Bill Lindner

In July of 2005, the U.S. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act in an attempt to establish a comprehensive long-range energy policy. President Bush later signed it into law in August of 2005. The new law changes both the start and end dates of ... daylight savings time (DST). DST now starts 3 weeks earlier and ends 1 week later. The time will now change at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and will end at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. The change in DST applies to the U.S. (with the exception of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa) and Canada ... (view more)

One day after the release of Microsoft's 6 billion dollar operating system, and there are already reports from UK's PC Advisor that the Windows Vista DRM is being cracked by a Canadian kernel developer. On the eve of the Windows Vista launch, ... numerous retailers opened their doors at midnight. However, very few consumers actually showed up for the event. The excitement and hoopla surrounding the launch seems to have disappeared. The Dallas Morning News and numerous other sources are reporting the luke warm response to the official Vista launch. Upgrading To Vista Unless you're running Windows ... (view more)

A lot of the hoopla surrounding the new Windows Vista operating system (OS) is based on it's new multimedia capabilities. However, users purchasing Vista to use the much-hyped and enhanced multimedia capabilities to watch high definition or blu-ray ... DVDs -- or to listen to audio CDs -- may be in for a very upsetting surprise. In a disturbing, albeit, eye-opening white paper detailing a cost analysis of Windows Vista Contect Protection, Peter Gutmann (a Department of Computer Science security engineering researcher at the University of Auckland, New Zealand) details the consequences of ... (view more)

A recent email memo leaked to APC Magazine revealed that Microsoft is already hard at work on Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1). Microsoft sent out emails to customers and partners to test and provide feedback on (SP1) to help prepare for it's ... release in the second half of 2007. In comparison, it took 11 months after the release of Windows XP for Microsoft to rollout the first service pack. Specific details of the changes (codenamed "Fiji") have not been released by Microsoft yet. Microsoft claims that regressions from Windows Vista and Windows XP (specifically: security, deployment blockers ... (view more)

Confused about which flavor of Windows Vista is right for you? What about all those upgrade options and Vista add-ons? Hopefully, this brief guide will help you wade through the confusion. Windows Vista: A Brief Introduction If you haven't already ... heard the buzz, Microsoft will release Windows Vista, it's newest (long awaited) operating system (OS) on January 30, 2007 to consumers. In a nutshell, Windows Vista boasts a polished graphics display, improved security features, and a slew of extras that make day-to-day life easier. Depending on which version you purchase, Windows Vista retails ... (view more)

Recently, Sony was fined $1.5 million in penalties and costs to reimburse Californians and Texans whose computers were affected by the illegally installed Digital Rights Management software [software aimed at antipiracy] on some of their music CDs. ... Consumers will be reimbursed up to $175.00 to offset the cost of repairs incurred when removing the software. Consumers without proof of the cost of repairs are still eligible for $25.00. To date, 40 states have settled the law suit with Sony. The total settlement amount is up to $5.75 million. For a list of the 40 states affected, refer to the ... (view more)

Now that the holiday season is rapidly approaching, it's a good time for some quick reminders about safely purchasing items online. Armed with the proper knowledge and a little common sense, purchasing things online can be as safe as going to the ... store and purchasing it in person. It's getting easier to purchase items online from reputable companies. However, there are also several "companies" that want to steal your personal and financial information. Listed below are some suggestions for making your online shopping experience more enjoyable. Contact Information Is the sellers address and ... (view more)

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) has been released as of November 1, 2006. If you're not ready for it yet, there are a few options to prevent its installation through Automatic Updates. Personally, I update my computer manually, so I can see what's being ... installed before it's installed. Reports say that IE7 is more secure and has more functionality than Internet Explorer 6 (some improvements include tabbed browsing and a built-in RSS reader) -- but I prefer to wait until they get a few more bugs worked out and some patches for the flaws that still exist before I'll agree to install it myself. Many ... (view more)

Earlier this month, Microsoft released a series of critical patches that affect the way that Internet Explorer handles web pages that use ActiveX controls. Microsoft's $521 Million Dollar Patch To recap: In 2004 Microsoft lost a patent lawsuit on a ... method for embedding and invoking interactive applications in web browsers (such as applets and plug-ins). The patent affects the way Internet Explorer manipulates interactive content, including: Flash or QuickTime movies, Adobe acrobat reader, Apple QuickTime player, Macromedia flash player, Microsoft Windows media player, Real Networks real ... (view more)

So you finally decide you want to purchase your own computer and have it custom built just for you. Reasons for this could be that you don't want all the extra software that comes bundled with major manufacturers such as Dell, or you want to have a ... nice high-end system built with the specs just the way you like it. Here is a little advice based on some of my experiences. Ask yourself the following questions and think about them: What kind of computer do I need? Will it be used only for email and Internet access, or as a business computer or both? Do you have specific applications you want to ... (view more)