Digital Samurai

Technology Discounts for ABA Members

The ABA just launched TechEZ, an online directory of technology and services with discounts for ABA members. There are three general categories (hardware, software and services) in the directory. There is an additional breakdown within each category to help you narrow in on a product or service. Some of the discounts are pretty substantial. It appears to be a good starting point, especially for solo and small firm attorneys, to help with technology purchasing decisions.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

Netbooks and Windows 7 – A Problem?

We welcomed the much anticipated arrival of Windows 7 with open arms. We’ve already upgraded about half of the computers in our office, and so far so good. Just as we thought.

It’s hard to find a downside to using this Operating System. Microsoft has claimed all along that users with laptops running Windows 7 will experience a longer battery life than those running older versions of the Windows operating system. Test results have shown this to be true on regular-sized laptops, but netbooks have been an exception.

In tests performed to measure the battery life of netbooks, those with Windows 7 Starter Edition installed have performed significantly lower than those with Windows Vista and XP.

For those of you who can't resist running Windows 7 on your netbook,  the steps you can take to improve the performance of your battery are two-fold: (1) make sure your netbook comes with a 6-cell battery and (2) switch your power mode to "Power Saver."

- John and Mike

(703)359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

Apple Busy Fixing Holes

Following close on the heels of their mega-patch this week, Apple has just pushed out an update for the Safari web browser. Version 4.0.4 closes seven holes, three of which address WebKit (engine that renders web pages) flaws. The update is for Windows and Mac users.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

Apple and Microsoft Battle for Biggest Bug Fix

It’s no secret that Microsoft releases patches on Tuesdays, hence the term Patch Tuesday. The latest release fixes 15 flaws with six patches. One of the critical fixes corrects three vulnerabilities in the Windows kernel-mode drivers. The bug can be exploited when a user visits a web site that contains a maliciously crafted Embedded OpenType font.

Not to be outdone, Apple released their “whopper” set of fixes the day before Microsoft. Apple’s security update (10.6.2) for Mac OS X fixes over 50 vulnerabilities. The math says that Apple wins this time, although we’re not sure their marketing department sees that as a victory.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

Another Concern for SaaS Products

It is no secret that we haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid and are still skeptical of SaaS. We’re not totally against it, but we’re not running out to implement either. SaaS may be a fine solution (make sure you read the terms of service in detail) for some, but we’re not convinced yet. We’ve even retreated a little from our position, especially given that SC Magazine just announced that web technologies account for 78 percent of all bugs. That certainly makes you re-think implementing Microsoft products doesn’t it?

The scary fact is that flaws in web technologies have accounted for 70 to 80 percent of all the disclosed vulnerabilities since the beginning of 2008. The number is 90 percent for the first half of 2009. A huge problem seems to be with the browsers themselves. Firefox wins the prize with 44 percent of all reported flaws. Leave it to Apple to come in second with 35 percent for Safari. Internet Explorer was a more distant third with 15 percent followed by 6 percent for Opera.

We’re not saying that this is a reason to avoid SaaS. Run the business case and risk analysis of web-based products vs. hosting your own applications on your local server. We’re sticking with our local applications for now.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

Microsoft Flip Flops on Exchange Support

Just like a politician, Microsoft has performed a 180-degree turn on their stance for supporting Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2008 R2. After notifying customers that Windows Server 2008 would only support Exchange 2010, many revolted, and in fact let Microsoft have a piece of their mind.

How could customers be forced to upgrade clients to Exchange 2010, when in all likelihood most people recently finished migrating their customers to Exchange 2007? Exchange 2010 is rumored to be released sometime this month, although an official release date has not yet been set.

To accommodate its change in stance, Microsoft will be releasing an update for Exchange 2007 sometime next year that will enable the software to run on Windows Server 2008 R2. Hopefully, it will come sooner rather than later.

-John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

You SendIT Founder Tries To Bring Down Popular Service

Many attorneys use the online service YouSendIt (www.yousendit.com) to upload and transfer files online, as do we. It’s much easier sending a client a download link rather than risking an attachment being rejected by your client’s e-mail server for being too large.

Ironically, the company’s co-founder and former CEO has been indicted for attempting to bring down the popular online service.  In the past week, Khalid Shaikh was charged with four counts of mail fraud for launching denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against his former company between December 2008 and June 2009. Talk about a disgruntled former employee.

If convicted, each count carries up to a maximum of a 5-year prison sentence. You’d think he’d know better, knowing what security systems his former company had in place. Guess not.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com