Malaysia To Block File Sharing Sites

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)'s letter to local Internet Sensorship Providers was leaked revealing that it has ordered all ISPs to block well Malaysian visited file sharing sites.

The move is said to be caused by the huge use of such sites to illegally download copyrighted material over the internet.

Malaysian netizens have vented their unhapiness over the internet by creating a Facebook group condemning such move.  At time of this post, 8,300 have chosen to 'LIKE' the group.

DiGi Smart Plan Lite For Light Internet Mobile Users?

The New DiGi Smart Plan Lite

Digi launched their Digi Smart Plan Lite for subscribers wanting to have limited but cheap data service on their smartphones today.  The package which is believed to be aimed at less hardcore data users comes at a low RM33 for 300MB, which is half of the DiGi Smart Plan which comes at RM68 for unlimited usage.  Call, SMS and MMS rates remain the same with the initial Smart Plan.

Not much details are yet to be obtained, but it is believed that subscribers will have their speed throttled after exceeding the allocated 300MB offered by this plan.  Nonetheless, this latest data package will be much welcomed by internet savvy Malaysians, particularly those wanting to stay connected when they are on the go. More details available here.

MAXIS Offers Broadband at RM18!

Maxis is offering 1.5GB of broadband at the speed of 7.2Mbps monthly at only RM18 at Kuching's PIKOM PC Fair.  The promotion which is also available online at the Maxis website is said to be only available until 30 April 2010, but it is believe that Maxis has decided to extend it for the PIKOM PC Fair.  The package is said to be offering RM18 monthly rental for 5 months with the 6th month being charged at RM48 only.  Modem comes free, although the up-front payment of RM150 can be said to be used to offset the price of the wireless gadget. Details are seen at the diagram on the left. Please click the image for a bigger view.

Celcom vs DiGi vs Maxis (Hotlink) Prepaid Broadband Comparison

Most people are wondering which is the best prepaid broadband.  As fans of each brand try to gain ground over the other, here's what I have collected on all 3 prepaid broadband services.  Yes, I did bother to try out all 3 because I wanted the best for my own use.

Battle of the Digital Books

Google which is trying to dominate the internet's huge marketing potential via introducing a huge online library hit a snag yesterday as the US Justice Department has urged a New York court to reject the deal. According to BBC, the deal would see copyright and also anti-trust issues emerge.

The deal according to Google would benefit global book readers as access on books will be unlimited to those whom wish to read it via its newly created Book Rights Registry. Nonetheless, Amazon whom is well known for publishing digital book argues that Google's move is unfair to authors, publishers and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory license for the life of the copyright in favor of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry.

At the current moment, Yahoo and Microsoft are another two giants not in favor of Google's move, and it now depends on whether the New York court would eventually deny Google's ambition.

IE8 Saves Real Power

When it comes to using less power, or in other words, draining less energy. IE8 or Internet Explorer 8 wins the race ahead of it's other rivals. According to AnandTech, IE8 wins the title of most power conserving internet browsing software, while Apple's Safari earned the title of most energy consuming browser. A report by Softpedia indicated that IE8 was evidently the winning browser without much competition based on the results from the AnandTech test. This latest test prove that not all is loss for IE8 as there has been numerous other significant events which also conclude that IE8 does have some favorable features in comparison to Google's Chrome and Mozilla Firefox which is seen to be riding high among internet users nowadays.

Slow internet in Malaysia again

Malaysia's largest internet service provider, TM reported that some of their undersea internet cables named Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) are damaged once again. Altough no reason of the damage could be made available, it is greatly suspected that the damage was caused by Typhoon Marakot.

According to TM, internet users would experience slow connection to sites located in Taiwan and the USA due to this damage. However, they also assured that their technicians are working around the clock to rectify the problem as son as possible.

Malaysian Government Cancels Internet Filter Plans

The Star reported that the government has decided to do away with the filter over the internet. According to the report, the government would enforce current laws including the seditious law enactment over those whom misuse the internet.

Last week, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim whom is in charge of the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry confirmed that the government is putting out a tender to filter the internet. The plan, which is said to be similar to China's failed "Green Dam" project roared Malaysia's online community with huge protest coming from almost every corner. Formar Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir also made a statement over his displeasure of such move, shall it be implemented.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was quick to quash any allegations on the plans, and today, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim himself confirmed that the plans have been shelved for good.

Malaysia Only Filter Porn

Update @9pm: Malaysian PM has said that the governmont does not plan do filter the internet.

Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, the minister incharge of the Malaysian Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture clarifies today that the planned internet filteration in the cuntry wuld only involve pornography.

In a report produced by The Star, Datuk Seri Rais was said to agree that a tender is being called out to companies whom are willing to do such filter for the country which is similar to China's Green damn project. Apart from that, Datuk Seri Rais also made it a point that pornography is dangerous to young naive children, hence the need for some regulation on internet content.

In recent days, the majority of the Malaysian online community has expressed rage over the governments possible filter of the internet, citing it is against the Malaysian Super Corridor (MSC) agreement. Speculations have also mounted to the extend that the government is trying to curb the opposition parties from using the internet to gain support. However, with this recent statement, it is expected that Malaysians will be receptive on the internet filter idea, as pornography is also considered as one of the many causes of the decline in Malaysian eastern moral values.

Malaysia May Filter The Internet

The recent street protest on ISA is changing Malaysia. Reuters reported that the Malaysian Information, Communication and Culture Minister, Datuk Rais Yatim is looking at the possibility of filtering the internet access for Malaysians. He wa quoted as saying that the huge penetration of the Internet in Malaysia comes with the good and the bad, and the government would need to take steps to overcome the bad.

Malaysia, under the premiership of Dr Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi has stressed that the internet would not be filtered, hence encouraging companies such as Microsoft Corp and Sisco Systems to invest.

Nevertheless, recent months have seen websites and blogs deemed dangerous and offensive to Malaysians being blocked and closed by the government, altough not many have questioned their moves due to the fact that these website are porn and quick scheme related. However, shall Malaysia finally decide to regulate internet content in the country, there is a huge posibility to notice an oproar among the tech savvy users whom prefer to enjoy the freedom of surfing any website the like.

Firefox Hits 1 Bil Downloads

The second fastest web browsing software , Mozilla Firefox has announced that they hit the 1 billion downloads note. In a report by PC World, it is reported that the figures do not account for the billions of Firefox users already using the software world wide.

Mozilla Firefox has long been one of the most preffered web browsers after its introduction to internet users in 2004. However, Google's new Chrome is catching up with the user usage rate, and it has already beaten Firefox in terms of speed, taking over Firefox's crown ever since Chrome was introduced to the market.

The Internet Explorer(IE) by Microsoft on the other hand has found itself sidelined by many heavy internet users due to it's slow loading time, despite it's reputation of being more user friendly on many web pages.

No More IE in Windows

Microsoft has finally agreed that future Windows operating system can do without Internet Explorer for the time being. In a news report published by AFP, Microsoft was quoted as saying that users will be able to install other competing web browsers without much problem, and at the same time opt to un-install Microsoft's Internet Explorer from their Windows operating system.

This move is seen as a win-win situation by Microsoft, as they try to fend off the European Union litigation anti-trust battle with them.

Although it is unsure how the un-bundling of IE in future Windows would impact Microsoft, it is good to know that the consumers on the other hand would have more control over what web browser they would prefer to use on their systems.

Nonetheless, despite Microsoft's claim the IE would still be a preferred browser by many, most tech-savvy internet users seem to be turning to Google's light weight Chrome and Mozilla Firefox as good options to replace IE's heavy and slow loading.