A computer browser that is said to least quadruple surfing speeds on the Internet has won the top prize at an Irish exhibition for young scientists, it was announced on Saturday.
Adnan Osmani, 16, a student at Saint Finian's College in Mullingar, central Ireland spent 18 months writing 780,000 lines of computer code to develop the browser.
Known as "XWEBS," the system works with an ordinary Internet connection using a 56K modem on a normal telephone line.
The software was tested by scientists at University College, Dublin last week and they found it boosted surfing speeds by between 100 percent and 500 percent depending on the basic dial-up connection rate.
Adnan says a six-fold increase is about the maximum practical boost.
"At seven times it actually crashes so I have limited it to six."
Other special aspects of his browser are the fact that access to 120 Internet search engines other features such as music and video players are built in.
"It has got every single media player built in. It is the first Internet browser in the world to actually incorporate a DVD sidebar. So you can watch a DVD movie in whatever screen size you want and browse the Internet at the same time."
To make the software more user friendly, it features a talking animated figure called Phoebe.
"The character interacts the entire way through the software. It can also read out web pages and e-mail and I thought it would be really useful for the blind and young children because they can't really experience the Internet.
"Someone like parents or guardians can load up some Web pages and it can read out the pages to them," the young programmer said.
A number of communications and computer companies have visited Adnan's stand at the Young Scientists exhibition in Dublin. He only patented his invention to protect it last Thursday.
"Five or six companies have approached me about it. I am keeping a lid on it for the time being. I am just waiting until after the exhibition and then I will try to get it all organized."
He said he was still in a state of shock as he had not expected to win and had only told three of his teachers last week about his competition entry.
"I thought I might get a good place."
He wants to study computer engineering in Harvard University and eventually set up his own Internet or computer company.
"Winning is a nice boost to my university application," he said with a smile.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese