Test Drive Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9

Internet Explorer hasn’t had the best reputation amongst the tech savvy for quite a while. Those that hate the product often cite its security, speed and penchant for crashing as its main problems. While it’s true that earlier versions of the browser were quite problematic (if you’re using IE6, an immediate upgrade is suggested), its last two iterations were actually quite good. Sadly, though, IE’s dogged reputation prevented the aforementioned tech savvy from giving it another chance.

A few months ago, Microsoft released a public beta of Internet Explorer 9 to see how it functions in everyday use, which I’ve been using for a short amount of time. My experiences so far have been great! The interface is very clean (think Google Chrome) and things load much more quickly. No security concerns have arisen since the install.

If you have Windows Vista or 7 (XP won’t be getting IE9), you may try out the Internet Explorer 9 beta by clicking here. Remember, this is an early (but almost ready for release) version so you may suffer an occasional problem. If that last sentence made you cringe, I’d suggest waiting for the full release.

Filed under: News

Commonwealth Office of Technology Conducting Broadband Survey

The library received an email recently letting us know that the Commonwealth Office of Technology is currently mapping and verifying broadband access in Kentucky. This, according to the email, is step one in their plan to increase the availability of high speed internet across the state.

Click here to participate in the Public Broadband Survey.

Filed under: News

Google to Test Fiber Optic Internet Access in the US

Google recently announced plans to begin testing fiber-to-the-home internet service across the country. For those unfamiliar, fiber-to-the-home is an incredibly fast way of accessing the internet (100 + times faster than average speeds) via fiber optic cables. Fiber service is available in bigger cities; however, most rural areas have been ignored.

Currently, Google is accepting nominations for communities to begin testing the fiber service in. So, if you’re interested in seeing something like this come to the area, visit this link, click get involved, and fill out the application.

Here’s a video provided by Google on their plans:

Filed under: News

Windows 7 Pre-order Now Live

Microsoft hopes to win back the countless number of folks it lost due to displeasure with Windows Vista with the next version of their operating system, Windows 7. It doesn’t release until October, but you may currently pre-order the upgrade and save around $79.99. The upgrade works if you have either Windows XP or Windows Vista.

Click here for an article from Microsoft about the pre-order and how to take advantage of it.

Filed under: News

Google Releases Web Browser

Google recently tossed their hat into the web browser game with the announcement of Google Chrome. They hope to draw attention away from Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox with this minimalist browser. I’ve been using an early version of it for a few days and can vouch for their claims of it being faster. It even seems to do things more quickly than my beloved Firefox.

A beta version of this browser is currently available through Google.com. By beta, they mean the program isn’t quite ready for prime time but close enough to allow some members of the general public to use it and give them feedback. I’ve had no trouble with the beta whatsoever but am hesitant to recommend using it as a full-time browser just yet. I will say that it’s definitely worth trying out in its current form.

As a side note, I’ve also been using a beta version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8. They’ve drastically improved this browser over its previous incarnation. Be advised, though, that if you install this beta that it replaces whatever version of Internet Explorer you’re currently using.
In the future I’ll do an in-depth review on my experiences using both of these.

Click here to download Google Chrome Beta

Click here to download Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta

Filed under: Free File, News

Gadgets Carrying Virus

An Associated Press article appeared in today’s Messenger Inquirer, along with several other newspapers, detailing a recent run of gadgets shipping directly from the factory with viruses installed on them. Although events like these are rare, it seems to be happening more often as of late. There have been reports of iPods, GPS Devices, and, most recently, digital picture frames being infected with malicious software right out of the box.

Viruses like these are known as Trojan horses. They, much like the ancient Trojans, disguise their evil intent by appearing as something desirable. For example, say you pick up a new gadget, put the CD in your drive to install the software you need to manage it, and, as soon as the installation has finished, you unknowingly become infected.

Situations such as these are why keeping an updated antivirus program and applying critical Windows updates is an absolute necessity. In technology danger can sometimes lurk in places you’d never think of, and, as the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Read the Associated Press Article

Try AVG Free Antivirus - (I’ve used it for years and highly recommend it)

Filed under: News

Microsoft Releases Compatability Pack for Older Versions of Office

Microsoft has posted a Compatibility Pack for older version of Microsoft Office which will allow them to open and edit documents created by MS Office 2007. Before this, one had to remember to save in the “97-2003” formats to allow for this to be done. Thankfully, with this new functionality, you won’t have to remember to do anything other than click save.

If you have an older version of MS Office at home, you might consider installing the compatibility pack on your personal computer. That way, you’ll be able to work on newer versions of the program without fear of not being able to update your documents at a later time.

Download Compatibility Pack

Filed under: News

Office 2007 Service Pack 1

Microsoft has quietly released the first Service Pack for Office 2007. Those familiar with Windows should know all about the trouble that often follows the installation of one of these bundles of patches. Though there is occasional difficulty, one should not run any programs, much less Microsoft’s, without fixes for very long. Doing so will leave your computer vulnerable to a variety of attacks.

Currently the Office Service Pack 1 (or, SP1) may be downloaded manually from either the Microsoft website or through using Windows Update. The company will be waiting 3-6 months before pushing it out via Windows Automatic Updates. Tom Rizzo, a computer industry professional, was quoted by PC World as saying, “This is a typical service pack, with emphasis on performance and stability.” The main thing that excites me is supposed file format compatibility improvement, which, hopefully, will allow older versions of Office to open things saved in the 2007 format. You currently have to tell Office 2007 to save in an older format if you plan to edit or view your document in past versions of the program.

I am currently field testing SP1 and will report in future updates on any trouble I have. As of this post, things are running smoothly and I’ve had no strange errors.

Filed under: News

U.S. Tops List Of Biggest Spammers

The United States has been ranked as the world’s top spammer according to security firm Sophos. A recent report published by the firm lists the U.S. as being responsible for 23.8 percent of the junk mail that clogs everyone’s e-mail inbox. One would think if we all truly hate it as much as we say that this wouldn’t be a problem. Here are the top five spammers:

1. United States – 28.4%
2. South Korea – 5.4%
3. China – 4.9%
4. Russia – 4.4%
5. Brazil – 3.7%

If you’d like to see the remainder of the list, visit the Sophos website. While there be sure to browse their glossary of words that spammers often disguise to get around any spam e-mail filter that might block their messages from getting through. I’ll attempt to post some effective measures in battling the spam plague in the near future.

Filed under: News