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Dec

28

“Keep Everything Clear of the Doors”

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

As we wind up 2007, I thought I’d share with you an emailed security communiqué sent last week by Ed Gibson, Chief Security Advisor at our Microsoft UK office in Reading, providing a gentle reminder to take the necessary precautionary measures to ensure you’re safe when using the Web.  As Ed mentions, if you’re running Windows Vista, you already have numerous tools at your disposal to help keep your PC and data safe when you’re online.  Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea to ensure those apps and tools are up-to-date, and now is as good a time as any.  So until 2008 … 


“Keep Everything Clear of the Doors”


You’ve seen it, read it, heard it so many times you’ve blocked it out…routine, mundane…but instinctively you take the necessary precautions.  And the idiots who think they can beat the doors for gosh sakes…some make it, most don’t…when will they learn.  Even though, I suspect the next time you hear this spoken over the intercom in the Underground, or read the warning label on the inside of the carriage you’ll take just that extra second to really make sure everything is clear of the doors.  “Why?”, you ask.  “Because you’ve just read this!”  No different than the many times you’ve looked at your watch, and then someone else asks you what time it is; you can’t remember, so you look again.


Unremarkably, the same applies when it comes to being more safe online.  This past year you bought a brand-new state-of-the art, 2g of RAM, 600g hard drive PC that will hold more stuff than you or I could ever fill up in a lifetime.  It’s loaded with free anti-spam, anti-virus software and everything is going very well, so well in fact that you don’t update your software (Windows Vista has ‘updates’ turned on by default, so unless you mess with it, you’re okay), run a periodic anti-malware scan, and the wireless is working fine so no need to check that.  You’ve read about the [UK] Government’s GetSafeOnline.org campaign that e-Bay, Microsoft, HSBC, Home office, SOCA, and others participate in, you’ve seen the constant news articles about loss or theft of data from the largest of companies and government agencies (and if you’re a victim of HMRC ‘datagate’, you have every right to be angry) but hey, you’ve not been affected…why do anything.  Victims of online crime…not me, happens only to those people who go to the ‘wrong sites’…who tried to make it thru the doors for gosh sakes, they should have known better.


Not so fast Mr ItAin’tGonnaHappenToMe.  That ‘other person’ is going to be you if you don’t take a few moments to make sure your operating system and software are up to date, that your firewall is turned on (both are already done for you if you are operating Windows Vista) your anti-spam and anti-virus software are installed and updated (don’t forget to renew your subscription to the anti-malware software if it is about to expire).


Organized criminals are ‘green’, ’socially conscious agnostics’, they want what is best for you - NOT!!  Just like machines, THEY DON’T CARE who you are, where you grew up, what kind of accent you have, whether you’re beautiful (or like me, a face made for radio); they operate without regard to your sex or religious affiliations - I call them “THE EQUALIZERS”.  They want what is yours - from your bank account, your identity, or even a bit of your bandwidth - oh yes, they can quite happily use your computer while you do and you may not ever know.


As we approach the Holidays, don’t let the Grinch of Christmas Past ruin your holidays online.  Possibly, ‘just because you read this’, you will take a moment and run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, will visit GetSafeOnline.org, or possibly even give the most important cyber gift of all - a trip to the wild side, WindowsMarketplace.com (click on Security Downloads) for free anti-malware.  It will take you a few minutes; but a few minutes now might just save you months of hassle down the road.


Do you really want to be calling your credit card companies, bank, credit agency, DVLA, DWP, on New Year’s Eve.  Or worse, worry whether someone will be showing up at your doorstep because you couldn’t be bothered to spend a measly 10 minutes with your kids to talk to them about social networking sites (oh yea, they just told their friends on their Facebook site when you were going to be away)…and you didn’t tell them how to prevent outsiders from accessing their pages.  Nor did you tell them in no uncertain terms that even when they close their site everything they put on the Internet IS THERE FOREVER.  Oh yes, some make it thru the doors, most don’t…when will THEY learn.


I wish you a very happy holiday season - and a safe online journey.


Edward P Gibson
Chief Security Advisor
Microsoft Ltd-UK

Dec

26

Twitter with Friends Using the WPF Client Witty

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

Twittering with friends seems to be the new “thing-to-do” on the web these days. Many bloggers are using it and it has even made its way into an episode of CSI! So what exactly is Twitter you ask? Twitter is an online web service that lets you post what you are doing - in 140 characters or less - in which those who are “following” can track what you’re doing based on what you post. Bloggers sometimes also use Twitter to share URLs and to share quick thoughts on a variety of topics.

Now I said that Twitter was a web service right? Well the Twitter developers have released an API in which developers can use to create “Twitter clients” to be used outside the web browser.


Alan Le, from the company Vertigo, has utilized the Twitter API and designed a WPF Twitter client called Witty that extends the Twitter experience into Windows Vista. If you recall, WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) is built in to Windows Vista.  




I also blogged about another awesome product from the Vertigo folks back in August called Family.Show. Family.Show is a WPF app used in tracking family history and creating a family tree.



With Witty, I can quickly receive updates from people I am following as well as quickly post on what I’m doing (or any specific thought quickly I might have) quickly as the app nicely sits on my notification area of my taskbar.


Download: Witty 0.1.5 (986Kb)


To install Witty, just download the .zip file (above) and extract to a folder on your PC. Once the files are extracted, open the folder the files were extracted to and double click on Witty.exe. Feel free to follow me! You cal also follow the Windows Vista Team Blog on Twitter as well - which will update whenever a new post is made here on the blog.


Please note that the latest version of Witty released is 0.1.5 - which is what I recommend you use. My screenshots reflect 0.1.6 but it is an early alpha (pre-beta) version of Witty I am helping test out for Alan. For future versions of Witty, feel free to leave comments and I’ll make sure Alan gets them!

Dec

19

IE8 achieves web standards milestone

Category: Vista News | Leave a Comment

Today Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch posted about an important milestone in the development of the next version of Internet Explorer, IE8.  As of last week – 12 December, to be exact – the latest build correctly renders the Acid2 browser test in IE8 standards mode.  As Dean points out, this is just one of many milestones ahead for Internet Explorer 8 and we can expect to hear more as further progress is made.


IE8 will be at MIX08, with a beta release due sometime in the first half of 2008.


If you have questions on IE8 and the team’s progress, those are best directed to the IE Team blog.

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