MacVillage.net

In an effort to inform all about the serious threat of the “Code Red Worm,” MacVillage.net is relaying the following alert from CERT (Computer Emergency Responce Team.) While not directly effecting Macs, it has the potential to cause disruption in internet communication.

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We the CERT/CC, along with other organizations listed below are jointly publishing this alert about a serious threat to the Internet

For Immediate Release: 3:00 PM EDT July 29, 2001

A Very Real and Present Threat to the Internet: July 31 Deadline For Action

Summary: The Code Red Worm and mutations of the worm pose a continued and serious threat to Internet users. Immediate action is required to combat this threat. Users who have deployed software that is vulnerable to the worm (Microsoft IIS Versions 4.0 and 5.0) must install, if they have not done so already, a vital security patch.

How Big Is The Problem?

On July 19, the Code Red worm infected more than 250,000 systems in just 9 hours. The worm scans the Internet, identifies vulnerable systems, and infects these systems by installing itself. Each newly installed worm joins all the others causing the rate of scanning to grow rapidly. This uncontrolled growth in scanning directly decreases the speed of the Internet and can cause sporadic but widespread outages among all types of systems. Code Red is likely to start spreading again on July 31st, 2001 8:00 PM EDT and has mutated so that it may be even more dangerous. This spread has the potential to disrupt business and personal use of the Internet for applications such as electronic commerce, email and entertainment.

Who Must Act?

Every organization or person who has Windows NT or Windows 2000 systems AND the IIS web server software may be vulnerable. IIS is installed automatically for many applications. If you are not certain, follow the instructions attached to determine whether you are running IIS 4.0 or 5.0. If you are using Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, there is no action that you need to take in response to this alert.

What To Do If You Are Vulnerable?

a. To rid your machine of the current worm, reboot your computer.
b. To protect your system from re-infection: Install Microsoft?s patch for the Code Red vulnerability problem:
* Windows NT version 4.0: http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=30833
* Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=30800

Step-by-step instructions for these actions are posted at
www.digitalisland.com/codered

Microsoft’s description of the patch and its installation, and the vulnerability it addresses is posted at:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-033.asp

Because of the importance of this threat, this alert is being made jointly by:

Microsoft
The National Infrastructure Protection Center
Federal Computer Incident Response Center (FedCIRC)
Information Technology Association of America (ITAA)
CERT Coordination Center
SANS Institute
Internet Security Systems
Internet Security Alliance

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Looking back on the MacWorld NY, I could only wonder how successful it really was, and how many expectations were met. Are the annalists happy now? Are the consumers and Mac lovers everywhere happy?

Steve Jobs did show off a redesigned G4. While not the massive overhaul that some hoped for, the new G4 does boast a new case, as well as a speed bump. Some feel that the case was just a quick way to rejuvenate sales, but if that works, then the new case is a success right? [More on new G4]

Steve Jobs also showcased the new Mac OS 10.1. While a decent overhaul, which will hopefully make the Mac OS X operating system the default OS for many, it is still a few weeks away. Mac OS X 10.1 promises improved speed, enhanced functionality and stability. [More on Mac OS X]

Apple also acknowledged that Mac OS 9.2 does exist, it will ship on the new G4, and will provide better classic support, but we won’t be seeing it as a release for everyone else until Mac OS 10.1 is released in September. (Sigh).

Unfortunately only a few new iMacs were released, and none of them sport the new LCD displays that everyone was hoping for. Maybe in the future we will se a redesigned iMac, but not yet. [More on new iMac]

While the Expo was not exactly exciting for Apple, many developers did showcase new products, or preview products. Microsoft previewed Office X for the Mac OS X. To be released this fall, Microsoft Office X will provide an excellent redesigned interface and enhanced functionality rather than a direct port from the Windows product. [More on Office] Many other companies showcased new products and showed support for the new Mac OS X.

Overall, I don’t think anyone was impressed. I think the expo did show that Apple was holding up even in the unstable tech industry. But it didn’t show that Apple was going anyplace quick. Jobs exhibited a lot of potential, but failed to deliver what everyone hoped for. Jobs is a clever character, he has us all eagerly awaiting the next expo.

DialPad, one of the largest online telephony services has released the client for Mac OS X. [Download] While slightly unstable, and it installs a few files in the /system/ directory, it’s a great program. It gives you the ability to make free calls to anywhere in the US. Something that no Mac user has been able to do so far.

If only there was a Classic version, but I can’t complain. The program is exactly what is needed, small simple, and fast.

Sun Microsystems has said that Microsofts choice not to support the Java platform in Windows XP. That’s right. Microsoft in a quest for world domination has canned Java support in hopes of killing Java. Sun claims that it will not have a significant impact on Java [SiliconValley], but it will have an impact.

Microsoft has good reason to kill Java. Java is cross platform. It is available for every operating system. Java allows a programmer to write one program and any user on any computer with Java can run it. That goes against Microsofts principal. Microsoft wants everyone in the world using Microsoft Windows. That’s market domination for you. If Microsoft no longer supports Java, then programmers will need to re-write Java software in languages such as C++ and C# so that they can run in windows, then they would not be usable on the Mac and on other platforms. That would effectively cripple other platforms.

It would not only hurt other platforms but would cost businesses a ton of money. They would have to rewrite lots of software to become compatible with Windows XP, that would cost lots of money. In the mean time, that means that most chat and streaming stock tickers available online will not work, bad news for Windows users.

Show that you care and don’t want Java removed from Windows. Sign the online petition. Have your friends and coworkers sign it, and link to this article or to the petition directly from your site.

Sign

Apple today previewed Mac OS X 10.1, the upcoming update to Mac OS X during the Expo. This update, originally due for release today (based on Apple’s comments saying DVD support would come in early summer) was postponed until September.

From what Apple has demonstrated, and told this update may be what is needed to turn Mac OS X from a promise to a reality. Here are just a few of the great things to come:

DVD support - the ability to play and burn DVD’s will come to Mac OS X. Finally something that Apple has been promoting with the release of the Super Drive equipped G4′s will finally be doable in something besides for Mac OS 9.

Faster! - Mac OS X will be able to load applications “2 - 3 times faster” according to the Apple web site. Menu’s and windows are faster. The windows resize quicker. Open GL is supposedly 20% faster and there is support for the NVIDIA card, but no word about rumored support for the ATI RagePro cards used in many iMacs, and G3′s.

AppleScript improvements - more components are scriptable such as the print center and terminal. Also using XML standards, you can AppleScript events to other computers

Better Networking - This is what really caught my eye. Here is what Apple says since I can’t put it any better than they did. “Networking is also more compatible: Mac OS X version 10.1 now includes the ability to connect to AFP servers over AppleTalk making it easier to integrate Mac OS X into legacy networks with older AppleShare servers and Windows NT servers. We?ve also added support to natively connect to Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Unix-based SAMBA file servers with the built-in SMB client. These servers appear right in the Finder like any other file server. This makes Mac OS X fluent in all of today?s network languages.”

Aqua Enhancements - I love this. Instead of the elipses that are so anoying with long file names, they now wrap down to a second line so you can see the whole name. No more “My Do?nt”. It’s now “My Document”! File extensions are now optional and can be turned off (though for compatibility online and with PC’s you may want to keep them on.) Things such as sound volume, airport strength and display settings can be next to the clock in the menu bar rather than taking space in the dock. Lastly you can put the dock on the left or the right, or just on the bottom.

The update is expected to be a free download or a $19.95 charge if you want it on a CD. It is expected to be released in September. I feel that this release is what will Mac OS X mainstream for Mac OS users.

[Press Release]

Apple’s big announcement of the day has been the newly designed PowerMac G4 Desktop. While not a dramatic update, it provides a few new configurations and faster processors. [Press Release]

The new 733 MHz and 867 MHz Power Mac G4s are available immediately and the 800 MHz dual processor Power Mac G4 is expected to be available in August through The Apple Store® (www.apple.com), at Apple’s retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers. The new Power Mac G4s are available in three standard configurations.

The 733 MHz Power Mac G4, for a suggested retail price of $1,699 (US), includes:

• 256K on-chip level 2 backside cache;
• 128MB of PC133 SDRAM memory; 40GB Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX graphics card with 32MB video SDRAM in 4x AGP slot;
• CD-RW drive;
• two FireWire and USB ports;
• four full-length 64 bit PCI slots at 33 MHz;
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, AirPort ready and built-in 56K V.90 modem; and
• iDVD, iTunes and iMovie 2 software.

The 867 MHz Power Mac G4, for a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:

• 256K on-chip level 2 backside cache and 2MB of level 3 cache;
• 128MB of PC133 SDRAM memory; 60GB Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX graphics card with 32MB video SDRAM in 4x AGP slot;
• SuperDrive combination CD-RW/DVD-R;
• two FireWire and USB ports;
• four full-length 64 bit PCI slots at 33 MHz;
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, AirPort ready and built-in 56K V.90 modem; and
• iDVD, iTunes and iMovie 2 software.

The dual 800 MHz Power Mac G4, for a suggested retail price of $3,499 (US), includes:

• 256K on-chip level 2 backside cache and 2MB of level 3 cache per processor;
• 256MB of PC133 SDRAM memory;
• 80GB Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with TwinView graphics card and 64MB video SDRAM in 4x AGP slot;
• SuperDrive combination CD-RW/DVD-R;
• two FireWire and USB ports;
• four full-length 64 bit PCI slots at 33 MHz;
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet, AirPort ready and built-in 56KV.90 modem; and
• iDVD, iTunes and iMovie 2 software.

Personally I think some good changes have been made. Both the 867 MHz and the duel 800 Mhz computers are extremely fast. And having the Super Drive included on more models is a real plus. Apple is pushing the DVD capabilities hoping it will be the next big thing like CD-RW is right now. I think they may be right. They are making it easy and cheap.

Another great thing is that new case. While not physically not very different from the original G4, looks do make a difference in sales. The speaker is now more noticible, maybe because Apple is trying to make it appeal to MP3 lovers. And the drives seem almost hidden. I would not be surprised if Apple wins a few design awards with this case. It’s really pleasing to the eye.

Apple announces 3 new iMacs. While not quite what everyone hoped for, they should help refresh the line slightly. Everyone was hoping to see a LCD display in the iMacs, and maybe even a new case, but all they got were faster processors. Still the G3 processors, but at faster speeds, up to 700 MHz [Press Release]

New models include:

iMac, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US) in Indigo and Snow, features:

• a 500 MHz PowerPC G3 processor with 256K on-chip backside level 2 cache;
• 128MB of PC100 SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard disk;
• a slot-loading CD-RW drive;
• ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16MB of SDRAM;
• a built-in 56K V.90 modem;
• two FireWire ports and two USB ports;
• VGA video mirroring; and
• support for AirPort option.

iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US) in Snow and Graphite,features:

• a 600 MHz PowerPC G3 processor with 256K on-chip backsidelevel 2 cache;
• 256MB of PC100 SDRAM;
• a 40GB Ultra ATA hard disk;
• a slot-loading CD-RW drive;
• ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16MB of SDRAM;
• a built-in 56K V.90 modem;
• two FireWire ports and two USB ports;
• VGA video mirroring; and
• support for AirPort option.

iMac Special Edition, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US) in Snowand Graphite, features:

• a 700 MHz PowerPC G3 processor with 256K on-chip backsidelevel 2 cache;
• 256MB of PC100 SDRAM
• a 60GB Ultra ATA hard disk
• a slot-loading CD-RW drive;
• ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16MB of SDRAM;
• a built-in 56K V.90 modem;
• two FireWire ports and two USB ports;
• VGA video mirroring; and
• support for AirPort option.

Overall, I do think these iMacs will sell, especially to the education market which Apple is targeting, but I doubt it will help revitalize the line that is no longer what it was in the past. Apple really needs to change this line dramatically to help sales. Educators will like these iMacs because they like the original are all inclusive. One box contains a whole system. And because these are pretty fast, they should be able to last a while before they feel outdated. And the price is pretty good considering that for $1,499 you get everything you need including a monitor, 56k modem, airport option, CD-RW, and a large hard drive. That is a bargain, but Apple will have trouble convincing home users that this is a computer for them. I think of these the $999 will appeal to educators, while the $1,499 will appeal to small businesses and home users. I just don’t see educators spending money on a CD-RW drive. But I do see that selling to home users. What I would really wish for is a Super Drive equipped iMac. Maybe in San Francisco.

“Twas the night before Macworld,
and all thru the forums
were rumors and wonders
of what was before us.

Opinions were posted
to the forums with care
In hopes that a miracle would
soon be there.

The people were nestled
in the glow of there screens,
with visions of iMacs with detachable screens…

As night turned to day,
and apple began streaming,
the Quicktime servers all began beaming…
A keynote that rang
throughout the land from broadband servers,
to satalites,
to land.

A silence came over, all the people
with great anticapation,
for Steve Jobs was there
with a opening salutation.

And wonders to display
with increasing anticipation.

More rapid than superdrives,
his fans they came,
With visions of Lucite,
with a Platinum, Inner grain…

With a wink of his eye,
and a twitch of his head,
then I knew there was nothing,
left then to dread.

As he layed of his finger,
upon the enter key,
the system came up,
and worked perfectly.

The update updated,
the deletes, they deleted,
the inquiries inquired,
the closings completed.

Jobs tested each whistle,
and tested each bell,
with nary a bomb,
and all had gone well.

OS X was now updated,
the tests were concluded,
the users’ last changes,
were even included.

Then the users exclaimed,
with a snarl and a taunt,
“What about hardware?”
with a nervous response.

Now Mister Jobs had waited,
with a certain tendency,
to the end of the show,
for the “Hardware” you see.

The new apple product,
was waiting beneath,
And the great church of apple,
cried with relief.

For there prayers had been answered,
when jobs removed the sheet…

Was it an iPad?
was it an iMac?
A tablet with wireless connectivity?

And so ends this story,
to short,
toot sweet,
for the future of apple,
will soon make its mark in history!!”