dawgiestyle

02/26/05: Why You Should Dump Internet Explorer

Looks like I have a bit of a theme going today. It is unintentional, but I hope it serves to strengthen the message. Dump Internet Explorer now!

This article makes some very good points that every IE user should read.

02/26/05: Firefox dusted down with security upgrade

I actually found this article after I posted the last one, so I'm not merely trying to boost my post count, though this does help.

The update addresses a recent security flaw involving download dialogue boxes and a code injection vulnerability as well as a number of other bugs listed here. The Mozilla Foundation has also changed the way its browser renders international characters in domain names in order to guard against possible phishing risks.

Keep the updates coming :)

02/26/05: Mozilla Battens the Hatches Against IE 7.0

This is exactly what the browser market needed. Competition. Well, hang on a second...what I mean is this is exactly what Microsoft needs to improve their products. Mozilla, I believe, will strive for a safe, secure, and superior browser no matter what the competition.

In an interview with eWEEK.com, Mozilla director of engineering Chris Hoffman said the Foundation plans to add another staffer to join Dan Veditz, a long-time Mozilla contributor and ex-Netscape employee who now serves as lead engineer for security.

The bottom line is this is good news all around. Personally, I wouldn't care about people using IE if it didn't cause all the problems it does. It isn't my concern if somebody wants to use an inferior product, but when it starts affecting me indirectly, I have a real problem with it.

02/13/05: Microsoft Plots Fixes to IE Browser

It seems Microsoft is feeling the pressure from Firefox.

Microsoft Corp. recently held a secret Webcast with some of its closest partners to discuss ways in which the company might improve its Internet Explorer browser and customer confidence in the platform.

As far as I'm concerned, they've already lost. When the only motivation for improvement is loss of market share, you're playing a losing strategy. On top of this, IE can only be fixed superficially without having to modify the entire operating system; so most likely, it will not be "fixed" until the release of longhorn sometime between 2006 and 2020. And even then, who would actually believe that all its problems have been solved? Sure, improving the browser is possible (there is definitely room for improvement), but improving customer confidence is quite a different matter. First, make it stop installing every piece of spyware that asks to be installed, then you can start thinking about improving customer confidence. Good luck with that! *snicker*

02/12/05: Google Offers to Host Wikipedia

The Google folks have been busy lately. It seems like I am hearing about a new Google project every other day. The latest news is their offering to host Wikipedia, free and with no strings attached.

Although exact terms of Google's offer have not be publicly disclosed, Wiki Media's board of directors is considering a deal and plans to meet with Google in March. The foundation did say that Google will not insert its text based advertising on Wikipedia.

This could be great for Wikipedia, which is having a hard time sustaining its growth. At the same time though, there is something in the back of my mind that is making me at least a little bit uneasy about Google's explosion of activity. Who knows? It isn't unheard of for companies to do something out of the goodness of their hearts.

02/01/05: Google Targets Internet Domains

I first read this news yesterday at nethub.org, and now today at eweek. Google has taken the first step towards selling domain names.

Google on Friday officially became a registrar after completing a contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit body that oversees the Domain Name System, ICANN officials confirmed.

Oddly, they apparently do not plan on offering domain registration services. Not right away, at least.

"Google has become a domain name registrar to learn more about the Internet's domain name system," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. "While we have no plans to register domains at this time, we believe this information can help us increase the quality of our search results."

To me, Google seem to be posturing themselves to be a complete one-stop shop. Not the kind with the crappy no-name products either. With Blogger and Gmail already in their bag of tricks, they obviously don't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Here's to hoping they keep it real.

01/30/05: LookAhead Firefox Extension

I found out about this extension at thinkblog.org, and it is pretty sweet. Kind of a variation on the built in Google search bar.

I don't have anything to add to what Michael says about it in his post. I'm just spreading the word :)

Thanks for the tip Michael!

01/29/05: Google vs. Yahoo!

Geekblog is getting added to my favorite blogs. Anand, I'm not trying to trackback every post, honest!

Actually, I found this post extremely educational. Most people now take for granted that Google is the best search engine to use, but according to this article, Yahoo! May! Now! Be! On! Equal! Footing! (Sorry to anybody sensitive about mocking yahoo's use of the exclamation point.)

I don't think I will ever completely abandon Google, but there are many occasions where I just don't find what I am looking for on Google. Anand's tests seem to suggest that Yahoo's results can be more wide-ranging, which in many cases means a better chance of finding answers that aren't necessarily the most popular.

01/28/05: Firefox FUD is Born

I knew it would happen. Apparently, Microsoft zealots do exist, and they are here to tell you that you should consider yourself lucky to have arbitrary code from the internet executed automatically on your pc. Groklaw has the story:

Unbelievably enough, a Jupiter analyst, Michael Gertenberg, has written an opinion piece which ComputerWorld, unbelievably enough, has printed, cautioning businesses that they might want to think twice about switching from IE to Firefox because "Firefox lacks the ability to run Microsoft ActiveX code."

Go read the article. It includes an email from a Groklaw reader responding to Mr. Gertenberg in an attempt to set the lost one straight.

I am certainly open to criticism regarding the software I use, the scripts I write, or pretty much anything else, but within reason. Tell me that any other browser is better than Firefox and I will respect your opinion, but telling me that Internet Explorer is better than Firefox because it executes code automatically, well, that'll just get you laughed at.

01/27/05: MySQL 'Bot' Attacks Windows Systems

Malicious hackers have launched a zero-day bot attack against default Windows installations of the MySQL database engine, infecting vulnerable systems at the rate of 100 per minute, security experts warned on Thursday.

One-hundred systems per minute. The good news is if you use strong root passwords, you should be safe.

The SANS ISC recommends that MySQL users select a strong password for the "root" account on Windows installations. Administrators should also set up restricted access to root accounts and apply firewall rules to make sure MySQL servers are not exposed to attackers.

This is really a no-brainer, but it seems that some still think these rules don't apply to them. The responsible users, on the other hand, have long since realized that if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem - perfectly illustrated with this incident.

I often wonder why some people continue to run windows. This is actually not a direct crack at MS, so bear with me. I have encountered individuals who run MySQL, cygwin for bash scripts, PHP, and Apache all on their windows box. What? I know, its crazy. Interestingly, these are often the same people who continue to ignore security concerns, and who will eventually ruin the internet for the rest of us.