The GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) version 2.0 was released on the 23rd of this month. The GIMP is a freely distrubuted OpenSource program that does exactly what its title says. It is most frequently compared to the commercial program, PhotoShop, which is made by Adobe.
The GIMP is available in a number of languages and for a variety of platforms, including Windows, OSX and Linux. If you want to get a copy for yourself, follow the linkson the GIMP for Windows page.
I have heard various technologies compared to color TV for purposes of creating a marketing campaign. The first color television broadcasting began in December of 1953, the Rose parade was televised in color on January 1st, 1954.
The first consumer color television rolled off the line in Bloomington Indiana at the RCA plant March 25th 1954. There were other earlier competitors but mostly because of the cost none were mass marketed; RCA sold 5,000 the first year at a cost of about $1000.
It's his 73rd birthday (March 22, 1931). Live long and prosper, Jim.
And I have been hacking away at computers for longer than I thought too. I ran into a guy I haven't seen much lately and he was telling me about his adventure with computers, because that's what he remembered that I do. Of course the last time I saw him about 10 years ago, I don't think the Internet was very widely known, and so I let him slide on this minor point. I know he didn't have EIGHT kids back then. (And that's what made me feel old.)
But it was another example of the problem I wrote about the last time. The complexity of maintaining personal computers in today's networked environment is becoming such that the average user cannot reasonably held responsible for knowing how to keep their computer safe.
I wonder what this means. Will Microsoft get it together? My old friend asked about Linux, is it ready for the desktop? Why not? And what about our new friend OSX? Is the computer really an entertainment device, or should home consumers just get a thin client like Web TV tried to be a few years ago?
No one can know everything about computers, most like me learn what we need to do our job. (Admittedly, I use mine as much as anyone in my job.) It has taken me years to understand what is worth spending my time to understand about computers, and what I can do by means of just "follow the instructions and get by". Children probably grow up with this sensibility, and the rest of us are racing towards retirement so fast it may not matter soon. This issue may just grow away.
In the mean time, us network guys just keep hoping the computer guys get the same thing that the phone and TV guys already understand. End users need something that can be controlled with no more that 12 to 24 buttons which only needs to be updated when it is replaced. We'll let em have a keyboard for writing email only, but all configuration and command should take place in less than 24 different buttons.
If you don't believe me, look at your TV (or the cable box; but NOT your remote control which most of us really can't fully use anyway) or your phone.
Yesterday I spend a few hours on the phone with a client whose XP Outlook 2002 patch (MS04-009)and he was having problems. This client is pretty good about applying his Windows updates like I showed him to, and so when he had this complaint it seemed like a very reasonable one.
If there is a critical update for a MS product like Outlook, why isn't it on the Windows Update site?
My guess is that Microsoft might (rightly or wrongly) blame the Justice department and keeping other products out of the article on InfoWeek says that MS might have heard my client. They have plans to roll out a comprehensive updater product for small network administrators just like me (and him.) They even have plans to roll out an extended version in the future that would support updating other companies' software.
This week promises to be interesting. I was surfing Eric Raymond's site, and stopped to read his article on UI design, which is to say usability.
And then this morning Jakob Neilson sent me an article in which he comes dangerously close to saying that peer review would improve the usability of consumer products.
If you know who these people are, you'll probably understand why the juxtaposition is noteworthy. If you don't, then the next link is for you.
What I was really looking for was Eric's famous article "How to ask Questions The Smart Way". Its a good article for any Internet user to read. The information could also be useful to business people who want to understand where their info tech people are coming from and how to motivate them.
According to Christchurch City Library (New Zealand) those are the animal collective nouns for worms. A murder of crows, or a cast of crabs to name a few others.
Recently many clients have remarked about the number of "viruses" and worms that they have been getting in email. They're right. According to this article posted on Info Week, there have been 16 new worms in the past 7 days.
Over the past couple of days, there has been an interesting worm variation going around on the MyDoom worm. I only mention it because some pretty well educated people are calling me and asking if I sent them a security update by mail. I do not supply software to customers and clients, so you can be sure I don't supply email updates. Niether does any software company I know of.
The worm is mutating frequetly, so some confusion is natural. Just remember, if you have up to date virus protection and you do not execute attachments sent to you in email, then you are safe. Binary attachments are a bad idea for a number of more technical reasons too.
Here's Symantec's description of the issue. Here's McAfee's take on the most recent variant. And of course there's our own AdvisorBits article from September 2003.
The other thing both the reports we heard had in common was that the email headers were forged. That is to say, they appeared to have come to the users FROM themselves. This does NOT mean they are infected. The email "From:" headers are forged to confuse users, this is not difficult to accomplish.