InformationWeek Daily Archives
05/20/2013 02:09:35 Daily, January 05Making Sense Of Conflicting Information
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In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Making Sense Of Conflicting Information
2. Today's Top Story
- Microsoft Releases Metafile Patch Early
Related Story
- Sober's Attack May Be Nothing To Sweat
3. Breaking News
- 'Google Pack' Software To Fuel Googleplex
- ITAA President Quits, May Run For Senate
- Microsoft, MTV Target Apple iTunes
- IBM Lotus Opens Up WorkPlace Client
- CES Reporter's Notebook: Mobility And Media Built Into Devices
- Grokster To Users: 'You Are Not Anonymous'
- Windows-Based Treo Smart Phone Arrives
- 1 In 10 Now Use Mozilla's Firefox
- Microsoft Confirms Dropping Chinese Journalist's Blog
- Nanotech Becomes Part Of Clothing
4. Grab Bag: News You Need From Around The Web
- Owners' Web Site Gives Realtors Run For Money
- Geeks In Toyland
5. In Depth: Reviews And Personal Technology
- Visual Tour: Microsoft Windows Vista Begins To Get Real
- The Trouble With Firefox
- Review: Password Management: Grief Relief
- Ride Along: Anatomy Of A Break-In
6. Voice Of Authority
- Searching For Conscience In The Tech Industry
7. White Papers
- Choosing An Automated Communications Provider
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription
Quote of the day:
"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are
made. Destiny is made known silently." -- Agnes de Mille
As my colleague Patricia Keefe noted in her daily podcast yesterday, one of the more
frustrating aspects about covering the technology industry is
trying to make sense of often dueling information sources.
Journalists aren't experts, usually; that's why we interview
others for their opinions and their particular filter on the
"facts" at hand. But how to cover something when the supposed
experts can't, or don't, agree?
This got me thinking. If it's hard for those of us who are merely
writing about any given contentious topic, I can't imagine how
tough it must be for IT-ers who have to make an actual decision
based on this information.
So, my question: How do you do it? What factors do you take into
account, who do you ask, and where do you turn for advice? I
doubt that dartboards or coin tosses come into play because often
these are bet-your-job types of decisions that can definitely
come back to haunt if they don't work out well.
Two sets of stories come to mind here. One is the high number of
vulnerabilities found during 2005 in Linux and Unix relative to Windows--a
three-to-one ratio, according to CERT. Countering this is an
interview with a guru who says that all is just ducky with Linux security, thank
you.
The other whiplash-inducing story of recent vintage was the issue
around the Microsoft WMF bug and whether to use an available
third-party patch from Hexblog or wait for the official Microsoft
fix. (Late Thursday afternoon, Microsoft released its patch.) There were plenty of opinions on both sides of this
issue, and I won't repeat them here.
Which leads back to my question: who or what to believe? Please
weigh in, or read more about the various issues discussed above,
at my blog entry. Mostly I'm interested in
your methodology for problem-solving (as opposed to which
solution you came to, but of course it's fine if you wish to
share that, too).
Johanna Ambrosio
Microsoft Releases Metafile Patch Early
Related Story:
Sober's Attack May Be Nothing To Sweat
'Google Pack' Software To Fuel Googleplex
ITAA President Quits, May Run For Senate
Microsoft, MTV Target Apple iTunes
IBM Lotus Opens Up WorkPlace Client
CES Reporter's Notebook: Mobility And Media Built Into Devices
Grokster To Users: 'You Are Not Anonymous'
Windows-Based Treo Smart Phone Arrives
1 In 10 Now Use Mozilla's Firefox
Microsoft Confirms Dropping Chinese Journalist's Blog
Nanotech Becomes Part Of Clothing
In the current episode:
John Soat With 'Consumer Electronics Show!'
Paul Kapustka With 'The Setup'
John Soat With 'And Bill Gates' Keynote'
The Year Ahead
Win A Dell Flat-Screen 32-Inch LCD TV!
A Week's Worth Of Dailies--All In One Place
-----------------------------------------
Owners' Web Site Gives Realtors Run For Money (New York
Times--reg. required)
Geeks In Toyland (Wirednews.com)
Visual Tour: Microsoft Windows Vista Begins To Get Real
The Trouble With Firefox
Review: Password Management: Grief Relief
Ride Along: Anatomy Of A Break-In
Searching For Conscience In The Tech Industry
Choosing An Automated Communications Provider
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InformationWeek Daily Newsletter
1. Editor's Note: Making Sense Of Conflicting Information
jambrosio@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com
Microsoft released the patch for the zero-day Metafile
vulnerability on Thursday, five days ahead of its previously
announced schedule.
As the Sober worm attack approaches, some analysts say hackers
have been scared off their intended infection campaign.
A pack of upcoming software programs expected to be announced by
Google at CES is viewed as fundamental to the company's vision.
Harris Miller all but declares run for Virginia seat held by
Republican George Allen.
Microsoft and MTV Networks have unveiled a joint music service that
will take on Apple Computer's market-leading iTunes music store.
Hoping to broaden the appeal of its WorkPlace software into new
markets, IBM has promised support for the Open Document Format in
the next release of its WorkPlace Managed Client, due the first
half of this year.
Among the myriad announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show
that started Thursday in Las Vegas were those in which new types of
mobility and media capabilities are being built into mobile devices.
Visitors to Grokster now see their own IP address with the
warning that it has been logged. Some see this as part of the
file-sharing network's bid to settle its legal problems.
The phone is based on Windows, but it isn't just a clone of other
Microsoft-based handhelds; Palm insisted on being able to customize it.
Firefox came within a half-point of the 10% market share that
many analysts have set as the bar to long-term success against
Internet Explorer.
Microsoft said it was complying with local law when it took down
the blog of outspoken Chinese journalist Zhao Jing.
With fabrics on display at this week's Consumer Electronics Show,
the idea is to integrate technology into apparel. Everything from
light sources to electronic controls for devices such as bar-code
scanners, computers, walkie-talkies, cellular phones, MP3 players,
and other mobile devices is available as part of your clothing.
John's at CES in America's playland, Las Vegas.
Paul covers setup day at CES and takes a quick look at IPTV and
consumer VoIP.
John goes undercover and patiently waits for Bill's keynote
speech. Can he keep his eyes open?
----- The latest research, polls, and tools -----
IT budgets will remain tight in 2006, and business-technology
professionals will only fund the most important business and
technology priorities. InformationWeek Research's Outlook For
2006 report, part of our Priorities series, evaluates budgeting
strategies for 2006.
Play The Great Scavenger Hunt contest! Here's how it works: Every
week in January, we'll post five tech-related questions. Answer
at least two correctly, and you'll enter the drawing for an Apple
4-Gbyte iPod nano, as well as the grand-prize drawing for the
Dell flat-screen 32-inch LCD TV! Don't miss out on the fun, the
prizes, and the cheap laughs that come with The Great Scavenger Hunt!
Have you missed an issue or two of the InformationWeek Daily? Or
want to check out some recent quotes of the day? Check out our
Daily newsletter archive page and get caught up quickly.
4. Grab Bag: News You Need From Around The Web
"For Sale By Owner" takes on a new meaning, and new heights, on a
Web site run out of Madison, Wis.
Lego built a global empire out of little plastic blocks, then
conquered the wired world with a robot kit called Mindstorms. So
when the time came for an upgrade, it turned to obsessed
fans--and rewrote the rules of the innovation game.
5. In Depth: Reviews And Personal Technology
The December pre-beta 2 release of Windows Vista offers the first
true glimpse of the operating system. But it's still missing key elements.
Users report high memory usage and freezes in version 1.5 of the
open-source browser, but not everyone is having trouble.
With more users, partners, accounts, and platforms, password
automation is becoming a necessity. We tested seven
password-management products and granted our Tester's Choice to
the one with outstanding policy creation and enforcement as well
as extensive platform support.
We went along for the ride as a team of security experts
performed a vulnerability assessment--simulating an attack on a
Fortune 500 company.
It's not every day that an employee publicly condemns his company
as a tool of state-sponsored thuggery and gets to remain
employed, Thomas Claburn says. But on Tuesday morning, Robert
Scoble, technical evangelist at Microsoft and the company's most
noted blogger, weighed in about a report posted by blogger and
former CNN reporter Rebecca MacKinnon that MSN Spaces on New
Year's Eve shut down a blog written by Zhao Jing, aka Michael
Anti, a blogger apparently not well loved by Chinese authorities.
When communicating with your customers, you want to ensure that
you're providing the best possible experience. There's a lot to
consider, and this white paper points out things to keep in mind.
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
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