software

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you've undoubtedly stumbled across the term "WGA" -- or more affectionately known as, The Windows Genuine Advantage Program. Reminder: What is WGA? Designed as anti-piracy software by ... Microsoft, WGA is an install designed to check the legitimacy of a user's Windows applications and Operating System. Those whose systems are running pirated software are given the chance to purchase legitimate identification keys or prove that they were duped into buying the illegal merchandise. Those who are victims of piracy dealers -- and can ... (view more)

With major executives leaving at a time when the company is desperately trying to market an amalgam of new programs and hardware, Microsoft is now trying to repair its public image by announcing a forum-based website where it will share code with ... outside developers. The new measures are in an effort to greater connect programmers and Microsoft, with each side sharing technical information and software know-how. Not All About Love and Roses The website itself, called CodePlex, has been in beta testing for some time. Its ultimate intention is not as interested in the kindness of sharing as it ... (view more)

Microsoft has changed a major "feature" found in its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software, after receiving an onslaught of complaints from end users. The criticism is in regard to the program's daily check-ins with the company's servers; now, ... the tool will dial home in 14-day intervals instead of after every system boot. (Source: techtree.com ) Microsoft opted to change the frequency of the WGA check-ins after receiving allegations that the behavior of their software reached the level of Spyware status. Lauren Weinstein, cofounder of People for Internet Responsibility, recently ... (view more)

Have you ever come across an ad for a software program that looks especially interesting? For example: an ad might claim that the program has won awards and is the absolute best at doing a particular maintenance task on your computer. The truth is ... that some ads can be very compelling, but often mislead users into downloading unscrupulous software. So how do you know if the claims true? Is the software legitimate? Is the software malware? How can experienced users decide -- and what about inexperience users? Well, I am going to tell you how I go about finding the answers. It is not difficult ... (view more)

As we continue wandering along, there is one area of Linux operation you need to consider before taking the plunge and installing one of them. In fact, there are lots of things you will need to learn and we will get to those later, that is a ... promise. But the one area we need to talk about, though, is Updates and the Update process. Issues with Windows Updates Thanks to Microsoft's repeated issuance of Critical Updates over the years, the mere mention of the word "update" paints an ugly picture in most people's minds. However, an update in Linux does not need to be either as scary, ... (view more)

Since November 2005, infopackets has opened its doors to volunteer authors to share their thoughts and ideas with our audience. The transition to a multi-authored web site has been both enlightening and challenging. On one side: infopackets now ... offers a variety of fresh and interesting discussions almost daily to its audience; on the other hand, acquiring and maintaining material on a regular basis has proven to be particularly difficult. Let me explain. Since our volunteer bloggers are not paid to submit articles, submissions have been (for the most part) sporadic. Further to that, my work ... (view more)

Microsoft estimates it lost $14 billion last year to software piracy. The loss may prove to be the most profitable sales never made. Although the world's largest software producer spends millions every year to combat illegal reproduction of its ... products, piracy helps the company to establish itself in emerging markets and fend off threats from free open-source programs. (Source: LAtimes.com ) The sharing of pirated copies establishes Microsoft products as the software standard. As the economy grows, people and companies begin buying legitimate versions, and they usually buy Microsoft because ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Glen H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am a bit concerned about the kind of marketing engaged in by some of the software developers that you recommend -- PC Tools, for example. 'Get a free scan,' they say. And so you do, and they find ... 150 problems on your machine. Then they say, 'Buy our software and fix these problems.' I really think that this is deceptive marketing. If the company wants to give a free scan and clean, I would have no argument with that, but this sort of marketing 'come on' leads one to think that the first scan was a sham -- and it may very well have been. The ... (view more)

How do you know which freeware is safe to download? The fact is that trying out new, free software is sometimes risky. For example: some web sites will purposely mislead visitors by implying that their software is free -- but in fact, the "free" ... software comes bundled with added Spyware or adware . One good rule of thumb is to stick to downloading software from trusted sources (such as infopackets and Clif Notes); but if you're like me and you're always trying out new software on a regular basis, you don't always have the luxury of trusting a source. That's when I break out the big ... (view more)

While chatting with Tom at Temerc, he mentioned a PC auditing tool I wasn't very familiar with: it's called WinAudit. In a nutshell, WinAudit is used to keep track of all the software and licensing on PC's. I couldn't resist, and so I had to try it ... out. WinAudit is fast and free for home or commercial use. No installation is needed; just download WinAudit and start using it. In 30 seconds it develops a complete hardware and software profile of your PC and displays the results. You can save the profile in many formats for looking at it later or sending it to others for hardware or software ... (view more)