IE users beware: RealPlayer zero-day flaw under attack

Now Real programmed the flaw, but the true culprit is ActiveX. Make no mistake about that. Microsoft and their insecure ActiveX technology lie at the heart of this.

There is a fix available. Real must have jumped through a lot of hoops to do that in such a hurry. Kudos to them for admitting the flaw and fixing it so rapidly. Obviously, Real gets the significance of things like this. A link to the fix is provided at the blog linked to above.

Jack

Download Ubuntu | Ubuntu

I would like to point out that Ubuntu 7.10 - (Supported to 2009) is out as of today
this is the newest version and just came out so it might be hard to get the download going.
It took me 4 or 5 times. But it's downloading now, try another mirror.

AlaskaJoe

Gathering 'Storm' Superworm Poses Grave Threat to PC Nets

This article is over a week old. I'm sorry for not pointing it out sooner but I have been busy, studying the Storm infection, among other things.

Bruce Schneier writes the most compact and comprehensive description of the problem yet, which is why I recommend it to you.

Jack

Meet the chumby

This early review is intriguing. I think I might want one, though it would be much more versatile if it was not tied to wireless (wi-fi).

Anyway; the idea of a device that would surf the news sites for me while I worked on other things is nice. I also would not mind killing off my RSS reader application and using an external device for that purpose.

I think this review is worth reading. And since it won't be out for a little while, I have time to decide if the approximately $200 price is worth paying.

Jack

Mac OS X 10.5 to Ship October 26!

Here's the link, in case you've broken your arm and have managed to not stumble over one of the referers.

Jack

Vista “Out of Memory” errors

We've heard rumblings of this problem off and on for a while now. It doesn't seem to be widespread and even on machines where it crops up it may only happen on some file transfer operations while others go through faultlessly.

Microsoft has issued a hotfix for the problem. Rumor has it that the fix will not make SP1, so you have to get it on your own.

Jack

Windows Home Server in depth: the Ars Technica review

I have lost none of my enthusiasm for this product as I have learned about it. And I'm not even a Windows guy! I think you will like this review at Ars Technica and find it easy to digest.

Whether or not it's a runaway best seller, my bet is that WHS will be a steady earner and increase it's sales as time goes on and more people feel the need for [both] secure backup and "one stop" organization of their files. (Whether multimedia, as Microsoft foresees, or otherwise.) This is the right product at the right time.

Jack

Potential Class Action Suit Over Windows Genuine Advantage

I think this page is simply a lawyer's tool to drum up or measure interest. Whatever the intent, you can sign up to be a part of whatever happens with the lawsuit. Interesting as it is, I didn't think it was for me.

If you have any interest, read the terms and conditions very carefully before you sign up.

Jack

Getting grubby: Demystifying the Linux start-up processes

This was posted on Slashdot and I think it is worthy of being passed along to you.

Any boot process is complex and comprehensive. It's rather a mystery to us how our computers boot and it's worth taking a look at it. I expect an article on Windows booting would be of interest to more people, but this one is pretty good, only 3 pages long and has explained several things I did not know. I think you will both like it and profit from reading it.

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 10-14-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 10-14-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.