Practical Technology

for practical people.

September 11, 2009
by sjvn01
0 comments

If Microsoft really wants to be friends with Linux…

Microsoft has founded a new foundation, the CodePlex Foundation which claims to be about bringing open-source and proprietary software companies together to participate side by side in open-source projects. Yeah. Right.

There’s a folk tale that goes something like this, a dog and a rattlesnake meet at the river. The snake says to the dog, “Why don’t you carry me on your back to the other side?” The dog says “Sure, I’d be happy to do that except you’ll bite me.” And the snake says “No I won’t, I really need to get across to the other side and I won’t bite you.” The dog, a foolish sort believes the snake’s promise so he lets the snake on his back and he starts to swim across the river. At the mid-way point, the snake bites him. “What did you do that for?” exclaimed the dog, as they both begin to die. “What did you expect,” replied the snake, “I’m a rattlesnake.”

And, Microsoft is Microsoft. The Codex Foundation claims that it “will complement existing open source foundations and organizations, providing a forum in which best practices and shared understanding can be established by a broad group of participants, both software companies and open source communities.” I don’t believe it for a minute.

More >

September 10, 2009
by sjvn01
0 comments

Is Microsoft abandoning XP security updates?

Windows is insecure. That’s a given. But, Microsoft does issue monthly security patches-the first Tuesday of every month on Patch Tuesday-for many of Windows’ security problems. Now, however, there’s a new security problem in Windows XP’s TCP/IP networking that Microsoft has deliberately decided to leave unfixed.

According to Microsoft’s Security Bulletin MS09-048, Microsoft has released a patch for “several privately reported vulnerabilities in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing. The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if an attacker sent specially crafted TCP/IP packets over the network to a computer with a listening service.”

That’s the fancy way of saying a hacker can take your computer over with this vulnerability. Listening services are just what you might think. They’re software programs, like a Web server, that wait for a network connection before they do whatever their job is. Now, Microsoft has fixed this… for Vista and Windows Server 2003 and 2008. But, if you use XP, or Windows 2000, you’re out of luck.

More >

September 10, 2009
by sjvn01
0 comments

Much ado about nothing or Apple TV

Yesterday’s Apple announcements had analysts and fans alike drooling at the possibilities of a tablet-sized Apple iPod Touch, others saw a Web browser and iPhone/iPod applets for the Apple TV, and there was the eternal rumor of a Blu-Ray DVD being added to the Apple TV. In the event, there was, drum roll please, no Apple TV news at all.

Thud.

There are new iPods and a new version of Apple iTunes, but if you wanted any improvements to the Apple TV, you had come to the wrong place. I find this more than a little disappointing. I’m a big Apple TV fan, but Apple management seems to disagree.

More >

September 9, 2009
by sjvn01
1 Comment

Dell renews Ubuntu Linux desktop line up

Microsoft is doing its best to bury desktop Linux with lies, but at least one major vendor, Dell, isn’t just continuing to deliver laptops and netbooks with Ubuntu Linux, it’s actually upgrading the version of Ubuntu it’s shipping and, later this week, it will start selling Ubuntu 9.04-powered Inspiron 537s desktops.

As Dell’s Todd Finch, senior product marketing manager for Linux clients, promised at OpenSourceWorld several weeks ago, Dell is now shipping its existing netbook lines with the latest version of Ubuntu, 9.04. This means that if you order a Dell Mini 9, a personal favorite of mine that now sells for $199, the Dell Mini 10v, or Inspiron 15n today you’ll get it with 9.04. In addition, Dell throws in DVD-playback and the media software you need to play MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and WMV (Windows Media Video) files.

Later this week, according to sources at Dell, Dell will start offering an Ubuntu Linux-powered desktop, the Inspiron 537s. Farther down the road, Dell is considering offering Linux-based mobile devices, smartbooks, which will be about the size of present day netbooks but use ARM-processors. There is no delivery date for these computers.

You will, however, be able to order the Inspiron 537s models by the weekend. While hard details aren’t available yet. The 537s family is made up of strong, basic PCs in a variety of colors.

More >

September 8, 2009
by sjvn01
3 Comments

Who watches the baby-sitter?

When you have children you worry about them. You want to protect them. So, that means you want security software that will try to child-proof the Internet. That’s not easy. Some say it’s an impossible job. But, still parents try their best with programs like Net Nanny and CyberPatrol. But, then there’s EchoMetrix, which uses its Sentry and FamilySafe child protection programs to, and I quote their tag-line, “When kids talk, we listen.”

And, you thought Big Brother was just a character in George Orwell’s 1984. Welcome to 2009, when, according to an AP news report by Deborah Yow. “Software sold under the Sentry and FamilySafe brands can read private chats conducted through Yahoo, MSN, AOL and other services, and send back data on what kids are saying about such things as movies, music or video games. The information is then offered to businesses seeking ways to tailor their marketing messages to kids.”

More >

September 8, 2009
by sjvn01
0 comments

Microsoft’s latest Linux lies

If you can’t beat ’em, cheat, has long been Microsoft’s philosophy, which has lead to the Department of Justice and the European Union swatting them with restrictions and hundreds of millions in fines over the years. But, that hasn’t stopped them. In our latest example, an anonymous blogger who goes by GodofGrunts at OverClock.net, a site for people who want the fastest possible PCs, reports on his Microsoft ExpertZone training at Best Buy. What he ‘learned’ from Microsoft isn’t ‘exactly’ true.

Before I launch into this, here are some caveats. Microsoft ExpertZone is to help retail people learn how to sell Microsoft products. You can’t really expect to find fair and balanced coverage here of desktop Linux or Macs. I would, however, expect to find objective observations about both so that sales people can try to sell Windows without lying about it. I was disappointed.

I should also note that the guy who reported this is a self-proclaimed Linux lobbyist. So, clearly, he has an ax to grind too. But, we don’t need to take his word for it.You can see the ExpertZone’s screen shots fir yourself.

More >