Original Sender : DasaMan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------- Forwarded by DasaMan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------- Original message follows ---------------- From: "Fred Langa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "The LangaList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 00:14:35 -0500 Subject: [langalist] 18-Nov-99 LangaList -- Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Address Change info is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Questions about the advertisers? See the end of this note. Please also see the legal info at the end of this note. An easier-to read, formatted, HTML version is available for online reading at http://www.langa.com/whats_new.htm (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] on the issue date.) LangaList advertising rates and info available at http://www.langa.com/rate_card.html Please email the LangaList to a friend! (Use the super-fast form at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm !) The LangaList 18-Nov-99 A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune, HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities In This Issue: Vote in a special online survey: What Would You Do If You Were Bill Gates? Microsoft Shuffles Its Download Site Another Great FREE Security Test A Problem With Gigantic Hard Drives? A Boatload Of Tech Support Numbers Win A Palm III Organizer, or a Book "Every File Format In The World..." Just For Grins More! Vote in a special online survey: What Would You Do If You Were Bill Gates? The language in the Judge Jackson's "Findings of Fact" in the Microsoft/DOJ trial was so harsh it left little doubt that if the Court imposes its own remedies to correct Microsoft's excesses, they will be dire. (A copy of the full Findings of Fact text is available here: http://www.browsertune.com/dojvms.htm ) In fact, in the press conference immediately following the release of the findings, prosecutors said that they would rule out nothing in terms of remedies. To me, this sounded as if they were hinting at the threat of a forced breakup of Microsoft. Since then, Gates has said he'll be flexible in seeking a settlement, but also has said he won't yield on anything that affects Microsoft's "ability to innovate." I'm not sure what that means, exactly; it could be construed to mean almost anything. Gates is probably temporizing: He has to say something to reassure stockholders and customers, but he can't say too much until his lawyers meet with the DOJ lawyers and see what, if any, middle ground there is. There may not be a lot: Clearly, the DOJ has the upper hand. If Microsoft is intransigent, it may well be facing a Court-imposed settlement that could include breaking up Microsoft into "Baby Bills;" regionalized "mini- Microsofts" that would compete against each other and the rest of the industry; or the forced splitting of Microsoft into three separate Operating System, Applications, and Internet Services companies. (See http://www.techweb.com/wire/finance/story/contrarian/INV19991112S0001 ) So what can Microsoft do? What should it do? I can think of half a dozen approaches that might squarely address the Court's Findings, meaningfully remedy the wrongs of which Microsoft is accused, and yet still allow Microsoft to remain in control of its own destiny---and thus, might be palatable to Gates and the Microsoft shareholders. Those six approaches are the topic of my column on the InformationWeek Online site this week. Please click on over, and then cast your vote in a special online survey: What would *you* do, if you were Bill Gates? Which of the six alternatives above, alone or in combination, would you opt for? Or, if you disagree with my six alternatives, what other remedies would you seek? Would you simply stonewall, refusing to give an inch, and hope to win on appeal? Or would you go even further than the steps I've outlined? Check out the column, cast your vote, and then share your thoughts at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm Microsoft Shuffles Its Download Site As recently as last week, Microsoft was still promoting an outdated link for downloads on parts of its site. The link---and DON'T bother clicking it--- was http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload The new, correct address (and this is the one to click) is http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ The latter is a much better, easier-to-remember name, so in the long run this is a good change. But the name switch---and the resulting confusion on Microsoft's own site, including a "redirect" command that didn't work right-- -made it either hard or impossible for many people to find the correct place to download patches and updates for Microsoft products. The new link should work much better! Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm Another Great FREE Security Test In recent issues of this newsletter (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct- 14-99.htm#gibson and http://www.langa.com/newsletters/oct-18-99.htm#check) I told you about two great web sites that will try to probe your internet connection from the outside, helping you to detect and correct potential security problems: It's much better to find a security problem this way, on your own, rather than discovering your system's been hacked by some fledgling adolescent sociopath. Frequent contributor George Tullius found another, similar site: A new security site I recently came across will analyze your security, and send you a report by E-Mail plus tell you how to fix it just by putting your E-mail address in the Free Security check box at the bottom of the page. http://www.antionline.com/ Thanks, George! I've been using the three sites in series: they test similar things (so there is some overlap) but with different methods and emphases. By running tests on the three sites one after the other, you can sniff your system's internet connection for all the most common security trouble spots. If you pass all three tests, you can be pretty sure that you're secure from the most common types of hack attacks. Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm A Problem With Gigantic Hard Drives? It hasn't gotten much press, but hard drive prices have dropped to astonishingly low levels: You can pick up most large drives for around $10 a gigabyte, and sometimes less. But there's a catch, as pointed out by reader John Zik: Before buying one of the new large hard drives (over 32Gigs) people should first find out if their bios will support it. I have a new Microstar 6163 MB with an Award bios. I bought a Maxtor 36.5 HD. The bios cannot see it nor any other hard drive that size. This a problem that the hard drive manufacturers are aware of and yet they keep pushing them out the door. They claim it's not their problem, and in a way they are right, but it doesn't crank up the drive. So if you can warn your readers of this problem it may save them some headaches. The Bios people say it is the motherboard people who are the culprits as they basically customize the bios to fit the motherboard. I am sure it will be resolved soon but I've been waiting for going onto 3 weeks now. Thanks for the heads-up, John! So how can you find out if your system will support a very large hard drive? Clearly, your first stop should be the web site of your system vendor; they should be able to tell you the maximum size hard drive your specific brand and model can support. But if that doesn't work, see the next item. Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm A Boatload Of Tech Support Numbers If you need to track down an answer about almost any kind of system motherboard, BIOS, or peripheral this site can be a godsend: http://www.technumbers.com/ The pages are slow to load and the color-scheme invites eye-strain, but the information is very, very helpful: You can look up the tech support info for hundreds of brands! Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm Win A Palm III Organizer, or a Book Win a Palm III by using the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a nifty handheld tool (full details also available via this link): http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182 Or, win a copy of a $30 book (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm Either way, thank you, and good luck! "Every File Format In The World..." >From time to time, I'll get a letter from a reader who's discovered some weird file type on his or her system: They have no idea what application is using or creating the file, and they hope I can tell them. Sometimes I can, but there are far more software types out than any one person can be familiar with. That's where http://www.whatis.com/ff.htm comes in. It purports to list every file format there is, and while that's a dubious claim, it certainly does list a ton of them. All the normal file formats are listed---COM, EXE, DLL and so on--- but the strength of the site is its inclusion of the weird ones--- say, the *.EDD files used by FrameMaker, or the *.D64 format used in Commodore 64 Emulation software, or even the *.DST format used by embroidery software! If you need to identify a mysterious file by its three- or four-letter filename extension, this is definitely the place to go! Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm Just For Grins Anagrams---rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to make new words or phrases---can be amusing, and computers make them easy. For example, the software at http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html takes only a second or two to discover that the letters of "LangaList" can be rearranged into hundreds of possibilities, including "a lethal sting" or "All the angst, I" or "I shall tag ten" or even (ahem) "anal set light." Reader Chris S has a brother ("Cydarion") who's intrigued by anagrams, and here's what he came up with: Dormitory = Dirty Room Desperation = A Rope Ends It The Morse Code = Here come Dots Slot Machines = Cash Lost in 'em Animosity = Is No Amity Mother-in-law = Woman Hitler Snooze Alarms = Alas! No More Z's Alec Guinness = Genuine Class Semolina = Is No Meal The Public Art Galleries = Large Picture Halls, I Bet A Decimal Point = I'm a Dot in Place The Earthquakes = That Queer Shake Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one Contradiction = Accord not in it Astronomer = Moon Starer Princess Diana = End Is A Car Spin Year Two Thousand = A Year To Shut Down Click to email this item to a friend http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm See you next issue! Best, Fred ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Why are you getting this newsletter? There are only two ways to get on the list (direct email request or via the WinMag mail list signup page) so if you're getting this newsletter, your name came to me through one of those channels. LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt About the advertisers: Langa Consulting will never knowingly accept advertising for a fraudulent product, company or service. However, Langa Consulting makes no implied or explicit warranty, recommendation or endorsement of or for the products, companies or services mentioned in the ads. Disclaimer: The tips and other information given in the newsletter are researched and are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the time. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither Langa Consulting, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of any information presented here. This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting and is Copyright � 1999 Langa Consulting. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Compu-Mania MailingList is provided by PT Centrin Utama Maintained by : [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Post a msg : Send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe : Mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] BODY : unsubscribe Compu-Mania For more information, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "HELP" in the BODY of your mail (without quote). ----------------------------------------------------------------
