental browser plug-in Tuesday that aims to connect the Web with language to help users perform common Web tasks more quickly and easily.

Ubiquity, created by Aza Raskin--son of Apple Mac pioneer Jef Raskin--is a command-line interface that enables users to use plain language to manipulate Web tasks, such as mapping, translation, shopping, or retrieving entries from Wikipedia, Yelp, or Twitter.

The free Firefox plug-in enables the creation of "user-generated mashups with existing open Web APIs," according to a post on Mozilla's site Tuesday. "In other words, allowing everyone--not just Web developers--to … Read more