January 7th, 2009

You are currently browsing the articles from MS Windows Vista Compatible Software written on January 7th, 2009.

Information on Downloading and Installing Windows 7 Beta

As of today, I am running the Windows 7 Beta on several different PCs including my laptop, my work PC, and my PC at home, which I upgraded recently to Windows 7 from Windows Vista SP1. (I’ll be outlining the PCs I’m using to test Windows 7 shortly.) I’m all connected with HomeGroup, I’ve got several different Libraries set up, and I’m loving the new Windows Taskbar. I’ve got Windows Media Center recording my favorite TV shows and my Zune 80 syncing up with the Zune software. And things are even better with Windows Live Essentials installed. I find the Windows 7 Beta to be an amazing beta release and I am extremely excited for you to get your hands on it later this week! I’d like to take a moment to share some specifics regarding the Windows 7 Beta that I think are very important for people looking to give Windows 7 a spin.

On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta will be available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is going to be available download-only (we’re not sending out physical media) and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta.

The Windows 7 Beta will be available in English, German, Japanese, Arabic, and Hindi, and each language will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions (except Hindi which will only be available in 32-bit). Because the Windows 7 Beta will be offered download-only, it will be provided to you as an ISO image (an .iso file) that you download. After downloading either the 32-bit or 64-bit ISO image of the Windows 7 Beta, you will be required to burn the ISO image to a DVD to install Windows 7. So you want to be sure you have a DVD burner before spending the time downloading the ISO image.

To burn the ISO image of the Windows 7 Beta to DVD, if your PC comes with Nero or Roxio products – you should be able to burn the ISO image to DVD. If you don’t already have DVD burning software on your PC, you can also check out ImgBurn which is free and can be downloaded here.

The Windows 7 Beta only supports Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 upgrades. So if you intend to do an upgrade – be sure it is on a PC running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. We are not yet announcing anything regarding finalized upgrade paths for Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Beta will be only available in one edition, which is roughly equivalent the Ultimate edition of Windows Vista.

Also, another important thing to keep in mind is that the Windows 7 Beta will expire on August 1st, 2009.

I also need to emphasize that this is a beta of an unreleased operating system. Be sure to backup all your important data. As much as the Windows 7 Beta completely rocks, part of the beta process is discovering bugs and reporting those bugs. Some of those bugs could possibly lead to data loss. I tend to be a risk-taker myself and have gone all-out with the Windows 7 Beta by putting it on almost all my PCs both at work and at home, but not everyone should do this. I recommend using Windows Vista’s Backup and Restore features to ensure your information is backed up before trying out the Windows 7 Beta. Click here for several methods of backing up your data in Windows Vista.

The Windows 7 Beta is targeted toward the enthusiast crowd – people excited and knowledgeable with technology. If you don’t quite understand much of what I’ve written above, it is probably best you don’t try to install the Windows 7 Beta.

If you are an IT Professional, you can visit the Springboard Series for Windows 7 on TechNet (see the Windows 7 tab) on January 9th to sign up for the Windows 7 Beta but also can also get access to dynamic resources including video walkthroughs and the new Windows 7 forums.

Written by Brandon LeBlanc on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on windows 7 BETA and HomeGroup and Libraries and Consumer Electronics Show and CES 2009 and Nero and ImgBurn and ISO and Springboard Series and otherSoftware and Download and Windows Media Center and Announcement and Roxio and windows taskbar and windows 7 and technet and Windows.

The Windows 7 Beta Kicks Off This Week

I would like to take a moment and share some exciting Windows news being announced tonight by Steve Ballmer during his keynote address in Las Vegas – kicking off the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.

In October, we revealed the next version of our Windows operating system – Windows 7 - to software developers at PDC2008. And at WinHEC 2008 in early November, we showed Windows 7 to hardware developers. This week at CES marks the first unveiling of Windows 7 to the broad public. Windows 7 is designed with improved navigation and a streamlined UI (including the new enhanced Windows Taskbar) that puts commonly used resources within easy reach. People using Windows 7 will find everyday tasks on their PC are easier and faster. That includes sharing data to all your PCs and devices whether you’re at home or in the office. Windows 7 also builds on the substantial investments we’ve made in the fundamentals in Windows Vista to improve security, reliability and performance.

Tonight we are specifically announcing that Windows 7 has reached a very important milestone in its development cycle: the beta milestone. And starting this week, the Windows 7 Beta will be made available to Windows enthusiasts interested in beta testing – giving people a chance to check out Windows 7 for themselves.

As of tonight, MSDN and TechNet Subscribers will have access to the Windows 7 Beta. Starting January 9th – everyone else will be able to go to the Windows 7 page on Windows.com and download the Windows 7 Beta. The Windows 7 Beta will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. The Windows 7 Beta will be download-only – we will not be sending physical media out.

More details about downloading and installing the Windows 7 Beta are coming but for now you should check all the resources here – including screenshots, an interactive guide and the press release: www.microsoft.com/CES.

We are very excited for enthusiasts to get their hands on Windows 7 - we can’t wait for people to starting using Windows 7 and letting us know what they think!

And in completing the Windows experience with Windows Live – we are announcing tonight the final release of Windows Live Essentials – which will be available for download at download.live.com. We are also announcing two key partnerships tonight for Windows Live: Facebook and Dell. In the next few months, Facebook users will be able to share activities and updates from Facebook with their Windows Live network. And Dell will be pre-installing Windows Live Essentials on their consumer and small business PCs. Brian Hall, General Manager for Windows Live, has all the details over on the Windows Live Team Blog.

The Live Search Team is also announcing a partnership with Dell where they will distribute Live Search on a majority of consumer and small business PCs beginning in February. Click here for more from the Live Search Team.

In the meantime, if you want to see Windows 7 in action – check out these videos on Windows.com!

Written by Brandon LeBlanc on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on windows 7 BETA and otherSoftware and Windows.com and Consumer Electronics Show and CES 2009 and Steve Ballmer and windows 7 and Facebook and Dell and Windows Live and Live Search and msdn and technet and Announcement.

Manual Removal of W32.Versie.A Trojan

Manual Removal of W32.Versie.A Trojan.

W32.Versie.A is a trojan. The trojan will infect Windows systems.
This trojan first appeared on January 7, 2009.
Other names of W32/Agent.XRB Trojan:
This trojan is also known as Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.xrb, W32.Versie.A
The worm checks for the presence of %System%\drivers\klick.sys and if found, sets the date to 1981 and pings 127.0.0.1.
The worm opens a back door on the compromised computer that connects to jackie.crwoo.com on TCP port 1986 and awaits further commands that allows a remote attacker to perform some of following actions:
Log keystrokes typed
Download and execute additional files
Shut down the compromised computer
The worm may download the following file:
%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\Beizhu.txt (log files)
It creates custom Internet Favorites by dropping URL links in the following folder:
%UserProfile%\Favourites
The worm disables encryption for Tencent Messenger by deleting the file npkcrypt.sys from the application installation folder.
Note: The default installation folder is usually C:\Program Files\Tencent\QQ\.
The worm sends the following system information to the remote attacker:
CPU speed
Memory available
OS version
Service Packs installed

Damage Level : Medium/High
Distribution Level: Medium

No Removal Tool for W32.Versie.A Trojan
Removal instructions from Symantec
Trojan Manual Removal Instructions
Recommend Removal from Safe Mode:
How to Start in Safe mode:
Restart your Computer, Press F8 Repeatedly, when your Screen turns on, Select Safe mode, press enter.

The Infected Files Can be Seen in these folders and names also Running in Tasks
End the Following Active Process Before Removal

[ Kill the Process, Use Killbox if your Access Denied ]
%System%\_1.exe
%System%\_autorun.exe
%System%\_command.exe
%System%\_ctfne.exe
%System%\_kaspersky.exe
%System%\_rejoice082.exe
%System%\_server.exe
%System%\360rtyy.exe
%System%\system.exe
%System%\wupdmgrv.exe
%Temp%\ixp000.tmp\2.exe
%Windir%\userinit.exe
c:\autorun.exe
c:\ctfne.exe
c:\kaspersky.exe
%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\_[RANDOM NAME1].exe
%System%\[RANDOM NAME1].exe
It copies itself to the root of fixed and removable drives as the following files:
%Drive\[RANDOM NAME1].exe
%Drive\Autorun.inf
- Service name: LocalSystem
- Display name: Windows Rnljm MingZai
- Description: Foundation network connection
- Image Path: %System%\rnljm.exe [ Kill the Process, Use Killbox if your Access Denied ]
- Startup Type: Automatic
  To Stop Service, start run, services.msc press enter, Find Display Name, Open Proterties, Press Stop, then Change Automatically to Disabled, Ok
- iexplore.exe [ Kill the Process, Use Killbox if your Access Denied ]
- svchost.exe [ Kill the Process, Use Killbox if your Access Denied ]
If you have any of these files in running process from task manger, end the process before removal.
Note: if task manager is disabled, Download the following file, Click to Download - Enable Registry.reg
Open it with Regedit.exe [%system32\regedit.exe], then it Confirms Add to registry Yes or No, Confirm Yes, then click Ok.

Trojan Entries Manual Removal From Registry

Click Start, Run,Type regedit,Click OK.

Note: If the registry editor fails to open the threat may have modified the registry to prevent access to the registry editor.

Download this UnHookExec.inf, and then continue with the removal.Save it to your Windows desktop. Do not run it at this time, download it only.
After booting into the Safe Mode or VGA Mode
Right-click the UnHookExec.inf file and click Install. [This is a small file. It does not display any notice or boxes when you run it.]

The Trojan modifies registry at the following locations to ensure its automatic execution at every system startup:

It registers itself to run as a service by creating the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Windows\
[RANDOM NAME1]\[RANDOM NAME2]
The worm sets the following registry key to enable autorun on mapped drives:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\”NoDriveTypeAutoRun” = “0″
It disables Start Page protection for Internet Explorer by setting the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel\”Homepage” = “1″
The worm modifies the following registry subkey to change the Internet Explorer Start Page:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Start Page
It also modifies the following registry entries to change the user’s desktop wallpaper:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\”TileWallpaper” = “0″
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\”Wallpaper” = “[PATH TO DOWNLOADED WALLPAPER]”
It modifies the following registry entry to disable the Windows Remote Assistance facility:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\”fDenyTSConections” = “0″

Search Registry For Virus File Names listed above to remove completely,
Edit Menu - Find, enter Keyword and remove all value that find in search.

Exit the Registry Editor,

Restart your Computer.

Recommended Removal Tools:

Kaspersky Antivirus or Internet Security (Shareware)
Spyware Doctor (Shareware)
AVG Antivirus (Freeware)

Killbox (Freeware)

Written by FireFly on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on W32.Versie.A and rnljm.exe and W32/Agent.XRB and MSISERVER.exe and removal of trojan and manual removal and otherSoftware.

Manual Removal of W32/Agent.XRB Trojan

Manual Removal of W32/Agent.XRB Trojan.

W32/Agent.XRB is a trojan. The trojan will infect Windows systems.
This trojan first appeared on January 7, 2009.
Other names of W32/Agent.XRB Trojan:
This trojan is also known as Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.xrb, W32.Versie.A

Damage Level : Medium/High
Distribution Level: Medium

No Removal Tool for W32/Agent.XRB Trojan
Trojan Manual Removal Instructions
Recommend Removal from Safe Mode:
How to Start in Safe mode:
Restart your Computer, Press F8 Repeatedly, when your Screen turns on, Select Safe mode, press enter.

The Infected Files Can be Seen in these folders and names also Running in Tasks
End the Following Active Process Before Removal

%Windows\System\MSISERVER.exe [ 646,144 Bytes ] [ Kill the Process, Use Killbox if your Access Denied ]
%Drive\AutoRun.inf
%Temp%\WER4207.dir00\manifest.txt
%Temp%\WER4207.dir00\sysdata.xml
%Temp%\WER4207.dir00 [ Delete this Folder ]
- If you have any of these files in running process from task manger, end the process before removal.
- Note: if task manager is disabled, Download the following file, Click to Download - Enable Registry.reg
- Open it with Regedit.exe [%system32\regedit.exe], then it Confirms Add to registry Yes or No, Confirm Yes, then click Ok.

Trojan Entries Manual Removal From Registry

Click Start, Run,Type regedit,Click OK.

Note: If the registry editor fails to open the threat may have modified the registry to prevent access to the registry editor.

Download this UnHookExec.inf, and then continue with the removal.Save it to your Windows desktop. Do not run it at this time, download it only.
After booting into the Safe Mode or VGA Mode
Right-click the UnHookExec.inf file and click Install. [This is a small file. It does not display any notice or boxes when you run it.]

The Trojan modifies registry at the following locations to ensure its automatic execution at every system startup:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1\0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Windows Installer3.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Windows Installer3.1\Security
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1\0000
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Windows Installer3.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Windows Installer3.1\Security

The newly created Registry Values

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1\0000
Service = “Windows Installer3.1″
Legacy = 0×00000001
ConfigFlags = 0×00000000
Class = “LegacyDriver”
ClassGUID = “{8ECC055D-047F-11D1-A537-0000F8753ED1}”
DeviceDesc = “Windows Installer3.1″
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1
NextInstance = 0×00000001
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Windows Installer3.1\Security
Security = 01 00 14 80 90 00 00 00 9C 00 00 00 14 00 00 00 30 00 00 00 02 00 1C 00 01 00 00 00 02 80 14 00 FF 01 0F 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 02 00 60 00 04 00 00 00 00 00 14 00 FD 01 02 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 05 12 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 FF 01 0F 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Windows Installer3.1
Type = 0×00000110
Start = 0×00000002
ErrorControl = 0×00000000
ImagePath = [pathname with a string SHARE]\MSISERVER.exe”
DisplayName = “Windows Installer3.1″
ObjectName = “LocalSystem”
Description = “ï¿½ï¿½Ó¡ï¿½ï¿½Þ¸Äºï¿½É¾ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Windows ï¿½ï¿½×°ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1\0000
Service = “Windows Installer3.1″
Legacy = 0×00000001
ConfigFlags = 0×00000000
Class = “LegacyDriver”
ClassGUID = “{8ECC055D-047F-11D1-A537-0000F8753ED1}”
DeviceDesc = “Windows Installer3.1″
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\Root\LEGACY_WINDOWS_INSTALLER3.1
NextInstance = 0×00000001
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Windows Installer3.1\Security
Security = 01 00 14 80 90 00 00 00 9C 00 00 00 14 00 00 00 30 00 00 00 02 00 1C 00 01 00 00 00 02 80 14 00 FF 01 0F 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 02 00 60 00 04 00 00 00 00 00 14 00 FD 01 02 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 05 12 00 00 00 00 00 18 00 FF 01 0F 0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Services\Windows Installer3.1
Type = 0×00000110
Start = 0×00000002
ErrorControl = 0×00000000
ImagePath = [pathname with a string SHARE]\MSISERVER.exe”
DisplayName = “Windows Installer3.1″
ObjectName = “LocalSystem”
Description = “ï¿½ï¿½Ó¡ï¿½ï¿½Þ¸Äºï¿½É¾ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Windows ï¿½ï¿½×°ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½”

Search Registry For Virus File Names listed above to remove completely,
Edit Menu - Find, enter Keyword and remove all value that find in search.

Exit the Registry Editor,

Restart your Computer.

Recommended Removal Tools:

Kaspersky Antivirus or Internet Security (Shareware)
Spyware Doctor (Shareware)
AVG Antivirus (Freeware)

Killbox (Freeware)

Written by FireFly on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on W32/Agent.XRB and W32.Versie.A and rnljm.exe and MSISERVER.exe and manual removal and otherSoftware and removal of trojan and Windows.

Interview with Ubuntu Developer Jordan Mantha

How long have you been working with Ubuntu/Edubuntu?

I’ve been working on Ubuntu since just before Breezy Badger was released (around September of 2005). I got involved with Edubuntu later on around May of 2006.

How much time do you spend working on Ubuntu?

That varies quite a bit depending on what’s going on in "real life". I’ve put in some 50+ hours/week on Ubuntu but lately as I’ve been finishing my dissertation (PhD in Physical Chemistry) it’s dramatically less

How would you describe the path from getting started in the community to becoming a core developer?

Hmmm. Exciting, challenging, and fun. I honestly never expected to become an Ubuntu Core Developer when I started contributing to Ubuntu. Ubuntu was the first OS I ever felt like I needed to contribute back to and the rest, as they say, is history.

Are there any special plans for Edubuntu in Jaunty?

There are a lot of foundational things going on in Edubuntu right now. We’re restructuring and reorganizing a bit and reassessing our goal, priorities, and areas of focus. A few things we are looking at are getting Sugar involved, making it really easy to install educational applications in Ubuntu, and building a stronger contributor community.

Could you tell us a little bit about what Edubuntu is and what it includes that is not a part of Ubuntu proper?

Edubuntu has a fairly long history in Ubuntu going back to 2005. Edubuntu started as an Ubuntu derivative distribution (like Kubuntu) focused on educational environments, especifically LTSP classroom servers. As the Ubuntu base got a bit larger and we wanted to put more and more educational applications on a single CD, we ran out of room. We decided to split Edubuntu into a installation CD with the base desktop with LTSP and an addon CD that had the educational applications. Finally, during Hardy (8.04) development the decision was made to move LTSP to the Ubuntu Alternate CD as an installation
option and focus on the addon CD. This made Edubuntu the first official Ubuntu project built as an addon (dependent on an existing Ubuntu installation) which gives us challenges but also a lot of room for further development.

Edubuntu is now primarily a project focused on educational applications and the use of Ubuntu in educational environments, rather than creating a separate distribution. We will still be producing an .iso, called the Ubuntu Education CD, with a good selection of educational applications from the Main repository. However, we will also be expanding our reach hopefully into educational applications in the Universe repository and looking more at making the educational user’s Ubuntu experience better.

Besides Edubuntu, what areas of Ubuntu are you involved in?

I’ve been involved in a great many Ubuntu teams including the MOTU (Universe repository maintainers), Fridge Editors, Documentation, and QA. I’m a "Jack of all trades, master of none". One of the outstanding things about Ubuntu is that it’s so easy to get involved. These days I mostly work on pet projects in the areas of science and education. I’ve had to learn the hard way that you can’t do everything you want to do in Ubuntu.

What ways would you recommend for someone who, like myself is not a programmer, but wants to get involved in the community and contribute to Ubuntu?

I think there are a couple key things to remember:

A lot of even technical work in Ubuntu doesn’t require programming skills. Helping with bugs and packaging can be learned without much of any programming knowledge. Of course it doesn’t hurt either.
There are a lot of things to do that aren’t technical in nature. Writing documentation, providing support and answering questions, advocacy, translation, artwork. There’s even quite a bit of testing you can do without needing a lot of advanced knowledge.
Ubuntu people love to teach and they love having new contributors. We’re much less concerned with your current skill set than your willingness to learn.

Do you contribute to FLOSS (Free/Libre & Open Source Software) in any other ways?

In some of my non-Ubuntu time I help with a couple chemistry applications, Avogdaro and Gnome Chemistry Utils. I’m still learning C/C++ so I can contribute more. I also help maintain chemistry applications in Debian.

What kinds of computers do you have personally that you use daily?

My primary machine is a HP dv6500 laptop. It’s got Intel graphics and wifi so I don’t need any proprietary drivers and I love it a lot. I’m running both Intrepid and Jaunty on it. I also have 2 Frankenstein desktop machines (AMD Athlon 1800+ CPUs) that I don’t turn on much. At school/work I have a 17" iMac that I enjoy as well. It’s the only non-Ubuntu machine I use. My wife also had a laptop that runs Ubuntu Hardy.

What desktop environment/Window manager do you use?

As I’m writing this I’m running KDE 4.2 beta 2. I’ve primarily run Gnome for the last few years but I also love Openbox and Xmonad for minimal window managers.

What applications are key to your everyday computer use?

Firefox and a terminal (Terminator & Konsole are my favorites) are my main apps. I’m also fond of Tasque (for my todo list), Gwibber (for the microblogging addiction), and APT/dpkg.

Could you share a screenshot of your setup?

Do you think there ever will be a "year of Linux on the Desktop"? In other words Ubuntu is getting closer and closer to being considered a "Mainstream Operating System", especially due to the work done by Dell. Do you think Ubuntu will ever be truly "Mainstream"?

I’ve always said that Linux will never have a chance of becoming mainstream until the big computer sellers (Dell, HP, etc.) start selling machines with Linux pre-installed. Now that we’re starting to see that happen, which is really incredible to see, I think there’s at least the possibility. I really don’t think there’s going to be a solid defining moment where everyone suddenly realizes that Linux is "mainstream". I think it’s more likely, and were starting to see glimpses of it, that we’ll gradually get to the point where most people just stop assuming there is only a single option. I’m seeing this most often right now in the netbook and mobile device markets. If that trickles over into the desktop we might make up some ground fast.

There are some areas that I think Ubuntu, and Linux in general, need to do better to really make it big though.

One, unsurprisingly, is getting Ubuntu into classrooms and into the hands of kids. People generally continue to use the OS they first use and get used to.

Another need is for better/easier upgrades. Nobody wants to reinstall their OS, let alone every 6 months. However it is important to FLOSS that users get the latest software.

Lastly, I think we need to continue to push for professional and stable Free software. Most users don’t want to use a half-baked university class project. They want programs that are very usable, functional, and stable. FLOSS shows incredible creativity and potential but it needs to also work

Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers? Witty comments? Sound advice? Funny stories?

Give Ubuntu a try, you might like it. Give the community a try, you might gain friends. Give contributing a try, you might find yourself making a difference.

Written by jaysonrowe on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on otherSoftware and Computing.

Watch Steve Ballmer’s Keynote Live Tonight at CES 2009

Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach will be delivering the “pre-show” 2009 International CES keynote address tonight in Las Vegas. The keynote starts at 6:30pm PST.

For those not at CES this year, you can watch the live webcast of the keynote address: 100k | 300k | 750k.

Over on Microsoft PressPass they have set up Virtual Pressroom for CES. Here, they will be posting video and photos of product demos and key speakers from tonight’s keynote. They will also be posting related feature articles, product news, press materials and live updates from the CES show floor.

And my good friend Sarah Perez will be live blogging tonight’s keynote on Channel 10 as well. Click here for her live blog.

Written by Brandon LeBlanc on January 7th, 2009 with no comments.
Read more articles on Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach and CES 2009 and Webcast and Consumer Electronics Show and otherSoftware and CES and keynote and Announcement.