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Get a cheap holiday PC... Real plugs security holes... HP hires Kay |
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Sylvia Carr Senior Editor, AnchorDesk Wednesday, November 27, 2002 |
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Interested in buying a computer this holiday season? PC makers are trying to entice you--and make up for a mediocre sales year--with low, low prices. Analysts say the bargains will be even more aggressive than last year. While that's good for buyers, even the lowest prices may not help PC makers overcome the sagging economy. This year the focus is on multimedia devices, like DVD. Both Dell and Hewlett-Packard have reduced the cost of upgrading from CD burner to a DVD burner. Among the deals to look forward to: a $699 Dell Dimension 2350 with a 15-inch flat-panel display, a $399 Gateway 300S with a 2GHz Celeron processor, and an $899 HP Compaq Presario notebook sold at Best Buy.
Go to the full story by John G. Spooner.
If you use RealNetworks's RealOne Player or Real Player, beware. Three flaws in the software could let a malicious user take over your PC. Luckily, Real has a patch available at its Web site. The flaws could result in a "buffer overflow," a memory problem that could compromise the software's security controls and theoretically allow an attacker to take control of your computer. NGSSoftware, the company that first discovered the security holes, says a malicious user could take advantage of these flaws by encouraging users to download files with long names and other unusual features. Though NGSSoftware discovered the flaw on Nov. 1, it kept the info secret until RealNetworks released a patch.
Go to the full story by Lisa M. Bowman.
Hewlett-Packard has hired industry luminary Alan Kay as a fellow at its labs. While at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, Kay worked on several projects that helped make computers useful to the average person. For instance, he invented the concept of overlapping windows on a screen, and helped make life easier for programmers with the Smalltalk programming language, a predecessor to Sun's Java. Kay also envisioned a portable computer called the "Dynabook." At HP, he'll work on trying to advance computer technology for children. Along with Xerox PARC, Kay has worked for Apple and Walt Disney Imagineering, and most recently ran a nonprofit group devoted to his vision for better education.
Go to the full story by Stephen Shankland.
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