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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 16 Issue 13
Volume 16, Issue 13 Atari Online News, Etc. March 28, 2014
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2014
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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A-ONE #1613 03/28/14
~ The History of Atari! ~ People Are Talking! ~ Mylar Encryption!
~ Facebook To Do Drones? ~ Office Seen for iPad! ~ Next MacBook Air!
~ IDG Founder Passes Away ~ ~ XP User, Bad Advice!
-* Yee Indicted for Corruption! *-
-* Microsoft Tightens Its Email Policy *-
-* Obama Wants To End NSA's Phone Collection! *-
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->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
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Another long and stressful week - sigh! So, it's another week with little
commentary. I will mention however, that this week we've included some
commentary from IGN that oertains to the history of Atari. Whatever you
choose to believe regarding Atari's successes and failures, and ultimate
demise, IGN does a pretty good job at summarizing the saga of Atari. I
hope that you enjoy it, as I did.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Anti-Violent Gaming Yee Indicted for Corruption!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IGN Presents: the History of Atari!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
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Anti-Violent Gaming Politician Leland Yee Indicted for Corruption
Democratic California State Senator Leland Yee notorious in the gaming
industry for his stances on gaming and the gaming industry has been
indicted for public corruption, according to The San Jose Mercury News.
According to the Mercury News, The FBI was seen at Yees Sacramento
office, where they reportedly arrived at 7 a.m. KCRA confirms that Yee
was taken into San Franciscos Federal Building wearing handcuffs after
he was detained...
Its still unclear what the FBI specifically alleges Senator Yee did. The
Mercury News report states that the Targets of the raid are expected to
appear in federal court in San Francisco this afternoon, where things
should be further clarified. KCRA claims that hell be charged for both
bribery and corruption.
California State Senator Leland Yee.
Leland Yees crusade against the gaming industry and violent video games
specifically goes back to 2005, during the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Hot Coffee fiasco. Hes best-known for the violent video game law passed
that year, signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, which opposed the
sale or rental of violent games to minors. The law went to the Supreme
Court in 2010 - a law supported by Californias governor and 11 other
states - and was ultimate struck-down by the Republican-leading court,
7-2.
Yee reemerged in 2013 in the wake of the school shooting at Newtown,
Connecticut, stating:
Gamers have got to just quiet down. Gamers have no credibility in
this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the
industrys lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is
about their self-interest.
Yees chief-of-staff later talked to IGN, noting that it wasnt the most
artful thing he ever said, and that it was not directed at individual
gamers. Ironically, Yee represents San Francisco, Californias bastion
of gaming and technology.
We reached out to Senator Yees offices in Sacramento, San Francisco,
and San Mateo. No one answered the phone at any of the three locations.
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->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
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IGN Presents: the History of Atari - Video game pioneers.
(Part 1 of 4)
To those born into the console era, whose formative gaming education came
from Nintendo, Sega, or PlayStation, Atari feels like an amorphous
presence in the world of videogames: a once-important name that has been
diluted by countless mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. A titan of
the arcade era whose relevance had dwindled almost to nothingness by the
turn of the millenium.
Many younger gamers have little idea of the extent to which this one
company laid the foundation of the modern video game industry, beyond
recognizing the name, and perhaps knowing that the Atari 2600 was an
early home console. But the truth is that the modern video game industry
owes almost everything to Atari and its two founders.
Atari was a defining force in both arcades and the home computers
throughout the 1970s and 80s (it wasnt until 1993 that it finally shut
down its computer manufacturing arm). In one form or another, it brought
us everything from Pong to Tempest, Centipede to the famously dreadful
E.T. The Video Game. But Ataris games are only part of the story.
Ataris founders invented the video game arcade cabinet, helping to
create the arcade culture that gave birth to modern video games. Without
Atari, the history of games would have been completely different. The
story of its rise and its many, varied deaths is a fascinating one that
spans the entirety of modern gamings history, from the early 70s to its
latest bankruptcy in January 2013.
The variety of corporate metamorphoses that Atari has undergone over the
years is such that its history becomes difficult to untangle after a
certain point, but Ataris story starts as world-changing things very
often do: with one person and a great idea. Ataris two founders, Nolan
Bushnell and Ted Dabney, met in 1969, where they were both working for a
company called Ampex in Redwood City, California. Years earlier, as an
electrical engineering student in Utah, Bushnell had developed a
fascination with one of the very first video games, Spacewar, developed
on an improbably giant computer at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1962 by Professor Steve Russell and two of his students.
Hed sneak into the colleges computing lab at night with a fraternity
brother to play it.
Bushnells college was important. Computer graphics were invented at the
University of Utah in the 1960s by a man named Ivan Sutherland, one of
computer sciences pioneers. The University had, at the time, state of
the art computer equipment. This made Bushnell one of a relatively very
small number of people who could play the earliest video games, including
Spacewar, on campus computers.
While attending school, Bushnell also worked in an amusement arcade
called Lagoon Amusement Park during the holidays, and it occurred to him
that the electronic game could work as a coin-operated machine. Arcades at
that time were halls of pinball cabinets and other coin-operated
entertainments, like slot machines and ball-throwing gambits and other
trivial games of skill and chance. What Bushnell essentially envisioned,
though, was the 1980s arcade, packed with glowing coin-op game cabinets
and spellbound teens - places where an entire generation would fall in
love with video games. These places would not have happened without him,
and his company, Atari, would become one of the biggest names in this
future world.
In post-war America pinball was demonised in the same way that video games
frequently have been in the decades since. In the 1940s and 50s, the most
rebellious, coolest thing you could do as a young person in many parts of
America was to hang out near a pinball machine. Parents and other worried
adults banded together to protest the machines, fearing that their
children were being corrupted by their bright, noisy influence,
transformed into time-wasting entertainment junkies and being led into
gambling. Pinball machines were actually made illegal in some parts of
the country - perhaps most famously, New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia
ordered the seizure of thousands of machines in January 1942 and smashed
them up for materials to help with the war effort. Pinball remained
technically illegal in New York until 1976. Imagine, against this
backdrop of moral panic, how people reacted to the introduction of
electronic video games, and to the transformation that the arcade would
undergo.
But in the early 1960s, computers still required a small room to house
them. It wasnt until the tail-end of the decade that Bushnell, along
with Ted Dabney, would develop the first ever coin-operated arcade
machine for a company called Nutting Associates. It was called Computer
Space. The game released in 1971, and although it fell short of the
manufacturers expectations and was considered something of a failure by
Nutting (it was just too complicated to catch on in a big way outside of
college campuses, Nolan later posited), it still sold 1500 units and made
Bushnell and Dabney enough money to strike out on their own and continue
making coin-operated electronic games.
Their company - originally called Syzygy Co. - was founded in 1971. Upon
discovering that the name was already in use in California, the duo
changed it to Atari, Inc in 1972. The word ataru literally means to
hit a target in Japanese and is associated with good fortune. The name
came from the ancient Chinese board game Go, of which Bushnell was a
fan. He essentially chose companys name from amongst its strange
jargon. In that context, Atari means something closer to Im about to
win - like check in chess. Other name candidates, reportedly, were
Sente and Hane.
Dabney invented the early technology that allowed dots to move on a
screen without the assistance of an extremely expensive computer, and
thereby essentially invented modern video games. It was called the Spot
Motion Circuit, and it allowed a dot to move up, down, left and right on
a screen. It was a different world from the supercomputers that Spacewar
was running on, as it allowed dedicated cabinets to be manufactured at
a reasonable cost with built-in boards. It was essentially the invention
of the video game arcade cabinet.
The mediocre-performing Computer Space was the first ever
commercially-sold video game, but it was the newly-founded Ataris first
game that would set the stage for the rapid evolution and soaring
popularity of the arcade. In 1972, Bushnell attended a demonstration of
the first-ever home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey - a
brown-and-beige plastic box released in August 1972 that played a small
variety of silent games, including Table Tennis, a competitive tennis
game that probably looks pretty familiar to you. The Magnavox sold around
330,000 across the North America and Europe, where it was released in
1973.
Magnavoxs tennis game was far from the first, of course. On the
University of Utah campus computers, Bushnell likely played a few of them;
a version of tennis called Tennis for Two was created as far back as 1958.
But none would break out like Ataris Pong, released in 1972. It wasnt
Bushnell himself who created the program for Atari, but a new hire by the
name of Al Alcorn, who had worked at Apex alongside Ataris founders as a
junior engineer and had never so much as seen a video game until Bushnell
showed him Computer Space. Pong was the first game program he ever
created. Not bad, as far as starts go.
Nobody actually expected Pong to go anywhere; Al Alcorn, famously, was
assigned it as a project to test his abilities, and it was never intended
to be a commercial product. But what Al made, after months of work making
it more efficient, turned out to be a lot of fun. The differences between
Pong and the Magnavox tennis games might not seem that obvious now, but
they were hugely significant then, especially within the technical
confines of the time. Pongs ball sped up the longer the game went on,
and pinged off the paddles at different angles depending on where it was
hit. The gaps at the top of the screen, actually the result of a quirk in
the technology rather than intention, ensured that no game of Pong could
go on forever, that there was always that tiny space for the ball to slip
past. Plus, it had sound. That might not sound like much, but it turned
digital tennis from absurdly dull to incredibly addictive.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Obama Wants To End The NSAs Bulk Phone Collection
President Obama plans to ask Congress to end the bulk collection and
storage of phone records by the National Security Agency but allow the
government to access that metadata when needed, a senior administration
official said on Monday.
If Congress approves, the Obama administration would stop collecting the
information, which lists millions of phone calls made in the United
States. The practice triggered a national debate over privacy rights when
the extent of the surveillance program was exposed last year by former
NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Instead, the government would have to get permission from the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court to review data about the time and
duration of telephone calls that it believes may be connected to terror
attacks, according to The New York Times, which first reported the plan.
Obama, who on Monday met with world leaders in The Hague, has been
grappling with a backlash to U.S. government surveillance programs since
classified details about the extent of data-gathering were first leaked
by Snowden.
Snowden is currently in Russia under temporary asylum.
Obama has defended use of the data to protect Americans from attacks. His
plan seeks to hold onto as many capabilities of the program as possible
while ending the governments role in controlling the database, the
official said on background.
The president considered those options and in the coming days, after
concluding ongoing consultations with Congress, including the
Intelligence and Judiciary committees, will put forward a sound approach
to ensuring the government no longer collects or holds this data, the
official said in a statement.
The Obama administration will renew the NSAs telephone metadata program
until Congress passes new authorizing legislation, the official said.
Obama made some decisions about changes to the programs in January,
including a ban on eavesdropping on the leaders of friendly or allied
nations.
But he had charged Attorney General Eric Holder and intelligence agencies
to make additional proposals for the metadata program by March 28, when
it comes up for reauthorization.
The New York Times said the administration will propose that telephone
companies keep the data. But companies will not be required to hold onto
the data any longer than they normally do, the Times said.
The administration had considered requiring the companies to hold onto
data for longer than 18 months. The administration rejected that idea
after concluding that newer data is most important for investigations,
the Times said.
Two top lawmakers on the House of Representatives intelligence panel
were slated on Tuesday to unveil a bipartisan measure on metadata use.
The bill, sponsored by Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Dutch
Ruppersberger, would require the government to serve a directive on
telecommunication companies for data, the Washington Post reported,
citing congressional aides.
Their bill would not require court approval of the request before it was
made, but the court could order the data expunged if it was later found
not to be linked to suspicious activity, the Post reported.
The U.S. government began collecting metadata shortly after the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. A surveillance court
allowed the data collection based on a legal provision known as Section
215 of the Patriot Act.
NSA officials and lawmakers such as Senator Dianne Feinstein, the
Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, have defended
the bulk metadata program, saying it helps the government connect the
dots between terrorist plotters overseas and co-conspirators inside the
United States.
But others said it went too far. One U.S. district judge has criticized
the program as an arbitrary invasion of privacy.
The Times said the administrations proposal would also include a
provision clarifying whether Section 215 of the act could be used in the
future to allow bulk phone data collection.
Microsoft Tightens Email Privacy Policy
After Taking Fire Over Hotmail Incident
Summary: After revelations that it had inspected a Hotmail customer's
email as part of an internal investigation, Microsoft announced new rules
last week. This week, following "uncomfortable" criticism of that policy,
the company announced new rules: no inspections without a warrant.
Revelations in a Federal criminal complaint that Microsoft accessed the
contents of a Hotmail account without a warrant brought a hailstorm of
criticism down on the company last week. In response, Microsoft argued it
was well within its rights under the terms of service and that the facts
of the case were extraordinary.
But they also promised not to make one of those inspections again without
calling in additional legal help.
Sorry, said the privacy and civil liberties community, that's not good
enough. The most blistering critique came from the Electronic Frontier
Foundation, which called Microsoft's announcement "Warrants for Windows."
Unfortunately, this new policy just doubles down on ... Microsofts
indefensible and tone-deaf actions in the Kibkalo case. It begins with a
false premise that courts do not issue orders in these circumstances
because Microsoft was searching itself, rather than the contents of its
users email on servers it controlled.
To the contrary, if Microsofts independent legal team concluded that
there was probable cause, it could have passed the tipsters information
to the FBI to obtain a warrant and conduct the search under the auspices
of the criminal justice system. The warrant protections enshrined in the
Constitution would be preserved, ECPA would be satisfied, and Microsoft
could have claimed the high moral ground. Instead, Microsoft has opted
for an internal corporate shadow court.
This week, in response to the latest wave of criticism, Microsoft General
Counsel Brad Smith admitted that the EFF was right and Microsoft was
wrong. Here's the new policy, effective immediately:
Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that
someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or
physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer's
private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law
enforcement if further action is required.
In addition to changing company policy, in the coming months we will
incorporate this change in our customer terms of service, so that it's
clear to consumers and binding on Microsoft.
Smith acknowledged that the barrage of criticism was "uncomfortable," but
also "thought-provoking and even helpful."
Although our terms of service, like those of others in our industry,
allowed us to access lawfully the account in this case, the circumstances
raised legitimate questions about the privacy interests of our customers.
In part we have thought more about this in the context of other
privacy issues that have been so topical during the past year. We've
entered a "post-Snowden era" in which people rightly focus on the ways
others use their personal information. As a company we've participated
actively in the public discussions about the proper balance between the
privacy rights of citizens and the powers of government. We've advocated
that governments should rely on formal legal processes and the rule of
law for surveillance activities.
While our own search was clearly within our legal rights, it seems
apparent that we should apply a similar principle and rely on formal
legal processes for our own investigations involving people who we
suspect are stealing from us. Therefore, rather than inspect the private
content of customers ourselves in these instances, we should turn to law
enforcement and their legal procedures.
The new policy means Microsoft's hands will be deliberately tied during
internal investigations. The company can't go to court and demand a
warrant to search its own servers, but the FBI and local law enforcement
can inspect the evidence and ask a judge for permission to order
Microsoft to produce content from a subscriber's email or cloud file
storage. They can also decline to get a warrant and tell Microsoft's
investigators to find other ways to get what they need.
For practical purposes, this announcement won't have much effect.
Presumably any would-be pirates have learned their lesson and will avoid
using Microsoft services to traffic in Microsoft's stolen property.
The change is extremely important, however. in the arena of public
perceptions, where Microsoft has been absolutely pummeled over behavior
that looked awful even if it was technically permitted. And of course
there are the casual accusations of hypocrisy given the company's ongoing
"Scroogled" ad campaign, which takes dead aim at Google's policy of
scanning its customers' email for the purpose of serving ads.
It's unlikely that any large corporate customers will exit the Microsoft
fold over this case. But the company might find it needs to work harder
to prove that it deserves the trust of those customers.
The EFF responded almost immediately with praise: "We commend Microsoft
for its willingness to reconsider its policies, and we think it made the
right decision."
Internet New Encryption System "Mylar" Encrypts
Data in Browser Before Reaching Server
An MIT researcher has created a service that keeps data encrypted on
servers at all times, only decrypting the data on a person's computer for
them to see.
According to MIT Technology Review, MIT researcher Roluca Popa developed
the system - called "Mylar" - along with Meteor Development Group. It
aims to stop websites from leaking data or allowing hackers to steal
data.
Mylar runs code inside a user's browser, which handles most of the
processing and displaying of information (in other words, it takes over
what a traditional service's servers would do). A server can still
perform actions the user needs, but doesn't have a way to decrypt the
data, as the user is the only one with a password in their browser. This
password encrypts data there before it ever makes its way to the server.
Popa said a service using Mylar could search across encrypted data stored
on its servers, enabling a user to search documents they had uploaded to
a file storage service. Mylar can also let users share data with other
users, because a system distributes the necessary encryption key in a way
that protects it from being seen by the server or anyone monitoring
activities.
There's even an optional browser extension that can protect against the
server stealing the key needed to decrypt a persons data.
Popa used the Web service building tool called Meteor to create her
system, which will make it more simple for developer's to use.
A big upside to this system is its ease of use. Popa said a group of
patients at Newton-Wellesley hospital in Boston are currently testing
Mylar for their medical information, and all the change needed in the
hospital's current system was changing 28 lines of code out of 3,659
total.
You dont notice any difference, but your data gets encrypted using your
password inside your browser before it goes to the server, said Popa.
If the government asks the company for your data, the server doesnt
have the ability to give unencrypted data.
Facebook Looks to Drones, Lasers and Satellites for Internet Access
Two thirds of the world population does not have Internet access.
Facebook already has more than a billion users on its service, but
before it can sign up the rest of world it needs to get them online.
The social media company announced a new step in its ambitious plan to
bring affordable, basic Internet access to "every person in the world."
Facebook's new Connectivity Lab will research and test experimental
technology including drones, satellites and lasers to spread the reach
of the Internet to isolated locations that currently do not have
Internet.
"We've been working on ways to beam Internet to people from the sky,"
said CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post announcing the new effort.
Last year, Facebook announced Internet.org, a coalition of major tech
companies working together to lower barriers to Internet access using
more traditional methods, such as making it cheaper to get Internet on
cell phones. Those efforts have been responsible for getting 3 million
more people online, according to Zuckerberg.
This new initiative focuses on experimenting with new technology. The
group is working with drones that can stay in the air for months at a
time, bringing Internet connections to suburban areas. In more rural
spots, satellites will be tested as a way to beam connections to the
people on the ground. The group will attempt to make speedier long
distance connections using invisible infrared laser beams.
The developers who keep redesigning your Facebook news feed will not be
dabbling in satellites and drones. Facebook has brought on aerospace
experts from NASA and the team who built the Zephyr solar-powered drone.
Internet access is a cause major technology companies can easily get
behind. It's a smart business investment that doubles as a charitable
cause.
Google announced plans to tackle the issue last summer with its own
ambitious Project Loon. Instead of drones, the company is testing giant
balloons that travel in the earth's stratosphere for 100 days at a time.
Using specialized antennas, the balloons will deliver Internet at 3G
speeds.
Both companies frame their plans to bring the Internet to the entire
world as altruistic, not as a land grab. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates
dismissed some of these efforts in an interview with Bloomberg in 2013,
saying "when a kid gets diarrhea, no, there's no website that relieves
that."
In many of the world's most remote areas, poverty is a more pressing
concern than Internet connectivity. People cannot afford electricity or
clean water, let alone phones. However, humanitarian organizations have
been pushing for more access in these remote areas to improve the
efficiency of aid work. For example, it would make it easier to set up
remote health care stations in situations where the nearest doctors or
hospitals are hours or days away.
In countries where the Internet is already more widespread, unfettered
access allows for freedom of speech and expression. So much so that the
United Nations declared access to the Internet a basic human right in
2011. Governments can still censor or filter access to control what
information is disseminated, as the Turkish government is doing with its
recent attempts to block Twitter and YouTube.
For now, the Connectivity Lab is focusing on the technical challenges of
delivering the Internet to geographically tricky spots. Eventually, low
cost Internet and cell phone use could spread to the populations in these
areas and when it does, maybe they'll sign up for Facebook.
Next MacBook Air May Sport 12-Inch Screen and New Trackpad Tech
Apple may launch a brand new MacBook Air version this year, a Weiphone
poster has revealed, sporting some exciting features, including a 12-inch
screen that would position it between the existing 11.6-inch and the
13.3-inch models. Furthermore, the new MacBook model would have a
high-resolution Retina display, would lack a fan, and might feature a
new trackpad design that eliminates the mechanical button.
A recently awarded Apple patent revealed that the company has been
working on a trackpad design that uses force sensors and actuator
feedback and thus doesnt require a physical button, a design that could
help Apple further slim down MacBook laptops.
Its not clear when such a product would launch or how much it would
cost, but this isnt the first time a 12-inch MacBook Air has been
mentioned. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last October that
Apple would be releasing a slimmer 12-inch MacBook model with Retina
display this year. We expect the unprecedented 12-inch model will boast
both the portability of the 11-inch model and productivity of the
13-inch model, the analyst said. The high-resolution display will also
offer the outstanding visual experience of the Retina MacBook Pro. The
offering will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook
Air to further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing
era.
The analyst has been accurate with previous Apple-related predictions,
and MacRumors says the Weiphone poster has provided reliable
MacBook-related information in the past.
In addition to revealing details about a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air
model, the same source revealed that the iWatch does exist, but its only
in prototype stage, so an announcement isnt expected anytime soon.
Furthermore, new MacBook Pro models are not expected sooner than
September.
Microsoft Unveils Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for iPad
Microsoft Office is coming finally! to the iPad.
At a press conference on Thursday morning, Microsoft announced that Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint would become available as iPad apps for the first
time.
The apps will be available for free if you want to open and view
documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You will need a subscription
to Microsofts Office 365 service if you want to create or edit.
Like Googles Drive service, Microsoft can store and sync documents in
the cloud, so that you can access the most up-to-date versions of the
files on multiple devices. This means that if, say, you add a funny cat
video to a PowerPoint presentation on your laptop, that cat video will
show up in the presentation thats on your tablet after you connect the
iPad to the Internet.
The arrival of Microsoft Office for iPad had been the subject of much
debate in the years leading up to this day. Under former CEO Steve
Ballmer, Microsoft had refused to bring Office to Apples tablet,
instead creating a mobile-friendly operating system (Windows 8) and its
own line of tablets (the Surface) for business use. This release could
be seen as an admission that those efforts came up short: The iPad
remains dominant, and competing productivity services like Google Drive
and Apples iWork have become more popular, as business workers
increasingly rely on tablets and smartphones over laptops and PCs.
Still on Windows XP? Heres Some Bad Advice
Windows XP is dying. On April 8, Microsoft will stop supporting the
ancient operating system that was released in 2001 and at one point
was used by 400 million people.
You might think that an operating system that was actually engineered in
the late 90s would be fully obsolete and unused by now. After all, since
XP came out, Microsoft has released several major replacement versions:
Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 (recently upgraded to
Windows 8.1).
But theres something about Windows XP. Its basic, stable, fast enough,
and good enough for a lot of people. Its still running on more than
10 percent of the worlds computers, and its huge in China.
Still, its time. Its hard to keep an operating system this old up to
snuff in todays online environment. XP works, but its not built to the
same security level as modern operating systems. Microsoft doesnt want
to keep writing new security upgrades for it, so on April 8, its
stopping. No more security updates. No more support. Your XP computer
will still work, but Microsoft wont help you anymore. Microsoft is
pretty harsh about it: XP cannot be considered safe to use after
support ends.
Microsoft urges you to upgrade. Theres even a site that tells you when
your XP world will end: AmIRunningXP.com. Microsoft also has more info on
what "end of support" means. To be fair, moving off XP would be a smart
thing to do. Newer operating systems are easier to use (at least most of
them), they run the cool new apps, and theyre definitely safer. But how
do you move from an old computer thats running XP into the modern era?
Ive heard a lot of advice on how to make the transition. Not all of it
good. Here are your options. Bad ideas first:
Bad idea #1: Just dont worry about it
Its not like Windows XP computers will magically stop working on
April 9. So dont worry about it; just keep on using it.
Why is this a bad idea? The problem with an old operating system is that
its not up to speed with modern attacks. Operating systems need to be
patched (updated) frequently to keep them safe from data thieves,
scammers, viruses, and the like. After April 8, there will be no more
updates coming.
But if you plan to keep going with XP for a while, at least make sure
youre on the last, ultimate version of it, called Service Pack 3. After
April 8, you wont be able to upgrade. Windows own update utility should
manage this for you. Make sure its done so.
Microsoft says it will continue to provide updates to its anti-malware
signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015, so
you can continue to use the companys antivirus app, Microsoft Security
Essentials. That is, assuming you already have MSE. After April 8, it
wont be available for download at all. You could also get a possibly
better antivirus tool from another vendor. PC Pro recommends Avast 2014.
Its free, and they say its better than Microsofts own Security
Essentials.
But dont get comfortable. According to Microsoft, even up-to-date
security software cant save you if the operating system itself isnt
secure. And Windows XP just isnt. Microsoft says, Our research shows
that the effectiveness of anti-malware solutions on out-of-support
operating systems is limited. Running a well-protected solution starts
with using modern software and hardware designed to help protect against
todays threat landscape.
So you can keep using XP, but not without risk. You probably dont want
it connected to the Internet, and even plugging a USB drive into it
could be unsafe.
Bad idea #2: Upgrade to Windows 8, like Microsoft wants you to
Why not get the latest version of Windows? Its so shiny!
Windows 8.1s default interface. Get ready to re-learn Windows.
There are two big reasons why this is a bad idea. The first: It probably
wont work. Your old Win XP machine likely does not have the horsepower,
the hard disk space, or the hardware to run Windows 8.
Second: Youll hate it. Windows 8 (including 8.1) has two separate
interfaces. Theres a Windows desktop-like one in there, which youll
probably find comfortable, but you have to go through the
touchscreen-centric primary interface to get to it. Thats fine if you
have a tablet. But your XP machine is no tablet.
You can mostly avoid that tile-based, touchscreen interface, but not
completely. It pops up from time to time, usually when youre in a hurry
and stressed out, and its frustrating when it happens.
You can also bite the bullet and get a new Windows 8 computer. Theyre
not expensive at all. Theyre just alien.
If you do start over on a Windows 8 machine, Microsoft has tools to make
moving your data from XP to Windows 8 fairly straightforward.
Bad idea #3: Move to Linux
The geek operating system (sorry, geeks) called Linux is stable, fast,
cheap, and free, and will run on your old XP machine better than
Windows 8 will. The nerds will tell you itll do everything that XP will
do. Theyre right.
The Ubuntu version of Linux. Itll do everything you want, but you might
have to learn a few new concepts.
But heres why its a bad idea: It really is a platform for nerds. Few
people you know unless you know a lot of programmers will be able to
help you out. And your Windows software wont work. If you have apps you
like, youll have to find Linux equivalents for them. Youre better off
moving to a consumer-friendly operating system.
Bad idea #4: Get a Chromebook
We love the oddball new Chromebooks, Googles web-centric laptops.
Theyre cheap, they work great with online apps, and theyre easy to
share.
Why is this a bad idea, then? Because Chromebooks rely on a connection to
the Internet. Some functions and apps work when disconnected, but most
dont. And Chromebooks dont run regular Windows programs (Photoshop,
Quicken, iTunes, and so on). Chromebooks are great for specific purposes
and people (they are great for kids at home or school, for example), but
theyre not quite ready to replace Macs or Windows PCs for everybody.
Dont like these bad ideas? Then try one of these other directions:
Better idea #1: Upgrade to Windows 7
The version of Windows that predates Windows 8 is really good. Its
stable and conceptually similar enough to Windows XP that a transition
will not be difficult.
Its not a perfect solution, though. Your machine may not have the juice
to run Windows 7, either, as it actually takes a slightly more powerful
computer to run Windows 7 well than Windows 8. But you can, for the time
being still buy Windows 7 (even though its not clear if Microsoft is
still manufacturing Win 7 disks), and some hardware vendors still sell
computers with Windows 7 installed on them.
Microsoft really wants you on Windows 8, obviously. A Microsoft
spokesperson took pains to remind me that Windows 8 is more secure,
faster, and uses less energy than Windows 7.
But the easiest new version of Windows to learn after Windows XP is
Windows 7, so if youre just using Windows to run a particular app, its
a very good option.
Better idea #2: Get a Mac
Bizarrely, its easier to move from Windows XP to the Macintosh operating
system, OS X, than to Windows 8.1. There are maddening small differences,
but conceptually OS X is similar enough to Windows XP (and every other
version of Windows other than Windows 8). It doesnt take people very
long to adapt. Most (though not all) good apps are available in Mac
versions, too, and your data files should transfer over just fine.
Its an expensive move, though. The cheapest new Mac costs $1,000 (the
smallest MacBook Air). Desktops start at $1,300. Windows machines today
start in the $300 range, or nicely equipped at about $600. If you can
afford it, though, and youre not married to specific Windows XP
software, Macs are a treat to use.
Why are people still using Windows XP? I asked my Facebook followers and
got good answers from people who are. Some people keep old machines for
specific purposes, like running XP-only software and the like. Some just
take the enlightened opinion that if they have a computer that works for
what they want, theres no reason to spend money and time on an upgrade.
Just because a manufacturer deems one of its products obsolete, it
doesnt mean everyone who uses such a product has to stop using it
immediately. However, over time, an old product in the modern world will
develop problems: It will be less safe, or there wont be people to fix
it, or some other product it relies on will fail, and replacements wont
be available any longer. Yes, Im talking about Windows XP, but the same
is true if youre still driving a 1976 AMC Pacer.
When you get into this part of the cycle, you might be forced to move on.
But you have a lot of options when you decide to do so and they might
not be the options that the manufacturer recommends.
IDG Founder Patrick J. McGovern Dies at 76
International Data Group (IDG), publisher of Macworld, TechHive, Greenbot
and PCWorld, announced Thursday with great sadness that its Founder and
Chairman, Patrick J. McGovern, died March 19, 2014, at Stanford Hospital
in Palo Alto, California.
IDG has lost a true visionary, and the IT community has lost one of its
most exceptional citizens, said newly elected IDG board chairman, Walter
Boyd. Pats foremost desire was for IDG to make the world a better place
through the medium of information technology. He created a unique
workplace where we have the outstanding leadership team in place to
ensure that the company he created will continue to grow and prosper.
Patrick Joseph McGovern, known as Pat, was born Aug. 11, 1937, in
Queens, New York, and spent the majority of his childhood in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His career in publishing began while he was
a student at MIT, when he applied for a part-time editorial job at
Computers and Automationthe first U.S. computer magazine. After his
graduation from MIT in 1959 with a degree in biophysics, he was promptly
named Associate Editor and became Associate Publisher.
pmcgovernsmile04
In 1964, with the computer industry still in its infancy, McGovern
founded International Data Corporation (IDC), now an IDG subsidiary, to
provide the industry with timely and reliable statistics on information
technology markets. Three years later, McGovern launched Computerworld,
a weekly print publication dedicated to keeping computer buyers apprised
of industry and product news. Computerworld became IDGs flagship
publication, and in 1972, McGovern began exporting the Computerworld
concept, launching Shukan Computer in Japan.
Over a span of 50 years, McGovern oversaw IDGs launch of more than 300
magazines and newspapers and championed the expansion of IDGs network to
include more than 460 websites, 200 mobile apps and 700 events worldwide.
Today, IDG brands are found in 97 countries and include PCWorld,
Macworld, TechHive, Greenbot, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, IDC, IDG
Connect, IDG TechNetwork, IDG World Expo, InfoWorld, and Network World.
In 1980, McGovern established one of the first joint ventures between a
U.S. company and one in the Peoples Republic of China, and in 1992,
McGovern established IDG Technology Ventures, one of the first venture
capital firms in China. In recognition of his great contribution to
Chinas information industry and venture capital field, McGovern was
awarded the International Investment Achievement Award at the CCTV 2007
China Economic Leadership Award ceremony in Beijing. This was the first
time the award was given to a foreign investor. The award ceremony was
broadcast live nationwide on China Central Television (CCTV). McGovern
made 130 trips to China in his lifetime.
On Feb. 28, 2000, MIT created the McGovern Institute for Brain Research,
made possible by a total $350 million gift from McGovern and his wife,
Lore Harp McGovern, one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the
history of higher education. The McGoverns envisioned an institute whose
ultimate goal would be to understand the human brain in health and
disease. Nobel laureate and professor of biology at MIT, Phillip A.
Sharp, was named founding director, and Robert Desimone succeeded Sharp
as director in 2004. In the fall of 2005, the McGovern Institute moved
into spacious facilities in MITs Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2011, plans were announced to
strengthen the institutes collaborations with colleagues in China
through the establishment of three new IDG-McGovern Institutes at
Tsinghua University, Peking University and Beijing Normal University.
Pat and Lore inspired all of us with their passion to understand the
brain and help people suffering from brain disorders, said Desimone.
Their gift enabled many new students and faculty to start research
careers, and they personally cheered everyone on with each important
discovery. With three new IDG-McGovern Institutes in China, Pat realized
his dream of an international effort to develop cures for diseases that
affect so many people, and he will be greatly missed.
In 2008, McGovern received the Robert L. Krakoff Lifetime Achievement
Award from American Business Media. In 2005, McGovern received the
Magazine Publishers of Americas Lifetime Achievement Award. His other
industry awards include the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from the
American Society of Business Publications Editors and the Top Innovator
in Business Publishing Award from BtoB Media Business magazine.
Additional honors included The James Smithsonian Bicentennial Medal from
the Smithsonian Institution, The Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst &
Young and the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the MIT Enterprise
Forum of Cambridge, Inc. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, a Member of the Corporation at MIT, Board Chair of the
McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and Director of the
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
IDG will remain a privately held company overseen by its current Board
of Directors. Walter Boyd, former IDG President, has been elected
Chairman of the IDG Board of Directors. Ted Bloom, IDGs current CFO,
has been named President and will continue as CFO of IDG. Kirk Campbell,
President and CEO of IDC, and Michael Friedenberg, CEO of IDG
Communications Worldwide, will continue to lead their respective
organizations.
Pat always believed that each of IDGs business units should run like
independently managed companies, and that structure and process will
continue, said Bloom. The best way we can all honor Pat is for us to
continue being successful with the structure he set up 50 years ago.
McGovern is survived by his wife Lore, his son Patrick McGovern and wife
Raquel, his daughter Elizabeth McGovern and husband Scott Early, his
stepdaughter Michelle Bethel and husband Erik, and his stepdaughter Dina
Jackson and husband Edward, as well as nine grandchildren.
Information about a memorial service will be forthcoming.
Remembrances and condolences can be shared online at www.idg.com or via
email at rememberingpatmcgovern@idg.com.
=~=~=~=
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