Written August 2007
by Cliff Feldwick
Ah, summer, when the attention span decreases and mind wandering increases. As evidence, may I present a smorgasbord of short takes for your enjoyment (or not).
What a difference a word makes: Those who have signed up for automatic updates in Windows usually have a quandary. If you don’t have updates automatically installed, most people don’t know what the update really means or if it truly is needed by reading the technical fog in the descriptions. So you say go ahead. But some of the “updates” are really just Microsoft spyware, such as the one that offers to “check for genuine Windows and inform you of ways to obtain true copies if a non-authentic copy is found”. Yep, we all want them doing that. And some turn out to be bad implementations that have to be undone or fixed later. This is a long way to go to warn you of one such “oops”. It’s a subtle difference between Windows updates and Microsoft updates, no? As it turns out, it’s like the difference between “I will check before I leave to see if you need a ride” and “I might check before I leave”. Microsoft updates are supposed to also look for changes to other software such as Office and get them too, so it sounds better. But at least two “updates” lately have downloaded files that caused freezing problems, and had to be re-loaded – but only if you knew that was the cause. So my advice is to spurn the change until they get it ready for prime time. Stay with Windows updates, stay away from “express install” that does everything, and install those that sound really needed.
Don’t do “Home”: There’s always the temptation to save a few bucks by buying the “Home” version of either XP or Vista versions of Windows, but if you’re actually doing business it’s a bad idea. In XP, the Pro version has a very handy, good backup program that can be easily tailored to send files to a cheap external hard drive. It uses a “shadow copy” so it can even do that while you continue working. Home version? Nope – not there. So if someone charging you by the hour has to write a script to do that, your savings are long gone. And in Vista the home version, even the “premium home”, will not let you join a domain. Big deal? If you’re running a true network with server, kiss the logging in to the server goodbye, along with the resultant security. Yes, you can find files in the “workgroup” but it’s second class. Don’t cheap out.
Trends in spam: Do the spammers realize how easy it should be to note the bogus messages by the sudden proliferation of similar junk? This month’s top pick seems to be bogus “greeting cards” from a classmate, friend, neighbor, ”mate” (must be the Australian version) or family member. They all ask you to paste a link into your browser and fire away. You might as well pick up a large heavy object and drop it directly on your toes. This replaces the previous offers of free laptops and golf clubs for “taking a survey”. In any case, it shows how easy it is to have a fake “address” showing in the “From” column. In Outlook, for instance, just change the “your name” slot in “user information” and there you go. I like George Bush or Bill Gates for my fake name, but you can tailor your own. The spammers for the cards are using American Greetings, ILoveCards, 123Greetings, FreeWebCards and a host of others. Flush them.
Maybe Not: the Howard library is busy giving away “Choose Civility” bumper stickers to all comers. Shouldn’t there be a quiz first before you get one? If you come up to the counter asking “Why the %$@& would I want that?”, maybe they should withhold them. In any case, the magnetic sticker doesn’t do well on my plastic bumper. Works well on the license plate, however. That might work for the red light cameras…
Define “food”: Hiding in the bottom of the lunchmeat drawer of my refrigerator was a slice of “cheese food” that had to be at least six months old, probably more (I’m not a fan of artificial flavor, color and preservatives, thanks) yet was the same shape, color and consistency as original and had no mold or other evidence that it could actually sustain life. Frightening. So just what is “cheese food” anyway? Stuff they feed to cheese?