So far, there’s only one Mac in the house here, Laura’s, but I certainly have been impressed with what the machine can do. Ernie the Attorney blogs: The Joys of Apple Computers. So I’ve been using my Apple Powerbook for over a year now. I obviously like Apple or else I wouldn’t have added to my collection by getting an iMac desktop last Christmas. At first, my kids weren’t too happy about… Posted at Ernie The Attorney
Archive | April, 2004
Cringely: Shake Your Groove Thing
After Cringely’s last column saying there was no way to beat Microsoft, other than their inevitable suicide, I was ready to toss in the towel. On the other hand, in this weeks’s column, “Shake Your Groove Thing: The Only Way to Beat Microsoft is by Ignoring Microsoft,” he ties in the Google phenomenon with Sun’s capitulation and concludes that Sun is done. His quotable pull quotes:
… paying too much attention to Microsoft simply allows Microsoft to define the game. And when Microsoft gets to define the game, they ALWAYS win.
And his thoughts on the winning game plan:
Start by completely removing Microsoft from your thoughts. Develop a good and sound business plan. It should in no way be based on Microsoft, either for or against. Microsoft should not be part of your business. What is important is to run YOUR business, and not be distracted by Microsoft. If it makes business sense to YOUR company to do business with Microsoft, do so on your terms. Limit your dependence, limit your exposure.
Thought-provoking stuff.
State of the Computer Book Market
Tim O’Reilly, head of O’Reilly & Associates, the folks with the animals on the cover, presents this analysis of the book market.
New Microsoft Patches Available.
According to ComputerWorld, “Microsoft releases patches to fix 20 flaws” in four Security Bulletins, MS04-011, -012, 013, and -014. All but one are rated critical. As the time between patch release and exploit seems to be dropping to a few days, I’d encourage you to patch your systems asap.
It’s the 16th week of the year. Microsoft’s patches and further information are available at http://www.microsoft.com/security.
Commentary: Where is Java in the settlement?
Rick Ross summarizes one of the big problems with proprietary software:
Those of us on the outside have no access to the particulars of the settlement and have no way to know whether Sun has sold us out.
Not Only Are The Answers Out There, Sometimes They Come To You
On a recent adventure attempting to install the SubVersion client on Laura’s iMac, I complained (some said whined, I didn’t mean to whine) that sometimes assembling and configuring Open Source software was hard, but soon confessed that the problem was primarily me, failing to careful read and follow the instructions. With determination, care, a good night’s sleep and some coffee, I was able to make it through.
The maintainer of the SubVersion package for fink, Christian Schaffner, found my blog post, and was kind enough to respond with a better explanation of why I was having so many challenges (it was a new package and I was attempting to install it from source code, which involves a lot more configuration, pre-processing and compiling) and pointed out that there was now a (much simpler to install) binary version of the SubVersion client available for the Mac as well. Oh, and to gently remind me to rtfm 🙂
The Answers Are Out There.
And in other news…
And in other news, Slashdot reports Microsoft Clips Longhorn:
Gr8Apes writes “Microsoft is clipping Longhorn to get the already-delayed follow-up to Windows XP out the door by 2006. MS has decided to remove some of the most ambitious features. Blackcomb is the version to follow Longhorn, and is expected at the end of the decade. The full new file system feature has been moved to Blackcomb. Other notable parts of the story, in MS’s efforts to get its DRM into play, a new version, Windows XP Premium will start shipping with new PCs, which will include a new version of the infamous Windows Media Player. This version will have the ability to shop at on-line stores like the one MS plans to launch later this year. It’s their move to ‘outflank Apple’.”
Cringely: The Only Way Microsoft Can Die is by Suicide
From his pulpit this week, Robert X. Cringely posts “The Once and Future King: Now the Only Way Microsoft Can Die is by Suicide.” That’s great news. I love cheering for the underdog, especially when all looks hopeless. Do read the column to the end: Cringely comes to the same conclusion I do: Microsoft’s Destiny Is Inevitable.
Cisco Products Have Backdoors
Wow. Someone was asleep at the switch. Slashdot reports Cisco Products Have Backdoors
Cbs228 writes “A Cisco Security Advisory released yesterday admits that “A default username/password pair is present in all releases of the Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE) and Hosting Solution Engine (HSE) software. A user who logs in using this username has complete control of the device. This username cannot be disabled.” Can we really trust closed-source vendors, such as Cisco, to develop secure products that are free of backdoors?”
It’s a valid question. Many eyes make for shallow bugs.
The Witty worm’s remarkable ‘firsts’
An interesting article on the Witty worm, remarkable in several ways: small size (637 bytes!), speed and method of propogation (launched from a bot network, done in 45 minutes) and destructiveness. While the author writes “Let’s hope that the Witty worm was just an anomaly, an exception…,” this could also be an indication that there may be an entirely new class of malware out there: more sophisticated, better written and more destructive. Witty extinction. “Evil new ‘firsts’ in the ever-changing world of worms and viruses By Kelly Martin, SecurityFocus .” From The Register