World of Web Names Now Wide Open

Internet regulators voted to loosen restrictions on internet names, a move that could allow thousands of variations of suffixes beyond the basic .com or .ca. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) overwhelmingly approved the new guidelines on Thursday in Paris after weeklong meetings. The guidelines represent one of the biggest changes to the internet in its 25-year history.



New names won't begin appearing for several months and ICANN won't be deciding on specific ones. The organization must decide how much the new domain names will cost. The names are expected to cost over $100,000 apiece to help ICANN cover up to $20 million in costs. The new guidelines could allow for domain names that have been requested, and denied by ICANN, for years, such as .xxx for adult websites and .post for postal service websites. Companies with well-known names like eBay, Apple or Google could also end up requesting domain names if the new rules are approved, snatching up names like .ebay, .mac and .goog.

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Most of us may Google it; But Russians 'Yandex' it !

In most parts of the world you might "Google" for the answer, a Chinese may"Baidu" it;. But a Russian would more likely "Yandex" it !

Yandex ( Russian: Я́ндекс ) is a Russian search engine and one of the largest Russian Web portals. Yandex was launched in 1997. Its name can be explained as "Yet Another iNDEXer" ( yandex ) or "Языково́й (language) Index". The Russian word "Я" corresponds to English "I" (as the singular first-person pronoun), making "Яndex" a bilingual pun on "Index".



Few outside of Russia have heard of the Yandex search engine, but that may soon change. Yandex has 44% of the Russian market—10 points ahead of Google—and is now the No. 2 search outfit in Europe, according to researcher comScore. Yandex is expected to list its shares on Nasdaq this fall, fetching as much as $2 billion. That would be Russia's largest-ever initial public offering in tech, valuing the company at around $5 billion. Although Yandex declined to comment about the listing, analysts and investors are expecting a blockbuster. "This IPO should be very popular," especially among investors eager to tap into Russia's Internet market, says Konstantin Belov, an analyst at Uralsib, a Moscow bank.

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Microsoft Launches New Website : WindowsAndMe

WindowsAndMe is a new website launched by Microsoft. It will be the place where the Windows community at large will come together to share their experiences, explore the magical world of Windows and learn to make the most of their digital experience.

Share your experiences, voice your opinion & learn from other Windows users to get more out of your PC experience. We have a panel of “Windows Gurus” who can help you with your questions or concerns.



As a member of Windows and Me, you will be informed about the trendiest new features and innovations in the world of Windows. Also, we have some great partnerships in place to give you exclusive offers. We encourage you to visit the site regularly to enjoy these benefits.

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