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Month 2003

Microsoft Under Attack

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said this month that his company was under attack by "thieves, con artists, terrorists and hackers." While this is certainly true, it's also true that Microsoft could be making it harder for these attackers to be successful. As an example, Microsoft's decision to no longer issue updates and patches for the huge installed base of Windows 98 computers is virtually incomprehensible from a security standpoint.

The security flaws inherent in the Windows platform may prove to be the chink in the armor that allows other operating systems to gain a foothold in the marketplace and win back some of Microsoft's world-wide dominance over the next few years.

Tech News Highlights

Verisign Cashes In

Verisign began a controversial "service" called SiteFinder this month. When an Internet user types in an invalid address, a search page with various options is displayed. Not surprisingly Verisign has sold advertising on this page. Verisign's action was taken without prior notification and had a slew of unintended consequences for spam filters, security software, and search engines. Many Internet professionals are very upset with Verisign's decision to take advantage of the public trust granted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the US Government.

Suns announces new low-cost computing offering.

Sun has announced that their new desktop and server application packages designed to compete with Microsoft Office will cost only $150.00 per employee per year and run on the free Linux operating system.  

Ask Randy

Q: I keep getting advertisements popping up on my computer. How can I stop them?

A: There are three common ways that popup ads are distributed: by browser; by adware; and by the windows messenger service.

Browser ads are those that pop up when you navigate to a website. The way I avoid these is by using a popup blocker like the one that comes with the free Google Toolbar.

Adware popups also typically occur as you are browsing. They are facilitated by a software program that has snuck onto your computer that sends information about the websites you visit to a server on the Internet. This server in turn sends targeted advertising to your computer. A common example of adware is GAIN. I recommend Lavasoft Ad Aware to remove these adware applications.

The last type typically spring up as soon as you connect to the Internet and they appear as standard Windows dialogue boxes. Often they are advertisements for popup killing software. To take care of these, you need to disable the messenger service.

1. Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services
2. Double-click on the service named "Messenger" under the Name column.
3. Choose Disable for "Startup type".

Tip of the Month

Keep Offsite Backups

If you think making backups is expensive, just think about the costs of replacing your data if your computer fails. Automated backups are critically important if you store a lot of personal or business information on your computer. If you have a broadband Internet connection keeping automated offsite data backups is easy, and can be pretty cost-effective. We recommend connected.com for offsite data storage for home users. If you are not currently automatically backing up your data, you should check out their service. 

Places on the Web

Homestar Runner

Flash animation with personality. Be sure to check out Strong Bad's e-mail.

The Straight Dope

Cecil Adams answers questions.

Twenty Questions

Play the classic guessing game with your computer.