The Two-way, NPR’s news blog, has a cursory story about the help NSA provided. Usually known as a spook organization intent on spying on people, the NSA is also “charged with protecting the nation’s national security computing infrastructure from online assaults.”

“More and more, we find that protecting national security systems demands teaming with public and private institutions to raise the information assurance level of products and services more broadly,” Schaeffer said.

The dominance of Microsoft Windows as a general-purpose computing platform means that the NSA has a vested interest in making it as secure as it can. The alternative is to enter into the OS development market to make GovOS, the only sanctioned operating system for use on U.S. government PCs. That’s impractical, to say the least.

Oh, and while the NSA is providing consultative services to the security models used in Microsoft operating systems, it can also surreptitiously insert backdoors to make it easier to spy on us. :)

There’s been work going on inside Microsoft for years to try to pare down the Windows system, to tame the beast so to speak. Dubbed “MinWin“, the effort aims to make a successive series of layers, with each layer depending only on the stuff immediately below it. So one layer might handle file system access and network protocols. The Internet Information Server would depend on that layer, but nothing in any of those sub-layers would depend on anything inside IIS. In a similar way, the Explorer shell and Internet Explorer can be more easily separated, so that you don’t need to have MSIE installed on every single server you run.

There are lots of changes associated with the MinWin project, and even though initial efforts are available for public viewing, the long-term payout is still quite a ways away. Some of the elements of that long-term payout include a more customizable installation footprint with an easier-to-update system, since you’d only be updating those components you’re actually using for your server; tighter system security; and enhanced system integrity, since faults in applications ought not be affecting lower level routines.

There’s an excellent write-up of MinWin at Ars Technica. It’s definitely worth a read. This quote, regarding system security, really caught my attention:

Fully two-thirds of the security patches released for Windows Server 2003 offered no actual increase in security for dedicated servers, but still required software to be installed and reboots to be performed on a near-monthly basis.

What’s ironically funny to me is that this entire initiative is, in many ways, a validation of the UNIX mentality that’s been driving Linux development since the very beginning. Microsoft has touted the superiority of it’s GUI, and the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and its snap-ins, as the best and easiest way to manage complex services. I think we can all agree, now, that that’s more than a bit of hyperbole: GUIs and the MMC make some administrative tasks easier, while simultaneously making other tasks much harder. The resurgence of command-line administration in MinWin, and the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 (original, and R2 flavors) is clear indication that a GUI is not the end-all-be-all of systems management.

Computerworld tested a few other keywords, including “buy Windows 7″ and “Windows 7″ itself and the ads didn’t appear. Clearly they are looking for a “different” type of customer.

Why are the targeting pirates? It doesn’t make a lot of sense but it does make sense for Apple to target folks who are on the fence about Windows 7 and could be looking to download the OS for free rather than making the total jump. Those same swing-users could be swayed to roll over to OS X given enough prodding.

Gather round, everyone. Gather round. I’m going to show you a trick that 98% of you will never use. But for the 2% of you that actually use the information contained herein, I hope you’ll consider removing at least part of the CrunchGear staff from your “People to Punch” list.

Why?

If you’re like me, you have multiple computers scattered about your house — not because you need them but because every time you get a new computer, you can’t bear the thought of getting rid of the one before it. And every once in awhile you want to access one of your old computers, but not nearly often enough to keep it hooked up to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard all the time.

Windows’ built-in Remote Desktop Connection software makes it easy to access all of your old computers from your new computer but, traditionally, the old computers that you want to access need to have user accounts with passwords for security’s sake.

This presents a problem when one of the old computers that you use for, say, some auto-start task either gets rebooted automatically because of a Windows update or the power goes out or whatever. In my case, I have an old computer I use as a TiVo Desktop Plus server. When the computer gets rebooted, the TiVo server doesn’t start back up until someone logs in with the correct username and password. This can, of course, be done via Remote Desktop Connection from my main computer but I wanted to just be able to reboot the machine all the way into Windows with no password so everything starts humming along automatically.

Like I said, only 2% of you will use this trick. But here it is.

How to Allow Remote Desktop Connections with Blank Passwords (Easy)

This is the easy way, but it requires that your target computer is running a big-boy version of Windows XP, Vista, or 7 – namely Professional or Ultimate. If your target computer is running a Home or Premium version, skip to the next section.

For Vista or 7, click Start then type gpedit.msc into the search box. For XP, click Start then Run, then type gpedit.msc into the Run box.

That’ll open the Local Group Policy Editor. Drill down through the menu like so: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.

In the right-hand pane, double-click “Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console login only” and change it from enabled to disabled.

That’s it. Now make sure the computer’s user account isn’t password protected (Control Panel > User Accounts > Remove your password) and from now on, you’ll be able to use your new computer and Remote Desktop Connection to access this old computer without a password.

How to Allow Remote Desktop Connections with Blank Passwords (Hard)

And it now for the rest of us; the huddled masses with run-of-the-mill Windows operating systems (Home, Basic, Home Premium, and so on). Our task involves registry editing.

First, a little test. Open your registry editor. If you don’t know what that means or you don’t know how to open your registry editor, then that’s a pretty good sign that you probably shouldn’t be trying to do something like this. It’s not rocket science by any means, but I’d feel pretty bad if you messed up your computer because of this post.

If you’ve actually opened your registry editor, please navigate as follows:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > ControlSet001 > Control > Lsa

Find the registry key labeled “LimitBlankPasswordUse” and change the value from 1 to 0.

Then you’ll need to repeat the above steps using the following registry path as well:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Lsa

Again, change the registry key “LimitBlankPasswordUse” from 1 to 0.

That it, we’re all done. Now make sure that this computer’s user account doesn’t have a password set (Control Panel > User Accounts > Remove your password). Once that’s all taken care of, you should be able to use Remote Desktop Connection from your new computer to log into this old one without a password.

Special thanks to Dan Dar3 and My Digital Life for the above info.

Look at these early Windows start-up sounds. They look primitive now but imagine being a young man in the late 1980s and your parents have just brought you home a new Packard Bell x86 machine. Back in those days sound cards were premium items and to hear an operating system sing to you when you start it up was a really big deal. The vast majority of computer users during that time would have never heard most of these sounds.

The Windows 7 version isn’t nearly as impressive, as evidence below, but I think we’ve replace sexy sounds with sexy videos in this visual age.

What happens when your Windows 7 party gets a little crazy? People start talking about things like “boot sectors,” “man-on-man DIMM insertion,” and “[beep].”

via BBG

Leaked memos are making their way around the Internets today, revealing what claim to be Microsoft propaganda attempting to “educate” Best Buy employees on all the problems with Linux. For each problem, Microsoft suggests that their products are vastly superior!

Here’s an idea: instead of spending so much money on advertising, why not make a better mousetrap, rather than re-introducing ancient bugs?

Well look at this, it’s a combination Multi-touch touchpad and a plain ol’ numeric keypad. (Years from now, when we’re all using laptops, or, I guess, touchscreen interfaces, kids will ask, “What’s a keypad?”) It’s from Brando, if you had any doubts at all as to who makes it.

She only works with Windows XP and Vista, not that Mac users will miss it too much.

It’s $40, so, you know…

Speaking of multi-touch, here’s the famous Jeff Han video that’s been floating around for years now.

Matt, Olivia and Jayden are a getting an HP dv7! Is it just me or is Olivia mildly attractive?

For a limited time — specifically, tomorrow until July 11 in the US — Microsoft will be selling the Home Premium upgrade for $50. The Windows 7 Professional upgrade is $100 during the same period. After July 11, you’ll be paying full price for the upgrades. Sorry, Europe: no upgrades for you. But Microsoft is offering discounted versions of the full Windows 7 starting July 15 in the U.K., France and Germany. Expect to pay 49 or 99 euros for Home Premium or Professional.

And to show you what a swell company they are, Microsoft will be making free upgrades to Windows 7 available to people who buy a PC with Vista prior to the release of the new version. That’s nice.

People who buy Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate computers starting Friday can contact their manufacturer for a free upgrade when Windows 7 becomes available on Oct. 22.

PC manufacturers are on board with this already. HP has information about the free Windows upgrade online already. Expect your manufacturer of choice to follow suit, soon.

If you haven’t picked up Battlestations: Pacific for the Xbox 360 (and PC) then you’re doing it wrong. For an RTS, I really, really enjoy it. I just think of it as Battleship. Anyway, the Volcano Map Pack DLC will be available tomorrow for 560 MS points through the Xbox Marketplace while PC gamers will see the expansion on June 25th through Windows Live.

The Volcano Map Pack features two new maps for multiplayer and is playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes.

‘Volcano’, playable in Island Capture, Competitive and Duel modes, features a stunning backdrop of Hawaiian-style volcanic islands at dawn break. Island Capture mode offers players an all-new island formation to master with many huge land-based artillery batteries to capture and control; Competitive mode focuses on intense air combat as players either attack or defend a squadron of B-29 bombers intent on crushing the Japanese island occupation; and Duel mode offers players a unique battlefield unseen in Battlestations: Pacific – a partially submerged volcano.

In ‘Choke Point’, playable in Escort, Siege and Duel modes, players are offered a challenging and distinctive map which offers up its own unique blend of action and strategy. A narrow channel running through two stunning volcanic outcrops offers players a more action-oriented battlefield, all under the shadow of a huge volcano. Escort mode sees the USS Yorktown run the gauntlet with both air and sea attacks against its naval fleet; in Siege mode, the US ground forces have to disembark at the base of the volcano, their goal to capture the Japanese outpost; and Duel mode pits players to all out warfare in a head-to-head battle around the mighty volcano.

The site contains a couple small text blurbs, and several variations of the same commercial showing a family using an Eee PC running Windows. As far as I’m concerned, the page may as well have been written by Gerald Holmes for all the substantive information it provides. Very little of what’s shown in the commercials are Microsoft specific benefits: there are productivity and video chat solutions for Linux, and I’ve not had many problems with USB-connected devices lately, either.

One astute Slashdot commenter suggests that this site has little to do with Asus directly, and more to do with the Goliath that is Microsoft PR.

Anyway, happy Thursday, everyone!

Via Slashdot.

Poor MacDrive. The latest hot tamale of a rumor says that, starting with Snow Leopard (10.6), Windows users will be able to access Mac files without the use of any special software. You’d mount the Mac as you would any other Windows machine.

I say “poor MacDrive” because, if true, that effectively makes MacDrive obsolete. There’s no point in paying for software to accomplish what Apple has thrown in for free.

Unless, of course, you choose not to upgrade to Snow Leopard—then MacDrive is just as useful as ever.

WWDC approaches…

This is probably the easiest review I’ve ever had to write. It’s about the Clickfree Traveler, an automated backup solution that works with both Windows and Mac; it’s the size of a credit card, as the video here tries to show! (Presumably Linux folk have all written, in raw machine code, their own backup applications.) Literally, you plug it into the USB port of your computer, a small window pops up with a countdown timer, and then it automatically backs up your home directory—/users/ndeleon/ in my case. Provided there’s enough space on the Traveler for your data, it’s all over in a matter of seconds. It’s pretty darn painless.

And what if you don’t have enough space on the Traveler? Well, a little window pops up that says there’s not enough free space on the device. Fair enough, soldier, just go into the options tab of said window and tell it which directory you want it to backup. Maybe you don’t want the entire home directory backed up, or you only want all MP3s (Music) and PDFs (Office Docs) backed up. Then you’d select those categories and off you go. It’s all right there in plain English. Pretty painless, I must say.

Let’s see… limitations… well, it only backups your data when you tell it to. That is, there’s no scheduled backups or anything, no “backup files at midnight every night” kind of thing.

The Traveler is also designed for frequent travelers or businessmen—people whose 401(k) has evaporated in recent months—so you may need more than the 16GB the Traveler provides if you plan on using it for your never-goes-anywhere desktop or whatever. In that case, you might want to spring for the bigger versions: either 32GB or 64GB.

Also, Mac-wise, it requires an Intel-based machine and Leopard, so those of you clinging to Tiger or earlier, or to a PPC-based Mac, are out of luck.

I don’t know, the Traveler did exactly what Clickfree’s snazzy back-of-the-box wording said it would. Plug her in, and a few seconds later your data is backed up. There’s no software to install, and it’ll fit right there in your wallet.

Consider me pleasantly surprised. (You have no idea how I enjoy writing, “Well, this item was a pain-in-the-ass to use.) For $79 (for the 16GB model), not too shabby.

This isn’t the sky falling, of course: XP Mode is a special feature targeted at businesses that have legacy applications that require Windows XP. Such operations will be required to confirm that the hardware on which they’re running includes CPUs with the virtualization technology. For your average desktop and laptop PC, chances are you’ll never actually need to run XP Mode.

And if you do, you can always try VMWare or VirtualBox or something…

Via CNet.

It’s a Windows application that senses the proximity of your cell phone to your computer via Bluetooth, assuming your cell phone’s in your pocket most of the time. When you walk away from your computer, it automatically logs you out. When you come back, you’re logged back in. Simps, dude.

Free to download at PhoenixFreeze.com if you’re interested. Here’s a demo video:

[via Notebooks.com]

Think about it for a minute: This game has been around since Windows 3.1, requires less concentration then solitaire, is small enough to hide when he boss shows up, and was wasting time long before the internet came out.

You know Popcap wished that Bejeweled had half the market penetration that Minesweeper has. And that’s why Minesweeper is the “most successful game ever“.

Hey there, multi-touch! With this, the SmartTrack Neo [JP], you can add multi-touch capability to your PC. A hot $50 for this life saver.

Yup, simply hook up this gadget to your Windows XP or Vista PC, and you’ll be doing your best iPhone imitation in no time at all.

Okay, fair enough. This was a (painfully) short post. So, to make up, here’s a clip from The Honeymooners. It’s about taxes, so it’s somewhat timely.

“Your salary couldn’t even drip out!” Oh man that made me laugh.

via Akihabara News

Think about it: what is the primary application for netbooks? You’re not likely to install Microsoft Office 2007 onto your new netbook because performance will be abysmal. You’re not likely to install iTunes onto your netbook because the limited hard drive space won’t hold your entire collection of pirated MP3s. You certainly won’t be doing much hard-core photo manipulation or video editing. You’ll be using your netbook for web browsing, and web-based services. You’ll access your GMail or Windows Live mail from your browser, maybe stream some music from last.fm, use mibbit to get your IRC fix, work on the occasional Google Document, and remove some red eye from a photo using Picnik. As more and more services move online, you can effectively use one application to access them all: your web browser.

I’ve been moving more and more of my daily applications to web-based services. Yes, there are challenges with this — what if my internet connection goes down? What if the server is unavailable? What if net neutrality fails and I have to pay extra to access certain resources? — but on the whole I’ve been very happy with it. I don’t care about fancy window animations or desktop effects, or widgets or sidebars or scrolling tickers on my task bar. I also don’t much care about applications: I care about the productivity afforded to me by those applications. If I can be productive using a single application — my browser — then what do I care if the operating system limits me to only three concurrent apps at a time?

Oh, right. I’m a Linux user. This is where I make the standard Free as in Freedom rant.

Seriously, though, I think Microsoft is on to something here. They’d been practically giving away Windows XP in order to lock up the netbook market. This might look okay up front, but it diverts resources away from other opportunities as developers and support folks are required to keep the old dog barking. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft collects “less than $15 per netbook for Windows XP once marketing rebates are taken into account — far less than the estimated $50 to $60 it receives for PCs running Windows Vista.” Rather than continue to bleed revenue by supporting XP, MS will instead offer Windows 7 to netbook manufacturers.

If all goes according to Microsoft’s plan, using Windows 7 on your netbook will be a no-brainer.

WRONG: Roger Kay’s Microsoft-sponsored “Apple tax” analysis is out of line! Let me show you a detailed analysis of how he pads and distorts the costs!

RIGHT: Microsoft has boxed itself into a corner of expensive, nonsensical and uncompelling upgrade paths and is behaving like a spoiled child because its customers have started realizing they don’t have to use Windows. They know it and Roger Kay knows it. If they spent half the time they spend filling out fake tax forms and paying actresses to buy their products actually making a good user experience, they might be able to speak about value with an iota of credibility. But probably not.

Via DaringFireball