News Report 5
Microsoft to Stop Charging for Home PC Security
By: Aaron Ricadela
url:
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2008/11/microsoft_to_st.html?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_technology
After jumping head first in the PC security market, Microsoft is starting to gradually pull out. This is after Microsoft’s security program, OneCare, did not do so well. OneCare was launched in June of 2006. It included virus and malware protection, along with being able to back up hard drives. This program was a subscription for $50 a year. Not only do more than 80% of people in the United States have protection from these problems already but they were not turned on by the price. Microsoft is putting a stop to OneCare and implementing a new protection service called Morro. Morro will be free to all Windows users but will not be able to back up hard drives. Morro will offer free virus and malware protection to its Windows users. When Microsoft entered the PC security market, Symantec and McAfee were scared for their business, now that OneCare is on its way out, they can take a break from worrying. Another part of OneCare that contributed to its failure was that it was part of Windows Vista. Vista has a bad reputation with users and being that OneCare was for Vista, it didn’t do well.
In my opinion, Morro will be a better fit for Microsoft. Instead of charging for a program and trying to reach everyone worldwide, they are focusing on Windows users. Morro will be a good addition to the Windows operating system that will keep you PC safe. Not only will it keep your PC safe but it’s free with Windows.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Reading Response #5
Reading Response #5
“Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet”
By: Paul S. Piper
This article addresses the fake, hoax, and spoof websites on the internet. The internet is filled with websites like these that surfers may or may know about. One example of a hoax website that it gives is about Martin Luther King. The website is www.martinlutherking.org, which appears to be a legitimate website at first, especially with the .org ending. Once you locate the site and start reading the information, you will realize that the information on the site is either false or degrading to MLK. The creator of the site is actually a white supremacy group, Stormfront. An example that Piper gives as a spoof is www.whitehouse.com. At first glance, one would believe this site was actually about The White House, but when visiting the site you will soon learn that this is a pornographic website.
In my opinion some of these websites really bother me. The ones that bother me the most are the ones that show up after a tragedy. After 9/11 people started receiving emails asking for donations for the victims and their families. These emails were sent out immediately following the terrorist attack. Any person would fall for this especially after something as tragic as 9/11. The fact is that these donations were not going to any sort of relief fund, there were going into some hacker’s pocket. In my opinion, sites and emails like these are something that should be dealt with on a legal level with consequences. Piper gives a clue on how to avoid being sucked into a scheme. One thing he says is that a donation relief program will never send out emails in mass quantities and to go directly to the site that you want to donate to, not through email.
“Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet”
By: Paul S. Piper
This article addresses the fake, hoax, and spoof websites on the internet. The internet is filled with websites like these that surfers may or may know about. One example of a hoax website that it gives is about Martin Luther King. The website is www.martinlutherking.org, which appears to be a legitimate website at first, especially with the .org ending. Once you locate the site and start reading the information, you will realize that the information on the site is either false or degrading to MLK. The creator of the site is actually a white supremacy group, Stormfront. An example that Piper gives as a spoof is www.whitehouse.com. At first glance, one would believe this site was actually about The White House, but when visiting the site you will soon learn that this is a pornographic website.
In my opinion some of these websites really bother me. The ones that bother me the most are the ones that show up after a tragedy. After 9/11 people started receiving emails asking for donations for the victims and their families. These emails were sent out immediately following the terrorist attack. Any person would fall for this especially after something as tragic as 9/11. The fact is that these donations were not going to any sort of relief fund, there were going into some hacker’s pocket. In my opinion, sites and emails like these are something that should be dealt with on a legal level with consequences. Piper gives a clue on how to avoid being sucked into a scheme. One thing he says is that a donation relief program will never send out emails in mass quantities and to go directly to the site that you want to donate to, not through email.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Reading Response #4
Reading Response #4
“Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?”
By: Brock Read
This article by Brock Read is based on the accuracy of Wikipedia. This article gives great points on why the accuracy of Wikipedia is being questioned. These points include the sites refusal of giving priority to professors and established scholars. Another point is that of Wikipedia’s editing process. Anyone with access to the website can simply edit anything within an article about any topic. The editing process of Wikipedia is being stated as a “free-for-all” posting ground. Although the article is not completely negative towards Wikipedia, it also shows a comparison between Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia. The comparison showed that the two encyclopedias were surprisingly close in accuracy. The Encyclopedia Britannica articles averaged about three errors while Wikipedia posts on the same subjects had about four errors.
Wikipedia is popular with its users because it gives everyone a chance to share their own individual knowledge. Their knowledge is shared with the world without having to be an expert or professor. When it comes to my own experience with encyclopedias, I have usually been told to avoid Wikipedia by my professors. They have given the same reasons as why to avoid it; it may or may not be accurate information. I believe Wikipedia should not be used as a credible source but as a primary base. I believe Wikipedia should be used to get a basic idea on a certain topic or subject, since it is somewhat accurate and because of its convenience. Once Wikipedia has been used to get a general understanding about a topic then the more scholarly and credible sources should be used.
“Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?”
By: Brock Read
This article by Brock Read is based on the accuracy of Wikipedia. This article gives great points on why the accuracy of Wikipedia is being questioned. These points include the sites refusal of giving priority to professors and established scholars. Another point is that of Wikipedia’s editing process. Anyone with access to the website can simply edit anything within an article about any topic. The editing process of Wikipedia is being stated as a “free-for-all” posting ground. Although the article is not completely negative towards Wikipedia, it also shows a comparison between Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia. The comparison showed that the two encyclopedias were surprisingly close in accuracy. The Encyclopedia Britannica articles averaged about three errors while Wikipedia posts on the same subjects had about four errors.
Wikipedia is popular with its users because it gives everyone a chance to share their own individual knowledge. Their knowledge is shared with the world without having to be an expert or professor. When it comes to my own experience with encyclopedias, I have usually been told to avoid Wikipedia by my professors. They have given the same reasons as why to avoid it; it may or may not be accurate information. I believe Wikipedia should not be used as a credible source but as a primary base. I believe Wikipedia should be used to get a basic idea on a certain topic or subject, since it is somewhat accurate and because of its convenience. Once Wikipedia has been used to get a general understanding about a topic then the more scholarly and credible sources should be used.
Monday, October 27, 2008
News Report 4
News Report 4
Microsoft launches Windows Azure
By: CNET
url:
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20081027/tc_cnet/83011386031007600456
Earlier today, Monday, October 27, Microsoft announced a new version of Windows that runs over the internet from Microsoft’s own servers. This new version would allow access to these programs via the internet, rather than the company’s own databases. This concept gives developers a chance to write programs that are going to live inside Microsoft’s main data centers as compared to the businesses own servers. The announcement about Windows Azure was the first set of details on Windows 7, due out next January. “Microsoft itself plans to offer businesses the option of running over the Internet the kinds of software that has traditionally run on a company's own servers. Microsoft already sells its Exchange corporate e-mail software in this way, but that is just the beginning,” said Microsoft vice president Dave Thompson. "It's a transformation of our software and a transformation of our strategy," said Ray Ozzie, a computing industry pioneer who now serves as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect.
Microsoft is doing everything it can to stay at the top of the technological world. With Amazon and Google growing by the day, Microsoft is in a technological race to see who can outlast who. With the negative reaction to Windows Vista, Microsoft is trying very hard to make Windows 7 the best it can be. Windows 7 needs to be everything that Microsoft is building it up to be. In my opinion, I think Windows 7 will be better than ever. With Azure on the horizon, it looks very promising for Microsoft. The concept of being able to operate some of the programs over the internet, instead of off your own database is a very huge step in the internet game.
Microsoft launches Windows Azure
By: CNET
url:
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20081027/tc_cnet/83011386031007600456
Earlier today, Monday, October 27, Microsoft announced a new version of Windows that runs over the internet from Microsoft’s own servers. This new version would allow access to these programs via the internet, rather than the company’s own databases. This concept gives developers a chance to write programs that are going to live inside Microsoft’s main data centers as compared to the businesses own servers. The announcement about Windows Azure was the first set of details on Windows 7, due out next January. “Microsoft itself plans to offer businesses the option of running over the Internet the kinds of software that has traditionally run on a company's own servers. Microsoft already sells its Exchange corporate e-mail software in this way, but that is just the beginning,” said Microsoft vice president Dave Thompson. "It's a transformation of our software and a transformation of our strategy," said Ray Ozzie, a computing industry pioneer who now serves as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect.
Microsoft is doing everything it can to stay at the top of the technological world. With Amazon and Google growing by the day, Microsoft is in a technological race to see who can outlast who. With the negative reaction to Windows Vista, Microsoft is trying very hard to make Windows 7 the best it can be. Windows 7 needs to be everything that Microsoft is building it up to be. In my opinion, I think Windows 7 will be better than ever. With Azure on the horizon, it looks very promising for Microsoft. The concept of being able to operate some of the programs over the internet, instead of off your own database is a very huge step in the internet game.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Reading Response 3
Reading Response #3
“The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Alternative to Google”
By: Steven Bell
This article is one that seems to have a common theme to today’s average college student. The question that is addressed in this article is: how can library databases keep up with the simplicity of Google? When a student is trying to find sources for a paper or just researching a random fact, would if be easier for that student to Google it or research it through his or her library catalog? The answer is simple, it would be easier to Google it. That is what libraries across the country are trying to change. Libraries spend millions of dollars per year on different databases for students to use, but it seems as though students either want to take the easy way out or just don’t know how to use the catalogs. In the article it describes Google as “infobesity,” describing the results Google gives you as junk material. Google gives the researcher a ton of low quality results. By using the library catalog you are able to narrow the search to specific results and are able to find the exact article you are looking for. The only problem with the catalog is that it is time consuming. That is what librarians across the country are trying to solve, the time consumption of the catalog. One experiment that has come up is the “RedLightGreen” project. This project gives users a single search box, just as Google, to give researchers the simplicity of searching a broad topic. If libraries could get this sort of project to catch on it would greatly increases the amount of library catalog use, especially if libraries across the country used the same interface.
“The Infodiet: How Libraries Can Offer an Alternative to Google”
By: Steven Bell
This article is one that seems to have a common theme to today’s average college student. The question that is addressed in this article is: how can library databases keep up with the simplicity of Google? When a student is trying to find sources for a paper or just researching a random fact, would if be easier for that student to Google it or research it through his or her library catalog? The answer is simple, it would be easier to Google it. That is what libraries across the country are trying to change. Libraries spend millions of dollars per year on different databases for students to use, but it seems as though students either want to take the easy way out or just don’t know how to use the catalogs. In the article it describes Google as “infobesity,” describing the results Google gives you as junk material. Google gives the researcher a ton of low quality results. By using the library catalog you are able to narrow the search to specific results and are able to find the exact article you are looking for. The only problem with the catalog is that it is time consuming. That is what librarians across the country are trying to solve, the time consumption of the catalog. One experiment that has come up is the “RedLightGreen” project. This project gives users a single search box, just as Google, to give researchers the simplicity of searching a broad topic. If libraries could get this sort of project to catch on it would greatly increases the amount of library catalog use, especially if libraries across the country used the same interface.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
News Report 3
News Report 3
Wannabe Space Tourist Wants $21 Million Back Over Scuttled Mission
By David Kravets
url:
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2008/09/enomoto_lawsuit
Japanese Internet tycoon, Daisuke Enomoto, paid $21 million to a private firm with connections to the Russian Federal Space Agency, for a 10 day orbital sojourn that never happened. After Daisuke refused to give up more money the mission was scratched and his health was cited as the reason he was unable to make the mission. Now, Space Adventures is refusing to refund Daisuke his $21 million. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, tells a tale seeped in eye-popping sums of money, and allegations of the rich eating the rich in a bid to reach space, the final frontier.
Space Adventures is not refunding the money because in the contract that Daisuke signed with them, he was ineligible for a refund if he was unable to make the flight do to a health exam. In his first health exam that he passed and was cleared to fly, the exam showed he had kidney stones. Although the kidney stones were found he was still cleared to fly. Then in a second health exam, a month before the flight, Daisuke was scratched from the mission because his kidney stones had gotten bigger. Daisuke claims he was never informed or even showed results of his second health exam. In response to the complaint, Space Adventures said in a court filing Wednesday that, "Even if Enomoto could prove his unlikely claim that he was somehow misled, he suffered absolutely no damage from any misstatement because, as the complaint admits, the cause of his failure to fly was medical disqualification, not lack of authority."
Wannabe Space Tourist Wants $21 Million Back Over Scuttled Mission
By David Kravets
url:
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2008/09/enomoto_lawsuit
Japanese Internet tycoon, Daisuke Enomoto, paid $21 million to a private firm with connections to the Russian Federal Space Agency, for a 10 day orbital sojourn that never happened. After Daisuke refused to give up more money the mission was scratched and his health was cited as the reason he was unable to make the mission. Now, Space Adventures is refusing to refund Daisuke his $21 million. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, tells a tale seeped in eye-popping sums of money, and allegations of the rich eating the rich in a bid to reach space, the final frontier.
Space Adventures is not refunding the money because in the contract that Daisuke signed with them, he was ineligible for a refund if he was unable to make the flight do to a health exam. In his first health exam that he passed and was cleared to fly, the exam showed he had kidney stones. Although the kidney stones were found he was still cleared to fly. Then in a second health exam, a month before the flight, Daisuke was scratched from the mission because his kidney stones had gotten bigger. Daisuke claims he was never informed or even showed results of his second health exam. In response to the complaint, Space Adventures said in a court filing Wednesday that, "Even if Enomoto could prove his unlikely claim that he was somehow misled, he suffered absolutely no damage from any misstatement because, as the complaint admits, the cause of his failure to fly was medical disqualification, not lack of authority."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
News Report 2
News Report 2
Google CEO won't delay Yahoo deal any further
By: Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer, Sep 18, 1:51 AM EDT
url:
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/G/GOOGLE_SCHMIDT?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-09-18-01-51-24
“Google Inc.'s chief executive said Wednesday the Internet search leader won't delay its proposed advertising partnership with rival Yahoo Inc. even if government regulators need more time to assess whether the alliance will diminish competition.” Google and Yahoo are looking to merge their efforts together in the internet search engine world. The process has been slow and drawn out because if the merge is allowed to happen, it will give Google and Yahoo 80 percent of the U.S. market for advertising connected to Internet searches. Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, isn’t willing to wait longer than the October deadline he set for this deal to go through. “Time is money in our business,” as Schmidt told reporters in a seventy-five minute interview.
Antitrust regulators are taking a hard look at the partnership, and recently hired an outside lawyer to help review evidence in the case so far. Along with the lawyers delaying the process, Microsoft is lobbying hard for this deal not to go through. Google and Microsoft are big time rivals and Microsoft doesn’t want Google growing any bigger than it already is. Adding fuel to the fire, Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s last takeover deal offer of $47.5 billion or $33 per share, which left shareholders furious. Although Yahoo would rake in significantly more profits than Google, Google’s CEO still sees this as a bright and promising partnership.
I do not know what the government will decide about this deal because it will be a massive partnership that would control 80 percent of the market. If this deal goes through Microsoft could lose ground on the always growing Google empire.
Google CEO won't delay Yahoo deal any further
By: Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer, Sep 18, 1:51 AM EDT
url:
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/G/GOOGLE_SCHMIDT?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-09-18-01-51-24
“Google Inc.'s chief executive said Wednesday the Internet search leader won't delay its proposed advertising partnership with rival Yahoo Inc. even if government regulators need more time to assess whether the alliance will diminish competition.” Google and Yahoo are looking to merge their efforts together in the internet search engine world. The process has been slow and drawn out because if the merge is allowed to happen, it will give Google and Yahoo 80 percent of the U.S. market for advertising connected to Internet searches. Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, isn’t willing to wait longer than the October deadline he set for this deal to go through. “Time is money in our business,” as Schmidt told reporters in a seventy-five minute interview.
Antitrust regulators are taking a hard look at the partnership, and recently hired an outside lawyer to help review evidence in the case so far. Along with the lawyers delaying the process, Microsoft is lobbying hard for this deal not to go through. Google and Microsoft are big time rivals and Microsoft doesn’t want Google growing any bigger than it already is. Adding fuel to the fire, Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s last takeover deal offer of $47.5 billion or $33 per share, which left shareholders furious. Although Yahoo would rake in significantly more profits than Google, Google’s CEO still sees this as a bright and promising partnership.
I do not know what the government will decide about this deal because it will be a massive partnership that would control 80 percent of the market. If this deal goes through Microsoft could lose ground on the always growing Google empire.
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