News Common PC Mac CUCUG
The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, October 16th, 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 October 16 gathering will be one of our combined meetings. Our own Quentin Barnes will be speaking about "Privacy and Security on the Internet: Who's watching you and why." Quentin gave a similar talk at the Personal Computer Users Group on campus recently and it was so well received we've asked him to share his insights with us.
<http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/pcug/>
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/pcug-20070917a.html#recap>
You may download the PCUG meeting notes in OpenOffice format,
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/files/Trackingnotes.odt>
in Microsoft Word format
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/files/Trackingnotes.doc>
or as PDFs.
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/files/Trackingnotes.pdf>
There's also a diagram that's available as either an OpenOffice drawing
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/files/Trackingdiagram.odg>
or a PDF.
<https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PersonalComputerUser'sGroupatUIUC/files/Trackingdiagram.pdf>
Listening to Quentin is always a treat. Don't miss it.
[Editor's Note: My thanks to Jim Berger and David Noreen for the info I
stole for this bit of the newsletter.]
OK, we usually don't start asking you to start thinking about renewing your CUCUG membership until this month, but it seems Craig Kummerow takes his status as being the first member to renew each year very seriously. So, Craig renewed in September. (You guys are going to have to get up pretty early to ever get the jump on him.) Needless to say, we really appreciate Craig's vote of confidence in all of us and we will be following his lead soon enough. Thanks, Craig. You retain your title for another year.
As always, we welcome any kind of input or feedback from members. Run across an interesting item or tidbit on the net? Just send the link to the editor. Have an article or review you'd like to submit? Send it in. Have a comment? Email any officer you like. Involvement is the driving force of any user group. Welcome to the group.
ToC
So, it's that time of year again to renew your membership in CUCUG. We rely on our members and their talents for our strength and vitality. You can renew at any of the meetings remaining this year or through the mail at our local address given at the end of the newsletter. We sincerely hope to have you with us in the new year.
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CUCUG will soon be electing officers for next year. The offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Corporation Agent are open for nominations. The actual election will take place at the December "Annual" meeting. If you'd like to serve your club, or know of someone who you would like to see in a position of leadership in CUCUG, be considering your nominations. The election guidelines appear later in this newsletter.
ToC
TidBITS#947/29-Sep-08
URL: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9780>
Firefox 3.0.3 from Mozilla updates the popular Web browser to fix a number of bugs, including some "Mac-specific issues" that aren't further described. A number of fixes focus on improved security and stability. 3.0.3 follows hard on the heels of 3.0.2, fixing a problem that prevented users from saving or retrieving passwords. (Free, 17.2 MB)
<http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/>
<http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/3.0.2/releasenotes/>
<http://www.mozilla.org/security/known-vulnerabilities/firefox30.html#firefox3.0.2>
Media Minutes 9-26-08
Producer - Stevie Converse
Asst. Producer - Candace Clement
URL: <http://www.freepress.net/node/44642>
Remember those empty, static-filled channels on the TV dial? Those so-called white spaces may be the key to bringing high-speed broadband to the millions of Americans who are still stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide.
At one time, TV technology needed to have an extra buffer on each side of a working channel to prevent interference from other stations. But technology now exists to use those spaces without harming the reception of existing channels.
The Wireless Innovation Alliance is comprised of public interest groups like Public Knowledge and private tech companies like Google and Microsoft. Members want to open these unused airwaves to unlicensed devices that would provide a new way to get online.
This week they came to Capitol Hill for White Spaces Day to educate lawmakers about the need for open, unlicensed bandwidth. Timothy Karr, Campaign Director of Free Press, a member of the alliance, said much of the spectrum on the broadcast dial is being wasted.
TIMOTHY KARR - If you go to a place like Juneau, Alaska, you'll find that more than 74 percent of the spectrum is available for use. And even in a city as crowded as New York City, you'll find that 20 percent of the spectrum is available. So it presents this great opportunity to get millions of people connected.
But there are those who don't want these public airwaves to actually be used by the public.
KARR - You have very powerful corporate lobbyists like the National Association of Broadcasters that wants to hoard spectrum. They want to have as much control over spectrum as possible. Even though they don't know what to do with it, they see it as a valuable asset. So they're deploying their lobbyists, they've been spending mountains of money on lawyers and misinformation campaigns to basically confuse people in Washington and kind of manhandle and convince them that they shouldn't make this valuable spectrum available for other uses.
At the same time, the cell phone industry is pushing for the spectrum to be licensed and auctioned off to the highest bidder.
But that plan would stifle new innovations and crush the promise of the airwaves that some have characterized as "Wi-Fi on Steroids."
Karr cautions lawmakers and citizens not to be taken in by the industry spin.
KARR - It's an issue that Americans should really care about. So people in cities across the country - from Juneau to New York City - need to really get involved and tell their members of Congress that unless we use white spaces for unlicensed Internet access, we are going to miss out on one of our last great opportunities to get the Internet to everyone.
For more information about white spaces and links to contact your representatives, go to freepress.net/whitespaces.
White Spaces Day on Capitol Hill
URL: <http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jidqSyVgjknlWuwN0mpY8VWCNL7w>
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush signed a bill on Monday which toughens penalties for copyright infringement, music and movie piracy and creates a high-level position of intellectual property czar.
The bill, which has been welcomed by trade groups such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), was one of a number of pieces of legislation signed by the president on Monday, the White House said.
The bill tightens civil and criminal intellectual property laws, imposes stricter penalties on violators and establishes the position of a White House-based "Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator."
It provides the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation with more resources to fight intellectual property crimes, which are estimated to cost US businesses as much as 250 billion dollars a year.
RIAA chairman Mitch Bainwol welcomed the new law after it passed the House of Representatives saying it was "music to the ears of all those who care about strengthening American creativity and jobs."
by Laura Sydell
URL: <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95702932>
All Things Considered, October 14, 2008 - While Congress was embroiled in the battle over the financial bailout bill, both houses somehow managed to overwhelmingly approve legislation backed by the entertainment industry. The bill will help step up enforcement efforts against intellectual property theft.
Entertainment giants have argued vigorously that the movies, music and other intellectual property produced by their industry are crucial to the economic health of the United States. But they also have many critics who say their law-enforcement strategy is wrongheaded - and a waste of taxpayer money.
What's in the bill just passed by Congress?
One of the most notable provisions is the creation of an intellectual property coordinator. This is a White House-level position to be appointed by the president; some people are calling the new post the IP czar. (In fact, the House version of the bill did call the position a czar, but it was taken out in conference.) The IP coordinator will oversee the law-enforcement efforts of some very disparate government agencies - the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Department of Justice - in the area of piracy and IP infringement.
The bill also has a forfeiture provision that will allow law enforcement to seize assets from anyone accused of intellectual-property theft - even before they are proven guilty. It also authorizes more than $50 million to help state and federal law-enforcement agencies.
Why did the bill pass so overwhelmingly?
One of the bill's Senate sponsors, Patrick Leahy, called this one of the most important pieces of legislation he ever wrote. As the senator sees it, protecting intellectual property is essential to the economic health of the United States. "We are the envy of the world for the quantity, the quality of our innovative and creative goods and services," he said in a speech on the Senate floor. "And if we want to continue to lead the world in producing intellectual property, we need to protect Americans' rights in that property."
The senator may well have been influenced by some numbers that do make the case for the importance of intellectual property to the American economy. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 40 percent of the nation's economic growth comes from intellectual property, including music, movies, pharmaceuticals, fashion and software. But the biggest backer of more law enforcement is the entertainment industry.
Why does the entertainment industry say it needs more law enforcement to protect its intellectual property?
Well, the industry says it's losing billions of dollars every year in stolen intellectual property, and the numbers are going up. Over the last five years, the recording industry has taken a real financial hit that it attributes to piracy. CD sales have been declining for the last five years, and online music sales aren't making up for the loss. The industry says what's happening is that people are using peer-to-peer online services to swap unauthorized music files.
Now that more people have high-speed Internet connections, the movie industry worries that it, too, will see a decline in sales. And it's not just individuals that Hollywood fears: Dan Glickman, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, says that "piracy of music and movies is becoming increasingly more sophisticated, and in many cases involves organized-crime type of syndicates that are often worldwide." He says they use the Internet, and they are making enormous profits.
But the bill actually faced some hefty opposition, right?
The Justice Department sent a strongly worded letter to Congress opposing certain provisions. Officials in the DOJ did not like the idea of an IP czar. That's why California Rep. Zoe Lofgren voted against the bill: She agreed with the DOJ when it said that such a position would take away the department's autonomy. Lofgren said the bill will "divert resources from the drug cartels and organized crime and mortgage fraud and investigating the pirates on Wall Street to do copyright enforcement."
The DOJ had even more objections to earlier versions of the bill. One provision, since struck, authorized the Justice Department to take on civil cases and collect damages for private copyright holders. That's something DOJ has never done before. In its letter to Congress, the DOJ forcefully argued that civil cases should be left to the people who own the copyrights; it said it did not want its staffers to become "pro bono lawyers" for industry.
But the bill still has its opponents.
Such as?
Well, there are public interest groups who feel this is a complete waste of time, energy and taxpayer dollars. Gigi Sohn of Public Knowledge thinks that the entertainment industry should be spending its time and money trying to come up with a different business model, instead of suing people who share files without permission on the Internet.
But it didn't surprise Sohn that the bill sailed through Congress. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the entertainment industry is the 11th largest campaign contributor in the U.S; last year, it threw some $20 million into lobbying Congress. Sohn says that's how legislators managed to pass the pro-IP bill when they couldn't agree on a bailout package.
"During an election year," Sohn says, "they can twist enough arms of a Congress that is considering critical legislation to repair the financial institutions of this country, and still get a bill that satisfies their pecuniary interests."
It's also notable that one of the few opponents in Congress was Lofgren, who represents Silicon Valley.
Why?
Well, even though there's a lot of software and intellectual property coming out of the Valley, there's also a sense that the bill is part of a larger entertainment-industry agenda aimed at squelching technological innovation. For many years, the film and music industries have tried to get - and at times have succeeded in getting - laws passed that put limits on technologies the industry fears will let consumers make free copies of their intellectual property. The most recent example of this is a lawsuit against RealNetworks; it's keeping the company from releasing software that allows users to make copies of DVDs to put on laptop hard drives. RealNetworks' idea was that people might like to watch films they own on the go, without carrying around a bundle of DVDs.
I often say there's a civil war in California between the North, where the technology developers live, and the South, where the content providers live.
Why did President Bush sign the bill even though his own DOJ objected to it?
Well, he probably did the math. The bill had enough support in Congress to override a veto.
ToC
by Alex Castle
Posted 10/13/08 at 03:49:51 PM
URL: <http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/moore%E2%80%99s_law_lives_another_day_with_maskless_lithography_trick>
When it comes to Moore's law these days, it seems like everyone's a cynic. However, now there's one more reason to be optimistic about the future of miniaturization, as researchers have published a paper describing a lithography technique which may provide a new means of producing chip features smaller than 32nm.
The technique involves the use of quasiparticles called plasmons to focus light at an incredibly high resolution. Chris Lee at Ars Technica describes the technology: "A lens, based on plasmons, can be created by a set of concentric metal rings. The fields from the plasmons in each ring act in such a way as to create a tightly focused spot of light. In principle, these lenses could focus light tightly enough to create features about five to ten nanometers in size."
The problem with plasmon lenses is that they must be positioned at just 20 nm away from the wafer. The scientists claim to have overcome this hurdle with their new technique, which uses air pressure to control the lens's distance from the wafer.
Significantly, the new technique eliminates the need to create a new photomask for each revision to the chip, potentially lowering costs and speeding up development.
ToC
James E. Kloeppel, Physical Sciences Editor
August 7, 2008 - Inside Illinois, Vol. 28, No. 3
URL: <http://www.news.uiuc.edu/news/08/0806retina2.html>
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - By combining stretchable optoelectronics and biologically inspired design, scientists have created a remarkable imaging device, with a layout based on the human eye.
As reported in the Aug. 7 issue of the journal Nature, researchers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University have developed a high-performance, hemispherical "eye" camera using an array of single-crystalline silicon detectors and electronics, configured in a stretchable, interconnected mesh.
The work opens new possibilities for advanced camera design. It also foreshadows artificial retinas for bionic eyes similar in concept to those in the movie "Terminator" and other popular science fiction.
"Conformally wrapping surfaces with stretchable sheets of optoelectronics provides a practical route for integrating well-developed planar device technologies onto complex curvilinear objects," said John Rogers, the Flory-Founder Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Illinois, and corresponding author of the paper.
"This approach allows us to put electronics in places where we couldn't before," Rogers said. "We can now, for the first time, move device design beyond the flatland constraints of conventional wafer-based systems.
The camera's design is based on that of the human eye, which has a simple, single-element lens and a hemispherical detector. The camera integrates such a detector with a hemispherical cap and imaging lens, to yield a system with the overall size, shape and layout of the human eye.
To make the camera, the researchers begin by molding a thin rubber membrane in the shape of a hemisphere. The rubber membrane is then stretched with a specialized mechanical stage to form a flat drumhead.
Next, a prefabricated focal plane array and associated electronics - created by conventional planar processing - are transferred from a silicon wafer to the tensioned, drumhead membrane.
When the tension is released, the membrane returns to its original shape. This process compresses the focal plane array, causing specially designed electrical interconnects to delaminate from the rubber surface and form arcs, pinned on the ends by detector pixels. These deformations accommodate strains associated with the planar to hemispherical transformation, without stressing the silicon, as confirmed by mechanics modeling performed by researchers at Northwestern.
The array package is then transfer printed to a matching hemispherical glass substrate. Attaching a lens and connecting the camera to external electronics completes the assembly. The camera has the size and shape of a human eye.
Over the last 20 years, many research groups have pursued electronic eye systems of this general type, but none has achieved a working camera.
"Optics simulations and imaging studies show that these systems provide a much broader field of view, improved illumination uniformity and fewer aberrations than flat cameras with similar imaging lenses," said Rogers, who also is a researcher at the Beckman Institute and at the university's Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory.
"Hemispherical detector arrays are also much better suited for use as retinal implants than flat detectors," Rogers said. "The ability to wrap high quality silicon devices onto complex surfaces and biological tissues adds very interesting and powerful capabilities to electronic and optoelectronic device design, with many new application possibilities."
Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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Posted by Scott on May 7, 2008
URL: <http://www.spoiledtechie.com/post/The-Actual-Cost-of-Texting2c-Short-Codes-and-a-731425-Mark-up.aspx>
Two weeks ago, I went to Dev Connections in Orlando for Microsoft. It was a blast and I must say if you ever get a chance to go, then do it! One of the nights there, AT&T had a Developer party where they wanted developers to start developing on their network, because they can see a lot of income come from it. I agree now knowing the total cost of Text messaging.
At this party, AT&T gave out free Tilts which is currently the best mobile phone on the market if you ask me owning one my self. They also gave out free large HD LCD screen monitors for a group of six. Oh and lets not forget about the free food of course.
Sending a text message to another person can only take 160 characters of text. For the phone companies, it is not compressed data. It is 160 characters only. Why such a weird number you ask? Well let me tell you. When phones are on and waiting for a phone call or any type of data retrieval, they are ALWAYS connected to the cell phone tower. The phones and cell phone towers exchange little packets worth of information back and forth so when ever a call comes it, they can find you straight away. Cool huh? That is the way they designed it when they did. Can anyone guess how big the packets are that are sent between cell and tower? If you guess 160 characters, you are right. So to recap, a task that already needs to be completed by cell phone companies, they make back by charging an astronomical of money to the consumer.
If you look at the per Text message cost, lets take Verizon Wireless which charges 0.15 for every text message that gets sent. The figure is small enough, but when you think of it on a kilobyte level it cost the cell phone companies 0.015 cents and it costs us $1.09 per text message Kilobyte. The markup for costs is 7314%. If you think of it like this, they markup the cost by 7314% when it reaches you, the consumer. If it were me, I would think of it as pretty arrogant of them to do this. I am on a plan and only get charged $5.00 per month for 1000 text messages. If I were to use their rate at which it costs them I should be able to send over 33000 text messages a month!
2nd Part:
Short Codes, you know the ones that when you send a text message to shows like American Idol which can cost the developer anywhere from $15,000-$30,000 a year for their company. That's right, the current costs are estimated at $5,000 a month to hold a dedicated number and a REQUIRED $1,000 a month for a testing number. So when AT&T threw this developer party, I decided to go up there and ask them. But sadly to say they were only third party contractors. So as a Developer you can spend around $20,000.00, and then the cell phone companies charge the consumer another astronomical markup. If your still reading this, can you please leave a comment if you have ever seen a higher markup on a particular item.
These kinds of costs need to be regulated. The companies are charging an extreme amount of money for very little and we are buying it up. Someday's, I wish I could just start a company that would be able to compete with companies like these. I do know that I think I will probably invest some stock into AT&T seeing that they bring a pretty good rate of return.
URL: <http://www.physorg.com/news129793047.html>
A University of Leicester space scientist has worked out that sending texts via mobile phones works out to be far more expensive than downloading data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Dr. Nigel Bannister's calculations were used for the Channel 4 Dispatches programme "The Mobile Phone Rip-Off".
He worked out the cost of obtaining a megabyte of data from Hubble - and compared that with the 5p cost of sending a text.
He said: "The bottom line is texting is at least 4 times more expensive than transmitting data from Hubble, and is likely to be substantially more than that.
"The maximum size for a text message is 160 characters, which takes 140 bytes because there are only 7 bits per character in the text messaging system, and we assume the average price for a text message is 5p. There are 1,048,576 bytes in a megabyte, so that's 1 million/140 = 7490 text messages to transmit one megabyte. At 5p each, that's £374.49 per MB - or about 4.4 times more expensive than the 'most pessimistic' estimate for Hubble Space Telescope transmission costs."
Dr Bannister said it had been difficult to work out exactly how much Hubble data transmission costs. So he contacted NASA who gave him a firm figure of £8.85 per megabyte (MB) for the transmission of data from HST to the Earth.
"This doesn't include the cost of the ground stations and the time of the personnel along the way, but it is an unambiguous number for that part of the process. So that's £8.85 to get each MB from Hubble, to the first point of contact on the ground, but no further. Hence we need to go a little bit further to estimate exactly how much it costs to transmit data from Hubble to the end user - i.e. to the data archive which scientists can access. This is difficult, so I had to make some conservative assumptions."
Dr Bannister estimated the cost of the data from Hubble could vary between £8.85 and £85 per MB- much cheaper than the £374.49 per MB cost of transmitting one MB of text.
He concludes: "Hubble is by no means a cheap mission - but the mobile phone text costs were pretty astronomical!"
by Rich Mogull <rich@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#949/13-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9796>
Have you ever wondered why your mobile phone can alert you to new voicemail without having ever rung? Or why a text message can get through when a call can't? Maybe you've traveled across continents and been amazed at how calls still manage to follow you? Or perhaps you've noticed that sometimes your battery seems to last only a fraction of its normal life? And why can the iPhone 3G figure out your location in 3 seconds when it takes your car GPS 3 minutes?
Although we normally take the ubiquitous mobile phone for granted, assuming it should work anywhere at any time, there's quite a bit of complex technology involved in sending a call to a device in your pocket. While we've all screamed in frustration over dropped calls and other annoyances, the truth is these are impressive devices, packed with amazing technology. And after you learn a little more about the inside of the system, maybe, just maybe, you'll be a little less irritated the next time you battle to make a simple call.
One of the most fascinating aspects of mobile phones is how calls manage to find us in the first place. If you think about it, you are basically wandering the planet with a tiny radio in your pocket, but by calling a single number anyone can track you down in seconds. Although there are a few different types of mobile phone networks, they all follow the same basic, yet elegant, architecture. For this article I'll be using terms for the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network - the one used by AT&T and other international iPhone providers. I've also simplified things a bit, and Wikipedia is a great source if you'd like to dig in deeper.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM>
It all starts with the phone in your pocket. Every phone in the world has a unique identifier called an IMSI - your International Mobile Subscriber Identity. In most phones, this is encoded on a small smart card (yes, the same technology used by some banks and ID cards) called a SIM - Subscriber Identity Module. When you turn your phone on it tries to find the nearest base station, which is a collection of switching equipment tied to that (likely ugly) cellular antenna on the side of the highway. Your phone connects to the nearest base station, based on signal strength, and that's where the interesting stuff starts to happen.
The IMSI truly is a unique number tied to you and your mobile phone provider, and is the key to the entire system. The base station is a relatively dumb system that just passes on your information to the main brains of the system - the Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The MSC can be located pretty much anywhere, which is why, in the very early days of cell phones, 911 calls might have been routed to a confused emergency dispatcher in a different city or state (don't worry, that's all fixed now). While each system is a little different, a large cell phone provider will generally have a bunch of MSCs to support different phone numbers for different local areas.
At its simplest, the MSC is just two big databases and a connection to the regular phone system. One database, called your Home Location Registry (HLR) is the master database for your account, with your IMSI, phone number, and current location. The second database is called the Visitor Location Registry (VLR) and it keeps track of people that have wandered into that area (a VLR serves only a single base station). Here's how it works. Your phone registers your unique IMSI with the nearest base station, and that base station tells its VLR that you are connected. The VLR then contacts your HLR and, using your IMSI, registers your location.
When someone calls you, the call is routed from the regular phone system through your MSC all the way out to the highway you're driving on, since the system always knows where you are. If you happen to be on a GSM system like AT&T (and unlike Verizon), your call can even follow you to any other GSM system in the world, as long as it has some sort of agreement with your primary phone provider. I used to have to rent a local phone when I traveled someplace like Australia (since U.S. phone companies don't play nice with others), but in recent years my biggest worry is someone from home accidentally waking me up at 3 AM local time.
This may seem pretty straightforward, but it becomes more complex since we mobile phone users have a bad habit of moving around - sometimes at high speed - while we're on the phone. To handle this, the base stations and MSC work together to hand off your call as you move from tower to tower. This is a bit easier today since we've switched off the old analog system (where your phone needed a dedicated channel to talk) to the new digital systems (where many phones share a channel, just like a computer network). All your conversations are digitally encoded and the phone system routes them around as needed.
Not that it's perfect - especially if you drive the main highway between my home in Phoenix and my wife's office. Some of these hand-offs don't always work as planned, notably if there are dead zones between towers. But it does explain those times when your call becomes garbled or you lose half the conversation, then everything magically returns to normal (by magically, I mean rarely). As we move around with our phones, they're constantly negotiating with base stations, which are constantly negotiating with each other and one or more MSCs.
Now imagine you're 30,000 feet in the air traveling at 500 miles per hour. Although our mobile phones don't have a lot of power, from up in the sky it's not unlikely a single phone could hit dozens of towers with nearly equal power signals. That's the main reason you're not supposed to use your phones in the air; Wikipedia explains in more detail. Newer planes are extremely well shielded from interference and shouldn't experience problems (although some studies still consider phones a risk), but all the base station switching and phone tracking confuses the heck out of the mobile phone network. The systems some airlines outside the United States are putting into planes set up a tiny cell network on the plane itself so your phone locks in to the plane's system using low power, and then it handles talking to the ground.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_on_aircraft>
As a side note, the main reason airlines make you turn all your electronics off during takeoff and landing is so you aren't distracted and can hear and follow directions if something goes wrong.
All of that crazy call setup happens in the background without your ever noticing because, as anyone who watches spy movies will tell you, your phone is always talking to the network. It does this using channels dedicated to signaling and messaging that are separate from the channels we use to talk. That's how your phone is initially registered, and how calls are handed off (or dropped) as you move from one base station to another.
Early on when they invented GSM, someone decided it would be useful to dedicate a small part of this signaling to sending messages to your phone. They added a feature to send 160-character messages over the signaling channel. The initial idea was to use it to alert you to new voicemail messages, but then someone thought it might be nice to also send some short text messages, and thus the Short Messaging Service (SMS) was born.
That's why you sometimes get voicemail notifications without hearing your phone ring. If the local voice channels are all filled, the call can't get through and callers are forced to leave a message, but since the notification uses that signaling channel, it still reaches you right away. A nice side benefit is that SMS messages will often go through even when regular calls won't. When I'm wearing my part-time hat as a disaster worker, I often find myself using SMS when I can't make regular calls. If you are at that big concert, game, or Steve Jobs keynote you might try SMS instead of battling your neighbors for scarce voice channels.
The Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) that Apple mysteriously won't support on the iPhone also uses SMS. In this case, the short message contains a special link that tells your phone where to find a photo or video someone shared with you.
The downside of SMS is that there's no guarantee your message will go through, and the system can't alert either you or the recipient if it was dropped somewhere along the line. (Some mobile phone networks allow you to confirm message delivery, but AT&T does not offer that option).
As you now realize, there's a ton of signaling and messaging going on in the background as you walk down the street with that amazing battery-powered radio in your pocket. Modern mobile phones are incredibly power-efficient and use this signaling to "tune" themselves to their local environment. When they have a good signal, they use less power, but the farther you move away from the base station the more power they need to maintain these signaling channels. If you are in a really busy area your phone might also be battling for space on the network, which increases how many signals are sent and thus how much power it uses.
So you might notice two effects - in some places your battery may seem to last forever, whereas in other places it drains quickly, no matter how little you use it. If you are deep inside in a big building your phone might need to use a lot more power to communicate with the nearest base station, taxing your battery. Another area might require less power under normal circumstances, but if it's saturated with a lot of phones you'll be signaling more, or talking to a base station that's farther away, and your phone will die sooner. That's why my iPhone battery doesn't last nearly as long at Macworld Expo as it does during other conferences in Moscone Center - the density of iPhone (and thus AT&T) users is significantly higher.
By this point, you probably already know the answer to that question. While phones are constantly tracking their location so calls can reach you, when you turn a GPS on it needs to figure out where you are nearly from scratch. Your GPS looks for special signals from satellites, and then compares the timing of those signals to determine your position. When you pull a GPS out of the box for the first time, it has no idea where you are on the face of the planet, and has to spend a few minutes looking around for those signals and downloading data to narrow your location. When you turn it on in roughly the same location after that, unless it's been a long time since your last usage, it will be faster to acquire the satellites, but it still has to lock on to the necessary satellite signals before it can determine your location.
Your iPhone cheats. In order to support 911 emergency services, all mobile phone systems now try to track your physical location down to about a minimum of 150 meters (it's a bit different outside the United States). Thus your phone, thanks to the network, has a good rough idea where you are before the GPS even starts. If you are near a Wi-Fi network, the Skyhook Wireless-enabled location feature of the iPhone may then narrow your location down even more. This means your iPhone GPS already has a good idea of where to look for those satellites, while the unit in your car needs to start scanning from scratch (or based on remembering where you were when you last turned it off).
We take them for granted, but mobile phones, and the networks that back them, are fascinating pieces of technology that provide capabilities that seemed like science fiction only a few short decades ago (consider Dick Tracy's wristwatch radio, Maxwell Smart's shoe phone, and James Bond's car phone in the 1963 movie "From Russia with Love"). Now maybe the next time you're ready to slam that frustrating marvel against the floor because you can't make a call, you'll hesitate briefly and send your mother a text message instead.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Tracy#Evolution_of_the_strip>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Smart#Gadgets>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_gadgets#From_Russia_With_Love>
Timothy Karr
Posted October 13, 2008 | 02:04 PM (EST)
URL: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/att-promises-not-to-spy-o_b_134239.html>
You would think that AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner execs had turned a page and formed a new front in defense of your online rights.
Late last month, they lined up before the Senate to mouth principles that would, in their words, ensure that Internet "consumers have ultimate control over the use of their personal information and guards against privacy abuses."
The issue spins around the use of a content-filtering technology called "deep packet inspection" or DPI, which allows network managers to inspect, track and target user Internet content as our information passes along the Information Superhighway.
Headlines following the Senate hearing struck a reassuring note, declaring these companies were taking a stand with consumers and "keeping their distance" from DPI.
But we did our own packet inspection and found that the telcos' actions often speak louder than their testimony.
DPI forms the cornerstone of plans to police the Internet and profit from Web content. Using DPI companies like AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner would be able to decide whether a packet can pass or be routed to a different lane on the Superhighway. It lets them pry open user's trunks, erect new tolls and sell off or bar privileged access based on what they find inside.
"Simply put, Deep Packet Inspection is the Internet equivalent of the postal service reading your mail," Public Knowledge founder Gigi Sohn said during the September hearing. "They might be reading your mail for any number of reasons, but the fact remains that your mail is being read by the very people whose job it is to deliver it."
In January, AT&T lobbyist James Cicconi said the company was testing Web technology so that it could scour user traffic.
The company's stated goal was to help the copyright cops in the recording and motion picture industry stop illegal sharing of music and movies. (This is why these same companies have also formed a bulwark against Net Neutrality rules that would prevent such snooping.)
But once the technology is in place, AT&T can use it to inspect so much more.
DPI is already being used by other governments, including China and Burma to prevent politically sensitive information from making it in or out of their countries.
AT&T could easily tweak this same technology to let Ma Bell peer into all of your Internet use.
And if history is any guide, the communications giant is not to be trusted with our most privileged information. Americans have already been subjected to the National Security Agency's domestic spying program courtesy of AT&T.
Verizon is similarly flirting with DPI -- and has a similar history of abuse.
"To be clear, Verizon has not used -- and does not use -- packet inspection technology to target advertising to customers," Thomas J. Tauke, Verizon's top lobbyist told worried senators during the September hearing. "And we have not deployed the technology in our wireline network for such purposes."
But note Tauke's careful parsing of terms.
DPI is not being used by Verizon to target advertising, but the Verizon exec left the field open for other applications. "Packet inspection can be a helpful engineering tool to manage network traffic and enable online services and applications consumers may wish to use," he said.
Indeed, Verizon has reportedly been seeking technology vendors who can help it fulfill these gatekeeper ambitions.
But you won't hear that from the company's executives themselves.
According to an April report in the Washington Post, Verizon, AT&T and other providers were reluctant to reveal the extent of their Web filtering, but the companies that sell the technology -- companies such as NebuAd, Phorm and Front Porch -- were more forthcoming.
Front Porch collects detailed Web-use data from more than 100,000 U.S. customers through their service providers. At the time, NebuAd had agreements with providers covering 10 percent of U.S. broadband customers, chief executive Bob Dykes told the Post.
But what's good for their business is clearly bad for the public's Internet.
With billions of dollars at stake in controlling your online experience, it's little wonder that these companies see DPI as the Holy Grail of Internet profits.
It's also no surprise that they're having troubles telling us the whole truth about their plans to use it.
ToC
Paul Thurrott
URL: <http://www.wininformant.com/>
Mozilla delayed the release of its Firefox 3.1 browser release by several weeks recently (note to self: Has Mozilla ever shipped anything on schedule?) to add a private browsing mode to the product and help it better compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) 8 and Google Chrome. But that's not the only functional change coming in Firefox 3.1: The browser will also improve JavaScript performance, make changes to the Address Bar and tabs features, and add support for video HTML coding. The company says it will ship Firefox 3.1 Beta 1 next week, Beta 2 in November, and the final version in December or January. Anyone care to bet whether that will really happen?
Next Tuesday, as part of its planned monthly security fix update, Microsoft will ship 11 fixes, four of them that are rated critical. But if that sounds bad, thank the heavens you're not using a Mac. This week, as part of its unannounced, much more frequent, and much more sporadic OS X security fix release non-schedule, Apple fixed a whopping 40 security flaws. And this mega-patch, which weighs in at as much as 200MB, depending on your OS X version, is just one of many such patches the Cupertino company shipped this year alone. Man, it must be awful having to install all those security updates so frequently. Someone should make a commercial about that.
I get this feeling from Microsoft that they'd like to keep CEO Steve Ballmer locked in a box sometimes, because when you put this guy in front of a microphone, he just can't shut up. In a recent trip to London, he babbled about some upcoming Microsoft secrets around their upcoming Windows Cloud OS--which was to have originally been unveiled late this month at PDC. He spilled the beans on a new version of Office Live that will include Web versions of Office applications, another announcement planned for PDC. And he also said that his company's Zune software would soon end up on Windows Mobile devices, verifying a long-time rumor. Maybe it's time for one of those Hannibal Lector-style face masks. Or at least a 30 second delay.
Ballmer also noted that Microsoft was moving away from boxed, packaged software to a model where software and services are deployed and maintained via the Internet cloud. The company has a lot of work to do to catch up to Google in Web search, he admitted--a process that will take several years and "a lot of money," he said--but Microsoft "isn't afraid" of embracing a new business model. Ballmer says he's willing to spend 5 to 10 percent of Microsoft's annual income on research and development to get it there, too, and the company will spend $8.5 billion in this fiscal year alone on R&D. "If you are the Number Two guy you are going to have to at least ante up," Ballmer, ever the card player, added.
A panel of federal judges ruled this week that Microsoft does not have to pay Alcatel-Lucent $1.5 billion in damages related to a long-running digital music patent lawsuit. Microsoft was found in February to have infringed on two patents related to the MP3 audio format, though a judge later found that Microsoft had not, in fact, infringed on one of the two patents. The remaining patent in question is jointly owned by Germany's Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, a company that is widely credited for inventing the MP3 format. But since Microsoft had paid Fraunhofer Gesellschaft $16 million for the right to use the technology, and Fraunhofer did not participate in the lawsuit, the panel ruled that Microsoft was not responsible for damages. The original lawsuit was filed back in 2003, and included PC makers Dell and Gateway as well.
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By Dwight Silverman
URL: <http://tinyurl.com/3f3hp6>
On Thursday, I wrote about Microsoft's planned changes to the User Account Control for Windows 7. The feature, which requires users to confirm actions that affect Windows at a system level, kicks in way too often in Vista, and Microsoft plans to dial it back.
In that post, I described how I think Windows 7's version of the UAC should behave:
Here's how I hope it works: When you first get a popup, the UAC's text tells you specifically what's happening, and ask whether you want to see dialogs caused by this action in the future. You should be able to check a box and not see that kind of popup again.
However, there needs to be a couple of caveats to this scenario. There are some instances in which you always want to see UAC popups, such as when a program tries to add folders or files to the Windows system directory - you should never be able to turn those off. The description of what's happening needs to be clear and succinct, and in plain English (at least in the English-language version of Windows). Too often, dialogs such as these are indecipherable to all but the geekiest among us.
Coincidentally, Symantec on Thursday released a replacement for the Windows Vista UAC that does almost exactly what I described. The Norton UAC Tool (<http://www.nortonlabs.com/inthelab/uac.php>) -- currently in beta -- changes the way the Vista feature works, letting you indicate in each popup that you don't want to see that kind of alert again.
It also tells you a little more about what's causing the popup, such as whether the program causing it is digitally signed and by whom, and why the alert was triggered. (In the image above, it's because the application is accessing a protected directory.)
If you click View Details, you'll see that actual system modules that are involved in the activity.
From the Norton UAC FAQ:
Q: So... what does this replacement offer me?
A: Currently, the Norton Labs' UAC replacement offers a "Do not ask me again" option on each prompt making it very easy for the user to squelch individual prompts without fully disabling UAC. Further, the Norton Labs' UAC replacement displays the prompts in a slightly different way from how Microsoft chose to do it. We feel that our prompts provide a much clearer view of the ratings for the prompting application.
Norton also collects information on the cause of the prompts, which will be used to generate a white list that will ship with the product when it's finished.
Q: What does Norton Labs get out of my testing?
A: DATA! Each time you see a prompt, the Norton Labs UAC Replacement sends meta information about what caused the prompt, and why, to our server. This data will be used, in aggregate, to help Norton Labs build a white list that can be shipped with the UAC replacement and LiveUpdated as needed.
Q: What do you mean by "meta information"?
A: The meta information contains file name and file hashes for the EXE that caused the prompt and the EXE that is to be the recipient of the elevated privileges. In addition, the meta information contains file name and file hashes for DLLs that were active in either of the two EXEs, response information (what option did the user choose, how quickly, and did they choose "do not ask me again"), and date/time info.
In my tests in Windows Vista running in a VMware Fusion virtual machine, the Norton UAC tool popped up in place of the standard UAC in a snappy fashion - in fact, it may be faster than the Vista UAC. Once I checked the "Don't ask me again" box, the popup did not reappear.
However, the tool also generated occasional error messages, but still continued to run. It is, as I mentioned, beta software, and the usual caveats apply.
That said, if you want a better-behaved UAC now, rather than waiting for the release of Windows 7, this may be an option. But back up your data first, and I'd suggest not using it for now on a system on which you rely for critical work.
ToC
Sun, 09/28/2008 - 16:33 -- lorin
URL: <http://www.vista4beginners.com/Send-To-menu>
In this article I will talk to you about a less known feature of Windows Vista, called the Send To menu. Even though it is also found in older versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems, not too many people notice it and use it. Simply put, the Send To menu allows you to quickly send files and folders to another location. In this tutorial I will show you how to use this menu and how to add other useful entries (locations) to it so that you can be more productive when you need to move files to a certain location.
To use the Send To menu, all you need to do is to right click your desired file or folder and click on Send To. In the Send To menu you can see places where you can send your files or folders.
By default, the places where you can send a file or folder are the following: all your so called 'removable drives' such as the memory sticks that are plugged into your computer, your CD/DVD-RW drives, a 'Compressed (zipped) Folder' which is the equivalent of archiving the selected file or folder, your Desktop which is the equivalent of creating a shortcut on your Desktop towards the selected file or folder, your Documents folder and 'Mail Recipient' which means attaching it to a new e-mail message using your default e-mail client.
To add your own options to the Send To menu, follow this procedure:
First, click on the Start button and, in the search box, type 'shell:sendto' and click on the shell:sendto search result or press Enter instead. The Send To window will appear.
If you can't get to this folder by following the procedure above, then open Windows Explorer and type '%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo' into the address bar.
In the Send To window you can add your own favorite places where you want to send other files or folders. Once you have decided about the place where you want to send other files or folders, create a new shortcut of that favorite place in the Send To folder. You can create shortcuts toward a folder, a disk drive or a program. If you don't know how to create shortcuts, you can read this tutorial (<http://www.vista4beginners.com/Create-shortcuts-to-files-and-folders>) to find out how to do it.
Once you have added all the shortcuts you wanted to the Send To folder, you can right click on any file or folder from your computer and send them to any of your new favorite places. If you want to remove a location from the Send To menu, just delete its shortcut from the Send To folder.
Important: By default, when using the Send to menu, you just send a copy of the selected file or folder to the preferred place. The file or folder will also remain in its initial location. If you don't want to have a backup copy then right click on that file or folder, go to the Send To menu, press the Shift button from your keyboard and, while still holding it, click with the mouse on your preferred destination from the Send to menu. This will be the equivalent of making a 'Cut and Paste' procedure in Windows Explorer.
How to avoid problems: As an advice, do not overload the Send To list because it will load much more slowly. Also, if you add to many applications, the Send To list will become very crowded and it will be hard for you to find what you seek. A better choice for opening a file in different applications would be using the Open With option or setting the default programs for opening specific file types.
ToC
Posted by Ed Bott
URL: <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=551>
In the Talkback section to another post, a reader asks a question about when Microsoft plans to drop support for Windows Vista. I hear variations on this one all the time, so I figured it's worth covering here:
If MS is pushing up Win 7, what is going to happen to all the Vista users? Are they going to get screwed by a short term OS? It seems that MS is stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. If Vista becomes a speed bump, then the Vista users will be angry. If they don't then all the people who hate Vista will be angry. While in total numbers Vista users are small in number now it still is a large number of people.
I might quibble with the characterization that the total number of Vista users is small. Even if you discount Microsoft's numbers by 50%, you still have 100 million people using Vista today. That's a huge number by almost any standard and is only small when you compare it to the billion or so Windows machines in existence. So, are those millions and millions of customers out in the cold when Windows 7 comes out?
In a word, no. Microsoft has a well-documented support lifecycle for its software products. It's part of the agreement that the company makes with everyone who installs Windows, especially business customers who want some assurance that they'll be able to get updates and support for operating systems and applications even if they choose not to upgrade to the latest and greatest. Here are the high points and how they relate to Windows Vista.
The lifecycle includes two main phases:
After the Extended Support phase ends, you can continue to use online self-help resources, but all other support has to be provided through third parties or through custom support agreements such as those enjoyed by some large corporate customers.
So how do these support options map for you? That depends on whether you're using a business or consumer product.
Good news for consumers is that security updates apply to all Windows versions, so any Vista security updates made available via Windows Update should be delivered to consumers and businesses alike, even during the Extended Support phase. So your copy of Vista Home Premium will continue to receive security updates for at least eight more years.
And what about XP? When Vista came out, conspiracy theorists were quick to predict that Microsoft would abandon it and force customers to switch to Vista. I debunked that notion shortly before Vista shipped. A few months later, in January 2007, Microsoft officially expanded its support terms for XP, covering home editions under the Extended Support phase (see "XP gets a new lease on life" for details). So, if you use any XP edition, you're covered through April 2014.
By that time, of course, Windows 8 will probably have been released, which means that Microsoft will be actively supporting four separate desktop editions of Windows.
ToC
Posted by Chris Flores on Monday, August 25
URL: <http://tinyurl.com/5c4cnm>
There's been a steady amount of buzz around the `net recently about Windows Vista adoption, sparked by a blog post last week questioning Windows Vista adoption rates and most recently by some great number crunching by Computerworld. In light of the various claims, I thought I would offer up some perspective on Windows Vista deployment numbers ... and what experienced industry watchers, like Forrester and CDW, are saying about Windows Vista.
First, you've heard us say before that we've sold more than 180 million Windows Vista licenses (40 million of those in the last quarter alone) and that major enterprises like Continental Airlines, the United States Air Force, Virgin Megastores, Charter, Avanade, Eastman Chemical and PPG are deploying seats by the thousands (and in some cases by the tens of thousands). That's still true. You can read about these and other Windows Vista deployments at <http://microsoft.com/casestudies>.
Consistent with findings from other reputable sources, Forrester Research just published a new report on enterprise OS adoption. According to the abstract: "Forrester's month-on-month study of more than 50,000 of our clients' OS preferences confirmed that users are on track with enterprises' initial Windows Vista deployment plans. IT operations folks are at a critical inflection point and should deploy Windows Vista to: 1) stay current with Microsoft's and independent software vendors' (ISVs') support life cycles; 2) help minimize today's security, management, and productivity challenges; and 3) better position your business to eventually embrace "Windows 7," because Windows Vista investments will ultimately pay off with better compatibility for this next release." Even the Wall Street Journal is picking up on this and in his blog post over the weekend, Ben Worthen includes some nuggets from the report like: "between October 2007 and June 2008 the percentage of visitors running Vista climbed from 5% to 8.8%." Ben also says that "it's pretty safe to assume that the operating system's image problems with the general public will soon be a thing of the past."
What about the guys on the ground who are selling, installing and implementing Windows Vista? Not surprisingly, they're seeing growing demand too. For example, CDW, one of the nation's largest technology resellers and system integrators, found in their third Windows Vista Tracking Poll that Windows Vista is "gaining traction" in the business market, with 48 percent of respondents saying their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista. That compares with 29 percent in CDW's February 2007 poll. You can check the Seattle Times commentary on this.
The chorus of industry commentators, analysts, partners and real enterprise users confirm what we already knew - businesses are buying, using and liking Windows Vista. If you haven't already, try it and decide for yourself.
ToC
Michael Cobb, Contributor
URL: <http://tinyurl.com/4cmy6o>
The ritual of assessing Microsoft's latest incarnation of Internet Explorer (IE) is upon us again. This time it's the beta release of IE 8. There are, of course, the usual Microsoft detractors who have nothing positive to say about the software giant's browser and advise us all to use Mozilla's Firefox if we want safer surfing.
As browsers are probably the most commonly used software application, IE's security features are certainly of critical importance. In this article, we'll examine what's new in IE 8 and whether Internet Explorer has turned a corner when it comes to security.
It has to be said that Internet Explorer is still battling to overcome the poor reputation its early versions had for security, and Microsoft's poor track record of providing fixes for even quite serious vulnerabilities. During the last five years, Microsoft has tightened its focus on software security and watched as Firefox's popularity grew among IT professionals. As a result, the release of IE 7 definitely represented a change in the approach to make the browser more secure.
The launch of IE 7 and Firefox 2 both trumpeted new or improved security features, and IE 7, which launched in October 2006, was certainly a huge improvement over its much-attacked predecessor, IE 6. Internet Explorer 7 boasted several antiphishing features, including Web address, page content and page structure analysis. Some other initiatives included better intervention to control downloads, as well as color-coded warnings on whether a site is trusted.
IE 7 was launched at a time when hackers really started to up their game, often driven by profit and backed by organized crime. Hackers receive the best ROI when they concentrate efforts on IE, the most popular browser. Adding to that, one valid criticism that IE 7's detractors certainly have forwarded is that the browser is directly tied to the operating system; an attack on IE means an attack on Windows itself.
The resulting number of exposed vulnerabilities helped to exacerbate the impression of IE as a poor second choice to Firefox. Mozilla has been lauded for handling new security issues quickly, and some users prefer its approach of pushing an updated version of the browser to users when a security fix is made, as opposed to an add-on patch download process used by Microsoft, which many deplore.
So how has Microsoft tackled these issues? Feature-wise, it has enhanced protection from malicious sites and malware. IE 8's new security features target three major sources of security exploits: social engineering and Web server and browser-based vulnerabilities. The browser's SmartScreen filter, for example, can detect more sophisticated attacks and block sites by analyzing full URL strings, while the Domain Highlighting function ensures the top-level domain in the address bar is clearly highlighted so users can easily confirm they are, in fact, at the site they intended to visit.
This approach of making security easier for the user is also reflected in the improved user interface. When active, the SmartScreen filter warns the user prior to a software download or a visit to a potentially unsafe website. Two privacy features that I like are InPrivate, which suspends caching functions while surfing at, say, an Internet kiosk, and InPrivate Blocking, which blocks content coming from third parties that can track and aggregate a user's online behavior.
In the battle to reduce the threats from browser-based vulnerabilities, Data Execution Prevention (DEP), which was turned off by default in IE 7, is now automatically activated when running on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. DEP is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running from a non-executable memory region, the primary benefit being to prevent code execution from data pages. It applies to all add-ons loaded by a browser as well.
It should be noted that research recently presented by Mark Dowd and Alexander Sotirov demonstrated a technique that can bypass these memory protection safeguards in the Windows Vista operating system. Running Vista in "protected mode," however, isolates IE from the operating system and other applications in order to protect against an attack that tries to overwrite files.
One feature of IE 8 that hackers will certainly be picking over is cross-domain requests. Cross-domain communication and the ability for websites to call services from one another is an integral part of Web 2.0 applications. Other browsers, including Firefox, have recognized the benefit of direct communication and are also implementing cross-domain request capabilities. The feature, however, provides benefits not only for developers, but also for attackers in potentially helping them compromise Web 2.0 services in ways that remain to be seen. IE 8 allows cross-domain requests (XDR) with support for XDomainRequest objects. These are, in fact, a more secure method for requesting public resources from another domain's server.
I think Microsoft turned the security corner with the release of IE 7, and IE 8 shows its continued commitment to security, particularly the problems resulting from actions initiated by naive users. For various types of threats, Microsoft is developing a set of layered mitigations to provide defense-in-depth protection against known and future exploits. It no doubt isn't perfect, but neither is Firefox. Vulnerability clearinghouse Secunia has collected multiple vulnerability reports for Firefox 3 already which can be used to bypass certain security restrictions.
ToC
Posted by Ed Bott
URL: <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=557>
Over at JKOnTheRun, James Kendrick uncovers a fascinating statistic originally published in Laptop Magazine:
Andy Tung, Director of US Sales for MSI ... told Laptop that their experience shows that netbooks with Linux are returned four times more often than those with Windows XP. This would indicate what others have already noted, many consumers pick up the cheaper systems and then realize that the Linux system is not what they are used to so they return it.
And this is for a product that is targeted at early adopters who are far more technically sophisticated than average; the MSI Wind is a tiny, dirt-cheap portable PC that has been selling like gangbusters to the digital elite and gadget freaks since its launch in June. I would assume that this audience would be more forgiving of rough edges and usability gotchas than more mainstream PC buyers. This comment by MSI's Andy Tung from the original interview highlights the uphill struggle that PC makers have when dealing with Linux:
Our internal research has shown that ... the main cause [of the higher return rates for Linux-based machines] is Linux. People would love to pay $299 or $399 but they don't know what they get until they open the box. They start playing around with Linux and start realizing that it's not what they are used to. They don't want to spend time to learn it so they bring it back to the store.
The interviewers interrupt at this point to note that they "struggled with the Linux version of the Wind U90" as well and ask whether the company plans to customize a Linux OS for the machine instead of using an off-the-shelf distro:
We plan to bring the Linux version to the U.S by the end of the year. But we are working on some of the issues with the SUSE Linux and even continue to explore other flavors of Linux. We have discussed Ubuntu with a Mac OS type of look and feel. We are talking to different suppliers to figure out the best user experience.
Finding software developers to build and support a great user experience that ties hardware and software together isn't cheap or easy. It's hard to imagine how that job can get done at all, much less be done well, on a PC that sells for $399 or less.
I have a couple of Linux-based systems here that I use occasionally for testing and just to stay on top of what's happening in the wide world of computing. I have been impressed with the way that popular Linux distros like Ubuntu have improved with each new release; these days, Linux is a great choice for technically sophisticated users who don't mind being far, far out of the mainstream. But for people who don't have the time or the inclination to make fundamental changes, it's a nonstarter. If I were to switch to Linux for daily use, I would have to dramatically change my work habits and learn to use a very different set of tools than I use today. The same would be true of any of my home or small business clients.
As someone who writes about Windows for a living, I get a disproportionate amount of feedback from people who argue that open-source software is a panacea and that dumping Windows for Linux is the answer to every problem that affects the Windows ecosystem. The market is doing a pretty good job of proving that they're wrong, as this example shows.
ToC
[Editor's Note: My thanks to Kevin Hisel for submitting all the articles above in this section of the newsletter.]
[Editor's Note: My thanks to Jon Bjerke for submitting all the articles below in this section of the newsletter.]
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from Jon Bjerke
Paul Thurrott, <thurrott@windowsitpro.com>
October 14, 2008 -- InstantDoc #100540
URL: <http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/100540/microsoft-makes-windows-7-name-official.html>
It's official: Microsoft's next Windows version, currently being developed under the codename Windows 7, will use that moniker as its official final name when it hits the market in early 2010. The news, delivered as is so often the case these days via a blog, was widely anticipated.
"Since we began development of the next version of the Windows client operating system we have been referring to it by a codename, 'Windows 7,'" Microsoft Corporate Vice President Mike Nash said. "But now is a good time to announce that we've decided to officially call the next version of Windows, 'Windows 7.'"
As Nash notes in the post, Microsoft has used a variety of naming conventions for its Windows products over the years, including years (Windows 95, 98), version numbers (Windows 3.1), and so-called "aspirational" monikers like Windows XP and Vista. With Windows 7, however, the company felt that the Windows 7 name was simple and appropriate, since this will be the seventh major version of the OS.
Microsoft is promising to show off numerous end user features in Windows 7 for the first time at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2008 event in Los Angeles the week of October 27. I'll be covering that event on a live and continuous basis from the SuperSite for Windows.
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Paul Thurrott, <thurrott@windowsitpro.com>
October 10, 2008 -- InstantDoc #100519
URL: <http://www.ntsecurity.net/article/articleid/100519/wininfo-short-takes-week-of-october-13-2008.html>
Mithras Capital, a private equity fund that owns 1.9 million shares (0.14 percent) of Yahoo! would like to see the slumping Internet giant renew talks with Microsoft and sell itself to the software giant for $22 a share. But get this: That price represents a 74 percent premium over Yahoo!'s current stock price, a higher premium than what Microsoft originally offered for the company back in July. So sit back and enjoy the peals of laughter coming from the Thurrott household this morning because that is the single stupidest thing I've read all week. All week. I've said it before, and I've said it again: Yahoo! is doomed and any company purchasing that train wreck will simply be screwing themselves for years going forward. Don't give in, Microsoft. You may think things are bad now, but they'd be much worse with the weight of Yahoo! hanging over you.
ToC
Paul Thurrott, <thurrott@windowsitpro.com>
October 01, 2008 -- InstantDoc #100436
URL: <http://windowsitpro.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=100436&feed=rss&subj=0>
Microsoft on Wednesday announced that it has finalized development of Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, its standalone, "bare metal" virtualization server. Additionally, the software giant revealed that it will finalize its System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 server product by the end of October. Virtual Machine Manager is designed for corporations that want to broadly deploy virtualized environments.
"Customers have been telling us that virtualization is a top priority, but they continue to face multiple barriers to adoption, such as costs, complex tools, and limited certified virtualization professionals," says Microsoft Senior Director of Virtualization Strategy Zane Adam. "In response, Microsoft is breaking down these barriers through new training programs and services, interoperability, centralized management tools, and a broad partner ecosystem built around the Windows hypervisor to help make virtualization ubiquitous. Microsoft's new virtualization products will help customers get virtual and manage their virtual and physical assets across datacenters and desktops."
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 is a standalone and free version of the Hyper-V virtualization platform that is also provided with Windows Server 2008. It's designed for corporations that want to deploy hypervisor-based virtual environments but have not yet upgraded to Server 2008. Customers can download Hyper-V Server from the Microsoft Web site. At the time of this writing, the download was not yet available, but the company says it will go live sometime today.
Virtual Machine Manager 2008 is a member of Microsoft's System Center family of server management products. This new version, adds support for Hyper-V Server and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, of course, but also for VMware ESX Server, giving customers a single virtualization management point even in heterogeneous environments.
ToC
From: Jon Bjerke
I got this from Paul Thurrott's podcast.
Navigate to a webpage, say <http://mail.google.com>. Then to the right of the address bar is a sheet of paper. Click on that and choose "create application shortcut" and then select a location. When you double click on this new icon, it opens that web page in a full screen view of just that web page, so it appears as a regular application in the taskbar. I have my Gmail setup to use this and find it extremely slick.
ToC
by TidBITS Staff
October 14, 2008
URL: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9813>
Apple unveiled a redesigned MacBook today, ending a more-than-two-year period with only minor updates to the company's most popular notebook (and indeed, the most popular Mac ever). The changes bring the MacBook in closer alignment to the new MacBook Pro with an almost identical appearance. The two share the same aluminum casing, LED backlit display, glass trackpad, and most of the same ports; the MacBook is just smaller and lighter. The biggest change is obviously the long-expected move away from a plastic body to one of aluminum and glass. The body has been cut from a single block of aluminum - a process intended to provide increased strength and durability, as well as slightly reducing the thickness and weight of the notebook. The new MacBook drops half a pound to weigh in at just 4.5 pounds (2.0 kg), and is 0.95 inches (2.41 cm) in thickness - the same thickness as the MacBook Pro, though a pound (2.2 kg) lighter.
Another major design change for the MacBook is the new Multi-Touch trackpad introduced with the MacBook Pro: at 39 percent larger than the previous incarnation, the entire pad is now the button - just press down anywhere to click. The trackpad is made from wear-resistant etched glass and responds to a host of multi-finger commands. You can also designate click areas through a software interface.
The display remains the same at 13.3 inches, but is now LED-backlit, which allows it to be thinner and eliminates the need to use toxic mercury. It also stretches all the way to the edge of the case, over a black bezel, which makes it seem larger than it actually is. The graphics card inside the new MacBook is the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M being used in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, and it can now drive external monitors at resolutions up to 2560 by 1900, a very welcome addition that will become more welcome once Apple releases a 30-inch LED Cinema Display. A $99 Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter is necessary for that.
The primary drawback of the new MacBook is the lack of a FireWire port (perhaps to push some users up to the Pro line). Although FireWire is starting to become less common for external hard disks, it's still used by many digital camcorders and other peripherals. Moreover, for those of us who troubleshoot other Macs, the lack of FireWire means we can't mount a new MacBook as a drive on another computer using Target Disk Mode.
The MacBook is available immediately in two configurations. $1,299 gets you a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB RAM (upgradable to 4 GB), a 160 GB hard drive, slot-loading SuperDrive, the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card, and a 13.3-inch LED backlit display. For $1,599, you get a 2.4 GHz processor, a 250 GB hard drive, and backlit keyboard. A 320 GB hard drive and a 128 GB SSD are available as options.
Apple is also keeping one configuration of the white plastic MacBook for the new low price of $999, which includes a 2.1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 120 GB hard drive, and integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor; this model retains the FireWire 400 port. Larger hard drives remain available for the white MacBook, as do the old 20-inch Apple Cinema Display and 23-inch Cinema HD Display.
ToC
by TidBITS Staff
October 14, 2008
URL: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9814>
At first glance, Apple's new MacBook Pro is clearly a new professional laptop, sporting the company's first significant case redesign since the middle of the PowerBook G4 era. Apple has applied the manufacturing process invented for the MacBook Air to the rest of the laptop line, bringing a strong, unibody aluminum design that allows for more environmentally friendly manufacturing, and a stronger case that doesn't weigh significantly more.
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro measures 0.95 inches (2.41 cm) thick and weighs 5.5 pounds (2.49 kg) - just slightly thinner than its predecessor (which measured 1 inch thick) but actually .1 pound (45 g) heavier.
In the MacBook Pro, as with the MacBook, Apple has gotten rid of the separate trackpad button. Well, sort of - the Multi-Touch trackpad now is the button - made of etched wear-resistant glass. Simply press the trackpad area to click (the entire area depresses). The result of this button-absorption is a trackpad area that is 39 percent larger than past notebooks offered. Apple is taking advantage of that expansion with the incorporation of even more Multi-Touch functionality - now accommodating four-finger gestures for more complex actions such as a four-finger downward swipe to trigger Expose. It's unclear yet as to how users will respond to this change - if the button proves too sensitive, too awkward, or too difficult to customize satisfactorily. Presumably, Apple engineers have spent a lot of time attempting to ensure its ease of use and intuitiveness so hopefully the transition will be an easy one for users.
The MacBook Pro's Core 2 Duo processor isn't dramatically changed from the previous version; the new models offer speeds in 2.4 GHz, 2.53 GHz, or an optional 2.8 GHz. The graphics processors, however, are another story.
The MacBook Pro (and MacBook) includes an integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M chip with 256 MB DDR memory. According to Apple, the GeForce 9400M is up to five times faster than the Intel integrated graphics found on the previous MacBook and Mac mini models, incorporating 16 parallel graphics cores for 54 Gigaflops of processing power. In other words, it's fast.
But it also has company.
The MacBook Pro includes another Nvidia chip, the GeForce 9600M GT with either 256 MB or 512 MB of memory and 32 graphics cores. The laptop can use either one, but apparently not both at the same time. When you need more graphics processing power, you can switch to using the beefier processor. We haven't seen this in practice yet, but according to an Apple representative, the option requires you to specify which GPU to use (presumably via the Displays preference pane), then log out and log back in; restarting the Mac would also work but isn't necessary. Switching to the 9600M drops battery life to four hours per charge versus five hours using the integrated 9400M (keeping in mind that those are likely optimal battery estimates).
This emphasis on graphics processing is likely to make professional creative users happy, as more high-end applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Apple's Aperture, and Final Cut Studio offload much of the processing workload to the GPU. It should also improve the MacBook Pro's standing among hardcore gamers.
Another significant feature new to the MacBook Pro (and also found in the new MacBook and MacBook Air) is the Mini DisplayPort that can drive external displays at up to 2560 by 1600 pixels, the resolution of 30-inch widescreen displays. DisplayPort is a relatively recent digital display interface standard put forth by the Video Electronics Standards Association. New Mini DisplayPort adapters are available for using the MacBook's Mini DisplayPort with older generation VGA, DVI/HDMI, and Dual-Link DVI displays. The Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, priced at $29, connects the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air to monitors with a DVI connector, such as the old 20- or 23-inch Apple Cinema Displays. The Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter is also priced at $29 and connects the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air to a standard analog monitor, projector, or LCD that uses a VGA connector or cable. And the $99 Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter connects the new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air to an external display or projector using a DVI connector, such as the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display HD.
Other changes to the MacBook Pro aren't as flashy, but are worth noting. Only one FireWire port is included, and it's a FireWire 800 port; you'll need to connect FireWire 400 devices using a cable with a FireWire 800 connector at one end and FireWire 400 at the other. The battery indicator now appears on the right side of the case instead of on the bottom. Gone, thankfully, is the annoying clasp latch of old, replaced by the magnetic latch introduced in the MacBook years ago. And if you've ever tried to swap the hard drive from a MacBook Pro, you'll be pleased that the process no longer requires a Master's degree in engineering: the hard drive is easily accessible behind the battery door.
The new MacBook Pro is available immediately in two models:
The base, $1999, model offers:
At $2499, the added perks include:
by TidBITS Staff
October 14, 2008
URL: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9811>
Today Apple introduced the new 24-inch LED Cinema Display, the first Apple external display to feature LED backlighting, a trend that Apple embarked on in 2007 as a way of eliminating the mercury used in fluorescent lamps. Most importantly, Apple is aiming the LED Cinema Display at laptop owners (clever as we are, it's pretty obvious by Apple's tagline, "The first display made precisely for a MacBook"). To live up to that claim, Apple outfitted the LED Cinema Display with an iSight camera, a microphone, a 2.1 stereo speaker system, and a special cable with three connectors: USB, Mini DisplayPort, and MagSafe through which you can power your notebook. It also features three self-powered USB ports - all of which are enabled upon plugging the USB connector into your laptop, but which continue to provide power to an iPod, iPhone, printer, or camera even when the laptop isn't connected.
Unfortunately, the new display appears to be compatible only with the new MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro that are equipped with the Mini DisplayPort, according to Apple's specifications page.
As with the previous model, the 24-inch LED Cinema Display has a 1920 by 1200 resolution, and will be priced at $899 when it ships in early November 2008.
Although not as prominently featured on Apple's Web site, the existing line of Apple Cinema Displays (30-inch, 23-inch, and 20-inch) are still available and unchanged. Hopefully, we'll see a transition to the LED style at Macworld Expo or soon after.
ToC
by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#946/22-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9777>
In shocking news - pun intended - Apple has recalled the tiny USB power adapter it released with great glee along with the iPhone 3G. The ultracompact adapter, hardly more than two prongs and a USB jack, apparently has a flaw that has led to one or both of the prongs breaking off and remaining in an outlet. The company's recall page says that "no injuries have been reported," and that it involves a "very small percentage of the adapters sold." Nonetheless, there's a risk of electric shock, and no electric shock is good at any household amperage.
<http://tidbits.com/resources/2008-09/adapter-views2.jpg>
<http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/>
The company has asked its users to stop using the adapters immediately, but won't have replacements ready to ship until 10-Oct-08. Affected adapters were sold with iPhones in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru.
The included iPhone USB cable, docks sold separately, and adapters sold in other countries pose no risk. Apple strongly advises charging the iPhone 3G by plugging the USB cable into a computer, the larger fold-up Apple adapter, or a third-party adapter.
Revised ultracompact adapters will sport a green dot on the bottom to differentiate them from the less-safe initial version. Apple is accepting Web orders for the exchange, which requires your iPhone serial number. You can also go to an Apple Store starting 10-Oct-08 to exchange an adapter in person, but you must bring your iPhone 3G as well as the adapter.
There is no charge associated with the exchange.
I expect most iPhone 3G owners will continue to use the existing ultracompact adapter until the replacements become available and just take additional care, because the alternatives involve always having a computer nearby or purchasing a different charger for which Apple will not reimburse you.
ToC
by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#949/13-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9808>
Is the video on your recent-model MacBook Pro causing you grief? It's not your eyes playing tricks on you. Apple has announced a repair program to fix Mac laptops that contain Nvidia's troubled GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor. Symptoms include distorted or scrambled video on the laptop's screen, or no video on the laptop or on an external display when the computer is on.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377>
The GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor was included on the 15-inch and 17-inch models of the MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2 GHz) and MacBook Pro (Early 2008), manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008. To determine the processor your MacBook Pro uses, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu, click the More Info button to launch System Profiler, and click Graphics/Displays in the left column. The graphics processor is displayed in the right column.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/SP13>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/SP4>
The program does not appear to be a recall. Instead, according to Apple, "if the Nvidia graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty." If you've had to pay for this repair previously, contact Apple to get a refund.
ToC
by Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#948/06-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9795>
A TidBITS reader in France who wishes to remain anonymous has alerted us to a tempest brewing around older units of the Mac Pro line. Apparently, users noticed a strong smell emanating from the machines, particularly when they were new, and the French newspaper Liberation just published an article about the experiences of a lab researcher who reportedly analyzed the emissions and found volatile organic compounds, including benzene, a known carcinogen.
<http://translate.google.fr/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.liberation.fr%2Fterre%2F010133618-mac-pro-le-pepin-toxique-pour-apple&hl=fr&ie=UTF-8&sl=fr&tl=en>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene#Health_effects>
AppleCare representatives in France contacted by our reader confirmed the problem as affecting Mac Pros built before 2008 but refused to put it in writing. Apple spokesman Bill Evans told Macworld, "We have not found anything that supports this claim, but continue to investigate it for the customer."
<http://www.macworld.com/article/135835/2008/10/macpro_benzene.html>
Apple's discussion forum contains posts from 2007 from users who experienced the smell, some of whom had their Macs replaced under AppleCare. In some cases, the smell may have been related to a seal near the power supply, small plastic strips on the access door, or the thermal compound on the processor heat sinks. Many, though not all, of the affected Macs were built in China.
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=962025>
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1285988>
<http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-desktops/61705-mac-pro-has-odor-problem-3.html>
The discussion thread started by our reader (reportedly after having several previous attempts deleted by Apple) hasn't generated nearly the number of "me too" posts as the 2007 threads, although some Mac Pro users who haven't experienced the smell are expressing concern.
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1733919>
It's difficult to know what to suggest with regard to this issue. Strong smells coming from a computer aren't likely to be a good thing, although without careful analysis, it's impossible to know whether the compounds being emitted are actually toxic, and if they're being emitted in concentrations that could pose a health risk. Plus, the machines in question are nearly a year old at minimum, so if there was a manufacturing problem, Apple has undoubtedly addressed it months ago. There seems no reason to suspect current Mac Pro units, but if you have a pre-2008 Mac Pro that emits a strong smell, or did for some time when it was new, you may wish to contact Apple about it.
ToC
by Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#946/22-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9775>
The world has changed over the last 20 years, but one constant for Mac users has been the premier compression and archiving software StuffIt Deluxe. Starting out life as shareware from teenage programmer Raymond Lau and riding along through multiple versions as its parent company Aladdin Systems became Allume and was then acquired by Smith Micro, StuffIt Deluxe has continued to add features and improve its lossless compression capabilities. Though the need for compression isn't nearly as great in this age of large hard disks and fast Internet connections (not to mention Apple's support for Zip archiving within Mac OS X), StuffIt Deluxe remains useful for large numbers of Mac users. (For those who can't quite understand this, the mere fact that it remains the flagship product of Smith Micro's Consumer Group should be sufficient evidence that many Mac users do rely on it.)
Most notable among the changes in this version, StuffIt Deluxe 2009 adds support for new technologies in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Thanks to Quick Look support, Leopard users can now look inside archives without having to expand them first, a major boon. This works within the Finder, Mail, or any other Quick Look-capable application. Similarly, you can preview archives while browsing in Time Machine. And, though unrelated to Leopard, new support for Google's MacFUSE filesystem utility lets users mount any browsable archive type in the Finder as though it were a disk.
<http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/StuffIt/>
It's unclear if StuffIt Deluxe 2009 has particularly different compression capabilities, but the program does offer optimized compressors for common file types, including MP3, PDF, iWork files, Microsoft Office files, and more. It can losslessly compress even JPEG images up to 30 percent. One new capability is "duplicate folding" - a way of saving space within an archive by storing only a single copy of duplicate files that's likely to be most helpful to those who rely on StuffIt Deluxe's scheduled archiving capabilities as part of a backup routine. Duplicate folding is yet another instance of how StuffIt Deluxe views compression as happening to a collection of files, rather than merely to each individual file in an archive. Also new is support for expanding 7-Zip and segmented Zip archives; in total, StuffIt Deluxe 2009 can now expand over 30 compression formats.
DropStuff, one of the major utilities that makes up the StuffIt Deluxe 2009 package and itself the bulk of what Smith Micro sells as the StuffIt Standard 2009 product, has been enhanced with additional customization options. Sets of compression formats and other options can be saved as Desktop droplets, enabling users to create different types of archives quickly via drag-and-drop.
Another utility, SEA Maker, lets users create Mac OS X mini-installers - it's not new, but what is new is its Remote Payload feature that lets SEA Maker retrieve the parts of an installer from an FTP site or iDisk. DropStuff, with help from the StuffIt Scheduler utility, can also automatically transfer archives to your MobileMe iDisk, making it potentially useful as part of a backup strategy.
StuffIt Deluxe 2009 costs $79.99, StuffIt Standard 2009 (which comprises DropStuff and the otherwise free StuffIt Expander) costs $49.99, and StuffIt Expander 2009 remains free. Upgrades to StuffIt Deluxe 2009 from any previous version of StuffIt Deluxe or StuffIt Standard run $29.99, and upgrades to StuffIt Standard 2009 from previous versions cost $14.99. Mac OS X 10.4 or later is required.
<http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/StuffIt/expander.html>
<http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/StuffIt/updates.html>
by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#948/06-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9792>
AOL, which I often forget still exists and has millions of users, has released a beta test version of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) rebuilt from scratch. The first glimmer of a revised version since February 2004 - according to the folks at CNET's Webware - AIM for Mac 1.0 beta has a few differences from iChat, but nothing that seems significant.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10054769-2.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5>
<http://beta.aol.com/projects.php?project=aimformac>
The interface features a design and icons that are similar to Apple's AIM-connected iChat software, although audio and video options are missing. Screen sharing via instant messaging is unique to iChat in Leopard, and thus isn't available in AIM. The beta version of AIM also adds tabbed browsing sessions, something Apple added in Leopard's iChat release as well.
<http://beta.aol.com/projects/aimformac/image/AIMMacScreenshot1.gif>
As you pass over an entry in the Buddy List, AIM pops up a "flyover" that shows an enlarged version of their buddy icon, how long they've been online (if they allow that detail to be disclosed), and their current status message.
AIM allows you to set a more detailed response for when you're away from your computer, including using the name of the person pinging you, which seems quite useful. You can also go crazy and access animated icons and wallpapers and load custom emoticon sets. I'm too old to find that appealing.
While the software is "integrated" with AOL Mail, that just means there's a mail icon on the bottom of the Buddy List that, when clicked, opens a Web browser and logs you into your AOL Mail account.
ToC
by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#948/06-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9794>
The iPhone has many fantastic features, but Apple's choice to disable form-filling and password storage in Mobile Safari means lots of tedious re-entry of data. At hotspots, this can be particularly irritating if you have an account, and have to dig out the details, tap them in, and inevitably - as I do - make a mistake in the process. (Apple might have removed this feature for security reasons, but could have allowed it with an App Store-like requirement to enter a password that's good only for a time-limited session.)
Devicescape solved this problem years ago with software that can run under Mac OS X and Windows and on an increasingly large number of mobile devices, mostly smartphones. Their software works in concert with an account you maintain on their servers that contains any network information you choose, including encryption keys for home networks.
A year ago, I wrote about Devicescape's Connect software (see "Connect More Easily to Wi-Fi Hotspots with the iPhone," 2007-09-17), which required a jailbroken iPhone. This software has finally been released with Apple's approval via the App Store as the $1.99 Easy Wi-Fi.
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9182>
<http://tidbits.com/resources/2008-10/devicescape_easywifi.jpg>
<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=288328989>
Easy Wi-Fi's price is noted as introductory; previously, Devicescape hasn't charged consumers for their product, but they might be testing the waters in this market since there's nothing quite like what they're offering. Since I'd suggest that every iPhone and iPod touch owner who uses hotspots buy this software, perhaps they could make a few dollars this way.
Even though I have a Boingo Wireless subscription that gives me access to tens of thousands of U.S. locations for a flat monthly rate, Boingo doesn't offer iPhone software yet, so I must tediously find and enter my login information through partner pages on the hotspots that Boingo aggregates. Devicescape supports hundreds of hotspot network credential-entering systems, including Boingo's, so it's a neat pairing that saves me money (Boingo) and time plus frustration (Devicescape).
Beyond plugging in hotspot passwords, you can enter home network keys and then choose a set of buddies with whom to share those keys automatically through the software. While you can, of course, give friends and colleagues the passwords for your network, Devicescape's approach lets you change your network password without alerting your friends, remove friends or colleagues from having access, and obviate others' need to enter your password details.
Devicescape doesn't currently offer enterprise authentication presets through 802.1X, also known as WPA/WPA2 Enterprise. Apple added 802.1X support through the use of a separate provisioning application with the iPhone 2.0 software release.
ToC
by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#947/29-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9786>
The sounds a Mac makes are iconic and easily identified. For example, when I saw Pixar's "Wall-E" on opening night, I knew immediately what percentage of the audience used Macs from the giggles I heard after the titular robot finishes recharging, which ends with the Mac's startup chime. You may also know the story of Sosumi (a made-up word that, when said aloud, is "so sue me").
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/>
<http://www.boingboing.net/2005/03/24/early-apple-sound-de.html>
What happens when you put the Mac's sounds together? Hear it yourself: Designer and musician Mike Soloman created a catchy tune made up entirely of Mac sounds in GarageBand. I especially like that he included a screencast of GarageBand playing the song (and that he threw in the Wilhelm scream at the end). Soloman has made his GarageBand file available for download, as well as an audio file of the song.
<http://www.thecleverest.com/videos/343>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream>
by TidBITS Staff <editors@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#946/22-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9776>
Deciding that you want to buy a new Mac is easy, but embarking on the project immediately raises questions like, "What Mac will best meet my needs?", "Should I buy now or wait a month?", "How do I move my files from my old Mac to my new one?", and "What should I do with my old Mac?" Mac guru Adam Engst has answered these questions countless times, and he has distilled the answers into the 98-page "Take Control of Buying a Mac."
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/buying-mac.html?14@@!pt=TB946>
Worksheets in the book help you match your needs and budget to the right Mac model, and a chart of Apple's model launches over the last 5 years helps predict when new Macs will appear. Adam also explains when you can purchase to get the most bang for your buck, compares different venues for where to shop, gives advice and step-by-step instructions for transferring files from an old Mac to the shiny new one, and offers thoughts about how to get the most out of the Mac that's being replaced.
It's only $10 and will easily pay for itself in helping you buy a Mac with the desired extras for less.
If you've purchased a previous edition of this book prior to 2008, click the Check for Updates button in your copy to access a 75 percent upgrade discount. (We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to update to this new edition while still earning a little money to pay for the time that went into writing, Caroline Rose's editing, and Tonya's production efforts.) Those who purchased in 2008 should have received email from us with a link to a free update.
ToC
by Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#948/06-Oct-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9797>
It's almost hard to believe, but we're coming up on the 5th anniversary of the Take Control ebook series. To celebrate, we're offering a 50% discount on all the ebooks in our catalog - just use this link to browse through our titles (check all the tabs!) with the necessary coupon code pre-loaded; the discount appears once you add items to your cart. The sale will continue through Tuesday, 14-Oct-08. (The sale is only for ebooks, though once you buy a Take Control ebook you can get a print copy - discounted by the full cover price - via the Print link on the first page of the PDF.)
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/catalog.html?14@@!pt=TB948-TC5&cp=CPN81006TC5>
We started Take Control back in October of 2003, publishing our first title - Joe Kissell's "Take Control of Upgrading to Panther" - simultaneously with Apple's release of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. By the time Tiger rolled around in April of 2005, we were ready with four ebooks for what's called in the industry a "day and date" release, and we repeated that feat with five ebooks for Leopard in October of 2007.
Over that time we've published 58 Take Control titles, more free updates than I have time to count, and a slew of new editions that we've always offered at a discount to owners of previous editions. Added up, that's nearly 8,000 pages of text! All 58 books, combined with the ebook versions of my iPhoto Visual QuickStart Guide and the Macworld Superguides that we resell, have sold over 155,000 copies. That may not be Harry Potter territory, but it's done a bang-up job of helping us and our authors pay the rent and keep the lights on.
But the real story here is the confidence you, our readers, have shown in us. Back in 2003, an electronic book that existed only in PDF format was an oddity at best. While we worked hard to address the criticisms of PDFs in general, and ebooks in particular, you trusted us enough to buy those first titles and to come back for more (some readers have complete collections!). There's little more terrifying than starting a business with a product that almost no one has ever purchased before. The initial success of our first books and your words of support gave us the incentive to publish more titles and devote more time and resources to improving Take Control. That has resulted in some of our most popular titles, like Joe's "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups" and Glenn Fleishman's books on AirPort networking.
Not everything we've tried has worked out so well. We had high hopes for translations, but the difficulty of marketing in multiple languages and markets proved overwhelming. Our furthest foray from the computer industry - Joe Kissell's "Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner" - is an excellent book (and we still rely on it every year!), but has been a commercial failure. And despite constantly beaming powerful mind rays at Cupertino, Apple still hasn't released an iPod that's ideal for reading PDF-based ebooks (the iPhone and iPod touch can be made to, but it's not yet the experience we want).
Nevertheless, stay tuned, because we're always working on new and updated ebooks, and we have a number of other ideas that we're trying to implement, ideas that might change the world of electronic books as much as Take Control did back in 2003.
ToC
by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#947/29-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9782>
When Adobe announced Creative Suite 3 in April 2007, the biggest new feature for Mac users was support for Apple's Intel-based Macs; CS3 was among the last major Mac applications to move to Intel compatibility. After all, the people who shell out a lot of money for the premiere design tools on the market expected performance, and the migration to Intel-native code demanded patience.
The announcement of Adobe Creative Suite 4 brings new features to the forefront, as well as performance improvements that will make pro users happy. The software is scheduled to ship in October 2008, though Adobe hasn't given a more specific date.
The entire Creative Suite has gone massive - it's no longer a convenient bundle of three or four applications - so I'm going to hit on just a smattering of new features gleaned from recent briefings with Adobe. The Creative Suite 4 Web site offers a bunch of information for more investigation.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/>
It's good to be king, Photoshop knows, and this CS4 release turns the king into an emperor of speed by tapping the fast processing capabilities of a computer's GPU (graphics processing unit). GPUs have tons of appropriate and unused processing juice, and Photoshop now hands off some of its most intensive tasks. This happens when working on very large files, for example, or to redraw the display when invoking a new feature to rotate the canvas - helpful for designers and artists who use pressure-sensitive tablets.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/>
(The Windows version of Photoshop CS4 adds 64-bit processing, a feature originally slated for the Mac version until Apple abruptly cancelled 64-bit support in its Carbon programming libraries; see "64-bit Controversy Accompanies Lightroom 2 Beta," 2008-04-07. Adobe had committed to Carbon, and its Cocoa migration plans are much longer term.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/9550>
In terms of snazzy features, Photoshop CS4 adds content-aware scaling, a technology that enables images to be stretched or compressed without obvious distortion. It's not something most people are likely to use, true, but it can be extremely useful in advertising and more casual work than in serious photography. A new Adjustments panel collects common image adjustments that can be applied non-destructively to an image. The Camera Raw dialog also gains the capability to apply edits to selective areas instead of an entire image.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/features/>
Photoshop CS4 Extended now has improved 3D capabilities; for example, artists can import 3D objects created in other applications and paint directly onto them and then export the objects.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshopextended/>
Adobe's developers also put a lot of work into fine-tuning the user experience. Holding Option and Control and dragging with the brush tool selected changes the brush size; adding the Command key to that mix changes the brush's hardness. When moving around a file using the Hand tool, a flick of the mouse "tosses" the canvas in the same way that flicking one's finger tosses a screen on the iPhone. Oh, and Command-~ (Command-tilde) finally switches between open windows like most Mac applications. John Nack, principal product manager for Photoshop, lists dozens of such improvements on his blog.
<http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2008/09/cs4_sweating_the_details.html>
Adobe's page-layout application InDesign CS4 now works harder at making the publishing process easier with several new features. While InDesign has had preflighting for years, checking for problems before you send a file off to be printed or produced, the live preflight feature in CS4 highlights potential problems as documents are in progress.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/features/?view=topnew>
Cross-references can be set up that update dynamically even when page flow changes. Conditional text enables customization of documents from a single source; in Adobe's example, a catalog can contain prices for items in U.S. or UK currencies instead of creating two separate catalogs.
As with Photoshop, some of the small details are the best. If you've ever created a 1-pica box to use as a spacer measurement, you'll be happy to use the new smart guides. Smart guides can note how you've positioned previous objects and suggest the same amount of spacing for new objects. The spread rotation feature makes it easy to edit text or other elements that are positioned vertically by rotating the entire pasteboard - no more craning your neck at a right angle to make sure you've typed something correctly.
As you can discover online, there's much, much more to Creative Suite 4. You'll also find a bewildering array of purchase and upgrade options.
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/compare/>
The entire suite is available in six configurations:
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/design/upgrade/?promoid=DRHWP>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/designstandard/upgrade/?promoid=DRHWM>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/web/upgrade/>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/webstandard/upgrade/>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production/upgrade/>
<http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/mastercollection/upgrade/>
Each suite also includes Bridge CS4, Device Central CS4, and Version Cue CS4; the Production Premium and Master Collection also include Dynamic Link.
Additionally, each major application is available for purchase without buying a suite.
ToC
by Adam C. Engst <ace@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#947/29-Sep-08
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9781>
I have no idea what qualifies the Parallels Green Computing Bundle as "green," other than the color of the banner at the top of the page. That said, it looks like a highly attractive collection of software, worth $299.81, that you can pick up for a mere $49.99 through 30-Sep-08. The bundle includes the programs listed below - I've included links so you can read more about them, but you must order from the bundle page.
<http://www.parallels.com/green_bundle1>
<http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/>
<http://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/>
<http://www.smileonmymac.com/PageSender/>
<http://www.selznick.com/products/passwordwallet/>
<http://www.panergy-software.com/products/docxconverter/>
<http://macscan.securemac.com/>
<http://www.ragesw.com/products/explorer.html>
<http://www.flip4mac.com/drivein.htm>
by TidBITS Staff <editors@tidbits.com>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9772>
by TidBITS Staff <editors@tidbits.com>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9780>
by TidBITS Staff <editors@tidbits.com>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9789>
by Doug McLean <doug_mclean@tidbits.com>
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9801>
reported by Kevin Hopkins <kh2@uiuc.edu>
September 18, 2008 -- President Rollins began the meeting with the usual introduction of officers. he then opened the floor for questions and answers.
Question and Answers:
Phil Wall made a request to have coffee in the main meeting room. Richard Rollins said due to the carpeting in the gymnasium area this was not possible. The church couldn't take the risk of it being stained or damaged.
Jon Bjerke had an iTunes question. In transferring his iTunes library to a new machine, he got his playlists but nothing in them. Richard Rollins said you have to consolidate it on your machine before you move it. This puts it all in your iTunes directory. Then, you can copy your old iTunes directory to your new machine and things should be where they belong.
Phil Wall asked, "Is two years a short time for a DSL modem to die?" Richard said, "I've seen one go two weeks." The problem could be over heating. Richard also hypothesized power stress - it could be lightning that didn't kill it outright, but weakened it. Richard strongly suggested putting all of your equipment on a voltage regulated UPS. Be aware that the batteries in these usually last about three years.
Joe Dewalt asked which VNC client would you suggest to go from Mac to PC. The recommendation was RealVNC on the PC or UltraVNC on the PC and Chicken of the VNC on the Mac.
Kevin Hisel said he was a fan of Media Player. However, it has an annoying feature of downloading album art (200 x 200) folder.jpeg files and unerwriting ones he'd collected from Amazon which were (500 x 500). Worse, you can't turn it off. So, he has switched back to WinAmp. He had to go to <http://www.oldversions.com/> to get a Media Player that worked correctly, but it lack sufficient features for principle use.
Norris Hansell talked about Microsoft and Google Chrome gathering user information and the European Union saying they've got to stop it.
Richard Rollins asked, "Has anyone tried Chrome yet?" (Google's new web browser). Kevin Hisel and Jon Bjerke said they have. Richard asked, "After you pull up a web site, how do you create application short cut?" Jon said he has a GMail Chrome session set up that way and he explained how he did it.
Paul Neubauer asked if there was a Mac or Linux version of Chrome? There was an article in the September newsletter addressing this very question, "CodeWeavers Polishes Chromium Code For Mac and Linux." So, yes. Sort of. Code Weavers has it running in emulation.
Norris Hansell asked if "cloud computing" is where it is heading? Richard thinks yes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing>
For example, Google Apps provides common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.
Keith Peregrine wondered how all this data is going to be transmitted. This brought up for discussion the subject of Comcast's data cap.
George Krumins discussed Comcast's pricing. It was noted that AT&T DSL will cherry pick while Comcast has to cover everybody. The cap is currently set at 250 GB, which equivalent to about 50 DVDs. Kevin Hisel said you'll probably never hit that cap. There will be account metering so you can monitor your own usage.
There was a discussion of Window 7 development and other Windows application development. Vista has some problems with the enterprise segment of the market, Jim Huls said, relayed to us by Kevin Hisel.
With the discussion winding down, President Rollins asked Emil Cobb what the Mac SIG would be doing this evening. Emil said, "We have a newbie to help out." Richard reported the PC SIG would be reviewing various hardware purchasing sites.
George Krumins then talked a little about the new digital cameras. Joe Dewalt reported that Woody Norris said there would be a gigabit camera by next year for $500.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Norris>
<http://www.woodynorris.com/>
Jim Berger mentioned the Quentin Barnes presentation "Internet Tracking & Privacy" at the last PCUG meeting.
The topic for this evening was a discussion of websites that our more tech savvy members use to purchase their goodies from.
It began slowly with a hashing over of the needs the club has in a new machine to replace the one that seems finally to have died. Richard Rollins outlined the hardware that can be salvaged and what we need to get a desktop machine back up and running in order to primarily surf the web during our meetings. Our needs are not that strenuous.
At that point the discussion opened up and the website addresses started coming thing an fast with just a little exposition on why they we good. So, rather than belabor the point, I'm just going to list them as I heard them.
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/> - recommended by Richard Rollins
<http://www.cyberguys.com/> - cables
<http://www.monoprice.com/> - cables - recommended by George Krumins
<http://cableguys.com/>
<http://www.pricewatch.com/> - monitors
<http://www.resellerratings.com/> - This one is good for checking out
the reputation of a site before you use it.
Once things slowed down a bit, Jim Berger asked about Intel/AMD competition? The pros and cons of the processor manufacturers were aired. Several members fall in distinct camps.
George Krumins then talked about a USB device that allows you to run MacOS on PC hardware. Todd Anderson said he'd heard about this as well. Mistakenly thinking it was a thumb drive type device, I asked George about it later and he emailed me this:
It's called the EFi-X:
<http://www.efi-x.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&language=english>
Here is a review:
<http://gizmodo.com/5049756/review-efix-dongle-perfectly-transforms-pc-to-mac>
It's not a thumb drive per se, but it attaches to a USB bus on the motherboard, so it is typically kept inside the case. It's for sale (though currently on backorder) in the USA at: <http://www.efixusa.net/> and here is their forum: <http://forum.efi-x.com/>.
Next, Wayne Hamilton asked, "Who makes the best motherboards?" Gigabyte, BIOStar, Asus, and MSI were among those recommended.
We then got a few more website recommendations - some of the smaller vendors:
<http://crazypc.com>
<http://sidewindercomputers.com>
<http://jab-tech.com>
The Asus website and NewEgg have power supply calculators.
<http://support.asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PowerSupplyCalculator_right.aspx>
<http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html>
<http://www.anandtech.com/>
<http://www.maximumpc.com/>
<http://www.geeks.com/>
<http://www.computers4sure.com/> - George Krumins said he didn't like the site that
much (too many search hits), but there is no tax charged and they have
quick shipping.
This brought up a discussion shippers: UPS, Fedex - and complaints were lodged.
<http://www.tomshardware.com/>
After the meeting George was kind enough to send me (and you) a list of the sites he found useful. Here they are.
George Krumins' websites:
Vendor: Newegg
Website: <http://www.newegg.com>Type of products carried:
Computer and gaming peripherals, notebook and barebones computers, software, and even home appliances.Comments:
One of my favorite vendors.
Items can be packaged almost too well, with plenty of packing peanuts.
Same company as <http://www.chiefvalue.com>.Pros:
Great web interface, with good search engine.
Good prices, and great customer service.
Extensive selection and good prices.
Lots of specials.
Good shipping, with three-day standard UPS, and most items ship within a day.
More popular items usually have many customer comments and reviews.
Has links to manufacturer web sites for nearly all items.
Picture galleries for nearly all items.
Can pay with Paypal.Cons:
Shipping costs are per item (no combined shipping costs), so inexpensive items can be a little pricey.Other vendors:
(these first five carry liquid- and air-cooling parts)
<http://coolerguys.com>
<http://crazypc.com>
<http://frozencpu.com> (also lighting and custom cases)
<http://jab-tech.com>
<http://sidewindercomputers.com><http://monoprice.com> (cables, etc.)
<http://www.computers4sure.com/> (from Indiana next-day shipping with
the ground rate, but hard to navigate site)
<http://mwave.com> (not the greatest search features)
<http://www.tigerdirect.com> (doesn't seem to want to work without the "www")
<http://xoxide.com>
<http://bhphotovideo.com> (has lots of digital cameras, but also carries
computers, printers, and software)
Thanks, George, and thanks to everybody who pitched in to a very informative evening.
ToC
reported by Kevin Hopkins <kh2@uiuc.edu>
The September meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, September 24, 2008, 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: Richard Rollins, Emil Cobb, Kevin Hopkins, Rich Hall and Kevin Hisel.
Richard Rollins: Richard said that Quentin Barnes had done an internet security talk for PC group at U of I. He said he would contact Quentin to see if he'd do a reprise of his presentation for the CUCUG audience.
Speaking about our internet connection at the meeting, Richard said he thought we stayed at full speed this time.
Emil Cobb: Emil reported 23 attendees. In the Mac SIG, he had helped the lady from Danville with her new Mac. For next month, he is contemplating a DVD breakdown program.
Kevin Hopkins: Kevin amended the attendance figures - he noted that Ed Hadley and Bryan Forbes came in late.
Rich Hall: Rich reported that Craig Kummerow was the first to re-up of 2009.
Kevin Hisel: Kevin regaled us with stories of his trip to New York City. THe most memorable thing, computer related, was the USB cell modem he used while there. He got 500 MBits down; 240 MBits up. He was on the Sprint Network. This thing generally works for $60/month. Kevin said the big buildings block your signal. Richard said with a 3G and AT&T or Verizon you'll get 3 MBits. Kevin said the neatest thing was the easy of installation. Autorun device drivers come on the device he was borrowing and they worked like a charm.
Kevin also reported that Apple has a free replacement for its power supply for iPhone and iTouch.
ToC
- The President - basically, the coordinator for the entire club. Appoints committee chairs and presides over the general meetings.
- The Vice President - performs the President's duties in his absence.
- Treasurer - in charge of the financial affairs of the club. He/she pays the bills.
- Secretary - in charge of keeping all of the procedural documentation, e.g., meeting minutes, as well as correspondence with members, non-members and other clubs.
- Corporation Agent - in charge of all matters dealing with CUCUG's corporation status.
- Potential candidates should contact the chairman of the Election Committee prior to the November meeting so that they may coordinate the forum, etc. Kevin Hisel 217-406-948-1999
- Nominations will be accepted from the floor at the November meeting.
- Candidates will be given equal time in a forum to express their views or present their platforms at the November meeting.
- The Nominating Committee will verify that anyone nominated is a member in good standing. Otherwise, they will not be allowed a forum.
- Candidates' names will be published in the December newsletter.
- Who can vote
1. Every member in good standing (i.e., dues paid) may vote.
2. Must have and present the current (2008) membership card.- Voting at the general meeting in December
1. Secret ballots will be distributed to each member that presents a valid membership card at the December meeting.
2. The Secretary will prepare the official ballot forms. No candidates' names will appear on the ballots themselves. Candidates' names and the offices they seek will be posted at the meeting place by office and then alphabetically by candidate.- Proxy voting
1. If you cannot attend the December meeting, you may request a special proxy ballot from Kevin Hisel (217-406-948-1999) no later than December 8, 2008 (the Monday of the week prior to the week of the meeting).
2. Place filled-in ballot in a blank, sealed envelope.
3. Place blank envelope along with your valid membership card in another envelope.
4. Address this envelope to: CUCUG, 912 Stratford Drive, Champaign, IL 61824-0716, clearly print the word BALLOT on the front and mail it.
5. These proxy votes will be opened and verified only by the Tellers at the December meeting and counted along with the general ballots.
6. All proxy ballots must be received at the CUCUG post office box no later than December 18, 2008 (the day of the meeting).- Who you may vote for
1. You may vote for anyone. Write-in (non-nominated) votes will be accepted and counted. The candidate with the most votes for a particular position wins that position. In the event of a tie, the Tellers will require a recasting for that position only.
2. To assume office, a candidate must be a member in good standing both in 2008 and in 2009. If a winning candidate cannot be verified, the office goes to the next verifiable candidate with the most votes. If there are no verifiable winners, a second balloting will take place. Proxy ballots will be counted each time.
- October meeting
1. Announce protocol to general membership.
2. Solicit candidates.- November newsletter
1. Re-cap the election protocol.- November meeting
1. The membership will appoint a Nominating Committee.
2. Accept nominations from the floor.
3. Nominations will close.
4. Candidates will be given equal time in a forum to express their views or present their platforms.- December newsletter
1. Candidates' names will be published in alphabetical order with the offices they seek.- December meeting
1. Nominated candidates names and the offices they seek will be posted in alphabetical order.
2. The President will appoint 2 or more Tellers to distribute ballots and count the votes. 3. Votes will be taken and counted by the Tellers. Winners names will be announced by the President.- January newsletter
1. Winners names will be published.- January meeting
1. New club officers will be installed.
The CUCUG is a not-for-profit corporation, originally organized in 1983 to support and advance the knowledge of area Commodore computer users. We've grown since then, now supporting PC, Macintosh and Linux platforms.
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 Secretary/Editor: Kevin Hopkins 356-5026 Treasurer: Richard Hall 344-8687 Corp.Agent/Web: Kevin Hisel 406-948-1999 Linux SIG: Allen Byrne 344-5311
Email us at <http://www.cucug.org/contact/index.html>, visit our web site at <http://www.cucug.org/>, or join in our online forums at <http://www.cucug.org/starship/> .
CUCUG
912 Stratford Drive
Champaign, IL
61821-4137
