The SANS Institute Internet Storm Center points out Apple's Monthly OS X Security Patch with goodies for everyone, including patches that address recent Safari issues and the flaw in Launch Services that allowed "safe" file types to launch unsafe executables. Get patching!
9:20:17 PM comment []
Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley reports FoxPro Faithful Await Microsoft 'Sedna'. "This week, FoxPro developers received a first test build of a new set of technologies, code-named Sedna, designed to make FoxPro interoperable with Windows Vista, Office 2007 and .Net."
"Visual FoxPro developers, oft-overlooked by Microsoft, are about to get an infusion of new technologies aimed at making the FoxPro language interoperable with Windows Vista, Office 2007 and .Net."
8:36:29 PM comment []
OSNews points to two articles that juxtapose in a Point-CounterPoint fashion. What I read: in the first piece, the author is desperately trying to prove that Windows sucks less than before. Bugs are fixed. Bad driver models replaced. Security is tightened. This is incremental improvement, laudable, expected, but not compelling, and not worth the cost of the update, nor the incredibly long wait. Microsoft themselves have admitted that Vista sales will come through the purchase of new machines, not upgrades. This isn't market choice, it's monopolistic behavior.
The second article argues that Vista is a mess, and I agree. It's not an operating system, it's a software bundle that includes yet another incompatible operating system kernel, a new GUI engine and interface, and new half-apps (bundled applications with the good features removed).
It's funny. In some ways, I see a parallel between Microsoft shipping this huge bunch of stuff (Media Players, backup software, networking, GUI, web browser, game subsystem, kernel) and cable TV providers shipping bundles of cable channels. Each insists it would be too hard or expensive to unbundle and provide the customer with a la carte choice. Each backs this up with some pretty questionable claims.
It's about choice.
Why Windows Vista Won't Suck. "There's a lot of confusion about Windows Vista these days. Many online discussion forums have a great number of users who express no desire to upgrade to Vista. Sure, we've all seen the screenshots and maybe a video or two of Vista in action, but for many it only seems like new tricks for an old dog. Yeah, it's got some fancy 3D effects in the interface, but OS X has been doing that for years now, and it's still Windows underneath, right? The sentiment seems to be that Vista is another Windows ME. Perhaps part of the problem is that people just don't know what Vista has in store for them."
Also from OSNews, Why Windows Needs to Go Back to Basics. "Once upon a time, operating systems managed the resources of computers, and that was about it. But after the PC revolution, most software makers started subscribing to the theory that bigger means better. But does it?"
10:20:50 AM comment []
Computerworld News notes Apple unveils Intel-powered Mac minis. "Apple Computer's Mac mini became the company's latest offering to make the transition to Intel processors today, with one of the two new models featuring a dual-core chip."
Quick summary: Intel single-core 1.5 MHz, 512 Mb, 60 Gb, read-only DVD for $600. Intel dual-core 1.67, 512, 80, DVD-write, $800. Great boxes with infrared interfaces for remote control, could be neat system to add to your home theater stack.
9:41:18 AM comment []
Xaraya is an extensible, Open Source web application framework written in PHP and licensed under the GNU General Public License. Xaraya delivers the requisite infrastructure and tools to create custom web applications that include fully dynamic multi-platform Content Mangement Solutions (CMS). Xaraya's modular, database independent architecture introduces tools that separate form, function, content, and design with on-the-fly extensions allowing greater control and versatility.
Jonathan will present an overview of Xaraya, its architecture, core modules, and extension modules, including a brief demonstration how to get started developing web sites using the Xaraya platform. Examples will be used from current live web sites.
Jonathan is principal of Parkerhill Technology Group, a strategic management and web development firm, and has over 25 years of entrepreneurial and technical experience ranging from small start-ups to multinational corporations. He holds a Masters degree in Media Technology from MIT, and serves on several boards including the Software Assocation of NH (SwANH), Amoskaeg Business Incubator in Manchester NH, MIT Enterprise Forum of NH, and North Country Council CEDS (economic development strategy). Jonathan lives in northern Grafton County on a retired dairy farm with his wife and 4 young children.
7:55:08 AM comment []
