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First off is the latest in the Microsoft effected virus/worms. You
can tell when you get this one by the word "Password" somewhere in the
subject line.
DO NOT RUN THE ATTACHMENT!!! (As usual...)
Secondly, because of the fun and games with continuous security
holes in Microsoft products, I thought I would list out a few stable replacements
for the Microsoft standards. First however I need to clarify a term with you:
"Open Source". This means that anyone can look
at, modify, create new products from, etc. the program "source" (or program
instructions) of the product. This is important because it means that you can see
what the program is doing if you so desire. No hidden activity unlike other software
manufacturers... This does NOT necessarily mean free — just OPEN.
- In the field of office and word processing products, there are two that are
worth a mention, and both will open comparable Microsoft product created files (Word,
Excel, etc. docs.)
- Star Office. Sun Microsystems, Inc. purchased a product, Star Office,
from a company in Germany, and offered to the public the chance to beta test the
new version for almost a year with very good reviews. It includes a word processor,
spreadsheet, graphics and presentation programs, all of which have controls very
similar to the comparable Microsoft products. Sun is now selling the product for
$75.95 (as opposed to Microsoft Office 2002's price of around $689.95 — for
the UPGRADE version ...). http://wwws.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/6.0/index.html
AND you can also get the free (somewhat limited) version here:
http://www.openoffice.org/
- Abiword. If you only need a word processor, you might look at Abiword.
This little package is very small and extremely fast, and also has a very Word-like
appearance. It is Open Source and free, but please note that this package will want
to take over control of .doc (Microsoft Word) document files completely. So if you
don't have, or need to use Microsoft Word you should be very happy with this program.
http://www.abiword.com/
- Internet Browsers
In the field of Internet browsers (the software you use to browse the Internet)
there are two honorable mentions as well. Both of these products allow for controlling
popup windows, very good cookie control, etc. And neither one of these products'
email packages will pass on or run most of the viruses that Microsoft's Outlook
and Outlook Express get hit with so often these days...
- Opera is now in version 6 and is billed as the "Simply
the Best Internet Experience". I have seen ONE security bug with this product
(as opposed to the steady stream of security bugs in Internet Explorer.) The only
downside that I can see is that the Opera costs $39. However, I would say it is
well worth paying that small amount for the peace of mind it will bring. You can
also use it free if you want to put up with the ads in the top of the screen. I
wouldn't...
http://www.opera.com/
- Mozilla is another browser and was built on the well-proven v4.x Netscape
engine. This is another Open Source program that has proven to be very stable and
quick. It has everything you would need in a browser such as email, external program
plug-ins, MUCH better security choices than Microsoft's Internet Explorer, etc.,
and is also free (without ads.)
http://www.mozilla.com/
I am not promoting any of these products to you as a cure-all or with the idea
that you should do a complete withdrawal from Microsoft products if you currently
use them heavily, however, if you need any of these products, they are all worth
a good look-see!
Feel free to call us if you have questions as to YOUR possible use of these open-source
programs.
Cheers!
The Editor
Aleutian Computer Solutions Computer Networking News
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