Google dominates the world of search yet again. According to a recent Neilsen poll, Google has a whopping 61.2% share of the total market, up 8.1% from the previous year. This mirrors the findings of survey company comScore, which shows the engine having a 63.1% market share. Yahoo, as always, comes in second with a promising 16.9% share, but the number is down from the 28.9% posted last year. Aside from Google, the only engines that have gained users in the past year are AOL Search (4.3%; a 14.5% gain) and AT&T (0.3%; up a whopping 92.8%). Other ranked engines include Live Search (11.4%), Ask.com (4.3%), and Comcast Search (0.5%).

In related news, it seems to be the beginning of the end for trailblazing search concern Lycos. The company is considering a plan that would shut down their holdings in Europe. The resulting domain names would then be put up for sale. Once considered to be one of the top search engines in the world, Lycos has been hit hard due to changing times and changing tastes. As bleak as this news is, one must keep in mind that this is only the European arm of the company. The deal will be voted on at the annual shareholders meeting December 12th.

Sling, the folks behind the highly successful media streaming device Slingbox, has unleashed a video service of their very own. The new service, which is also called Sling, has a bevy of programming available, including offerings from Sony Studios, Warner, and MGM. Unlike similar services such as Hulu and Joost, current Slingbox owners are able to access the new video portal free of charge. Despite a few “bumps in the road” — at press time, the service is said to be lacking both OS X support and Comedy Central programming — the new site is at once fullfilling and promising. The Sling video portal is available now for all Windows and Slingbox users.

In other news, we have Koornk. Koornk is a Twitter-like microblogging service that focuses on … well … ripping off of Twitter as much as humanly possible without getting sued. Unlike services such as Blip.fm and Indenti.ca, which provides prospective users with enhancements such as topic-specific chat and OpenID support, Koornk brings absolutely nothing new to the table. Needless to say, this amazing (lack of) advancement has raised the ire of industry types of all shapes and sizes. “I have [little] respect for services like Koornk that clone everything about Twitter without adding anything of value nor approaching the concept from a novel business perspective,” writes TechCrunch columnist Robin Wauters. “What’s even worse about Koornk  is that they steal so much of Twitter’s lay-out and wording that it’s not even fun anymore. From the typical bird logo to the color scheme, the icons and even the font, the whole thing just screams Twitter to me.” For those interested, Koornk is available now for all users.

And to finish out the week: Earlier, we told you (through Yahoo) how your online business can get the most out of Cyber Monday. Like most things in life, there are two sides to everything. On today’s episode of Browser Extension Friday, we have three tools designed to make your stay in “consumer land” a productive one.

• Woot Watcher - For Firefox. Keep track of Woot’s “daily deal machine” without breaking a sweat. This extension is perfect for those who enjoy scoping the site out, but routinely forget to do so.
• eBay for IE8 - For Internet Explorer 8. Two handy plug-ins that let you monitor, bid, and search through the service with ease. At press time, these plug-ins are only available for Internet Explorer 8, which is currently in an open beta state.
• Amazon Search - For Opera. Amazon is calling. Do you accept the charges? That isn’t much of a question with this widget. Unlike other Amazon add-ons, the Amazon Search widget allows you to search through both the main site an its respective subsections.

To many, Thanksgiving is a time of sharing things with those close to you. In a strange way, open source software works on the same principle — sharing your work with others in the spirit of giving. So in the spirit of the day, we here at the Free Line proudly offer up five open alternatives to a variety of popular programs.

• Kexi - Alternative to Microsoft Access.  This program is designed to match Access feature for feature. Usually a part of the KOffice productivity suite, Kexi has been made available to Windows users thanks to the Polish edition of OpenOffice.
• Inkscape - Alternative to Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape allows you to work with vector graphics (almost) like a pro. While Inkscape does have a variety tools and options at its disposal, many hardcore graphic artists say that it is a poor substitute to both Illustrator and CorelDRAW.
• Amaya - Alternative to Dreamweaver. An interesting web development suite that supports many modern formats, including XML. Amaya is the official web suite of the World Wide Web Consortium.
• GNU Privacy Guard - Alternative to Pretty Good Privacy. Easily one of the most powerful privacy and cryptography programs available today. Unlike PGP, the root GnuGP program is command-line only. There are, however, several “front ends” available for graphical use, including Firefox and Firebird.
• MythTV - Alternative to Windows Media Center and Beyond TV. No “open source” list would be complete with mentioning the infamous television program for Linux. MythTV is easily the most powerful and diverse “desktop Tivo” out there, but power comes with a price. According to … well… everyone, it takes the patience of Job and the programming skill of Linus Torvalds to set up properly. Do that, they say, and you’ll have the world of broadcast TV in the palm of your hand.

Despite the current state of the US economy, the online advertising business is still going strong. According to a poll done by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, online ad spending will increase by roughly 8.9% in the coming year. Despite the fact that this number is down from the previously reported 14.5%, the findings are good news for most nouveau ad men who have been clutching their wallets in fear for the past two months. Individually, the IAB reports that sponsorship spending will take the biggest hit in 2009 (-12.9%), while the video advertising sector will see the biggest gains (44.9%).

In other advertising news, Google has made a few upgrades to TV Ads, the Free Line all-star designed to get your advertising campaign on television with the least amount of pain possible. The new update lets users have greater control over when their respective ads actually take to the airwaves. Previously, the ad keywords could only be matched by using the “exact match” variable. In addition to “exact match,” advertisers now also have access to “broad match,” which will allow them to view programming by category. “The great thing about broad match results is that it does the work for you,” writes Associate Product Manager David Wurtz on Let’s Take It Offline, the official TV Ads blogs. “Program targeting is a great way to reach your target audience when your message is most relevant. If your ad is relevant to the programming content surrounding your ad, you’re likely to see better results.” TV Ads, complete with broad match technology, is available now to all users.

Sticking with Google for a moment, the company is currently in talks with popular Russian social network Odnoklassniki about adding a Google-branded search box to their network. The deal would not only give Google a sizable share of the Russian market, it would put them within striking distance of reigning search czar Yandex. At press time, Yandex holds about 46% of the market share in Russia and neighboring states. Neither the exact terms of the deal, nor where the proposal stands with Russia’s hard-line Federal Antimonopoly Service, are known at this time.

Elsewhere, popular business-based social network LinkedIn has introduced a new way for you to search for others on their service. Called the Streamlined People Search, the new service employs a series of auto complete menus designed to help you find exactly who you are looking for in the least amount of time possible. The new feature also searches profiles, automatically matching your keyword with the pertinent information found therein. While it isn’t exactly original — both Facebook and Google offer similar functionality –the Streamline People Search is an improvement over the previous “shot in the dark” method of searching through the network.  Streamline People Search is up and running now.

And finally: On the last edition of Browser Extension Friday, we took a visit to the wonderful world of browser emulation. Today, we take things to the next level with Lunascape.  Lunascape is a Japanese browser that has the Trident (Internet Explorer), Gecko (Firefox), and WebKit (Safari and Chrome) rendering environments built right in. This essentially makes Lunascape three different browsers in one. Even though the translation from Japanese to English has been a tad “rough” at points, the fundimentals of the program show promise. According to developer Lunascape Corporation, nearly 10 million instances of the browser has been loaded since 2004. Surpringly original and definitely intriguing, Lunascape has all the tools (and rending environments) needed to make a big splash worldwide.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Twitter has absolutely no interest in joining the Facebook “family.” Reports indicate that the folks behind Twitter turned down the buy-out offer, which included $500 million in stock, as early as three weeks ago. “So why did the deal break down? Well, as is usually the case, over price,” writes Kara Swisher at All Things Digital. “The $500 million offered was in an all-stock form … Twitter wanted cash, which was not possible for Facebook, or Facebook stock at an even lower valuation than $5 billion.” While some in the industry expect a deal to go down at some point in the near future, many feel that Twitter would rather stand on its own than have to deal with the policies (and politics) of another organization.

Elsewhere, Google sees big things in the future for its Chrome web browser. Despite the lack of long-term buzz and a disappointing 0.74% market share, many within the company see 2009 as being the “year of Chrome.” “We could work with [a computer manufacturer] and have them ship computers with Chrome pre-installed,” Google Vice President Sundar Pichai told the London Times. Pichai also mentioned that the company is also planning to do something a bit “out of the ordinary” — advertise and market the new software. “We will throw our weight behind it … Once we get it out of beta we will work hard at getting the word out, promoting to users, and marketing will be a part of that.” Both the Chrome advertising campaign and the “beta-free” browser that it will be based upon is expected to arrive sometime in January.

In other news, Sony is planning to rejoin the world of online web video … in a way. The company has officially relaunched Crackle, a site dedicated to the proliferation of videos bearing the Sony name. Unlike Hulu and the CBS Social Viewing Room, however, the new service will not completely rely on network or cable-based programming. Instead, users will be treated to a variety of shows filmed exclusively for the site, with each clocking in at a scant five minutes. Feature shows include a new sketch comedy offering by legendary comedy troupe The Groundlings and Anytime, a “five minute talk show” hosted by Hollywood writer Bob Kushell. Crackle is up and running now.

Next, it seems as if Microsoft’s Live Search will be undergoing a name change in the near future. While it seems like an odd thing to do, many insiders feel that a change is needed in order to diversify the brand. “Live.com has a lot of different services under its umbrella (some server software, some client software) in addition to search,” writes TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. “Over time, we’ve heard, Live.com will become a pure social network and personal productivity portal But search belongs somewhere else, and it definitely needs a fresh start.” At press time, the name is unknown, but many feel that it will end up being Kumo, which is Japanese for “cloud.”

And finally: Advertising is coming to an illicit peer-to-peer file sharing network near you, thanks to a start-up called PeerMatrix. Instead of a traditional marketing push featuring banner ads and “featured content,” the platform unwittingly forces the user to load the advertisements by using a process the company calls AdMorph. When a user enters a search, the PeerMatrix software automatically renames the ad to correspond with whatever the user is looking to load. The user then loads the ad instead of the intended file. While some lament the new network as a glorified “band-and-switch” scheme designed to circulate spam, others see it as “Karmic payback;” the result of illegally sharing copyrighted material for so long. PeerMatrix, complete with it’s controversial AdMorph technology, is available now.

YouTube, like many other forms of visual media, is experimenting with high-definition broadcasts. Presented in an expanded 480×260 format, the new option boasts a clearer picture and a better overall presentation. While users have been able to create videos in the new HD format for a little while now, actually watching them in said format is a rather recent development. Many within the industry believe the change is due to the popularity of Hulu, which features an overall bigger video player. In order to activate YouTube HD, users must add “&fmt=22“ to the end of the video. YouTube HD is available now to anyone who “knows the code,” as they say.

Elsewhere, Yahoo has decided to bring their “Glue” service to the US. Originally launched last May in India, Yahoo Glue is a new search strategy designed to bring users everything that relates to a specific search, not just traditional webpages. The results appear in a two column design and are organized by content type. The US version of Glue differs from the original Indian version not just in layout (the original was presented in a three column format), but in the actual results as well. Unlike the original, the US version eschews listing the “traditional” search engine findings altogether. Those close to Yahoo say that Glue is designed to augment traditional searches, not replace them entirely. Yahoo Glue is available now, albeit in “limited form,” to users in the US and India.

In other search engine news, Google has added a bit of social functionality to their base search engine. As you might have noticed, each result now has a few new “buttons” attached. These buttons allow you to move (or remove) results at will, as well as writing a few comments about it. “This new feature is an example of how search is becoming increasingly dynamic,” writes Product Manager Cedric Dupont. “[The new service gives] people tools that make search even more useful to them in their daily lives.” While the rearranging of search result might be new to Google, it’s considered to be old hat to others. Many search engines, most notably Wikia Search, have used tools such as this for years.

In less happy Google news, the company has officially done away with its experimental social platform Lively. Part Second Life and part Yahoo Chat, Lively was designed to bridge the gap between the new and the old. The service was also unique in the fact that users were able to embed the Lively modules into their respective sites. “Google has always been supportive of this kind of experimentation because we believe it’s the best way to create groundbreaking products that make a difference to people’s lives,” said the Lively team on the Official Google Blog. “But we’ve also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off. ” Lively is set to close its virtual doors at the end of December.

Finally: Noah Belson of the Yahoo Search Marketing Blog has a few helpful hints for online businesses dreading “Cyber Monday.” For those unaware, Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping day of the year; kind of the high-tech version of the traditional Black Friday. “40% of shoppers say that sales or promotions are the most important factors when determining where to shop for holiday gifts,” he writes. “There’s still plenty of time to get your campaigns in shape before Cyber Monday and keep them that way for the remainder of the holiday shopping season.” According to Belson, it all comes down to four tips:

1. Make sure that the consumer knows what the specials are.
2. Prominently feature lower priced items when possible.
3. Always include special features like free shipping your advertising.
4. Play up the old “it’s better than going to the mall…” argument.

Do that, he says, and it should be smooth sailing through calm seas. “With a clear holiday plan that includes strongly crafted ads, Cyber Monday could lead to a lot of happy Tuesdays, and a pretty festive holiday season in general for your company.”

Yahoo BOSS, the Yahoo-based tool that allows users to create and maintain their own search engines, has been upgraded. Called Key Terms, the new service allows users to see the words related to a search or a particular site. It will also allow users to implement their own restrictions on said keywords. Many within the industry feel that BOSS is a lone bright spot at Yahoo, which has had its share of resignations, budget cutbacks, and failed mergers in the past year. Key Terms technology is available now for all BOSS users.

In other news, 1Cast is aiming to bring video to those who need it most — desperate bloggers. Instead of distributing user-loaded video like YouTube or television programming ala Hulu, 1Cast is centered around news clips. Like the controversial RedLasso, the service is aimed mainly towards bloggers who need something to augment their post or support their argument. Unlike RedLasso, all of the snippets have been officially licensed. At press time, the service has a number of heavy hitters on board including CBNC, CBC, and the AP. 1Cast is available now in a “private beta” format.

In the world of SEO, there are few things more controversial than InLinks. For those unaware, InLinks turns seemingly innocent words into active links. Unlike other plans, there are no visual difference between these links and the “traditional” ones. “Google has been very clear that selling such links that pass PageRank is a violation of our quality guidelines,” Google’s Matt Cutts tells TechCrunch. “Other search engines have said similar things. The reality is that accepting money to link to/promote/market for a product without disclosing that fact is a very high-risk behavior, in my opinion.”

As a prelude to Browser Extension Friday, we have Fashion Your Firefox. As the name suggests, Fashion Your Firefox is an officially licensed tool designed to help you get the most out of your browser. Each extension is sorted by category, type, and “package.” While it won’t help you do anything advanced such as copying your profile to another computer or editing your config file, Fashion Your Firefox will help you overcome those small web-related “inconveniences” that trouble us all from time to time.

And to finish out the week: Sometimes, using “just one” browser is not enough. While running several different browsers might be good for some, it’s definitely not for everyone. That’s where emulation comes in. While there are a few browsers out there that have emulation services built-in (most notably Konqueror for Linux), most need that “added boost” that only a high-quality plug-in, tweak, or web service can provide. On today’s episode of Browser Extension Friday, we take a look at five tools that can make emulation a reality.

• IE Tab - For Firefox. Bring the “power” of Microsoft’s favorite browser to Firefox. IE Tab is considered to be a “must-have” add-on for many users.
• How to Let Safari Pretend It’s IE - Blogger David Alison explains how to bring Internet Explorer not only to Safari, but to OS X on a whole.
• Browsershots - For all browsers. Test your website in a variety of browsing environments without ever leaving the browser of your choice.
• OperaView - For Firefox. This little tool lets Firefox fans experience Norway’s browser of choice firsthand. Unlike IE Tabs, OperaView is primarily for web developers with Opera handy.
• Browser Emulator - For all browsers. Browsing Emulation is an interesting service designed to take you back on a trip through time. Several browsers of yesteryear are included, from HotJava to Mosiac to the command line. Although running the Browser Emulator isn’t the best way to test out your new CSS and Flash website, it’s a great way to reminisce and have fun.

The way that many companies monitor the popularity of sites are at risk of becoming outdated. Many within the industry say that this phenomenon is due to the proliferation of so-called “corporate web 2.0″ projects. To compensate, many companies are implementing a series of small web apps designed to track web 2.0 data.  “For years, enterprises have used traditional web-analytics tools to simply measure page views and keep track of traffic on corporate web sites,” says Heather Havensen, writer at tech blog Computerworld. “With the spread of corporate-sponsored Web 2.0 applications, forward-thinking IT managers are starting to install tools that can measure and analyze activities there.”

In a somewhat related story, Google Analytics is coming to a Flash video near you. The new add-on is designed not only to track and monitor the use of Flash-based web items, but to bring some semblance of order to those items as well. “There was a lack of standards,” writes analyst Nick Mihailovski on the Official Google Analytics Blog. “New developers who tracked Flash had to create their own processes to get it working. With this launch, tracking your Flash content has never been simpler.” Google Analytics for Flash is available now for all users.

Monitoring the popularity of Flash sites isn’t the only thing that Google has been fooling around with as of late. The AdWords team has been hard at work on a service designed to help you with your keyword generation. Sporting the snappy title of “Search-based Keyword Tool,” the new service searches your site for content, then matches the results to your pre-existing AdWords list. It then suggests keywords that fits said content, but are not currently being employed. “With so many searches, you have to guess which [user searches] might be relevant for each of your landing pages, and hope you find the right audience for your AdWords campaigns,” writes Trevor Claiborne on the Inside AdWords blog. “That’s where the Search-based Keyword Tool comes in. With this new tool you can get a better sense of what your potential customers are searching for and which keywords you should advertise on.” The cleverly named Search-based Keyword Tool is available now for all users.

In other news, the iPhone is officially the most popular cell phone in the world, according to mobile advertising firm AdMob. The much lauded phone had a 4.1% market share in October, a 2.1% increase from the previous month. Coming in second was the Motorola RAZR V3, with a 3.4% share. The popularity of Apple’s handset is not only a boon to the likes of Steve Jobs, but to advertisers as well. It is a widely held belief that advertising on mobile networks are a losing proposition, with one caveat — the iPhone. As the popularity of the iPhone increases, so does the profitability of the ads. Other phones listed in the survey include the Nokia N70 (3.2%), the Motorola KRZR K1c (1.8%), and the Blackberry 8300 (1.5%).

Finally: The already crowded office and productivity market has yet another contender in Etherpad. Think of Etherpad as an amalgamation of a traditional word processor and a social media tool. Each user starts with a rather innocuous blank sheet, designed for quick-and-dirty typing fun. You can then invite users to your innocuous blank sheet, allowing them to edit and add what they please. Unlike other online apps such as Google Docs and Adobe Buzzword, all of the changes are seen in real time and are marked by a colorful highlight. While it isn’t exactly “advanced” when it comes to formatting, Etherpad is perfect for anyone who wishes to fire off a few notes and ideas to coworkers without a lot of downtime.

Jerry Yang is officially resigning as CEO of Yahoo. “I believe the time is right for us to bring in a new leader — someone who will build on the important pillars we’ve put in place and who will take the reins on the critical decisions our company faces,” writes Yang in the official Yahoo blog. Despite his status as co-founder of the company, many within the industry feel that it was his leadership that was holding them back. Under his reign, Yahoo has burned through millions of dollars and let go hundreds of employees. Some are optimistic that Yang’s departure will help revive the now “dead as a doornail” merger talks with Microsoft. According to Yang, he will go back to his old position as “Chief Yahoo” and board member once a suitable replacement is found.

In other news, Google has started adding text advertisements to Google Finance. The ads, which currently sit in the top right hand corner of the page, are the latest in a series of moves designed to bring a little extra revenue. According to Business Product Manager Nick Fox, however, these ads have more to do with content expansion than profit. “Whenever we make changes like these, we carefully evaluate users’ reactions to ensure we’re holding true to our basic principles: that ads by Google should always be relevant and useful,” he writes on the Official Google Blog. “By ensuring that we show the right ads at the right time to the right people, we’ll add value for users too.” Expect to see ads such as this appear on many Google services in the near future, including Image Search and Google News.

In other advertising news, ad network VideoEgg is expanding its reach to the iPhone. Usually confined to the world of social networking, the VideoEgg is unique in the sense that it employs a variety of multimedia tools into its advertising. The ads are expected to work similarly to their social counterparts — a small banner or graphic will appear, enticing users to find out more. Like its big brother, the VideoEgg will only charge clients for iPhone ads that are fully engaged. VideoEgg’s new ad platform for the iPhone will be launched “soon,” possibly in the next week or so.

Elsewhere, SketchUp, the Google app dedicated to all things three-dimensional, has received an upgrade.The new and improved SketchUp 7 features easier object scaling, custom templates, and a ton of other tools designed to please any three-dimensional designer. Those close to Google believe that the new software will aid in the development of several projects, including Google Maps and the upcoming Google Ocean. Unlike most Google-based programs, SketchUp 7 is available in both free and a “for profit” Pro versions.

Finally: Your email account is about to get much more social, thanks to Zenbe. Instead of forcing you to create a new email account, Zenbe consolidates all of your existing accounts into one giant, web-based inbox. It then presents your messages to you in am original, yet distinctly “web 2.0,” fashion. You can also perform a variety of social tasks without ever leaving the service, including checking up on Twitter and Facebook accounts. Zenbe users also have access to ZenPages – a group of tools designed to get both you and your employees organized and in-sync with each other. Easy to use and maintain, Zenbe is perfect for anyone who wants to see what an email program can really do for you and your business.

On the last action-packed edition of the Free Line, we reported on a survey that claimed that Google Docs had only a 1% share of the market. Those findings are now being called into question by self-described “GoogleGuy“  Matt Cutts. According to Cutts, one cannot get an accurate reading from “just” 2,400 users. He also suggests that the “cash and prizes” motif of the ClickStream polls lends itself more to casual users than to hardcore techs. Cutts then brings up Wakoopa, a voluntary data tracking app that is targeted to more “tech-savvy” users. In the Wakoopa findings, Google Docs has a 5% share. “Google Docs is clearly the underdog in this area. But I’ve talked before about how Google’s tech-savvy user base can skew usage metrics,” he writes. “It would be a shame if people read the ClickStream Technologies press release and failed to consider some of the additional factors in estimating market share.”

Turning to the “video” end of things for a moment, it seems as if Hulu is turning out to be more profitable than was once suspected. The site, which provides users with “professional” content from the likes of NBC/Universial and Fox, is expected to rake in about $70 million by the end of 2008. By comparison, current video leader YouTube is on track to breaking the $100 million mark in revenue. While Hulu might be posting better than expected earnings, it still does not match the popularity of other sites. According to a recent poll conducted by Neilsen, Hulu gets around six million users a month — a far cry from YouTube’s 83 million.

Elsewhere, LinkedIn has contracted a case of “upgrade fever.” The business-centric social networking site has officially added a few tools designed to make profiles and address books play nicely with each other. Users can now both access and edit contact information directly from their profile page. A “view contacts” link has been added as well. The LinkedIn team also added the ability to easily share and discuss news within their user groups. The updates, which are being billed as the “first of many,” are live and available now to all users.

In other news, advertisements on social networking sites are about to become much more … well, social, thanks to InteractAd. Run by advertising heavyweight ONEsite, InteractAd is platform designed to get users as involved with the ads as possible, using a combination of data tracking, viral media releases, and profile pages. Advertisers can also easily follow the success (or lack thereof) of their campaign, and also elicit opinions on how they can improve things. Although it’s not exactly “free,” InteractAd is perfect for anyone who is looking to jump headlong into the “next wave” of advertising.

Finally, we have Infoaxe. Infoaxe is a social service designed to make your web browsing habits a distinctly social affair. Unlike the previously mentioned Timelope, Infoaxe doesn’t go digging through your history folder. Instead, it utilizes an Internet Explorer and Firefox compatible toolbar to record what the sevice calls your “web memory.” You can then do a variety of things with your newly found memory, including search the web, organize your Delicious account, and share it with the masses. Despite the originality of the service, many within the industry question the need for such a service. Infoaxe is currently up and running.

The folks at AOL are planning to shut down its Video Upload service due to budgetary concerns. Considered by many to be AOL’s answer to the likes of YouTube and DailyMotion, the site featured the standard mix of user-generated content and light copyright fraud. Those behind the doomed site are directing users to video partner Motionbox. Other services receiving the axe from management are online backup system XDrive, social storytelling site BlueString, and AOL Pictures. The closing has absolutely no effect of AOL Video, which is dedicated to so-called “profressional video outlets” such as Hulu. At press time, AOL Video Upload last day will be December 18th.

In browser news, both Firefox 2 and the Gecko 1.8 rendering engine that it is based upon will be sent out to pasture as well. Mozilla officials site the release of Firefox 3 as the primary reason for the move. It should be noted, however, that discontinuing support does not necessarily mean the death of a program. Unlike services such as the AOL Video Upload, which will ultimately disappear after the switch is pulled, users and programmers will still have access to both the browser and the engine. They will just not receive any official security updates from the Mozilla team. The last hurrah for Firefox 2 and Gecko 1.8 will be sometime in December.

Elsewhere, Google Docs might not be as popular as once thought. According to a poll conducted by Clickstream Technologies, 1% said that they use the online office suite on a regular basis. By comparison, 51% of the 2400 users surveyed said that Microsoft Office was their software package of choice. These findings mirror the statements of Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, who recently scoffed at the notion of Google Docs becoming a legitimate threat. “We get more competition from OpenOffice and StarOffice,” Ballmer said in his keynote address at the Gartner, Inc. Conference. “People try Google Apps, [but] they don’t use it. It’s primative… You can’t even put a footnote in a document!”

It seems as if the business of spamming has fallen on some “tough times,” so to speak. According to a report in the Washington Post, spam volume has decreased by 66% since Tuesday. This is largely due to the shutdown of McColo, one of the recognized “leaders” in the spaming industry. It is believed that McColo was at one point responible for three-quarters of all of the junk email sent to users. Sadly, many expect the “industry” to stabilize once the displaced spammers find a new outlet for their special brand of useless nonsense.

Finally, we have Ping.fm. On the surface, the Ping.fm service doesn’t appear to be anything that special. As any fan of the Free Line knows, there are literally dozens of programs and webapps that allow you to modify your favorite social service accounts without actually visiting the site. What sets Ping.fm apart from the others is the simple fact that it’s not a program at all. The service actually uses an interesting cross-section of popular sites and services to connect to a variety of web 2.0-centric services, from social networking pages to microblogging clients to bloging platforms.Thanks to Ping.FM, telling your “virtual fanbase” what you have been up to has never been easier to do.