Dave Ballard

Pollution

dave — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:36:31 +0000

Normally I write about technology, but after coming back from a vacation, I wanted to write about something I was shocked to see. I recently went to Maine to enjoy a much needed vacation. While on a whale watching trip, I was amazed as to how much garbage I saw floating in the ocean. Everything from balloons, coffee cups, milk jugs to even used diapers. I’ve seen plenty of garbage on the sides of streets, but I just couldn’t believe I was seeing this stuff 25 miles off shore in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

I personally try to recycle as much as possible and use as little energy possible. I even unplug any power adapters when I’m not using them as they still draw power. I have always been someone that thinks we need to take care of our environment because when it is gone, it is gone. After seeing what I have saw, it just made me realize that everyone, including myself, need to do more. There is no reason I should have seen this stuff floating in the middle of the Atlantic. Maine does an excellent job at keeping their state clean. It makes me wonder about other states and other parts of the world. Are people really doing what is necessary to help clean the environment or are they just taking the attitude of ignorance? “I don’t see it so it doesn’t affect me.”

All I can say is that this event was a real eye opener for me. I certainly hope that more people take a closer look as to what is really happening to our planet and start making an effort before it is too late. Which someone people think it may already be too late.

E-mail: Plain Text vs HTML

dave — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:53:51 +0000

When it comes to the age old question of which is better, plain text or HTML e-mail, I’d have to say plain text is the way to go. It is just way too easy for someone to craft an e-mail that looks authentic, but underneath it really isn’t. I personally think the best approach is to always view your e-mails as plain text. Only when you know it is a safe e-mail, then convert it to HTML. This gives you the chance to review to the message to see if it is not safe or has something hidden in it. Things to look for are images that come from major websites that you know are safe, but the Click Here link goes somewhere else or links that go to a site that is just numbers. These are good indications that the email is most likely a phishing attempt to steal your information.

With Microsoft predicting more phishing and e-mail scams in 2008 (source: http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/656), one has to wonder as to why anyone would want to view their e-mails in HTML format by default.

Your thoughts?

Will e-mail survive the next generation?

dave — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:49:46 +0000

E-mail has been around since 1965 and is today one of the cornerstones of electronic communication, but will it survive the next generation of computer users? The reason I ask this is because I recently had a discussion with other systems administrators at RIT in regards to our students using services such as Facebook, mySpace and even Instant Messaging (IM) instead of e-mail. Some students go as far as to never check their e-mail. Because of this new trend, does RIT need to rethink how electronic communication is distributed to our students? Most likely this won’t be the case for some time simply because e-mail is so easy to use and provides an excellent record of communications between faculty and students.

E-mail is so vital to the day-to-day operations of virtually every university and corporation that I can’t imagine a shift away from it as a primary means of electronic communication; however, Xerox said the same thing about the mouse and graphical operating systems when it came to desktop computing. Perhaps some day we may see a shift in technology, but I would think that as students move out into the work force, they will start using e-mail more and using services like Facebook, mySpace and IM less.

What are your thoughts on using services like Facebook, mySpace and/or IM to replace e-mail?

Mozilla vs. Sys Admins

dave — Wed, 16 May 2007 04:45:22 +0000

Ever since Firefox was first released, I’ve been a fan. I think that the browser has done great over the years and has defiantly given Microsoft a reason to improve Internet Explorer. While I love Firefox as a user, I’ll admit that I have never liked it from the perspective of a Systems Administrator. The application is always providing challenges in its deployment to remote systems. Once you think you’ve got it figured out, the developers seem to throw something into the mix that messes things up. Up until recently, I was willing to look past this. But now something new, at least new to me, has came up that has just made think that the developers at Mozilla are purposely trying to make Systems Administrator’s lives miserable.

File versioning. Mozilla doesn’t seem to understand the concept. Take version 1.5.0.11. If you look very closely at firefox.exe when you install 1.5.0.11, you will see that the actual version of the file is 1.8.20070.31202. Okay, this isn’t that big of a deal. At least not until you look at 2.0.0.3. Firefox.exe for 2.0.0.3 is 1.8.20070.30919. Look closely at those numbers. Firefox 2.0.0.3 actually has a lower version number than Firefox 1.5.0.11. So when you develop a script that says to install Firefox 2.0.0.3 if the version is less than 1.8.20070.30919, it won’t upgrade 1.5.0.11. What was Mozilla thinking?

The only think I can think of is that Firefox 2.0.0.3 may have been released prior to 1.5.0.11 and the version numbers are meant to track the releases over time. But with this methodology, it makes it much more difficult for administrators to automate the upgrade of Firefox. Especially from 1.5.0.11 to 2.0.0.3. Now yes, there are ways to script around this. That’s not the point. I just personally think, and I’m sure a lot of Systems Administrators will agree with me, that a file version should be larger for a newer version of software. Or in the case of 1.5.x and 2.0.x, make them distinguishable by doing something like 1.8.x for 1.5.x and 1.9.x for 2.0.x. What do you think?

Windows Vista - Virtualized Files

dave — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:22:14 +0000

For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing around with Windows Vista. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first, but after a while of working with Vista, I have been quite impressed. One area I like is the virtualization of several sections of the OS and of key files.

When an application requires the ability to write to the Program Files directory, Vista places those files into a virtual location in the user’s profile without the application ever knowing that this has happened. For example, let’s say there’s an application that needs to write to C:\Program Files\My Application\configuration.ini. In previous versions of Windows, unless the user explicitly has write access to that file or has administrative rights, the application may fail. In Vista, the OS will place the configuration.ini file in C:\Users\username\AppData\VirtualStore\Program Files\My Application\configuration.ini so that the application can write to the file without failing. The application won’t even know this has happened as Vista takes care of this all behind the scenes. This new feature makes an administrator’s life easier by being able to keep the Program Files directory secure.

Office 2007 - First Impressions

dave — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 03:46:04 +0000

For a few weeks now, I have been playing around with Office 2007 Beta. I have to say, the new design is starting to grow on me. I am sure it will be difficult for a while for people to navigate the new interface, but I don’t think it will take all that long for the average user to be come accustom to the new design.

Outlook is probably the most important of all the products in the Office Suite simply because it handles all your tasks and communications. While Outlook’s interface hasn’t changed much, I do like the small differences that do exist. I think the best part of the new Outlook interface is that on one screen, I can see my email, upcoming appointments and tasks. In previous versions, I would have to open two windows to accomplish this.

One issue with Outlook is speed. When you first setup Outlook, it is very, very slow. This is because Outlook is going through all your email and cataloging it to make it faster for searching. Once this has been completed, Outlook’s performance does pickup, but it is still a bit slow.

Now, in all fairness to Microsoft, I am using Beta code. Once the final release is available to me, I am sure my opinion about Outlook’s speed will change. But overall, I have to say that I am pleased with the new version with Office 2007. Let’s see if I continue to say that after I start supporting it for our end users.

What’s your opinion?

Computers, they don’t make them like they use too!

dave — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:40:39 +0000

Every once in a while, I am asked “which computer should I buy?” My response used to be go with a Dell, IBM or Compaq. Today, I now usually recommend, get a good warranty. I may still be new to computers compared to some of my colleagues, but in the past 12 years I have been working extensively with them, I have noticed a decline in their quality. I really think that manufactures are now cutting costs by putting out cheaper equipment and betting on customers not purchasing extended warranties.

In the more than 8 years I have worked at the COB, I have noticed our newer servers have a much higher failure rate than our older servers. This is not just exclusive to the COB. Other RIT departments have reported an increase in hardware failures with their newer equipment. Are manufactures cutting costs to the point where they are putting inferior components into their computers?

This makes me wonder if the manufactures are trying to make computers a throw away commodity. We purchase a computer that lasts about two to three years rather than one lasting five to six years. This means we are purchasing computers more often. Are the manufactures making more money with this methodology despite the fact that computer prices have fallen in recent years? Is this hurting the computer industry by creating less reliable systems that are used for everything from writing a paper to running a corporation? What do you think?

Goodbye to Windows 98

dave — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:01:40 +0000

On July 11^th, Microsoft said a long awaited goodbye to Windows 98 and Windows ME. Next on the Microsoft chopping block is Windows XP SP1, which is due to end on October 10, 2006. Why is Microsoft dropping support of these fine, cough, products?

Windows 98 was released in 1998 making the Operating System (OS) 8 years old at the time it was dropped. I for one am glad to see the old OS go. After all, most versions of Linux don’t stick around for more than 2 to 3 years. Okay, I know what all you Linux people are saying. You can upgrade the kernel of Linux for free where as with a Microsoft product; you have to spend money to get an upgrade. It’s actually worse than that. Windows XP probably won’t run on that old computer that you bought with Windows 98, so you’ll have to upgrade the hardware too.

So should Microsoft still support Windows 98 for those people that can’t afford to upgrade? I still say no. Anything older than 5 years needs to be retired. The reason simply put is security. For one, Windows 98 and Windows ME have virtually no security built into them. With that in mind, I think they should have been retired a long time ago. With the growing number of threats out there, it’s time for home users to either unplug from the Internet, or upgrade to a different OS (notice I didn’t say a Microsoft OS).

For those users that just simply can’t afford to upgrade, try Linux. While I usually recommend Debian for the server world, Ubuntu seems to growing in popularity, especially in areas where users are not technically savvy. I have downloaded and installed Ubuntu and found it surprisingly easy to install. If all you do is word processing, email and surfing the web, Ubuntu might be your “free” answer. If you are feeling adventuresome, check out Debian.

For more information about Microsoft dropping support of Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows XP SP1, please visit Microsoft’s web site at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx

For more information about Debian Linux, please visit: http://www.us.debian.org/

For more information about Ubuntu Linux, please visit: http://www.ubuntu.com/

Welcome

dave — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 03:19:28 +0000

Welcome to my blog. Let me just start off by saying that this blog is intended to express my thoughts and opinions and not the thoughts and opinions of anyone affiliated with the E. Philip Saunders College of Business or Rochester Institute of Technology.

So who am I and what do I do here at RIT? Well, I am the Network Administrator and an Adjunct Professor for the newly named E. Philip Saunders College of Business (COB). My primary responsibilities include maintaining and supporting the computer network for the COB. This includes a host of servers, desktops and laptops numbering over 300 systems. In addition, I provide technical support to COB faculty, staff and students. I also enjoy teaching as an Adjunct Professor for the Management Information Systems department in the COB.

As for my education, I graduated from RIT in both 2000 and 2004 with a BS and a MS in Information Technology. I also attended Alfred State College completing a degree in Computer Science in 1997 before attending RIT. I am considering pursuing my Ph.D., but I am still undecided at this point. While my formal education may be complete, education in general never stops for someone in the IT world. I spend a lot of my free time doing research into new technologies to see how advances in technology can benefit RIT as well as everyday people. The IT world moves real fast and if you want to keep up, you have to constantly be reading up on the latest IT news.

I hope to use this blog to share some of the information that I come across and to express my opinions on how the technological world we live in is advancing rapidly. While I may not be one of the best writers, I am sure I can convey my thoughts and ideas though this medium.

Enjoy!