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Feb 19

Firefox is Vulnerable to the Cursor Flaw

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Windows

This article was written on April 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

On Tuesday Microsoft released a patch for the Windows Animated Cursor Flaw that had become a serious issue for Windows users in the past few weeks. The patch covers all computers running Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista…and without it your system is vulnerable to being taken over by the hacker overlords.

It was originally believed that Firefox wasn’t susceptible to this flaw, but Mike Schroepfer (vice president of engineering at Mozilla) points out:

The vulnerability is caused by a Windows error…it can be exploited through both Firefox and Internet Explorer. We are investigating issuing a workaround within Firefox in an upcoming security release.
…
Microsoft has issued a patch to fix Windows and we encourage all Windows users to apply this update immediately.

To make it easier for you to update your Windows machine I have gathered all of the direct links to the update files:

Windows 2000 SP4
Windows XP SP2
Windows XP x64
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 (Itanium-based systems)
Windows Server 2003 x64
Windows Vista
Windows Vista x64

Of course, if you perform a Windows Update on your PC this patch will automatically be downloaded and installed on your computer. Just make sure you get the update installed one way or another because even Firefox is vulnerable!

Source: CNet

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Feb 18

Post2Blog Turns to Freeware!

Posted in: Apple, Freeware, Microsoft, Newly Released, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on May 29, 2007 by CyberNet.

Click to Enlarge

This is a pretty exciting day because there is a new freeware application available that previously cost $39! The software is Post2Blog (Download Mirror) and it makes it easier for you to post to your blog using a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) editor.

There is no doubt that this is the most extensive blog editor available, and here are just some of the reasons why I love it (I’ve put some of my favorite features in bold):

WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor with complete hot-keys support
Built-in “Live” spell checking
“Portable Mode” support
Images are uploaded automatically (supported uploading types: Flickr, file area of your blog, imageshack.us, picturelli.com, custom FTP server)
Post text and/or images from Firefox or Internet Explorer to your blog with 2 clicks only using plug-ins for Firefox (check example) and Internet Explorer
Compose new posts in MS Word and post them to your blog using Post2Blog toolbar for MS Word
Integration with RSS Bandit (rssbandit.org) and Sharp Reader (sharpreader.net) – you can post selected items from these RSS readers using Post2Blog plug-in
Post files, images, documents from Explorer or any other program using “Send To -> Post2Blog” command
Add Technorati, Del.icio.us, Buzzwords, 43 Things tags to your posts
Automatically send trackbacks, ping web-services to notify about updates in your blogs
Earn money using “Insert Amazon Link” feature
Use built-in smiles for use in your blog
XHTML standards compliance

One thing that I do want to point out is that the software was bumped from version 2 to version 3, but there aren’t any new features other than the software becoming freeware. I would say that the freeware switch constitutes its own version number though, after all, it surely beats our last “workaround” for using Post2Blog for free.

This good news comes just a few weeks after FastStone Capture did the complete opposite and took their program from freeware to shareware. Oh well, Post2Blog is definitely a nice addition to my freeware collection!

Post2Blog Homepage (Download Mirror)

Thanks for the tip Radu!

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Feb 18

Recommended Tags Plugin for WordPress 2.3

Posted in: Features, Freeware, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on September 25, 2007 by CyberNet.

Many of you might have noticed in our Daily Downloads today that WordPress 2.3 has been released. One of its most acclaimed features is the built-in tagging system, but to be honest it is a overly simple as it currently stands. It has no sort of near-duplicate detection when adding tags to your posts, which can quickly create a huge mess for anyone with a few dozen tags. In no time you could have tags such as “download” and “downloads” created all because you couldn’t remember which one you originally started with.

To solve that problem we were able to take the Click Tags plugin, and derive our own from it called Recommended Tags. It uses what I consider to be an intelligent system to recommend tags to you based upon the content of each article, and in the event that a specific tag is not recommended there is always a full list of all existing tags towards the bottom of the “Write a Post” page (as seen in the screenshot below). I setup options in the code so that you can easily enable or disable the displaying of both recommended tags and the entire list of tags.

How are the recommendations “intelligent?” For starters all HTML tags are stripped from the post so that linking to a Wikipedia article won’t necessarily recommend the “Wikipedia” tag that you’ve created (since URL’s are removed before matching up tags). Take a look at an additional two features (both enabled by default) that will help match tags:

Tags can be “exploded” so that the tag name is broken up into individual words. This will let a tag called “Windows Vista” be recommended even if you only mention “Vista” (note that it is without the “Windows”) in your article.
Common plural/past endings (in English) can be trimmed off of the end of tag names. That way a tag called “downloads” will still be recommended even if you only mention “download” in the article.

We will continue to add more features to make adding WordPress 2.3 tags even easier, so keep your eyes peeled for updates to Recommended Tags plugin!

Here’s a screenshot of the plugin in-action:

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Feb 14

ObejctDock 1.9 Now Released – Free Download!

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on April 25, 2007 by CyberNet.

Stardock has just released their OjbectDock 1.9. It’s a free download that allows you to add a dock to Windows. We’ve mentioned RocketDock previously which is similar. However, ObjectDock is packed with some extra features that RocketDock doesn’t have. They essentially aim to copy the dock that you’d have if you were using a Mac, and they do a great job with it. If you want to purchase the plus version, you’ll get even more unique features.

What’s new with ObjectDock 1.9? The list is huge, and you can find that here. I’ll just point out some of the highlights.

Brand new “Show Start menu” functionality
User Interface improvements
Docks can be left/right/center aligned, but they can also be anywhere in-between.
Weather module– capable of flying out the current weather forecast upon click/mouseover(pictured below).
You can now enter in locations for the weather by name, not just zip code and this includes International locations.
New graphics engine for better performance
Tileable dock backgrounds
Two new modes have been added for the taskbar: “minimized tasks only” and “non-minimized tasks only

There are also certain features that only Vista users will be able to take advantage of:

“Live previews” for files and folders
“Live thumbnails” for minimized applications will have a visual representation on the dock.
When Live Thumbnails are in use on Vista, windows will now do a
nice minimize animation into any zooming dock
New minimize effect on Vista! When Live Thumbnails are in use on Vista, windows will now do a
nice minimize animation into any zooming dock.

The list of changes between ObjectDock 1.5 and the latest 1.9 is huge. They’ve put a lot of work into this, and it’s turned out great. If you decide that you want the paid ObjectDock Plus version, you’ll have support for multiple docks, tabbed docks, other mouse-over effects that you wouldn’t get with the free version, as well as other great features.

Download ObjectDock 1.9 here.

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Feb 11

Apple TV Gets Bad Rep. for Quality – Another Version Coming Soon?

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili

This article was written on April 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

After a lot of anticipation, the Apple TV has been available for purchase for almost two weeks now. I’ve been keeping my eye out for reviews because I was curious how it performs, and what people think of it. One of the first reviews to really catch my attention came from Peter Svensson from the Associated Press. The title of his article was enough to tell me that he was disappointed, but I was curious why.

He compares it to an iPod that sounds like a cassette player, and for $299, he says it falls short. Another problem he had was with the “teensy infrared remote that looks like a baby iPod.” In other words, you’ll probably spend more time searching for it than using it.

Overall, his biggest disappointment came with the quality of the content that was purchased on iTunes for viewing on the Apple TV considering the Apple TV essentially requires that users have a high definition TV with HDMI, DVI, or component video input. He says:

It’s surprising, then, that videos from Apple’s online iTunes store look horrible on an HDTV set. The movies and TV shows have the same nominal resolution as DVDs, but look much blurrier, approaching the look of standard-definition broadcast TV.
To make it worse, these barely watchable movies aren’t cheap. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” costs $15 on iTunes, almost as much as the DVD. TV episodes are more reasonably priced, at $2 each.
It’s possible to convert home footage shot with high-definition video cameras to play on the Apple TV, but not in their native resolution, known as 1080i, so some quality is lost even there.

And the talk around the web is, if you go into an Apple store, the demo that they have set-up looks just as Svensson describes it.

On the plus side, he points out the great, easy to use, intuitive interface which Apple is known for.

It looks like one of Apple’s priorities needs to be making HD content available from iTunes to download so that the Apple TV experience is truly high definition.

In other Apple TV news, rumor has it (according to Gizmodo) that another Apple TV may be coming. They point to the Apple TV “Buy Me” page which now says “Select your AppleTV.” This option is typically shown and used only when there are multiple models of one product. Hmmm… what could Apple have up its sleeve?

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Feb 07

The Perfect Combo: Apple Hardware with Microsoft Software?

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili, Windows

This article was written on June 13, 2007 by CyberNet.

Ed Bott over at ZDNet wrote an interesting article yesterday asking the question, “Is Steve Jobs planning a hostile takeover of the Windows desktop?” This question he says, stems from the recent introduction of Safari for Windows. “Why would Jobs want Windows users to run Safari,” he asked.

Thus far people have been asking why users would want to use it, but he’s right, the real question should be focused on why Jobs took the time and money to develop Safari for Windows.

Most people will say that Safari was introduced to Windows because of the iPhone, and I’d have to agree. Bott on the other hand believes that Apple will start to sell their hardware with Microsoft’s software pre-loaded alongside OS X. And with that, they could replace all of the Microsoft apps for their own like iTunes instead of Media Player, Safari instead of Internet Explorer, iMovie instead of Windows Movie Maker. You get the idea…

Customers would save money because currently, if they want an Apple computer with windows installed, they’d have to purchase it at retail cost. If it came pre-loaded, users would pay the costs for an OEM copy which is much cheaper.

While I don’t really see it happening, it’s an interesting thought. If Apple offered such a thing in the Fall when Leopard is released, would you be a taker? I’ve heard many people say that Apple does make a solid computer, but that they prefer Windows. Perhaps it’s the perfect hardware/software combo?

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Jan 29

Apple’s Big Announcement: The iPhone

Posted in: Apple, cellphone, Google, iPhone, ipod, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili

This article was written on January 09, 2007 by CyberNet.

Big news today at Macworld. After years of anticipation, speculation, and rumors, Apple has announced the iPhone! Here are some of the features:

11.6 mm (thickness)
3.5 in. (width)
Runs Mac OS X (access to Safari Web browser)
Touchscreen display with multi-touch support
2 megapixel camera
8 GB storage
Bluetooth with EDR and also WiFi
Quadband GSM radio with EDGE
EDGE or WiFi, the phone switches to WiFi when detected
Google Maps: Satellite directions, traffic monitoring, and normal maps.
Random access voicemail
Widgets: Weather and stocks
Photo album lets you scroll through images with your finger and you can zoom in/out by “squeezing” or “pinching” the screen with two fingers.
The orientation of the screen (landscape or portrait) will automatically rotate based upon the orientation of the device itself.

One of my favorite features is the quick switching. While listening to your music using the iPod application on your iPhone, the phone rings. As the phone call comes in, the music fades out, and the screen changes allowing you to answer. While on the phone, you can even pull up photos to send in an email, and browse the web. After you end the call, the iPod continues playing where you left off. Amazing!

Also on stage with Steve Jobs was Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Eric Schmidt of Google. A big part of this iPhone is the use of some of Google’s services, like the maps for satellite directions, and traffic. Yahoo is involved by offering free push IMAP email for all of the customers.

Now for the price: The 4GB model will be $499 and the 8GB model will be $599. They’ll start shipping in June! Note: As Nate the Great mentions below, it does require a 2-year contract.

News Source: Gizmodo

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Jan 16

AIM 6.8: Real-Time Instant Messaging

Posted in: Freeware, Pre-Release, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on January 11, 2008 by CyberNet.

AIM Real Time Messaging AOL is embarking on new ground with their next milestone release of the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Just yesterday they released AIM 6.8 Beta to the public with a new feature that I’m guessing more people will hate rather than love. That’s why it’s a good thing it’s optional!

The new feature is real-time instant messaging with your buddies. If you and your friends are all running AIM 6.8 Beta you’ll be able to see what the others are typing before the messages even get sent. As seen in the screenshot, when the user is typing the message it is highlighted and the timestamp reads “typing.” After the message has actually been sent the highlighting will be removed, and it will look like any other message.

Naturally both parties have to agree to the real-time chat session before AIM will activate it. It can be initiated by going to the Actions Menu at the top of the IM window, or by pressing Ctrl+R on the keyboard.

Now I want to hear what everyone thinks about this. Would you use it? Think about how many times you’ve typed a message and in the end decided not to send it. Would you want to reveal your poor spelling before you have had time to re-read the message?

And yes, ICQ did have this feature back in the day.

AIM 6.8 Beta Homepage

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Jan 10

Firefox 2.0.0.3 and 1.5.0.11 Released – Security Fixes and More

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Newly Released, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on March 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Mozilla has posted final versions of both Firefox 1.5.0.11 and 2.0.0.3 earlier today that fixes 6 bugs. These bugs (listed below) deal with varying issues, some of which are actually security related, so an update is strongly recommended.

Since the Firefox homepage has not been updated at this time, I have put together two downloaders for each of the new versions of Firefox:

Download Firefox 1.5.0.11:

Download Firefox 2.0.0.3:

There is also no official release notes page available at this time detailing the changes. When ready, the release notes page for 2.0.0.3 will be here and 1.5.0.11 will be here. However, these were the bugs that had to be fixed before Firefox 2.0.0.3 could be shipped:

More information will probably be posted on the Security Advisory site after Mozilla officially announces the release of Firefox 2.0.0.3 and 1.5.0.11 a little later today or tomorrow. GetFirefox.com should be updated with this new release in about 6 to 12 hours (that’s what it typically takes) for those people who want to hold off until it is on the Firefox homepage.

If you decide that you’re just going to wait for Firefox to notify you of the update it will probably be 24 to 48 hours before they activate the automatic updates. After all, they don’t want everyone rushing to download it at the same time!

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Jan 05

Windows Live Messenger Version 8.5 Leaked

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on May 28, 2007 by CyberNet.

The latest version of Windows Live Messenger has been leaked. Version 8.5 was leaked by Messenger Addictos, a site dedicated to covering Windows Live Messenger. As the name suggests, the site is in Spanish, and the version that was leaked is also in Spanish. If you want to give it a try there is a way to get it in English.

The screenshots below shows the old messenger compared to the new messenger:

The most obvious changes are with the user interface, but I’m sure there were also a handful of bug fixes with this version.. It’s starting to look more Vista-ish.

You’ll also see a few cosmetic changes with the message window:

You may have noticed with your current version of Messenger that it installs to an MSN Messenger folder. A few weeks ago I went searching for the Windows Live Messenger folder only to find that it wasn’t there! Despite the fact that Microsoft changed the name to Windows Live Messenger, they never created a new folder for it. This version will now finally install to a Windows Live folder.

This isn’t officially released by Microsoft, and it’s not an official beta. With that said, you can get instructions and a download link for an installer which I found in the comments over at Digg. It will require that you download an English Language data file if you want it in English instead of Spanish.

Microsoft also threw in a new bunny emoticon as Mess.be pointed out. The shortcut is (‘.’) and it looks like this:

If you download this version, let us know if you come across any additional changes.

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Hasta La Gadget!

Firefox is Vulnerable to the Cursor Flaw

Post2Blog Turns to Freeware!

Recommended Tags Plugin for WordPress 2.3

ObejctDock 1.9 Now Released – Free Download!

Apple TV Gets Bad Rep. for Quality – Another Version Coming Soon?

The Perfect Combo: Apple Hardware with Microsoft Software?

Apple’s Big Announcement: The iPhone

AIM 6.8: Real-Time Instant Messaging

Firefox 2.0.0.3 and 1.5.0.11 Released – Security Fixes and More

Windows Live Messenger Version 8.5 Leaked

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