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The Mystery Revealed

The debate over which Web browser to use stirs opinions as passionate as the eternal question of Coke vs. Pepsi. To aid in your decision, Patrick Nemil from the OIT Help Desk weighs the pros and cons of the up-and-coming Mozilla Firefox and the old standard Microsoft Internet Explorer in a Windows environment.

The biggest positives for using Internet Explorer (IE) are availability and functionality. IE is installed as a part of the Windows operating system and most Web sites are designed to be compatible with it because of its popularity. The negatives are led by the major concern of most Internet users today—security. One of the major flaws of IE is its use of ActiveX. Through a flaw in ActiveX, hackers are able to execute scripts that may be malicious, possibly installing viruses or spyware on your computer.

The positives of Firefox are many, but most importantly, Firefox does not contain the inherent flaws that make IE a security risk. An added benefit of Firefox is that it allows you to open multiple Web pages and switch between them using tabs in one browser window instead of using multiple browser windows and cluttering your desktop or task bar. The negative of Firefox is that not all Web sites will work with it because some are designed specifically for IE.

Overall, the biggest difference is security, but keep in mind that most hackers focus their efforts on hacking IE because of its popularity—they get the biggest bang that way. Who knows what will happen when Firefox increases in popularity? Also, these two browsers are not your only options. The OIT Help Desk also supports Netscape, Mozilla, and Safari. Remember, no matter which browser you choose, the most important ways to stay secure are to make sure that your system is current by installing updates offered by the software developers, and to be wary of where you go and what you download.

Ask the Expert:

What do I do if my computer crashes?

Really, it depends on what kind of crash. Did you see a blue screen or a sad Mac icon? Any kind of error message? Or did the screen just go dark?

The last one is probably the least horrifying possibility. It’s most likely something with the monitor. Monitors do fail suddenly – usually with a pop or a bad smell. Check to see if the green power indicator is on. If it’s yellow, unplug the monitor from the back of the computer and re-connect it to be sure that it’s not loose. Check the monitor power cord if the indicator’s not lit. Listen closely for the CPU fan too. Power cords do come loose, and when they do they look like they’re still plugged in.

Be sure that the keyboard and mouse are connected. Be sure that their plugs aren’t halfway falling out of the connector on the computer itself. Same for external drives, music players, USB drives and such.

If you get an error when you’re trying to save a file to a floppy, try saving it to the desktop. Even if the floppy’s going bad you can usually save whatever work you’ve done to the desktop. Then you can e-mail it to yourself to be sure you don’t lose any work. Here’s a hint: I wouldn’t use a floppy in a computer lab. The person before you might have used a floppy that has been in the bottom of his backpack for two years and is covered in dust and lint. E-mail your work to yourself or save it to your WAM or Glue account. Everything in those accounts gets backed up nightly, too.

If you’re seeing data or read errors and hearing clicking or buzzing sounds, there’s probably something going on with the hard disk. Try to save any work you have open, and then see if a reboot helps. If not, then it’s time to call the manufacturer.

Maybe your machine seems okay, except that the Web doesn’t work. In that case, call the OIT Help Desk (301.405.1500). We can help you figure out what’s wrong.

UM Battles Piracy with Legal Music Service

While the debate over peer-to-peer file sharing and copyright violation continues to be in the news and subpoenas for students pirating music and other media are a reality for college campuses everywhere, UM is experimenting with providing a legal alternative to copyright piracy for its students. Last year, student and administrative task forces evaluated numerous legal music subscription services to decide which service would best suit the university. The task forces decided on Cdigix, the most popular music subscription service offered on college campuses.

Cdigix provides the largest music catalog at the lowest price. It is the choice of 24 schools, most recently, the University of California. Until the end of the fall 2005 semester, UM undergraduate students can try the Ctrax music subscription service for free. This service offers unlimited tethered downloads on up to three computers running Windows. If you’d like to keep your music or transfer

it to a portable device, you can use a major credit card to pay $0.89 per song or $9.99 per album. For more information, visit
www.oit.umd.edu/musicservice.

Cdigix is planning several enhancements to its service this semester, including introducing a premium subscription service (Ctrax2Go, that would allow your downloads to be portable), and improving its downloading interface by replacing its current Web browser dependent version with a downloadable application.

While many students seem determined to be dissatisfied with any service that does not offer unlimited free portable downloading, there is no legal service that provides that functionality. The Peer-to-Peer Task Force is interested in your opinions, both about Cdigix specifically, and about the university offering a music subscription service in general. Contact them at
P2P-task-force@umd.edu.

She's a Winner!

Congratulations to Lovy Kim, sophomore in Letters and Sciences, winner of last issue's Dell Smart USB Flash Memory Key giveway!

For details on how you could win one of your own, visit www.oit.umd.edu/key!