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Crushed AMD CPU <Update>.
Posted: 08/10/2001  Source: Coolerguys  Added by: Kim Heise

Some of you may recall I posted a news post here about my unfortunate (to say the least) experience with crushing my first AMD CPU core because too much pressure was applied when attaching the CPU fan/heat sink. My only complaint about the new AMD Athlon CPU's is that they are extremely fragile and you need to use caution when attaching the CPU fan/heat sink.

Another solution that I wish I had known before hand is to purchase a Socket-A CPU Shim that prevents the CPU core from being damaged by the CPU fan/heat sink. It is not actually the CPU fan itself but rather the heat-sink that damages the core if it is not installed correctly.

I found a Socket-A CPU Shim over at the Coolerguys web site and it will be well worth the investment because CPU fans do go bad which means you will need to to replace the heat sink also.

AMD Socket-A Shim Version 1 (Thunderbird and Duron only) $8.95
	If you're worried about cracking your new AMD Tbird or Duron core, then consider a installing a shim for added safety. Ours are the only shims on the market that are Non-Electrically conductive.  Every hole on our shims are precisely cut via laser.  This ensures every piece is perfect.  100% made and cut in America.

Source: The Coolerguys.

Code Red II Virus cleaner.
Posted: 08/10/2001  Source: Microsoft  Added by: Kim Heise

In order to appease the community Microsoft has released a utility to clean the Code Red II virus from your system. Click on the "MORE" button below for download information.

Tool to eliminate the obvious effects of the Code Red II worm

Microsoft has developed a tool that eliminates the obvious damage that is caused by the Code Red II worm. This tool does the following:

• Removes the malicious files installed by the worm
• Reboots the system to clear the hostile code from memory
• Removes mappings that the worm is currently known to install (See the section titled "Cautions" below)
• Provides an option to permanently disable IIS on the server.

AOL, MSN at bottom of Web survey.
Posted: 08/10/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

I can't say this report is overly surprising. When users contact me regarding AOL issues I literally cringe because there is little I can do to help with the AOL spam ridden portal.

The world's two largest Internet service providers, AOL Time Warner's America Online and Microsoft's MSN, came out on the bottom of a customer satisfaction survey.

The survey released Thursday of 1,640 dial-up modem users, conducted by Consumer Reports, gave high marks to AT&T WorldNet, BellSouth and EarthLink for overall satisfaction.

MSN got the survey's lowest overall rating, due to dissatisfaction with e-mail, technical support and reliability of its dial-up connections, said David Heim, the Yonkers, N.Y.-based magazine's managing editor.
"If you're paying $20 for a busy signal it's not going to make you a happy camper," Heim said.
Respondents also identified AOL as unreliable in terms of quick and sustained dial-up access, Heim said.

"What seemed to matter most was being able to get online in a hurry and stay online without being kicked off," he said.
Sixty percent of AOL users answering the survey reported an interruption in their connection during the previous month, the worst rating among all ISPs examined, Heim said.

Users of AOL-owned CompuServe rated it next-worst for dropped connections, Heim said.
Conversely, just 33 percent of AT&T WorldNet and EarthLink services reported similar disconnections, he said
Based on a possible 100 points for perfection in all aspects of service, the rankings of the eight providers examined by the magazine were as follows: AT&T WorldNet, with 78 points; BellSouth, 76; EarthLink, 76; Prodigy, 73; Qwest Communications' Qwest.net, 70; AOL, 68; CompuServe, 67; and MSN, 67. The survey guidelines state that differences of five points or more are considered significant.

AT&T WorldNet was the top choice for connection speed and reliability and offered the best array of low-cost plans.
Users also gave AT&T's e-mail service highest ratings.

Cirrus Logic to acquire video compression firm.
Posted: 08/10/2001  Source: EDTN Networks  Added by: Kim Heise

I wonder if Cirrus Logic has a new video processor in the works. Most PC new-comers most likely don't recall Cirrus Logic as being a major player in the PC video industry. I still have a old 512k or 1MB (don't recall) Cirrus Logic video card in the basement that often functions as a perfect troubleshooting peripheral.

Cirrus Logic Inc., Austin, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Stream Machine Co., a supplier of MPEG-2 video compression technology based in Milpitas, Calif.

The company's technology can be used in applications such as digital-video-disc (DVD) recorders, personal video recorders (PVRs), digital camcorders and PC video peripherals, according to Cirrus.

Cirrus Logic will pay an estimated $110 million for Stream Machine in this stock-for-stock transaction. The acquisition has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close in October following customary regulatory approvals. Based on Cirrus Logic's current forecasts, it is anticipated to be accretive to pro forma EPS within three quarters following the quarter in which it closes.

This is the fourth acquisition announced in five months by Cirrus Logic, representing an aggregate total of $278 million in primarily stock-for-stock transactions. These include the acquisition of Peak Audio, and the pending acquisitions of LuxSonor Semiconductors and ShareWave.

FCC reports 63 percent jump in Broadband use.
Posted: 08/10/2001  Source: NewsBytes  Added by: Kim Heise

Somehow the number appears lower than I would have expected. Most internet users are looking for some sort of broadband solution but they may be confused by all the options available.

More people than ever are jumping on the broadband train, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported today, saying that as of the end of last year, there are now 7.1 million high-speed Internet access connections, a 63 percent jump from the middle of 2000.
The commission also released a notice of inquiry to conduct another in a series of studies on whether broadband access is being rolled out to Americans in a timely fashion, according to the dictates of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

The FCC releases its high-speed Internet access statistics semi-annually. The latest report is based on information filed in March, and reported through Dec. 31, 2000.

The commission said that growth for the entire year was 158 percent.

According to a statement released today, 5.2 million of the 7.1 million lines were for residential and small-business subscriptions.

The report also said that all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands feature at least some high-speed Internet service options, and that there are subscribers in 75 percent of the nation's ZIP codes, compared to 56 percent at the end of 1999.

Other statistics show that there was a 108 percent increase in DSL lines during the second half of 2000, with a total of 2 million lines. The full-year growth rate, the FCC said, was 435 percent.

Cable-based broadband services rose 57 percent during the second half of 2000 to a total of 3.6 million. The full-year growth rate was 153 percent.

High-speed satellite and wireless services usage rates rose from 50,000 in December 1999 to 112,000 in December 2000.

Spreading total broadband subscription percentages across ZIP codes based on population, 97 percent of the most densely populated ZIP codes show high-speed access presence, compared to 45 percent of the ZIP codes with the least dense populations.

From the median family income perspective, 96 percent of the top 10 percent of the richest ZIP codes report high-speed access, compared to 56 percent of the top 10 percent of the poorest ZIP codes.

Maxtor USB 2.0 external 40GB HD.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: Maxtor  Added by: Kim Heise

The first batch of hardware products that are shipping with USB 2.0 support is starting to show up on the market place. I still think a external CD ROM recorder is more practical should you be looking for removable/portable data storage devices. Consider the cost of a $250 external CD recorder that offers rewrite support on $0.50 650 MB disks.

If speed is important for external data storage devices for real-time multi-media support then of course this would be a more practical storage device.

Maxtor today announced a more convenient upgrade path for adding storage to existing PC and Macintosh computers: the new Maxtor Personal Storage(TM) 3000LE, the world's first 40GB external hard drive with high speed USB 2.0 interface. This value-priced solution quickly and easily expands computer storage without opening up the computer. Ideal for digital photos and video, MP3 songs, electronic games and other large files, the 3000LE with USB 2.0 also delivers up to 40 times faster performance than current generation USB 1.1 hard drives.

Priced at $199.95 and currently shipping to retail stores and Maxtordirect.com, the 3000LE provides users with a convenient and speedy alternative to the complexity of installing internal hard disk drives. Operating at 5400RPM and providing 40GB of capacity, the 3000LE meets the demanding needs of today's computer users by storing up to. The 3000LE's high speed USB 2.0 interface enables easy and instant connectivity with virtually all existing USB ports -- including backward compatibility with USB 1.1. To upgrade older PCs to USB 2.0 performance, Maxtor will be offering a USB 2.0 PCI adapter card ($49.95) featuring four external and one internal high speed ports.

Web sites prey on rivals’ stores.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

You got to hand it to the business practices of certain companies for having nerves to pull off marketing stunts like this. Unfortunately the consumer typically takes the brunt with annoying banners and popup windows.

On the flip side some users may wish to see competitive products.

A growing number of online companies are ambushing competitors through software that puts ads where marketers want them most--in front of customers visiting rival Web sites.

It's called getting "Gatored," after one of the most popular applications underlying it, and some Web sites are out to restrict the practice. But for others it's fast becoming an effective way to feast on competitors in their own front yard.

One e-tailer that's been bitten is 1800Flowers.com. When certain Web surfers visit the site to browse for bouquets, a pop-up ad appears for $10 off at chief rival FTD.com. The same sort of thing happens at AmericanAirlines.com, where a Delta Airlines promotion is waiting in the wings.

Ads like these find their way onto browser windows through "plug-ins" that come bundled with certain software downloads. Several companies are behind the practice, including the eponymous Gator.

One online executive referred to Gator and other such programs as "hijackware," applications that easily whisk consumers from a point of sale at one site to a competitor’s site.

Gator is a so-called online helper application that has millions of active users, that manages passwords and user IDs. While Gator is free, the company sells keywords to marketers that lets them launch pop-ups at opportune moments, for example, when a Web surfer visits a competing site.

"Our own clients get Gatored," said I-Traffic media director Jerry Quinn, who says he has purchased Gator keywords for some of his clients. I-Traffic buys online advertising space for companies such as Staples, British Airways and The Discovery Channel. "We don’t like it, but it’s fairly competitive."

Gator is quickly adding a new spin to the old ploy of selling ad space linked to trademarks and company names. Pioneered by search engines and Net directories, the practice lost momentum after some big brand advertisers cracked down with boycotts and trademark lawsuits. One case involving Playboy Enterprises is scheduled for trial next month in Los Angeles and could help set guidelines over the legality of the practice.

Code Red offshoot packs a bigger punch.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

Why is it all of sudden we are seeing so many virus attacks on this particular vulnerability on Microsoft's popular IIS web server? Also how can this "new" virus be spreading so rapidly? After all it is exploiting the same security flaw. Hasn't every web/network administrator patched their web server after the first attack?

A new worm, similar to Code Red but perhaps more virulent, was spreading across the Internet on Monday, infecting systems and potentially leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.

"Compared to last week's (Code Red) attacks, this one is hitting harder," said Matt Fearnow, a security expert who tracks computer viruses and hacking incidents for the Systems Administration, Networking and Security Institute (SANS).

The new worm, which was discovered Friday, does more than just overwhelm networks. After it infects a computer server, it reboots the computer and leaves behind a "back door" that could allow a hacker to gain control of or access the infected systems, Fearnow said.

SecurityFocus.com has posted an alert on the new bug, warning that it is potentially more damaging than the relatively benign original that infected hundreds of thousands of systems beginning July 11.

The original Code Red worm prompted the White House to move the address of its Web site and led to government warnings from the FBI. But the reactivated worm was seen as having tapered off by the end of last week.

The new worm, which some are calling Code Red II, attacks the same vulnerability--originally reported by CNET News.com in June--in Windows 2000 and Windows NT servers running Microsoft's Internet Information Service (IIS) Web server software.

The two major differences between the original Code Red worm and the new variant is the way the latest bug spreads itself and the establishment of the back door.

Security experts said the new worm has the potential to spread faster and consume more network bandwidth.

The IBM PC Turns 20.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: Microsoft Press  Added by: Kim Heise

So much has happened in the home PC industry over the last 20 years. It would be even more to difficult to predict the next 20 years due to the exponential development and sale of new technologies.

Some of you may still remember Bill Gate's quote on why would one ever need more than 640k (yes, kilobytes and not megabytes) of main memory.

MS poised to switch Windows file systems with "Blackcomb".
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: The Register  Added by: Kim Heise

Windows 2000 has been on the market for just over one year (or has it been less?) and with Windows XP on the horizon, Microsoft is already on the drawing board for the next generation OS. There are some interesting proposed enhancement for the new OS.

Read on....

The pieces are coming together for a clear shift in the way Microsoft does data storage. It is coming full circle, right back to the unified storage model of Cairo, promised but not delivered back in the early 1990s as the super-OS built upon Windows NT.

As I have been postulating for a while in my columns in PC Pro, Microsoft needs to complete its storage story. It has too many ways of storing relatively similar items, and a simplification is long overdue.

This is coming, and it lays the roadmap for the major changes for the next 4-5 years of Windows operating system changes. From the users' perspective, the changes will be small or even invisible - Microsoft is a past master of changing things only as quickly as the majority of the user base can manage.

From a technical perspective, the changes are quite profound. They focus on four main areas: Active Directory, SQL Server, Exchange Server and then the file system itself. As you will see, there is a clear interweaving of the changes to both BackOffice products, and to the base OS.

Lawsuit alleges Palm defect.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

This sounds like a "frivolous" lawsuit to me. I've owned several Palm PDAs and cannot ever recall an instance where permanent damage was caused during a hot-sync.

Now if the users didn't know better than to physically plug/unplug the serial cable on the computer without first powering the system down then they deserve the possible outcome. This no different from any other device that connects through a serial/parallel cable such as modems or printers.

You can get away with removing/inserting USB devices without powering down the system but with serial/parallel devices you are asking for trouble.

A lawsuit filed in a California court asserts that Palm handheld computers have damaged some desktop computers when people sync the devices to their PCs.

Palm spokeswoman Marlene Somsak said the company did not have any comment. "We haven't seen the lawsuit yet," she said Wednesday.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court, claimed the function that allows people to synchronize the data of the mobile device to their PCs "damages or destroys the motherboards on certain PC brands."

The suit did not specify which Palm models were allegedly defective or what kinds of PCs were affected.

The Pinnacle Law Group of San Francisco, which filed the suit on behalf of California residents Melissa Connelly and Laurence Stanton, seeks class-action status. The plaintiff attorneys did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Palm has sold more than 13 million handheld computers since its first product was released in 1996.

Rob Enderle, a Giga Information Group analyst familiar with Palm's products, said he had not previously heard of such complaints from Palm owners.

Red Hat previews 'Roswell'.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: BetaNews  Added by: Kim Heise

An FYI for Linux users who wish to learn more about the next versions of Red Hat.

Maintaining plausible deniability, Red Hat has yet to confirm or deny the existence of Roswell, the latest beta, version 7.1.93, of its popular Linux operating system. Available for both x86 and ia64 architectures, this latest release includes several new features and optimizations.

Red Hat has provided an overview of the additions to its flagship OS, which include support the 2.4.6 Linux kernel, XFree86 4.1.0, KDE 2.2pre, GNOME 1.4, and support for the ext3 journaling file system. A more detailed listing can be found in the beta's release notes, and a mailing list has been set up to keep the public aware of development updates. It should be noted that users upgrading systems from Red Hat 6.x through 7.1 may encounter difficulty upgrading if Ximian GNOME is installed.

Users are encouraged to all report bugs through the company's Bugzilla Web site. For beta testing purposes, the up2date program has been modified to recognize an alternate server. Updated packages can be obtained throughout the duration of the test, but the server will go dark upon the conclusion of the beta.

To locate Roswell download mirrors, visit the Red Hat beta site.

Windows XP could see September ship date.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

What concerns me is that the pressure on Microsoft to release Windows XP before the law clamps down on the OS release - is the premature release of the product to attempt to beat the system. Once Windows XP has been officially launched it would be tougher for  parties to curb the "features" that are causing much heated debate.

Starting next month, some new PCs could include an unexpected accessory: Windows XP.

Microsoft has given PC makers the go-ahead to ship Windows XP as much as one full month before the operating system's official Oct. 25 launch date, sources close to four major PC makers told CNET News.com.

Computer makers plan to debut PCs and notebooks with the new operating system in late September, a move that could help jump-start stagnant sales. How soon customers could receive the PCs from the manufacturers is not clear, however, because the testing process could be more complicated for this release of Windows than for its predecessors.

"The industry is hoping to see some kind of upgrade cycle starting with XP," said ARS analyst Toni Duboise. The early release from PC makers "means we could start out the fourth quarter (shipping PCs) with XP; it could only be beneficial."

For Microsoft, the early release of Windows XP has an additional benefit. The company is advancing its release schedule to try to beat any possible injunction that would delay the new operating system's debut, analysts said.

While a federal appeals court in late June threw out a lower court's order breaking Microsoft into two companies, the bulk of the monopoly case emerged intact and a lower court is free to determine a remedy in the case.

"Because a new remedy would be forward-looking, that could include (Windows) XP," said Andy Gavil, an antitrust professor with Howard University School of Law. "There's no reason to think the government is not considering an injunction against XP."

1 million copy-protected CDs released.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

These new "copy-protected" CD's most likely create invalid tracks on the disc itself that are not commonly accessed during standard audio playback. So when you attempt to copy the disk it simply errors out as your recorder reads every track during a copy.

The solution: If your CD ROM drive can read the audio tracks you could simply "rip" or extract the tracks to your HD and then burn them to the destination CD.

Israeli security company Midbar said Wednesday that it released 1 million copy-protected CDs in the European market and plans are in discussion for entry in the U.S. market.

Midbar said the CDs are protected by its technology, dubbed Cactus Data Shield, which prevents potential copyright pirates from illegally reproducing the content.

The company said its CDs can play on all types of machines without any alterations to the quality of the recording or the abilities of the playback machinery itself.

The announcement is the latest sign that companies are pushing forward with copy-protection schemes even though attempts to date have proven to be difficult. Last year, Midbar worked with BMG Germany to test secure CDs. The effort failed, however, and the company abandoned the project after finding that the CDs could not play on many ordinary CD players.

BMG Entertainment has higher hopes. Last month the company said it will work with security technology provider SunnComm to create copy-protected CDs. BMG is also testing technologies from Midbar, Macrovision and a handful of other companies. In addition, for the last several months, Macrovision has been quietly testing copy-protected CDs on unwitting consumers to ensure unbiased feedback, according to the company.

"I'm very skeptical that (copy-protected CDs) will work," said Aram Sinnreich, an analyst with Jupiter Research. "In terms of implementation, it's very difficult to do in a way that will allow the CD to play on all devices...it's a very tetchy technology."

A huge installed base of CD players out there are not security-enabled, Sinnreich said, so it would be difficult to find engineering solutions that would fit all those machines.

Midbar, however, said it is continuing to upgrade and renew its technology.

Netscape releases version 6.1 browser suite.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: Newsbytes  Added by: Kim Heise

Not too much fanfare with Netscape's new 6.1 browser release. I can't say the market is overly enthusiastic over the release. The expression of "a little short and a little too late" springs to mind.

Netscape Communications released the latest non-Beta incarnation of its Web browser Wednesday, promising that the suite of software that also includes an e-mail client and the built-in AOL Instant Messenger will be more stable than earlier versions.
Netscape, part of the AOL Time Warner [NYSE:AOL] empire, made barely a ripple with the release in November of Netscape 6.0, the first major version to be built on the open-source development effort behind the Mozilla browser.

The new Netscape package, which includes on a version Mozilla's Geko browser engine released in the spring, bundles a number of features designed to keep users close to AOL services and the Netscape's own Web portal.

In addition to the built-in instant-messaging software, Netscape 6.1 includes configurable "sidebar" menus with default links to e- commerce partners and an e-mail interface that better integrates Web-based services such as Netscape's WebMail with AOL Mail or POP accounts from other Internet service providers.

Paralleling efforts by Microsoft for its upcoming version 6 Internet Explorer browser, Netscape 6.1 also includes a "Cookie Manager" designed to give users better control over which Web sites may place browser cookies on their computers.

The Cookie Manager also allows users to view all cookies they have received and to more easily delete those they don't want.

Worm prompts AT&T to block servers.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

That explains why the AT&T cable modem service has been so sluggish and intermittent over the last several days.  AT&T itself may have patched their web servers to protect from the latest Code Red variation but all the other "illegal" web server on regular home services are being assaulted.

To keep the spread of the Code Red worms from slowing down its cable Internet network, AT&T is blocking access to Web servers run by residential customers, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
"We are trying to protect our greater user population as a whole," said AT&T spokeswoman Sarah Eder. The company provides cable Internet access to 1.35 million residential customers, she said.

By blocking incoming traffic to Web servers, AT&T is effectively shutting down the Web sites, which residential customers are not supposed to be operating anyway, Eder said.

"According to our official use policy, customers are not permitted to operate Web servers behind cable modems," she said.

Commercial customers of AT&T's cable Internet service are not affected, she added.

Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices will start prodding consumers to jump over the megahertz gap next month.
AMD is preparing to launch its next desktop Athlon processor, a 1.5GHz chip, in late September, sources said.

The new desktop processor will be AMD's fastest chip. But despite performance boosts, the 1.5GHz Athlon will still be a clock speed underdog compared with rival Intel's Pentium 4 processor line, set to hit 2GHz later this month.

As a result, AMD faces a huge marketing challenge: shifting the terms of its ongoing speed battle with Intel from pure clock speed to pure performance.

But the new Athlon chip won't necessarily be slower. Because of its design, the Athlon processor core handles more instructions per clock cycle than the Pentium 4. This allows the Athlon to keep up and in some cases exceed the Pentium 4 in performance, depending on the application and the hardware configuration.

In many published reviews, the slower Pentium 4 chips, such as the 1.5GHz, have tested no better in performance than a 1.1GHz or 1.2GHz Athlon. Analysts say the 2GHz Pentium 4 should perform better processing images for the computer game "Quake 3" and certain other media benchmarks. The 1.5GHz Athlon, meanwhile, is expected to perform better on most Winstone benchmark tests, which mirror more ordinary PC tasks, such as creating a document.

The new Athlon will also be boosted by a pre-fetch Level 2 cache, which anticipates data needed by the processor core and stores it ahead of time in high-speed "cache" memory. The chip will also sport the SSE multimedia instruction set, aimed at enhancing multimedia performance.

Athlon "is an extremely competitive processor, even at the lower frequency," said Kevin Krewell, senior analyst with MDR/Instat (formerly MicroDesign Resources) of San Jose, Calif.

The Athlon trails in clock speed, and "that's perceived to be slower, but it's not," Krewell said. "It's just a perception in that respect."

MPEG-4 adds interactivity to video.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

Here's a new and exciting twist to the MPEG video standard. Developers are sure to love this. Take a look for yourself....

After lying low for a couple of years, MPEG-4--the successor to the technologies that spawned the MP3 audio explosion--is catching on with developers who are taking advantage of its ability to manipulate digital music and video files.

MPEG-4 is a wide-ranging set of audio and video technologies designed in part to condense large digital packages into small files that can be easily transmitted online, much like today's most common media formats, such as MP3, RealVideo and Windows Media.

But perhaps more important, proponents say, are the interactive features that MPEG-4 offers. For example, video functions almost like a Web page, allowing people to interact with the picture on the screen or to manipulate individual elements in real time. Like that dress that Julia Roberts is wearing? Simply click on her face to buy it. Want a closer look at what they're eating for dinner on "Survivor"? Zoom in for a close-up of the grub.

The ability to give video itself the kind of interactivity that only Web sites and video games now enjoy has ignited the imaginations of advertisers and some Hollywood studios. To be sure, there's a long way to go before average consumers are interacting with actresses on their TV screens, but analysts say the technology bears considerable promise.

Squashing Web bugs.
Posted: 08/09/2001  Source: Bugnosis  Added by: Kim Heise

A friend forwarded me information about a new way companies track user's web habits instead of using cookies. Here's a free utility for squashing these web bugs.

Below is a snippet from the FAQ which outlines what web bugs are:

WEB BUG BASICS

What exactly is a Web Bug?

A Web bug is a graphic on a Web page or in an e-mail message designed to monitor who is reading the page or message. Web bugs are often invisible because they are typically only 1-by-1 pixels in size. In many cases, Web bugs are placed on Web pages by third parties interested in collecting data about visitors to those pages.

What information is sent to a server by a Web bug?

- The IP address of the computer that fetched the Web bug
- The URL of the page that the Web bug is located on
- The URL of the Web bug image, which contains the information to be communicated between the Web page visited and the site collecting the data
- The time the Web bug was viewed
- The type of browser that fetched the Web bug image
- A previously set cookie value
 

Internet Explorer 6 To Be Launched On August 15th.
Posted: 08/04/2001  Source: ActiveWin  Added by: Kim Heise

Instead of downloading Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP-2 you may want to just wait two weeks for the release of IE 6.0. Here's the latest details on the anticipated release on the 15th of this month.

Microsoft's beta testing for Internet Explorer is very thorough so most of the major bugs and security weaknesses have most likely been located and fixed. Personally I'm looking forward to the cookie control features in IE 6.0. Hurrah for the removal of "Smart Tags" in IE 6.0.

Internet Explorer 6 is due to go gold next week and will be released on August 15 as a standalone program, according to software development sites. BetaNews reports that Microsoft has sent an email to beta testers thanking them for their support and suggesting, barring last minute hiccups, that build 2530.1 of IE6 will go gold next week. The main features added to IE 6 include automatic picture resizing, integrated media playback and support for the personal privacy standard, P3P (the Platform for Privacy Preferences), which (among other things) blocks third party cookies. The search function in the browser has gone through a revamp and there's improved support for CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and SMIL 2.0, which is useful for interactive media presentations.

As notable as what's included with the browser is the omission of Smart Tags, which turn words on Web sites into links pointed towards more detailed information. These destinations turned to be biased towards Microsoft sites in early betas of the product and, amid heavy criticism, the feature has been shelved. Poor feedback from beta testers resulted in Microsoft deciding to abandon the much-vaunted Personal Bar and Contacts features from the finished version of Internet Explorer 6.

Internet Explorer 6 will be included in all flavours of Microsoft's operating system. It will also come with PCs shipped with Windows XP from October 25.

TOP    MORE

Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 available.
Posted: 08/04/2001  Source: Microsoft  Added by: Kim Heise

You may not be a fan of Internet Explorer but if you use the popular browser you may wish to download the latest SP-2 from Microsoft because several security issues have been addressed.

Download Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 and Internet Tools. The newest version of Internet Explorer includes improved support for DHTML and CSS, which gives Web architects greater control over browser appearance and behavior. Enjoy the ability to preview Web pages exactly as they appear when printed. Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 (SP2) makes it easier than ever to connect to the Internet and find the information you need. With Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2, you can use Connection Manager as your default dialer when Dial-Up Networking is already installed.

During installation, you can choose from a list of components that are designed to work with Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2. If you decide you want additional components after installation, return to the Product Updates catalog to download and install them.

Please note that you can install the Arabic or Hebrew version of this release only if you use the corresponding language version of Windows 98 or Windows 2000. The English version of this release should be used for installation on all other platforms (Windows 95, Windows NT4 and the English version of Windows 98).

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New "disposable" cell phones.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

With all the new conveniences we have to supposedly make life simpler we are simply being bombarded with more options which translates into more confusion.

Personally I don't see the market for these disposable cell phones becoming very popular because the average consumer wants to own a personal cell phone that always has the same phone number including two way calling. It can be compared to DivX which never survived for the simple reason that people want to own the product and not purchase it for a one time solution.

Parents/spouses might purchase these one-way disposable cell phones for one time emergency calls.

Talk, then toss," is becoming a mantra in a small corner of the mobile phone industry.
A new breed of wireless handsets, expected to hit the market later this year, is low-cost, extremely easy to use and disposable.

Several handset makers are challenging the notion that mobile phones should offer an ever-growing list of functions--such as mobile Internet browsing and MP3 players--and are developing stripped-down phones they believe will appeal to a broader audience.

Even as U.S. wireless penetration rates increase, handset sales have slowed and analysts say future customers will be unwilling to pay upward of $300 for a cell phone.

In mid-October, Southern California phone maker Hop-On Wireless says it plans to sell a phone for $30 that can be thrown away or recycled. Chief Executive Peter Michaels says more than 1 million phones will be shipped and available in stores including Walgreen's, Target, Kmart and 7-Eleven.

The phone allows 60 minutes of talk time, offering the user only the ability to make outgoing calls, but not receive them. The handset has just two buttons--"talk" and "end"--and is powered by voice-activated dialing.

Another company, Dieceland Technologies in Cliffside Park, N.J., has won several patents for a phone made of paper that will cost about $10. The product is still in development, but the company has signed a distribution deal with GE Capital, the investment arm of General Electric.

Speeding through the gas pump.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: TechWeb  Added by: Kim Heise

This is an interesting concept and I'm wondering why it has taken so long to surface. Just think what the hacker can do if he/she intercepts your radio frequency and uses the stolen signals to purchase gasoline on a regular basis. One possible solution would be to limit radio range to one or two feet between the car and the gas pump.

The ExxonMobil Speedpass was the first radio frequency device to automate payment at the gas pump--and it's owned the market ever since. But Wednesday, Phillips 66 Co. will begin testing its own RFID system--the PhilPASS--at 20 company-owned stations in the Kansas City area.

Shell Canada already has debuted its easyPAY system in six cities north of the U.S. border, while Shell in the United States has rolled out easyPAY in the Indianapolis and Cincinnati markets.

All three systems come from the same supplier, Texas Instruments Inc., and work the same way. Pre-registered customers simply wave a one-inch transponder in front of an antenna to identify themselves and charge their purchases to a credit card.

ExxonMobil has close to 5 million customers now using the Speedpass to pay for gas and goodies at 3,500 Mobil stations, and it's rolling out the technology at 1,800 Exxon stations as well.

Supercomputer may unlock secrets of universe.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: Yahoo!  Added by: Kim Heise

In my personal opinion we do not have enough information about the universe to build such a computerized model and then state with any reasonable certainty that this is the way it all began.

This is sure to spark a hefty debate between the evolutionists and the creationists.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will unveil a state-of-the-art supercomputer on Tuesday which scientists hope will unlock the secrets of the origins of the universe.
The machine, the biggest supercomputer in British academia, cost $2 million and is one of the most powerful in Europe.
It will tackle what is arguably the biggest question on earth: How was the universe created?
The University of Durham in northeast England says its Cosmology Machine could store the contents of the British Library -- and still have spare memory.
``The new machine will allow us to recreate the entire evolution of the universe, from its hot Big Bang beginning to the present,'' said Professor Carlos Frenk of the university's physics department.
``It will confront one of the grandest challenges of science: the understanding of how our universe was created.''
Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt will unveil the computer later on Tuesday.

Nokia completes first GSM 800 wireless call.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: NewsBytes  Added by: Kim Heise

Expect wireless protocols to change over the next twelve months as Nokia successfully tests the first GSM 800 wireless connections.

Expect retaliation from the competing sector on alternative standards.

Nokia [NYSE:NOK] says it has completed what is believed to be the world's first "live network" GSM 800 megahertz (MHz) wireless phone call.

The GSM (global system for mobile communications) 800 waveband, which was unveiled by the GSM Mobile Suppliers Association earlier this year, is designed to sit alongside the existing GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 frequencies.

Although GSM 800 is a relatively new standard, it has been embraced by Ericsson, Lucent, Motorola and Nokia, all of whom expect to start manufacturing base stations and handsets later this year.

Nokia says that the first test calls on GSM 800 were conducted at its research and development facilities in Texas.

Association President Alan Hadden told Newsbytes that the rapid evolution of the GSM 800 standard allows non-GSM operators to reuse their existing 800 MHz frequencies for GSM. The standard is expected to be rolled out in Central and South America over the next 12 months, as well as in the U.S. later on.

"Because GSM has a greater capacity than other TDMA and CDMA services, it will allow the Americas to start using GSM technology," he said.

Dot-com death march slows.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: NewsBytes  Added by: Kim Heise

Does this mean that most of the over-hyped dot-com companies are out of the picture so we can focus on real products?

On somewhat related note: Not sure if you have heard but today Priceline.com has announced that the company posted a profit for this period.

Last month's dot-com body count fell nearly 40 percent from the end of June and was the lowest in 10 months, according to a new report.
Thirty-two Internet companies shut down or filed for bankruptcy in July, compared to 53 at the end of June, said Webmergers.com's monthly report on dot-com mergers, acquisitions and closings. The June tally rose to 58 on delayed closure reports.

The monthly total is the lowest since last September's tally of 22, the report said.

The business-to-consumer (B2C) share of shutdowns fell dramatically to 48 percent in 2001 compared to 73 percent last year.

Xybernaut begins shipping wearable computer.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: IDG.NET  Added by: Kim Heise

For $4,000 you can pickup a wearable computer that sports some very impressive power. If you think cell phone are a menace in the automobile can you imagine how these wearable computers will fair?

 Take a look at this news clip about Xybernaut latest incarnation:

WEARABLE COMPUTER INNOVATOR Xybernaut on Tuesday began shipping its MA-V (Mobile Assistant V), company officials said. The MA-V is the first upgrade to Xybernaut's revolutionary MA-4TC wearable computer system.

Like the MA-4TC, the MA-V system is typically worn on a belt holster with a headset-style video display, microphone and ear-piece speaker, and a wrist-mounted mini-keyboard.

Improvements to the MA-V include an integrated programmable digital signal processor (DSP) from Texas Instruments and a speed bump to a 500MHz Intel Mobile Celeron processor. The MA-V's DSP technology includes a speech recognition engine that has the potential to allow users to operate the wearable computer "hands free," officials said.

Almost 40 percent lighter than the MA-4TC's 900gm girth, the MA-V offers multiple connection ports including Compact Flash, USB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), and Types II and III PCMCIA.

The MA-V's 500MHz Intel chip is supported by 128MB of SDRAM, which can be doubled, as well as an expandable 2GB micro drive. Users can choose between the Windows 98, Windows 2000, NT, or Linux operating systems, officials said.

Code Red damage estimated at $1.2 billion.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

Even the top IT analysts were dumbfounded on how much damage the Code Red virus created.

Since the attacks are directed at Microsoft web servers the virus has also given the anti-"Microsoft group" plenty of fuel for fire but what they forget is that Microsoft products will always be the target of the majority of attacks due to plenty of reasons. Reasons such as the majority of web servers are Microsoft powered therefore more targets, notoriety for successfully attacking Microsoft and the fact that no other OS or tools are as well documented making it easier to exploit.

The Code Red worm that hit the Internet as global clocks roll over to Aug. 1 has already cost an estimated $1.2 billion in damage to networks, a research organization said Tuesday.

The cost of cleanup, monitoring and checking systems for the self-propagating worm, which has infected about 395,000 servers, is $740 million, said Michael Erbschloe, vice president of research at Computer Economics, an independent research organization in Carlsbad, Calif.

The loss of productivity associated with the worm is estimated at $450 million, Erbschloe said.
"Information technology people are not cheap," he said. "A lot of companies have outsourced this and they have to pay sometimes $300 an hour to have people come in and look at their servers."

An estimated 6 million servers are still at risk, he said.

AT&T speaks naturally.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: BetaNews  Added by: Kim Heise

Try to imagine the fun kids would have if they could make use of a system which could mimic a parents voice.

The capability to duplicate the human voice, ranging from famous personalities to generic vernacular, is becoming a reality. Today, AT&T Labs announced several new technologies aimed at making computer synthesized speech sound ordinary. AT&T's Natural Voices Text-to-Speech is divided into an "engine" that includes an archive of voices, and a solution to create customized voices for customers. The telecommunications giant has a long history of developing speech technologies; even still, the company faces stiff competition in order to achieve dominance in the field.

Whether it be resurrecting the voice of a famous celebrity to become a corporate spokesperson, or bringing back Gene Hart as the voice of the Philadelphia Flyers – a new market for sound technologies is opening up. In today's announcement, AT&T Chief Technology Officer David C. Nagel illustrated the company's intention to grab a huge portion of the emerging market. Nagel said, "We're going after the lion's share of what will be a billion-dollar market for text-to-speech systems in five years."

Holding more than 150 patents for speech technologies, AT&T hopes that devices ranging from cell phones to desktop applications will be willing to adopt its offerings. The company was quick to point out the social impact that speech technology has the potential to provide, claiming it can address the needs of individuals with disabilities. In a study performed by Benetech, a non profit organization, Natural Voices demonstrated a superior grade of performance out of 15 competing technologies.

Red Hat, 3G Lab Developing Wireless OS
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: BetaNews  Added by: Kim Heise

Personally I'm hoping the Palm OS shows up more common on cell phones as a primary OS. The Palm OS has a tiny memory foot print and there are plenty of applications to go along with that.

Popular Linux company Red Hat and UK-based 3G Lab announced Monday plans to create an operating system to be run on wireless devices. Based around Red Hat's eCos, the embedded configurable operating system, the new OS will power Web-enabled mobile phones. The software will be open source, thus allowing developers to download the API and create applications designed for the OS.

The new software is slated to be dubbed eCos/M3, and will have specific features geared towards improving battery life and ensuring smooth streaming media content. While suggested to be the first "wireless Linux," the OS will in fact not be based on Linux or any derivative. eCos is able to run on devices with a much smaller memory footprint than that needed by Linux.

The first smartphones will debut later this year, designed for displaying e-mail, playing video clips, maintaining a calendar and more. Red Hat and 3G however, have plans to make their wireless OS different. With eCos/M3, manufacturers will be allowed to customize the software to the needs of the specific cell phone, rather than having one generic version for each device.

Sun Micro Unveils Speediest UltraSparc III Chip
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: Yahoo!  Added by: Kim Heise

Often I hear people poke fun at Sun for not having CPU's on the market that reach 1ghz speeds but they forget the UltraSparc is a 64bit processor and cannot be compared to the x86 variations from AMD or Intel.

PALO ALTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Workstation and server-computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc. (NasdaqNM:SUNW - news) on Tuesday announced the fastest-yet version of its UltraSparc III microprocessor that Intel Corp. hopes to compete against with its own Itanium chip.

The latest version of the Sun-designed chip, which is being manufactured by Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE:TXN - news), runs at 900 Megahertz and is the first to use copper instead of aluminum to help form the interconnection among transistors. Using copper in chips helps to boost performance and cut costs.

It will be available in October first in workstations, then later in powerful server computers that help to run corporate networks and Web sites, Palo Alto, California-based Sun said.

Sun's UltraSparc chip, like Intel's (NasdaqNM:INTC - news) Itanium, processes 64 bits of information for every clock cycle, compared with the 32 bits for Intel's current 32-bit Pentium III and Pentium 4 microprocessors, which are the brains of newer PCs and servers.

But Sun has long had a 64-bit chip, and Intel's Itanium isn't expected to gain much of a following until its next-generation version, code-named McKinley, comes out next year. So far, Intel is far from the standard in ultra high-end computing.

AMD Ships 10 Millionth processor die.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: Electic Tech  Added by: Kim Heise

Congratulations to AMD and this should show that the Athlon/Duron CPU is a serious contender with strong sales. Expect the stock to climb on this report.

AMD announced today that its newest megafab, Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany, shipped its 10 millionth AMD AthlonTM processor die. Fab 30 is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that incorporates industry-leading manufacturing technologies to produce the company's highest- performance AMD Athlon processors. AMD's Fab 30 was recently awarded "Fab of the Year" by Semiconductor International magazine in recognition of being the first facility in the world specifically designed to produce microprocessors with copper interconnects.

"Shipping the 10 millionth microprocessor die from AMD's Dresden facility after only 13 months of production shipments marks another impressive milestone in Fab 30's history," said Hector Ruiz, president and chief operating officer. "Even with the tremendous success Fab 30 has enjoyed to date, we believe the best is yet to come. AMD is on track in converting Fab 30 to take advantage of next-generation 130-nanometer and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process technologies. These new technologies should enable AMD to continue to produce large volumes of AMD's most advanced microprocessors."

"AMD Fab 30 employees have flawlessly executed an aggressive production ramp while achieving exceptional results," said Hans Deppe, vice president and general manager, Fab 30. " We're looking forward to reaching 100% production capacity at Fab 30 by the end of the year from our present level of approximately 60% while using the most advanced technologies."

AMD Saxony represents one of the largest projects in Germany by a U.S. based company, with total investment approaching $2.3 billion by 2003. AMD currently employs 1700 people in Dresden.

Intel's new PCI standard nears acceptance.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: Tech Extreme  Added by: Kim Heise

The PCI bus on today's computers is still clocked at 66mhz which is a significant bottle neck when for example a 1.8ghz processors attempts to access PCI peripherals. Most power users would welcome enhancements to the PCI bus.

<SNIP>

Maxtor announced ATA/133 hard drive specification.
Posted: 08/01/2001  Source: Yahoo  Added by: Kim Heise

Upgrading your system to the new 133/ATA standard would be a waste of money. The 133/ATA standard is irrelevant if the physical drive media is not capable of transferring data at 133 mb/sec.

MILPITAS, Calif., July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxtor® Corporation (NYSE: MXO - news) today announced the release of the Ultra ATA/133 hard drive interface specification, which boosts data transfer rates between the computer and the hard drive up to 133 megabytes (MB) per second. The new interface is one-third faster than earlier record-breaking Ultra ATA/100 technology integrated in most PC computer systems and performance adapter cards sold today.

Currently, VIA Technologies Inc, Silicon Integrated Systems Corp (SiS), Promise Technology Inc, and Silicon Image (Nasdaq: SIMG - news) have formally completed licensing agreements to use Maxtor's Ultra ATA/133 interface technology in upcoming systems and chipsets.