An interesting new research report issued by Consumer Reports WebWatch finds that many American Internet users are cutting back on the hours they spend online, shunning e-commerce and refusing to give out personal information as a result of the rising tide of Web-based crimes related to identity theft.
According to the WebWatch report, 80 percent of all American Web surfers are at least somewhat concerned about the threat of identity theft posed by engaging in online activities. As a result of those concerns, at least 30 percent of the 1,500 people interviewed for the survey said they have reduced the amount of time they access the Internet.
In addition to going online less frequently, 53 percent of the respondents said that fears of ID theft have stopped them from giving out personal information to Web sites and online marketers, while 25 percent said they no longer purchase items from e-commerce sites. Around 54 percent of the respondents who still buy items online say they now read Web sites' privacy policies before doing business with a company, and 29 percent said they have merely cut down on the their Web shopping.
New York-based WebWatch, a grant-funded project of the nonprofit Consumers Union, said that consumers have dramatically shifted their views of online activity over the last several years, becoming far more conservative about what constitutes safe online behavior. Compared to the group's 2002 study on the same topic, researchers said that people are placing far more importance on issues of security and privacy when choosing which sites they visit or do business with.
New York-based WebWatch, a grant-funded project of the nonprofit Consumers Union, said that consumers have dramatically shifted their views of online activity over the last few years, becoming far more conservative about what constitutes safe online behavior. Compared to the group's 2002 study on the same topic, researchers said that people are placing far more importance on issues of security and privacy when choosing which sites they visit or do business with.
How do the WebWatch findings compare with your views and use of the Internet?
In the next edition, more interesting findings on other aspects of the Internet from the Webwatch report.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Who is Behind Spyware and Adware?
As long-time readers know, I‘ve written several articles in the past about spyware and adware, those nasty little devils we pick up on the Internet that infect your computer just as badly as viruses. They can and do, in some cases, wreak havoc on your computer and slow your computing down to a crawl. Unfortunately, being infected with these products is the price we pay for using the Internet.
Currently, it is mostly legal to infect your computer with this kind of hidden software. But who is behind these nefarious software products? It may (or may not) surprise you to learn that behind the scenes of the hackers and whackers of virus and spyware software are not just criminal-types, but some of the largest corporations in America. PC World Magazine recently published an in-depth investigative report on the subject entitled, The Hidden Money Trail, and it is a MUST read.
To read it, go to:
http://www.counterspynews.com/U57AXQ/051014-Money_Trail
Currently, it is mostly legal to infect your computer with this kind of hidden software. But who is behind these nefarious software products? It may (or may not) surprise you to learn that behind the scenes of the hackers and whackers of virus and spyware software are not just criminal-types, but some of the largest corporations in America. PC World Magazine recently published an in-depth investigative report on the subject entitled, The Hidden Money Trail, and it is a MUST read.
To read it, go to:
http://www.counterspynews.com/U57AXQ/051014-Money_Trail
Saturday, October 29, 2005
New Passports to Contain ID Chip
Starting exactly one year from now, the U.S. government will require nearly all of the passports it issues to have a computer chip containing the passport holder's personal information. The U.S. Department of State will actually begin issuing passports early in 2006 with 64K byte RFID (radio frequency identification) chips containing the name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and digitized photograph of the passport holder.
The chip would match the data on the paper portion of the passport and improve passport security by making it more difficult for criminals to tamper with passports, according to the Bush Administration. The government began looking at ways to make passports harder to forge in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Shortly after the State Department proposed RFID chips for passports in February of this year, privacy groups such as American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) began expressing some concerns. According to the EFF, some RFID chips can be remotely scanned, allowing for criminals to covertly scan groups of passport holders at airports. They claim that the RFID passport could act as "terrorist beacons" because they could indiscriminately expose U.S. residents' personal information to strangers. They also argued that the agency lacked congressional authority to require RFID chips in passports.
In the passport rules released this week, the State Department said it was taking several security precautions. The RFID chips will use encrypted digital signatures to prevent tampering, and they will employ so-called passive RFID chips that does not broadcast personal information unless within inches of an RFID reader machine. The e-passports will protect against data leaks by putting an "anti-skimming" material to block radio waves on the passport's back and spine.
Although putting personal information on a chip does raise some concerns, at least with me, it is probably better than having a bar code tattooed on my head. Whatever the case, it looks like the new passports will become a reality and will probably be the first of many such changes in our lives.
The chip would match the data on the paper portion of the passport and improve passport security by making it more difficult for criminals to tamper with passports, according to the Bush Administration. The government began looking at ways to make passports harder to forge in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Shortly after the State Department proposed RFID chips for passports in February of this year, privacy groups such as American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) began expressing some concerns. According to the EFF, some RFID chips can be remotely scanned, allowing for criminals to covertly scan groups of passport holders at airports. They claim that the RFID passport could act as "terrorist beacons" because they could indiscriminately expose U.S. residents' personal information to strangers. They also argued that the agency lacked congressional authority to require RFID chips in passports.
In the passport rules released this week, the State Department said it was taking several security precautions. The RFID chips will use encrypted digital signatures to prevent tampering, and they will employ so-called passive RFID chips that does not broadcast personal information unless within inches of an RFID reader machine. The e-passports will protect against data leaks by putting an "anti-skimming" material to block radio waves on the passport's back and spine.
Although putting personal information on a chip does raise some concerns, at least with me, it is probably better than having a bar code tattooed on my head. Whatever the case, it looks like the new passports will become a reality and will probably be the first of many such changes in our lives.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Update on Satellite Radio
Both satellite radio providers, XM Radio and Sirius, have been busy since the last time we talked about them, adding both users and new content. Unfortunately, all of this activity has not made them profitable yet. In fact, both are losing more money than ever before.
XM Radio just passed the 5 million subscriber mark and increased its income well beyond Wall Street expectations. Unfortunately, their expenses were more than double last year's expenses, due mostly to huge increases in programming and content costs. The bottom line was that their losses are more now more than ever before, even with more customers.
Meanwhile, over at Sirius, it's pretty much the same story...but they have only about half of the number of subscribers of XM.
Both companies are in a programming war, each trying to outdo the other with their programming content. Sirius last year signed a big contract with the National Football League and the National Basketball Association to broadcast games and daily talk shows about the leagues. Not to be outdone, XM signed the same kind of contract with Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. While the hockey contract may have been cheap, the other contracts were not.
Both companies have also hired big-named personalities, including radio shock-jock Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Ron and Fez, and Opie and Anthony (whoever they might be). I did notice that XM dropped MTV Radio and VH-1 Radio, which probably saved them a few coins.
Both services now charge $12.95 per month for service. XM Radio offers around 150 channels, while Sirius offers around 120 channels, but those numbers can be deceptive as not all programming is on all the time and some channels are for weather and traffic in far-off major cities. Each charges $6.95 per month for each additional receiver. As broadcast radio content continues to deteriorate (especially here in our little county), you may wish to consider adding satellite radio to your entertainment repetoire.
Now, here is some good news for folks who have satellite television, either DishTV or DirectTV. For quite some time now, DishTV has been including 65 channels of Sirius Radio as part of their basic programming package. When I first read that, I wondered if DirectTV would put the same kind of deal together with XM.
Well it took some time, but beginning on November 15, DirectTV will begin offering 50-67 channels of XM Radio, depending on which programming package you have. So, if you have either of the satellite TV services in your home, you may not need to spend the $12.95 per month for satellite radio. But be aware that both TV services only offer music channels and not the sports or talk radio channels available in the full blown satellite radio services.
When you add it all up, there is a tremendous amount and variety of entertainment available to you. But, of course, you could just sit down in silence and read a good book. Enjoy your options!!
XM Radio just passed the 5 million subscriber mark and increased its income well beyond Wall Street expectations. Unfortunately, their expenses were more than double last year's expenses, due mostly to huge increases in programming and content costs. The bottom line was that their losses are more now more than ever before, even with more customers.
Meanwhile, over at Sirius, it's pretty much the same story...but they have only about half of the number of subscribers of XM.
Both companies are in a programming war, each trying to outdo the other with their programming content. Sirius last year signed a big contract with the National Football League and the National Basketball Association to broadcast games and daily talk shows about the leagues. Not to be outdone, XM signed the same kind of contract with Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. While the hockey contract may have been cheap, the other contracts were not.
Both companies have also hired big-named personalities, including radio shock-jock Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Ron and Fez, and Opie and Anthony (whoever they might be). I did notice that XM dropped MTV Radio and VH-1 Radio, which probably saved them a few coins.
Both services now charge $12.95 per month for service. XM Radio offers around 150 channels, while Sirius offers around 120 channels, but those numbers can be deceptive as not all programming is on all the time and some channels are for weather and traffic in far-off major cities. Each charges $6.95 per month for each additional receiver. As broadcast radio content continues to deteriorate (especially here in our little county), you may wish to consider adding satellite radio to your entertainment repetoire.
Now, here is some good news for folks who have satellite television, either DishTV or DirectTV. For quite some time now, DishTV has been including 65 channels of Sirius Radio as part of their basic programming package. When I first read that, I wondered if DirectTV would put the same kind of deal together with XM.
Well it took some time, but beginning on November 15, DirectTV will begin offering 50-67 channels of XM Radio, depending on which programming package you have. So, if you have either of the satellite TV services in your home, you may not need to spend the $12.95 per month for satellite radio. But be aware that both TV services only offer music channels and not the sports or talk radio channels available in the full blown satellite radio services.
When you add it all up, there is a tremendous amount and variety of entertainment available to you. But, of course, you could just sit down in silence and read a good book. Enjoy your options!!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Finding Your Favorite Podcast Subjects
On my last trip to California, I brought along plenty of books-on-tape to help relieve the boredom of driving all those miles. After all, its a 16 hour trip, and, its one I have done many times before. I found over the years that listening to a really good story, like a spy novel or murder mystery, really helps the time and miles go quicker.
On the way down, I spent two days in Mt. Ranier National Park and three days along the Oregon Coast, specifically to work with my new digital SLR camera. And I got to thinking that it would really be great if I could listen to tapes or radio shows that discussed digital photography or other related subjects while driving in the car, but figured I probably would not find anything like that.
Then, I remembered podcasts. As I mentioned some months ago, podcasting is very popular these days and there is even a radio station in San Francisco that plays only podcasts. I wondered if there might be podcasts available on the subject of digital photography.
Now, if you don't remember what a podcast is, it is nothing more than an audio version of blogging. A blog, such as the one you are reading now, is one person's thoughts on a particular subject. In my case, the subject is "technology for the rest of us." But many, many people from around the world are doing podcasts about their favorite subjects. Network radio and television programs like Rush Limbaugh, ESPN, ABC News, and many, many others have also jumped big time into podcasting .
However, many podcasts are recorded by amatuers who use their computers to make the recordings, then post them on the web for listening and downloading. Some of the podcast recording software is quite good, so most podcasts that I've listened to sound fairly professional, at least as far as the recording goes. Content quality can vary widely, depending on the subject, as I can testify to, having listened to that aforementioned SF radio station. Quite frankly, some folks shouldn't be allowed near a microphone. But that's another story.
Podcast are done in an MP3 format, and are easy to download and play in portable MP3 players like Apple's iPod. I don't have an iPod, but I do have an MP3 player that plays CD's that I record with MP3 programs. As MP3's are quite compressed, I can record 4-5 hours worth of listening on one CD.
After I returned home, I began research podcasts about digital photography. Lo and behold, I discovered that Yahoo had put together a special podcast search engine. All I did was enter the search term of "digital photography," and I had my list of podcasts.
The first one I found is called, oddly enough, "Tips from the Top Floor," and is recorded in Germany by a professional photographer who apparantly lives on the top floor of his apartment house. I have now listened to several of them and found them entertaining and informative. Even if you are are novice in photography or just use a point-and-shoot camera, you will enjoy these podcasts. I also found other good podcasts that I listen to, but I will save those for another day.
There are two ways to record podcasts to your computer. One is to go to the podcast's website and download them just like you would download any other software product. The other way is to get a special software product, like Apple's iTunes and subscribe to the podcast. Many podcasters now put links on their website so you can subscribe automatically, via iTunes, to the podcast. It links their podcast directly to iTunes so that the software will automatically download a new podcast whenever they become available.
I did try another software product for the fun of it, but found that it could not compare to the ease of iTunes. This program is free from Apple and comes in both Windows and Apple versions. You can download it from the Apple Web Site and start using it immediately. By the way, if you ever buy an Apple iPod, you will need iTunes to connect to it.
So, if you are interested, go try the world of podcasts. Search out your favorite subject on Yahoo's Podcast Search Engine, then listen to a few a them. If you like them, download iTunes and subscribe to them. I've sure found many of them better than most of the content I hear on the radio.
On the way down, I spent two days in Mt. Ranier National Park and three days along the Oregon Coast, specifically to work with my new digital SLR camera. And I got to thinking that it would really be great if I could listen to tapes or radio shows that discussed digital photography or other related subjects while driving in the car, but figured I probably would not find anything like that.
Then, I remembered podcasts. As I mentioned some months ago, podcasting is very popular these days and there is even a radio station in San Francisco that plays only podcasts. I wondered if there might be podcasts available on the subject of digital photography.
Now, if you don't remember what a podcast is, it is nothing more than an audio version of blogging. A blog, such as the one you are reading now, is one person's thoughts on a particular subject. In my case, the subject is "technology for the rest of us." But many, many people from around the world are doing podcasts about their favorite subjects. Network radio and television programs like Rush Limbaugh, ESPN, ABC News, and many, many others have also jumped big time into podcasting .
However, many podcasts are recorded by amatuers who use their computers to make the recordings, then post them on the web for listening and downloading. Some of the podcast recording software is quite good, so most podcasts that I've listened to sound fairly professional, at least as far as the recording goes. Content quality can vary widely, depending on the subject, as I can testify to, having listened to that aforementioned SF radio station. Quite frankly, some folks shouldn't be allowed near a microphone. But that's another story.
Podcast are done in an MP3 format, and are easy to download and play in portable MP3 players like Apple's iPod. I don't have an iPod, but I do have an MP3 player that plays CD's that I record with MP3 programs. As MP3's are quite compressed, I can record 4-5 hours worth of listening on one CD.
After I returned home, I began research podcasts about digital photography. Lo and behold, I discovered that Yahoo had put together a special podcast search engine. All I did was enter the search term of "digital photography," and I had my list of podcasts.
The first one I found is called, oddly enough, "Tips from the Top Floor," and is recorded in Germany by a professional photographer who apparantly lives on the top floor of his apartment house. I have now listened to several of them and found them entertaining and informative. Even if you are are novice in photography or just use a point-and-shoot camera, you will enjoy these podcasts. I also found other good podcasts that I listen to, but I will save those for another day.
There are two ways to record podcasts to your computer. One is to go to the podcast's website and download them just like you would download any other software product. The other way is to get a special software product, like Apple's iTunes and subscribe to the podcast. Many podcasters now put links on their website so you can subscribe automatically, via iTunes, to the podcast. It links their podcast directly to iTunes so that the software will automatically download a new podcast whenever they become available.
I did try another software product for the fun of it, but found that it could not compare to the ease of iTunes. This program is free from Apple and comes in both Windows and Apple versions. You can download it from the Apple Web Site and start using it immediately. By the way, if you ever buy an Apple iPod, you will need iTunes to connect to it.
So, if you are interested, go try the world of podcasts. Search out your favorite subject on Yahoo's Podcast Search Engine, then listen to a few a them. If you like them, download iTunes and subscribe to them. I've sure found many of them better than most of the content I hear on the radio.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Microsoft and the Phishing Filter
For some time, Microsoft has been promising that their new version of Internet Explorer Version 7, will contain a Phishing Filter that will help you identify fake web sites so you don't give personal data to a web site that isn't what you think it is. If you are not familiar with the term "Phishing" is a practice where crooks try and trick you into giving up personal information so they can steal your identity and/or your money.
One way they do it is to put up fake web sites that purports to be a real website. For awhile, I used to get fake e-mail's supposedly from my bank directing me to a web site in order to give them my personal information. Fortunately, the e-mail was so badly done that I knew it was a fraud instantly...and my bank sent out warnings saying they would never ask me to input this kind of information.
Anyhow, phishing scams have become much more clever and a fair amount of people have suffered identity theft. In order to help out, Microsoft has decided to make their phishing filter available to the public for free even though IE7 is not yet available. This temporary filter, so to speak, will work in IE6, but there is a catch.
The filter only comes packaged in as an add-on to the MSN Toolbar Kit. This toolbar is similar to other toolbars put out by Google and Yahoo. It defaults to an MSN search engine, but you can change the default search engine (for instance if you prefer Google). It also adds tabbed pages, similar to those found in Maxthon and Opera, and performs desktop searches. The phishing filter now is part of the package and is designed to prevent you from entering personal information into a fraudulent website.
To learn more about the tool, head to the Microsoft MSN Toolbar Kit web page. To learn about the Phishing Filter, you need to access a separate Microsoft web page and, if you desire, download it only after you have installed the MSN Toolbar Kit.
More on Microsoft
Our favorite software company may be headed for more trouble with government anti-trust folks around the world. The company announced that it will include its anti-spyware software as part of the its new Windows Vista operating system when it is released. This is exactly what got them in trouble a few years ago when they started including a web browser and other utilities for free as part of their operating system. This effectively put many companies out of business and Microsoft was punished for this, although not a severely as they should have been.
Currently, Microsoft's Anti-Spyware is available for free as a beta test software. By including it for free as part of the operating system, they are trying once again to put their competition out of business and inviting all kinds of litigation.
As you may recall, I was initially impressed with Microsoft's Anti-Spyware, but later became disenchanted when I discovered that my current spyware, Sunbelt's Counterspy, found 63 spyware products on my computer that Microsoft missed. Microsoft's product also became suspect as it stopped identifying one particular company's spyware products as being dangerous at the same time that Microsoft started negotiations with that same company to buy them out.
As big as this company is, they sure seem to make some very controversial business decisions designed to invite trouble.
One way they do it is to put up fake web sites that purports to be a real website. For awhile, I used to get fake e-mail's supposedly from my bank directing me to a web site in order to give them my personal information. Fortunately, the e-mail was so badly done that I knew it was a fraud instantly...and my bank sent out warnings saying they would never ask me to input this kind of information.
Anyhow, phishing scams have become much more clever and a fair amount of people have suffered identity theft. In order to help out, Microsoft has decided to make their phishing filter available to the public for free even though IE7 is not yet available. This temporary filter, so to speak, will work in IE6, but there is a catch.
The filter only comes packaged in as an add-on to the MSN Toolbar Kit. This toolbar is similar to other toolbars put out by Google and Yahoo. It defaults to an MSN search engine, but you can change the default search engine (for instance if you prefer Google). It also adds tabbed pages, similar to those found in Maxthon and Opera, and performs desktop searches. The phishing filter now is part of the package and is designed to prevent you from entering personal information into a fraudulent website.
To learn more about the tool, head to the Microsoft MSN Toolbar Kit web page. To learn about the Phishing Filter, you need to access a separate Microsoft web page and, if you desire, download it only after you have installed the MSN Toolbar Kit.
More on Microsoft
Our favorite software company may be headed for more trouble with government anti-trust folks around the world. The company announced that it will include its anti-spyware software as part of the its new Windows Vista operating system when it is released. This is exactly what got them in trouble a few years ago when they started including a web browser and other utilities for free as part of their operating system. This effectively put many companies out of business and Microsoft was punished for this, although not a severely as they should have been.
Currently, Microsoft's Anti-Spyware is available for free as a beta test software. By including it for free as part of the operating system, they are trying once again to put their competition out of business and inviting all kinds of litigation.
As you may recall, I was initially impressed with Microsoft's Anti-Spyware, but later became disenchanted when I discovered that my current spyware, Sunbelt's Counterspy, found 63 spyware products on my computer that Microsoft missed. Microsoft's product also became suspect as it stopped identifying one particular company's spyware products as being dangerous at the same time that Microsoft started negotiations with that same company to buy them out.
As big as this company is, they sure seem to make some very controversial business decisions designed to invite trouble.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Revisiting an Old Friend
As many of my long-time readers know, I used to heartily recommend the use of Opera as an alternative web browser. It has always been a good browser, with lots of good features, very fast, and very easy to use. It also had the smallest footprint in your computer, much less than Internet Explorer (IE).
But Opera always seemed less than perfect as there were several web pages that it could not render properly and I had to revert to good old Microsoft's IE. As time went on, I found myself using Opera less and less. When Firefox came on the scene I tried it several times and, around the same time, I also found Maxthon, which I finally adopted as my new browser-of-choice.
As I tried out all these new browsers, Opera got left behind. In fact, when I purchased a new computer several months ago, I never reloaded it, although it remained on my laptop.
After I while, I removed Firefox as I didn't like it as much as Maxthon. And, while I love Maxthon, it greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: it uses the Internet Explorer engine, so while it will work as well as IE (and has many more useful features than IE) it is also subject to some of the same ongoing security vulnerabilities we keeps plaguing Microsoft products. Although Microsoft is very good about fixing them with their monthly patches, I have it in the back of my mind that one day some nasty little virus, spyware, or ID theft software will someday slip through.
All that being said, I read sometime this past summer, that Opera had come out with a new Version 8 that was better than ever before. I decided to give it a try again. And, after a few months of use, I must tell you that I like it better than their previous versions. Most web pages render just fine...and it has as many useful features as Maxthon, but does not use the IE engine.
When Version 8 was released, it still had the annoying advertising in the upper right hand corner. You still had to pay $39.95 to buy the advertising-free version. I learned how to really minimize the ads in the free version, so it never really bothered me. But a few weeks, ago, the company released version 8.5, which removes all advertising from the browser page in the free version. Plus they added a few more features.
All-in-all, it is an excellent program that is worth using. It is very fast and, as I said earlier, renders most pages just fine. It does seem to have some difficulty with a couple of the sites I use a great deal. For instance, it doesn't render all my editing buttons on my web blog page, so I am writing this blog using Maxthon. And on the Netflix pages, IE and Maxthon pop up a short blurb about a movie when you point at its title, while Opera can't do that yet.
But that being said, it works just fine for everything else and I do use it for most of my browsing. If you want to download it and give it a try, just go to the Opera web site. But the bottom line truth is...no matter what browser you use, you will sometimes need to access certain web pages with Internet Explorer. I am afraid there is just no getting around that right now. I hope someone will fix that someday.
But Opera always seemed less than perfect as there were several web pages that it could not render properly and I had to revert to good old Microsoft's IE. As time went on, I found myself using Opera less and less. When Firefox came on the scene I tried it several times and, around the same time, I also found Maxthon, which I finally adopted as my new browser-of-choice.
As I tried out all these new browsers, Opera got left behind. In fact, when I purchased a new computer several months ago, I never reloaded it, although it remained on my laptop.
After I while, I removed Firefox as I didn't like it as much as Maxthon. And, while I love Maxthon, it greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: it uses the Internet Explorer engine, so while it will work as well as IE (and has many more useful features than IE) it is also subject to some of the same ongoing security vulnerabilities we keeps plaguing Microsoft products. Although Microsoft is very good about fixing them with their monthly patches, I have it in the back of my mind that one day some nasty little virus, spyware, or ID theft software will someday slip through.
All that being said, I read sometime this past summer, that Opera had come out with a new Version 8 that was better than ever before. I decided to give it a try again. And, after a few months of use, I must tell you that I like it better than their previous versions. Most web pages render just fine...and it has as many useful features as Maxthon, but does not use the IE engine.
When Version 8 was released, it still had the annoying advertising in the upper right hand corner. You still had to pay $39.95 to buy the advertising-free version. I learned how to really minimize the ads in the free version, so it never really bothered me. But a few weeks, ago, the company released version 8.5, which removes all advertising from the browser page in the free version. Plus they added a few more features.
All-in-all, it is an excellent program that is worth using. It is very fast and, as I said earlier, renders most pages just fine. It does seem to have some difficulty with a couple of the sites I use a great deal. For instance, it doesn't render all my editing buttons on my web blog page, so I am writing this blog using Maxthon. And on the Netflix pages, IE and Maxthon pop up a short blurb about a movie when you point at its title, while Opera can't do that yet.
But that being said, it works just fine for everything else and I do use it for most of my browsing. If you want to download it and give it a try, just go to the Opera web site. But the bottom line truth is...no matter what browser you use, you will sometimes need to access certain web pages with Internet Explorer. I am afraid there is just no getting around that right now. I hope someone will fix that someday.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
OpenOffice Making Big Waves
OpenOffice.org, a free open source office suite that is now five years old, has just released it's long-awaited Version 2.0. The program was originally called StarOffice and was owned by Sun Microsystems. In the year 2000, Sun gave it to the Open Source community to continue development.
While Sun remains the project's chief sponsor and contributor, the project now boasts contributions from Novell, Red Hat, Debian, Intel, and many other large and small companies, plus the very important and numberless contributions from independent developers and government agencies. All these have made OpenOffice.org not just a free alternative productivity suite but one of the best and most advanced productivity suites available today. And, once again, it is free to download and use.
Version 2.0 is a major overhaul to an open-source software suite that is now a more serious rival to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation creator and, new to version 2.0, a database. Project organizers had hoped to release the upgrade last week, on the fifth anniversary of the creation of the open-source project, but a last-minute bug derailed the plan.
Over the years, nearly 50 million copies of OpenOffice have been downloaded, but only recently has the software become a more serious threat to long-dominant Microsoft Office. Version 2.0 brings some significant new features, and Google has pledged to help distribute OpenOffice through a high-profile pact with Sun. But perhaps more significant, OpenOffice.org uses the standardized OpenDocument format that stands in stark contrast to Microsoft's proprietary formats.
One of the big reasons that Microsoft may be worried is that there is a strong movement afoot to adopt the OpenDocument format. The state of Massachusetts has required support of OpenDocument, and the vice president of IBM's standards and open source, has urged computer users to pressure software companies, governments and corporations to support OpenDocument.
Massachusetts' adoption of OpenDocument shuts Microsoft out of the state's procurement process because the software giant, which dominates the office application market, has said it does not intend to support the OpenDocument format. Governments and large corporations have complained for years about the high costs of continued Microsoft licensing and with the raves being heaped on OpenOffice V.2.0, Microsoft may be looking at some large losses in revenue as these organizations start to adopt OpenOffice.
What do I think about the new version? Well, I have only just downloaded it a couple of days ago, but so far I like it. I can open and save documents in the Microsoft Office format, so all the files I have created over the years are still very useful. The program's interface is similar to Microsoft's, so it is easy to learn and use.
It doesn't have an Outlook-type program, although I use Thunderbird as my e-mail software on my main home computer (I still use Outlook on my laptop), so that isn't a problem for me, but could well be for others. I will keep testing OpenOffice and write another blog about it in the near future.
If you would like to know more about the features of version 2, click on this link to the openoffice.org web site. You can also read a quick review done by PC Magazine of the beta version, written in September, prior to the release of the final version.
While Sun remains the project's chief sponsor and contributor, the project now boasts contributions from Novell, Red Hat, Debian, Intel, and many other large and small companies, plus the very important and numberless contributions from independent developers and government agencies. All these have made OpenOffice.org not just a free alternative productivity suite but one of the best and most advanced productivity suites available today. And, once again, it is free to download and use.
Version 2.0 is a major overhaul to an open-source software suite that is now a more serious rival to Microsoft Office. OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation creator and, new to version 2.0, a database. Project organizers had hoped to release the upgrade last week, on the fifth anniversary of the creation of the open-source project, but a last-minute bug derailed the plan.
Over the years, nearly 50 million copies of OpenOffice have been downloaded, but only recently has the software become a more serious threat to long-dominant Microsoft Office. Version 2.0 brings some significant new features, and Google has pledged to help distribute OpenOffice through a high-profile pact with Sun. But perhaps more significant, OpenOffice.org uses the standardized OpenDocument format that stands in stark contrast to Microsoft's proprietary formats.
One of the big reasons that Microsoft may be worried is that there is a strong movement afoot to adopt the OpenDocument format. The state of Massachusetts has required support of OpenDocument, and the vice president of IBM's standards and open source, has urged computer users to pressure software companies, governments and corporations to support OpenDocument.
Massachusetts' adoption of OpenDocument shuts Microsoft out of the state's procurement process because the software giant, which dominates the office application market, has said it does not intend to support the OpenDocument format. Governments and large corporations have complained for years about the high costs of continued Microsoft licensing and with the raves being heaped on OpenOffice V.2.0, Microsoft may be looking at some large losses in revenue as these organizations start to adopt OpenOffice.
What do I think about the new version? Well, I have only just downloaded it a couple of days ago, but so far I like it. I can open and save documents in the Microsoft Office format, so all the files I have created over the years are still very useful. The program's interface is similar to Microsoft's, so it is easy to learn and use.
It doesn't have an Outlook-type program, although I use Thunderbird as my e-mail software on my main home computer (I still use Outlook on my laptop), so that isn't a problem for me, but could well be for others. I will keep testing OpenOffice and write another blog about it in the near future.
If you would like to know more about the features of version 2, click on this link to the openoffice.org web site. You can also read a quick review done by PC Magazine of the beta version, written in September, prior to the release of the final version.
Friday, October 21, 2005
I am Back Home Again
Surprise, surprise...I'm back!! I know it has been a long time since you heard from me, but the life of an artist kept me pretty busy. But, now all the shows are over until May of 2006, my art is in storage for the winter, and I am free once again to write a tech blog and try to keep you update with the going's-on in the world of high tech.
Just to catch you up, it was a good year overall for me with sales of my artwork already exceeding last year's total with 2+ months to go in 2005. The year started out very slow in May in June, but took off in July and never really slowed down. I had my best show ever in late July in Richland, WA where I doubled last year's sales. Even Leavenworth was good to me in the late summer and fall.
This summer, I moved into the fascinating world of digital photography which I will detail in greater depth in future blogs. I really love shooting digital with my new Olympus E-300 Single Lens Reflex Camera. While traveling recently to California for two shows, I managed to spend two days learning my new camera in Mt. Rainier Natl. Park and three days photographing the Oregon Coast. I really got some great shots and am looking forward to finishing them up in post-processing and showing some of them off.
The family is all fine. Susan is still clear of any cancer problems (5 years now) and is still working at Family Services of Grant County. Aimee has graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a teaching credential in Music Education and is doing her student teaching in Seattle right now. She will shortly be moving to Ephrata to finish out her student teaching at Ephrata High School. Kristen is working full time in Seattle, and Eric is going to college on his GI Bill and working nights in Bellingham.
I am glad to be back home as the Art Show life can be pretty taxing. I was gone from home at least four days a week and when I did get home, I spent three days reprinting and replenishing stock to get ready for the next show. I did shows in four states this year, which was a killer, both in driving time and gas prices. Some of my time was also spent doing printing on my extra-large Epson 2700 printer for other artists. It became a nice little side business for me as I can print up to 24" wide prints on canvas and paper.
I had hoped to keep the blog up-to-date, but there was just no chance. Will try and do better from now on, although my plate still seems to be full right now. I will do my best.
In my next blog, I will tell you about a free office software that is taking the world by storm and forcing Microsoft to reconsider their office software. See you shortly.
Just to catch you up, it was a good year overall for me with sales of my artwork already exceeding last year's total with 2+ months to go in 2005. The year started out very slow in May in June, but took off in July and never really slowed down. I had my best show ever in late July in Richland, WA where I doubled last year's sales. Even Leavenworth was good to me in the late summer and fall.
This summer, I moved into the fascinating world of digital photography which I will detail in greater depth in future blogs. I really love shooting digital with my new Olympus E-300 Single Lens Reflex Camera. While traveling recently to California for two shows, I managed to spend two days learning my new camera in Mt. Rainier Natl. Park and three days photographing the Oregon Coast. I really got some great shots and am looking forward to finishing them up in post-processing and showing some of them off.
The family is all fine. Susan is still clear of any cancer problems (5 years now) and is still working at Family Services of Grant County. Aimee has graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a teaching credential in Music Education and is doing her student teaching in Seattle right now. She will shortly be moving to Ephrata to finish out her student teaching at Ephrata High School. Kristen is working full time in Seattle, and Eric is going to college on his GI Bill and working nights in Bellingham.
I am glad to be back home as the Art Show life can be pretty taxing. I was gone from home at least four days a week and when I did get home, I spent three days reprinting and replenishing stock to get ready for the next show. I did shows in four states this year, which was a killer, both in driving time and gas prices. Some of my time was also spent doing printing on my extra-large Epson 2700 printer for other artists. It became a nice little side business for me as I can print up to 24" wide prints on canvas and paper.
I had hoped to keep the blog up-to-date, but there was just no chance. Will try and do better from now on, although my plate still seems to be full right now. I will do my best.
In my next blog, I will tell you about a free office software that is taking the world by storm and forcing Microsoft to reconsider their office software. See you shortly.
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