News Common PC Mac CUCUG
The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, September 15th, at 7:00 pm, at the First Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy. The Linux SIG convenes, of course, 45 minutes earlier, at 6:15 pm. Directions to the FBC-CS are at the end of this newsletter.
The September 15 gathering will be one of our joint SIG meetings. Tentatively, we have scheduled a "Your Favorite RSS sites" meeting. Similar to our past meetings on "Your Favorite Web Sites," you are encouraged to bring in a list of a few of their favorite RSS feeds. We'll slip 'em to Kevin Hisel, or whoever is sitting at our keyboard command site, and we'll just have a good time sharing neat sources of information and how to get them.
[Editor's Note: I just got a phone call from Richard Rollins and he's been working independently on constructing a disk he calls Spy-Hunter. It contains all kinds of software to hunt down and kill spyware, adware and malware. You can ask him about that and he do a presentation on it in October.]
ToC
Fake charity sites, e-mail solicitations try to cash in on public sympathy
By Brian Krebs and Caroline E. Mayer
Washington Post Staff Writers
The Washington Post
Updated: 2:43 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2005
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9160668/
Web sites claiming to collect donations for Hurricane Katrina victims. Phony e-mails pretending to solicit money from well-known charities. Online auctions of Internet domain names with Katrina-related addresses, such as "katrinaourtsunami.com."
Less than two days after the hurricane, Internet opportunists are already trying to cash in on public sympathy for Katrina's victims.
Within the past 24 hours, several Web sites have emerged, promising to forward money to relief workers. Bearing such names as Katrinahelp.com, katrinadonations.com and katrinarelief.com, the sites ask for money to be sent through Paypal, but there is no way to verify who is getting the money.
EBay late yesterday halted an online auction of several Katrina-related Web site names, such as "ourtsunami2005.com." Bidding was to start at $15,000, and the seller promised to deliver half of the final winning bid amount to the American Red Cross. EBay allows sellers to dedicate a portion of their profit to charities but requires the seller to either sign up for eBay's own giving program or obtain permission from the charity first. Red Cross officials said no permission had been granted, and eBay said it terminated the auction because the seller did not observe rules on charitable giving.
After last year's tsunami in South Asia, a survey by MasterCard International and security firm NameProtect Inc. found more than 170 tsunami-related scam sites being used to siphon donations to relief efforts. Using a technique known as "phishing," sites or e-mails pretend to represent a legitimate company, such as a credit card firm, to get consumers to post personal information such as a credit card number or bank account.
Yesterday, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said the agency was investigating reports of fraudsters using e-mail and Web sites to impersonate legitimate fundraising and relief organizations.
"People who want to make a donation or contribute to a cause should actively seek out reputable organizations and then contact them by telephone or by typing their Web address into a Web browser," Bresson said. "The important point is that they initiate this contact on their own."
Federal Trade Commission spokeswoman Claudia Bourne-Farrell said people should never click on any link in an e-mail solicitation because they may end up at a site that looks real but is set up by identity thieves to get confidential information. "If you get an e-mail from the Red Cross, close the e-mail and go to the Red Cross Web site as you otherwise would," through a search engine, phone or regular mail, she said.
It's not just solicitations consumers should worry about. Security experts also caution computer users to remain vigilant against e-mails claiming to contain attached photos of the disaster because clicking on such files could launch viruses or worms.
Fraud watchers said Americans who want to make contributions should stick to Web sites of established national charities. The Web site for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (http://www.fema.gov/ news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473 ) also lists a number of Web sites where people can securely send donations to legitimate charities, as does http://www.give.org, part of the charity-monitoring service of the Better Business Bureau.
Art Taylor, president of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, said consumers shouldn't be in a hurry to contribute.
"Be careful about new charities that spring up overnight. They may have good intentions, but they don't have the means or experience to deliver aid. And there's no need to feel you need to do something immediate. What charities can possibly be on the ground right now providing services? We can barely get soldiers and other relief people into the area to help. You have time to be deliberative and think through how you want to help. Check out the organization first."
ToC
By Anne Broache
Story last modified Wed Aug 24 10:22:00 PDT 2005
URL: http://news.com.com/Google+IM+almost+gets+the+message%2C+users+say/2100-1032_3-5842511.html
The blogosphere is abuzz about Google's new foray into the instant-messaging realm. *
Message boards are teeming with tips and gripes, and scores of screenshots have gone up since Google released a beta version of its Talk software late Tuesday. The free service is billed as a tool for sending instant messages and engaging in computer-to-computer voice chats.
<http://news.com.com//Google+unveils+instant-messaging+entry/2100-1032_3-5842254.html?tag=nl>
Across the Web, many consumers hailed the software's quick download time, which takes a few seconds over broadband and about three minutes over a typical modem, according to the Google Talk Web site. They also applauded its minimalism.
"Missing are the many encumbrances that bog down the competing IM experiences," blogger Brad Hill said in a review at the Unofficial Google Weblog. "Google's debut entry in this field is characteristically breezy and uncluttered. There is no splash panel with news; no stock tabs or online radio. There is no...(ahem)...search box."
But Hill, who has authored several Internet-related books, including "Google for Dummies," said the company needs to work quickly to flesh out the service. "The lack of group chatting will turn people away," he said.
Hill also deemed it "peculiar" that the service hinges on having a Gmail account, which still works by invitation only--albeit those invitations are now easier to obtain. Google now lets people sign up for a Gmail invitation code using their mobile phones. A general Gmail tutorial said the service is still in a limited test mode, and the company does not know when the service will become "more widely available."
<http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Faccounts%2FSmsMailSignup1&siteId=3&oId=/Google+unveils+instant-messaging+entry/2100-1032_3-5842254.html&ontId=1023&lop=nl.ex>
<http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2Fhelp%2Fabout.html%23signup&siteId=3&oId=/Google+unveils+instant-messaging+entry/2100-1032_3-5842254.html&ontId=1023&lop=nl.ex>
Other reviewers took swipes at the service's limited features.
"Welcome to the Stone Age of instant messaging!" Ken Fisher, a Ph.D. student, wrote at PC resource site Ars Technica. His review deemed Google's service "Spartan" for its failure to allow file transfers and group chats, and for its lack of emoticons and "skins," or customized, decorative graphics.
"Heck, Google Talk doesn't even feature a box to let you search for things, as rival products from AOL, MSN and Yahoo do," Danny Sullivan, editor at Search Engine Watch, wrote in an article.
Google's software currently works only with Windows, which has generated criticism from some bloggers. But because the service is based on the Jabber open-source standard, users can also run it on Jabber-compliant programs like Apple Computer's iChat, GAIM, Adium and Trillian Pro.
Google said on its developer information page that it plans to work out agreements with other IM and voice over Internet Protocol providers so that "a user on one service can communicate with users on another service without needing to sign up for, or sign in with, each service."
Right now, the service is what one blogger has called "a bit of a walled garden," because Google Talk customers can't communicate with users of rivals like AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger or Microsoft's MSN Messenger.
Google declined to comment. (Google representatives have instituted a policy of not talking with CNET News.com reporters until July 2006 in response to privacy issues raised by a previous story.)
<http://news.com.com//Google+balances+privacy%2C+reach/2100-1032_3-5787483.html?tag=nl>
One contributor to a thread on message board Slashdot said he was hopeful that Google's open-protocol approach would prompt other services to allow such interoperability.
"I yearn for the day when I have only one IM ID," the contributor wrote. "People who like Yahoo can use their client and YIM ID; people who run their own Jabber server can use whatever client they want."
ToC
Written and produced by John Anderson (mediaminutes@freepress.net)
Media Minutes: September 2, 2005
Audio: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/archive/mm090205.mp3
Text: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/transcripts/mm090205.pdf
Google appears to be getting into the broadband business. The search heavyweight is buying up dark fiber-optic cable around the country. This makes sense in light of Google's recent launch of a voice-over-IP chat application, and other services that use a lot of bandwidth. One theory pairs the Google fiber for free wi-fi access in the largest metropolitan areas of the United States. In fact, Google's already sponsoring a wireless hotspot in San Francisco. But it's not just any regular wi-fi connection - it utilizes proprietary technology that can track the location of users, and then serve up advertising to them that's targeted to their physical location. For example, Google for the phrase "ice cream" and their results get bracketed by an ad that touts the nearest Baskin Robbins store. Google won't comment on the speculation, but the wi-fi provider working with Google is gearing up to launch more hot spots around the country.
[Editor's Note: Further information can be found at On The Media. This is from their report, "A Superhighway of One's Own".
A Superhighway of One's Own
"Earlier this year, Business 2.0 writer Om Malik noticed that Google was buying up surplus fiber optic cable all over the country. It got him to wondering what Google was up to, and whether the company may be quietly building a parallel Internet of its very own. Malik talks about the vast competitive advantages that the creation of a "GoogleNet" would make possible for Google."
Audio: http://www.onthemedia.org/stream/ram.py?file=otm/otm082605d.mp3
Text: http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/transcripts_082605_google.html
"... dark fiber is cable that has been laid out but not connected to anything. During the telecom boom of a decade ago it was planted by the thousands of miles but rendered worthless by the subsequent telecom bust. The fact that Google was buying this fiber up at pennies on the dollar suggested to Malik that Google may be building out a vast network of its own, maybe even a parallel Internet that could, among other things, circumvent existing Internet service providers."
ToC
Written and produced by John Anderson (mediaminutes@freepress.net)
Media Minutes: August 19, 2005
Audio: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/archive/mm081905.mp3
Text: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/transcripts/mm081905.pdf
In July the Federal Communications Commission released a report touting U.S. broadband connectivity. But the report contains several flaws that paint a wildly misleading picture of the state of broadband access in America. For example, the FCC's analysis considers an entire zip code wired for broadband if just one customer exists there, when in reality access to broadband varies block-to-block in many major cities. The FCC also sets a disappointingly low threshold for what it considers high-speed access, defining a connection as broadband even if it only barely handles streaming video.
On a per capita basis the U.S. ranks 16th in the world when it comes to broadband access - a slip of three spots from just a year ago. Americans pay as much as 25 times what the Japanese do for broadband, even though Japan enjoys connection speeds as much as eight times faster than what's available domestically. Other solutions exist to increase access to broadband, like municipal networks and community wireless projects, but these are facing stiff opposition from phone and cable companies, who are lobbying at both the federal and state levels to stop or slow down their growth.
ToC
Written and produced by John Anderson (mediaminutes@freepress.net)
Media Minutes: August 26, 2005
Audio: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/archive/mm082605.mp3
Text: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/transcripts/mm082605.pdf
Yet another sign that technology moves faster than law: a scant two months after the Supreme Court ruled file sharing services could theoretically be held liable for the trading of copyrighted material, software developers are testing advancements to make it harder for the movie and music industries to track the activity. Programmers in the U.S. and Ireland are working on new technologies to< create what are called "trusted networks" that resist industry surveillance, intrusion, and the pollution of file sharing systems with corrupt files and programs. If media companies cannot demonstrate that copyright infringing use is taking place on a network, it makes it much more difficult to sue it into submission. And if the users of such networks cannot be easily identified, the legal risks involved with file-sharing decrease.
ToC
By Arshad Mohammed
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 9, 2005; A15
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/08/AR2005090802058_pf.html
Hurricane Katrina survivor Caprice Butler had been at a church shelter in rural northeastern Louisiana for nearly a week when she finally heard her husband's voice on an Internet phone running on an improvised wireless network.
"I was just overjoyed," she said yesterday, tearing up as she spoke outside the church in the farming town of Mangham, about 200 miles from her flooded New Orleans home. "Words can't explain how I felt."
If the Butlers manage to reunite this weekend, as they hope, it will be because of a band of volunteer techies who are stitching together wireless networks at shelters across northeastern Louisiana using radio transmitters mounted on such items as a grain silo and a water tower.
With few reliable communications systems in place, people and companies from around the country are converging on the region to create improvised networks that give survivors and emergency personnel ways to talk and coordinate efforts.
While local telephone and wireless networks are slowly coming back, they remain spotty or nonexistent in some places, and fire, police and other rescue personnel have complained about the lack of a unified emergency communications system. To meet the needs of evacuees in Jackson, Miss., Dulles-based America Online has parked an 18-wheel truck at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds, a major shelter, with a satellite dish on top and 20 computers with Internet access inside. At the Houston Astrodome, volunteers have obtained a Federal Communications Commission license to set up a low-power radio station and are now struggling to get permission from local officials to broadcast to evacuees inside the stadium.
F4W, a Lake Mary, Fla., company, is under government contract to provide Internet phones and online access to Coast Guard officers cleaning up oil spills, using a portable satellite dish and handsets often deployed in forest fires.
The network at Mangham Baptist Church was the brainchild of Mac Dearman, a wireless Internet service provider who was driving past the church last week when he saw a group of parked cars, realized they were people who had fled the hurricane and set about providing relief, including food, clothing and online access.
Dearman hooked up a radio transmitter near the church and linked that to a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone and a computer, and suddenly the dozens of people taking refuge at the church had the ability to reach out to the outside world.
Mostly, they are searching for loved ones and filling out Federal Emergency Management Agency forms to get disaster aid.
"They just call from shelter to shelter to shelter looking for their kids or for their daddies or their brothers because they got separated, and they are just finding each other in the last few days," Dearman said, adding that people were often overwhelmed when they connected.
"They cried big tears, hugged my neck, shook my hand and patted me on the back. You'd have thought I was really giving them something that cost a lot of money," he added.
Dearman is working entirely with donated labor and equipment.
People from as far afield as Nebraska, Missouri and Indiana are camped out in his house, coordinating equipment deliveries, searching for shelters that need service, and then sending out volunteers to climb towers to hook up radio antennas and set up the networks.
"We are basically completely bypassing the phone system," said Matt Larsen of Scottsbluff, Neb., who said he was perched on a bar stool with his laptop at Dearman's kitchen counter.
Dearman estimated that he had run wireless links to about a dozen shelters near his home base of Rayville, La., but only about half were up and running because he had run out of equipment.
He was expecting fresh donations of secondhand computers, VoIP phones and wireless equipment. Once he has those in hand, he said, he hopes to extend to shelters closer to New Orleans and to Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
"It's been a godsend," said the Rev. Rick Aultman, pastor of Mangham Baptist Church, where about four dozen people are staying.
ToC
RALEIGH, N.C. - He may not have been a rock star himself, but Robert A. Moog's influence can be heard in the music of bands from The Beatles to Yes, Herbie Hancock to Chick Corea.
Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound and helped revolutionize rock, died Sunday of a brain tumor at his home in Asheville, according to his company's Web site. He was 71.
"He brought electronic music to the masses and changed the way we hear music," said Charles Carlini, a New York City concert promoter. "He's like an Einstein of music."
Moog's synthesizer allowed musicians to generate a range of sounds that could mimic nature or seem otherworldly by flipping a switch, twisting a dial or sliding a knob. His instrument stood out from others on the market because it was small, light and versatile.
"I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers," Moog said in 2000. "They use my tools."
The Beatles used a Moog synthesizer on their 1969 album "Abbey Road"; a Moog was used to create an eerie sound on the soundtrack to the 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange."
A childhood interest in the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments, would lead Moog - whose name rhymes with vogue - to create a business that tied his name as tightly to synthesizers as the name Les Paul is to electric guitars.
As a Ph.D. student in engineering physics at Cornell University, Moog developed his first voltage-controlled synthesizer modules with composer Herb Deutsch. By the end of the year, R.A. Moog Co. marketed the first commercial modular synthesizer.
"Suddenly, there was a whole group of people in the world looking for a new sound in music, and it picked up very quickly," said Deutsch, a Hofstra University emeritus music professor. "The Moog came at the right time."
As extended keyboard solos in rock and funk - and later hip-hop and techno - took off, Moog's instrument was used in songs by Manfred Mann, Yes and Pink Floyd.
"The sound defined progressive music as we know it," said Keith Emerson, keyboardist for the rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Keyboardist Walter (later Wendy) Carlos demonstrated the range of Moog's synthesizer by recording the hit album "Switched-On Bach" in 1968 using only the new instrument instead of an orchestra.
"Every time you listen to the radio, you listen to Robert Moog's influence," said Carlini, who staged Moogfest in May 2004 to mark a half-century since Moog founded his first company.
But the synthesizer's ability to mimic strings, horns and percussion has also threatened some musicians. In 2004, musicians extracted a promise from the Opera Company of Brooklyn to never use an advanced kind of synthesizer, called a virtual orchestra machine, in future productions.
Moog spent the early 1990s as a research professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville before turning full-time to running his new instrument business, which was renamed Moog Music in 2002. The roster of customers includes Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Beck, Phish, Sonic Youth and Widespread Panic.
Moog is survived by his wife, Ileana; three daughters, a son, a stepdaughter, and his former wife, Shirleigh Moog.
A public memorial is scheduled for Wednesday in Asheville.
---Associated Press writer Emery P. Dalesio contributed to this report.
Moog Music Inc.: http://www.moogmusic.com/
Moog family Web site: http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/bobmoog/
"I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers," Moog said.
Listen to a Moog - Emerson Lake and Palmer's "From The Beginning" -
http://multimedia.realcities.com:8080/ramgen/nationalchannel/entertainment/moog/moog_1.rm
Listen to a Moog - The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" -
http://multimedia.realcities.com:8080/ramgen/nationalchannel/entertainment/moog/moog_2.rm
Visit Robert Moog's online guestbook -
http://www.legacy.com/Guestbook.asp?Page=GuestBook&PersonId=14926195
By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press Writer
URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050816/ap_on_re_us/computer_frenzy
RICHMOND, Va. - A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far as to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line.
"This is total, total chaos," said Latoya Jones, 19, who lost one of her flip-flops in the ordeal and later limped around on the sizzling blacktop with one foot bare.
An estimated 5,500 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting their hands on one of the 4-year-old Apple iBooks. The Henrico County school system was selling 1,000 of the computers to county residents. New iBooks cost between $999 and $1,299.
Officials opened the gates at 7 a.m., but some already had been waiting since 1:30 a.m. When the gates opened, it became a terrifying mob scene.
People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A little girl's stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to drive his way through the crowd.
Seventeen people suffered minor injuries, with four requiring hospital treatment, Henrico County Battalion Chief Steve Wood said. There were no arrests and the iBooks sold out by 1 p.m.
"It's rather strange that we would have such a tremendous response for the purchase of a laptop computer — and laptop computers that probably have less-than- desirable attributes," said Paul Proto, director of general services for Henrico County. "But I think that people tend to get caught up in the excitement of the event — it almost has an entertainment value."
Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself.
"I've never been in something like that before, and I never again will," said Alexander, who brought her 14-year-old twin boys to the complex at 4:30 a.m. to wait in line. "No matter what the kids want, I already told them I'm not doing that again."
Jesse Sandler said he was one of the people pushing forward, using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him.
"I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,'" the 20-year-old said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook, as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station.
"They were getting in front of me and I was there a lot earlier than them, so I thought that it was just," he said.
ToC
September 02, 2005
Posted by Donna Wentworth
URL: http://tinyurl.com/d5p78
What's that, you ask? Evidently, it's when you ignore the terms written on the side of Lexmark printer cartridge box, refilling the cartridge with ink even when the company has designated it "single use only." According to the Ninth Circuit ruling [PDF] this week in ACRA v. Lexmark, opening the package means you agree to Lexmark's wishes. And if you break that agreement, you could face claims under contract and patent law.
As Fred von Lohmann explains it, it's sort of like when you buy those fancy Gillette Sensor razors, then purchase cheap replacement razor heads, except that a court has ruled that if the package says 'single use,' then by opening it you've agreed you can't have any cheap replacements (but you can buy another Gillette 'single use' razor). And that means the company that makes the replacement heads is out of luck, too.
Writes Fred:
[The strategy here is] a variant on the "shrinkwrap license" that used to appear plastered on software. Lexmark is bringing this practice to the world of patented goods. If you step outside the bounds of the "contract" (by giving your spent cartridge to a remanufacturer), you're suddenly a patent infringer. More importantly, Lexmark can sue cartridge remanufacturers for "inducing" patent infringement by making and selling refills.
Yes, Lexmark is the company that already tried and failed to control the printer cartridge after-market using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Contract and patent law are clearly proving more amenable. The question is, how will the ruling impact the way companies do business in the future? Asks Fred:
Will patent owners exploit this decision as an opportunity to impose over-reaching restrictions on formerly permitted post-sale uses, repairs, modifications, and resale? Will consumers soon confront "single use only, not for resale" notices on more and more products? Will innovators stumble over labels announcing "modifications prohibited"?
Obviously, we can't know yet. But the danger is there.
ToC
Paul Thurrott
URL: http://www.wininformant.com/
Bink.nu is reporting that interested testers can sign up now for the public beta of Windows OneCare Live, Microsoft's upcoming MSN-based service that provides comprehensive PC health coverage to subscribers. The service began private testing a few months ago and is now entering the beta 2 era, in which it will be available to a much wider range of customers. Microsoft expects to ship the final version of Windows OneCare Live in early 2006, I'm told. For details about joining the public beta, visit the Microsoft Web site.
Every couple of months, we get ... ah ... news out of Munich, Germany, regarding its ever-delayed migration from Windows desktops to Linux-based PCs. This month, we heard more of the same: The city is now delaying the migration to 2006, a year later than the last plan and a full 3 years after it announced, with some fanfare, that it was switching 14,000 desktops to Linux. But this eventual migration is even slower than it sounds. The first desktops to be switched will number only 250, and that migration won't happen until mid-2006 at the earliest. And the migration will move slowly, if it ever starts at all, with users first moving to OpenOffice.org on Windows desktops. It isn't too late to give it a rest, Munich. OpenOffice.org and Mozilla Firefox run just fine on Windows, and you don't have to reinstall anything. Just a thought.
Microsoft has revealed a sweeping set of new hardware devices, many of which appear to fix problems with previous-generation keyboards, mouse devices, and even game controllers. Although the new hardware devices are almost too numerous to mention (primarily because they're also available in a bewildering array of keyboard/mouse bundles), a few deserve to be called out (and I'll review some of them soon as well). First, Microsoft is shipping an Xbox 360 controller for Windows XP PCs that will use a standard USB connector. The company has completely overhauled its wireless and wired mouse and keyboard products and has apparently fixed the keyboard layout problems that dogged earlier versions (I still hold on to my old Natural Keyboard Pro for this reason). Many of the new optical mouse devices feature "high-definition" scanning capabilities for more precise on-screen movements. And Microsoft has released a mostly wonderful Remote Keyboard for XP Media Center 2005-based PCs that can perform triple duty as a Windows keyboard, mouse, and remote control.
As promised, the Mozilla Foundation shipped the first beta version of Firefox 1.5, its upcoming Web browser. Code-named Deer Park, this release adds some interesting improvements over Firefox 1.0.6, the current version, including an automated update utility for streamlining product upgrades, faster browser navigation with Web- page caching, drag-and-drop capabilities for browser tabs, improved pop-up blocking, a heavily revised Options dialog box, and much more. If you don't mind living on the edge, you can download Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 from the Mozilla Web site.
ToC
Paul Thurrott
InstantDoc #47665
URL: http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/47665/47665.html?Ad=1
Two days before the start of Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2005, I've received exclusive insider information about the product editions, or SKUs, which Microsoft intends to create for Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn). While the exact breakdown of the Windows Vista editions has been the subject of much speculation, this list closely matches the editions list I first published on the SuperSite for Windows last year. Here's how the Windows Vista product editions break down.
There will be two general categories of Windows Vista editions, which map closely to the two that exist today for XP ("Home," which comprises Starter, Home, and Media Center Editions, Pro, which includes Professional, Professional x64, and Tablet PC Editions). In Windows Vista, the two categories are Home and Business. In the Home category, Microsoft will create four product editions: Windows Vista Starter Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (previously known as "Uber" Edition). In the Business category, there will are three editions: Windows Vista Small Business Edition, Windows Vista Professional Edition, and Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. In all, there are 7 product editions planned for Windows Vista
Here's how the product editions will break down:
Windows Vista Starter Edition: Aimed at beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC. As with the XP version, Windows Vista Starter Edition is a subset of Home Edition, and will ship in a 32-bit version only (no 64-bit x64 version). Starter Edition will allow only three applications (and/or three windows) to run simultaneously, will provide Internet connectivity but not incoming network communications, and will not provide for logon passwords or Fast User Switching (FUS). Windows Vista Starter Edition is analogous to XP Starter Edition. This version will only be sold in emerging markets.
Windows Vista Home Basic Edition: A simple version of Windows Vista that is aimed at single PC homes. Windows Vista Home Basic is the baseline version of Windows Vista, and the version that all other product editions will build from. It will include features such as Windows Firewall, Windows Security Center, secure wireless networking, parental controls, anti-spam/anti-virus/anti-spyware functionality, network map, Windows Search, the Aero user interface, Movie Maker, Photo Library, Windows Media Player, Outlook Express with RSS support, P2P Messenger, and more. Windows Vista Home Basic Edition is roughly analogous to Windows XP Home Edition. This version is aimed at general consumers, Windows 9x/XP Starter Edition upgraders, and price sensitive/first-time buyers.
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition: Whole home entertainment and personal productivity throughout the home and on the go. As a true superset of Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition will include everything from Home Basic, as well as Media Center and Media Center Extender functionality (including Cable Card support), DVD video authoring and HDTV support, DVD ripping support (yes, you read that right), Tablet PC functionality, Mobility Center and other mobility and presentation features, auxiliary display support, P2P ad- hoc meeting capabilities, Wi-Fi auto-config and roaming, unified parental controls that work over multiple PCs, backup to network functionality, Internet File Sharing, Offline Folders, PC-to-PC sync, Sync Manager, and support for Quattro Home Server. Windows Vista Premium Edition is similar to XP Media Center Edition, except that it adds numerous other features and functionality, including Tablet PC support. My guess is that this will be the volume consumer offering in the Windows Vista timeframe (today, XP Pro is the dominant seller). This version is aimed at PC enthusiasts, multiple-PC homes, homes with kids, and notebook users.
Windows Vista Professional Edition: A powerful, reliable and secure OS for businesses of all sizes. Windows Vista Pro Edition will include domain join and management functionality, compatibility with non-Microsoft networking protocols (Netware, SNMP, etc.), Remote Desktop, IIS Web server, and Encrypted File System (EFS). Additionally, Pro Standard will include Tablet PC functionality. Windows Vista Pro is roughly analogous to XP Pro today. This version is aimed at business decision makers and IT managers and generalists.
Windows Vista Small Business Edition: Designed for small businesses without IT staff. Small Business Edition is a superset of Vista Pro Standard Edition, and includes the following unique features: Backup and Shadow Copy support, Castle and server-join networking, and PC fax and scanning utility. Additionally, Microsoft is looking at including a number of other features, many of which might be cut: These include Small Business Edition guided tour, pre-paid access to the Windows Live! Small Business or Microsoft Office Live! subscription services, Multi-PC Health (a managed version of Microsoft One Care Live), and membership in the Microsoft Small Business Club online service. Microsoft will offer a Step-Up program for Small Business Edition that will allow customers to upgrade to Windows Vista Pro Premium Edition (see below) or Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (see below) at a reduced cost. This SKU is new to Windows Vista; there is no XP Small Business Edition. This version is aimed at small business owners and managers.
Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. Optimized for the enterprise, this version will be a true superset of Windows Vista Pro Edition. It will also include unique features such as Virtual PC, the multi-language user interface (MUI), and the Secure Startup/full volume encryption security technologies ("Cornerstone"). There is no analogous XP version for this product. This version is aimed at business decision makers, IT managers and decision makers, and information workers/general business users.
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition: The best operating system ever offered for a personal PC, optimized for the individual. Windows Vista Ultimate Edition is a superset of both Vista Home Premium and Vista Pro Edition, so it includes all of the features of both of those product versions, plus adds Game Performance Tweaker with integrated gaming experiences, a Podcast creation utility (under consideration, may be cut from product), and online "Club" services (exclusive access to music, movies, services and preferred customer care) and other offerings (also under consideration, may be cut from product). Microsoft is still investigating how to position its most impressive Windows release yet, and is looking into offering Ultimate Edition owners such services as extended A1 subscriptions, free music downloads, free movie downloads, Online Spotlight and entertainment software, preferred product support, and custom themes. There is nothing like Vista Ultimate Edition today. This version is aimed at high-end PC users and technology influencers, gamers, digital media enthusiasts, and students.
According to internal Microsoft documentation, the goal of the product edition differentiations in Windows Vista is to provide "clear value proposition" to all customer segments and take XP-era innovations, such as the Media Center and Tablet PC functionality, to the mainstream. Windows Vista is also being positioned as a transitionary product for the x64 platform: Almost all Windows Vista editions will be offered in both x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions. Microsoft expects to transition almost completely to x64 post-Vista.
ToC
By Joris Evers, Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: September 9, 2005, 5:32 PM PDT
URL: http://tinyurl.com/bulx8
Responding to the disclosure of a serious Web browser flaw, the Mozilla Foundation offered on Friday a temporary fix to protect Firefox and Mozilla users.
The downloadable fix ( http://tinyurl.com/a9rf9 ) protects against attacks that take advantage of a new, unpatched flaw that could let attackers secretly run malicious software on users' PCs. The flaw was disclosed late Thursday by security researcher Tom Ferris, sending Mozilla staff into damage-control mode.
The problem has to do with the way the Firefox and Mozilla browsers handle International Domain Names, or IDNs, said Mike Schroepfer, director of engineering at Mozilla. IDNs are domain names that use local language characters. The fix disables support for such Web addresses, he said.
"This is a temporary work-around just to deal with the immediate issue," Schroepfer said. "We're working on a future release in which we will actually fix the problem and re-enable the IDN feature." Switching off IDN support impacts a subset of Firefox and Mozilla users who actually use such special domain names, he said.
Though there is no known attack that takes advantage of the flaw, Mozilla advises Firefox and Mozilla users to disable IDN. "Luckily we do not have any known use of this exploit, but it is fairly critical if there were to be (an attack), so this is a recommended download," Schroepfer said.
Mozilla expects to fix the vulnerability in beta 2 of Firefox 1.5, the next release of the open-source Web browser. Beta 2 is due Oct. 5 and the final release of 1.5 is expected by year's end, Schroepfer said.
In addition to the downloadable fix, Mozilla on its Web site also offers instructions to manually disable IDN: Type "about:config" in the address bar, hit Enter; type "network.enableIDN" in the filter toolbar, hit Enter; right-click the "network.enableIDN" item and select Toggle to change value to false.
IDNs have caused trouble for Mozilla in the past. A Firefox security update in February fixed a flaw that would allow domain spoofing using the special domain names. A spoofed link would seem to be a legitimate address, but instead of taking the victim to the trusted site, the link would lead to a phony Web site.
Though vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Internet Explorer have been the focus of much of the concern, other browsers also have had their fair share of flaws. Security has been a main selling point for Firefox over IE, which has begun to see its market share dip slightly--for the first time in years.
However, Firefox has had its own security woes. Several serious holes in the browser have been plugged since its official release, and experts have said that safe Web browsers don't exist.
ToC
Posted 8/10/2005 by Steve Sinchak
URL: http://www.tweakxp.com/Article38736.aspx
Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store and retrieve files. There are new sources of files coming from every direction: digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to move files from one place to another; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync. Some users manage files manually, dragging and dropping from one place to another and keeping a mental card catalog in their heads. Others use one or more applications of one sort or another to provide this functionality for them.
Now there is an easier way. SyncToy is a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows XP that provides an easy to use, highly customizable program to help copy, move, and synchronize different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without adding complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of directories at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another. Unlike other applications, SyncToy keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.
Download: http://tinyurl.com/8qhsj
ToC
TidBITS#793/22-Aug-05
Apple has released version 1.1 of its Security Update 2005-007 for Tiger users. The only change in v1.1 is that it provides a combined 32- and 64-bit version of the operating system component LibSystem; the initial release of Security Update 2005-007 omitted the 64-bit version, breaking 64-bit-savvy programs like Mathematica on systems with G5 processors.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302163>
The 64-bit change for Security Update 2005-007 applies only to the client and server versions of Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger - folks using Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther don't need to worry about downloading a new version of the update. Apple is recommending that all Tiger users install the new version of the update, although - in theory - users of G4-based machines have nothing to gain if they've already installed the first version of the security update. (Except, perhaps, to prevent Software Update from nagging them about it.) The update sizes remain unchanged: approximately 18.5 MB for the client version of Mac OS X 10.4.2, and 20.6 MB for the server version. [GD]
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate2005007v11macosx1042client.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate2005007v11macosx1042server.html>
TidBITS#793/22-Aug-05
Four months after my iMac G5 went "Up In Smoke" (see TidBITS-777_), along with those of untold numbers of other users, Apple has finally admitted publicly that there's a problem, instituting an official repair program for revision-1 iMac G5s. According to Apple, symptoms eligible for free repair include scrambled, distorted, or missing video (caused, I believe, by blown capacitors on the midplane) or no power (the problem I had - there is, of course, no mention on Apple's page of smoke and an evil smell emanating from the computer). Apple lists the range of serial numbers of affected machines. These are all revision-1 17-inch and 20-inch iMac G5s; the revision-2 faster machines released starting in May 2005 are apparently unaffected.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08080>
<http://www.apple.com/support/imac/repairextensionprogram/>
The good news is that Apple will repair affected machines for free, even if they are no longer under warranty. The initial program is for two years from the date of purchase, but Apple may extend this at its option. The bad news is that in order to qualify, it appears that you must place your machine physically before the eyeballs of an Apple representative or service provider. It will be interesting to learn whether this means that repairs like mine, where Apple simply shipped the needed parts directly to my home, will no longer be available. [MAN]
ToC
by Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#793/22-Aug-05
Some years ago, best-selling author Stephen King bought a local radio station in Bangor, Maine, reportedly so he could be assured of turning on the radio and hearing music that he'd probably like. Thanks to a brilliant little program called Indy from Change.TV, I don't have wait until I'm a multi-millionaire to enjoy my own radio station.
<http://www.zoneradio.com/wkit/>
On its face, Indy is incredibly simple. It displays a small window with basic controls: play/pause, previous/next, volume, and five stars for rating tracks. It also displays the artist name, track name, and elapsed and total time for each song. To start, you click the play button, and Indy starts playing a song it downloaded. Once you've developed an opinion about the current song, you assign a star rating, with one as the worst and five as the best. If you give a song only one or two stars, Indy instantly moves on to the next track; higher-rated songs finish playing after you rate them. If you don't rate a song before it finishes, Indy waits for you to give it a rating before continuing to the next song, although you can play the song again if necessary, and you can even flip back through previously rated songs with the previous button. Although it can be a bit annoying to be forced to rate every song, it's a key aspect of Indy's interface, because otherwise it would be too easy to be lazy and not rate anything.
Behind the scenes, Indy downloads MP3 files to your computer (in ~/Music/Indy) and plays them from local files; it's not streaming. Initially, the files start out in an Unrated folder, and as you rate them, they're moved to folders corresponding to the number of stars they garnered from you. You can set how much disk space you'd like Indy to devote to each rating, from None to Unlimited, with stops for 50 MB, 100 MB, 500 MB, and 1 GB in between.
As you rate songs, Indy uses the Collaborative Filtering Engine (CoFE), developed by the Intelligent Information Systems group at Oregon State University, to compare your ratings to those from 20,000 other Indy users. The goal is, of course, for Indy to feed you an increasingly large percentage of music that you're likely to appreciate. In the relatively short time I've been using Indy, I've noticed a definite improvement in its selections, to the point where I seldom rate anything as one or two stars any more, and I'm finding more four-star songs and even a five-star song or two.
<http://eecs.oregonstate.edu/iis/CoFE/>
As an aside, the Indy Help makes some good suggestions about ratings, particularly on the low end:
Clicking the artist or track name in Indy's window loads the artist's Web site in your browser. I've done it a few times for the songs I've most liked, but the problem is that the link to the Web site is visible only as long as the song is showing in Indy. As you might expect, the information is hidden away, in a playlist.dat file in the Indy folder for recent songs, and you can ferret it out of your console.log file as well. But neither is easy to access or permanent, and even Spotlight doesn't seem to see inside either of those files. Ideally, Indy would automatically add this information to the ID3 tags for each song, but many songs lack even basic metadata, much less uncommon tags like Web URLs. That's not Indy's fault, since all songs are submitted by the artists themselves (or at least with the consent of the copyright holder), and it's up to the artists to make sure that the ID3 tags contain Web URLs.
The comparison to Stephen King's radio station isn't quite fair, for two reasons. First, Indy never plays rated songs more than once. If you like a song enough to keep it, you must add it to the rest of your music collection in iTunes (it would be helpful if Indy would automatically add songs of particular ratings to iTunes playlists). Second, unless you're way more in tune with the independent music scene than I am (which wouldn't be hard, admittedly), you won't recognize many, if any, of the artists. Because of this, Indy is more of a music discovery service than a radio station, at least the sort of radio station that plays commonly heard music. I must admit, though, as it has become more accurate, Indy is doing a pretty good job as a radio station too. If I want to listen to music I already know, I can listen to my collection in iTunes.
What's particularly cool about Indy is that it's not attempting to maintain a centralized archive of songs, nor should it in any way run afoul of the jack-booted thugs of the recording industry. That's because, as I noted earlier, all the music is submitted by copyright holders, and because it's served directly from the artists' sites. In other words, Indy is a completely legal front end for discovering music you're likely to enjoy from all around the Web. At the moment, Indy knows about 10,000 songs, which should keep you busy for quite some time.
If you're an artist, I strongly encourage you to submit some of your music to Indy as a way of introducing more people to your work. Just be sure to include your Web site's URL in the ID3 tags of your file! One caveat: although Indy isn't likely to cause a Slashdot effect, the increase in downloads may affect your hosting bills if you pay for bandwidth.
Although Indy serves only music right now, there's no particular reason it couldn't support other forms of media, including photos, video, and more, and the Indy FAQ states that such enhancements lie in Indy's future. For the moment, though, I'm happy listening to whatever Indy sends my way, and if you've wanted a way to expose yourself to new music, give Indy a try. It works in Mac OS X 10.3 and later, and Windows and Linux; it's a tiny 466K download.
ToC
TidBITS#794/29-Aug-05
Apple has released updates to its Safari Web browser, which the company says improve support for third-party Web applications, make Safari more stable, and improve Web site compatibility. We'd love to offer more specific information, but Apple's release notes (as usual) are woefully terse. However, the company has released the Safari update in two forms: Safari Update 2.0.1 for users running Mac OS X 10.4.2 Tiger (4.5 MB), and Safari Update 1.3.1 (3.8 MB) for users running Mac OS X 10.3.9 Panther. (The appropriate software should also be available via Software Update.) Despite the paucity of detail, it's nice to see Apple making good on its intention to provide important updates for the Safari engine under Panther as well as Tiger, at least for a time. [GD]
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safariupdate131.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/safariupdate201.html>
by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#794/29-Aug-05
I accept fully that many sites, including some I run, need advertising to operate. My Wi-Fi Networking News site has Flash ads on it right now, for instance. But I am, unfortunately, finding that Flash ads are now often highly intrusive even on sites I trust. They cycle endlessly. They use visual effects to knock my eyeballs on the floor. They play audio without my permission (even more annoying when I'm already playing music in iTunes or using voice over IP via iChat AV or Skype).
Since Flash is not under my control, I've taken stronger action on my Mac and started using Flashblock, a simple Firefox plug-in that loads Flash content, but doesn't play it. Instead, Flashblock puts a replacement symbol in the spot occupied by the Flash object, that, when hovered over, changes to a play button. This approach puts me back in control of my attention, the sounds emanating from my Mac, and my Web browser.
<http://flashblock.mozdev.org/>
If Flashblock catches on, it could become another reason for users of Internet Explorer (especially under Windows) to switch to Firefox, and it will probably reduce the response rate on Flash ads, thus moving advertisers to other mechanisms.
Now I just need a tool that blocks the relatively new JavaScript- based pop-up ads that defeat ad blockers. They use JavaScript to write parts of the pop-up script, which makes them more difficult to identify on the fly. A Web browser would need to run the script in a sandbox, analyze its output, and then use that to decide whether to block the pop-up.
More generally, I'm troubled that advertising has become an arms race in which advertisers and consumers fight an ever-more-ridiculous war in which the advertisers feels empowered to violate a user's space - just as badly as those 1/8th-screen-blocking ads on television now during programs for the next program - while consumers feel no compunction with using technology to suppress advertising entirely.
In the long run, it doesn't benefit the advertiser to fight a war with the reader, however strong the return on a given style of intrusive and offensive advertising campaign is initially. It's important to remember that Google's billions come almost entirely from consistently formatted text advertisements. Advertisers are fighting for higher response rates than the gold standard of text ads, but they're fighting a losing war when surfers just turn them off.
ToC
reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)
August 18, 2005 -- President Richard "Slim" Rollins welcomed everybody to the August meeting. He dispensed with the traditional introductions because we were a gathering of the stalwarts - we all knew each other.
The web site http://www.ubuntulinux.org was still on display on the big screen from our Linux group who reviewed Ubuntu in the Linux SIG earlier.
The floor was opened up from Questions and Answers.
Anthony Philipp reported that he'd had his USB port die on a three month old iBook. Not good.
Phil Wall was having some trouble with Firefox in that his pop up blocker was not working anymore. Kevin Hisel said, as Firefox has become more popular, developers are figuring out how to get around its defenses. Phil was advised that it might be time to upgrade his version of Firefox, as he hadn't done so for eight month.
The web site http://dilbert.com and http://freerealtime.com got passing mention.
Anthony Philipp wanted to make a "blatant plug" for a conference he's working on that will be held at the U of I this October 7-9. Among the speakers that will be there is Blake Ross, developer of Firefox. They also hope to have a speaker from Apple. For more and developing information on the conference, check out http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/conference .
Kevin Hisel asked if there was anything in Win 98 that won't work with WEP. Richard Rollins mentioned that you have to enter your password in hex. Kevin said his formerly working system with WEP started acting up after upgrading the memory in his machine from 32 MB to 160 MB.
The Wayback Machine at http://www.archive.org was mentioned. Kevin Hisel has requested a block on cucug.org requests, to prevent the Amiga Web Directory being copied wholesale.
Richard Rollins talked about Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/). He touched on Google Earth's (http://earth.google.com/) satellite pictures and the new burgeoning creation of "mash ups." Another source of satellite images mentioned was http://terraserver.microsoft.com .
Norris Hansell talked about good widgets.
Emil Cobb showed off his newest toy, his Palm LifeDrive mobile manager. It's a Palm. It has a 4 GB hard drive. And, the only problem he's noted is that it sucks down the battery when using WiFi.
Bryan Forbes talked about his successful equipment drop off at Obsolete Technologies and thanked everyone for the recycling help.
It was announced that the Mac SIG would work with a Palm problem this evening.
The PC SIG would be looking at Konfabulator.
reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)
There were 12 in attendance at the PC SIG; 5 in the Mac SIG.
Kevin Hisel began his presentation with a little background on Konfabulator. Yahoo has just recently bought Konfabulator. Previously, it was a $20 application. Now it's free. It is also the basis for Dashboard Widgets on the Macintosh.
Kevin said Konfabulator comes with a collection of widgets called "My Widgets." Among them are Weather, CPU Portal, iTunes Remote, Waste Basket (which makes the Waste Basket huge, if you want it to), Werewolf Monitor (a widget that shows the phases of the moon) and Clocks (both analog and digital). He showed each in turn.
To get more Widgets, you can either choose "Get More Widgets..." from the Konfabulator menu, or you can go to their Gallery at http://www.widgetgallery.com/ where there are more than 300 to choose from. Check out their FAQ as well at http://www.konfabulator.com/faq .
In a discussion that followed, Phil Wall noted that Widgets are Javascript and you can edit the programming with NotePad. He said there is a Tutorial on Konfabulator.com under Workshop on the menu bar (http://www.konfabulator.com/workshop ).
After Kevin's demo, Richard Rollins spoke more about "mash ups". He directed our attention to http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com . He said some of the "mash ups" allow you to do things like find a Taco truck in Seattle, or you can use a baseball team locator.
Once the formal meeting was over, I sat down with Richard and he gave me a bit of a review of the Firefox extensions demo from last month. He said that the extensions can be found at https://addons.mozilla .org/extensions/showlist.php . One he likes is Sage 1.3.5. Sage is a lightweight RSS and Atom feed aggregator extension for Mozilla Firefox. It can be found at http://sage.mozdev.org/ . After going to the Installation page (http://sage.mozdev.org/install/) and figuring out that Foxfire was blocking the installation of downloaded software and correcting that to let Sage passed, I installed Sage. After a restarting of Foxfire, this extension can be reached through the Tools/Extensions menu item, where you can double click on it, or just Tools/Sage, or View/Sidebar/Sage, or the Alt-S keyboard shortcut. To make it work, you go to a page that has a feed, call up Sage, click on spyglass. It opens up the "Discover Feeds" window. The you just click Add Feed. Done.
ToC
reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)
The August meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, August 23, 2005, at 7PM, at Kevin Hisel's house. (For anyone wishing to attend - which is encouraged, by the way - the address and phone number are both in the book). Present at the meeting were: Emil Cobb, Kevin Hopkins, and Kevin Hisel.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin suggested a topic for a joint General Meeting presentation on favorite RSS feeds, both audio and text. This would be along the lines of our past meetings on "Your Favorite Web Sites." Members would be encouraged to bring in a list of a few of their favorite RSS feeds and a general give and take sharing between everybody could ensue.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported that President Rollins, who was absent due to being out on a computer related customer call, was impressed with the Google maps demonstration at the last meeting. Emil also noted that we had 18 in attendance at that meeting. Emil said the Palm presentation in the Mac SIG helped out Bryan Forbes with a launcher conflict problem he was having.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin reported that there has been a lot of posting on the club's message board.
ToC
Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy. The FBC-CS is located at 1602 N. Prospect Avenue in Savoy, on the NE corner of Burwash and Prospect. To get to the the First Baptist Church from Champaign or Urbana, take Prospect Avenue south. Setting the trip meter in your car to zero at the corner of Kirby/Florida and Prospect in Champaign (Marathon station on the SW corner), you only go 1.6 miles south. Windsor will be at the one mile mark. The Savoy village sign (on the right) will be at the 1.4 mile mark. Burwash is at the 1.6 mile mark. The Windsor of Savoy retirement community is just to the south; Burwash Park is to the east. Turn east (left) on Burwash. The FBC-CS parking lot entrance is on the north (left) side of Burwash. Enter by the double doors at the eastern end of the building's south side. A map can be found on the CUCUG website at http://www.cucug.org/meeting.html. The First Baptist Church of Champaign is also on the web at http://www.fbc-cs.org .
Membership dues for individuals are $20 annually; prorated to $10 at mid year.
Our monthly newsletter, the Status Register, is delivered by email. All recent editions are available on our WWW site. To initiate a user group exchange, just send us your newsletter or contact our editor via email. As a matter of CUCUG policy, an exchange partner will be dropped after three months of no contact.
For further information, please attend the next meeting as our guest, or contact one of our officers (all at area code 217):
President/WinSIG: Richard Rollins 469-2616 Vice-Pres/MacSIG: Emil Cobb 398-0149 e-cobb@uiuc.edu Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 kh2@uiuc.edu Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 rjhall1@uiuc.edu Corp.Agent/Web: Kevin Hisel 352-1002 submitcomments.html Linux SIG: Phil Wall 352-5442 phil.wall@pobox.com
Email us at http://www.cucug.org/ submitcomments.html, visit our web site at http://www.cucug.org/, or join in our online forums at http://www.cucug.org/starship/ .