Inquirer.Net: Pasay school sues Microsoft for P100M

By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 08:15:00 12/17/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A Pasay City school filed Monday a civil case against software firm Microsoft Corp. and its local subsidiary, Microsoft Philippines, for alleged illegal distribution of copyrighted material.

(UPDATE 2) Pasay school sues Microsoft for P100M - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

This is one for books! Microsoft, owner of the most pirated software in the industry is being sued for... Piracy! Well, let's see how they'd react when they get a dose of their own anti-piracy medicine!

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News: Microsoft: Vista piracy rate is half that of XP

This CNet news item caught my eye while I was scanning through my RSS feeds.



It seems even software pirates hate Vista.

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Bad News for the Zune Guy

I guess this fellow will need to have one of his tattoos removed (or at least retouched) because Microsoft is changing the Zune's tagline. From "Welcome to the Social", the Zune's new tagline will be "You make it you". This is according to paidcontent.org.

I wonder how he is related to the Comicbook Guy from my favorite TV show?

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Want a Fast Laptop for Windows Vista? Get a MacBook!

The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware.

PC World - In Pictures: The Most Notable Notebooks of 2007

Irony of ironies: Microsoft's flagship OS, Windows Vista, is at its best using Apple's flagship notebook: the MacBook Pro!  I wonder how the newly released OS X Leopard will run on a non-Apple hardware?

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Mail2Web: The Kuripotechie Guide to Email-on-the-Go

When I decided to take the plunge and get a Nokia E61I last week, I got busy trying out all its features. One feature I really like about this phone is its ability to connect to MS Exchange Servers, effectively giving its user a facility that is similar to the expensive Blackberry service. The program Nokia E61I uses for this is called "Mail for Exchange" a bundled program that emulates Windows Mobile devices' ActiveSync.



I attempted to connect with our corporate MS Exchange Server but unfortunately, we use self-generated certificates which essentially means that it can't communicate with my phone. So I searched for a solution until I discovered was a free service from Mail2Web. What it essentially offer is a free MS Exchange Outlook Mobile Access (OWA) that can be accessed using Mail for Exchange. What's so cool about this free service is that it can aggregate different email addresses. I use GMail as my personal mailbox while my company mail is hosted by, as I've mentioned, MS Exchange.

Since the service is free, I immediately signed up and initially accessed my "native" mail2web.com address. Then I used Mail2Web's mail aggregation wizard to get my GMail account. When I got to the office, I configured MS Outlook 2003 to automatically forward emails that are flagged as "Important" to Mail2Web.

End result? I now have a poor man's Blackberry-work-alike. I can now wirelessly read my emails and reply to them as needed. Total cost for the facility is virtually zero because I only access my emails whenever I'm in the vicinity of a wi-fi access point.

This post is cross posted at http://pwit.org/

WTF???

One of the reasons why this blog has been neglected for a long time is that I've been transferred to a different division in the company I work with. From being a "lowly" tech support specialist, I am now an "Information Security Specialist".

But that new title *may* not last for long. Although I'm supposed to do "ethical hacking" for our clients, I got waylaid and has been assigned to do project management for, of all things, Windows SharePoint projects! WTF? I'm a self-confessed Apple user and I also advocate the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) but now I'm asking myself, what the heck am I doing with the "evil empire's" product? I actually do presentations that extols the advantage of using Window SharePoint. I have, so far, implemented Windows SharePoint Services to around 4 departments of a large local bank and around 4 more are in the pipeline. A larger SharePoint implementation is also in the works (this time, it will involve a group of companies).

Well, I will not chronicle the frustrations I feel whenever I hit a brick wall caused by the software I "peddle" to my clients -- out of respect to it since it helps bring food to my family's table but I'll say this: after working with it the whole day, I "cleanse" myself by working on my Apple MacBook. Sometimes I do a "double-dose" of "cleansing" by using Ubuntu Linus within my MacBook (via Parallels).

Vista Security: Back to the Old Drawing Board!

Don't look now but the much touted Microsoft Vista's most basic "security" is already cracked with weeks before its widespread release. InfoWorld reports that hackers already has worked around the licensing/activation stumbling block Microsoft has implemented on Vista.

This involves running a virtual activation server using a VMWare image, pointing a Vista installation to that virtual server and viola: free Vista installation! The VMWare image is an image of a Key Management Service that distributes Microsoft Vista for corporate installations. Using this Key Management Service image, an unscrupulous person can install any number of computers with a fully activated copy of Microsoft Vista without having to go through Microsoft's own activation routine.

Hmm... now I'm having second thoughts about the much touted "security" of Microsoft Vista -- if the simple activation/installation security can be worked around by skillful hackers, I shudder to think what additional security nightmares Microsoft would face once Vista is "officially" released.

Another reason why I'm glad I'm using a Mac.

Zune Zeen on Ze Vilde

Engadget reports that the Zune is being prematurely sold on Best Buy in the Bay Area (U.S.A.). Here are some pictures:


and here's what awaits the early adopters:

cool huh?

Be Very Afraid: Windows is Coming!

According to a CNN report, Microsoft says Vista is Done.

Is this really something to crow about?

According to what I hear and read so far about Vista, it still retains the "registry" which means that the inevitable cycle of formatting and re-installing everything on the computer will continue since the registry is, in my opinion, one of the weakest link in *any* Windows release since Windows 9x. As users install and uninstall application, the registry becomes bloated and the end-result is an unstable computing environment.

In terms of compatibility, Vista will still have to work with thousands of existing software. That means that some of the security woes of the previous versions will most likely be retained. It is a well-known fact that from Windows 9x to Windows XP, it is virtually impossible to install and, sometimes, run programs without having full administrative permission on the system. If that is the case, then the current problems with spyware, adware and other malware will continue on.

Lastly, there are still some debate on how Microsoft will implement their "Windows Genuine Advantage" scheme on Vista. According to the grapevine, Vista will stop running applications (both native and 3rd party) once it determines that the running copy is "pirated". Vista will. allegedly, just allow a user to use the browser for one hour before shutting itself down if it indeed determines that it is not a "genuine" copy. Another issue is that Vista will apparently only allow itself to be transferred *once*. If a user needs to upgrade his machine more than two times, we'll have to buy a new copy for the 3rd upgrade. Details are still sketchy about this but what's been being discussed in Windows-centric forums are indeed disturbing.

In the article I cited, Microsoft says Vista is "done" but the question is, are the users ready for this operating system?

Codes for New IE Exploit Posted by Hackers

Hackers have discovered a new vulnerability in Internet Explorer, and they've released code that could be used to attack users of Microsoft's popular browser.

This is a rather lengthy news item from PC World. But the solution to the never-ending vulnerabilities that crop up for Microsoft's Internet Explorer is simple: USE FIREFOX! The only time to use Internet Explorer is when accessing trusted microsoft-only sites such as Windows Update sites and other Microsoft websites.

The Better Zune is Coming... Zune, I mean... Soon!

Mere days after being introduced and before its actual availability, our friendly neighborhood "knocker-off-er" has just released a Zune-like "MP4 Player"!


Now, why did I say that this is better than the real Zune? For starters, it supports MP3, WAV and unprotected WMA files. Then it supports Mac OS X without the need of a driver (which I think will not be the case with the real Zune). And I'm sure that this will be way cheaper than the real Zune.

This Zune knock-off is available at the Oriphe website but I think it only accomodate bulk orders.

Here are other pictures for your viewing pleasure:



This music player should be available at your neighborhood electronics flea market within a couple of week's time.

Raon Digital Vega: UMPC Done Right?

Calle Raon, a stretch of road that intersects both Rizal Avenue (Avenida) and Quezon Boulevard (near Quiapo). This street is famous for cheap electronics and *may* have pre-dated Japan's famous Akihabara by a couple of years. I remember going there in my youth just to ogle at electronic gadgets, audio component systems and other electrical devices.

I find quite amusing to see a Korean company named Raon Digital that specializes in electronics and they may have come up with a UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) that may actually be usable, the Raon Digital Vega.


The people at Carrypad UMPC Journal liked the unit and as far as I can tell, it terms of size, functionality and overall performance, the Raon Digital Vega may set the standard in future UMPC design. The cost ($700 for the 256 MB model and $750 for the 512 MB model) is not bad at all.

Here's the lowdown on the specs of the Raon Digital Vega:

Manufacturer: Raon Digital
Model name: Vega
CPU type: AMD Geode LX 800
Screen Size: 4.3 inches
Hard Disk: 30 GB
Weight: 480 gm

Fairuse4WM: How to Make MS Release Patch Faster

One of the niggling problems of using Microsoft Windows is Microsoft's slow/delayed release of critical patches that plugs security holes that allow hackers into your system. This allows hackers/crackers to be one step ahead of users in terms of protecting themselves against security vulnerabilities.

But wonders of wonders, Microsoft was able to deploy a patch that prevents a program called FairUse4WM days after it was released. FairUse4WM is neither a virus nor a security vulnerability. FairUse4WM allows users to strip out the DRM of audio files (mostly music or MP3 files) and allows users who purchased these music to do whatever they want to do with their purchase.

This is a rather disturbing fact since they (Microsoft) prefer to delay legitimate fixes to their inherently flawed OS while they rush over themselves to release a "fix" when their DRM is in jeopardy. What I find really goofy about this is that Microsoft has stopped issuing security patches for "older" Windows versions making users of Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows NT fair game to crackers and botmasters while they have dedicated a team to work around the clock to counteract FairUse4DRM. Is DRM more important than user security? Do they prefer to have a secure DRM than a secure computing environment that is free from virus, spyware and trojans?


FYI: Microsoft releases patches for security vulnerabilities once a month -- a day now dubbed as 'Patch Tuesday'.