|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date How To
Subscribe and Unsubscribe is at the end of this
note. Mailing List Trouble? See
http://www.langa.com/help.htm Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!) An easier-to read formatted
HTML version of this newsletter is available The
LangaList 2003-12-08 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 1) Gator Information CenterGator--- which has just renamed itself to "Claria"--- is a advertising company that makes money primarily through banner ads and popups placed inside small software gizmos it distributes for free, as a way to get people to view its ads. Gator/Claria calls this "in-context behavioral advertising," but the common name for their software products is "adware." Gator/Claria was one of the very first companies in the adware business. Today, they are one of the most successful--- perhaps *the* most successful--- adware companies going. On the plus side, adware (from any company--- not just Gator/Claria) can be OK: You get "free" software, and the vendor makes some money off ads. But there are negatives. For example, lots of adware makes use of "phone home" components to update the embedded ads, and these components can be--- and sometimes have been--- used for snooping. That's why this kind of software is also often called "spyware." Not all adware is spyware, and not all phone-home components are used for snooping, but the potential for misuse is there. There can be other problems. The phone-home elements consume bandwidth and may even trigger unwanted dial-outs on phone-based systems. They also often run as nearly-constant background tasks, even if the ad-supported software itself isn't active. Thus, the mere presence of adware on your system can eat up a *lot* of CPU cycles and slow down your system, even when the main adware application isn't running. Worse, some adware vendors use less-than-forthright installation processes. Sometimes, adware hides behind fake error messages designed to trick unwary users into thinking they're responding to a system message or a normal dialog box, when they're really accepting or triggering the installation of an adware package. Some adware vendors also set things up so their software tries to auto-install when you merely visit a web page--- sometimes called a "drive-by download." You don't have to click on anything; simply viewing the web page will cause the adware to try to stuff itself into your system. You may not like hyperagressive installation routines and downloads triggered by subterfuge--- I sure don't--- but these behaviors are often 100% legal. In fact, adware usually comes with enormous, carefully worded "click wrap" licenses that go into effect as soon as the software downloads--- even if you trigger the download by accident or in error. These licenses usually spell out very clearly that the adware vendor has your permission to do whatever it is the adware package is designed for. This often means that you're agreeing to allow the ads to display; and agreeing to let the adware company monitor your actions. Exactly what monitoring of which actions is usually spelled out in the rest of the license terms and privacy statement. Trouble is, many users aren't savvy enough to deflect these overly-aggressive and sometimes even deceptive installation routines; through uninformed choices or poor security practices, these users end up with adware on their systems that they really didn't want and never consciously chose. And almost no one wades through the full license agreements, which sometimes seem intentionally designed to bury the most important terms under an avalanche of legal verbiage. But it *is* legal verbiage: You may dislike the terms of the license, but if you download the software, you have agreed to those terms. That kind of unwanted, invasive software spawned a whole new class of defensive products designed to protect your PC. In fact, "Ad-Aware" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-11-10.htm#1 ) started out as a simple tool to alert you to the presence of unwanted adware on your system. Now, of course, it and its competitors such as Spybot Search and Destroy ( http://www.safer-networking.org/ ) and Pest Patrol ( http://www.pestpatrol.com ) help guard against a whole range of threats. But they all lump adware in with overtly malicious software; they treat virtually all adware as inherently suspicious, to be checked out and possibly removed, ASAP. Of course, not all adware is bad. As long as you know what you're getting, and as long as you consciously and overtly choose to download and install the software, and are OK with all the terms of its user agreement and with the tradeoffs involved in using the software, it's fine--- it's a valid choice you can make. To that end, the folks at PC Pitstop just opened a "Gator Information Center" ( http://www.pcpitstop.com/gator/ ) to help users understand the pros and cons using Gator/Claria software, which is perhaps the most widely distributed adware in the world. It's worth mentioning that Gator is not happy with PC Pitstop--- Gator/Claria brought suit against PC Pitstop in September. (You can get details on the PitStop site.) The PitStop information is definitely worth a look. For example, they've waded through the 20 pages and 6,000 words aggregated into the "Gator Advertising Information Network" software license to find some eye-opening items you're probably not aware of. They've pulled out some of the more interesting items into a little quiz you can take on http://www.pcpitstop.com/gator/Quiz.asp . For example, the quiz indicates that that the Gator license forbids you to use tools like Ad-Aware, Spybot, or PestPatrol to remove Gator/Claria software! (You can read the license yourself at http://www.gainpublishing.com/help/app_privacy/app_ps_v51.html and on related pages. The license also clearly states that you're agreeing to let Gator/Claria collect certain data about you, including your first name, country, city, and five digit ZIP code, what software is on your personal computer, your software usage characteristics and preferences, information on some of the Web pages you view, and the amount of time spent at some Web sites; as well as other information....) If you're using, or considering using, any Gator/Claria software (such as eWallet, DateManager, WeatherScope, or PrecisionTime), you ought to take a look at the PC Pitstop pages. In fact, although the PitStop pages are specific to Gator/Claria, they're worth reading for the general knowledge there as well. Not all adware is bad. But you need to know the full scoop--- the downsides as well as the positives--- before you can make an informed decision, and the PC PitStop pages will help you do just that. Click to email this item to a
friend 2) FREE CHK Recovery ToolsYou've probably seen "CHK" files--- they're files and fragments of files that the operating system lost track of at some point; and that later were recovered with a tool like ChkDsk (Checkdisk) or Scandisk. Win98's "File Allocation Table" (FAT) form of disk operation is especially fragile, and prone to frequent disk errors, resulting in potentially lots of CHK files. NTFS is a lot harder to break, and so Win2k and XP systems using NTFS generally produce far fewer CHK files. But they can end up on any system. But what do you do with CHK files? What good are they? Many times, CHK files are merely duplicates of information that was stored correctly somewhere else on your drive. In those cases, the CHK files are junk and can simply be discarded. But when they contain data or files you need to recover, it's normally a huge pain in the carpal tunnels to try to stitch a pile of CHK files back into some kind of coherent whole, or to identify what file types they originally were. And sometimes, the task is all but impossible--- as in the case below, where this unlucky reader suffered one gigantic disk problem that left him with some 2,000 separate CHK files!
Excellent! The above link brings you to a page offering two separate free tools to help you automatically recover the data in CHK files; and to try to turn the fragments back into a useable form. A definite download!Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 3) Workaround (Sort Of) For Vertical Scroll Problems
Thanks, Jim. Indeed that works--- just as your keyboard's Page Up/Page Down keys work, too. But both techniques require that you take your hand off the mouse. That's OK, if that's what you want. But with three-button or scroll-wheel mice, these simple functions are *supposed* to be mouse-able, and I'm hoping for a simple patch that will either revert the scroll bars to their traditional behavior, or let the new feature be user adjustable, just as scroll-wheel actions are (you can select how many lines to move per scroll-wheel increment). Still any workaround is better than none! 8-) BTW, if you want to explore *all* the keyboard mouse-alternatives, these will help: Win95: http://www.bilbo.com/shortcut.html Win98: http://www.google.com/search?q=keyboard+shortcut+windows+98 Win2K: http://www.google.com/search?q=keyboard+shortcut+windows+2000 XP: http://www.google.com/search?q=keyboard+shortcut+windows+xp Click to email this item to a
friend 4) Send Modem Signals Anywhere
The answer is probably in the misnamed "wireless modem jack" technology. It doesn't require a second PC, and it lets you put your computer an arbitrary distance away from the actual phone jack, as long as it's someplace in the same building. It's misnamed because it isn't really wireless. Instead, it's a special-purpose form of power-line networking: You use one of these devices to put a phone/modem signal into the building's electrical wiring, and the other to get it out again. The electrical wires carry the modem/phone signal throughout the building, going anywhere the circuits go, as long as there's no transformer or break between the units. The two devices operate invisibly--- you can surf along at 56K--- and as far as your PC knows, it's connected right to the phone jack. But the real phone jack can be some considerable distance away; even on another floor or in another room! "Wireless modem jacks" cost about $50 the pair: http://www.google.com/search?q=Wireless+Modem+Jack Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 5) Things That Make You Go "Hmmmmm..."
Thanks, Ronald. I've long felt that SpamCop was a great idea, horribly implemented. To me, it seemed that the people running SpamCop were honorable in their intentions, but uncaring or oblivious about the enormous collateral damage they caused to innocent email users (senders and receivers). I have no idea what IronPort's acquisition of SpamCop will mean, but it will be interesting to watch. Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Always Room for One MoreDo you know even one other person who might find this newsletter interesting or useful? Please click on over to http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm to see just how easy it is to recommend that they take a look. You might even win a free ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to the Plus edition for your trouble! 8-) Click to email this item to a
friend 7) AVG Faster, Better
Thanks, Norman. The upgrade process was a little bumpy, but the new version completely changed the way that AVG handles updates: Now, instead of downloading large files of virus definitions each time, AVG just sends a very small file of changed and new definitions. It's much faster, and probably took an enormous strain off the AVG servers, letting them offer more frequent updates. AVG remains an excellent choice for free antivirus software, if you qualify to use it. See http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php for details. Click to email this item to a
friend 8) They Just Keep Coming And Coming...Well over 3,000 of your fellow readers have "loaded the code." Have you? Check out http://www.langa.com/code.htm for the details. 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 WeeklyClassics.com Dragons & Geckos Wooden-Gear Clocks LifesFlavor Dog Rescue Quick And Easy Hosting Moss Manor Dodge Truck Enthusiast Phoenix Homes The Wizard of OS Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 9) Two Wireless LAN Eye-Openers
Stuff like that is scary--- cheap software ($30) that makes snooping brain-dead simple. It's even worse when you realize it can be combined with other simple tools like the infamous $10 Pringles can antenna that lets hackers listen in on wireless LANs from as much as 10 miles away. ( http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=pringle+antenna ) But sometimes, snooping requires no effort or special gear at all:
For your own security, if you're going to use any wireless data device, please take a moment to check out the basics of making the wireless connection at least minimally secure! http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20021031S0004 Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsReader "Rich" sends this along:
Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---
--------------( the above is an advertisement )------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
The Plus! edition is only pennies per
issue, and comes with a MONEY BACK Click to email this item to a
friend (Want to give a gift
subscription to the LangaList Plus edition? See you next issue! Best, Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!) 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. UNSUBSCRIBE (instant removal!):
http://www.langa.com/leave_langalist.htm This newsletter is SPAM PROOF and requires two levels of subscriber confirmation
before delivery begins: See
http://www.langa.com/info.htm |
|
|
Please visit the LangaList Home Page |