OS Tweaks

Fedora Core 5 Released with a BANG !

2006-03-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

Fedora Core is an operating system and platform, based on Linux, that is always free for anyone to use, modify and distribute, now and forever. It is developed by a large community of people who strive to provide and maintain the very best in free, open source software and standards. Fedora Core is part of the Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat, Inc.

Now available for x86, x86_64 and PPC systems! It has been just over 9 months since Fedora Core 4 was released, and a lot of change and innovation has occurred in the Linux community in that time. A lot of those innovations have found their way into Fedora Core 5 (FC 5).

Fedora Core 5 features some new desktop applications. They include:

Tomboy, a new ("simple and handy") note-taking tool

F-Spot, which manages digital photographs

Beagle desktop search, which resembles Apple's Sherlock or Google Desktop on PCs and helps users find something in a chat log, an email, or a web page they visited days ago

 Power management has been improved, thanks to Gnome Power Manager, included in this release. Additionally, the Gnome screensaver package is included, with a new Fedora screensaver to accompany it, the team said.

Fedora Core 5 also features updated versions of old favorites such as Firefox 1.5 and OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, a new enhanced database front end, a mail merge wizard, and better PDF-exporting capabilities. The latest versions of both Gnome 2.14 and KDE 3.5 bring added options to the Fedora desktop, according to the project.

Better integrated virtualization and a Java run-time stack.

Finally, the Fedora Core 5 desktop features new advances in multimedia applications built around the free Xiph.org codecs, the team said.

DOWNLOAD links: Available DVD & CD formats

All mirrors sites:

http://fedora.redhat.com/download/mirrors.html

Some of them:

Repair your Internet Explorer

2005-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

OS: Windows XP

The ability to Repair Internet Explorer does not exist in the version that ships with Windows XP. This feature only becomes available after you upgrade to a newer version. This is normal and has been this way since Windows 98 and IE4.

However, you can reinstall IE in Windows XP by clicking Start, Run and entering the following command:
rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\Inf\ie.inf

You will need to have your XP CD available.

Some people have problems with the command line above. A small VB Script that will execute the command for you can be downloaded here. Save the file to your hard drive and double click it to run IE Setup.

**How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP(Q318378)

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q318378

More Useful Tweaks to come up keep visiting ....

Best Products of 2005 rated by PC WORLD

2005-12-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

The Best Products of 2005 rated by PC WORLD .

All 100 Products.

A very impotant from the big list:

Mozilla Firefox web browser
Google Gmail Web Email
Apple Mac OS X Version 10.4 (Tiger) Operating System
Skype (Talk free to anywhere in the world)
Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Antivirus Antivirus and Firewall Software
Webroot Window Washer 5.5 utility
Google search Engine
Valve Half-Life 2 PC Game
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Media Player
Qnext Instant Messenger
Opera 8 Web Browser
Google Desktop Search Desktop Search Tool

** These are not actual raking but are a few among TOP100 tools.

WindowsXP Tweaks -1

2005-11-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

1. Creating an Automated Install of WindowsXP

On the WindowsXP CP, in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory,
there is a file called DEPLOY.CAB.

Extract the programs DEPLOY.CHM (help file) and SETUPMGR.EXE (main program)
Run SETUPMGR and answer the prompts.
This will create both a unattend.bat and unattend.txt file you can use for automated installs.
Note: The batch file might need some minor modification for file locations but it is fairly basic.

2. Creating a Shutdown/Reboot Icon

WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

Right click on an open area of the desktop
Select New / Shortcut
Enter in "shutdown -s -t 00" - no quotes
Press the Next button
For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter "shutdown -r -t 00"

Shutdown [{-l-s-r-a}] [-f] [-m [\\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

3. Command Line Help Reference

To get a quick help for all the commands you can enter from WindowsXP,
simply create a shortcut:
hh.exe ms-its:C:\WINDOWS\Help\ntcmds.chm::/ntcmds.htm

4. Using the System File Checker

You can run the System File Checker to verify protected system files.

Command line switches are:

sfc [/scannow] [/scanonce] [/scanboot] [/revert] [/purgecache] [/cachesize=x]

/scannow - Scans all protected system files immediately.
/scanonce - Scans all protected system files once.
/scanboot - Scans all protected system files every time the computer is restarted.
/revert - Returns the scan to its default operation.
/purgecache - Purges the Windows File Protection file cache and scans all protected system files immediately.
/cachesize=x - Sets the size, in MB, of the Windows File Protection file cache.

5. Disabling Balloon Tips

To turn off balloon tips in applications that support XP Themes:

Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
Create a DWORD value of EnableBalloonTips
Give it a value of 0

(REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\

Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"EnableBalloonTips"=dword:00000000 )

MORE OS-TWEAKS TO COME SOOOOON.... COMMENT UR VIEWS & TWEAKS ......

Microsoft Windows Server “Longhorn” Beta 1

2005-08-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corporation announced the release of the first beta software release of the Microsoft Windows Server code-named "Longhorn".

Windows Server "Longhorn" will provide customers with:

A rock-solid server foundation that is secure, manageable, responsive, interoperable, and compatible.
A platform that supports rapid development and delivery of smart and connected applications.
Agility, to increase operational efficiency and IT effectiveness.
Policy-based networking, improved branch management and enhanced end user collaboration.

More information on Windows Server "Longhorn" will be available in the coming months. For more information on Longhorn Client, now known as Microsoft Windows Vista, please visit the Microsoft Windows Vista site.

Windows Vista: VISION

2005-08-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista: VISION & PRINCIPLES

Windows Vista has something for everyone.
Read about the vision behind Windows Vista.

Windows Vista: A clear breakthrough

Windows Vista: Development Center

Microsoft Vista News !

2005-08-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

Get Microsoft Vista here !

Windows Vista™ (formerly code named Longhorn) Beta 1 for developers and IT professionals has begun. Check this site regularly to find the most up to date information and links to other sites at Microsoft related to Windows Vista.

Windows Vista has something for everyone. Users will love the fast startup time and even faster return from sleep state. IT departments face fewer user problems and enjoy more automated repair and easier administration. Organizations and enterprises benefit from less downtime, fewer IT hassles, and greater productivity.

Internet Explorer 7: Now beta for developers

2005-08-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

The first stage of the beta process for Internet Explorer 7 has begun—developer testing! The latest version of the world’s most popular Web browser has been released for technical evaluation, feedback, and testing by software and Web site developers.

The Beta 1 release signals that Internet Explorer 7 has reached an important milestone, with a number of key new features and improvements, and is ready for website and application compatibility testing.

Beta 1 is not intended for broad consumer trial and evaluation but it does offer a preview of some of the benefits that Internet Explorer 7 will offer customers including:

Dynamic security protection
Improved design to make everyday tasks easier and faster
New tools to take you directly to the information you want
Platform enhancements for developers to improve compatibility and manageability

more Here...

Windows Vista & IE7 Beta 1 Available

2005-08-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

IE7:Beta versions of both Windows Vista (formerly codenamed “Longhorn”) and IE7 for Windows XP are now available. Back in February we committed to releasing betas this summer. I’m sure it surprises some people, but we did what we said we’d do.

How interested you are in actually running pre-release software should depend on who you are. For example, I think that running pre-release MSN Virtual Earth or the Windows Antispyware Beta is interesting for everyone. I think NetScan is less interesting for broad audiences.

The beta versions of Windows Vista and IE7 that have just released should be interesting to developers and IT professionals. For this reason, the beta is available to MSDN subscribers and a pretty small set of pre-enrolled beta test participants. Our goal is to get feedback from this group, do a bunch more work around quality (performance, security, reliability, etc.) and some features (e.g. additional standards support beyond what’s in beta 1, additional functionality around tabs and RSS, etc.), and release Beta 2 much more broadly.

With Beta 1 done, you can expect much more active posting about technical details on the features that are now public. We’ve posted an IE7 Technology Overview, What’s New in Internet Explorer 7 for Developers, and an Anti-Phishing Whitepaper. Based on questions and feedback from the beta, we’ll blog and post more.

Internet Explorer 7 details confirmed

2005-06-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has said IE 7 is to be above all a security release, with any other enhancements on the back-burner. The browser, code-named Rincon, will be available for Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional x64.

Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president of Microsoft's security business and technology unit, confirmed that the IE 7 will run in reduced-privilege mode by default, according to a report in industry journal eWeek. The feature is designed to prevent remote attacks via the browser, which have become a major hassle for Microsoft.

"The company is retooling the browser after years of neglect, which was largely due to lack of serious competition for the dominant browser, according to industry analysts."

Mangione confirmed that the browser will change the way files are executed, will include anti-spyware and anti-phishing features and will block cross-domain scripting access, according to the report. He confirmed the browser will support international domain names (IDN), built-in RSS, built-in search with a choice of search providers and new printing capabilities.

Other expected improvements include a better SSL user interface, and integration with Windows AntiSpyware.

Microsoft recently confirmed that IE 7 will include improved support for two key Web standards - Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and PNG graphics. For years, inadequate support for such rendering features has forced Web developers to create two different versions of their sites, one supporting IE and and another for standards-compliant browsers.

By Matthew Broersma, Techworld

IE6 with Tabbed Browsing

2005-06-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

Microsoft late Wednesday rolled out an updated version of its MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search, complete with tabbed browsing, designed to add another level of simplification while browsing the Web via Internet Explorer.

The upgrade will allow users to open multiple sites, each in different windows with a tab at the top, directly underneath the menu bar–with the intention of making it easier to switch among pages.

Take a tour!

NEW! Browse smarter with tabs - Switch between Web sites within the same Internet Explorer window

NEW! Find anything - Search the Web any time, anywhere, and easily locate documents, e-mail messages, and more on your PC
Shop faster - Fill out online forms with one click
Access MSN services - Get one-click access to Hotmail, MSN Messenger, and MSN Spaces

Read the full story on PCMag.com: MSN Brings Tabbed Browsing Early to IE

Microsoft targets Apache Web server

2005-06-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

Tired of playing second fiddle in Web hosting, Microsoft is revamping its server software in an attempt to snatch market share away from the popular Apache-Linux combination. When the software giant releases Longhorn Server in 2007, it will introduce a re-architected edition of its Internet Information Services Web server, said Bob Muglia, senior vice president in charge of Windows Server development.

The changes will make IIS more modular, which will speed up performance for Web applications, he said. "We're componentizing IIS so you can load just the pieces of the Web server that you really need," Muglia said. "In the process of doing that, we'll be super competitive to Apache."

Source: ZDNet

Microsoft discloses some IE 7 plans

2005-05-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

Microsoft finally told Web developers what they've wanted to hear for years, promising support for graphics and style sheet standards.

In a blog entry posted Friday, a member of Microsoft's Internet Explorer development team said the company plans to support key elements of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendations Portable Network Graphics (PNG), an image format, and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), a Web page styling standard.

Click here to read More....

Firefox Vulnerable to Malicious Code Writers

2005-05-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Security firm Secunia is reporting two "extremely critical" flaws in Mozilla's Firefox. The vulnerabilities can be exploited by malicious people who wish to take control of victims' computers.

The Mozilla Foundation is aware of the two flaws. The organization said there are currently no known active exploits of these vulnerabilities, although a "proof of concept" has been reported. Mozilla said changes to its update Web service have been made to mitigate the risk of an exploit.

"Mozilla is aggressively working to provide a more comprehensive solution to these potential vulnerabilities and will provide that solution in a forthcoming security update," said Mozilla executives in a security alert.

Unprotected, Unverified

The first problem is that "IFRAME" JavaScript URLs are not properly protected from being executed in context of another URL in the history list, Secunia said. This can be exploited to execute arbitrary HTML and script code in a user's browser session.

The second problem is input passed to the "IconURL" parameter in "InstallTrigger.install()" is not properly verified before being used. Secunia said this can be exploited to execute arbitrary JavaScript code with escalated privileges via a specially crafted JavaScript URL. Successful exploitation requires that the site is allowed to install software.

Bombs are Falling

Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox told TechNewsWorld that there will always be flaws in software, and arguments about why hackers target certain browsers are ongoing all the time. The true test is how effectively open source responds to the threats compared to its commercial counterparts.

"It's a non-issue whether or not Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is a larger target than Mozilla," Wilcox said. "The point isn't why your city is getting bombed instead of someone else's. It's what do you do about your city getting bombed. During World War II, Winston Churchill could have talked about how London was a bigger target than New York City. But what would such an argument have meant to Londoners during blackouts?".

A Temporary Fix

Secunia also said a combination of the two vulnerabilities could be exploited to execute arbitrary code. The firm also claims that the exploit code is publicly available. The vulnerabilities have been confirmed in version 1.0.3. Other versions may also be affected.

A temporary fix has been added to the sites "update.mozilla.org" and "addons.mozilla.org." Mozilla said users can further protect themselves by disabling Java Script.

With the bombs falling on Firefox and the anticipation surrounding Microsoft's Longhorn beta release this summer, some have wondered whether the popular open-source browser could lose its momentum.

Wilcox doesn't think so. "There are plenty of people using Internet Explorer despite security flaws," he said. "So if you use that as a metaphor for Firefox, then the increase of the flaws may not have an immediate impact."

Source: tech news media

Bob Cerelli's Windows Site.

2005-05-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is great site for internet explorer. It's Bob Cerelli's Windows Site.
Tips, Restrictions, Repair, Shortcuts...etc for WINDOWS. Be sure to check this one.

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances-3

2005-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances-3

-> NO FTP UPLOADS. I type a ftp:// url including username and password (in the form ftp://user:pass@hostname), and then go to File->... to find there's no "File Upload" option! (I've tested this on Firefox 1.0.2 because, well, there's no Firefox 1.0.3 for "Es-AR" language, see annoyance point #1 above). Sheesh!.

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances-2

2005-05-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances-2

-> No "CCK". Netscape once offered their "Client Customization Kit" for their Mozilla Suite based 7.x browser. There should be a powerful, official Firefox customization tool, better if point-and-click, allowing ISPs, business and individuals that want to do so to offer customized versions, with their own custom selection of theme, bookmarks, throbber, installed extensions, even going as far as renaming the browser (as done by the Firesomething extension that afaik stopped working on the latest Firefox builds), and the like. Don't get me wrong, there's a third party tool that almost fills the gap on Windows, dubbed FFdeploy and available here, but it's not official, and the author doesn't seem to have too much time to maintain it. And it's windows-only. Not good enough.

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances-1

2005-04-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Firefox Annoyances : (not in order)

#1. The concept of "language packs" that was so prevalent on the Mozilla 1.x and Netscape 6.x / 7.x days seems to have been dropped in favour of "one Firefox installer for every language". This has its drawbacks. For instance, Firefox 1.0.3, which fixes several critical vulnerabilities, is available in English but the latest version at time of this writing in the Spanish-AR translation (South American spanish) is 1.0.2. When will 1.0.3 in Spanish be available is anybody's guess. I've just ran the firefox update checker and it tells me that my 1.0.2 is the most recent.

One then wonders, why can't one upgrade the software component side without having to care about language builds?. Why aren't "language packs" totally unaffected by minor version updates (x.y-something releases). In other words, if Mozilla.org promoted the concept of a "language pack", the version you originally installed wouldn't matter. If I'm wrong and Firefox 1.0x language packs are available, then that's not what Mozilla.org is hinting at the "other languages" download page.

In my humble opinion, it should be possible to make the installer a SINGLE EXE for all languages. It could containing the US english version binaries and all LANGUAGE PACKS together, asking the user at install time "on which language(s) do you want Firefox installed?" and then proceed to configure the language packs on top of the english binary. Heck, Sun Microsystems managed to achieve such feat with their Java2 v5.0 runtime that ships as a single, "multi-language" installer. The windows installer even detects the operating system language and launches the installation program matching the OS language. So if you're running a spanish version of windows, you get the java installation dialogues in spanish. Amazing, isn't it?.

#2. No "CCK". Netscape once offered their "Client Customization Kit" for their Mozilla Suite based 7.x browser. There should be a powerful, official Firefox customization tool, better if point-and-click, allowing ISPs, business and individuals that want to do so to offer customized versions, with their own custom selection of theme, bookmarks, throbber, installed extensions, even going as far as renaming the browser (as done by the Firesomething extension that afaik stopped working on the latest Firefox builds), and the like. Don't get me wrong, there's a third party tool that almost fills the gap on Windows, dubbed FFdeploy and available here, but it's not official, and the author doesn't seem to have too much time to maintain it. And it's windows-only. Not good enough.

more to be added soon................

MSN Rules !

2005-04-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

Microsoft's desktop search beats its competitors hands down, primarily because of a superior user interface that integrates better with other Windows programs. Consent decree or no, Microsoft has once again managed to leverage its operating system dominance to its advantage. Take a MSN Desktop Search Tour.

MSN, by contrast, was almost shockingly intuitive for a Windows user. The results were shown in a list format, and e-mails could be sorted by sender, subject and date, just as in Outlook. It was very easy, via tabs on the desktop search, to switch between searches of documents and searches of e-mails. Like the other programs, it took the MSN program an afternoon to create an index of all the e-mail and files on my hard drive. But once the index had been created, it updated automatically in the background and searches took mere seconds.

MSN Desktop makes a strong first impression and continues to impress as you use it. It catalogues the most file types and has limitless possibilities for expansion. It's easy to use, but gives power to users who desire it. A number of users have documented neat hacks, like slimming the deskbar and writing clever scripts for it. Microsoft also runs a great Wiki for getting tips and suggesting new features. While it has its own share of oddities and sore omissions (web history, please!), it comes highly recommended as is.

The Forbes also reviewed desktop search tools from Yahoo! and Google. All of the desktop programs did a very nice job of digging their way through the morass. The difference came mainly in the design of the programs, and how intuitive they were. And again, the other popular alternatives like Blinkx and Copernic were not reviewed

To get more information regarding this:
MSN Desktop Search
DESKTOP SEARCH

Desktop Search Tools Comparision

2005-04-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Now watch Desktop Search WAR. Let's see what it takes for a Desktop Search engine to be the best.

COMPETITORS:
1. Yahoo
2. MSN
3. Google
4. Blinkx
5. copernic
6. AOL
7. Ask Jeeves
8. DT Search
9. Enfish
10.many more...like hotbot..etc

Compare various Desktop Search Tools.

Browser Trends

2005-04-06T03:54:00.001-07:00

Browser trends are important information. What you can read from the statistics below is that Internet Explorer 6 is the dominating browser, XP is the most popular operating system, and most users are using a display with 800x600 pixels or more, with a color depth of at least 65K colors.

Browser Statistics Month by Month

2005	IE 6	IE 5	O 7/8	Ffox	Moz	NN 4	NN 7
March	63.8%	3.9%	1.8%	21.8%	3.7%	0.2%	1.0%
February	64.8%	4.2%	1.9%	20.4%	3.9%	0.2%	1.1%
January	65.3%	4.4%	2.1%	19.3%	4.0%	0.3%	1.1%

2004	IE 6	IE 5	O 7	Moz	NN 3	NN 4	NN 7
December	66.0%	4.8%	2.0%	21.3%	0.2%	0.3%	1.2%
November	68.5%	5.0%	2.2%	19.3%	0.2%	0.2%	1.2%
October	69.5%	5.7%	2.2%	17.5%	0.2%	0.2%	1.3%
September	69.6%	6.2%	2.3%	16.9%	0.2%	0.2%	1.3%
August	70.3%	7.0%	2.3%	15.5%	0.3%	0.3%	1.4%
July	71.0%	7.7%	2.3%	13.8%	0.3%	0.3%	1.4%
June	72.4%	8.3%	2.3%	11.8%	0.3%	0.3%	1.4%
May	72.6%	9.2%	2.2%	11.0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.4%
April	72.4%	10.1%	2.1%	10.3%	0.3%	0.3%	1.4%
March	72.1%	10.7%	2.1%	9.6%	0.4%	0.4%	1.4%
February	71.5%	11.5%	2.2%	9.0%	0.4%	0.4%	1.5%
January	71.3%	12.8%	2.1%	8.2%	0.4%	0.5%	1.5%

2003	IE 6	IE 5	O 7	Moz	NN 3	NN 4	NN 7
November	71.2%	13.7%	1.9%	7.2%	0.5%	0.5%	1.6%
September	69.7%	16.9%	1.8%	6.2%	0.6%	0.6%	1.5%
July	66.9%	20.3%	1.7%	5.7%	0.6%	0.6%	1.5%
May	65.0%	22.7%	1.4%	4.6%	1.0%	0.9%	1.4%
March	63.4%	24.6%	1.2%	4.2%	0.9%	1.1%	1.4%
January	55.3%	29.3%		4.0%	1.2%	1.7%	1.1%

2002	IE 6	IE 5	IE 4	AOL	NN 3	NN 4	NN 5+
November	53.5%	29.9%		5.2%	1.1%	2.0%	4.9%
September	49.1%	34.4%		4.5%	1.3%	2.2%	4.5%
July	44.4%	40.1%	0.5%	3.5%	1.2%	2.6%	3.5%
May	40.7%	46.0%	0.7%	2.8%	1.2%	3.4%	2.7%
March	36.7%	49.4%	0.7%	3.0%	1.2%	4.1%	2.4%
January	30.1%	55.7%	1.0%	2.8%	1.3%	4.4%	2.2%

IE	Internet Explorer
Ffox	Firefox (identified as Mozilla before 2005)
Moz	Mozilla
O	Opera
NN	Netscape
AOL	America Online (based on both Internet Explorer and Mozilla)

Browsers that count for less than 0.5% are not listed.
Source: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp

Are You Safer With Firefox?

2005-04-06T03:31:00.001-07:00

Is Firefox a more secure web browser than Microsoft's Internet Explorer?
By Larry Seltzer, a frequent contributor to PC Magazine, writes the Security Watch newsletter for pcmag.com.

Is Firefox a more secure web browser than Microsoft's Internet Explorer? The answer may be yes, but the issues are more complicated than most people realize. In fact, Firefox has its share of security problems, and has probably been saved from real-world attack so far only by its single-digit market share.

In late February, the Mozilla Organization released the first update to Firefox, version 1.0.1 (www.getfirefox.com). There are no new features of note in the new release, but it did fix 17 documented vulnerabilities in version 1.0. (www.mozilla.org/projects/security/known-vulnerabilities.html). The most famous was a URL-spoofing bug involving URLs with Internationalized Domain Names (IDN - www.mozilla.org/security/announce/mfsa2005-29.html). Basically, an attacker could set up a site that had, to outward appearances, the same URL as another site (such as www.ebay.com), but in fact the domain name would be in an international character set, not English. (Mozilla didn't actually fix this problem, which is less a bug in the program than a problem with the whole approach to IDNs; instead version 1.0.1 just disables IDN support by default.)

ou probably hadn't read about any of those bugs before the update. That's because it's only recently that the Mozilla Organization began issuing security advisories of the sort that Microsoft issues every month (see www.mozilla.org/security/announce). For the most part Mozilla wasn't hiding these bugs prior to publishing advisories, but it wasn't publicizing them either. If you know where and how to look, you can get a better picture of security (and other) bugs in Firefox and other Mozilla projects at bugzilla.mozilla.org, the official bug database for Mozilla development. But even here the organization isn't totally open about security bugs; when new ones are reported, the entries in Bugzilla are generally made private for a time while they are investigated and fixed.

And unlike Microsoft, when Mozilla fixes a bug it doesn't release a patch for users. If you want to stick to release-level programs, your only option is to wait for the next general release; the upgrade to version 1.0.1 from 1.0 took about 3.5 months. You can install an interim build of the program (the nightly builds are available at ftp.mozilla. org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/latest-trunk/), but these are not official release versions and you should expect them to have other bugs; to the extent that you get support for Firefox, it will be undermined by your use of an interim build.

In Firefox for Windows you can set the options at Tools| Options | -Advanced-|Software Update to check Firefox servers periodically for updates to the program. It will find version 1.0.1, but all it will do is download the whole program and start the installer. On the Linux version you can only update Extensions and Themes, not the program code.

And there are security problems in version 1.0.1 already, even if there are no advisories for them yet. For instance, on a multiuser machine, such as a Linux system, if one user running as root starts Firefox, and another non-root user starts Firefox, that non-root user's instance of Firefox gains root privileges (bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_ bug.cgi?id=247412).

Moreover, it's difficult and nonobvious for a user to examine the certificate for a signed extension at install time (bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=278629), so a spoofer might have an easy time getting away with pretending to be a trusted source. There are also a number of crash bugs, such as bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_ bug.cgi?id=263609, and these often indicate an exploitable vulnerability behind the scenes.

Finally, anti-spyware companies Webroot and Sunbelt Software have said that they expect Firefox-specific spyware to start showing up this year, and if the browser's market share continues to increase it's easy to see why it would. So don't forget to update, and don't rest on your Firefox laurels. You're not free of security problems, you just have different ones.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1775806,00.asp

Download the new and improved IE7 alpha

2005-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

Download the new and improved IE7 alpha: http://dean.edwards.name/IE7/

IE 7 Updated

2005-04-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Whats new
* behaviors are gone - IE7 is now a totally javascript solution
o this means very easy installation
* there is lots of added support for CSS3 selectors
o (nth-child, nth-last-child, only-child)
o new CSS3 attribute selectors
* the CSS module has been split into two modules - CSS2 and CSS3
* support for :lang()
* generated content (before/after pseudo classes)
o a bit buggy and may be changed slightly later
* IE7 favelet!
* (lots of) bug fixes
o esp. fixed positioning and min/max
o IE7 should be a whole lot faster (page loads)
o Added fixes for these IE bugs:

http://www.positioniseverything.net/explorer/doubled-margin.html
http://www.positioniseverything.net/explorer/unscrollable.html

# support for right/bottom
# more HTML fixes
Now, IE7 update is available.

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2005-03-31T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! 360 is another blogging and photo sharing tool from Yahoo!

If you need a Yahoo! 360 invitation, please leave a comment with your email ID.

Want a Gmail Invitation !

2005-03-30T04:25:00.000-08:00

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IE for Mac

2005-03-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

From top to bottom, Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5 for Mac OS X has been redesigned to perform the way you'd expect. Simple, fast, and efficient, Internet Explorer 5 lets you unlock the power and fun of the Web.

To view demo:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/ie/5/autodemo/predemo_choose.htm

Download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx#IE

Screenshot:

Internet Explorer 7 Details Emerge

2005-03-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

Although Microsoft has made no public statements, information about Internet Explorer 7 is slowly emerging. Microsoft Watch has indicated that the primary focus of the release will be on beefing up the browser's security, but other changes may include the addition of tabbed browsing and added standards support.

In a deviation from its original plans, Microsoft will ship IE7 independent from Longhorn and will make it available for customers running Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional x64.

IE7, known internally as "Rincon," is expected to run in reduced privilege mode to lessen the impact of browser exploits. In the events that the browser's security safeguards are somehow overwhelmed, Microsoft is considering integration with its anti-spyware service for added protection, Microsoft Watch reported.

Other rumored improvements include a revamped Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) user interface and restrictions that prohibit cross-domain scripting.

By the time a public beta of IE7 reaches testers this summer, the browser could present substantial interface changes such as tabbed browsing, in which multiple Web pages are displayed within a single browser window. The Web pages that IE users view may also take on a different appearance, as Microsoft is wrestling with the idea of supporting some aspects of the CSS2 standard.

Additional standards that are candidates for IE7 inclusion are Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and internationalized domain names (IDN). Although, the safety of IDN has been called into question following reports that specially crafted URLs can be used to spoof legitimate Web sites.

Last month, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced a reversal of the company's longstanding plans to only ship an updated version of Internet Explorer with Longhorn. Gates acknowledged that IE had become a security risk, motivating Microsoft to protect its customers before the next release of Windows.

By David Worthington, BetaNews

RSA Conference 2005: Bill Gates

2005-03-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

RSA Conference 2005

At RSA Conference 2005, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announces Internet Explorer 7.0, designed to add new levels of security to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Feb. 15, 2005, San Francisco.

High resolution image.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/press/2005/02-15gates-RSA_lg.jpg

RSA Conference 2005

2005-03-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today at RSA, Bill Gates talked about Internet Explorer 7. As the guy responsible for IE, I wanted to say a couple of things about it.

First, some basics: we’re committing to deliver a new version of Internet Explorer for Windows XP customers. Betas of IE7 will be available this summer. This new release will build on the work we did in Windows XP SP2 and (among other things) go further to defend users from phishing as well as deceptive or malicious software.

Why? Because we listened to customers, analysts, and business partners. We heard a clear message: “Yes, XP SP2 makes the situation better. We want more, sooner. We want security on top of the compatibility and extensibility IE gives us, and we want it on XP. Microsoft, show us your commitment.”

I think of today’s announcement as a clear statement back to our customers: “Hey, Microsoft heard you. We’re committing.”

Why are we talking about it today? Because our customers and partners have asked us, with increasing urgency, what our plans are. We want to convey our intentions to our customers and partners clearly and in a timely way.

I’ve gotten questions about the ship date. Yes, we have a date in mind. I’ll talk about the date after we get feedback from customers and partners. We’re going to release a beta and listen, then refresh the beta and listen some more. We’ll ship when the product is ready.

I’ve also gotten questions about support for Windows 2000. Right now, we’re focused on XP SP2. We’re actively listening to our major Windows 2000 customers about what they want and comparing that to the engineering and logistical complexity of that work. That’s all I can say on that topic.

Please know that the IE team is working hard. We’re eager to improve and better secure the web experience for the hundreds of millions of IE users around the world. We delivered on our part of XP SP2. We are actively delivering on our part of a great 64-bit Windows client. We continue to deliver on security updates for customers (across several versions of IE (back to IE 5.01) and Windows). We’re going to deliver on IE7.

What's IEAK 6 ???????

2005-03-10T22:00:00.000-08:00

Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 6 SP1 enables the most cost-effective and efficient way to deploy and manage Web-based solutions. Evaluate IEAK and learn how easy it is to tailor a custom browser to meet your customers' needs.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 6 Service Pack 1 (SP1) programs and tools make it easy for you to deploy and manage custom browser software packages. A quick overview of the features and resources include:

• Internet Explorer Customization Wizard. The Internet Explorer Customization Wizard browser customization into five stages. Step-by-step screens for each stage guide you through the process of creating custom browser packages. When these packages are installed on your clients' desktops, they'll receive customized versions of Internet Explorer with the settings and options that you selected.

• IEAK Profile Manager. After you deploy Internet Explorer, you can use the IEAK Profile Manager to change browser settings and restrictions automatically.

• IEAK Toolkit. The IEAK Toolkit contains helpful tools, programs, and sample files, such as the animated bitmap tools, a sample sign-up and add-ons. The toolkit also includes the IExpress Wizard; you can use it to control setup options and to integrate command-line switches, which control how your custom browser packages are installed.

• IEAK Help. The IEAK Help includes many conceptual and procedural topics that you can view by using the Index, Contents, and Search tabs. You can also print topics from the IEAK Help.

FAQ - What is a Microsoft Service Pack for ?

2005-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

What is a "Service Pack 1" and should I download it?

IE 6 Service Pack 1 is the next update to the Internet Explorer technologies representing general improvements to IE 6. The Service Pack does not add or remove any significant features to IE 6, however it does include all prior patches and updates as well as enhancements to security and reliability. We recommend that you download it to keep your IE experience as secure and up to date as possible.

Why should I upgrade to Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (SP1)?

If you are a home user simply browsing content on the Web, or an IT administrator deploying and maintaining the browser for customers, or even a Web developer creating powerful Web content, you should upgrade to IE 6 SP1.

IE 6 SP1 is the next update to the IE technologies representing general improvements to Internet Explorer 6. The Service Pack does not add or remove any significant features to IE 6, however it does include all prior patches and updates as well as enhancements to security and reliability.

One of the most compelling features of IE 6 SP1 for all users is the tools to help you maintain the privacy of your personal information on the Web.These tools allow you to control how and under what circumstances your personal information is shared on Web sites. The latest version of IE has also taken steps to improve Web browser reliability with the option of fault collection services. With the new innovative browser capabilities, including media playback, automatic picture resizing, and more, you can experience the Web exactly the way that you want. For more information, see IE 6 Features.

Easier Than Ever to Deploy and Support: IE 6 SP1 technologies are also more customizable through the IE Administration Kit, so it's easier than ever to deploy and support. IE Administration Kit provides administrators with powerful, easy-to-use options designed to save you time and money in deploying and managing Web solutions.

Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1

2005-03-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1

Internet Explorer 6 is the set of core Web browsing technologies in Windows XP. These core technologies have recently been updated as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) with Advanced Security Technologies.

Internet Explorer 6 SP1, the latest version of Internet Explorer for users not running Windows XP, provides a flexible and reliable browsing experience with enhanced Web privacy features for all Windows users. This version includes a full installation of the Web browser and the most recent version of Outlook Express, the e-mail client that is included with Internet Explorer.

System Requirements

*Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows XP

* 486/66 MHz processor (Pentium processor recommended)

Total download size for a typical installation is approximately 25 megabytes (MB). However, because Setup downloads only those files that are necessary for your computer, this size can vary between 11 and 75 MB.

Note: Internet Explorer 6 SP1 is included with Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). If Windows XP SP1 is installed on your computer, you do not need to download and install Internet Explorer 6 SP1.