News update has new look

News update has new look

By Brian Livingston

You’re looking at the new design for our Windows Secrets Newsletter updates. We previously sent occasional updates such as this one as plain text. We’ve switched to full hypertext format to give you clickable links to breaking stories that can’t wait for our next complete twice-a-month newsletter.

In this update, you’ll find news bulletins and a summary of new reviews that have just been released. We’ll have more content when our next regular issue is sent out on July 28.
 
Firefox 1.0.6 replaces 1.0.5

Just one week after the release of the Firefox 1.0.5 browser on July 12, the Mozilla Foundation shipped Firefox 1.0.6 on July 19. Version 1.0.5 fixed a few known security flaws but broke some Firefox add-ins, known as "extensions." Version 1.0.6 corrects this incompatibility. Now extensions such as the popular Enigmail, which supports secure, encrypted e-mail, will work fine.

If you use an earlier version of Firefox and didn’t upgrade to 1.0.5, skip it and get 1.0.6.

Unfortunately, the foundation states that you must install 1.0.6 into a folder that doesn’t contain a previous version of Firefox. A streamlined patch-install routine is being developed but isn’t expected until Firefox 1.1, code-named “Deer Park,” is released in the next few months.

Having tested every version of Firefox through 1.0.6, here’s the upgrade procedure I recommend:

• Step 1. Read Firefox’s list of known issues.
• Step 2. Download the Firefox 1.0.6 setup executable file from the Mozilla download page into a temporary folder.
• Step 3. Close all windows.
• Step 4. Use the Add/Remove Programs control panel to uninstall previous versions of Firefox 1.0.x. Uninstalling previous versions does not erase your Firefox bookmarks, history, or preferences. (Alternately, you could install Firefox 1.0.6 to a new folder, but this would leave the old versions on your hard disk.)
• Step 5. Run the Firefox 1.0.6 setup executable.
• Step 6. After the install, some older Firefox extensions may need updating. Check for updates at the Firefox extensions page.

The uninstalls and upgrades to 1.0.6 worked smoothly in my tests. However, you should verify that the new install is functioning normally after making any such change.

For more information on version 1.0.6, see Mozillazine’s July 19 article.

Greasemonkey poses serious risks

In an unrelated security problem, a Firefox extension known as Greasemonkey 0.4 alpha has been withdrawn from distribution because of the discovery of a critical security hole.

Users of Greasemonkey can alter the appearance and behavior of Web sites they visit, changing the fonts or making all visible Web addresses clickable, for example. Unfortunately, a hacker Web site could use a flaw in most versions of Greasemonkey to read any directories and files on a visitor’s hard drive, according to a post by open-source developer Mark Pilgrim. The problem affects Mac as well as Windows users.

Greasemonkey coauthor Aaron Boodman writes that a fix will take several days. In the meantime, "it isn’t safe to use any version of Greasemonkey other than 0.3.5. Please either upgrade to 0.3.5 or disable Greasemonkey."

Details of the exploit were published on July 20 on the French Security Incident Response Team site. To obtain Greasemonkey 0.3.5 or read further information from the codevelopers, visit the Greasemonkey page.

WSUS has problems on SBS

Susan Bradley, a contributing editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter, reports that several problems have been found when installing Microsoft’s new Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) on OEM versions of Small Business Server (SBS), such as versions that are preinstalled by Dell and HP.

She recommends that WSUS — which was released by Microsoft on June 6 to replace the Redmond company’s Software Update Services 1.0 — not be installed on such versions of SBS until this is officially resolved. Also, she advises that there are as yet no reliable workarounds and that tips posted on the Web shouldn’t be followed.

In her blog posting on July 19, she suggests that Windows admins consider Shavlik’s NetChk Patch Basic, a program that updates non-Microsoft applications rather than just Windows, Office, and Exchange. Shavlik is offering a promotional sale price of only $1.99 per user, with a minimum order of 25. Unfortunately, the sale runs only through today, July 21. For information, see Shavlik’s promo page.

To send us more information about the above topics, or to send us a tip on any other subject, visit WindowsSecrets.com/contact. You’ll receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of your choice if you send us a comment that we print.

Brian Livingston is editor of the Windows Secrets Newsletter and the coauthor of Windows 2000 Secrets, Windows Me Secrets, and eight other books.

American Photo picks top digital cameras

The biggest review news this week is from American Photo Magazine. Out of the hundreds of digital cameras on the market, the magazine picked only a few dozen for examination in its “Best of 2005” issue. In an interview, assistant editor Krissa Cavouras told me that all the models selected for the magazine’s special issue are considered Editors’ Choices. Within that group, the editors identify some products as Best Buy and Breakthrough, while giving others a featured, full-page spread. We name these models in the first three reviews below, which show a subset of the more than 40 cameras the magazine included in these categories. Products that aren’t enumerated below are listed in our “full review” link. We also summarize tests of three classes of digicams by Wired Magazine and CNET. If you’re looking for a new camera, enjoy.

		POINT-AND-SHOOT DIGITALCAMERAS HP, Panasonic, Samsung rated Best Buy American Photo reviews 29 models of point-and-shoot digital cameras in its Best of 2005 issue. The Kodak EasyShare One (not yet available) is described as Breakthrough, with three other models labeled Best Buy and three more featured in separate layouts. HP Photosmart R717 (Best Buy) Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2 (Best Buy) Samsung Digimax A6 (Best Buy) Kodak EasyShare One (Breakthrough) Canon Powershot G6 (Featured) Nikon Coolpix 8400 (Featured) Nikon Coolpix 8800 (Featured) Link to all ratings and full review
		DIGITALEVFs Konica tops American Photo’s enthusiast list The Konica Minolta Dimage Z20 (left) receives the only Best Buy label in American Photo’s reviews of ten EVFs — electronic viewfinder cameras for enthusiasts. These models all sport nonremovable, super-telephoto lenses and have features that place them between point-and-shoots and digital SLRs. Konica Minolta Dimage Z20 (Best Buy) Link to all ratings and full review
		DIGITALSLRs Pentax *ist DS earns SLR Best Buy Pronounced “ist dee ess,” the Pentax *ist DS (left) earns a Best Buy in American Photo’s review of digital SLRs — single lens reflex cameras, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. The magazine also labels two models as Breakthrough, while featuring Nikon’s top-of-the-line D2X and the new, under-$1,000 Canon XT in lavish layouts. Pentax *ist DS (Best Buy) FujiFilm FinePix S3 Pro (Breakthrough) Mamiya ZD (Breakthrough) Nikon D2X (Featured) Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (Featured) Link to all ratings and full review
		7MPPOINT-AND-SHOOT Sony pocket camera impresses Wired editors Wired Magazine finds the cream of the point-and-shoot category by including only cameras with an LCD at least 2 in. (5cm) and a weight under 7 oz. (200g). Four products were tested, with the editors picking the Sony model, left, as out-performing them all. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P200 (Score: 4.0/5.0) Link to all ratings and full review
		DIGITALSLRs CNET likes Canon XT in SLR shootout Of eight entry-level SLRs tested by CNET, the site’s Editors’ Choice award goes to the Canon XT (the same model featured in the American Photo review, above). The analysis cites the recently-released product as offering ease of use for amateurs and quality for pros. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (Editors’ Choice, Score: 8.0/10.0) Link to all ratings and full review
		WATERPROOF DIGITALCAMERAS Wired chooses Pentax all-weather camera Time to hit the beach, now that Wired Magazine has tested four cameras that withstand sand and waves. Only the Pentax model, left, works without having to purchase an additional housing to make it truly waterproof (and it has good image quality, too). Pentax OptioWP (Score: 4.0/5.0) Link to all ratings and full review —————— For non-U.S. sources of information on a product reviewed above, enter the model name into a search box at one of the following links: Canada / U.K. / Elsewhere