Wireless security: cracking the code

Network World has put together an excellent, exhaustive article on the ins and outs of deploying a wireless network, entitled Cracking the wireless security code:

Is it possible to deploy a secure wireless LAN with technology available today? That question preys on the minds of IT executives who are tempted to deploy enterprise WLANs, but are hesitant because of security concerns.

So we assembled 23 wireless products from 17 vendors and ran them through a battery of tests aimed at getting the answer.

The focus is on enterprise networks, so it may be overkill if you’re just trying to keep the guy in the apartment below you from tapping into your Wi-Fi connection. I mean, you’re not about to set up a RADIUS server in your hall closet. But it’s still worth reading, thanks to an excellent glossary, clear explanations of all the wireless technologies out there, and detailed instructions on how to secure your wireless LAN.

Props to Wi-Fi Networking News for the pointer.

Firefox momentum

Paul Thurrott writes about Firefox:

The browser wars are back, and this time it’s personal: Upstart Web browser maker Mozilla Foundation now expects its surging Firefox browser to command 10 percent of the Web browser market by the end of 2005. “I think we’ll get to 10 percent over the next year,” a Mozilla Foundation spokesperson told ZDNET this week. “We don’t have 10 percent of the Web at the moment, but we have the momentum.”

I guess the readers of this blog are ahead of the curve. Nearly 25% of my site traffic comes from Firefox.

In fact, I use Firefox as my primary browser. I don’t agree with Paul T. that IE is “bug-laden and insecure.” Firefox crashes about as often as IE6 on my machines, which is to say not very often. Thankfully, I don’t have to choose one or the other on the basis of stability. And SP2 has taken care of most of the security issues with IE.

I think Firefox is more usable, and I absolutely love the extensibility model, which lets anyone write an extension that can add a feature to the browser. Tabbed browsing? Love it. Support for Blogger? Great. An extension that lets me right-click a page or a link to open it in IE? That’s smart. See the whole list here.

A lot of people are painting this as a battle between evil, incompetent Microsoft and a bunch of upstart genius programmers. I see it a little differently. The Firefox team has built a better browser. It works well with Windows. And they’re doing a great job of listening to their customers and improving it. That makes me appreciate Windows as a platform even more.

If you haven’t tried Firefox yet, I recommend it. More info and download links here.

Software: the 7-day rule

Jeff Sandquist – Microsoft Evangelist has a great rule when it comes to new software:

I love to try out new software all the time, in fact its sort of an obsession. I’m always on the prowl for cool new applications. After seven days of use though if I’m not totally blowon away or if its not improving my PC life, its straight to add/remove programs I go. (Please, have a good un-installer).

I actually go as far as to set a reminder in Outlook for seven days from the installation date. When that reminder goes off I either send the author a cheque for their great work (even if its a 30 day evaluation) or I remove the application from my system.

Read the whole post to learn what criteria Jeff uses to decide which software makes the cut.

Actually, I have a similar rule. I will not install a new program when I first hear about it, no matter how tempting it sounds. Instead, I wait at least two weeks, and during that time I check the software out. Any known problems? Any unfortunate interactions with other programs? Only after I satisfy myself that the program is safe and reliable do I allow myself to install it. You’d be amazed how many programs that sound irresistible at first turn out to be completely, um, resistible.

If more people took this skeptical approach to software, the Windows world would be a better place.

SP2 troubles? Some help…

I’ve heard from several people about problems they experienced when trying to install Service Pack 2. These are the two most common problems:

Your computer freezes while trying to install SP2. This seems to be caused by a specific hardware problem, which is described in this Knowledge Base article: Your computer stops responding when you restart to complete the installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2. There’s a patch you can install before attempting to update to SP2. If you’re stuck midway through an incomplete installation, see the instructions at the end of the article.
Your computer gets stuck in a restart loop with the error message “This application has failed to start because winsrv was not found.” This one seems to be related to a particular piece of adware called TVMedia, according to this Knowledge Base article. (Mary Jo Foley wrote a story in eWeek earlier this month with more details.)

Other problems I hear about are typically related to outdated and unsigned drivers. If you have a Compaq or HP computer, you can find all the update information you need here. Dell owners should read this page carefully.

If you haven’t yet installed SP2, now is the time to do so. If you’re looking for a checklist to help make sure you’re doing it right, this page from Windows MVP Jupiter Jones is a good place to start. Here’s the short version: Check first to see if your computer has any compatibility problems. Scan for viruses and spyware and eliminate anything you find. Download the full SP if possible, or order the CD from Microsoft. Do the upgrade!

Update: You’ll find some more resources on my SP2 index page.

New editions of Windows XP Inside Out

Carl Siechert, Craig Stinson, and I spent a year working with beta versions of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Our goal was to produce an updated version of Windows XP Inside Out. So, I am happy to report that the second edition is finally available.

A lot of publishers crank out new editions when a service pack comes along. In most cases, all they do is slip in a few pages about the service pack, put a new ISBN number on the title, and throw it on the shelf. We took a more comprehensive approach. This book has been rewritten from start to finish. Service Pack 2 is a big deal, and we wanted to make sure that all of its changes are reflected. It took a long time, but I’m really pleased with the results.

If you own one of the original editions, trust me: You’ll want this update. The changes in the book are important, and a lot of the information in the original editions is simply not relevant or helpful if you’ve installed SP2.

As with the original editions, you’ll find two versions of Windows XP Inside Out. The standard edition is aimed at people using Windows in home and small office environments. The Deluxe edition has extra content specifically targeted at power users and those who work with more advanced networks.

You should be able to get these titles from any bookstore. If you want to buy from Amazon.com, I encourage you to click either of the following links. The prices are as good as you’ll get anywhere, and I get a buck or two as a spiff for each copy sold.

Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out Deluxe, Second Edition

Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, Second Edition

Also, if you have a Windows-related blog and you’d like a review copy, link to this post and send me a note with the URL. I’ll forward your contact info to the publicity folks at Microsoft Press.

Kazaa use down. Good!

News of an encouraging trend in this morning’s headlines. AP: Kazaa losing users:

Kazaa’s long-standing position as the most popular online file-sharing software appears to be over. Last month, the daily average of file-swappers on the FastTrack peer-to-peer network, which includes Kazaa and related programs, was surpassed for the first time by users on the eDonkey/Overnet network, according to online tracking firm BayTSP Inc.

[…]

BayTSP’s monitoring does not encompass all the file-sharing networks, however. Graham cites the BitTorrent network as an example of a file-sharing community that has grown increasingly popular. The company tracks file-sharing on BitTorrent, but cannot tell how many people use it, Graham said.

I’m a big fan of BitTorrent, which represents a way for communities to share ideas and files. I’ve seen too much chaos and misery created by Kazaa to feel anything but pleasure in their demise.

Windows XP Media Center 2005

Earlier this year, Microsoft sent me a Gateway computer running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004. I was able to play with it for about a month before I had to send it back. I can definitely see the potential in this OS, and in fact I’ve been able to duplicate many of its functions on my own, using an ATI All-in-Wonder 9600 video card, an ATI Remote Wonder, and SnapStream’s BeyondTV 3.5.

So now Media Center Edition 2005 is out. I have a system that’s fully compatible with the software, but the OS is, unfortunately, only available in OEM editions. I’ve read a lot about it, especially at sites like Sean Alexander’s Addicted to Digital Media. Sean works for Microsoft and was onstage with Bill Gates demoing the new MCE at its recent introduction. Sean says he wants more people to evangelize about Media Center Edition.

Hey, Sean! Send me a copy of MCE 2005 and I’ll gladly tell the world about it.

Google = Spyware? I think not…

Wes Felter has an odd comment about Google’s latest:

Google Desktop Search somehow intercepts regular Google searches so it can splice in local search results. I’ve heard of spyware that splices ads into result pages from major search engines; it may use the same technique. I wonder why Windows or Web browsers would allow this. I doubt that Google Desktop is spyware, but it risks guilt by association if it uses the techniques of spyware.

What a bizarre accusation. The “techniques of spyware”? Spyware is a pretty ill-defined term to begin with, but I think we can all agree that the defining characteristic is deception. Developers of spyware programs often try to hide the fact that their program is installing itself. They fail to disclose what the software actually does. They make the software difficult or impossible to remove.

By contrast, Google fully discloses what its Desktop Search program does. The program has a sensible and thorough privacy policy. I had no problem whatsoever disabling it and uninstalling it.

Anyone who refers to this as spyware has truly lost perspective.

Desktop search alternatives

OK, I tried Google Desktop Search. I like its simplicity, and the way it brings up e-mail and files in the familiar Google window.

Then I installed Copernic Desktop Search. Whoa. This is good! After 30 minutes working with it I’m really impressed with its power, and I think Google has its work cut out for it, at least for information junkies like me.

Next up is X1.com. Jason Calacanis says “X1 has really changed my life…”

OK, that’s worth a try… I’ll keep you posted.

Music format wars

Mike at Techdirt has a mini-rant today arguing that the current music format standards battle is Bad News For Everyone. The thrust of his argument is that MP3 was good enough, and the moves by Apple and Microsoft to introduce other standards are wrong:

In some sense, MP3 has just become a generic term for digital music file — which is only going to lead to problems later when the AAC and WMA files don’t behave the same way MP3 files do. Once again, the industry is doing more damage by fragmenting the way in which people store their digital music. There’s no benefit to the end user, but it will lead to confusion and anger — which isn’t the way you should want your customers to feel.

I disagree. There is a profound benefit to the end user in these other standards. MP3 was not “good enough” for anyone who cares about audio. AAC, in fact, is the MP3 standard updated with better compression and better audio quality. WMA likewise offers better compression and better sound. My collection of perfectly legal digital music occupies nearly 100GB of disk space. It would take twice that much to get the same quality using MP3.

There are two bigger problems at work here. One is digital rights management. I don’t buy music from online music stores (Apple, Microsoft, or anyone) if it’s locked up. I want to be able to reuse it on my own collection of devices. The other problem is the Apple vs. Microsoft feud. Apple won’t license the WMA format from Microsoft, because they don’t want to pay for it or allow iTunes users to download from sources other than Apple. And Apple won’t allow Microsoft to license the AAC format, so any tunes downloaded from the iTunes store have to be converted to MP3 format before they can be played.

Basically, consumers have to choose sides in this war. I’ve chosen the WMA side, and I’m perfectly happy, thanks very much.