[11403] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Ask Dr. Internet Part I
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Thu Jun 19 20:22:59 1997
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 18:57:28 -0500
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
Moderator's Note: This is Part I of "Ask Dr. Internet." Part II follows.
*-----
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 10:39:35 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Michael S. Hart" <hart@prairienet.org>
Subject: "Ask Dr. Internet" for June, 1997
To: Michael Hart <hart@pobox.com>
This is "Ask. Dr. Internet" for June, 1997
Answering questions from mid-May to mid-June
Dr. Internet is prepared the 3rd Tuesday each month.
***
Q1.
The New Netscape Navigator 4.0. Just out, and, as usual, you should
let the pro's do all the debugging and find out all the installation
horrors for you, before you install it yourself. We are sticking to
3.01 while all this goes on, except for experimentation.
Q2.
Web "cookies" could be illegal, say many in Washington and the media.
The threat of legal and legislative actions by the government will be
unneccessary, according to reports, as MicroSoft and Netscape will be
scrambling to undo the "cookie monster" they have created.
Q3.
More On Copyright Legislation.
Q4.
More On Pentium II [P7] [80786] Performance.
1,000 Horsepower Of PC Performance On Your Desktop.
Q5.
Pentium Price Drops
Q6.
Hints For Web Surfers To Speed Up Your Surfing.
Q7.
How Many People Are On The Internet?
Q8.
"Push" Technology Goes To College, You Could Receive Your
"Overdue" Notices For Library Books And Parking Tickets--
Every Day From Your College Administration.
Q9.
More On Internet 2.
Q10.
The Dr. Internet Interview With Jude Milhon, First Lady
Of Computing. . .Though She Will More Than Likely Throw
That Appellation Back. [Part Three of Three parts]
How about first female computer geek?
Of course WE all know her as the first female hacker--
but the term hacker has been SOO abused. . . .
***
Q1.
The New Netscape Navigator 4.0. Just out, and, as usual, you should
let the pro's do all the debugging and find out all the installation
horrors for you, before you install it yourself. We are sticking to
3.01 while all this goes on, except for experimentation.
A1.
Before we even get started on the new Netscape, a few things:
[Which may be true of most or all web browser programs]
1.
The older versions keep many records of all the places surfed
to, in different files.
2.
Some sites manage to "disfigure" the operation of such files,
to the point where YOU cannot click on "back" to get back but
the record of where you go is still there, for others to find
out where you have been. If you really want to get back, get
used to keeping a record of where you have been, even if it's
just on a "clipboard" type file.
3.
Always backup all *.ini files in your operating system before
you install new software. . .this cannot be overstated. Your
experiences will be that it often takes you an hour to get an
uninstallation done to get back to where you were before your
installation began. This includes new video drivers, as well
as new programs. Probably good for printer drivers, as well.
4.
Do not install new software in the same directory as the old.
You want to be able to get back to the old software if it was
better than the new, which is often is until you make lots of
adjustments to the new programs.
***
NetScape 4.0 is finally really ready, or so they say. . . .
I downloaded a 14M file and did the normal install. . .and it
ATE all my Windows "Associate" commands. In addition, *AFTER
IT HAD ALREADY INSTALLED*. . .it told me I couldn't install a
Netscape 4.0 in a DOS directory with LONG NAMES. . .however I
had it in a directory named "netscape.400" which is a perfect
DOS directory name, using the standard filename.ext format in
all versions of DOS.
Of course, it didn't actually tell me any of this directly, I
only found out when I used Windows File Manager to click on a
file that had always been associated with a certain program I
liked to use that file in. . .after repeatedly trying this, I
realized that Netscape had interposed itself between me and a
whole operating system, namely Windows, so I ran in deinstall
and blew the whole Netscape 4.0 away. . .but this is NOT stop
the problems. . .I am now in the process of reinstalling *ALL
OF MY FILE ASSOCIATIONS*. . .it apparently killed them all in
Netscape 3.01 as well. . .which, by the way, never complained
about being in a directory named "netscape.301" either.
I hate programs that erase my previous data without telling a
word about it!
Before you install ANYTHING, you should backup your files and
perhaps your whole directory. . .the hard thing about this is
that so many of these new programs raid files on several disk
drives and several directories. I have frequently heard this
sort of complaint about MicroSoft's Internet Explorer and the
Apple Quicktime movie viewers, and now I must add Netscape to
the list. Come on Netscape people, when the person says they
want to treat the new version of Netscape as a whole new type
of program and NOT to copy files to or from the old versions,
the LEAVE EVERYTHING OLD ALONE!
To those who must try new versions of ANYthing. . .I say that
you should backup your entire Windows directory, or at least,
or most, the .ini files. I will be trying this again, when I
am more calmed down, and also on other operating systems, and
I hope to have better news then. . .but ALWAYS be careful for
this sort of thing whenever you install new software. . .they
ALL want to take over as much possible usage of your machine,
that's how they make a living. They want their program to be
the default for whatever you do. . . .
Apparently Netscape 4.0 has grandiose ideas about how you are
going to use .gif, .jpe, .jpg, .mov, .mpg, .mmm, .wav or .aif
files, and possibly more that I have not yet discovered.
NetScape and MicroSoft are finally willing to delete "cookies"
[I'll bet they only tone them down].
In press announcements this week designed to head off new laws
on the federal level, both Netscape and MicroSoft announced to
the world that they were finally going to profide some ways to
let users of the World Wide Web have some privacy in records a
"cookie" leaves behind at every Web site they visit. So far a
Web user, even one using "anti-cookie" technology, to keep out
snoopers that invade their privacy by getting information from
their computer without their knowledge, very much the way some
"hacker-crackers" have been accused of sending commands to any
of several government and commercial computers over the years.
"Anti-cookies" technology is very much similar to "anti-virus"
technologies you have heard so much about, designed to keep an
electronic from getting access to your system.
It turns out that the "cookie" people have been doing to you--
every time you visit a web site, is very similar to what those
hacker-crackers have been doing, which appears to be very much
against the same laws these same people have been using to get
even with the hacker-crackers who get information out of their
computers, often without doing any harm in the process. Pleas
that "no harm - no foul" should be the case fell on deaf ears,
when the hacker-crackers were brought before the system by the
big boys and now it looks like the big boys might be getting a
dose of their own medicine if the don't clean up their act far
faster than legislation can be passed to specifically put them
in court if the current laws prove to be something their legal
begals and "spin doctors" can convince the system should be an
electronic protection for them against others but should never
be interpreted as providing electronic protection against them
for the privacy of the public at large.
It would be very interesting if the inventors and users of the
"cookie technology" ended up being found guilty of crimes of a
similar nature to the hackers and crackers.
Here is something that just came in while I was writing this:
NETSCAPE LAUNCHES NEW PRODUCTS IN BROWSER BATTLE
Still fighting to keep its Web browser dominant in the industry, Netscape
CEO James Barksdale promises "an unmitigated flurry" of promotional activity
in the next few weeks, including the formal launch of both Communicator and
the new version of its SuiteSpot server software. At the same time,
Netscape will introduce its "Great Internet Tune-up." From any of the four
major Web search engines, users will be able to download new software by
clicking on "tune-up@Netscape." The company hopes to persuade at least 10
million sers to download the new software within 30 days of its June 11
release. (Wall Street Journal 4 Jun 97)
and
NETSCAPE FIXES BUG FOUND BY BOUNTY-HUNTER
Netscape has written code to fix a serious security flaw in its Navigator
software found by a Danish computer consultant who had demanded a reward far
larger than the standard $1,000 bounty Netscape pays to bug finders. If
uncorrected, the problem might have allowed a Web site operator to
appropriate files stored on someone's personal computer. The consultant,
Christian Orellana, sent Netscape a message saying "`I think the person most
suited for handling this is somebody in charge of the company checkbook."
Orellana also threatened to release the information to news organizations
and said: "I'll leave it to you to estimate what impact that would have on
Netscape stocks.'' (San Jose Mercury News 14 Jun 97)
and
ADVERTISERS, PRIVACY ADVOCATES DEBATE COOKIES
A recent proposal by the Internet Engineering Task Force would make it
easier to control the use of "cookies" -- the technology that tracks a
user's clicks through a Web site -- by changing the default setting for
"third-party cookies." "The proposal will allow users to exercise greater
control over the creation and collection of personal information resulting
from transactions between we clients and web servers," say supporters in a
letter. Rumors of some Web sites sharing information -- for instance,
information given as part of a financial transaction combined with other
information collected by cookies -- have heightened fears of privacy
invasion, as the cross-referencing of this information could allow a company
to match up an individual's virtual persona with his or her real identity.
The IETF proposal would change the specifications for third party cookies to
direct the browser not to accept the cookie. The Association of Online
Professionals has come out against the proposal, citing potential loss of
services from online providers who rely on cookies for passwords,
preferences and other tasks; loss of a major method used to assess the
success of Web advertising; and loss of "hundreds of thousands of man-hours
for reprogramming Web sites." (BNA Daily Report for Executives 23 May 97)
Q2.
Web "cookies" could be illegal, say many in Washington and the media.
The threat of legal and legislative actions by the government will be
unneccessary, according to reports, as MicroSoft and Netscape will be
scrambling to undo the "cookie monster" they have created.
A2.
The article below, as are most New York Times articles, is understated
to an amazing degree when compared to what has been said about this in
the live media, but I can't quote THEM as exactly.
MICROSOFT JOINS RIVALS TO ENDORSE PRIVACY STANDARD
With a Microsoft executive saying "This is unprecedented, but we realized
that we need to work together for the common good," Microsoft has decided
not to propose its own Internet software privacy standards, but instead to
endorse the standard proposed by its rival Netscape and Firefly Network
Inc., and supported by a hundred hardware and software companies both large
and small. The standard will be part of a broader effort led by the
nonprofit organization World Wide Web Consortium, called the platform for
privacy preferences. Using that platform, Web surfers could control what
personal information was obtained about them during their travels on the
Internet. (New York Times 12 Jun 97)
Q3.
More On Copyright Legislation.
A3.
Copyright legislation.
HR 604 has a few more sponsors. Sony Bono has introduced HR 1621 which is
version of 604 with more fine print. The URL to the page, "No-Cense,"
has changed (the old one links to it) and is below. Here are some more:
Opposing Copyright Extension Homepage
http://www.public.asu.edu/~dkarjala/
Copyright Extension Information Center
http://tempest.english.purdue.edu/cccc-ip/Extensioninfo.html
[at last look the server was down]
"No Cense" - Copyright Reform Campaign
http://www.mindspring.com/~mccarthys/no-cense/
Q4.
More On Pentium II [P7] [80786] Performance.
A4.
Withh latest asus pentium II board with 266 mhz Pentium II CPU
Several different benchmarks, each purporting to be Landmark 2
466 times an AT for CPU
272 times an AT for Floating Point
1920 Mhz CPU
4370 Mhz Match
[200 Mhz on this test is about 100 times the IBM PC or IBM XT]
[2,000 Mhz would be 1,000 times as fast as the first DOS PC's]
[Hence my reference to A 1,000 Horsepower PC Benchmark [TM]]
INTEL'S NEW PRODUCTS = NEW PROFITS
Saying his company is in the midst of a massive chip transition, Intel CEO
Andy Grove says that by next fall, about 90% of the company's microprocessor
revenue will come from sales of new chips, especially MMX-based Pentiums and
the newer Pentium II. The company expects the PC market to grow at a
compound annual rate of about 17% through the rest of the decade.
(Investor's Business Daily 4 Jun 97)
Q5.
Pentium Price Drops
A5.
CHEAPER CHIPS = CHEAPER PCs
Intel has found a way to shrink its Pentium and Pentium MMX chips by about
10%, thereby raising the number of chips it can squeeze onto a single
silicon wafer and cutting manufacturing costs per unit. As a result, the
company plans to reduce the price of a 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor from
$492 to about $240 in July. "That shows aggressive pricing," says an
industry observer. "Intel's strategy is to make sure MMX plays through all
price points." The new prices will mean computer manufacturers will be able
to offer $1,000 desktop machines and $1,500 notebook PCs later this summer.
(InfoWorld Electric 13 Jun 97)
Q6.
Hints For Web Surfers To Speed Up Your Surfing.
A6.
Hints For Web Surfers
Here is a list of things you can do to make your surfing go faster
and yield better results.
1.
Learn what kinds of sites have real information.
There are MANY sites out there that just want you to look at their
advertizing, and they don't really care to give you anthing for it
in any way.
You can spot these by the way they make you click page to page for
anything. . .presuming you ever get to anything. They will have a
garish variety of ads that are usually slow in coming up.
If it takes more than a few clicks to find what you are looking to
download, expect even more clicks to be required. Real sites want
you to get in and out with what you want quickly and efficiently--
the bad sites just want to keep you there looking at advertizing--
as long as possible.
2.
Keep a separate list of these sites. . .kind of "ANTI-BOOKMARKS."
Don't bother sending them nasty email, they won't even read it.
Do NOT give any personal information, and if you want your site
kept secret, ask us about "ANTI-COOKIES" programs that would do
SOME good to keep you out of their advertizing databases.
3.
Don't surf sites that want any money. Nearly everything is for
free somewhere on the Net. Make donations to the ones that you
like, but don't believe it if they say it is free and the still
want you to pay any shipping costs and the like, or to give any
personal or credit card information.
4.
Clean out your browser's cache directory from time to time, but
be sure to use the "save as" menu to save any files you see, it
puts them in different directories, unless you TELL it to do in
the cache directory. You will more than likely get more speed,
and save a lot of thrashing of your hard drive.
5.
Back up your bookmarks files often.
6.
Learn to use "exact search" and other search options.
7.
Keep your favorite search engines in your bookmarks.
8.
When you get a particularly short answer to searches,
save them as bookmarks. . .it takes much less time to
load a short page than a long one.
Q7.
How Many People Are On The Internet?
A7.
There are listings now of 30,000,000 email addresses,
so there must be more people than than now on the Net
or who may have recently had accounts and then quit.
My own estimate is that there are over 100,000,000 of
these email addresses in the world.
Given that the listings of phone numbers you can buy only
have 60 million listings for the US, a country of 250-300
million people, my estimate is more conservative in users
of the Internet than users of the telephone per listing.
Historically, there have usually been about 10% the email
addresses as there have been computers, and 1% of them on
lists of Internet nodes.
With the number of computers in the world approaching 1.5
billion, that would mean that 150 million Internet users,
though probably many of them either uses others' accounts
or have more than one account themselves so I have always
been cautious about my estimates.
Q8.
"Push" Technology Goes To College, You Could Receive Your
"Overdue" Notices For Library Books And Parking Tickets--
Every Day From Your College Administration.
A8.
POINTCAST PUSHES ONTO COLLEGE CAMPUSES
Internet "push" technology pioneer PointCast is developing the PointCast
College Network, which will enable university administrators to feed
announcements and other information to all the computers on a campus so that
the students working in a lab, for instance, will see messages alerting them
to new parking policies or entertainment events on campus. The company
plans to supply free software to the campuses and will provide a new set of
channels aimed at the college crowd, offering news and entertainment.
(Chronicle of Higher Education 6 Jun 97)
