SUN Microsystems has announced the release of MySQL 5.1, the latest release of the popular open-source database application. According to the release note, it is mentioned that this version incorporates features that speed up processes.

The new service allows developers to automatically schedule common SQL-based tasks to execute on the database server, thereby reduces time-spent.

In addition, the new MySQL Query Analyzer tool, which was originally available to premium MySQL Enterprise subscribers, is also incorporated in MySQL 5.1. This tool can dramatically improve the speed and uptime of MySQL database applications, thereby reduces downtime.

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MySQL 5.1

Normally, when a new product is released for Microsoft, the previous version is likely to be phased out within 6 months; however, this is not the case for Windows XP, as it sees itself extending the phase-out deadline to beyond January 31, 2009.

Although Microsoft has iterated that this is not an extension programme to prolong the lifespan of Windows XP, they do allow distributors to place their final orders for this product until end of January 2009. Microsoft XP has been in the market for over 90 months since its initial public release in 2001.

It follows that Microsoft Vista, the next generation of Windows operating system, is likely to further market even strongly to attract end-user consumers as well as corporate users. However, it may seem that Windows 7, may be the favourite as Vista looks to fail.

Sources: InternetNews Realtime IT News

The widely-popular universal Internet Messaging (IM) client, Pidgin 2.5.3, is now released. This application supports several protocols, such as MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, QQ and ICQ. There is also a portable version available for users to download and install on removable drives, i.e. Pidgin 2.5.3 Portable.

Having used this software myself for quite a long period of time, I have to admit that it has rarely failed me. If this were to be used solely for basic messaging, it’s a fantastic piece of application. For more advanced features, such as webcam, perhaps it’s better to stick to the original software, such as Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo! Messenger.

It also runs on Linux platform, thus makes it highly portable. Interested users can download the application from the link below.

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Pidgin 2.5.3
Pidgin Portable 2.5.3

Google Chrome has finally hit the public without the Beta tag! The latest version is 1.0.154.39. However, you would probably not have noticed it, as the upgrade was done automatically by the system in the background.

Some unknown source reports that this release of Google Chrome has seen its performance improved by 1.5 times compared to its initial beta release. Considered that Google is truly serious about the web browser market, this is indeed remarkable.

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Google Chrome 1.0.154.39

The last release of Drupal 6.6 was dated 2 months back. Just only a few days ago, Drupal released version 6.7 and 5.13. I have a few Drupal-based websites, but due to my busy schedule, I have hold on to the upgrading process. Just only yesterday, Drupal 6.8 and 5.14 were released! Luckily for me that I have not done the immediate upgrade, or otherwise I would have wasted my effort.

In Drupal 6.8 and Drupal 5.14, these are only slight updates to Drupal 6.7 and 5.13, removing an incompatibility with sites running before PHP version 5.2. The major and critical vulnerabilities and security issues have been fixed in the earlier version, so this release is only a minor patch.

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No, it is not officially announced yet, but guess what, I am already using WordPress 2.7! See the screen-shot on the right, you’ll notice that the version mentioned WordPress 2.7 and not WordPress Release Candidate 2.

So, this rather surprising to me. Anyway, do enjoy the latest WordPress version. Note that, it may not yet be available from the WordPress Download directory, but it should be available from the Development repository.

SoftSift has reached the 1000^th post since its inauguration on February 2006. For almost 3 years, SoftSift has enjoyed its ups and downs. Focus on the publishing the latest release of softwares, SoftSift has also introduced about new social networking sites, comparisons of applications and keeping readers with the latest upgrades.

One of the most significant contributions is the release of the WordPress Thumbnail Summary plugin, which has served a lot of websites to help improve search engine ranking as well as improve visibility for the visitors.

In 2 months’ time, we will be celebrating the 3rd anniversary of SoftSift; as such, we’ll be looking forward as much as you do to celebrate the new milestone.

Since the last release of WordPress 2.7 RC 1, WordPress has revealed the Release Candidate 2 version of WordPress.

Upgrading to this version is pretty easy, if you are already using previous version of WordPress 2.7. Simply go to the Upgrade function and click on “Upgrade Automatically”, that will set your system going.

New users are highly encouraged to try out this version, as of my personal opinion. WordPress 2.7 is definitely a huge improvement over any previous versions of WordPress.

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WordPress 2.7 RC2

The next version of Google Chrome 0.4.154.33 has just been released. With my last few written posts related to web browsers, it seems that there is a strong competition going on in the browser marketing. With the exception of Microsoft Internet Explorer, which seems to be losing grip on its stronghold, other developers, such as Mozilla, Google and Opera, have been hitting it really hard.

Upgrading Google Chrome is just a breeze; however, there is still some issues with this web browser that I am still not comfortable with. For example, there is a problem opening Hotmail. Apart from that, other sites seem to load pretty well.

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Google Chrome 0.4.154.33