Archive for the “Web & Technology” Category
 Online social networks are the hot platform in the Web 2.0 world. They indeed make the Web a two-way experience, one that fosters sharing, collaboration and relationships. They’re everywhere, and even chron.com has one.
However, they also can be incredibly irritating. As is often the case with cyberspace, the social experience online mirrors that in real life. A roomful of chatty people can be charming or grating, depending on your mood and the vibe at the party.
PC World has a list of the Top 10 Social Networking Annoyances, and it’s right on the money. Most items are specific to certain networks — LinkedIn is too locked down, Ning and Second Life have too much porn, for example. Here are some of my favorites:
Do I Know You? — Facebook started out as a way for college students to put faces to names: “Hi, I think we took Poly Sci together last semester, and you’re friends with my friend Brittany. Would you be my Facebook friend?” Now that Facebook is a global phenomenon, exchanges can go more like this: “I don’t know you, and we have no friends in common. I live in Colorado, you live somewhere far away. And yet you’d like to be my friend and show me your baby pictures. And you want to see mine. Hmmm, let me think about that … request denied.” Not only is it okay to ignore friend requests from people you don’t know, your privacy may depend on it.
Thanks for the Add! Here’s Some Spam — Slightly more annoying than random friend requests from total strangers is the increasing presence at social networking sites of good old-fashioned spam — you know, the kind where somebody is actually trying to sell you something. On Facebook, MySpace, and many other sites, you can expect to receive all kinds of unsolicited commercial and noncommercial requests, promos, and e-mail messages in your inbox. All manner of enterprises, from fledgling rock bands to escort services to professional headhunters, are trying to use these newfangled social network things to drum up business, and that means spam.
Zombies, Pirates, and Other Pointless Facebook Applications — Facebook applications allow my friends to share their movie tastes, opinions, news picks, and other items with me, but accepting these tidbits requires me to install each corresponding app in my own profile (at which point it has access to my personal information). One app informs me that a friend has just urinated on me, poked me, or vampire-bit me. An alarming number of my female friends want me to know them by their stripper names. Why my friends devote so much time to these curious little apps I haven’t figured out, but I know that cumulatively they’ve begun to demand way too much of my time.
To make matters worse, Facebook applications promote themselves, too, trying to get in touch, and even peppering me with spam. If you’re encountering the same thing, you can fight back. To make silly apps go away, open the application invitation and click on the Block [application name] link in the bottom-right part of the window. Or, you can banish all applications from your Facebook experience by installing the Facebook custom app hider Greasemonkey script.
I have to confess that, early on, I was guilty of assaulting Facebook friends with the Zombie application — I’m a big fan of zombie movies — but I’ve since learned the error of my ways, and I leave folks alone. I have very few of these silly apps on my Facebook page, and I ignore or even block most requests to add them. I like my social networking lean and clean, which is probably why I’m such a fan of Twitter (though it has its own annoyances).
Are you a social network user? What are your pet peeves about your online hang-outs?
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• Women still trail in tech jobs — Only 10 percent of computing majors are women.
• Twitter Traffic Explosion: Who’s behind it all? — The average user is more apt to be male; Twitter is a weekday thing.
• The Top 10 Social Networking Annoyances — Friends you don’t know, silly Facebook apps, spam, too many networks to keep up with.
• Microsoft Joins Effort for Laptops for Children — Microsoft finally signs on to the One Laptop Per Child project; Windows XP installed on some machines.
• Taking your laptop into the US? Be sure to hide all your data first — Customs agents have the right to inspect your drive, even keep your notebook.
• Yahoo! Responds to Carl Icahn’s Intention to Nominate Candidates for Election to Yahoo!’s Board — Read Yahoo’s response to Icahn. And BoomTown Decodes Carl Icahn’s Letter to Yahoo!
• Whose Fault Is Traffic Shaping, App Blocking? — Om Malik blames the FCC.
• Google Translate adds 10 new languages
• Music Industry Gurus’ Five Point Plan to Save their Business — I like No. 3: “Free doesn’t mean no money.”
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This may make a lot of geeks sad, but apparently the new Indiana Jones movie is “dreadful”, according to this review. Bad news for Indy fans, if true.
But it also means you have one less excuse to not participate in our Friday open-comment thread! Why waste time watching a decrepit Harrison Ford wheeze through cheesy stunts when you can be offering your random opinions about personal tech?
Don’t spend $15 on a small popcorn and a Diet Pepsi! Instead, leave a comment here and I’ll approve it.
Really, I’m doing you a favor here. You can either have you memories of a movie icon ruined by the ravages of age and a bad script, of your can interact with your fellow geeks in TechBlog. Clearly, the choice is obvious.
Update: Yes, the new Indiana Jones movie doesn’t open until May 22, which is even more reason to stick around here!
Here’s the trailer:
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From the Surprise-that’s-not-a-surprise Dept.:
 Old-line broadcast media company CBS is paying a 44 percent premium for an old-line Web company, CNet Networks. CBS was around at the dawn of the broadcast age, and CNet is a Web 1.0 company that’s been struggling to make its way in the Web 2.0 era.
CBS is offering $11.50 a share for CNet, quite a bit more than the $7.50 closing price on Wednesday, for a total nut of $1.8 billion. CNet has been a rumored takeover target for years, and in fact a group of investors was planning a proxy battle. As PaidContent.org humorously put it:
Rumors of a coming CNET acquisition have been bandied about for many years–it almost became a boring old joke, the equivalent of yelling Freebird at a rock concert.
CNet began in the mid-1990s as a tech news service, and in its heyday was a prime source for information about the burgeoning Internet and personal computer scene. It was wounded in the dot-com bubble implosion of 2000, but not fatally, and has been trying hard to stake a larger claim in the Web 2.0 landscape.
In a conference call with reporters today, CBS Chief Executive Les Moonves noted that CNet helps expand CBS’s international footprint, as CNet has a growing presence in China. CBS clearly sees growth potential outside the United States, which is probably a big reason why it’s paying so much.
But I also think CBS knows there’s a gold mine in some of the properties CNet holds, but hasn’t brought to full potential. For example, CNet owns the TV.com and MP3.com domains, as well as Download.com, Computers.com, Search.com. It’s also got GameSpot.com, the premiere gaming site on the Web.
Imagine what a company like CBS could do with TV.com or MP3.com. The folks at NBC, so proud of their shiny new Hulu.com online video service, should be a little concerned.
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Apple’s Mac OS X gets kudos for its security. At this writing, there are no significant exploits for its security holes, and Apple has a good track record of patching vulnerabilities in a timely manner.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t security flaws in Mac OS. And, in fact, OS X 10.4 and 10.5 had more patched vulnerabilities than any other mainstream computer operating system in the first quarter of 2008.
That’s according to Jeff Jones, a security researcher who also is a director of security strategy for Microsoft. In a pair of papers released this week, he offers numbers that show Windows Vista had fewer vulnerabilities than Windows XP SP2 during all of 2007, and that Vista had fewer security-related flaws than comparable OSes, including versions of Red Hat and Ubuntu Linux.
Here are the relevant charts that accompany Jones’ pieces:
You can find the paper on Vista vs. XP here, and the OS scorecard here.
Jones has been periodically releasing security statistics on Vista since its early release, and his data appears to show that Microsoft’s new operating system is indeed more secure than its predecessor and prominent competitors. He bases his numbers on patched fixes reported by the various OS developers, as well as dipping into the government’s National Vulnerability Database.
However, Jones’ work has been criticized in the past for omitting “stealth” security fixes. Jones’ critics believe Microsoft includes patches in service packs and other updates that fix undisclosed security flaws, and that more flaws go unfixed for longer periods in Microsoft products, leaving users more vulnerable over time — particularly since Windows is the OS most-targeted by malware authors.
Regardless, Jones’ periodic reports are useful in that they serve to make a very important point, one I’ve tried to hammer home here: All computer software has flaws which can be exploited by those with evil intentions. Smarter users are diligent and practice safe computing, regardless of the operating system they prefer.
Related: Safari “Carpet Bomb” attack information released
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AP
Crazy for Yahoo? |
Carl Icahn’s purchase of 50 million Yahoo shares has added a new dimension to the now-scuttled takeover offer from Microsoft.
Chronicle business columnist Loren Steffy thinks Microsoft would still consider a deal at $33 a share if Yahoo came crawling back, but I believe Microsoft has moved on. Clearly, Icahn thinks he can make something happen, but if not Microsoft, then what? Loren and I hash out the ramifications.
To listen to our discussion, click here. To subscribe to this podcast, paste the address for this blog’s RSS feed into your podcast-playing software.
(Cross-posted from Steffy’s blog.)
Update: The Wall Street Journal has an alert on its home page indicating Icahn plans to proceed with an attempt to replace all 10 members of Yahoo’s board. At this writing there is not yet a full story. I’ll provide a link once it’s available.
Update 2.0: The WSJ story is here, but since it’s available only via paid subscription, you may want to read the Associated Press story instead:
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is reportedly loading up on Yahoo Inc.’s stock in preparation for a possible attempt to shove aside the Internet icon’s board and bring the company’s disillusioned suitor, Microsoft Corp., back to the bargaining table.
As he mulls whether to lead a rebellion, Icahn has accumulated about 50 million Yahoo shares, a stake of roughly 3.6 percent in the Sunnyvale-based company, both CNBC and The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Both media outlets cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.
Icahn hadn’t returned messages seeking comment as of late Tuesday. He faces a Thursday deadline to submit an alternate slate of directors to oppose Yahoo’s board at the company’s July 3 annual meeting.
Yahoo representatives declined to comment about a possible showdown with Icahn.
The WSJ story indicates Icahn has a powerful partner:
Mr. Icahn plans to nominate 10 directors to replace Yahoo’s board before a deadline Thursday, the person said. Mr. Icahn’s nominees will include former Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Frank Biondi, who has worked with Mr. Icahn on other proxy fights.
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![image_3[1]](http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/WindowsLiveWriter/RouterswidelyusedforATTDSLbeingexploited_6871/image_3%5B1%5D_3.png) This month’s Patch Tuesday brought just three critical updates from our friends in Microsoft, two of which had to do with the company’s Office productivity suite. The third related to the JET 4.0 Database Engine in Windows and Windows.
The Office patches involve Word and Publisher, and in both cases fix vulnerabilities that would have allowed a malicious data file to remotely execute code on a system. The fixes are for all versions of Office since 2000, including Office 2004 and 2008 for the Mac.
The JET patch is for Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, but not Windows Vista. It also would allow remote code execution.
There’s also a security-related patch that falls into the “moderate” category for Microsoft’s antispyware products. It protects Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft Antigen, Windows Defender and Forefront Security from a denial of service attack.
That’s a minimalist bundle for Patch Tuesday. However, if you’re a user of Office 2008, the latest release of the suite for Macintosh user, you’ve got a bigger present awaiting you. Service Pack 1 for Office 2008 is now available, fixing more than 1,000 bugs found in the original version. It’s a 180-megabyte download that ultimately unpacks to take up more than 500 MB on your hard drive.
But what may be more interesting than that batch o’ patches is news from Microsoft’s Erik Schwiebert that support for Visual Basic for Applications, which was removed from Office 2008, is coming back to the suite. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until the next release of Office for Mac to get it.
This is going to be frustrating for Office for Mac users who were disappointed in the removal of VBA support in the 2008 edition. I know several Mac users who are now opting to run Office 2007 via virtualization on their Macs, rather than use Office 2008, so they can keep using VBA. For Excel power users, in particular, that feature is a must.
When will VBA’s return happen? Schwiebert doesn’t say. But it was four long years between the releases of the last two Office for Mac versions. My advice to VBA users: Don’t hold your breath.
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• Consumers ditching land-line phones — Wireless, VoIP gaining ground in the home.
• MacBooks will take 50% of notebook market share within a year — “Perfect storm” building for Apple notebook domination?
• Mac Office 2008 SP1 — First service pack for Microsoft’s Mac productivity suite is out.
• Get Vista’s Best Features in XP — Good collection of third-party apps.
• What is blocking Vista users from recording NBC shows? — Logs indicate copyright holder has placed restrictions, or is it just a glitch?
• Google Search To Surpass Size of Microsoft Windows in 2009 — Google’s search income will exceed that of Microsoft Windows next year.
• Google Maps Adds Real Estate Search and Google begins blurring faces in Street View
• Craigslist’s Countersuit Criticizes eBay’s Tactics and Unlawful and Unfair
• MySpace wins $230 million suit against ‘Spam King’ — Possibly largest spam judgement ever.
• Hewlett-Packard Is Facing Skepticism on E.D.S. Deal — HP shares drop more than 5 percent after the deal is announced.
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 My daughter is approaching the age where she’ll need a computer to take to college. She’s interested in a notebook, as are most university-bound kids, but not just any notebook. She’s got something specific in mind.
Because she’s into games — specifically, Electronic Arts’ graphically intensive Sims 2 series — she wants an Alienware computer. She knows it can more than handle the visuals of her obsession, but also . . . an Alienware notebook has a distinctive, way-cool design, which her friends will envy.
Which is the more important attribute? I think you can guess the answer to that . . .
Who owns Alienware? Dell, of course, a company not known for its compelling design. Still, ever since it bought Alienware in 2006, Dell has continued to sell its own line of gaming PCs, some of which were actually quite interesting to look at, and even more impressive to use. The company recently introduced a new model, the XPS 730 H2C, which offers an innovative form of water cooling to take the heat off its factory-overclocked chips.
But you can kiss all that goodbye. Dell has decided that it has a better draw for gamers in its Alienware brand, and is going to kill off its the gaming machines it sells under the umbrella of its XPS nameplate.
From the Wall Street Journal ($$$):
The new strategy is part of Dell’s broader turnaround effort. Last year, it slipped behind bigger rival Hewlett-Packard Co. in overall PC sales and is struggling to achieve profits in consumer PCs. Gaming PCs — high-priced machines made specifically for playing games — are a niche market, but tend to shape PC design trends and influence mainstream buyers.
Full-fledged gaming-PCs, with their powerful processors, souped-up storage and glitzy three-dimensional graphics, start at about $2,000 and can run much higher, compared with about $700 for the average desktop PC, according to market researcher IDC.
Next month, Dell will begin phasing out four gaming systems in its XPS line of PCs, leaving the Alienware line that it acquired in 2006 as its sole offering to big-spending gamers, a largely male group predominantly 18 to 34 years old. A combined gaming design and development unit of the Round Rock, Texas, PC seller will oversee the seven current Alienware models.
It is an overdue but risky move. Alienware’s colorful boxes and slick technology catapulted it to the top of the now about $12 billion gaming-PC market. However, under Dell, which continued to market its XPS gaming machines alongside the acquired machines, Alienware fell to earth. “Alienware lost some mojo,” says Ted Pollak, a gaming analyst at market watcher Jon Peddie Research in Tiburon, Calif.
Overdue, indeed. I’m surprised that Dell didn’t do this sooner. The gaming machines it produced were pretty powerful and, depending on how they were configured, priced competitively. It was clear they were cannibalizing Alienware’s sales, and sometimes it seemed the two manufacturers were still heated competitors.
The moves and gains made by HP after its acquisition of Voodoo PC — initially seen as a me-too move, but has turned out to be a potent strategy — has a lot to do with this, too. Competing against Voodoo co-founder Rahul Sood, who has HP’s formidable R&D department to draw upon, is proving to be a significant challenge.
On top of that, PC gaming is struggling as more gamers turn to consoles, which are increasingly powerful. Hot games are now released first for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, and then may or may not be ported to the PC. Some game developers have talked about no longer making PC games because of piracy, but I suspect a dwindling user base may be the bigger issue.
As someone who prefers PC over console gaming, I’m sad to see this shrinkage. But if Dell’s marketing can push Alienware back into the spotlight, the competition with HP may create some gains that bring former PC players back to the fold.
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