November 2008 - Posts
For today only..
50%
off all programs in the
Axialis product lineup..
Whenever I installed Windows onto a computer, the first thing I would install was TweakUI. I wasn't too fussed about the other items in the original Windows 95 Powertoys collection other than 'Send to any folder', but I hated the shortcut arrows with a passion, and I still do.
The Windows Powertoys, for those who don't know, were a collection of utilities created way back when by the backroom boys at Microsoft, and they enabled a computer user to access features not generally available. All versions of Windows 9x, 2000 and XP could use the original Win 95 version, and one of the few differences was that the XP version installed into the regular Programs group rather than installing a Control Panel applet.
The 'boys' have been too busy doing other things, and thus far no Vista version has ever appeared.
Enter 'Ultimate Windows Tweaker'.. It looks like this (image courtesy of SnagIt 9).
There are seven sections including one specific to UAC, so there is plenty to keep you amused while customizing how your Vista looks and works.
Ultimate Windows Tweaker has been developed for WinVistaClub by Ramesh Kumar, and can be downloaded for free from here..
http://www.winvistaclub.com/Ultimate_Windows_Tweaker.html
I have included it in my arsenal of really useful utilities..
At some point in time before November 20 of this year, the owners of the Start Page decided that it was time to generate revenue. On the morning of the 20th, anybody opening Pageflakes was greeted by a large advertisement securely anchored at the top right corner of the 'flake' area. For some like me, it was just a empty box because I use a hosts file that blocks adverts for the most part.
The response generated in the Pageflakes forum by users was not good, and I was one of them. Within the hour, I had resurrected my old customized Sympatico MSN start page and added all of my links that I regularly use. Others were heading off to Netvibes, Favoor and others.
The good news is that the advert box has been removed. I hope that the owners do find a way to keep it going, but please no more stunts like the last one.
If you were tired of waiting for Adobe Reader to respond, there were alternatives, and Foxit was one of them. It still is but there is a catch with version 3.
The free version of Foxit is now sponsored by ASK.COM, and you can't install Foxit 3.0 unless you agree to also installing the 'Foxit' toolbar. Not only that but when installed, your default search engine is.........
ASK.COM
The installation process doesn't ask whether you want ASK.COM to be your preferred search engine. It just sets ASK.COM up.
OK, so the toolbar can be silenced and the preferred search engine can be re-instated, but I still find it annoying to have to accept junk like ASK.COM in the first place. To add insult to injury, the other free offerings in this field are clunky, slow, awkward and they too sneak stuff in, notably a link for eBay.
Foxit is still the best of the free PDF readers.. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Microsoft are discontinuing their 'One Care' protection service as of next year. I know of only one person who advocated it, and many who wouldn't even take a look. To be honest, I don't trust one stop protection, wouldn't recommend it, and my guess is that many others didn't either.
In it's place, Microsoft will offer a free ant-virus solution to be known as 'Morro'. It has to be really good to beat NOD32 and even some of the other free ones out there already.
Don't expect Morro to appear in Windows Update any time soon. It will not make an appearance until late 2009.
While on the topic of system protection, the ISP protection packages are none too good either. They quote big name stuff which I wouldn't install on my system at a local level, let alone trust from a remote location.
I looked at how an ISP would deal with a virus infection where the client totally relied on the ISP protection, and the idea is that you call their support line for instructions on how to remove the virus. Some of those support guys don't even remember their own name unless they look at their badge first.
If you want protection, go for products that many people use as long as they don't have Norton or McAfee in the name someplace.
- In the beginning, nobody really cared
- Then we heard that wireless Internet and networks could be intercepted
- So we all set up WEP encryption
- Last year, WEP Wi-Fi encryption was cracked in under a minute
- So we all moved to WPA encryption
- This year, WPA Wi-Fi encryption has been cracked. It takes between 12 and 15 minutes.
- Time to move to WPA2, guys and gals..
This is from PC World (the magazine)
The work of Tews and Beck does not involve a dictionary attack, however.
To pull off their trick, the researchers first discovered a way to trick a WPA router into sending them large amounts of data. This makes cracking the key easier, but this technique is also combined with a “mathematical breakthrough,” that lets them crack WPA much more quickly than any previous attempt, Ruiu said.
Tews is planning to publish the cryptographic work in an academic journal in the coming months, Ruiu said. Some of the code used in the attack was quietly added to Beck’s Aircrack-ng Wi-Fi encryption hacking tool two weeks ago, he added.
This is just the start. Maybe if enough civilized countries do this, there will be enough bandwidth left to be able to set up RSS news feeds and Internet radio station listening again..
"French pirates face net cut-off
Sarkozy: "A decisive moment for the future of a civilized Internet"
French plans to throw persistent pirates off the net have got closer to becoming law.
The French Senate voted overwhelmingly in favour of the law, which aims to tackle ongoing piracy of music, movies, and games online.
Those caught illegally sharing digital media will get warnings e-mailed and posted to them before having their net connection terminated.
The proposed law now goes to the French National Assembly for final approval.
The idea to tackle piracy with such a three strikes law was first floated in November 2007, when French President Nicolas Sarkozy called it: "a decisive moment for the future of a civilized internet".
Under the plan, net firms will be enrolled as watchdogs that will keep an eye on consumers indulging in casual piracy.
Those spotted illegally sharing copyrighted works, such as music tracks or movies, will get two warnings, but if they do not heed these then their net connection with be terminated.
The French Senate voted 297 to 15 to back the law, which will also create a new governmental body that will oversee the anti-piracy work. Companies will be encouraged to install firewalls blocking content sharing by employees.
Prior to the Senate vote, French politicians rejected an amendment, by Bruno Retailleau of the right-wing MPF party, which suggested using fines instead of cutting people off.
Mr Retailleau said the net had become an "essential commodity" and cutting people off went too far.
If enacted, the law will put France on a collision course with Brussels, which rejected a call to impose such "three strikes" laws across Europe in April 2008.
Throwing people offline, it said, conflicted with "civil liberties and human rights".
At the same time Sweden is reportedly drawing up laws that will make it easier to track down and prosecute persistent pirates. The law might be enacted in early 2009."