At the recent PC EXPO, in New York, one of the areas that received the most attention was the "Wi-Fi", also referred to as IEEE 802.11b, wireless-networking exhibits. There, notebook computers from Gateway, Apple iBook, Fujitsu, and Compaq were shown that contained integral wireless modems. Utilizing an internal antenna, these notebooks join Dell in allowing the user to access either internal or external wireless networks, simply by changing the name of the wireless network, and possibly an encryption key.
With a potential 11-megabit speed, faster than the typical DSL line or cable modem, and operating at 2.4Ghz frequencies, the wireless network operates at short distances. The speed is dependent on distance and structure between the transmitter and the receiver. The standard allows for speeds to drop to 5.5, 2 or 1-megabit speeds depending on conditions and range. An outdoor system with no obstructions can maintain the full 11 megabit speed up to about 500', and will still provide1-megabit speed to almost a half-mile. Indoor, ranges are reduced, with a greater reduction in range and speed with more robust construction. In my house, we consistently maintain the 11-megabit speed, at a straight-line distance of about 50 feet, going across two rooms, and through two walls. At the Rape and Suicide Crisis Center, in a commercial building, using an Orinoco system, the 11-megabit speed it maintained at two of the computers with an unobstructed view of the antenna. Three of the computers in adjacent offices receive the full speed about 20% of the time, and falls back to the 5.5-megabit speed 80% of the time. The sixth computer, two offices away, maintains a 5.5megabit speed, still faster than DSL line.
As more venues implement wireless networking, the need for accessibility to those networks will increase. "Wi-Fi" is now common in airports, hotels, college campuses, Starbucks, and many other locations. The University of Texas-Dallas has implemented "Wi-Fi" in its new dormitories opening this fall, and will soon extend coverage campus wide.
As this technology is implemented widely, the price of the wireless networking has declined, and its availability increased. Locally, the electronics and computer stores are carrying a selection of wireless networking components, PCMCIA cards being the most common. Commonly in the $80 - $110 range, often with rebates, the PCMCIA cards allow road-warriors to access the networks as they travel. Locally available brands are Linksys, D-Link, NetWare, SOHOWare, and 3Com. For use in a desktop computer, these manufacturers offer a PCI card adapter to allow the notebook card to be used in a desktop.
Several makers offer a USB connected client, that is slightly more expensive, and what is used at the Rape Center. The only disadvantage to using a PCMCIA card in a notebook or desktop computer is the location and orientation of the antenna. The antenna, which is usually fixed and integral with the card, protrudes about an inch from the computer, and may be difficult to orient for maximum reception, and may be prone to breakage. The external USB client allows for movement to improve reception.
Checking local stores, and reviewing Sunday sale books, the brand most available locally is Linksys. For the past several weeks, I along with others have had the opportunity to experiment with a Linksys system. The model WAP11 access point is connected via network cable to a DSL line, cable modem, or other network. About 7" by 6", this blue and gray plastic device has front function LEDs, two stubby antennae and power, USB, and network connectors on the rear. The USB connection allows the access point to be configured by a host computer. The two external antennae individually, and the access point itself can be rotated to provide ideal signal strength to the clients. The built in 40bit or 64bit WEP encryption provides reasonable security.
The Linksys PCMCIA card we tested was the WPC11. A typical card, the flat antenna extends about 1" from the slot on the notebook. Used with the WDT11 PCI Card Adapter allowed the card to be installed in a desktop computer, again with the antenna protruding about an inch. Experimenting with range and orientation, it became apparent that the old adage "location, location, location" applies to wireless networking as well. Re-orienting the access point and the client cards clearly indicated differences in signal strength and speed. At distances of about 30 feet in the house, there was little difference in signal strength, but as distance increased, and direction of the antenna changed, signal strength varied. With the adjustable antennae on the access point, ideal orientation was easy to achieve.
For household or small business uses, this Linksys system is capable of providing wireless access to a cable or DSL modem, at reasonable distances. Purposely trying to get the lowest speed by moving the antennae and the client, I was unable to get less than a potential 2-megabit speed in the house, which is still about 40 times faster than a dial-up modem. Obviously, different construction will cause results to vary.
Even with well-written programs, DOS based "XT" computers often had difficulty running popular software due to the fact that system needs drained resources, and the limited memory needed to be managed more effectively. A variety of programs were written to do this, even as new 286 "AT" computers were capable of having an astounding 1024k (1meg) of memory. DOS was not efficient at using this additional memory; so third-party publishers produced a series of memory managers. I used Quarterdeck's QEMM as a memory manager, starting with version 1, and ending with its final version 9. PCkwic, now defunct, another past favorite of mine, allowed the hard drive to cache its "FAT" in memory that DOS could not otherwise effectively use, which speeded up hard drive access. BlueMax386 came out to challenge QEMM's share of the market. Better memory management finally allowed more than one DOS application to run at a time, which was epitomized by the popular DesqView.
While Microsoft was developing early forms of Windows, IBM introduced what was arguably the finest PC operating system of the day, OS/2. One of the keys to OS/2's superiority over Windows was its excellent ability to manage memory. OS/2 allowed true multitasking, while Windows could only quickly swap programs in memory, running only one at a time. Windows was still relatively poor at managing memory.
When Microsoft introduced Windows 95, with its memory management and multitasking capabilities, it assumed the functions of QEMM and other managers, effectively driving those products off of the market. Windows 98, ME, and 2000 continue to show improvements, but have become such massive operating systems, that they have become "bloat-ware". As newer computers have more powerful processors, and memory of at least 64megs (1000 times the memory of a Commodore 64, and 10 times what Bill Gates said would be enough), programmers have not seen the need to manage memory as much as in the past. The attitude of programmers has turned 180 degrees over the recent decades, now that memory is cheap, and programming is expensive.
With modern PCs now routinely utilizing multitasking, running several programs simultaneously, the need to better manage memory is becoming more apparent. As I type this, I have MS Word, McAfee VirusShield, Zone Alarm, dial-up networking, Netscape, Direct CD, and MemTurbo loaded and running, in addition to all of the drivers and other system utilities that quietly sit in the background, and consume memory. As I load and exit programs throughout the day, I notice a definite slowdown. The reason is that many programs leave fragments of code or data in memory after they are closed, and this memory then becomes unavailable to applications that may need it. In many newer computers, to save money, there is no video card, but instead a video chip on the motherboard is used. Applications memory becomes "shared memory", as even less resources become available for applications. Recently I saw a name brand computer that had 128megs of memory, and utilized 64megs of "shared memory" for video; meaning that up to half of all memory is reserved for video, and only 64megs, the other half, is available for applications. This theft of system memory can be resolved by installing a video card with its own memory, now typically 16 to 64megs, freeing up system memory. A lower cost option, with the recent plunge in memory prices, would be to simply add more memory to the computer. Adding more memory makes more memory available, but Windows finds ways to use it up.
Since recent versions of Windows still do not effectively manage memory, a niche market has again opened for some specialty programs, generically referred to as "memory managers". A search at http://www.download.com revealed many such programs, most of them "freeware". Most perform basically the same, sweeping memory of leftover program fragments, and freeing memory. My personal favorites are RAMBooster and MemTurbo, both available from download.com. Both are among the most popular memory managers used, with download.com reporting over a million downloads each. Users give RAMBooster a 94% "thumbs up" rating, and MemTurbo an 82% rating. I have used both, and they are fine programs. RAMBooster, from Finland, is freeware, and does a simple but effective memory cleanup. MemTurbo is shareware, with a free evaluation version, and an enhanced $20 registered version. I use the registered version on my computer, as it offers a memory "scrub" in addition to the memory recovery functions. As I type, with what is loaded and running, MemTurbo shows 106megs available after running "Ram Recovery". After running the "Scrub Memory" I show 149megs available. Based on experience, as I surf the net, my available memory continuously drops to about 30megs available, as program fragments consume memory. A quick click on MemTurbo Scrub makes memory available, and performance improves.
One of the many reasons to periodically shut down and reboot a PC is to clear the memory, which only stores data when powered. Many users have to periodically reboot during the day to minimize lockups, and free up memory. With a good memory manager, the maximum amount of memory remains available to applications.
At the top of the current list of FTC consumer protection concerns are the heavily advertised computers in the Sunday sale books that are sold with huge rebates. In "Computers for Next to Nothing: What's the Deal?" the FTC warns consumers that the huge rebates typically require a three year Internet service contract; failure to meet the terms of the contract usually entail stiff financial penalties. Do the math. Look at the cost of the three years service, and compare it to other carriers, especially some of the local ISPs. Comparing the large rebate and three-year contract to the often-lower rates local ISPs charge may make the rebate very unattractive. My ISP, IH2000, offers a $12.95 monthly rate with an annual payment, while some of the carriers offering the rebates are charging as much as $24.95 a month, $12 a month more. For 36 months, the additional charge of taking the rebate would be $432 more than not taking the rebate and using a local ISP!
Another problem with the long-term contract is that technology and conditions are rapidly changing. With the greater availability of high speed DSL service, the local introduction of cable internet, and the upcoming promotion of satellite internet service, the penalties in the contract may make it difficult to switch services. Recently, at a local electronics store, I overheard an angry customer verbally assault the sales person who had previously signed her up for the rebate - contract, and was very dissatisfied with the quality of the service. The salesperson was unable to offer any assistance to the customer who wanted to drop the contracted service.
Also, the FTC warns, "Will you have to pay long distance charges to access the Internet? Will you have to pay an hourly fee to use a toll-free phone number?" On my weekly radio show on KLVI (Tuesdays, 6-7pm, 560AM) I have had several callers complain that they purchased computers from the major electronics stores, signed the contract in the store, received a $400 "instant rebate", went home, and then found out there was no local access from their telephone exchange. In order to make use of the service contracted for, the user may also bear toll charges, or pay an extra 10 cents per minute for 800 number access. The local ISPs typically offer local access to those exchanges, an additional savings. To be fair, the rebate contract warns the user to verify local access before signing, but as is typical, "…who reads those things?" I have been told.
It should also be noted here that many of the local computer retailers are heavily promoting the rebate-contract in their "back to school" promotions, targeted at students leaving for college. The problem with this is that almost all colleges today offer either free or reasonably priced Internet service, often premium broadband service. With the rebate, there is an obligation to pay for Internet service that will not likely be used. My daughters have attended four different universities; all offered free on-campus broadband service in the dorms, and three offer free off-campus dial-up service. By taking the $400 rebate, computer buyers today may end up paying $20-$25 monthly for three years for an unutilized service, a terrible waste of money. If buying a computer for a college student, check the availability of Internet service offered by the school before signing the rebate-contract.
Also, in an earlier column, I listed the top ten "dot-cons" listed by the FTC. Without much additional explanation, these dot-cons still victimize innocent net surfers. At http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/dotcon the FTC has detailed information on these scams, and an online reporting form, but consumers need to be aware of them. They are internet auctions, international modem dialing (forcing your modem to dial expensive international long distance numbers without your knowledge, creating huge phone bills), credit card fraud, web cramming (charging for services not contracted for), multi-level marketing pyramid and networking get-rich-quick schemes, travel and vacation frauds, business opportunities, investment scams, and health care products and services. The most common method of soliciting for these scams is "spam" mail, but they may also appear to be legitimate offers from reputable services, such as the major online auction sites.
It should also be noted that new variations of the Nigerian "419" money laundering scam have been recently promoted on the net. The use of email promising huge profits laundering Nigerian government money has expanded the list of victims. Variations of the scam now feature South American emeralds, South African diamonds or gold, Japanese currency hoards, and other creative stories intended to stimulate greed in order to swindle us out of our cash, in exchange for a promise (always unfulfilled) of a huge return. If anyone receives such a solicitation via email, forward the email including all headers to the US Secret Service at 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov. Details of the scam can be found at http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal.
If you would like to discuss anything that has appeared in my columns, I will be at the KLVI computer tent at Kidsfest this weekend. Please stop by and say hello.
Now, a modified technology has reduced the size of the CD-R to a mere 3" while maintaining compatibility with the common CD drives in millions of computers, as well as most music CD players. I recently obtained a box of the new Verbatim "Pocket CD-R" discs. Available in a rainbow of colors, these discs are smaller then a 3-1/2" floppy, but hold almost as much as 150 floppies. With 185mb capacity, these small discs allow for a new philosophy in digital hardware. What is different about these discs, compared to the Sony Mini CDs already on the market, is that these discs are explicitly designed to function with almost all conventional CD drives, unlike Sony's discs.
Imagine the popular floppy equipped Sony Mavica digital camera; by replacing the floppy drive with a small CD-R drive, capacity is increased by a factor of about 150x. There were rumors two years ago that Sony and other digital camera makers were considering incorporating the Imation 120meg Superdisk into their still cameras. Some problems were the rarity of the SuperDrive in computers, the use of a proprietary technology, and a relatively expensive media. The Pocket CD-R discs can be read by almost any CD drive, eliminating a proprietary technology, at a much lower cost.
We may soon see a variety of new devices utilizing these innovative discs. Several of the major digital camera makers are introducing both still and video cameras utilizing this media. These discs may hold 185mb of still images (thousands of images or other data), or up to 21 minutes of high-resolution digital video, including sound. In their slimline cases for storage, these discs easily fit in a pocket, each weighing about an ounce. Since the video is digital, the Pocket CD-R can go directly into a computer for playing or editing, requiring none of the cables, cards, or converters used on many of the digital camcorders. Reducing the size and weight of the media allows for smaller and lighter components, leading to smaller and lighter camcorders, requiring less power, and longer battery life.
Music lovers may also benefit from these new discs. Again, since they are smaller and lighter, CD and MP3 players can be made smaller and lighter, since Pocket CD-Rs are 40% smaller than standard CDs. These new discs can hold about three hours of MP3 music. These discs open many interesting possibilities. MP3 players using RAM memory, or some form of memory card are popular, but relatively expensive. The rule of thumb is that 32megs of memory in an MP3 player is usually less than an hour of music. To erase and upload music commonly requires a USB cable connected to a computer. Once erased, the music is gone and must be replaced using a computer, a sometimes-slow process. With these new small CD-R discs, MP3 music can be burned to a disc on a common CD-R drive, and inserted into a player about the same size as the current MP3 players. Another issue with MP3 players is one the cost of additional memory. In the recent Sunday sale books, supplemental memory commonly used in MP3 players, in its variety of types, can cost from $30 for 16megs (about 1/2 hour of play time), to over $100 for 128meg (commonly about 3 hours of play time). Compared to the retail price of under $3 (street price likely to be lower) for the Pocket CD-R providing 3 hours of music, the Pocket CD-R is a bargain. Unlike the RAM based MP3 players, which do not permanently store the music, the CD-R is relatively permanent. This use of the small CD will help maintain the pocket size and long battery life that current MP3 player owners enjoy today, but with a greater capacity and faster loading. Basically, these new Pocket CD-R discs may merge the functions of the common disc based music CD player with the memory based MP3 player, possibly making the hardware based MP3 player obsolete.
So what is next? The Pocket CD-RW is coming, if not already on the market. Technology advances, and while these new discs may be exciting today, they will be blasé in the future. Writeable DVD drives are now available, but are as expensive as the first CD burners were a few years ago. The writeable DVD discs are expensive, but coming down. There is an industry dispute over competing proposed standards for the writeable DVD format (remember Beta and Laserdisc vs. VHS?). At COMDEX last year, a mini-DVD was demonstrated. The mini-DVD may provide up to 50 times the storage as the Pocket CD-R, while being the same size, at about the same price. Imagine 150 hours of music in your pocket, or 16 hours of video, or maybe 10 gigabytes of data, weighing under an ounce. What is next? The Library of Congress in a matchbook?
In a recent statement, Computer Economics of Carlsbad, California estimated that so far this year, the cost of dealing with computer viruses and worms was $10.7 billion. If there are no more substantial attacks this year, an unlikely proposition, then the annual cost for dealing with this malicious code will reach about $15 billion. The major damage so far this year has been done by the recent outbreak of "Code Red" at about $2.6 billion, and "SirCam" at about $1.035 billion.
Computer Economics stated that the most costly attack was the "Love Bug", whose variants infected more than 40 million computers, at an estimated cost of $8.7 billion. "Love Bug" caused about two and a half times the loss of the top two 1999 viruses combined, Melissa at $1.2 billion, and Explorer at $1 billion. Viruses are becoming increasingly damaging as they become more sophisticated.
I also previously had warned about the tactic "human engineering" intended to trick the unsuspecting user into infecting his own computer. "SirCam" was successful because it attached its payload to a short, friendly email from an acquaintance, with the recipient's name kidnapped from the sender's cache or address book. Since the victim knows, and likely trusts the sender, another computer is contaminated if the recipient opens the attachment. This tactic is now the chosen method of many of the most recent viruses and worms, with some of the most recent stooping to a new low.
Recently, another new worm, the "Win32.Invalid.A", arrives in email appearing to be a genuine (but counterfeit) notice from Microsoft's tech support. Possibly titled" "Invalid SSL Certificate" this email contains a warning that an invalid security certificate, commonly by many popular websites, may cause a "buffer over-run" (a real problem) in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and allow an attacker access to the user's system. Attached to this email is "sslpatch.exe", which contains the dangerous payload. If the user is on the net when the virus is activated, it will search for files that have an .htm or .html extension. The virus then looks for any embedded email addresses, and using its own email software, propagates itself. If the user is not online when the virus is activated, it searches for ".exe" files and encrypts them, making them useless.
The media, including this column, has devoted a lot of time warning about viruses, and many users are disgusted and do not want to hear any more. Many other users are dismayed because their computers were infected. I agree fully, and so does the author of another creative idea, the "Good Worm". Supposedly, this worm is a beneficial worm, sent to the recipient by a concerned friend. Containing the message "Hey, checkout this new antivirus tool which checks your system for viruses.", the email may also appear to come from Symantec, the publisher of Norton Antivirus. By encouraging the recipient to run the attached program "antivirus.exe", the author has again taken advantage of, and abused, the user's trust. Instead of repairing any damage and removing viruses, the "Good Worm", also known as "Win32.All3gro.A" or "Allegro Worm" may itself destroy important files as it again sends itself out to others, using your name as the sender. Dangerous payloads, disguised as security warnings or fixes, may become one of the newest tolls used to fool or "social engineer" a recipient into becoming a victim.
Some other recent and supposedly beneficial worms are "The Cheese Worm" which scanned Linux systems supposedly to apply a software fix to security holes, but instead clogged systems as it spread. The "Noped" worm claimed to search for and report child pornography, but instead contained code that would destroy legitimate files and damage computers.
Computers are not the only targets of these authors. Viruses and worms have now appeared which are designed to attack web-enabled cell phones, and hand held computers or PDAs with wireless networking. Major antivirus companies are now producing software to protect wireless devices. While protective software is available, early results indicate that users are often reluctant to use such protection, as it may reduce functionality. Since virus assaults on wireless devices are still rare, and the media has generally ignored the risk, there is little market interest for antivirus software for wireless devices. Hardware manufacturers are now making it more difficult for wireless devices to become infected. They are incorporating advanced encryption technologies into the systems. Recent studies have failed to produce a documented case of damage to a PDA or web-enabled phone from a virus, but some security experts warn users to be vigilant. In a recent article, a senior computer security analyst commented that there is a greater risk that users will lose data by running over their PDA with their car, than from viruses. …And Bill Gates said that no one will ever need more than 640k of memory … and others stated that the Earth was flat and the moon was made of green cheese.
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