News Blogs

Where's Vista?

I've stated before on this blog that I think Netbooks will be very popular. The 25 best selling laptop computers at Amazon.com bears out this prediction. But, perhaps the most shocking thing about the list is how few computers have Windows Vista installed.

The top 10 consist of seven Netbooks running Windows XP, one Netbook running Linux and two MacBooks. No Vista.

As of 11 a.m. PT Thursday, here's the list of operating systems on the most popular laptop computers sold at Amazon.com.

1. Windows XP Home Edition 2. Windows XP Home Edition 3. Mac … Read more

Beware e-mail messages from UPS

I have a lot of e-mail addresses and thus attract my fair share of unwanted and malicious e-mail. The latest malware spreading e-mail to land in my in-boxes has purported to be from the package delivery company UPS. Thursday, I received two of these, but there have been other similar messages recently.

As you can see in the picture below, it came with an attached ZIP file.

ZIP files are commonly used as a container to transmit malicious software. The number in the name of the ZIP file is probably there to evade detection by antivirus software; the numbers were … Read more

How to install Java in Windows

Chances are, there is a copy of Java on any computer you walk up to. According to Sun Microsystems, the company behind Java, it has been installed on more than 800 million computers. There are versions of Java for many operating systems, including Windows, OS X, Linux, and Solaris, just to name a few. You can see if Java is installed on a computer by visiting Javatester.org.

If there is a copy of Java on a computer you own or maintain, it may be old. JavaTester.org not only reports the installed version but gives you some idea of … Read more

Should you install the new version of Java?

Sun Microsystems released a new version of Java for Windows, Linux and Solaris a few days ago. Should you rush out to install it? Probably not.

First a bit of level-setting. Version numbers are an ongoing annoyance with Java, and this latest go-round is no different. The new release is identified with six names:

1.6.0_10 (from the Java runtime) Update 10 of Java Standard Edition 6 Java (TM) 6 Update 10 (in the Add or Remove Programs thingy in the Control Panel) Java SE 6u10 6.0.100.33 (by the Secunia scanner) 1.6.0_10-b33 (a property … Read more

Time to patch Windows again, ASAP

If you use a Windows computer connected to a network, a newly discovered bug makes it possible for a bad guy to wreak havoc on the computer without your doing anything. The most vulnerable versions of Windows are XP, 2000 and Server 2003. Vista and Server 2008 are also vulnerable, but not as badly. Microsoft considers the bug important enough to issue the patch immediately rather than waiting for their normal once-a-month patch Tuesday.

Susan Bradley, writing for the Windows Secrets newsletter recommends immediately installing the just-issued patch. Then she offers some unusual advice, suggesting people first restart their computers &… Read more

Defensive Computing for Lawyers

Frank Hayes, writing in Computerworld, does a great job recounting how an Excel to PDF conversion resulted in Barclays Capital making a multi-million dollar mistake in their offering to buy part of Lehman Brothers. In and of itself, it's an interesting story, but Hayes concludes with this advice for using technology:

Keep it simple.Don't make assumptions.And never, ever trust tech more than you really have to.

Agreed.

See a summary of all my Defensive Computing postings.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Netbook: Not a first look

I just got a Lenovo S10 Netbook computer and couldn't have been more enthusiastic about kicking the tires. As I've written before, I think Netbooks will be very big, and this was to be my first.

So this posting should have been a first look. I should be offering my opinion on whether the keyboard is too small, what it's like to use Windows XP on such a small screen, and how hot the thing gets. But I didn't get that far.

After a delay in getting the machine the box arrived all beat up. Not … Read more

Two problems with Secunia Online Software Inspector

Update October 20, 2008 Noon EDT. According to Secunia they now detect version 10 of the Flash Player and they have corrected their FAQ. However, the most important issue, treating version 9 of the Flash Player as good rather than bad has not changed. Update October 20, 2008 9 PM EDT. An email from Secunia said they don't consider version 9,0,124,0 of the Flash Player to be bad because it is the latest edition of version 9 and because Adobe still supports version 9.

I've mentioned previously that I'm a big fan of Secunia'… Read more

Data theft: What really accounts for it

If you work in a corporation, then you might be interested in a blog posting by Joel Hruska over at Ars Technica that reviews a report by Compuware on how and why corporations lose data.

Compuware surveyed 1,112 "IT practitioners" and found that only 1 percent of data losses could be attributed to hackers.

The other 99 percent? Mostly negligent insiders. The next biggest sources of trouble were outsourcing and malicious employees.

Asked about their employer's ability to monitor and detect information theft, most of those surveyed said their employers did a poor job.

If you … Read more