For the last couple of years, a particular form of malware has been a BIG
problem:"scareware."

This usually appears as a browser pop-up warning users (falsely) that they are
infected with some form(s) of malware.  These attacks have been stepped up
recently, so BE CAREFUL!  Here's an interesting (mildly technical) article from
a couple of security researchers via ZDNet:
"Thousands of web sites compromised, redirect to scareware"
<http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=4947>

As pointed out in one of the linked articles, anti-virus software is not always
effective in blocking this stuff.  You may find the [Alt]+[F4] key combination
useful to close the pop-up window.  More on keyboard shortcuts can be found in
my article "Just Beyond the Basics"
<http://www.ameritech.net/users/mpr_support/Clipboard.html>

By the way, the shortcut to our articles page is http://LearnPC.VZE.com -- I'm
in the process of updating it.

~~ Michael

Via http://science.nasa.gov

It's that time of year, again, for the BIG meteor shower:
"The Perseids are Coming"
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/31jul_perseids2009.htm>

Here's another good article:
"Perseid Meteor Shower Might Dazzle"
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090807/sc_space/perseidmeteorshowermightdazzle>

Actually, they have already started--though they will not peak until August
11/12.

~~ Mikey

Thursday (7/16) marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 Moon
mission.  To commemorate this, the JFK Presidential Library has launched a
really cool web site
http://www.WeChooseTheMoon.org
that provides a real-time interactive re-creation of the mission, from start to
finish.  The site is already live with a countdown to the Thursday "launch."

There will also be a real-time Twitter feed of the exchanges between CapCom and
the craft, though it's probably not live yet.

~~ Mikey

There is a security flaw in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader (PDF) versions 8 & 9.
The flaw will be fixed before March 11th (per Adobe)--but it's being exploited
NOW. See
<http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=64833>
for more details.

In the meantime, there ARE alternatives for Adobe Reader.  One of the easiest to
get and install is Foxit Reader:
<http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php>

For those that are a bit more computer-savvy, there are also the GhostScript
(GS)/GhostView (GV) duo that are GPL free software.  GS is the reader software,
GV is the graphical user interface for it.  They are a little more difficult to
install, but they are quite flexible and useful--if you use the free Scribus
desktop publishing software, it uses GS for part of its functionality.

GS/GV: <http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost>
Scribus: <http://www.scribus.net>

~~ Mikey

For those of you running Microsoft Windows (and most of you are), it's
that time again--Patch Tuesday!  Here's a summary:
<http://www.tech-linkblog.com/2009/02/upcoming-patch-tuesday-for-february.html>

Good luck!

~~ Michael Rudas
    My home page: http://MRudas.2Ya.com
    My blog: http://FaveSoft.blogspot.com
    My Protopage links: http://TinyURL.com/3wt54n

Use this link or I can send you an invite or add you by hand.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/semcoug/

SEMCO - SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization, Inc.

A Community Organization Helping People for the 21st Century.

Serving the Needs of Professionals, Hobbyists, Novices and Prospective
Computer Users
Since 1976.

SEMCO
PO Box 707
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0707
(248)398-7560
E-mail: semco@...

This SEMCO Yahoo Group is open to non-SEMCO members as well.

Royal Oak Computer Club also has a yahoo group.
But it is used as an announce only list at the present time.
Both groups are here in the links section.

Mike Bader

The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the release of Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS, the
second maintenance update to Ubuntu's 8.04 LTS release. This release
includes updated server, desktop, and alternate installation CDs for the
i386 and amd64 architectures.
In all, over 200 updates have been integrated, and updated installation
media has been provided so that fewer updates will need to be downloaded
after installation. These include security updates and corrections for
other high-impact bugs, with a focus on maintaining stability and
compatibility with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.
To Get Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS
------------------------
To download Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS, or obtain CDs, visit:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document
caveats and workarounds for known issues. They are available at:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/804
About Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS
-----------------------
This is the second maintenance release of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, which
continues to be supported with maintenance updates and security fixes
until April 2011 on desktops and April 2013 on servers.
Over 200 post-release updates have been integrated, and a number of
bugs in the installation system have been corrected. These include
security updates and corrections for other high-impact bugs, with a
focus on maintaining stability and compatibility with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.
See http://www.ubuntu.com/usn for a full list of Ubuntu security updates.
As of 2009-01-20, all updates affecting packages on the CD have been
applied.
A summary of notable updates follows. See
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu for specific information about a
particular bug number. A complete list of post-release updates can
also be found at:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardyReleaseNotes/ChangeSummary/8.04.2
Installer Updates
-----------------
* Create sambashare group and add the initial user to it (#238224)
* Permissions on some system files and directories were set wrong when
installing from Desktop CDs. For users tracking the recommended
hardy-updates repository, this issue has already been corrected
post-install (#288479)
* Record the partition table as changed when a single partition's file
system type has changed, fixing bootloader installation failures
when installing onto existing partitions (#149832)
* Fix writing of /var/log/installer/oem-id in OEM mode (#251751)
* Use the correct mirror for -security in the event of
apt-setup/security_host being preseeded (#306356)
Desktop Updates
---------------
* Fix a race which can lead to a gvfs-fuse-daemon crash when closing
session (#235698)
* Prompt for restarting session when installing samba to take into
account sambashare group membership and the need for libpam-smbpass to
create NTLM password hash (#212098)
* Fix undeletion of menu items with the alacarte menu editor (#225941)
* Stop/start anacron on suspend/resume and on power-cycle (#249220)
* Fix hang on "Loading..." when opening a PDF file (#256048)
* Fix incorrect handling of authentication cases leading to excessive
gnome-keyring CPU usage (#236171)
* Fix printing to remote ipp:// printers (#258104)
* Don't look for a Trash directory on autofs mounts (#210468)
* Fix GNOME session blow-up when using GUI to join a Windows domain
(#222224)
* Fix ICQ connections in pidgin (#244591)
Server updates
--------------
* Fix race with mdadm/devmapper while looping for the root filesystem
(#244926)
* Revert "TC action parsing bug fix", which broke shorewall and
wondershaper
(#194623)
* Support booting degraded RAID devices (#290885)
General Updates
---------------
* Set hdparm power management to 254 for all hard drives while on AC, and
128
while on battery (note that suspend/resume still breaks this, and a more
complete fix will be forthcoming for Ubuntu 8.04.3) (#59695)
* Support CDs with no uncompressed Packages files, only compressed ones,
enabling upgrade to future releases using CDs (#255545)
* Conflict with old mysql 4.1 packages to ensure smooth upgrades from
Ubuntu 6.06 (#208695)
* Backport cifs.upcall, to support Kerberos-authenticated CIFS kernel
mounts
(#236830)
* e1000 checksum recheck after reset (#60388)
Helping Shape Ubuntu
--------------------
If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways
you can participate at
http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/
If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but
aren't sure, try asking on the #ubuntu channel on IRC.FreeNode.net, on
the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:
http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/
About Ubuntu
------------
Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, and
servers, with a fast and easy install and regular releases. A
tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and
an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.
Professional technical support is available from Canonical Limited and
hundreds of other companies around the world. For more information about
support, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/support
More Information
----------------
You can find out more about Ubuntu on our website:
http://www.ubuntu.com/
Mike Bader

----- Original Message -----

From: Michael Rudas

To: opcc@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 11:04 PM

Subject: Re: [opcc] Fw: Ubuntu 8.10 released

---  Mike Bader wrote: Subject: Ubuntu 8.10 released > The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 8.10 > Desktop and Server, continuing Ubuntu's tradition > of integrating the latest and greatest open source > technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use > Linux distribution. > Ubuntu 8.10 is also the basis for new 8.10 releases of > Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and UbuntuStudio. I have downloaded the Kubuntu live CD for 32-bit PCs and am in the process of downloading the BitTorrent for the Kubuntu live DVD -- thanks for posting this to the list. Now I just gotta update my Kubuntu 8.04 to KU-8.10 -- after I back up my Linux partition... ~~ Mikey

> The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server,
> continuing Ubuntu's tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open
> source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.
>
> Read more about the features of Ubuntu 8.10 in the following press
> releases:
>
>  Desktop edition    http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-8.10-desktop
>  Server edition     http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-8.10-server
>
> Ubuntu 8.10 will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers.
> Users requiring a longer support lifetime may choose to continue using
> Ubuntu 8.04 LTS rather than upgrading to or installing 8.10.
>
> Ubuntu 8.10 is also the basis for new 8.10 releases of Kubuntu, Xubuntu,
> and
> UbuntuStudio:
>
>  http://kubuntu.org/news/8.10-release
>  http://xubuntu.org/news/intrepid/release
>  http://ubuntustudio.org/8-10_release_note
>
> To Get Ubuntu 8.10
> ------------------
>
> To download Ubuntu 8.10, or obtain CDs, visit:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu
>
> Because Ubuntu 8.04 LTS is a long-term support release, users of that
> release will not be offered an automatic upgrade to 8.10 via Update
> Manager.
> For instructions on upgrading to Ubuntu 8.10, see:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/upgrading
>
> As always, upgrades to the latest version of Ubuntu are entirely free of
> charge.
>
> We recommend that all users read the release notes, which document
> caveats and workarounds for known issues.  They are available at:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810
>
> Find out what's new in this release with a graphical overview:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810overview
>
> If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but
> aren't sure, try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel, on the Ubuntu Users
> mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:
>
>  #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net
>  http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
>  http://www.ubuntuforums.org/
>
> Helping Shape Ubuntu
> --------------------
>
> If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways
> you can participate at:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/
>
> About Ubuntu
> ------------
>
> Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, and
> servers, with a fast and easy install and regular releases.  A
> tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and
> an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.
>
> Professional technical support is available from Canonical Limited and
> hundreds of other companies around the world.  For more information about
> support, visit:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/support
>
> More Information
> ----------------
>
> You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this release on our website:
>
>  http://www.ubuntu.com/
>
> To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's
> very low volume announcement list at:
>
>  http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce
>

mike bader

Paper made from aligned carbon nanotubes will be stronger than steel...
"Future planes, cars may be made of `buckypaper'"
<http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081017/ap_on_hi_te/tec_buckypaper>

~~ Mikey

The OpenOffice.org Community is today announcing the general
availability of OpenOffice.org Version 3. Right from the opening screen,
OpenOffice.org 3 has a fresh new look, with a new start screen, new
splash screen, new icons, and a host of usability improvements.

The Writer word processor has a cool new slider control for zooming,
allows multi-page display while editing, has powerful new multilingual
support, and boasts improved notes capabilities. As well as conventional
office documents, Writer can now edit wiki documents for the web.

The Calc spreadsheet has been given another increase in capacity - now
up to 1024 columns per sheet. It also has a powerful new equation
solver, and a great new collaboration feature for multiple users.

Draw can now cope with poster-size graphics (up to 3sq metres), and
Impress supports multiple monitors for presentations. Chart now produces
much more clean looking graphics by default, and has a range of
additional features requested by power users.

The popular built-in PDF export facility has been further enhanced with
PDF/A support and a range of new user-selectable options.

OpenOffice.org 3 is now also available for the first time as a full Mac
OS X application, bringing the power of the world's leading open-source
office suite to a whole new group of users. And it's even easier than
ever to persuade MS-Office users to upgrade to OpenOffice.org, with new
support for MS-Access 2007 'accdb' files, improved support for VBA
macros, and a new ability to read MS-Office Open XML files (Microsoft
Office 2007 and Office 2008 documents)

OpenOffice.org's support for extensions is really coming of age with
OpenOffice.org 3. A rapidly expanding number of additional features are
available from different developers to add great features such as an
Impress presenter console, support for business analytics, PDF import,
and a whole new way of supporting additional languages.

Tell your friends that 2008 is 'The Year of 3'; - the year we released
OpenOffice.org 3; the year we make OpenOffice.org available on all 3
major computing platforms (MS-Windows, GNU/Linux, and Mac OS X); and the
year to realise the 3 key benefits of OpenOffice.org: it's great
software; it's easy to use; and it's free.

Links

Official Press Release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/OOo/3/prweb1459364.htm
Download: http://download.openoffice.org
Guide to new features: http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/3.0
Technical release notes:
http://development.openoffice.org/releases/3.0.0.html
Availability of localised versions and ports:
http://download.openoffice.org/other.html

The OpenOffice.org Community

Mike Bader

There has been a LOT of talk this week about a newly discovered vulnerability in
ALL modern browsers running under ANY operating system, including all versions
of Microsoft Windows, Linux, BSD, and Mac OS X.  Called "clickjacking," it's a
means of hijacking (redirecting) clicks on links in browsers:
<http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&article\
Id=9115818&source=NLT_SEC&nlid=38> or <http://tinyurl.com/3rmfac>

Fortunately, a useful fix IS available.  As most of you know, I have recommended
the use of the Mozilla Firefox browser for quite a while.  It runs on Windows,
OS X, BSD, and Linux.  The important information here is that Firefox supports
"add-ons" -- plug-ins that add useful features.  That's where the solution comes
from; it's yet another reason to abandon Internet Explorer under Windows.

I am a long-time user of the "NoScript" add-on for Firefox, which blocks scripts
(usually JavaScript-based) from running in the browser -- unless you allow it on
a per-site basis (easily managed).  It has just been updated to add protection
against this very vulnerability.

Managing add-ons in Firefox is pretty easy.  Go to the "Tools" menu, select
"Add-ons."  When the dialog window opens, enter "noscript" in the search box
near the top of the window and install the add-on from there.  There may be
other useful add-ons of interest to users; see
<https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox>
for more information, including the ability to browse add-ons by category.

Now the GOOD news: OpenOffice.org is releasing its new Version 3.0 on Monday. 
It's already available; here's a good link:
<http://openoffice.mirrors.tds.net/pub/openoffice/stable/3.0.0>
If you want more information or are new to OOo, you can go to the main site on
Monday or later and get the download link from there.  You can also find FAQs
(frequently asked questions) and tutorial links there as well.  v3.0.0 is a
substantial update from v2.4.1 and a better-than-ever replacement for the
bloated, too-costly Microsoft Office series.

~~ Michael
MPR_Support@...
http://FaveSoft.blogspot.com

On Sep 19, 2008, at 12:47 PM, Michael Rudas wrote:

> In honor of "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" (Sept 19th) we
> have:
> "The Pirate Keyboard"
> <http://www.arrrrrr.com>
>
> I know I posted this last year (different link), but it's STILL
> pretty funny...
>
> ~~ Mikey
>

Merr-Arrrg!

(Molly, my cat)

In honor of "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" we have:
"The Pirate Keyboard"
<http://www.arrrrrr.com>

I know I posted this last year (different link), but it's STILL pretty funny...

~~ Mikey

Just a reminder -- the peak of the Perseid meteor
shower is tonight.  Look to the east (the
constellation Perseus).

It will start to show after about 9 p.m. but will
really best be visible after about 2 a.m. when the
Moon sets.

~~ M.

A reminder -- the Perseid meteor shower is peaking
next week (Aug. 12th).  In fact, it's already started.

The Perseids are usually the biggest meteor show of
the year.  Here's the details via
http://spaceweather.com and NASA:
"The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower"
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/22jul_perseiddawn.htm>

I have a new blog: http://favesoft.blogspot.com
in which I (mostly) discuss free software, most of it
for Microsoft Windows.  I just started it, so content
is a bit sparse at present -- but I will be adding
more stuff to it every day.

Comments/questions/suggestions are welcome!

~~ Michael

OK, this is just a silly mash-up...  but I LIKE it
that way!

"The groove is strong with this one."
<http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1819422>

~~ Mikey

This has potential (literally):

"Man-made tornadoes could power the future"
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25374237>

~~ Mikey

http://tinyurl.com/5xt235

http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.0/win32/en-US/Fir\
\efox%20Setup%203.0.exe

--
*SEMCO - SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization
http://www.semco.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/semcoug
http://jvanders.com/mailman/listinfo/semco_jvanders.com

http://tinyurl.com/5xt235

http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.0/win32/en-US/Fir\
\efox%20Setup%203.0.exe

--
*SEMCO - SouthEastern Michigan Computer Organization
http://www.semco.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/semcoug
http://jvanders.com/mailman/listinfo/semco_jvanders.com

A cool link via NASA Science:

"On Wednesday night, June 18th, step outside at sunset
and look around. You'll see a giant form rising in the
east. At first glance it looks like the full Moon. It
has craters and seas and the face of a man, but this
'moon' is strangely inflated. It's huge!"
<http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16jun_moonillusion.htm?list880458>

~~ Mikey

Now you see why I mostly run Linux :-)
"A rough 24 hours for Windows users - 81% affected"
<http://secunia.com/blog/20>

~~ Mikey

An error crept into the link I provided last
message...

"Windows XP SP3 includes vulnerable Flash Player --
Microsoft's newest update bundles older version that's
currently being exploited"
<http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&article\
Id=9092218>

...sorry about that.

~~ Mikey