Monthly Technology Updates

JULY 1999

1. Year 2000 Update - September 9, 1999

While many people are by now familiar with the year 2000 computer problem, most are not familiar with a problem dealing with the date September 9, 1999. When written as a four-digit date, September 9, 1999, becomes 9999. The problem is that some programmers have used 9999 to indicate an undetermined future date. For example, a company that does not want to delete any records from its database may have set 9999 as the delete date, believing — shortsightedly — that this notation represented some date that would never occur. Now when September 9, 1999, does come around, some systems may encounter problems. In our example, records in the company database would be deleted then.

Typically, this problem has been addressed in conjunction with the larger year 2000 problem. Therefore, organizations that have made significant progress toward fixing their year 2000 problem will probably not encounter any difficulty with September 9, 1999. However, some organizations that are rushing to fix the larger year 2000 problem may easily overlook the 9999 problem.

For more information, click on these links:

 

2. PC Tips - Installing a Modem

If you have just purchased a new modem, you have two options for installation. You can take the modem and your computer to the local computer store and pay somebody anywhere from $30 to $75, or you can do it yourself by following these steps.

  1. Shut down your computer and unplug it.
  2. Touch a metal object (such as a doorknob). This will discharge any static electricity that has built up on your body and protect your computer's components.
  3. Following the documentation that came with your computer, remove the computer's cover.
  4. Inside the computer, look for an area where there are small boards attached to the mother board (the large board that runs along the bottom part of the computer).
  5. Look for an empty slot.
  6. Using a screwdriver, remove the plate that corresponds with the empty slot.
  7. Line up the modem above the empty slot, and gently apply pressure to the top until the modem is seated in the slot.
  8. Use the screw removed in step 6 to secure the modem to the computer chassis.
  9. Replace the computer's cover.
  10. Use a standard telephone cable to connect the modem to the phone jack on the wall (be sure that the cable from the wall jack is connected to the proper jack on the modem - double check the labels).
  11. Plug in the computer and turn it on.
  • If you are using Windows 95/98, the new modem should automatically be detected. Follow any onscreen instructions.

3. Kasparov vs. the World

On June 21, 1999, the reigning human World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov, began a game of chess that pits him against the entire world.  Kasparov, playing the white pieces, began by moving his pawn to e4.  Chess players around the world visited Microsoft's Gaming Zone to vote for their preferred counter move.  The site received over 2 million hits in one day.   The winning counter move, with 41% of the vote, was pawn to c5 (the Sicilian Defense).  After each move by Kasparov, the rest of the world has 24 hours to respond.

To play against Kasparov you will need to register with the Microsoft Network Gaming Zone.  The Gaming Zone Web site also includes chats and analysis from some of the best young chess players in the world.  When you are finished playing against Kasparov, you can use the Gaming Zone site to play against opponents throughout the world.

Kasparov has the highest chess ranking of any player in history.  He is considered by many experts to be the best chess player ever.  Kasparov lost his long-running battle to retain the chess championship for the human race when he lost a match to IBM's Deep Blue computer in 1997.

For more information, click on these links:

4. Who Owns Your Online Reputation?

Reputation rating systems are standard features for online auction sites, such as eBay. Using these systems, buyers and sellers rate each other after a transaction has occurred. On eBay, the largest online auction site, the rating is positive, negative, or neutral. A positive rating gives the rated user a plus one, while a negative rating gives the user a minus one, and a neutral rating does not affect a user’s overall rating. Many people and organizations work hard to get a high overall positive rating. Some eBay users have ratings of well over 1000.

When eBay users participate in an auction on a competing site, such as Amazon.com, Yahoo!, or eDeal, they often cite their eBay rating. However, eBay claims that the ratings are the company's proprietary information and that users cannot cite them on other auction sites. ebay has recently added a clause to its user agreement stating that citing your eBay feedback rating is grounds for terminating your eBay account.

Some online auction sites have agreed to eBay's demand that users not be allowed to cite their eBay feedback. However, some sites, such as eDeal, have explicitly refused to give in to eBay.

For more information, click on this link:

5. Is There a Worm in Your E-mail?

On June 10, 1999, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) issued an alert concerning a new virus-like threat distributed via E-mail. The program, called ExploreZip, is technically not a virus but a Trojan Horse. A virus automatically replicates, distributes, and activates itself. A Trojan Horse requires the user to run the program before it is activated.

ExploreZip has been distributed as an E-mail attachment with the following message text:

I received your email and I shall send you a reply ASAP.
Till then, take a look at the attached zipped docs.

Any E-mail message with this text and a file attachment should be deleted. Opening the attachment will activate the program.

When activated, the program deletes certain types of files from the user’s local and network drives. These files include Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents. In addition, the program automatically replies to incoming E-mail with a copy of itself.

Large companies such as Boeing and General Electric have been affected by the Trojan Horse. At least one employee at Boeing reported that the program had deleted all of the files from that person’s hard drive.

Anti-virus software vendors have already posted updates to handle ExploreZip on their Web sites. The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NPIC) is investigating.

For more information, click on these links:

6. TV, Internet, and Phone, All on the Same Line
 
On June 9, 1999, at the SuperComm '99 trade show, mPhase Technologies demonstrated its new multi-user/multi-channel broadband system called Transverser.  The Transverser system allows phone companies to offer a specific type of digital subscriber line (DSL), called Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL).  Rate-adaptive technology automatically adjusts the transmission rate in order to provide high signal quality.

The Transverser system will enable phone companies to offer 1Mbps Internet connections, 400 channels of digital television, and standard telephone services over normal twisted pair copper cable.   Transverser is sold to local phone companies, so check with yours to see if it available in your area.

For more information, click on these links:


7. XML Part 1
 

The underlying language of the World Wide Web is called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).  By placing HTML tags around text and other objects, Web developers can specify the layout of a Web page.  While HTML is fine for static Web pages, it does a poor job when it comes to sharing information.  Therefore, a new specification has been developed, called Extensible Markup Language (XML).

XML will allow developers to define their own type of Web-based documents.  XML is really a meta-language, which allows users to create other languages.  Actually, XML is a subset of yet another meta-language called the Standardized General Markup Language (SGML).

XML will likely improve the current state of electronic commerce.   For example, a user might want to initiate a search for the best overall price (including tax and shipping) on a particular item.  With HTML there is no way for an automated search engine to determine these prices.  With an XML document each type of price is clearly defined.

Currently most Web browsers are not capable of reading XML.  However, that will probably change with upcoming versions of the most popular browsers.

Check back here next month for some examples of XML.

For more information, click on these links:

 

8. Net Filtering Law

It appears likely that Congress will pass a law requiring schools and libraries to use Internet filtering software.  The measure in the House of Representatives comes as an amendment to the Consequences for Juvenile Offenders Act.  The Senate version is sponsored by presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).

The new law would withhold federal money for Internet connections, called the E-rate, from schools and libraries that do not comply.  E-rate money, collected from telecommunication companies, amounted to more than $2 billion last year. In a case in Virginia last year (see January 1999 Technology Updates), a federal judge ruled that Internet filtering in libraries was unconstitutional.  But awareness of Internet filtering has grown since it became known that the minors involved in the Littleton, Colorado, shootings were heavy Internet users.

For more information, click on these links:

 

9. The Death of DIVX

In a battle reminiscent of the VHS versus Betamax fight, two competing formats have been vying for a share of the high-capacity digital video (or versatile) disk (DVD) market.   One format is an open standard DVD supported by major manufacturers, such as Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba.  Open standard DVDs can be played on machines from multiple manufacturers, and the format is compatible with the one used in the computer industry.

The other format, called Divx, is proprietary.  This means that only Divx machines can play Divx disks.  The main feature of the Divx format is that disks can be "rented" without being returned.  The Divx format allows people to enjoy the disk for 48 hours after an initial viewing.  When the 48-hour period is up, users can buy the disk or throw it away.

On June 16, 1999, Divx's main backer, Circuit City, announced that it would discontinue the format.  The main problems Circuit City cited were the lack of inexpensive Divx players and the lack of movies available in the Divx format.  Divx DVDs will remain available during a two-year phase—out period.

For more information, click on these links:

 

10. It's a Printer, It's a Scanner, It's a Fax Machine, It's a Copier, All in One

If your desk is becoming crowded with computer equipment (printers, scanners, copiers, and so on), you might want to consider purchasing a new multi-function device.  These machines typically integrate a printer with the ability to scan, copy, and send faxes. Working with the standard ink-jet technology that has become popular for color inters, multi-function devices offer a low-cost alternative to color copiers. 

Some of the multi-function devices come with a flat-bed scanner/copier, which is a requirement for copying pages from books and other bound material.  Other devices include only a paper-fed scanner/copier.  Some devices include a built-in fax option, while with others the user must scan images into the computer and then use a fax/modem.

These devices typically sell for less than $1000, with some costing as little as $400.   Print and scan quality are usually as good as stand-alone printers and scanners. But multi-function devices have two major drawbacks.  First, most of them come only with a small 100-sheet paper tray.  Second, if the device breaks down, you may be stuck without a backup.  So before you buy you might want to think about how many times you have used your fax machine as a backup copier.

For more information, click on these links:


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