Saturday, January 08, 2005
Friday Tech News Blog
Multiple Platforms.com
Our goal is to inform you about the tech news, tools, and techniques to help your Apple, Windows, and Linux operating systems work together for you!
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Thursday Tech News Blog
MultiplePlatforms.com
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Tech News
1-06-05
Huge Compact Flash Cards in Vegas
You’ll be saying Viva Las Vegas if you are a digital photographer that is tiring of swapping compact flash cards in your camera as Seagate Technologies has introduced a new card with a whopping 5GB storage capacity. PC World reports that a ‘smaller’ 2.5GB card will also be available, but no price has been released for these little gems.
CES Tales Of Woe
Even tech geeks have problems and that is the case with those IT people in charge of the Wi-Fi connections at CES. Some of those covering the show have had to use plan B to file their reports according to Tech: Knowledge. In addition, according to the same source, Bill Gates experienced the blue screen of death while giving his presentation!
Microsoft Releases Beta Version of AntiSpyware
Microsoft has released the beta version of their new Windows AntiSpyware application that should help protect PC users from pop-up ads and Internet tracking according to a report in CNET. Industry experts predicted that MS would use the technology they gained when purchasing Giant Software in December to release a security package for Windows users. You can visit the MS web site to try the beta version, but you shouldn’t use a beta version of anything on your main machine. If you must use beta applications, make sure you backup all you important files or suffer the consequences.
Spybot Search and Destroy Update
MajorGeeks.com has the link for an update for Spybot Search and Destroy that was (PepiMK Software AKA Safer) released on 1-7-05. You can visit the geek's site, or activate your program and update from within the application.
Thirteen Free Tunes From Apple
The MacMegasite has the scoop on an offer from Apple for iPod owners; you can receive 13 free tunes when you purchase a new iPod. There is also a tip on how owners of iPods that aren’t exactly new can also take advantage of this offer.
One Free Tune For Sure
You don’t have to purchase an iPod to receive free music from Apple, just click on the Apple iTunes Music Store logo to the left and you can get a free copy of a tune from Owsley. If you purchase any music from iTunes, please use this same link and you will help support this web site.
Boost in iPod Mini?
We don’t do rumors at Multiple Platforms.com/, but there is one floating about regarding the 4GB iPod Mini. The story claims that Apple will boost the mini’s storage to 5GB and that those who have already ordered a mini will receive the same upgrade: just in case they are, we have included a link to Amazon.com for this little beauty.
Open Source Updates
Secunia has released security or update bulletins for the following open source systems: Gentoo Linux (1, 2, 3), Debian (1, 2, 3), Redhat (1, 2), Connectiva Linux 9,x/.
Apple Tip of the Day: Save Safari Bookmarks
To save your Safari and most other browsers’ bookmarks you can download and install a great tool from Ellipsis Productions, Safari Bookmark Exporter. The preview from MacUpDate states: “Safari Bookmark Exporter is designed to do one thing and do it well: export bookmarks from Safari (now isn't that intuitive?). You simply launch the application, click "Analyze Bookmarks", select your desired browser, click "Export Bookmarks", and then save the bookmark file to the desired location. Safari Bookmark Exporter is also smart enough to know where the default location of the bookmark files are, so you don't need to figure that out in order to have your desired browser recognize your new set of bookmarks.” I can second the ease of use statement and it will backup most browsers used by Mac-heads. If you don’t have a .Mac account you should definitely check out this freeware for backing up your bookmarks, you’ll be glad you did in the event of an accident.
PC Tip of the Day: Rip It Good
You can rip CDs quickly using Windows Media Player 10 by following the directions from Microsoft’s Support Site. Another great application to use as a CD ripper is Nero and you can take Nero 6 for a test drive by visiting the Nero web site.
What is Adware?
What is adware? Wikipedia defines adware as, “Adware or advertising-supported software is any software application in which advertisements are displayed while the program is running. These applications include additional code that displays the ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen. Adware helps recover programming development costs, and helps to hold down the price of the application for the user (even making it free of charge)—and, of course, it can give programmers a profit, which helps to motivate them to write, maintain, and upgrade valuable software.
Some adware is also shareware, as such it may be used as term of distinction used to differentiate between types of shareware software. What differentiates adware from other shareware is that it is primarily advertising supported. Users may also be given the option to pay for a "registered" or "licensed" copy, which typically does away with the advertisements. Other types of shareware include demoware, nagware, crippleware, freeware, and even spyware.”
Some adware programs have been criticized for occasionally including code that tracks a user's personal information and passes it on to third parties, without the user's authorization or knowledge. This practice has been dubbed spyware and has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center [1]. Other adware programs do not track a user's personal information.
A number of software applications are available to help computer users search for and modify adware programs to block the presentation of advertisements and to remove spyware modules. To avoid a backlash, as with the advertising industry in general, creators of adware must balance their attempts to generate revenue with users' desire to be left alone.?”
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Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Wednesday Tech News Blog
MultiplePlatforms.com
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Tech News
1-05-05
U.S. District Court Seeks to Delete Spam King
The U.S. District Court in Concord, N. H. has forced two companies owned by Sanford Wallace, SmartBot.Net and Seismic Entertainment, to stop planting spyware and pop-up ads on Internet users PCs according to a report from CNET. This should begin to crack the wall of defenses used by spyware creators and their applications, some of which have morphed into browser hijackers. The aforementioned companies attempts are particularly deplorable as it practically disables a PC while pointing the browsers toward fixes sold by Wallace, fixes that often increase the PC’s problems. CNET reports that, “The software then hijacks Web browsers, causes CD-ROM trays to slide open, and slows down computers or causes them to cease working altogether, all the while displaying a torrent of pop-up ads urging consumers to buy programs called Spy Wiper or Spy Deleter to clean up the mess.”
More Court News
CNET is reporting that a court of appeals in Utah has ruled in favor of Celebrity Cruises’ pop-up ad that was part of an advertisement carried on the web site of The Los Angeles Times in May of 2002. One of the big selling points pushed by Microsoft for their web design program FrontPage is the ease at which pop-up ads can be included in a web page. You will find no such ads at Multiple Platforms.com and I have completely removed all the remnants of FrontPage from the site.
Tech World Pauses for Tech Shows
The tech news has slowed, but the rumors have been increasing as the two big electronics shows approach their debuts. First up is the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. CNET reports that the focus this year will be moving high-definition from the living room and into the rest of your life. PC World predicts that this year’s show will draw in excess of 120,000 tech-crazed geeks. Look for more reports on this show in the coming days and tune into Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI over the weekend for live reports from Leo’s friends covering the show. PC World has posted pictures of the first new cool electronic tools introduced at the show including a slick new jump drive from Lexar. The following week will feature the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco and I am hopig to attend at least one day of that show. You can also get live feeds from MacMerc’s senior editor Rick Yager during the keynote speech by Steve Jobs and feeds from the Tech Guy Leo Laporte. Rumors abound as to what will be revealed by the Mac Boss, but if half of the tales are accurate, it will be a smoking year for Apple.
No Rumors Here, Leo Is Moving Up
Speaking of Tech Guy, Leo Laporte has announced that his show will now air from 11am to 2pm on the weekends on KFI AM 640 in Southern California and via the Internet from links found at Leo’s web site. I learned about podcasting listening to Leo’s shows and you can check out the results by clicking on the podcast icon below.
Slate Reviews Desktop Search Tools
Slate, a company owned by Microsoft reviewed the recently released desktop search tools and the top pick is our favorite too, Copernic. These programs function by indexing the data on your hard drive, and I found that Copernic was the least intrusive when performing this task. A majority of the indexing is done upon initial installation, but if you have a slower (AKA older) machine, you don’t need anything impeding your progress. Read about which features earned Copernic the top rating at Slate.com/.
Open Source Updates
Secunia has released update bulletins for Fedora Core 2/3 (1, 2).
Apple Tip of the Day: Check Those Safari Bookmarks
The Apple tip for the day is a handy tool to check your Safari bookmarks. Safari Bookmark Checker will check all the URLs from your bookmark and notify you of the sites that have an invalid URL.
PC Tip of the Day: Cleanup the Desktop
If you are like me, your desktop becomes cluttered with new programs that you are sure will get a multitude of use when you first install it; and what about those documents that you felt you were going to need sooner rather than later. You can clean that cluttered desktop up by using Windows XP Desktop Cleanup Wizard. Just right click anywhere in an open Finder window and select Arrange Icons By and then you can choose the Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard option. The wizard will provide you with prompts through the rest of the steps as it rates how frequently you access that new (not so great) program.
What is Abandonware?
This week we are exploring the various –wares and today Wikipedia has the following definition for abandonware, “Abandonware is computer software which is no longer being sold or supported by its copyright holder. Alternately, the term is also used for software that is still available, but on which further support and development has been deliberately discontinued. The most common abandonware is old video games, either computer games or older video game console or arcade games that are played through emulation. Many people think that various older games are more fun than newer games (hence old school gamers), in part because their designers had to concentrate on game play features other than graphics, so these games have gained a second life by being distributed through the Internet. Old school gamers are responsible for the popularity of console emulation. An abandonware fan is a video game player who thinks that video games that are no longer on the market are more fun than video games that are still on the market.”
Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more
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Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Tuesday Tech News Blog
MultiplePlatforms.com
Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more
Tech News
1-4-05
Flaw of the Day Strikes Mozilla
Secunia released a security bulletin for users of Mozilla 1.7.x and Firefox 1.x warning of a “less critical” threat from web site spoofers. The problem has been confirmed in Mozilla 1.7.3 for Linux and Mozilla 1.7.5 and Firefox 1.0 for Windows. Secunia advises using caution when navigating to “untrusted sources” for the PC users affected by this flaw and that bit of advice could be extended to users of any browser and platform.
This Guru Will Bring Only Zen
They are not competing with Google, at least that is what this new start-up reference service claims according to a report by CNET. Apparently, this phrase is no longer reserved for just Microsoft. The new service enables surfers to search the information sources at GuruNet using their web site Answers.com/. The site specializes in the who is/ what is category of questions. A query of multiple platforms provided this definition: “multiple platforms-- Two or more operating environments, which typically include the CPU family and operating system. For example, if versions of a program run on Windows and the Macintosh, the software is said to support multiple platforms. That application is also known as a cross platform application.
A program that runs on all versions of Windows (3.1, 95, 98 and NT) is sometimes said to support multiple platforms. Although Windows operating systems all stem from the same core, 32-bit Windows programs (95, 98 and NT) will not run under Windows 3.1, and many Windows 3.1 programs behave poorly under 95, 98 and NT. See cross platform.”
Beware of Tsunami Scams
CNET is carrying a story about a teenager that had good intentions but no affiliations with the organizations he claimed to be raising funds for; no funds were exchanged but this is just the first example what security experts fear maybe the latest trend in phishing expeditions that exploit natural or man-made disasters. No such schemes related to the tsunami catastrophe have been detected, but it will happen soon so beware of email solicitations on behalf of any cause. Please donate to the relief efforts but make sure your funds are directed to a recognized non-profit organization.
Year of the Blog
While the Chinese calendar recognizes 2004 as the Year of the Monkey, PC World is calling 2004 a big year for the blog. Blogs have played a prominent role in the recently concluded elections in the United States and they continue to be relevant today through first-person accounts from the tsunami disaster zone. I use three different blogs in an effort to increase visibility of this web site, but most surfers have yet to discover blogs according to PC World. While blogs are big, the next giant on the block might be podcasting, read more in the following stories.
Wouldn’t You Like to be a Podcaster Too?
A picture is worth a thousand words, but if you don’t have a picture, who has time to write a thousand words? In fact, why write when you can podcast. What is podcasting? Wikipedia has this definitions for podcasting, “The term podcasting was coined by former MTV VJ Adam Curry to describe succinctly the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod (hence the "pod"), or another audio player that supports the MP3 format, at their convenience.” I have used the term as a ‘what is’ word of the day, but I haven’t had the time to learn much more than the definition. That has changed over the holidays and I have found lots of new toys and technology to play with and learn about. To read more about podcasting visit Wired.com for an introduction on the subject and then check out the story below for links to software for podcast listening and broadcasting.
Podcast Software
There are several applications you can use to receive and listen to podcasts and Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI recommends the following: “ I currently recommend iPodderX for the Macintosh, and Doppler for Windows.” I am using a trial version of iPodderX but they also have a free version. After you install iPodderX, you will have a choice of available podcasts and you can add additional feeds that you find. You then listen to the MP3 files using iTunes or your platform’s media player.
How Can You Record Podcast?
If you are a Mac-head and you have iLife, you can just use Garage Band to record a podcast. Another alternative for multiple platform users is from Audacity. According to their web site, “Audacity 1.2.3 is a new stable version of the free Audacity sound editor. This release fixes a bug that interfered with long recordings on some Windows systems, and another bug that causes random crashes on Mac OS X. It also includes several updated translations, and some other minor bug fixes and improvements.” I tried this application on my Macs and it is very impressive and probably easier to use the Garage Band; it is certainly cheaper as Audacity is freeware (see yesterday’s what is definition).
Apple Tip of the Day: MailVoiceClip
Today the tip for Apple users is another type of podcasting, MailVoiceClip allows you to send a recording of your voice by email using MP3 files that can be received by Windows and Mac users. We tried it out, it works and it is a simple easy to use interface. You can record your baby’s first words and then email them your family, or just tell that special person how much you care about them in your own words. Thanks to MacCast, a podcasting Mac geek for the tip of the day.
PC Tip of the Day: AVG Free
The PC tip of the day regards the ending of support for Grisoft’s free AVG 6.0 antivirus program and the options available for personal use; the company is offering AVG Free Edition 7.3 for home users and I will be upgrading to this application today. You can visit MajorGeeks.com to download the latest version of AVG Free Edition.
What is Shareware?
Yesterday the definition of the day was freeware and today the word is closely related and Wikipedia has this answer to what is shareware: “Shareware is software that is distributed without payment ahead of time as is common for proprietary software. Typically shareware software is obtained free of charge by downloading, thus allowing one to try out the program ahead of time. A shareware program is accompanied by a request for payment, and often payment is required per the terms of the license past a set period of time (although some consider this requirement to cause the software to be not shareware but a demo). The term shareware was coined by Bob Wallace to describe his word processor PC-Write in the mid-1980s.”
Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more
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Monday, January 03, 2005
Monday Tech News Blog
MultiplePlatforms.com
Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more
Tech News
1-3-05
Relief Efforts Grow
The relief effort is increasing worldwide in a report carried by the BBC and that is encouraging news albeit late-in-coming some eight days after the tsunami disaster in Southeastern Asia. The link at the bottom of this page is repaired and Amzon.com has been receiving record donations thanks to the generosity of the global Internet community. If you haven’t donated yet, please consider using the link below or another of the many available non-profit organizations accepting donations.
Did You Shop Online?
If you did some of your holiday shopping online you are not alone according to PC World. The story states that not only did more of us shop online; we spent 12 percent more per transaction than last year. The other phenomenon observed regarding holiday spending was an increase in gift certificates that extends the seasonal consumer spending into the new year; cha-ching!
Make Firefox Faster
The slim, trim Firefox browser is already fast but you can kick-it-up a notch by following a simple little adjustment to the configuration of the application. It is an easy and educational little hack and if something goes wrong, you can trash the application and re-installing the program again. Visit Insanely Great Mac for the best directions on this adjustment.
Hey Mikey, It Works!
If you have been having difficulties installing iTunes on your PC, please visit our answer page for a work around. It worked for one of our readers who writes, “Hi there, I would just like to say thank you so much for helping me get iTunes working!! The advice you gave me helped me install it first time! I will be eternally grateful to you!”
No thanks necessary, I’m glad I could help…
Open Source Update for Debian
Secunia has released update bulletins for Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 (1, 2, 3).
Apple Tip of the Day: Freeware Favorites
The people from MacMerc compiled a list of their favorite freeware programs for Mac users and this is the Apple tip of the day. You can find links to Fink, Gimp, Romeo, Skype, Firefox, Firefox extensions and more by visiting MacMerc.
PC Tip of the Day: Ad-aware Advice
Ad-aware SE Personal is a free spyware application for home users and if you are currently using this version you will receive a prompt upon installing the latest update; Lavasoft will no longer be supporting this version with updates and that will result in a program that is useless in less than a month. No need for upgrading to a pay version though, at least not yet as the company will still have a free version available Ad-aware Personal, it is the last option listed in the programs available from Lavasoft.
What is Freeware?
The story above cites favorite freeware picks from MacMerc and Wikipedia has the following definition, “Freeware is computer software which is made available free of charge. Typically, freeware is distributed without source code. Freeware usually carries a license that permits redistribution but may have other restrictions, such as limitations on its commercial use. Sometimes the license can be as simple as saying the program may be freely copied, but never sold. Another common stipulation forbids use by governments or armed forces.
The term was coined by Andrew Fluegelman when he wanted to distribute a communications program named PC-Talk that he had created but for which he did not wish to use traditional methods of distribution because of their cost. Previously, he held a trademark on the term "freeware" but this trademark has since been abandoned. He actually distributed PC-Talk via what is now referred to as shareware.
Commercial vendors often release freeware as a loss leader to attract customers to other services or products available for a fee. Others release freeware because other methods of distribution are unlikely to make a profit or because the software is outdated and is no longer worth selling.”
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