2004 January

“Linux software seller Lindows.com announced it plans to distribute its LindowsLive operating system for free via peer-to-peer networks.”

“Scientists have created a new form of matter, which they say could lead to new ways of transmitting electricity. The fermionic condensate is a cloud of cold potassium atoms forced into a state where they behave strangely.
The new matter is the sixth known form of matter after solids, liquids, gases, plasma and a Bose-Einstein condensate, […]

“A pining Chihuahua dog has been lured out of mourning by a life-size cardboard cut-out of his dead best friend.
Fourteen-inch tall Sandy has spent hours grieving for his old friend Rosie who passed away at the beginning of January.
When she died two weeks ago he slept all day, barely ate and gazed longingly at her […]

If you’ve ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you’ve probably seen the ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ skit. Sometimes, life does indeed imitate art. As much as Microsoft would love for you to toss out your old copies of Windows 98 like the old man in that sketch, if you listen closely enough you […]

“…But falling prey to a hacker or a cracker is much more personal. It implies that there was some kind of vulnerability in your network that allowed an intruder access to your data.
Well, as they say, knowledge is power. The more you understand how a hacker operates, the better your chances for thwarting intrusions. TechRepublic […]

Free registration required to read the article.
“What is a hacker?
The term has been bastardized so much that it’s hard to tell. For purposes of this piece, a hacker is used to describe a person who breaks into computers without permission and likely commits other crimes after that.”

“David Bradley spent five minutes writing the computer code that has bailed out the world’s PC users for decades. The result was one of the most well-known key combinations around: CtrlAltDelete. It forces obstinate computers to restart when they will no longer follow other commands. Bradley, 55, is getting a new start of his own. […]

“Microsoft garnered kudos from security experts this week when it announced it would release a software update that modifies a long-protested default behavior of Internet Explorer (IE) 3.0 and later versions.
IE’s handling of user information in HTTP and HTTPS URLs allows Windows Explorer and IE to open HTTP and HTTPS sites by using a […]

Speaking of online music, Napster is rolling out a new version that will accommodate an expanded array of portable players, including Creative’s well-regarded Nomad line, Dell’s Digital Jukebox and multiple products from MP3-device pioneer Rio, from within the service. Needless to say, the “full integration” of Napster’s own player (co-branded with Samsung) continues apace. Napster’s […]

Napster President/COO Mike Bebel is leaving his post. Brad Duea, formerly VP of International Business Development for the newly launched online music sedrvice, has been named President. Former Sr. VP Operations Laura Goldberg takes over Bebel’s COO role, reporting to Duea, who’ll report to Roxio Chairman/CEO Chris Gorog. Glenn Kaino has been upped to Chief […]

WeatherBug has announced that meteorologist Ryan Towell will pen a Groundhog Day blog chronicling his adventures shadowing Punxsutawney Phil. Towell will travel this weekend from WeatherBug Headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in the WeatherBug Storm Tracker Truck, a wireless weather monitoring station on wheels. Both the WeatherBug Groundhog Blog and the desktop application […]

“SYMPTOMS
When you run a .NET Framework application, it may stop responding (hang). This problem may occur when you start the application from the following Windows Registry key to run it during the startup of Microsoft Windows XP:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
CAUSE
This problem occurs because of a problem with a WaitForSingleObject function call in the GDI+ library. Sometimes GDI+ […]

SYMPTOMS
After you apply the hotfix in Knowledge Base article 828026, some URL script commands do not work as expected.
The update in this article also discusses an issue with the installer that can cause 100% CPU utilization in certain scenarios.

“The Federal Trade Commission and regulatory agencies in 26 countries warned hundreds of thousands of computer users Thursday they were unwittingly helping people who send floods of unwanted e-mails.”

“Gateway plans to acquire rival eMachines in a bid to regain its footing in the PC game and broaden the distribution of its Gateway-branded consumer-electronics devices at retail.”

“REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 29, 2004 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will pay a $250,000 (U.S.) reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of those responsible for unleashing the MyDoom.B worm. MyDoom.B, detected yesterday, is a variant of the earlier released MyDoom.A worm, also known as the Novarg worm, which has […]

“How does a software giant resolve a dispute with a teenager? It gives him a game console, of course.
That, at least, was one component of the settlement announced yesterday by Microsoft Corp. in the case of the Canadian teenager named Mike Rowe who was using the Web site mikerowesoft.com in alleged violation of the company’s […]

“He can’t say he wasn’t warned. In June, 2002, when Darl McBride was getting ready to take over as chief executive at struggling Caldera International Inc. in Lindon, Utah — later renamed SCO Group Inc. — he mused that claiming ownership of some of the underlying code in the popular Linux computer operating system could […]

“The already fast-spreading MyDoom or Novarg mass-mailing virus got a boost from an effective variant that hit about two days after the original virus was discovered.
The new variant, called MyDoom.B or Novarg.B, is also a mass-mailing worm but contains a few nasty twists. Like MyDoom.A, the variant harvests e-mail addresses from various places, loads […]

With the computer maker in the unusual position as market leader, competitors are rushing to close the gap in the field of digital music. But no one has yet introduced a product that is as easy and useful as the iPod and its companion music store, iTunes, analysts say. Roxio’s Creator 7 will be the […]