TELECOM Digest     Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:38:00 EST    Volume 26 : Issue 28

Inside This Issue:                            Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Windows Finally Gets a Facelift (Matthew Fordahl, AP)
    Symantec Warns of New Zero-Day Word Attack (Jeremy Kirk, IDG)
    Florida Retiree Wins Cell Phone Bill Fight (Mr Joseph Singer)
    Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones (Robert Bonomi)
    Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones (Rick Merrill)
    Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones (Tom Horsley)
    Re: The End of the Old Bell System Colors? (hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com)
    Re: Cable, HDTV and Must-Carry (Rick Merrill)

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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:21:24 -0600
From: Matthew Fordahl, AP <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Windows Finally Gets a Facelift


By MATTHEW FORDAHL, AP Technology Editor
 
In the span of five years, Microsoft Corp. promised its most advanced
operating system ever and then yanked key features to meet deadlines
that were missed anyway. Details of what would later be known as
Windows Vista sounded suspiciously like Apple's Mac OS X.

Yet Vista, which finally appears on store shelves and new PCs next
Tuesday, manages to largely overcome its long, tortured
prelude. Though it duplicates some of the feel and functions of the
Mac software, Vista includes its own improvements that take security,
reliability and usability to new heights on the PC.

Vista is by far the most robust and visually appealing version of
Windows yet. It's similar enough to its predecessor, Windows XP, to
make the switch easy, but different enough to make the price almost
bearable.

That's not to suggest Vista's perfect or even as polished as Mac OS X.
In more than a month of testing on multiple PCs, I've run into a
number of rough patches. Then again, I was able to run my systems
longer between restarts, experienced fewer crashes and generally found
it more informative than its predecessor.

Overall, it's a worthy upgrade, though one that most users will
probably want to delay until the kinks are worked out.

Be forewarned: The hardware requirements for the best features are
high.

Though a low-end version is offered (Home Basic Edition, $199, or $99
if the user is upgrading from XP), it lacks the high-end graphics and
multimedia functions.

Most consumers will likely want the Home Premium Edition ($239, $159)
that includes the visuals and entertainment tools and requires a
heftier PC (with at least a 1 gigahertz processor and 1 gigabyte of
memory).

The visuals, for obvious reasons, are the most noticeable improvement,
though the software doesn't hesitate to downgrade the experience if
your PC is too weak. Programs appear in semi-see-through frames that
pop open and close with an animated swoosh. Icons can be instantly
resized with a slider (yes, like pictures stored in Apple Inc.'s
iPhoto).

The flourishes aren't just eye candy. They also help get the job done,
particularly if you're a multitasker.

In previous Windows versions, minimized programs were something like a
mystery meat: You knew they were there but it wasn't easy to find
anything. In Vista, live mini-previews of each window pop open when
the cursor is moved along the task bar.

Switching between programs using the Alt-Tab key combination is
easier, as the live previews appear there, too. A new combination _
Tab-Windows keys _ flips through all your programs like a 3-D stack of
playing cards.

The start menu _ which has wisely lost the word "Start" _ also has
been renovated. It now sports a search box that returns results
instantly as you type. No more dancing dogs or grinding hard drives.

In fact, the improved search _ which had been available for Windows XP
users through add-on programs _ is fully integrated throughout Vista
(much like the latest version of Mac OS X, released in April 2005).
Windows that display the contents of hard drive folders, for instance,
all have a search box that can filter whatever is inside.

Search results also can be saved into folders that get populated by
future files that meet the original search criteria, though the
feature isn't easy to find.

By default, the right side of the screen is filled with small programs
known as gadgets, displaying headlines, weather, microprocessor loads,
memory utilization _ whatever. (The idea isn't new: Mac OS X has
"Widgets," and other companies have offered similar lightweight
application layers for years.)

The default gadgets in Vista look great but aren't terribly
useful. The Really Simple Syndication gadget, which pulls headlines
from news sites and blogs, only displays four items at a time.

Hundreds of additional gadgets are available from Microsoft's Web
site.  Some maintain the slick Vista visuals. Others don't seem to
try.

Vista also includes considerable security improvements, including a
firewall that blocks network traffic in both directions and an
anti-spyware program. You still need to get your own anti-virus
software.

Vista adopts "user authentication," which prompts you before the
installation of anything that might muck up the system. Oddly _ and
unlike Mac OS X and Linux _ it doesn't require a username or password.
The prompt, which darkens and deactivates everything in the
background, also is jarring and decidedly un-Vista-like.

Vista also has tools for monitoring and controlling your kids'
computer and Internet usage, as well as new "features" that Hollywood
can use to control what you do with its movies. If you ever update to
HD DVD or Blu-ray, for instance, the quality of those crisp videos may
be downgraded.

There are finer controls to adjust for power consumption and excellent
notification and monitoring tools to figure out how the system is
operating and what has gone wrong. Like a judge at a diving
competition, Vista will rate a computer's performance _ though it
doesn't explain the scale very well.

Vista sports new multimedia capabilities as well, including a photo
management program with basic picture-editing capabilities. It's
improved upon XP's moviemaking software. And it supports DVD burning.

The premium editions also include Windows Media Center _ a shell that
makes playing music and video easy, even with a remote control. The
program, previously part of a special version of XP, adds some of
Vista's visual pizazz to a package that bundles a digital video
recorder for capturing live standard and high-definition TV.

How long does it take to give a PC running Windows XP this facelift
and, arguably, heart and brain transplant? Surprisingly little, at
least on a high-end PC with 2 gigabytes of memory. The anesthesia
takes considerably longer to wear off.

My installation took about an hour. After the software checked for
updates, prompted me for a serial number and asked me to agree to the
Windows user license, the installer ran without any need for input _ a
great improvement over previous Windows versions.

Problems arose when the PC came back to life. The beautiful visuals
and inviting "Welcome Center" were covered up by error and warning
messages detailing a number of incompatibilities.

There was no sound. A program that I use to synch data with a 
flash-memory drive wouldn't work. The Internet-phone software Skype 
couldn't find audio input or output. And I was told the control center 
for my ATI Radeon X1600 Pro graphics card "might" have an issue. There 
was no warning from Microsoft's compatibility program that I ran before 
upgrading.

Most of the problems were fixed by visiting each vendor's Web site and
downloading updated software, although I still couldn't use my
Hewlett-Packard Co. LaserJet 1020 printer or my company's software for
virtual private networking.

In fairness, software companies have a few more days to get their acts
together before Vista's consumer launch (businesses have been able to
buy it for two months). But what have they been doing all these years?

The success of the operating system, however, won't ride on how well
old programs and peripherals will work but on the new capabilities
that are enabled. For laptops, it may hinge on auxiliary displays that
notify users of new e-mail when the machine is closed. For gaming
rigs, it may be how well the games tap into Vista's graphics
capabilities.

That's because given all its bells and whistles, Vista is still just
an operating system _ a blank canvas, albeit one with a very pretty
and elaborate frame.

On the Net:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:23:34 -0600
From: Jeremy Kirk, IDG <idg@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Symantec Warns of New Zero-Day Word Attack


by Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

Hackers are exploiting a new, unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft
Word that could allow them to take control of a victim's computer,
Symantec has warned.

qThe zero-day vulnerability is the fourth in Microsoft's widely-used Word 
2000 software that has not yet been patched, the security company said 
in its Security Response Warning.

A zero-day vulnerability refers to a security hole for which exploits
are already available when it was discovered. This latest one affects
most versions of Windows running Word, Symantec's advisory said.

"Extremely Critical"

Danish security vender Secunia ApS also reported the vulnerability,
and rated it as "extremely critical," its highest-level
warning. Microsoft, however, said the attacks are "very limited."

The attack comes via an infected Word document, a method increasingly
used by hackers for targeted attacks. If the document is opened, it
installs a Trojan horse program, called Trojan.Mdropper.W, onto the
computer, Lau wrote. The Trojan also puts other files on a computer
that enable a hacker to control it.

Microsoft released three sets of critical patches on Jan. 9, including
ones for Outlook, PowerPoint and Windows, but not for Word.

Word Widely Used

Users can avoid trouble by not opening unexpected Word documents
attached to e-mail. Hackers often spam out thousands of messages with
harmful attachments, such as Trojan horse programs, hoping
unsuspecting victims will open them.

Trojans often look harmless and can quietly install themselves on a
computer with no visible signs. The use of Word to mount an attack can
be particularly effective since the file format is so widely used.

Copyright 2007 PC World Communications, Inc.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/news-today.html (and)
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/technews.html

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:07:28 PST
From: Mr Joseph Singer <joeofseattle@yahoo.com>
Subject: Florida Retiree Wins Cell Phone Bill Fight


SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- A 77-year-old retiree has won a two-month
battle with a cell phone company over bills for about $31,000 in calls
from Nicaragua he says he never made.

Oliver DeSofi's Cingular Wireless bill from November listed more than
$21,420 in roaming charges for more than 4,000 calls made from his
phone from Nicaragua. When he contacted Cingular about the charges,
DeSofi learned there were already $9,554 in similar charges on his
next bill.

The former bank executive said his bill was normally about $150 -- he
has never been to Nicaragua.

"I told them this is impossible," DeSofi said.

DeSofi complained of fraud, but Cingular disagreed and tried to
collect the money, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Saturday.

Cingular canceled DeSofi's account, saying its fraud department did
not find any problems with the account. The company reversed its
decision after a Herald-Tribune inquiry on Thursday.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Cell-Phone-Fraud.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
 
------------------------------

From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi)
Subject: Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 03:27:35 -0000
Organization: Widgets, Inc.


In article <telecom26.27.11@telecom-digest.org>, George Mitchell
<george@m5p.com> wrote:

> Rick Merrill wrote:

>> Untraceable phones should be outlawed. These are what the bombers
>> use for placing calls and for detonation.

> Good thinking!  Let's ban pencils, too -- they can be used to write
> libelous statements.  And what about computers?  They can be used to
> send spam.  Better get rid of aspirin, too; it's a poison in large
> quantities.

Don't forget the girl in the news within the last week, who died from
drinking too much water.  Better put that on the controlled substances
list, too.  <grin>

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:44:17 -0500
From: Rick Merrill <rick0.merrill@NOSPAM.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones


George Mitchell wrote:

> Rick Merrill wrote:

>> Untraceable phones should be outlawed. These are what the bombers
>> use for placing calls and for detonation.

> Good thinking!  Let's ban pencils, too -- they can be used to write
> libelous statements.  And what about computers?  They can be used to
> send spam.  Better get rid of aspirin, too; it's a poison in large
> quantities.

> George Mitchell

Don't forget to outlaw hydrogen dioxide -- too much can kill ya and
your little doggie too!

Dave Garland wrote:

> It was a dark and stormy night when Rick Merrill
> <rick0.merrill@NOSPAM.gmail.com> wrote:

>> Untraceable phones should be outlawed. These are what the bombers
>> use for placing calls and for detonation.

> In the US, it's an open secret that the NSA has tapped phones in
> felony violation of the FISA law, but no prosecutor has the cajones to
> charge those NSA employees.  Why would anyone believe the secret
> police would hesitate to access the records for any reason they chose?

> Dave

Check your spellchecker:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cojones

------------------------------

From: Tom Horsley <tom.horsley@att.net>
Subject: Re: DA Wants to Restrict Pre-Paid Cell Phones
Organization: AT&T Worldnet
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:20:08 GMT


On 24 Jan 2007 11:56:30 -0800
hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> "To get a prepaid phone, all you have to do is plunk down your cash
> and walk out of the store -- no paperwork necessary.  Castor says
> that's a problem for his detectives because they can't track down the
> owner of the phone."

Yea, that's a bitch. Cars are also a problem, why with a car someone
can commit a crime and be miles away in very little time. I think they
should ban everything that can possibly be used in any criminal
activity!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One notable difference however is that
while cars _are_ frequently used to commit crimes, the car has to be
in close proximity to the crime scene, and theoretically at least, the
car is easily traceable from its license plate or VIN; or God Forbid
that the criminal presented a driver's license (for example, when
passing a bad check). That, plus a photo of the car license plate from
an overhead camera will frequently nail the criminal, no matter how
many miles away he gets in a short time. With the prepaid 'untraceable'
cell phone however, one does not need to be anywhere near the scene
of the crime.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: The End of the Old Bell System Colors?
Date: 27 Jan 2007 15:56:48 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Stan Schwartz wrote:

> Is this yet another end of an era?

Let's be clear that the "end of an era" occured way back in 1983 at
the time of divesture.  The old Bell System and its way of doing
business went away at that time regardless of what logos, paint
schemes, or names remained in use.

Before divesture, if one wanted only a low-use "plain old telephone
service" it was available for just a few dollars a month.  The minimum
cost for such service today is many times higher, increased far more
than the pace of inflation.  This is partly from technology, partly
from regulatory intent, partly from deregulation.

As to logos and names, in former Bell Telephone Co of Pa territory
under Verizon, the colors and logos are fully Verizon.  But on the
side of payphones (the few remaining) is the Bell logo.  In fine print
on the ad inserts in the bill it says "Bell Telephone Company of
Pennsylvania" or "Bell Atlantic", which are predecessor names.  (I
think that depends on the distribution of the ad insert.)

BTW, I just noticed another street corner payphone in my town is gone.
Two Verizon pay phones remain in front of the convenience store and
they do get used.  There is one at the train station.  A phone near
the pizza place is gone.  I don't know if the bar still has one in its
foyer.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:42:40 -0500
From: Rick Merrill <rick0.merrill@NOSPAM.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Cable, HDTV and Must-Carry


Neal McLain wrote:

> The FCC is considering imposing mandatory carriage for all subchannels
> ("multicasting"), but it hasn't taken formal action.

> http://tinyurl.com/2rb8gg
> http://tinyurl.com/2rtg9t

> Neal McLain

Neal, Thanks for all the great information and easy to use URLs!

In your opinion, what will the changeover in 2009 mean for local
access (PEG) stations? Will they have to convert to digital over
cable?  Will they have to (or be allowed to) convert to HDTV?  Or will
they be the only analog stations left standing?!

- Rick

------------------------------


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End of TELECOM Digest V26 #28
*****************************