dunxd.com

The first thing most people want to use the internet for is email. Never has it been so cheap, quick and easy to communicate with other people anywhere in the world. Using email, however, requires knowing your way around a keyboard, a little understanding of email addresses and how email software or webmail works. Some learning is needed before one can get started. Email is not communication in real time – you send your message and have to wait for your friend to reply. Unless they are online, chances are you won’t receive anything back until next time you visit an internet café. In these days of mobile phones this really doesn’t seem as satisfying as what we perhaps yearn for.

Then came instant messaging. Using programmes such as Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger you can see when your friends are online and send and receive short messages – effectively having a conversation. This still requires knowing the keyboard. For most people who aren’t accomplished typists, replying to a message requires searching for each letter, slowing down the flow of the chat.

The most natural form of human communication is speech. Available to both young and old, it is the fastest way we can share what is on our minds. No wonder the market for mobile phones is so huge worldwide. Technology based around speaking requires the least learning. I bet your grandmother knows how to chat on the simu.

When we speak on the telephone the sound waves made by our voices are converted into electronic signals. These are transported via the phone network to the person you are calling. The internet is designed for transferring data between
computers – data is transferred as electronic signals – so why not use the internet to send our voices? It is less efficient to transfer sounds than text – after all, you can make more sounds than the 26 letters of the alphabet. Text and other simple data are cheaper to transfer over the internet than voice.

Using the internet to make phone calls is not particularly new. The technology known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (or VOIP) has been around for nearly ten years, but not widely used by anyone other than large businesses who could
afford high speed connections.

Things have moved on a long way since then. A number of internet cafes in Arusha have been offering cheap international phone calls using VOIP for at least two years. However quality was often very low while the price often was not.

As broadband connections have become more common the possibility of people using VOIP has grown. Instant messaging programmes have started to include “voice chat” capabilities – rather than typing your message why not chat
like on the phone? Yahoo! Messenger has the best voice chat of any of the instant messaging programmes. Whilst writing this article I have been chatting on Yahoo! with my friend Riz who lives in Japan. The quality is not brilliant – I can only understand about every other word that Riz says. When I don’t understand something he can type it, so the conversation is just about manageable.

I wish he would get a programme called Skype.

Skype is currently the best VOIP software available. It is free to download, and allows free calls between users of Skype, and cheap phone calls to the regular phone network in many countries. The sound quality is actually better than the telephone – when you chat using Skype it really does sound like the person is in the next room. If you want to get into voice chat, or really add some value to your internet café, Skype is a worthwhile download.

What Yahoo! has that Skype does not is the ability to use Webcams. Using a small camera connected to my computer pictures are sent along with the conversation. I can see Riz sitting at his computer. Human communication is enhanced when we can see the other person’s face – their expressions add to what they say. Whilst I can’t understand every word that Riz says I can tell if he is smiling or pausing for thought.

When Riz installs Skype we may be able to use it together with Yahoo’s webcam mode. With this technology, despite being separated by thousands of miles we can chat as if we were sitting in the pub – maybe we can enjoy a beer together on different continents.

Interesting Sites

• www.skype.com – the best VOIP software currently available – absolutely free
• messenger.yahoo.com -Yahoo’s instant messaging programme with voice chat and web cam
• www.voip-info.org – all about VOIP – quite technical

Originally published in Arusha Times 355

When the Tsunami hit hundreds of locations in South East Asia on December 26 last year there were few journalists in place to record the disaster. However, within hours the world was shocked by photographs and video footage of the
terrible tides sweeping up beaches and laying waste to towns and villages across much of the Indian Ocean.

Many of these images were filmed by holiday makers using still and video cameras –    bought for recording happier events in their lives. Some even used cameras built into mobile phones to record the horrific scenes.

Once rescued, the first thing many survivors did was email relatives abroad to let them know they were alive. Some attached what they had seen to those emails. Others posted their experiences on blogs. Before long the amateur footage
was amongst the most startling – these were real eye witness accounts by people who came close to losing their lives and those of their loved ones.

It is possible that such images helped with the raising of funds for disaster relief from individuals who may otherwise have felt less connected to something that occurred thousands of miles away.

Although not a new phenomenon, the impact of amateurs acting as journalists is starkly revealed by coverage of the tsunami. Technology trends are putting into the hands and pockets of ordinary people tools that enable them to become
reporters, where previously only professionals could operate.

With the material they have collected, ordinary people can get published using various online services, such as personal blogs, community websites, discussion forums, or even by emailing the traditional media directly.

For many Tanzanians getting involved in this so called “citizen journalism” may seem out of the question. Whilst relatively cheap to those in wealthier countries, digital cameras and mobile phones with them built in are beyond the reach of many. However with internet cafes so common across Arusha, and strong competition keeping prices low, inventive citizens will find it possible to take part in this new publishing revolution.

If you can get hold of photographs, you can scan them. If you have something to say you can type it. At present video is out of the question, but this shouldn’t stop the budding web journalist.

It is not necessary to have your own blog to take part in this new trend. There are numerous “community blogs” out there which you can join for free and then post articles and comments on. Sites such as MetaFilter allow anyone to add new content on any subject they please. More complex sites such as Kuro5hin require material added by users is checked by other users, and an appearance on the front page is voted on by the community of people who use the site.

Contributing to one of these sites gives you a chance to be read by hundreds or thousands of other people. This is a great way to practice your writing skills as well as make new friends around the world.

Citizen journalism is not limited to individuals participating in text and image based material. One of the newest trends on the internet is “podcasting” named after the popular portable digital audio player – the iPod. Podcasting is the
web version of radio broadcasting. Podcasters record their radio style shows as MP3 files and make them available for download – listeners can save them on their hard drives and listen to them when they want. Those making regular shows can publicise them on a number of web sites, and there is software which can be used to download new shows as soon as they become available.

With most Arushans paying for their internet use by the hour putting together an article for inclusion on a web site (and certainly recording a podcast) will require writing material (or scripts) in advance to reduce time spent editing in the internet café. However it is possible to do, and is a fine opportunity for ordinary people in Tanzania to be read (or heard.)

Interesting sites

• www.waveofdestruction.org – a collection of footage and photos collected by amateurs of the South East
  Asia Tsunami
• tinyurl.com/4x8y4 – more non-professional tsunami coverage
• www.metafilter.com – a popular community blog
• www.kuro5hin.com – a more complex community site with a generally high standard of writing on a wide variety of subjects.
• www.ipodder.org – a selection of audio broadcasts
• wethemedia.oreilly.com – all about citizen journalism

Originally published in Arusha Times 353

When we use the internet and the World Wide Web we almost always use a web browser to access the information we seek. For many people their web browser is the most used programme on their computer. If you access the internet from
an internet café, web browsers might be the only programme you use.

Clearly web browsers are very important. Despite this, they are one piece of software we rarely think about. We don’t normally choose a browser as we might choose other important tools, such as a car or radio.

The reason we don’t make a conscious choice is that we almost always have a browser installed on our computer already. If you use Windows, and the vast majority of us do, the web browser called Internet Explorer is already there.

A similar situation exists for cars. When you buy a car it usually comes with a radio. For some people this radio is perfectly sufficient. For others the radio does not pick up their favourite station or doesn’t play cassettes or CDs or play loudly enough. Those people will get a new radio. You do not have to accept the choice that has been made for you by the car’s manufacturers. The same goes for browsers.

Firefox – free, open and secure

Firefox is a new web browser released earlier this month by the Mozilla organisation, an offshoot of the company Netscape, who produced one of the first web browsers.

Firefox is an open-source programme, meaning that, if you want to, you can look at the code that makes things happen, and even change that code if you see a way of doing something new or better. Internet Explorer is closed-source – you
are not allowed to see the code, so cannot see how the programme works or improve it.

For most people who do not know programming languages this is not obviously important. However, since Firefox is open-source, when a problem is discovered it can be fixed by anyone who has the knowledge, time and energy to do so,
not just employees of a single company. This means that security holes and bugs tend to be fixed more quickly in Firefox than Internet Explorer. Firefox is not as closely tied to Windows as Internet Explorer so any security holes that exist in it are less severe. This combined with its newness mean that currently Firefox is less of a target for hackers and spyware writers.

Extra features

The security and frequent updating of Firefox is of greatest concern for businesses that need to safeguard their data. For individuals Firefox’s extra features are a far more compelling reason to use it.

Tabbed browsing keeps all your Firefox windows together in one item, meaning less clutter on your taskbar.

Popup blocking prevents those incredibly annoying pop up adverts that have been the blight of the internet for many years.

Search makes it easy to find words on a web page taking you to the information you need faster. Just start typing the word and you will be taken to each occurrence.

Search bar builds search engines right into Firefox. Just type your search into the search bar, select an engine from the drop down menu and you will be taken straight to the results.

Password Management allows you to see a list of stored passwords as well as automatically enter them on pages you have to login to.

Extensions allow you to add new features to Firefox such as news feed readers (one called Habari Xenu), advert blocking, and download management.

Themes allow you to change the look of Firefox.

These features make your web browsing both richer and safer. If you care about using the web it is certainly worth considering Firefox.

Getting Firefox

Firefox can be downloaded for free from www.getfirefox.com. It is a 4.7Mb download, which is considerably smaller than updates to Internet Explorer.

Other choices

Firefox is just the newest browser available – there are other options for your web browser. Here are a few of them:

Mozilla is a full featured internet suite also produced by the Mozilla organisation. As well as a web browser Mozilla includes a full featured email programme with excellent junk mail filtering, and an HTML editor that makes it easy to create and edit your own web pages. Mozilla can be downloaded from www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x.

Opera is a very compact browser that claims to be “the fastest on earth.” Surfing can be speeded up by easily turning off images and the way pages are lain out can be adjusted in a number of ways which make them easier to read. Opera is available from www.opera.com.

Lynx is a text only browser – it does not show any pictures. For those on very slow connections using Lynx will speed up access to web pages considerably, although pages that rely strongly on pictures will obviously not be very satisfying. Lynx can be downloaded from www.fdisk.com/doslynx/lynxport.htm.

Originally published in Arusha Times 348

In the last InfoTech I introduced you to Cryptography – the art of encoding things so they cannot be read by strangers. This week’s article is a bit more practical. I will show you what you need to secure your own email, and prevent other people from sending emails in your name.

The Tools – Email Software

If you use email software like Outlook Express or Thunderbird securing your email is very simple. You must obtain what is known as a certificate – this allows you to digitally sign your mail with a public key. Recipients of such signed mail will then be able to store your signature and send you encrypted mail, which you decode with your private key. Free certificates can be requested from Thawte.

Do not do this in an internet café. This does not work for Hotmail or Yahoo users. See the end of this article for suggestions for users of Internet Cafes.

To register you must give some personal information – this includes a national identification number, such as found on your passport, drivers license or id card. You will also need to choose a password – make sure not to forget it, or make it too easy to guess. You must then select five security questions and give corresponding answers – these will be used if you forget your password. Once enrolled you can change the questions. After going through all this you will be sent an email with further instructions – this confirms that you are the person who collects email at the address you gave. Follow these instructions to complete your enrolment with Thawte.

Once enrolled you can request certificates. Login to your Thawte account at https://www.thawte.com/cgi/personal/contents.exe with your email address and password. This page allows you to request a new certificate – you can also add other email addresses (you must use a different certificate for each one). For now, click on the Request button. Follow the instructions and you will soon be sent an email. Click on the link in the email to install your certificate. Phew!

Signing mail

Now you are certified you can sign messages. In Outlook Express create a new email. Before sending it click on the Tools menu and select Digitally Sign. Send the email as normal. If you have received a signed message from someone else you will be able to send them encrypted messages by selecting Encrypt message in the Tools menu. Messages sent in this way cannot be read on transit, and only by the person with the original certificate/private key.

You will be warned if you receive a message that has been tampered with in any way, or if a message is signed with the wrong certificate. Since certificates are stored on the computer you use, it is not a good idea to set up email software for secure mail in an internet café – the next person would be able to sign emails and pretend to be you – isn’t it bad enough when you forget to sign out of Messenger and the next person fools your friend for a while?

Encryption for Internet Café Users

Unfortunately convenient secure email is not really available for those who do not have their own computer on which to store certificates. Two webmail providers, Hushmail and Cryptomail, offer secure email, but only between users of the same system (eg me@hushmail.com to you@hushmail.com.) If you feel the need to secure your email, you had better encourage your friends to get a free  account with one of these providers. Hushmail is the easiest to set up, while CryptoMail promises to allow secure email with users of some other systems in the near future.

Do you need encryption?

Most people do not currently feel the need to encrypt their email. However, with governments increasingly wanting to keep tabs on their citizens, and a huge rise in the number of hackers out there spying on our personal details I believe that in ten years time everyone will want to secure their emails most of the time. Remember, unencrypted email is more like sending a postcard than a letter! Privacy is not the same thing as secrecy – we all have the right to avoid snoopers!

Interesting links

• www.thawte.com – provider of free email certificates
• www.hushmail.com – encrypted web mail, simple, but limited.
• www.cryptomail.org – another encrypted web mail system – complex.
• www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html – Bruce Schneier’s monthly security newsletter – fascinating reading on cryptography and security in general.

Unpublished

In the 1840s a scandal broke out in the UK shaking the postal service and government to the ground. It became apparent that agents of the government were reading the letters of political rivals before delivering them to their intended recipients. At the time letters tended to be only a single sheet of paper, folded and sealed. It was possible to squeeze the letter partially open and read the contents without alerting the recipient. After this scandal, the British public began to use a new invention to protect their messages – the humble envelope.

In the year 2000 many postal services around the world are under threat because it is now cheaper and faster to send emails than letters. We may have moved in technological terms, but in many ways we have returned to pre-envelope days where our intimate thoughts are easily intercepted and read by strangers. Like posted letters, emails pass through many hands before arriving in the recipients inbox. Like the folded notes of yesteryear, it is a simple matter to peer inside and read the contents.

What we need are electronic envelopes

It is not possible to wrap the letters and numbers that make up an email in a physical envelope. It is possible to change the letters and numbers into something that does not resemble words.

In war time, orders, tactic and other pieces of sensitive information need to be sent to distant people – generals at the front line; spies behind enemy lines. This information must not fall into enemy hands. Militaries around the world have long used secret codes to make this information useless should it be intercepted by the enemy.

This involves sharing the secret of how to decode encrypted messages with people who will be receiving future messages. However, there is a danger one of these people is captured and reveals the secret decoding methods?

It is often useful to think of encryption as involving keys and lockable boxes. A message inside a locked box can only be read if one has the key. Teaching spies and generals how to decode messages is in effect giving them the key.
But keys can be stolen and the box opened by the enemy.

In the 1960s a UK government cryptography expert, James Ellis, turned this concept on its head. Instead of delivering keys to agents in the field, running the risk of enemies capturing and copying the keys, send them an open but lockable
box. The agent could put a message in the box, and close it. If the enemy captured the box they would not be able to open it, even if they captured the spy – he would not have the key to open the box. The key would remain safely in the
hands of the recipient of the message. This is the birth of Public Key Cryptography.

Of course, there is no real box – instead there are mathematical methods for turning a message into what appears to be nonsense. The Public Key makes this transformation possible. This key cannot be used to decode a message once it is encrypted. It is therefore safe to make it public. Anyone who has this key can use it to encrypt messages, but only those with the corresponding Private Key can decode it. This key is never shared.

Which brings us back to email. It is not secure from prying eyes! Since emails pass through many computer systems on their way to their recipients there are many opportunities to open email that may contain sensitive material. Governments regularly monitor email passing through its countries borders – whether to capture terrorists and enemy agents, or crack down on political rivals, or keep an eye on its citizens. It has even been suggested that some governments pass the secrets of foreign companies to companies based in their own country.

Criminals too can gain sensitive information such as credit card numbers from emails they open.

It is also remarkably simple to send an email in someone else’s name. It is not uncommon in the USA and Europe for criminals to create emails that appear to come from a bank to trick people into giving their bank details. This information can be used to empty the accounts and run up debt in someone else’s name!

Public Key Cryptography is useful here as a Private Key can be used to sign a document – mark it with a code that can be checked against a public key. A bank would make a public key available to customers who would then be able to check if a message really came from the bank. This signature cannot be forged. The signature also confirms the integrity of the message – the message cannot be changed while on its way to the recipient without using the private key to sign the message again.

Public Key Cryptography forms the basis for a solid electronic envelope for our emails, ensuring that messages cannot be forged or altered, and also providing a means for keeping them secret.

In the next article in this series I will show you how to put Public Key Cryptography to use yourself.

Interesting links

• www.jya.com/ellisdoc.htm – James Ellis’s account of the invention of Public Key Crypotgraphy
• www.murky.org/cryptography – a cryptography blog
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography – wikipedia on cryptography

Originally published in Arusha Times 345

GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms are a controversial subject. Especially when it comes to agriculture. Some people claim that GMOs could solve food supply problems in many developing countries, particularly in Africa. However, a number of countries oppose the introduction of GMOs. Ethiopia has taken a particularly bold stance for a country with such a long history of food insecurity – banning GMOs altogether. Tewolde Egziabher the director of Ethiopia’s Environmental Protection Agency said:

We resent the way that the image of the hungry in developing
countries has been used to force a style of agriculture that will only
exacerbate problems of hunger and poverty.

So what exactly are GMOs, and why is there such a fuss about them?

Introduction to DNA and GMOs

All living things contain DNA, the spiral molecule that exists in the centre of every cell in our body, and that of plants, animals, insects, even bacteria. The combination of four chemicals that make up DNA carry the information that
controls how we grow from the first cells into fully formed humans. Like a computer programme for designing our bodies, except the programme is run within our very cells.

Since the discovery of DNA’s structure in 1953, scientists have worked hard to understand how these instructions work. Parts of DNA with certain properties have been identified, and through the process known as Genetic Engineering those
parts can be swapped into the DNA of another organism. Once the DNA has been engineered, organisms grown from the new cells take on characteristics of the otherwise unrelated organisms.

Such techniques open up many possibilities in food production.

For example it is possible ,in theory, to identify the parts of the DNA of a particular kind of mahindi which grows well in certain kinds of soil, for example those found in some parts of Africa. This can then be added to the DNA of another kind of mahindi which produces more juicy cobs. The result, in theory, is a strain of juicy mahindi that grows in soils it wasn’t previously possible to grow juicy mahindi in.

Developments such as these have the potential to transform agriculture in parts of the world where it has previously been difficult. So shouldn’t every country be embracing genetic engineering?

Problems with GMOs

Unfortunately things are rarely that simple. There are a number of arguments against genetic modification.

To many people, the creation of completely new forms of life through genetic modification is the height of human arrogance – man tries to become God, and create his own garden of Eden. In non-religious terms, genetic modification skips over the thousands of years of evolution that would normally be required for the emergence of a new species. Some scientists argue that man has been manipulating life through a process of artificial selection for thousands of years, by only planting the seeds of the best crops. The effect of these changes is the same as what they do. However, each change in the thousands of years of artificial selection is slight, while scientists are, in months or even days, splicing genes from completely unrelated species that could never be obtained otherwise. The farmer selecting seeds might reject those that produce bitter fruit. The genetic engineer does not have the luxury of this stage and runs the risk of producing poison! Contained within laboratories this does not pose a particular risk. But science can never test in the wild as effectively as farmers have done in their own historical genetic manipulation.

The primary political argument against GMOs relates to the question of ownership. When a scientist creates a new form of life, she obtains the right to benefit from her hard work, and to protection from those who would steal the idea and copy the new crop. These rights are enshrined in Intellectual Property laws, agreed internationally through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Such laws, whilst encouraging scientific research, may encourage creating more profitable rather than more suitable crops. One example of this is the so called “terminator gene” – a gene that results in crops not
producing fertile seeds. The farmer must purchase more seeds in order to grow new crops each year. Such GMOs are primarily designed for the business needs of the seed producer, not the farmer. In a free market, with free information,
perhaps such products do not present such a risk – why would a farmer want to buy seeds for plants that would not produce new ones?

One of the greatest risks of GMOs, particularly agricultural ones, is that of cross-pollination. It is claimed that the pollens of GMOs can travel huge distances and fertilise the seeds of non genetically modified crops. Some of the characteristics of the GMO may be passed on in the new seeds, and the original strain is put at risk. Were a terminator gene to escape into the wild in this way, food security would be seriously threatened for millions of people – and who owns the rights to the accidentally created new crop? A recent court case took place in Canada between a farmer who claimed his crops had been
cross-pollinated and Monsanto, who claimed the farmer had stolen their Intellectual Property!

Clearly the question of GMOs is a tricky one – a balance must be found between great rewards and great risks for individuals and humanity.

Interesting Links

• Animated introduction to DNA
• The clash of laws allowing countries to ban GMOs and those encouraging free trade.
• GM Watch – anti GMO group
• African Agricultural Technology Foundation – pro GMO group

Originally published in Arusha Times 342

The World Wide Web is not just a place to check your email and read the news. A growing number of web sites allow you to become a producer of information as well as a consumer.

The Wiki Wiki Web

Blogging, the art of keeping a public diary online is all very well for the narcissists out there, but not everyone wants to keep the rest of the world updated with the little things that make their lives so… well… boring. For those whose egos don’t overflow quite so much, or feel they have something more constructive to contribute to the community at large there are sites like Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) that enable anyone who can type and surf the web to create their own content.

The founders of Wikipedia have the grand aim of building a people’s encyclopaedia online. Or rather, they have set up the means for anyone to contribute to the project. That is right – anyone – even you! Every page on Wikipedia has a link labelled edit. Click on this and you can change any text on the page. You can create new pages. You can even delete what someone else has written. The Wiki system is very simple – if you can write an email then you can edit a Wiki site.

It sounds completely crazy. Surely some vandal could come in and delete all the pages. Surprisingly this is a very rare occurrence, and one the builders of Wiki systems sites such as Wikipedia are built on have created protections against. Wikis work because people want them to.

But back to Wikipedia. Like a printed encyclopedia, the site is organised into distinct sections such as Culture, Geography, Science and Technology. Each section is broken down into subcategories to help you find the information you need. You can also search alphabetically. The site holds 358,305 articles as of writing this article. The articles cover almost anything you care to name. And for those things that it doesn’t cover, read on…

Sticking your oar in

Unlike other encyclopaedia sites out there, if you find something that is wrong or you disagree with you can immediately click the edit button and correct the page or add a comment. If a subject isn’t covered you can take the opportunity to create a new page and add what you know about it. Because of the constant updating of entries and their democratic nature, Wikipedia has become one of the most trusted sources of information on the web.

There is even a Swahili version of Wikipedia at sw.wikipedia.org, although this doesn’t have nearly as many entries as the English language version – it is crying out for Tanzanians to start adding entries relevant to them.
The people who made Wikipedia have set up a number of other useful reference sites, all of which allow you to correct errors and add new entries. Choose from Wiktionary – a collection of online dictionaries and thesauruses in a number of languages (no Swahili yet!); Wikibooks – a collection of free textbooks and manuals which may come in very hand for cash strapped students; Wikiquote – an online collection of quotations from the famous and infamous; and Wikisource – a project to make public domain texts available freely.

You are invited to join any of these projects, all of which aim to increase their non-English sections.

Other Wikis

Wikipedia and its relatives are not the only Wiki’s out there. The technology behind Wiki which makes it so easy to set up collaborative web sites has been embraced by many groups. Other interesting Wikis include Disinfopedia, a site discussing politics and news; FotoWiki – a site of contributed photographs; and AgWiki – agricultural info.

So what are you waiting for – get online and start sharing your knowledge! Let me know of your wiki activities and I will mention them here. It is all about sharing.

Links

• www.wikipedia.org – the original online collaborative knowledge base
• sw.wikipedia.org – Swahili encyclopaedia – needs your help!
• www.wiktionary.org – online dictionaries
• www.wikibooks.org – online text books
• www.wikiquote.org – Still no entries for Julius Nyerere! Be the first!
• www.wikisource.org – online public domain texts
• www.disinfopedia.org – who manipulates the news?
• fotowiki.net – shared photographs
• www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agwiki/ – agriculture wiki.
• www.worldwidewiki/wiki/SwitchWiki – a list of all known Wikis in the world.

Originally published in Arusha Times 340

Warez is not a word in the English dictionary, but a search on Google finds over 5 million pages. In charts of the most searched for words, warez regularly features in the top five.

The warez phenomenon has been around now for at least twenty years, outdating the internet.

In the early 80s the term arose to describe computer programmes traded rather than purchased. Warez is internet slang for pirated software. Almost any piece of commercial software quickly becomes available through warez networks and web
sites.

To cash strapped Tanzanians looking for affordable software this may seem a real boon. However there are a number of risks attached to using warez that any tempted internet user should be aware of.

License keys, registration and dongles

Software companies quickly caught on to the fact that other people were making copies of their programmes available for free or in exchange for other programmes. To combat this they started to incorporate defensive measures. Anyone who has installed Windows or Office knows that you need to type in a long string of letters and numbers to activate the programme – the license key. Of course, obtaining these keys is no more challenging than obtaining the software itself. To combat this some companies require users of their software to activate the software over the internet or even by telephone. Microsoft does this with individual copies of Windows – they maintain a list of license keys in use and prevent the activation of Windows with duplicates. However, businesses with large numbers of computers do not have time to contact Microsoft every time they install a new computer, so Microsoft issue special license keys which will work on more than one computer. Eventually these keys make it “into the wild” enabling people to activate Windows without paying for it. Microsoft maintain a list of some of these rogue keys and prevent updates to copies of Windows using them, as was seen with the recent release of Service Pack 2 (see last weeks InfoTech column.)

Other companies go as far as supply a piece of hardware called a dongle – this must be physically attached to your computer in order to use the programme. It is incredibly hard to copy a dongle, and impossible to trade one online. This
is only common amongst the most expensive software – often industrial software individuals would rarely be able to afford, and unlikely to need.

Crackz

Software that has been secured in these ways is an automatic temptation to hackers, whether or not they really need to use it. Groups of hackers investigate the methods used by software companies to protect their software and work out ways around them. This often means modifying the programmes or creating software that makes it appear a dongle is attached to the computer. Amongst the warez community such things are known as “crackz.” It is possible to download cracked versions of most expensive programmes if you know where to look. Hackers have become so adept at this it is not uncommon to find cracked versions of new programmes available on the day of the official release – so called “zero-day crackz.”

Trojan Horses

Of course, hackers and crackers are not just interested in pirating software. Since they are modifying the code of programmes that hundreds of people may download the temptation to do more is overwhelming. Many cracked warez include other modifications that you probably do not want. Computer viruses can be hidden within otherwise useful programmes. Backdoors can be included allowing hackers to take control of your machine and use it to break into other computers – those familiar with Greek myths will know why such things are called Trojan horses. Using warez is certainly a risky business. The damage caused by malicious code may cost you or your company more than the cost of the software.

Risks aside, warez remains a massive internet trend. It is closely related to the slightly more visible trading of music and movies. I should point out here that the risks above do not apply to music and movies, only software. You cannot get a virus by downloading MP3s.

Download morality and legality

Outside of the dangers of Trojan horses and viruses the main issue potential downloaders need to consider is the morality of taking a piece of software that may have taken years of effort to develop. This is especially the case when most computer tasks can be achieved using Open Source software that is available legitimately at no cost.

You should also consider the legal implications of using commercial software you haven’t paid for. If caught you may face fines or even imprisonment. Make your decision based on knowing the risks involved.

Whatever you decide, my usual advice holds true – make sure you are using up to date anti-virus software such as Grisoft AVG, a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm, and spyware protection such as Spybot.

Links

• A history of warez
• Free anti virus software
• Free personal firewall
• Free spyware protection

Originally published in Arusha Times 337

Microsoft released a new service pack for its operating system late last month. Users of Windows XP are advised to install this service pack to secure their computers against viruses, hackers and other nuisances.

Regular followers of technology will be well aware of the security issues that surround many of Microsoft’s products. As the most popular operating system in the world, Windows XP is a frequent target for attacks by malicious users of the internet.

Since its launch in 2001, Windows XP has amassed a long list of vulnerabilities. These include holes in the operating system which have allowed viruses to send junk emails from infected computers, snoopers to steal credit card details, and backdoors allowing hackers to use innocent peoples’ machines to attack larger targets.

Microsoft regularly makes patches available to repair these bugs in their system. Every so often they release a Service Pack which contains all existing patches as well as more substantial changes to the operating system.

Service Pack 2 is the biggest such package made available since Windows XP’s launch. Microsoft is billing it as a “major and significant security update for Windows.” Indeed, there are few visible new features added to Windows by installing the system.

The most prominent feature is the Security Center – a single place to get information about Anti-Virus, Firewall and Windows Update status. The Security Center monitors your computer’s security applications and lets you know if anything is not working properly.

Another new feature firmly rooted in security is the Windows Firewall. This programme prevents other computers connecting to yours without permission. When running you will be notified when an attempt to connect is made, and given the option to allow it or not – you would need to do this when using Messenger for example.

An update to Internet Explorer gives you more control over pop-up windows – the annoying adverts that often fill your screen whilst browsing the web. When a web site tries to open a pop-up Internet Explorer now plays a sound, and displays a new information bar telling you what happened. You can then select whether to allow pop-ups from a particular site – something you will only occasionally want to do.

For users of Wireless networking, the new Wireless LAN wizard and interface make it more straight-forward to set up networks and connect to existing ones. Bluetooth support is also added for those with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones
and other such gadgets.

Less visible features include blocking of some spyware, preventing automatic downloading of images and attachments in emails by Outlook Express, and more warnings when you are trying to do something that may be risky, such as open downloaded files.

Who needs it?

Service Pack 2 does not provide any exciting new functionality that might encourage you to get it immediately, yet Microsoft are determined that as many users of windows will install it as possible.

Users who do not use the internet at all do not really need to install the service pack. Everyone else should seriously consider it, despite the size of the file to be downloaded.

How to get Service Pack 2

The simplest way to get Service Pack 2 on a computer connected to the internet is by switching on Automatic Updates in Windows XP. You can switch this on by following instructions at Microsoft’s web site. Automatic Update downloads and installs Service Pack 2 while you work.

If you have an office or caf� full of computers you might not want to burden your internet connection with several automatic downloads. You can download the full installation pack from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/downloads/ -
select Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package. This can be burnt onto CD or shared on a network, from where it can be installed on any computer.

Local ISPs might consider making installation CDs available to larger clients.

Problems with Service Pack 2

In May articles appeared on the internet saying Microsoft had decided to allow the service pack to be installed on computers running pirated versions of Windows XP. This would have been a sensible step, as the more insecure computers there are in the world, the less secure we all are. Sadly the rumours were not true. Microsoft maintains a list of the most commonly copied registration codes for Windows, and blocks Service Pack installation on computers using them. Unfortunately this covers a large number of computer users in Tanzania. If this applies to you, you have the choice of obtaining a legitimate
copy of Windows or carrying on regardless – note that smaller patches will install on pirated versions of Windows. Or you could install a free operating system such as Linux.

A number of programmes stop working when you install Service Pack 2. These are mainly programmes which access the internet and are now blocked by the new Firewall, although some games and high end business applications are also affected. A list of known problems can be found on Microsoft’s site.

Opinion is currently divided over Service Pack 2 – is it an attempt by Microsoft to fix well known security flaws, or is it a large marketing download? My experience was a long download with an easy installation – certainly worth it for the peace of mind knowing you are up to date with your security.

Originally published in Arusha Times 336

Technology has transformed human life immeasurable over millions of years. Developments in areas such as food production and medicine have increased our efficiency as a species and removed many people from the evolutionary battle to survive as individuals.

Technology has transformed our relationship with our environment and with other people. The world no longer seems so large when it is possible to go from one side to the other in less than 24 hours, and speak with people on another
continent without even raising one’s voice. We are sheltered from the elements, and can obtain food in regions where there are shortages. Technology has made us masters of the earth.

The appliance of science

Science is the study of the environment we live in – our universe and everything within it. All technology is built on the foundation of scientific observation. This includes not just people in laboratories, but also farmers who thousands of years ago observed which crops grew best, and astronomers charting the night sky. These historical scientists developed technology from their observations. Farmer scientists discovered that different crops grew better in different locations, and concentrated their efforts appropriately. Ancient astronomers used their observations of the starts to create a way of
navigating oceans. Without these technologies mankind could not have populated the entire planet.

Today’s rapid developments in communications technology bring to our attention far more technological advances than in the past. Our parents find it hard to keep up with all the new gadgets and techniques available to help us in our daily tasks, and we in turn will be bamboozled by the developments our children will take for granted.

Abusable technology

For every leap forward that helps human society thrive, there seem to be developments that threaten our very existence either as a species or as individuals. Technology is clearly not always a positive influence on life.

Nuclear power, genetic engineering, huge networks of information and communication change dramatically what is possible in the world. Developments happen so fast that many people find themselves questioning these changes after they have happened.

Nuclear energy provides clean electricity with little input of raw materials. But it also produces dangerous waste that will take thousands of years to become safe, and is extremely difficult to store safely. Nuclear power stations also produce the raw materials required to make nuclear weapons.

Genetic engineering offers the possibility of creating new forms of life that can thrive better in environments we need them in. But it is hard to prevent genetically engineered crops cross pollinating natural crops. What is the long term result of untested genetic engineered crops on health and the environment?

Modern transport allows us to visit far away destinations, increasing the reach of our personal and business lives. But modern forms of transport are highly polluting, and enable the spread of diseases faster and further than ever before.

The internet connects the world more effectively and cheaply than ever before. But the internet has become a medium dominated by pornography and apparently swarms with dangerous extremists. As in the real world, viruses travel around the internet infecting millions of computers in a matter of hours.

Nanotechnology – making very tiny machines – promises to revolutionise everything from medicine (through injectable robots that attack diseases) to engineering (tiny machines that can build other machines). Some people fear that tiny self building robots could end up competing with humans and other forms of life for raw materials – the so called grey goo.

All developments bring both threats and opportunities. The challenge for those who create these technologies is to assess the level of threats in relation to opportunities, and take action to reduce them.

Many people fear that the dominant economic system of the world only rewards technology on the basis of its short-term results – there is apparently not enough incentive for technologists to adequately work out all the problems that may arise with their inventions.

Indeed, more and more people seek to buy motor cars for the short term convenience they provide, despite growing evidence to show that our reliance on oil based fuels is damaging to the environment and contributes to the development
of dangerous political situations such as in the Middle East. As consumers we create plenty of incentives for inventors to create new things without thinking about the long term repercussions. We must also take some responsibility for
the down side of technology – by doing so we create a market value for foresight in the invention process.

It is impossible to foresee all the implications of something new. We cannot prepare for everything, but we must be reflective in what we do, what we make and what we use. Inherent in all new things are some elements of danger.

That is the nature of technology.

Interesting sites

• www.abusabletech.org – discusses technology and how it can be abused
• www.greenpeace.org – environmentalist site with information on the threats inherent in many modern technologies
• www.svtc.org/icrt/ – International Campaign for Responsible Technology

Originally published in Arusha Times 335