This problem manifests itself through out the office suite; it definitly affects Excel 2003. It has also caused on my PC's problems with explorer.exe; i've also had a few issues with zone alarm.
lets hope they fix it swiftly; this is a _rather_ annoying problem.
Agreed, it certainly would be good if you could simply bounce around providers networks. Lets just hope that they get a decent spec that works well - i can just see random packets heading off in all different directions!
Well the US army has been testing a airbourne lazer for a while now which shoots down (well supposedly) missiles in flight. I think they got it to work on the ground, no to get it to work on a 747.
Farescape... gods gift to who? Its appauling! One of the worst (and the beeb has had quite alot) SCI-FI program i have ever seen on bbc 2!
Please, please please never ever show this again!
Trusted Computing from a trusted company. Come on guys, you can take these people seriously.
Its clear to me, that microsoft did this by design. After all, its never, ever a bug. Its a feature.
Or maybe, someone wrote about this on their weblog? Bah. Who cares - hes probably fired by now.
Tool.
An interesting read, but as ever i never seem to get an understanding of how Linux is going to convert the other 99% to microsoft.
Torvalds might be saviour to the linux community, but thats where it stops. Frankly, The OS either needs some drastic marketting plans or a couple of well placed PR people if it ever wants to make some headway. Bill Gates & Microsoft didn't get rich of the quality of their programming.
But the real problem is, that Businesses see this as a legitimate practise. They convert real world business ideas and apply them online : example : Marketer comes up to you in the street and asks you if you would like a demonstration of Super Blobs magic washing up liquid. Now, ok, not everyone does say yes (one fingered salute from me:D) but many lonely housewives do! (sorry about the stereotype).
As the above rightly comments, the real problem here is people encouraging this business practise by sending them hard earned currency. And the fact that they do this doesn't just affect us in terms of email spam; the register recently published an article that suggested that people who were looking to come online were scared by the percieved threat of spam.
Someone, somewhere, somehow needs to come up with a solution to spam. It's got to be tough, universally implemented, and i fear quite restrictive.
Its about perspective. I imagine that if Linus T was making a few billion each year, some of you lot might just be up in arms.
Equally, your argument is somewhat flawed; the whole point of this SCO hoo har is too decide WHO has the copyrights to apsects of the linux OS - wether code was stolen which was SCO code, which by implication would give SCO ownership of parts of Linux.
A very clever marketting idea. It removes any consumer fear of using credit cards on the internet, and simplifies the process such that its as easy and as convenient as topping up your pay as you go phone.
Maybe this napster come back wont be a flop after all.
Agreeed! You must be off your rocker to even consider paying $3,500 when you can get a decent Ipaq running windows which is probably just as good. Hell - i'm sure you could do alot better with ANYthing that this thing for that amount of money.
here we go:)
Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0
Recommendations for the branding and visual identity of the Mozilla Foundation's product and project line - by Steven Garrity
Summary
This document is intended to offer suggestions to the Mozilla Foundation for the future of the Mozilla brand and visual identity. It is not intended to replace or redo the good work that has already been done in this area. Any suggestions made here that contradict, conflict, or replace guidelines, recommendation, or other work that has already been done reflects more my ignorance as the author than my opinion of what has been done.
As the Mozilla project moves towards an end-user focus from a developer and platform focus, the branding and visual identity of the organization and its software will need to be revisited. With the recent separation from Netscape and AOL, the need for the Mozilla project to have a brand of its own is all the more necessary.
Keep What Works
First, the Mozilla project has a lot going for it. It has a long heritage, reaching back to the early Netscape web browsers. The Mozilla name was an apt choice as a nod to the roots of the project. It is also unique (free of trademark issues), memorable, and relatively easy to spell and pronounce. Mozilla is a good name.
Lose What Doesn't Work
The Mozilla project is lacking a strong visual identity. The Mozilla lizard is widely recognized by developers and early-adopters on the web, but does not reach far beyond these groups. It is also used inconsistently across projects and products.
Any good visual identity builds on what is already established, while improving on the weaknesses of past. So too should the visual identity of the Mozilla project and products. A unified, consistent, but flexible brand and visual identity would be a great compliment to the technology developed under the Mozilla project.
Products, Projects, and the Foundation
The broad scope of the Mozilla project has lead to confusion among end users. The term "Mozilla" is used to describe a web browser, a suite of applications, a platform, and an entire collection of software projects.
The recently formed Mozilla Foundation has already started the work of clarifying the terminology. The name of the Mozilla Foundation itself is a good and clear name that obviously defines the official organization that manages the Mozilla project.
They have also clarified the eventual naming of key Mozilla products; the current Mozilla Firebird project is the temporary development name for what will eventually be called Mozilla Browser; the current Mozilla Thunderbird project is the temporary development name for what will eventually be called Mozilla Mail. This is clear, simple, and smart.
Seemingly simple and obvious declarations like this are important for the success of the Mozilla project. People can't use software that they don't know how to ask for. People can't tell others about software that they don't know what to call.
The Mozilla Browser and Mozilla Mail names are clear, simple, and strong names for what will become the flagship products of the Mozilla project.
Version Numbers
The Mozilla application suite is approaching version 2.0 (version 1.5 at the time of this writing) and the independent applications are approaching 1.0 (Mozilla Firebird is at 0.71 and Mozilla Thunderbird is at a humble 0.3 at the time of this writing). Many have speculated that the official replacement of the application suite with the independent applications would be appropriate time to declare them version 2.0.
The change in focus and new independent applications certain does warrant a new version number.
The Mozilla Suite ver. 2.0:
* Mozilla Browser
* Mozilla Mail
* Mozilla Calendar
* Mozilla Composer
The Visual Identity So Far
As the software produced by the Mozilla project stabilizes and matures, so too should its visual identity. The Mozilla 1.0 suite wa
Its a joke - i thought the whole idea of the settlement was that you had choice over programs. Can you use a browser other than IE to access windows Update? NO!
If there was one thing that you should be able to access in something other than IE - then that should be it. Ok - so FB clearly cant do activex stuff- fine - lets make it so FB can do windows update- and all the other browsers- Opera, Mozilla...
Just goes to show, that even by passing legislation to stop spam there is very little that we can do to stop spam effectivly at a countrywide / worldwide network level. Although i for one know not what to do, we do need some system to sort out penis extensions and free deplomas from legit email. Perhaps we should seriously consider a form of email registration? Maybe we should just start closing networks up...
Exactly. the fact here is that its hardly an impartial article, and this bias isnt helped by the fact that he clearly could have done alot better had he really investigated what can be done with XP. Equally, he has serious kudos (i imagine) in the linux community, so if he were to come up with a conclusion that windows XP was better, then he'd
A: Alienate support
B: Turn himself into a hypocrit
regarding Roblimo trying out windows Xp- that article is a joke. If i were to try Linux for a week, i have no doubt that i would be ALOT more lost than he "apparently" was under windows. He refers to things as if they were strange foreign concepts! This is my favorite part.
"The bottom panel on my KDE desktop is filled with icons for my 'daily use' applications. No matter how covered my screen is with applications windows (and it is almost always fully covered), I can click on a panel icon and open a new app. I haven't figured out how to put app icons on the Windows bottom panel. I don't even know if it can be done. Perhaps it can only be done by smart Windows geeks, but not by simple-minded Linux people like me."
Its called quick launch rob! Its on all windows machines, and its called drag and drop! You just drag the short cut onto the bar- and voila! Mind you, i agree -you do have to be a smart windows geek to do that...
"When I want to find out the day and date, or check a date a few months ahead, I'm used to clicking on my little KDE clock and having a calendar pop up for me. I can't seem to do this in Windows, even though I've tried. Again, this may be a feature only super-geeks can can use in Windows that is hidden from us ordinary desktop people."
Did you try clicking on the date and time? That seems to bring up a calendar like application... Maybe its just me... but then i am a super geek.
"This Windows thing about needing special drivers for every bit of hardware is irksome. Setting up a wireless network card in Windows is tedious compared to Linux, where it's a 'click-click-click and you're done' thing. And in Windows, if I plug in my Linksys PCMCIA card instead of my SMC one by mistake, nada. In Linux either one will work (since I have models that have similar chipsets). In general, I find it easier to add or remove hardware pieces or peripherals in Linux than it seems to be in Windows. "
Special drivers for every bit of hardware? Im sorry? It isnt a similar situation on linux? I didnt realise that my Nvidia graphics card drivers will now power my sound card, and my network! Super- im switching now!
But the gem for me- this really i the best bit :
"First, a question: What's up with all this "Ctrl C" and Ctrl V" copy/paste stuff? In almost all Linux programs, when I want to copy a block of text (or a graphic or whatever) I just highlight the original, then click both mouse buttons (or the middle button if I have a 3-button mouse) where I want to paste it. This is fast, easy, and takes little hand motion on my laptop keyboard. All this Ctrl key action slows me down. I don't know about the rest of the world, but I need to work quickly if I want to earn a living, and I don't see why Windows wants me to go through all those extra hand motions just to paste a URL into a story."
Says it all. Comparision : Englishman going to US of A and driving a car. "hey. whats up with the steering wheel on the wrong side? In the Uk, i can drive more efficiently with it on the right. Why must it been the left! I'm clearly alot less good at driving with it here"!
We at neowin.net ran this story, and got a reply from him (Earth Station 5 developers) yesterday. Note : i can't seem to find this on the Zeropaid site, so if its a repeat they've mailed to all press inquiries- then my appologies.
(from the neowin article)
"Last night, we posted astory which showed evidence that Earthstation 5, a file sharing tool which challenged the RIAA and the MPAA, included malicious code which enabled people to delete files on your computer. This morning, the developers of ESV have replied. An admission of the code is made, but it turns into more of a jab at the devloper of Kazaalite, another p2p file trading tool.
"Random Nut, AKA Shaun Garriok, the Author of Kazaalite, has been a vocal critic of Earthstation5 because of a continual online insult war between himself and some roudy Earthstation5 fans. This has motivated him to be extremely critical of Earthstation5. We at Earthstation5 desire and request criticism at any time in fact we demand it as we believe that is the only way to make software truly superior.
We at Earthstation5 are not perfect, but we acknowledge that Shaun Garriok might be and thank him for helping us root out bugs.
The problem with the Earthstation5 software that Shaun Garriok found truly exists, however the sordid motives he attributes to Earthstation5 are incorrect. The following functions were put into Earthtation5 to allow automatic, remote upgrade of the Earthstation5 software.
These functions are:
1) Reload Earthstation5
2) Shutdown Earthstation5
3) Delete a File
All of these functions are necessary to perform when upgrading software.
We have long been admirers of Shaun Garriok's ability to superbly investigate even a fully compiled program. We believe that he is capable of finding ANY sort of trojan, worm, or bug inside a compiled program. We are relieved that all he could find was these remote upgrade functions. He didn't find any bugs that send user data anywhere, no spyware, no adware, nothing in fact that gives away any
personal information about the user using Earthstation5.
It is also a fortunate fact that since Earthstation5 protects you from the RIAA lawsuits and hackers by hiding your ip address, the exploit program he wrote can only be used against your own computer which he states in his exploit. If you want to delete files from your own computer, we feel you have the right to do that.
We are glad he found this bug and pointed it out. We completely removed the automatic software upgrade code because as it turns out automatic upgrade is no longer popular as it once was because it gives people an uneasy feeling and rightly so.
Since Shaun Garriok seems to be concerned about everyone's security, and is not on a personal quest for revenge, we would be grateful if he would download the latest Earthstation5, version 1.1.31 (http://download.es5.com/es5_v1.1.31.exe) and verify that we have truly removed the remote update function which his exploit program accessed. We think his dedication to the good of all concerned would motivate him to do this. Anyone else who is concerned can do the same, download the latest Earthstation5 and test the exploit code against it.
Slashdot Mirror
This problem manifests itself through out the office suite; it definitly affects Excel 2003. It has also caused on my PC's problems with explorer.exe; i've also had a few issues with zone alarm.
lets hope they fix it swiftly; this is a _rather_ annoying problem.
Agreed, it certainly would be good if you could simply bounce around providers networks. Lets just hope that they get a decent spec that works well - i can just see random packets heading off in all different directions!
0h N0! Teh Ali3ns are coming!
:S Russian engineering brought us greats such as the skoda... the larda...
It would seem, that in light of recent IT events, a business model build around patent litigation isn't as stupid as it sounds....
Why they couldn't apply their massive genius to creating some kind of mirror system is beyond me.
Are there going to be any restrictions on access or anything? Or is it going to be free for all for hackers / pedos?
Well the US army has been testing a airbourne lazer for a while now which shoots down (well supposedly) missiles in flight. I think they got it to work on the ground, no to get it to work on a 747.
Another week, another Cringley article! This man knows everything!
Oh Cringley, if only i were as wise as thee. Thou' truely does know everything there is too know about knowing.
Farescape... gods gift to who? Its appauling! One of the worst (and the beeb has had quite alot) SCI-FI program i have ever seen on bbc 2! Please, please please never ever show this again!
Trusted Computing from a trusted company. Come on guys, you can take these people seriously. Its clear to me, that microsoft did this by design. After all, its never, ever a bug. Its a feature. Or maybe, someone wrote about this on their weblog? Bah. Who cares - hes probably fired by now. Tool.
An interesting read, but as ever i never seem to get an understanding of how Linux is going to convert the other 99% to microsoft.
Torvalds might be saviour to the linux community, but thats where it stops. Frankly, The OS either needs some drastic marketting plans or a couple of well placed PR people if it ever wants to make some headway. Bill Gates & Microsoft didn't get rich of the quality of their programming.
your a sick shit.
But the real problem is, that Businesses see this as a legitimate practise. They convert real world business ideas and apply them online : example : Marketer comes up to you in the street and asks you if you would like a demonstration of Super Blobs magic washing up liquid. Now, ok, not everyone does say yes (one fingered salute from me :D) but many lonely housewives do! (sorry about the stereotype).
As the above rightly comments, the real problem here is people encouraging this business practise by sending them hard earned currency. And the fact that they do this doesn't just affect us in terms of email spam; the register recently published an article that suggested that people who were looking to come online were scared by the percieved threat of spam.
Someone, somewhere, somehow needs to come up with a solution to spam. It's got to be tough, universally implemented, and i fear quite restrictive.
Its about perspective. I imagine that if Linus T was making a few billion each year, some of you lot might just be up in arms.
Equally, your argument is somewhat flawed; the whole point of this SCO hoo har is too decide WHO has the copyrights to apsects of the linux OS - wether code was stolen which was SCO code, which by implication would give SCO ownership of parts of Linux.
A very clever marketting idea. It removes any consumer fear of using credit cards on the internet, and simplifies the process such that its as easy and as convenient as topping up your pay as you go phone.
Maybe this napster come back wont be a flop after all.
what happens when it gets a really bad virus?
Suddenly when bill was on the train with his new PocketPC, his speak starter blurting "I BROWSE PORN PORN PORN PORN PORN PORN......."
Fatal error : Could not find gunfile.dll. Please reboot your soldier. now it will be : YOU! STOP, OR I'LL SEND YOU TO /DEV/NULL/.
Although pricy, the sony viaos really do do as good a job / if not better than what the libretto did. And they look damn cool!
Agreeed! You must be off your rocker to even consider paying $3,500 when you can get a decent Ipaq running windows which is probably just as good. Hell - i'm sure you could do alot better with ANYthing that this thing for that amount of money.
here we go :)
Branding Mozilla: Towards Mozilla 2.0
Recommendations for the branding and visual identity of the Mozilla Foundation's product and project line - by Steven Garrity
Summary
This document is intended to offer suggestions to the Mozilla Foundation for the future of the Mozilla brand and visual identity. It is not intended to replace or redo the good work that has already been done in this area. Any suggestions made here that contradict, conflict, or replace guidelines, recommendation, or other work that has already been done reflects more my ignorance as the author than my opinion of what has been done.
As the Mozilla project moves towards an end-user focus from a developer and platform focus, the branding and visual identity of the organization and its software will need to be revisited. With the recent separation from Netscape and AOL, the need for the Mozilla project to have a brand of its own is all the more necessary.
Keep What Works
First, the Mozilla project has a lot going for it. It has a long heritage, reaching back to the early Netscape web browsers. The Mozilla name was an apt choice as a nod to the roots of the project. It is also unique (free of trademark issues), memorable, and relatively easy to spell and pronounce. Mozilla is a good name.
Lose What Doesn't Work
The Mozilla project is lacking a strong visual identity. The Mozilla lizard is widely recognized by developers and early-adopters on the web, but does not reach far beyond these groups. It is also used inconsistently across projects and products.
Any good visual identity builds on what is already established, while improving on the weaknesses of past. So too should the visual identity of the Mozilla project and products. A unified, consistent, but flexible brand and visual identity would be a great compliment to the technology developed under the Mozilla project. Products, Projects, and the Foundation
The broad scope of the Mozilla project has lead to confusion among end users. The term "Mozilla" is used to describe a web browser, a suite of applications, a platform, and an entire collection of software projects.
The recently formed Mozilla Foundation has already started the work of clarifying the terminology. The name of the Mozilla Foundation itself is a good and clear name that obviously defines the official organization that manages the Mozilla project.
They have also clarified the eventual naming of key Mozilla products; the current Mozilla Firebird project is the temporary development name for what will eventually be called Mozilla Browser; the current Mozilla Thunderbird project is the temporary development name for what will eventually be called Mozilla Mail. This is clear, simple, and smart.
Seemingly simple and obvious declarations like this are important for the success of the Mozilla project. People can't use software that they don't know how to ask for. People can't tell others about software that they don't know what to call.
The Mozilla Browser and Mozilla Mail names are clear, simple, and strong names for what will become the flagship products of the Mozilla project.
Version Numbers
The Mozilla application suite is approaching version 2.0 (version 1.5 at the time of this writing) and the independent applications are approaching 1.0 (Mozilla Firebird is at 0.71 and Mozilla Thunderbird is at a humble 0.3 at the time of this writing). Many have speculated that the official replacement of the application suite with the independent applications would be appropriate time to declare them version 2.0.
The change in focus and new independent applications certain does warrant a new version number.
The Mozilla Suite ver. 2.0:
* Mozilla Browser
* Mozilla Mail
* Mozilla Calendar
* Mozilla Composer
The Visual Identity So Far
As the software produced by the Mozilla project stabilizes and matures, so too should its visual identity. The Mozilla 1.0 suite wa
Its a joke - i thought the whole idea of the settlement was that you had choice over programs. Can you use a browser other than IE to access windows Update? NO! If there was one thing that you should be able to access in something other than IE - then that should be it. Ok - so FB clearly cant do activex stuff- fine - lets make it so FB can do windows update- and all the other browsers- Opera, Mozilla...
Just goes to show, that even by passing legislation to stop spam there is very little that we can do to stop spam effectivly at a countrywide / worldwide network level. Although i for one know not what to do, we do need some system to sort out penis extensions and free deplomas from legit email. Perhaps we should seriously consider a form of email registration? Maybe we should just start closing networks up...
Exactly. the fact here is that its hardly an impartial article, and this bias isnt helped by the fact that he clearly could have done alot better had he really investigated what can be done with XP. Equally, he has serious kudos (i imagine) in the linux community, so if he were to come up with a conclusion that windows XP was better, then he'd A: Alienate support
B: Turn himself into a hypocrit
The article is weak; really really weak.
regarding Roblimo trying out windows Xp- that article is a joke. If i were to try Linux for a week, i have no doubt that i would be ALOT more lost than he "apparently" was under windows. He refers to things as if they were strange foreign concepts! This is my favorite part.
"The bottom panel on my KDE desktop is filled with icons for my 'daily use' applications. No matter how covered my screen is with applications windows (and it is almost always fully covered), I can click on a panel icon and open a new app. I haven't figured out how to put app icons on the Windows bottom panel. I don't even know if it can be done. Perhaps it can only be done by smart Windows geeks, but not by simple-minded Linux people like me."
Its called quick launch rob! Its on all windows machines, and its called drag and drop! You just drag the short cut onto the bar- and voila! Mind you, i agree -you do have to be a smart windows geek to do that...
"When I want to find out the day and date, or check a date a few months ahead, I'm used to clicking on my little KDE clock and having a calendar pop up for me. I can't seem to do this in Windows, even though I've tried. Again, this may be a feature only super-geeks can can use in Windows that is hidden from us ordinary desktop people."
Did you try clicking on the date and time? That seems to bring up a calendar like application... Maybe its just me... but then i am a super geek.
"This Windows thing about needing special drivers for every bit of hardware is irksome. Setting up a wireless network card in Windows is tedious compared to Linux, where it's a 'click-click-click and you're done' thing. And in Windows, if I plug in my Linksys PCMCIA card instead of my SMC one by mistake, nada. In Linux either one will work (since I have models that have similar chipsets). In general, I find it easier to add or remove hardware pieces or peripherals in Linux than it seems to be in Windows. "
Special drivers for every bit of hardware? Im sorry? It isnt a similar situation on linux? I didnt realise that my Nvidia graphics card drivers will now power my sound card, and my network! Super- im switching now!
But the gem for me- this really i the best bit :
"First, a question: What's up with all this "Ctrl C" and Ctrl V" copy/paste stuff? In almost all Linux programs, when I want to copy a block of text (or a graphic or whatever) I just highlight the original, then click both mouse buttons (or the middle button if I have a 3-button mouse) where I want to paste it. This is fast, easy, and takes little hand motion on my laptop keyboard. All this Ctrl key action slows me down. I don't know about the rest of the world, but I need to work quickly if I want to earn a living, and I don't see why Windows wants me to go through all those extra hand motions just to paste a URL into a story."
Says it all. Comparision : Englishman going to US of A and driving a car. "hey. whats up with the steering wheel on the wrong side? In the Uk, i can drive more efficiently with it on the right. Why must it been the left! I'm clearly alot less good at driving with it here"!
We at neowin.net ran this story, and got a reply from him (Earth Station 5 developers) yesterday. Note : i can't seem to find this on the Zeropaid site, so if its a repeat they've mailed to all press inquiries- then my appologies.
(from the neowin article)
"Last night, we posted astory which showed evidence that Earthstation 5, a file sharing tool which challenged the RIAA and the MPAA, included malicious code which enabled people to delete files on your computer. This morning, the developers of ESV have replied. An admission of the code is made, but it turns into more of a jab at the devloper of Kazaalite, another p2p file trading tool.
"Random Nut, AKA Shaun Garriok, the Author of Kazaalite, has been a vocal critic of Earthstation5 because of a continual online insult war between himself and some roudy Earthstation5 fans. This has motivated him to be extremely critical of Earthstation5. We at Earthstation5 desire and request criticism at any time in fact we demand it as we believe that is the only way to make software truly superior.
We at Earthstation5 are not perfect, but we acknowledge that Shaun Garriok might be and thank him for helping us root out bugs.
The problem with the Earthstation5 software that Shaun Garriok found truly exists, however the sordid motives he attributes to Earthstation5 are incorrect. The following functions were put into Earthtation5 to allow automatic, remote upgrade of the Earthstation5 software. These functions are:
1) Reload Earthstation5
2) Shutdown Earthstation5
3) Delete a File
All of these functions are necessary to perform when upgrading software.
We have long been admirers of Shaun Garriok's ability to superbly investigate even a fully compiled program. We believe that he is capable of finding ANY sort of trojan, worm, or bug inside a compiled program. We are relieved that all he could find was these remote upgrade functions. He didn't find any bugs that send user data anywhere, no spyware, no adware, nothing in fact that gives away any personal information about the user using Earthstation5.
It is also a fortunate fact that since Earthstation5 protects you from the RIAA lawsuits and hackers by hiding your ip address, the exploit program he wrote can only be used against your own computer which he states in his exploit. If you want to delete files from your own computer, we feel you have the right to do that.
We are glad he found this bug and pointed it out. We completely removed the automatic software upgrade code because as it turns out automatic upgrade is no longer popular as it once was because it gives people an uneasy feeling and rightly so.
Since Shaun Garriok seems to be concerned about everyone's security, and is not on a personal quest for revenge, we would be grateful if he would download the latest Earthstation5, version 1.1.31 (http://download.es5.com/es5_v1.1.31.exe) and verify that we have truly removed the remote update function which his exploit program accessed. We think his dedication to the good of all concerned would motivate him to do this. Anyone else who is concerned can do the same, download the latest Earthstation5 and test the exploit code against it.
Ras
View article : here