Security Hole in IE Leads to Google Cyber Attack

The Financial Times is reporting that US investigators have identified an individual who contributed to cyber attacks on Google. The hack was said to be executed using a security exploit in Internet Explorer.

Frankly, the idea that any Google employee is using IE for something other than compatibility testing is much more alarming than the idea that China sponsored the attack.

Malware Writers Fail to Generate Clean, Reliable Code

According to Engadget:

Microsoft is now confirming that there's a little bit of malicious code sitting at the root of [blue screen of death errors and unwanted reboots]. A rootkit, to be specific, one called Alureon that compromises the atapi.sys file and others. This rootkit makes a system call via an address that, after the update, no longer corresponds to the particular call Alureon is trying to make.

Errors of Success

What happens when you install the world's most popular server software on the latest version of the world's most popular OS? You get an error message proclaiming "success", that's what. Having bounced back and forth between my old desktop machine, and my brand new laptop, I finally took the plunge, and installed Apache 2.2. Having once installed Apache on a machine running Windows XP, I fully expected the Vista installation to be a piece of cake. Imagine my horror when I found myself confronted with this cryptic little bit of programming. With a sinking feeling in my gut I proceeded to test http://localhost/ (assuming that the default configuration would temporarily be OK). No localhost.

Feeling thwarted, but not yet ready to give up hope, I turned to my only available recourse: I googled "Apache Vista error". I immediately discovered that the Apache Services Monitor, the method of choice for starting/stopping/restarting Apache on Windows, doesn't work on Vista. I also discovered that Windows User Account Protection prevents Apache's installation as a service. Once I turned off UAP, I was able to install and start Apache via command line. From there it was simply (I use the word loosely) a matter of finding the right configuration file, and making some minor adjustments.

Woohoo! Now to install PHP.

New Safari

The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that Apple has released a public beta of Safari 3. More to the point, this is the first version of Apple's in-house Web browser that is available for Windows. Naturally I had to get it.

I've used Safari before, mostly for testing purposes, and always found it to be a vast improvement over Internet Explorer on any platform. There is, however, one major problem, in my opinion. When Safari encounters a JavaScript error, it fails silently, as it should, but finding out what went wrong is like pulling teeth.

Fortunately, like Firefox, Safari comes with a JavaScript console which can be found (among a couple of other nifty options) under the Debug menu. Unfortunately, the debug menu is hidden by default. Still, instructions for revealing the Debug menu on Windows are pretty simple.

1. Go to: %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\Safari\Preferences.plist
2. Insert: IncludeDebugMenu
3. Start Safari.

System Management Center

It seems silly to hate a word. Words are, after all, only symbols for the meanings they convey. Of, course, it also seems silly to hate the meanings behind words; meanings and ideas only serve to make our lives richer. That said, there are a few words which have gained a stranglehold in contemporary corporate language, and I am fast learning to hate them all.

Any Place

Manage. System. Center. You can't seem to take two steps in the corporate world without tripping over one or more of these words. The word center, in particular, has gotten incredible mileage. I can't help it. I see "center" and wonder: center of what?

There was a time (I think) when "center" was a place that was of great importance (central!) to the accomplishment of some activity. Gradually the term has been watered down to the point where it really just means "place". If you don't believe me, just look at all the gymnasiums and ballparks that are being called "fitness centers and "rec centers".

A Collection of One

I suppose one could define "system" as an entity comprised of a number of coordinated parts. The definition is nothing if not vague, and it has inspired a whole host of rubber bands, vaccuum cleaners and canned protein shakes advertised as "exercise systems", "cleaning systems", and "weight-loss systems". In my opinion, if your exercise system consists of a large rubber band (or a giant net, or a plastic step) and an instruction book, it is not a system.

The Worst Offender

Center and system are badly overused, but the most ubiquitous and abused word on corporate lips is manage, and all its derivatives.

Traditionally, a manager has been an individual, entrusted with extraordinary responsibility, and empowered to make decisions on behalf of others. Here too, the definition is vague enough that when computers came along, many of the operations and tasks requiring special priviliges were labeled managerial (or administrative).

Now, it seems, any application or device that creates, edits, deletes, and generally organizes anything is called a maganger. Can't we just call it a download monitor? A photo organizer? Perhaps even a bookmark tracker? It seems highly unlikely. In the meantime I think I'll go fiddle around in the System Management Center.

Weighing In on IE7

With the imminent release of Windows Internet Explorer 7, it's time to weigh in on the next generation of the world's most popular browser.

First the positives.... IE7 implements RSS/Atom feed support, including the ability to search and sort. Also, as promised, CSS support in IE7 is much improved. I was surprised to learn that in addition to improving the rendering engine, Microsoft actually provides support for a wider variety of CSS selectors. Of course, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will continue to work on the CSS implementation, as (understandably) it isn't perfect.

IE7 also introduces native support for semi-transparent PNGs, something Web designers have wanted for years.

Alas, none of this makes me want to use IE7 as an every day browser. One of the features of IE7 that Microsoft has been touting is "add-ons". I have not investigated them too much. This is due in part to a lack of interest and in part to awareness of Microsoft's lax attitude to security when releasing software.

Of course, the presence of a feature I'm not going to use is not reason enough to avoid the browser. A good reason is the utter lack of common sense displayed by Microsoft in the visual design of the thing. IE7 is ugly. What's wrong with it? Let me enumerate:

1. The buttons are fixed.
2. They aren't grouped together.
3. The silly "New Tab" button looks like a tab itself.
4. For some reason, the "File" menus are hidden by default. Oh that's right, they wanted to save screen real estate by cutting down on unnecessary clutter, but...
5. There appears to be a button for each of those afore-mentioned menus.

Finally, for whatever reason, IE7 is slow. I understand that my machine is getting up there in computer years (going on four years old), but IE6 opened Web pages considerably faster.

Frankly, all this seems like a blatant disregard for usability. Given that fact, and given the fact that Mozilla Firefox is far superior in terms of standards compliance, appearance, customizability, and load time, it's hard to recommend the upgrade to IE7. Just get Firefox.

Konfabulator

I'm happy to report that I've entered the wonderful world of widgets. After learning that Windows Vista (whenever it arrives) will have support for "gadgets", via "Windows Sidebar", I decided to snoop around, and see what was already available. Yahoo! Widget Engine, neé Konfabulator, was completely free and seemed to compare favorably with Apple's Dashboard widgets, so I decided to give it a try. In truth, I would prefer to use HTML and CSS for structure and layout, as Apple does, but the Konfabulator XML is fairly simple and easy to learn. The API for dynamically adding elements leaves something to be desired, but in general, I've found that I've been able to port a number of Dashboard widgets to Konfabulator with a modicum of hassle. Some of my favorite widgets are Dictionary, Digital Clock, Yahoo! Maps, and MLB Ticker.

The GIMP

For years I've been looking for good digital imaging/photo editing software that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. At work I've used Adobe Photoshop, the de facto standard for professionals, but I can't quite seem to justify the hefty $649 price tag. I've also used Adobe Photoshop Elements ($99), Corel Paint Shop Pro (back when it was Jasc - $79), and Ulead Photoimpact (a long time ago - $89). Of these, Elements was the best, and cost the most.As a final resort, I decided to try the GIMP. Ordinarily, I love Free/Open Source Software. I use Mozilla Firefox, Apache, PHP, and to a lesser extent Knoppix, but I just couldn't see how anyone could create a top shelf image editor for free. I tip my cap to the GIMP though, the program is excellent.