Linux pioneers find the differences are subtle
Article Abstract:
There are some differences as well as similarities between the Linux OS and Corel's Wordperfect word-processing software when both offerings operate on an IBM 486 Thinkpad. Corel, a Microsoft rival in the office automation sector, seeks to link Wordperfect with non-Microsoft options such as Linux. Wordperfect writers will notice nothing unusual when using Linux or a Microsoft OS in terms of typing or paragraph arrangement. A surprising parallel occurs when Wordperfect users deploy Kde, a non-Microsoft program. Kde offers some uncanny resemblances to Microsoft Windows, especially with its task bar and a button that calls to mind the Windows Start button. One key difference lies in the availability of fonts. Not all fonts may be offered through Linux, which unlike Macintosh and Windows machines, does not place the fonts in a central repository that is compatible with all programs.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1998
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Adding software can add trouble
Article Abstract:
Bit rot happens when some of an operating system's older software programs malfunction after others are upgraded. Because upgrading to Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 changes many aspects of Windows 95, some users have found that older software will not work after the upgrade. Such users restored the older software's functionality by reinstalling an old version of Windows 95. Because Internet Explorer 4.0 replaced many of Windows 95's dynamic linked libraries (DLLs) with new ones, it was easy for bit rot to occur. Although programmers try to make old features compatible with new one, some lapses are bound to occur. Software makers should focus less on adding new features and more on perfecting software, or on removing incompatibilities.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1998
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Finding hidden senders in all that e-mail gobbledygook
Article Abstract:
E-mail messages can be faked in various ways, and though sophisticated approaches are difficult to foil, simple schemes can sometimes be tracked down and exposed. An example uses a message from monica@whitehouse.gov, which was not actually sent by anyone named Monica or anyone at the White House. In this illustration, Eudora was being used to receive e-mail. Eudora relies on the Standard Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), recording information about the pathway taken by a message. This does not tell very much about a message, but it can sometimes reveal enough to expose a spoof or a prank. In the future, better solutions, such as good cryptography, will render e-mail more trustworthy. Meanwhile, users should be aware of e-mail's weaknesses.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1998
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