Bob's Blog "Digital Madness"

Just want to wish everyone a prosperous and Happy New Year.

Windows users you may not have such a Happy New Year if the new "Windows WMF Metafile Vulnerability" bites their computer. This vulnerability involves the way Windows handles image files (Microsoft Picture and Fax Viewer). A malicious Windows Metafile (.WMF) image could allow attackers to take control of your computer. Now we have image files that contain a virus and trojans. All you have to do is surf to one of the infected sites and it will automatically infect your computer. Now that's nice of them, what could be easier? OK, I know it’s AOL. Seriously, you can go to Ilfak Guilfanov's blog to learn more and download a temporary hot-fix for this critical flaw.

NOTE: This is not a Microsoft hot-fix, but is safe to use and can be removed when Microsoft gets around to patching this critical flaw.

Now just in case anyone cares, my new years resolution is to be less dependent on Windows and use Linux more.

Happy New Year !

What time is it?

Humm... must have been a good boy last year. I got an atomic clock for Christmas. Yeah yeah, I know an atomic clock has an atomic oscillator inside, such as a cesium or rubidium oscillator. Ok it's a radio controlled clock, which receives a signal that comes from a place where an atomic clock is located. I did a little research and found that in the United States, the signals received by radio controlled clocks originate from NIST Radio Station WWVB, which is located near Fort Collins, Colorado. WWVB broadcasts on a frequency of 60 kHz. At 60 kHz, there isn’t enough room on the signal (bandwidth) to carry a voice or any type of audio information. Instead, all that is sent is a code, which consists of a series of binary digits, or bits, which have only two possible values (0 or 1). Now I understand, it's a radio controlled digital clock with atomic time precision. Well that's not what it says on the box. It says, "Wireless Weather Forecaster with Atomic Time".

Guess it doesn't matter what you call it. I'll always have the atomic time and date, indoor & outdoor temperature, relative humidity and the rise or fall of barometric pressure. This clock sets itself automatically, no more resetting for daylight saving time. Now my computer clock and my kitchen clock are both synchronized by the same NIST atomic clock.

I spy... you spy!

OK, the cat's out of the bag. King George... Oops. President Bush has announced that he has authorized wiretaps and email monitoring without a court order. It's now official, Big Brother is watching.

Now the good news is that I don't have anything to hide or at least I better not because Windows has all my activities stored on my hard drive in index.dat files. Index.dat files are files hidden on your computer that contain all of the Web sites that you have ever visited. Every URL and every Web page that you have visited are listed there. Not only that but all of the email that has been sent or received through Outlook or Outlook Express is also listed. The file names and locations depend on what version of Internet Explorer you use. Index.dat files can be very hard to find. The reason that these files are so invisible is that they are not just hidden; they have been designated as system files. System files and folders are treated differently in DOS and Windows and are effectively masked from searches. These files can be manually traced down and deleted but will be very time consuming. There are programs designed to find and delete your index.dat files but my advice don't do anything that would require deleting the index.dat files.

Now if you just have to hide your tracks, I would suggest ELE. ELE is a bootable Live CD Linux distribution with focus on privacy related software. Everything passes through Tor, where communications are bounced around a distributed network of servers, called onion routers, which will effectively hide your ip address. And because ELE runs totally in RAM memory, all your tracks are deleted at shutdown.

Now you know how to spy on a Windows user and how to keep someone from spying on you.

Automatic update and forget it!

Auto update and forget it, I don't think so. Many users simply turn on the auto update features in their anti-virus and anti-spyware programs and trust that to keep them up to date. While automatic updates work well and I do recommend that you have all security programs set to auto update, I also suggest you do manual updates regularly in addition to the auto updates.

Why? I just don't trust automatic updates, and here's the reason why. Many programs will go out and get one update, then think it's finished. When in fact there are more updates to be downloaded and installed. I have found this to be the case with Norton anti-virus and yes, even my trusted AVG anti-virus. I must say automatic updates for Windows works pretty good, however it only downloads and installs critical updates, leaving optional software and hardware updates to be downloaded manually. If you don't turn your computer on everyday, and that's the case with many laptops, several updates will be waiting to be installed and many times only one will be installed.

So, what to do? Turn on all automatic updates by all means, but also do manual updates once a week to check behind auto updates. Keep checking until you get a message to the effect that all updates are installed. This includes all security programs and Windows.

Now, Linux makes updating so easy with the apt package. At a shell prompt simply type apt-get dist-upgrade then hit [Enter]. This will update everything installed on your computer with one command. What could be easier?

Will your Apple taste any better?

Let me start off by saying that I don't use a Mac, never have, but there is always a first time. You might say that when it comes to computer operating systems, I have an open mind. Think maybe I can squeeze a Mac between Windows and Linux? I hope my wife doesn't read this!

Apple has announced that it will switch from the PowerPC processor to an Intel chip. I wonder how those loyal Mac users feel? I'm sure there are many different reactions, some feel betrayed, some are ready for a change, and then there are those that could care less as long as their Mac does the task at hand. The fact that a new Macintosh will actually boot Windows either by itself or dual boot is just amazing. Apple may have just coined a new computer term, Triple Boot. You may soon be able to triple boot between MacOS, Windows and Linux.

There is no reason to believe that the MacOS and apps won't be stable under Intel. Linux runs exceptionally well under Intel. If there is anything unstable, it is Windows, and its instabilities are not the fault of the hardware.

Well your Apple may not taste any better, but it's sure going to have a different flavor. I think all this change at Apple calls for a new name to replace Macintosh. I can just hear it now, "My new Winesap will run anything".

Embedded Linux runs WiFi networks


Linksys last month switched the standard model of its WRT54G wireless router from Linux to VxWorks, starting with version 5.0. For some unknown reason Linksys is now offering a WRT54GL version that is power by Linux. The L version is identical to the WRT54G ver. 4 units that Linksys previously shipped. I have read reports that the VxWorks versions have had problems, but at any rate Linksys has not completely switched back to Linux.

Ok, seems Microsoft is going to get a new wireless network at the Redmond campus, and it's going to be powered by Linux. That's right, the new WiFi controllers will run the Linux operating system which Microsoft has aggressively targeted as being inferior to Windows as part of its "Get the Facts" marketing campaign. What next, all of Microsoft workstations running Red Hat?

Biggest problem

Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer said, "The biggest problem we have right now is that people who should be paying for software aren't." Oh well, piracy is Microsoft's number one problem, you just heard from the big guy himself. It just goes to show how much I know. I was thinking that Linux, open Source software, and security were their big problems.

Now that I have my head on straight, everyone knows Windows security is the end users problem, not Microsoft's problem. That's why we pay hundreds of dollars a year for anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs.

Humm... Windows piracy may also be a problem for open source software and Linux. No that's not right, Linux can solve Microsoft's biggest problem. If all those users of pirated Windows would switch to Linux instead of a pirated copy of Windows, Microsoft's biggest problem would be solved. No more people using software they didn't pay for. Oh well, Steve has got a big job on his hands, getting all those cheapskates to switch to Linux. Well I guess that's why a CEO makes all those big bucks... they solve the company's biggest problems!

Do you rent your operating system?

When you go to a store and buy Windows, what are you really buying? If you think all those files on the CD are yours to use as you wish, think again.

Microsoft defines Windows as something you license, not something you buy, hence Microsoft reasons that it can continue to control how you use the files after you thought you purchased them. Microsoft says you don’t own it. Microsoft says it still owns the software. You bought only the privilege to use it in the ways they have determined you can or cannot use it.

A word of caution, be careful how you use those files. You may be indulging into illegal activity.

Windows Live maybe dead?

Microsoft has just announced that within a few months it will launch its first set of Web-based Office applications. Web-based applications are programs that run on Web servers and use Web pages as the user interface. Microsoft plans to create two families of Web services, one for consumers, called Windows Live, and one for small businesses, called Office Live. OK NASCAR fans, Microsoft is two laps down. For the rest of you, let's just say Microsoft is slow to get started and are playing catch up. Look what's already out on the Web, you can write documents at Writely.com, create spreadsheets at Numsum.com, and manage photo albums at Flickr.com. Oh yeah, let's not forget ThinkFree Online. This free service lets you create, access, and edit Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents within a Web browser. Microsoft wants you to think this is something new, far from it, it's only new to them.

Oh FUD, where do I want to go today?

FUD was defined by Gene Amdahl after he left IBM to found his own company: "FUD is the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that IBM sales people instill in the minds of potential customers who might be considering [Amdahl] products." Now that we know that FUD stands for “Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt”, have you been a victim to FUD? Well, I certainly was. Back in the early 90’s IBM introduced the OS2 operating system to compete with Microsoft Windows. IBM presented a demonstration of the OS2 operating system to our user group at a general meeting. I could clearly see that OS2 was better than Windows, but as a new user; fear, uncertainty, and doubt took hold and I stuck with Windows, as did most users. OS2 is now history because of the FUD tactic.

More than a decade later the FUD tactic is still at work in the software industry. Microsoft is now using the FUD tactic to sway users from Linux. Folks, you have nothing to fear in Linux. Linux as a desktop operating system is just as easy to use as Windows, not to say it’s the same. All major distributions of Linux have a graphical user interface that allows you to do everything with a mouse. As far as installing Linux, I find many distributions to be easier than Windows to install. Oh I know, chances are most of you have never installed Windows. You had no choice, it came pre-installed. This is due to the FUD tactic playing on the computer manufactures.

Choice, that’s where Linux can shine. I ran a search from www.linux.org and found 57 Linux distributions in English that run on the Intel platform that are currently maintained. Most of these distributions of Linux are totally free to download and use on any number of machines with no fear of copyright laws. Some require a registration fee to obtain support, but here again you have a choice. There is no uncertainty in Linux, one distribution may fade away only to have another take its place. Linux is not going to die, it’s here to stay.

Linux benefits from doubt since Linux and open source programmers don't simply say "Ha, this is perfect" but rather they say, "well, this works but so far we haven't looked at other ways". Now if Linux programmers have doubt that there could be a better way, you too should have doubt that there is a better operating system than Microsoft Windows.
Let me make it perfectly clear that I’m not here to bash Microsoft. I use Microsoft Windows everyday but am not letting the FUD tactic scare me away from Linux as it did with OS2. In my opinion Microsoft has more fear, uncertainty, and doubts of Linux than we do, the user. Oh FUD, where do I want to go today? The answer is simple; download a new distribution of Linux, with no fear, no uncertainty, or doubts!