Windows 7 is the first operating system that Microsoft Corp. has developed away from the watchful eye of Bill Gates, and the technical managers who are leading the development process have had to adjust to life without the company's co-founder and former chief software architect, CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday.
"We have a lot of people who are stepping up and growing in new ways," Ballmer said, speaking at the McGraw-Hill 2009 Media Summit in New York. "There's no question about that. I'm growing in some new ways. Some of the senior technical guys are growing in new ways."
Windows 7, which is expected make its debut later this year, is a product of some of the changes that have taken place since Gates retired from Microsoft last year, and company officials are proud of the result, Ballmer said in an on-stage interview conducted by BusinessWeek editor in chief Steve Adler.
"It's a great piece of work," Ballmer said of the upcoming operating system. "And it's a piece of work that was driven by a team ... independent of Bill and his leadership. And I think we're all, you know, feeling pretty good about it. We've got to finish it. But I think it'll be a big, big deal."
Indeed, a beta release of Windows 7 that became available in January is receiving positive reviews from many early users. That contrasts with its predecessor, Windows Vista, which took more than five years for Microsoft to develop and has been criticized by many business users and consumers.
Without saying so explicitly, Ballmer hinted that he and other executives were limited in their ability to make certain technical decisions at Microsoft while Gates was there. Gates left his day-to-day duties at Microsoft last July to work full time at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization he formed with his wife. His former duties at Microsoft are now being split by Ray Ozzie, who replaced Gates as chief software architect, and Craig Mundie, who is the company's chief research and strategy officer.
Ballmer said the "No. 1 thing" that has changed at the company is the way he, Ozzie and Mundie interact as a team to make technology decisions. "The way the three of us accomplish, let me call it the job at the center of technology leadership, is certainly different than the way Bill did," he said.
Gates had more of the final say himself in technical decisions, according to Ballmer. "He was the founder," Ballmer said. "I might have been the CEO, but he was 'the Bill.' He actually didn't give orders much, but if he thought something should be done, you knew life would be intense if you didn't agree."
Even so, Ballmer added that given the choice, he and his colleagues would be happy to have Gates back.
"We miss Bill," he said. "I mean, if you gave sort of the average senior technical person at Microsoft a vote, 'Bill back, Bill not back,' they'd probably say, 'Yeah, it'd be great to have Bill back.' On the other hand, Bill's doing something important that everybody values, and I think everybody relishes the opportunity to grow and take more responsibility."
Ballmer declined to comment on when Windows 7 would be available, saying only that the company would release it "when it's ready." The official word from Microsoft is that Windows 7 will ship three years after Vista, which was released to business customers in November 2006 and the general public in January 2007.
By Elizabeth Montalbano
IDG News Service
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Researcher Cracks Mac in 10 Seconds
Charlie Miller, the security researcher who hacked a Mac in two minutes last year at CanSecWest's PWN2OWN contest, improved his time Wednesday by breaking into another Mac in under 10 seconds.
Miller, a principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators LLC, walked off with a $5,000 cash prize and the MacBook he hacked.
"I can't talk about the details of the vulnerability, but it was a Mac, fully patched, with Safari, fully patched," said Miller Wednesday not long after he had won the prize. "It probably took 5 or 10 seconds." He confirmed that he had researched and written the exploit before he arrived at the challenge.
The PWN2OWN rules stated that the researcher could provide a URL that hosted his or her exploit, replicating the common hacker tactic of enticing users to malicious sites where they are infected with malware. "I gave them the link, they clicked on it, and that was it," said Miller. "I did a few things to show that I had full control of the Mac."
Two weeks ago, Miller predicted that Safari running on the Mac would be the first to fall.
PWN2OWN's sponsor, 3Com Inc.'s TippingPoint unit, paid Miller the $5,000 for the rights to the vulnerability he exploited and the exploit code he used. As it has at past challenges, it reported the vulnerability to on-site Apple representatives. "Apple has it, and they're working on it," added Miller.
According to Terri Forslof, the manager of security response at TippingPoint, another researcher later broke into a Sony laptop that was running Windows 7 by exploiting a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8. "Safari and IE both went down," she said in an e-mail.
TippingPoint's Twitter feed added a bit more detail to Forslof's quick message: "nils just won the sony viao with a brilliant IE8 bug!"
Forslof was not immediately available to answer questions about the IE8 exploit.
TippingPoint will continue the PWN2OWN contest through Friday, and will pay $5,000 for each additional bug successfully exploited in Apple Inc.'s Safari, Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Google Inc.'s Chrome. During the contest, IE8, Firefox and Chrome will be available on the Sony, while Safari and Firefox will be running on the MacBook. The researcher who exploited IE8 will, like Miller, be awarded not only the cash, but also the laptop.
"It was great," said Miller when asked how it felt to successfully defend his title. "But I was really nervous for some reason this time. Maybe it was because there were more people around. Lucky [the exploit] was idiot-proof, because if I had had to think about it, I don't know if I'd had anything."
This year's PWN2OWN also features a mobile operating system contest that will award a $10,000 cash prize for every vulnerability successfully exploited in five smartphone operating systems: Windows Mobile, Google's Android, Symbian, and the operating systems used by the iPhone and BlackBerry.
Miller said he won't enter the mobile contest. "I can't break them," said Miller, who was one of the first researchers to demonstrate an attack on the iPhone in 2007, and last year was the first to reveal a flaw in Android. "I don't have anything for the iPhone, and I don't know enough about Google."
CanSecWest, which opened Monday, runs through Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Miller, a principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators LLC, walked off with a $5,000 cash prize and the MacBook he hacked.
"I can't talk about the details of the vulnerability, but it was a Mac, fully patched, with Safari, fully patched," said Miller Wednesday not long after he had won the prize. "It probably took 5 or 10 seconds." He confirmed that he had researched and written the exploit before he arrived at the challenge.
The PWN2OWN rules stated that the researcher could provide a URL that hosted his or her exploit, replicating the common hacker tactic of enticing users to malicious sites where they are infected with malware. "I gave them the link, they clicked on it, and that was it," said Miller. "I did a few things to show that I had full control of the Mac."
Two weeks ago, Miller predicted that Safari running on the Mac would be the first to fall.
PWN2OWN's sponsor, 3Com Inc.'s TippingPoint unit, paid Miller the $5,000 for the rights to the vulnerability he exploited and the exploit code he used. As it has at past challenges, it reported the vulnerability to on-site Apple representatives. "Apple has it, and they're working on it," added Miller.
According to Terri Forslof, the manager of security response at TippingPoint, another researcher later broke into a Sony laptop that was running Windows 7 by exploiting a vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8. "Safari and IE both went down," she said in an e-mail.
TippingPoint's Twitter feed added a bit more detail to Forslof's quick message: "nils just won the sony viao with a brilliant IE8 bug!"
Forslof was not immediately available to answer questions about the IE8 exploit.
TippingPoint will continue the PWN2OWN contest through Friday, and will pay $5,000 for each additional bug successfully exploited in Apple Inc.'s Safari, Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Google Inc.'s Chrome. During the contest, IE8, Firefox and Chrome will be available on the Sony, while Safari and Firefox will be running on the MacBook. The researcher who exploited IE8 will, like Miller, be awarded not only the cash, but also the laptop.
"It was great," said Miller when asked how it felt to successfully defend his title. "But I was really nervous for some reason this time. Maybe it was because there were more people around. Lucky [the exploit] was idiot-proof, because if I had had to think about it, I don't know if I'd had anything."
This year's PWN2OWN also features a mobile operating system contest that will award a $10,000 cash prize for every vulnerability successfully exploited in five smartphone operating systems: Windows Mobile, Google's Android, Symbian, and the operating systems used by the iPhone and BlackBerry.
Miller said he won't enter the mobile contest. "I can't break them," said Miller, who was one of the first researchers to demonstrate an attack on the iPhone in 2007, and last year was the first to reveal a flaw in Android. "I don't have anything for the iPhone, and I don't know enough about Google."
CanSecWest, which opened Monday, runs through Friday in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Ten Facebook Tips For Power Users
So you signed up for Facebook, added friends and photos, joined a few groups, and updated your profile status. But now what? Isn't there more to Facebook? There is.
Here are ten tips to tweak your profile and get more out of Facebook. These tips go beyond the typical and include ways to stay better connected to your friends and look good doing it. To compile this list I searched high and low and even called on Facebook for the best tips. Most are easy to do and all will add some Facebook pizzazz to your profile.
Tip One
Dig up demographic dirt on your friends with Socialistics : If you want to know the demographic breakdown on your Facebook universe of friends, this application does a nice job at breaking it down. Socialistics can show you information about your friends' ages, the languages they speak, their country of origin, and lots of other interesting information all within Facebook.
Socialistics data does not show up on your profile pages and you are not able to share Socialistics information with your Facebook Friends through your wall. However, if you want to take a look at the trends for your personal network, then add Socialistics to your profile and you can access it privately.
Tip Two
Power search tips : Just like Google and other search engines, Facebook has some built-in power search tools and terms to help you find people. Want to search your Facebook network or friends list, but you want to narrow the results to fall within an age range? Just enter a term using the "name," "y1" and "y2" search filters. For example, I wanted to find my buddy Colin from college, but I can’t remember how old he is. To find him I just entered in “name: Colin Bauer y1: 25 y2: 40” and voila! The search string asked Facebook to look for people named Colin Bauer between the ages of 25 and 40.
You can also use two search terms at once by dividing the terms with the "pipe character" (|) (the pipe is found on the same key as the backslash).
If you want people to easily find you when they search, fill out your profile as much as you can. That way your profile interests -- music, books, movies and so on -- will move you closer to the top of Facebook search results for those keywords. Check out Facebook's help page for more handy search terms.
Tip Three
Integrate Facebook information with Gmail : The Firefox add-on called Xoopit is designed to streamline browsing and sharing of files, photos, and videos with friends on other social networks via Google's Gmail service. One of Xoopit's handy features (seldom touted) let's you see who among your e-mail contacts is signed on to Facebook and displays their profile photos, status updates. The Xoopit add-on also lets you update your status inside Gmail via a nifty little Xoopit box that integrates into the Gmail interface.
Here is a Xoopit video that walks you through how it works.
Tip Four
Personalize your Facebook URL : SocialToo allows you to create a custom domain for your Facebook profile page such as username.socialtoo.com. This allows you to share your Facebook site with other people without requiring them to search for you on Facebook to find your profile. Granted, you might have to explain to your friends that even though Facebook.com isn't in the Web address it's still takes you to your Facebook page. The domain is much easier to remember than an eight-digit profile ID.
Signing up with SocialToo is quick and free. You can set up your Facebook settings under “preferences” on SocialToo’s Website. Just remember to choose your SocialToo username wisely.
Another way to create a custom domain for your Facebook page is go to your Profile page in facebook and copy the Web address that appears in your browsers address bar. Then head over to Tiny.cc. Now paste your Facebook profile Web address in the Tiny.cc's "Enter a long URL you want to make tiny" form field. And directly to the right you'll see a Custom option. Here you can create a custom URL that follows the convention http://tiny.cc/username.
Tip Five
Hack your profile photo : Want to juice up your profile photo? Check out AllFacebook.com's "5 Creative Ways To Hack Your Facebook Profile Photo." You'll learn how to maximize your picture size to 200 pixels wide by 600 pixels high, and how to create some neat effects like making it look like you're hanging off your profile Wall.
In my tests, the specifications for this effect took some carefull tweaking but the payoff was worth it. If you're handy with a photo editor this will be easy for you. If you don’t have Photoshop, you're going to need to get yourself a photo editing program to take advantage of this hack. There are pleany of good free photo editing programs to get the job done such as such as Paint.Net or Photoshop Express (online). You'll find more free photo editing software at PC World's Download section.
Tip Six
Put Facebook Chat in your browser sidebar: Is Facebook your main IM tool? You can place it in your browser's sidebar. For my tests I used Firefox, but this also works in Opera. In Firefox just go to Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks and click on Bookmarks Toolbar. Select New Bookmark, and name it Facebook Chat. Then paste in this URL: http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php. Make sure you've selected "Load this bookmark in the sidebar" and hit Save. Now you're ready to go. Sorry IE fans -- this is not for you; however, you can paste the URL into a new browser tab if you like.
Tip Seven
Get back the old Facebook look (more or less): Ever feel constrained by the Facebook layout and look? You can actually change the look of your Facebook page with some tinkering and a little help from a tool called Greasemonkey that allows you to use Java Scripts to change the Facebook look. The only catch is the new look is something only you can see -- your Facebook friends see the same old Facebook page. Once you’ve added Greasemonkey to Facebook, visit Greasemonkey’s companion site UserScripts.org and browse dozens of layout options for your Facebook page. Click "install" on the new Facebook layout you want and let Greasemonkey take care of the rest.
A word of warning: Before you go nuts downloading Facebook layouts like crazy be carefull. Greasmonkey scripts for changing your Facebook layout use JavaScript. JavaScripts can be malicious and harm your PC if created by a sloppy or crooked coder. Scripts on UserScripts.org can be submitted by anyone and are not reviewed by Greasemonkey. Before you download a new Facebook layout check out the user reviews and exercise caution before installing.
That being said, here are a few of my favorites:
Remove Facebook Clutter: This is a close approximation of Facebook's previous look and feel. This hides the filters on the left side of the "stream" and the "highlights" section, and takes away the rounded corners on profile photos.
Facebook Color Changer: Pick a color scheme and change your FB colors. This script used to let you change the Facebook icon on the top left of the screen as well, and the developer promises this feature will be back.
Facebook Twitter Style: Have you heard how Twitter supposedly inspires Facebook’s new look and feel? Why not take this concept to its logical conclusion and view your Facebook homepage as if it really were Twitter?
Tip Eight
Upload mobile photos or videos straight to your profile: Just took a great picture or video with your cell phone and want to post it on your profile right away? Set up your profile settings to allow mobile uploads.
Go to the Mobile tab under your Facebook account tab and set up your phone to send photos to your Facebook page directly from you mobile phone. A word of caution if you set up Facebook to do this.Take heed of your Facebook mobile settings and adjust them properly.
When Facebook Mobile is activated you also let Facebook send text messages to your phone for those sending you friend requests, e-mail messages, wall posts, and status updates. That could become an astonishing text message bill if you’re not careful. This feature is only available in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Tip Nine
Tweet your status : This is one of my personal favorites. Adding the Twitter Facebook application to your Facebook profile gives you the option to turn your Tweets into your Facebook status updates. Not only that, but Twitter is smart enough filter out @replies so that personal messages don’t end up on your profile.
Tip Ten
Use these third-party apps: There are many Facebook third-party apps that help you keep tabs on your Facebook friends. Some are barebones, while others give you more in-depth information. Here are the ones I like the best that will give you the biggest bang for your buck (actually they are all free).
Digsby (Windows Only): Digsby is a nifty little Facebook app that sits in your PC's system tray and can pull in Facebook Chat and other IM accounts, e-mail alerts and Facebook updates from your network of friends.
Facebook Desktop Client (Windows Only): Delivers notifications like friend requests, wall posts, view messages and get status updates.
MyFacebook (Vista): This widget adds your Facebook information right on your Windows Vista desktop sidebar. With this little app you can, “change your status, see your friends’ statuses, groups, notifications, albums and events.
Facebook Dashboard Widget (Mac): Similar to Windows Facebook Desktop, this widget will notify you of friend requests, messages, pokes and group and event invites.
Facebook Exporter for iPhoto (Mac): If you don’t plan on buying iLife ’09, but loved the idea of posting photos directly from iPhoto then this plugin is for you. Pick or create a new album, tag your friends and add captions right from iPhoto and then send your work straight to your Facebook profile.
So that's my ten Facebook power tips to take your Facebook time wasting to the next level. Try them out and me know what you think. And if you've got other tips post them in the comment field and share.
Ian Paul, PC World
Here are ten tips to tweak your profile and get more out of Facebook. These tips go beyond the typical and include ways to stay better connected to your friends and look good doing it. To compile this list I searched high and low and even called on Facebook for the best tips. Most are easy to do and all will add some Facebook pizzazz to your profile.
Tip One
Dig up demographic dirt on your friends with Socialistics : If you want to know the demographic breakdown on your Facebook universe of friends, this application does a nice job at breaking it down. Socialistics can show you information about your friends' ages, the languages they speak, their country of origin, and lots of other interesting information all within Facebook.
Socialistics data does not show up on your profile pages and you are not able to share Socialistics information with your Facebook Friends through your wall. However, if you want to take a look at the trends for your personal network, then add Socialistics to your profile and you can access it privately.
Tip Two
Power search tips : Just like Google and other search engines, Facebook has some built-in power search tools and terms to help you find people. Want to search your Facebook network or friends list, but you want to narrow the results to fall within an age range? Just enter a term using the "name," "y1" and "y2" search filters. For example, I wanted to find my buddy Colin from college, but I can’t remember how old he is. To find him I just entered in “name: Colin Bauer y1: 25 y2: 40” and voila! The search string asked Facebook to look for people named Colin Bauer between the ages of 25 and 40.
You can also use two search terms at once by dividing the terms with the "pipe character" (|) (the pipe is found on the same key as the backslash).
If you want people to easily find you when they search, fill out your profile as much as you can. That way your profile interests -- music, books, movies and so on -- will move you closer to the top of Facebook search results for those keywords. Check out Facebook's help page for more handy search terms.
Tip Three
Integrate Facebook information with Gmail : The Firefox add-on called Xoopit is designed to streamline browsing and sharing of files, photos, and videos with friends on other social networks via Google's Gmail service. One of Xoopit's handy features (seldom touted) let's you see who among your e-mail contacts is signed on to Facebook and displays their profile photos, status updates. The Xoopit add-on also lets you update your status inside Gmail via a nifty little Xoopit box that integrates into the Gmail interface.
Here is a Xoopit video that walks you through how it works.
Tip Four
Personalize your Facebook URL : SocialToo allows you to create a custom domain for your Facebook profile page such as username.socialtoo.com. This allows you to share your Facebook site with other people without requiring them to search for you on Facebook to find your profile. Granted, you might have to explain to your friends that even though Facebook.com isn't in the Web address it's still takes you to your Facebook page. The domain is much easier to remember than an eight-digit profile ID.
Signing up with SocialToo is quick and free. You can set up your Facebook settings under “preferences” on SocialToo’s Website. Just remember to choose your SocialToo username wisely.
Another way to create a custom domain for your Facebook page is go to your Profile page in facebook and copy the Web address that appears in your browsers address bar. Then head over to Tiny.cc. Now paste your Facebook profile Web address in the Tiny.cc's "Enter a long URL you want to make tiny" form field. And directly to the right you'll see a Custom option. Here you can create a custom URL that follows the convention http://tiny.cc/username.
Tip Five
Hack your profile photo : Want to juice up your profile photo? Check out AllFacebook.com's "5 Creative Ways To Hack Your Facebook Profile Photo." You'll learn how to maximize your picture size to 200 pixels wide by 600 pixels high, and how to create some neat effects like making it look like you're hanging off your profile Wall.
In my tests, the specifications for this effect took some carefull tweaking but the payoff was worth it. If you're handy with a photo editor this will be easy for you. If you don’t have Photoshop, you're going to need to get yourself a photo editing program to take advantage of this hack. There are pleany of good free photo editing programs to get the job done such as such as Paint.Net or Photoshop Express (online). You'll find more free photo editing software at PC World's Download section.
Tip Six
Put Facebook Chat in your browser sidebar: Is Facebook your main IM tool? You can place it in your browser's sidebar. For my tests I used Firefox, but this also works in Opera. In Firefox just go to Bookmarks -> Organize Bookmarks and click on Bookmarks Toolbar. Select New Bookmark, and name it Facebook Chat. Then paste in this URL: http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php. Make sure you've selected "Load this bookmark in the sidebar" and hit Save. Now you're ready to go. Sorry IE fans -- this is not for you; however, you can paste the URL into a new browser tab if you like.
Tip Seven
Get back the old Facebook look (more or less): Ever feel constrained by the Facebook layout and look? You can actually change the look of your Facebook page with some tinkering and a little help from a tool called Greasemonkey that allows you to use Java Scripts to change the Facebook look. The only catch is the new look is something only you can see -- your Facebook friends see the same old Facebook page. Once you’ve added Greasemonkey to Facebook, visit Greasemonkey’s companion site UserScripts.org and browse dozens of layout options for your Facebook page. Click "install" on the new Facebook layout you want and let Greasemonkey take care of the rest.
A word of warning: Before you go nuts downloading Facebook layouts like crazy be carefull. Greasmonkey scripts for changing your Facebook layout use JavaScript. JavaScripts can be malicious and harm your PC if created by a sloppy or crooked coder. Scripts on UserScripts.org can be submitted by anyone and are not reviewed by Greasemonkey. Before you download a new Facebook layout check out the user reviews and exercise caution before installing.
That being said, here are a few of my favorites:
Remove Facebook Clutter: This is a close approximation of Facebook's previous look and feel. This hides the filters on the left side of the "stream" and the "highlights" section, and takes away the rounded corners on profile photos.
Facebook Color Changer: Pick a color scheme and change your FB colors. This script used to let you change the Facebook icon on the top left of the screen as well, and the developer promises this feature will be back.
Facebook Twitter Style: Have you heard how Twitter supposedly inspires Facebook’s new look and feel? Why not take this concept to its logical conclusion and view your Facebook homepage as if it really were Twitter?
Tip Eight
Upload mobile photos or videos straight to your profile: Just took a great picture or video with your cell phone and want to post it on your profile right away? Set up your profile settings to allow mobile uploads.
Go to the Mobile tab under your Facebook account tab and set up your phone to send photos to your Facebook page directly from you mobile phone. A word of caution if you set up Facebook to do this.Take heed of your Facebook mobile settings and adjust them properly.
When Facebook Mobile is activated you also let Facebook send text messages to your phone for those sending you friend requests, e-mail messages, wall posts, and status updates. That could become an astonishing text message bill if you’re not careful. This feature is only available in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Tip Nine
Tweet your status : This is one of my personal favorites. Adding the Twitter Facebook application to your Facebook profile gives you the option to turn your Tweets into your Facebook status updates. Not only that, but Twitter is smart enough filter out @replies so that personal messages don’t end up on your profile.
Tip Ten
Use these third-party apps: There are many Facebook third-party apps that help you keep tabs on your Facebook friends. Some are barebones, while others give you more in-depth information. Here are the ones I like the best that will give you the biggest bang for your buck (actually they are all free).
Digsby (Windows Only): Digsby is a nifty little Facebook app that sits in your PC's system tray and can pull in Facebook Chat and other IM accounts, e-mail alerts and Facebook updates from your network of friends.
Facebook Desktop Client (Windows Only): Delivers notifications like friend requests, wall posts, view messages and get status updates.
MyFacebook (Vista): This widget adds your Facebook information right on your Windows Vista desktop sidebar. With this little app you can, “change your status, see your friends’ statuses, groups, notifications, albums and events.
Facebook Dashboard Widget (Mac): Similar to Windows Facebook Desktop, this widget will notify you of friend requests, messages, pokes and group and event invites.
Facebook Exporter for iPhoto (Mac): If you don’t plan on buying iLife ’09, but loved the idea of posting photos directly from iPhoto then this plugin is for you. Pick or create a new album, tag your friends and add captions right from iPhoto and then send your work straight to your Facebook profile.
So that's my ten Facebook power tips to take your Facebook time wasting to the next level. Try them out and me know what you think. And if you've got other tips post them in the comment field and share.
Ian Paul, PC World
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Fast Wi-Fi seen as an academics tool for aging Mo. school district
Public schools in Raytown, Mo., have turned to high-speed Wi-Fi to help boost academic performance for students sharing laptops.
The district serves about 8,000 students, nearly half of them on school lunch assistance, in an aging suburb nearly surrounded by Kansas City, Mo., said Justin Watermann, technology coordinator for the public schools. About 1,500 laptops are used for a variety of subjects, including math, and are often shared by students and transported to classrooms via rolling computer carts where they connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
The transition to faster 802.11n-based Wi-Fi from Aruba Networks Inc. has taken place in the past four months, partly as a result of replacing Wi-Fi equipment from Meru Networks that was connected to Foundry switches. The older Wi-Fi access points and infrastructure, installed only a year ago, weren't delivering consistent connections -- especially near homes with Wi-Fi and businesses with radio dishes that created network interference, he said.
"After a year of trying, we were still having problems finding good coverage," Watermann said in a recent interview. To make the older Wi-Fi network coverage work properly with about 150 access points (APs), the district would have needed to buy an expensive second Wi-Fi controller. That's what prompted Watermann and integrator CDW Government Inc. (CDWG) to switch to Aruba hardware.
For less than $400,000, the district has been able to install about 250 Aruba APs and related infrastructure for 22 buildings serving elementary through high school students. CDWG was able to recoup some costs from the older Foundry technology through a competitive upgrade, he said.
Watermann said he researched several Wi-Fi products and found that Aruba's Adaptive Radio Management technology was useful in adjusting channels and power levels to mitigate the interference experienced on the older system. "When we picked Aruba, we said that if we make this change, it really has to work. And it worked instantly," he said.
A feature in the Aruba technology allows Watermann to import floor plans and maps of buildings to show where APs are located, allowing him to adjust Wi-Fi signal patterns. Another plus from the transition has been the improved signal strength 802.11n offers.
Part of the instigation for the Wi-Fi transition came from a school principal whose office was in the same building as Watermann, he said. She complained whenever the older system failed, noting that the district's academic objectives relied on effective wireless connections to laptops running academic programs, Watermann said.
"Because she was in our building, she would say, 'OK, we've paid for the software and the laptops, and we have the kids sitting in class unable to learn.' She was polite, but very insistent," Watermann recalled.
The district's investment in laptops and wireless networking is designed to help improve math scores and other academic benchmarks, Watermann noted. "If the laptops were just for casual Web browsing, that would be one thing. But we have run a budget deficit this year and still have computer labs and math coaches who are working off a grant to improve math scores. ... We have the Carnegie math program on Mac laptops and incentives under No Child Left Behind for doing more assessments and testing. It became critical to have a good wireless network."
Watermann said he and other school officials view the 802.11n network as "one more education tool. The staffers think it is essential."
While he said the upgrades are "pretty advanced" for a public school district of Raytown's size, he also said the district faces financial challenges and has to make every dollar count. "When I meet with technology vendors, I tell them I have a very limited budget, this is what I'm looking for and it's got to work and be a good value."
By Matt Hamblen
Computerworld
Microsoft: IE8 faster than Firefox, Chrome
Microsoft Corp. said this week that its own speed tests prove Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) is faster than either Firefox or Chrome.
In a report released Wednesday, Microsoft spelled out how it tests browsers in-house, and again stressed that it doesn't buy the idea that benchmarks -- such as those that score JavaScript performance -- accurately compare the players.
"These benchmarks necessarily characterize only a narrow set of the browser functions in a very constrained way," Microsoft's report said. "End users, however, do not operate in a controlled environment."
Microsoft's tests pitted IE8 Release Candidate 1 (RC1), which launched in late January, against Google Inc.'s Chrome 1.0 and Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox 3.0.5, a version from mid-December. The company timed how long it took each browser to completely render the 25 most popular destinations on the Web, as ranked by the Web metrics firm comScore Inc., which included google.com, facebook.com, amazon.com and others.
IE8 was fastest in rendering 12 of the 25 sites, said Microsoft, while Chrome took second by beating the others on nine sites. Firefox, meanwhile, was a distant third, coming in first on just four of the 25 domains.
Microsoft did not test other browsers, such as Apple Inc.'s Safari or Opera Software ASA's Opera, said James Pratt, a senior product manager on the IE development team, because it wanted to focus on rivals that "had a good share on the Windows platform."
Both Opera and Safari for Windows have shares of less than 1%, according to the most recent data from Net Applications Inc., with the former, on all platforms, accounting for 0.7% and the latter just 0.3%.
Nor did Microsoft put IE8 in the ring with later versions of Chrome and Firefox. Chrome, for instance, is currently at 2.0.169.1 as a developer-only build, while Firefox just rolled out 3.1 Beta 2. Both browsers boast better performance, specifically faster JavaScript rendering.
"IE8 RC1 is a release candidate, and was very close to being done," explained Pratt when asked why newer versions of Chrome and Firefox had not been used. "But Google and Mozilla were still actively working on [those newer browsers], and they weren't super stable."
JavaScript benchmarks have become a point of dispute between Microsoft and its rivals. While Mozilla, Google, Apple and Opera have all updated their JavaScript engines in the last eight months, and have then trumpeted scores in JavaScript test suites like SunSpider, Microsoft executives have dismissed the bragging as so much noise.
Dean Hachamovitch, IE's general manager, has called claims of competitors a "drag race" that Microsoft isn't interested in joining, while Pratt has downplayed comparisons of any kind. "We're at the point, with what people do in the browser, that users can't really tell the difference between browser [performance]," he said in a January interview.
Pratt said that the just-released report backed that up. "As you can see from the scores, the differences between the browsers are actually very small," he said.
When Computerworld last tested the major browsers' JavaScript performance, immediately after the release of the public beta of Safari 4, IE8 ranked last.
Although Google did not respond to a request for comment on Microsoft's benchmarks, Mozilla's Mike Shaver, who heads all development at the company, applauded any attempt to boost IE's performance. "I don't think anyone here has had a chance to really look at their methodology yet or tried to reproduce their results, but to whatever extent Microsoft is working to improve the performance of IE, it's a good thing for the Web," said Shaver in an e-mail late Thursday.
By Gregg Keizer
In a report released Wednesday, Microsoft spelled out how it tests browsers in-house, and again stressed that it doesn't buy the idea that benchmarks -- such as those that score JavaScript performance -- accurately compare the players.
"These benchmarks necessarily characterize only a narrow set of the browser functions in a very constrained way," Microsoft's report said. "End users, however, do not operate in a controlled environment."
Microsoft's tests pitted IE8 Release Candidate 1 (RC1), which launched in late January, against Google Inc.'s Chrome 1.0 and Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox 3.0.5, a version from mid-December. The company timed how long it took each browser to completely render the 25 most popular destinations on the Web, as ranked by the Web metrics firm comScore Inc., which included google.com, facebook.com, amazon.com and others.
IE8 was fastest in rendering 12 of the 25 sites, said Microsoft, while Chrome took second by beating the others on nine sites. Firefox, meanwhile, was a distant third, coming in first on just four of the 25 domains.
Microsoft did not test other browsers, such as Apple Inc.'s Safari or Opera Software ASA's Opera, said James Pratt, a senior product manager on the IE development team, because it wanted to focus on rivals that "had a good share on the Windows platform."
Both Opera and Safari for Windows have shares of less than 1%, according to the most recent data from Net Applications Inc., with the former, on all platforms, accounting for 0.7% and the latter just 0.3%.
Nor did Microsoft put IE8 in the ring with later versions of Chrome and Firefox. Chrome, for instance, is currently at 2.0.169.1 as a developer-only build, while Firefox just rolled out 3.1 Beta 2. Both browsers boast better performance, specifically faster JavaScript rendering.
"IE8 RC1 is a release candidate, and was very close to being done," explained Pratt when asked why newer versions of Chrome and Firefox had not been used. "But Google and Mozilla were still actively working on [those newer browsers], and they weren't super stable."
JavaScript benchmarks have become a point of dispute between Microsoft and its rivals. While Mozilla, Google, Apple and Opera have all updated their JavaScript engines in the last eight months, and have then trumpeted scores in JavaScript test suites like SunSpider, Microsoft executives have dismissed the bragging as so much noise.
Dean Hachamovitch, IE's general manager, has called claims of competitors a "drag race" that Microsoft isn't interested in joining, while Pratt has downplayed comparisons of any kind. "We're at the point, with what people do in the browser, that users can't really tell the difference between browser [performance]," he said in a January interview.
Pratt said that the just-released report backed that up. "As you can see from the scores, the differences between the browsers are actually very small," he said.
When Computerworld last tested the major browsers' JavaScript performance, immediately after the release of the public beta of Safari 4, IE8 ranked last.
Although Google did not respond to a request for comment on Microsoft's benchmarks, Mozilla's Mike Shaver, who heads all development at the company, applauded any attempt to boost IE's performance. "I don't think anyone here has had a chance to really look at their methodology yet or tried to reproduce their results, but to whatever extent Microsoft is working to improve the performance of IE, it's a good thing for the Web," said Shaver in an e-mail late Thursday.
By Gregg Keizer
New Windows 7 build leaks to Web, may be RC
A Windows 7 build that may be the first release candidate has leaked to the Internet, according to several file-sharing sites.
Searches on Mininova.org, for example, found multiple copies of Windows 7 Build 7057 that have been added to BitTorrent since yesterday. Pirated versions of both 32- and 64-bit editions are available.
The appearance of Windows 7 Build 7057 follows the leak of Build 7048 by just a week. This newest edition is the third to hit BitTorrent since Microsoft stopped offering the public beta of Windows 7 last month.
Traffic on Build 7057 has been lively. As of midday Friday, Mininova reported that one 32-bit BitTorrent of the operating system had been downloaded more than 37,000 times.
Screenshots of the leaked copy posted elsewhere on the Web, including on My Digital Life, show that the end-user licensing agreement (EULA) labels it "Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System Release Candidate 1."
The site, however, questioned whether Build 7057 was actually a release candidate. "A more likely scenario is that build 7048 is a pre-RC or RC preview build which includes the RC1 EULA," said My Digital Life.
Neowin.net, on the other hand, posted shots of Build 7057 that indicated it would expire March 2, 2010, not the midsummer 2009 expiration date built into the beta.
Windows 7 leaks have been a problem for Microsoft since previews were first handed out in October 2008 at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference. Since then, other versions have appeared on BitTorrent, including a pirated copy of what was later released Jan. 10 as the beta.
In related Windows 7 news, Microsoft revealed 27 more changes it has made to the operating system in the past two months. Chaitanya Sareen, a senior program manager on the team, again detailed improvements and modifications in an entry to the Engineering Windows 7 blog, the second time in the past two weeks he's provided inside information on progress.
Among the changes Sareen highlighted were four affecting the Window 7 desktop, seven to the Windows Explorer file manager, and seven to printer and other device drivers, as well as the addition of more network drivers.
Microsoft has declined to set a time line for the Windows 7 release candidate, but Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president in charge of the Windows engineering group, has repeatedly hinted that the RC build will be offered to the public for a test drive when it is finished.
By Gregg Keizer
Computerworld
Searches on Mininova.org, for example, found multiple copies of Windows 7 Build 7057 that have been added to BitTorrent since yesterday. Pirated versions of both 32- and 64-bit editions are available.
The appearance of Windows 7 Build 7057 follows the leak of Build 7048 by just a week. This newest edition is the third to hit BitTorrent since Microsoft stopped offering the public beta of Windows 7 last month.
Traffic on Build 7057 has been lively. As of midday Friday, Mininova reported that one 32-bit BitTorrent of the operating system had been downloaded more than 37,000 times.
Screenshots of the leaked copy posted elsewhere on the Web, including on My Digital Life, show that the end-user licensing agreement (EULA) labels it "Microsoft Windows 7 Operating System Release Candidate 1."
The site, however, questioned whether Build 7057 was actually a release candidate. "A more likely scenario is that build 7048 is a pre-RC or RC preview build which includes the RC1 EULA," said My Digital Life.
Neowin.net, on the other hand, posted shots of Build 7057 that indicated it would expire March 2, 2010, not the midsummer 2009 expiration date built into the beta.
Windows 7 leaks have been a problem for Microsoft since previews were first handed out in October 2008 at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference. Since then, other versions have appeared on BitTorrent, including a pirated copy of what was later released Jan. 10 as the beta.
In related Windows 7 news, Microsoft revealed 27 more changes it has made to the operating system in the past two months. Chaitanya Sareen, a senior program manager on the team, again detailed improvements and modifications in an entry to the Engineering Windows 7 blog, the second time in the past two weeks he's provided inside information on progress.
Among the changes Sareen highlighted were four affecting the Window 7 desktop, seven to the Windows Explorer file manager, and seven to printer and other device drivers, as well as the addition of more network drivers.
Microsoft has declined to set a time line for the Windows 7 release candidate, but Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president in charge of the Windows engineering group, has repeatedly hinted that the RC build will be offered to the public for a test drive when it is finished.
By Gregg Keizer
Computerworld
New 'Spam King' Linked to SMS Campaign
Spammer Brendan Battles is being linked to an unsolicited bulk SMS marketing campaign in New Zealand that could breach New Zealand anti-spam laws.
Reports of the messages are appearing on online forums like Geekzone and Vodafone's customer forum. The message says:
"Tired of dropped calls, poor signal or static? Goto www.AntennaBooster.co.nz for a special Vodafone users offer! To opt-out, reply with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE'"
The text messages arrive from an Australian mobile number, +61 447 100 250.
According to whois data for the antennabooster.co.nz domain, the registrant is Brendan Battles of Browns Bay, on Auckland's North Shore. The domain in the contact email address given for antennabooster.co.nz, imagemarketing.co.nz, is also registered by Battles. The New Zealand man may be vying again for the "Spam King" title, which has been claimed by several through the years.
The "mobile phone antenna booster" advertised is, according to the site, a "thin strip to be placed at [sic] the back of cellphone".
Costing $9.95 plus $4.95 "S/H", the product promises "no more disconnections, reduces static interference" and "increases phone reception on boats, elevators, cars, buildings, tunnels, mountains and more."
Advertised on the site are other domains registered by Battles, like nzdata.info, audata.info, marketingmistakes.info and nzpostage.co.nz. All are hosted by Affinity Internet in the United States.
The company behind antennabooster.co.nz is Image Marketing Ltd, with a registered office at 63, Apollo Road, Mairangi Bay, North Shore. Its director is Brendan Paul Battles of Browns Bay, who holds 940,000 of the one million shares issued, according to the Companies Office.
Tan Chor Thien and Walter Scheer are the other two shareholders of Image Marketing Ltd, with 50,000 and 10,000 shares each, respectively.
Battles has a history as a prolific spammer going back many years in the United States and New Zealand. He earned notoriety by suing anti-spammers Spamhaus in 2003, together with associate Eddie Marin and Boca Raton, Florida-based organisation Emarketersamerica.org, only to withdraw the lawsuit in September that same year.
Battles activities have been the subject of investigative journalist Brian McWilliams' book "Spam Kings". In the book, McWilliams says Battles sent out up to 50 million spam messages a day, hawking amongst other things subliminal weight loss tapes.
In 2006, Battles was found to have set up shop in New Zealand and was accused of running a bulk unsolicited email campaign for broadband accounts and telephone calling rates here.
Software developer Chris Burgess of Giant Robot was one of those hit by the SMS messages. Burgess reported the matter to the DIA and also emailed Battles, demanding to see proof that he has consented to receive the text messages sent out.
As of going to press, Burgess has not received a response from Battles.
Asked what he thought of the SMS run, Burgess says "It's a shame to see personal communications hijacked by people with little to offer."
"Theirs is a numbers game," Burgess says, that involves "bothering a million people to make maybe ten sales."
Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen says that the telco isn't pleased to see its name being used in the messages, and is taking the matter seriously. Brislen says Vodafone is investigating the issue, and looking into what further action it can take.
Joe Stewart, manager of the anti-spam compliance unit at the Department of Internal Affairs confirms that sending unsolicited messages is against the law.
Asked if he's familiar with Battles and the SMS messages, Stewart told Computerworld that "the SMS campaign and the name have crossed my desk."
Stewart adds that it's irrelevant that a spam message is routed via overseas providers, as long as it's terminated in New Zealand. He says people who receive suspected SMS spam are adivesed to forward it to 7726 and the DIA will investigate.
Battles was contacted by Computerworld by telephone and email for comment on the above, but didn't respond. Battles has never, to Computerworld's knowledge, been charged with or convicted of spamming. Most of his activity both in the US and here predates the criminalisation of sending unsolicited messages.
Juha Saarinen, Computerworld New Zealand Online
Reports of the messages are appearing on online forums like Geekzone and Vodafone's customer forum. The message says:
"Tired of dropped calls, poor signal or static? Goto www.AntennaBooster.co.nz for a special Vodafone users offer! To opt-out, reply with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE'"
The text messages arrive from an Australian mobile number, +61 447 100 250.
According to whois data for the antennabooster.co.nz domain, the registrant is Brendan Battles of Browns Bay, on Auckland's North Shore. The domain in the contact email address given for antennabooster.co.nz, imagemarketing.co.nz, is also registered by Battles. The New Zealand man may be vying again for the "Spam King" title, which has been claimed by several through the years.
The "mobile phone antenna booster" advertised is, according to the site, a "thin strip to be placed at [sic] the back of cellphone".
Costing $9.95 plus $4.95 "S/H", the product promises "no more disconnections, reduces static interference" and "increases phone reception on boats, elevators, cars, buildings, tunnels, mountains and more."
Advertised on the site are other domains registered by Battles, like nzdata.info, audata.info, marketingmistakes.info and nzpostage.co.nz. All are hosted by Affinity Internet in the United States.
The company behind antennabooster.co.nz is Image Marketing Ltd, with a registered office at 63, Apollo Road, Mairangi Bay, North Shore. Its director is Brendan Paul Battles of Browns Bay, who holds 940,000 of the one million shares issued, according to the Companies Office.
Tan Chor Thien and Walter Scheer are the other two shareholders of Image Marketing Ltd, with 50,000 and 10,000 shares each, respectively.
Battles has a history as a prolific spammer going back many years in the United States and New Zealand. He earned notoriety by suing anti-spammers Spamhaus in 2003, together with associate Eddie Marin and Boca Raton, Florida-based organisation Emarketersamerica.org, only to withdraw the lawsuit in September that same year.
Battles activities have been the subject of investigative journalist Brian McWilliams' book "Spam Kings". In the book, McWilliams says Battles sent out up to 50 million spam messages a day, hawking amongst other things subliminal weight loss tapes.
In 2006, Battles was found to have set up shop in New Zealand and was accused of running a bulk unsolicited email campaign for broadband accounts and telephone calling rates here.
Software developer Chris Burgess of Giant Robot was one of those hit by the SMS messages. Burgess reported the matter to the DIA and also emailed Battles, demanding to see proof that he has consented to receive the text messages sent out.
As of going to press, Burgess has not received a response from Battles.
Asked what he thought of the SMS run, Burgess says "It's a shame to see personal communications hijacked by people with little to offer."
"Theirs is a numbers game," Burgess says, that involves "bothering a million people to make maybe ten sales."
Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen says that the telco isn't pleased to see its name being used in the messages, and is taking the matter seriously. Brislen says Vodafone is investigating the issue, and looking into what further action it can take.
Joe Stewart, manager of the anti-spam compliance unit at the Department of Internal Affairs confirms that sending unsolicited messages is against the law.
Asked if he's familiar with Battles and the SMS messages, Stewart told Computerworld that "the SMS campaign and the name have crossed my desk."
Stewart adds that it's irrelevant that a spam message is routed via overseas providers, as long as it's terminated in New Zealand. He says people who receive suspected SMS spam are adivesed to forward it to 7726 and the DIA will investigate.
Battles was contacted by Computerworld by telephone and email for comment on the above, but didn't respond. Battles has never, to Computerworld's knowledge, been charged with or convicted of spamming. Most of his activity both in the US and here predates the criminalisation of sending unsolicited messages.
Juha Saarinen, Computerworld New Zealand Online
Apple's iPhone 3.0: 10 Features That Might Make the Cut
The iPhone 3.0 countdown is officially on: Apple has announced plans to reveal the next generation of its iPhone operating system at a media event next Tuesday. While the company's keeping up its usual wall of mystique, we've compiled a list of some of the most discussed features users want to see. I'm no psychic, but some of these seem to be shoo-ins for inclusion -- and maybe the St. Patrick's Day unveiling will bring a little Irish-style luck for your favorite feature.
1. Push Notification
One of the longest-running requests, push notification has been discussed since last summer. The system, which would let apps receive information from Apple servers even while they're not actively running (think IM programs), was set to debut last September. The missed deadline led to speculation that the feature might be dead in the water. So could push notification finally make the cut for iPhone 3.0?
"It seems that it would be a high priority from a competitive standpoint," notes Dan Hays, a mobile industry expert who serves as director of PRTM Management Consultants. "That's definitely one of the big opportunities for Apple."
2. Adobe Flash Support
After on-again, off-again development, support for Adobe Flash has continued to evade iPhone users, often proving for many to be one of the device's most annoying omissions. Aside from the "technical challenge" said to be presented with placing Flash on the iPhone, politics seem to play a big part in its absence. There's always hope, but you may not want to hold your breath on this one just yet.
3. Advanced Bluetooth Functionality
Many fans of the iPhone have been asking for expanded functionality in the Bluetooth realm -- you know, the ability to perform tasks like file-sharing or wireless keyboard connecting. This could be one of the simpler features to implement in the iPhone OS, yet it may not be at the top of Apple's list.
"It's not clear to me that it would be a big driver of additional sales," Hays points out. The speed of Bluetooth, he says, limits the practicality of its transfer power. "I would see it as something that they might be likely to do, but not necessarily a high priority."
4. Copy and Paste Options
I suspect almost all iPhone users would get on-board with the idea of added copy, cut, and paste options within the platform. An odd omission in the first place, one would hope this basic ability will appear in the 3.0 release.
5. Background Processing
The much-requested multitasking support could actually have a shot in iPhone's 3.0 release. Apple has previously cited the risk of draining too much power and hurting performance as a hurdle for the addition. Rumors as recent as early February, however, suggest that 3.0 could be the turning point.
6. Horizontal Keyboard
While apps have made it possible to get a horizontal keyboard for e-mailing on the iPhone, native support for a wider typing platform for both mail and text messaging has yet to surface. With the growing field of versatile smartphones, this could be an easy addition that'd be wise for Apple to make.
"If you look at how the touchscreen keyboard's been implemented in competing devices, such as the [Blackberry] Storm, it definitely would seem that Apple wouldn't have anything to lose," Hays says. "It probably would gain some good will with their users by adding it."
7. Video Conferencing
Video conferencing would be a big boost for the iPhone -- but it'd also be a big drain on the network. While plenty of people would like to see it debut, the data difficulty could serve as a roadblock in making this one a 3.0 reality.
"The average iPhone user uses something like a hundred times the amount of data as a regular user. You can imagine that video conferencing would be even more so," Hays says.
8. iPhone Tethering
Ever since the sudden banning of the iPhone's Netshare tethering application last August, the use of the iPhone as a modem has been reduced to only a memory. An e-mail said to be from Steve Jobs that same summer, though, suggested Apple was working with AT&T to create a built-in solution. If the carrier conflicts can be overcome (AT&T does currently offer tethering plans for some of its other wireless models), Apple would have a strong weapon on its hands with this added option.
9. Global Search
File this one under "why not": Apple could look at bringing a universal search option into its iPhone 3.0 release. Rather than just offering limited searching within applications such as Contacts, why not let users do a device-wide search from the home screen? Why wasn't it built in from the beginning, you might ask? Search me.
10. Extra SMS Options
Something that seems to come up frequently in the forums is the notion of packing a little more punch into the iPhone's SMS system. Users want the ability to send and receive images or videos in text messages, as well as the addition of SMS forwarding functionality. Here's hoping Apple is listening.
The List Goes On
There are plenty more requests out there, some more far-fetched than others. The integration of the SBSettings app's simple top-of-screen toggles, a folder organization system for the home screen, and enhanced Exchange sync options are a few of the other ideas I've seen floating around.
I'm sure you have a wish list of your own, too, so step up to the plate -- and by "the plate," I mean "the comments section" -- and let us hear what you want to see. What do you think Apple will actually deliver?
JR Raphael, PC World
1. Push Notification
One of the longest-running requests, push notification has been discussed since last summer. The system, which would let apps receive information from Apple servers even while they're not actively running (think IM programs), was set to debut last September. The missed deadline led to speculation that the feature might be dead in the water. So could push notification finally make the cut for iPhone 3.0?
"It seems that it would be a high priority from a competitive standpoint," notes Dan Hays, a mobile industry expert who serves as director of PRTM Management Consultants. "That's definitely one of the big opportunities for Apple."
2. Adobe Flash Support
After on-again, off-again development, support for Adobe Flash has continued to evade iPhone users, often proving for many to be one of the device's most annoying omissions. Aside from the "technical challenge" said to be presented with placing Flash on the iPhone, politics seem to play a big part in its absence. There's always hope, but you may not want to hold your breath on this one just yet.
3. Advanced Bluetooth Functionality
Many fans of the iPhone have been asking for expanded functionality in the Bluetooth realm -- you know, the ability to perform tasks like file-sharing or wireless keyboard connecting. This could be one of the simpler features to implement in the iPhone OS, yet it may not be at the top of Apple's list.
"It's not clear to me that it would be a big driver of additional sales," Hays points out. The speed of Bluetooth, he says, limits the practicality of its transfer power. "I would see it as something that they might be likely to do, but not necessarily a high priority."
4. Copy and Paste Options
I suspect almost all iPhone users would get on-board with the idea of added copy, cut, and paste options within the platform. An odd omission in the first place, one would hope this basic ability will appear in the 3.0 release.
5. Background Processing
The much-requested multitasking support could actually have a shot in iPhone's 3.0 release. Apple has previously cited the risk of draining too much power and hurting performance as a hurdle for the addition. Rumors as recent as early February, however, suggest that 3.0 could be the turning point.
6. Horizontal Keyboard
While apps have made it possible to get a horizontal keyboard for e-mailing on the iPhone, native support for a wider typing platform for both mail and text messaging has yet to surface. With the growing field of versatile smartphones, this could be an easy addition that'd be wise for Apple to make.
"If you look at how the touchscreen keyboard's been implemented in competing devices, such as the [Blackberry] Storm, it definitely would seem that Apple wouldn't have anything to lose," Hays says. "It probably would gain some good will with their users by adding it."
7. Video Conferencing
Video conferencing would be a big boost for the iPhone -- but it'd also be a big drain on the network. While plenty of people would like to see it debut, the data difficulty could serve as a roadblock in making this one a 3.0 reality.
"The average iPhone user uses something like a hundred times the amount of data as a regular user. You can imagine that video conferencing would be even more so," Hays says.
8. iPhone Tethering
Ever since the sudden banning of the iPhone's Netshare tethering application last August, the use of the iPhone as a modem has been reduced to only a memory. An e-mail said to be from Steve Jobs that same summer, though, suggested Apple was working with AT&T to create a built-in solution. If the carrier conflicts can be overcome (AT&T does currently offer tethering plans for some of its other wireless models), Apple would have a strong weapon on its hands with this added option.
9. Global Search
File this one under "why not": Apple could look at bringing a universal search option into its iPhone 3.0 release. Rather than just offering limited searching within applications such as Contacts, why not let users do a device-wide search from the home screen? Why wasn't it built in from the beginning, you might ask? Search me.
10. Extra SMS Options
Something that seems to come up frequently in the forums is the notion of packing a little more punch into the iPhone's SMS system. Users want the ability to send and receive images or videos in text messages, as well as the addition of SMS forwarding functionality. Here's hoping Apple is listening.
The List Goes On
There are plenty more requests out there, some more far-fetched than others. The integration of the SBSettings app's simple top-of-screen toggles, a folder organization system for the home screen, and enhanced Exchange sync options are a few of the other ideas I've seen floating around.
I'm sure you have a wish list of your own, too, so step up to the plate -- and by "the plate," I mean "the comments section" -- and let us hear what you want to see. What do you think Apple will actually deliver?
JR Raphael, PC World
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Microsoft in 2019: Where's Windows?
Microsoft's 2019 is the latest entry in the genre of future product dramatization videos. There's a five-minute version, but also a tightly-edited two minute excerpt.
The imaginative videos were created by Microsoft Office Labs, a group inside the company that "tests ideas by building prototypes and gathering usage data." At the end, a related video list contains longer versions of each scene -- retail, manufacturing, education, health care and more.
The super-slim and easy-to-use handheld gadgets and wall-sized transparent displays handled by the video's shoppers, students and office workers make Tom Cruise's setup in Minority Report seem obsolete. More important than whizzy interfaces, the videos promise much more extensive collaboration, instant information retrieval, and multimedia communication.
The level of personal data tapped in some scenes will creep some people out. Skip to 0:25 for the scene that shows a corporate visitor being tracked on a blueprint map of the office.
However, the biggest surprise in 2019 is the lack of a Windows logo, "Start" button, or other Microsoft branding in the clip's mocked-up UIs. The company has backed off from the heavy-handed "Windows Everywhere" campaign of a few years ago. We don't need to be told what operating system these gadgets run.
Another smart omission: In the short version of 2019, no one makes a videophone call.
Paul Boutin, The Industry Standard
The imaginative videos were created by Microsoft Office Labs, a group inside the company that "tests ideas by building prototypes and gathering usage data." At the end, a related video list contains longer versions of each scene -- retail, manufacturing, education, health care and more.
The super-slim and easy-to-use handheld gadgets and wall-sized transparent displays handled by the video's shoppers, students and office workers make Tom Cruise's setup in Minority Report seem obsolete. More important than whizzy interfaces, the videos promise much more extensive collaboration, instant information retrieval, and multimedia communication.
The level of personal data tapped in some scenes will creep some people out. Skip to 0:25 for the scene that shows a corporate visitor being tracked on a blueprint map of the office.
However, the biggest surprise in 2019 is the lack of a Windows logo, "Start" button, or other Microsoft branding in the clip's mocked-up UIs. The company has backed off from the heavy-handed "Windows Everywhere" campaign of a few years ago. We don't need to be told what operating system these gadgets run.
Another smart omission: In the short version of 2019, no one makes a videophone call.
Paul Boutin, The Industry Standard
Microsoft confirms IE8 kill switch in Windows 7
Microsoft Corp. today confirmed that users will be able to remove Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), as well as several other integrated applications, from Windows 7.
The ability to remove IE8 was revealed by a pair of bloggers on Wednesday after they poked around Windows 7 Build 7048, a post-beta version that has leaked to file-sharing sites on the Web.
Yesterday, Mike Nash, vice president of Windows product management, declined to comment on the bloggers' reports. "It's unfortunate that builds leak out," Nash said. "But I can't comment on unreleased products."
Today, however, Jack Mayo, a group program manager on the Windows team, acknowledged that Windows 7 will include an expanded list of features and applications that can be switched off.
In an entry to the Engineering Windows 7 blog, Mayo listed the applications that can be switched off. They include Internet Explorer 8, Fax and Scan, handwriting recognition, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Gadget Platform, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Windows Search, and XPS Viewer and Services.
He also explained that the files associated with those applications and features are not actually deleted from the hard drive. "If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use," said Mayo. "This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system and not available to users on the computer. These same files are staged so that the features can easily be added back to the running OS without additional media. This staging is important feedback we have received from customers who definitely do not like to dig up the installation DVD."
Furthermore, said Mayo, the APIs related to those features are still supported by Windows 7 -- even when the application or feature has been disabled -- if "these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component."
Mayo didn't provide examples of what APIs would still be supported when a user switches off IE8, but presumably Windows Update, which relies on the browser, would remain functional. Nor did he mention the European Union's new antitrust charges against Microsoft, which bloggers Chris Holmes and Bryant Zadegan cited as a possible reason why the company added the IE8 option.
In January, EU regulators claimed that Microsoft "shields" IE from competition by bundling it with Windows. The EU's Competition Commission said that among possible remedies, it might make the company cripple IE if the user installed a rival browser, such as Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Google Inc.'s Chrome. "Microsoft could also be ordered to technically allow the user to disable Internet Explorer code should the user choose to install a competing browser," EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said in an earlier e-mail to Computerworld.
The EU's case stemmed from a December 2007 complaint by Norwegian browser maker Opera Software ASA, which has been joined by both Mozilla and Google as "interested parties" that are allowed to participated on the periphery.
Microsoft has declined to comment on whether the decision to allow users to remove IE8 is connected to the EU's case.
Other applications on the Windows 7 list have been the subject of previous antitrust actions or complaints. Windows Media Player, for example, was one focus of a concluded EU antitrust case. In addition, Microsoft gave in to Google Inc.'s demands, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2007, that it change Windows Vista's desktop search tool. And in 2006, Adobe threatened to go to the DOJ over the "Save As PDF" command in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite; XPS (XML Paper Specification) is Microsoft's answer to Adobe's PDF format.
The option to remove IE8 is available only in post-beta builds, which have been restricted to a small group of testers. The company has been mum about the timing of the next milestone, although it has hinted it will take the upcoming release candidate, or RC, public as well.
A pirated copy of Windows 7 Build 7048, which includes the new removal options, has been leaked on the Internet. Traffic in the build has been brisk, with BitTorrent tracking sites such as Mininova.org claiming that as many as 14,000 copies have been downloaded.
By Gregg Keizer, computerworld.
The ability to remove IE8 was revealed by a pair of bloggers on Wednesday after they poked around Windows 7 Build 7048, a post-beta version that has leaked to file-sharing sites on the Web.
Yesterday, Mike Nash, vice president of Windows product management, declined to comment on the bloggers' reports. "It's unfortunate that builds leak out," Nash said. "But I can't comment on unreleased products."
Today, however, Jack Mayo, a group program manager on the Windows team, acknowledged that Windows 7 will include an expanded list of features and applications that can be switched off.
In an entry to the Engineering Windows 7 blog, Mayo listed the applications that can be switched off. They include Internet Explorer 8, Fax and Scan, handwriting recognition, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Gadget Platform, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Windows Search, and XPS Viewer and Services.
He also explained that the files associated with those applications and features are not actually deleted from the hard drive. "If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use," said Mayo. "This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system and not available to users on the computer. These same files are staged so that the features can easily be added back to the running OS without additional media. This staging is important feedback we have received from customers who definitely do not like to dig up the installation DVD."
Furthermore, said Mayo, the APIs related to those features are still supported by Windows 7 -- even when the application or feature has been disabled -- if "these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component."
Mayo didn't provide examples of what APIs would still be supported when a user switches off IE8, but presumably Windows Update, which relies on the browser, would remain functional. Nor did he mention the European Union's new antitrust charges against Microsoft, which bloggers Chris Holmes and Bryant Zadegan cited as a possible reason why the company added the IE8 option.
In January, EU regulators claimed that Microsoft "shields" IE from competition by bundling it with Windows. The EU's Competition Commission said that among possible remedies, it might make the company cripple IE if the user installed a rival browser, such as Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox or Google Inc.'s Chrome. "Microsoft could also be ordered to technically allow the user to disable Internet Explorer code should the user choose to install a competing browser," EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said in an earlier e-mail to Computerworld.
The EU's case stemmed from a December 2007 complaint by Norwegian browser maker Opera Software ASA, which has been joined by both Mozilla and Google as "interested parties" that are allowed to participated on the periphery.
Microsoft has declined to comment on whether the decision to allow users to remove IE8 is connected to the EU's case.
Other applications on the Windows 7 list have been the subject of previous antitrust actions or complaints. Windows Media Player, for example, was one focus of a concluded EU antitrust case. In addition, Microsoft gave in to Google Inc.'s demands, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2007, that it change Windows Vista's desktop search tool. And in 2006, Adobe threatened to go to the DOJ over the "Save As PDF" command in the Microsoft Office 2007 suite; XPS (XML Paper Specification) is Microsoft's answer to Adobe's PDF format.
The option to remove IE8 is available only in post-beta builds, which have been restricted to a small group of testers. The company has been mum about the timing of the next milestone, although it has hinted it will take the upcoming release candidate, or RC, public as well.
A pirated copy of Windows 7 Build 7048, which includes the new removal options, has been leaked on the Internet. Traffic in the build has been brisk, with BitTorrent tracking sites such as Mininova.org claiming that as many as 14,000 copies have been downloaded.
By Gregg Keizer, computerworld.
Q&A: 'We are willing to take that risk,' says CEO who hired convicted botnet leader
Jason Calcanis, founder and CEO of search engine start-up Mahalo.com, defends his decision to allow former security researcher John Scheifer to continuing working at his firm even after discovering he was a convicted felon.
Scheifer was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty last April to four felony counts involving illegal access to computers, illegal interception of data and wire fraud. He is the first person to be charged under federal wiretap statutes for using a botnet to steal data and commit fraud.
Scheifer and his accomplices infected more than 250,000 PCs, and stole usernames and passwords they used to break into PayPal and other financial accounts.
Calcanis, who was at the sentencing, expressed in a blog post yesterday his support for Schiefer, and wished that he had been sentenced to supervised home arrest instead of incarceration in a federal penitentiary.
Calcanis said that when Mahalo first hired Schiefer, the company did not know about his background. And when it found out about his crime, the company could have fired him on the spot because that was the "easy choice," Calcanis wrote. "But rather than do that, the company decided to give Schiefer another chance, after hearing about his tough childhood, his anger issues and how he'd found a level of peace by being at Mahalo.
Calcanis said that while Schiefer might have been an "angry stupid kid" when he launched his botnet attacks, all developers pushed the envelope when they were young. "Anyone in technology knows this dark, dirty little secret," Calcanis said in his blog.
Calcanis speaks a little more on his support for Schiefer by e-mail:
There are some who think that Schiefer probably got what was coming for his actions. Why was John deserving of a lighter sentence? Without knowing John, I think I would agree that he got what he deserved and, sure, it could have another year or two. After getting to know him I can tell you -- and in fact he would tell you -- that his behavior was based on a lack of guidance, immaturity and anger. Getting to know him, I've watched him not only grow but flourish while working with a team of intelligent technologists.
You said in your blog that you would have never hired John (or people like him) if you had known of his background during the hiring process. Has this experience changed that outlook? In the past, I would have probably never considered hiring a felon for my startup. In fact, they would have probably never made it in for an interview. After this experience, I think I've learned something about rehabilitation and the role private industry can play in it.
After this, I would certainly consider someone convicted of computer crimes. However, I think you have to look at each case and person individually. Not all hackers are cut from the same cloth.
What was John's role in your company? John is a systems engineer, which means he works on Web servers. However, it is important to note that he does not have access to our database servers, that all of our password data is encrypted so no one on the development team can access it, and his work is supervised. Also, we are a content site and we don't deal in sensitive data. He can, in fact, only do harm to us ... not our users. If John wanted to, he could turn off Mahalo, but we're willing to take that risk -- we trust him.
In general, what do you think about companies hiring convicted hackers to help them deal with cybersecurity issues? It's fairly clear that many -- perhaps most -- of the folks who step over the line in the hacker community do so out of a sense of exploration, challenge and the desire to be admired by their peers. These are the exact same reasons why someone becomes an entrepreneur, and why they might start a company like Google, Yahoo, or Mahalo.
In other words, the core desire in many of these individuals is good, but horribly misdirected. As a society we have very hard decisions to make about these individuals. They are in fact damaging society through their actions, and our growing digital dependencies only make their actions more significant.
So what then is the best way of handling hackers who cross the line? Clearly we must make examples of people who step over the line, but we must also look with compassion and support to those who are willing to rehabilitate themselves. In this case I believe John could be put under house arrest and be under constant computer monitoring -- at his own expense -- and help make the world a better place. I hope his four years in jail don't hurt his progress, and that when he leaves jail he can start his life off where he left it: as a friend, hard-working team member and a brilliant contributor to society.
By Jaikumar Vijayan ,Computerworld
Scheifer was sentenced to four years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty last April to four felony counts involving illegal access to computers, illegal interception of data and wire fraud. He is the first person to be charged under federal wiretap statutes for using a botnet to steal data and commit fraud.
Scheifer and his accomplices infected more than 250,000 PCs, and stole usernames and passwords they used to break into PayPal and other financial accounts.
Calcanis, who was at the sentencing, expressed in a blog post yesterday his support for Schiefer, and wished that he had been sentenced to supervised home arrest instead of incarceration in a federal penitentiary.
Calcanis said that when Mahalo first hired Schiefer, the company did not know about his background. And when it found out about his crime, the company could have fired him on the spot because that was the "easy choice," Calcanis wrote. "But rather than do that, the company decided to give Schiefer another chance, after hearing about his tough childhood, his anger issues and how he'd found a level of peace by being at Mahalo.
Calcanis said that while Schiefer might have been an "angry stupid kid" when he launched his botnet attacks, all developers pushed the envelope when they were young. "Anyone in technology knows this dark, dirty little secret," Calcanis said in his blog.
Calcanis speaks a little more on his support for Schiefer by e-mail:
There are some who think that Schiefer probably got what was coming for his actions. Why was John deserving of a lighter sentence? Without knowing John, I think I would agree that he got what he deserved and, sure, it could have another year or two. After getting to know him I can tell you -- and in fact he would tell you -- that his behavior was based on a lack of guidance, immaturity and anger. Getting to know him, I've watched him not only grow but flourish while working with a team of intelligent technologists.
You said in your blog that you would have never hired John (or people like him) if you had known of his background during the hiring process. Has this experience changed that outlook? In the past, I would have probably never considered hiring a felon for my startup. In fact, they would have probably never made it in for an interview. After this experience, I think I've learned something about rehabilitation and the role private industry can play in it.
After this, I would certainly consider someone convicted of computer crimes. However, I think you have to look at each case and person individually. Not all hackers are cut from the same cloth.
What was John's role in your company? John is a systems engineer, which means he works on Web servers. However, it is important to note that he does not have access to our database servers, that all of our password data is encrypted so no one on the development team can access it, and his work is supervised. Also, we are a content site and we don't deal in sensitive data. He can, in fact, only do harm to us ... not our users. If John wanted to, he could turn off Mahalo, but we're willing to take that risk -- we trust him.
In general, what do you think about companies hiring convicted hackers to help them deal with cybersecurity issues? It's fairly clear that many -- perhaps most -- of the folks who step over the line in the hacker community do so out of a sense of exploration, challenge and the desire to be admired by their peers. These are the exact same reasons why someone becomes an entrepreneur, and why they might start a company like Google, Yahoo, or Mahalo.
In other words, the core desire in many of these individuals is good, but horribly misdirected. As a society we have very hard decisions to make about these individuals. They are in fact damaging society through their actions, and our growing digital dependencies only make their actions more significant.
So what then is the best way of handling hackers who cross the line? Clearly we must make examples of people who step over the line, but we must also look with compassion and support to those who are willing to rehabilitate themselves. In this case I believe John could be put under house arrest and be under constant computer monitoring -- at his own expense -- and help make the world a better place. I hope his four years in jail don't hurt his progress, and that when he leaves jail he can start his life off where he left it: as a friend, hard-working team member and a brilliant contributor to society.
By Jaikumar Vijayan ,Computerworld
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