Run Windows on Your Mac, Sans Reboot

Run Windows on Your Mac, Sans Reboot By Jennifer LeClaire
February 28, 2007 9:40AM

For those who use Intel-based Macs but need to run Windows, the choice between Apple's own Boot Camp software and the new virtualization software from Parallels might come down to how frequently Windows applications are needed. Apple's Boot Camp requires a reboot whereas the Parallels software does not.

The Windows Vista hype isn't over just yet, thanks to the latest software from Parallels. On Tuesday, Parallels released a new version of its virtualization software that lets Intel-powered Macs run Windows and Linux -- without the need for a reboot.

At the center of the update is a new feature dubbed "Coherence." The technology lets users runs Windows applications on the Mac just as if they were native programs. Here's how it works: When users switch to Coherence mode, the Windows desktop disappears, leaving Windows applications, such as Outlook and Internet Explorer, running directly on the Mac desktop and from the Mac application dock.

Full article from NewsFactor Network (newsfactor.com):

PC Mag "Best Free Software"

From PC Magazine... their list of best free software. Certainly not a complete list, loads of good stuff missing, but it's a good starting point.

Here's the article.

Blackberry 8800 (Cingular/ATT) - NEW Release GPS, multimedia

New: Blackberry 8800

This device now includes GPS, built-in SD expansion card, MP3 player, smaller... overall slick... a little pricey.

Good article from ZDNET here.

RIM BlackBerry 8800
Matt Loney ZDNet UK
Published: 13 Feb 2007

The BlackBerry 8800 is the latest phone-cum-email device to come out of the Research In Motion stable. RIM has developed a reputation for turning its users into addicts, thanks largely to its pioneering push email technology, and its latest offering will do nothing to dispel that reputation.

So what's new? A handful of features, the most prominent of which — the one that will make most people desire the device — is the GPS functionality. GPS on the BlackBerry 8800 comes with maps and directions. ... its 320x240 landscape TFT screen is clear and bright.

- The key pitch is smaller, but a cut-out corner on each one means the keys are useable by all but the biggest thumbs. Status and style junkies will love its slender (it is just 14mm thick) black lines — our review model had Treo users turning green with jealousy.

Read entire article.

DNS Attack: Only a Warning Shot?

This has been an issue for years but was it only a test things to come?

DNS Attack: Only a Warning Shot?

Darkreading.com - Part of TechWeb Business Technology Network

FEBRUARY 7, 2007 An attack on the Internet infrastructure yesterday may signal a hint of bigger things to come. The distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack that temporarily crippled -- but didn't take down -- two of the Internet's 13 Domain Name System (DNS) root servers was likely a test-run for a potentially larger and more disruptive attack, researchers say.

This was the latest in a series of DDOS attacks on DNS servers that began late last year, when DNS providers EveryDNS and EasyDNS each were separately knocked offline by attacks. Experts had predicted it was only a matter of time before botnet operators hit a bigger and higher-profile DNS target, and that's just what happened yesterday, they say.
The attackers targeted five of the Internet's DNS root name servers, using bots or zombified computers to execute the DDOS attack. Two of the root name servers eventually dropped 90 percent of their DNS query traffic, but the remaining servers kept the service operational. (See DNS Attacks on the Rise and DNS Service Under DDOS Attack .)

Entire article here.

Daylight Savings Time and Applications, Get ready before March 11

Important...

Here's a link for major vendors and links to their respective sites for patches and information.

From techworld.com article.

DST: How to get IT vendors to give you the right time of day
Here's a list of major vendor fixes to get you started on your updates
Todd R. Weiss, Computerworld

The USA is adopting a new Daylight Saving Time (DST) schedule from 11 March, giving the country an extra four weeks with the clocks forward an hour for energy-saving reasons.
While it's primarily a US problem, it will have an effect elsewhere, as it now means that, according to Gartner, between 11 March 11 and 25 March this year there will be a six-hour time difference between London and New York, instead of the normal five hour difference.
So IT vendors have been scrambling to prepare patches, work-arounds and other fixes for their products to help their customers prepare for the changes.

Here is a sampling of some of the major IT vendors and the status of their patch availability:
Microsoft -- The new Windows Vista operating system already includes the updated DST rules, but earlier versions of Windows will need to be changed. For Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Microsoft will release a single global time-zone update, which will include updates for the US time change.

Earlier versions of Windows, including XP SP1 and NT 4.0, are no longer supported but can be patched manually using Microsoft's tzedit.exe utility

Read the full article.

Excel under zero-day attack, Microsoft warns

Don't forget to patch Office apps, too.
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Excel under zero-day attack, Microsoft warns
By Dawn Kawamoto, CNET News.com Published on ZDNet News:
February 5, 2007, 7:20 AM PT

Microsoft is warning of an Excel-focused zero-day attack that affects several versions of its Office software, including one for Macs.

In its security advisory issued Friday, Microsoft warns people of a "very limited" zero-day attack that takes advantage of vulnerabilities in the Excel spreadsheet program.

The "extremely critical" Excel vulnerabilities are found in Microsoft Office 2000, Office 2003 and Office XP, as well as in Office 2004 for computers running Apple's Mac OS, according to a separate advisory from security company Secunia.

Attackers are sending e-mails with malicious Excel attachments and are hosting Web sites that house Office files that attempt to take advantage of the security flaws, according to Microsoft. Once an attacker exploits the vulnerabilities, they can gain control of a person's system remotely.

Entire article here.