Practical Technology

for practical people.

June 15, 2010
by sjvn01
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Office 2010 is in the stores. Yawn.

Am I the only who finds Forrester analyst JP Gowdner’s blog proclamation that “Office 2010, Microsoft’s latest release, will continue to succeed with consumers” and “In terms of usage and penetration, Google Docs remains a failure” on the eve of Office 2010’s arrival to retails stores be a little… suspicious? Could it have anything to do with Microsoft’s just launched $80 million Office 2010 ad campaign?

Gowdner, who covers the consumer market and not the business market, maintains that Microsoft Office 2010 is going to stay on top because:”The browser-based experience remains limited;” “Consumers have a deep, longstanding relationship with Office; and “Local computing power is plentiful and cheap.”

To which I say, so what? Those aren’t reasons for Office to do well. They’re reasons to stick with what you already have. I expect Office 2010 to stagnate on the market. Gowdner, and Microsoft, who he quotes, sees Office 2010’s point as being “To sell packaged client software and offer Web-based services to augment the experience.”

To that I say, excuse me? Sell boxed software in 2010? What planet are you from?

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June 15, 2010
by sjvn01
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New Mac Mini: Cheap Mac desktop or SOHO server

I’ve always liked Apple’s Mac Mini. It was easily the most affordable desktop Mac around. Now, in its latest models, the new Mac Mini comes as both a desktop and Apple TV replacement and as a SOHO (small office/home office) server, I still see a lot to like.

While, it’s not as cheap as it used to be, the desktop model comes in at $699, it’s still not expensive considering the combination of Mac’s ease of use and what you get in the box. The server will cost a cool $999 with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server. Underneath the Mac OS X pretty exterior, you have, for all intents and purposes, a 64-bit Unix server with all the usual Unix server goodies.

Both models are smaller than ever at 1.4 inches by 7 inches by 7 inches HWD (Height, Width, Depth). Each also comes with 4GBs of memory, which can be upgraded to 8GBs. They also come with Nvidia GeForce 320M integrated graphics. This new graphics package makes it much faster than before. While no serious gamer will ever mistake the new Mac Mini for a kick-rump and take names gaming PC, it does make it more than fast and powerful enough to easily output 1080p HDTV.

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June 14, 2010
by sjvn01
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Rootkits: Hiding in Windows shadows

Most malware are like leeches on your computer’s software. But, a rootkit can turn your computer’s very operating system against you.

If you’re a smart Windows user, you probably already know about the basics of protecting your computer from malware. That is to say, you know you need to update your computer with regular patches and to install and keep updated an anti-virus program. That still isn’t enough since Windows is inherently unsafe but it’s reasonably secure. Isn’t it? Well no, you see there’s one kind of malware, rootkits that turns your operating system into a zombie and turns off any patches or updates that might threaten it.

Rootkits didn’t start with Windows. As the name indicates, they actually date back to Unix. There, the top-level operating system administrator has the user name of ‘root.’ As root, or super-user, the administrator has far more power over its computer than any ordinary user. As the saying goes in Unix and Linux circles, “To err is human, to really foul up requires the root password.”
While rootkit problems still exist in Unix and Linux, they’re far more common in Windows. That’s in part because the Unix operating family has many built in system monitoring and logging tools. In other words, while Unix and Linux can be attacked this way, it’s a lot harder to pull off without leaving tracks.

Windows, especially desktop Windows, like XP and 7, are far easier to infect with a rootkit. And, once infected, your system no longer really belongs to you. It belongs to your attacker.
That’s because a rootkit isn’t about cracking your security and breaking into your PC. No, rootkits are placed in your computer after it’s already been compromised in some other way. Once there, unless you go looking for them, you may never find them. And, even if you look for them they can be hard to see.

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June 14, 2010
by sjvn01
1 Comment

Linux is as secure as ever

There have been several stories proclaiming that a recent Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over and that Think Linux is free from malware? Think again; it’s been hacked. Much as it pains me to disagree with the good people, they’re wrong.

Here’s what really happened. UnrealIRCd, a rather obscure open-source IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server, wasn’t so much hacked as the program it was letting people download has been replaced by one with a built-in security hole. Or, as they explained on their site,

“This is very embarrassing…

You think!?

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June 14, 2010
by sjvn01
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SCO & Novell: Game, set and match

L

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah finally granted Novell’s request for declaratory judgment and ruled against SCO‘s last frantic attempts to keep any of its claims going. Or, to quote Pamela Jones, editor of Groklaw and top expert on SCO’s endless anti-Linux lawsuits: "The door has slammed shut on the SCO litigation machine."

It only took seven years to put an end to a case that never had any basis in reality in the first place. In its last-gasp attempt, SCO demanded a new trial on the basis that the "jury simply got it wrong" when it ruled in late March that SCO has no rights whatsoever to Unix’s IP (intellectual property). But, as Judge Ted Stewart wrote in his memorandum (PDF) denying SCO’s demand for a new trial, "The jury could have rejected the testimony of SCO’s witnesses for a number of reasons, including their lack of involvement in drafting the APA (Asset Purchase Agreement), the fact that there was little testimony on any actual discussions concerning the transfer of copyrights, or that many of the witnesses had a financial interest in the litigation." Therefore, "The Clerk of the Court is directed to close this case forthwith."

Of course, SCO could still appeal even this result, but there’s no longer any real point in SCO fighting on. The facts of the case are now established in the court’s decisions. There’s nothing of substance left to fight over.

What does all this mean? SCO itself, once a proud Unix and Linux vendor, will soon finish its slide into bankruptcy and never be seen again. The few customers left of its flagship operating systems, OpenServer and UnixWare, should stop waiting for a miracle to happen and move on to another operating system. SCO’s headlong charge into destruction has left little way in the support for their customers anyway. Besides, now that the court has ruled that SCO has no IP rights in Unix, I don’t see anything of any value left in either operating system.

Novell, which has been flirting with the idea of finding a buyer, is looking more valuable than ever after this last court result. While the company hasn’t done particularly well, its uncontested ownership of Unix combined with Novell’s new partnership with VMware makes it much more attractive to would-be buyers.

For all that some free software fans can’t stand Novell because of its Microsoft partnerships, when push came to shove, it was Novell that took on the hard, dull work of defending Linux against SCO.

Novell has won game, set and match against SCO. Their future looks bright. SCO? It has no future. Good riddance.

A version of this story first appeared in ComputerWorld.

June 10, 2010
by sjvn01
4 Comments

Linux-powered iPad-like tablets can’t come quickly enough

Apple has long had a history of being arrogant. But, more often than not, they’ve been able to back it up by the quality of their products. Now, though, with Apple locking out Adobe Flash and Google Ads, not to mention their cute trick of setting up an HTML 5 demo site that only works with Apple’s own Safari Web browser. I think Apple has over-stepped their welcome. It’s time for Linux-powered smartphones, tablets, and devices to give users top-notch options to Apple’s offerings.

Linux, largely thanks to Google Android, has already made a lot of progress that way in smartphones. Indeed, even hard-core iPhone users are now thinking about switching to Android phones. There’s also a wave of Linux-powered tablets and would-be iPad rivals on their way. But, they’re not here yet.

And, while I think that these new Linux devices will do well, I also think they need to be more than just tablets that are cheaper and more open than iPads. They need, as Jim Zemlin, the head of the Linux Foundation, wrote in BusinessWeek, “It’s important that open-source products add more value for users than simply being free. Open-source software also needs to be fabulous.”

Exactly.

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