Security hole in Time Warner cable routers; iPhone, Facebook: Making the classic Web obsolete? | ZDNet Announcements

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Featured TalkBack Email Overload Syndrome: Too much in too many places Zack Whittaker: Web email access was meant to make life easier. But now with multiple services interconnecting and "working together", it just shows that "working together" means "working against the will of the user." READ FULL BLOG How do you cope with Email Overload Syndrome? Post Your Thoughts in TalkBack Recommended Free IT Salary Report Register on activeTechPros and view the 2009 IT Salary & Skills Report. * * * * * * * * * * * * Business professionals salaries Use our newly launched activeBizPros salary benchmark wizard to compare salaries of business professionals. Register for free access. Must-Read News Gaping security hole in Time Warner cable routers Universities in hot water over students' peer-to-peer sharing UK newspaper Web site hacked; 500,000 job-seekers affected Windows 7 security default worries experts Microsoft to fix Bing spam bug ZDNet Blogs iPhone and Facebook: Making the classic Web obsolete? Microsoft 1Q: Office, Windows take a hit Meet Mozilla's Raindrop: Like Google Wave, but different enough to co-exist Net Neutrality: Why the Internet will never be free. For anything. So get used to it Ding Dong, The Vista's DEAD! Recommended Free IT Salary Report Register on activeTechPros and view the 2009 IT Salary & Skills Report. * * * * * * * * * * * * Business professionals salaries Use our newly launched activeBizPros salary benchmark wizard to compare salaries of business professionals. Register for free access. Most Rated Posts Windows 7's latest fan: Linus Torvalds Apple ad swings at Windows 7: 'Trust me, this time it's going to be different' Don't upgrade to Windows 7 ... clean install instead! Google Music: What if... Less than 24-hours on and a potential Windows 7 Achilles' heel surfaces TechRepublic Hot Topics IT leaders trust Microsoft more than Google Windows 7: Don't forget to update Prepare for U.S. job surge in the health IT field Office Live Workspace: Collaborate for free Video: iPhone deployment builds goodwill, shows IT is proactive Latest from SmartPlanet The healthiest foods to eat are also the most dangerous With government incentives, solar power gets cheaper, more popular New software claims to stop plagiarism in its tracks Is that medical bill your final offer? The future of the electric bike Photo Galleries Windows 7: the first wave of system reviews If you're eager to hit the ground running, we've already reviewed several Windows 7 PCs, from big names such as Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP. VIEW THE GALLERY A high-res, high-tech satellite launch A half-century of ICBMs More Photo Galleries ZDNet Videocasts Facebook COO sees economic models changing on the Web At the Web 2.0 Summit Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg talks about the how the Web usage patterns are shifting from an information model to a more social model, which benefits Facebook rather than Google. WATCH THE VIDEO U.S. CTO: Health care needs better billing systems Microsoft demos Twitter feeds in Bing More ZDNet Videocasts	TechRepublic Pro Total Access To Solutions Join the best and brightest network administrators and support professionals at TechRepublic Pro - the premium online resource from TechRepublic. TechRepublic Pro membership provides access to extensive, up-to-date, original IT content and resources that are available only through this innovative and dynamic resource! *PLUS: As a special bonus for joining TechRepublic Pro we are offering you a chance to buy TechRepublic's IT Career Guide, 2GB USB Executive Pen Drive for ONLY $45.00 when you activate a new TechRepublic Pro membership by 11:59pm ET, October 30th, 2009. Saving you $74.00 off the normal list price! Join TechRepublic Pro Now! (DISCLAIMER: To receive TechRepublic's IT Career Guide, 2GB USB Executive Pen Drive for only $45.00, you must activate a new TechRepublic Pro membership by 11:59pm ET, October 30th, 2009. A special coupon will be sent during the first week of November in a separate email once your new TechRepublic Pro membership has been validated. Coupon will be valid between November 9th - November 16th,2009 toward the purchase of TechRepublic's IT Career Guide, 2GB USB Executive Pen Drive for $45.00. Offer is valid on new memberships only. Offer is void where prohibited by law.) Now Introducing... Technology, business perspective & insight shaping the world. SmartPlanet is the premier destination for savvy advice, thought-provoking analysis and expert discussion on the intersection of technology, business and life. Visit SmartPlanet.com today! Featured ZDNet Reviews Apple MacBook Fall 2009 Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot. Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310 Toshiba's slick entry into the thin-and-light laptop world is timed for Windows 7, but if you're going to get one, make sure it's the dual-core T135-S1310, and not its single-core cousin. Receive the latest reviews, news, and expert analysis of the latest tech products on ZDNet by signing up for ZDNet's Product Watch Newsletter Popular Download Resources Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool When you purchase Windows 7 from the Microsoft Store, you have the option to download an ISO file or compressed files. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download tool allows you to create a copy of your Windows 7 ISO file on a USB flash drive or DVD. License: Free Platform: Windows   VoxOx (Mac) The only service that unifies all of your communication channels: voice, video, IM, text, social media, e-mail, fax and content sharing into a single, intuitive interface, giving you full control of your interconnected lifestyle. License: Free Platform: Mac Media Event Organizer Instead of images being downloaded from your camera to your computer in one big folder, Media Event Organizer will automatically arrange them into events, saving you valuable time. License: Free to try Platform: Windows New Technologies Sponsored White papers Free IT Salary Report Register on activeTechPros and view the 2009 IT Salary & Skills Report. * * * * * * * * * * * * Business professionals salaries Use our newly launched activeBizPros salary benchmark wizard to compare salaries of business professionals. Register for free access. Live Webcast: Simplified IT Support for Customized Mobility Solutions Explore the most promising ways to keep your increasingly diverse mobile workforce connected and protected, while also improving your bottom line. Free White Papers: Clearing The Way For Faster, Smarter Business Decisions Find out how other business leaders are making IT work for themselves and their organizations with this foursome of insightful white papers. Free White Paper: Oracle Business Rules Technical Overview Get into the driver's seat for defining how your company runs, and gain the flexibility you need to make quick business decisions with confidence. Free White Paper: Enhancing Customer Loyalty Via Higher Responsiveness Discover how to improve your website's response performance, offer an integrated customer experience, and much more--without a large outlay of cash. More white papers: Most popular papers Recently added papers Most popular papers by industry
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What Windows 7 means for Linux; Mobile makes classic Web obsolete; T-Mobile plans [TECH UPDATE]

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Top Editors Picks Are the iPhone and social networks making the classic Web and intranet obsolete? There's been an important and relatively sudden change taking place over the last couple of years in the way that we interact with the Web: mobile phones. READ FULL STORY Cloud computing and the return of the platform wars Running your SOA like a Web startup Twenty-two power laws of the emerging social economy Community management: The 'essential' capability of successful Enterprise 2.0 efforts Recommended Live Webcast: Simplified IT Support for Customized Mobility Solutions Explore the most promising ways to keep your increasingly diverse mobile workforce connected and protected, while also improving your bottom line. Why Android is beating Windows Mobile Google is betting that carriers and manufacturers will play enough hands with it that it can gain some market share. Right now that looks like a pretty good bet. Microsoft is like a gambler with a fistful of dollars that can't find the game. by Dana Blankenhorn READ FULL STORY Linux in your hand; from geeks only to consumer friendly mass market Verizon preps fourth quarter device barrage; Droid will 'stimulate demand' Motorola goes all-in for Google Android Motorola Droid official specifications leaked 8 reasons I like the Motorola Cliq Android smartphone and 7 reasons I don't Netbooks worth the upgrade to Windows 7? Heck yes! For those who are still using XP Home in our netbook deployments, the $70 volume academic license upgrade is worth the cost of admission. Netbooks with Windows 7 sweeten the deal. READ FULL STORY Salesforce, Adobe bring Flash to Force.com Businesses who have already taken the plunge into the Salesforce cloud will find something new this morning: Adobe Flash. The two companies today announced an alliance that brings the power of the Adobe Flash platform to the Salesforce's Force.com. READ FULL STORY Recommended Free White Papers: Clearing The Way For Faster, Smarter Business Decisions Find out how other business leaders are making IT work for themselves and their organizations with this foursome of insightful white papers. Survey: cloud interest grows triple-fold; cost may not be main factor Why are enterprises moving to cloud computing? Cost cutting may not be the main reason. by Joe McKendrick READ FULL STORY What Windows7 could mean for Linux Microsoft visual studio is very nice : slick, easy to use, a good match for Windows7 and Server 2008 -- but so completely out of step with the cloud computing and rental applications Microsoft wants to sell. READ FULL STORY Mac ZFS is dead: RIP. Apple made it official this week: the innovative ZFS file system for Mac OS X is dead. Who killed it? by Robin Harris READ FULL STORY GE invents 'stethoscope for the 21st century' SmartPlanet: GE's Vscan will make it easier for clinicians to monitor the human body in a variety of settings, including countries where medical professionals cannot afford larger imaging systems. READ FULL STORY Windows 7 ushers in the touch era 'Bluefield' development: should we put our airports out to sea? The future of the electric bike Is that medical bill your final offer? With government incentives, solar power gets cheaper, more popular Featured TalkBack Blog The chief value of open source With code visibility, you and your vendors become partners in trying to make something work. The vendor can't over-promise, but you can't over-assume either. This may be one of main hidden reasons for IT failure, the two sides of the transaction not being on the same page. by Dana Blankenhorn READ FULL BLOG What do you think? Post Your Thoughts in TalkBack Active TalkBack Posts Amazon delivers strong Q3; shares skyrocket after hours Motorola Tundra VA76r (AT&T) Elsewhere on ZDNet Photo Gallery U2 and YouTube go global It may have been the largest live-stream in history, and it may have been the biggest concert in history, but one thing's for sure: Sunday night's U2 concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., was seen live by a worldwide audience, thanks to YouTube's technology. VIEW THE GALLERY Photos: Tokyo DC Expo focuses on 3D Image Gallery: Mantis Bible Study for the Apple iPhone ZDNet Reviews Sony's new digital photo frame includes built-in photo printer Janice Chen : Sony's new digital photo frame includes a built-in printer to print your photos on the spot. READ THE REVIEW Samsung DualView TL220 (gray) Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310 (red) More ZDNet Reviews Sign up for ZDNet's Product Watch Newsletter for the latest product reviews, news, and expert analysis	News & Blogs Learning from the weak signals of failure Enterprise IT's trust level of Google will increase Netflix arriving on PlayStation 3 next month Universal phone charger OK'd Apple slate "impending," says NYT exec editor; Much ado about nothing? Saying goodbye to Zimbra IT Exec: iPhone builds goodwill with users HTC kicks off global ad campaign and its all about YOU T-Mobile rolls out new plans, huge monthly fee increases for unlimited voice on family plans Universities in hot water over students' peer-to-peer sharing Latest SmartPlanet The future of the electric bike Quick, grab that spot under the second solar panel The touch era State-funded smart grid work picks up Is that medical bill your final offer? Today's Product Highlight Sony 17-In-1 External USB Card Sony MRW62E/S1/181 17-In-1 External USB Memory Card Reader - MRW62ES1181/ Supports 17 Different M... Buy Now » $29.00 merchant rating ★★★★★ Most Rated Posts Complete Windows 7 coverage Microsoft Q1: Office, Windows take a hit Yahoo: A mobile experience, not a mobile OS SaaS: Shelfware as a service? AMD rolls out 8 new Athlon CPUs in time for Windows 7 Videos and Podcasts Facebook COO sees economic models changing on the Web At the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg talks about the how the Web usage patterns are shifting from an information model to a more social model, which benefits Facebook rather than Google. In the future, she adds, more Web users will glean referral information from f... PLAY VIDEO U.S. CTO: Health care needs better billing systems At the Web 2.0 Summit in San Franicsco, U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra talks about IT changes that need to be made to the current health care system. He believes one of the biggest areas of waste is the money spent on billing within the system, with 17 cents of every dollar going towards medical billing.... PLAY VIDEO HP CEO: The challenges of cloud computing At the Gartner Symposium in Orlando, Fla., HP CEO Mark Hurd talks about how the company plans to layer cloud services on its infrastructure in the future. However, with more than 1,000 hacks a day, security creates an important need on differentiating what they put in public versus private cloud... PLAY VIDEO Microsoft demos Twitter feeds in Bing At the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Yusuf Mehdi, a senior vice president at Microsoft, previews Twitter integration with Bing search results. One of the interesting features he introduces is "hottest topics." He explains that the Bing-Twitter search will aggregate information around the most... PLAY VIDEO Play more video and audio Recommended Downloads Live Webcast: Simplified IT Support for Customized Mobility Solutions Explore the most promising ways to keep your increasingly diverse mobile workforce connected and protected, while also improving your bottom line. May 7th: Forrester best practices for improving IT service delivery Find out what industry watchdog Forrester has identified as five best practices for improving IT service delivery and support. (Citrix Online) Achieving business process excellence Learn how business process management can help you achieve end-to-end organizational innovation and growth. (Oracle) Case Study: Standardizing Business Intelligence and Reporting Infrastructures Read how CA standardized business intelligence and reporting platforms across its product lines to save customers time and money. Financial Services White Paper: The Business Intelligence Advantage Find out how leading financial enterprises use data warehousing techniques, real-time analytics, and intelligent metrics for competitive advantage. More white papers: Most popular papers Recently added papers Most popular papers by industry
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Top 10 Tech #4: Top 5 Ms Office Alternatives

TOP 5 MS OFFICE ALTERNATIVES
by Dennis Faas
Infopackets.com Senior Editor
http://www.infopackets.com
--
About Infopackets and our Top 10 Tech Reports
Our Top 10 Tech Reports highlight The Best of The Best Q&A (questions
and answers) from our newsletter readers -- with no frills, Simple
English, and straight to the point instruction -- while featuring the
coolest and best free resources on the web.
If you find this report useful, please be sure to pass it on to a few
friends!
--
Microsoft wants you to pay $499 MSRP for MS Office Professional 2007
(MS Word, MS Excel, etc) -- and if you're like me, spending that kind
of money on a glorified word processing suite isn't likely going to
happen.

So, how about a freeware alternative that is 100% compatible for next
to nothing? We did a bit of research and came up with the following
facts:

• Free isn't always the best way to go, but that doesn't mean you

can't get somethin' for nothin'. [Ed. Just like COMMERCIAL-ware ISN'T always.(:-)

• Free software usually implies no tech support for a product -- at

least, not by phone. Be prepared to do a bit of searching online if
you need some help: you'll likely find it in the form of a "How To"
article or online a support forum.
[Ed. Is there ANY free support for COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE or do you have to pay $25-$35 per incident?]

• Pay-for products usually offer bonafide tech support via the phone

or 24-hour email, but even so, you're limited as to how much free
support you can get; some are unlimited while others are pay-per-
incident or a mixture of both.

•  For $50 bucks you can get a really good word processing suite that
  

looks and acts just like MS Office -- and at that price, even the most
froogle of folks can afford something that's "second best."
With that said, let's get straight to it!
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. OpenOffice 2 ~ 6.0 out of 10 ~ Free ~ Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OpenOffice 2 is the freeware version of Sun Microsystems StarOffice 8, and does word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages.
Pros: Free; does just about everything you'll ever need it to.
Cons: No phone support -- only online forum help; no email capabilities; unfamiliar interface.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Google Docs & Spreadsheets Beta ~ Free ~ 7.5 out of 10 ~ Platform Independent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're looking for "just the basics," Google Docs & Spreadsheets is great for everyday word processing and spreadsheets. Google Docs & Spreadsheets works right over the web and almost all web browsers (minimum requirements are: IE 6+, Firefox 1.07+, Mozilla 1.712+, or Netscape 7.2+).
Pros: Free; portable; support for online collaboration; works on any computer.
Cons: web-based support (forums and articles); only operates over an active Internet connection.
http://docs.google.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Corel WordPerfect X4 ~ $89 to $399 ~ 7.5 out of 10 ~ Windows Only
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Corel WordPerfect Office X4 suite is best for those who prefer traditional interfaces for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Program features are plentiful but not well integrated, which may cause a bit of frustration for some users.
Pros: Reasonably priced; strong file support (60+ file formats) including MS Office 2007; has email, database, and graphics integration; unlimited free email support (24 hour turnaround).
Cons: $15 per-incident tech support fee over toll free phone line.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. ThinkFree Office 3 ~ 8.0 out of 10 ~ $50.00 ~ Windows, Linux, Mac,
Java-enabled browsers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ThinkFree Office 3 for the desktop is a low-cost alternative to Microsoft Office -- in fact, it looks, feels, and behaves exactly the same as MS Office whether it's on a Windows, Linux, or Mac. ThinkFree Office 3 offers a free online component, has more storage, and a few
more extra features than competing, browser-based services.
Pros: dirt-cheap MS Office alternative; multi-platform plus web access; 24-hour email support and forums; can download and try before you buy.
Cons: No database, email, or drawing capabilities.
http://www.thinkfree.com
=========================================================

[Editor: See Church-Mart.com for another option, SoftMaker Office 2008 which includes Textmaker [Word], PlanMaker [Excel], Presentations [PowerPoint] and BasicMaker [Macro-creator] . ]

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