Google has come up with its own online Office suite by combining its Writely word processor with its Google Spreadhseets to form Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Docs & Spreadsheets requires no download and works within a Web browser, with the ability to export documents into a number of offline formats. The service is completely free of charge
The new web offerings are not meant to compete with other software such as Microsoft Office. It is geared towards users that would not buy Office to begin with.
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Sunday, October 15, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Microsoft patches 26 flaws
Microsoft on Tuesday released 10 security updates that patched a record 26 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office, and .Net. More than half of the flaws were marked critical.
The total vulnerabilities set new records for Microsoft in its monthly patch process. The patched products include everything from Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer to Word and Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft Office accounted for 62% of the bugs patched Tuesday and 86% of those marked critical.
The problem, according to Microsoft's notes on the vulnerability, is compounded by a lack of workarounds or factors that might minimize the threat. Microsoft had no workarounds to offer up other than to patch, and the only way to guarantee safety is to surf only trusted sites.
Users can obtain Tuesday's patches via Windows Automatic Update, from the Microsoft Update service, or through other Microsoft software and services such as Software Update Services (SUS).
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The total vulnerabilities set new records for Microsoft in its monthly patch process. The patched products include everything from Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer to Word and Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft Office accounted for 62% of the bugs patched Tuesday and 86% of those marked critical.
The problem, according to Microsoft's notes on the vulnerability, is compounded by a lack of workarounds or factors that might minimize the threat. Microsoft had no workarounds to offer up other than to patch, and the only way to guarantee safety is to surf only trusted sites.
Users can obtain Tuesday's patches via Windows Automatic Update, from the Microsoft Update service, or through other Microsoft software and services such as Software Update Services (SUS).
Full Story
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
PCI Express 2 coming soon
PCI Express lets users plug devices such as network adapters and video cards into computers for high speed data transfer. PCI Express 2.0 will incorporate changes such as a speed boost to double each serial line's data transfer rate from 2.5 gigabits per second to 5Gpbs.
PCI Express differs from conventional PCI in using a smaller number of high speed serial communication links rather than a larger number of parallel communication lines that send data synchronized in lockstep.
PCI Express Cable specification will let PCI devices be connected with standardized copper cables as long as 10 meters with data transfer speeds of 2.5Gbps per line which is suited for tasks such as adding an input output expansion module housing numerous network cards to a higher end server.
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Learn more about Video Cards
PCI Express differs from conventional PCI in using a smaller number of high speed serial communication links rather than a larger number of parallel communication lines that send data synchronized in lockstep.
PCI Express Cable specification will let PCI devices be connected with standardized copper cables as long as 10 meters with data transfer speeds of 2.5Gbps per line which is suited for tasks such as adding an input output expansion module housing numerous network cards to a higher end server.
Full Story
Learn more about Video Cards
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Chinese Hackers Attack Commerce Department
The Commerce Department admitted that heavy attacks on its computers by hackers working through Chinese servers have forced the bureau responsible for granting export licenses to cut off Internet access for more over a month.
Hundreds of computers must be replaced to clean the agency of malicious code, including rootkits and spyware.
An attack against computers of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) which is the branch of Commerce responsible for overseeing U.S. exports which have both commercial and military applications forced BIS to turn off Internet access in early September.
This is the second major attack originating in China that has been acknowledged by the federal government since July. With the most recent attack, the evidence points to state sponsored hacking.
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Hundreds of computers must be replaced to clean the agency of malicious code, including rootkits and spyware.
An attack against computers of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) which is the branch of Commerce responsible for overseeing U.S. exports which have both commercial and military applications forced BIS to turn off Internet access in early September.
This is the second major attack originating in China that has been acknowledged by the federal government since July. With the most recent attack, the evidence points to state sponsored hacking.
Full Story
Friday, October 06, 2006
Vista taking a stance on piracy
The new Windows Vista will have anti piracy features built in such as the ability to cripple the operating system in computers found to be running unlicensed copies.
People running a version of Windows Vista that Microsoft believes is pirated will initially be denied access to some of the best new Vista features, including Windows Aero.
If a legal copy is not purchased within 30 days, Windows will curtail functions further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time and not allowing users to be able to directly open documents from the computer desktop or run other programs like Outlook.
The company also said that it had added more sophisticated technology for monitoring whether a system is pirated.
Full Story
People running a version of Windows Vista that Microsoft believes is pirated will initially be denied access to some of the best new Vista features, including Windows Aero.
If a legal copy is not purchased within 30 days, Windows will curtail functions further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time and not allowing users to be able to directly open documents from the computer desktop or run other programs like Outlook.
The company also said that it had added more sophisticated technology for monitoring whether a system is pirated.
Full Story
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Sony battery recall
Sony will be recalling lithium ion laptop batteries this month. It was thought that the battery recall would involve other electronic devices besides batteries but turns out that it will only be laptop batteries.
Sony is working with the CPSC to identify the widest scope of batteries that it may recall. They are currently working together to identify what will be in the recall, the time frame of what was manufactured and sold.
Previous notebook battery recalls were issued by Dell and Apple Computer in August for specific laptop models containing Sony batteries, after it was discovered that some batteries were overheating or exploding, causing fires even when the machines were turned off.
Full Story
Sony is working with the CPSC to identify the widest scope of batteries that it may recall. They are currently working together to identify what will be in the recall, the time frame of what was manufactured and sold.
Previous notebook battery recalls were issued by Dell and Apple Computer in August for specific laptop models containing Sony batteries, after it was discovered that some batteries were overheating or exploding, causing fires even when the machines were turned off.
Full Story
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Microsoft still having Internet Explorer security problems
Microsoft is warning that it is investigating new public reports of a critical bug in Windows comes more than two months after sample code showing how to take advantage of the flaw was posted to the Web.
The flaw that Microsoft warned about is in an ActiveX control used by the Windows GUI software. It was first disclosed on July 18 as part of a project by hacker HD Moore to expose problems in Internet Explorer.
Microsoft has only patched 2 of Moore's discovered flaws. Microsoft engineers haven't even been able to investigate close to a third of the vulnerabilities, Moore said.
Moore handed Microsoft another 70 bugs that he had not publicly disclosed.
Full Story
The flaw that Microsoft warned about is in an ActiveX control used by the Windows GUI software. It was first disclosed on July 18 as part of a project by hacker HD Moore to expose problems in Internet Explorer.
Microsoft has only patched 2 of Moore's discovered flaws. Microsoft engineers haven't even been able to investigate close to a third of the vulnerabilities, Moore said.
Moore handed Microsoft another 70 bugs that he had not publicly disclosed.
Full Story
Monday, September 25, 2006
Internet for everyone by 2020
Key technologists and futurists have agreed that a low cost Internet will be available to the vast majority of the world's population by the year 2020.
Experts say the digital communications infrastructure would expand massively by 2020. By then it would cover regions and populations currently left out of digital society. It would also stretch far beyond today's personal computers to encompass billions of devices in every walk of life.
46% of the experts also had serious reservations about the spread of the net, including the loss of personal privacy and the danger that humans could lose control of the technology they create.
More than half of respondents disagreed that English would become so dominant as the lingua franca of the internet that it would displace other languages.
Full Story
Experts say the digital communications infrastructure would expand massively by 2020. By then it would cover regions and populations currently left out of digital society. It would also stretch far beyond today's personal computers to encompass billions of devices in every walk of life.
46% of the experts also had serious reservations about the spread of the net, including the loss of personal privacy and the danger that humans could lose control of the technology they create.
More than half of respondents disagreed that English would become so dominant as the lingua franca of the internet that it would displace other languages.
Full Story
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