I haven't been adding entries, and I understand that some of you have been having trouble with your RSS feeds from my site, because of DNS problems. I recently renewed the domain and even though the registrar sent me an e-mail that the process worked, it apparently didn't work as I expected. I was confused as to why I couldn't get to the web server from outside the network that it was on. I looked at the firewall and networking. That all checked out but I still couldn't get to the server from outside. Yesterday I noticed that my web site had been replaced by a parking page. I checked the domain entry page on the registrar's web site. Everything pointed to the correct addresses but I still had the parking page. When I looked up the IP address I found that it didn't resolve to the correct address. I e-mailed the registrar and they did something to get it all working correctly. So I should be back to adding my semi-sporadic entries to the blog.

According to the article at http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?newsID=6676&pagtype=samechan Microsoft will be replacing Software Update Services (SUS) with Windows Software Update Services (WSUS). It isn't as dramatic a move as the headline "Microsoft kills SUS update software" would imply but I guess the headline did its job because I read the article and am now letting you know about it. :)

I have long wanted to set up a SUS server to conserve bandwidth at home rather than having 3 or 4 machines each downloading the patches but haven't gotten around to it yet. If I do now attempt to set one up I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

I am passing on this information about the geek dinner later this month. I will be out of town and will not be able to attend but the ones I have gone to in the past have been good.

http://www.devutah.com/2006/08/08/august-2006-geek-dinner/

Microsoft has a new tool code named Sandcastle. It is a documentation compiler for managed class libraries. According to the download page, this tool is used internally at Microsoft to create the .Net framework documentation. That should help me make more professional (and more consistent) documentation. You can download the CTP from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=E82EA71D-DA89-42EE-A715-696E3A4873B2&displaylang=en.

Steve Smith is running a "contest" to come up with the official product name for Atlas. Since Steve doesn't work for Microsoft it probably doesn't mean that you will be picking the official name but still it is fun to see what some of your peers think Atlas should be called. The blog post is at http://aspadvice.com/blogs/ssmith/archive/2006/08/16/Atlas_Naming_Game.aspx

Today I got the wild idea that disabling autorun would increase the security of my system. I set about trying to find out how to do it and what the settings are. I found an MSDN article at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/Shell/programmersguide/shell_basics/shell_basics_extending/autorun/autoplay_reg.asp that seemed to be exactly what I am looking for. It lists 3 ways to disable autorun. The method that looked the best to me is to modify the registry. The documentation gives the following bit numbers and what they disable.

When I went into the registry I found a value of 0x91. I am wondering what setting the lowest order bit does? A check of a couple of other systems reveals the same setting so it doesn't appear to be a random number, just inadequate documentation.

I appologize for the non-technical nature of this post but today a long time co-worker and friend was layed to rest. Jim Andersen was buried today. I know I will miss his humor and after 10+ years of working for the same company there will be a big void when I get back to the office.

The world is worse off without Jim.

This morning when I picked up the copy of USA Today outside my hotel room I was surprised to see an article that said that AOL will not charge for broadband users. I thought it was going to tell me of some bait and switch scheme to give me 100 free hours of broadband on AOL that would then convert to some fee (you all know the drill by now). Instead it said that if I have a broadband connection and have had AOL in the last 2 years I can call a toll free number (no on-line option) and have them keep/reinstate my account. I guess if I had ever used my AOL account for anything that I cared about I might think about getting it back but it has been more than 2 years since I got rid of it.

The thing that really caught my eye was the quote:

AOL says it will no longer advertise dial-up service, which costs $9.95 to $25.90, at savings of $1 billion a year.

That seems to me that I will no longer get any AOL CDs in the mail or with a magazine. At least when AOL was mailing out floppies I could format them and use them for something but the CDs just become trash and I have to throw them away. Maybe other companies will take the hint and we will get fewer junk CDs.

About a week (maybe longer) ago I saw an email that Microsoft has commited to 12 principles for Windows Operating Systems. After that I saw a few articles but none of them had all 12 principles. I finally tracked them down (OK, I was busy and didn't really look for them until now) but here they are:

1. Installation of any software

2. Easy access

3. Defaults

4. Exclusive promotion of non-Microsoft programs

5. Business terms

6. APIs

7. Internet services

8. Open Internet access

9. No exclusivity

10. Communications protocols

11. Availability of Microsoft patents

12. Standards

While I whole heartedly applaud Microsoft's resolve to make sure they don't repeat the mistakes and behaviors that lead to the anit-trust trial and their being declared a monopoly, I am not sure that they go far enough. We still see the European Commision taking action against them and there are other countries as well. Since they already have to be doing this to not run afoul of the anti-trust settlement decree it would seem to me that this is insufficient to satisfy the other entities that are after them.

I would like to see the same principles applied to all computer products. I really hate getting software without any API or other way of communicating with them. I can't understand why manufacturers would think that making their products so proprietary would help sales. In any case I hope this has a ripple effect on the industry and that all products will be better for it.