Malicious Mac malware monster movie

^{By William PJ Kulich.}

It's vicious.

It doesn't need your password.

It's written in its own programming language.

And best of all, it's coming to a Mac near you!

Yes, Java and Apple have piled their buckets of shit together and created a breeding environment so fertile that 600,000 computers have already been infected by the Duqu trojan.

If you're one of those terribly misguided people hipsters with a Mac, here's a guide on how to to find out if you're infected and how to fix things if you are: http://gizmodo.com/5899352/mac-flashback-trojan-find-out-if-youre-one-of-the-600000-infected

Oh, and did I mention that Windows 8 has built-in antivirus?

Yep, in the PC world nothing can go wrong!

Nothing can possi-bly go wrong.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to check out my new(ish… kinda) gig at The Warragul Citizen: https://www.facebook.com/warragulcitizen

OR, follow me on Twitter: @onecuckoosnest

A Quick Look: Ubuntu 9.10 and Font Installation

A previous post on installing fonts in Windows and Ubuntu discussed Ubuntu not having a logical method of font installation. The recent release of the new Ubuntu 9.10, “Karmic Koala”, has seen a great improvement in font management.

Opening a font file now throws up a different preview screen, one more detailed than that of Ubuntu 9.04. This screen also includes a button which has long featured on the Windows preview screen - “Install Font”.

There are still some areas in need of improvement to bring Linux up to speed with Windows’ font management. Firstly, Linux lacks an option to install a font when you right-click on its icon. This has been present in Windows since XP and is a useful shortcut when installing a select few fonts from a large selection.

Another issue is one which could confuse less tech-savvy users. If a font has already been installed and the “Install Font” button is pressed, the button changes to read “Install Failed”. This is true, however the font still remains installed. In similar situations Windows informs the user that the font is already installed and the old file should be removed to install the new one.

Although still rough around the edges, Linux font management has vastly improved with this new version of the operating system (OS). The “Install Font” button has made it possible for people who have never used Ubuntu to figure out how to install a font. This improvement is a sign of Linux’s progression from a IT professional’s server OS to a standard desktop frontend.

Windows 7 RC In Pictures

This is the first and last post on testing the Windows 7 Release Candidate. In  short, excellent. I have had some issues with programs locking up at the save dialogue but besides that this is the best OS I have ever used. It is faster than my Vista install and even my install of Ubuntu Studio 9.04!

So, to round up my time in this milestone of the OS, here is a small gallery of screenshots. It doesn’t cover everything by far, but it’s a little taste of the RC which is basically the same as the release version.
GO TO GALLERY

On A Friday: You would think that SOMEONE at Microsoft would have noticed

Over the last few years, Microsoft have been advertising Windows Vista on their website, trying to convince an unresponsive audience that it is worth it. If Microsoft UK are to be believed, it is still the Windows operating system  to have, despite the release of Windows 7!
On the morning of the release day of Windows 7 I was jumping around the different Windows homepages of countries around the world, checking who had 7, and inevitably, came across the United Kingdom home page.
Now, forgive me if I'm being pedantic, but I believe the screenshot below shows the UK website ON THE DAY OF THE UK RELEASE! It may have been the small hours of the morning there, but Microsoft are still introducing Windows Vista.
Even if I have got my time zones muddled, it's worth posing the question of why Microsoft would still be advertising an OS that is about to be superseded in such a way, especially so close to the release of its successor. Or maybe its a mistake, and the wrong image was set? Either way, I think Internet Explorer summed the situation up perfectly - "...errors on page"!

Windows 7: It’s good (I presume) once you’re in!

Windows 7: Slick, easy, reliable. Windows XP upgrade  to Windows 7: A little more traumatic. Or at least that was the impression I received from a sales clerk in a local Leading Edge Computers* franchise.

I entered the store and to my surprise found none of the paraphernalia that the place had been decked in with the release of Windows Vista and, after ensuring that I hadn’t got my Australian release date confused, the clerk explained the absence of the new operating system (OS) from the shelves.

The reason was that the store was unable to decide which form of the OS to stock – the upgrade or the full install, the issue behind this being the method of upgrade from Windows XP and the fact that many people have been “holding out” for 7 instead of buying Vista.

The clerk also suggested that I type “Windows 7 Upgrade Paths” into Google; the first result, a Microsoft TechNet page, made the confusion clear. In the list of “Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios” came a surprise. Apart from the usual list of Windows 95, 98, and ME, and the expected Windows 7 pre-releases, was Windows XP.

I knew this was not the case as I had visited a Harvey Norman* outlet after Leading Edge and looked at the upgrade box which stated that “any version of Windows XP and Windows Vista” can be upgraded to Windows 7. The discrepancy here is how the OS is upgraded.

To upgrade from Windows Vista, the Windows files are similar enough to those of Windows 7 to allow for Windows 7 to be installed in-place, however the OS has changed so much in the nine years since the release of Windows XP that a clean install is required. In other words, anyone wishing to upgrade directly from Windows XP to Windows 7 will have to wipe their Windows partition in the process of installation; a concept that may not appeal to the average user.

Also, according to the same TechNet page, an in-place cross-platform upgrade of Windows Vista to Windows 7 (as in upgrading to a 32-bit copy of Vista to a 64-bit copy of Windows 7) is not possible. A “cross-language in-place upgrade” is also not supported, despite Windows 7 advertising easy switching between many languages on the product box, and there are many other situations where an in-place upgrade is unavailable.

There are apparently ways around the XP – 7 in-place upgrade issue, however I won’t discuss these as I am unsure of the legality of these methods.

Whilst holding the product box, I noticed both the 32- and 64-bit versions of the OS are included in the package. This is important to note because I remember that the x64 version of Vista was more expensive than the x86 version.

I’d also like to raise the issue of operating system theft of real-world disks. Harvey Norman only had display copies of the three Windows 7 versions stocked, a store assistant explaining that this was to prevent theft.
An “MSDN Flash” e-Mail also listed today as the release date of Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2.


*For non-Australian readers: Leading Edge Computers are a computer repairs and sales shop in Australia. Harvey Norman is a larger chain retail outlet that stocks a wide variety of goods.

How To: Install Fonts in Windows and Ubuntu

Fonts are surprisingly hard to install for something that we use daily, and chances are if you have bought a CD of fonts they were installed for you using a setup program. But what if you have a single font file that you have downloaded or made and want to install on your computer?
In Windows operating systems, a shortcut to install a font (without going to the fonts folder) was not included until XP, and in my experience this is not present for some users in Vista. Windows 7 makes it easier, however in both Vista and 7 users must be able to supply administrator credentials at the User Account Control (UAC) prompt. Windows 7 also improves the Fonts folder - the first major update since Windows 3.1.
Ubuntu is baffling for anyone trying to install a font, unless they have been told how to do this before hand. The process is simple once explained, however font installation in Ubuntu is still in need of some work.
FOR WINDOWS USERS:

In any version of Windows from 3.1 to Vista, a font can be installed from the ‘Fonts’ folder. To get to this, open the ‘Control Panel’ and then open the ‘Fonts’ applet; this will take you to the Fonts folder. Click ‘File>Install New Font…’ in the Menu Bar. If the menu bar is not present (i.e. there is no ‘File’ menu), right-click on a blank  area in the folder and then select ‘Install New Font…’.
In Windows 7, a new font is installed by opening the font file and selecting ‘Install’ or right-clicking on the font and selecting ‘Install’ and then accepting the UAC prompt if it appears.
The right-click method may also work in XP and Vista depending on user privileges.

A CLOSER LOOK: INSTALLING FONTS IN WINDOWS XP AND VISTA:
The ‘Add Fonts’ menu (accessed by clicking ‘File>Install New Font…’ in the ‘Fonts’ folder) has remained the same since Windows 3.1, and can be a little confusing to navigate for less tech-enthusiastic people.
To find a font that is in your  ‘My Documents’, or ‘Desktop’ folder, or in a subfolder of one of these folders, you need to navigate to your user files. All user files are usually located in the C:\ drive. Select ‘C:\’ from the top of the ‘Folders’ area, and for Windows XP users, open ‘Documents and Settings’ and for Vista users open ‘Users’. From here, open the folder with your username and then choose the appropriate file.

FOR UBUNTU USERS:
Ubuntu requires a slightly different process to install a font. There is no graphical installation for fonts, but fonts are installed by simply copying and pasting them into the ‘.fonts’ folder in your home folder. This, however, only installs the font for the user installing the font.
The ‘.fonts’ folder usually doesn’t exist by default, and if it does exist it is hidden. To view hidden files, navigate to your home folder and select ‘View>Show Hidden Files’, or hold down the control key and press ‘H’.
Now the procedure is simply a matter of checking if the ‘.fonts’ folder is present and, if it isn’t, making the folder. This folder will become hidden once you close the file browser, so to access it again click ‘Show Hidden Files’.
Now open the folder with the font/s that you want to install, copy them and then paste them into the ‘.fonts’ folder. The font/s will become available to applications when they are next started.

Once these processes are learned for each operating system (OS), it is easy to install a new font on that OS – just make sure that you back up any purchased fonts!

Windows 7: “1 Days Left”

Tomorrow (or at 11:00 tonight as my computer would have you believe) the Windows 7 Beta will expire. I am currently downloading the Release Candidate with high hopes that I’ll be seeing a few aspects of the OS changed.

Vista may have had its flaws, but Microsoft seem to be looking for little things to ruin in Windows 7 that were never a problem before. There aren’t many cases like this, but the first part of the OS that I’d like to change back (and that I’d warn potential users about) is the change to the Windows Media Player toolbar in the taskbar – it’s gone! Instead of all the play controls including the timeline being easily accessible at all times, only pause/play, previous and next buttons are available quickly, and if you want to use any of these you have to wait for the menu to fade it. The new style is probably aimed at saving space in the task bar, however the option to return to the old style would be very welcome.

Another small issue I have with the OS is the lack of included software such as Windows Mail, Calendar and Movie Maker. Microsoft expects users to download either a Windows Live program or a third party replacement. Although I welcome Microsoft’s choice to allow third party software providers to enter the market without annoying Windows customers, the install files for even an old version of Windows Live on the install DVD would save people without an internet connection or with a low capped connection a lot of hassle.

I’ll admit that both of these issues that I have with the OS are trivial and highly subjective, however they are steps backward. In the interests of political correctness I’ll add that the beta has been a major improvement on Vista, and dare I say XP in every aspect that an OS could: speed, accessibility (bar MP) and stability to name a few.

For people interested in purchasing the full OS, many countries around the world (unfortunately no word yet of whether the offer will ever open in Australia) have the chance to pre-order a heavily discounted copy of Windows 7 from Microsoft. If you are unsure whether 7 will run on your computer, Microsoft has released a Beta of the Windows 7 upgrade advisor that will scan all parts of your computer hardware (including peripherals) and determine which parts will work. The Upgrade Advisor Beta requires an internet connection to work and is available from the Microsoft website.

In conclusion, the Beta is an amazing OS and I look forward to the full version of Windows 7 hitting shelves in October this year.

Goodbye Windows 7 Beta 1

(P.S. A happy new financial year to everyone! I hope the Swan brought you some great presents on his birthday! It’s a bit like Christmas, isn’t it - a birthday and gifts.)

Windows 7 Beta 1: 7 Up

Yesterday I logged into Windows 7 to be met with a sad message: “This pre-release version of Windows 7 Ultimate will expire in 14 days. Back up your files, and then install any released edition of Windows.”

Alas, the Beta which has been faster and more stable than my Vista installation will expire soon. All is not lost however, I will be updating to Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 which will be valid until well into next year – after the scheduled release of the finished operating system to consumers. I will be reporting on my experiences with the Release Candidate in the coming months.

To bring followers of this blog up-to-date with my roaming in Beta 1, I have compiled a selection of screenshots that give a pretty good indication of what is to come in Windows 7, and some of the less glorious moments of the Beta. Enjoy.

Counting? There are 75 of them!