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Data collected by the online analytics site StatCounter published this week highlights Firefox 3.5 and the most commonly used browser on the web today. The stats, based on aggregated browser usage data over the second half of the year, pinpoints the specific 3.5 version of the application as the reigning winner.

According to the site, "Stats are based on aggregate data collected by StatCounter on a sample exceeding 5 billion pageviews per month collected from across the StatCounter network of more than 3 million websites. Stats are updated and made available every 4 hours, however are subject to quality assurance testing and revision for 7 days from publication."

The surprising news comes upon the heels of a massive Internet Explorer 7 to Internet Explorer 8 migration, which has split the former browser king's market share. Nonetheless, trends seem to favor Firefox in the long run, however, as its user base has steadily grown while IE's has been in regular decline in the last few years, according to a Mashable report.

For the visually oriented: a graphical representation on axiis.org shows the current aggregate data charted in the shape of the distinctive Firefox logo explains it all.

The ideas behind creating a network of free-floating computers to carry data around the ether is nothing new. So, it's no wonder that some long time experts are eschewing the popularity of the new term, "cloud computing."

But the contemporary iteration of cloud computing differs significantly in focus from its older, hardware-based progenitors. New cloud computing systems still live on computers, yes, but these networks are usually focused on offering software services on dynamically changeable scales to individuals and companies alike. Such systems, like the Saas (Software as a Service) model popularized by Salesforce.com, grid computing, and managed service providers, are built to offer their network of services to a variety of different clients, and can be "scaled" or adjusted to accommodate different numbers of users and bandwidth demands.

Cloud computing today offers itself up as a way of getting services on a network without having to pay for the cost of individual software licenses and installations. Compare how much easier it is for a company to update its online service structure just once when new program upgrades are out, versus supplying and supporting hundreds or thousands of users with hardware upgrades.

So, while there may always be detractors who disparage the use of cloud computing as nothing more than a marketing gimmick, it is nonetheless an increasingly popular and apt term for the virtual rainbow of internet offerings floating in those clouds.

APIs are a hot commodity in web developed services these days. But for the lay person just getting their feet wet on the web, what is it?

API stands for "application programming interface," and despite the long, wordy name, APIs on the web are actually designed to do something, very, very simple: to allow programmers from outside web systems to access an existing website's services.

Take, for example, Twitter. Twitter has an open API which allows web developers from all over the internet to create ways to post messages to the Twitter social network. Programmers and web developers of independent blogs, news sites, commerce sites, or whatever-you-will can use the Twitter API to develop just about anything you can think of for Twitter posting. Like sharing videos, sending photos, tracking retweets, and so on. These applications are able to do what they do because they connect back to Twitter through the Twitter API.

Other famous examples of APIs include Google Maps (embed it on your website and add your own customizations to is data), Facebook, Amazon.com, and eBay. Add a few in the right places, and you can add a LOT to your website in terms of its services and value.

But with all of this positive upside to APIs, is there any hidden catch? Well, sort-of. APIs are ultimately dependent upon the service they were built on. So, if Twitter or Facebook were to ever suddenly go out of business, for instance, you would be left high and dry with useless APIs that did nothing whatsoever. It seems highly likely that any of that would be happening soon, however, so happy programming, and go get yourself an API today!

A recession economy is often a time for cutting budgets and pulling in belts. But for many budding entrepreneurs, it's also a good time to finally launch the business you've been planning, or to start the consulting firm you've always dreamed of.

Earlier this year we praised Google Docs for its contributions to our own office communication infrastructure, and how helpful it's been for us in keeping a multi-national company in touch and on-the-ball.

But Google Docs is not the only web-based application that's really helped us save costs while maintaining a high level of performance. There are literally hundreds of free, web-based applications out there available for small businesses.

Here's a rundown of a few other applications our office would be helpless without:

Freshbooks - Easy to use invoicing and payment tracking application. Can print PDf invoices or mail them directly to your clients. Free limited trial of up to three clients plus advanced customization capabilities for larger businesses.

Zoho - Project management system. Assign tasks, add deadlines, and generate reports on your company's progress for different contracts.

Skype - Powerful voice conference tool that's free to use with other Skype users. Quickly becoming one of the major VOIP players on the market.

Drupal - A CMS or content management system that's quick to install and packs a lot of power. Drupal is an open source CMS great for building websites. You can add on modules to customize for your specific purposes. Best of all, it doesn't require a professional system administrator or webmaster to maintain.

Website Spark - A new program from Microsoft we thought worth mentioning. For web developers, participating in this program means free server licenses and access to other great Microsoft software at no charge to you!

What if you don't see anything helpful to you on this page? Don't panic just yet. This is but a tiny, minute fraction of what is available out there. You can check out more listings like on Mashable's 230+ Tools for Running a Business Online or The Entrepreneur's article, "The Best Things in Life are Free" for even more options.

So good luck with the business! And don't forget, if you really can't find what you need online, you can always contact our custom application development team for a quote.

Contracting is a business, and it all comes down to money. As much as we enjoy developing a rapport with our clients, the foundational truth of our relationship is that we need to cater not just to their needs in terms quality and speed, but also their budget and cost. One of the most common questions we get back from any proposal submission is "Can you do it for less?" The answer is sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really depends on the specifics of each project.

So what is the "best price" to pay for software consulting services and custom application development? Well, by the very nature of the service -- consulting and custom being the operative key words -- it's highly individualistic. You may have a range of choices for "best prices," but the lowest-cost provider may not be the best choice for creating a truly complex, multi-tiered project. On the other hand, if all you need is a couple of basic webpages strung together, it's possible that you could do it for rock-bottom prices and still get a fairly good deal.

There are some things that can help you to bring down the cost for your custom software development project, and that's to research and plan ahead. You can reduce costs by:

• Developing a basic layout of your ideal system architecture to review
• Researching the technology you need for your project in advance
• Creating basic UI designs, or having your graphic artist prepare the UIs in advance to show functionality and workflow

Contractors like seeing proposal requests that are obviously well-planned, researched, and unlikely to change. This also means a definitive "game plan" that everyone can refer to if ever some element of production comes into question.

In general, the best advice we can give when reviewing possible contractors is to review their work history, ask for samples, and determine whether their work quality and ethics mesh well with your own development style. Then, narrow down your prime subjects by the price range they are willing to work at. Chances are, many will be willing to negotiate with you based on how much planning you've already put in, versus the work that needs to be done.

So goodluck with your outsourcing, and remember: getting a quote from Lambodar Inc. developers is absolutely free! Just click on the Contact Us button and submit your request today.

It's the official end of an already bygone era: GeoCities, the online, free web building and community site will be shuttering its doors before the end of the month. New accounts are no longer available, and users are encouraged to download their data from their server to their own personal computers or to move to Yahoo's paid hosting option.

GeoCities, one of the early, and once, very popular web hosting services of the pre-bubble-bursting era, reached its height arguably in 1999, when Yahoo! purchased the system for $3.57 billion in stock. Thereafter, the new TOS implemented by the new owners became very unpopular with users, with agreement terms that turned over ownership of "all rights and content, including media such as pictures" to Yahoo!, initiating a mass exodus from the GeoCities system.

Yahoo!, under new CEO Carol Bartz (replacing founder Jerry Yang), has been working actively to refocus the company and cut down on peripheral and unprofitable services. GeoCities was such a casualty.

But despite its waning popularity and periodically dubious policies, GeoCities will still holds its place in the context of Internet nostalgia and web history. Many a web developer probably had his or her start on the free system, back in the day of high school fan sites and high costs of hosting. What long time web user could forget the time GeoCities added in the hugely annoying GeoCities watermark to every site, and the headache of compatibility that caused? And even in its decline, the original branding power is undeniable. Despite consistent drops in viewership since 2006, internet analytics company Comscore still reported a whooping 11.5 million in unique visitors to the site in March 2009.

So goodbye GeoCities, and thanks for hosting our memories.

We're big fans of Google Docs at the office, not in the least because it's a great tool for sharing and editing the same files simultaneously throughout a large, diverse company. As an outsource custom programming company, we deal daily with our own programmers as well as clients on an international scale. And with so many people reviewing and modifying files, it makes keeping track of each iteration of a file's history a little difficult.

Which is where Google Docs comes in. With a browser-based format, anyone in the company, located anywhere, can access the necessary files using just an internet connection and a compatible browser. The user doesn't even need to install MS Word or Excel on the computer -- a browser is all you need, and this helps to keep a cap on any incompatibility issues.

Moreover, Google Docs is free, so it doesn't cost us anything to sign up. And recently, the system announced that they will be handling advanced mathematical equation forms as well as translation.

Google Docs is useful not just for small businesses, it's a great way for individuals to file share and simultaneously edit, too. With all the great benefits, why not try your own hand at a Google Doc account today? Exciting!

Think of it as comments-as-you go for the internet. Or instant reviews for every web page. Today, Google launched its new Sidewiki product, a web browser app that adds a sidebar review space to every web page so that users can comment on and offer up their knowledge and expertise regarding the content of the site.

In some senses, it's like a more visceral and visible version of the comments section of news articles and blogs, but with an open login that will reach across multiple websites. Ben Parr of Mashable has described it as Google's "stab at making web browsing social." Currently, add-ons of the Sidewiki app are available for Internet Explorer and Firefox, with a Chrome on on the way.

On the back end, Sidewiki has a complex algorithm that will rank available comments and display them according to the most relevant first instead of the most recent -- a system that sounds philosophically similar to the Google page rank system.

Here's Google's video explanation of how Sidewiki works:

Ultimately, the goal of all of this is intended to to help users browse and evaluate information ever more efficiently online. But as with every new medium of communication introduced to the internet, curiouser still might be how online marketeers and strategists will incorporate this new commenting ability into their viral and social marketing campaigns.

Additional links

++ Read it on the Google blog
++ Mashable Review

Blue is a popular color. It's the color of our skies and the reflection of the ocean. Bedrooms are often decorated in this color. It's consistently polled as the favorite color of most of the people in the world.

And there's a reason why. The same reason why so many of our uniformed police officers wear blue. The same reason why the primary color on websites like MSN or Google or Twitter are often blue with a secondary highlight.

Blue is associated with serenity, with tranquility, with confidence, and oftentimes, trust and loyalty. There is evidence that these associations hold true across the world. When surrounded by blue, weightlifters have been known to be improve their weightlifting performance. Although some shades of blue can reflect cold, uncaring feelings, most shades are restful and can help us to focus in our work.

So how can blue help you in creating your website and establishing credibility? The right shade of blue will help you to establish trust between you and your audience. Blue as a color sets a tone of reliability and stability. People trust websites that are primarily blue, or have blue as a background.

That's not to say that blue will work every time -- you still need to plan out your design and the various graphic elements according to other factors that affect your audience and call to action. But it's a good place to start, and hey, it builds confidence.

Other resources on blue:

Squidoo

Sensational Color: All About the Color Blue

Google's Chief Economist, Hal Varian, is a fun guy to watch. Here, he breaks down the basics of how Google's Adwords bidding works.

He doesn't have any magical tips for improving your own ads, but for folks just getting into online marketing and PPC advertising, this is a simple, well-structure breakdown of what happens behind-the-scenes.