David L. Farquhar on technology old and new, computer security, and more
Last year, I got a deal I couldn’t refuse on a Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop. It’s old and quirky, but modern enough to make it serviceable. It has a dual-core processor and SATA2, so you can put an SSD in it. It uses DDR2 memory, which isn’t as cheap and plentiful as DDR3, but at this moment isn’t unreasonably expensive either.
Its biggest problem is that it’s officially limited to 2 GB of RAM. Officially, that is. Read more
I saw an assertion last week that Yahoo and Gmail accounts are less secure than an account that came straight from your ISP. Perhaps there was a time when this was true, but no longer. Today there are reasons to believe the exact opposite is true.
So, no, you don’t have to apologize for using a Yahoo or a Gmail account.
Read more
The BSA says 57% of people use pirated software. A big part of the problem is that software is just too expensive. You can buy a decent computer for $300, and the copy of Windows that comes with it accounts for 1/3 of the cost.
Microsoft Office Home and Business, which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook, retails for another $280. Office Professional, which includes Publisher and Access, retails for $500.
So even if you opt for the cut-down Home and Business version, you’ve already spent more on software than you spent on the hardware it runs on. Read more
Tom Gatermann asked me about a new password concept. How about, instead of 16 characters of gobbledygook, you chained together three unrelated words and separated them with garbage characters?
It would be easier to remember. But is it strong enough?
I think he’s just trying to get me to do math. But let’s look and see. Read more
I saw a story on Slashdot this weekend writing Silicon Valley’s obituary at the hands of the Facebook IPO. The logic is that since social networking is an easier path to riches than traditional science, people will choose social networking.
In the short term, he may be right. But in the long term? The Facebook IPO looks more like Dotcom 2.0 to me. Read more
If you’ve had a piece of electronic gear fail in the last few years, there’s a good chance it’s due to one or more bad capacitors inside. The problem most infamously reared its ugly head on motherboards produced just after the turn of the century, but that’s just a place where it’s highly visible. If you had a DTV converter box, a DVD player, or some other device fail in the same timeframe, it may have had the same problem.
If I had a failed motherboard, I’d probably just swap the motherboard unless it’s vintage or otherwise collectible. I’m more inclined to fix an LCD monitor or a DTV converter box. Read more
Wise Bread gives the 10 worst ways to make extra money. The scary thing is, I’ve actually looked into most of these, and tried some. And they’re mostly right. Most of them are just a waste of time. Here’s what’s wrong with them, and the caveats with the ones that are halfway useful, for a limited time.
Read more
Microsoft is willing to install a clean copy of Windows in its retail stores on any PC for a flat fee of $99. (Windows license not included, of course.) They’ll also optionally include Microsoft’s Windows Live Essentials programs, the ad-supported starter editions of Word and Excel, Microsoft Security Essentials antivirus, and Zune media player software.
Read more
Another question from the big box o’ Google search queries: What are the real benefits of having a CISSP?
I don’t want to be flip, but here it is in two words: job security. Read more
On Wednesday evening, I wrote about basic computer security from a Windows-centric perspective. I knew some people who needed help in a hurry, and given there was a 90% or so chance they were running Windows, I took that route.
Some of my buddies who use Macs passed it along. And much of what I said then does apply, but I’d like to clarify a few of those points.
Read more