The desktop -- time to say goodbye?

In the face of increasing market share are desktops doomed to niche status? I kind of doubt it.

Yes, more and more people are opting for notebooks and more corporate sales are of notebooks, as well. But if I had my choice, I'd work on a desktop more, not less. I like my laptop, but the smaller display and keyboard take their toll over long hours of working on it.

You can bet we are going to be talking about this one on Sunday.

Jack

Happy Friday Edition

First. There's a WOOT-OFF!!
Second. My Google reader shared items:


Third. TGIF! Have a great weekend!
Fourth. Join us Sunday for the live show!

--MissM

Microsoft's Copy Protection Hacked Again

From CBS news:
(AP) Microsoft Corp. is once again on the defensive against hackers after the posting of a new program that gives average PC users tools to unlock copy-protected digital music and movies.

The latest version of the FairUse4M program, which can crack Microsoft's digital rights management system for Windows Media audio and video files, was published online late Friday. In the past year, Microsoft plugged holes exploited by two earlier versions of the program and filed a federal lawsuit against its anonymous authors. Microsoft dropped the lawsuit after failing to identify them.

Fighting Viruses in Vista Without Antivirus Programs

Here's an interesting article that takes on the bluster about whether or not Vista actually needs an anti-virus program protecting it. Not really anything surprising in it, but well told and understandable to anyone.

Jack

Adobe Flash exploit could log keystrokes

This one is really important if you have Flash enabled in your browser. Adobe has published patches for a total of 3 important vulnerabilities and you need to update your Flash Player right away!

Jack

Microsoft to offer code protection, validation to other software developers

Microsoft is making the tools and bits of software copy protection and activation (Similar to Windows activation) available to developers. At first glance, this looks like nothing more than a gift to hardworking developers, no matter how large or small their projects are.

But I fear MS has an agenda. They are already using relatively restrictive copy protection and activation schemes on their products and they have made no secret of the fact that they plan to push forward in this area. However; there is a customer outcry because of the inconvenience and mistakes in the process, and MS has to worry it might become a tidal wave of dissatisfaction leading to lost sales and hence revenue. (Other companies plan similar schemes; notably Adobe, thought these two are by no means the only ones.) So, the only way they can gain acceptance, or at least resignation, of customers to these schemes is to make ones like it so pervasive that there are few alternatives.

There's a lot at stake here.

Jack

Linux MPX Multi-touch Table May Become Free DIY Microsoft Surface One Day

Here's another project to make surface or touch computing mainstream. This one is a development of the X Windows system used on Linux and many Unices. It's worth reading. I'm now aware of 4 projects having to do with touch or surface computing besides Microsoft's heavily touted efforts. MS is definitely the leader in this space, but apparently the field is about to be crowded.

Beware of the optimism in this article. It's a bit much and so slightly unbalances the tone of things.


Jack

Sun Has Fixed Java Security Flaws

Sun Microsystems quietly slipped out an update to the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) and SDK (Software Development Kit) to address the flaws I posted about earlier.

The new version number is 6, update 2. Get it at the link above. The update has been issued for all applicable platforms.

Jack

How can you possibly test modern software fully?

Here is an interesting article from The Register's Developer's section. It will answer a lot of questions about how software is tested, should that sort of thing interest you.

I have to warn you that it is multiple pages long and, while well written and paced, it is probably more than most of you want to know about the subject,

Jack

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 07-15-07

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 07-15-07. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific thats 1PM to 4PM Eastern. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.

Userful Multi-Station Software

In late 1999 and 2000, I did some work with friends on setting up Linux PCs so 4 people could use one PC simultaneously. We had some successes, though there was a real struggle to implement that many PCI video cards on each machine. (Input was via USB devices.) Even so, we had 4 users humming away on one machine in a call center and in a charitable agency office where the only tasks were text input and other secretarial tasks and some database fetches from a server with, along the companion inputs. For all I know, they're still running.

Now, a company called "Userful" has software to manage things easily and reliably. No more custom setups.

Think about this for a minute. Not all, and in fact most users probably don't actually need an entire PC. This is ever more true when the desktop computers available to us are growing in power and capacity as fast as they are. Got 3 kids? Why do they each need a computer? Build one killer machine and implement Userful's stuff and you will probably end up saving money, trouble and stop that terrible hair loss that affects us older guys.

Give it a look.

Jack

The Gregg Zone !!

1) Are you or have you been interested in Seti? Been involved with the “Seti at home project”? Maybe you were involved in the star-dust at home project helping to sort out the dust particles obtained from NASA’s Comet Wild-2 Mission? Well there is a new one that started earlier in the week on Tuesday July 10^th. They are looking to the internet for volunteers to help classify a million galaxies, seems the human brain is much better at identifying patterns than computers. This is really a very cool thing you get to see pictures of galaxies for the first time. There is a short test to be sure you understand the nuances between the images you will be sorting into categories. It is a little harder than it looks, I missed eight of fifteen on the test round, need to practice some and try again. Anyway check this out even if it is not your cup of tea, you might pass it along to someone else who might like to help out. http://www.galaxyzoo.org/

2) This site is something I found after watching a program on T.V., the show was called “The Boy Who Sees with Sound”, I think it was on the science channel; anyway it was about human echolocation. This was something I had heard about some time ago, but it had dropped off my radar because of time, and other interests. When I saw the program on the tube it raised my curiosity to the point of a google search. You can see the 25 min. video here, and also learn more about what has to be one of the most interesting subjects I have seen in a while. Being sighted all my life makes it very difficult to imagine learning a technique involving the art of compensating sound for sight to this degree. If I had not “seen” it, I would have trouble believing it. This really makes me wonder how much of the world around me goes totally unnoticed, just because I’m not focused enough to perceive what is in front of me. Or how much do I miss due to not developing my senses to the limits of their abilities. The link is to the video page, you might like to hit the home button to see what else is there. http://www.worldaccessfortheblind.org/

3) The internet can help you keep in touch with some very interesting directions our society is headed in. A case in point the other day I ran across something called cultured meat, this term refers to growing meat in the lab. Evidently you could in theory feed an entire nation from only two cells. Eliminating most of the undesirable by-products produced by the raising meat, freeing agricultural land to feed people directly, rather than using an animal to turn the suns energy into food. No methane, no anti-biotic related problems, and much less transportation of support goods to keep the herds, the list of that type of advantage is very long indeed. And then one must consider the lack of need to kill, or mistreat animals. I can see several hours of future reading on the many issues this line of research brings to mind, from technical advancements to the ethics of cloning, creation, and the relationship to the animal consciousness groups. http://www.reuters.com .

4) Okay here we go full speed ahead, if you thought those sites were a little tame how about building your own replicater, yea that cool little dumb waiter kind of machine from star trek, that made what ever you ordered. I read a preliminary article about this a couple of years ago, decided to do a little search to see if I could find an update, never expected to find free online plans to build my own. This site is an open source site dedicated to how to build your own 3-D printer; this is one of those places where you can find the future today. Sometimes I wish I was a little younger, just to see where all this is going. If you decide to build one of these I sure would like an occasional update. http://www.fabathome.org

Java flaw poses widespread security threat

At the time of posting, details are scarce. I'm not even satisfied there is a problem. This CNet article is all I have found, so far. More details as they become available.

Jack

Cell Phone Spying Service Leaking Data? - Security Fix

drat, they aren't the same size...

Wow this is scary, especially if you have a blackberry or windows mobile "smart" phones (sorry, couldn't help myself on the quotation marks lol)
The Washington Post Security Column elaborates on the issue:




"Last week, the geek news world was abuzz with news of a spying service that lets people intercept text messages, call logs, e-mails and other information from BlackBerry and Windows Mobile-equipped smart phones. But it appears the privacy threat is even bigger: According to evidence unearthed by at least one security researcher, the company that offers the intercept service has left its database freely viewable to anyone with a Web browser. "

Go read the rest of the details...

Cell Phone Spying Service Leaking Data? - Security Fix
--MissM

Microsoft facing US$1.15bn Xbox 360 repair bill

MS has now admitted that ALL of the XBox 360 units built to date are faulty, by virtue of poor design. They are NOT going to replace them. Rather, they have extended the warranty to three years, as we said on the show last week.

The new warranty policy is not going to completely compensate (as an example) a user who has had to return their unit multiple times and been without it during those periods. I have to wonder if this increase in warranty coverage will be seen as sufficient by consumer protection agencies and lawyers. I predict there will be litigators flocking around this one and hearings in front of various consumer agencies.

Jack

Mac OS X with 100 bugs: Still safer than Windows?

I think OS X is still safer than Windows. Obviously the security types are not sure. But in the absense of wide-spread attacks and compromises, I am still telling folks they will be safe for the Mac.

I send my clients and friends a little security newsletter from time to time to remind them of best practices and keep track of threats they need to know about. In it, I am still recommending the Mac OS X as safer than Windows.

Jack

Firefox and IE together brew up security trouble | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

To update Jack's post below, apparently both Firefox AND IE have issues.

UPDATE: Blame them both.

That's the latest update from security researchers who initially laid the blame on Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the latest zero-day exploit that also can afflict those using the Firefox Web browser.

Users could face a "highly critical" risk if they have both IE and Firefox version 2.0, or later, loaded on their computer. The trouble begins when browsing a malicious site while using IE and it registers a "firefoxurl://" URI (uniform resource identifier) handler, which allows the browser to interact with specific resources on the Web. As a result, users may find their systems remotely compromised.

[snip]

"Firefox is the current attack vector, but Internet Explorer is to blame for not escaping...characters when passing on the input to the command line," said Larholm, in response to a reader's comments. "I agree that Firefox could have registered its URL handler with pure DDE (dynamic data exchange, the protocol for information exchange) instead and thereby have avoided the possibility of a command-line argument injection, but IE should still be able to safely launch external applications."

Firefox and IE together brew up security trouble | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Some of my normal buttons are missing (dang link button won't work, or I'd post to Jack's post, yeah that's how its supposed to be done, check to see if its been posted before posting.:P) while I create this, but the link above has all the info.
--MissM

Critical Firefox security flaw discovered

Ahhh, browsers! Doncha just love 'em? They keep our lives so interesting! And often in unexpected ways, too.

This flaw looks like a real gem. No doubt the Mozilla folks are hot on the heels of this one. It will no doubt be repaired soon.

The original Secunia advisory is here for those of you with a masochistic bent.

Jack

Zone Alarm free for Vista out

Don't know how long this has been out but, I just noticed it. The install was a nightmare. It hung. Windows complained about the true vector service numerous times. However, it does seem to be running OK , after a re-boot.

Vista SP1 beta 1 to launch in mid-July | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

"Just when Microsoft had customers, partners and competitors all believing that it was going to delay the first service pack for Vista — not releasing a first beta of it until just before year-end — the company is set to deliver Beta 1 of Vista SP1 in mid-July"

Lets see what this Service pack does for Vista.
AlaskaJoe