Practical Technology

for practical people.

November 14, 2011
by sjvn01
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South Korea proposes restricting all e-mail sending to official e-mail servers

According to the BBC, South Korea’s Internet and Security Agency is asking all ISPs to block all e-mail sent from anything but “official” e-mail servers. The idea is to block spam, but will it really accomplish this goal?

It’s not like this is a new idea. The Anti-Spam Technical Alliance proposed it as a best e-mail practice for ISPs in 2004. It’s a simple idea. If an ISP blocks the default Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) port, Port 25, from sending e-mail messages, users will be forced to use their ISP’s mail servers. This, in turn, the theory, goes will magically stop spam.

ISPs loved this idea. Today, most ISPs already ready block port 25. AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to name only three already do this. In practice what this means is that unless you have a static Internet Protocol (IP) address chances are you must use your ISP’s official e-mail server to send mail out.

Yep, it’s already a popular, frequently implemented idea. Too bad it doesn’t work.

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November 13, 2011
by sjvn01
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New Desktop Interface Flops

If you follow my work, you won’t be surprised to know that I really dislike Windows 8’s proposed new interface, Metro. That’s not because I hate everything from Microsoft. It’s because I hate anything that’s a bad design, and it’s not just Microsoft that’s guilty of that. So are open-source groups such as GNOME.

Unlike my colleague Ken Hess who hates just about all the newest interfaces, I do like some of the new ones… in their place.

For example, he really dislikes Ubuntu’s Unity desktop. I don’t. In fact, I rather like Unity/… in its place. Mind you, I don’t like it that much for me, but at least I can see what Ubuntu is trying to do with their interface and I think they’re successful in reaching that goal.

What I mean by that is I’m a power user. I want a graphical user interface (GUI) to either help me reach deep into a system so that I can tune it just the way I like or, at the least, to get out of the way so I can get to a command line interface or shell so I can easily adjust the system. Unity doesn’t do that. But, then Unity isn’t meant for power users. It’s mean for new PC or tablet users who want to easily do a relatively few tasks: get on the Web, play music, and so on. For them, Unity is great. For me, or Ken, not so much.

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November 10, 2011
by sjvn01
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Goodbye BIOS, hello UEFI

When you turn on your computer, a primitive system that dates back more than 30 years, the basic input/output system (BIOS), turns your cold hardware into a functioning system that your operating system can then boot from. Alas, it’s sadly out of date. PC makers have slowly been replacing BIOS with the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). That’s all well and good, but one UEFI feature, Secure Boot, could be used to lock PCs into being only able to boot one operating system: Windows 8.

[ Linux Foundation recommends fixes for UEFI roadblock ]

So, what’s really going on here? Is UEFI just a way for Microsoft and its most loyal original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to keep Linux and other alternative operating systems out or is it more than that? To answer that, let’s take a look at what’s what with UEFI.

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November 10, 2011
by sjvn01
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The FCC’s plan to bring the Internet to the poor

I know about poor. I grew up in the backwoods of West Virginia. I was lucky. I had several gifts and made the most of my chances. Thus, I was able to move from a dirt road to Manhattan skyscrapers in a few years. Most poor people don’t get that kind of shot. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided to help today’s poverty-stricken youth get their chance to move up by unveiling a plan to bring broadband Internet connections to eligible low-income families, Connect to Compete.

Working in partnership with National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) ISPs the FCC has arranged for poor families to get broadband Internet connections, without an installation/activation fee and no modem rental fees (with an option to purchase a $10 modem) for $9.95 a month. Eligibility for Connect to Compete will be limited to households that have a child enrolled in the national school lunch program and that are not current or recent broadband subscribers.

According to the NCTA, “Broadband is an increasingly integral part of getting a quality education, yet too few of the most needy kids have the service at home. Research shows the barriers to broadband adoption involve a complex mix of digital literacy, perceived relevance of online content, and access to low-cost computers and Internet service. Compete to Compete is the largest private sector initiative ever to address one key prong of the adoption problem: getting broadband Internet into the homes of students where the adoption problem is most acute. [It] can give millions more students the tools to do homework at home and to develop the skills they will need to find a job in the 21st Century economy.”

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November 9, 2011
by sjvn01
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Google and Barnes & Noble get serious about Android patent lawsuits

While Google has been fighting with Oracle over Java’s intellectual property (IP) and Android, it hasn’t been doing a lot for its Android allies who have been being whipsawed by Apple, Microsoft and patent trolls such as Intellectual Ventures. That may be changing. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said today in Taiwan that Google will stand by the phone vendors firms in any Android patent lawsuit.

According to Focus Taiwan, Schmidt said, “We disagree with Microsoft that anyone needs to pay Microsoft a royalty fee for products they didn’t build. I want to emphasize that Google built these products [Android and Chrome], not Microsoft. We tell our partners, including the ones in Taiwan, that we will support them.”

It’s not just Microsoft though that Schmidt is giving notice to that Google won’t be sitting back in patent lawsuits. “For example, we have been supporting HTC in its dispute with Apple because we think that the Apple thing is not correct.”

I also suspect it’s because, as Google gets closer to sealing the deal that will bring it Motorola Mobility. Google will be able to use its Motorola Mobility patent arsenal against Android’s enemies in the courtroom.

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November 9, 2011
by sjvn01
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After Jobs, will Apple target the enterprise?

We’re finding out all sorts of things about Steve Jobs now that he’s left us. For example, he wanted to crush Android because it was “stealing” from him. That’s funny, considering that one of Jobs’ pet phrases was “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” He knew what he was talking about, since much of Apple’s early success can be ascribed to his “theft” of the mouse and GUI from Xerox. We’ve also learned that his next big idea was to transform the living room with Apple TV sets. That’s all well and good, but Jobs is gone now. What should Apple do next?

First, I think it should get out of the intellectual property (IP) lawsuit business. Sure, for the moment, Apple has the upper hand on Samsung — whose Galaxy Tab tablets seem to have been especially annoying to Jobs — but as someone who follows IP lawsuits, I’m sure that won’t last. Major IP litigation takes years to resolve, goes through ups and downs, and can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. I think Apple would be far better off if it focused its attention on what it has always done extremely well: making the best possible products.

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