VMware Workstation 6 Beta Program

* Support for Windows Vista - Use Windows Vista as host operating system
* Multiple monitor display - You can configure a VM to span multiple monitors, or multiple VMs to each display on separate monitors
* Integrated Virtual Debugger - Workstation integrates with Visual Studio and Eclipse so you can deploy, run, and debug programs in a VM directly from your preferred IDE
* Automation APIs (VIX API 2.0) - You can write scripts and programs to automate VM testing
* Headless mode - You can run VMs in the background without the Workstation UI

Download from http://register.vmware.com/content/beta/ws/registration.html

Microsoft blames Vista insecurity on third-party apps

By Tom Sanders.

Windows Vista by itself is "immune" to existing Windows malware, but third-party email applications could compromise the operating system's security, Microsoft's co-president for the platform and services division said in a blog posting.

Jim Allchin responded to a study published in November by security vendor Sophos.

The firm tried to infect a system running Vista with the 10 most prevalent viruses of November 2006, and found that three were able to penetrate the operating system's defences.

The study raised eyebrows because Microsoft typically touts Vista's security features as one of the software's top benefits.

Following the publication of the report, Microsoft tried replicating the Sophos study and found that none of the viruses was able to infect a bare system that runs only applications bundled with the operating system, including Microsoft Mail.

Systems running Outlook or another outside email client that supports Microsoft's Attachment Manager feature could fall victim to Mydoom-O, provided that the virus was sent in a .zip archive file. The user would then have to manually extract and execute its contents.

The Attachment Manager API was first introduced as part of Windows XP service pack 2. It offers to scan attachments for email clients and warns users against potentially unsafe file formats such as executables.

Email clients that lack support for the API can still introduce Trojans and other malware to Windows Vista without warning.

Allchin stressed, however, that users should still expect vulnerabilities to pop up in Windows Vista.

"I have ... stated that [Vista] is neither foolproof nor perfect; no software from anyone I have seen is," he wrote.

He warned users not to open suspicious email attachments, and recommended the use of a firewall as well as antivirus software.

© 2006 vnunet.com

First Ten Registered Domain Names

1. 15-Mar-1985 SYMBOLICS.COM
2. 24-Apr-1985 BBN.COM
3. 24-May-1985 THINK.COM
4. 11-Jul-1985 MCC.COM
5. 30-Sep-1985 DEC.COM
6. 07-Nov-1985 NORTHROP.COM
7. 09-Jan-1986 XEROX.COM
8. 17-Jan-1986 SRI.COM
9. 03-Mar-1986 HP.COM
10. 05-Mar-1986 BELLCORE.COM

© watchmojo.com

Cisco beats Apple to iPhone

TTAWA - It's all about timing.

After months of speculation that Apple Computer was about to add a cellular phone to its long line of ``i''-products, the giant computer maker has been beaten to the punch by Cisco Systems Inc.

Linksys, a division of Cisco, released the iPhone Monday. The new device is a telephone that works over the wireless network within a person's home to make cheap phone calls over the Internet.

Marketing analysts say the new product could pose problems for Apple _ which, until now, has had a monopoly on the ``i''-brand with popular items such as its iPod line of MP3 players.

``This is going to make it trickier for Apple to establish their own iPhone _ it's going to have to look, feel and sound very different in order to be distinguished from the Cisco one,'' said David Dunne, a marketing expert at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

``In business, there is a certain amount of first-mover advantage. People remember the first thing they see.''

With the announcement, Cisco revealed it's been holding onto the registered name of ``iPhone'' since it took over a company called Infogear in 2000. Infogear had released a previous version of the iPhone in 1997, but sales of the phone weren't impressive.

Dunne said Cisco's new product is likely a calculated attempt to benefit from the popularity of the ``i''-brand established by Apple.

``It looks as if they're basically trying to sew a little bit of confusion and defend their own franchise,'' Dunne said of Cisco, adding the company is also looking to benefit from Apple's copyright miscue.

``In hindsight, not locking in the trademark on iPhone seems like quite the misstep on Apple's part.''

Gadget lovers have been eagerly anticipating a phone offering from Apple for months. Aside from iPods, the company already has its iBook laptop computers, its iTunes music store, an iMac line of computers, and numerous ``i'' accessories such as the iSkin cover for iPods.

Dunne said Apple has been trying to plug its ``i''-products as a free-standing brand, but they may have to change tactics.

``They may have to reintroduce the Apple brand name,'' he said, noting the company could opt to trademark their own future phone as an ``Apple iPhone'' in order to differentiate it from the Cisco product.

While Apple has not confirmed it is working on a mobile phone, company chief executive Steve Jobsis expected to make an announcement about the company's move into cellular telephones at the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco on Jan. 9.

Ottawa Citizen

© CanWest News Service 2006

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