Firefox 3 – Download Day!
Are you ready to make history? Are you ready to set a World Record? Today is Download Day. To become part of the official Guinness World Record you must download Firefox 3 by 17:00 UTC on June 18, 2008, or roughly 24 hours from now.
Seriously… why are you still here reading this? Go Download Firefox now!
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS on its way!
Firefox isn’t quite out of beta yet, they’ll be tossing the fourth beta release on the new distro. As soon as Firefox goes final, it’ll be available in the updates. The Ubuntu 8.04 is in beta and is available now, final release will be in… well, scroll up a titch and look at the pretty graphic. I could rip the release notes from Ubuntu, but seriously… I’m not that kind of blogger.
Crouching Vista, Hidden Telnet
I use the command line a fair amount of time because its a quick and easy way to perform small tasks with different input. Like DNS lookups using dig, or FTP just to grab a quick file without having to configure yet another FTP profile in my FTP client.
Telnet is one that I truly miss in Vista. Fortunately its still there, just disabled by default. I’m sure that decision was part of Microsoft’s ideal secure operating system. I could easily see how telnet could be used nefariously by a virii or trojan.
For those of you who want it back, it’s so simple to install it… don’t go out and buy a client, unless you absolutely need to.
| 1. Open Computer |  |
| 2. Click on the button along the top of the window called : Uninstall or change a program |  |
| 3. Click on Turn Windows features on or off in the Tasks column to the left of the main window. |  |
| 4. Allow the process to run by ack’ing the UCE pop-up window (if you haven’t already disabled UCE) | |
| 5. Scroll through the list of Windows Features, until you find Telnet Client. Mash the check mark followed by the OK button. |  |
| 6. Wait for the install to finish, and you’re good to go! |  |
If you want something more robust or at least with a GUI or can handle more technical tasks or customization, check out PuTTY. A handy windows installer is available from them. Or if you prefer to bring your utilities with you, check out the portable version.
Share your favorite in the comments.
Apple’s Safari Push Backlash
Windows users who installed and use iTunes are familiar with the Apple Software Update. This is a great utility to ensure everyone stays up to date with the latest bug fixes and security updates.
This week Apple has decided this would be a great way to push down their web browser to Windows users, regardless if you’ve installed previous versions. Most folks will just click next and let it do its magic.
I disagree with this method of marketing. A software update utility is for (you guessed it) updating software. If they wanted to use this installer for pushing down new software – they should have called it something else.
This is a questionable tactic to trick me into installing something I don’t want. Why, Apple, would you risk negating the trust you’ve earned with Windows users just to get your browser on their desktops?
Regardless of how I feel about Safari as a browser, this makes me worried about what else is Apple going to push on me? Due to the fact that I’m unable to remove Safari from the list of download "updates", I plan on blocking the update app at the firewall.
Many people say that Microsoft already does this – look at IE7 and Silverlight getting pushed out through the update service.
Why I’m not buying Bioshock
The Inquirer has an interesting story about why they’re not digging Bioshock. And from the research I’ve done, I think I’m going to follow their lead.
Sony’s latest game, BioShock is rocking the review sites with ledgendary reviews and customer feedback… but why wouldn’t I consider buying this and getting on the bandwagon? DRM. Yes, I’m taking a stand against Sony and SecurRom digital rights management. I’m sick of being treated like a criminal when buying my software.
Is it bad enough I get searched at the exit of BestBuy like a shoplifter? Now I get the same treatment from the software I install.
No thanks, enjoy the rootkits.
