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The LangaList
18-Nov-99
A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune,
HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities
In This Issue:
Vote in a special online survey:
What Would You Do If You Were Bill Gates?
Microsoft Shuffles Its Download Site
Another Great FREE Security Test
A Problem With Gigantic Hard Drives?
A Boatload Of Tech Support Numbers
Win A Palm III Organizer, or a Book
"Every File Format In The World..."
Just For Grins
More!
-------------( Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )-------------- The language in the Judge Jackson’s
“Findings of Fact” in the Microsoft/DOJ trial was so harsh it left little
doubt that if the Court imposes its own remedies to correct Microsoft’s
excesses, they will be dire. (A copy of the full Findings of Fact text is
available here: http://www.browsertune.com/dojvms.htm
) In fact, in the press conference immediately following the release of the
findings, prosecutors said that they would rule out nothing in terms of
remedies. To me, this sounded as if they were hinting at the threat of a forced
breakup of Microsoft. Since then, Gates has said he’ll
be flexible in seeking a settlement, but also has said he won’t yield on
anything that affects Microsoft’s “ability to innovate.” I’m not sure
what that means, exactly; it could be construed to mean almost anything. Gates is probably temporizing: He
has to say something to reassure stockholders and customers, but he can’t say
too much until his lawyers meet with the DOJ lawyers and see what, if any,
middle ground there is. There may not be a lot: Clearly,
the DOJ has the upper hand. If Microsoft is intransigent, it may well be facing
a Court-imposed settlement that could include breaking up Microsoft into “Baby
Bills;” regionalized “mini-Microsofts” that would compete against each
other and the rest of the industry; or the forced splitting of Microsoft into
three separate Operating System, Applications, and Internet Services companies.
(See http://www.techweb.com/wire/finance/story/contrarian/INV19991112S0001
) So what can Microsoft do? What
should it do? I can think of half a dozen
approaches that might squarely address the Court’s Findings, meaningfully
remedy the wrongs of which Microsoft is accused, and yet still allow Microsoft
to remain in control of its own destiny---and thus, might be palatable to Gates
and the Microsoft shareholders. Those six approaches are the
topic of my column on the InformationWeek Online site this week. Please click on
over, and then cast your vote in a special online survey: What would *you* do,
if you were Bill Gates? Which of the six alternatives above, alone or in
combination, would you opt for? Or, if you disagree with my six
alternatives, what other remedies would you seek? Would you simply stonewall,
refusing to give an inch, and hope to win on appeal? Or would you go even
further than the steps I’ve outlined? Check out the column, cast your
vote, and then share your thoughts at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter Click to
email this item to a friend --------------(Your
Ad Here? ) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )-------------- As recently as last week,
Microsoft was still promoting an outdated link for downloads on parts of its
site. The link---and DON'T bother clicking it--- was http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload The new, correct address (and
this is the one to click) is http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ The latter is a much better,
easier-to-remember name, so in the long run this is a good change. But the name
switch---and the resulting confusion on Microsoft's own site, including a
"redirect" command that didn't work right---made it either hard or
impossible for many people to find the correct place to download patches and
updates for Microsoft products. The new link should work much
better! Click to
email this item to a friend In recent issues of this
newsletter (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct-14-99.htm#gibson
and http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct-18-99.htm#check)
I told you about two great web sites that will try to probe your internet
connection from the outside, helping you to detect and correct potential
security problems: It's much better to find a security problem this way, on your
own, rather than discovering your system's been hacked by some fledgling
adolescent sociopath. Frequent contributor George
Tullius found another, similar site: A new security site I
recently came across will analyze your security, and send you a report by E-Mail
plus tell you how to fix it just by putting your E-mail address in the Free
Security check box at the bottom of the page. Thanks, George! I've been using the three sites
in series: they test similar things (so there is some overlap) but with
different methods and emphases. By running tests on the three sites one after
the other, you can sniff your system's internet connection for all the most
common security trouble spots. If you pass all three tests, you can be pretty
sure that you're secure from the most common types of hack attacks. Click to
email this item to a friend -------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )-------------- It hasn't gotten much press, but
hard drive prices have dropped to astonishingly low levels: You can pick up most
large drives for around $10 a gigabyte, and sometimes less. But there's a catch, as pointed
out by reader John Zik: Before buying one of the
new large hard drives (over 32Gigs) people should first find out if their bios
will support it. I have a new Microstar 6163 MB with an Award bios. I bought a
Maxtor 36.5 HD. The bios cannot see it nor any other hard drive that size. This
a problem that the hard drive manufacturers are aware of and yet they keep
pushing them out the door. They claim it's not their problem, and in a way they
are right, but it doesn't crank up the drive. So if you can warn your readers of
this problem it may save them some headaches. The Bios people say it is the
motherboard people who are the culprits as they basically customize the bios to
fit the motherboard. I am sure it will be resolved soon but I've been waiting
for going onto 3 weeks now. Thanks for the heads-up, John! So how can you find out if your
system will support a very large hard drive? Clearly, your first stop should be
the web site of your system vendor; they should be able to tell you the maximum
size hard drive your specific brand and model can support. But if that doesn't work, see the
next item. Click to
email this item to a friend If you need to track down an
answer about almost any kind of system motherboard, BIOS, or peripheral this
site can be a godsend: http://www.technumbers.com/ The pages are slow to load and
the color-scheme invites eye-strain, but the information is very, very helpful:
You can look up the tech support info for hundreds of brands! Click to
email this item to a friend Win a Palm III by
using the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend
just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new
subscriber; and you just may win a nifty handheld tool (full details also
available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Or, win a copy of a
$30 book (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 Either way, thank
you, and good luck! From time to time, I'll get a
letter from a reader who's discovered some weird file type on his or her system:
They have no idea what application is using or creating the file, and they hope
I can tell them. Sometimes I can, but there are
far more software types out than any one person can be familiar with. That's
where http://www.whatis.com/ff.htm
comes in. It purports to list every file format there is, and while that's a
dubious claim, it certainly does list a ton of them. All the normal file formats are
listed---COM, EXE, DLL and so on--- but the strength of the site is its
inclusion of the weird ones--- say, the *.EDD files used by FrameMaker, or the
*.D64 format used in Commodore 64 Emulation software, or even the *.DST format
used by embroidery software! If you need to identify a
mysterious file by its three- or four-letter filename extension, this is
definitely the place to go! Click to
email this item to a friend -----------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )-------------- Anagrams---rearranging the
letters of a word or phrase to make new words or phrases---can be amusing, and
computers make them easy. For example, the software at http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
takes only a second or two to discover that the letters of "LangaList"
can be rearranged into hundreds of possibilities, including "a lethal
sting" or "All the angst, I" or "I shall tag ten"
or even (ahem) "anal set light." Reader Chris S has a brother
("Cydarion") who's intrigued by anagrams, and here's what he came up
with: Dormitory = Dirty Room Click to
email this item to a friend ------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------ Baker's
Dozen Books--- at a 20% Discount Great
reading for cold nights: Check out the 13 They're
all personally recommended by Fred Langa, and --------------(
the above is an advertisement )-------------- See you next issue! Best, (Please recommend
the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a Palm III) An easier-to read formatted HTML version is
available in the "what's new" section of http://www.langa.com.
(The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] of the
issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available via the same link. Why are you getting this newsletter? There are
only two ways to get on the list (direct email request or via the WinMag mail
list signup page) so if you're getting this newsletter; your name came to me
through one of those channels. SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Send email to subscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net About
the advertisers: Langa Consulting LLC will never knowingly accept
advertising for a fraudulent product, company or service. However, Langa Consulting LLC makes no implied or explicit warranty, recommendation or endorsement
of or for the products, companies or services mentioned in the ads. Disclaimer:
The tips and other information given in the newsletter are researched and are
believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the
information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the time. All
information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither
Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any
loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of
any information presented here. This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 1999 Langa Consulting LLC. All rights reserved.Vote
in a special online survey:
What Would You Do If You Were Bill Gates?
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageMicrosoft
Shuffles Its Download Site
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageAnother
Great FREE Security Test
http://www.antionline.com/
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageA
Problem With Gigantic Hard Drives?
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageA
Boatload Of Tech Support Numbers
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageWin
A Palm III Organizer, or a Book
"Every
File Format In The World..."
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of pageJust
For Grins
Desperation = A Rope Ends It
The Morse Code = Here come Dots
Slot Machines = Cash Lost in 'em
Animosity = Is No Amity
Mother-in-law = Woman Hitler
Snooze Alarms = Alas! No More Z's
Alec Guinness = Genuine Class
Semolina = Is No Meal
The Public Art Galleries = Large Picture Halls, I Bet
A Decimal Point = I'm a Dot in Place
The Earthquakes = That Queer Shake
Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one
Contradiction = Accord not in it
Astronomer = Moon Starer
Princess Diana = End Is A Car Spin
Year Two Thousand = A Year To Shut Down
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page
computer-related books at http://www.langa.com/books.htm
are available at Amazon.Com's deepest discounts!
Fred
(fred@langa.com)
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