The Champaign-Urbana Computer Users Group

The Status Register - December, 2006


This newsletter will never appear on CUCUG.ORG before the monthly CUCUG meeting it is intended to announce. This is in deference to actual CUCUG members. They get each edition hot off the presses. If you'd like to join our group, you can get the pertinent facts by looking in the "Information About CUCUG" page. If you'd care to look at prior editions of the newsletter, they may be found via the Status Register Newsletter page.
News     Common     PC     Mac     CUCUG

December 2006


To move quickly to an article of your choice, use the search feature of your reader or the hypertext directory above. Enjoy.

December News:

The December Meeting

The next CUCUG meeting will be held on our regular third Thursday of the month: Thursday, December 21st, 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 December 21 gathering will be our Annual meetings. Club officers will be elected. We will also have an open forum and a swap meet for those who'd like to sell or exchange hardware and software in line with the usual ground rules. This is a social event and should be a lot of fun. Hope to see you there.

ToC

Welcome Renewing Members

The November meeting was a banner month for renewals. Eleven of the nineteen present signed up for another year of our favorite club. We'd like to thank those renewing members Harold Ravlin, Anthony Philipp, Ed Serbie, Keith Peregrine, Craig Kummerow, Quentin Barnes, Allen Byrne, Jerry Feltner, Bill Zwicky, Kevin Hopkins, and Richard Hall. Number twelve, Joe Dewalt, renewed at the board meeting on the following Tuesday. Number thirteen, Elaine Avner renewed by mail. Thank you all.

We'd also like to express our appreciation to our Lifetime members Kevin Hisel and Richard Rollins, sticking with us 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.

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CUCUG Membership Renewal

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 the December meeting with Treasurer Richard Hall or through the mail at our P.O. Box address. We sincerely hope to have you with us in the new year.

ToC

Current Slate of Candidates

These are the gentlemen who have been officially nominated for re-election.

President:
Richard Rollins
Vice-President:
Emil Cobb
Secretary:
Kevin Hopkins
Treasurer:
Richard Hall
Corporate Agent: Kevin Hisel


ToC

Surrendering to the Address Thieves

Due to the litany of complaints about SPAM being sent to those whose email addresses appear in the web version of the newsletter, the addresses of club members will no longer appear in the web version of the Status Register. We gave up our "Members on the Web" directory page long ago and now it seems we must remove author and officer email addresses as well. It's a shame because it facilitated easy contact between members, but bots on the web have created a vexing problem. Within the confines of this email edition of the newsletter, we're probably safe, but as it is the source document for the web version, we're just going to give in to the pressure.

Still, if you've used the newsletter on the web as a semi-permanent and accessible address book to contact an officer or get the address of someone you talked to at a meeting, you can always contact use at <http://www.cucug.org/contact/index.html>. We'll route you to the right person.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but there you have it.

ToC

Al Shugart, hard-drive pioneer, dies at 76

By Michael Kanellos
Story last modified Wed Dec 13 13:00:30 PST 2006
URL: http://news.com.com/Al+Shugart%2C+hard-drive+pioneer%2C+dies+at+76/2100-1015_3-6143474.html

Al Shugart--the man who founded Seagate Technology, convinced his pet dog to run for public office, and favored Hawaiian shirts over business suits--has died at age 76.

The California native passed away at a hospital from heart failure Tuesday, a Seagate representative said.

Shugart played an integral role in the development of the hard-drive industry. He was part of the original team of engineers at IBM that developed the first hard-drive storage system, which came out 50 years ago this year.

He then held several different positions in the industry before founding Seagate in 1979. The company went on to become a dominant force in the hard-drive industry. It is, in fact, the largest hard-drive manufacturer, and it is consistently profitable. Shugart left the company in 1998.

"It's really impossible to look at modern business, society, communications, science, music, entertainment or anything else without seeing the power and impact of Al's legacy," Seagate CEO Bill Watkins said in a statement. "Al's unique spirit made him a remarkable entrepreneur. And it also made him an unforgettable human being. Stories about Al and the many ways he touched people still circulate around the industry. Most will remember him as a man who loved to enjoy life and encouraged everyone he touched to do the same."

As Watkins noted, Shugart was well-known for his jovial, somewhat rowdy, personality. He often liked to say that his real goal in life was to have fun. He ran his dog Ernest for Congress (the dog lost) and owned a restaurant.

"When I got fired from Seagate, I had a few investments, but I thought of doing PR in exchange for equity," a Hawaiian shirt-clad Shugart said in a 1999 interview at Comdex to discuss a small venture fund he had launched.

One thing he wasn't was an efficient corporate manager. For years, Seagate struggled--like almost all disk makers--with turning a consistent profit. One of the chief problems was that there were too many competitors in the field. Seagate eventually acquired rival Connor Peripherals.

Seagate, though, was also saddled with a somewhat antagonistic culture. Watkins, who came from Connor, recalled recently his first executive meeting at Seagate. The executives swore constantly at each other for about six hours and got almost nothing got done.

Greg Quick, a reporter who has covered technology for about two decades, recalled his encounter with Shugart in an article on the drive industry in 2004.

"In my only Shugart interview, he took his shoes off in the middle of it and put them on the table. Then he sent his limo driver out for a huge sack of McDonald's," Quick wrote.

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Media Minutes: December 15, 2006

Written and produced by John Anderson <mediaminutes@freepress.net>
Audio: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/archive/mm121506.mp3
Text: http://freepress.net/mediaminutes/transcripts/mm121506.pdf

FCC Listening in Nashville

More than 500 people converged on Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee December 11th for the Federal Communications Commission's second official public hearing on its potential plans to allow for more media consolidation. Nashville being the de facto country music capitol of the world, the audience was filled with country music stars young and old, who all hammered home the point that Big Media should most definitely not be allowed to get even bigger. The hearing itself took more than nine hours to complete.

Singer/songwriter John Rich said consolidation in radio has directly affected an artist's ability to build an audience and and sustain their craft. Not only that, he said there's outright blacklisting going on in the industry, obliquely referencing the saga of the Dixie Chicks and their virtual disappearance from the country radio dial after one of them made a disparaging remark about the President three years ago.

John Rich: "Let's say an artist puts out a song with a social comment or a political stance toward something. And Gentleman X here goes, 'You know what? I don't believe in that comment so I'm gonna instruct my radio stations to not add that song.' One guy can affect what 30 million people get to hear: that's censorship." [applause fade]

And country music legend George Jones, who's won two Grammys and charted more songs than any other artist in popular music history, minced no words.

George Jones: "I hate to think that some of these radio station owners could own even more television stations and newspapers. You know, sugar is sweet, but too much can kill you."

Public testimony at the hearing covered a much broader range of issues involving media ownership and access to the airwaves.

Mark McKinley, a resident of Louisville, Kentucky - the hearing drew attendees from at least six states - gave the FCC a direct example about how local newspapers and TV stations hardly even try to cover substantive stories that occur literally in their own backyards.

Mark McKinley: "This past August our grassroots Louisville media reform community hosted an event in an effort to raise awareness about the Net Neutrality issue. We were one block from the Courier-Journal, a Gannett chain. We were within one mile of three of the four major TV stations. And it was only the local independent weekly who showed up to cover the story. And that's the way it is a lot of times."

And Victoria Strange simply implored the commissioners to heed to common sense when they discuss changing the media ownership rules.

Victoria Strange: "As I understand it the FCC's own studies show that the effects of media consolidation have been harmful to the public interest. To me it appears your decision on this issue should be a simple matter."

The first round of public testimony on the FCC's media ownership rules review closes on December 21st; visit <www.StopBigMedia.com> for more on the Nashville action and how you can add your own voice to the FCC's deliberations. At least four more official FCC public hearings on the subject are expected to occur in the new year.

You're doing a heck of a job, Marti

Interestingly enough, Robert McDowell was the only FCC Commissioner to skip the hearing in Nashville. He sent a staffer in his place, saying he needs time to bone up on the FCC's pending vote to approve the merger of AT&T with BellSouth.

For the last several months, McDowell has recused himself from consideration of the merger, because he previously lobbied the FCC on behalf of a trade association for independent phone companies. This has hung up deliberations on the merger's conditions, which split the FCC's vote to approve the deal between the two other Republican members and the two Democrat Commissioners, who refuse to approve any merger that does not contain provisions to protect against skyrocketing rates and preserve the principle of Network Neutrality. Because of this impasse an FCC vote to approve the merger has already been delayed three times.

But recently FCC Chairman Kevin Martin [himself a former telecommunications-industry lobbyist] convinced the agency's main lawyer to issue a memorandum clearing the way for McDowell to vote without technically violating federal ethics rules regarding conflict-of-interest. However, the memo itself says McDowell's participation could still raise troubling questions about the objectivity of his participation in any vote Ð questions only McDowell himself can really address and answer.

Commissioner Robert McDowell does not have to vote on the merger if he does not feel comfortable doing so, though he is under significant political pressure to participate. Another FCC attempt to vote the merger through could happen by as early as January.

National Conference for Media Reform 2007

We're less than one month from the start of the National Conference for Media Reform, to be held January 12th through the 14th in Memphis, Tennessee. Registration is still open - visit <www.freepress.net/conference> to find out more.

---

Related Links:

FCC Chair Schemes to Undermine Net Neutrality - http://www.freepress.net/news/print/19556

FCC Official Cleared to Vote on AT&T Deal - http://www.freepress.net/news/print/19639

FCC: McDowell Can Vote on AT&T-BellSouth - http://www.freepress.net/news/print/19635

FCC's McDowell Cleared by Virginia Bar on AT&T Vote - http://www.freepress.net/news/print/19584

Free Press: Stop the AT&T Giveaway - http://action.freepress.net//campaign/stop_att_merger

National Conference for Media Reform - http://www.freepress.net/conference/

Stop Big Media: Nashville Hearing - http://stopbigmedia.com/=nashville

Vote on BellSouth Deal Omitted from Next FCC Meeting - http://www.freepress.net/news/print/19770

ToC

Common Ground:

Gene Map of Brain Offers Hope for Alzheimer's & Autism

The News Hour on PBS - Originally Aired: November 29, 2006
URL: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec06/brain_11-29.html

A new tool for medical research, the Allen Brain Atlas, provides a three-dimensional catalog of all the genes active in the brain and has revealed clues to diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's, as well as conditions such as autism.

[Many are] excited about a major new tool in brain research.

The tool is the Allen Brain Atlas, a three-dimensional catalog of all the genes active in the brain. It came about because of this man: Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen.

PAUL ALLEN, Founder, Allen Institute for Brain Science: What we've got is really a general purpose tool for anyone that wants to do any kind of brain research, if they want to look at one gene, if they want to look at a set of scenes correlated together, maybe in some disease that might end up having a genetic base.

And in the brain, we only understand things, you know, at a small-scale and at a very large scale. You know, 95 percent of how the brain works is unknown.

The concepts behind the Brain Atlas

SUSAN DENTZER, NewsHour Health Correspondent: The Brain Atlas is the first product of a new brain research institute that Allen created in Seattle. He says he spent $100 million of his own funds to launch it, partly because he'd watched aging relatives battle degenerative brain diseases.

PAUL ALLEN: I think anybody that's been familiar with a family member who's had Alzheimer's or Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease, these are all very, very tough diseases. And so anything that could be done that would accelerate the development of drugs or other treatments for these diseases, it would be a fantastic thing.

... SUSAN DENTZER: The end product is this 3-D catalog. It's freely accessible to all on the Web site AllenBrainAtlas.org. Users can easily click on a brain section and see which genes are active there.

[Editor's Note: The rest of this story can be found at the URL above.]

<http://www.AllenBrainAtlas.org>

ToC

A minor FYI on USB Flash Drives

by Thomas C. Steele
Technology Director
Manteno CUSD #5
Monday, November 13, 2006

Flash drives can only operate for a limited number of life cycles (about 100,000 writes to the same location). While 100K is a lot of writes, if the flash drive was somehow used as a swap file for something, it could have surpassed this rather quickly. Steve Gibson (SpinRite creator, Anti-Spyware pioneer) talked about this on his podcast a couple weeks ago. He knew a guy that was trying to run the OS off a flash drive and toasted it in 2 days.

The higher end units like the SansCruzer line use internal logic to distribute the writes across the memory so it extends the life significantly.

Related links:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Gibson>
<http://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm>
<http://www.twit.tv/>
<http://www.tech-geeks.org/geeklog/>

[Editor's Note: My thanks to Craig Kummerow for submitting this item.]

ToC

USA Legalizes Abandonware

Posted by Filip Stojanovski
December 2, 2006
URL: http://sciencefictionobserver.blogspot.com/2006/12/usa-legalizes-abandonware.html

According to PCS Intel, the U.S. Copyright Office has issued new rules, effective November 26, enabling public access to commercially unavailable software.

New rules officially permit the use and distribution of so-called Abandonware, or software that is no longer generally available to the public (in the form it was originally released). Meaning, you can now legally use MAME to emulate classic arcade games on your phone (assuming it's powerful enough... and the game is no longer available).

<http://www.phonenews.com/content/view/1638/9/>

The above article speaks specifically about phone software, and the good news from the original text of Rulemaking on Exemptions from Prohibition on Circumvention of Technological Measures that Control Access to Copyrighted Works is:

Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace.

<http://www.copyright.gov/1201/index.html>

Meaning, your use of classic science fiction games for DOS, such as Dune and Elite, from sites such as Abandonia is officially decriminalized!

ToC

The PC Section:

WinInfo Short Takes

Paul Thurrott
URL: http://www.wininformant.com/

IntelliPoint and IntelliType Now Available in Vista Compatible Versions

Microsoft's latest keyboard and mouse driver releases are now officially Vista-compliant, so if you've got a Microsoft mouse or keyboard, head on over to the company's Web site. There, you'll find the new IntelliPoint (mouse) and IntelliType (keyboard) driver downloads. What hasn't been updated, sadly, is the driver for Microsoft's line of LifeCam Web cams. Vista-compatible drivers for those devices will ship in January 2007, according to Microsoft.

FUD of the Week: IDC Says Microsoft will Drive Users to Linux

I'm a big fan of the "This is the Year of Desktop Linux" stories because, a) it has never happened, and b) it obviously will never happen. But that hasn't stopped the prescient analysts at IDC from predicting that Microsoft, ironically, will be responsible for driving users from Windows to, yes, Linux. How will this happen, you ask? Well, Microsoft's heavy-handed approach to software piracy is so onerous, IDC says, that users will go running to the relative safety and friendliness of Linux instead. Hey, it makes sense. Oh wait, no it doesn't.

It's Official: Google is Evil

Apparently, Google's corporate mantra--"Do no evil"--includes a typo, because the company's behavior is decidedly evil. I'm not even sure where to start on this one. There's the license agreement for Google's phishing filter, which basically tells you that, yes, they are going to give away your private information. Then there's the debacle of last week's release of a Google-branded version of Internet Explorer (IE) 7, which conspicuously copied--in a blatant, wholehearted fashion--a similar project from Yahoo. But my favorite little bit of fun out of Mordor, er ah, Google has got to be what happens if you try to change the default search provider on a version of IE 7 in which you've installed the Google toolbar. It actually prevents you from changing the search provider to anything other than Google, using a feature that presents itself as protection against other applications that are trying to surreptitiously change your search provider. And you know how often that happens.

Microsoft Warns About Vista Notebook Battery Concerns

This week, Microsoft said that certain configuration options in wireless Access Points (APs) could actually cause notebook computers running Windows Vista to experience worse-than-usual battery life. Vista's wireless functionality runs in "maximum performance" mode by default, in part to solve connectivity problems with many public wireless APs, which aren't configured by default to support the 802.11 power save protocol. But this mode reduces battery life, a trade-off Microsoft had to make to ensure that Vista users wouldn't be shut out of public hot spots. The solution? You can play with Vista's wireless adapter power management settings and test whether public hot spots work correctly with power save, which will let Vista-enabled notebooks achieve better battery life while maintaining uninterrupted connectivity. And of course, at home you should configure your wireless adapter accordingly. Microsoft has more information about this problem on the Vista blog.

<http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2006/12/04/how-windows-vista-rtm-build-addresses-wireless-connectivity-issues.aspx>

New Word Vulnerability Raising Concerns

A recently discovered security vulnerability in Microsoft Word could affect millions of users who unsuspectingly open Word-based attachments to email messages. The vulnerability affects a maddening array of Word versions, including Word 2003, Word 2002, and Word 2000 for Windows, Word X and Word 2004 for the Mac, Word Viewer 2003 for Windows, and even Microsoft Works versions 2004, 2005, and 2006. Here's how it works: Hackers send emails with dangerous Word-based attachments that appear to come from people they know and trust, and then users open the attachments, which contain code that can compromise their systems. It's unclear how widespread this vulnerability will become, but Microsoft says it's working on a patch, which it might decide to ship out-of-band (OOB) with next week's regularly scheduled security patches.

About that Vista Consumer Launch

Well, I was able to confirm that the consumer launch for Windows Vista will be a huge event, and Microsoft did publicly state that it will spend more on launching Windows Vista than it did on Windows 95, which is still held up as the event against which all launch events are measured. (Ballmer said they would spend "hundreds of millions of dollars" on it.) However, it seems that Microsoft is concerned about having the main launch event in a location in which reporters from both the east and west coast can get to easily. I guess that cancels out my hope that they host it in a crazy location like Tahiti or New Zealand. It looks like we're going to be invading a major US city sometime in late January instead. Ah well.

Microsoft: Big Demand for Windows Vista

While analysts continue to issue cautious warnings about the slowness of corporate upgrades to Windows Vista (and Office 2007), Microsoft says that its own internal data is far more positive. In fact, they expect Windows Vista upgrades to far outstrip the pace of Windows XP, which is now installed on over 450 million PCs worldwide. But if you're looking for numbers, check out this statistic: Microsoft expects over 200 million customers to be using at least one of the products--Vista, Office 2007, or Exchange 2007--by the end of 2007. These are "game changing" products, CEO Steve Ballmer said.

Microsoft: Sorry, Mary, There's No Office "Kill Switch"

Last week, ZDNet blogger Mary Jo Foley claimed that Microsoft had added a "kill switch" to the Microsoft Office 2007 system that would force the product into a reduced-functionality mode if Microsoft detected that the product was pirated. Not true, Microsoft says. The version of Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) included with Office 2007 doesn't support this functionality at all--a fact that the software maker had previously disclosed.

ToC

Opinion: Microsoft's Revised WGA Version Still Annoying, Unfriendly to Users

Paul Thurrott
WinInfo
URL: http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/94441/94441.html

Microsoft's reviled Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program got a face-lift last week, and the company rolled out a new version of the antipiracy program to users via Automatic Updates. The new version of WGA provides more information to users who have a copy of Windows that WGA suspects is pirated, and features a new "indeterminate" mode, in which the program determines that a copy of Windows is possibly--but not definitely--pirated.

Yep, it's all about the user experience, folks. Although one might give Microsoft credit for switching from the previous system--in which WGA determined that Windows was either genuine or not, with no middle ground--the new system really serves only to highlight that the WGA tools often have no clue whether a copy of Windows is illegitimate. In the indeterminate mode, WGA will provide users with tools to help establish the legitimacy of their system, putting the onus of proof on the user instead of on Microsoft. It's unclear whether this is the type of benefit users were asking for from Microsoft's Genuine Advantage program.

Also, many users will take exception to Microsoft's continued practice of shipping WGA to users via Automatic Updates, a tool that's specifically designed for delivering critical security updates--not spyware, which the previous WGA version was proven to be. However, Microsoft said it promised to update WGA "every three or four months," and this update satisfies that promise.

In an interview with "InformationWeek", analyst Michael Cherry suggested that the new WGA version really just provides Microsoft with a way to avoid the numerous support calls caused by the earlier buggy versions of WGA, which often flagged systems as false positives--legitimate systems that WGA deemed pirated. Cherry said that now, instead of being "annoyed and mad when they call," Microsoft customers can "be sent off on a whole day adventure to troubleshoot validation for Microsoft." Sounds like a win-win.

ToC

[Editor's Note: My thanks to Kevin Hisel for the previous contributions to this section of the newsletter. Thanks to Jon Bjerke for the next three contributions below. Finally, thanks to my mail list mates for the last two selections to close out this section.]

ToC

Thunderbird 2 beta 1 is available

Thunderbird 2 Beta 1 is a developer preview release of our next generation Thunderbird email client and is being made available for testing purposes only. Thunderbird 2 Beta 1 is intended for our testing community. For further details, check out:

<http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/releases/2.0b1.html>

ToC

Adobe Reader 8 now available

Download free Adobe¨ Reader¨ 8 software to more securely view, print, search, sign, verify, and collaborate on PDF documents, online as well as offline, from your home or office.

<http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/>

ToC

Mozy and Carbonite offer unlimited backup for $5/month

These Services Make Backing Up Your Files Safe and Inexpensive

By Walter S. Mossberg
December 14, 2006
URL: http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html

Everybody understands that it's important to back up your computer. But few have the time or the discipline to do so. And that's why, when hard disks fail, computers are stolen or destroyed, or viruses corrupt data, so many important files are lost.

You could, of course, automatically back up your files to an external hard disk, attached to your PC or to your home network. But that can get expensive, and it doesn't store your backup remotely, so any disaster at your home or office could also wipe out your backup drive.

There's another method: backing up over the Internet to a remote server somewhere. This is automated and solves the location issue, but in too many cases it has been costly and complicated, usually with quotas on how much you can back up.

Now, things are changing. I have been testing two online backup services that offer unlimited capacity -- no quotas or limits at all -- for around $50 a year.

One, called Carbonite, has been unlimited from the start, and Mozy, which previously had limits, is offering unlimited capacity as of today.

Mozy and Carbonite can be set to back up only a few key folders or types of files -- say, all your work documents or music files -- or, you can set them to back up nearly everything on your computer. If you have a loss, whether a single file, a folder, or everything, they allow you to recover it. Also, you can back up multiple computers with Mozy and Carbonite, but you have to pay extra for each additional machine.

The two services are easy to set up and easy to use. Each worked fine in my tests, both for backing up my key files and also for restoring them.

Carbonite can be downloaded at <www.carbonite.com> or purchased in stores. There is a 15-day free trial, after which it costs $50 a year, though some stores also sell a $15 version that lasts for three months. The trial version doesn't back up music or videos by default.

Mozy can be downloaded from <www.mozy.com> and costs $4.95 a month, or $54.45 if you pay for a year in advance. Mozy also has a totally free version, which is limited to two gigabytes of data. (That is likely to be more than enough, by the way, to cover all of a typical consumer's word processing, tax and budget files, and plenty of photos.)

Both services currently run only on Windows XP, but both expect to work on the new Windows Vista operating system. And both companies plan to release Macintosh versions next year.

Each installs a fairly small program on your PC that constantly works in the background to back up your data. When a file changes, or a new file is added, it is queued for backup. Carbonite backs up new or changed files 10 minutes after you save and close them, but only backs up each file once a day. Mozy checks the hard disk every two hours and backs up everything that is new or changed. With Mozy, but not with Carbonite, you can also opt for a scheduled backup at a time and interval of your choosing.

The biggest drawbacks of these two products are that backups can be very slow, especially the first backup, and you must have Internet access to do backups and to restore your files. In my tests, on a very fast Internet connection, it still took many hours to do a fairly small initial backup with each product, consisting of about five gigabytes in one case and under two gigabytes in another. A larger backup could take days, though subsequent backups would be much, much quicker.

Both companies encrypt the backed-up files and say they don't view them. Both try to avoid overburdening or slowing down your computer and Internet connection by going idle or slowing down when you are using your computer for other tasks.

To restore files with Carbonite, you open a sort of virtual representation of your backed-up files and click on what you want restored. If your computer is stolen or not functioning, you can also go to a Web site to initiate a full restore to a new computer.

With Mozy, you can also restore files and folders via a virtual view of your backup that resides on your PC. But Mozy has a much richer Web interface for viewing your backup and for restoring files. From a Web site on any PC, you can log into Mozy and pick any file or folder to retrieve. I even logged in from a Mac, opened a Mozy backup of my Windows PC, and recovered a photo that was then downloaded to the Mac.

Of the two products, I prefer Mozy. Carbonite is a little quicker and simpler to set up, but it's more limited. If you want to go beyond the default backup choice -- your most common documents and settings -- you have to troll through your hard disk to select additional folders and files for backup. Mozy also has a default setting, but makes it much easier to alter or customize it.

Mozy offers more-versatile restoring and scheduled backups, and unlike Carbonite, will back up an external hard disk. Mozy will also send you a DVD of all your files, for a fee. Carbonite won't. Mozy also keeps multiple versions of any file for 30 days. Carbonite doesn't.

Still, you won't go wrong with either of these two services, and you'll sleep better at night.

Email me at <mossberg@wsj.com>.


Related links:

Free backup. What's the catch? - http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7-6549616.html
Mozy - http://mozy.com/
Carbonite - http://www.carbonite.com/

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Acronis Snap Deploy 2.0 Build 2105

URL: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Acronis_Snap_Deploy/1121072399/1

Acronis Snap Deploy is a deployment solution that enables organizations to deploy new machines quickly. Using disk imaging technology, the product creates an exact disk image of the standard configuration, including the operating system and all applications. It then deploys that image to multiple systems simultaneously. It also provides configuration management tools to configure system settings, manage files, and execute applications on systems throughout the network.

This is well worth looking at by anyone in an IT department. Acronis makes great stuff: its "True Image" software is great. We all know that Ghost really sucks. This might be a far better solution.

ToC

Vista flaw could haunt Microsoft

Microsoft wants a bigger piece of Oracle and IBM's database business, but an oversight in its new operating system could cost the company plenty.

By Owen Thomas, Business 2.0 Magazine
December 15 2006: 11:01 PM EST
URL: http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/14/magazines/business2/microsoft_vista.biz2/index.htm?postversion=2006121510

(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- If you followed Microsoft in the 1990s, you knew it as a company that deftly moved from strength to strength, leveraging its dominance in one area of software to command other parts of the tech business.

That company's long gone, folks.

The latest evidence that Microsoft (Charts) has lost its Midas Touch? Its bid for a bigger piece of the $14 billion database business, a sector now ruled by Oracle (Charts) and IBM (Charts). Until now, Microsoft has been doing what it does best to attract corporate customers: It has tied its SQL Server database management software to programs running on Windows desktops.

But now Microsoft has a problem. Vista, its long-awaited update to the Windows operating system, can't run the current version of SQL Server. The company is working on a SQL upgrade that is compatible with Vista - called SQL Server 2005 Express Service Pack 2 - but it's in beta and can be licensed only for testing purposes. Microsoft hasn't set a release date for the new SQL program.

So companies looking to install Vista, which went on sale to corporate customers Nov. 30, are going to have to get their database management software someplace else.

Microsoft has effectively just handed its chief rivals an early holiday present. (Before any more of you fire off an outraged e-mail informing me that Vista doesn't run SQL Server, go back and read the above paragraphs again: I'm talking about SQL Server 2005 Express, which is the desktop counterpart of SQL Server - not the server version.)

This, of course, is exactly the opposite of what Microsoft should be doing if it hopes to outsell Oracle and IBM in the database business. Microsoft should have released a Vista-compatible version of SQL Server as early as a year ago. That way, corporate customers would have had plenty of time to test it in time for Vista's release.

Instead, IBM has beaten Microsoft to the punch. Last week IBM released a desktop version of its competing database management software, called DB2 9 Express-C, that's compatible with Vista.

Microsoft's oversight with SQL is one reason, among many, why analysts don't expect Vista to appear in the workplace until 2008. And it's become yet another sticking point with corporate IT departments already frustrated by their dependence on Microsoft. In the long run, the lack of SQL support could delay widespread adoption of Vista even further.

Microsoft's long had a strategy to be everywhere computers are - from home desktops to office servers. And it's had some success: One reason why programmers of database-driven applications use SQL Server is because it comes with a component called Microsoft Desktop Engine, or MSDE. (While you may not have heard of MSDE, it's an exceedingly common software component - so common, in fact, that it played a starring role in the spread of the infamous Slammer worm four years ago.)

Granted, not everyone uses MSDE inside other applications; many database developers simply use it to test their SQL Server setup. For these programmers, Microsoft's delay won't make much of a difference.

But for many companies with MSDE-based applications - mostly small enterprises without a large IT staff to manage system upgrades - headaches loom. First they must upgrade to the currently available version of SQL Server 2005 Express, which doesn't run on Vista, and test it on their Windows XP desktops. Once Microsoft rolls out a Vista-compatible version of that software, they'll need to upgrade and test all over again.

So what can companies that adopt Vista do now? Not a whole lot.

They can download the test version of SQL Server and start preparing their database applications for an upgrade, says Chris Alliegro, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft. But even that step won't be easy.

"It's not ideal, and it's a pain in the neck," says Alliegro. Before company programmers start testing SQL's beta, they'll have to identify all of the database applications they're running that rely on MSDE.

For companies that have acquired other businesses, reorganized divisions, or outsourced IT personnel, that's a mighty tall order. And here's the rub: Until Microsoft releases a Vista-compatible version of SQL Server 2005, all that testing will be for naught, since they won't be able to install it on users' desktops.

So good luck trying to get approval from your company's budget cops. Just imagine the CFO grilling the CIO about a plan like that: "You want to spend money testing software that you can't run? And you don't know when you'll be able to run it?"

With database software for small and medium-sized businesses the fastest-growing segment of the market, Microsoft may well be alienating the sector it can least afford to lose in its campaign to boost database sales.

Microsoft, of course, will get SQL Server 2005 officially running on Vista. "Eventually, most companies who are running Windows will be running on SQL Server 2005," promises Alliegro.

The key word here is "eventually." Microsoft's customers waited five years for Vista. Now, they're discovering that they still have to wait for a database component that works with it.

No wonder Google (Charts) is beating Microsoft in other arenas: This is a company that has forgotten how to execute its own playbook of launching a coordinated wave of products that all work together.

No doubt Microsoft will get this straightened out - eventually. By then, it just might be time to launch another version of Windows.

ToC

The Macintosh Section:

Apple Updates Firmware for Intel-based Macs

by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#856/20-Nov-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8756>

Apple released firmware updates for its line of Intel-based Macs last week, addressing Boot Camp, start up, and wake-from-sleep issues. Be sure to follow the directions (worth printing out) when applying the updates; instructions for creating a Firmware Restoration CD are also available. The updates affect all Intel-based Mac models, and are available via Software Update or by direct download: MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.2 (2.7 MB), iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.1 (6.1 MB), MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.0 (1.6 MB), Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.1 (1.6 MB), and Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.1 (1.6 MB).

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303364>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303469>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookproefifirmwareupdate12.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imacefifirmwareupdate11.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookefifirmwareupdate10.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macminiefifirmwareupdate11.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macproefifirmwareupdate11.html>

ToC

More Bang, Less Bucks for My MacBook Pro

by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#856/20-Nov-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8761>

After patiently waiting for Apple to give the MacBook Pro line a boost, I finally ordered a new Intel Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro to replace my three-year-old PowerBook G4. To my astonishment, buying a new MacBook Pro cost less than what I paid for my current PowerBook. In fact, after looking over some numbers, I realized that the MacBook Pro cost less than all recent models I've ordered before it.

<http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/>
<http://support.apple.com/specs/powerbook/PowerBook_G4_15-inch_FW800.html>

The configuration I chose is the high-end 15-inch model for $2,500. It includes a 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of memory, a 120 GB hard drive, 6x double-layer SuperDrive, and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics card with 256 MB of RAM. Given that my PowerBook G4's 80 GB drive was almost full, I decided to spring for the build-to-order 160 GB hard drive in the MacBook Pro for an extra $100.

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/practicalmac/2003344228_ptmacc04.html>

That was actually my first surprise. Conventional wisdom is that Apple charges a premium for such build-to-order items (like adding more memory), but the $100 fee for the 160 GB drive is less than what I could find online. If I were to buy one from a third-party vendor, I'd probably get a 160 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.3 notebook drive from NewEgg.com for about $175 with shipping. (That's not the cheapest offering out there, but I've relied on Seagate drives for years. Expect to spend as little as $156 for an inexpensive 160 GB drive right now, with prices no doubt dropping over time.)

<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148184>
<http://www.pricewatch.com/notebook_drives/160gb.htm>

The next surprise? This is the first laptop in ages where I haven't needed to factor in the cost of upgrading the amount of memory. My configuration came with 2 GB of built-in RAM, which is fine for my needs right now. The MacBook Pro can support up to 3 GB of memory, but getting there is awfully expensive: you need to replace one of the 1 GB DIMMs with a 2 GB DIMM, for which Apple charges $575 through the online Apple Store. A search at dealram turns up a 2 GB DIMM for $290 through 18004memory.com, a company with an unfortunate name but from whom I've successfully bought RAM in the past. Although I'm sure I'll move up to 3 GB at some point in the future, it's not an immediate concern, and hopefully prices will have dropped a bit by then.

<http://dealram.com/>
<http://www.18004memory.com/>

In terms of other build-to-order items, I chose to keep the non-glare version of the screen (which I'm glad is still an option, versus moving all of Apple's portables to the glossy screens found on the MacBook line), and opting not to buy the $50 USB modem. I don't necessarily object to the MacBook's reflective screen - I just prefer the non-glare version I'm accustomed to.

I opted not to buy extra power adapters for the MacBook Pro. With previous PowerBooks, it's always been worth the cost to have an adapter at home, one at the office, and one in my bag. (Apple changed the physical power connector between each PowerBook model, so I've had to purchase new adapters each time.) In this case, I've decided to carry the included MagSafe adapter with me, and plug it into the power cord extensions from my existing adapters; the cord plugs into the slot on the adapter's brick that normally offers flip-out prongs. I retain the ease of having a power plug available on my desks, without shelling out $160 in extra MagSafe adapters.

So, with tax and free shipping, my total cost was $2,844.

Comparing Past PowerBooks

Going back chronologically, my PowerBook G4/1.25 GHz model ended up costing me $3,412 with tax and shipping in 2003. That included the PowerBook itself, two power adapters, and $200 worth of RAM. Last year I also spent another $250 to bring the memory up to the PowerBook G4's full 2 GB capacity, but I'm not including that in the total.

In 2001, I bought one of the first wave of PowerBook G4 Titanium models, which set me back about $3,375 for the PowerBook, two power adapters, and one 256 MB DIMM.

And in 1998, I paid a whopping $4,114 for a PowerBook G3, two power adapters, an expansion bay Zip drive, and a copy of Virtual PC 2.0 (I'm going through old email receipts, so I don't have the breakdown of each item at hand, but I'm guessing the latter two cost about $350, leaving $3,764 with shipping).

AppleCare

I also need to factor in one more cost: the AppleCare extended protection plan, which adds two years of coverage to the one year that comes with the machine. I usually don't go for extended warranties when buying most devices, but in the case of the laptop that goes everywhere I go, and which I rely on for my livelihood, AppleCare is essential. I've purchased AppleCare for every laptop mentioned above, and without fail I've had to send the computers back to Apple for one reason or other.

<http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html>

Apple charges $350 for its MacBook Pro AppleCare coverage, but you can do better at Amazon.com (currently $293) or TidBITS sponsor Small Dog Electronics ($299). You'll end up paying a little for shipping, but it's an item that you can add to a future order to spread out the mailing cost.

<http://www.amazon.com/AppleCare-Protection-MacBook-PowerBook-M8853LL/dp/B00007J8SA/tidbitselectro00/>
<http://www.smalldog.com/product/41664>

And Even More Savings

I want to also point out that buying the MacBook Pro is saving me another $600 to $900 by removing the need to purchase a Windows PC laptop. A few years ago I bought a refurbished Dell Inspiron for $850 to use during those times when I need to test something under Windows. That machine is starting to feel a bit pokey, and a couple of projects on the horizon will demand that I run Windows.

Because I work in a handful of locations, it doesn't make sense to buy a cheap desktop PC that runs Windows, and if possible I'd rather not carry two notebooks with me. With the MacBook Pro, I don't have to, since it will run Windows under Parallels Desktop or Boot Camp. I get to work on whatever I need, wherever I am.

<http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/>
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/>

Buying a new computer is always a big investment, especially in my case where my laptop goes everywhere with me. But I didn't expect the actual cost for a significantly better machine to come in below my budget. That frees me up to buy other accessories (or toys) if necessary.

ToC

Apple Patches AirPort Card Driver Flaws

by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#857/04-Dec-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8768>

Apple patched a security flaw in the drivers for the company's original AirPort card last week. Among other fixes, Security Update 2006-007 for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.8 corrects a flaw that could enable a nearby attacker to cause a kernel panic and crash a Mac in the right set of circumstances. Apple warned that this attack could potentially deliver a software payload that would run without interference on the attacked computer - a state known as arbitrary code execution. We wrote about this exploit last month ("Another Minor AirPort Vulnerability Exposed," 2006-11-06), at which point the exploit's discoverer only suggested that a payload was possible. A host of other flaws were also patched.

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304829>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/8737>

Six unique updaters are available: one each for 10.3.9 client and server, 10.4.8 PowerPC client and server, and 10.4.8 Intel client and server. Software Update identifies the correct one for your Mac.

<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071039client.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071039server.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071048clientppc.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071048serverppc.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071048clientintel.html>
<http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/securityupdate20060071048serveruniversal.html>

The AirPort flaw was triggered if an AirPort card, signaling it was interested in knowing what networks were available in the vicinity, received a carefully crafted response that mimicked how access points announce their name and other details. The patch validates those responses to avoid triggering an error. Keep in mind that the vulnerability affects only the original AirPort card, which was included with Macs released from 1999 to 2002, and was sold as late as 2004 for those Macs. AirPort Extreme cards, which work with models introduced starting in January 2003, have drivers that aren't affected by this particular flaw. (The few users of Mac OS X 10.2 and earlier have been ignored for AirPort card updates for at least a couple of years now.)

Security Update 2006-007 mostly patches flaws that are triggered by local users with physical access to the computer, although a few weaknesses could be exploited by remote users. For instance, a flaw in the FTP server built into Mac OS X could enable a remote user to figure out which users have valid accounts on the attacked computer. And an error in how Samba (Windows file sharing) handles incoming requests could have enabled an attacker to break access to the service.

One significant flaw, now patched, could have crashed or exploited Mac OS X when Safari visited a Web site that had a maliciously crafted Web page. The flaw was in WebKit, the underlying system-wide software used for HTML rendering and handling that's used in Safari and many third-party applications. The fix now parses documents correctly. Oddly, the description of this problem is identical to that used in Security Update 2006-004 released on 01-Aug-06.

<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304063>

ToC

Parallels Desktop Ups the Ante

by Joe Kissell <joe@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#857/04-Dec-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8769>

Last week, Parallels announced a new beta version of their Parallels Desktop virtualization software, which lets owners of Intel Macs run almost any version of Windows within Mac OS X. At the time of the announcement, I was already working on a revision of my book "Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac." Now, I have to add quite a few more pages: this update is a doozy.

<http://forums.parallels.com/thread5997.html>
<http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/>
<http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/windows-on-mac.html?14@@!pt=TRK-0034-TB857>

The most significant of many new features in Build 3036 is that Parallels can now directly run a copy of Windows XP you've installed using Boot Camp, rather than requiring you to create a new virtual machine with its own Windows installation. This beta also adds a resizable main window with automatic adjustment of screen resolution; support for migrating an existing Windows installation (including one made using Virtual PC) into Parallels; drag-and-drop between Windows and Mac OS X; a feature called Coherence, which effectively lets Windows applications "escape" the Parallels window and coexist alongside Mac OS X windows; and numerous other improvements.

Until now, people wanting to run Windows on a Mac had to make a potentially difficult decision. They could install Windows under Boot Camp, but this requires rebooting to switch operating systems. Or they could install Windows under virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop, which runs within Mac OS X but not quite as fast as under Boot Camp; it also lacks support for 3D graphics and some peripherals. There was no way to use a single installation of Windows under both Boot Camp and Parallels Desktop, so anyone needing both environments had to install Windows twice. Doing so not only required considerable disk space but also raised potentially thorny issues of licensing and activation. The standard Microsoft End User License Agreement (EULA) for the retail versions of Windows XP doesn't officially allow a single copy to be installed in both ways on the same computer. Even if someone chose to ignore that, though, the Windows activation mechanism would cause problems. After activating a copy of Windows with a given Product Key in one environment, you'd be unable to activate it again in the other environment, even though they both existed on the same physical computer. Some people said they were able to resolve the problem with a phone call to Microsoft, but if you go by the letter of the law, Microsoft expects you to purchase two separate copies of Windows to use them in this fashion.

This new beta promises to change the equation. After installing Windows XP in Boot Camp as usual, you can now install a package called Parallels Tools for Boot Camp (linked in the initial forum post about the beta). Then, when you reboot in Mac OS X and run Parallels, you can set up a new virtual machine that uses your Boot Camp partition, rather than a disk image, as its storage space. And in theory at least, that's that: you have one copy of Windows you can use in either of two ways. If this scheme is successful, it effectively means you can have your cake and eat it too. (You will, however, have to trade the dynamic resizability of Parallels Desktop's disk image files for the static Boot Camp partition sizes.)

Unfortunately, this beta version hasn't licked the activation problem yet; in fact, it seems to have made it worse for the time being. At issue is the fact that when you activate Windows, you activate it only for the hardware on which it's currently running. Try to use a copy of Windows with the same Product Key on different hardware, and Windows assumes you're installing it on a different computer (in violation of the EULA); this prompts the reactivation message. Because Parallels Desktop emulates some of the virtual computer's hardware, from the perspective of Windows, the computer it's running on when used with Boot Camp is much different from the computer it's running on under Parallels Desktop.

As a result, the Parallels discussion forums have been overflowing with complaints that tend to run like this: After installing Parallels Tools for Boot Camp and setting up the new virtual machine, a user is asked to reactivate Windows - usually requiring nothing more than clicking a link, though sometimes a phone call to Microsoft is apparently needed. (This much is documented in the beta's release notes, and should come as no surprise.) However, when the user then reboots directly into Windows using Boot Camp, Windows again asks to be reactivated. For some users, at least, this process continues every time they switch between Boot Camp and Parallels Desktop. Although many people would willingly endure a single reactivation request, having to reactivate each time is highly problematic, especially when it takes a phone call to do so.

Similarly, Parallels provides no way as yet to move an existing copy of Windows installed as a virtual machine to a Boot Camp partition, with or without the need for reactivation. So if you've already installed Windows in Parallels Desktop and hope to move to the new system, it may require considerable effort.

Of course, this is a beta version, so some problems are to be expected. A Parallels representative indicated that they're working on the reactivation issue. It's unclear when or how they'll solve it, but participants on the Parallels discussion forums have frequently referred to this difficulty as a "show stopper," so I expect it will be a top priority. This beta version also appears to have significant problems when used with Windows partitions formatted as FAT32 volumes rather than as NTFS; Parallels says that's a bug they're also looking into.

Although Parallels has not predicted when this new version will leave the beta stage, they have said that it will be a free update for existing users, and that an even bigger upgrade - version 3.0 - is due in early 2007.

ToC

DiskWarrior 4 Adds Intel Compatibility

by Jeff Carlson <jeffc@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#859/11-Dec-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8779>

Alsoft has released DiskWarrior 4, the long-awaited upgrade to their essential disk-repair utility. DiskWarrior locates and repairs disk directory information, which can bring back to life an otherwise unusable partition which has no physical faults and no other data corruption. (DiskWarrior scored highly in David Shayer's "Shootout at the Disk Repair Corral" article, 2003-11-24, which compared major disk repair applications.) DiskWarrior 4 adds compatibility with Intel-based Macs, repairs file permissions, identifies corrupted preference files, and repairs Attribute B-trees and Access Control Lists under Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The utility requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later. DiskWarrior 4 costs $100; upgrades from previous versions cost $50, plus $9 for shipping the installation disc. (There is no downloadable version available for the upgrade.)

<http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/article/7451>

ToC

Do 802.11n Chips in Macs Signal New Wireless?

by Glenn Fleishman <glenn@tidbits.com>
TidBITS#859/11-Dec-06
article link: <http://db.tidbits.com/article/8781>

Shortly after the new MacBook Pro with the Intel Core 2 Duo processor was released, a MacRumors.com forum member took a close look and found, among other revised specifications, an 802.11n chipset from Atheros. Earlier, another MacRumors.com forum member wrote about finding a Broadcom 802.11n adapter in the Core 2 iMacs.

<http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/>
<http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/10/20061026001358.shtml>
<http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/09/20060924194334.shtml>

802.11n is a wireless-networking standard still in formation at the IEEE, an engineering standards body. The 802.11n standard will supersede, but will be backwards compatible with, 802.11b (which Apple calls AirPort) and 802.11g (AirPort Extreme), both of which are part of Wi-Fi. (Wi-Fi itself is a mark that indicates a piece of hardware has been tested for interoperability and for meeting specific tests.)

Although 802.11b runs at 11 Mbps and the 802.11g specification runs at 54 Mbps, those are raw network speeds, which include all the networking overhead that enables chunks of data to be wrapped up into packets and sent over the air, including the bits used when radios interact. 802.11b really produces about 5 Mbps of throughput, and 802.11g, without a host of proprietary extensions that some manufacturers include, hits about 25 Mbps of real throughput.

By contrast, 802.11n will be available in raw speeds from 150 Mbps to 600 Mbps; real world throughput will start at 100 Mbps and is expected to reach 300 to 450 Mbps in the most expensive devices with all the optional bells and whistles. 802.11n also requires MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out) antenna arrays that have been in products for a couple of years. MIMO antennas dramatically increase network range and improve throughput at shorter ranges.

The problem with Apple's apparent inclusion of 802.11n at this point in time is that no standard exists. Several chipmakers decided in early 2006 to release silicon based on the first working draft, called Draft 1.0, from 802.11's Task Group N, the group deliberating on the standard. Draft 1.0 appeared after more than a year of horse trading and even the near dissolution of the task group, which could have thrown the wireless networking world into slight disarray. But Draft 1.0 is just what is sounds like: a draft.

This Draft 1.0 silicon may be rather different from the final standard. And there's no guarantee that hardware upgrades for any so-called "Draft N" equipment sold this year will work with the final, approved standard - or even with future drafts! (Asus is the only company to offer a guarantee of replacement hardware, but not until 2008, when a final standard is expected.) That is, Draft N chips released now might work with each other (that's not guaranteed, and is considered one of the current big drawbacks), but they might not interact with future, true 802.11n devices at speeds faster than the fallback of 802.11g.

Right now, Draft 2.0, incorporating hundreds of technical comments on the first draft, is expected in January 2007 with approval in March 2007. This draft would then serve as the basis of a plan by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the group that tests and certifies Wi-Fi-marked equipment, to ensure interoperability within a few months of that point in time - almost certainly before June 2007. This interim certification program would give some market stability while the standard moves toward expected full completion by early 2008.

<http://www.wi-fi.com/>

Upping the hype was a recent announcement by Qualcomm on the same day it acquired MIMO pioneer Airgo. Airgo's MIMO chips incorporated many principles of 802.11n and helped set the direction of 802.11n. Qualcomm said that Airgo was announcing the "availability" of Draft 2.0-compliant chips. Through interviews later, the company clarified that, first, "available" meant "in real quantities for producing devices after March 2007;" and, second, that "Draft 2.0 compliant" meant that at this stage in the game, all the parameters that might be in Draft 2.0 are known, and Qualcomm's new division claimed to have all those parameters in their chips. This is a more reasonable statement, because even with many technical comments left to be resolved by the task group, it's a manageable pile with probable outcomes.

<http://www.qualcomm.com/press/releases/2006/061203_availability_worlds_first.html>
<http://80211n.wifinetnews.com/archives/2006/12/airgos_draft_20.html>

More interesting, however, is Qualcomm's claim that they also support Draft 1.0, which could mean that Qualcomm would have Draft N devices that would prevent even gear made with other companies' chips from a kind of obsolescence when real Draft 2.0 devices ship.

For Apple to include Draft N silicon now is therefore baffling, with the only chipmaker pretending to have something that resembles Draft 2.0 not available for manufacturing products until the second quarter of 2007. I could see them adding MIMO as an overlay on 802.11g, which is rather typical in many products now, and waiting until at least early 2007 for a certified draft version of 802.11n.

If Apple chooses to enable the Draft N features when the iTV media adapter ships in early 2007, there's no guarantee that future Draft N chips would have full backward compatibility with what they ship. While many people compare the early release of Draft N devices with 802.11g, which appeared in equipment from Apple, Linksys, and others several months before its ratification, 802.11g was past Draft 5.0 when the first chips shipped, and had only minor changes after that point. And even those changes prevented interoperability of 802.11g equipment from different firms using the same wireless chips initially; Apple released something on the order of six firmware upgrades between AirPort Extreme's shipping date and 802.11g's final approval at the IEEE.

Apple often pushes the envelope, but if it proves true that they're this far out ahead, they might be tearing that envelope.

ToC

The CUCUG Section:

November General Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)

November 16, 2006 Ð With twenty people in attendance, President Rollins called the meeting to order. He talked a little about the Blue Man Group concert he missed the last meeting for. He said, "Glad to be back."

The floor was then opened up for nominations for next year's club officers. Kevin Hopkins announced the current slate of officer candidates. Keith Peregrine nominated the slate. Ed Serbe seconded that nomination. With no other names being offered, Quentin Barnes moved the nominations be closed. Craig Kummerow seconded closing of nominations.

Richard talked about the Toaster demonstration coming up later. Next month will be our December social/annual meeting/swap meet.

Quentin Barnes talked about having an infinite number of email accounts, if you have a Gmail account. You can enter your email address like this: yourname+anything@gmail.com then set up a filter to catch it if they sell your name to somebody else. It may work with other mail systems.

Jerry Feltner asked if anybody had any opinions about Aldi's laptops. They have a new one. There was a discussion and web searching. We don't know because we haven't seen them. Kevin Hisel was able to find the Medion MD 97900 Notebook on the German Aldi site. Seems a little expensive, even with the TV card. Where's Mike Latinovich when you need him?

Mark Zinzow showed off his new GPS, a Magellan Roadmate 800. Mark said he is really disappointed in the software. He said therre's an Easter Egg that allows you to break into a Windows CE shell that will allow you to upgrade the stupid software. This model has a 20 GB hard drive with 64 MB of RAM. He paid $310 on Ebay. He said the dumbest thing is that it won't play MP3s and GPS at the same time.

Ed Serbe talked about the Playstation 3 release. He noted that people camped out in front of Best Buy. There was talk about the Walmart in California where there was a stampede when shoppers were trying to figure out where the line was forming.

Emil showed off his new iPod Shuffle. It is a lavaliere style device. He paid $85.12 with tax on campus. He passed it around for everyone to look at.

Kevin Hisel talked about the Microsoft licence that raised so much ire last month. Microsoft has backed down. OEM licenses are never transferable. Vista will be on MSDN tomorrow. It is a 2GB download. There was a discussion of price, versions, and availability. It's hardware requirements are going to be hefty. You'll have to have 1 GB of memory. January 30 is the official ship date.

Emil announced that they have the Microsoft Zune MP3 player on display out at Staples.

Mark and Emil talked about the things they have to sell.

BFinfo.net and BFAds.com have Black Friday ads for sales for the day after Thanksgiving.

The Toaster Demo

Richard introduced Rob Noble. Rob is a very knowledgeable guy and he launched into a description of the system he has assembled. Sad to say, I am not as knowledgeable as he, so my notes are spotty at best (a good reason to attend the meetings yourself to gain this stuff first hand). Rob mentioned a KNI motherboard 4800 with dual core chip set, 2 GB of RAM,and four 150GB Raptor hard drives (10,000 RPM) with another 160 GB IDE drive for the system. The machine has four video cards. Rob said the Toaster pretty much takes over the machine - you can multitask but he doesn't recommend it. The system can handle eight different video source. You can run the system in real-time and record simultaneously. Rob said because of the load placed upon the hard drives it is best to keep the drives clean for each new project. Data is written at 308 MB / sec via software striping.

The overall cost for Toaster hardware and software was $6500.

When asked about the difficult of setting up the Toaster system Rob said he only had minor problems. He was very complimentary about Newtek support. They speak English and have answers.

After this overview, the group moved en masse to where the Toaster is installed and got to see it up close and in action.

ToC

November Board Meeting

reported by Kevin Hopkins (kh2@uiuc.edu)


The November meeting of the CUCUG executive board took place on Tuesday, November 21, 2006, 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, Kevin Hisel, Rich Hall, and Joe Dewalt.

Richard Rollins: Richard began by saying how much he appreciated Rob doing the presentation in November. We also had a "Heck of a Question and Answer Session." Great report. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Next month will be our social and election. Doughnuts and coffee as usual. The meeting will be on December 21st.

Richard brought up the need for a check for the room rent for next year.

Emil Cobb: Emil reported nineteen members in attendance at the meeting. He said it was good to Anthony again. He's one of our good forum members. Emil also noted that Rob noble was entertaining in his Toaster demo.

Kevin Hopkins: Kevin said "Rob Noble is a very, very knowledgeable fellow."

During a discussion of the meeting, Richard Rollins asked Kevin to thank Volo for our Internet connection in newsletter. Thanks Volo.

President Rollins also asked about having the membership renewal notice in the newsletter. Kevin said that it had already be taken care of.

Rich Hall: Rich noted of the 19 members at the last meeting, we had eleven membership renewals. If you also consider the two lifetime members who don't have to re-up, our renewal ratio is tremendous.

Rich went on to deliver his report of the club finances. Likewise, he cut a check for next years room rent and handed it over to President Rollins.

President Rollins said we might need a new PC eventually. He's waiting for Vista, but the way it works, maybe we don't want it.

There was a discussion of Internet connections and speed.

Joe Dewalt: Talked about AT&T's Project Lightspeed which is being discussed at the Champaign City Council meeting this same evening.

There was a discussion of High Definition television off the air, satellite, and cable.

Kevin Hisel: Kevin had no official business, but was quite engaged in the general discussions of various topics.

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The Back Page:

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

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