DCOMbobulator

March 8, 2008 – 2:41 PM

The DCOMbobulator does two things:

* It allows any Windows user to easily test and verify that their Windows’ DCOM system *has* been correctly patched to eliminate the serious remote exploit vulnerability which recently brought us all of the MSBlast Internet worm excitement. We have confirmed reports that Microsoft’s patch sometimes does not “take”, leaving Windows still vulnerable. The DCOMbobulator let’s anyone check any local Windows system.

* Secondly, and really most importantly, since virtually NO ONE needs (or has ever needed) to have DCOM running, the DCOMbobulator allows any Windows user to safely and easily disable DCOM and unbind it from port 135. I do a comprehensive job of this on ALL versions of Windows, so that if the Windows Task Scheduler and the “Distributed Transaction Coordinator” (MSDTC) services — which both also use port 135 — are also disabled, Windows TCP port 135 will finally be closed.)

http://grc.com/dcom/

Kazaa Plus: No Ads, No Spyware

March 8, 2008 – 2:40 PM

Sharman Networks has released a premium version of its Kazaa peer-to-peer file sharing software. The new software, Kazaa Plus, does not come bundled with the advertising spyware applications found in the free version. Kazaa Plus sells for $29.95 (USD).

In addition to being free of advertisements, Kazaa Plus also sports several new features. Kazaa Plus enables users to start searches that run every 30 minutes for a 24-hour period, offering potentially up to 9,000 results; customer email support by Avalon Online Distribution; faster and more effective search and download capabilities, allowing users access to up to 3,000 results per search; download files from up to 40 sources at one time, up from only eight in the advertising supported version; set the default homepage of your choice; enhanced virus protection, courtesy of the built-in antivirus program, BullGuard.

Please note that I have not tested this piece of software and cannot verify the claim that it is free of all adware and spyware.

In what I presume is an unofficial part of their marketing strategy, Sharman Networks recently issued a DMCA violation notice to search engine giant Google. The notice asks Google to remove fourteen specific web sites from any search for the keyword “kazaa”, claiming that those sites host software that infringes on their copyright. In fact, six of those sites are download mirrors for various versions of Kazaa Lite, an unauthorized copy of Kazaa which users have decompiled to remove the bundled spyware.

Google did remove the web sites listed in Sharman Network’s letter, but they also sent that letter to Chilling Effects, a web site that archives threatening “cease and desist” type letters. A search for Kazaa on Google now includes a notice about the listings that have been removed, including a link to the DMCA letter. The letter lists the address of every single site that Sharman wanted removed from Google’s search results. Sharman’s attempt to censor Google’s search results actually has resulted in far more exposure to those sites than they otherwise would have received.

Does this mean that I recommend Kazaa now? No, it does not. I still recommend WinMX, which has never included ads or spyware, and hopefully never will. It is also free.

http://www.spywareinfo.net/sep3,2003#kazaa

Windows XP Remote Desktop: Everything You Need to Know

March 8, 2008 – 2:35 PM

The idea behind using Remote Desktop is simple: wherever you are, if you have Internet access, you can work as if you were sitting at your home computer. This isn’t a new idea, but it was given new life with the release of Windows XP Professional.

Previous versions of Windows had the ability to connect to a desktop remotely, but only by going through a Windows NT or Windows 2000 box running Terminal Services. Configuration was complex, the price tag was high, and it only flourished in enterprise environments. Joe Small Business/Home User was out of luck, unless Joe was a very smart guy and had some cash to throw at the licensing fee. I wasn’t that Joe, and as a result never used Terminal Services.

Windows XP changed all that–the Professional version came with a “Terminal Services Lite” client dubbed Remote Desktop Access that was capable of supporting one remote user at a time. It uses the same protocol as Terminal Services: Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP is a fairly efficient protocol, working relatively well over low-bandwidth scenarios.

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Aug/fea20030828021469.htm

How to reinstall Windows without losing your data

March 8, 2008 – 2:34 PM

Over time, Windows loses stability. If you keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you’re going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch. But contrary to popular belief, you won’t have to reformat your hard drive (with one exception, discussed below). The bad stuff you need to get rid of is all in your Windows folder.Before you begin, gather your Windows and application CD-ROMs. Back up your data files (just to be safe), and then clear two days off your calendar. If everything goes smoothly, you can reinstall Windows in a few hours. But you have to assume something will go wrong: You may not be able to find a necessary CD, or data won’t be where you thought it was, or something will simply refuse to work.

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,111652,00.asp

What is Perl?

March 8, 2008 – 2:33 PM

Practical Extraction and Report Language

While there are many other programming and scripting languages available, none has become quite as pervasive in the Linux world as Perl, the Practical Extraction and Report Language. It’s found in all Linux distributions and across the spectrum of web, email, administrative, and graphical applications. It’s often been called the duct tape of the Internet. Given the preponderance of Linux on the ‘net as well, Perl is truly a core element of any Linux system.

At its most basic, Perl is an interpreted language. Unlike languages that require a separate compile phase, Perl can be scripted and run on the fly. In many ways, that essential element frees Perl from some of the common programming constraints. It’s portable, running without OS dependencies in Linux, Unix, Mac, Windows, and several other operating environments.

Perl shines especially bright in its support for regular expressions. Its ability to pick and parse through text, matching strings or abstractions of strings is unsurpassed. That feature alone makes Perl the choice of many for applications such as web log analysis and other text-heavy administrative functions.

Perl was created in 1987 by Larry Wall. The grandson of preachers and a student of linguistics, Wall is as devout about his own spirituality as his code. His personal focus on language is reflected in Perl. His design approach with Perl began with the understanding that expressive languages are not minimalistic, as computer languages tend to be. Consequently, Perl has a much more human feel than nearly any other programming language. In fact, Wall has noted that in creating Perl, he was looking for a diagonal model, as opposed to an orthogonal model where all the features are at right angles to each other. Understanding that humans don’t think in that manner, he designed a language that was much more open to personal style and to human rather than machine thought processes. This style alone has made Perl an incredibly flexible and powerful language.

And, of course, Perl is distributed under open source licensing. It’s actually distributed under two separate licenses; the Gnu General Public License and an Artistic License created by Wall. The Artistic License allows for sale of programs using Perl at a profit. This dual licensing allows developers to choose the license that suits their needs without running afoul of the open source community.

If you’re thinking about developing for the Web, there’s almost no way to avoid learning Perl at some functional level. It’s a core element of the ‘net, of programming in general, and of Linux.