ExtremeTech is publishing chapters from a book on hacking Windows XP. Published online free chapters include Windows Explorer, speeding disk access, speeding up your network and internet access, and speeding up your system boot.
Good tips are in these articles.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
EMC Continues High Growth
Total consolidated revenue for EMC's second quarter was $2.34 billion, 19% higher than the $1.97 billion reported for the second quarter of 2004. Net income for the quarter was $293 million, 52% higher than the $193 million reported for the second quarter of 2004. Earnings per diluted share was $0.12, an increase from the $0.08 per diluted share reported for the year-ago quarter.
Systems revenue grew 15% in the second quarter, compared with the year-ago quarter, to $1.1 billion. EMC's software businesses grew software license and maintenance revenues 23% year on year to $878 million in the second quarter, representing 37% of total EMC revenues. Professional services, systems maintenance, and other services revenue grew 26% year on year to $389 million during the quarter.
High-end Symmetrix revenue only grew 4%. However, a much-anticipated new line of Symmetrix products is expected next Monday, which should spike demand in the second half. Mid-range Clariion storage grew and impressive 32%. EMC and partner Dell are clearly picking up market share. Note that software and services are growing much faster than hardware.
Systems revenue grew 15% in the second quarter, compared with the year-ago quarter, to $1.1 billion. EMC's software businesses grew software license and maintenance revenues 23% year on year to $878 million in the second quarter, representing 37% of total EMC revenues. Professional services, systems maintenance, and other services revenue grew 26% year on year to $389 million during the quarter.
High-end Symmetrix revenue only grew 4%. However, a much-anticipated new line of Symmetrix products is expected next Monday, which should spike demand in the second half. Mid-range Clariion storage grew and impressive 32%. EMC and partner Dell are clearly picking up market share. Note that software and services are growing much faster than hardware.
Amex and Visa Punt Online Processor Responsible for Data Leak
Good news! The penalty phase for poor data security by online processors has arrived after literally tens of millions of of customer data records had been lost or stolen this year. The rules of the game are finally changing.
The penalty is death -- of the company responsible. Details of up to 40 million payments cards, including names, account numbers and expiration dates, are believed to have been taken out of a database system run by CardSystems—the biggest such privacy violation ever reported. In June, CardSystems Solutions, which processes credit cards for 115,000 U.S. merchants, revealed it had mishandled customer data by storing data on customers—in violation of Visa and MasterCard's security standards.
Both American Express and Visa are ceasing doing business with CardSystems by October. I suspect MasterCard will follow suit based on what their competitors are doing -- and MasterCard's suddenly increased liability. With nothing to interchange, I cannot see a way for CardSystems to stay in business.
Let that be an object lesson to the CEO's of companies with less than effective internal and external controls. These data privacy violations have got to be taken seriously.
Update: During congressional testimony Thursday, executives from bank and credit card companies involved in the largest credit card data loss ever pointed fingers at a new culprit for gaps in security: the auditors who had certified the credit card processing systems as being up to snuff. Now I've heard everything. Let's blame the auditors for our security problems...and the dog ate my homework.
The penalty is death -- of the company responsible. Details of up to 40 million payments cards, including names, account numbers and expiration dates, are believed to have been taken out of a database system run by CardSystems—the biggest such privacy violation ever reported. In June, CardSystems Solutions, which processes credit cards for 115,000 U.S. merchants, revealed it had mishandled customer data by storing data on customers—in violation of Visa and MasterCard's security standards.
Both American Express and Visa are ceasing doing business with CardSystems by October. I suspect MasterCard will follow suit based on what their competitors are doing -- and MasterCard's suddenly increased liability. With nothing to interchange, I cannot see a way for CardSystems to stay in business.
Let that be an object lesson to the CEO's of companies with less than effective internal and external controls. These data privacy violations have got to be taken seriously.
Update: During congressional testimony Thursday, executives from bank and credit card companies involved in the largest credit card data loss ever pointed fingers at a new culprit for gaps in security: the auditors who had certified the credit card processing systems as being up to snuff. Now I've heard everything. Let's blame the auditors for our security problems...and the dog ate my homework.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Firefox - Rediscover the web
Version 1.06 out now....
Jiminy, I just installed 1.05...
There are more browser updates, than antivirus ones anymore
"And my source for this up to date info?" you ask
Courtesy of Bill42 in the chat, filehippo,which has updates for more programs than I use, and just about all the other ones, too. Since I'm an RSS addict (loud and proud about it too lol) filehippo has an rss feed too
--MissM
Jiminy, I just installed 1.05...
There are more browser updates, than antivirus ones anymore
"And my source for this up to date info?" you ask
Courtesy of Bill42 in the chat, filehippo,which has updates for more programs than I use, and just about all the other ones, too. Since I'm an RSS addict (loud and proud about it too lol) filehippo has an rss feed too
--MissM
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
HP takes hard line with partners
Beyond the pink slips that will soon be landing in employees hands, there is another part of the HP strategy for maximum profitability afoot.
Consider this quote from HP Chief Executive Mark Hurd:
" 'We really like partners that are very focused on HP,' Hurd said during a conference call Tuesday. 'It doesn't mean that they are exclusively focused on HP, but when we go to market together, they are focused on what we call the attach rate and that we enlarge our content of product.' "
So if you go to buy HP products in the future expect to have other, perhaps unwanted, items pushed at you. I don't hear "great package deals" as part of this focus, but maybe they will be. I don't know at this point.
What I do know is that I'm personally turned off by such tactics. However, unless the implementation is so agressive as to be egregious, it can work. For various reasons, mostly having to do with software support for HP hardware, I'm not a big HP fan. So as I gently poo-poo Hurd's strategy, consider the source.
Consider this quote from HP Chief Executive Mark Hurd:
" 'We really like partners that are very focused on HP,' Hurd said during a conference call Tuesday. 'It doesn't mean that they are exclusively focused on HP, but when we go to market together, they are focused on what we call the attach rate and that we enlarge our content of product.' "
So if you go to buy HP products in the future expect to have other, perhaps unwanted, items pushed at you. I don't hear "great package deals" as part of this focus, but maybe they will be. I don't know at this point.
What I do know is that I'm personally turned off by such tactics. However, unless the implementation is so agressive as to be egregious, it can work. For various reasons, mostly having to do with software support for HP hardware, I'm not a big HP fan. So as I gently poo-poo Hurd's strategy, consider the source.
Microsoft to expand anti-spyware offering
This TechWorld.com article says that the MS anti-spyware app is to be expanded to include the ability to search out and destroy "rootkits"; the software than enables crackers to run your machine. The application already has some very limited capabilities in this area.
Now that Microsoft's reliability and trustworthiness is in question because of their preferential treatment of Claria/Gator, it is ironic that they may soon be putting out the most capable application in the field, but hindering it's function to suit Microsoft's commercail interests.
Jack
Now that Microsoft's reliability and trustworthiness is in question because of their preferential treatment of Claria/Gator, it is ironic that they may soon be putting out the most capable application in the field, but hindering it's function to suit Microsoft's commercail interests.
Jack
PC Industry Up 15%, Intel Up 15%
Coincidence? I think not. Intel had a great quarter because the industry had a great quarter.
Highlights:
Highlights:
- Intel had to cannibalize its motherboard sales to have chipsets to ship to OEM manufacturers. A chipset shortage may continue. Overall, inventories are lower than desirable. It looks like even Intel underestimated the strength of the global computer market.
- Microprocessor units were at a record, but xBox sales pulled average unit price down somewhat.
- Chipset units were higher.
- Motherboard units were lower.
- Flash memory units were higher and at record levels, with lower average selling prices.
- Wireless connectivity units set a record.
- Wired connectivity units were lower.
- The 65 nm process is proceeding better than expected. Samples of microprocessors code-named Yonah, Presler and Dempsey, the company's first 65nm dual-core microprocessors for notebook, desktop and server platforms, respectively, have shipped to OEMs.
- With five new Celeron D processors with 64-bit computing capability for the value PC segment, Intel now has 64-bit capability available throughout its desktop and server microprocessor product lines.
A "Priceless" Server Room - The Daily WTF
How many of us have seen this???
Enjoy!
OffTopic: I had to load this in IE to see the text correctly, there seems to be some issue with firefox and text wrapping.
--MissM
Enjoy!
OffTopic: I had to load this in IE to see the text correctly, there seems to be some issue with firefox and text wrapping.
--MissM
Thousands back petition to open source OS/2
According to this ZDNet UK article, over 10,000 have asked IBM to open the OS/2 source code, seeing as they're discontinuing things having to do with that OS.
IBM, for their part, would rather you migrate to Linux, and with good reason. As a matter of fact, it's the same reason they won't open the code. Linux is complete. OS/2 open-sourced would not be. Why? Remember who IBM partnered with to produce OS/2? Microsoft, that's who. And somehow I can't see MS going along with this one because some fundamental Windows stuff would be let into the wild.
I guess we'll have to go back to our Angelina Jolie daydreams. This one is full of holes.
Jack
IBM, for their part, would rather you migrate to Linux, and with good reason. As a matter of fact, it's the same reason they won't open the code. Linux is complete. OS/2 open-sourced would not be. Why? Remember who IBM partnered with to produce OS/2? Microsoft, that's who. And somehow I can't see MS going along with this one because some fundamental Windows stuff would be let into the wild.
I guess we'll have to go back to our Angelina Jolie daydreams. This one is full of holes.
Jack
Mozilla: IE 7 to boost Firefox growth
If that headline sounds like a contridiction in terms, think again. IE7 will not work on Windows 2000.
We alluded to this on last Sunday's show. Is Microsoft moving individuals and corporations towards upgrading to Windows XP, or will individuals and corporations move to Firefox and stick with Windows 2000?
I have no crystal ball, but considering that the conventional wisdom is that some who are sticking with Win2k already have licenses for WinXP, it could mean that short of equipment upgrades, Microsoft's decision not to support IE7 on Win2k will boost Firefox useage. If that becomes a reality, look for a version of IE7 that runs on Win2k to magically appear.
We alluded to this on last Sunday's show. Is Microsoft moving individuals and corporations towards upgrading to Windows XP, or will individuals and corporations move to Firefox and stick with Windows 2000?
I have no crystal ball, but considering that the conventional wisdom is that some who are sticking with Win2k already have licenses for WinXP, it could mean that short of equipment upgrades, Microsoft's decision not to support IE7 on Win2k will boost Firefox useage. If that becomes a reality, look for a version of IE7 that runs on Win2k to magically appear.
IBM Q2 Bounces Back
Here are excerpts from the prepared remarks from IBM's conference call with financial analysts yesterday:
REVENUE - BRAND
Total Revenue in the second quarter was down 4 percent year-to-year as reported, but up 6 percent without PC’s. Without PC’s, revenue was up 4 percent at constant currency.
Global Services, which this quarter represented over 50 percent of IBM’s revenue, was up 6 percent year-to-year as reported, and up 4 percent at constant currency. An improvement in short term signings accelerated the growth rate of BCS. Our strategic outsourcing signings were up significantly year-to-year, which will provide a benefit over the longer term.
Hardware revenue was down 25 percent as reported. But, as we just discussed, this included one month of PC’s as compared to three months in second quarter of 2004. Without the PC business, hardware was up 5 percent, and up 4 percent at constant currency.
We had double-digit growth in pSeries, iSeries, xSeries, and storage.
This strong performance was offset by an expected decline in zSeries, as customers anticipated a new product announcement.
Software revenue grew 10 percent as reported, and 7 percent at constant currency.
You’ll recall that the second quarter of 2004 was a challenging environment for the software industry.
This year, we had especially strong performance in the Americas.
Global Financing revenue was down 4 percent as reported, or 7 percent at constant currency, driven by a continued decline in the asset base and yields.
From the press release
Hardware revenues decreased 25 percent (27 percent, adjusting for currency) to $5.6 billion in the second-quarter 2005 versus the year-ago period. Hardware revenues excluding the divested PC business were $5.0 billion, an increase of 5 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency).
Hardware revenues for the Systems and Technology Group, which was newly realigned to include Retail Stores Solutions and Printing Systems, totaled $4.9 billion for the quarter, up 5 percent. Revenue growth from S&TG eServer products was driven by pSeries UNIX servers, which increased 36 percent, and xSeries servers and iSeries midrange servers, which increased 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Revenues from the zSeries mainframe product decreased 24 percent compared with the year-ago period. Total delivery of zSeries computing power, which is measured in MIPS (millions of instructions per second), decreased 19 percent. In addition to eServers, revenues from Storage Systems increased 19 percent and Microelectronics decreased 5 percent.
Revenues from Software were $3.8 billion, an increase of 10 percent (7 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with the second quarter of 2004. Revenues from IBM's middleware brands, which include WebSphere, DB2, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $3.0 billion, up 11 percent versus the second quarter of 2004. Operating systems revenues increased 3 percent to $592 million compared with the prior-year quarter.
REVENUE - BRAND
Total Revenue in the second quarter was down 4 percent year-to-year as reported, but up 6 percent without PC’s. Without PC’s, revenue was up 4 percent at constant currency.
Global Services, which this quarter represented over 50 percent of IBM’s revenue, was up 6 percent year-to-year as reported, and up 4 percent at constant currency. An improvement in short term signings accelerated the growth rate of BCS. Our strategic outsourcing signings were up significantly year-to-year, which will provide a benefit over the longer term.
Hardware revenue was down 25 percent as reported. But, as we just discussed, this included one month of PC’s as compared to three months in second quarter of 2004. Without the PC business, hardware was up 5 percent, and up 4 percent at constant currency.
We had double-digit growth in pSeries, iSeries, xSeries, and storage.
This strong performance was offset by an expected decline in zSeries, as customers anticipated a new product announcement.
Software revenue grew 10 percent as reported, and 7 percent at constant currency.
You’ll recall that the second quarter of 2004 was a challenging environment for the software industry.
This year, we had especially strong performance in the Americas.
Global Financing revenue was down 4 percent as reported, or 7 percent at constant currency, driven by a continued decline in the asset base and yields.
From the press release
Hardware revenues decreased 25 percent (27 percent, adjusting for currency) to $5.6 billion in the second-quarter 2005 versus the year-ago period. Hardware revenues excluding the divested PC business were $5.0 billion, an increase of 5 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency).
Hardware revenues for the Systems and Technology Group, which was newly realigned to include Retail Stores Solutions and Printing Systems, totaled $4.9 billion for the quarter, up 5 percent. Revenue growth from S&TG eServer products was driven by pSeries UNIX servers, which increased 36 percent, and xSeries servers and iSeries midrange servers, which increased 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Revenues from the zSeries mainframe product decreased 24 percent compared with the year-ago period. Total delivery of zSeries computing power, which is measured in MIPS (millions of instructions per second), decreased 19 percent. In addition to eServers, revenues from Storage Systems increased 19 percent and Microelectronics decreased 5 percent.
Revenues from Software were $3.8 billion, an increase of 10 percent (7 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with the second quarter of 2004. Revenues from IBM's middleware brands, which include WebSphere, DB2, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $3.0 billion, up 11 percent versus the second quarter of 2004. Operating systems revenues increased 3 percent to $592 million compared with the prior-year quarter.
Microsoft Begins Quantifying Longhorn Value
We've all had several years of leaks about the technology of Microsoft's next Windows OS, code-name Longhorn. This week at a partner's conference, Microsoft let the first cat out of the bag regarding why consumers and businesses should rapidly deploy Longhorn -- when it gets here, of course.
Longhorn will:
Longhorn will:
- launch applications 15 percent faster than Windows does
- boot PCs 50 percent faster than they boot currently and will allow PCs to resume from standby in two seconds
- allow users to patch systems with 50 percent fewer reboots required
reduce the number of system images required by 50 percent - enable companies to migrate users 75 percent faster than they can with existing versions of Windows.
Beta 1 is expected in three weeks. Beta 2 will stretch until mid-year 2006. We should have a lottery as to when the actual ship date will occur.
No One Expected PC Sales Up 15%
IDC and Gartner have red faces from yesterday's announcement that PC sales are up 15%-17% last quarter -- depending on how you count white boxes. Neither of these well-compensated firms came even close with their forecasts earlier this year. However, leaving the missed forecast aside, this is good news for the industry. With almost 49 million PCs shipped last quarter -- seasonally a weak one -- the industry is on a path to about 200 million PCs this year.
It was only three years ago that the industry hit 100 million units. It is the stealth, double-digit growth rate that should attract the reader's attention. The whole story is complex, but it is hard to see what going on from a U.S. vantage point. Much of the global growth is coming in developing countries. In mature markets, laptops have overtaken desktops for both consumer and business computing.
Again, I am flabbergasted at the size of the market growth. A 200 million PC market is a big, silent elephant in the corner of the global tech economy. That elephant carries bilions in software, peripheral, semiconductor, transportation and service revenues.
In the U.S., the top five manufacturers in order by market share are Dell, HP, Gateway, Apple (yes, Apple), and IBM/Lenovo.
It was only three years ago that the industry hit 100 million units. It is the stealth, double-digit growth rate that should attract the reader's attention. The whole story is complex, but it is hard to see what going on from a U.S. vantage point. Much of the global growth is coming in developing countries. In mature markets, laptops have overtaken desktops for both consumer and business computing.
Again, I am flabbergasted at the size of the market growth. A 200 million PC market is a big, silent elephant in the corner of the global tech economy. That elephant carries bilions in software, peripheral, semiconductor, transportation and service revenues.
In the U.S., the top five manufacturers in order by market share are Dell, HP, Gateway, Apple (yes, Apple), and IBM/Lenovo.
HP Cuts Headcount 10%
In a much anticipated move, HP announced today it would over the next eighteen months cut headcount by 10%, or roughly 15,000 employees. Hardest hit will be "overhead" support jobs, namely in support functions, such as information technology, human resources and finance -- but the business units will not be spared. The implication is a streamlining is in order at the computer systems division, which "lags the benchmarks" in HP's terminology.
The $1.9 billion in compensation and benefits savings will be plowed back into the business. My assumption is that future cuts and reorganizations will whack at least another $1.1 billion out of the cost structure.
The $1.9 billion in compensation and benefits savings will be plowed back into the business. My assumption is that future cuts and reorganizations will whack at least another $1.1 billion out of the cost structure.
Microsoft: DoS Bug Not Limited To Windows XP
A bug in Windows that went public last week may be worse than originally thought, Microsoft confirmed Saturday in a weekend advisory. One security analyst fears that the vulnerability -- which for now looks limited to a denial-of-service attack -- may soon be found to cause more severe problems for Windows users.
Intel's Latest and Last Itanium Uniprocessor
Intel announced two model of Itanium 64-bit high-end microprocessors. The front-side bus in the two new Itanium 2 processors will run at 667 MHz, enabling 10.6 gigabits of data per second to be transferred between the CPU and its memory and core-logic chipset. The 400 MHz bus on the current Itanium 2 processors supports a maximum rate of 6.4 Gbits of data per second. On-chip Level 3 cache of 24 MB makes this generation of Inanium's better suited to memory-intensive database and computational chores.
Both of new Itanium 2 devices run at clock speeds of 1.66 GHz; one model comes with 6 MB of cache, the other with 9 MB. The former will sell for $2,194 in quantities of 1,000 or more, the latter for $4,655.
The next generation of Itaniums will feature dual processors early next year. HP is the largest OEM customer for Itaniums, basing its Integrity line on the chips. Hitachi plans to use the processors in its upcoming BladeSymphony servers, according to an Intel statement.
IBM's Power and Intel's Itanium are getting most of the R&D dollars for high-end microprocessors these days.
Both of new Itanium 2 devices run at clock speeds of 1.66 GHz; one model comes with 6 MB of cache, the other with 9 MB. The former will sell for $2,194 in quantities of 1,000 or more, the latter for $4,655.
The next generation of Itaniums will feature dual processors early next year. HP is the largest OEM customer for Itaniums, basing its Integrity line on the chips. Hitachi plans to use the processors in its upcoming BladeSymphony servers, according to an Intel statement.
IBM's Power and Intel's Itanium are getting most of the R&D dollars for high-end microprocessors these days.
Anti-Spam!
I find this amusing, it bogs down email "spiders" if you will, with fake addresses, randomly generated. I don't see any problem with the concept, rather clever, if you ask me. :)
I guess there are issues, to consider, because there is server bandwidth, so feel free to delete this.
--MissM
I guess there are issues, to consider, because there is server bandwidth, so feel free to delete this.
--MissM
Workarounds Released for XP SP2 Flaw
The company's advisory follows the public disclosure of the vulnerability in Remote Desktop Services, a feature that allows XP users to remotely control computers from another office, from home or while traveling.
Just in case this isn't in today's updates, or is that in August.. ?
Just in case this isn't in today's updates, or is that in August.. ?
Monday, July 18, 2005
Anti-Spyware Coalition
You may want to check out the new Anti-Spyware Coalition (Microsoft is a founding member). Check out the draft "Anti-Spyware Coalition Definitions and Supporting Documents".
Public comments on the draft definitions document are welcome here:
Anti-Spyware Coalition - Comments
The deadline for submitting comments is August 12, 2005.
Public comments on the draft definitions document are welcome here:
Anti-Spyware Coalition - Comments
The deadline for submitting comments is August 12, 2005.
Why Microsoft AntiSpyware Is Untrustworthy
Read it and weep.
The good news is that Microsoft AntiSpyware is in beta. By that very designation, that means that no one should be relying on it. It is also free. Since that is the case, I can still say, no foul on Microsoft's part. If anyone is relying on this beta to keep their computer clean, it's their bad, not Microsoft's. Yet.
The bigger question will come when people actually start paying for it. Will Microsoft still give a "pass" to Claria and others?
Until these problems are cleared up, Microsoft AntiSpyware is on my not-recommended list.
The good news is that Microsoft AntiSpyware is in beta. By that very designation, that means that no one should be relying on it. It is also free. Since that is the case, I can still say, no foul on Microsoft's part. If anyone is relying on this beta to keep their computer clean, it's their bad, not Microsoft's. Yet.
The bigger question will come when people actually start paying for it. Will Microsoft still give a "pass" to Claria and others?
Until these problems are cleared up, Microsoft AntiSpyware is on my not-recommended list.
Coding misstep forces new Firefox release
In a nutshell, the problem is that the updated versions are not being released in all the supported languages at the same time. Here in the US, in English, we just updated to version 1.0.5 last week because of security concerns. And now it looks like 1.0.6 will be released shortly to address some issues with some Firefox exensions. But what version are they still using in places like Poland? Oh, maybe 1.0.4.
The Mozilla Foundation is taking a lot of heat over this from non-English speaking Firefox users.
The Mozilla Foundation is taking a lot of heat over this from non-English speaking Firefox users.
Corrupted PCs find new home in the Dumpster
"In the face of a constant stream of pop-up ads, malfunctioning programs and performance slowed to a crawl or a crash--the hallmarks of spyware and adware--throwing out a computer 'is a rational response,' said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a Washington-based research group that studies the Internet's social impact."
Well, ahem, not really that rational. It is however an understandable response.
A rational response is wiping the hard drive and starting over. I contend that it will take longer to purchase a new machine than the 40 or so minutes it takes to do a clean install of Windows XP. That doesn't even account for the wasted resources.
If it must be disposed of, take that infested machine to someone who restores them and donates them to those in need. Now that's a rational response.
Well, ahem, not really that rational. It is however an understandable response.
A rational response is wiping the hard drive and starting over. I contend that it will take longer to purchase a new machine than the 40 or so minutes it takes to do a clean install of Windows XP. That doesn't even account for the wasted resources.
If it must be disposed of, take that infested machine to someone who restores them and donates them to those in need. Now that's a rational response.
Dell Laser Jet Limbos Too
Besides insanely low desktop prices (see blog immediately below), Dell came out with a $99 monochrome laser rpinter last week. The starter toner cartridge will only get you 1,000 pages. Still, the PC Magazine review is positive. Looks to me like a great small office - home office price-performer for those who either have another color printer or don't need color.
HP and Dell Do the Desktop Limbo
How low can they go? HP has models at $249 and $299 after rebates (in the U.S.) Dell has a $299 offer. Believe it or not, all are usable machines! For the first time since I have been tracking PC prices, I am seeing Walmart prices on name brand computers.
Holes in Kerberos Authentication Threaten Mission-Critical Unix Enterprise Systems
Kerberos, the popular authentication protocol developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is vulnerable to three serious flaws that could allow an attacker to gain access to protected corporate networks, MIT researchers disclosed late on Tuesday. Unix variants such as Solaris and Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X, and Linux distributions such as Red Hat and Gentoo all contain the affected code. Windows also uses a version of Kerberos, but it doesn't contain the flaw.
The big-iron Unix boxes from HP, IBM, and Sun -- plus everybody's X86 servers running Red Hat Linux AS -- are particularly vulnerable to the Kerberos security flaws because Kerberos is often at the heart of authenticating user log-ins. Thus, enterprise IT professionals would be well advised to install the Kerberos patches to Unix when they become available. The reason for alacrity is that the bad-guy hackers, now alerted to the vulnerabilities, will concentrate on this new avenue into the computer systems of global enterprises, governments, and educational institutions.
The workload for the fixes includes patching hundreds of thousands of Unix servers, which will undoubtedly have to be taken out of 24 x 7 service to reboot the changes.
Tip: Keeping Your Computer Cool
This article is geared to computer users who want to know how to measure and remediate hot and noisy computers. No prior training necessary. A good primer article.
Patch Tuesday Goes Industry-Wide
All eyes have been on Microsoft, which has standardized on issuing security and bug fixes on the second Tuesday of every month. It appears that a lot of other software industry companies are also flying in Microsoft's slipstream.
This is good news for the industry because it creates a cadence for the compauter industry, including; it is bad news because IT professionals can plan on being inundated every patch Tuesday with the patches, which they then have to test and integrate with other (patched) software and the enterprise's applications.
This is good news for the industry because it creates a cadence for the compauter industry, including; it is bad news because IT professionals can plan on being inundated every patch Tuesday with the patches, which they then have to test and integrate with other (patched) software and the enterprise's applications.
Oracle Compromises on Multi-Core Processor License Fees
Oracle has finally caved—a little—to industry outrage over its refusal to get in line with competitors IBM and Microsoft and update its licensing policy to accommodate multicore chips.
Licensing terms for the Oracle Store Web site now state that, for the purposes of counting how many processors need to be licensed, a multicore chip with "n" cores will be multiplied by 0.75. Oracle will then round up fractions to the next whole number.
For example, if you have a multicore chip with 11 cores, multiply 11 by 0.75, which equals 8.25. Round that up to nine processors, and that's what you'll be paying for.
Notwithstanding the three-quarters rule, Oracle will count only one processor when licensing Oracle Standard Edition One or Standard Edition programs on servers with a maximum of one processor with one or two cores.
For more background and a chart of Oracle's pricing moves, see this IT Jungle article.
Licensing terms for the Oracle Store Web site now state that, for the purposes of counting how many processors need to be licensed, a multicore chip with "n" cores will be multiplied by 0.75. Oracle will then round up fractions to the next whole number.
For example, if you have a multicore chip with 11 cores, multiply 11 by 0.75, which equals 8.25. Round that up to nine processors, and that's what you'll be paying for.
Notwithstanding the three-quarters rule, Oracle will count only one processor when licensing Oracle Standard Edition One or Standard Edition programs on servers with a maximum of one processor with one or two cores.
For more background and a chart of Oracle's pricing moves, see this IT Jungle article.
Domain Hijacking Hits Big Companies
Web sites both big and small face the risk of having their Web addresses stolen because of flaws in the way domain names are registered, transferred and tracked, a report released this week found.
The report, announced Wednesday during an international meeting of the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) in Luxembourg, followed at least two high-profile incidents this year of what is known as domain-name hijacking—one hitting New York-based ISP Panix and another affecting e-mail provider Hushmail Communications Corp.
The report, announced Wednesday during an international meeting of the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) in Luxembourg, followed at least two high-profile incidents this year of what is known as domain-name hijacking—one hitting New York-based ISP Panix and another affecting e-mail provider Hushmail Communications Corp.
Google Maps Transparencies
There's a slider under the display to toggle the degree of transparency between google maps and satellite. I am always switching back and forth between map and satellite at http://maps.google.com Digg.com >
Sunday, July 17, 2005
OnComputers Podcast 07-17-05
This is the On Computers podcast for 07-17-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Joe
Joe
IBM's OS/2 Sees End of Life
IBM's 18-year old x86 operating system, OS/2, will cease active sales in December. OS/2 Warp, a server version, will get limited support next year and beyond.
OS/2 was a very strong 16-bit graphical operating system back when Microsoft was clueless. But the vaunted Redmond marketing engine pushed Windows past IBM and Apple in short order. The rest is history -- except for the OS/2 installed base.
OS/2 was a good product which I will remember fondly.
OS/2 was a very strong 16-bit graphical operating system back when Microsoft was clueless. But the vaunted Redmond marketing engine pushed Windows past IBM and Apple in short order. The rest is history -- except for the OS/2 installed base.
OS/2 was a good product which I will remember fondly.
AMD Cracks Corporate Laptop Market
The win by AMD for a piece of HP's business is a big step for AMD. Two years ago, AMD had about zero market share in enterprise servers. Now, it's approaching 10%. The same could easily happen with laptops.
Note the increasing revenue per processor that AMD reported in the latest quarter. Laptop Turion chips will help keep the gross margins up.
Note the increasing revenue per processor that AMD reported in the latest quarter. Laptop Turion chips will help keep the gross margins up.
E-Mail Crime Pays
Don't you just hate it when the bad guys (or girls) win? Doesn't seem fair.
In this case, a Nigerian woman was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison for e-mail fraud. You probably got the letter, and I certainly hope you did not respond. She has to return $85 million, but the take from the scam was -- please sit down now -- $242,000,000.
Makes you stop and consider going over to the dark side...
In this case, a Nigerian woman was sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison for e-mail fraud. You probably got the letter, and I certainly hope you did not respond. She has to return $85 million, but the take from the scam was -- please sit down now -- $242,000,000.
Makes you stop and consider going over to the dark side...
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Podcast Now Supports iTunes
For all you iTunes users, our On Computers podcasts should now show up as a listing. At least with our next post which should be tomorrow. iTunes users here we come!
PCWorld Firefox Continues to Spread
Alternative browser continues to grow its market share at the expense of Internet Explorer.
As Firefox approaches the 10 percent market share milestone, it is expected to gain "significant traction" once its acceptance grows among corporations, according to NetApplications.com.
I'm a diehard Internet Explorer person and I have to admit, at least half the time now I use Firefox instead of IE.
As Firefox approaches the 10 percent market share milestone, it is expected to gain "significant traction" once its acceptance grows among corporations, according to NetApplications.com.
I'm a diehard Internet Explorer person and I have to admit, at least half the time now I use Firefox instead of IE.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Worm spells double trouble for PCs
Lebreat is a mass-mailer and it installs a backdoor for hackers. It is seen as a medium level threat. The ususal "be cautious when opening e-mail attachments, apply security patches and run up-to-date antivirus software" advice applies.
United Nations calls for US net pull out
Of course they do. And the US will ignore them at best. I predict that there will be no UN takeover anytime soon. I hope, but do not expect, that in the meantime ICANN will address the concerns voiced by the rest of the world.
IBM officially kills OS/2, suggests switch to Linux
Just goes to show what I don't know. I had no idea that OS/2 was still being sold, no less supported. Sales will end December 23, 2006 and support will end December 31, 2006. RIP OS/2.
The Clicker: Microsoft’s OPM for the masses
Here we go. DRM comes to your future monitor with the upcoming Windows "Longhorn". Don't have the right monitor? Don't worry. That hi-resolution premium content you just purchased will show up as lower-res content. So what's the point of paying more for hi-res premium content when you can illegally download the low-res stuff for free? Well the illegal part of it is a prob, but other than that only those who can afford both the premium content and the monitor to view it, will do so. The rest of us will manage to do without.
Am I the only one who sees a problem with this business model? Just as Podcasts fill the free and legal audio void, free and legal video will also fill that void, thereby enabling those who don't want to be bound by DRM and such to stay entertained.
Except for the PATRIOT Act, the public library is looking more and more entertaining. In other words, there is one way not to be held captive by the content providers with their onorous DRM -- don't buy their content. Just like digital TV, they may be selling but the masses may not be buying.
Am I the only one who sees a problem with this business model? Just as Podcasts fill the free and legal audio void, free and legal video will also fill that void, thereby enabling those who don't want to be bound by DRM and such to stay entertained.
Except for the PATRIOT Act, the public library is looking more and more entertaining. In other words, there is one way not to be held captive by the content providers with their onorous DRM -- don't buy their content. Just like digital TV, they may be selling but the masses may not be buying.
SCO e-mail: No 'smoking gun' in Linux code
I present this for your illumination without furhter comment, except perhaps, "I told you so."
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Speed of Apple Intel dev systems impress developers
When Apple announced they were transitioning to Intel-based machines, there were some who worried aloud about whether or not they would perform as well as the PPC-based machines. Appleinsider is reporting that early development machines are satisfying those developers who have them.
They further report that "Rosetta", the virtual machine that allows native PPC Mac OS X applications to run on the Intel hardware is "seamless" and fast.
Those of you who worried about the new Mac's performance might rest a little easier after reading this.
Jack
They further report that "Rosetta", the virtual machine that allows native PPC Mac OS X applications to run on the Intel hardware is "seamless" and fast.
Those of you who worried about the new Mac's performance might rest a little easier after reading this.
Jack
Microsoft's antitrust concessions are 'pointless'
Well, I had hoped the remedies worked out between the EC and Microsoft would result in some concrete gains. The ZDNet Australia article linked to above quotes a consultant at SerNet, a German open-source consultancy firm as saying the participation of Microsoft in the remedies is merely restating publicly available information and entirely insufficient to address the EC concerns, which demanded disclosure of complete interoperability information with Microsoft's server operating systems.
Read it and judge for yourselves.
Jack
Read it and judge for yourselves.
Jack
Optimus keyboard
O'Reilly: Seven Steps to Noise-Free Digital Audio
Since creating your own podcasts seems to be the "in" thing now.. and I'm so picky about external noises (typing, breathing, etc., etc. to clarify ;) ) I thought that this link would have universal interest. Or maybe not....
For your continued enlightenment...
MissM at home, finally.
For your continued enlightenment...
MissM at home, finally.
Cybercrooks lure citizens into international crime
This is a frightening story of how easy it is to get unwittingly sucked into criminal activity. It is a good but long read. Be prepared to spend some time with it. The bottom line is that ads for some kinds of jobs should be looked at very skeptically.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
AMD Turns a Profit
AMD Reports Second Quarter Results with EPS of $0.03 Driven by Sales of $1.260 Billion - - Microprocessor Business Establishes New All-time Quarterly Records in Total Sales, Server and Mobile Processor Sales, Gross Margin, and Operating Income.
- Microprocessor sales were up 38% year-over-year.
- Opteron server microprocessor sales were up 89% as enterprises feel more comfortable with AMD at the heart of corporate systems.
- Mobile microprocessor sales were at record levels. There are 60 design wins for the Turion mobile chip.
- Microprocessor selling prices were up 6% in the quarter, which certainly helped gross margins.
- Memory sales were down 31%, a sign of the brutal competitive market for semi-conductor memory.
AMD was forecast by analysts to show a loss for the quarter, so being profitable is a positive sign.
Apple's Success is No One Hit Wonder
CUPERTINO, California—July 13, 2005—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2005 third quarter ended June 25, 2005, reporting the highest revenue and earnings in the Company’s history. Apple posted a net quarterly profit of $320 million, or $.37 per diluted share, and revenue of $3.52 billion. These results compare to a net profit of $61 million, or $.08 per diluted share, and revenue of $2.01 billion in the year-ago quarter, and represent revenue growth of 75 percent and net profit growth of 425 percent. Gross margin was 29.7 percent, up from 27.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 39 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple shipped 1,182,000 Macintosh® units and 6,155,000 iPods during the quarter (up over a million units sequentially from the previous quarter), representing 35 percent growth in Macs and 616 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
Apple shipped 1,182,000 Macintosh® units and 6,155,000 iPods during the quarter (up over a million units sequentially from the previous quarter), representing 35 percent growth in Macs and 616 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
- iTunes Store now represents about 5% of the U.S. music market. Almost 500 million songs sold.
- Over a million podcast subscriptions in first two days
- Apple store retail sales are up 56% with 12.2 million visitors last quarter
- Education market is up 16% to the highest level in 9 years
- Gross profit and net profit are at the highest levels in years.
First, we can discount the rumors of a couple of weeks ago that iPod sales are off. Au contraire. Inventories are within the planned 4-6 weeks of stock. The "better value" iPods launched two weeks ago -- lower price with color LCD and photo capability -- should continue to drive consumers to Apple.
The overall iPod ecosystem has no close competitors, period, as there are over 1,000 iPod-related products available. Apple in just a couple of years has become a force to be reckoned with in the entire music industry, as any artist with a chance at an iTunes Store song pane will tell you. This opens up opportunities for further differentiation.
The significant uptick in Mac sales is also fortuitous. But its not just the iPod halo effect: iPod has no impact on the K-12 education market, for instance.
With an entrenched position in music that is still expanding, a strong professional graphics and video market position, and renewed respect for the value and quality of the Mac line -- and that certainly includes OS X 10.4, Apple is on a roll.
The current quarter should be the strongest of the fiscal year, as Apple and the rest of the industry are in high gear chasing back-to-school sales.
All in all, an excellent quarter that shows Apple is back.
Patch Tuesday: Microsoft and Firefox Fixes Posted
The Microsoft fixes are labelled "critical". Since Microsoft says some of the flaws already have known exploits, it would be a very good idea to stay up to date on security patches this month.
McAfee Virtual Cybercrime Report Paints Grim Picture
Some of the report's most compelling highlights include:
- The FBI estimates that cybercrime cost about $400 billion in 2004.
- In an investigation, codenamed "Operation Firewall," U.S. and Canadian authorities announced the arrest of 28 people from six countries involved in a global organized cybercrime ring. They operated Websites to buy and sell credit card information and false identities. They bought and sold almost 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers. Of these stolen credit cards, financial institutions have estimated their losses to be $4.3 million.
- The use of pseudonyms or online identities provides an anonymity that is attractive to criminals. Sources estimate that perhaps only 5% of cybercriminals are ever caught or convicted.
EC Jumps in on AMD Suit
Yesterday's news, but worth a comment nonetheless: the antitrust lawsuit by AMD against Intel now is now playing out in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. The steady drip, drip, drip of unfavorable news is a PR nightmare, for sure. It will likely continue for years, given the slow pace of the judicial system. It will be very difficult for Intel to emerge with all its good-will and credibility intact.
Spyware, Adware and Security, Among Other Things
More and more journalists, academic studies and consultants are pronouncing that Internet users are increasingly wary of "spyware" and "adware". These studies also reveal consumers are more than a little fuzzy on what the terms mean. The confusion is not helped by the fact that the terms can sometimes be used interchangeably in perfect propriety. The experts argue endlessly about the definition in conventions of academics and corporate boohoos.
The general population of Internet users may not know exactly what it is, but they know they don't like it. Their machines slow to a crawl, they are forced to click through ads to do their work or pursue their pleasures, sometimes seemingly endlessly. They worry about trojan horse programs stealing their personal data and making theft of their identity possible.
Businesses of every size now see spyware and adware, no matter the definitions, as a major problem. And trojan horses have been discovered in Isreal custom designed to facilitate industrial espionage. It must be pointed out that this incident did not involve files obtained from the Internet. Instead, they were spread on physical media using some fairly simple social engineering. But the lesson is clear: The machines we use in so much of our life threaten to do us harm at the hands of others.
Recently, I read where an officer of a company which distributes adware said consumers have to be educated on the difference between adware and spyware and other malicious programs. What I took from that told me he thought that if consumers were so educated, they would tolerate adware much more readily.
I have news for him; Computer use is often an intensely personal experience and the majority of people resent ANY intrusion into it. Don't believe me? Look at the proliferation of ad and popup blockers. Only the most technically inept are not aware of their availability and, in my personal experience (which may or may not be typical) adding them to the machine is THE most often requested software upgrade.
We don't just dislike popup ads. We resent them deeply. Hate is probably not too strong a term for the way we feel. The same goes for those animated Flash presentations you insist on putting in the middle of texts we want to read. I will read and occasionally react to a tastefully placed advertisement. It's not as if I think advertising is bad. I do not. I just don't wish to be forced to deal with it, have it detract from my surfing experience or leave anything on my machine, no matter what it is. I have yet to find anyone who disagrees with me on this, though I admit I haven't asked anyone I know in the online advertising trade.
There are issues of who gets to control whose computer, as well. But the vast majority of users aren't really aware of these. They just want to be able to view the content they choose without wading through layers of ads.
CNet's News.com is reporting adware companies are trying to clean up their act and image. The driving force in this is the specter of federal legislation and nothing I've found signals anything like a moral re-awakening on the part of the adware folks. They're just afraid of possible legal consequences. In cases where companies have actually posted accurate details in licenses and made uninstallation of the adware easy, their penetration (in number of installations) has gone 'way down. There is a lesson in this, but no one I know expects these companies to hear it.
Jack
The general population of Internet users may not know exactly what it is, but they know they don't like it. Their machines slow to a crawl, they are forced to click through ads to do their work or pursue their pleasures, sometimes seemingly endlessly. They worry about trojan horse programs stealing their personal data and making theft of their identity possible.
Businesses of every size now see spyware and adware, no matter the definitions, as a major problem. And trojan horses have been discovered in Isreal custom designed to facilitate industrial espionage. It must be pointed out that this incident did not involve files obtained from the Internet. Instead, they were spread on physical media using some fairly simple social engineering. But the lesson is clear: The machines we use in so much of our life threaten to do us harm at the hands of others.
Recently, I read where an officer of a company which distributes adware said consumers have to be educated on the difference between adware and spyware and other malicious programs. What I took from that told me he thought that if consumers were so educated, they would tolerate adware much more readily.
I have news for him; Computer use is often an intensely personal experience and the majority of people resent ANY intrusion into it. Don't believe me? Look at the proliferation of ad and popup blockers. Only the most technically inept are not aware of their availability and, in my personal experience (which may or may not be typical) adding them to the machine is THE most often requested software upgrade.
We don't just dislike popup ads. We resent them deeply. Hate is probably not too strong a term for the way we feel. The same goes for those animated Flash presentations you insist on putting in the middle of texts we want to read. I will read and occasionally react to a tastefully placed advertisement. It's not as if I think advertising is bad. I do not. I just don't wish to be forced to deal with it, have it detract from my surfing experience or leave anything on my machine, no matter what it is. I have yet to find anyone who disagrees with me on this, though I admit I haven't asked anyone I know in the online advertising trade.
There are issues of who gets to control whose computer, as well. But the vast majority of users aren't really aware of these. They just want to be able to view the content they choose without wading through layers of ads.
CNet's News.com is reporting adware companies are trying to clean up their act and image. The driving force in this is the specter of federal legislation and nothing I've found signals anything like a moral re-awakening on the part of the adware folks. They're just afraid of possible legal consequences. In cases where companies have actually posted accurate details in licenses and made uninstallation of the adware easy, their penetration (in number of installations) has gone 'way down. There is a lesson in this, but no one I know expects these companies to hear it.
Jack
Questions About Intel's Fortran Compiler
There was a link to this in The Inquirer, this morning. I found it interesting.
It seems Intel's compiler for Fortran 77 and Fortran 90 produces code that looks for the Intel trademark and if it doesn't find it, refuses to enable several optimizations, regardless of whether or not the chip it does find is capable of using them or not. Note that this is NOT the usual cpuid routine, but something hidden. The code so produced runs much more slowly or segfaults on AMD processors.
The "bug" has been fixed, but the compiler still does not use cpuid for identifying the processor. Intel claims it was a mistake. Various observers label it a dirty trick. Read it and make up your own mind.
Jack
It seems Intel's compiler for Fortran 77 and Fortran 90 produces code that looks for the Intel trademark and if it doesn't find it, refuses to enable several optimizations, regardless of whether or not the chip it does find is capable of using them or not. Note that this is NOT the usual cpuid routine, but something hidden. The code so produced runs much more slowly or segfaults on AMD processors.
The "bug" has been fixed, but the compiler still does not use cpuid for identifying the processor. Intel claims it was a mistake. Various observers label it a dirty trick. Read it and make up your own mind.
Jack
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
A quickie RE: Spyware
Saw this on infoworld. Thought it was interesting. I wish all involved good luck.
InternetWeek | Firefox Users Sound Off: Fix Those Bugs!
200 users of firefox were interviewed for issues with firefox. Most of the problems are extensions, this article has a link to troubleshoot your extension problems and some solutions for firefox developers. I am on the road home now, and don't have time to read the whole thing, so I'm posting it here ;)
Not to mention I think its useful for all firefox users...
MissM in Louisiana
Not to mention I think its useful for all firefox users...
MissM in Louisiana
Monday, July 11, 2005
Good News for NCR: Dell Loses CIO to HP
Why is it good for NCR that HP snagged Dell's CIO, Randy Mott? The answer is in Randy's (impressive) resume. He was the Walmart CIO who used NCR Teradata systems to create the supply-chain gorilla that ate the retail market with the industry's best real-time decision-making systems built on an operational data store. Then Randy was lured to Dell to do the same thing with Teradata for Dell's business, which gets gold stars from everyone for operational efficiency. Now Randy has been enticed to HP, which certainly has many efficiency improvements to be made, by HP's CEO, Mark Hurd. Mark, of course, used to court Randy when Mark was CEO of NCR.
So expect that HP will (quietly) become a major Teradata customer. In my opinion, there is no better technology for creating the complex, near real-time transaction systems that drive supplier-facing and customer-facing operational excellence. Part of that opinion rests on the deep and strategic use of Teradata by industry-leading companies who are betting their business on NCR Teradata. (For the record, I have no financial relationship with NCR).
-- Peter S. Kastner
So expect that HP will (quietly) become a major Teradata customer. In my opinion, there is no better technology for creating the complex, near real-time transaction systems that drive supplier-facing and customer-facing operational excellence. Part of that opinion rests on the deep and strategic use of Teradata by industry-leading companies who are betting their business on NCR Teradata. (For the record, I have no financial relationship with NCR).
-- Peter S. Kastner
Cybercrooks lure citizens into international crime
The USA Today story is chilling. Lured by "make money in your spare time at home" ads at places like Monster.com and in local newspapers, US citizens are being lured into the web of foreign -- think Nigeria, Eastern Europe and Russia -- Internet criminals who trans-ship expensive goods and cash out of the country. All with stolen identities and credit. Everything, starting with the dummy web site URL, is paid for with stolen credit. Untraceable.
One of the big tricks is to go online with stolen ID and change the notification address, then ask for a higher credit limit. You can imagine what happens next. How large banks miss an obvious check is beyond me. Bank stockholders, who are paying billions in fraudulent charge reimbursements, ought to be asking why banks do not send an address change notification to the old address. That way the people whose ID is stolen have a clue when their bank statement is changed to Pocohontas, Iowa. The banks are acting like fools or knaves.
One of the big tricks is to go online with stolen ID and change the notification address, then ask for a higher credit limit. You can imagine what happens next. How large banks miss an obvious check is beyond me. Bank stockholders, who are paying billions in fraudulent charge reimbursements, ought to be asking why banks do not send an address change notification to the old address. That way the people whose ID is stolen have a clue when their bank statement is changed to Pocohontas, Iowa. The banks are acting like fools or knaves.
Lenovo links with blade desktop maker
We've been hearing about blade servers for a couple years now. Blade desktops are a relatively new development that, until now, has largely slipped under the radar. Certainly I was only vaguely aware of their existence.
Companies are hot on the idea because the rack concept saves precious office and/or cubicle space. OEMs are in favor of it because, just like in servers, they tend to lock-in customers to a brand because the blades are not interchangeable between various makers. You need a rack from the company who makes your blades and this makes switching brands much more expensive. Given a well thought-out setup, blades are also easier to service because you just jerk out the offending unit, plug in the replacement and restore from the storage appliances. There's no need to disrupt someone's office.
Since they took over IBM's PC division, Lenovo seems intent on offering a truly complete line of computers and this is proof. It's entirely possible the broad spectrum of their offerings will quickly overcome any hesitancy about the brand being under new ownership. In short; it looks as if they have all the smart moves on tap.
Jack
Companies are hot on the idea because the rack concept saves precious office and/or cubicle space. OEMs are in favor of it because, just like in servers, they tend to lock-in customers to a brand because the blades are not interchangeable between various makers. You need a rack from the company who makes your blades and this makes switching brands much more expensive. Given a well thought-out setup, blades are also easier to service because you just jerk out the offending unit, plug in the replacement and restore from the storage appliances. There's no need to disrupt someone's office.
Since they took over IBM's PC division, Lenovo seems intent on offering a truly complete line of computers and this is proof. It's entirely possible the broad spectrum of their offerings will quickly overcome any hesitancy about the brand being under new ownership. In short; it looks as if they have all the smart moves on tap.
Jack
A MOST Alarming Privacy Threat
Okay, everybody; listen up.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in which they point out that many web sites are selling information protected by law, such as drivers license information, postal box information, cell and long-distance phone records.
This kind of information has been used in the past by stalkers to find victims they subsequently murdered, which is why it is protected by law.
The link above is to a short article in The Inquirer and there is a link to the actual complaint on EPIC's web site. I urge you to read both. This one is not rampant paranoia. This is a real threat, by any standard.
Jack
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in which they point out that many web sites are selling information protected by law, such as drivers license information, postal box information, cell and long-distance phone records.
This kind of information has been used in the past by stalkers to find victims they subsequently murdered, which is why it is protected by law.
The link above is to a short article in The Inquirer and there is a link to the actual complaint on EPIC's web site. I urge you to read both. This one is not rampant paranoia. This is a real threat, by any standard.
Jack
Zlib Security Bug is Being Addressed
Zlib is a set of compression and decompression routines upon which many open source and proprietary applications depend. It has had problems before, but they've been fixed quickly. As usage of the library grows and it finds it's way into more applications, the flaws affect more and more of the software we use.
Most Linux and BSD distributions, some Microsoft products and many applications from all over use this set of functions. Gentoo, Debian, Mandriva and others have already issued patches. I urge anyone using Linux, BSD or any application which uses PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format images to check for updates pretty much continuously until they get one for this problem.
It is a hard vulnerability to exploit, but with the increasing sophistication of attackers, it WILL be exploited. Get your patches as fast as you possibly can.
Also, some older Microsoft products use this library of functions and are vulnerable. Watch for updates to them, as well.
Jack
Most Linux and BSD distributions, some Microsoft products and many applications from all over use this set of functions. Gentoo, Debian, Mandriva and others have already issued patches. I urge anyone using Linux, BSD or any application which uses PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format images to check for updates pretty much continuously until they get one for this problem.
It is a hard vulnerability to exploit, but with the increasing sophistication of attackers, it WILL be exploited. Get your patches as fast as you possibly can.
Also, some older Microsoft products use this library of functions and are vulnerable. Watch for updates to them, as well.
Jack
OnComputers Podcast 07-10-05
This is the On Computers podcast for 07-10-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Your Firewall Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore!
In this Techworld.com article, the author argues that a firewall is a "dangerous distraction". His point is important. The firewall is not the be-all and end-all of security any more. And it hasn't been for quite a while.now.
There are other things that are equally important and perhaps chief among them is user education and enforcement of policies, both security and otherwise, that foster a safe environment. Smaller businesses are particularly prone to this problem; once they've invested in an expensive firewall, they assume their security quotient has risen significantly, when in fact it may not have advanced the cause at all.
This is worth a read. It applies to the home network and small business as well as larger entities. Security is a state of mind as well as a state of being.
Jack
There are other things that are equally important and perhaps chief among them is user education and enforcement of policies, both security and otherwise, that foster a safe environment. Smaller businesses are particularly prone to this problem; once they've invested in an expensive firewall, they assume their security quotient has risen significantly, when in fact it may not have advanced the cause at all.
This is worth a read. It applies to the home network and small business as well as larger entities. Security is a state of mind as well as a state of being.
Jack
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Trojan horses gallop into networks | Tech News on ZDNet
Trojan horses gallop into networks | Tech News on ZDNet: "An outbreak of Trojan horse programs is hitting networks around the world, an e-mail security company has warned. "
Make sure your Anti-Virus is up to date and if you're running NAV you might want to think about replacing it with one that works!
Joe@GeekMeet 2005
Make sure your Anti-Virus is up to date and if you're running NAV you might want to think about replacing it with one that works!
Joe@GeekMeet 2005
Friday, July 08, 2005
Patch Tuesday: 3 Critical Bugs to Fix
Next Tuesday, July 12th, Microsoft will release patches to three critical errors, including Windows and Office.
What time is it anyway?
I don't mean to totally confuse, but the time zone that we have used on our blog has been Pacific time. That was set when this blog was very inactive and was merely an experiment to see if it worked. Ever since our blog has been more active with people posting and reading from across the US and around the world, I have been concerened about it. So in honor of Geek Meet, I thought it was time to make us all equally disadvantaged on the time. As of this morning the blog is officially on UTC (essentially the same thing a Greenwich Mean Time or GMT). This gives us all an equal advantage or disadvantage and is of course the universally accepted time standard. Sorry for any confusion. This will eliminate some confusion and will undoubtedly create other confusions. But however confusing it is, this is fair to everyone in whatever time zone you happen to be. It was not fair the way it was.
Are We Headed for an Internet Winter?
As I noted this week, a new trojan that mimics a Microsoft security bulletin was squelched. This nefarious e-mail disguises itself as a Microsoft security bulletin and contains a link to malicious software that gives attackers complete access to the infected machine, security researchers are reporting. A couple of weeks ago, I mused that the Internet as we know it is doomed.
Here is some ammunition for our live discussion on the OnComputers radio show, July 10th, 2005. The question before the house is: will the growing threats on the Internet dramatically change corporate and consumer behavior, leading to a major decrease in Internet activity -- an Internet winter.
Here is some ammunition for our live discussion on the OnComputers radio show, July 10th, 2005. The question before the house is: will the growing threats on the Internet dramatically change corporate and consumer behavior, leading to a major decrease in Internet activity -- an Internet winter.
- 59 million Americans have dealt with spyware. They are changing how they approach the Internet based on bad experiences with viruses, spyware, and identity theft.
- IBM says the number of phishing attacks is at an all-time high, up 225% in May.
- INternet hacking is no longer the province of teenagers; professional criminals are behind much of today's Internet crime. These criminals are acting in concert.
- With 246,000 complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on identity theft, independent estimates put the number of victims of identity theft in the past five years at a staggering 1 in 5 Americans. NBC News reports that the identities of 50 million Amercians have been stolen or compromised in the past six months. The Internet is one of the key vehicles for identity theft.
- On the technology front, viruses and trojans are merging and becoming polymorphic. This smart malware is flying under the radar of anti-virus products, the first line of defense for many consumers and enterprises.
- There is a 50 percent chance your unprotected Windows PC will be compromised within 12 minutes of going online, says security vendor Sophos. That means your machine may be hijacked before you can install anti-virus, firewall, and adware software on a clean install of any version of Windows prior to SP2. Do not plug in your network cable until all of your safety/security software is installed. Unfortunately, older versions of Windows do not install network drivers and protocols unless a network connection is available. Catch 22.
- Life is not much safer inside the business world's firewall, as evidence of the recent Veritas Backup flaw reveals. Aberdeen Group reported this week that only a small fraction of enterprises have best-in-class policies and practices in place to deal with security on networks and infrastructure, information access, and governance.
- Businesses face a number of threats to hard-one consumer business on the Internet, as the pharmacist CVS found recently in a compromised consumer-facing application.
- The biggest threat to enterprises comes from the inside, security experts tell me. It can be a trivial exercise to get the keys to corporate jewels.
- It's getting hard to know what and who to trust on the Internet. The latest attack used a Microsoft security bulletin lookalike to spoof users. If users stop paying attention to Microsoft security bulletins, their machines will become a lot more vulnerable over time.
- The complexity of the multiple technologies (e.g., TCP/IP, routing, switching, Microsoft Windows internals, HTTP(S), Javascript, and all of the options these have) is absolutely beyond the capacity or ken of all but a handful of geek consumers. It requires multiple specialists in the enterprise world too. In short, computer users are unfit (but not necessarily incapable) of protecting themeselves.
- User education alone is not the answer, says Jakob Neilsen.
- Strike-back systems are not the answer, says Larry Seltzer.
Predictions of the demise of the Internet go back a decade -- before the general public really knew about the Internet! Are we headed for Internet winter, or will Darwinian selection win out with (massive) adaptations to thwart the black hats? We'll discuss this on Sunday.
-- Peter S. Kastner
Internet Users Adjust to Unfriendly Internet
Spyware: The threat of unwanted software programs is changing the way people use the internet, reports the Pew Research Center
Spyware and the threat of unwanted programs being secretly loaded onto computers are becoming serious threats online. Nine out of ten internet users say they have adjusted their online behavior out of fear of falling victim to software intrusions. Unfortunately, many internet users’ fears are grounded in experience - 43% of internet users, or about 59 million American adults, say they have had spyware or adware on their home computer. Although most do not know the source of their woes, 68% of home internet users, or about 93 million American adults, have experienced at least one computer problem in the past year that are consistent with problems caused by spyware or viruses.
Spyware and the threat of unwanted programs being secretly loaded onto computers are becoming serious threats online. Nine out of ten internet users say they have adjusted their online behavior out of fear of falling victim to software intrusions. Unfortunately, many internet users’ fears are grounded in experience - 43% of internet users, or about 59 million American adults, say they have had spyware or adware on their home computer. Although most do not know the source of their woes, 68% of home internet users, or about 93 million American adults, have experienced at least one computer problem in the past year that are consistent with problems caused by spyware or viruses.
FAQ: Wi-Fi mooching and the law
Wardrivers watch out! This is a very tangled and murky web (as opposed to Web). It's kind of fun to try to figure it out. Maybe someday we will have a clearer picture. Until then, this is a pretty good FAQ to get you started.
Geek Meet 05! What we're talking about....
Dallas,TX: GeekMeet 2005.... Some of us have already arrived, we had delicious indian tacos last night. Thank you SOOO much Jayna and Jack!! Then dessert was (drat I can't remember the proper Indian name, much LESS how to spell it ;) ) fry bread, powdered sugar and blueberries, yuuuummmmmm [are you jealous yet??]!! Today some of us are going to Hurricane Harbor in Arlington, my boys are very excited!! but on to the geek talk. Poor Gail was stuck in the plane on the RUNWAY for over 2 hours, cause American Airlines didn't have gates available to disembark :/ She called us, to let us know that she had been told to put on her seat belt and raise her tray table to its original upright position... We were concerned they were gonna fly her somewhere ELSE! But, she ended up at the gate, and was whisked to the above mentioned yummy meal, and good conversation, some of which I found links for. Wish you were here....
MissM/Jane
Surfers get smart on spyware - vnunet.com
Rumored Microsoft Adware Deal Raises Red Flags
Google to release Firefox toolbar | CNET News.com
and as I was scanning tech news, looking for links, I ran across this too Techworld.com - Three critical Microsoft patches this month
MissM/Jane
Surfers get smart on spyware - vnunet.com
Rumored Microsoft Adware Deal Raises Red Flags
Google to release Firefox toolbar | CNET News.com
and as I was scanning tech news, looking for links, I ran across this too Techworld.com - Three critical Microsoft patches this month
Microsoft Downgrades Claria Adware Detections
Gator not a threat???? At least according to MS.....
courtesy of locolobo
courtesy of locolobo
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Blake Ross on Firefox and Beyond � The new Firefox tag line
Courtesy of GeekNewsCentral this is hysterical: "If you put my grandfather in a room with God and gave him one question, he would not ask for the meaning of life. He would not inquire as to the existence of poverty or the vagaries of human nature. No, he would ask, and I quoth: Do you use Firefox?" go read the rest ;)
MissM
MissM
Microsoft Employee Volunteers For Computer Hardwiring
Technological advances will one day allow computers to be implanted in the human body -- and could help the blind see and the deaf hear -- Bill Gates said Friday. But the Microsoft chairman says he's not ready to be hardwired.
"One of the guys that works at Microsoft ... always says to me 'I'm ready, plug me in,"' Gates said at a Microsoft seminar in Singapore. "I don't feel quite the same way. I'm happy to have the computer over there and I'm over here."
He must be worried that the computer is running Windows...
"One of the guys that works at Microsoft ... always says to me 'I'm ready, plug me in,"' Gates said at a Microsoft seminar in Singapore. "I don't feel quite the same way. I'm happy to have the computer over there and I'm over here."
He must be worried that the computer is running Windows...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Pigs Will Fly When Sun Offers Windows OS
Tom Goguen, vice president of operating platform marketing for Sun, said last week that while Sun currently has no definite plan to strike a deal with Microsoft to sell Windows, the vendor will consider it if customers and partners think it's a good idea.
Don't we watch a wonderful industry? That Sun, once Microsoft's most vocal critic, no enemy, would sell Micsorodt Windows Server should customers want it is a true sign of how hard it is to make a buck in the high tech industry. Combined with Michael Dell's throwaway comment a couple of weeks ago that Dell would sell Apple's OS X -- if customers wanted it.
Makes me think I woke up in the twilight zone this morning. Must have been the dream about pigs flying. Hey, more unusual things have happened. I worked for a company, Arthur D. Little Inc., that once made a sow's ear into a silk purse.
Anyway, Dell and Sunn will sell the competitor's products because customer satisfaction -- the real thing, not the platitudes -- is what can make or break direct-selling tech companies today.
Don't we watch a wonderful industry? That Sun, once Microsoft's most vocal critic, no enemy, would sell Micsorodt Windows Server should customers want it is a true sign of how hard it is to make a buck in the high tech industry. Combined with Michael Dell's throwaway comment a couple of weeks ago that Dell would sell Apple's OS X -- if customers wanted it.
Makes me think I woke up in the twilight zone this morning. Must have been the dream about pigs flying. Hey, more unusual things have happened. I worked for a company, Arthur D. Little Inc., that once made a sow's ear into a silk purse.
Anyway, Dell and Sunn will sell the competitor's products because customer satisfaction -- the real thing, not the platitudes -- is what can make or break direct-selling tech companies today.
Monday, July 04, 2005
KVM-Mac update
Well, for the record it WAS the Pentium 3 causing my KVM to beep. I confirmed it. Shut everything down as before and waited. Sure enough after 4 hours the KVM went nuts again. I pulled power cord on the Pentium 3 and after 30 seconds the beeping stopped. Again, go figure. The Mac Mini? All is well. Haven't had much time for it but, It's working fine.
Gail, the new look is fine by me :-).
Gail, the new look is fine by me :-).
Sunday, July 03, 2005
OnComputers Podcast
This is the On Computers podcast for 07-03-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Swiping Back At Credit-Card Fraud
This article seems especially appropriate today since we were talking about companies eschewing the Internet due to security concerns on the show. This article sure paints a rosier picture than we did.
Microsoft about to buy into a BIG mistake
They're gonna buy Claria (the makers of Gator)?????
And I agree with the headline. But as one commenter posted, what better way to report to MS what software you have on your computer, as an anti-piracy measure, of course.
*Tongue firmly in cheek*
Perhaps another blogger has a better perspective on any positive business angle for Microsoft.
Any thoughts????
UPDATE:As I read through the article, there was a link to a previous show guest Ben Edelmen,
and his concerns with it, even more info at that link.
P.S. Well I tried to find the link to the show, and couldn't quickly, but I'm sure you heard it :)
And I agree with the headline. But as one commenter posted, what better way to report to MS what software you have on your computer, as an anti-piracy measure, of course.
*Tongue firmly in cheek*
Perhaps another blogger has a better perspective on any positive business angle for Microsoft.
Any thoughts????
UPDATE:As I read through the article, there was a link to a previous show guest Ben Edelmen,
and his concerns with it, even more info at that link.
P.S. Well I tried to find the link to the show, and couldn't quickly, but I'm sure you heard it :)
U.S. to Retain Oversight of Web Traffic
From the article:
"A unilateral decision by the United States to indefinitely retain oversight of the Internet's main traffic-directing computers prompted concerns Friday that the global telecommunications network could eventually splinter."
Fasten your seatbelts and hang on tight!
"A unilateral decision by the United States to indefinitely retain oversight of the Internet's main traffic-directing computers prompted concerns Friday that the global telecommunications network could eventually splinter."
Fasten your seatbelts and hang on tight!
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Sizing the 2005 Worldwide Server Market
A lot of work went into this article at IT Jungle on estimating the installed base of servers. Software companies care a great deal about installed hardware bases. Here's the table of interest:
Worldwide Server Installed Base, Early 2004
X86-X64 Windows NT 2,000,000
X86-X64 Windows 2000 6,200,000
X86-X64 Windows 2003 1,300,000
X86-X64 Linux 2,500,000
X86-X64 NetWare 2,000,000
X86-X64 Unix 2,000,000
X86-X64 Other 500,000
X86 Intel Arch. Total 16,500,000
Sun RISC/Unix 960,000
HP RISC/Unix 240,000
IBM RISC/Unix 310,000
Other RISC/Unix 90,000
Risc/Unix Total 1,600,000
IBM AS/400/iSeries 450,000
IBM Mainframe 20,000
HP VMS 375,000
Other Architectures 150,000
Other Architecture 995,000
Worldwide Server Installed Base, Early 2004
X86-X64 Windows NT 2,000,000
X86-X64 Windows 2000 6,200,000
X86-X64 Windows 2003 1,300,000
X86-X64 Linux 2,500,000
X86-X64 NetWare 2,000,000
X86-X64 Unix 2,000,000
X86-X64 Other 500,000
X86 Intel Arch. Total 16,500,000
Sun RISC/Unix 960,000
HP RISC/Unix 240,000
IBM RISC/Unix 310,000
Other RISC/Unix 90,000
Risc/Unix Total 1,600,000
IBM AS/400/iSeries 450,000
IBM Mainframe 20,000
HP VMS 375,000
Other Architectures 150,000
Other Architecture 995,000
TOTAL 19,095,000
Source: IT Jungle
The $64,000,000 question is: are these numbers correct? The answer is "no". They are estimates, and only IBM has a better count. You have my permission to use the numbers above in your market forecast.
AMD's FX-57: High Performance, High Price
AMD's new Athlon 64 FX-57 microprocessor gets high marks from reviewers, including ExtremeTech and Tom's Hardware. It is arguably the fastest uniprocessor desktop chip you can buy today. But at well over $1,000 a pop, it is also well out of the mainstream on price. Middle-age gamers will scoff up the FX-57 and nVidia's new 7800 graphics cards to build killer gaming rigs at $3,000 to $5,000 each. A least, they'll be killer rigs for six months.
Symantec Admits to 'One Enormous Mistake' with Veritas Buy
Symantec CEO John Thompson admitted the company booted the PR on the recent Veritas acquisition. "We didn't say 'why,'" Thompson said in an interactive discussion.
Give the man credit for admitting a mistake. Perhaps Wall Street will back off and see if the integration of these two companies into the 4th largest software company in the world can be pulled off with more aplomb than the acquisition.
Give the man credit for admitting a mistake. Perhaps Wall Street will back off and see if the integration of these two companies into the 4th largest software company in the world can be pulled off with more aplomb than the acquisition.
Cingular CIO: Consolidating 50 Million Users Is Not Fun
Think you have a headache at the end of a long day? Try integrating Cingular with AT&T Wireless. First, you have to deal with 2,500 terabytes of data. Then consolidating 1,040 overlapping applications. All while keeping the company going 24x7. Sorta like changing an engine on a 747 while in the air. God bless!
Tips and Tricks for Windows XP
Nifty PC Magazine article with all sorts of tings you can/should do in Windows XP. Bookmark this link.
Desktops are not Dead
PC World notes a raft of new desktops from Gateway, HP, and Dell. These are the machines whill will drive sales in the key third quarter back-to-school season. My tip, based on following the PC market for four years, is to wait for specials beginning in the last week of July. The best deals are gone by late August.
Three of things I have noted:
Three of things I have noted:
- Gateway and HP are starting to ship Microsoft's Windows XP Media Edition 2005 (MC) on every desktop, even inexpensive ones. My presumption is that Microsoft cut the price of the MC OS, which used to be $5 less than XP Pro and $40 more than XP Home. The MC OS does not require a TV tuner. It will manage audio on low-end boxes. In my experience, MC is about useless without the Microsoft remote tuner and IR blaster ket ($40). I have had fun with a wireless mouse and keyboard.
- The new machines are using the BTX form factor. This requires a new motherboard layout, placing the (hot) CPU close to the cool intake air. Over all, air flow is less obstructed. With the PC majors now driving BTX components in volume, I expect hobbyists will have more options soon to build their own BTX desktop.
- Add-on memory pricing has quietly fallen to bargain levels. Two 256 MB paired sticks of name-brand DDR 400 memory for under $40! If you are a power user running XP, now is the time to upgrade to 1 GB of memory. You will be pleased.
Off Brand Printer Cartridges: You Get What You Pay For
PC Magazines unscientific testing shows off-brand ink jet cartridges and paper lead to less than optimal results on photo prints. The best photos were with the printer manufacturer's ink cartridge and photo paper.
Apple Introduces Macintosh
Due to a space/time continuum disruption, this post from Byte in 1984 on the original Mac is just being posted.
Seriously, look at the specs. The degree of fundamental technology change in a couple of decades is off the charts. We sometimes forget that in the heat of the day's battle.
Seriously, look at the specs. The degree of fundamental technology change in a couple of decades is off the charts. We sometimes forget that in the heat of the day's battle.
More OC Blog News
Once again I'm taking some time for blog maintenance, and I wanted to let you know what was going on. I added our logo to the "About" section of this new template. Some minor tweaks were made to our Feedburner (podcast) news feed. And I did a little research about the new iTunes after a listener sent us technical information. At this time Feedburner does not easily support the iTunes directory, but according to the news updates at the Feedburner site they are working on it and will update their service soon. As soon as that happens, we will add whatever iTunes features we can. In the meantime hang in there with us, please.
Thanks as always to our listeners, readers, and to the fantastic blogging team, without which I would have no blog to maintain.
Thanks as always to our listeners, readers, and to the fantastic blogging team, without which I would have no blog to maintain.
Friday, July 01, 2005
**AD-SERVING COOKIE OPT-OUT**
**AD-SERVING COOKIE OPT-OUT**: "**AD-SERVING COOKIE OPT-OUT**"
You can Op_Out from DoubleClick's Spyware cookies.
Joe
You can Op_Out from DoubleClick's Spyware cookies.
Joe
XP Starter under the gun
Here is an interesting analysis of Windows XP Starter Edition. Will it be too stripped down for most users in emerging markets or will it be a big hit?
New tax for broadband customers?
I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it is clear that affordable broadband will not come to rural america without government intervention. This is clear now that providers are rolling out high-speed fiber optics to areas already served by decent and affordable level of broadband.
I laughed out loud at the comment quoted below:
"But Randolph May, a senior fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a market-oriented think tank, said policy-makers should be cautious before making any changes. Broadband access, he said, is getting cheaper and more widely available.
'It's not clear that any subsidies are needed,' May said. 'But if policy-makers want to provide some subsidies, they should be, in my view, carefully targeted to low-income people that really need them."
The speaker just doen't get it. Free enterprise is not working to bring affordable broadband to vast numbers of people in rural areas. This is not only a low income issue, though that is part of it. It is an affordable access problem. Arguably, if I can afford $25 a month for broadband when dial-up is only $10 per month, then I'm not really poor -- $15 a month is a lot of food when those are your choices.
Is access affordable at $25 or $50 a month? Well much more so than $100 to $150 a month (which would be my real cost for satellite service or a 192 kbps dsl line). But am I "low-income"? Not by any true meaning of that word. I just can't with any reason justify spending $150 a month for marginal broadband. That's more than I spend for satellite radio, satellite tv, phone service including wireless and dial-up connectivity put together.
Maybe it is time to give free enterprise a governmental kick in the tushie before the digital divide grows yet deeper and broader.
I laughed out loud at the comment quoted below:
"But Randolph May, a senior fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a market-oriented think tank, said policy-makers should be cautious before making any changes. Broadband access, he said, is getting cheaper and more widely available.
'It's not clear that any subsidies are needed,' May said. 'But if policy-makers want to provide some subsidies, they should be, in my view, carefully targeted to low-income people that really need them."
The speaker just doen't get it. Free enterprise is not working to bring affordable broadband to vast numbers of people in rural areas. This is not only a low income issue, though that is part of it. It is an affordable access problem. Arguably, if I can afford $25 a month for broadband when dial-up is only $10 per month, then I'm not really poor -- $15 a month is a lot of food when those are your choices.
Is access affordable at $25 or $50 a month? Well much more so than $100 to $150 a month (which would be my real cost for satellite service or a 192 kbps dsl line). But am I "low-income"? Not by any true meaning of that word. I just can't with any reason justify spending $150 a month for marginal broadband. That's more than I spend for satellite radio, satellite tv, phone service including wireless and dial-up connectivity put together.
Maybe it is time to give free enterprise a governmental kick in the tushie before the digital divide grows yet deeper and broader.
Google Earth - Products
Google Earth - Products: "For anyone who has ever dreamed of flying...' - NY Times
The idea is simple. It�s a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route. We invite you to try it now."
Here in Anchorage we have something like this, You can see a pictures of my house. (If you know where to look.)
Joe
The idea is simple. It�s a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route. We invite you to try it now."
Here in Anchorage we have something like this, You can see a pictures of my house. (If you know where to look.)
Joe
Wired News: All Eyes on Upcoming Comet Crash
Wired News: All Eyes on Upcoming Comet Crash: "Professional and amateur astronomers will team up this weekend to give the world a look at the upcoming crash between comet Tempel 1 and a washing machine-size projectile launched by NASA."
Remember to look for the crash Tuesday night at 11:52PM Pacific Time, I'll be on my way to Fort Worth.
Joe
Remember to look for the crash Tuesday night at 11:52PM Pacific Time, I'll be on my way to Fort Worth.
Joe
Microsoft warns of unpatched IE flaw | Tech News on ZDNet
Microsoft warns of unpatched IE flaw | Tech News on ZDNet: "Microsoft has issued a security advisory for Internet Explorer, after a research firm published a working exploit to demonstrate how attackers could take advantage of the flaw. "
A patch for the flaw is not available. As an interim measure, the software giant advises people to set their Internet and local intranet security zone settings to "high" before running ActiveX controls.
Check your settings.
Joe
A patch for the flaw is not available. As an interim measure, the software giant advises people to set their Internet and local intranet security zone settings to "high" before running ActiveX controls.
Check your settings.
Joe
Beware of Fake Microsoft Security Alerts
A new wave of spam that disguises itself as a Microsoft security bulletin contains a link to malicious software that gives attackers complete access to the infected machine, security researchers are reporting.
The e-mail, which began circulating late Tuesday, identifies itself as Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-039, and offers a link to what it claims is a patch against the Sober Zafi and Mytob worms.
The e-mail, which began circulating late Tuesday, identifies itself as Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-039, and offers a link to what it claims is a patch against the Sober Zafi and Mytob worms.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Google Blog: Cover the earth
The latest from google. Its pretty cool, but apparently resource intensive (vsmon is the only process on my computer which uses more memory, but google earth uses many more GDI resources than vsmon[10 vs 1,913], with minimal CPU usage). It loads slowly here, but I can't tell if that's the system or the internet.
Its a ~10GB download and there's a warning that older computers may not run it. and no apple version.
MAKEzine blog has a video of syncing it w/a gps (which requires the pro version, and I'm not sure how much that is), as one example of the usefullness. I am curious, but haven't explored yet (cost being the main consideration) ... what I can do w/my mapping software, and my gps logs. Cause I have a usb gps receiver with the laptop as a display for it (as I know many of y'all do too, cause you got it while we were at fry's lol ). Any takers? If so and you aren't a poster here, email tipster@oncomputers.info and we'll post them here, if permission is given. :)
P.S. I'm gonna try to post a picture of my task manager window, to show the system usage for google earth. We'll see how this goes. :) It seems to work in preview! and boy, oh boy do I appreciate preview.
[Update: I fixed the makezine blog url, doh!]
Its a ~10GB download and there's a warning that older computers may not run it. and no apple version.
MAKEzine blog has a video of syncing it w/a gps (which requires the pro version, and I'm not sure how much that is), as one example of the usefullness. I am curious, but haven't explored yet (cost being the main consideration) ... what I can do w/my mapping software, and my gps logs. Cause I have a usb gps receiver with the laptop as a display for it (as I know many of y'all do too, cause you got it while we were at fry's lol ). Any takers? If so and you aren't a poster here, email tipster@oncomputers.info and we'll post them here, if permission is given. :)
P.S. I'm gonna try to post a picture of my task manager window, to show the system usage for google earth. We'll see how this goes. :) It seems to work in preview! and boy, oh boy do I appreciate preview.
[Update: I fixed the makezine blog url, doh!]
Microsoft Update
(free subscription required) Yesterday was Tuesday, but it was not patch Tuesday so I was a little surprised when I received an automatic update from Microsoft. This article explains what it is all about.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
UConn Finds Rootkit in Hacked Server
In an admirable disclosure, the University of Conneticut has announced they found a rootkit on one of their servers. The machine in question contained personal information on approximately 72,000 faculty and students. Though UConn believes the data was not accessed, they have chosen the responsible course of notifying all involved.
The machine was apparently compromised nearly two years ago in an automated attack and UConn has no evidence the rootkit installed then has been used. Never the less, they've chosen to take the safe course and notify all concerned there is a risk, however small, their data was stolen.
The eWeek.com story linked to above has explanations of what exactly a rootkit is and links to various detection and removal tools, as well. It's worth a read.
Jack
By the bye; I applaud your choice of template, Gail. I like the way the site looks even better now.
The machine was apparently compromised nearly two years ago in an automated attack and UConn has no evidence the rootkit installed then has been used. Never the less, they've chosen to take the safe course and notify all concerned there is a risk, however small, their data was stolen.
The eWeek.com story linked to above has explanations of what exactly a rootkit is and links to various detection and removal tools, as well. It's worth a read.
Jack
By the bye; I applaud your choice of template, Gail. I like the way the site looks even better now.
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