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1) "Product Activation" FireStorm!The current InformationWeek.Com article on the mandatory WPA ("Windows Product Activation") components built into the new XP Office/Office 2002 software and the XP operating system is generating a firestorm of reader protest, almost all of it strongly against XP and WPA. (See http://www.informationweek.com/851/langa.htm ) Long-time readers know I've often vocally supported Microsoft in the past, even when it was unfashionable to do so. I had an enormous reservoir of goodwill towards Microsoft because it and it alone--- unlike Xerox, Apple, Amiga and many others who tried before it--- was the one that finally delivered a usable graphical interface on ubiquitous, inexpensive hardware. Microsoft often wasn't the first, and its software wasn't often the best, but it was inarguably the one that delivered on the early promise of personal computing in a way no other software maker did. Microsoft--- more than any other company--- opened up computing for ordinary people. I loved Microsoft for that. I was even willing to cut Microsoft slack on some of its business practices because the "evil" practices were aimed at competitors, not at end users; and besides, those competitors often created most of their own problems in the first place. When Microsoft viciously exploited the weaknesses in their competition, that often benefited end-users--- such as in making browsers free, saving every browser user $50 or so (which is what Netscape used to charge for a license for its browser). But now, Microsoft seems to have driven itself into the weeds; with WPA, it's turned against its end users. Judging from the enormous outpouring of angry, anti-Microsoft posts over at http://www.informationweek.com/forum/Fred Langa , many people are *extremely* unhappy at the forced elements of WPA; in which you must--- MUST--- register your software, or it cripples itself. A small number of writers have argued that I'm misrepresenting WPA, because it's not really "registration." They point out that the mandatory "product activation" is step one, but they say it involves no personal information. Step two is an optional formal "registration;" you may skip this step if you wish. But I think this argument lets Microsoft get away with some Clintonesque semantic games. To me, if you MUST contact the vendor and MUST provide some information (even if it's a hash code based on your system configuration) in order to get permission to use the software, that's "registration" even if Microsoft calls it something else. As for the personal nature of it, I stated in the original article ( http://www.informationweek.com/851/langa.htm ) that Microsoft actually has a good track record for not collecting inappropriate data via reg/update wizards and such. But in this case, by generating a hash code based on your CPU's unique serial number, your network card's unique MAC address, etc., it gets awfully specific. Calling that level of detail "impersonal" is like saying, "I've developed a unique identifier code for you that's based on where you live, your shoe size, hat size, glove size, the type of car you drive, and the brand and size of your spouse's underwear; but because I never actually asked you for your name, and because no one can analyze the code to learn your spouse's underwear preferences, it involves no personal information." Riiiiiiight. Yes, Microsoft says the 50-digit hash cannot be deconstructed to reveal your system information, but I have to wonder. At the very least, the potential for abuse is enormous. In short Microsoft can call it what they will; I call it "registration." They can say it involves no personal data; I say it's too invasive. However--- and this is important--- note that in the original article I mentioned how WPA wasn't finished yet, and Microsoft was still making changes. Good news: Since my article was written, Microsoft has released a newer (and much better) explanation of the current, *revised* WPA at http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/windowsproductactivationtechnicalmarketbulletin.doc . They *are* relaxing some of the worst elements of WPA--- thank goodness! What do *YOU* think? Please read
about WPA at Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) Outlook Patch Finally OutIt took a month, but Microsoft has released a patch to correct a problem with Outlook that we told you about in July in which an attacker can "run code of attacker's choice." In other words, via this security hole, an attacker can do just about whatever they want in your system. This affects Outlook 2002/XP, 2000, and 98. The patch is at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-038.asp. Click to
email this item to a friend 3) Ever Fix Someone else's PC? Read This!
Thanks, Rebecca. The story is worth reading: The upshot is that a computer consultant installed a bunch of seeming-innocuous screensavers on the computers of a technical college and he now faces 15 years in jail and a $415,000 fine for his efforts! You gotta be VERY careful when you're working on someone else's PC! Click to
email this item to a friend 4) Modem WoesReader Brian Holmes writes about modem incompatibility issues with a major ISP; although his note is specific, the information may pertain far more widely. Read on:
Thanks, Brian. It's always a good idea to check the FAQ pages of any ISP, software or hardware vendor that might be involved in a problem you're having. Sometimes the fix is right there, waiting for you. And more generally regarding modems, the inexpensive "winmodem" type of devices (which use the system CPU to do some of the modems' work) have never worked as well as all-in-one, standalone modems. Full-blown modems cost a little more, but are worth it in the long run. Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 5) Customized System "Roles"
Thanks, Paul, Cool tip! Click to
email this item to a friend 6) Eudora BackupsWriting from Canada, Christian Fritschi asks about Eudora backups:
There are for-a-fee programs you can use, but they're not needed: Eudora mailboxes are actually plain-text files that can easily be manipulated just with standard file commands. For example, here's what I do to keep my Eudora mailboxes from growing ever larger: Once a month, I shut down Eudora, copy my OUT.MBX folder and rename the copy to something like 200107.MBX (for July 2001) or 200108.MBX (for August). I then restart Eudora--- which detects the new MBX and automatically makes a table of contents for it--- and I then delete everything in the OUT box. I empty the trash, compress the mailboxes, and I start the new month with an empty OUT box, and all my previous month's sent emails safely archived. To move an old month's mailbox out of the Eudora folder, just shut down Eudora, and move the MBX file to wherever you want to store it. Delete the associated .TOC file in the Eudora directory, and restart Eudora. Because the moved mailbox is a plain text file, it will compress nicely with something like WinZip, and can be searched with any normal text-searching tool. If you ever need access to the mailbox file again from within Eudora, no problem: Just shut down Eudora, copy the MBX file back to the Eudora directory, and restart Eudora: the software will recognize the file and treat it like any other mailbox. Piece o' cake! Click to
email this item to a friend 7) Last Week To Enter August's FREE Book DrawingOn Aug 31, I'll choose another monthly winner of a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys... To have a shot at winning, just use 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 $30 shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm 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(!), try this link (full details also
available here): Either way, thank you, and good luck! Click to
email this item to a friend 8) WMAlign MIA?A number of readers---Taiwanese reader Chuck Johnston was first--- went digging through some of the back issues from the old WinMag site and encountered broken links. For example, the "10 Ways to Make Win98 Run Better" ( http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/98runbetter/default.htm ) and "10 Ways To Make WinME Run Better" ( http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm ) reference an old Winmag Utility called WMAlign that helps you adjust your programs to load faster (by setting them up on disk the same way they'll be when they're loaded into memory). Alas, neither those readers nor I can find where WMAlign went within Techweb when the WinMag site itself shut down. But there's help: A number of sites grabbed WMAlign before WinMag.Com went dark: You can find them via a Google search: http://www.google.com/search?q=wmalign Click to
email this item to a friend 9) 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: View A Randomly-Chosen
Reader Site Manually Browse All
Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Heartbreaking & Hopeful
Site Glen's Ferry Janimations ONE STOP COMPUTER HELP SITE Egg Lessons BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN HOME PAGE Broke Boats (Boating Safety) Where Is It? (computer
resources) ActiveX Components and
Utilities Computer Rescue BurnSpot (interesting
personal pages) Click to
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 10) A "Security Nugget"Reader Scott H has been trying out a new free firewall:
Thanks, Scott! Click to
email this item to a friend 11) Just For GrinsReader Lynn Decker sends along this note, which purports to answer the question "Is it better to be a jock or a nerd?"
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New ZoneAlarm
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