Archive for September, 2009
Tweaking guides for Windows XP and Vista
Windows is eminently tweakable and there are a number of applications and guides for configuring Windows XP and Vista. Some applications will carry out tweaks for you while others simply give instructions. In this latter category is a nice collection of useful tweaks from Tweakguides. A free PDF document is available, one for Windows XP [...]
Unix is 40
Most home PC users are unaware of what is the most important operating system ever developed. Yes, it’s Unix and not Windows. That takes nothing away from Windows because Unix has played a unique role in general computing. Unix has reached its 40th birthday and eWeek commemorates it with a slideshow:
Forty years ago, a new [...]
Free Microsoft security software
As posted yesterday, Microsoft has today made its Security Essentials software available for download. Here’s the Microsoft description:
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always [...]
Review of free anti-virus software
As commercial anti-virus software has gotten more expensive, many have been turning to one of the free programs instead. There’s always the question, of course, as to whether the free programs are as good as the ones you have to pay for. One place to find out is “Gizmo” Richard’s appraisals at TechSupportAlert. Also, PC [...]
Is the Internet rotting our brains?
More than one observer has bemoaned the effect that the Internet is having on how we think. But Salon has interviewed linguistics expert Dennis Baron who answers the question above with an emphatic “no”. The Salon article begins:
By now the arguments are familiar: Facebook is ruining our social relationships; Google is making us dumber; texting [...]
Is Web security hopeless?
As I read the constant stream of reports about scams and malware on the Internet, I am reminded of a post at TechCrunchIT called The Almost Hopeless Challenge Of Web Security. Nik Cubrilovic wrote:
Today we are trusting the web with our most personal and important data, from private photos and social graphs to finances and [...]
Microsoft to release free security software
Microsoft will be offering a free security suite sometime Tuesday morning PST. At Computerworld Gregg Keizer reports:
Microsoft today confirmed that it will launch its free security software suite, which has been in development for almost a year, Tuesday morning.
“Microsoft Security Essentials, the highly anticipated no-cost consumer security offering, will be released to the public [...]
The governance of ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the nonprofit group that manages the Internet domain name system. Originally under American government control, its governance is gradually being internationalized. It’s a little known but important body and I have been following its transformation as the Internet has become truly worldwide.
On September 30, a [...]
Computing in Africa
The computing scene in Africa has been in the news lately. Here are some links with African stories:
How broadband is changing Africa Fast broadband will transform Africa, and the rest of the world will change too, says Bill Thompson at BBC.
IBM launches new Netbook software in Africa
CNET reports: “IBM has unveiled a new Netbook software [...]
Will touch be the new PC Interface?
Using touch to interface with a computer is an old idea but has not been seen much in standard desktop PCs. Specialized systems in businesses and devices like the iPod use touch but it’s keyboard and mouse for most home PCs. However, Windows 7 is coming with enhanced touch features and some are saying that [...]
Google adds anchor links to searches
Google has announced:
For most search results, Google shows you a few lines of text to give you an idea of what the page is about — we call this a “search snippet.” Recently, we’ve enhanced the search snippet with two new features that make it easier to find information buried deep within a page.
Normally, a [...]