Windows Live Mail Desktop

While I like, the Windows Live Mail Desktop feed reader interface, I would like to have the "Blog" button to be configurable. As I am a Blogger user, this button (which posts to MSN spaces) is very much useless.

I like this more than the Thunderbird feed reader. In Thunderbird when I try to forward a post, it would stupidly put the post link in the message, instead of the post content. While the Windows Live Mail Desktop inserts the post content in the mail, it leaves out the post link (but most of the time I don't need the link though).

And Windows Live Mail Desktop has these views (All feeds and Unread Feeds), those are great. I can get these views in Thunderbird too, but I need to be careful while subscribing to a feed or need to constantly manage the folders).

Ok there I have a problem with the advertising bar they have in Windows Live Mail Desktop, but it goes away under a certain situation (Like I enable "Minimize to tray when I close" and then open the Windows Live Mail Desktop from the tray, the advertisement bar is no more). I think they would fix bug in the next release, but till then I will enjoy Windows Live Mail Desktop and hope that Thunderbird fixes the other things.

This could be a killer of all the Feed Readers

Just give a pop3 interface to the Google reader. I will get all the benefits of an off line feed reader and also my online Google reader will be perfectly synchronized. :)

Unlike GMail, they do not even show ads in Reader.

Great, will Google do it?

Importing lyrics into iTunes

The iTunes lyrics importer is a simple application written in C# to import lyrics for the songs in your iTunes, using the Lyricswiki's web services.

Project home page

Google project hosting

If google is really planning to take on sourceforge, they would have to come up with adding project end deliverables to the project space. Otherwise its like setting up an exhibition with no entry for consumers.

Linux for human beings

I do not think much about tag lines, but this is the only one which I found not only useful , but also usable. Linux for human beings

Ubuntu is the best linux distribution for normal people. FYI, I have seen a lot of linux distribution claiming to be, the right one. But this is the only one which passes all the desktop tests.

I recommend Ubuntu for the desktops of normal users.

The Participant Interface

The participant interface is given to all the participating banks and their branches.

The PI has got three interfaces,

1. Online (Using IBM MQ)
2. Offline (File import & Export)
3. Quasi Online (Meaning human interface, where real people enter the details thru real keyboards)

If the participating bank uses the Online method, you might be making your payment in a matter of minutes.

If the participating bank uses the Offline method, you might be making your payment in a matter of hours.

If the participating bank uses the Quasi online method, god help you.

What is the RTGS initiative of RBI?

RTGS - Real Time Gross Settlement System

RBI - Reserve Bank of India

As the name implies RTGS, is a system facilitating payment between banks thru out the day and in real time (if it is processed in that way by the participating banks). It is supposed to be a real time or near real time system, meaning when I pay someone with an account in another bank or another branch of the same bank, the recipient's account will be credited with in a matter of minutes or hours, instead of days.

How it works in terms of business, like settling the payment, covering the risks involved in settlement, cost of liquidity etc are not my cup of tea, so will instead see how it works technically.


Technically these are the systems that make up the RTGS,

INFINET - dedicated, secure communication backbone
SFMS (Structured Financial Messaging System) - Message format
IBM’s S/390 mainframe system - The RTGS and RBI's Core banking system
MQ Series - Messaging system
Participant interface (PI) - RTGS Client for the participating banks



IFTP - Inter-bank Funds Transfer Processor

IAS - Integrated Accounting System

CFMS - Centralised Funds Management System

INFINET - Indian FInance NETwork

SSS - Securities Settlement System


So when a bank needs to pay another bank, it uses the participant interface to send the payment request to IFTP. The IFTP will remove all information that is not needed by the settlement system and send the message to RTGS.

If the payment can be settled, the RTGS sends a response to the IFTP that the settlement is successful. The IFTP will construct a message with the RTGS information, add all the other information that came with the original payment request and then send the response to the Bank that initiated the request and the recipient bank.

If the payment can not be settled for any reason, the RTGS sends response to the IFTP that the settlement failed. The IFTP will construct a message with the RTGS information, add all the other information that came with the original payment request and then send the response the to the Bank that initiated the request.


Here Host means the banking system of the bank.

The details of the PI later.

Source: Reserve Bank of India

Hello World

Hello World