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Well, perhaps this is the final verdict? However, in the past the claim was the wood was from logs that were at the bottom of a swamp or something. Also, it was thought to be the chemical treatment. I suspect this is just the latest theory.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Stradivarius-Violins-Mystery-Solved-41462.shtml

Lots of people. I don't happen to use Outlook, but I do it all the time.

They even changed the functionality after user observation showed that a lot of people used it to check dates:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Date-and-Time-Settings-in-Vista-38465.shtml

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Windows-Widgets/Widget-Miscellaneous/Homeland-Security-Widget.shtml


You're only about a year behind.

Besides, it's not the threat level widget we should fear, it's the automatically granted remote logins and kernel-based keyloggers.

It should not take too long for M$ft to copy an existing one then claim they innovated it.

And it never claimed to be. I don't know anyone who uses Ruby because it's more secure. Everyone I know who uses Ruby does so because of the beautiful syntax, pervasive OO, and other things that make it nicer to program in.

And again, it's not the security. I'm willing to risk having to patch my interpreter like this once in awhile, if it means I'm able to

Keep in mind, this vulnerability is so far only a DoS, and won't necessarily affect most installations. Most people run multiple interpreters serving a single site, each load-balanced to. Knock out one and it'll be restarted, while the other continues to serve content.

Which brings us to your next point...

mod_ruby -- you do realize pretty much no one in the Ruby world uses Apache, right? It's all mongrels and nginx... But if you must, there's Passenger.

I think an example of a "non security hotfix" would be something like the Daylight Saving time fix for Windows 2000 (in "Extended Support" at the time), which was only provided for those that paid for extended hotfix support. I think an example of "design fixes and feature requests" would be a Service Pack.

So Windows XP should be secure and usable as long as software is written for it. Since so many people will continue to use Windows XP, this shouldn't be a problem.

Windows 2000 started its "Extended Support" phase 3 years ago and I'm starting to see a few new applications not support the OS (e.g. Foobar2000 0.9.5, Photoshop CS3, free Microsoft goodies). I think this will be less of a problem for Windows XP because XP is used by many more home users than Windows 2000 ever was.

Support for Windows XP SP2 ends on 07-13-2010. http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean31
The "Extended Support" phase is scheduled to end on 04-08-2014 for Windows XP SP3. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-XP-SP3-Brings-the-Death-of-SP2-July-13-2010-85986.shtml

Yes, I too agree it must be *meant to be* confusing.... It is just the Microsoft Way. I think there are several amortization table calculations involved in the selection of the dates too... http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

Especially considering that most people buying these will be big tech geeks. Which are mostly men. Most men don't have very good abilities at differentiating a lot of different colours. But who's to say you have to have people using them. Who knows though. They could get a considerable market share of the mantis shrimp population.

Actually you don't need MSFT to make it,you can make it yourself! Just go here and download the driver packs. Then use your favorite unattended cd maker(I personally prefer this one and follow the steps. This ISO builder is so simple anyone can do it. It also allows you to add extra drivers in addition to the driverpacks so you can add the latest for your hardware. When the ISO is created just burn to DVD and voila! A Windows XP DVD that has drivers for every piece of hardware you can throw at it! Enjoy!

While we are on the subject; Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel and ImgBurn will both work off a pendrive. Lovely.

I thought there was going to be a FF RC2 as well. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Firefox-3-0-Release-Candidate-2-RC2-Gets-the-Green-Light-86752.shtml

Actually, yes, I do believe that.

Here's an internal view of the drive: http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/400-MB-Seagate-Drive-Survives-the-Columbia-Space-Shuttle-Disaster-4.jpg

Article on softpeida about it with pictures. http://news.softpedia.com/news/400-MB-Seagate-Drive-Survives-the-Columbia-Space-Shuttle-Disaster-84826.shtml

Dell has wanted OSX since it went to Intel...

I'm not endorsing this since I've never used it, but there is a freeware application that lets you change the resolution from the commandline:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Resolution-Changer.shtml

It can do it temporarily or permanently, and you can set it to run a second application and revert resolutions when the application quits.

"Windows XP Service Pack 3 contains hotfixes and updates released since Windows XP SP2."

there..fixed it for you.
Btw, i already got SP3 final since a few days ago, it's been posted on April 23rd 2008 on Softpedia :D
Current download count: 300,000 and counting like crazy.

As XP x64 follows the Server 2003 SP model, this does not apply. 2003 is currently on SP2, I don't see a date for sp3 (if there is one at all.) I found this at: http://news.softpedia.com/news/64-Bit-Windows-XP-Service-Pack-3-73982.shtml

Then again, that card is now useless to me since NVidia stopped releasing accelerated drivers for new kernels, which is why I went with intel last time around.

Terrible article. Why am I seeing http://news.softpedia.com/images/extra/LINUX/small/gimp25preview-small_011.jpg ?

The original.

How about this menu: http://news.softpedia.com/images/extra/LINUX/large/gimp25preview-large_009.jpg ? Doesn't seem very sane to me.

WHY is /. linking to a spam blog. look at the name for pete's sake. here's the original: http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-Look-The-GIMP-2-5-0-83090.shtml

The blog is just a giant redirect. Way to editorially review, slashdot. I'm on IE here at work, but Opera kills the scripting on this blog at home. forbid anyone the other way around reads this article.

This is a word for word, picture for picture copy of the original at Softpedia (I'm guessing, as the Softpedia article was posted 4 days earlier). The article linked is full of adverts as well. You would be better off reading the offical GIMP release notes.

I think I'm immune because I run linux, don't run as root, don't install random shit on my computer, don't visit many sketchy websites, and don't have any outgoing traffic I didn't initiate.

Unless, of course, EVERYTHING is compromised, from my linux system to my firewall to my linux-based router. And if that's the case, yes, I'm part of the problem.

But more than likely, my grandmother with the unpatched Win 98 machine is part of the problem. Part of the easy-to-obtain, easy-to-keep problem.

Hell, if I had a fair bit of outgoing traffic, at bare minimum the blinkenlight of my router would tip me off. But as I sit here, it's steady. I get an IM, it lights up. I hit preview, it lights up. But unless I had this box somewhere under my bed, and the router in a closet, and never checked any logs, and ALSO visited either bad sites, or opened malicious things, I'd be surprised to find it compromised.

Of course, your point would be more valid if it wasn't a link to a blog article by someone who fanatically writes about microsoft products.

You're just as bad as an Official Microsoft FUD Machine. At bare minimum, site a decent source for your crap.

I think I'm immune because I run linux, don't run as root, don't install random shit on my computer, don't visit many sketchy websites, and don't have any outgoing traffic I didn't initiate.

Unless, of course, EVERYTHING is compromised, from my linux system to my firewall to my linux-based router. And if that's the case, yes, I'm part of the problem.

But more than likely, my grandmother with the unpatched Win 98 machine is part of the problem. Part of the easy-to-obtain, easy-to-keep problem.

Hell, if I had a fair bit of outgoing traffic, at bare minimum the blinkenlight of my router would tip me off. But as I sit here, it's steady. I get an IM, it lights up. I hit preview, it lights up. But unless I had this box somewhere under my bed, and the router in a closet, and never checked any logs, and ALSO visited either bad sites, or opened malicious things, I'd be surprised to find it compromised.

Of course, your point would be more valid if it wasn't a link to a blog article by someone who fanatically writes about microsoft products.

You're just as bad as an Official Microsoft FUD Machine. At bare minimum, site a decent source for your crap.

Third time posting this link in this thread:

Compromised Linux machines are an integral part of the botnet.

No technology can replace determined stupidity... or just plain arrogance.

But... you are INVINCIBLE!, right?

Linux boxes are the sergeants in the Botnet army.

If you think you're immune just because you're running Linux, then you're part of the problem.

You're just as bad as someone with an unpatched HP-branded WinXP system fresh from Office Depot.

You can't.

Not even Linux boxes are safe from hacking.

An anti-virus scan is totally worthless. In fact, most systems slow your machine down so badly that they're worse than useless. Norton slows your machine down by thousands of percent!

Let's be honest here. In my lifetime, I've spent less than $100 (one hundred dollars) on my security systems. That gives me a D-Link firewall, Avast!, and Spybot. The hackers have access to the same materials. If they want to write a program that gets around my meager defences, then they can. I live only by my obscurity, enhanced by my slight tweaks to my firewall. (Dropping pings, blocking port 113, etc.) As far as a passive scan goes, I don't exist. I simply wouldn't survive a concentrated attack.

That's probably okay, though - it's like when I lock up my bike. I have a kryptonite U-lock that I put through both wheels and the frame. I also take the seat with me and remove all the shiny bits. (It also has a VHF transmitter, but that's another story.) It would take someone with a plasma torch two or three seconds to cut the bike rack and put my bike into a truck. However, that's not worth your average meth-headed bike thief's time. It's easier for him to take another bike that's not as secure. If a dedicated professional wants my bike, then he's going to get it.

The major problem with Windows is that when you take your machine home and plug it in, it can be easily compromised. The same is true with a lot of commercial-grade routers with firewalls. The default settings leave a lot to be desired. Your firewall still sort of works, but you're not getting the same level of protection that you'd get by changing some settings. Just two days ago, we had an article about the 2-wire security holes, showing that a large percentage of IDSN home users in North America are wholly unprotected against external attacks.

So why do we have what we have? It's simple. We have a lot of programs written by people who simply do not understand security issues. Windows, for example, is perfectly stable until you start to put 3rd-party software on it. Then it starts to crash because the memory is being used in two or more different ways. Take a look at some of the snippets on thedailywtf to see what sort of quality work you end up with when you have people who "can program" and can't understand basic math (if you work unpaid overtime, that's you.) writing important code for important systems.

What's required to fix it is a wholesale change in CPU architecture along with mandatory licencing and regulation for anyone who wants to program anything in any language and sell it. (If you put up a dividing wall in your house, you can get the supplies at Home Depot and DIY. If you want to sell a wall-building service to the public, you have to be licenced.)

Only once we take programming as seriously as we take bridge construction and land surveying will we start to see safer computing.

You have to think that by now Apple would have their SDK in order concerning 64bit apps. The 64 bit achitecture has only been around for 10+ years...

too bad this great tool...er website got slashdotted maybe too many poeple were using wireshark 1.0 while they were browsing the page...just kidding anyways time to google for mirrors Mirror: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Internet/HTTP-WWW-/Ethereal-1961.shtml

And then you have the obvious - why is the OS allowing you to modify the MBR without appropriate rights and/or why are users running as users with the rights necessary to do this? This is STILL a problem harking back to the DOS days - everyone as administrator. With a new twist - the average user hasn't needed to BE administrator for quite a long time now.

Except in Vista, this isn't true. You need to either have elevated privileges(or have disabled UAC so that everything runs as administrator) to be able to write to the MBR, at least according to this website. Of course, UAC does not mitigate the issue if they attach to a publically available installer(say kazaa-super-deluxe-installer.exe), since you'll need elevated privileges to run the installer and thus will click "Accept". However, since writing to the MBR is a highly unusual operation, they could bring another box that clearly marks the operation as unusual before allowing the write to the MBR.

Also, since the article mentions that the rootkit does not modify the registry, it would appear that all that is required to remove it is to do a "fixmbr" from the installation CD to overwrite the MBR with a clean copy(which is corroborated by Symantec).

Ah. So it will just have to be cracked again.

Vista SP1 is supposed to kill off the crack: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vista-SP1-The-Death-of-the-2099-Grace-Timer-Crack-and-OEM-BIOS-Hack-77948.shtml

It doesn't even really matter at this point. Let's be honest... the average computer user doesn't know the difference between U2-Somesong.mp3 and U2-SomeSong.exe.

To make matters worse, some attacks may even occur if you are dealing with safe file types, like a PNG or even PDF. Some security problems exist due to the user's ignorance or idiocy but "some" isn't exactly the same thing as "all".

World of Warcraft!

*Warning, purchase and use of this game can lead to loss of friends, loss of money and can lead to death. *

I can just see someone's Mum looking down at her son's Christmas wishlist, then back up to the warning label on the WoW case.

~Jarik

Useful new features

Have you seen gOS?
It has the option to install just about anything you want with one command, yet as an OS it has a market because most people just use it to play with the internet and the apps available on websites. Mail, Calendar, Documents, Picasa all provided by Google. Facebook Myspace and iTunes are all right there on the desktop with Blogging sites too.
I'm not saying everyone should use these, I certainly don't, but this is what a lot of people think computers are these days.
WinXP came with a whole heap of sub-par applications (CD burning, IE, Wordpad, Defrag, Paint, Sound Recorder, WMP, Compressed Folders, (list goes on)) that people replaced with ful-featured packages if they wanted to use the functionality of the program.

Compatibility

I posted here on that one and got some comments, but I also posted here on Linux making life hard too.
When you bear in mind that WinModems and GFX cards were specifically designed to run fast under Windows it is a wonder that the OSS world can use them at all, and to be fair, I still can't run Compiz (or KDE4's compositing features) on my 9600XT 256MB. But I can sit here and type this message, I can run a VM for Photoshop, and I can browse my photo collection at the maximum resolution my monitor supports. I think that qualifies as usage requirements. I do keep Vista and XP partitions. Vista is pretty but I can't access my games, XP is insecure so I can't use the web, Linux won't play games and I haven't yet missed the prettiness because of Domino (which openSUSE is including in the distro now).
Upshot is, I haven't yet found anything I can't make work with openSUSE, my distro of choice, that upsets me.

Third option

Sheesh, I couldn't even go there without a link to Sinulate,which I found for a post I just made =)

Wubi, which "is an unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click."

So, what platformers are there even close to Super Mario Galaxy for Linux?

God wills it!

God wills it!

God wills it!

God wills it!

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Predator-Style-Hemlets-Allow-Pillots-To-See-Through-Planes-70542.shtml

Actually, do you know about Windows Vista Starter Edition?

Even funnier, it's intended for markets like these.

Here's the info: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Vista-Starter-Edition-in-Images-57484.shtml

Which was discovered to NOT be a Mac, cuz he was running SOME DISTRO and modified it according to:

http://www.howtoforge.com/mac4lin_make_linux_look_like_a_mac_p6

which was found to really be based on:

http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Environment/KDE/KDM-Vista-like-Theme-25822.shtml

and

http://www.kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=31585

I assume it is just coincidence that Microsoft employs one of the recent President of Nigeria's sons?

Did you know that in Opera you can right click on a web page, select Edit Site Preferences and disable Javascript, or just disable the features the site abuses. No extension needed! And it runs perfectly fine on older machines since it doesn't leak memory like sieve like certain competing browsers. It's also free and cross platform just like them.

And it has fewer vulnerabilities -

http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Internet-Explorer-vs-Firefox-vs-Safari-vs-Opera-3.png

Plus since it has a tiny market share it's very unlikely anyone will bother to target it.

This is pure spin. Look at how this article takes Microsoft's huge jump in profits and manages to turn it into somehow Microsoft is failing and covering up their failure. Of course sales of Vista fell compared to the first few months it was being sold! Everyone who was going to be an early adopter of Vista bought it within that time frame. Now sales are going to be more linked to the OEM channel, and independant sales are going to slow as cautious users wait for SP1.

Seriously, articles like this are pure FUD, trying to take a moment of Microsoft's success and some how make it about their failure. If the OSS community wants to support article writers like the jackass who wrote this one, you're just going to hoodwink yourselves into thinking you're destroying Microsoft when in fact, they're posting record profits and sales of Vista are moving along quite nicely.

Here's a little dose of reality:
Source

And while the Cupertino-based company crossed its fingers and hoped that the trade-off was the right strategy, statistics released by Market Share by Net Applications paint an entirely different picture. Market Share by Net Applications data reveals that MacIntel has lost market share and is down to 2.48% in June compared with 2.51% in May. Mac OS has also dropped to 3.52% from 3.95% two months ago.

The open source Linux operating system is stagnating. The various distributions of Linux are credited with only 0.71% of the operating system market in June 2007, up from 0.70% in May. One other platform that has been continuously experiencing the erosion of its market share is Windows XP. With Windows Vista available for five months already, XP users are increasingly upgrading their operating systems. Vista has a good momentum in the detriment of XP, which dropped from 82.02% in May to 81.94% in June. By comparison, Vista continues to increase its installed base and has jumped from 3.74% in May to 4.52% of the operating system market in June.


The reality of the situation is, Vista surpassed Mac OS X and Linux in desktop usage without breaking a sweat. The reality of the situation is, XP users are upgrading to Vista. The reality of the situation is, IE6 users are upgrading to IE7, either through Vista upgrades or Windows Update. If you don't like any of these realities, and you want to do something to advance the cause, please do. But don't let idiotic propaganda articles trick you into thinking the battle is already being won, because it isn't.

The only credit I can give to the author of this sad excuse for journalism is that I simply couldn't imagine it was possible to spin a leap in revenue and profit, in the billions of dollars, for a single quarter, into somehow saying Microsoft is suffering. Making a big fuss about "slowing" sales of Vista, when any operating system sold, including OSX has the exact same sales characteristic. After the initial rush of sales during the first few months of product release, sales of OSX slowed! OH NOES! And pointing out that Microsoft's advertising unit posted a loss due to an acquisition... duh.

This article is crap, and it's sad that it got posted on slashdot because it only feeds the flow of misinformation to the OSS community. I remember how upset we all used to get about Microsoft FUD articles, yet it seems some of those pretending to support OSS have figured out that they can write pro-OSS or anti-Microsoft FUD articles and most people will lap it up because that's what they want to hear.