Administrator
November 12, 2000, 07:19 pm
xe11
Member
posts: 36
(11/10/00 7:41:47 pm)
Pc rumors exposed - Software
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With software piracy on the rise , new OSes (operating systems) entering the market all the time, Microsoft’s legal troubles, and the resurgence of freeware, computer users are faced with more software-related myths than ever. Some have persisted since the heyday of Windows 95 (Win95) while others cropped up only recently. Some are true, and others are pure fantasy. We’ve looked into eight of the most prevalent software rumors to see if there is any truth behind any of them, and unfortunately, our research has uncovered some disturbing trends in this ever-changing market.
Rumor: Linux will usurp Windows as the operating system of choice.
Although more hardware and software than ever is being designed to support alternative operating systems, such as Linux, they still have a long way to go before they approach the universal compatibility and popularity of Microsoft’s OSes.
Linux has a lot going for it: its free, new graphical user interface standards have made it easier than ever to learn, and its open-source code means problems are solved with incredible rapidity. More and more businesses are finding that Linux offers the power, support, and extensibility they need, but that doesn’t change the fact that Linux has made very little progress as a client operating system when compared to the various versions of Windows. Microsoft has captured between 80% and 90% of the operating system market (depending on who you ask), so although Linux is getting a lot of press attention, it still is a niche operating system. At the LinuxWorld Conference in San Jose, Calif., in August, Linus Torvalds said he thought it would be years, 10 to 15 years, before home users use Linux in great numbers. He also admitted problems with the code and hoped his admission would spur developers to find solutions.
The main reason other operating systems haven’t made much headway and likely won’t is compatibility, or lack thereof. Software developers and hardware manufacturers tend to create products for Windows because they know those products will sell. It’s difficult for an operating system that accounts for only a small part of the market share to make a case for development. Because most companies have already standardized on Windows operating systems, it doesn’t make sense at this point for a business to use Linux exclusively because it runs the risk of not being able to easily exchange data with other companies and clients. Don’t expect Linux to become a prominent operating system anytime soon, except in specialized business applications.
Rumor: Freeware will cut into retail sales of software and possibly eliminate favorite applications such as Microsoft Office.
This scenario is possible but not probable. The best example was the launch of the StarOffice office suite. Sun Microsystems made this a free download, offered technical support, and is still creating new versions of the software. (Get a copy at www .sun.com/staroffice/get.html.) This is a full-fledged, integrated set of applications with word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, scheduling, presentation, and other programs.
It’s possible right now for anyone with Internet access to download free operating systems, free office suites, and freeware software of every kind, so why isn’t everyone doing it? Compatibility is the main reason, as mentioned during the Linux discussion. StarOffice may be able to open and edit Microsoft Office documents, but it will never offer complete compatibility, and it may never match the advanced features Microsoft’s suite offers. There’s also the issue of training. If all of a business’ employees are familiar with Corel products, there’s little incentive to train them on free software that may or may not be supported and upgraded in the future. Curious and frugal home users can reap the rewards of free software, but for the time being, it is unlikely to pose a threat to established retail products as far as businesses are concerned.
Rumor: You should never tamper with the Windows Registry.
Gaining a better understanding of the Registry so you can make changes is one of the most important things to focus on as you learn more about computers. Accessing and messing with Registry settings when you don’t know what you are doing is a big no-no, but the Registry is not the untamable and unstable beast that most Windows newbies picture it as.
The plain truth is that few users will ever need to manually make direct changes to the Registry. This mystical file is simply a large database that contains user information, program and hardware settings, Windows preferences, and things like that. You could, for example, dig into the Registry and change the resolution of your Desktop, but why do that when you can open Display Properties and use the resolution slider to make the changes?
Many of the advanced settings that used to be controlled by directly accessing the Registry are now accessible by using the graphical (and user-friendly) Tweak UI utility that comes on the Win98 CD-ROM. Insert your Win98 CD into the drive and look for Tweakui.inf in the D TOOLS\ RESKIT\ POWERTOY directory. Right-click the file and choose Install, then access Tweak UI by clicking Start, choosing Settings, clicking Control Panel, and double-clicking the Tweak UI icon. Win95 users can download a copy of Tweak UI by going to www.microsoft.com/windows/down (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/down) loads, scrolling down to Power & Kernel Toys, and clicking Windows 95 Power Toys Set.
Always, at the very least, make a backup of the Registry before you try try an irresistible Registry trick, so you can undo any accidental damage. Click Start, then Run and type Scanregw in the Open box. Follow the prompts to make a quick backup.
Rumor: Software for rent will replace software for sale as the dominant distribution method.
This actually could happen someday because many new companies that rent software applications to small and medium businesses are having much success. One example is eALITY (www.eality.com), which rents human resource, time reporting, expense, and other business software to clients. Its service relies on the Internet, as the applications and data reside on eALITY’s servers while customers access the software over the Internet from their client PCs. The company basically rents out administrative tools that can dramatically cut down on a small company’s overall operating expenses, and it bases its subscription costs on the number of employees a company has. Some ASPs (Application Service Providers) charge based on the amount of time you use applications or the number of times you access them.
Another model involves renting CD-ROMs, as you might with videotape. A big obstacle for software rentals on CD-ROM is the widespread availability of CD-R (CD-recordable) drives, which renters can use to copy the software before returning it to the store. Many companies are introducing new technology that makes the copying process impossible (or at least much more difficult), making PC software rentals viable. One of the leaders in the initiative is Blockbuster, which has been testing a computer game rental system for over a year that should be rolled out in most major cities by the time you read this. Using the system, you “purchase” a CD-ROM with the game on it for about six dollars. You can install and play the game for three to five days and when the rental period expires, you must purchase additional time or shell out the cash to buy the game outright. Purchasing the game unlocks it permanently, allowing unlimited play access.
Subscription services, where users pay monthly or yearly fees for automatic software upgrades and updates directly from the manufacturer, could obviate the need for trips to the software store. As broadband Internet access becomes more prevalent, you’ll likely see all types of software distributed over the Internet. This should lower the overall cost of software because companies will no longer have to manufacture CDs and further pump up the price of the software to cover shipping costs. But until most Internet users can routinely download hundreds of megabytes of software in a reasonable amount of time, rentals and standard retail sales will remain the norm.
Rumor: Installing AOL (America Online) wreaks havoc on systems, to the point of deleting other ISP (Internet service provider) software.
We’ve used AOL in conjunction with other ISP software and have never had a problem either installing or uninstalling any version of AOL. Currently the machine this article is being written on has AOL 5.0, Microsoft Network (MSN), NetZero, Juno, and Freei software installed. AOL 5.0 has been removed and reinstalled for various reasons three times now, and the process has never disturbed the other ISP software we have installed.
It’s likely this rumor cropped up because AOL changes some default Internet settings when it is installed, which can make it appear that other ISP software is not functioning. If you select AOL as your default ISP software during installation, it will launch every time you fire up your browser, e-mail software, or any other application that automatically connects to the Internet. If you uninstall AOL while it is configured as the default ISP, Windows may retain those settings, meaning it won’t look to your other ISP software when another application calls for an Internet connection. It’s usually easiest to simply reinstall the ISP software you want to establish as the default, although it pays to look at the ISP software’s help documentation to see if there is a standard procedure for associating it with all of your Internet applications.
Rumor: You can safely empty out your Temp files on a regular basis.
This rumor is true most of the time but could get you in trouble. The files are stored in the C WINDOWS/TEMP folder. Applications temporarily create Temp files, but they aren’t necessary for Windows to operate. The files typically are deleted when the application that created them is closed, and the contents of the TEMP folder theoretically are deleted every time you shut down the computer.
Because the files are deleted automatically, there usually is no reason to empty the TEMP folder, but sometimes files and directories get stuck in there. Every few weeks you should shut down all your open applications, open the TEMP folder, click Select All on the Edit menu, and press DELETE. Confirm all of the prompts to make sure everything is cleared out. If a program is accessing one of the Temp files, you won’t be able to delete it. Close the program (you may have to press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, select it from the Close Program dialog box, and click End Task) and repeat the procedure to erase all of the Temp files. We hadn’t checked our folder in a few months and had over 30MB (megabytes) of useless files hanging out in there.
After emptying the TEMP folder, your Internet connection may run slowly because some Web sire pages are no longer cached. You may have to enter passwords that formerly auto-completed when you entered the first few letters because temporary Internet files are stored both in your TEMP directory and the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder. It’s also safe to delete the contents of the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder, but your Web browser does this regularly.
Rumor: If Windows came pre-installed on your PC, the Windows CD-ROM doesn’t contain all of the files required for a complete reinstallation of Windows.
Actually, few PC manufacturers ship systems with a complete Windows CD-ROM. Many of the notebooks we have tested this year came with full Win98 CD-ROMs, but a surprising number of desktop systems and notebooks came with a version of Windows preinstalled and a recovery CD. The efficacy of the recovery CD varies from company to company; some restore Windows while leaving all of your installed and created files intact while others reformat the entire hard drive, deleting all of its contents before reinstalling Windows to the pristine state it was in when your system first came out of the box.
The recovery CDs we’ve encountered only work with the PCs they were shipped with. We recommend asking the vendor who is selling you a PC whether or not the hardware comes with a complete Windows CD, but be prepared for a negative response. Look for an article about making sense of Windows CDs in the upcoming De It’s easy to get past the password protection in Win9x.
This is accurate. If you’ve configured Win9x to prompt you for a password when you boot up (or you log in as a different user while Windows is running), it’s pretty secure. Unless someone knows your password, the login message will reappear and unauthorized users won’t be able to access your Windows account, although they can click Cancel to access the Windows Desktop.
When you establish a password, it is saved in a file that has a .PWL (Windows Password List) extension. This PWL file is encrypted, so if you open it with a text editor and attempt to read the contents, they will be a garbled, unidentifiable mess. When you attempt to log in to Win9x, it checks the information you enter against the information stored in the PWL file, and if the two match up, you’re granted access.
The problem is, a savvy user can bypass Windows when the computer is booting and boot into DOS instead, which gives them access to the files on your hard drive, including the PWL files. All they have to do is delete all of the PWL files and reboot the PC. The Win9x login screen will appear, but since it has no PWL files to refer to, it will ask you to establish a new password. The friend or foe accessing your computer can create a new password and lock you out of your own user account. Of course, all you have to do is delete the PWL files as he did (this trick also helps users who legitimately forget their passwords), but if you want to truly protect your PC you’ll want to consider a third-party program that offers better security.
Member
posts: 36
(11/10/00 7:41:47 pm)
Pc rumors exposed - Software
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With software piracy on the rise , new OSes (operating systems) entering the market all the time, Microsoft’s legal troubles, and the resurgence of freeware, computer users are faced with more software-related myths than ever. Some have persisted since the heyday of Windows 95 (Win95) while others cropped up only recently. Some are true, and others are pure fantasy. We’ve looked into eight of the most prevalent software rumors to see if there is any truth behind any of them, and unfortunately, our research has uncovered some disturbing trends in this ever-changing market.
Rumor: Linux will usurp Windows as the operating system of choice.
Although more hardware and software than ever is being designed to support alternative operating systems, such as Linux, they still have a long way to go before they approach the universal compatibility and popularity of Microsoft’s OSes.
Linux has a lot going for it: its free, new graphical user interface standards have made it easier than ever to learn, and its open-source code means problems are solved with incredible rapidity. More and more businesses are finding that Linux offers the power, support, and extensibility they need, but that doesn’t change the fact that Linux has made very little progress as a client operating system when compared to the various versions of Windows. Microsoft has captured between 80% and 90% of the operating system market (depending on who you ask), so although Linux is getting a lot of press attention, it still is a niche operating system. At the LinuxWorld Conference in San Jose, Calif., in August, Linus Torvalds said he thought it would be years, 10 to 15 years, before home users use Linux in great numbers. He also admitted problems with the code and hoped his admission would spur developers to find solutions.
The main reason other operating systems haven’t made much headway and likely won’t is compatibility, or lack thereof. Software developers and hardware manufacturers tend to create products for Windows because they know those products will sell. It’s difficult for an operating system that accounts for only a small part of the market share to make a case for development. Because most companies have already standardized on Windows operating systems, it doesn’t make sense at this point for a business to use Linux exclusively because it runs the risk of not being able to easily exchange data with other companies and clients. Don’t expect Linux to become a prominent operating system anytime soon, except in specialized business applications.
Rumor: Freeware will cut into retail sales of software and possibly eliminate favorite applications such as Microsoft Office.
This scenario is possible but not probable. The best example was the launch of the StarOffice office suite. Sun Microsystems made this a free download, offered technical support, and is still creating new versions of the software. (Get a copy at www .sun.com/staroffice/get.html.) This is a full-fledged, integrated set of applications with word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail, scheduling, presentation, and other programs.
It’s possible right now for anyone with Internet access to download free operating systems, free office suites, and freeware software of every kind, so why isn’t everyone doing it? Compatibility is the main reason, as mentioned during the Linux discussion. StarOffice may be able to open and edit Microsoft Office documents, but it will never offer complete compatibility, and it may never match the advanced features Microsoft’s suite offers. There’s also the issue of training. If all of a business’ employees are familiar with Corel products, there’s little incentive to train them on free software that may or may not be supported and upgraded in the future. Curious and frugal home users can reap the rewards of free software, but for the time being, it is unlikely to pose a threat to established retail products as far as businesses are concerned.
Rumor: You should never tamper with the Windows Registry.
Gaining a better understanding of the Registry so you can make changes is one of the most important things to focus on as you learn more about computers. Accessing and messing with Registry settings when you don’t know what you are doing is a big no-no, but the Registry is not the untamable and unstable beast that most Windows newbies picture it as.
The plain truth is that few users will ever need to manually make direct changes to the Registry. This mystical file is simply a large database that contains user information, program and hardware settings, Windows preferences, and things like that. You could, for example, dig into the Registry and change the resolution of your Desktop, but why do that when you can open Display Properties and use the resolution slider to make the changes?
Many of the advanced settings that used to be controlled by directly accessing the Registry are now accessible by using the graphical (and user-friendly) Tweak UI utility that comes on the Win98 CD-ROM. Insert your Win98 CD into the drive and look for Tweakui.inf in the D TOOLS\ RESKIT\ POWERTOY directory. Right-click the file and choose Install, then access Tweak UI by clicking Start, choosing Settings, clicking Control Panel, and double-clicking the Tweak UI icon. Win95 users can download a copy of Tweak UI by going to www.microsoft.com/windows/down (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/down) loads, scrolling down to Power & Kernel Toys, and clicking Windows 95 Power Toys Set.
Always, at the very least, make a backup of the Registry before you try try an irresistible Registry trick, so you can undo any accidental damage. Click Start, then Run and type Scanregw in the Open box. Follow the prompts to make a quick backup.
Rumor: Software for rent will replace software for sale as the dominant distribution method.
This actually could happen someday because many new companies that rent software applications to small and medium businesses are having much success. One example is eALITY (www.eality.com), which rents human resource, time reporting, expense, and other business software to clients. Its service relies on the Internet, as the applications and data reside on eALITY’s servers while customers access the software over the Internet from their client PCs. The company basically rents out administrative tools that can dramatically cut down on a small company’s overall operating expenses, and it bases its subscription costs on the number of employees a company has. Some ASPs (Application Service Providers) charge based on the amount of time you use applications or the number of times you access them.
Another model involves renting CD-ROMs, as you might with videotape. A big obstacle for software rentals on CD-ROM is the widespread availability of CD-R (CD-recordable) drives, which renters can use to copy the software before returning it to the store. Many companies are introducing new technology that makes the copying process impossible (or at least much more difficult), making PC software rentals viable. One of the leaders in the initiative is Blockbuster, which has been testing a computer game rental system for over a year that should be rolled out in most major cities by the time you read this. Using the system, you “purchase” a CD-ROM with the game on it for about six dollars. You can install and play the game for three to five days and when the rental period expires, you must purchase additional time or shell out the cash to buy the game outright. Purchasing the game unlocks it permanently, allowing unlimited play access.
Subscription services, where users pay monthly or yearly fees for automatic software upgrades and updates directly from the manufacturer, could obviate the need for trips to the software store. As broadband Internet access becomes more prevalent, you’ll likely see all types of software distributed over the Internet. This should lower the overall cost of software because companies will no longer have to manufacture CDs and further pump up the price of the software to cover shipping costs. But until most Internet users can routinely download hundreds of megabytes of software in a reasonable amount of time, rentals and standard retail sales will remain the norm.
Rumor: Installing AOL (America Online) wreaks havoc on systems, to the point of deleting other ISP (Internet service provider) software.
We’ve used AOL in conjunction with other ISP software and have never had a problem either installing or uninstalling any version of AOL. Currently the machine this article is being written on has AOL 5.0, Microsoft Network (MSN), NetZero, Juno, and Freei software installed. AOL 5.0 has been removed and reinstalled for various reasons three times now, and the process has never disturbed the other ISP software we have installed.
It’s likely this rumor cropped up because AOL changes some default Internet settings when it is installed, which can make it appear that other ISP software is not functioning. If you select AOL as your default ISP software during installation, it will launch every time you fire up your browser, e-mail software, or any other application that automatically connects to the Internet. If you uninstall AOL while it is configured as the default ISP, Windows may retain those settings, meaning it won’t look to your other ISP software when another application calls for an Internet connection. It’s usually easiest to simply reinstall the ISP software you want to establish as the default, although it pays to look at the ISP software’s help documentation to see if there is a standard procedure for associating it with all of your Internet applications.
Rumor: You can safely empty out your Temp files on a regular basis.
This rumor is true most of the time but could get you in trouble. The files are stored in the C WINDOWS/TEMP folder. Applications temporarily create Temp files, but they aren’t necessary for Windows to operate. The files typically are deleted when the application that created them is closed, and the contents of the TEMP folder theoretically are deleted every time you shut down the computer.
Because the files are deleted automatically, there usually is no reason to empty the TEMP folder, but sometimes files and directories get stuck in there. Every few weeks you should shut down all your open applications, open the TEMP folder, click Select All on the Edit menu, and press DELETE. Confirm all of the prompts to make sure everything is cleared out. If a program is accessing one of the Temp files, you won’t be able to delete it. Close the program (you may have to press CTRL-ALT-DELETE, select it from the Close Program dialog box, and click End Task) and repeat the procedure to erase all of the Temp files. We hadn’t checked our folder in a few months and had over 30MB (megabytes) of useless files hanging out in there.
After emptying the TEMP folder, your Internet connection may run slowly because some Web sire pages are no longer cached. You may have to enter passwords that formerly auto-completed when you entered the first few letters because temporary Internet files are stored both in your TEMP directory and the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder. It’s also safe to delete the contents of the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES folder, but your Web browser does this regularly.
Rumor: If Windows came pre-installed on your PC, the Windows CD-ROM doesn’t contain all of the files required for a complete reinstallation of Windows.
Actually, few PC manufacturers ship systems with a complete Windows CD-ROM. Many of the notebooks we have tested this year came with full Win98 CD-ROMs, but a surprising number of desktop systems and notebooks came with a version of Windows preinstalled and a recovery CD. The efficacy of the recovery CD varies from company to company; some restore Windows while leaving all of your installed and created files intact while others reformat the entire hard drive, deleting all of its contents before reinstalling Windows to the pristine state it was in when your system first came out of the box.
The recovery CDs we’ve encountered only work with the PCs they were shipped with. We recommend asking the vendor who is selling you a PC whether or not the hardware comes with a complete Windows CD, but be prepared for a negative response. Look for an article about making sense of Windows CDs in the upcoming De It’s easy to get past the password protection in Win9x.
This is accurate. If you’ve configured Win9x to prompt you for a password when you boot up (or you log in as a different user while Windows is running), it’s pretty secure. Unless someone knows your password, the login message will reappear and unauthorized users won’t be able to access your Windows account, although they can click Cancel to access the Windows Desktop.
When you establish a password, it is saved in a file that has a .PWL (Windows Password List) extension. This PWL file is encrypted, so if you open it with a text editor and attempt to read the contents, they will be a garbled, unidentifiable mess. When you attempt to log in to Win9x, it checks the information you enter against the information stored in the PWL file, and if the two match up, you’re granted access.
The problem is, a savvy user can bypass Windows when the computer is booting and boot into DOS instead, which gives them access to the files on your hard drive, including the PWL files. All they have to do is delete all of the PWL files and reboot the PC. The Win9x login screen will appear, but since it has no PWL files to refer to, it will ask you to establish a new password. The friend or foe accessing your computer can create a new password and lock you out of your own user account. Of course, all you have to do is delete the PWL files as he did (this trick also helps users who legitimately forget their passwords), but if you want to truly protect your PC you’ll want to consider a third-party program that offers better security.