teknote systems corporate blog

Apple’s release of its new Mac OS X Leopard has all the tech critics talking raving. Not only is the operating system an improvement on an already proven leader, but Leopard applies a human touch with the use of file Stacks for organization and Finder for management. As an additional and much needed feature, Apple also introduces Time Machine as a solution for file backup and recovery. And with a pricetag less than $200 for a new install or upgrade, these features (and 300+ more) are well worth the investment for Apple computer users.

This is the kind of stir in technology that makes us Windows users tempted to jump ship…

If you haven’t been keeping your eyes open to the latest internet trend, you must read up on WIDGETS. These little modules of code are sure to transform the way we experience the world wide web, and the more you know about what is available for your personal desktop, the better the experience.

According to BusinessWeek magazine:

In the Web world, widgets are modules of software that people can drag and drop onto the personal page of their social network or onto a blog. There, widgets typically look like a little window or box, packing a bit of the functionality that you would get with a stand-alone Web site or software package. The result can be as mundane as the WeatherBug, or a YouTube clip of your favorite video of a bulldog riding a skateboard… more.

~ “The Next Small Thing” by Spencer E. Ante, Heather Green, and Catherine Holahan

With that said, take the plunge and get yourself some WIDGETS. Teknote Systems recommends starting by way of Mozilla Firefox Add-ons or iGoogle. But those are just the tip of the iceburg. Keep an eye on this new wave of web applications as widgets take the internet by storm.

Effective May 1, 2007, Microsoft Office 2003 will no longer be available

As of May 1st, customers can no longer have Microsoft Office 2003 pre-installed on their systems. Only Microsoft Office 2007 will be offered on all systems - including those with Windows XP.

Is Microsoft Office 2007 compatible with Windows XP?

YES. All of the new and exciting features of Microsoft Office 2007 are completely compatible with Windows XP

Is Microsoft Office 2007 backwards compatible with previous versions of Microsoft Office?

YES. Microsoft Office 2007 files will automatically convert to readable/usable files for anyone using any prior version of Office and vice versa.

Are there any issues with Microsoft Office 2007?

NO. All of the functionality within Office 2003 is available in Office 2007

Why should I want to install Office 2007 on my systems?

Microsoft Office 2007 was designed to be more user-friendly. The new Ribbon shows visual representations of tools and commands, unlike prior versions of Office in which the user had to search the toolbar to complete a task.

Symantec’s Security Response Weblog talks about the latest ‘Spam Attack: Zipped Trojan’. Make sure those virus definitions are updated and read more below or at this link:

Security Response has seen a large spam run of what appears to be the latest in the line of Trojan.Peacomm variants. While this is nothing new, this time around the attachments are in the form of password-protected zip files. The recipient is tricked into unzipping the attachment with the included password, then running the unzipped file, to counteract activity related to an unknown worm (with which the recipient has undoubtedly been infected)…

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URL: If the Time Bomb Goes Off, You Should…

What is Microsoft’s big advice for dealing with the daylight-saving time change on Sunday? Check your calendar.

Time’s a wastin’. Did you get the memo?

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed. These four weeks are referred to in this article as the extended DST period. Visit MSN Encarta for more general information on DST.

When your time zone settings are incorrect your clock may be off by one hour, and certain applications running on your Windows based computer may not display the correct time. To address this, Microsoft is providing many free updates and tools that will update your system automatically.

Top Issues

Microsoft products affected by 2007 daylight saving time changes
What end users can do to ease the transition
General sequence of update actions and special considerations