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LangaList 2001-01-08 For even more
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1) A Dozen *Great* Reader-Chosen Search EnginesYou could spend weeks trying to find the best search engine on your own, or you could click on over to WinMag.Com, where you'll find over a dozen search engines described, defined and *reader-rated.* This way, you can check out the best of the best with just a few clicks! Both in the column at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2001/01.htm and in its associated discussion area, you'll see exactly what your fellow readers liked about the search engines they tried: a way to use the AltaVista engine without the "portal" clutter... meta-search engines that reside either locally on your system, or on the web--- engines that not only display results but array them in easy-to-navigate graphical formats... and *lots* more. If you haven't changed your search patterns in a while--- and especially if you use the built-in, unmodified search functions in Internet Explorer and Netscape--- you *gotta* see what you're missing! <g> Check it out at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2001/01.htm ! Click to
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the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) The Scoop on "Whistler"You've probably heard about "Whistler," the next version of Windows that will--- finally--- unify the now-separate NT- and 9x-based families of operating systems. With "Whistler," DOS will finally go away completely (it's already gone in NT/2K, and is somewhat hidden in ME). The new OS will probably be available in Personal, Professional, and several flavors of Server versions. In theory, it will be out late this year. The new OS is far enough along that it probably ought to be showing up on your personal radar: At some point--- either when you buy a new PC or simply want to upgrade your OS--- you'll face the question of which version of Windows to use. Although Win98/ME and NT/2K all will be upgradable to Whistler, a little forethought now as to OS choices and options may help make your *next* transition somewhat easier. The folks at WinMag have been covering Whistler's evolution pretty well; Scot Finnie's column, in particular, has had a good deal of ongoing coverage. (See http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/insider/2000/41.htm .) PC Mag's one-shot review of the beta is at http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2650115,00.html. And the "Windows Supersite" has a couple of excellent articles at http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/whistler.asp and http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/whistler_beta1.asp It's not a "drop everything!" kind of issue, but a little proactive reading now might save you some major headaches later on. <g> Click to
email this item to a friend 3) ZoneAlarm's "Flaws"Many readers have been, er, alarmed at recent breathless reports of security holes in ZoneAlarm and other personal firewalls. The flaws in some of the firewalls are serious: For example, several firewalls are designed so that once they're configured to allow a certain application to access the Internet, they'll always allow *any* like-named app to access the Internet. This is a problem because a Worm or Trojan could rename a malicious file to something "safe" like "Explorer.Exe" and thus fool the firewall. (More info: http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2663028,00.html ) ZoneAlarm avoids this particular trap because it checks for more than just the name of the apps it's configured to pass; a simple renaming of a malicious file would not get past ZoneAlarm. But ZA does have a minor issue with the way it handles uninstalls: It's possible--- through a convoluted and (IMHO) unlikely scenario--- for a Worm or Trojan to force ZA to ununinstall itself. If that activity somehow escaped your notice, you'd then (obviously) no longer be protected by ZoneAlarm. And then, if your system had other, exploitable security holes, you might be open to hack attack. (More info: http://www.net-security.org/text/bugs/977428230,93713,.shtml ) Because it's unlikely, and requires other, additional security holes before anything bad could happen, I believe this is not a significant issue, and not worth worrying about. The issues with other firewalls, however, are real and much more serious. My bottom line recommendation is twofold: First, I believe ZoneAlarm is still the best available personal firewall, and well-worth having. Second, because *no* software is perfect or flaw-free, you shouldn't rely on *any* one line of defense against hackers. Instead, if you ensure that your system is set up securely in the first place, and if you take reasonable care in your online activities, and if you use a good firewall, then these multiple lines of defense will interlock and make you virtually immune to hack attack. If you want full details on how to build a FREE and nearly impenetrable multi-layered defense for your system, check out the four-part series at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/07.htm . Click to
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the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) ISSN 1533-1156Maybe it sounds like an strategic missile designation out of a Tom Clancy novel, but ISSN really stands for "International Standard Serial Number." You actually may be more familiar with its cousin, the ISBN or International Standard Book Number, which is an international standard number for uniquely identifying books. Well, the ISSN is conceptually similar, but for "serial" publications, such as newspapers, magazines--- and newsletters. There are about a million registered ISSN publications worldwide, and new ones are added at the rate of about a thousand a week. Here in the US, the Library of Congress handles the national and international registration of ISSNs; the staff there reviews applications, checks sample issues, and then assigns the actual numbers, passing them on to the international registration center in Paris. The LangaList received its newly-minted designation last week: ISSN 1533-1156. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed the ISSN at the top of the newsletter (it's supposed to appear on every issue). Thus, my primary reason for mentioning all this is simply so you'll know what the heck is going on here, and what those new numbers mean. I'd also like to tip my virtual hat to librarians everywhere: The explosion of content on the web has simultaneously made their jobs easier (see the first item in this newsletter) and much, much harder with the enormous proliferation of publications to track. Those of us on the content-production side can help somewhat with things like ISSN registrations, standardized international publication date formats and the like. If tracking Internet content doesn't jibe with your mental image of librarians, you may be surprised at where library science is these days. For a small taste, check out the Library of Congress site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/ or http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/library/ or the ISSN pages at http://lcweb.loc.gov/issn/issnhome.html or http://www.issn.org/ . Click to
email this item to a friend 5) HotMail HellEvery week, some readers descend into HotMail Hell, where they can get text emails, but cannot follow embedded text links. In fact, I get so many complaints from HotMail users who can't click on the links in this newsletter that I developed a boilerplate reply letter that I send back, assuring them that the links are fine: In reality, it's a HotMail problem that prevents text links from working properly. We've discussed several workarounds in past issues: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-06-05.htm#5 But now there a new fix: The "Plus!" HTML version of the LangaList should work properly with HotMail. <g> If you're using HotMail and having link trouble, please see either the above, or http://www.langa.com/plus.htm . Click to
email this item to a friend 6) A Fresh Start: January's Gift Certificate Drawing Now Open!It's a new month, and right now your chances are the best they'll ever be! To have a shot at winning a
no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 The more times you make a recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning! Or, if you'd like to try to win $10,000(really!), try this link (full details also available here): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Either way, thank you, and good luck! Click to
email this item to a friend 7) They Loaded The CodeDo you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please see http://www.langa.com/link.txt ) Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:
Click to
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LangaList grew by almost 180% last year! <a href="http://www.langa.com/ratecard.htm">AOL Users: Click here!</a> --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 8) Adobe PhotoShop, For Free?Not quite--- but getting closer: GIMP--- the "The GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program... is a freely distributed piece of software suitable for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring." Although GIMP's roots are in Linux and other *NIX communities, it's recently been ported to Windows. One of the better examples of what open source freeware can be, GIMP is enormously powerful. You can get an idea of its capabilities at http://www.gimp.org/the_gimp_about.html . The Windows download is available at http://www.gimp.org/~tml/gimp/win32// Although it's a complex piece of software that takes some time to explore and exploit (very much like PhotoShop itself, in fact), if you need an image editor/photo editor, it's definitely worth a look! Click to
email this item to a friend 9) Just For GrinsThe recent reader-poll showed that the LangaList readership is skewed heavily towards the male end of the spectrum. Perhaps it's all the more interesting that this joke--- about men--- was sent in by a female reader, Dolores Paskowski: IT'S GOOD TO BE A MAN Your last name stays put. Click to
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Own Reference Shelf--- And Up To 20% Discounts! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- See you next issue! Best, Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I) An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://www.langa.com. (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site. Why are you getting this newsletter? This is a 100% OPT-IN newsletter: There are only three ways to get on the list--- signup via direct email request from you, or signup via the WinMag newsletter page or signup via BrowserTune's email-notification service. If you're getting this newsletter; your name came to me through one of those signup channels. At signup, you also received a confirmation email from my list software---no one is signed up secretly or against their will. SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Create and send a new email address it to subscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net For even more content, downloads and special services, check out the LangaList Plus! Edition: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm UNSUBSCRIBE: From the same address you used to sign up with (it's shown on the first line in the body of each email issue you receive), create and send a new email address to unsubscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net . CHANGE ADDRESS? LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP? See http://www.langa.com/help.htm 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: (Please see full disclaimer here: http://www.langa.com/legal.htm.) Abbreviated version: 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 © 1997-2005Langa Consulting LLC. All rights reserved. ISSN 1533-1156 |
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