Windows 7 Fonts

As an integral part of taking the graphics capabilities of Windows 7 to the next level, Microsoft has also catalyzed the evolution of text, both in relation to typography and text rendering, in the next iteration of the Windows client. According to Microsoft, over 80% of the time spent in front of a computer is related to either reading or writing text. This is why the Redmond company has poured resources into improving the quality of text in Windows 7, quality which is synonymous with typography. “As a platform, the role of Windows is to deliver great presentation of text and offering software developers great tools for creating the best presentation possible in the context of the software they develop,” revealed Worachai Chaoweeraprasit, a development lead on the Graphics feature team.

First off, Windows 7 is designed to kick ClearType up a notch. Taking advantage of the LCD pixel architecture and leveraging the human visual system, ClearType manages to spread the energy associated with a single pixel to the neighboring sub-pixels in, making text appear sharper. In Windows 7, ClearType comes with increased clarity, allowing end users to opt from a wider variety of granular choices via the ClearType Text Tuner.

“One of the graphics improvements we made in Windows 7, therefore, is to move from the physical pixel model of the past, and instead creating a new design around what we call the “device independent pixel” unit (or “DIP”), a “virtual pixel” that is one-ninety-sixth an inch in floating-point data type,” Chaoweeraprasit added. “In this model, a glyph (or any other geometric primitive for that matter) can size to fractional pixels, and be positioned anywhere in between the two pixels. The new ClearType improvement allows sizing and placement of glyph to the screen’s sub-pixel nearest to its ideal condition, creating a more natural looking word shape and making text on screen look a lot closer to print quality.”

Users will be happy to know that in Windows 7 they will be able to enjoy an estimated 40% more fonts than in Windows Vista, which in its turn also delivered 40% more fronts over XP. Microsoft currently plans to ship no less than 235 fronts with Windows 7, having offered just 191 in Vista and 133 in XP. “The default common controls’ font dialog and the font chunk in Windows 7 Ribbon are also updated to be more intelligently selective of what fonts to be present to the user of the current user’s profile. Depending on a number of settings including the current UI language, the user locale, and the current set of keyboard input locales, the font list hides fonts of languages not typically used by the user of different culture and locale,” Chaoweeraprasit said.

At the same time, the evolution of the Windows 7’s new font system now allows the operating system to group fonts. In Vista’s successor, collections will dictate how fonts are organized, based on the stylistic root of fonts. Chaoweeraprasit explained that “the notion of “font collection” allows partitioning of fonts sharing the same usage into a separate namespace. The system collection is similar to what exists today and is created and managed by the system whereas custom collection can be created and managed, as many as needed, entirely by the application program.”

In Windows 7, users will notice that Microsoft has added a new font, namely “Gabriola,” developed by John Hudson. The addition is just an accessory to the new level of OpenType support introduced in the next version of Windows. An offshoot of the TrueType Open technology Microsoft, OpenType controls the interaction and transformation of glyphs in stages.

“Windows 7 new text system not only uses available OpenType features internally but also allows access to any feature made available in the font in the high level programming interface, making it easier for application developer to discover and exercise the font feature in mainstream scenario,” Chaoweeraprasit said. “Gabriola makes heavy use of contextual letterforms and offers an unprecedented number of stylistic sets for different usages of the font in different occasions.”

According to Microsoft, Windows 7’s new text system has been assembled into what the company referred to as the DirectWrite self-sufficient system. This because, even in the early stages of development the company labored to resolve the shortcomings of non-homogeneous text processing.

“The [DirectWrite] API is provided in four layers – the interfaces for font data, rendering support, language processing, and typesetting, each built upon the others with the lower layer makes no requirement to the upper one, and none depends on a specific graphics model. To illustrate the latter point, the figure below shows a sample application that uses the new typesetting interface and language processor while the final rendering happens as an extruded filled 3D geometry from the 2D graphics environment also new to Windows 7 called Direct2D,” Chaoweeraprasit said.

XP to Windows 7

Users currently running Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) or earlier, and Windows Vista RTM, SP1 or the upcoming SP2, will be able to upgrade to Windows 7, Microsoft informed as it introduced the SKU lineup for the next version of the Windows client. There will be essentially three upgrade models for Windows users according to the Redmond company, depending on the source operating system, namely XP to Windows 7, Vista to Windows 7 and of course Windows 7 to Windows 7.

As far as Windows XP users are concerned, Microsoft indicated that upgrade licenses of Windows 7 will be available to them, superseding the existing XP licenses, and that the upgrade media can be used in order to move to Windows 7. However, the transition implies a clean installation of Windows 7 rather than an actual in-place upgrade. Still, the deal has to please XP users, as they will get the full Windows 7 bits at a discounted upgrade price. Users are advised to back up all their data from the partition where XP is installed before deploying Windows 7, just to be on the safe side.

For Vista, users will indeed be able to enjoy in-place upgrades to Windows 7. In this context, Windows 7 deployments on top of Windows Vista will leave everything in place, from installed applications to data. The upgrade process however is extremely slow compared to a clean installation of Windows 7. The software giant revealed that Vista editions (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate) can be upgraded to the corresponding or higher editions of Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate).

At the same time, just as was the case with Vista, users will be able to jump from one edition of Windows 7 to another, provided that the upgrade is done to a superseding SKU, thanks to the Anytime Upgrade feature. Just a reminder, the full line-up of Windows 7 editions is: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

“For Windows 7, we are using a single image for all SKUs. This means the bits for all the editions are already on your computer if you are running Windows 7. With Windows Anytime Upgrade, users can unlock and upgrade to a different SKU much easier than before,” revealed Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications manager on the Windows Client Communications Team. “In Windows 7, each SKU is a superset of the previous SKU. No features are lost on upgrade.”

Liked this article? Read another similar article.

Troubleshoot Failed Installations of XP SP3 RTM Build 5512

Although Microsoft has hammered away at Windows XP SP3 in order to provide an experience as seamless as possible for end users when deploying the service pack, failed installation scenarios are still a valid possibility. In the eventuality of a failed installation of XP SP3 RTM, there are some troubleshooting steps end users can take before running to Microsoft Support for help. The troubleshooting methods involve nothing more than basic actions on the part of the end user and are designed to resolve an unsuccessful installation process while, at the same, time ignoring the error message.

First of all, Microsoft advises all end users to turn to Windows Update for the primary source of the gold bits of XP SP3. “Sometimes an installation is unsuccessful because a previous operation was not completed. By restarting the computer, you close any pending computer functions and restart the process. Wait until the computer finishes the restart process, and then log on to your account. Visit Windows Update to reselect and install Windows XP SP3. Click Express Install (Recommended),” Microsoft stated.

If the Windows XP machine that the end user is trying to update meets all the requirements for XP SP3 RTM, the service pack will be automatically installed. At the same time, if the WU package fails to install, users also have the possibility of manually accessing the bits for XP SP3 and then to attempt to integrate the service pack in their operating system.

There is a variety of applications that can interfere with the installation of the service pack, especially security products. “Installation failure may occur when a third-party program holds a file open or when it locks a file that the Windows XP SP3 installation program needs. To minimize this possibility, follow these steps before you install Windows XP SP3: exit any open programs, and then restart the computer. After the computer has restarted, disable any antivirus, antispyware, and third-party firewall programs that may start during the startup process,” Microsoft said.

Users will need to try to install XP SP3 again either via the standalone packages or through WU, and then turn back on all their security software. If the installation still fails, the status of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service needs to be checked, and BITS has to be turned on.

“Click Start, click Run, type services.msc in the Open box, and then click OK. Right-click Background Intelligent Transfer Service, and then click Properties. On the General tab, click Automatic in the Startup type box, and then click Apply. In the “Service status” section of the properties dialog box, verify that the BITS service is started. If it is not started, click Start. Click Apply, and then click OK,” Microsoft added.

Retrying the installation process at this point should end up in a successful deployment. In the case that XP SP3 is still not integrated, there remains only the option of clearing the Software Distribution folder and trying one last time. But if the result is the same, the end users are advised to contact Microsoft Support.

“Click Start, click Run, type services.msc in the Open box, and then click OK. Right-click Automatic Update, and then click Stop. Click Start, click Run, and then type the following in the Open box: ‘%windir%SoftwareDistribution’. Right-click the Download folder, and then click Rename. Type Download.old, and then press ENTER. Exit Windows Explorer. In the Services console, right-click the Automatic Update service, and then click Start,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft Security Releases ISO Image May 2008

This DVD5 ISO image file contains the security updates for Windows released on Windows Update on May 13th, 2008. The image does not contain security updates for other Microsoft products. This DVD5 ISO image is intended for administrators that need to download multiple individual language versions of each security update and that do not use an automated solution such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). You can use this ISO image to download multiple updates in all languages at the same time.

Important: Be sure to check the individual security bulletins at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security prior to deployment of these updates to ensure that the files have not been updated at a later date.

This DVD5 image contains the following updates:
KB950749 / (MS08-028)
Windows 2000 - 24 languages
Windows Server 2003 - 18 languages
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition - 11 languages
Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems - 4 languages
Windows XP - 24 languages
Windows XP x64 Edition - 2 languages

Download : Security Releases ISO Image May 2008 | Other Languages

Public beta of Microsoft download center

The new Download Center of Microsoft will be using Silverlight.

Link : Microsoft Download Center

Microsoft Just a Spectator at Mozilla’s Firefox Spectacle

Microsoft is nothing more than a simple spectator at Mozilla’s Firefox spectacle of releases. A new version of the open source browser is now available for download. Mozilla has delivered Firefox 2.0.0.10, a stability update announced as early as last week. Firefox 2.0.0.10 can be grabbed immediately via this link, but Mozilla will also serve the refresh via its update infrastructure, and in this sense, users will be alerted of the new build. With this release, Mozilla has plugged three security holes in the browser. A referer-spoofing via window.location race condition flaw, jar: URI scheme XSS hazard, and holes involving memory corruption are the vulnerabilities fixed with Firefox 2.0.0.10.

“As part of Mozilla Corporation’s ongoing stability and security update process, Firefox 2.0.0.10 is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux for free download. We strongly recommend that all Firefox users upgrade to this latest release. If you already have Firefox 2.x, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting “Check for Updates…” from the Help menu starting now”, reads a message from Mozilla accompanying the Firefox 2.0.0.10 release.

A week ago, Mozilla evolved its upcoming version of Firefox, codenamed Gran Paradiso from Alpha stage to Beta phase. Beta 1 is also available for download and indicates Mozilla’s proximity to a final release of Firefox 3.0. Although a few additional betas now separate the next version of the open source browser from its final release in 2008, Mozilla is making headway, while Microsoft is still struggling with the dogfooding of Internet Explorer 8. The development of IE8 is lagging behind Firefox 3.0, as Microsoft’s browser is not expected to hit the market until the end of 2008, or early 2009.

At this point in time, Internet Explorer’s market share continues to erode to Firefox, with IE7’s adoption having hit a dead wall even after Microsoft stripped the browser of the Windows Genuine Advantage, opening it to all Windows pirates. This tendency will only accentuate with Firefox 3.0 dropping almost an entire year ahead of IE8.

Seminar dan Demo RT/RW Net : Internet Murah Untuk Rakyat

STMIK MDP akan mengadakan ”Seminar dan Demo RT/RW Net : Internet Murah Untuk Rakyat ”. Acara yang akan diadakan pada tanggal 1 Desember 2007, bertempat di STMIK MDP Jl. Rajawali No.14 bakal menghadirkan Onno W.Purbo sebagai pembicara.

Adapun materi yang akan disampaikan adalah :

- Membangun RT/RW Net
- Konfigurasi dan Anggaran
- RT/RW Net via ADSL
- Teknologi Wireless Internet

serte demo ”Membuat sendiri antena wajanbolic ”,adalah kegiatan yang bertujuan Optimalisasi daya terima sinyal dari hotspot dengan modifikasi antena. Dimana pada kegiatan ini, akan diworkshopkan cara pembuatan antena dari wajan (wajanbolic) untuk dapat mendapatkan sinyal dari hotspot public yang jauhnya sampai -+ 6.5 Km.

Untuk Informasi dan Pendaftaran
Silahkan Hubungi Mega/Risti/Rika no.telp 0711-376400

Biaya Peserta

* Umum Rp. 100.000
* Mahasiswa Rp.80.000
* Mahasiswa Rp. 50.000*

Fasilitas

* Goodies Bag
* Buku RT/RW Net dan antena Wajanbolic karya terbaru Onno W Purbo
* Makan Siang


*tanpa buku RT/RWNet dan Antena Wajanbolic

Google and Yahoo Make Cool Tools

Is it hard to be a hacker? How do I become a hacker? I want to learn more about hacking! Those are the things that I often hear or see on forums. Somebody asked me the other day if I know how to hack a site and whether it’s hard or not. I’m no hacker, I’m just a journalist. However, Petko D. Petkov aka pdp is a world-renowned hacker who in his latest blog post describes how easy it can be for someone with just a bit of skill to hack into military and government sites - .mil and .gov that is.

He won’t give you the tools or tell you where to get them from, but he does explain how easy it is to exploit certain vulnerabilities. He says that the web is full of open CITRIX gateways and while he was performing some CITRIX testing he hacked a lot of GUIs and “played” around with .ICA files. What he found out is that two great tools hackers have at their disposal are Google and Yahoo that can be queried for public .ICA files. After employing this method he was presented with lots and lots of wide open services, some located on .gov and .mil sites. You don’t have to be a genius to tell that this is a bad thing! The .ICAs will give the hacker a lot of info and in cyberspace knowledge means power more than anywhere else!

And here is the most alarming part, as Mr. Petkov writes on his blog: “Just by looking into Google, I was able to find 114 wide open CITRIX instances: 10 .gov, 4 .mil, 20 .edu, 27 .com, etc… The research was conducted offline, therefore there might be some false positives. Among the services discovered, there were several critical applications which looked so interesting that I didn’t even dare look at them. With a similar success, attackers can perform just simple port scans for service port 1494.”

In the same post he hands out a lot of details to prove his concept. You may read it by clicking this link, but keep in mind that this knowledge is for you to better up your website, if it’s flawed, or in any case, you are not to use it for bad purposes.

Awesome Hidden Google Pages

There might be some rare human being around who has surfed Internet but hasn’t used Google in some way or the other. Still there are some great works of Google that are known but to a smaller community of people. They are worth looking. Today I came around a Google page where Google pays tributes to moms around the worlds. That made me search on for something more. Here is the compiled list. Worth a look for all the Google lovers/critics.

Google Moms
Google’s way of expressing love.

Rare Google Beta Logo
They really have improved.

Google Heart 1 & Google Heart 2
Google’s way of expressing love on valentines day.

Google’s Metaplex
Google’s way of saying “April fool”

Google Newsletter
You have read Google’s blog, but did you read this. It contains there progress from the day it was launched to till date.

Google’s Search Statistics For 9/11/01
… and there tribute. (a rather general one)

Google Zietgeist
What you see here is a cumulative snapshot of interesting queries people are asking – some over time, some within country domains, and some on Google.com – that perhaps reveal a bit of the human condition.

Google’s Help To Build Better Query
Some useful sets of tips from the makers themselves.

Google Doodles
Few more: UncleSam, Microsoft, Mac, Linux, BSD. Google remembers all.

Google’s Languages Which Only Google Can Understand (This Link Is For Ewmew Fudd)
More for you. Bork, Bork, Bork!, thlngan Hol, H4×0r, lgpay Atinlay. Did you understand any one of them? I did not.

Google’s Librarian Central Newsletter
They do take care of everyone.

And last a non Google page but worth a look.

How was that? I am sure many might have been new to you. Your Comments?

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 review: First look at Penryn

By Steven Walton on November 19, 2007
Editor: Julio Franco
Manufacturer: Intel
Post/read user's feedback

Today we have in our hands the latest Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor, and I know what you are thinking but no, this is not yet another extremely expensive processor featuring the same four cores with only a speed bump over the last QX6850 we looked at last time. Hmm, ok so I told a bit of a white lie there, as this is still an extremely expensive processor, but it’s not just another in a chain of speed bumps. The new Core 2 Extreme QX9650 represents Intel’s new flagship processor technology which until now was mainly known by its code-name “Penryn”, manufactured on a 45nm design process, adding fifty new SSE4 instructions, among other things.

Now, the actual QX9650 processor and other Penryn quad-cores have received its own codename which is “Yorkfield” and because this particular processor belongs to the Extreme line up, its complete name is Yorkfield XE. Similarly, future dual-core CPUs based on Penryn will go by the code-name “Wolfdale” once they are released. To complete the equation you should know that Yorkfields are really two Wolfdale chips stuck together. This is the same as with previous Kentsfield quad-core processors which in reality were just two Conroe chips stuck together in one package. This may be a bit confusing but when time to buy comes, it's important being able to identify each different core version and know what advantages one generation of chips has over another, ultimately making the better buying decision.


Intel "Penryn" processors incorporate 410 million transistors for each dual core chip,and 820 million for each quad core chip. The original Intel Pentium Processor only has 3.1 million transistors.

The Core 2 Extreme QX9650 is the first of many products to be released using the Penryn architecture. Like the previous Core 2 Extreme QX6850, the QX9650 also works at 3.0GHz but adds a number of enhancements. Perhaps the most prominent, Intel's 45nm High-k metal gate silicon technology, which is claimed to be an industry's first, featuring transistors with reduced current leakage designed to decrease power consumption while also accommodating for increased clock speeds. This is a big deal considering Intel has used the conventional silicon-oxide technique since 1960.

Besides the apparent die shrink, the Penryn architecture features a faster Radix-16 divider, faster OS primitive support, improved store forwarding, split load cache enhancements, enhanced virtualization technology and enhanced dynamic acceleration technology. While all of these may sound nice in paper, in real-life terms what we do know is that this newer Core 2 architecture is faster and more efficient. We were able to observe power consumption levels that are significantly lower as well as operating temperatures. These are all aspects that we will uncover in this review, but for now let me just say that when heavily overclocked the QX9650, it produced stress temperatures that were comparable to a dual-core Conroe processor operating at its default frequency.

When we move on to benchmarking the QX9650, it will extremely easy to spot the differences and advantages Penryn offers today because the QX9650 and the QX6850 (65nm Kentsfield) both operate at 3.0GHz and use the same front side bus speeds, so we will be putting them head to head for comparison. Also to note, the QX9650 does receive a L2 cache boost at 12MB versus only 8MB found in the QX6850.

BitTorrent Memblokir Pengguna dari AS dan Kanada

Dua website BitTorrent populer, Isohunt.com dan Demonoid.com, memblokir pengguna yang berasal dari Amerika Utara (AS dan Kanada). Menurut pihak Isohunt, pemblokiran ini dikarenakan Amerika Serikat berperilaku memusuhi teknologi P2P. Apalagi ditambah dengan tuntutan hukum yang sedang mereka terima dari MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Pihak Isohunt merasa tidak ada lagi jaminan keamanan dan privasi di AS.

Begitupula dengan Demonoid yang berbasis di Kanada, yang juga memutuskan user-nya yang berada di Kanada. Beberapa spekulasi yang muncul antara lain website Demonoid.com telah dibabat oleh Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) atau mengalami kerusakan server yang fatal. User BitTorrent dari kanada yang ingin mengakses akan segera dialihkan ke halaman pengalihan. Dijelaskan hal tersebut terpaksa dilakukan karena mereka menerima surat dari pengacara CRIA, yang mengancam akan mengambil jalur hukum.

Info : www.dailytech.com

Internet Explorer 7 Is an Open Door for Attacks

Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 is nothing short of an open door for attacks. Microsoft informed that it is currently investigating a remote code execution vulnerability in various versions of XP and Windows Server 2003 running Internet Explorer 7. The Redmond company added that Windows Vista users are safe, although the operating system comes with IE7 built in by default. Windows XP SP2, XP Professional x64 Edition, Professional x64 Edition SP2; Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and SP2 and Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems are all vulnerable to the security flaw, provided they are running IE7. The vulnerability is related to the way the Windows operating system handles Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs).

“When a user clicks a link to a URI, the application showing that link to users decides how it is supposed to be handled. For traditionally “safe” protocols like mailto: or http: applications often just verify the prefix and then choose to call into the Windows shell32 function ShellExecute() to handle it. This has been the case for a number of years. Windows then launches Internet Explorer passing the URI or launches the preferred email client passing the email address etc. With IE6 installed, ShellExecute() passes the URI to IE which accepts it and inside IE determines it to be invalid. Navigation then fails harmlessly. With Internet Explorer 7 installed, the flow is a bit different”, explained Jonathan Ness with the SWI team at Microsoft Security Response Center.

With IE7, Microsoft has implemented additional validation in the process of rejecting a malformed URI. Essentially, malformed URIs will no longer be rejected up front, and instead would be moved to ShellExecute() in order to be fixed. When ShellExecute() is handling URIs in order to make them usable, the process is not safely managed. In Vista, for example, ShellExecute() also rejects the URI, but the copies of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 do not deliver a similar behavior. Microsoft emphasized that the vulnerability can be successfully exploited only in the limited contexts described above, and that other versions of the Windows operating system with IE7 installed are not affected.

“Our plan is to revise our URI handling code within ShellExecute() to be more strict. While our update will help protect all applications from malformed URI’s, application vendors who handle URI’s can also do stricter validation themselves to prevent malicious URI’s from being passed to ShellExecute(). We have seen several vendors introduce additional validation as a way to protect their customers from this issue”, Ness added.

Windows Vista Users in Trouble With the New Firefox

Mozilla rolled out Firefox 2.0.0.8 a few days ago, being a version which was supposed to patch approximately 200 glitches. Although it fixed most of them, it appears that it also caused some others making the application a little buggy. However, Mike Beltzner of Mozilla wrote on the company’s blog that Firefox 2.0.0.9 is currently in labs and might be released next week for all the users. The matter can be called “an update to fix the update” because the new patches will be released to repair the fixes which were launched a few days ago.

“The 2.0.0.8 release fixed some 200 issues, but accidentally regressed a few things. Most users won’t see any difference or experience any problems, and those 200 fixes make the 2.0.0.8 update very valuable, but you should never have to choose functionality over security. So we’re working fast to understand and fix these problems, and will shortly be issuing a 2.0.0.9 update to address them,” the Mozilla official wrote on the company’s blogs.

According to the blog post, one of the main problems of the 2.0.0.8 release of Firefox is the Java compatibility with Windows Vista, the latest operating system powered by the Redmond-headquartered company. It seems like every time a user tries to load a Java applet in the new Firefox, he gets an error saying “Java not found” or “Java not working”. It can be easily fixed by “right-clicking the Firefox icon and “Run as administrator”, then browsing to a page with a Java applet — doing this once will fix the problem and permanently restore Java functionality.” However, Mozilla wants to fix this by default so all the users would be able to access Java applets.

Windows Vista Users in Trouble With the New Firefox

Mozilla rolled out Firefox 2.0.0.8 a few days ago, being a version which was supposed to patch approximately 200 glitches. Although it fixed most of them, it appears that it also caused some others making the application a little buggy. However, Mike Beltzner of Mozilla wrote on the company’s blog that Firefox 2.0.0.9 is currently in labs and might be released next week for all the users. The matter can be called “an update to fix the update” because the new patches will be released to repair the fixes which were launched a few days ago.

“The 2.0.0.8 release fixed some 200 issues, but accidentally regressed a few things. Most users won’t see any difference or experience any problems, and those 200 fixes make the 2.0.0.8 update very valuable, but you should never have to choose functionality over security. So we’re working fast to understand and fix these problems, and will shortly be issuing a 2.0.0.9 update to address them,” the Mozilla official wrote on the company’s blogs.

According to the blog post, one of the main problems of the 2.0.0.8 release of Firefox is the Java compatibility with Windows Vista, the latest operating system powered by the Redmond-headquartered company. It seems like every time a user tries to load a Java applet in the new Firefox, he gets an error saying “Java not found” or “Java not working”. It can be easily fixed by “right-clicking the Firefox icon and “Run as administrator”, then browsing to a page with a Java applet — doing this once will fix the problem and permanently restore Java functionality.” However, Mozilla wants to fix this by default so all the users would be able to access Java applets.

More Windows 7 Revelations

News of the next version of Windows, due out in 2010 and previously known as BlackCombe, then Vienna and now Windows 7 has been fairly thin on the ground since we last mentioned it back in July but a few more tantalising tid-bits have come our way recently.

As expected it marks a significant change in direction for Microsoft with the emphasis on small, and compact and it has already been dubbed ‘MinWin’. According to one report the Windows 7 core or ‘kernel’, does away with all the fangly bits we associate with Vista and XP, resulting in slimmed down versions of that use only 25Mb of disc space (Vista takes up 4Gb of space). The idea is that unlike an all-singing, all-dancing operating system MinWin will provide a bare-bones base upon which developers and users will add the extra building blocks or layers they require, depending on the hardware and applications it is going to be used for.

Antivirus Protection for iPhones

Security company BitDefender rolled out a new virus definition for its antivirus technology in order to discover the malicious files used by attackers to exploit the reported vulnerabilities in Apple’s iPhones. In case you missed the news, it was said that an attacker can use a dangerous TIFF file in order to exploit the flaws from iPhone’s Safari browser. What’s most interesting is that the security holes where then used by the iPhone owners to unlock their devices and remove the restrictions applied by the Cupertino company. This way, they would be able to install any software they want without any limitation.

BitDefender reported that the flaw affects only the version 1.1.1 of the Apple iPhone firmware. Because the consumers would be able to install anything they like, they all need an antivirus technology able to defend their device against viruses and other types of malicious files which might harm their handheld. That’s why BitDefender decided to implement iPhone support into their antivirus technology which would offer the protection mentioned above.

“Owners of unlocked iPhones are especially at risk because installing a later version of the firmware is not an option for them, so the flaw will be present in their browser even after Apple releases a patch,” declared Razvan Stoica, BitDefender Communications Specialist. “We strongly advise installing and using BitDefender with the latest signature updates, especially for corporate or ISP gateways.”

Today’s viruses and malicious files target all kinds of devices and operating systems so there is no secret that you have to install a security software solution in order to remain protected and safe while using it. The iPhone is just an example, but the virus infections target all file formats and devices available at this time, including PC, mobile phone and several others.

eBay Kebobolan

1200 pengguna website lelang eBay kebobolan data pribadinya, pada tanggal 26 September. Di dalam forum eBay.com yang bernama Trust & Safety, hacker memposting informasi account pribadi dari 1200 pengguna, termasuk nomor telepon dan informasi kartu kredit. eBay memverifikasi bahwa semua informasi account tersebut adalah akurat. namun eBay berusaha mendinginkan suasana dengan mengatakan informasi kartu kreditnya adalah salah. Saat tulisan ini dibuat, forum Tust & Safety dalam keadaan offline. eBay bekerja sama dengan LiveWorld sedang membentuk tim yang akan mencoba memulihkan dan melacak insiden ini. eBay sering menjadi target aksi kejahatan online, karena besarnya volume lalu lintas data finansial.

Pembangunan Sistem Informasi Di Kantor Pemerintah

Walaupun sudah lebih 20 tahun Sistem Informasi dikenal di Indonesia, implementasi di kantor pemerintah (baik pusat maupun daerah) relatif masih rendah dibandingkan dengan sektor swasta. Hal tersebut disebabkan selain karena adanya hambatan di dalam birokrasi, yaitu mulai dari UU, kebijakan pusat dan daerah, sampai pada organisasi dan tata kerja yang tidak mudah untuk diubah atau disempurnakan, juga karena keterbatasan yang dimiliki pada kantor pemerintah mendorong implementasi sistem informasi sesuai dengan batasan yang ada.

Berbeda dengan kondisi di kantor pemerintah, implementasi sistem informasi di sektor swasta tidak memiliki hambatan yang berarti, sehingga lebih mudah melakukan penyesuaian di dalam pemanfaatan sistem informasi. Bagi sektor swasta, sistem informasi serta business process reengineering dimanfaatkan untuk mencari solusi yang optimal di dalam meningkatkan efisiensi dan kualitas kerja.

Berdasarkan pengalaman dan pengamatan selama ini, masih rendahnya implementasi sistem informasi pada kantor pemerintah disebabkan antara lain karena:
• belum adanya satuan kerja di suatu kantor pemerintah yang secara struktural bertanggungjawab di dalam pembangunan dan pengembangan sistem informasi ;
• keterbatasan di dalam penguasaan sistem informasi diatasi dengan suatu solusi yang ‘IT oriented’ sehingga berakibat berkembangnya pulau-pulau sistem informasi;
• rancangan sistem informasi berkembang secara parsial sesuai dengan kebutuhan masing-masing entitas kantor pemerintahan (satuan kerja), sehingga sulit untuk di-integrasikan;
• sistem informasi dilaksanakan secara mandiri di masing-masing satuan kerja tanpa adanya koordinasi sistem informasi antar satuan kerja, termasuk membangun informasi yang bukan menjadi tanggung jawab satuan kerja pembangun sistem;
• data dan informasi yang dibuat dan berada di luar kewenangan/tupoksi suatu satuan kerja/lembaga tidak dapat dijamin keakuratan dan tanggungjawab kelayakannya, sehingga akan menjadi suatu area yang berisiko tertinggi;
• belum terbangunnya budaya bekerja dengan suatu pola yang saling terintegrsi di lingkungan kantor pemerintah;
• keterbatasan kemampuan sumberdaya manusia untuk pengelolaan sistem informasi.

Pelaksanaan sistem informasi pada kantor pemerintah dapat diselenggarakan jika:
• ada suatu proses kerterbukaan serta manajemen data dan informasi yang tertib serta terencana;
• birokrasi tidak lagi menjadi suatu hambatan;
• pembangunan sistem informasi dikembalikan pada tupoksi masing-masing organisasi satuan pemerintahan;
• perlu dibuat suatu strategi dan kebijakan pendukung agar sistem informasi dapat diselaraskan dengan birokrasi yang ada di sektor swasta;
• perlu peningkatan sumberdaya manusia;
• perlu adanya change management di lingkungan kantor pemerintahan.

Change Management E-Government

Salah satu permasalahan yang dihadapi didalam pembangunan dan pengembangan e-government adalah sumberdaya manusia. Jika berbicara e-government, ada dua aktifitas utama yang dilakukan yaitu membangun back office dalam hal ini membangun sistem informasi dan membangun front office dengan memanfaatkan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi.

Jika dilihat kondisi yang ada saat ini di sejumlah kantor pemerintah, baik pusat maupun daerah, sumberdaya manusia yang berlatar belakang bidang teknologi informasi dan komunikasi relatif masih kurang memadai, sehingga diperlukan suatu upaya perubahan manajemen yang lebih dikenal sebagai change management.

Latar belakang perlunya perubahan manajemen adalah:
• Globalisasi merupakan sebuah fenomena dimana negara-negara di dunia secara langsung maupun tidak langsung mengharapkan terjadinya sebuah interaksi antar masyarakat yang jauh lebih efektif dan efisien dibandingkan dengan saat-saat sebelumnya (Douglas, 2001)
• Tiga jenis perubahan:
- Continuous Improvement – perubahan yang dilakukan secara perlahan-lahan dan kontinyu, dimana hasilnya berupa perbaikan kinerja secara inkremental;
- Leapfrogging – perubahan yang dilakukan secara bertahap dengan mengikuti periode tertentu, dimana menghasilkan perbaikan kinerja yang cukup signifikan pada sektor tertentu;
- Reengineering – perubahan yang dilakukan sesekali namun sanggup menghasilkan sebuah perbaikan kinerja yang sangat signifikan.

Di dalam kaitan dengan perubahan yang perlu dilakukan, ada beberapa hal yang harus dibenahi untuk mengubah kondisi yang ada saat ini menjadi kondisi yang diinginkan, yaitu:
• peraturan atau kebijakan;
• sumberdaya manusia dan budaya kerja;
• proses dan kinerja suatu kantor;
• produk;
• struktur organisasi;
• teknologi.
Untuk hal diatas perlu dilakukan pembangunan institusi melalui komunikasi, pendidikan dan pelatihan, partisipasi, serta komitmen.

Beberapa langkah upaya change management e-government, yaitu:

1. mencoba memahami mengapa resistensi tersebut muncul. Analisa ini teramat sangat penting untuk mencari penyebab dan akar permasalahannya;
2. mengajak para stakeholder proyek e-government – terutama para calon pengguna langsung atau user – untuk bersama-sama duduk dalam merencanakan proyek terkait. Hal ini baik untuk dilakukan mengingat bahwa merekalah yang kelak akan merasakan manfaat dari penerapan e-government tersebut;
3. dengan secara konsisten, kontinyu, dan intens melakukan penjelasan kepada masyarakat mengenai apa sebenarnya e-government, karena merupakan kenyataan bahwa konsep ini sangat asing di kalangan awam yang notabene merupakan mayoritas dari stakeholder proyek e-government;
4. dengan menyelenggarakan pelatihan-pelatihan bagi mereka yang ingin atau berkepentingan untuk tahu lebih jauh mengenai konsep maupun aplikasi e-government;
5. melibatkan pihak luar seperti konsultan ahli atau para pakar di bidang e-government yang telah memiliki pengalaman dan jam terbang tinggi di bidang perencanaan dan pengembangan e-government – untuk menjadi nara sumber dalam usaha mengevaluasi dan memperbaiki kinerja proyek yang berlangsung.

Sumber : http://www.depkominfo.go.id

October 2007 Security Releases ISO Image

This DVD5 ISO image file contains the security updates for Windows released on Windows Update on October 9th, 2007. The image does not contain security updates for other Microsoft products. This DVD5 ISO image is intended for administrators that need to download multiple individual language versions of each security update and that do not use an automated solution such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). You can use this ISO image to download multiple updates in all languages at the same time.

Important Be sure to check the individual security bulletins at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security prior to deployment of these updates to ensure that the files have not been updated at a later date.

This DVD5 image contains the following updates:
KB923810 / (MS07-055)

* Windows 2000 - 24 languages
* Windows Server 2003 - 18 languages
* Windows XP - 24 languages

KB941202 / (MS07-056)

* Windows 2000 - 24 languages
* Windows Server 2003 - 18 languages
* Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems - 4 languages
* Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition - 11 languages
* Windows Vista - 36 languages
* Windows Vista for x64-based Systems - 36 languages
* Windows XP - 24 languages

KB939653 / (MS07-057)

* Windows 2000 - 24 languages
* Windows Server 2003 - 18 languages
* Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems - 4 languages
* Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition - 11 languages
* Windows Vista - 36 languages
* Windows Vista for x64-based Systems - 36 languages
* Windows XP - 24 languages

KB933729 / (MS07-058)

* Windows 2000 - 24 languages
* Windows Server 2003 - 18 languages
* Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems - 4 languages
* Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition - 11 languages
* Windows Vista - 36 languages
* Windows Vista for x64-based Systems - 36 languages
* Windows XP - 24 languages

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System Requirements

* Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition; Windows Vista; Windows Vista Business 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition; Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit edition; Windows XP Professional x64 Edition ; Windows XP Service Pack 2

Download : October 2007 Security Releases ISO Image | MoreInfo & Other Language

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