Microsoft Live OneCare™ »

Microsoft announced OneCare™ almost 2 years ago as a way for the average PC user to get a beefy all-in-one protection package that would keep them safe from all types of malware.

It seemed like a good idea, since most of the World is using Microsoft products anyway. Well, AV Comparatives based in Austria ran a test of many of the leading Anti-Virus products to see who was doing a good job and who could use improvement. Here is a list from their published report (link opens in PDF) in the order of placement from best to worst:

Gdata AntiVirusKit (AVK)
TrustPort Antivirus Workstation
AVIRA AntiVir Personal Edition Premium
F-Secure Anti-Virus 2007
Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Symantec Norton Anti-Virus
ESET NOD32 Anti-Virus
AVG Anti-Malware
BitDefender Anti-Virus 10 Professional Plus
Fortinet FortiClient
Avast! Professional Edition
Norman Virus Control
F-Prot Anti-Virus for Windows
McAfee VirusScan
Dr.Web Anti-Virus for Windows
Microsoft Live OneCare

If you read the complete report, you will see that Microsoft Live OneCare™ failed significantly in comparison with the others, barely making the 80% range.

I am not Microsoft bashing. When you software is on 95% of the World’s computers, you are the target of choice. Heck, if I were to write a program and distribute it, I would have zero attacks because no one would care about my crappy little software. But Microsoft is everywhere, so it is targeted.

The problem I do have with Microsoft is that, based on AV Comparatives test results, their software is no where near ready for use by the masses. In fact, based on the numbers in the report, OneCare™ really should not even be in beta status yet. It needs some major improvement.

Month of PHP Bugs »

In the latest installment of “Month of (fill in software or computer language here) Bugs”, Stephan Esser is set to announce vulnerabilities found in the PHP scripting language.

Esser quit the PHP Security Response Team in December after becoming increasingly frustrated with the time it took to patch known holes in PHP.

Because of that event, some feel that his “Month of” is a lash-out at his former colleagues. While there is some debate regarding his real motives for doing this, Esser says on his web site that it is only to help improve PHP security.

Esser began the month listing three PHP vulnerabilities an hopefully, the PHP Team will patch the holes since nearly everyone uses PHP these days.

Dell to Start Offering Linux Laptops and Desktops »

After numerous requests from Linux geeks, Dell has heard the cries for an alternative OS to Windows. They have decided to make some Linux-certified laptops and desktop computers. The plan as of now, is to offer the Dell OptiPlex desktops, Dell Precision workstations and their Latitude notebooks in a “Certified for Linux” option to average consumers.

Dell and Novell have been cozying up for a while now and so this development is not really shocking.

Now, the question is whether or not the Dell machines will come pre-loaded with Linux. If so, what version will they offer? Michael Dell had this to say in an interview regarding a Linux/Dell partnership and what version to offer:

If we say we like Ubuntu, then people will say we picked the wrong one. If we say we like and support Ubuntu, Novell, Red Hat, and Xandros, then someone would ask us, ‘Why don’t you support Mandriva? The challenge we have with picking one is that we think we’d disenchant the other distributions’ supporters.

Until that is resolved (if ever) Linux geeks will just have to order a Dell n-Series machine running FreeDOS and load their favorite Linux flavor themselves.

Then, if they can sell a few more machines, maybe they can afford to fix Grandpa’s truck

NetBeans v5.5 Launched! »

Yes! Netbeans version 5.5 has been released!

InfoWorld names NetBeans “Best Java IDE Innovator” in 2007 Technology of the Year awards

Personally, I feel NetBeans itself is a very powerful Java IDE by itself. No other free editor could ever allow you to use GUI to create your splash screen for J2ME applications within minutes!

NetBeans IDE has been around for 7 seven years, it is truly open-source software and is backed by thriving communities at the backend. It is fully sponsored by Sun Microsystems and the editor is well-liked all over the world from students to working professionals.

NetBeans features can save hundreds of hours of developer time and accelerate application availability!

With NetBeans v5.5 launch, you are in for a very wonderful treat! With so much added functions included free, you shouldn’t be whining about its disadvantages. Here are some features added into version 5.5:

• Multiple Tool and Protocol Integration Provides Reasons for Migration
• Ease of Use Across the Development Lifecycle
• NetBeans Manages SOA Complexity
• Modeling Support Improves Developer Productivity
• Promoting Best Practices for Group Productivity
• Built for the Speed of Development

Read here for more about Netbeans v5.5.
Read here about migrating from Borland to NetBeans
Read here for NetBeans Flash Demo Tutorials
Read here for Planet NetBeans Blog
Click here to download NetBeans v5.5!

Is Your Software Vista Compatible? »

As a rule, most people love having the latest and greatest things.  With all the hoopla surrounding Windows Vista when it was released, many people quickly jumped on the Vista train and either upgraded from Windows XP or purchased computers that had Vista installed already.  However, once they booted the machine running on the brand new OS, they began to run into problems.

There have been many stories about old-standby programs that would not work on Vista.  For example, in the beginning of Vists’s life, Apple’s iTunes was not on either the “Certified for Windows Vista” list or the “Works with Windows Vista” list. What about Adobe products? Nope. Not on the lists either.

Also, Autodesk 2008 English was the only AutoCAD platform that was originally supported. Now, most Autodesk products are supported although Architectural Desktop 2007 is the only one supported in that family.  We use AutoCAD 2005, which is not on the list, and I am not upgrading to 2008 anytime soon. So, we won’t be upgrading to Vista either (not that I was planning on it anyway ).

As far as Graphics design goes, currently only Adobe/Macromedia Studio 8 is supported, so that leaves quite a few missing.

Originally, the list showed about 800 programs labeled as Vista friendly. Of course, the “approved software” lists grew and will continue to grow as more vendors patch their programs to make them Vista-compatible. However, this information is good to know before you rush out to upgrade.

Taking this issue a step further, there are many examples of printers, scanners and the like that do not work with Vista.  So, if you upgrade OR purchase a computer pre-installed with Vista, you might have to upgrade other things as well.  Click here and check to see if your current equipment is on the list.  NOTICE – you can only view this list it you check it through Internet Explorer… it won’t work with the Firefox or Opera web browsers – good one Microsoft.