Microsoft Virtual Machine Manager 2008 : Beta Release

Microsoft Announces Beta of Virtual Machine Manager 2008

Microsoft has announced the formal name and beta availability of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, a member of the System Center suite of server management products. The announcements came April 29 at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas, which showcased the beta of the System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (VMM), managing both Hyper-V and VMware virtual infrastructure. Additional functionality new to this version of VMM includes Performance and Resource Optimization (Pro), which dynamically tunes virtual infrastructure, simplified virtual host cluster support, and other improvements and enhancements.

The public beta of Virtual Machine Manager 2008 is available now. RTM of the product will be in the second half of CY2008.

Features

• It will utilize the foundational features and services of windows server 2008 and Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
  
  Specific features are ,
  1. Hyper-V's 64-bit architecture
  2. attack hardened security model
  3. fail-over cluster support.
  4. VMM 2008 integrates with new clustering support in Windows Server 2008 to allow for fault-tolerant and cluster aware virtual machines to be created
  
  


• Multi-vendor virtualization platform support like
  
  1. In addition to support for Hyper-V, VMM 2008 integrates multi-hypervisor management into one tool with its support for virtual machines running on VMware ESX infrastructure and Microsoft Virtual Server.
  2. VMM 2008 specific features such as Intelligent Placement, consolidation candidate recommendations and others can be run against virtualized infrastructure on any supported platform.
  3. Windows PowerShell™ scripts for customization or automation are also supported across Hyper-V, VMware ESX or Virtual Server implementations.
  4. VMM 2008 provides comprehensive support for VMware VI3 included moving virtual machines among virtual hosts with no downtime via VMotion, through integration with VMware’s Virtual Center.
  5. VMM 2008 specific features such as Intelligent Placement, consolidation candidate recommendations and others can be run against virtualized infrastructure on any supported platform.
  
  


• Performance and Resource Optimization


• Host Cluster Support for “High Availability” Virtual Machines.
  
  1. When you use VMM 2008 to manage a failover cluster on computers running Windows Server 2008, you can add the entire cluster in a single step. VMM 2008 automatically detects node additions and removals to the cluster. In addition, VMM 2008 enables you to manage (create, migrate, remove, and so on) highly available virtual machines (HA VMs) from the VMM Administrator Console or from the VMM command shell.
  
  


• The beta release of VMM 2008 is capable of converting a VMware VMDK to a VHD.


• A single instance of VMM is designed and tested to support hundreds of physical virtualization hosts and thousands of guest operating systems running on those hosts.


• And some more stuff you can find here on Microsoft Virtual Machine Manager 2008 website,

Download
Please visit Microsoft Connect and look for "System Center Virtual Machine Manager" from programs.

Requirements for Installation
To use VMM 208 on a single computer, you need:
• x64 architecture–based server with 2.8 GHz or faster processor clock speed and with hardware-assisted virtualization support enabled in the BIOS
• 2GB of RAM recommended
• 200GB of available hard-disk space
• DVD-ROM drive
Other Prerequisites and Dependencies:
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 or later (must include Hyper-V)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (included in installation)
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (included in installation)
• Microsoft SQL Server® 2005 Express Edition with Service Pack 2 (included in installation) or
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard or Enterprise Editions with Service Pack 2 (separate installation)
• Microsoft Windows PowerShell TM 1.0
• Microsoft Windows Remote Management (WinRM)
• Microsoft Internet Information Server 7.0 (needed for Self-Service Portal only)
Actual requirements and product functionality will vary based on your system configuration and the features you choose to install. For more details and the most up-to-date information, please refer to the documentation at www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/scvmm

Resources

1. VMM 2008 DataSheet


2. Hardware requirements for System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008


3. Top 10 Benefits of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008


4. Video about MS System Center Virtual Machine Manager is available on right hand side bar top corner.

Lists : For success, To measure Success and To repeat Success

Lists are so important. They already part of our life day and night. List of daily life chores, items, tasks, bills, receipts, photos, memories and everything. That gives us an idea what we are up to, where we need to go.

I would categories list into two categories. One is list of items to-do. Another is list of items which are done/accomplished/achieved. The list of items to-do shows us what need to achieved. It allows us to remain focused and stay aligned with the goals and objectives.

The list can start in morning with various simple tasks, get each task ticked off when complete, while items will be added depending on day's progress and then remaining tasks from the list will formulate the part of next day's list. And while looking back through the time and sighting those marked lists, it will give the sense of completion, progress and accomplishment at personal level and at team level too.

Each list may have some tasks which we do not like to do et all but needs to be done. Some tasks, we like to repeat endlessly but does not fits into the life and the concept of society. And sometimes the list has tasks which are important and which we like to do. Lists are either containing one time tasks like getting married or repetitive tasks like going to office/school everyday. The lists keep running and moving forward.

The lists can be prepared on paper, online on Internet, offline on napkins or might be inside our own mind. The place does not matter as long as the lists are followed to the end, completed tasks are marked and remaining & additional items are carried forward.

I have noticed the list gives senses of having in control of what need to be done in this world where the consistent thing is the change. It allows us to look forward for sensing what need to be done in future. The completed list gives us much needed feeling of accomplishment and energy to rise for the occasion for the tasks on the list in hand.

The list for shopping keeps the needs and the wishes pretty separate. It allows to achieve the budget. It allows to bring the items which are required and are urgent.

The list for daily tasks gives the glimpse of the day ahead. Each task then can be broken into small sub lists and can be executed one after another. Or the most difficult but important task could be performed earlier while leaving the smaller task for later part of the list. This reminds me a story.

One day a father approached his family. He had a glass jar, some stones and lots of sand. He asked his family to fill in the jar with all those items. Those who filled in the sand could not get stones in. While bigger stones took almost all the space. The father shown a trick. He broke the bigger stone and pushed the smaller stone pieces down in the glass jar. Then poured sand and then remaining stones. Voila, the jar been filled and nothing remained outside. :D)

Another observation, when there is a project... anything from cleaning house to achieving certain highly sought after deliverable with certain deadline, instead of breaking it in small task list and execute it at a time, mostly tendency is to wait till last moment and try to do that in one big bite. Well, not always this leads to success.

We need lists for success, to measure success and to repeat success. Isn't that your observation ? Can you tell if list make any difference ? How you list the items/tasks?

Cheers...

Hey SocialCardster ... calling all of you out there...

The Term SocialCardSter is coined by The BenSpark (http://www.benspark.com/socialcardsters). This is for those bloggers who are on SocialSpark and on Entrecard.

Ben Spark is compiling a blogroll for all such "socialcardsters". :D)

Idea is that you can copy the blog roll and add it to your blog, if you like and then you can then add the SocialCardsters image to under your Entrecard widget. It would look like this. Ben’s commitment to this blogroll includes dropping on your blogs and clicking on the blog you are advertising. Both will help improve your EC worth. Ben will also try and comment each week, not each day, he still has a full time job and needs to blog himself but will try and comment when he can.

Enjoy...

Tips & Tricks : Directly photoblog from Flickr to your blog

Discovered a cool trick on Flickr. It is to post a photo/video directly from Flickr to the blog.

Here is how you can do it:

First setup Flickr to Blogsite configuration as below:

1. Login to your Flickr Account (obviously) :D)
2. Choose "Your Account" from "You" menu.
3. Click on "Extending Flickr".
4. The "Extending Flickr" shows - your printing location, account links and "Your Blogs"
5. Click "edit".
6. On "Your Blog List" dialogue click on "add another blog".
7. It presents a dialogue with drop down containing a list of all well known blog sites like blogger, typepad, wordpress, movable etc etc. Choose one - which is yours and press "Next"
8. Depending on the blog website, it will present a page which can accept user id/password and blog URL. Enter all the information which is been asked and hit another "Next"
9. Confirm your details and click on "All Done". This will give message "Your blog has been added to Flickr." and allow you to play with your blog posting template.
10. As per your choice you may choose to customize the template. Positively, I have did it and would recommand to take a look. :D) Or you can choose to return to your blog list.
11. You would be able to see your just configured blog in the blog list.

Now the Second step is to actually perform direct photoblog:

1. Go back to your photstream.
2. Choose a photo which you like to blog about.
3. On top of the photo, you will see "blog this" link.
4. Depending on the blogs in your configured blog list, it will present you the entire list and will allow you to choose one of the blog.
5. Then a page with title Blog this photo, containing textbox & text area to compose your blog enter will be presented. Enter your photo related blog contents and click on "Post Entry".
6. It will give you a success message "Your blog entry has been posted!"
7. You can visit your blog either to check the post or to edit the blog post draft. Depending on your blog settings.

Enjoy...

Java2SoA Revolution. Dev2Dev TechDays : April 15th : Atlanta,GA

Dev2Dev TechDays Java2SOA Revolution

I have an opportunity to attend Java2SOA Revolution - Dev2Dev TechDays last week April 16th. The Dev2Dev TechDays are half day developer focused seminars that provide a guide for building SOA in Java. Presented by technical experts from throughout BEA – these events will inform about the latest technologies for extending Java2SOA.

Overall cool experience with lots of knowledge, demo and reusable code - about BEA product tools along with an opportunity to meet the like minded people from trenches. :D)


Venue

The venue was the Georgia Aquarium. Fantastically beautiful, dazzling and splendid blueish water filled vibrant, dynamic colorful sea creatures. What a perfect setting to learn more about BEA's Liquid vision about SOA. And another complement to the Liquid was the "AIR" from Adobe. Isn't it an excellent experience to live. The Liquid and the AIR at the same time. :D) With eight million gallons of fresh and marine water and more aquatic life than found in any other aquarium, Georgia Aquarium makes the perfect Venue for knowledge eager development community. The Oceans Ballroom is one of the exotic, spacious and flexible meeting space I have ever been. The cherry on top of the cream is that the Georgia Aquarium offers catering by the world-renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck and we have an opportunity to have continental breakfast, so we can concentrate on the business at hand surrounded by a gorgeous setting.



Event Sponsor : Adobe : Global Event Sponsor

These Dev2Dev TechDays event has been sponsered by Adobe. The Adobe Engg has given a fresh AIR demo alongside BEA Engg team. Adobe AIR enables to have favorite web applications as a offline widget or a disconnected portlet. I mean to say that Adobe AIR runtime lets developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that deploy to the desktop and run across operating systems.


Dev2Dev
Just in brief before I move ahead with agenda and demos etc stuff, I would like to share bit about BEA's Dev2Dev "By developers, for Developers" developer-product portal. It allow developers to "Get Involved" into "New to Java?" fundas, Blogs from industry experts, CodeShare, Newsgroups, Wiki, User Groups and allow you to "Submit Content/Code". Also it has Product Centers, Technology Centers and various resources containing Dev2Dev Media Center, utilities & tools etc. It is a one happening place. Apart from this portal, BEA has Arch2Arch and Exec2Exec. More about them in different blogs as time arise. :D)

One of the interesting announcement about one of the "coming soon" feature. It is about social networking integration into Facebook.


Dev2Dev Tech Days content

Dev2Dev Tech Days content is based on the new BEA WebLogic Platform 10.2 Evaluation guide. The guide is a comprehensive tour of WebLogic Platform 10.2 for the practitioner (developer, dev manager, architect) . The guide uses an end-to-end order management application scenario to demonstrate concepts. The demos are a small fraction of what is covered and available in the guide. The guide ties together all of demos into one tutorial application with step by step instructions and screenshots. It includes all source code / Eclipse projects. 500+ pages of optional exercises and discussion topics! Spotlight on Adobe Flex extends “Avitek” application scenario with Rich Internet UI. The downloads section on 10.2 Evaluation Guide allow to download Applications and Tools like BEA WebLogic Platform 10.2, WebLogic Workshop Studio 10.2 + Adobe Flex Builder 2 and Adobe Lifecycle Data Services Express. Also it has platform Evaluation source files.

Demo

Avitek is a consumer electronics company. Their existing Order Management System (OMS) requires enhancement, not re-write. The demos are centered around the OMS and various business use cases from that system. The source code and information can be found in 10.2 platform evaluation guide.

One interesting BEA Workshop Studio 10.2 and Adobe Flex Builder 2 : Medrec Patient Application Demo I have come across is on BEA Dev2Dev Media Center. It talks about how Flex & Workshop can be used to provide a single Java/Flex environment for RIA and WebLogic Server side development. The medrec example application that ships with WebLogic Server has been redesigned for new RIA technologies, and is constructed in three layers, the Web tier (Flex), the Business tier (Spring services exposed as Web Services), and the Data tier (ORM types and corresponding Spring DAOs). It uses Adobe and BEA's Eclipse plug-ins to address each layer of the application. Thanks to Spring, the web tier is replaceable without changing the other two, as they are unaware of what web technology is providing the view.

Agenda

It covered following main items:

1. The conceptual framework: SOA Reference Architecture
2. Connectivity Services Layer & Demonstration
3. Business Process Services Layer & Demonstration
4. Service Mediation Layer & Demonstration
5. Presentation Services Layer & Demonstration
6. Flex in Presentation Services & Demonstration
7. Continuing the Java2SOA Revolution at home

Below is an overview schedule for the day:

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM	Continental Breakfast & Registration
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM	BEA Welcome and Presentation Developing POJO components Extending POJO components into Java Web Services Visually creating and testing integration process designs Integrating processes into existing systems
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM	Break
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM	BEA Presentation Using Eclipse to Proxy enable Java Web Services Configuring a proxy without development Developing custom portlets in the presentation layer Linking portlets into integration processes
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM	Adobe presentation Developing a Rich UI with Flex in Eclipse Connecting a Flex UI to the back-end SOA
11:45 AM	Summary & Q&A
12:00 PM	Close

Resources Shared

Some of the resources which has been shared are:

• WebLogic Portal's site to preview upcoming features, view new demos, and check out our latest ideas.

wlp.bea.com

• The SoA Reference Architecture White Paper and lots of other SOA Goodies:

http://www.bea.com/framework.jsp?CNT=index.htm&FP=/content/solutions/soa&WT.ac=topnav_solutions_soa

• James Ward - RIA Cowboy. He has presented on Rich UI with Flex in Eclipse and connecting it to the back-end SOA.
  

jamesward.com/census and http://www.jamesward.org/wordpress/


Goodie Bag

I walked out of the seminar with couple of cool goodies. A BEA think liquid folder containing beautiful blank T-Shirt, couple of DVDs with products, source code, education catalog and printed presentation. Also I have received tickets for Georgia Aquarium.


Overall a cheerful, bellyful, mindful, cool experience...Cheers...

Do you want to take a virtual drive/walk on Seattle or San Francisco Streets?

Well, then you are in luck while you are in front of your computer with Internet connected.

Please take a look to Microsoft's new preview of "Windows Local Live". Well, Microsoft Local Live gives you three choices for this - Race Car, Sports Car or Walk.

Here is a small glimpse of it...

Please don't forget to wave your hand while driving by me...a yellow circle in this image. :D)

Enjoy...

Misty Dreamscape

This blog post has been moved to my new blog Photos from Phoenix2Life. The new link to this blog is here.

After couple of days ...may be in next 15 days, I will remove this blog and will make the other link permanent.

Hope you would enjoy it...

Thanks for your kind patience while I re-organize and declutter. :D)

Portal Experimention with AJAX-Solutions For Professional Coding

A great review of almost 140+ AJAX, JavaScript and CSS toolsets for RIA Development. You can find those here "80+ AJAX-Solutions For Professional Coding" and "60 More AJAX- and Javascript Solutions For Professional Coding".

I am working on using randm sampling methodology and experiment some of these utilities on various portal servers and share my research finding.

It may take a while to update this ...so please be patient...and if you have already tried any of these utilities ...please do let me know through your comments. In advance, sincere thanks for your views and research sharing. !!!!

How to design your own planet ? : Virtual Planet Laboratory (VPL) & Astroventure

Well, then you have to visit AstroVenture Website and let hear to AstroFerrt to show how to design planet. The condition is you have to create a planet which is habitable by humans and different than the earth. Then follow one of this:

1. Design a Planet Tutorial.
2. Design a planet Lite
3. Design a Planet Regular

Isn't it a fun ...and feel like all powerful. Thanks to NASA we can experience that.

How ? Why ? Where? ... Ok,,,one question at a time...:D)

Virtualization technologies is one of the realization of abstraction and promise of personas on the top of the existing one. Since my awareness of virtualization, I always try to see if we are using this methdology anywhere else. My quest has drawn me to virtual Planet Laboratory.

Here I am looking to play with a "micro" hypervisor to emulate an Operating System inside another OS on some hardware. And scientist from VPL are building computer simulated planets from the ground up. What a cool concept. It keeps getting better and better. :D).

The VPL website is divided into three parts : Main Site, Educators' Site,Researchers' Site.

What is Virtual Planet laboratory?
The Virtual Planet Laboratory (VPL) is a team of scientists who are building computer simulated Earth-sized planets to discover the likely range of planetary environments for planets around other stars. These simulated environments allow us to visualize what these planets look like from space to help future missions recognize signs of possible life in the spectra of planetary atmospheres and surfaces. VPL findings will directly influence the development of future space missions designed to look for habitable planets around other stars by allowing them to distinguish between planets with and without life. The scientists are using the best supercomputers available to simulate Earth-sized (terrestrial) planets.

Curiously colors reflected by plants,Oxygen (O2) plus water (H2O),Methane (CH4) plus oxygen or seasonal cycles,Methyl chloride (CH3Cl),Nitrous oxide (N2O) etc could be signs of life.
Goals and Objectives

• Goal 1:Habitable Planets


• Goal 2:Life in our Solar System


• Goal 3:Origins of Life


• Goal 4:Earth's Early Biosphere and its Environment


• Goal 5 : Evolution, Environment, and Limits of LIfe


• Goal 6 :Life's Future on Earth and Beyond


• Goal 7 :Signatures of Life

Some of the Objectives this futuristic lab are:

• to discover the likely range of habitable planets around other stars and to find out how these planets might appear to future planet-finding missions.


• To date over one hundred and thirty planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. This has motivated NASA to plan space-based observatories designed to search for life on other worlds and to look for planets which are similar to Earth. The VPL will help determine what the signatures of life on an extrasolar terrestrial planet will look like and directly influence these future space missions.


• to learn how to recognize "false positives" -- planets that may appear to have life, but don't.

Educational Resources
There are some interesting educational resources I have found on VPL website.

• Here is a amazing educational video of habitable planet model.


• Alien Safari shows some of the most bizzare and extreme organisms ever discovered on the earth.


• This link is for astrobiology gallery.


• VPL is providing budget and scientist support to develop the "Create a Planet" module of the AstroVenture interactive website for middle school students. AstroVenture highlights NASA careers and astrobiology research.


• There is a big list of educational links available for a scientist, an adventurer and a visionary human being. It has all sorts of links - Astrobiology , General Astronomy, Astronomy For Kids and so on.
  

Definitions

• Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.
  


• More terms and their definitions could be found in glossary.
  

Enjoy...

sQuba, world's first swimming car

Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Only, it was animation and not an actual scene.

But Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.' Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

sQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'. It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 mt) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

sQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir.? It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.

The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads.

Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel.
However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.

To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.'


Technical data

Measurements

Length ----- 3'785 mm
Width ----- 1''940 mm
Height ----- 1'117 mm
Wheelbase ----- 2?300 mm
Track front ----- 1?470 mm
Track rear ----- 1?520 mm
Ground clearance ----- 130 mm
Empty weight ----- approx. 920kg


Performances

Top speed ----- > 120 km/h
Acceleration 0-80 km/h ----- 7.1 sec
Water speed ----- > 6 km/h
Under water speed ----- > 3 km/h
Dive depth ----- 10 m

Engines

Street ----- Electric
Power output ----- max. 54 kW at 4'500 /min
Torque ----- 160 NM at 1'500 /min
Water - Stern propellers ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 800 W
Diving - bow jet drives ----- Electric
Power output ----- 2 x 3.6 kW Rotinor
Batteries ----- Lithium-Ionen
Voltage ----- 6 x 48 Volt

Propulsion

Power train ----- Rear wheel drive
Gearbox ----- R - N - F
Suspension
Chassis ----- Steel
Body panels ----- Carbon Nano Tubes
Seating capacity ----- 2
Front suspension ----- Double wishbone
Rear suspension ----- Double wishbone
Dampers/springs ----- KW automotive
Steering ----- Rack & pinion

Tyres

Front tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17
Front wheels ----- AEZ 7.5 x 17"
Rear tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 225/40 R18
Rear wheels ----- AEZ 8 x 18"
Miscellaneous
Air supply ----- 1 x 15 liter + 1 x 18 liter ScubaPro
Laser scanner ----- Ibeo
Lubricants ----- Motorex

Pictures
You can enjoy the pictures here :































Video In Action
While picture is worth 1000 words, Video is 1000 times better than picture. You can enjoy live sQuba in action here:

blog.ahfr.org : Making animated GIFs with GIMP and mplayer

I come across very good tutorial on
blog.ahfr.org - Making Animated GIFs With Free Software in Four Steps. It covers steps of creation of animated GIFs in crisp language. Also it shows how to use free open source tool. Excellent tutorial.

Thanks to Noha to allow me to showcase the work = HowTo. :D)

Thought these Downloads would be useful supplement

• MPlayer related:


Mplayer Downloads

The Mplayer Frontend for Windows (MPUI)

MPlayer FreshMeat Project

MuldeR's Homepage has Some cool projects on MPlayer For Windows and MPlayer engine based tools.

MakeInstantPlayer is a tool for converting video files into self-running executables. This is very useful for distributing videos, as the user doesn't need any additional software for playback.


• GIMP for windows:


Installers for GIMP for windows

GIMP for the windows

c4lpt : Top Tools for Learning : Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies

You may be wondering what is C4LPT. It is a "Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies".

The Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies provides a number of resources, consultancy services and workshops to help you understand more about how Web 2.0 technologies and tools are creating a new approach to learning (in both in education and the workplace learning) known as Learning 2.0 or Social Learning.

Well, I have missed an opportunity to uncover this resource to contribute ( to vote) for Top 100 Tools for Learning Spring 2008. The deadline is passed on March 31st. The contribution is welcome throughout the year ...By the way :)

But anyway the list will be sent as a pdf file if you like to get the results. Please visit Center for Learning and performance technologies and give your email id.

While you are around you can take a chance to send your top 10 tools to Jane Hart : Head of the Centre. You would need to provide some information about yourself, about your favorite tools plus you get to clarify guidelines about the tools in Share section.

You can take a pick at contributors in Top 10s tab. There is a good chance that you may appear on the website for your choice of tools. To get showcase on the site, you may send a note to Jane Hart with your top 10 tools.

There are lots of educational tools listed here in tools directory. The tools in this Directory are both freeware/open source and commercial. I am glad to see some of my favorite tools like del.icio.us, blogger, Google Docs, PidGin, FireFox etc has been listed as top tools.

Could you please let know your favorite top learning and productivity tools...???

Cheers...