|
Ted's Radio Weblog
 |
Tuesday, February 28, 2006 |
New virus can pass from PCs to mobile devices. (InfoWorld) - "A security association is reporting what it says is the first virus that can pass from a [Windows -- ted] PC to a [Windows -- ted] mobile device and then erase files."
Talk about interoperability! C#, Visual Studio .NET, ActiveSync, WindowsCE/MobileOS and Windows on the PC.
10:20:03 AM 
|
|
|
Monday, February 27, 2006 |
Over on the ProFox mailing list, Ed Leafe links to a new video showing off the "Real Windows Vista." Absolutely hysterical and dead on. I, for one, cannot wait to experience the power of Microsoft Windows Vista. Wait! I already have!
9:24:38 PM
|
|
NPR's "This I Believe" program this morning featured Josh Rittenburg's "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day." Wow. A very well-spoken sixteen-year-old.
10:40:54 AM
|
|
|
Friday, February 24, 2006 |
Ed Leafe, well-known in the FoxPro community as a former MVP and proprietor of the ProFox mailing list and OpenTech web sites, is speaking this weekend at the U.S. Python Conference on "The State of Dabo, Where we're at, February 2006." For those who haven't seen it yet, dabo is a framework for rich-client, multi-tier, database-agnostic software development, similar to what Visual FoxPro promised. dabo runs on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows. The white paper looks great! At PyCon last year, Ed's presentations were ranked highly. Wishing him great success this year as well!
3:04:15 PM
|
|
I've been doing a lot of work with MySQL lately, developing in-house LAMP applications for clients to do data entry as well as internet-facing sites for data retrieval and processing. A couple of clients are querying their in-house MySQL database for mail merge, form fill-in and analysis. I've used the MyODBC driver available from the MySQL AB web site. They offer a number of connectors, including ODBC, JDBC, a C interface. I was surprised to see they did not offer an OLEDB interface. In a recent conversation on Ed Leafe's OpenTech forum, Sam Thorton pointed out that an OLEDB provider is available at SourceForge.net. Cool! I'll have to check it out.
8:46:08 AM
|
|
|
Thursday, February 23, 2006 |
I'm making weekly trips to the vet, and burning a CD of audiocasts to pass the time on the trip. While my passengers are good companions, they're not sparkling conversationalists, so this week, I listened to:
- Steve Gibson - Internet Privacy (3.3) Recently, the news has reported that the US Department of Justice has requested user information from some major internet search engines and service providers. In this conversation, Larry Magid talks with internet security expert Steve Gibson about the ramifications of these requests. They talk about what is possible and, more importantly, what is likely to be learned about an individual’s surfing habits.
- Brewster Kahle - The Internet Archive (3.7) Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Brewster Kahle, the founder and digital librarian of the Internet Archive. They’re not just archiving web pages – there’s now books, movies and 3,000 Grateful Dead concerts.
Both audiocasts came from ITC: All Programs
7:49:40 PM
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 22, 2006 |
OSNews reports Knoppix on the Intel-Based Macintosh. "We reported a few days ago that we had Linux booting on the Intel-based Macintosh. We have been looking at Linux on this hardware some more, and we are glad to report that we now have a full-fledged Knoppix distribution working, complete with the X Window system. We are releasing the first pictures of Knoppix 4.0 running on a 17-inch iMac Core Duo. The X Window system is shown running at full resolution (rather, fuller resolution - 1472x900 - notice that the bottom right edge of the KDE dock is cut off). Most (but not all) aspects of the hardware seem to work, but we have yet to analyse exactly what doesn't work and assess how much work it might take to get such things working."
Awesome! Linux booting on the MacBook could lead to a dual-boot, dual-proc laptop.
10:20:26 AM
|
|
OSNews reports Windows Bumps Unix as Top Server OS. "Windows narrowly bumped Unix in 2005 to claim the top spot in server sales for the first time, according to a new report from IDC. Computer makers sold $17.7 billion worth of Windows servers worldwide in 2005 compared with $17.5 billion in Unix servers, IDC analyst Matthew Eastwood said of the firm's latest Server Tracker market share report."
I guess it's all in the interpretation, isn't it?
Note, too, that Linux is broken out as a third-place entry. Combining Linux and UNIX, their $22.8 billion puts Windows to shame. OTOH, you could break it out into Windows 2000, Windows 2003, AIX, HP/UX, Solaris and so forth. It depends on what you're trying to prove.
8:34:57 AM
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 |
Over at Ars Technica, Eric Bangeman points out a Safari vulnerability worth taking note of. "The widely reported Trojan horse for Mac OS X may be a dud. However, a security flaw in Apple's Safari browser is something to be concerned about." It looks like Apple made the poor decision of depending on the file extension to determine how "safe" a document is to open -- even if the document also has metadata making it an executable script. Tsk, tsk. Wise advice in the article: turn off the Safari option to "Open "safe" files after downloading." Even Apple puts "safe" in quotes -- that should be a hint!
11:31:36 AM
|
|
At Dan Bricklin's Log: Essay about the Long Tail and general purpose tools. "For months and months I've been wanting to write an essay about some thoughts on the Long Tail. I've finally had the time. (The material was part of the talk I gave for TTI/Vanguard and I had time on the plane to turn the slides into an essay.)
The basic idea is that the value of the Long Tail isn't just that you make money selling an awful lot of unpopular things. The value comes from..." read more
10:01:32 AM
|
|
|
Friday, February 17, 2006 |
Computerworld News reports Hackers follow Microsoft patches with malware. "Hackers have posted attack code that takes advantage of two recently patched Windows Media Player bugs and could allow them to take over a Windows PC that doesn't have the latest security updates."
Did I mention that you need to get patching? What are you waiting for?
8:39:01 PM
|
|
InfoWorld: Top News is reporting It's official: Office '12' to become Office 2007. (InfoWorld) - "Microsoft is set to unveil on Thursday its long-awaited branding, packaging, and pricing for the next version of Office, which is expected to be available later this year... There will be seven Office suites in the 2007 Microsoft Office System, including one new enterprise package, Office Enterprise 2007, as well as two packages that have been rebranded..."
"Long awaited?" Now there's something I'm sure their customers demanded: seven different versions! "Two packages have been rebranded?" They're not sold under the Microsoft label? No, they've been renamed, so the package you buy is not the same as the one of the same name. Other industries call this bait-and-switch.
"To help companies purchase some of the new licenses that will be required to use Office 2007's collaboration capabilities, Microsoft will offer a new Enterprise Client Access License (CAL). .."
Oh, Microsoft is helping customers!
"Microsoft also will add new server software to the Office family. The company will combine its portal and content management servers into one server called Office SharePoint Server 2007... n addition, the company will offer Office Forms Server 2007... Another new offering, Office Project Portfolio Server, complements the existing Office Project Server..."
Now, Office is a "family." I'm not sure which I find more disturbing: Microsoft's packaging, or the reporter's straight-faced use of MicrosoftSpeak without any objection.
Seven different versions. Dozens of applications, with various features disabled. Nightmarish new licenses. New servers. What a mess! All this to print documents, calculate spreadsheets and do other routine office work? I think Microsoft is overreaching here. They may sell to their captive audience, but new computer users whose machines come with Corel Office or OpenOffice are going to be hard-pressed to find a reason to switch.
If you haven't tried OpenOffice.org, there's no better time than the present!
9:44:42 AM
|
|
Ars Technica is reporting that the RIAA et al. says CD ripping, backups not fair use. What a disturbing idea. I avoid Digital Restriction Management because I don't want a hard disk failure or the bankrupcy of my supplier to invalidate my ability to play what I've paid for. I rip my CDs to enjoy them on the media players of my choice, in the sample rates and formats of my choice and to have backups of CDs so easily scratched. (The RIAA argument that the only legitimate backup is one that I can purchase again doesn't fly.) Didn't these guys study Sony v. BetaMax? Time-shifting, place-shifting, media-shifting needs to be recognized as a right of the user.
9:03:39 AM
|
|
|
Thursday, February 16, 2006 |
Who : Andy Bair
What : WebJob
Where: Martha's Exchange
Day : Thur 16 Feb (*TONIGHT*)
Time : 6:00 PM for grub, 7:30 PM for presentation
WebJob is a client-server system, where a tiny client requests and
downloads a program from a server, executes that program on the client,
then uploads the results to the server.
WebJob provides a mechanism for running known good programs on
damaged orpotentially compromised systems. It is ideal for remote
diagnostics, incident response, and evidence collection.
WebJob also provides a centralized management framework. It thereby
supports and automates a large number of common host-based tasks such
as: periodic system checks, file updates, integrity monitoring,
patch/package management, and so on.
Andy plans to discuss the tool, its architecture, and one or more
demos.
Details at http://www.gnhlug.org
Andy adds:
WebJob is a client-server system, where a tiny
client requests and downloads a program from a
server, executes that program on the client,
then uploads the results to the server. WebJob
is useful because it provides a mechanism for
running known good programs on damaged or
potentially compromised systems. This makes it
ideal for remote diagnostics, incident response,
and evidence collection. WebJob also provides a
framework that is conducive to centralized
management. Therefore, it can support and help
automate a large number of common administrative
tasks and host-based monitoring scenarios such
as periodic system checks, file updates,
integrity monitoring, patch/package management,
and so on.
Here is the outline for the discussion:
- High-level View
- Details: Client--Server Interaction
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- Execution Example
- WebJob in Action
- Demos
The WebJob paper (what-is-webjob-paper.pdf) and
presentation (what-is-webjob-presentation.pdf) are
located at the following URL.
http://webjob.sourceforge.net/WebJob/Papers.shtml
8:28:25 AM
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 |
Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley points to an eWeek article claiming Linux Vendors Go on the 'Get the Facts' Offensive. "The Open Source Development Labs and Linux vendor Levanta published on Monday a 17-page study entitled "Get the Truth on Linux Management."
Levanta, whose name and logo both make me think they sell into a different industry, sells high-end management software/hardware for Linux. They comissioned a study that finds -- surprise! -- that Linux is cheaper to operate than Windows. Especially for people who use Levanta tools. Oh, please.
Let's agree that "Total Cost of Ownership" means what you want it to mean, based on the assumptions you're going to stipulate, and get on with the business of solving people's problems. An arbitrary "TCO" measurement is like MPG, one piece of data, but only a small piece.
11:13:14 AM
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 14, 2006 |
Computerworld News notes Microsoft issues seven security patches. "The updates are considered less serious than January's fixes, although two are rated critical."
Read the gory details here. While only two are rated "Critical" several of the "Important" patches allow remote code execution. Patch away!
MS06-004 through -010 were released today. It's the seventh week of 2006. When exactly is Trustworthy Computing supposed to kick in?
7:50:11 PM
|
|
|
Monday, February 13, 2006 |
--Paul McNett, Earthling posts Dabo Report Designer Screencast. "I've just put together a 23-minute overview of the Dabo Report Designer in a screencast. It should give a good feel of Dabo's current capabilities and design goals. Enjoy!"
Awesome! Dabo is looking more powerful, capable and slicker each time I check in on Paul and Ed Leafe. If you're looking for a cross-platform rich client app this is worth checking out.
9:54:13 PM
|
|
Ed Foster's Gripelog posts Plays For Sure, Unless It Doesn't. "A big headache for customers in the era of convergence is that it's very hard..."
I've been looking at the iRiver products, and will still consider them, as I'm interested in unrestricted audiocasts, my own ripped music and OGG file capability. The Microsoft "Plays for Sure" appears to be yet another empty promise, and it's no surprise. Digital Restriction Management restricts everyone from using their purchased music as they'd like, with the flimsy hope that it will deter piracy. Would you buy a book that could only be read under a "Reads for Sure" lightbulb?
9:48:06 PM
|
|
Slashdot post The Secret Cause of Flame Wars. Mz6 writes "According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, I've only a 50-50 chance of ascertaining the tone of any e-mail message. The study also shows that people think they've correctly interpreted the tone of e-mails they receive 90 percent of the time. "That's how flame wars get started," says psychologist Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago, who conducted the research with Justin Kruger of New York University. "People in our study were convinced they've accurately understood the tone of an e-mail message when in fact their odds are no better than chance," says Epley. The researchers took 30 pairs of undergraduate students and gave each one a list of 20 statements about topics like campus food or the weather. Assuming either a serious or sarcastic tone, one member of each pair e-mailed the statements to his or her partner. The partners then guessed the intended tone and indicated how confident they were in their answers. Those who sent the messages predicted that nearly 80 percent of the time their partners would correctly interpret the tone. In fact the recipients got it right just over 50 percent of the time."
1:43:13 PM
|
|
|
Sunday, February 12, 2006 |
Amazing Slashdot post: Microsoft Anti-Spyware Removes Norton Anti-Virus. An anonymous reader writes "According to a story over at Washingtonpost.com, the latest definitions file for Microsoft's Anti-Spyware beta flags Symantec's Norton Antivirus products as a password-stealing trojan and prompts users to delete portions of the program. Users who follow the instructions hose their installation of Norton, requiring delicate Windows registry edits and a complete removal/reinstall of Norton. Microsoft's support forum is quickly filling up with complaints about this problem, many from businesses that have been pretty hard hit. This should be a cautionary tale about deploying beta products in production environments."
Why anyone would install a program from Microsoft named MALICIOUS Software Removal Tool is a mystery to me.
5:24:52 PM
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 8, 2006 |
Interesting article on "Analysis of .NET Use in Longhorn and Vista" Author Richard Grimes, a Microsoft MVP, concludes:
My conclusion is that Microsoft has lost its confidence in .NET. They implement very little of their own code using .NET. The framework is provided as part of the operating system, but this is so that code written by third party developers can run on Vista without the large download of the framework. Supplying the .NET runtime for third party developers in this way is similar to Microsoft supplying msvbvm60.dll as part of XP.
Sounds like Microsoft needs to go back on a diet of their own dog food. No one else is going to believe that DotNet is ready for enterprise applications if Microsoft doesn't.
3:15:09 PM
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 |
ComputerWorld is reporting that Attack code published for Firefox flaw. "A hacker has published code that exploits a vulnerability found in the latest version of the Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox browser." Note that a patch is already available for this vulnerability, and your browser should already have prompted you to install the update. If not, check "Check for Updates..." in the Help menu.
10:07:57 PM
|
|
While on the road to a client yesterday, I got to listen to a couple of audiocasts, as the mountainous terrain around here makes radio reception difficult. As I've blogged before, a five cent CD-R seems cheaper than the batteries to try to jury-rig an MP3 player to a FM transmitter to tune in on the car radio. Insert disc. Play. Very simple. On this trip, I listened to:
Joichi Ito: The Future of Blogging. "The Internet is truly becoming an open network with the rise of amateur content and open source software. In this talk, Joi Ito takes us through the growth of the internet as an open network in layers to the point where the killer app is now user generated content. Earlier, it was the little guys around the edges of the internet who created the open standards which made the web work, and today it is those same people who fuel it with their creativity. Joi also shares with us his observations of the remix culture seen on the net. [Accelerating Change audio from IT Conversations]" -- quite the blast of conversation. The key point: user content, rather than mainstream media, is the next big internet wave. Great moment: Joichi points out that "amateur" comes from Latin roots of "from the heart" and doesn't say anything about the quality.
Saul Klein, VP Marketing, Skype: "Skype has become one of the prominent disruptive technologies of the early 21st century. Allowing anyone with a broadband connection to make cheap calls all over the world and free voice, text (and now, video) calls to anyone on the Skype network, it has changed the way many people think of the telephone. Skype has influenced pricing and availability, and is so ubiquitous that it is lending its name to become the verb for using PC-based voice over IP... In this interview, Larry Magid talks with Saul Klein, VP Marketing of Skype. They discuss the changing nature of the telecom business, Skype's new video feature and the potential for Skype to bring telephony to previously under-served markets."
David Heinemeier Hansson, Developer, Ruby on Rails: Secrets Behind Ruby on Rails, "Ruby on Rails has received a lot of buzz among the web developer community, but many wonder exactly what the fuss is all about. In this high order bit from the 2005 O'Reilly Open Source Convention, developer David Heinemeier Hansson explains the secrets behind the success of Ruby on Rails."
All audiocasts came from the IT Conversations: All Programs feed. Worth checking out, and considering supporting IT Conversations if they bring as much value to you as they do to me.
8:42:11 PM
|
|
|
Friday, February 3, 2006 |
|
Thursday, February 2, 2006 |
Found a neat add-on for FireFox that integrates HTML Tidy directly into FireFox. A yellow warning triangle or green checkbox appears in your status bar to let you know how valid the current HTML page is. Clicking on the status bar icon brings up a source code viewer with questionable lines highlighted, and details on the problems in a three-pane view. Another option will generate the Tidy-cleaned page for you. An added benefit is that the code never leaves your machine, handy when you're dealing with sensitive data or are off the grid. Neat stuff. Mozilla's secure add-on site is located here.
11:18:38 AM
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 1, 2006 |
OSNews reports SeaMonkey 1.0 Released. "The first end-user release of SeaMonkey is now available. Seamonkey is the continuation of what used to be known as the Mozilla Suite; this release incorporates a number of features that we could get to know from the new releases of Firefox and Thunderbird. However, the integration between the applications is as tight as it has always been, for those who prefer this approach."
I'm looking forward to checking out the web page editor, as I've always found it an easy-to-use tool, although the HTML could use some tightening up. Also, don't overlook the hidden jem of "Venkman" the JavaScript debugger, with call stacks, stepping, value windows and so forth.
9:57:07 AM
|
|
|
