Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 15:49:13 -0600 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Edupage, September 25, 2002 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. ***************************************************** TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2002 Chinese Government Cracks Down on Free Speech Dell Confirms Entry into Printer Market New Tool Allows Blind to Read Maps AND SEVIS Could Be Expanded to Cover Part-Time Students New Company Takes a Stab at Hack-Proof Linux Liberty Alliance Announces Interoperability with Microsoft CHINESE GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON FREE SPEECH Chinese officials have formally arrested Chen Shaowen, who was first detained in August, for putting essays on the Internet critical of the Chinese government. The arrest is the latest in a series of actions by Communist Party officials trying to restrict what it sees as improper content available online. In recent weeks the government has blocked access to Google and AltaVista from inside China and prevented Chinese Internet users from seeing Web sites run by human rights groups. Chen has been charged with subversion, a charge that has in the past led to sentences of up to 13 years for those convicted. A letter from the Committee to Protect Journalists to Chinese President Jiang Zemin calls for Chen's release, pointing out that his actions are protected by the Chinese constitution. San Jose Mercury News, 25 September 2002 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4149635.htm DELL CONFIRMS ENTRY INTO PRINTER MARKET Confirming many recent rumors, Dell announced a deal with Lexmark to develop a line of Dell-branded printers and printer supplies. Based on those rumors, Hewlett-Packard in July severed its relationship with Dell, at which point Lexmark became Dell's main printer supplier. Under the terms of the new deal with Lexmark, Dell will feature Lexmark printers in its PC bundles. Dell-branded printers will be available sometime in 2003, both inkjet and laser. Officials at Hewlett-Packard were rather dismissive of Dell's ambitions in the printer market, saying that Hewlett-Packard's technology as well as its customer base are huge obstacles for Dell to overcome if it is to succeed. Some analysts, though, said Dell could see success in two ways: by boosting Lexmark sales and in turn its own revenue from printer sales, or by releasing new products, such as very inexpensive laser printers, thereby taking over a big segment of the market. CNET, 24 September 2002 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-959132.html NEW TOOL ALLOWS BLIND TO READ MAPS Students in a software engineering class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--with help from the professor--have developed a tool that blind and visually impaired people can use to read maps. The Blind Audio Tactile Mapping System (BATS) uses a trackball to move a cursor around on a map. As the cursor passes over different parts of the map, the system plays audio information so the user can "read" the map. For example, names of places on the map are pronounced by a voice synthesizer. When the cursor goes over water, the user hears the sound of crashing waves; over land, the user hears horses galloping. The professor teaching the class in which the tool was developed said it could become an open-source application, and it can be downloaded now from the project's site (http://www.cs.unc.edu/Research/assist/bats/). Wired News, 25 September 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54916,00.html AND ***************************************************** SEVIS COULD BE EXPANDED TO COVER PART-TIME STUDENTS An official from the Justice Department told a Congressional committee that the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which is intended to help the Immigration and Naturalization Service keep track of foreign students studying in the United States, should be expanded to cover part-time students as well as those enrolled in full-time programs. Otherwise, he said, some individuals might be able to enter the country and gain access to sensitive information while remaining under the radar of SEVIS. Meanwhile, full implementation of SEVIS will be somewhat behind schedule. Although the technical facilities of the system will be operational by the January 1, 2003, deadline, all of the schools that have applied for certification will not have been reviewed by then. A school must be certified before it can participate in the system. Chronicle of Higher Education, 25 September 2002 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/09/2002092501n.htm NEW COMPANY TAKES A STAB AT HACK-PROOF LINUX A start-up company called Guardian Digital has released what it says is a version of Linux that is much more secure than other currently available versions. According to the CEO of the company, Guardian Digital's Linux avoids many common security holes by thoroughly testing, and in some cases replacing, the higher-level software that introduces vulnerabilities. For example, the company wrote an application to replace SNMP, which allows administrators to control servers. Guardian Digital's application is more secure than SNMP, although not as compatible with products such as IBM's Tivoli. Analysts said there is clearly a market for a more secure Linux, but noted that there are already a number of companies vying for customers in that market. ZDNet, 25 September 2002 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-959319.html LIBERTY ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES INTEROPERABILITY WITH MICROSOFT The Liberty Alliance Project has announced that a future release of its tool for single sign-on will allow interoperability with Microsoft's Passport technology. The Liberty Alliance specification lets users log on one time and then visit other Web sites that use the specification without having to log on again. Passport has the same goal, but the two technologies currently are not compatible. An official from the Liberty Alliance said he doubts that Microsoft will agree to opening Passport to the kind of interoperability proposed by the Liberty Alliance. IDG, 24 September 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_951746_1794_9-10000.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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