Technology giant, IBM, is soon to launch a multimedia browser to make audio and video content accessible to people with vision impairments.
Codenamed the Accessibility Browser - or A-Browser - the software was created by a blind employee in Japan.
The A-Browser will give blind and partially-sighted people the same control over multimedia content that sighted people have using a mouse.
IBM says it will be available later this year and hopes it will be free.
The A-Browser is the creation of Dr Chieko Asakawa, a blind employee at IBM's research laboratory in Tokyo.
Dr Asakawa was becoming increasingly frustrated by the amount of web content that she was unable to access.
For the time being, she and her team are concentrating on content that is compatible with Real Player and Windows Media Player.
Cross-talk
Screen readers and self-talking browsers are not able to deal with video and animation, some of which starts playing as soon as a page is loaded.
This often interferes with the synthesised speech output from the screen-reader software.
Using the A-Browser, a vision-impaired person can control media content by using predefined shortcut keys, rather than having to look for the control buttons using a mouse.
The browser also allows video to be slowed down, speeded up and can accommodate an additional audio description or narration track that is often included to make films and television programmes more comprehensible to blind people.
The volume controls also allow the user to adjust the sound of various sources independently - for example the main audio track, an audio description track and output from a screen reader.
"We're beginning to look at accessibility as a very important business area," said Frances West, director of IBM's Human Ability and Accessibility Centre.
"This is not just from a social responsibility standpoint, but with ageing baby-boomers we think that such technology could really benefit the population in general because all of us will be on this ageing journey."
The company plans to "open source" its new accessibility software in order to make it available to the largest possible number of people.
It is estimated that there are more than 160m blind and partially-sighted people around the world who could benefit from such a development.
IBM has not yet decided whether the A-Browser will have a worldwide launch or whether it will be introduced in selected countries first.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
LAPTOP
A laptop computer, or simply laptop (also notebook computer or notebook), is a small mobile computer, which usually weighs 2.2-18 pounds (1-6 kilograms), depending on size, materials, and other factors.
While the terms laptop and notebook are often used interchangeably, "laptop" is the older term, introduced in 1983 with the Gavilan SC. "Notebook computer" is a later coinage, which was used to differentiate smaller devices such as those of the NEC UltraLite and Compaq LTE series in 1989, which were, in contrast to previous laptops, the approximate size of an A4 or letter size paper sheet.[1] The terms are imprecise: due to heat and other issues, many laptops are inappropriate for use on one's lap, and most notebooks are not the size of typical letter or A4 paper notebook. Although some older portable computers, such as the Macintosh Portable and certain Zenith TurbosPort models, were sometimes described as "laptops", their size and weight were too great for this category.
As of 2007, most manufacturers use the term "notebook" (or some variant thereof) for what most end-users call a "laptop".
Laptops usually run on a single battery or from an external AC/DC adapter which can charge the battery while also supplying power to the computer itself.
As personal computers, laptops are capable of the same tasks as a desktop PC, although they are typically less powerful for the same price. They contain components that are similar to their desktop counterparts and perform the same functions, but are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and most of them use different memory modules for their random access memory (RAM), for instance, SO-DIMM in lieu of the larger DIMMs. In addition to a built-in keyboard, they may utilize a touchpad (also known as a trackpad) or a pointing stick for input, though an external keyboard or mouse can usually be attached.
Many schools have taken in laptop based programs in which every student receives a laptop for school use only. The operating system is configured (or a third party program is installed) to limit the student's access to perform administrative tasks such as hardware or software installation, or operating system modifications. Students are generally permitted to use these systems to take notes, write papers, and perform other school-related activities.
While the terms laptop and notebook are often used interchangeably, "laptop" is the older term, introduced in 1983 with the Gavilan SC. "Notebook computer" is a later coinage, which was used to differentiate smaller devices such as those of the NEC UltraLite and Compaq LTE series in 1989, which were, in contrast to previous laptops, the approximate size of an A4 or letter size paper sheet.[1] The terms are imprecise: due to heat and other issues, many laptops are inappropriate for use on one's lap, and most notebooks are not the size of typical letter or A4 paper notebook. Although some older portable computers, such as the Macintosh Portable and certain Zenith TurbosPort models, were sometimes described as "laptops", their size and weight were too great for this category.
As of 2007, most manufacturers use the term "notebook" (or some variant thereof) for what most end-users call a "laptop".
Laptops usually run on a single battery or from an external AC/DC adapter which can charge the battery while also supplying power to the computer itself.
As personal computers, laptops are capable of the same tasks as a desktop PC, although they are typically less powerful for the same price. They contain components that are similar to their desktop counterparts and perform the same functions, but are miniaturized and optimized for mobile use and efficient power consumption. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays and most of them use different memory modules for their random access memory (RAM), for instance, SO-DIMM in lieu of the larger DIMMs. In addition to a built-in keyboard, they may utilize a touchpad (also known as a trackpad) or a pointing stick for input, though an external keyboard or mouse can usually be attached.
Many schools have taken in laptop based programs in which every student receives a laptop for school use only. The operating system is configured (or a third party program is installed) to limit the student's access to perform administrative tasks such as hardware or software installation, or operating system modifications. Students are generally permitted to use these systems to take notes, write papers, and perform other school-related activities.
Know Your System
The first preventive step you need to perform is to take an inventory of your computer system. This information will be vital if you later have to contact technical support or have your system serviced.
Start by noting your serial number and model number. With this information, your system manufacturer can determine the components of your system. If you've added components to your system, note the model and version numbers of the components. You'll find this information in the documentation that accompanies add-on hardware.
A definite must-have program to complete a system inventory is Belarc Advisor, a free program showing a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser.
Start by noting your serial number and model number. With this information, your system manufacturer can determine the components of your system. If you've added components to your system, note the model and version numbers of the components. You'll find this information in the documentation that accompanies add-on hardware.
A definite must-have program to complete a system inventory is Belarc Advisor, a free program showing a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser.
Beyond these basics, you need to get details of your system's configuration. On Windows PCs, this means copying and printing a few important system files that will come in handy if you later have a problem or need to speak to a tech-support person. The simplest way to preserve your system configuration files is to run the Sysedit program. With Windows 95/98/ME, click on Start, RUN, type SYSEDIT in the blank window, and click OK. It will bring up all your system files -- from AUTOEXEC.BAT to SYSTEM.INI -- in Wordpad windows. From there, you can save them to a floppy disk and print them out. In Windows 3.1, you'll find the Sysedit icon in the Main group. With Windows XP/2000, you can go into Accessories, System Tools, System Information to find and print this important data.
If you own a Mac, you don't need to copy system files, but you should make a list of all the INIT and CDEV files -- collectively called system extensions -- that load on start-up. Conflicts among these files are a common source of program crashes on Macs. You can see a list of these files using the Extensions Manager Control Panel, which also lets you turn off one or more extensions so that, by process of elimination, you can identify which one is causing you problems. One limitation of Extensions Manager is that it doesn't let you print a list of extensions. If you want a list, you have to print the Screen.
Smitfraud Variants including PestCapture, WinAntivirus Pro 2007,
If your computer has become infected with one of these "spyware removal programs", you probably downloaded an infected codec program when you tried to watch a video online or you may have been hit by a "drive-by" installation of Smitfraud.SmitFraud attacks show fake antispyware programs popups on your screen and/or a balloon popup from the windows system tray displaying a warning message that your computer is infected with spyware and telling you to purchase, download & install their program to remove it.The creator of each popup is an affiliate of the particular antispyware program they are promoting, so each time an unsuspecting user purchases the advertised program in hopes of removing the trojan the person behind the attack gets paid.Not a very ethical way of selling an antispyware, antivirus, or other computer pest removal product.
In many of the infected computers I've dealt with, programs like "Video Access ActiveX Object" show up in the Control Panel and are the initial infection that start the whole issue. Most of these programs when scanned with an up-to-date virus scanner are shown to be infected with viruses like Troj.Zlob.AN, which was part of the original SpyAxe trojan attack a couple years ago. These attacks have spawned over 100 different varieties of malware issues. Many times the home page is redirected to a fake "online security center" or a user will receive a popup that looks almost identical to the normal Windows Security Center but isn't. You can see a couple of these fake alerts by clicking on the images below.
The popups and warnings are smokescreens and fake alerts to scare visitors into buying a spyware removal tool that may not even remove the trojan that caused the warnings in the first place. As I stated above, many of these infections were installed by a fake codec like "Video Access ActiveX Object" that installed into the Program Files directory in Windows.
These files like pmmnt.exe and pmsnrr.exe install and attach themselves to the Windows Explorer shell so they are always resident and recreate themselves if you try to delete them in a normal windows mode. They hide in a registry key similar to
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \policies\explorer\run]
"rare"="C:\\Program Files\\Video Access ActiveX Object\\pmsnrr.exe"
Killer Resume Virus: Melissa Variant W97M_Resume.A
Attack of the Killer Resume sounds more like a bad 'B' movie than a virus that could destroy your computer, but it does have the ability to do just that if you're not careful. The "Killer Resume" virus is similar to the Melissa macro virus that spread across the world in 1999.
Released on May 26th, 2000, a Word macro virus spreading via email using Microsoft Outlook was released. Once triggered, the virus deletes files and sends itself out via email to all address listed in the address book using Microsoft Outlook. The email has the subject line "Resume - Janet Simons" and the attachment called "Explorer.doc", which contains the macro virus. The attachment could also be name resume.doc or many other names.
Released on May 26th, 2000, a Word macro virus spreading via email using Microsoft Outlook was released. Once triggered, the virus deletes files and sends itself out via email to all address listed in the address book using Microsoft Outlook. The email has the subject line "Resume - Janet Simons" and the attachment called "Explorer.doc", which contains the macro virus. The attachment could also be name resume.doc or many other names.
When the user closes the infected file, the virus attempts to delete files in the following directories:
C:\*.* (deletes all files in root directory) C:\My Documents\*.* (deletes all files in My Documents directory) C:\WINDOWS\*.* (deletes all files in the Windows directory -- leaving the computer unusable) C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.* (deletes all files in the Windows System directory -- leaving the computer unusable) C:\WINNT\*.* (similar to the Windows lines, this line targets Windows NT files) C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\*.* (again, targeting all files in the WindowsNT System32 directory)
It also continues to attempt to delete all files in the root directory of drive A, B, D....up to drive Z.
How Can I Protect Myself?
Since its a Microsoft Word Macro Virus, the answer is simply. First, don't open any attachments that you don't have to, and secondly follow the instructions below to Enable Macro Virus Protection in Word which will warn you if a document contains macros. Macros are small programs designed to improve the speed and efficiency of a document by combining multiple tasks into one and running them all at once, however they pose a grave risk in security. Don't run macros.
To Enable Macro Virus Protection in MS Word
1) In Microsoft Word, Click on Tools2) Click on Options3) Click on General4) Check the box labeled Macro Virus Protection
C:\*.* (deletes all files in root directory) C:\My Documents\*.* (deletes all files in My Documents directory) C:\WINDOWS\*.* (deletes all files in the Windows directory -- leaving the computer unusable) C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\*.* (deletes all files in the Windows System directory -- leaving the computer unusable) C:\WINNT\*.* (similar to the Windows lines, this line targets Windows NT files) C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\*.* (again, targeting all files in the WindowsNT System32 directory)
It also continues to attempt to delete all files in the root directory of drive A, B, D....up to drive Z.
How Can I Protect Myself?
Since its a Microsoft Word Macro Virus, the answer is simply. First, don't open any attachments that you don't have to, and secondly follow the instructions below to Enable Macro Virus Protection in Word which will warn you if a document contains macros. Macros are small programs designed to improve the speed and efficiency of a document by combining multiple tasks into one and running them all at once, however they pose a grave risk in security. Don't run macros.
To Enable Macro Virus Protection in MS Word
1) In Microsoft Word, Click on Tools2) Click on Options3) Click on General4) Check the box labeled Macro Virus Protection
Task Manager Has Been Disabled By Your Administrator
First we'll begin with the various registry modification methods for correcting this problem.
Method 1 - Using the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP Professional
Click Start, Run, type gpedit.msc and click OK.
Under User Configuration, Click on the plus (+) next to Administrative Templates
Click on the plus (+) next tSystem, then click on Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options
Find Remove Task Manager in the right-hand pane and double click on it
Choose the option "Not Configured" and click Ok.
Close the Group Policy Window
Method 2: Change the Task Manager Option through the Run line
Click on Start, Run and type the following command exactly and press Enter
REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v disableTaskMgr /tREG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Method 3: Change Task Manager through a Registry REG file
Click on Start, Run, and type Notepad and press Enter
Copy and paste the information between the dotted lines into Notepad and save it to your desktop as taskmanager.reg
------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"DisableTaskMgr"=dword:00000000
-------------------------------------
Double click on the taskmanager.reg file to enter the information into the Windows registry
Method 4: Delete the restriction in the registry manually
Click on Start, Run, and type REGEDIT and press Enter
Navigate to the following branch
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies\ System
In the right pane, find and delete the value named DisableTaskMgr
Close the registry editor
Method 5: Download and Run FixTaskManager program
Click on the following links and download the program FixTaskManager to your DesktopMain SiteBackup Location
Double-click on the file FixTaskManager on your desktop and run it
How to Repair this SVCHOST.EXE error
After some investigating into the 0X745f2780 SVCHOST error, it became apparent the problem is a corrupted Windows Update in Windows XP. Follow the steps below to fix this error.Verify Windows Update Service Settings
Click on Start, Run and type the following command in the open box and click OKservices.msc
Find the Automatic Updates service and double-click on it.
Click on the Log On Tab and make sure the "Local System Account" is selected as the logon account and the box for "allow service to interact with desktop" is UNCHECKED.
Under the Hardware Profile section in the Log On Tab, make sure the service is enabled.
On the General Tab, the Startup Type should be Automatic, if not, drop the box down and select Automatic.
Under "Service Status" on the General tab, the service should be Started, click the Start button enable it.
Repeat the steps above for the service "Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)" Re-Register Windows Update DLLs
Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and click ok
In the black command window type the following command and press Enter
Click on Start, Run and type the following command in the open box and click OKservices.msc
Find the Automatic Updates service and double-click on it.
Click on the Log On Tab and make sure the "Local System Account" is selected as the logon account and the box for "allow service to interact with desktop" is UNCHECKED.
Under the Hardware Profile section in the Log On Tab, make sure the service is enabled.
On the General Tab, the Startup Type should be Automatic, if not, drop the box down and select Automatic.
Under "Service Status" on the General tab, the service should be Started, click the Start button enable it.
Repeat the steps above for the service "Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)" Re-Register Windows Update DLLs
Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and click ok
In the black command window type the following command and press Enter
REGSVR32 WUAPI.DLL
Wait until you receive the "DllRegisterServer in WUAPI.DLL succeeded" message and click OK
Repeat the last two steps above for each of the following commands:
Repeat the last two steps above for each of the following commands:
REGSVR32
WUAUENG.DLLREGSVR32
WUAUENG1.DLLREGSVR32
ATL.DLLREGSVR32
WUCLTUI.DLLREGSVR32
WUPS.DLLREGSVR32
WUPS2.DLLREGSVR32
WUWEB.DLL
Remove Corrupted Windows Update Files
At the command prompt, type the following command and press Enternet stop WuAuServ
Still at the command prompt, type %windir% and press Enter
In the opened folder, type the following command and press Enter to rename the SoftwareDistribution Folderren SoftwareDistribution SD_OLD
Restart the Windows Update Service by typing the following at the command promptnet start WuAuServ
type Exit and Press Enter to close the command prompt Reboot Windows
click on Start, Shut Down, and Restart to reboot Windows XP Although this method may not solve all of the issues with a SVCHOST.EXE Application error, I have found it fixed the problem with the 0x745f2780 reference error.
At the command prompt, type the following command and press Enternet stop WuAuServ
Still at the command prompt, type %windir% and press Enter
In the opened folder, type the following command and press Enter to rename the SoftwareDistribution Folderren SoftwareDistribution SD_OLD
Restart the Windows Update Service by typing the following at the command promptnet start WuAuServ
type Exit and Press Enter to close the command prompt Reboot Windows
click on Start, Shut Down, and Restart to reboot Windows XP Although this method may not solve all of the issues with a SVCHOST.EXE Application error, I have found it fixed the problem with the 0x745f2780 reference error.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
GNU/Linux
Hardware Monitor
I like to know when my computer is up to something. This is often because I've started something running and want to do something else until it finishes, but I don't want to constantly check whether or not it's finished. I used to embed Xload in my Gnome panel, but sadly Gnome 2 doesn't let you do this anymore. One of the few instances where software became less useful over time.
There are many hardware monitors out there. Most let you plot the percentage of cycles used by your CPU, but not the system load. This is basically worthless because the CPU usage goes up to 100 percent and then gives you no further information. What if I have 10 CPU intensive processes running? It looks the same as if I had only one. The old-time Unix developers crafted a simple, elegant program to serve this purpose: Xload. Amazingly, people have utterly failed to appreciate Xload and proceeded to reinvent inferior wheels to solve this problem.
That said, my current favorite is Hardware Monitor It's small, clean, visually appealing, and it let's you plot system load.
One problem is that it uses the C++ Gnome libraries, which aren't standard on Red Hat 9 systems, so you need to install it via Apt for RPM to resolve the billion dependencies.
Also, I don't like the way Hardware Monitor does the axis scaling when viewing the system load, so here's a patch to fix it. I sent the patch to the author of Hardware Monitor and he said he'll integrate it shortly.
There are many hardware monitors out there. Most let you plot the percentage of cycles used by your CPU, but not the system load. This is basically worthless because the CPU usage goes up to 100 percent and then gives you no further information. What if I have 10 CPU intensive processes running? It looks the same as if I had only one. The old-time Unix developers crafted a simple, elegant program to serve this purpose: Xload. Amazingly, people have utterly failed to appreciate Xload and proceeded to reinvent inferior wheels to solve this problem.
That said, my current favorite is Hardware Monitor It's small, clean, visually appealing, and it let's you plot system load.
One problem is that it uses the C++ Gnome libraries, which aren't standard on Red Hat 9 systems, so you need to install it via Apt for RPM to resolve the billion dependencies.
Also, I don't like the way Hardware Monitor does the axis scaling when viewing the system load, so here's a patch to fix it. I sent the patch to the author of Hardware Monitor and he said he'll integrate it shortly.
Close buttons
Why, oh why, did Gates and company decide to put the "close" button right next to the "minimize" and "maximize" buttons in Windows 95? All modern interfaces have followed suit, in spite of the fact that this is probably the worst user interface design decision in modern history. They should be in opposite corners of the window. I used to make sure that I reconfigured my window manager so that this was the case, but over the years they've beaten the resistance out of me. I'm swimming against the tide and I've decided to just live with it, in spite of its obvious ridiculousness. If you have a nice fix for this (that can also be used under OSX? Yeah, right!), let me know.
Update 13 Nov 03 Kudos to Scott Seagroves for taking up the challenge and finding out how to fix this. Under Red Hat 9, run gconf-editor and look in apps/metacity/general. There's a key called "button layout" which you can use to rearrange the buttons in the window title bar.
I still don't have a solution for OSX, but I don't have much hope on this front. I can't imagine Apple putting that much user interface control in the hands of amateurs...
Update 13 Nov 03 Kudos to Scott Seagroves for taking up the challenge and finding out how to fix this. Under Red Hat 9, run gconf-editor and look in apps/metacity/general. There's a key called "button layout" which you can use to rearrange the buttons in the window title bar.
I still don't have a solution for OSX, but I don't have much hope on this front. I can't imagine Apple putting that much user interface control in the hands of amateurs...
Nautilus Scripts
Here's an idea that's almost correct: The Gnome file manager, Nautilus, has a slot where you can stick scripts that you want to run on selected files. Nice, now I won't have to constantly open up terminals to actually do something with the files once I find them.
Almost. I either wanted the script to be run from the current directory, or to have the full pathname of the selected files on the command line. I also wanted the standard output of the script nicely piped to a GUI window. I got none of the above.
The selected files are a newline separated list in the environment variable a NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_FILE_PATHS (newline separated!?! For the love of god, why???). And I had to learn Python so I could pop up a little GUI window showing the output. Here's the result. Put it in ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts, make it executable, and you should be able to get it by right clicking on files in Nautilus.
Update 26 Jan 04 Scott Seagroves pointed out that there are Gnome programs that pop small dialog boxes given command line arguments. Gnome 2.2 uses gdialog and Gnome 2.4 uses zenity. Both are in the gnome-utils rpm. This way you don't have to choose your scripting language based on what has a nice interface to Tk
Almost. I either wanted the script to be run from the current directory, or to have the full pathname of the selected files on the command line. I also wanted the standard output of the script nicely piped to a GUI window. I got none of the above.
The selected files are a newline separated list in the environment variable a NAUTILUS_SCRIPT_SELECTED_FILE_PATHS (newline separated!?! For the love of god, why???). And I had to learn Python so I could pop up a little GUI window showing the output. Here's the result. Put it in ~/.gnome2/nautilus-scripts, make it executable, and you should be able to get it by right clicking on files in Nautilus.
Update 26 Jan 04 Scott Seagroves pointed out that there are Gnome programs that pop small dialog boxes given command line arguments. Gnome 2.2 uses gdialog and Gnome 2.4 uses zenity. Both are in the gnome-utils rpm. This way you don't have to choose your scripting language based on what has a nice interface to Tk
DNA Computing Tricks Add Up To Progress
Certain mathematical problems thwart even the most powerful computers. Recently, scientists have been exploring DNA's potential to solve these stumpers. By coding data as sequences of DNA and biochemically manipulating them, scientists can orchestrate a series of operations much as a computer executes commands.
A team of researchers has now added two new operations to DNA's biocomputing bag of tricks--tools that they will need eventually to build a DNA computer. Anthony G. Frutos, Lloyd M. Smith, and Robert M. Corn of the University of Wisconsin-Madison report their innovations in the Oct. 14 Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The researchers' approach to DNA computing is different from other groups' (SN: 7/13/96, p. 26). Instead of working with DNA in a solution, they attach to a gold surface many copies of DNA strands that are 16 molecular units, or bases, long. These 16-base "words" encode the problem's data.
One of the new operations, called a surface word append, links a word to one attached to the surface. Machines that synthesize DNA can't reliably make strands longer than four words, Corn says, but this reaction could make the longer strands that are needed for computing.
The second operation, called a two-word mark and destroy, labels specific DNA strands two words long and removes others. This command will be important for reading the results of a computation.
"The group has been very careful to make sure [the operations] work and can be replicated," says John H. Reif, a computer scientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "They have prototyped, in beautifully controlled experiments, the capabilities of biomolecular computing."
A team of researchers has now added two new operations to DNA's biocomputing bag of tricks--tools that they will need eventually to build a DNA computer. Anthony G. Frutos, Lloyd M. Smith, and Robert M. Corn of the University of Wisconsin-Madison report their innovations in the Oct. 14 Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The researchers' approach to DNA computing is different from other groups' (SN: 7/13/96, p. 26). Instead of working with DNA in a solution, they attach to a gold surface many copies of DNA strands that are 16 molecular units, or bases, long. These 16-base "words" encode the problem's data.
One of the new operations, called a surface word append, links a word to one attached to the surface. Machines that synthesize DNA can't reliably make strands longer than four words, Corn says, but this reaction could make the longer strands that are needed for computing.
The second operation, called a two-word mark and destroy, labels specific DNA strands two words long and removes others. This command will be important for reading the results of a computation.
"The group has been very careful to make sure [the operations] work and can be replicated," says John H. Reif, a computer scientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "They have prototyped, in beautifully controlled experiments, the capabilities of biomolecular computing."
ORACLE And SAP
Software giant Oracle has launched legal proceedings against rival SAP, stepping up the battle between the two for dominance in the business applications sector.Oracle is alleging that SAP engaged in ‘systematic, illegal access to - and taking from - Oracle’s computerised customer support system’.
‘SAP has stolen thousands of proprietary, copyrighted software products and other confidential materials that Oracle developed to service its own customers,’ said documents filed in the US Federal Court .
‘SAP gained repeated and unauthorised access, in many cases by use of pretextual customer log-in credentials, to Oracle’s proprietary, password-protected customer support web site.
‘This case is about corporate theft on a grand scale.’
The case is unusual in that rather than focusing on product-related intellectual property (IP), it focuses on IP around a support and service offering, according to Ovum analyst David Mitchell.
‘Support services are one of the highest margin parts of a software business, and companies will act to protect profitable businesses,’ he said.
‘Many customers of both SAP and Oracle must now be wondering whether they have inadvertently benefited from this breach.’
Initial analysis suggests there should be no major causes for concern, says Mitchell, but there are some areas of doubt.
‘From the details that have emerged, there appears to be no accusation that SAP has embedded Oracle intellectual property into SAP products,’ he said.
‘On that basis there should be no customer concern around them inadvertently breaching intellectual property rights by using SAP products.’
Oracle has no beef with SAP customers, only with SAP, says Mitchell.
‘Oracle could remove customer concerns by declaring that it would not pursue SAP customers, for any breach of intellectual property that SAP may or may not have undertaken,’ he said.
‘Not only would this give some welcome customer re-assurance, it would also demonstrate that customers will not be punished for changing software or service providers
Ethical Hackers Come In For Tighter Regulation
Quality standards are to be applied to organisations and individuals that offer security penetration testing services, to improve business confidence.
From 1 April, the Council for Registered Ethical Security Testers (Crest) will accredit ethical hackers who perform tests on company networks to see if they are vulnerable to security breaches.
Paul Vlissidis, a member of the Crest operational management committee, says standards are essential for an industry that requires such a high degree of trust.
‘This industry sector has no kitemark,’ he said. ‘Our customers need a bar to allow them to see who comes above it and who comes below it.’
Crest will assess firms and individuals using written and practical exams. Successful accreditations will last for three years before they need to be renewed.
‘Technology and the threat environment are evolving constantly, and our processes need to evolve with them,’ said Paul Docherty, operational management committee member at Crest.
Crest expects that the international nature of its corporate customers will result in the standard becoming internationally recognised within about a year.
Ollie Ross, head of research at The Corporate IT Forum, warns Crest should learn from the mistakes of other standards.
‘An initiative to provide an approved level of quality assurance should be encouraged,’ she said.
‘But the difficulty many users experienced with the recent launch of the Payments Cards Industry (PCI) data security standard demonstrates the need for increased user consultation.
From 1 April, the Council for Registered Ethical Security Testers (Crest) will accredit ethical hackers who perform tests on company networks to see if they are vulnerable to security breaches.
Paul Vlissidis, a member of the Crest operational management committee, says standards are essential for an industry that requires such a high degree of trust.
‘This industry sector has no kitemark,’ he said. ‘Our customers need a bar to allow them to see who comes above it and who comes below it.’
Crest will assess firms and individuals using written and practical exams. Successful accreditations will last for three years before they need to be renewed.
‘Technology and the threat environment are evolving constantly, and our processes need to evolve with them,’ said Paul Docherty, operational management committee member at Crest.
Crest expects that the international nature of its corporate customers will result in the standard becoming internationally recognised within about a year.
Ollie Ross, head of research at The Corporate IT Forum, warns Crest should learn from the mistakes of other standards.
‘An initiative to provide an approved level of quality assurance should be encouraged,’ she said.
‘But the difficulty many users experienced with the recent launch of the Payments Cards Industry (PCI) data security standard demonstrates the need for increased user consultation.
Electrical Engineering And Computer Science
Electrical engineering, originally taught at MIT in the Physics Department, became an independent degree program in 1882. The Department of Electrical Engineering was formed in 1902, and occupied its new home, the Lowell Building, when MIT was still located near Copley Square in Boston. The Department dedicated its present facilities in the Sherman Fairchild Electrical Engineering and Electronics complex in fall 1973, and a year later, it recognized its growing activity in computer science by changing its name to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The Department's activities in computer science, communications, and control moved into the architecturally unique and exciting Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information, and Intelligence Sciences in Spring 2004.The primary mission of the Department is the education of its students. Its three undergraduate programs attract more than 30 percent of all MIT undergraduates, and its doctoral programs are highly ranked and selective. A leader in cooperative education, the Department has operated the highly successful VI-A Internship Program since 1917. It has recently established a five-year Master of Engineering program, under which students stay for a fifth year and receive simultaneously a Bachelor's degree and a Master's of Engineering degree.
During its history faculty and students of the Department have made major, lasting research contributions, some of which have opened up entire new fields of study.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Controversy And Ambiguity of Hackers
While "hack" was originally more used as a verb for "messing about" with (i.e. "I hack around with computers"), the meaning of the term has shifted over the decades since it first came into use in a computer context. As usage has spread more widely, the primary meaning of newer users of the word has shifted to one which conflicts with the original primary emphasis.
Currently, "hacker" is used in two main ways, one pejorative and one complimentary. In popular usage and in the media, it most often refers to computer intruders or criminals, with associated pejorative connotations. (For example, "An Internet 'hacker' broke through state government security systems in March.") In the computing community, the primary meaning is a complimentary description for a particularly brilliant programmer or technical expert. (For example, "Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is considered by some to be a genius 'hacker'.") A large segment of the technical community insist the latter is the "correct" usage of the word (see the Jargon File definition below).
The mainstream media's current usage of the term may be traced back to the early 1980's (see History). When the term was introduced to wider society by the mainstream media in 1983, even those in the computer community referred to computer intrusion as "hacking", although not as the exclusive use of that word. In reaction to the increasing media use of the term exclusively with the criminal connotation, the computer community began to differentiate their terminology. Several alternative terms such as "black hat" and "cracker" were coined in an effort to distinguish between those performing criminal activities, and those whose activities were the legal ones referred to more frequently in the historical use of the term "hack". Analogous terms such as "white hats" and "gray hats" developed as a result. However, since network news use of the term pertained primarily to the criminal activities despite this attempt by the technical community to preserve and distinguish the original meaning, the mainstream media and general public continue to describe computer criminals with all levels of technical sophistication as "hackers" and does not generally make use of the word in any of its non-criminal connotations.
As a result of this difference, the definition is the subject of heated controversy. The wider dominance of the pejorative connotation is resented by many who object to the term being taken from their cultural jargon and used negatively[1], including those who have historically preferred to self-identify as hackers. Many advocate using the more recent and nuanced alternate terms when describing criminals and others who negatively take advantage of security flaws in software and hardware. Others prefer to follow common popular usage, arguing that the positive form is confusing and unlikely to become widespread in the general public. A minority still stubbornly use the term in both original senses despite the controversy, leaving context to clarify (or leave ambiguous) which meaning is intended. It is noteworthy, however, that the positive definition of hacker was widely used as the predominant form for many years before the negative definition was popularized.
"Hacker" can therefore be seen as a shibboleth, identifying those who use the technically-oriented sense (as opposed to the exclusively intrusion-oriented sense) as members of the computing community.
A possible middle ground position has been suggested, based on the observation that "hacking" describes a collection of skills which are used by hackers of both descriptions for differing reasons. The analogy is made to locksmithing, specifically picking locks, which — aside from its being a skill with a fairly high tropism to 'classic' hacking — is a skill which can be used for good or evil. The primary weakness of this analogy is the inclusion of script kiddies in the popular usage of "hacker", despite the lack of an underlying skill and knowledge base.
Currently, "hacker" is used in two main ways, one pejorative and one complimentary. In popular usage and in the media, it most often refers to computer intruders or criminals, with associated pejorative connotations. (For example, "An Internet 'hacker' broke through state government security systems in March.") In the computing community, the primary meaning is a complimentary description for a particularly brilliant programmer or technical expert. (For example, "Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is considered by some to be a genius 'hacker'.") A large segment of the technical community insist the latter is the "correct" usage of the word (see the Jargon File definition below).
The mainstream media's current usage of the term may be traced back to the early 1980's (see History). When the term was introduced to wider society by the mainstream media in 1983, even those in the computer community referred to computer intrusion as "hacking", although not as the exclusive use of that word. In reaction to the increasing media use of the term exclusively with the criminal connotation, the computer community began to differentiate their terminology. Several alternative terms such as "black hat" and "cracker" were coined in an effort to distinguish between those performing criminal activities, and those whose activities were the legal ones referred to more frequently in the historical use of the term "hack". Analogous terms such as "white hats" and "gray hats" developed as a result. However, since network news use of the term pertained primarily to the criminal activities despite this attempt by the technical community to preserve and distinguish the original meaning, the mainstream media and general public continue to describe computer criminals with all levels of technical sophistication as "hackers" and does not generally make use of the word in any of its non-criminal connotations.
As a result of this difference, the definition is the subject of heated controversy. The wider dominance of the pejorative connotation is resented by many who object to the term being taken from their cultural jargon and used negatively[1], including those who have historically preferred to self-identify as hackers. Many advocate using the more recent and nuanced alternate terms when describing criminals and others who negatively take advantage of security flaws in software and hardware. Others prefer to follow common popular usage, arguing that the positive form is confusing and unlikely to become widespread in the general public. A minority still stubbornly use the term in both original senses despite the controversy, leaving context to clarify (or leave ambiguous) which meaning is intended. It is noteworthy, however, that the positive definition of hacker was widely used as the predominant form for many years before the negative definition was popularized.
"Hacker" can therefore be seen as a shibboleth, identifying those who use the technically-oriented sense (as opposed to the exclusively intrusion-oriented sense) as members of the computing community.
A possible middle ground position has been suggested, based on the observation that "hacking" describes a collection of skills which are used by hackers of both descriptions for differing reasons. The analogy is made to locksmithing, specifically picking locks, which — aside from its being a skill with a fairly high tropism to 'classic' hacking — is a skill which can be used for good or evil. The primary weakness of this analogy is the inclusion of script kiddies in the popular usage of "hacker", despite the lack of an underlying skill and knowledge base.
Who's Hacker
Hacker is a term applied often to computer software or computer hardware programmers, designers and administrators, and especially those who are perceived as experts or highly accomplished. A hacker is also someone who modifies electronics, for example, ham radio transceivers, printers or even home sprinkler systems for extra functionality or performance. The term usually bears strong connotations, but may be either favorable or denigrating depending on cultural context (see the hacker definition controversy).In computer programming, a hacker is a software designer and programmer who builds programs and systems that garner the respect of one's peers. A hacker can also be a programmer who hacks or reaches a goal by employing a series of modifications to exploit or extend existing code or resources. For some, "hacker" has a negative connotation and refers to a person who "hacks" or uses kludges to accomplish programming tasks that are ugly, inelegant, and inefficient. This pejorative form of the noun "hack" is even used among users of the positive sense of "hacker" (some argue that it should not be due to this pejorative meaning, but others argue that some kludges can, for all their ugliness and imperfection, still have "hack value").
In computer security, a hacker is a person who specializes in work with the security mechanisms for computer and network systems. While including those who endeavor to strengthen such mechanisms, it is more often used by the mass media and popular culture to refer to those who seek access despite them.
In other technical fields, hacker is extended to mean a person who makes things work beyond perceived limits through their own technical skill, such as a hardware hacker, or reality hacker.
In hacker culture, a hacker is a person who has attained the respect of one's peers.
Programmer
A programmer or software developer is someone who programs computers, that is, one who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to programming may also be known as a programmer analyst, software engineer, computer scientist, or software analyst. A programmer's primary computer language (Java, C++, etc.) is often prefixed to the above titles, and those who work in a web environment often prefix their titles with web.
Those proficient in computer programming skills may become famous, though this regard is normally limited to software engineering circles. Many of the most notable programmers are often labeled hackers. Programmers often have or project an image of individualist geekdom, resistance to "suits" (referring to both business suits literally and figuratively to the "Establishment"), controls, and unionization.
Ada Lovelace is popularly credited as history's first programmer. She was the first to express an algorithm intended for implementation on a computer, Charles Babbage's analytical engine, in October 1842
Those proficient in computer programming skills may become famous, though this regard is normally limited to software engineering circles. Many of the most notable programmers are often labeled hackers. Programmers often have or project an image of individualist geekdom, resistance to "suits" (referring to both business suits literally and figuratively to the "Establishment"), controls, and unionization.
Ada Lovelace is popularly credited as history's first programmer. She was the first to express an algorithm intended for implementation on a computer, Charles Babbage's analytical engine, in October 1842
Embeded System
A router, an example of an embedded system. Labelled parts include a microprocessor (4), RAM (6), and flash memory (7).
An embedded system is a special-purpose system in which the computer is completely encapsulated by or dedicated to the device or system it controls. Unlike a general-purpose computer, such as a personal computer, an embedded system performs one or a few pre-defined tasks, usually with very specific requirements. Since the system is dedicated to specific tasks, design engineers can optimize it, reducing the size and cost of the product. Embedded systems are often mass-produced, benefiting from economies of scale.
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) or handheld computers are generally considered embedded devices because of the nature of their hardware design, even though they are more expandable in software terms. This line of definition continues to blur as devices expand. With the introduction of the OQO Model 2 with the Windows XP operating system and ports such as a USB port — both features usually belong to "general purpose computers", — the line of nomenclature blurs even more.
Physically, embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and MP3 players, to large stationary installations like traffic lights, factory controllers, or the systems controlling nuclear power plants.
In terms of complexity embedded systems can range from very simple with a single microcontroller chip, to very complex with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted inside a large chassis or enclosure.
An embedded system is a special-purpose system in which the computer is completely encapsulated by or dedicated to the device or system it controls. Unlike a general-purpose computer, such as a personal computer, an embedded system performs one or a few pre-defined tasks, usually with very specific requirements. Since the system is dedicated to specific tasks, design engineers can optimize it, reducing the size and cost of the product. Embedded systems are often mass-produced, benefiting from economies of scale.
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) or handheld computers are generally considered embedded devices because of the nature of their hardware design, even though they are more expandable in software terms. This line of definition continues to blur as devices expand. With the introduction of the OQO Model 2 with the Windows XP operating system and ports such as a USB port — both features usually belong to "general purpose computers", — the line of nomenclature blurs even more.
Physically, embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and MP3 players, to large stationary installations like traffic lights, factory controllers, or the systems controlling nuclear power plants.
In terms of complexity embedded systems can range from very simple with a single microcontroller chip, to very complex with multiple units, peripherals and networks mounted inside a large chassis or enclosure.
Who's Computer
A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions.
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. [1] Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Society has come to recognize personal computers and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, as icons of the information age; they are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and even children's toys.
A computer in a wristwatch.
The ability to store and execute programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks as long as time and storage capacity are not considerations
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. [1] Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Society has come to recognize personal computers and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, as icons of the information age; they are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and even children's toys.
A computer in a wristwatch.
The ability to store and execute programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks as long as time and storage capacity are not considerations
Computer System
A computer system is the combination of hardware and software. A typical computer system has memory and set of states that define the relationship between the systems inputs and outputs.
Although in earlier times the personal computer or PC was an example of a computer system, in practice a person considered a Computer Systems Engineer these days deals with a range of different computer architectures.
Even the simplest computer classifies as a computer system, because at least two components (hardware and software) have to work together. But the real meaning of "computer system" comes with interconnection. Many computer systems can interconnect, that is, join to become a bigger system. In industry these days the interconnection of variable-speed drives and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to automate production lines and control motors is a common example of a computer system.
Interconnecting different computer systems can prove difficult due to incompatibilities. Sometimes these difficulties occur due to incompatibilities between differing hardware and sometimes between differing software. Technically knowledgeable people can configure disparate computers to communicate using a set of rules and constraints known as protocols. Protocols attempt to precisely define the communication within and between computing endpoints. If two computer systems define the same protocols, they may be capable of interconnecting and become a part of a larger system.
Computing systems are commonly given female names by their owners due to the impact they have on our lives. Networks connecting computers, in contrast, are given male names.
Common computer system communications protocols include: Asi Profibus Modbus Canbus RS232 RS485
Ethernet based communications are also emerging as a computer systems communication protocol.
Although in earlier times the personal computer or PC was an example of a computer system, in practice a person considered a Computer Systems Engineer these days deals with a range of different computer architectures.
Even the simplest computer classifies as a computer system, because at least two components (hardware and software) have to work together. But the real meaning of "computer system" comes with interconnection. Many computer systems can interconnect, that is, join to become a bigger system. In industry these days the interconnection of variable-speed drives and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to automate production lines and control motors is a common example of a computer system.
Interconnecting different computer systems can prove difficult due to incompatibilities. Sometimes these difficulties occur due to incompatibilities between differing hardware and sometimes between differing software. Technically knowledgeable people can configure disparate computers to communicate using a set of rules and constraints known as protocols. Protocols attempt to precisely define the communication within and between computing endpoints. If two computer systems define the same protocols, they may be capable of interconnecting and become a part of a larger system.
Computing systems are commonly given female names by their owners due to the impact they have on our lives. Networks connecting computers, in contrast, are given male names.
Common computer system communications protocols include: Asi Profibus Modbus Canbus RS232 RS485
Ethernet based communications are also emerging as a computer systems communication protocol.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
