Multipleplatforms

Wednesday 11.2.05 multiplelatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-11-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog

Tech News Update
Between job interviews, research, teaching, and a close-up and personal visit between my dogs and a Mephitis mephitis (striped skunk), the tech news has been on hold for the last several weeks.
Before the tech news let me attempt to dispel some old myths. Tomato juice is not an effective remedy for removing the odor of skunk from Rover. If it is the only defense you have to combat the odor, it may help temporarily, but do not let it fool you into believing that you can let the skunked one in your house or vehicle. We tried several brands of scent removal products and none of them was able to break the aromatic bonds that are created by this striped kitty. Your best bet is to use one quart of hydrogen peroxide mixed with one-fourth cup of baking soda blended with two teaspoons of Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. Because we have large dogs, it was not possible to bathe them in the solution so I used micro-towels and applied the mixture copiously on the dogs. This will alleviate the odor, but it cannot completely eliminate the horrific odor that is emitted by this most vile creature. Two weeks and one day have passed since that visit from Pepe LePeeyou and the smell still lingers on our silly dogs.

ADV: Exploring Spyware and Adware Risk Assessment
“Explore new quantitative methods for measuring the impact of spyware and adware and learn about a pragmatic, user-defined model for determining risk levels. Learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods that are used to mitigate the risks of these harmful programs.” PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 11/2/05 2:18 PM

Mac OS X 10.4.3 (#3): More on increased fan activity; Motion sensor on some PowerBooks/iBooks no longer recognized; more
“More on increased fan activity Users continue to report problems with increased fan activity after installation of Mac OS X 10.4.3. In most cases, these issues can be resolved by either…” MacFixIt 11/2/05 8:00 AM

Safari is first browser to pass Acid2 test
“Apple's Safari Web browser became the first browser to pass the Acid2 test. Acid2 is a test page...” MacNN 11/2/05 11:00 AM

Study: IM threats zooming up
“Messaging security company says its data shows a 1,500 percent increase in worms, viruses and other pests targeting IM networks.” CNET News.com - Security 11/2/05 12:07 PM

Tiger's Improved Firewall (and How to Use It)
“Among Tiger's many enhancements, Apple introduced a whole new firewall called ipfw2. It works just the like the old firewall, but has new features that allow greater flexibility and more control. In this article, Peter Hickman shows you some of the new features and how you can use them to more easily manage your firewall.” O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com 11/1/05 4:54 P

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Wednesday 10.12.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-10-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
The tech news for mutiple platforms users from October 5-12, 2005
Apple Unveils the New iPod
The new iPod, featuring a gorgeous 2.5-inch color screen, can display album artwork and photos, as well as play stunning video including music videos, video podcasts, home movies and television shows. The new iPod holds up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or over 150 hours of video and is available in a 30GB model for $299 and a 60GB model for $399, with both models available in stunning white or black designs. Apple Hot News 10/12/05 12:00 AM

Apple Introduces the New iMac G5
The new iMac G5 features a built-in iSight video camera for out-of-the-box video conferencing and Apple’s new breakthrough Front Row media experience. Front Row gives users a simple, intuitive and powerful way to play their music, enjoy their photo slideshows and watch their DVDs and iMovies, as well as popular movie trailers from apple.com and music videos and television shows purchased from the iTunes Music Store, on their iMac from up to 30 feet away using the new bundled Apple Remote. Apple Hot News 10/12/05 12:00 AM

Apple releases QuickTime 7.0.3 -- required for iTunes 6.0, release notes
Apple has released QuickTime 7.0.3, which is required for proper operation of iTunes 6.0.
Several readers report that they are not able to locate the new QuickTime release in Software Up… MacFixIt 10/12/05 12:14 PM

Win2K Users Beware
Of the 14 vulnerabilities for which Microsoft issued patches on the latest Patch Tuesday, one is especially important: a newly discovered Windows 2000 worm hole. MS Watch--Mary Jo Foley 10/12/05 1:50 PM

Don't Let Fear Kill Muni Wi-Fi
You can count on internet service providers to scream bloody murder -- or bloody cybercrime -- to dampen support for municipal Wi-Fi. But the benefits of free and open access outweigh the risks. Commentary by Jennifer Granick. Wired News 10/12/05 1:50 PM

Microsoft Readies Eight Windows Patches
At least nine security fixes are due for October release. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 10/10/05 5:32 AM

Share files and internet connection between 10.4 and XP
A problem I ran into while trying to connect a simple network of a Mac running OS X 10.4 to a PC with Windows XP via a crossover cable was that if I wanted to share my dial-up internet connection from the Mac to the PC, I had... Mac OS X Hints 10/10/05 5:56 AM

Microsoft's Real deal
Software giant and RealNetworks hammer out deal that puts aside legal differences and aims to shore up their respective digital music strategies. CNET News.com 10/11/05 2:25 PM

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Wednesday 9.28.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-09-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News for September 21 to September 28, 2005
Microsoft Office 2003 SP2 released
Released on Tuesday, Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 2 is designed to improve security, application stability and support. CNET News.com 9/28/05 6:32 AM

Apple confirms LCD flaw in "limited" iPod nanos
Apple today confirmed an LCD manufacturing flaw in some of its iPod nanos, while downplaying other... MacNN 9/28/05 8:00 AM

RealPlayer, Helix users at risk of attack
Media players running on Linux face a new security vulnerability that could leave users open to remote attacks, security experts say. CNET News.com - Security 9/27/05 10:53 AM

Yahoo Users Get Phished
Attackers use sophisticated new methods to tap users' IDs and passwords. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/27/05 8:43 AM

Linux.com: Auditor: The Security Tool Collection
"The Auditor security collection is a GPL-licensed live CD based on Knoppix, with more than 300 security software tools. Auditor gives you easy access to a broad range of tools in almost no time..." Linux Today 9/26/05 5:32 AM

Firefox Update Squashes Bug
Mozilla urges update to Firefox 1.0.7 to prevent security breach. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/25/05 5:32 AM

Toolbar, search site aim to guard against phishers
GeoTrust on Monday will unveil free services meant to protect people from unwittingly giving up personal data to fake sites. CNET News.com 9/25/05 9:00 PM

Apple releases iPod Updater 2005-09-23 -- software update for iPod Shuffle
Apple has released iPod Updater 2005-09-23 which includes new iPod Software 1.1.2 for the iPod shuffle. It contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2005-09-06 for all other iPod models. MacFixIt 9/23/05 7:30

Apple releases Security Update 2005-008
Apple has posted Security Update 2005-008 for both Mac OS X 10.4.2 and Mac OS X 10.3.9.
The update includes changes to the following components, per Knowledge Base article…
MacFixIt 9/22/05 6:42 PM

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Wednesday 9.21.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News from September 14 to September 21, 2005.
Mozilla Beats Back Firefox Security Concerns
Mozilla has released a new fix for Firefox vulnerabilities, but now finds the Linux/Korean download files of the stalwart browser have been infected with a virus. Linux Today 9/21/05 9:25 AM

Microsoft releases Office 2004 Service Pack 2
Microsoft has released Office 2004 Service Pack 2 through its AutoUpdate servers.
The new release includes enhancements for Exchange support in Entourage, which Microsoft says will… MacFixIt 9/20/05 9:00 AM

Apple releases iTunes 5.0.1: Fixes, lingering issues
Apple has released iTunes 5.0.1, solving a number of major issues with the 5.0 release (see our special report… MacFixIt 9/20/05 2:40 PM

Apple Introduces Major Enhancements to .Mac
The membership-based online service .Mac now features the following: .Mac Groups, a service that helps members communicate, coordinate schedules and stay in sync with private groups of friends or colleagues; an updated version of .Mac Backup software that makes it easy for members to archive their iLife and other important files; a four-fold increase in combined iDisk and email storage to 1GB for individuals and 2GB for families; and full French and German localization. Apple Hot News 9/20/05 12:00 AM

Steve Jobs to Labels: Just Say No to Greed
The major music labels must resist the urge to get greedy with online downloads, specifically downloads at the iTunes Music Store, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Mr. Jobs said that he will be resisting the labels, who have been urging the online music leader to raise its prices.
The Mac Observer Spin: The fact of the matter is that 99 cents for a digital download is already too much for a digital download, precisely because of the distribution issues afforded by the iTMS. That the labels see only an opportunity to make artificially higher profits, and cannot see that this will only further hurt themselves is simply par for the course… The Mac Observer 9/20/05 5:40 AM

Office 12 makeover takes on 'feature creep'
Microsoft's radical revamp could wake people up to overlooked features, but risks alienating longtime users… CNET News.com 9/20/05 4:00 AM

Spam Slayer: Katrina Scams Proliferate
Spammers take advantage of hurricane misery. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/20/05 5:32 AM

Security Vendor Warns of Google-spoofing Worm
Masquerades as a free version of a Lucasfilm game. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/17/05 5:32 AM

Is the U.S. Protecting Crucial Networks?
Businesses say power grids, communications are secure--but Congress wonders if we're really safe. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/16/05 5:32 AM

Apple fixes Java flaws in Mac OS
Updates fix a handful of vulnerabilities that could be used to bypass security restrictions.
CNET News.com å 9/14/05 11:11 AM

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Wednesday 9.14.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-09-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News for September 7th to the 14th, 2005
Can Spies Decipher Keyboard Clicks?
Researchers 'eavesdrop' and transcribe, warning of security risks. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 9/14/05 10:59 AM

Apple releases Java security update for Mac OS X 10.3.9
The release notes state that this update delivers a number of security enhancements and is recommended for all Macintosh us… MacFixIt 9/14/05 8:31 AM

Microsoft Reissues Windows 2000 Rollup
Microsoft on Tuesday (9.13.05) reissued the Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 Update Rollup that has been causing problems for myriad Windows 2000 customers for the past few months. MS Watch--Mary Jo Foley 9/13/05 4:00 PM

QuickTime 7.0.2 (#3): Downgrading to QuickTime 7.0.1; Causing problems with Mail.app?; more
Downgrading to QuickTime 7.0.1 Apple has now posted a package that will remove QuickTime 7.0.2 and re-install QuickTime 7.0.1 for users experiencing significant issues with the new release. MacFixIt 9/13/05 8:00 AM

internetnews.com: New Linux Kernel Patched
"A pair of potential security vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel has been patched with a new point release..." Linux Today 9/13/05 4:00 PM

ADV: Stopping Crimeware and Malware: How to Close the Vulnerability Window
Computer users can no longer wait for a new vaccine every time a new security threat appears. TruPrevent is an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) that caught and killed all variants of the recent Zotab worm without requiring updates or generating false positives. This whitepaper describes how TruPrevent achieves this level of accuracy. PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 9/12/05 8:23 PM

Virtual goods, real scams
Online game players are spending millions on fantasy assets. Now phishers want a piece of the action. CNET News.com 9/12/05 04:00AM

Mozilla offers temporary fix for Firefox flaw
The patch protects against exploitation of a serious flaw by disabling the browser feature that contains the vulnerability. CNET News.com 9/9/05 05:32PM

Microsoft pulls 'critical' Windows update
A quality issue has moved the software maker to pull the security update that it planned to release on Patch Tuesday. CNET News.com 9/9/05 03:30PM

Putting the squeeze on credit card fraud
At session hosted by Visa, expert offers tips. One eye-opener: Brick-and-mortar stores are favorite targets for thieves. CNET News.com 9/9/05 08:54AM

Katrina victims at risk for ID theft
Ruined homes and businesses are likely to contain documents that criminals can use to hijack an identity, experts say. CNET News.com 9/8/05 04:46PM

Suse Linux 10.0 to hit retail in October
Novell said Wednesday that a retail version of its latest Linux operating system will ship in early October. CNET News.com 9/7/05 8:10 AM Enterprise Software

New Cisco flaw could pose threat to Net
Networking giant warns that a serious flaw in its software puts computer networks at risk of cyberattack, prompting security vendor Symantec to raise its Internet threat level. CNET News.com 9/705 04:35PM

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Wednesday 9.6.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News from August 31st to September 7th, 2005
Apple introduces iPod nano
Apple on Wednesday introduced the iPod nano, its replacement for the popular iPod mini. MacCentral 9/7/05 11:40 AM

Apple introduces iTunes 5: New search bar; new shuffle features; more
Apple has announced iTunes 5, the latest release of its music playing,
purchasing and podcasting software. MacFixIt 9/7/05 11:00 AM

New Ebook: Take Control of Customizing Microsoft Office
Take Control of Customizing Microsoft OfficeKirk McElhearn82 pages. A TidBITS ebook - $10Buy from TidBITS Work faster and more efficiently in Microsoft Office X and Office 2004!You know Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are powerful, but are you harnessing that power effectively? Microsof... Kirkville 9/7/05 12:49 PM

FEMA relief services Windows-only
Hurricane survivors using Mac and Linux computers have been unable to use Federal disaster relief cl... MacNN 9/7/05 5:55 AM

Create Windows-compatible zip files via AppleScript
While I love working on a Mac, I really hate the fact that you don't have an option to remove Mac-specific files from the zip file created by Finder's Create Archive. I often find myself creating an archive on the Mac only to... Mac OS X Hints 9/7/05 5:51 AM

Knowing Too Much
As a civilization, we've gone too far in impinging on individual rights. What's next? Whatever it is, it won't be good. PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 9/7/05 12:49 PM

Xandros Co-Founder Berenstein Dies
"'I have the sad duty to announce that Dr. Frederick H. Berenstein, our co-founder and Chairman, died on September 6, 2005, after a courageous battle over many years,' Xandros CEO, Andreas Typaldos, announced today..." Linux Today 9/7/05 12:49 PM

Indian call center worker arrested
In a new case of alleged data theft, Indian police have arrested a call center employee in the outsourcing hub of Gurgaon. CNET News.com 9/7/05 7:44 AM

Today@Playlist: Using iPods in a cross-platform environment
Need to use an iPod formatted for your Mac on a Windows PC (or vice versa)? Not a problem. I have the key to cross-platform cooperation. MacCentral 9/6/05 1:52 PM

Google Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X
A quick tour of Google's new Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X. It's easy to install and it works great. O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com 9/4/05 10:16 AM

New technology may increase identity theft
British researcher warns that dependence on technology is leading to a breakdown in individual vigilance. CNET News.com September 05, 2005 04:35PM PDT

'DVD Jon' targets Media Player file encryption
Programmer develops tool for removing encoding surrounding multicasts, in effort to give open-source media players access. CNET News.com September 02, 2005 05:28PM PDT

A Windows Media Tip
If you're a Mac user desperate to read some DRM-protected Windows Media files, this tip might help. It's only for oldies and it may not be groundbreaking but hey, it's a start!
O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com 9/1/05 8:16 AM

Virus-infected Creative Zen MP3 players found
And you don't even have to go to the trouble of installing Wullik.B yourself.
CNET News.com September 01, 2005 09:18AM PDT

Mac mini offer quickly dropped
Less than 12 hours after the promotion was launched, Apple Computer pulls 30-day trial offer for Mac mini. Speculation as to why abounds. CNET News.com September 01, 2005 06:42AM PDT

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Wednesday 8.31.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-08-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News from August 24th to August 31st, 2005

Please help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by making a donation to any of the following organizations supplying relief aid:

The Salvation Army: Call 1-800-SALARMY or www.1800salarmy.org

American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund: 1-800-HELP NOW, or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Mail contributions to your local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or online at www.redcross.org

Key Web links for tracking Katrina's aftermath
Sites around the Web offer details on Hurricane Katrina's devastation and information on how you can help. CNET News.com 8/31/05 10:26 AM The Net

Opera offers free registrations for its 10th anniversary
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Opera Software is offering free registrations for its popular Web browser Opera... MacMinute 8/31/05 6:50 AM

Is Malware Hiding in Your Windows Registry?
Security company says vulnerability could allow malicious software to lurk undetected. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 8/31/05 1:54 PM

Timbuktu Pro 8.5 for Mac OS X released (Editors note: this is a great tool for Multiple Platforms users)
Netopia today released version 8.5 of its Timbuktu remote control software for Mac OS X. Simple setup... MacNN 8/31/05 10:55 AM

With 25-song cap, iTunes phone may underwhelm
Also: Sony starts build-to-order PC sales.
CNET News.com 8/31/05 1:54 PM

Create an iPod with both HFS and FAT32 partitions
I'm not a specialist, but I studied the Create a bootable HFS+ partition and a FAT32 partition on one external drive hint to do this. It works for me, with a Powerbook, iPod mini 4GB, Tiger, and tested on Windows XP. Mac OS X Hints 8/29/05 4:28 AM System

Apple offers Mac Mini 'test drive'
Online promotion lets customers return the Mini after 30 days. Is it a sign the company's foray into low-cost computing has fizzled? CNET News.com 8/31/05 12:46 PM

Zotob worm linked to credit card fraud ring
Turkish authorities have linked one of the suspects in the Zotob worm investigation to individuals thought to be part of a credit card fraud ring. CNET News.com 8/30/05 02:33PM PDT

Microsoft investigates another IE flaw report
Software giant probes report of a new browser flaw that, according to its discoverer, could let attackers run malicious code on users' PCs. CNET News.com Monday August 29, 2005 10:30PM PDT

ID theft creates opportunities for data companies
Identity theft is spurring credit bureaus and banks to offer services designed to protect against fraud. CNET News.com Sunday August 28, 2005 05:55PM PDT

U.S. defense networks attacked via China
Web sites in China are being used as a staging ground for attacks on U.S. Defense Department networks, according to reports. CNET News.com Thursday August 25, 2005 05:42AM PDT

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Wednesday 8.24.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News from August 16 to August 24, 2005

Zotob Worm Targets Windows XP
Microsoft admits that more users may be vulnerable to the highly-publicized worm. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 8/24/05 3:34 PM

IM worm speaks your language
New pest targeting users of MSN Messenger looks at a system's settings, then sends its message in one of 10 languages. CNET News.com 8/24/05 12:22 PM Security

Serious IE Flaw Found
Unpatched bug affects Microsoft Office, Visual Studio users. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 8/24/05 3:34 PM

Inside Track v24n15
The stories about the rollout of Longhorn are getting weirder by the minute.
PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 8/24/05 3:34 PM

A Decade Later: Windows 95 Keeps Going … and Going
Microsoft's own worst enemy for Windows Vista is the kinds of users who are still running Windows 95. What, if anything, might convince these die-hards to upgrade?
MS Watch--Mary Jo Foley 8/24/05 3:34 PM

From Melissa to Zotob: 10 Years of Windows Worms
A look back at some of the biggest security attacks against Microsoft's flagship operating system since the launch of Windows 95 a decade ago.
eWEEK Technology News 8/24/05 3:34 PM

CFH Returns to USA in one week!
Well it doesn't look like anyone else is going to announce it so I'll confirm what most of you have already guessed. If you check your Tivo or Yahoo! TV listings you'll notice that Call for Help is back on the schedule at G4.
G4 has purchased the show for air in the US. I will continue to fly to Toronto to produce it, and we're not changing a thing. In fact, as those of you who have been watching it know, it's really more like the Screen Savers of old than Call for Help used to be, especially now that Kevin Rose has agreed to appear on the show twice a week. We'll get Patrick up to Toronto, too, I promise.
Starting August 29 CFH will be on G4 weekdays at 11a Eastern/8a Pacific and weekends at 6 and 7a Eastern. If enough of you watch I'm sure we'll be able to move to a better spot in the schedule. G4 has also purchased the last four months of programs so there will be lots of great stuff from many of your TechTV favorites including Kevin, Alex Lindsay, Steve Gibson, Mr. Excel Bill Jelen, Dick DeBartolo, and of course my Canadian cohort, Amber, Andy, Mike, and Sean.
this WEEK in TECH - your first podcast of the week is the last word in tech 8/22/05 3:34 PM
Apple offers iMac G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues
Apple has announced the iMac G5 Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues, which applies to first generation iMac G5 computers that have video or power-related issues as a result of a…
MacFixIt 8/19/05 9:20 AM Late-Breakers

Apple fixes broken OS X patch
Issues new security update to replace one that disabled support for 64-bit applications in the operating system.
CNET Friday August 19, 2005 11:08AM PDT

Security Update 2005-007 v.1.1 (#4): Instructions for getting the update off your Mac; Safari, Mail.app issues; more
Instructions for getting Security Update 2005-007 off your Mac Several users have experienced such critical issues with Security Update 2005-007 that they wish to revert to a system state…
MacFixIt 8/19/05 8:30 AM Late-Breakers

Apple releases Security Update 2005-007 v1.1, fixes 64-bit bug
I…
MacFixIt 8/18/05 8:05 AM Late-Breakers

Week in review: Worm wallops Windows
A new worm initially thought to be pretty harmless ended up mutating into a series of worms that could shut down Windows PCs, leading some to believe that a war among hackers was to blame.
CNET Friday August 19, 2005 08:12AM PDT

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Monday 8.15.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News from August 8th to August 15, 2005

Exploits Target Latest Microsoft Bugs
Code takes advantage of several recently patched Windows and IE flaws. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 8/15/05 10:04 AM

Microsoft Warns of Windows 2000 Worm Hole Exploits
On Friday, Microsoft warned Windows 2000 users to patch their systems immediately in order to avoid potential exploits for a wormable Windows 2000 flaw that are circulating on underground security Web sites. MS Watch--Mary Jo Foley 8/15/05 10:04 AM

More info on the item above: Zobot Worms Target Windows 2000 Hole
Code attacks through Plug and Play hole that Microsoft addressed last week with a patch. eWEEK Technology News 8/15/05 10:04 AM

Mac OS X for x86 "spreading like wildfire"; Forbes: Macintosh Platform Set For Continued Share G
Mac OS X for x86 "spreading like wildfire" Bit-Tech reports that thousands are PC owners are experimenting after instructions for installing a pirated copy of Mac OS X for x86 processors we … MacFixIt 8/15/05 12:55 AM

High hopes for Apple through next year
Piper Jaffray today announced that Apple is its large-cap sector pick through the rest of the calend... MacNN 8/15/05 8:00 AM

Apple on the Brink
What does the company have up its sleeve? PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 8/15/05 10:04 AM

TechWorld: VMware Adds Para-Linux and x86 Support
"VMware will now support what it calls para-virtualised Linux, and the Solaris x86 operating system in future releases of all its core products..." Linux Today 8/15/05 10:04 AM

New scam asks people to fax away credit card data
New technique comes as people are increasingly skeptical about entering sensitive data in online forms, security specialist Sophos says. CNET Thursday August 11, 2005 07:48AM PDT

Microsoft fixes serious Windows flaws
Microsoft warned of serious security flaws in Windows and urged users to patch as soon as possible. CNET 8/9/05 02:08PM PDT

ID theft ring hits 50 banks, firm says
Sunbelt says an operation that steals data using spyware could affect customers of up to 50 banks. CNET 8/8/05 12:06PM PDT

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Monday 8.8.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News From August 2 to August 8, 2005
The following are news items of interest for Multiple Platforms visitors:

Six Security Bulletins Due Next Week (for Microsoft Users)
According to the early heads-up provided by Microsoft on Thursday, the company plans to release six bulletins next week that will fix a variety of vulnerabilities. MS Watch--Mary Jo Foley 8/8/05 9:02 AM

Microsoft to Reissue Windows 2000 Rollup
Problems continue to dog users who have installed the collection of security and other patches and fixes for Windows 2000 that Microsoft released in late June. eWEEK Technology News 8/8/05 9:02 AM

Report: Banks Make Theft Easy for Phishers
Attackers take advantage of customer conveniences to create fake bank cards. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 8/8/05 9:02 AM

Linux.com: Review: Slax 5.0.6
"Slax is a live CD distribution based on the venerable and time-tested Slackware Linux. Its claim to fame is twofold..." Linux Today 8/8/05 9:02 AM

Another way past Windows antipiracy found
Yet another way emerges to bypass Microsoft's validation tool meant to stop people with the pirated OS from getting downloads. CNET News.com 8/5/05 5:29 PM Security

First potential virus risk for Windows Vista found
update Virus writers are targeting a new Microsoft tool that will be part of Windows and is set to ship as part of the next Exchange e-mail server release.
A virus writer has published the first examples of malicious code that targets Microsoft's upcoming command-line shell, code-named Monad, according to Finnish antivirus maker F-Secure …
CNET News.com Last modified: August 5, 2005, 7:35 AM PDT

Mac OS X 10.4.2 (#14): System fails to startup/shutdown properly, possible solutions
System fails to boot properly, possible solutions We've previously covered a number of issues with startup after installing Mac OS X 10.4.2. These problems can spontaneously occur with any… MacFixIt 8/5/05 9:30 AM Late-Breakers

Apple Introduces Mighty Mouse
CUPERTINO, California--August 2, 2005--Apple today introduced Mighty Mouse, its next generation mouse with several innovative new features that make using a Mac even more powerful and easy. Mighty Mouse offers power users up to four independently programmable buttons, without compromising simplicity for users who prefer just a single-button mouse. Mighty Mouse also introduces an ingenious Scroll Ball that lets users scroll in any direction--vertically, horizontally and even diagonally. With the Scroll Ball, users can scroll with natural, fluid movements, making Mighty Mouse perfect for applications from viewing web pages and photographs, to video editing and music creation. Mighty Mouse is priced at just $49. MacMegasite 8/2/05 10:31 AM Apple News, Hardware

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Monday 8.01.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-08-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
Tech News From July 28 to August 1, 2005
Microsoft Tightens Piracy Policy
Updates hinge upon software validation. [eWEEK Technology News 8/1/05 9:01 AM]

Hackers Hit Windows Genuine Advantage
Days after Microsoft launched Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program, hackers found a way around it. [CRN.com Daily News August 1, 2005]

Windows Vista, IE7 betas leaked
Also: New solar system world has a moon. [CNET News.com 7/30/05 12:49 PM]

Windows Vista: Where's the Buzz?
Is this the end of Microsoft's OS dominance? [PC Mag: John C. Dvorak 7/30/05 12:49 PM]

Net-Crashing Vulnerability Described
Update: Several sites post details of Black Hat talk detailing patchable flaw in Cisco routers. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 7/30/05 12:49 PM]

PCBurn: Ubuntu 5.04: Hardware & Installation
"Ubuntu Linux aims to be a clean user-centric distribution with a simple install and usable defaults..." [Linux Today 7/30/05 12:49 PM]

Black Hat: Hunting bugs, finding holes
At security conference, researchers dig into flaws and fixes--and one gets into a dust-up with Cisco. [CNET News.com 7/29/05 11:40 PM Security]

Sophos bug highlights wider anti-virus flaws
Window of vulnerability… [The Register 7/29/05 9:25 AM]

Mac OS X 10.4.2 (#12): Mail.app 2.0.2 -- last resort for Comcast mail sending issues; Spotlight not finding files with asterisks
Mail.app 2.0.2 -- last resort for Comcast mail sending issues Over the past week we've covered a number of solutions for two key issues facing users of specific ISPs (particularly Comcast) [MacFixIt 7/29/05 7:25 AM Late-Breakers]

Mac OS X 10.4.2 (#11): Response from Symantec regarding Norton AntiVirus preventing FireWire drive unmounting; more
Response from Symantec regarding Norton AntiVirus preventing FireWire drive unmounting Yesterday we reported that in some cases, the "Auto-Protect" component of Norton AntiVirus (NAV) can… [MacFixIt 7/28/05 3:30 PM Late-Breakers]

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Monday 7.25.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.25.05 Tech News Updates
Adieu Lance, Merci
It was no mere coincidence that my recent break occurred at the same time as Lance Armstrong and the Discovery Channel Team challenged the greatest athletes in the bike-racing world in the Tour de France. I like bike racing, the Tour is the penultimate road racing challenge, and Lance Armstrong is my favorite rider and a man I consider to be heroic not because of his racing prowess in as much as for his work in the never ending battle to find a cure for cancer. As I suffer through the first day Tour withdrawals, I thought it would be a great time to remind you that not only has Lance won seven consecutive Tour de France titles, he spent 83 days of the tour sporting the yellow jersey and received an Olympic bronze medal in Sydney in the 2000 Summer Games. Lance has now retired from professional bike racing after only having recorded a mere 25 stage wins during the tour, but he isn’t retiring in his work to win the battle against cancer. So far, Lance has raised 52 million dollars through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I have included a link to the Lance Armstrong Foundation on this web site for the past year and if you would like to purchase a Livestrong bracelet use the link below or the one found on the left side of the page. Adieu Lance, merci… Vive Le Tour, Vive Lance… Merci, OLN!
I enjoyed my break from Multiple Platforms and our vacation to the coast and during that time, I decided that it is no longer possible for me to offer daily news updates. My plan is to offer weekly updates and possibly return to the world of podcasting. My podcasts are listed with iTunes, but I apparently have them in the wrong format or they may not like the fact that the mp3 files are stored on my .Mac account! I am also working full-time on my research, and soon school will begin again. Weekly updates will still be found on this page and I’ll work out a schedule when the university decides what classes I will be assigned. Your questions and annoyances are what I really want to help solve, and please don’t feel like your question is too elementary. Send your questions to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com

These stories are some of the important stories from the past week that might interest Multiple Platforms readers:

New Steps to Reduce Identity Theft
Visa and U.S. Chamber of Commerce launch a nationwide campaign to educate businesses about consumer data security.
PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 7/25/05 12:37 PM

Apple Patches OS X Flaws
Mac OS X Update 10.4.2 fixes two security flaws, including one that potentially opened the platform up to a denial-of-service attack.
eWEEK Technology News 7/25/05 12:38 PM

Security holes add up in second quarter
Between April and June, more than 400 new flaws were discovered
that could let an attacker take control of a PC remotely.
CNET Monday July 25, 2005 07:59AM PDT

'Critical' Kerberos Flaws Could Open Networks to Attack
MIT researchers say the popular authentication protocol is vulnerable to three serious flaws that could allow an attacker to gain access to protected corporate networks.
eWEEK Technology News 7/25/05 12:38 PM

Longhorn to Be Christened 'Windows Vista'
Sources say Microsoft is set to unveil the official name of Longhorn on Friday. And the word on the street is that name will be "Windows Vista."
New Product Update 7/25/05 12:37 PM

Offering a bounty for security bugs
Security vendor TippingPoint wants to be the first to know about
flaws to protect its customers against potential attacks.
CNET Sunday July 24, 2005 09:55PM PDT

Web takes in the Windows Vista
The Internet is buzzing with online reaction to the
newly-announced name for the next version of Windows.
CNET Saturday July 23, 2005 11:01AM PDT

Windows worm poses as iTunes file
A new Windows worm may deceive some users into thinking it’s an iTunes file, according to Trend Micro.
MacCentral 7/20/05 7:55 AM

Warning: 'iTunes' Attachment Is AIM Worm
A new worm spreading via America Online's Instant Messenger piggybacks on the popularity of Apple's iTunes music service.
eWEEK Technology News 7/20/05 4:57 PM

Attackers Tuck Viruses Into Fake E-Mail Greeting Cards
Malicious e-mail messages in general increase 30 percent from last year.
PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories 7/20/05 4:57 PM

ZDNet UK: Thousands Back Petition to Open Source OS/2
"Nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition calling on IBM to publish the source code of OS/2..."
Linux Today 7/20/05 4:57 PM

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
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Friday 7.08.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.08.05
Florida to War Drivers: Just Say No
War drivers in Florida might want to find a new hobby now that the state has arrested a man for allegedly accessing someone’s wireless network, a felony violation in Florida according to a report from PC World. If you haven’t yet, activate your wireless router’s protection and you might consider disconnecting the router when you aren’t using it. For more on this subject surf to CNET:
FAQ: Wi-Fi mooching and the law
Is it legal to use another's network without asking? Is it OK to share your own network? It's not always clear. [CNET News.com]

Trojan Attacks on Rise
According to CNET, an Internet security watchdog has detected a significant increase in Trojan attacks. The Trojans are delivered via email and include attachments named: ‘Downloader.abc’ and ‘Downloader.xz’, sans quotation marks. If you open the attachment you will open a backdoor for a cracker, so just say NO to attachments.

Remove Your Annoyance
If you have an annoyance with your computer, let me help solve the issue. Please include as much information as possible regarding the situation, including what operating system you are using and when you last updated, anything you might have installed prior to the start of the problem, if you are logged on as the administrator when the issue occurs and any other information think might be even remotely related. It really helps to include your email address in the event that I need more background information to solve your problem, but you can submit your question anonymously to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com/.

Open Source Updates
Open source systems have a flaw in their zlib component and most of the following updates and those listed yesterday address this problem according to CNET. Secunia released the following bulletins for open source users: Debian (1, 2, 3, 4), Red Hat, OpenBSD, Conectiva, Mandriva, SuSE, and Fedora.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Gmail account
I still have 25 more Gmail (see below for definition) invitations to share with readers of Multiple Platforms.com and if you would like a Gmail account all you need to do is send me an email to contactus@multipleplatforms.com/ and include the phrase: I want a Gmail account. I will extend an invitation to next 25 emails I receive.

What is Gmail?
This definition has been highlighted previously, but to clarify what Gmail is for new visitors to Multiple Platforms.com we look to Wikipedia: “Gmail is a free webmail service, currently in beta testing, offered by Google, Inc.
For more than a year after Gmail's initial release on March 31, 2004, access to the service was restricted to those who had received an invitation token from an existing account holder.
While Gmail is not entirely open to the general public yet, most Gmail users have many invites to spare, as Google has lately been giving quite a few of these out. Gmail invites are also given away at random through Google's home page.
The service is notable for providing over 2.3 gigabytes of storage space (increased from the original limit of 1.0 gigabyte). This change was announced on April Fool's Day 2005, and was made for the one-year anniversary of Gmail. The announcement was accompanied by a statement that Google would continue to increase storage until they reached the theoretical limit (infinity gigabytes) then give each user one more. All Google will say about this now is that it will keep increasing by the second as long as they have enough space on their servers. Gmail makes intensive use of modern browser features such as JavaScript and keyboard access keys, allowing for a richer user experience, while retaining the benefits of a web application (most importantly, immediate availability of the service on any computer with a supported browser). Gmail also offers 'Basic HTML view' to allow users to access the Gmail messages from almost any computer running almost any web browser, even old ones (not just Internet Explorer 5.5+, Mozilla Application Suite, and Safari).”

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Thursday 7.07.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.07.05
The Tech News seems to be in a summer slump, which is good news for end-users. The following items are news briefs that might be of interest to you.
Is This the Root of Evil?
Windows users are not taking advantage of the upgraded security offered by Microsoft’s Windows XP SP2 update. The problem is that these PCs are perfect targets for enlistment in the growing army of zombie computers:
XP owners shunning security update
Microsoft says only a third of Windows XP machines have the SP2 security update loaded, a Microsoft exec says. [CNET]

Spyware fears prompt changing net habits
Up to a point, Lord Copper… [The Register]

A safe browser? No longer in the lexicon
CERT security analyst Art Manion warns that all Web browsers now face similar threats--and some even share similar design features. [CNET News.com]

Exploit heightens risk from old Firefox flaw
Code that takes advantage of a security hole in older versions of the open-source Web browser could help an attacker take control of PCs. [CNET News.com]

Open Source Updates
Secunia’s bulletins for open source systems include the following: Debian, Gentoo (1, 2, 3, 4), FreeBSD, SuSE, Red Hat, Fedora, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Music for Free
Don’t forget to download your free iTunes song of the week. A new song is available for Multiple Platforms every Tuesday and you can get your tune by clicking on the iTunes Music store logo to the left. If aren’t an iTunes user yet, I have also provided a link for you to download iTunes application.

What is iTunes?
Wikipedia provides this definition for iTunes: “iTunes is a media player, written by Apple Computer, for playing and organizing digital music, video files, and purchasing digital music files in the FairPlay digital rights management format. The iTunes Music Store (also sometimes referred to simply as "iTunes" or "iTMS") is the component of iTunes through which users can purchase digital music files from within iTunes.
The player has gained and maintained a reputation as being easy to use, while still allowing users precisely to organize their music (for example, features such as the smart playlist). iTunes is used to fill Apple's popular digital audio player iPod with songs. The program is freely downloadable and is also supplied with Mac OS X as well as Apple's iLife home-application suite.
iTunes is compatible with computers running Mac OS X, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Previously iTunes supported Mac OS 9, however OS 9 support was removed with version 3.”

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
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Wednesday 7.06.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.06.05
Issues With iTunes Continue
MacFixIt continues to receive reports of problems with the latest update from Apple, iTunes 4.9 and today a new symptom has been included in the list, a loss of the iTunes library. If you are having trouble transferring songs to your iPod or iTunes annoyances post-installation of the latest update you should visit MacFixIt to learn about your options.

More on Internet Explorer Flaw
According to PC World, Microsoft has released software you can use to address the latest flaw discovered in Internet Explorer. The software disables the ‘Javaprxy.dll’ registry file. PC World notes that the aforementioned file is used by Internet Exploder to run the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine. As noted yesterday in this space, Secunia has rated this flaw ‘extremely critical’ (see 7.05.05 Tech News below for more background).

Crackers Today: No Lonely Geeks Need Apply
Yesterday I mocked surprise when confronted with the news that the crackers of today might be linked to organized syndicates and today that thread is continued in an article on a similar topic from CNET: Cracking for Dollars. According to the article, lonely geeks need not apply and the typical cracker today is a “white-collar criminal …”or a “… criminal from a foreign country”. The cracker of today is looking for big bucks, not fame and fortune and a popular method of cracking for dollars is to capture your PC and enlist it in a zombie army. Then your PC becomes a virtual mercenary as the crackers have found a new virtual market for your computer.

Open Source Updates – Adobe 5.x is rated ‘highly critical’
Secunia has these bulletins for open source systems: Conectiva (1, 2, 3, 4) and Debian (1, 2, 3). Secunia also announced a ‘highly critical’ flaw has been identified in Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.x and Secunia recommends that you update to a later version available from Adobe.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Feel the Thunder
The Tip of the Day regards email clients and for Multiple Platforms users, Thunderbird is made to order. The performance of the spam filter exceeds Apple’s offering in the category of false positives. The email client also includes RSS support, privacy protection and more. You can download Thunderbird from Mozilla.org and the price is right, free.

What is RSS?
Wikipedia has this to say about RSS: “RSS provides short descriptions of web content together with links to the full versions of the content. This information is delivered as an XML file called RSS feed, webfeed, RSS stream, or RSS channel. In addition to facilitating syndication, RSS allows a website's frequent readers to track updates on the site using a news aggregator.
RSS is widely used by the weblog community to share the latest entries' headlines or their full text, and even attached multimedia files. (See podcasting, broadcatching and MP3 blogs.)
In 2004 and 2005, after several years of use by early adopters, use of RSS spread to many major news organizations, including Reuters and the Associated Press. Under various usage agreements, providers allow other websites to incorporate their "syndicated" headline or headline-and-short-summary feeds.
A program known as a feed reader or aggregator can check RSS-enabled webpages on behalf of a user and display any updated articles that it finds. It is now common to find RSS feeds on major web sites, as well as many smaller ones.
Client-side readers and aggregators are typically constructed as standalone programs or extensions to existing programs like web browsers. See List of news aggregators for a list of clients for various operating systems.
Web-based feed readers and news aggregators require no software installation and make the user's "feeds" available on any computer with Web access. Some aggregators syndicate (combine) RSS feeds into new feeds, e.g. take all football related items from several sports feeds and provide a new football feed. There are also search engines for RSS feeds like Feedster, Technorati, Pluck or Plazoo.
RSS feeds are typically linked to with an orange rectangle with the letters XML or RSS.”

I use NetNewsWire to check several hundred news sources daily for the tech news found on this page.

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Tuesday 7.05.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.5.05
Gone in Sixty Seconds?
According to realtechnews.com/, it now takes only twelve minutes for your unprotected PC to become compromised by a cracker; somewhat longer than the 60 seconds it takes to steal a car, but remember that 12 minutes in the average and your PC could be gone in sixty seconds without the proper precautions. The basis for the report is a study conducted by Sophos, a security firm (see below). Leo Laporte (host of Call For Help and The Tech Guy on KFI) has provided directions for safely installing Windows and connecting your PC to the Internet.

Increase in Malware Equals Organized Effort?
A CNET article citing the same security firm named in the lead story today states that organized crime maybe behind the skyrocketing increase in computer based attacks. REALLY!?! I just thought that it was because there are an ever increasing number of geeks that want to be crackers and steal from people for a living. The bad news is the attacks are now being deployed on all platforms and aren’t restricted to Microsoft products.

Internet Explorer Bug Will Be Patched
PC World has a report regarding the latest bug affecting Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and the bottom line is a patch will be forthcoming; just don’t hold your breath. A Microsoft spokesperson has acknowledged the issue and security experts expect Microsoft to issue a patch “within a few weeks”. Exhale…

Issues With iTunes Update
MacFixIt reports that the latest iTunes update from Apple is creating headaches for some Apple users. Some of the issues noted include inability to move songs to your iPod, individual track problems and more. If you are experiencing any of these problems, visit MacFixIt for directions on reverting to a previous version of iTunes.

Thanks For The Boost
I maintain this site as a labor of love; I have to because no one has offered to pay me, and it is nice boost when my inbox includes messages like the following one:
“Hey sorry just have to say thank you so much, I was trying to install itunes and i found your guide, saved me an early stroke!
Thanks!!!
Keep up the good work”
Thank you Mr. S! Helping people is my goal as a biology teacher and web master at Multiple Platforms.com (and Californiafairsandfestivals.com/) and I really have fun solving problems, even if I mess up my computers and iPods in the process. So, if something has been annoying you send me an email at contactus@multipleplatforms.com/.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has released the following bulletins over the past several days: Trustix Linux, NetBSD, Ubuntu, and Gentoo (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: iBook Conundrum
I have an iBook that is 26 months old with ten months remaining on the extended warranty. Since my little iBook and I have been together, it has had to go back for repairs six times. Twice for logic board replacement, once each for a corrupt operating system, malfunctioning CD drive, and last week for a new hard drive. The problems started after month three and throughout it all I have been patient and occasionally impressed with the speed that my laptop was repaired. All that goodwill ended after the iBook came back this last time. The problem is it no longer functions, at all … My question: How much is enough? Have any of you returned, or know someone that has returned their iBook for many repairs so often? Has anyone had success with getting Apple to replace a product that is obviously substandard? Let me know about your experiences with Apple and issues like this at: contactus@multipleplatforms.com/.

What is Sophos?
Wikipedia provides the following information on Sophos: “Sophos is a company that specializes in protecting businesses with anti-virus software and products against spam.
Founded in 1985, Sophos is a privately-owned company, with its global headquarters based in Abingdon Science Park in Abingdon, Oxfordshire in the UK. The company has subsidiaries in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Singapore.
Sophos provides solutions to deal with viruses and spam in the form of Sophos Anti-Virus, PureMessage and MailMonitor.
Over 900 people work for Sophos worldwide. Over 35 million users from organizations of all sizes use its software and 24/7 technical support.”

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
Visit our other web site, CaliforniaFairsandFestivals.com

Friday 7.01.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-07-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
7.01.05
Lance Armstrong Begins Podcasting
Livestrong leader and six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has joined the podcasting fad according to CNET. I have not had a chance to check out the podcast, but I certainly will over the weekend. If you would like to order a package of Livestrong bracelets, please use the link found on the left side of this page. Speaking of podcasts, I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to produce a new episode of Life in a Multiple Platforms World lately. I hope to return to the podcasting world soon, and thanks to all of you that are still downloading my previous podcasts.

New Flaw for Internet Explorer
Secunia released a security bulletin rated ‘highly critical’ for users of Internet Explorer (5.0.1; 5.5; 6.x). The flaw could allow crackers to gain control of your computer. Secunia suggests: “The vendor recommends setting Internet and Local intranet security zone settings to ‘High’.” You could also check out the Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com (below) regarding alternative browsers.

PCMag.com Reviews Top Security Tools
PCMag.com has a great review of security products to protect you from the types of intrusion perpetrated on a daily basis by evil-crackers. Several of the tools are free, others come with a fee, and some will work on Multiple Platforms.

Bogus Microsoft Alerts Rise Again
PCWorld.com is reporting that bogus emails that claim to be from Microsoft are on the rise and if you open the message, your PC might join the growing army of zombie computers. Remember, all Microsoft email messages are digitally signed and the company doesn’t distribute updates via email.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these notices posted for open source systems: Debian (1, 2), and Mandriva (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Surf With Another Browser
The end of the month statistics for this web site show Internet Explorer as the most commonly used browser, and the story above about Internet Exploder is just another in a long line of security bulletins for application. If you would like to surf with another browser, you should look at Firefox from Mozilla.org/. Remember, you still must exercise caution when using any browser, but of late the open source community seems to respond faster to security breaches than their corporate counterparts.

What is a Browser?
According to Wikipedia, “A web browser or Internet browser is a software application that enables a user to display and interact with HTML documents hosted by web servers or held in a file system. Popular browsers available for personal computers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari. A browser is the most commonly used kind of user agent. The largest networked collection of linked documents is known as the World Wide Web.”

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
Visit our other web site, CaliforniaFairsandFestivals.com

Thursday 6.30.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.30.05
New Legislation Aimed at Tightening Security; but does it go far enough?
CNET is carrying a timely story regarding new legislation proposed on the national level to cut down on the prolific growth of security breaches that affect the individual consumer as well as unsuspecting merchants. The bills if enacted as currently drafted would surely bring howls of protest from the credit card and business interests, but the bill still lacks any significant deterrents for the mega-billion dollar corporations who have routinely been lackadaisical in their efforts to protect our vital information. If I sound somewhat bitter, angry, or just plain fed-up, let me assure you I have a reason to be. Allow me to explain.
How many ways can you be compromised?
As an employee of the State of California, my vital information including social security number, date of birth, drivers license number and more have been illegally exposed on three separate occasions (that we have been informed of) and in each of those cases we were collectively assured that there was nothing to worry about. However, we were advised to check our credit reports frequently. If that were my only complaint with security breaches, I might feel less inclined to crow this loudly; and thankfully, the breaches haven’t resulted in someone assuming my identity.
However, the story of corporate and bureaucratic ineptitude isn’t quite finished and long-time readers may recall that I wrote about becoming a victim to credit card skimming (see below for definition). Crackers using software and a compliant merchant to find active numbers obtained our credit card number and expiration date. In defense of our credit institution, they quickly froze our account and we were not held liable for any of the charges. Furthermore, this was a new type of crack attack and it seems that the companies involved have closed the door on this swindle. With the latest wave of disclosures regarding credit information, I cranked up the volume on the need to increase the penalties for this type of problem, not realizing that the ugly-credit monster was about to strike our home again. This time the news arrived in the form of a letter from our bank detailing the fact that are credit card number and expiration date were part of the information crackers gained when raiding ChoicePoint. Remember, these problems are not associated with the Internet per se, or transaction over the same. In all of the above instances, the fact that I’m a confirmed Internet user hasn’t prompted these issues and any or all of the occurrences could happen to anyone that has a credit card, social security number, or in short if you are or were breathing.
The fact that these problems hit home with United States Senator Patrick Leahy has prompted the call for more legislation, but as I mentioned previously, the senator’s bill lacks a bite for these corporations that can’t keep the back door closed. Stay tuned for more…

Open Source Updates
Secunia released these bulletins: FreeBSD (1, 2), Fedora, and Red Hat.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Dog Friendly Travel
We are planning for an upcoming vacation and of course, our dogs need a vacation too. This year I found a great web site for pet people, DogFriendly.com/. The site provides you with links to lodging, places, and activities you can enjoy with your pet while on your annual respite. We found several places to stay for each of our chosen rest stops and the folks at The Inn at Schoolhouse Creek seem to actually be excited about the arrival of our dogs.

What is Skimming?
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau supplies this definition: “Credit card skimming is a practice that has been around for over a decade but, has increased in frequency the past two or three years.
Here is how it works. Skim artists recruit gofers, who then find temporary work within restaurants, hotels and retail establishments. The recruits are given small, illicit, electronic devices, known as skimmers, that capture all of the credit or debit card's details (name, address, telephone number, card number, credit limit and PIN number) in the few seconds that it takes to swipe the card through the machine.
When the unsuspecting customers go to pay their bill, their card is first swiped through the legitimate credit card machine, but then, secretly, it is also swiped through the smaller skimmer machine. The gofer then passes the gadget on to the skim artist, who pays them cash for their part in the crime. Once the skim artist has the details, he downloads the information onto a computer and makes up a fake card. The "cloned" card is embossed with the details of the victim's credit card and passed on to others, who may sell the card or use it for their own benefit.”

Another form of skimming involves harvesting your credit card number and expiration date with software programs aimed at compliant merchants. Once the software detects a positive hit on a number, the crooks quickly target other unsuspecting merchants for anything they can get their hands on without risking capture. The latter is the form of skimming that we fell victim to.

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
Visit our other web site, CaliforniaFairsandFestivals.com

Wednesday 6.29.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.29.05
New Worm Uses John Paul ll as Hook
The latest worm is using the passing of John Paul ll as a hook for unwary PC users and if you are infected your security system will be history. CNET is reporting on this and another attack by a Bagle variant that is enlisting zombie computers via a Trojan horse. The compromised PCs are then used in nefarious ways; what a shock!

Adobe Patch for Macs
As reported here yesterday Mac owner using Adobe applications should update the program to avoid security issues. CNET has more on this threat to Apple users.

Virtual PC for Mac Has Update
Microsoft has released an update for Virtual PC for Mac that will address the conflicts that Tiger users are currently experiencing according to a report by MacCentral. If you are having problems with Virtual Switch, Zero Configuration, or printing issues make sure you install the update.

Searching For Multiple Platforms Printer
If you are working on your Mac and cannot locate a printer that is connected to your PC then Apple has a tip that will help you isolate and eliminate the irritation.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following security or update bulletins for open source users: Mandriva (1, 2), Sun Solaris, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Test Your Defenses
If you would like a free security assessment of your computers’ defenses then Steve Gibson’s GRC.com is the place to visit. Steve has provided Shields Up, an excellent test package that will give your computers’ security blanket a thorough inspection and alert you of any vulnerability that may leave your box at risk.

Who is the Creator of Shields Up?
The creator of today’s tip of the day is Steve Gibson and Wikipedia has this about that: “Steve Gibson (b. March 1955) is a computer engineer and journalist based in Laguna Hills, California. Gibson has had a long career in the technology field starting in his teen years. He began in hardware projects but moved more towards software development in the 1980s. Gibson founded Gibson Research Corporation in 1985, and is currently its primary employee. Gibson is also a contributing editor to InfoWorld magazine.
In the 1980’s, his SpinRite program optimized the efficiency of hard disks. SpinRite has evolved to this time (early 2005) into a data loss prevention and data recovery utility.
Gibson is an advocate of assembly language programming, and prides himself with writing whole applications exclusively in assembly language. He is one of several advocates of optimizing computer programs and reducing the size of their executables.
Gibson has garnered criticism for certain writings on computer security which allegedly do no more than spread fear. He has also been accused of shameless self-promotion, and has oft been likened to a snake oil merchant. These accusations notwithstanding, he has developed and distributed (for free) a number of useful security tools, including the popular ShieldsUp port-scanning site. His writings also provide something of a glimpse into the world of hackers and crackers, of which he counts himself one of the former.”

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Tuesday 6.28.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.28.05
Tech News Briefs
Due to circumstances beyond my control (an emergency trip to the vet), the tech news today is confined to the following leads:

Moderately Critical Adobe Flaw For Macs
Secunia has released a security bulletin graded ‘moderately critical’ for Mac users that use Adobe Acrobat or Reader 7.x/. The company suggests: “Update to version 7.0.2.”

iTunes 4.9 "taking Podcasting mainstream
Apple today announced it is "taking Podcasting mainstream" by building everything users need to disc... [MacNN]

Trace 2 unearths risks in Office files
Update of scanning tool scans local files and the Web for Office documents to find hidden data or potentially sensitive information. [CNET]

More on Supreme Courts Actions
Grokster Ruling Begins the Good Fight
Opinion: It's not censorship; the government can and should enforce laws on the U.S. Internet. [PCMag:Tech Commentary]

FAQ: The Supreme Court's ruling against P2P
What did they say? What does it mean to me? Questions about Grokster and file swapping's future answered. [CNET]

Text of Supreme Court ruling on Grokster
Read the majority opinion on the case and concurrences written by Justice Ginsburg and Justice Breyer. [CNET]

Grokster case: Winners and losers
Supreme Court ruling could have profound impact on tech landscape--beyond current battle of Hollywood vs. a few P2P sites. [CNET]

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates for open source systems: Linux and Ubuntu (1, 2).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com and What is …? will return tomorrow.

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
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Monday 6.27.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.27.05
Supreme Court Rules: Grokster and Others Liable
File-swappers have taken a direct hit and the movie and recording industry are the clear winners after the Supreme Court ruled that if you build it, you’re responsible for the events that follow. According to the release by CNET, “In a unanimous decision, the justices ruled companies that build businesses with the active intent of encouraging copyright infringement should be held liable for their customers' illegal actions.” The real looser appear to be innovators like Grokster; will the affect of a ruling like lead to a decline in new technology? Apparently, the Justices feel that the latter is preferable to any ‘possible’ or alleged loss by the recording industry and Hollywood interests. It makes me ponder what would have happened if the recording industry had been this powerful in the late 1950s and had prevailed in a similar manner to prevent public access to video recorders. Just think of the billions of dollars in revenue the movie studios and record companies have lost because you and I have had the ability to record episodes of The Brady Bunch, and then swap and give those videos to friends and family!

More on File Swapping:
Who's who in the P2P debates
The Grokster case has prompted dozens of organizations to weigh in. Here's a rundown of key players and why they care. [CNET]

The evolution of file swapping
Four generations of file swapping have laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court decision. [CNET]

Flaw Repaired in Update for Macs
Mac users should install the patch for RealPlayer according to a report from MacNN. We reported about this same flaw last week and it could allow a cracker to compromise your Mac, so make sure you install the patch if you are using software from RealPlayer.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following bulletins for open source users: SuSE (1, 2), Fedora (1, 2, 3), Gentoo, Mandriva (1, 2) and Trustix.

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com: Lance Armstrong Foundation
Lance Armstrong is preparing for the upcoming Tour de France, but the preparations for the fight against cancer will never stop and you can help in the fight to find a cure by purchasing a Livestrong Bracelet. These immensely popular symbols of hope are available from the Lance Armstrong Foundation Store. Just click on the link on the left side of this page and you can order the bracelets and other items and help support Lance’s battle to find the answer to cancer.
Alternatively, click here: LAF

What is the Tour de France?
Today we will temporarily deviate from the normal tech word for another type of tech world, bicycle racing and the penultimate event is the Le Tour de France. Wikipedia provides this definition: “The (Le) Tour de France (French for Tour of France), also simply known as Le Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. It has been held annually since 1903, only interrupted by World War I and World War II, and is now one of the world's largest sporting events.
Along with the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) and the Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), the Tour de France makes up cycling's "Grand Tours".”

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Friday 6.24.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.24.05
Real Player Users Should Update
If you use RealPlayer, you should update the application to avoid leaving your computer open to crackers. Secunia released a bulletin regarding the issue, CNET has an article about the update, and the holes you’ll be leaving open if you don’t install the update.

New Beta Version of Anti-Spyware from Microsoft
Mary Jo Foley of Microsoft Watch is reporting that Microsoft has released a new beta version of their anti-spyware application. I have yet to try it so I can’t report on any of the new features and the item from Microsoft Watch is short on details regarding the same.

When Does Adware Become Spyware – Part 2
PC World has updated a previously published article regarding the delisting of some spyware and the item was cited here as an example of why you need more than one spyware removal tool at work on your computer. PC World has updated the article to reflect new data presented in their magazine in July; surf to their web site to learn more.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates notices for open source users: Red Hat (1, 2, 3) and Sun Solaris (1, 2).

Tip of the day from Multiple Platforms.com
Download a free song from the iTunes Music Store. Just click on the iTMS logo on the left side of this page and you’ll be jamming to a new song in no time.

What is Adware?
Wikipedia supplies the following definition for Adware: “Adware or advertising-supported software is any computer program or software package in which advertisements or other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software and displayed or played back after installation or in which information about the computer or its users activities is uploaded automatically when the user has not requested it. These applications often present banner ads in pop-up windows or through a bar that appears on a computer screen.
The Opera web browser is a popular example. Adware helps some developers recover programming development costs, and it may allow the software to be provided to the user of the application free of charge or at a reduced price: due to the advertising, the programmer may still profit from the wide use of their work, motivating them to write, maintain, and upgrade the software product.
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, loyaltyware, 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 knowledge or consent. These programs are often called spyware; however, the word adware is sometimes also used to describe spyware.
spyware has prompted an outcry from computer security and privacy advocates, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center [1] (http://www.epic.org). Often, spyware applications send the user's browsing habits to an ad serving company, which then targets adverts at the user based on their interests. Kazaa and eXeem are popular programs which incorporate software of this type.”

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Thursday 6.23.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.23.05
Systems Safer When Not Running as Admin
Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI and host of Call For Help has warned listeners and viewers not to run their computers (PCs or Macs) as administrators because of the greater likelihood that you will allow an action that will compromise the security of your system. According to a report in eWeek, others are now striking the same tune as The Tech Guy, and a security guru from Microsoft details how many users could have avoided infection if they were not running their PCs as admins. Apparently, ‘default’ use of the admin account will change in Longhorn (see below).

Browser Flaw Confirmed By Mainstream Media
Not to toot my own horn, but the browser flaw I reported about on June 21st, 2005 was confirmed by the mainstream media outlets yesterday. The corporate tech news reporters used the same source I used, Secunia. I’m not sure why it took CNET and PC World so much longer to report the fact.

Preview of Microsoft’s Long-Delayed Longhorn
PC World and several other tech news sources are previewing the soon-to-be-released or long-delayed new operating system from Microsoft, Longhorn. If you are interested, follow the link to the article:
Longhorn Preview
The newest versions of the next Windows add graphics sizzle and more search features but lack visible productivity enhancements. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Review and Comparison of OpenOffice.org Writer and Microsoft’s Word
Bruce Byfield was one of the first to review the office applications from OpenOffice.org and in his latest report for NewsForge, he reviews the writing tools from OpenOffice and Microsoft. After an extensive report and comparison of the programs, Bruce declares that the free product is equal to or superior to the commercial product, and that supports a similar opinion stated in this forum on numerous occasions (see 6.10.05. Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: OpenOffice).

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following bulletins: Linux Kernel, Mandriva, Gentoo (1, 2, 3), and SuSE (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day From Multiple Platforms.com
The tip of the day will return next week.

What is Longhorn?
The term Longhorn conjures up images of cowboys and cattle drives. The new Longhorn on the range will carry the Microsoft brand and Wikipedia supplies this alternative definition of Longhorn: “Longhorn is Microsoft's codename (for a full list see Microsoft codenames) for the next version of its Windows operating system, to follow on from Windows XP SP3 [1] and Windows Server 2003. It was originally expected to ship sometime early in 2006 as a minor step between Whistler and Windows Blackcomb (Longhorn is a name of a sports bar at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort).
Gradually, Longhorn assimilated many important new features and technologies of Blackcomb. On August 27, 2004, Microsoft announced that they are delaying release of WinFS so that Longhorn could be released in "a reasonable timeframe" (officially marked as December of 2006). Two beta versions have been planned, the first expected to debut in Q2 2005 and the second in Q4 2005, with release candidates to be released throughout 2006.
Longhorn is currently available as a preview release available to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers, and at select Microsoft developer conferences. The preview release is classified as an alpha version at the moment, and as such its performance and feature sets are not necessarily representative of the release product. As with many products (including all Windows releases since 98) it has since been leaked onto popular file sharing networks.”

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Wednesday 6.22.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.22.05
Swallowed it: Hook, Line, and Sinker
John C. Dvorak is a tech journalist extraordinaire and he exercises his innate capabilities before jumping on any bandwagon. In his latest column published by PCMag, John has spotted the wolf wearing sheep’s clothing again; this time it revolves around the latest shtick regarding the dangers of BitTorrent and P2P file sharing. Mr. Dvorak credits this media snow job to Microsoft and the motivation for the company to create the latest rhetoric is provided in his article. Yes, I fell into the trap in that I published a link to the story, but in my defense, I did use a question mark in the headline and presented the piece as a story from a usually reliable source. Read more here:
The Scheme to Discredit BitTorrent
Don't believe everything you read. [PC Mag: John C. Dvorak]

Low Tech Tip: Shred Smartly
This tip from eWeek doesn’t exactly qualify as a high tech tip, but it might save you from a high invest of time and frustration: when shredding, shred smart or don’t bother. Crosscut shredders will provide you with a higher degree of protection and despite the shrill noise created here and elsewhere regarding compromised security and identity information, the easiest method to steal your ID is still from your trashcan.

Microsoft Word Alternatives Updated
NeoOffice/J 1.1 for Mac-heads and kOffice 1.4 have been updated according to MacNN and LinuxToday, respectively. I have tried previous versions of both these excellent open source Microsoft Office alternatives, have found them equal to or superior to most Office tools and the price is right, free.

The iTunes Podcast Software Might Cause Conflict
If it sounds to good to be true, wait to publish it… Well, if it seems to be that way lately it is because the preceding is true. You might want to read the following from Playlist before installing the much-heralded software plug-in for podcasting called BadApple. Actually, the bug is bothering Windows iTunes users only so far:
News: BadApple may be a bad apple
Third-party plug-in for iTunes podcasting causing problems. [MacCentral]

Do You Want to be an Antivirus Checker?
If you want to test OneCare Live, the new antivirus service that Microsoft plans to release in the near future, check out the article published by CNET. The beta release will follow this alpha trial sometime this summer according to Microsoft.

New Kernel from Linux/ Sun Solaris Express Update
The latest release from Linus Torvalds, version 2.6.12 is available according to a report from PC World. The new release contains major changes and driver updates. CNET is reporting that Sun Microsystems has released another version of Solaris Express.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following bulletins for open source systems: Fedora (1, 2), Gentoo (1, 2), Ubuntu (1, 2), and Slackware.

What is BitTorrent?
According to Wikipedia, “BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file distribution tool written by programmer Bram Cohen and debuted at CodeCon 2002. The reference implementation is written in Python and is released under the BitTorrent Open Source License (a modified version of the Jabber Open Source License), as of version 4.0.
With BitTorrent, files are broken into smaller fragments, typically a quarter of a megabyte each. As the fragments get distributed to the peers, they can be reassembled on a requesting machine in a random order. Each peer takes advantage of the best connections to the missing pieces while providing an upload connection to the pieces it already has. This scheme has proven particularly adept in trading large files such as videos and software source code. In conventional downloading, high demand leads to bottlenecks as demand surges for bandwidth from the host server. With BitTorrent, high demand can actually speed throughput as more bandwidth and additional “seeds” of the completed file become available to the group. Cohen claims that for very popular files, BitTorrent can support about a thousand times as many downloads as HTTP.”

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Tuesday 6.21.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.21.05
Universal Browser Flaw
A JavaScript flaw has prompted Secunia to release security bulletins graded ‘less critical’ and with the exception of one, the solution is the same: don’t surf to unsavory sites. The flaw exists in the Mozilla browser family, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Opera with an update available for the latter. Additionally, Safari and Internet Explorer for Macs suffer from the same flaw.

Tech News Briefs
Summer vacation is upon us, but my research project is shifting into high gear so here are some tech news headlines with leads (italicized) and links for your surfing pleasure. The theme of the day seems to be security, security, and more security:

Security Tools Next Cracker Target
Security tools face increased attack
As the pool of Windows security bugs dries up, analysts say hackers are turning to security software to break into PCs. [CNET News.com]

Massive Theft of Credit Card Info
Over the weekend we learned of yet another breach of trust and the extent of those that might be effected is still unknown. Some news sources claim that it the investigators are responsible for the uncertainty as they are still developing the case against the perpetrators. Read more from these sources:
Details emerge on credit card breach
Payment processor didn't meet guidelines, MasterCard says, as details come out about the break-in that exposed 40 million accounts. [CNET News.com]

Security Breach Exposes 40 Million Credit Cards
Network vulnerabilities allowed an outsider to access the info, company says. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories]

Major Card Vendors Stay Mum on Data Breach
Citing a lack of information and FBI requests for silence, most major credit card issuers are keeping quiet about how many of their customers were caught up in the hack into a third-party transaction processor's network. [eWEEK Technology News]

Are Security Solutions Just Feel Good Medicine?
According to this release by The Register, the protection we are receiving from security applications are not much protection, and this maybe true. A router with NAT protection can provide with as much protection as many firewalls, especially if the firewall owners fail to keep them up to date. Read on about the subject here:
Security products 'riddled' with bugs
Who guards the guards? [The Register]

Apple Drops Virex from .Mac
I used to encourage people purchasing a Mac from to invest in a .Mac account because it included a virus scanner from MacAfee among other things; note the past tense in the previous phrase. MacFixIt reports that we those of us that are .Mac members will no longer have the luxury of a ‘free’ antivirus program. It seems that Apple is perturbed over recent conflicts with Virex and MacAfee’s attempts to patch the problem have not provided proper remedies according to the report. The same protection from MacAfee is double the cost of a .Mac account, illustrating that we were correct in previously emphasizing what a bargain the account with Apple was, note the previous tense, and let us hope that the release of Virex from the package supplied by Apple isn’t the start of an unsavory trend.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates for those of us using open source systems: OpenBSD and Gentoo.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

What is .Mac?
Wikipedia tells us that: “.Mac refers to a group of online services offered by Apple Computer. These include website hosting with preexisting templates, IMAP and web-based email, iDisk online storage via WebDAV, a free copy of McAfee's Virex antivirus software, backup software and other "specials" offered by Apple to subscribers.
Apple previously offered the .Mac service for free under the name iTools, which drew to a close in September of 2002 after .Mac debuted in July, at Macworld Expo New York. Mac users had varied responses to this move. Critics called the .Mac service overpriced at $99 USD and did not appreciate that subscribers of iTools who did not subscribe to .Mac lost their @mac.com email address. Advocates cited the improved services. Apple eventually included a referral program where referrers received 20% off their next year of .Mac for each paid referral.
2 of the 5 iLife applications (iPhoto and iMovie) are integrated with .Mac, allowing .Mac members to share their movies, photos and personal files through the iDisk and .Mac homepages. Apple also includes Backup software for Mac OS X to use with .Mac. iSync is also supported by allowing users to synchronize their address book, calendars, and Safari bookmarks.”

If you would like to take a .Mac account for a free spin, just click on the link found on the left-side of this page.

Please visit Multipleplatforms.com for the links to these stories and more.
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Monday 6.20.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.20.05
Trend Setters?
According to a report from PC World, the coordinated attack aimed at U.K. business and government computers could be indicative of a new trend in cracker attacks. The new hook is a twist on social engineering and targets specific individuals within an organization as targets for secured information. Even though the targets in this case are commercial, the bottom line for this article seems to be that we’ll see the same methods used against the rest of us soon.

Firefox and Spotlight Aren’t Getting Along
MacFixIt readers are reporting a conflict between the Firefox family of browsers and the new indexing tool including in Tiger, Spotlight. Apparently, every time Firefox is shutdown a new bookmark is added to Firefox. To correct the problem you need to open System Preferences and select Spotlight; then click on the Privacy tab and select the add button (bleow the list field) then browse to Firefox and double-click to add it to locations you don’t want Spotlight to index. You might also want to include external hard drives that contain backup information also.

TWITS Return
If you are a fan of This Week In Tech you are in luck, podcasts from this week and the last week are now available. Visit the web site for mirror sites and more.

Zombie Prevention 101
It is far easier to keep your computer from becoming a zombie than it is to recover after crackers have co-opted your PC and for proof, you can visit PC World for the directions on how to recover your box post-infection. The article also explains the new market for your computer after it has been zombie-fied.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released these bulletins for open source users: OpenBSD, SuSE, Slackware, and Gentoo (1, 2, 3).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com is on sabbatical this week.

What is a Zombie?
Wikipedia has this information on a zombie: “A zombie computer (abbreviated zombie) is a computer attached to the Internet that has a hidden software program or backdoor. This backdoor allows the computer to be remotely controlled by others. Some uses for a zombie include conducting distributed denial of service attacks or sending spam, while not revealing an attacker's true identity.
Backdoors are often installed with spammed Trojans or e-mail worms.”

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Friday 6.17.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.17.05
Are Torrent File Sharers Risking Security?
According to CNET, those PC users that are sharing files through BitTorrent may now find that spammers are sharing their server space. The tool that can allow for legitimate uses, like sharing large files for DNA research, is fast becoming a favorite asset for crackers seeking to spread their spam.

AOL Number 1 in Unwanted Installation CDs and Zombies
Not only are we all privileged to be bombarded through snail mail by AOL’s constant inundation of install CDs from the former Internet giant, it now appears that the company may be responsible for a large proportion of the zombie computers that are responsible for spewing out the ever increasing volume of spam. PC World has the report and the bad news is that AOL still has enough market share to make all our email boxes overflow. Thanks AOL, hope you get some mail!

Slow Safari Connection After Update
MacFixIt continues to carry reports of Mac-heads experiencing slow downs or worse when surfing with Safari post-update installation. Most of those battling this issue report that persistence is the key, however others are resorting to alternative browsers. Apple will most likely take corrective action if the level of conflicts continues to prompt responses similar to the aforementioned.

Firefox Alpha 2 Released
If you want to contribute to the learning curve or just try out the latest offering from the Firefox/ Mozilla community, the Firebird 2.0 public Alpha release is available. Remember that you don’t want to use an alpha or beta release of a browser to accomplish mission critical tasks like banking, test taking, or any other activity that you are depending on.

Multiple Platforms Sharing Enhanced
Lava Software has just given Multiple Platforms users a huge boost and a great tool with the release of PC-Mac-Net FileShare v4.5 a tool that will let you swap files among your various platforms. I have tried it on my LAN and it the free version worked flawlessly although there is a file size limitation imposed on the non-commercial application. I will give the software an Internet trial this weekend, time allowing and report the results next week. If you have already established a network connection between your PC and Mac or Linux you more than likely can move files faster utilizing those pathways, but if you have a networking phobia, this may be the prescription you have been searching for. You can go to VersionTracker or Lava Software to download the tool.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following updates for the open source world: Red Hat (1, 2, 3) and Fedora (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Router 101
I accidentally disconnected the Ethernet cable between my broadband modem and my router last weekend and at the time at had no idea it would be the basis for a tip for this week. However, the confusion I temporarily experienced after reconnecting the cable set the wheels in motion for the final tip for this week. When you interrupt the connection between your modem and router, you need to power everything down first or you will not be able to establish Internet connectivity. After turning off the modem, router, and your computer you should first restart the modem, then restore the power to the router. Make sure your router LED begins to blink signaling that communication with the Internet is occurring. Now start up your computer and you should be able to surf away again. Dig out the manual for your router for the specific directions.
Bonus Tip: While you have the manual for the router handy, make sure you are not using the default password or the protection you gain from the router (NAT see below for definition) could be compromised by a sly cracker that uses the default password to take over your computer.

What is NAT?
This has been a word of the day frequently in this forum, but the NAT protection a router provides is worth repeating and Answers.com provides this explanation: “(Network Address Translation) An IETF standard that allows an organization to present itself to the Internet with far fewer IP addresses than there are nodes on its internal network. The NAT technology, which is implemented in a router, firewall or PC, converts private IP addresses (such as in the 192.168.0.0 range) of the machine on the internal private network to one or more public IP addresses for the Internet. It changes the packet headers to the new address and keeps track of them via internal tables that it builds. When packets come back from the Internet, NAT uses the tables to perform the reverse conversion to the IP address of the client machine. NAT is also provided with Windows Internet Connection Sharing (see ICS).
One disadvantage of NAT is that it defeats "Internet transparency," which means that packets remain intact from end to end (see RSIP).
NAT Adds Security
NAT not only conserves public IP addresses, but it also enhances security by keeping internal addresses hidden from the outside world. NAT prevents several kinds of first-level attacks, but not all, and must be used in conjunction with a personal firewall in a home network and more robust firewalls in a company (see firewall).”

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Thursday 6.16.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.16.05
Crackers Attack United Kingdom
CNET is reporting that attacks by crackers on business and government in the United Kingdom are on the rise and approaching a critical stage. According to the article, these attacks appear to be originating from East Asia. The article notes that Microsoft’s software is the most vulnerable to the assault and that Trojan horse attacks are the preferred method of infiltration. The report originates from a government watchdog agency, National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre.

More on the Apple Switch
The debate continues on the switch to Intel by Apple and the company has provided the best fodder for tech writers during a slow news period. eWeek has a nice feature on how the switch might eventually lead to a less expensive computer from Apple and speculates on whether the Apple platform will run on any PC processor without modification. Meanwhile, CNET is reporting that Apple want to trademark ‘Mactel’ and MacFixIt has a link to a story in Fortune that claims Dell is interested in Apple’s OS X platform.

Opera Users Should Update
Secunia is recommending that surfers using Opera as their browser of choice update to version 8.0.1 to avoid a javascript flaw that could allow a cracker to gain control of your computer.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has released the following bulletins for open source systems: Mandriva (1, 2), SuSE, Sun Solaris, and my favorite Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Twice Isn’t Always Nice
Having two of some things can be good or bad depending on the object. If you have duplicates of the same song in your iTunes library, this can be a bad thing if you’re fighting the battle of the bulge (in hard drive space). To locate any duplications open iTunes and click on Edit from the toolbar, then select ‘Show Duplicate Songs’. Your browser will display the music with more than one copy. To learn more about the individual file, highlight the item then click on the Apple key and ‘I’ or the Control key and ‘I’ for Windows users. In my case, the songs with multiple copies were a result of my converting them to mp3 files in order to play them on our iRiver music player.

What is a Critical Update?
Wikipedia has this definition for a critical update, “A critical update is a broadly released fix for a specific problem that addresses a critical, non-security-related bug.
Microsoft is well known for their massive amount of critical updates for their operating systems, but they never seem to solved much as new security holes appear all the time.”

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Wednesday 6.15.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.15.05
Internet Explorer Holes Plugged by Patch
As noted yesterday, the patches released by Microsoft are important and the crackers will be pouncing on the newly identified entry points these updates address. PC World has more on the updates and emphasizes the severity of the holes left open if you do not patch your PC in a timely manner. I applied the patches last night to my XP Pro system without incident, the same cannot be said for my installation of the latest patch from Apple (see below).

Highly Critical Java Flaw Has Fix
According to CNET, Sun Microsystems released an update that repairs a flaw that earned an ‘extremely critical’ rating from Secunia. Those affected by the problem include users of Windows, Linux, and Solaris.

Update Adobe 7.0 to Avoid Problems
Secunia also advises users to update Adobe 7.0 to version 7.0.2 to avoid a flaw in that program.

Problems With Apple Security Update
After installing the latest update from Apple on my iMac, the computer froze while booting. I can’t really blame it on the security update because of a number of other possible factors might have contributed to this issue. I broke one of my cardinal rules: only apply one update at a time. As I mentioned on Monday, good usually won’t satisfy the perfectionist in me and in my never ending zeal to have a smooth running computer I updated a variety of programs and firmware after running a check via VersionTracker. After installing a batch of patches, I elected to install the updates from Apple manually through the Software update feature. Before this, I repaired disk permissions, powered down and disconnected my external firewire hard drive, my usual routine to avoid problems. When I attempted to restart, the iMac never got to the spinning wheel; after re-booting with the Tiger disk, I repaired the disk (that contained errors according to the dialogue box), but the computer still hung-up in the same spot. I then re-installed Tiger using the Archive option and the computer returned to its normal functionality. The moral of the story is that you should only patch one program or application at a time. Then if a problem occurs, the roll back will not be so time consuming and you will be able to positively identify the source of your woes.
Meanwhile, MacFixIt reports that some Mac-heads are having Safari slowdowns after installing the latest patch from Apple. The fix involves trashing a QuickTime plist file and you can visit MacFixIt if this problem is plaguing you.

New Fedora Release
Stentz is the name of the latest Fedora distribution and it is now available according to a report in eWeek. Those using 64-bit processors will welcome this latest release using the 2.6.11 Linux kernel and provides support for the Xen virtualization program. There is also a version for PowerPC users.

Open Source Updates
Secunia published these bulletins for the open source world: Mandriva (1, 2), and Red Hat (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Transfer your music from iPod
My friends John and Molly want to transfer the music from her iPod mini onto their new notebook. Before exercising my best option and searching first Google and then iPodlounge.com I managed to crash my PC and momentarily confuse my iPod Shuffle, but the latter is the subject of another tip of the day. Today we offer you the result of that previously mentioned search, a link to ipodcopy.com/. According to their web site you can: “Copy songs or playlists from your iPod to your PC. Songs are saved under artist/album folders. Large copy operations can be canceled while in progress. Copy all your music in a couple of mouse clicks.”
Would you like a better recommendation? How about this one from John, “We bought that iTunes copy (ipodcopy) and it rocks. Molly moved 1000 songs from the desktop to the iPod to the laptop in minutes, and it has the same type of controls as iTunes so everything is easy to do.”
The cost of the program is twelve dollars.

What is a Navigational File Manager?
Wikipedia supplies this definition for our topic today: “In computing, a navigational file manager is a file manager that uses a "navigational" metaphor to represent filesystem locations. It is the dominant style of file manager for Desktop computers, being used, for example, in most recent Microsoft Windows products. For Mac OS X, Macintosh Explorer is an example of a navigational file manager.”

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Tuesday 6.14.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.14.05
Adobe Releases Security Advisory
Adobe Systems has announced that a serious flaw exists that can affect PC users that use Photoshop CS, Creative Suite 1.0, and Premiere Adobe according to CNET. A patch for this problem is available from Adobe.

Potential, or Potential Pitfall
I have been focusing on the positive of the upcoming change of processors in Apple computers, but others knowledgeable prognosticators are suggesting a serious downside to the processor switch. In an article for PC Magazine, John C. Dvorak astutely predicts that there will be an increase in security attacks post-processor change and furthermore, the uniqueness of the platform will be forever lost if the inevitable occurs and Apple begins to compete directly against Microsoft through somewhat indirect methods. Mr. Dvorak correctly predicted the processor switch by Mac boss Steve Jobs several years ago extending more creditability to this prediction.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following update bulletins for open source users: Red Hat (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), Gentoo, Slackware, and Trustix.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Back Up Your iTunes Library
Apple encourages iTunes users to backup their library and there are a number of methods available to accomplish this task. You can backup the library to an external hard drive, burn them to a CD or DVD, or store them online. To copy your music to an external hard drive or burn them, visit the Apple web site for detailed directions for Macs and PCs. For online storage the July issue of PCWorld has a link Streamload.com where you can store up to 10GB of files free, although you are limited to 100MB of downloads per month according to the article.

What is a File Manager?
Yesterday we defined a web browser and alluded to the fact that we use other browser too and the subject of today is the browser type that allows us to view programs that populate our computers. Wikipedia has this definition, “A file manager is a computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems. The most common operations on files are create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, attributes, properties, search/find, and permissions.
Typically files are displayed in a hierarchy. File managers may contain features inherited from web browsers, including forward and back navigational buttons.
Some browsers may also provide network connectivity, e.g. via FTP, NFS or Samba.”

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Monday 6.13.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.13.05
ZoneAlarm Update Causes Crashes
CNET is reporting that an update from ZoneAlarm for their firewall program is causing conflicts that sometimes result in the PC crashing. The ZoneAlarm Pro and the ZoneAlarm Security Suite were the two products affected according to the report and the company corrected the problem late Thursday. Those PC protected by the free ZoneAlarm firewall were not affected by this flaw. I have stopped using ZoneAlarm in favor of Windows Firewall combined with my router. I’m not actually recommending you do this at this time, let me test the waters first and remember I use my Mac for email and 99.9 percent of my surfing. Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI does recommend this method for those PC owners still connecting to the Internet with dial-up.

Microsoft Update Tomorrow
The release of updates from Microsoft tomorrow (Tuesday) will include some critical patches; in fact, none of the fixes are categorized as ‘non-security/high priority’. I usually recommend that Apple users wait several days before installing security updates, but those using the Windows platform should update their PCs immediately. I receive an email notification of the upcoming security patches from Microsoft and the crackers can also gain access to this information and quickly find new points of entry to attack your computer and this makes updating your PC time critical.

MacFixIt Update on Apple Patch
MacFixIt has received some reports of Macs freezing after the installation of the latest patch from Apple Security Update 2005-006, however this particular problem seems to be affecting only those on the Panther platform. MacFixIt reminds you to disconnect firewire devices before installing the update.

Open Source and Loving It Times Two
Good enough is just barely for me and I really wasn’t satisfied with a machine that is only capable of dual booting. Can you say triple-boot box three times, fast? I installed Ubuntu in an empty partition and I’m now running XP Pro, SuSE Linux, and Ubuntu on the same machine. The Ubuntu install was even easier than SuSE and the operating system includes some great applications just like SuSE. The included web browser (see definition below) is from Firefox and I feel right at home working on this, one of my many Multiple Platforms. Check out the Live CD for your machine, or download the Install ISO from Ubuntu.

Open Source Updates
Secunia released the following update bulletins for open source users: Conectiva (1, 2). Gentoo (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), SuSE, and FreeBSD.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Browse Your iTunes Library
When you install Apple’s iTunes you can view your music library in a number of different modes. My favorite method to search through the tunes is using the browser feature that allows you to view all the genres, artists, and albums that your library contains. You can display this view by pressing on the Apple key and the B key with iTunes open. Windows users can select Command and B to open this view. Keep this tip handy as the tip for tomorrow relies on this view of iTunes. If you haven’t installed iTunes yet, click on the logo on the left side of this page to download the latest version of this music player from Apple.

What is a Browser?
There are several different browsers types we use while running our computers and the one most often discussed in this forum is a web browser; Wikipedia tells us: “A web browser is a software application that enables a user to display and interact with HTML documents hosted by web servers or held in a file system. Popular browsers available for personal computers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Safari. A browser is the most commonly used kind of user agent. The largest networked collection of linked documents is known as the World Wide Web.”

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Friday 6.09.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.10.05
Signals Crossed?
PC World is featuring a story regarding security on the Internet and the gist is many of the threats we hear about are highly over-rated. The two threats that receive the most undue attention are in fact the topics that receive little or no coverage here at Multiple Platforms: cell phone viruses and VoIP safety. I haven’t focused on cell phones so that is why the first topic hasn’t received mention and as for the second I felt that these problems were being over-rated by the very companies could profit from that practice, the IT security firms, so I have basely ignored them (although my recommendations for VoIP have been tempered, I must admit). That seems to be the message of this article that comes during the week when the IT Security Summit is being conducted in Washington, D.C.

Leo Live and Leo Later
You can improve your digital knowledge on the weekend when you listen to Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI between 11 am to 2 pm (PDST). If you are in the Los Angeles area tune into AM640 and listen live or visit Leo’s web site then click on the KFI logo to hear the Internet stream. On Sunday afternoons, Leo chats with his old friends from TechTV and records their discussions for release as a podcast later that evening or ASAP. Check out the web site for This Week In Electronics (TWITS) to learn more about podcast.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has been busy and the following systems have update bulletins: FreeBSD (1, 2), Ubuntu (1, 2), Gentoo, and Fedora (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: OpenOffice
Once again, I was impressed with the OpenOffice, this time as part of the bundle of applications included in SuSE Linux 9.2/. Using Spotlight, the new search tool packaged with Tiger I located this previous information on the subject published here on April 7, 2005 (the following definition is from that date also).
(Previously published 4.7.05) I have reviewed the OpenOffice application that is available for the PC platform previously and I’ve found it to be effective as a replacement for Microsoft’s Office. This past weekend I got a chance to take the Mac version for a test drive and of the two available for this platform, I really like the smaller application NeoOfficeJ from OpenOffice.org/. The program does all the things we expect a word processor to do and in some cases more. The interface is intuitive and it converts Word and AppleWorks documents with little to no loss of formatting. This is an excellent freeware tool available for Multiple Platforms users and you should try it out. It does require the installation of X11 if you haven’t already installed it on your Mac and the program is included in the download package from OpenOffice.org/.

What is Shareware?
(Previously published 4.7.05) Shareware, freeware, and the other assorted –wares were the subject of a weeklong ‘What is’ series, however the tip of the day prompts a repeat of this definition, albeit from a different source, Answers.com: “Software that is available for free, usually over the Internet.” Free is good, we like it like that!

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Thursday 6.08.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.9.05
Microsoft Releases Update
Microsoft released several updates one of which will affect home users. According to PC World, Microsoft has finally unveiled Microsoft Update and this application will supplant the current Windows update system. The other updates are for Windows Servers and Microsoft’s business customers.

Internet Explorer Getting Tabbed
Faithful users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are finally being rewarded for their allegiance as the company announced the addition of tabs to the browsing experience for IE surfers. I haven’t had an opportunity to give it a trial run, but if you are still using IE as your default browser, visit CNET to learn more about how Microsoft finally picked up the tab.

Update for Tiger Explained
Apple released a new update for Tiger and Panther users (Security Update 2005-006) and you can consult a variety of sources for information on the patch including but not limited to the following web sites: Apple, MacNN, Secunia, CNET, and MacFixIt. Secunia rates the update as ‘highly critical’. I usually wait several days before installing these Apple updates and remember to disconnect any Firewire peripherals before updating to avoid any conflicts with those devices. I repair disk permissions (accessed through the utilities file located in your Applications folder) before and after updating, but during his show this past weekend, tech expert Leo Laporte suggested that this is no longer necessary. Personally, I think it takes so little time to repair permissions that it is worth the few extra minutes it takes to accomplish this task. I am not suggesting you discount Leo’s advice, it is just that I’ve never encountered a problem with updating my Apples and I believe in the philosophy of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ when it comes to applying system patches to my Macs.

New Citizen
I have moved beyond Knoppix and SuSE Linux on Microsoft’s Virtual PC, finally. I added a new hard drive then reformatted and repartitioned both drives (after backing up my C drive, of course). I repositioned my IDE cables to use the DVD player as a boot drive then I reconfigured the BIOS and rebooted. After that it was almost as easy as installing any Windows or Apple platform thanks to the installation program provided with the system. Purist will undoubtedly feel that I have yet to earn my stripes, as there was no compiling required and the dual boot system seems to be working without a hitch, but it feels to me like I’ve become a new citizen of the open source community. The desktop, Internet browser, games, and applications that were loaded with this system are equal to or better than most similar programs in the commercial platforms. The package I used was provided as a courtesy trial and there are some limitations because of that caveat. By most any definition, this is a commercial product, as the provider hopes to package the system with support and charge for using the platform. Nevertheless, given the ease of installation, the nice package of applications, and the fact that it is less than one-third the cost of a comparable package from Microsoft, open source systems will definitely be a part of my Multiple Platforms world.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has released these updates for the open source community: Conectiva, Mandriva, SuSE (1, 2, 3), Red Hat (1, 2, 3), Gentoo, Ubuntu, and Linux.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com:
The tip of the day from Multiple Platforms comes in the form of a link to Microsoft where you will find helpful tips on how to spot a bogus email; click here for more information.

What is a Worm?
A worm is different from a virus or a Trojan horse and for a definition of worm we look to Wikipedia: “A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program, similar to a computer virus. A virus attaches itself to, and becomes part of, another executable program; however, a worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself. They are often designed to exploit the file transmission capabilities found on many computers.
The name 'worm' was taken from The Shockwave Rider, a 1970s science fiction novel by John Brunner. Researchers writing an early paper on experiments in distributed computing noted the similarities between their software and the program described by Brunner and adopted the name.
The first implementation of a worm was by two researchers at Xerox PARC in 1978.
The first worm to attract wide attention, the Morris worm, was written by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr., who at the time was a graduate student at Cornell University. It was released on November 2, 1988, and quickly infected a great many computers on the Internet at the time. It propagated through a number of bugs in BSD Unix and its derivatives. Morris himself was convicted under the US Computer Crime and Abuse Act and received three years' probation, community service and a fine in excess of $10,000.
In addition to replication, a worm may be designed to do any number of things, such as delete files on a host system or send documents via email. More recent worms may be multi-headed and carry other executables as a payload. However, even in the absence of such a payload, a worm can wreak havoc just with the network traffic generated by its reproduction. Mydoom, for example, caused a noticeable worldwide Internet slowdown at the peak of its spread.
A common payload is for a worm to install a backdoor in the infected computer, as was done by Sobig and Mydoom. These zombie computers are used by spam senders for sending junk email or to cloak their website's address.”

The bottom line is the worm is self-replicating and can multiply rapidly because of this characteristic.

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Tuesday 6.7.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.7.05
Apple and Intel: Will They Live Happily Ever After?
Steve Jobs confirmed the rumor that the future for Apple processors is with Intel on Monday (see Apple press release) and the reactions are mixed as expected with many pundits making dooms-day predictions for the maker of Macs. Making this switch is most certainly a huge risk, but so is getting out of bed in the morning; we are much safer under a warm blanket, but with a few notable exceptions, you can’t make a living from the comfort of your bed, getting up is a risk and a necessity. As a long-time Mac user but huge proponent for the use of Multiple Platforms, I personally think this move is a match made for a lifetime of happiness, not only for the corporations involved, but for future and past customers too. Allow me to explain why I believe this to be true.

Reasons Why Apple Changed
Previous delivery issues: Less than a year ago, we saw Apple delay the introduction of the new iMac and this delay was caused by tardy delivery of processors from IBM (see PC World July 2004). This delay cost Apple sales, frustrated consumers, and allowed journalist to claim that Apple wasn’t ready to be a primetime player.
Heat and Power: The current processors produced by IBM are creating so much heat and are so energy hungry that Apple cannot utilize them in a laptop. This is a limiting factor in any plan to capture a larger market share from Apple’s competitors. By making the switch to Intel, Macs will have a much more favorable power to performance unit ratio. According to TidBITs, an increase of more than four fold could be realized with a new processor based on comments made by Jobs during the keynote speech. The same report by the TidBITS staff also notes that Steve was somewhat short on details and specifics regarding processor power, etc.
Costs/IBM: Apparently Jobs had requested a price reduction on the costs of processors IBM was to provide, but the latter was unwilling to make any compromises regarding remuneration for their processors.
Rosetta/ Developer Tools: There is a software product already available that will allow this transition to occur more smoothly than many have predicted (see PCPRO.co.uk/: Apple’s Intel-based…) and Apple is promising developers support and in some cases a computer with an Intel processor (Apple press release). These efforts reflect the fact that Apple has --
Planned The Switch For Some Time: In his keynote speech Jobs noted that Apple’s operating system had been leading a double life and that Macs have been running on the ‘other’ processors for many months. Steve emphasized his point with a Mac using an Intel chip, utilizing Rosetta and running several third-party software products that had not been modified (see CNET: Jobs confirms Apple’s switch…). In addition, Apple has been riding high on the iPod wave and the company could possibly weather a period when sales of their computers decreased. Finally, if the economy suddenly slows due to an increase in the cost-of-living or we see a continued escalation of energy (gas) prices, electronic equipment will be one of the first products consumers stop purchasing and in that event all of the industry might suffer losses.

Reasons Why Doomsday Might Be Averted
So many editorials conclude that no one will purchase a Mac now that they know there is new technology forthcoming; and by extension, this will lead to the financial ruin of Apple. To those prognosticators, we offer the following reasons why Macs may continue to be purchased:
You replace your computer because you need to, not when you want to – Sure, we all like to think about the latest and greatest technology occupying the desktop space in front of our collective selves; but why do we normally purchase a new computer? Because the old one is no longer functioning, or is functioning so slowly it is no longer feasible to keep using the old box. Desktop computers last about three years before new technology begins to make them obsolete and laptops have an even shorter life span; these two factors are important components when attempting to forecast future sales. If you own a old (original) iMac, the recent upgrade to Tiger has left you behind; the hard drive is woefully small, and you might start experiencing issues with the monitor about now. Are you going to wait one or two years to purchase a new Mac, will you switch to a Dell because the PC is cheaper, or will you bite the bullet and grab a new iMac with the G5 processor that is fast, even if it does produce a little heat. My guess is most of us who own a Mac and need a replacement between now and the introduction of the new processors will not switch or do without. Moreover, let me assure you that even with the additional heat, the new iMac is much quieter than most PCs and just as fast. Furthermore, could Apple encourage prospective consumers to buy now rather than wait with –
Pricing Strategy: Apple’s introduction of the Mac Mini put pressure on the PC market and many of the low-end computer makers dropped their prices in response to the new Mac. If Apple lowered prices on the remaining inventory of computers, they might increase their own sales while simultaneously increasing pressure on their competitors producing PCs.
Long History of Supporting Legacy Systems: Apple has a history of supporting their operating systems as noted by the San Jose Mercury News and this switch is not likely to signal any change in that regard by the Mac maker. As I noted previously, until Tiger my old (original) iMac has been upgradeable and more productive with each new OS. I sincerely hope that Apple will not abandon the older Macs, but the change may signal the end for OS 9 users (see Silicon.com).
Digital Rights Management: Finally, there maybe much more to this than just increasing performance as pointed out in an article by Wired and cited yesterday in this column. Contained within the new Intel processor is a new DRM package that may allow Apple to grab the lead in offering online movies; can you say Apple iMovie Store?
Many other factors can make this a win-win situation for Apple. Most of the software developers have already promised to work with Apple including Adobe and Microsoft (see the Apple press release). Perhaps the ultimate benefit to this change could be a computer that can run both operating systems, a distinct possibility. From my chair and paraphrasing Z.Z. Top, the futures so bright I need to wear shades…

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates available for open source users: Gentoo (1, 2), Conectiva (1, 2), and Mandriva.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com
Due to the length of today’s post, I am neglecting the tip of the day, sorry…

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Monday 6.6.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.6.05
Apple Making a Switch?
After their marketing campaign to get Windows users to migrate to Macs, it looks like Apple may be making a switch of their own and depending upon whom you listen to or whose writing you are reading it could be a good or bad move. The story broke late Friday afternoon and I have been reluctant to publish anything regarding Apple that hasn’t been confirmed because of the company’s recent legal actions against small web sites like Multiple Platforms.com/, but this story did not come from a rumor site it came from CNET, a highly respected tech news source. Based on the report from CNET, Apple may be ditching their PowerPC chips and new Macs will have their processors made by Intel. Computer expert’s opinions on the benefits and drawbacks are purely speculative at this point, but Wired has a good scoop on how Apple might ease the transition with a software product that allows for Multiple Platforms to run on the same processor without a loss of performance. Now that would make this a truly brilliant move by Steve Jobs and it would be in the best interest of Apple. Here are some links to other stories on this issue: MacCentral, MacNN, PC World, and Leo Laporte. We’ll all know more after the Keynote speech by Jobs today…

Camino, Firefox, and Mozilla Flaws
Secunia announced flaws in the Mozilla, Firefox, and Camino browsers that can allow unwanted intrusions by crackers and the remedy is the same in both instances. According to Secunia, users of the aforementioned browsers: “Do (should) not browse untrusted web sites while browsing trusted sites”.

Windows Remote Desktop has Security Issues
The busy workers at Secunia and their volunteer security watchers have noted a flaw that exists in Remote Desktop. Secunia suggests: “Connect only to terminal services over trusted networks.”

Apple iPod Recycling
Apple announced a new program to allow iPod owners to recycle their old music players; here is part of the press release from Apple:
Free iPod Recycling Program
Beginning today, customers can bring iPods they no longer want to any of Apple's 100+ retail stores in the US for free environmentally friendly disposal. Those who drop off an iPod, iPod mini or iPod photo will receive a 10% discount on the purchase of a new iPod that day. [Jun 03, 2005] Apple Hot News

Open Source Updates
Secunia has bulletins for Debian and Sun Solaris.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Open Source Distro
I know that this space is usually reserved for tips for you, but today I would like to turn the tables and ask for a tip for me, I hope you don’t mind. After dabbling in open source with Knoppix, I’m ready to venture beyond this system and I would like to know what your favorite distro is and why. If you have any experience with the open source world drop me an email at: contactus@multipleplatforms.com/. Thanks!

What is a Distro?
A distro according to Wikipedia is: “A Linux distribution or GNU/Linux distribution (or a distro) is a Unix-like operating system comprising software components such as the Linux kernel, the GNU toolchain, and assorted free and open source software. Some proprietary software is found in certain distributions and is not free software. A Linux Distribution — or distro, en parlante — is created by individuals, groups and organizations from around the world.
Companies such as Red Hat, SUSE and Mandriva, and community projects such as Debian and Gentoo Linux, assemble and test the software before releasing their distribution. There are currently over two hundred Linux distribution projects in active development, revising and improving their respective distribution.”

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Friday 6.03.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.03.05
Three Steps to the Zombie State
The Glieder attack force, a Bagle variant with a three-pronged attack, is a new approach based on old techniques that eventually turns your computer into a zombie as we reported yesterday. PC World is featuring a story on how the crackers grab your Windows computer:
Details on How a Sophisticated Web Attack Works Computer Associates describes how Bagle variant helps to turn PCs into zombies.
PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Apple iPod Owners Might Get $50
Credit Owners of iPods purchased before May 2004 could receive a fifty dollar credit from Apple if the settlement is approved by the presiding judge. According to CNET, the credit will settle the legal dispute that was created after many batteries on the early iPods failed to deliver the promised battery life. It appears that you will not be able to use the credit to purchase music from iTunes. Where is the outrage from the recording industry on this settlement? How are they going to remain in business if Apple denies their customers the ability to spend the credit on music?

Apple USB Boot: You Can’t Get There From
Here If you are purchasing an external hard drive for to support your Mac, make sure it has Firewire as an option if you plan to boot from the external drive. One of the problems with OS X is the lack of ability to boot from a USB hard drive. Visit MacWorld to learn more.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates bulletins for the open source world: Debian, Red Hat (1, 2), and Conectiva (1, 2).

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Thursday 6.02.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.02.05
These Bagles are Biting Back
Bigger, bad, and getting uglier by the hour, the latest variants of the Bagle worm are beginning to take a bite out of security providers sense of well-being. CNET is reporting that Computer Associates has actually classified the latest Bagle like worms under the new moniker of ‘Glieder’ in part because of the different and more harmful behavior of these latest crack attacks. A Trojan named Win32.Mitglieder is downloaded to the PC post-infection that prevents the computer from contacting antivirus providers for updates. The third stage of the attack removes firewall and antivirus protection from the PC and at that point, your computer is controlled by and working for the crackers. To add insult to injury, your PC can then be sold to the highest bidder to be used in this seemingly never ending cycle of annoyances.

The Final Grades Posted
The finals have been graded and the results are posted. No, that is not a message I am sending to the students in my classes; but it is the subject of an article in PC World and the grade we are receiving on the topic of Internet security is bleak as we are getting a big fat ‘F’. The average score was a pathetic 6.7 out of seventeen questions. I think too many of us must have been surfing the net instead of taking notes when the instructor was lecturing on web site privacy policies and the pricing practices of Internet merchandisers. PC World supplies this link for you to take the test.

New Add-in Will Launch Windows in Seconds
PC owners often brag about the quick startup times of their computers, but in reality it is at least a minute or more before you can actually start using applications. Now a new add-in card introduced at an electronics show this week will reduce startup times to seconds, and give a big boost to games and other processor intensive tasks that rely heavily on accessing large files. Source: PC World.

Woody’s Ready
Linux Today has the word on the latest update for Debian GNU/Linux 3.0, AKA Woody. Check out the story and mirror links at Linux Today.

Open Source Updates
Secunia announced the following systems have update or security bulletins available: Red Hat (1, 2), Mandriva (1, 2), Conectiva, Gentoo, Sun Solaris.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Find Missing iPod/ iTunes
If your iPod or iTunes is not showing up on your PC, Apple has a web page for solutions and suggestions to make that Windows box recognize your iPod. Apple computer users are not immune from this malady and if a missing iPod is making you feel ill, visit this link from Apple for solutions specific to your platform.

What is iTunes?
We talk about it all the time at Multiple Platforms.com and there is a link to download it on the left side of this page, but what is iTunes? Wikipedia has this on that: “iTunes is a media player, written by Apple Computer, for playing and organizing digital music, video files, and purchasing digital music files in the FairPlay digital rights management format. The iTunes Music Store (also sometimes referred to simply as "iTunes" or "iTMS") is the component of iTunes through which users can purchase digital music files from within iTunes.
The player has gained and maintained a reputation as being easy to use, while still allowing users precisely to organize their music (for example, features such as the smart playlist). iTunes is used to fill Apple's popular digital audio player iPod with songs. The program is freely downloadable and is also supplied with Mac OS X as well as Apple's iLife home-application suite.
iTunes is compatible with computers running Mac OS X, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Previously iTunes supported Mac OS 9, however OS 9 support was dropped with version 3.”

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Wednesday 6.01.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-06-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
6.01.05
Like a Bad Dream That Keeps Returning
Much like that nagging nightmare, three or possible more new variants of the Bagle worm are spreading rapidly across the Internet via email according to PC World. This prolific worm’s progeny could number over 80 since it was first detected in early 2004. Read more about the annoying worm at PC World. CNET also carried a report regarding Bagle and the other worm now circulating, Mytob.

Tech News Snooze
With the exception of the story above, the slow tech news trend continues today, which is good news for all of us tired of battling the war on crackers.

Open Source Updates
Secunia issued these notices for open source users: Conectiva (1, 2), Red Hat, and Trustix.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Test Drive New Browser
Mozilla announced that the alpha version of Deer Park Alpha 1, the next line of browsers from the open source community, is available for testing purposes. The alpha version should not be used by those currently using Firefox 1.0.x/ and anytime you are using an alpha or beta version, you do not want to be working on vitally important tasks without first backing up all your important documents and folders.

What is an Alpha Version?
Wikipedia provides the following definition: “An alpha version or alpha release usually represents the first feature complete version of a computer program or other product, likely to be unstable but useful for demonstrating internally and to select customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, as a technical preview or as an early access. Often, this stage begins when the developers announce a feature freeze on the product, indicating that no more features will be added to this version of the product, only bugs will be removed.
Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet.”

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Tuesday 5.31.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.31.05
When is it Spyware?
According to PC World, prompted by threats of legal action, anti-spyware companies are delisting companies that claim their product is legitimate adware, not to be confused with spyware. To that we say: BALONEY! If it resides on your computer and generates advertisement I really don’t care what name you give it, I don’t want it and want to have the option of removing it. Having said that I can understand the position of anti-spyware makers, particularly those that offer their services to PC people at no charge. The best defense in this case might be a strong offense and that would include a team that includes several anti-spyware applications; make sure you include Microsoft’s Windows AntiSpyware product in that mix.

Portable Pain in the…
First we learned that the heat generated by laptops are harmful to our health and now CNET is reporting that notebooks are also creating pains in other places, including your wrists and neck. Most of those reporting problems have been using their portables for a desktop replacement and the juxtaposition of the keyboard and screen cause the discomforts that in the worst cases require medical attention. Read more about the aches and pains of portability at CNET:
Is your laptop a pain in the neck?
Notebook PCs may be convenient, but they're also an ergonomic nightmare. In addition, more and more people are discovering that the hard way. CNET News.com

Stats for May: Browser Results
The percentages leave little doubt and the visitors today are unlikely to change the top ten results for browsers used in the month of May while visiting Multiple Platforms.com:
61% Microsoft Internet Explorer
13% Firefox
9.2% Safari
5.5% unknown
4.6% NetNewsWire
3.9% Mozilla
1.5% Netscape
0.2% Opera
0.2% Konqueror

Another Reason to Switch from Internet Explorer
As you can see from the above data, Microsoft’s IE remains very popular with visitors to this web site. However, Secunia is reporting yet another flaw in Internet Exploder 6.x and although they grade this threat as ‘not critical’, the solution they suggest will help thwart other more critical attacks. Secunia recommends: “Disable Active Scripting except for trusted sites.”

Open Source Updates
Secunia announced that Mandriva has an update available.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Don’t Forget the Other Search Engines
If you can’t get your web site ranked on Google, it can be hard to attract visitors to your site but that doesn’t mean that the search engine giant is the only game in town; in fact, a recent survey pegged Yahoo’s share of the search queries at only 5 percent less than Google’s. I also like Dogpile.com and recent stories about AskJeeves detail their attempts to gain surfers.

What is Konqueror?
Wikipedia supplies our definition for today: “In computing, Konqueror is part of the K Desktop Environment (KDE), primarily developed for the Linux platform, but also available for some other platforms (including BSD and, recently, Microsoft Windows, although Windows support is very limited). It functions as a file manager, web browser, and file viewer. Like the rest of the "kdebase" package, Konqueror is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The name Konqueror is a play on the names of other browsers: first comes the Navigator, then the Explorer, and finally the Konqueror (and follows the KDE convention of having program names start with the letter K).

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Monday 5.30.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.30.05
Tech News Lite
I promised a post today, but the tech news is definitely on the light-side so I am highlighting some important items from the last week, interspersed with some new and some review material.

Even an Eleven Year Old Can Do It
After spending several hours setting up Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 and still not correctly configuring my network connections, I read the following article in MacWorld with envy, awe, and the thought that I should have invested my dollars into Apple’s new server software than this bloated batch of software included in my Microsoft Action Pack; oh-well, read more about the ease of installation at MacWorld.

Reminder: Apple Issues Recall for Laptop Batteries
Apple has issued another recall regarding batteries for their iBook and PowerBook line of computers. According to MacWorld, the computers with serial numbers in the following ranges are the subjects of this recall: “A1061, A1078 and A1079 and serial numbers that begin with HQ441 through HQ507 or 3X446 through 3X510.”

Encryption Tool Update
Last week the tip of the day from Multiple Platforms.com featured encryption advice and I mentioned that using the open source version freeware version from PGP looked somewhat imposing and the May issue of PC World concurs with my observation (I finally caught up on my tech reading this weekend). The article on page 40 of the May issue of PC World recommend Steganos’s Security Suite for encryption and secure deletion. CNET Reviews also has information on this software and includes a setup tutorial.

Open Source Updates
Secunia is busy at work but for the first time in many days, there are no open source updates. Enjoy your reprieve!

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Gmail Accounts For You
As I mentioned last week, Google is replacing every Gmail account I give away with another one and according to a recent recipient you get an allotment of fifty when you initiate your account. If you would like a Gmail account, send an email to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com and include the line ‘I want a Gmail account’ in the subject line. Once you have a Gmail account, you can also customize your Google search page. PC World suggest that you use some of the 1 Gigabyte of storage space that you get with a Google Gmail account for online storage in the May edition. You can use Gmail Drive, a tool from vikso.dk to establish on online filesystem.

What is a Gmail Account?
Originally published 5.23.05
Wikipedia supplies this definition for Gmail: “Gmail is a free web mail service, currently in beta testing, offered by Google, Inc.
For more than a year after Gmail's initial release on March 31, 2004, access to the service was restricted to those who had received an invitation token from an existing account holder.
While Gmail is not entirely open to the general public yet, most Gmail users have many invites to spare, as Google has lately been giving quite a few of these out. Gmail invites are also given away at random through Google's home page.
The service is notable for providing over 2.2 gigabytes of storage space (increased from the original limit of 1.0 gigabyte). This change was announced on April Fool's Day 2005, and was made for the one-year anniversary of Gmail. The announcement was accompanied by a statement that Google would continue to increase storage until they reached the theoretical limit, infinity gigabytes, then give each user one more. All Google will say about this now is that it will keep increasing by the second as long as they have enough space on their servers. Gmail makes intensive use of modern browser features such as JavaScript and keyboard access keys, allowing for a richer user experience, while retaining the benefits of a web application (most importantly, immediate availability of the service on any computer with a supported browser).”

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Friday 5.27.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.26.05
Microsoft to Customers: Remove Netscape
PC World is reporting that Microsoft has determined that Netscape 8 is causing problems with Internet Explorer. If you been visiting this web site for any length of time, your first inclination might be, so what. However, it is a BIG what according to Microsoft as the Netscape browser disables XML rendering and you may not be able to view web sites that use XML (like Multiple Platforms.com) if you’re surfing in IE after installation of Netscape. A fix for Netscape is forthcoming according to the article and PC World suggests the following suggestions: “… uninstalling Netscape 8, or deleting the XML node from a Registry file entitled HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Plugins\Extension.” Read more about this issue at PC World:
Microsoft: New Netscape Breaks IE
Netscape 8 disables the XML rendering capabilities of Internet Explorer, software giant says. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Zombie Watch
There are bird watchers, clock-watchers, people watchers and now we have the latest type of watching, the Zombie watch. According to CNET, an Internet security watchdog has re-deployed their ZombieMeter a device that tracks the number of PC being zombified on an hourly basis. The threat from zombie computers is serious and the Federal Trade Commission has launched their own attack asking ISPs to quarantine zombie computers according to the article and as we reported earlier this week.

David Pogue Spells Out Why Multiple Platforms Rules
In words made famous by the Beetles, “Come together -- right now” and if you don’t, well just stop complaining about the other guy until you test drive his ride. At least that is the message I got while reading the latest article by David Pogue in the New York Times. David has a point I like to make, we are actually living in a world of multiple platforms and if you can exist in all systems, you can go forth and prosper. Check out the word from one of my favorite tech geeks, David Pogue (note: you may have to register to view this article, but the NY Times does not sell or otherwise release your information. If you don’t want to use your regular address, grab a Gmail account from Multiple Platforms.com; just scroll down to yesterday’s tip of the day).

Photo Editor Advice
My brother recently purchased a new iMac and digital camera and his photo editing needs can be satisfied using the included iPhoto application that many Mac users love. My Dad is still using PCs and his digital photos are becoming cumbersome as they are divided amongst various editing and software programs included with his cameras. When he asked me for advice on an inexpensive solution to his dilemma, I suggested Google’s Picasa based partly on his qualifier of ‘inexpensive’. I use iPhoto and I have also used Gimp, but that was another story and in another platform. If you have a favorite photo editor that fits my Fathers needs (inexpensive, easy to use, and PC friendly), drop us a note at: contactus@multiplelplatforms.com/.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these updates for open source users: Red Hat, Ubuntu (1, 2, 3), Gentoo, and Fedora.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Free Music Frenzy
Don’t forget you can download a free tune from Apple’s iTunes Music Store every week. Just click on the logo to the left and download your freebie. If you haven’t already installed iTunes, the link for that program is also available to the left.

What is a platform?
Wikipedia has this definition for a platform, “In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. Typical platforms include a computer's architecture, operating system, or programming languages and their runtime libraries.”

Editors Note: Multiple Platforms will publish news on Monday (a legal holiday in the United States). Have a safe weekend.

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Thursday 5.26.05 Tech News Blog

2005-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.26.05
New Tool For Firefox Thwarts Wicked Web Sites
Web sites that have been created by crackers to steal your information are hard to differentiate from legitimate sites as the crooks become increasing sophisticated in their efforts to pharm your personal information. Now a tool that has been available for Internet Explorer users has been released for Firefox fanatics. CNET is reporting that the tool can ‘trap’ fraudulent sites by identifying suspicious addresses based on character analysis.

Keynote Application Needs a Patch
Apple users that employ Keynote in their software arsenal need to update the application according to reports from CNET, Secunia, MacFixIt, and MacWorld. The flaw could allow crackers to compromise your Apple system although Secunia has graded the issue ‘less critical’.

Stalking the Trail of the Witty Worm
A year ago, this web site was still wet-behind-the-ears but we were reporting on the Witty Worm. Now researchers are investigating the likely source of the worm and trying to learn from history; the report in CNET indicates the likely source of the infection was Europe.

Jason’s Bugged by MDATA.DAT
Jason sent me an email regarding an MDATA.DAT error message he started receiving after a system restore. This annoyance has cropped up before with Multiple Platforms visitors and the solution for this problem is posted on the ‘Answers’ page for this site. For the benefit of Jason and anyone else experiencing these problems, here is the text from my previous post:
This could be related to the mouse in your house; have you added a new one lately? If you have, try uninstalling any software related to the mouse by using this path: Start/ Control Panel/ Add or Remove Programs. Then look for anything related to the mouse (company name, etc.). Reconnect the mouse, restart and update the drivers by using the method described in the next paragraph or by using the software that was provided by the mouse maker.
If you have not added a new mouse, we will try Plan B: Start/ Control Panel/ Mouse. In the General tab select the Troubleshoot button and run the diagnostic test. If it declares that the device is working properly, select the Properties button adjacent to the Troubleshoot button. Choose the Driver tab and click on the Update Driver button. If you have updated your PC recently (and I hope you have), you may need to update the driver for the mouse; follow the prompts if this is the case and then restart. If no driver update was available use the uninstall button; this will open a Confirm Device Removal dialogue box, select OK (don’t worry, Windows will recognize the mouse when you boot-up again). The computer will have to restart for the change to take effect, and more than likely you will be instructed to restart once more before the PC is satisfied with the new configuration.

Antispam, MSN Postmaster Unveiled By Microsoft
Microsoft has a new service to offer customers via their MSN web site: MSN Postmaster. According to CNET (this is not my only source for news, they just are featuring the best stories for Multiple Platforms readers today), the new feature will help Microsoft users beat the spammers while allowing legitimate mail to get through to MSN Hotmail customers. My pet peeve is trying to communicate with Hotmail clients, their inbox is constantly full and if there is one group of people that should take advantage of the tip of the day from Multiple Platforms, it is Hotmail –heads. You can probably get the same address sans Hotmail on the end if you grab a Gmail account now.

Open Source Updates
Secunia has these bulletins available for open source systems: Debian (1, 2), Gentoo, and Red Hat (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Take My Gmail Accounts, Please!
Google is replacing every Gmail account I give away with another one and according to a recent recipient you get an allotment of fifty when you initiate your account. If you would like a Gmail account, send an email to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com and include the line ‘I want a Gmail account’ in the subject line. Once you have a Gmail account, you can also customize your Google search page.

What is Firefox?
Wikipedia has this explanation for Firefox: “Mozilla Firefox (originally known as Phoenix and briefly as Mozilla Firebird) is a free, cross-platform, graphical web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and hundreds of volunteers [1]. Before its 1.0 release on November 9, 2004, Firefox had already garnered a great deal of acclaim from numerous media outlets, including Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. With over 25 million downloads in the 99 days after its release, Firefox became one of the most-used free and open source applications, especially among home users [4]. The 50 millionth download of Firefox occurred on April 29, 2005 (about 6 months after the 1.0 release).
With Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation aims to develop a lightweight, fast, intuitive, and highly extensible standalone browser based on the Navigator component of the Mozilla Suite. Firefox has become the foundation's main development focus (along with its Thunderbird email client), and has replaced the Mozilla Suite as their official main software release.
Features of Firefox include the integrated pop-up blocker, tabbed browsing, live bookmarks, support for open standards, and an extension mechanism for adding functionality. Although other browsers have offered these features for some time, Firefox became the first browser with such features to achieve large-scale adoption.”
I can sum the above paragraphs up with seven words: Firefox and Mozilla are darn good browsers.

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Wednesday 5.25.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.25.05
Crackers Latest Ploy: Hijack Your Files for Ransom
A cracker has gained notoriety after encrypting files (see below for definition) and then demanding that $200 be placed in a specified account. Therein lies the problem for these would be thieves, tracing funds in this electronic age is easier than tracking the real crooks. Read more about the story here: Miscreants encrypt files, hold them for ransom
In a new type of attack, user files are encrypted remotely and attackers demand money for key to decode them. CNET News.com - Security.

Minnesota Court Rips Encryption
According to CNET, the Court of Appeals in Minnesota has ruled that the use of encryption software from PGP can signal criminal intent by making files un-readable to anyone other than the ‘National Security Agency’. The ruling is in connection with a particular case and leaves open the question of exactly what constitutes criminal intent when using other forms of encryption like FileVault found on Macs. This story was somewhat ironic in it’s timing for me, I was in the process of installing the very software that this court claims demonstrates my intent to be a bad person. The reality is, I was trying out the encryption product to protect me (and indirectly, you too) from those with criminal intent (see the preceding CNET stories for proof of what the bad guys want, and read the items below about what you and I want).

Open Source Updates
Secunia posted these bulletins for Red Hat users (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Encryption Tools
As mentioned above, I spent part of Tuesday learning about encryption tools available free and commercially. The open source community provides the free tools and you can access links to the mirrors at GNUPG. I only tried the tools for Apple and whether you are using Panther or Tiger you will need X11 installed and functioning. I have some conflict within my systems running Tiger and I was unable to generate keys for digital signatures and encryptions; I apparently have a command missing and Terminal is unable to execute the proper processes. I literally spent hours updating, compiling, and re-configuring the tools and ran out of time, not to mention patience with the freeware. To be honest, the PC side looks even more complicated and if you aren’t a tech geek, the commercial products might be the best bet and you can test them out free for thirty days. The two I tried (again on the Mac side only, my PCs contain no vital information at this time) are Stuffit Deluxe and Kremlin. Both of the products are available for Multiple Platforms users and they have some unique features that make them worthy of the investment. Stuffit has a cool feature that allows you to size your encrypted and compressed files to fit on a variety of popular storage tools (zip drive, CD, etc.). The Kremlin software includes a ‘Secure Delete’ application and can ‘wipe’ your hard drive at programmable intervals. I wish that the tool from Kremlin let the user define when encrypted items are decrypted, and Stuffit was extremely slow when converting large files. Stuffit Deluxe sells for $49.99 for Macs and $29.99 for PCs. Kremlin is priced at $35 for either platform (we like a company that treats Multiple Platforms users equally!).

What is Encryption?
Answers.com supplies this explanation for encryption: “The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format (the ciphertext) as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys. See encryption algorithm and cryptography.”

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Tuesday 5.24.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.24.05
Banks Bit by Breach, Customers Might Feel Pain
Two more banks are reporting security breaches associated with customer information according to a report published by the Register. Wachovia and Bank of America have been notifying customers of the potential security error and more than 100,000 customers have been affected according to the Register. Another story carried by the Associated Press affiliate the Charlotte Observer noted that security remains a low priority despite the high profile problems exposed recently. To read details on the bank problems click on the following links:
US bank staff 'sold customer details'
Data theft apology sent to thousands… The Register

Several Antivirus Programs Have Flaws
According to CNET, Computer Associates International antivirus product has a flaw in the scanning engine and this problem could allow a cracker to gain control over a victims PC. Secunia also has information regarding this issue. Another popular Antivirus product from Zonelabs also has security issues and Secunia has rated the flaw ‘highly critical’. Secunia recommends that ZoneAlarm users should update their software firewall.

Wonderful World of Windows
If your life is wonderful because of Windows and you compose your thoughts on the subject in essay form, you could meet the Big Cheese at Microsoft, Bill Gates. If meeting Gates doesn’t float your boat, other prizes include a chance to experience a National Geographic Expedition and a makeover home-style from HGTV. The report in CNET states that Microsoft is “looking for true stories about people using Windows…”; and please, do not include quotes from anonymous sources as that practice has recently fallen-out of favor.
Your chance to meet Bill Gates
Microsoft is soliciting essays about people using Windows computers to pursue a passion or hobby; prizes include chance to meet Gates. CNET News.com

Open Source Updates
These bulletins were released by Secunia: Gentoo (1, 2, 3), Fedora (1, 2, 3), Red Hat, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Get a Security Blanket
(Editors Note: This tip and the following definition was originally published 4.13.05, but it’s worthy of frequent repetition.) What is one of the most secure methods to protect your PC or Mac? A router will provide a great deal of protection and even eliminate the need for a firewall for your PC according to Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI. A router provides you and your favorite Multiple Platforms system from outside intrusion using a NAT technology (see definition below). A router can also protect you when a software firewall has flaws as we noted above.

What is NAT?
According to the excellent resource tool Wikipedia, “In computer networking, network address translation (NAT, also known as network masquerading or IP-masquerading) is a technique in which the source and/or destination addresses of IP packets are rewritten as they pass through a router or firewall. It is most commonly used to enable multiple hosts on a private network to access the Internet using a single public IP address. According to specifications, routers should not act in this way, but it is a convenient and widely used technique. Nonetheless, NAT can introduce complications in communication between hosts.”

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Monday 5.23.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.23.05
Crackdown On Zombies Soon?
According to a report from CNET, the Feds at the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) are set to ask ISPs (Internet service providers) to identify and block zombie computers. Zombies are computers that are remotely controlled by crackers after the PC has been infected with any of a variety of viruses currently in the wild. What does this mean to you? We’ll a zombie computer by definition is a computer that is infected and controlled by a cracker without the knowledge of the PC’s owner. Therefore, if your Windows PC has been running slower than molasses in January, it might suddenly loose Internet access if the source of that slowness is associated with a virus that is allowing your PC to be co-opted. If you haven’t yet started using the Anti-virus application from Microsoft, install it and start protecting your computer now.
Feds to fight the zombies
FTC plans to tell Internet service providers to take stronger action against spam infiltrators, News.com has learned. CNET News.com

How Spammers Operate and What They Learn
PC World has good information on how spammers are obtaining ‘live’ email addresses to use in their never ending attack on our inboxes. The scary part is how much they can learn by inference when mining your email addresses from various web sites that require a login with a password to access the site. That is one of the reasons I chose not to make that a requirement at Multiple Platforms.com/.
Spam Slayer: E-Mail Attackers Know All About You
Spammers and scammers are finding new ways to uncover your e-mail address, and a whole host of personal information along with it. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Sleepy Macs a Problem Again; Security Issues Linger?
With every update issued, some Apple users seem to be plagued with sleep issues and the latest update for Tiger, 10.4.1 is no different. MacFixIt has suggestions for work around for this problem. Meanwhile, MacNN is reporting that the security fix isn’t enough and that Apple-ites could still be at risk if they download and install an ‘unscrupulous widget’. The piece carries the headline: “Security risk remains, Apple takes ‘Microsoft stance’”.

Open Source Updates
Secunia announced these updates and security bulletins are available for open source users: Ubuntu, Gentoo (1, 2), Red Hat, Linux Kernel, Solaris, and Debian.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Personalize Your Google Browser
It doesn’t matter if it is Firefox, Mozilla, Safari, OmniWeb, or Internet Explorer my browsers all open to the same home page – Google’s search page. Now you can personalize that same page with your local weather, stock market results, news headlines, and more by visiting Google at this link: http://labs.google.com/. You need to have an account with Google, for instance a Gmail account to take advantage of this service. What’s that, you don’t have one? Well I still have a bunch left to share, send an email to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com and I’ll pass along an invitation to you. PC World has more on the customizations possible:
Google's Home Page Gets Personal
Users will be able to view news, weather, and Gmail messages on the company's home page. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

What is Gmail?
Wikipedia supplies this definition for Gmail: “Gmail is a free web mail service, currently in beta testing, offered by Google, Inc.
For more than a year after Gmail's initial release on March 31, 2004, access to the service was restricted to those who had received an invitation token from an existing account holder.
While Gmail is not entirely open to the general public yet, most Gmail users have many invites to spare, as Google has lately been giving quite a few of these out. Gmail invites are also given away at random through Google's home page.
The service is notable for providing over 2.2 gigabytes of storage space (increased from the original limit of 1.0 gigabyte). This change was announced on April Fool's Day 2005, and was made for the one-year anniversary of Gmail. The announcement was accompained by a statement that google would continue to increase storage until they reached the theoretical limit, infinity gigabytes, then give each user one more. All Google will say about this now is that it will keep increasing by the second as long as they have enough space on their servers. Gmail makes intensive use of modern browser features such as JavaScript and keyboard access keys, allowing for a richer user experience, while retaining the benefits of a web application (most importantly, immediate availability of the service on any computer with a supported browser).”

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Friday 5.20.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.20.05
There’s No Microsoft Update Sent Through E-mail
Another round of bogus Windows patches are arriving in inboxes and according to eWeek, the fake fixes contain, surprise, a virus! Remember, Microsoft does not send updates by email! You should only update your Windows PC using the update features now incorporated in Windows XP. Read more about the latest cracker attack at eWeek:
Fake Microsoft Patch Triggers Virus Attack
The bogus e-mail contains an attachment that purports to be a cumulative Windows patch for May 2005. It's actually an executable file for a well-known virus. eWEEK Technology News

Opera and Firefox Reviewed
A comparison of the relative merits of the browsers Opera and Firefox can be found by visiting NewsForge. The review covers the performance of these browsers on Multiple Platforms: Windows 2000, Mac OS X, and SuSE Linux 9.1/. Opera wins the appearance race while Firefox takes the honors for functionality.

Apple Recalls Laptop Batteries
Apple has issued another recall regarding batteries for their iBook and PowerBook line of computers. According to MacWorld, the computers with serial numbers in the following ranges are the subjects of this recall: “A1061, A1078 and A1079 and serial numbers that begin with HQ441 through HQ507 or 3X446 through 3X510.”

Details of Apple Security Update
If you are curious about the latest security update for Tiger, Apple’s new operating system, you can visit the Apple web site or Secunia for detailed information. Secunia, the security firm has graded rated the flaw as ‘moderately critical’.

Listen to The Tech Guy
You can improve your digital knowledge every weekend; all you need to do is listen between 11 am to 2 pm (PDST) to Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on KFI. If you are in the Los Angeles area tune into AM640 and listen live or visit Leo’s web site then click on the KFI logo to hear the Internet stream. Leo answers questions on all things digital and uses Multiple Platforms too!

Open Source Updates
Secunia released these bulletins for open source users: Mandriva, Red Hat (1, 2), Debian (1, 2), Gentoo, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Digital Photo Advice
Last week my brother went to purchase a digital camera from a local big box store without first conducting any preliminary research regarding his specific needs. He has recently purchased a new iMac and printer but has yet to unpack them and put these tools to work; and lack of knowledge about what his computer package can do for him almost caused him to purchase a digital camera based upon the inappropriate recommendations of the salesperson. Luckily, he called me before finalizing the purchase and where did I turn to for advice? I surfed to steves-digicam.com/, one of the best sites for camera reviews. Instead of purchasing the Kodak camera with a docking station and printer (a duplication of equipment, as previously mentioned, he has a printer) my brother got a Canon Powershot A95 and an upgraded, fast memory card for the same cost. Check out steves-digicam.com for details on a plethora of digital cameras.

What is XML?
According to Wikipedia, “The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a W3C-recommended general-purpose markup language for creating special-purpose markup languages. It is a simplified subset of SGML, capable of describing many different kinds of data. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of data across different systems, particularly systems connected via the Internet. Languages based on XML (for example, RDF, RSS, MathML, XHTML and SVG) are themselves described in a formal way, allowing some programs to modify and validate documents in these languages without prior knowledge of their form.”

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Thursday 5.19.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.19.05
New Update Coming for Windows
Another patch will be forthcoming from Microsoft that will address a TCP/IP issue and although the company is downplaying the flaw, the matter is serious according to eWeek:
New TCP/IP Flaw Haunts Windows
Microsoft issues a prepatch advisory with mitigation guidance after exploit code is published on a popular security Web site. eWEEK Technology News

Tiger Problems Detailed
I have come to love Tiger, but there are a few issues bugging me like not being able to use RsyncX and Retrospect to backup my system. I have used Carbon Copy Cloner, but I prefer the other two applications for my backup needs. MacFixIt has more on the problems Apple users are having with Tiger.

Slow Tech News Week
As usual, when an event like the Electronic Entertainment Expo is taking place, the tech news slows to a crawl; but as they say, no news is good news…

Open Source Updates
Secunia has announced that the following systems have update or security bulletins available: OpenBSD, Red Hat (1, 2, 3, 4), Mandriva (1, 2), Debian, SuSE, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Check out the Number 1 Podcast
The results are in and the new number one podcast according to Podcast Alley is TWIT (AKA This Week in Tech). The podcast is a combined effort by Kevin Rose, Yoshi, Patrick Norton, Robert Herron, and Leo Laporte and you can check out the podcast by visiting their new web site: thisweekintech.com/. You can also find many great podcasts including the archives of our podcast, Life in a Multiple Platforms World at Podcast Alley.

What is a Podcast?
Wikipedia has this regarding podcasts: “Podcasting is a way of publishing sound files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new audio files automatically. Podcasting is distinct from other types of audio content delivery because it uses the RSS protocol. This technique has enabled many producers to create self-published, syndicated radio shows.
Users subscribe to podcasts using "podcatching" software (also called "aggregator" software) which periodically checks for and downloads new content. It can then sync the content to the user's portable music player, hence the portmanteau of Apple's "iPod" and "broadcasting". Podcasting does not require an iPod, however; any digital audio player or computer with the appropriate software can play podcasts.”

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Wednesday 5.18.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.18.05
Are Attacks Against Your Computer Ending?
Are these latest attacks by crackers on your PC the beginning of the end, or just a precursor for worse damage to come? The answer to that question is it depends on whom you ask. Query a Microsoft security expert and they will maintain that the worst has passed and that indeed the recent slow down in cracker attacks is because of a pro-active approach by Microsoft. At least that is the story carrien by eWeek, but if you visit other web sites, the ‘sky is falling' and we are all going to die:
Tech Gloom Deepens, But Is Sky Falling?
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Spring is in the air, and for tech investors, it's the time of year for minor panic. Reuters: Technology

Malicious Bots Hide Using Rootkit Code
Experts warn that "Rootbots" are emerging as a threat: remote control bots that borrow stealth features from rootkits to creep in undetected. eWEEK Technology News

Please grab a Gmail account While You Still Can
I still have 25 more Gmail invitations to share with readers of Multiple Platforms.com and if you would like a Gmail account all you need to do is send me an email to contactus@multipleplatforms.com/ and include the phrase: I want a Gmail account. I will extend an invitation to next 25 emails I receive.

Open Source Updates
The following update bulletins are available from Secunia: Conectiva, Red Hat (1, 2, 3), Fedora, and Ubuntu.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Solve that nagging problem
If you have an annoyance with your computer, let me help solve the issue. Please include as much information as possible regarding the situation, including what operating system you are using and when you last updated, anything you might have installed prior to the start of the problem, if you are logged on as the administrator when the issue occurs and any other information think might be even remotely related. It really helps to include your email address in the event that I need more background information to solve your problem, but you can submit your question anonymously to: contactus@multipleplatforms.com/.

What is Wikipedia?
I rely on Wikipedia and the associated network of contributors to help define the techno-babble that we must all comprehend to survive in the increasingly complex Multiple Platforms world of today. I offer this definition as an explanation for why the writing styles for each term are sometimes different: the work is contributed and corrected by the Wiki community. So, what is Wikipedia? Here is their auto-definition: “Wikipedia is a Web-based, free-content encyclopedia that is written collaboratively by volunteers. It consists of 195 independent language editions sponsored by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Entries on traditional encyclopedic topics exist alongside those on almanac, gazetteer and current events topics. Its purpose is to create and distribute, worldwide, a free encyclopedia in as many languages as possible. Wikipedia is one of the most popular reference sites on the Web[1], receiving around 60 million hits per day.
Wikipedia contains approximately 1.5 million articles, more than 500,000 of which are in its English language edition, more than 200,000 in the German language and more than 100,000 each in Japanese and French. It began as a complement to the expert-written Nupedia on January 15, 2001. Having steadily risen in popularity,[2] it has spawned several conceptually related sister projects such as Wiktionary, Wikibooks and Wikinews. Its articles are edited by volunteers in wiki fashion, meaning articles are subject to change by nearly anyone. Wikipedia's volunteers enforce a policy of "neutral point of view." Under this, the views presented by notable persons or literature are summarized without attempting to determine an objective truth. Because of its open nature, vandalism and inaccuracy are problems in Wikipedia.
Wikipedia's status as a reference work has been controversial. It has received praise for being free, editable, and covering a wide range of topics. It has been criticized for a perceived lack of accountability and authority when compared with traditional encyclopedias, systemic biases, and deficiencies in some topics. Its articles have been cited by the mass media and academia. Wikipedia's articles are available under the GNU Free Documentation License. Its German language edition has been distributed on compact discs, and many of its other editions are mirrored or have been forked by websites.”

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Tuesday 5.17.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.17.05
Connecting the Dots and Worms
The items cited yesterday regarding the new phishing trend using email addresses from real people and the Sober worm spreading political propaganda are related and indeed one in the same. Furthermore, the latest variant of the Sober worm appears to be capable of updating itself to stay ahead of antivirus measures. Read more about this issue from the Sacramento Bee (you must register to read the story). The emails contain various message lines in both German and English according to CRN are striking email users worldwide. Security experts recommend that you delete these messages without opening them.

AIM Users are Worm Target
Yes the annelids, strike that, worms keep wiggling this week and now it is slithering after AIM users. To learn more about this new threat surf to PC World:
New Worm Targets AIM Users
Malware allows an attacker to gain remote access to your PC. PCWorld.com

Is Linux The Eiger-nator?
Living in California, the ‘-nator’ tag is not reserved only for the current governors’ use and an article in eWeek leads me to believe that any open source system could claim the title of Eiger-nator (source for this item is Linuxtoday):
eWeek: Why Wait for Eiger When Linux is Ready Today
Microsoft has finally realized that Windows NT Workstation, 98, and ME users need an upgrade path that will work with their hardware. Too bad, Linux desktops can already fill that bill...Linux Today

Update for Tiger from Apple
Apple released the first update for Tiger users and just to be safe, I’ll be recommending the same course of actions as with Panther: wait a week. When you are ready to install the update, remember to disconnect your Firewire devices. I will also repair disk permissions before and after the update; and backup before you start any upgrade or update. I have overcome my initial blasé attitude regarding Tiger. I Love It! I have even been able to get Endnote 7.0 to function with Microsoft’s Word v.X on my iBook! That is significant and may keep me from having to upgrade to Endnote 8, and considering I haven’t used version 7 since it made my iBook imitate a crash test dummy, Tiger’s improved compatibility with the programs is appreciated. The following Apple sites have information regarding the update:
Apple releases Mac OS X 10.4.1, addresses Widget vulnerability
Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.1, the first major update to Tiger. The release is available through Software Update, or as a… MacFixIt

About the Mac OS X 10.4.1 Update
This software updates Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger to version 10.4.1.

Important: Please read before installing... Apple Computer Top Mac OS X Documents

Apple releases Mac OS X "Tiger" 10.4.1 update
Apple this evening released Mac OS X 10.4.1, a free update to the "Tiger" operating system. The update... MacNN

Apple offers first Tiger update
Company says new version offers a variety of fixes, including improvements to AFP and SMB file sharing. CNET News.com

Open Source Update
Secunia released these bulletins for open source systems: Linux kernel, Gentoo, and Slackware (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms: Fun for the Weekend
There is no better day to plan for the weekend than Tuesday and if you live in California or plan to visit there, check out our other web site California Fairs and Festivals.com/. The web site has been completely transformed into a fast-loading, html-conforming, good reference for weekend family fun.

What is an SMB?
Wikipedia provides this definition for SMB: “Server message block (SMB) is a network protocol mainly applied to share files, printers, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network. It is mainly used by Microsoft Windows equipped computers.
SMB was originally invented by IBM but the most common version is modified heavily by Microsoft. Microsoft renamed SMB to CIFS (Common Internet File System) in 1998 and added more features, including support for symbolic links, hard links, and larger file sizes.
SMB works through a client-server approach, where a client makes specific requests and the file server responds accordingly.
The SMB servers make their file systems and other resources available to clients on the network. Client computers may have their own hard disks, which are not publicly shared, yet also want access to the shared file systems and printers on the server.
SMB was originally designed to run on top of one of the various NetBIOS implementations (usually NetBEUI or NBT), though it can also run on top of TCP/IP directly since Windows 2000.
Microsoft has added several features to its own SMB implementation that are not part of the original SMB protocol.
Samba is a free reimplementation of the SMB protocol and the Microsoft extensions to it..”

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Monday 5.16.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.16.05
New Phishing Trend Worrisome
The latest tactic by phishers is to employ stolen identities to gain the trust of their intended victims. CNET has more on this disturbing new MO:
New phishing attack uses real ID hooks
Researchers are tracking an emerging form of phishing that uses stolen identity information to target individuals and their bank accounts. CNET News.com

Sober Annelid Causing Problems
Did I say annelids? It must be finals week for this biology major, I meant to say the Sober Worm is spreading spam and the message is political propaganda. You can read more at PC World:
Worm Spawns German Spam
Worm variant sends political propaganda messages in both English and German. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Tiger Tune-up
MacFixIt offers advice regarding Tiger problems including issues with Spotlight, invisible files and more:
Special Report: Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Covering these and other topics: Mac OS X 10.4: Spotlight: Invisible files limitation; Processor… MacFixIt

Open Source Updates
Secunia announced these updates for open source users: Trustix (1, 2, 3), Gentoo (1, 2), and Slackware.

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: Get a Gmail Account
I have 50 more Gmail invitations to share with readers of Multiple Platforms.com and if you would like a Gmail account all you need to do is send me an email to contactus@multipleplatforms.com/ and include the phrase: I want a Gmail account. I will extend an invitation to the first fifty emails I receive and all I ask in return is for you to tell your family and friends about Multiple Platforms.com/.

What is Slackware?
According to Wikipedia, “Slackware is a Linux distribution. Slackware takes a different approach than other popular distributions such as Red Hat, Debian, Gentoo, SuSE, and Mandrake Linux. It might best be described as "UNIX-like", given its policy of incorporating only stable applications, and the absence of distribution-specific GUI configuration tools found in other varieties of Linux. Partisans have been known to say, "When you know Slackware, you know Linux... when you know Red Hat, all you know is Red Hat."”

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Friday 5.13.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.13.05
Eiger Sanctioned?
According to a story published by CNET, Microsoft is developing a new operating system aimed at old PCs that either can’t be upgraded to XP, or have owners that won’t upgrade because of security concerns. While that strategy may help Microsoft sell a few more operating systems, it won’t get around the fact that many applications available today and being developed for tomorrow require an ever increasing share of processing power and memory capacity. Combine that with the end of support for products like Quicken, and you are faced with the inevitable fact that you need to upgrade and or replace your computer every 3-4 years and even more frequently if you are a power-user or a wanna-be power-user like me. Read more about Microsoft’s plan at CNET:
Microsoft tries to breathe life into older PCs
Software maker announces plans for "Eiger," a new version of Windows that would potentially make it more secure. CNET News.com

Firefox Fix Important
The update available from Mozilla for the Firefox browser patches a critical flaw as we noted here yesterday; PC World has more on the issue:
Mozilla Fixes Critical Firefox Bugs
Alternative browser's security upgraded. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Tiger Tales
I have had a few issues with Tiger over the past several days and it looks like my problems are associated with iDisk and the synchronization of the same. After examining my running processes and finding nothing out of the ordinary and eliminating other open programs, it appears to be the cause, but time will tell. If you have had applications unexpectedly quit, Apple’s OS X Top Documents has advice on what steps you can take:
Mac OS X 10.4: Reopening an application after it unexpectedly quits
If a Mac OS X application unexpectedly quits in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, an alert appears that lets you report the issue to Apple or try to reopen the application… Apple Computer Top Mac OS X Documents

Ted Landau Explains the Information Above
MacFixIt has the link for an article by Mac guru Ted Landau that explains the new application crash dialogs for Apple-heads.
mac.column.ted: Tiger's new and improved “application crash” dialogs
Ted Landau May 2005 [Note: This is the first of a few columns where I explore the "smaller" changes in Mac OS X 10.4. These are changes that, while they may not … MacFixIt

Open Source Updates
Secunia has the following bulletins for open source users: Mandriva (1, 2, 3, 4), Ubuntu (1, 2), and FreeBSD.

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: Have a good weekend
It is finally finals week in my world of Multiple Platforms and the strain on my brain from grading papers has robbed my creativity for tips for Multiple Platforms users. So the tip for today is have a great weekend, and check out Leo Laporte’s show The Tech Guy On KFI from 11 am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday. Listen live on AM640 in the LA area or via the Internet, just click on the KFI logo found at Leo’s web site.

Catch This Bus
The Multiple Platforms word of the day is ‘bus’ and Wikipedia has this definition: “In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers. Unlike a point-to-point connection, a bus can logically connect several peripherals over the same set of wires.
Early computer buses were literally parallel electrical buses with multiple connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same logical functionality as a parallel electrical bus. Modern computer buses can use both parallel and bit-serial connections, and can be wired in either a multidrop (electrical parallel) or daisy chain topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB.”

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Thursday 5.12.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.12.05
Firefox Update Available
Mozilla.org has released an update for their Firefox browser that includes security patches that help remedy some recently discovered bugs. Visit Mozilla to get the update or read more on the issue from MacMinute.

Mac Widgets: Truth With Not Much Consequence
MacCentral assures Apple owners that we all need to “take a deep breath” and continue those life processes that are so vital to our existence, like using our Macs. As we noted yesterday, you have nothing to worry about regarding this Widget issue unless someone creates a malicious Widget and then you have the misfortune of finding and installing that bad creation. Check out the word from a Mac expert by clicking on the following:
Editors' Notes: Widget security: fact and fiction
There are valid security concerns about Tiger’s Dashboard widgets. But if you’re overwhelmed by widget worries, take a deep breath and read what Rob Griffiths has to say on the subject. MacCentral

Gates Dreaming of Surpassing iPod Sales; What is Steve Dreaming of?
Reuters is featuring a story regarding Bill Gate’s lofty dreams of mobile phones surpassing iPods as the music player of choice. No word on if Steve Jobs’ has been dreaming lately of so distracting Microsoft with the iPod and their latest operating system successes that Apple grabs a 40 percent share of the computer market (compared to an estimated 4 percent currently).
Gates sees mobile phones overtaking iPods
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Microsoft founder Bill Gates sees mobile phones overtaking MP3s as the top choice of portable music player, and views the raging popularity of Apple's iPod player as unsustainable, he told a German newspaper. Reuters: Technology

Apple Offers Students $100 Rebate
Apple is offering students (or their parents) a one hundred dollar rebate for computers purchased over the next month (May 2 until June 25, 2005). Not all Macs are eligible for this offer, specifically the Mac mini, eMacs, and the least expensive iBook are excluded (I know, my heart started racing to at the thought of adding a mini for less than four hundred dollars).

Amazon Specials
Please help support this web site by checking out the Google ads that interest you, and if you click on the links of our associated merchants found on this page and complete a transaction, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the following deals at Amazon:
- 52 % OFF - Jabra BT110 Bluetooth headset. Only $29.99 with purchase of a qualifying Bluetooth-compatible phone. Just add both items to your Shopping Cart and use this promotional code at checkout: 02JABRABT110.

- Get $100 Cash back when you purchase the Motorola V300 with new service activation on T-Mobile.

- 59% OFF - Porter-Cable 324MAG 7-1/4" Blade Right Circular Saw - Only $99 after rebate

Migrate to Open Source Using Mac mini
If you are interested in trying open source on the cheap, you can do it with the Mac mini. You can’t build your own computer for the price of the mini and the operating system of choice is Yellow Dog. Check out the tutorial from Lewin Edwards in the following article:
Mad Mac mini multimedia machine, Part 1: Load Linux on the Mac mini
The Mac mini is an ideal low-cost, high-performance PowerPC development platform for numerous applications. Learn how to install and configure Linux on the mini. Future articles will add the software required to make it into a stand-alone multimedia appliance.
Accelerate YourMac News (story origin)

Open Source Update
Secunia announced these security and update bulletins are available for open source systems: Red Hat (1, 2), Linux kernel, Fedora, and Gentoo.

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms.com: Looking for a Security Blanket?
If you need protection from crackers, check out St. Bernard Software one of the MultiplePlatforms.com related links: Spam Filters & Email Security - ePrism ePrism is an email filter / spam filters appliance that provides organizations with a total secure email perimeter defense solution.

What is a Spam Filter?
Wikipedia is the source for the following information: “A mail filter is a piece of software which takes an input of an email message. For its output, it might pass the message through unchanged for delivery to the user's mailbox, it might redirect the message for delivery elsewhere, or it might even throw the message away. Some mail filters are able to edit messages during processing.”

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Wednesday 5.11.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.11.05
Patch For Microsoft Important
The latest security update released by Microsoft for Windows XP is ‘important’ and you can learn more about the issue by checking out the following from CNET:
Fix in for Windows flaw
Microsoft patches "important" security hole in the OS and publishes two early alerts in its new advisory program. CNET News.com - Security

New Operating System for Mobile Devices
PC World has a mini-review of Mobile 5, the new operating system released by Microsoft for PDAs and smart phones. Although some have declared the PDA market DOA, Microsoft seems to be providing users with reasons not to throw out the Treo just now and the added tweaks for smart phones won’t hurt sales of the new system either; read the story at PC World:
Microsoft Unwraps Windows Mobile 5
New handheld OS offers increased reliability, improved hardware support, and a host of new features. PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories

Brakes Put on Googlecelerator
The Midas touch that has been so instrumental in the success of Google has apparently failed as the search giant stopped users from downloading their latest software, Accelerator. In a CNET article, Google claims it is a matter of capacity or a lack of the same. Read more about the issue from CNET:
Google puts brakes on Accelerator
Company stops downloads of new Web software, blaming capacity issues. However, some have complained it compromises privacy. CNET News.com

Advice for Widget Monitoring
MacFixIt is an excellent source for advice on anything effecting Apples and they have suggestions for keeping tabs on your Widgets. Remember, if you are just using the Widgets that are supplied by Apple you are not at risk and if follow the directions provided yesterday regarding preference settings you are safe from crackers:
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) #14: More on managing Widgets; Another CD/DVD burning fix; iSync problem; Classic startup; DHCP; more
Another method for monitoring your Widgets folder Yesterday, in our coverage of an emerging issue where malicious, or at least annoying Widgets could be installed, without the user's… MacFixIt

Open Source Updates
Secunia released these updates for open source users: Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat, Sun Solaris, and Gentoo (1, 2).

Tip of the Day from Multiple Platforms: Hot Web Site
If there is a Cinderella story for startup web sites then ipodlounge.com wouldn’t require an audition to grab the lead role; the site is still gaining visitors and when you host a site that highlights the hottest music player on the market it is understandable. If you want to know about iPods, the ipodlounge.com is the place for you to hang. If you are having iTunes annoyances, check out the solutions we have found in response to visitors questions.

What is a Widget?
Apple’s new Widget could be the first crack in security for Mac owners; what is a widget?
Wikipedia provides this on that: “A widget (or control) is a graphical interface component that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box. Widgets are sometimes qualified as virtual to distinguish them from their physical counterparts, e.g. virtual buttons that can be clicked with a mouse cursor, vs physical buttons that can be pressed with a finger. Widgets are often packaged together in widget toolkits. Programmers use widgets to build graphical user interfaces (GUIs).”

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Tuesday 5.10.05 MultiplePlatforms.com Tech News Blog

2005-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Please visit our web site for the links to these stories and more.

Tech News Blog
5.10.05
Googlecellerator?
Google released their ‘Web Accelerator’ last week and per usual it has some people cheering, while it leaves others jeering about possible privacy issues. I haven’t tried it yet, and with broadband speed to my PC, I’m not sure if Google’s new tool will make a noticeable difference. According to a CNET article a frequent surfer can save up to three hours a month using this software that caches and compresses web pages. Read more at CNET:
FAQ: Hard facts about Google's Web Accelerator
The downloadable software speeds the delivery of Web pages but has its critics. What is it, and how does it work? CNET News.com

More on Mac Widget Security Problem
As we reported yesterday, the security of Apple’s Widget architecture or lack thereof, is in question and more experts are weighing in on this issue. The following report is from MacCentral:
News: Dashboard: Widget (In)Security
A new Web page documents an issue with Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger's new Dashboard feature that, left unchecked, could potentially be exploited by malware developers, according to the page's author. The exploit is described and demonstrated on a page called Zaptastic: Blueprint for a widget of mass destruction. Going by the nom de plume of Stephan.com, the author has described how Safari 2.0's default preference settings could lead users to unwittingly download and install a Dashboard widget. MacCentral

Update iTunes to Avoid Security Flaw
According to Secunia, Apple’s iTunes 4.x has a ‘highly critical flaw’ that and could allow crackers to compromise your machine through a “MPEG-4 file parsing buffer overflow”. Secunia advises iTunes users to “update to version 4.8”. MacFixIt and MacCentral are reporting the availability of Apple’s latest version, read more about by following these links:
Apple releases iTunes 4.8
Apple has released iTunes 4.8, available as a 11 MB standalone Web download. According to Apple, the new release offers the following enhancement … MacFixIt

Feature: New in iTunes 4.8 [updated]
Apple has released a new version of iTunes and, in typical fashion, tells us very little about what it improves and adds. Here’s what we’ve discovered in our first look. MacCentral

Open Source Update
Secunia released the following bulletins for open source systems: Fedora (1, 2), Gentoo, and Debian (1, 2).

Multiple Platforms Tip of the Day: Common Error Messages
The Apple web site has a page listing the most common error messages received by Mac-heads when they are downloading files. Find out what those annoying messages really mean by visiting the Apple Support site. PC owners can visit the error message page found at the Microsoft Support Site.

What is Kernel Panic?
According to Wikipedia, “A kernel panic is a message displayed by an operating system upon detecting an internal system error from which it cannot recover. Kernel panics often provide cryptic debugging information that is useful only to the developers of the operating system.
Attempts by the operating system to read an invalid or unpermitted address are a common source of kernel panics. A panic may also occur as a result of a hardware failure.
Kernel Panic (http://ubersoft.net/kpanic/index.html) is also the name of a web comic by Christopher Wright. The comic revolves around a group of unix and linux server admins ordered to change the server farm over to Nifty Doorways (a parody of the Windows operating system.).”

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