Saturday 26 July, 2003

A New Beta Toolbar from Google by @ 7:07 pm

Google have released a beta version of their new toolbar. The toolbar from the search engine giant offers Internet Explorer users ad blocking, auto page filling and lots more. Hearolded by many users around the web for making Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.5 and above the perfect web browser by adding features that only other browsers used to offer, Google's new toolbar increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web.

I've not tried the toolbar yet, but it boasts such features as Page Ranking, ad blocking, auto fill and various search options like search within site.

Google seems upfront about what this toolbar does and says when you go to install it, it will communicate with Google to get information about page rankings and click throughs.

I'd be interested to hear from users who use the toolbar. Please use the forums to give us your feedback.

CLICK HERE to get further details and to install the Google Toolbar.

Thursday 24 July, 2003

AVG Update by @ 8:03 pm

Grisoft says this update adds detection for Worm/Niklas, Worm/Klanei, I-Worm/Gurnak, I-Worm/Neight, I-Worm/Osbourne, I-Worm/Vorgon, I-Worm/Wormex and new variants of Worm/Spybot, IRC/BackDoor.Sdbot, trojan Fargo, I-Worm/Gnuman, I-Worm/Trood, trojan Downloader.Apher, trojan Downloader.Aphex, trojan Downloader.Gspot, trojan Downloader.Iowa, trojan Downloader.Webdl, trojan Downloader.Zomget, trojan Downloader.Delf, trojan Downloader.Webdown, trojan MusicSearch, Worm/Bonet, Worm/Cyseq, Worm/Deborm, Worm/Spear, Worm/SuperLamer, Worm/Surnova and Worm/Sytro.

In one of the largest added detection updates for sometime you'll find the file size is 1487kb and a restart is not required.

Windows Update: DirectX9.0b patch and Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP by @ 12:31 pm

For those people who didn't update Microsoft's DirectX 9.0a to the newer version 9.0b lia the leaked update users spread around the web, Microsoft have added a patch to cure a vulnerability found in DirectX 9.0a which could allow an attacker to run code on your computer. The update comes in many varieties dependant upon which version of Windows you have. Windows Update will detect your operating system and offer the correct install.

Unlike DirectX itself, the patch can be uninstalled at a later date.

An Advanced Networking Pack for Windows XP has also been released. This update is not a critical one. The Advanced Networking Pack is an add-on for Windows XP SP1 that includes an updated Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) networking stack, an IPv6 Internet connection firewall (ICF), and the Microsoft Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networking platform. The optional Windows Peer-to-Peer networking component provides a framework for peer-to-peer programs to communicate directly between computers over Network Address Translation (NAT) devices and over the Internet.

Visit Windows Update to download both updates.

Sunday 20 July, 2003

JV16 Power Tools 1.4 released by @ 11:11 pm

JV16 Power Tools 1.4 has been released but beware, the program is nolonger freeware. A new company name, Macecraft Software with a new website now handles this program.

A message on the homepage says: This might, however, be a sad news for some of you, since from now on the jv16 PowerTools is no longer freeware. The decision to convert it to a commercial product wasn't easy for the program's original author, Jouni Vuorio. He has been working in the field of freeware system maintenance tools from the age of 17, now at the age of 21 he had to made the call. The biggest actual change will be in the quality of the software.

The cost of JV16 Power Tools is a massive $29.95 for a single user version. The prices range from $29.95 - $600 for help desk support.

I've taken a look at 1.4 and to be honest, I can see very little difference between this version and the previous freeware versions.

jv16 Power Tools Prices

Ad-Aware Update by @ 4:50 am

Lavasoft have updated their latest version of Ad-Aware to ref 01R20320.07.03. You will need the latest version of Ad-Aware to install this update version 6 build 181. The file size is 463254kb. This now gives you 10581 signitures.

Saturday 19 July, 2003

New BootVis exe by @ 3:49 pm

Microsoft says: BootVis.exe is a performance trace visualization tool for use with Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) systems.

The current version of BootVis requires Windows XP SP1 or later, and addresses the following known issues:

• Resolves a compatibility issue when running on Intel Pentium 4 processors with Hyper-Threading Technology enabled.

Note: In order to correct a problem with Bootvis tracing on systems with Hyper-Threading Technology, a kernel hot fix is required. Refer to Knowledge Base article Q821581 for more details and to obtain the fix.

• Resolves a compatibility issue when using third-party IDE drivers.


Note: This tool is intended for hardware developers and manufacturers of PCs and PC peripherals only.
DOWNLOAD it now.

Wednesday 16 July, 2003

Create PDF Documents for free by @ 11:55 am

CutePDF says: Create PDF documents easy and fast, from any Windows application.

Portable Document Format (PDF) is the de facto standard for the secure and reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. CutePDF Printer is the free PDF creation software. CutePDF Printer installs itself as a "printer subsystem". This enables virtually any Windows applications (must be able to print) to create perfect PDF documents - with just a push of a button!

Easy-to-Install, Easy-to-Use, Supports Windows 98/Me/2000/XP.

Absolutely Free! No watermarks! No Annoying Popup Advertisements

CLICK HERE for full details and download links.

Tuesday 15 July, 2003

New ATI Catalyst 3.6 drivers by @ 10:17 pm

ATI have just release the latest incarnation of the Catalyst drivers version 3.6 You can download them from the ATI website

Now I was going to upload all my initial benchmark shots but to be honest, 3.6 is no improvement in speed in any of the tests that I did (Codecult, 3dmark 03, 3dmark 2001 etc). So if you want more speed, your out of luck this time round. These drivers fix a few issues in a few games as ATI tell us:

Resolved Game Issues

• Switching to the program Second Life using the ALT-Tab command no longer results in the system not responding or looping indefinitely
• Running the demo game Lord of the Realms 3 under Windows XP with a RADEOIN 9000 series card installed no longer results in the system not responding when a 3 stage effect is used
• The game Unreal Tournament 2003 no longer hangs when loading the CTF-December level
• The geometry flashing throughout the background of Second Life is now resolved
• Flickering and display corruption in the game NeverWinter Nights is now resolved

Other fixes have been made to TV-Out and a few other minor issues. For a full list you can read the readme HERE

Now here is where the problems start. Although these drivers fix a few game issues (and I'm sure that's very welcome if you have those games) but these drivers also cause a few issues too.

One issue that I have is with a demo called Miracle. This demo worked fine up until version 3.4 and despite a promise that the beta team would look into the problem, 3.5 and 3.6 has not resolved it. Let me show you the problem. Towards the end of the demo you see a shot of a statue. Two things happen, an image is projected as if from a projector behind the statue. A dynamic shadow of the statue is reflected from the statue onto the surface in front of it which moves right to left as the image is moved. Nice effect, but since Catalyst 3.4 the image and shadow is missing. Here are two screenshots using older 3.2 drivers and the latest 3.6.

Miracle Demo using Catalyst 3.2 Drivers

Miracle Demo using Catalyst 3.5 or 3.6 Drivers

Clone demo using Catalyst 3.4 drivers

Clone demo using Catalyst 3.5 or 3.6 drivers

Yet another AVG Update by @ 5:12 am

Grisoft have updated their free antivirus software AVG. Update your antivirus software to keep your computer safe and free from nasyies. Grisoft tells us that this update adds detection of Win32/Rosec, Worm/Spirit, Trojan Migmaf and new variants of I-Worm/Ronoper, Win32/Vcell, Win32/Slaman.

The file size is 1479.4kb and a restart is not required.

Friday 11 July, 2003

AVG Update by @ 10:36 pm

Grisoft have updated both the free AVG 6 and AVG version 7. Grisoft says that this update adds detection of I-Worm/Israz and new variants of I-Worm/Zokrim, I-Worm/Ronoper.

Version 7 update is numbered 113 while the free AVG 6 update is numbered 500

A restart is not required.

Wednesday 9 July, 2003

Windows Updates Available by @ 8:14 pm

2 critical and a number of non-critical updates are available from Windows Update. Download these updates now to keep your pc safe and up to date.

The 2 critical updates are 817606 which is a identified security issue in Windows which could let an attacker to compromise a Windows based system and take various actions and 823559 which is headed the same. I am at this time unable to give you any further details as I just can't find the kb page to quote from with the details.

A number of non-critical updates are also available for Microsoft Jet 4 SP7 x2 and a patch code for Windows error reporting.

Visit Windows Update to download and install. A restart is required after downloading.

Getright Updated to 5.02 by @ 1:15 pm

Getright has updated it's download manager to version 5.02. No major changes in this version, just a few bug fixes.

Getright says:
A list of most of the changes and improvements in GetRight 5.0.2.
- CRASHES. There were a number of crashes in 5.01 and a few remaining in 5.01a for some people, this hopefully fixes them all (reports from testing are it is much better!)
- Added an option for a smaller drag-and-drop window.
- Added often requested tool to add a sequence of numbered URLs, giving a starting number, ending number, where to save them, etc.
Added some processing to handle some different type of redirecting for ASF files.
- Added so Save As window does resizing (if the version of Windows you're using supports it).
- Added a better prompt when downloaded a skin asking 'Add to GetRight's list of skins?'

To update your version head over to the Getright Website

No more Omega drivers for nVidia cards by @ 12:46 pm

I know that over the past few years, many of you with nVidia graphics card have grown to love and prefer Omegas drivers over the official or frequently leaked nVidia versions. Well, sadly, another era has come to an end as explained on the Omega website.

Well, as most of you have heard by now, I will not be releasing any more Omega drivers for nvidia cards. I know this must come as a surprise for many since there are a lot of people who trust my work and know that I'm doing all of this to help people. This is what REALLY happened:
I received an E-Mail from nvidia on June 17, it was from one of their attorneys, and he wanted to speak with me personally on the phone. The mail seemed friendly, but since it was coming from the nvidia law offices, I was worried of some kind of lawsuit because of my work. I called him after reading the mail, and he greeted me in a friendly tone, so my nerves started to calm down as soon as he told me that he only wanted to ask me a few questions. He started by telling me that many people filled complaints at nvidia because my drivers where "damaging" PCs and that people thought my drivers where approved by them since I had the nvidia logo on my page, so I corrected him and told him that I have a very clear statement on my page and in the driver installation that warned users about the drivers, that they where not supported by nvidia in any way and in case of problems contact me directly or through the forums. Then he told me that what I was doing was illegal, that I can't reverse engineer their drivers, because it was in the license agreement, so I explained to him that I never did that, that I use registry tweaks and dll swaps to make the drivers work like I wanted, then I used settings and patch scripts that are freely available in tweakers like RivaTuner, plus I add some others that are of my own creation, like the custom resolutions and DirectX optimizations, and at the end I just packed all that work in one simple installer and distributed it freely on the internet. After my explanation the only thing he had against me was the nvidia logo on my page, so he told me that I must remove it immediately because people would get confused an think that my drivers are official nvidia drivers, so I told him that there is no problem, the logo will go. He thanks me and asks my phone number because they will be contacting me again, so I gave him my number and thank him for his time.
After that I removed the logo and didn't heard from them again, I was gonna continue to make the drivers, but had my doubts...

Then, just a few days ago, I got an E-Mail from Zardon telling me that nvidia E-Mailed him about my drivers, and told him to REMOVE THE DRIVERS FROM DRIVERHEAVEN...
Now that does it! One thing is contacting me about my drivers and asking me to stop working on them, another is to force websites to take down the drivers which they host as a favor to the community.
Right now I'm really pissed of at nvidia for that thing alone, first the cheats, then buying Futuremark's statement and now, Take down 3rd party sets that help them by making their customers happy? What's wrong with them!? They think money can buy anything?
They are in the wrong track, they just want to cover all that bad press that they have been receiving lately by buying trust, but TRUST is not something they can buy, is something they must EARN! Gamers know that, they are no fools, maybe they can convince some old guy sitting in a president chair about it, showing him big numbers in synthetic benchmarks and showing their financial year gains, but they can't fool US:

WE are the ones that buy their cards.
WE are the ones that play the games.
WE are the ones that support each other in forums when something goes wrong.
WE are the ones that make their hardware reviews.
WE are the ones that they should listen.
WE are the ONLY ones, that can make a difference...

See ya! nvidia.... Sorry to all who supported my work, may GOD bless you all

ATI Driver News
On the other hand, there is ATI...

In the beginning, their drivers left much to be desired. When I bought my Radeon 8500 half of the things didn't worked and it was not working as advertised, that was a bad step for ATI. But unlike nvidia, they listened to their customers and with each driver release, things got better and better, fixing little by little all those holes, errors and memory leaks, to the point where the Catalyst drivers are right now, a point where they are almost bug free, at least is really difficult for me to spot bugs anymore...
Then ATI goes a step further and creates a BETA testing community where all member report bugs directly to the driver programmers and hardware engineers, a plus for "normal" tech support and one that encourages trust and the shows the company's dedication to their users.
I must personally thank Terry (Catalyst Maker) for his trust in my work, for noticing that I do this to help people, for his personal help and for letting me be part of the excellent Catalyst's Elite Beta Testing Group.

In other news, the new Omega drivers based on the Catalyst 3.5 are ready; go get them in my ATI page. Enjoy!

On a personal note, I wish Omega the best of luck and hope that the relationship with ATI continues to grow and flourish.

OK, I'm not going to get embroiled into an argument as to the legal position of Omega, However, I would like to tell it as I see it.

As many readers will know, I was up against the might of nVidia myself when they failed to support older graphics cards properly with their 40.xx drivers. I had a GeForce 3 at the time and a bug in the drivers rendered many many 3D programs unusable. I wrote to nVidia explaining about the bug but got no reply. I decided to tackle the problem in the only way I could at the time, head on by setting up a website called Detonator Destroyed (my demo fun). With the help of 1000s of nVidia fans who were in the same boat as me with these drivers, I set out myself to find what the flaw was. I was finally able, using a simple free screensaver that I downloaded from the net, to recreate the glitch at will. The site grew rapidly as 1000s of emails came in and users added games and demos that wouldn't work with their drivers on a number of GeForce 3 cards.

After about 3 weeks, nVidia emailed me who said at last they would look into the drivers.

About a month later, nVidia leaked a few drivers to the net which were fixed. All subsequent drivers had the fix to. Probably due to all the over use my computer got, it gave up the ghost and I lost the pages that made up the Detonator Destroyed website. As the fix had finally been made, I decided it wasn't worth restarting the site (and learning an important lesson about back-up back-up back-up).

Wanting to upgrade my card to match my new system, I wanted a new GeForceFX Ultra which was promised to be released before Christmas last year. Christmas came and went and still nothing from nVidia. Then we heard that the cards would be available in small quantities in February. February came and went, nothing. When a few sites who got review cards started telling the world what a flop this new card from nVidia was, I just about had enough of this waiting game and decided to switch camps and move over to a ATI card. The rest is history, I've never been so happy and the driver support is second to none. I've said it once and I'll say it again, ATIs drivers are the most stable and compatible I've ever used. They are constantly improving my Radeon 9700 pro.

Terry Makedon and his team have listened to their public all the way. I have pointed out a few very minor glitches in individual demos I have and have been told they will look into it from the get go. ATI are open and honest about their drivers. We will hopefully never see leaked ATI drivers again. Unlike nVidia who seem to have leaked drivers appearing on the net almost weekly (I'll say no more, but I'd love to), ATI have a team of dedicated beta testers who test out all drivers before official release. Driver revisions are released monthly and I don't claim they will always be perfect (re 3.5 OpenGL patch) but at least you will always know where the drivers come from. (On more than one occasion I downloaded leaked nVidia drivers only to find they had hacked inf files from a previous release.)

As I said at the top, I wish Omega the best of luck and hope that the relationship with ATI continues to grow and flourish.

Tuesday 8 July, 2003

Big Changes at Grisoft by @ 9:09 pm

Grisoft have a new slick website to show off their new AVG 7 products. AVG 7 has been released in 4 versions.

AVG Professional Single Edition provides comprehensive anti-virus protection for personal computers. The unique combination of detection methods (heuristic analysis, generic detection, scanning and integrity checking) ensures that your computer receives the maximum protection possible on multiple levels (Resident Shield, Email Scanner plugins, Personal Email Scanner, On-Demand and other tests, etc.).

AVG Email Server Edition provides protection for email servers (email servers currently supported - MS Exchange 5.5/2000, Lotus Notes / Domino, Kerio mail Server and Lan Suite 602). AVG removes viruses from incoming email messages - ensuring that they cannot harm the computer - and deals with them according to rules defined by the user. AVG Anti-Virus can even be set as a filter for undesireable or suspicious files, according to criteria such as the file extension type. Also, AVG Email Server Edition includes AVG File Server Edition, which provides comprehensive anti-virus protection for Microsoft Windows NT4/2000 file servers. Licenses for AVG Email Server Edition are calculated based on the number of mailboxes/accounts on the server.

AVG Network Edition provides antivirus protection for computer networks. The same advanced detection methods used by AVG Professional Edition (heuristic analysis, generic detection, scanning and integrity checking) are available on all of the workstations on the network. The AVGAdmin tool provides the network administrator with the necessary tools to centrally adminster and manage all work-stations on the network, including AVG installation and configuration, virus database and program updates, and performing tests on remote network workstations. AVGAdmin is independent of the network (Microsoft, Novell, P2P, etc.) and server architecture. As a special bonus, included with AVG Network Edition is the AVG File Server Edition which provides complete protection for Microsoft Windows NT4/2000/2003 servers.

AVG File Server Edition provides anti-virus protection for Microsoft Windows NT4/2000 file servers. The Resident Shield (on-access scanner) is easy on system resources while ensuring maximum reliability, making it ideal for protecting much more than just thin client networks.

AVG Home single user FREE has yet to be released.

New for AVG Anti-Virus 7.0: all Editions now support 30-day trial versions! The fully functional product is available for you to try for 30 day with no obligation. During the evaluation period, you will be able to test the functions, features and capabilities of AVG Anti-Virus, as well as to verify for yourself just how effective and reliable AVG Anti-Virus protection is. In addition, you will have access to the AVG Technical Support team for the duration of your Trial license. The AVG Network Edition, AVG File Server Edition, and Email Server Edition trial versions each support up to 10 licenses - the perfect size to try AVG Anti-Virus in your small office, a division of your company, or in the IT lab of larger corporation.

Those with version 6 FREE edition, an update is available. Grisift says this update adds detection of Win32/Mutan, Downloader.Ataka, BackDoor.Prx, Golon, PSW.Narod and new variants of Worm/Ircobus, Worm/Randon, BackDoor.Iroffer, BackDoor.Netdex, Dialer, Downloader.Sandesa, Dropper.Joiner.

New DirectX9 Demo by Noice by @ 12:17 pm

I know some of you like to see what your high end graphics cards can do, well Noice have just posted a new DX9 demo called Schism. It makes heavy use of fragmentshaders, it's in OpenGl1.1 and needs DirectX9 (which should please you peeps who say "But we don't ever see anything that uses DirectX9...".

This demo has just won the 3D Demo secion at Remedy Scenezone 2003 with 169 votes.

Go download this 18mb demo from the Noice website HERE or visit the Noice website HERE.

For you folks who don't have such a nice card as a 9700 pro/9800 pro/GeForceFX Ultra, you can watch an mpg movie of what it looks like HERE which is being offered by Scene.Org

and just to wet you whiskers, here are a couple of screenies!

Monday 7 July, 2003

Virus Alert WORM_MYLIFE.M by @ 7:09 pm

Trend micro warns of a new virus threat. It's a worm called WORM_MYLIFE.M. It's a medium risk worm but the damage it does is high. The email message WORM_MYLIFE.M sends out is as follows:

Subject: Old Shakira
Message Body:
Hi

i saw this good ASS,, i sleep 3 hours ;-)
check Shakira ass soory Shakira movi :)

========No virus detected========
MCAFEE.COM
Attachment: Shakira_1997_part_1_.Mpeg_.scr


Subject: Fw: Julia Roberts
Message Body:
Hi
How are you?
Lexy and Mystique, a couple of 18 yr old bi gothic chicks, came over and had some fun in our shower. This scene looks even better on video, check em out at gotgiclex.com

========No virus detected========
MCAFEE.COM
Attachment: Julia_Roberts_*******_toilet.Mpeg_.scr

This malware is UPX-compressed and is developed in Visual Basic. It also requires the library file MSVBVM60.DLL in order to execute.

Visit the Trend Micro website for removal instructions and further details.

Saturday 5 July, 2003

AVAST me hearty's! by bluetracker @ 8:28 am

Friday 4 July, 2003

Grisoft Updates AVG Again! by @ 8:49 pm

Just hours since Grisoft updated their AGV antivirus software, Grisoft have issued another update. This update adds detection of new variant of I-Worm/Mylife - I-Worm/Mylife.M and fixed false alarm "Trojan horse Dropper.Checkin.A".

I'd pick up your update pretty sharpish as Grisoft have just issued the following statement and I did have problems myself getting the download this morning:

Due to the maintenance of our www server, the www.grisoft.com could be unavailable during the weekend 5/6.7.2003. We are very sorry for any incured problems.

AVG Update by @ 1:48 pm

This update adds detection of Win32/Atendo, Win32/Doxin, Win32/Keisan, Win32/Kespy, Win32/Kiro, Win32/Opdoc and new variants of Win32/Alcopaul, I-Worm/Outsider, I-Worm/Merkur, I-Worm/Centar, I-Worm/Celebit, I-Worm/Auric, BackDoor.Delf, IRC/BackDoor.SdBot.

I was unable to update using the update tab in AVG, this is due to Grisofts servers either going down or being overloaded. But if you suffer the same problem, you can manually update AVG by going to the Grisoft website and clicking on the 496 update in the list. Updating AVG this way, you have to put the file in the 'UPDATE' folder manually and then run AVG. The other downside to doing updates this way is the file size is 3.4mb instead of the usual 1.4mb.

ATI Radeon beats GeforceFX in every test by @ 1:35 pm

I don't normally write about card benchmarks, but this one is different. It didn't use the usual array of static benchmarks, it used real games. You'll be amazed at the results, it shows that the ATI R300s beat the new GeForceFX 5900 Ultra 256MB hands down in every test.

The review at GamePC uses Vice city, No one lives forever 2, Warcraft III, Unreal Tournament 2003 and Freelancer to test GeForceFX 5600 128MB, 5600 Ultra 128MB and the new 5900 Ultra 256MB up against ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB, Radeon 9700 Pro 128MB, Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB and latest Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB.

In every test the Radeon 9800 pro 256mb beat nVidias GeForceFX 5900 Ultra 256MB and even in some of the tests shown the older ATI 9700 pro outstripped it.

I think the summing up statement by GamePC says it all really:

The Radeon 9800 Pro runs cooler, quieter, only takes up one case slot, runs better in every single benchmark we tested with, and to top it all off, is less expensive as well.

It's a long review and test (13 pages) so be prepared to do some reading. OK, I'm bias, I have a 9700 pro, but as you know, I was extremely reluctant to move away from something I knew so well with nVidia products, but I'm sure glad I did. ATI have really got their act together now. They have come up with some of the most stable drivers I've ever used and with Terry Makedon and his team of beta testers bringing out monthly driver updates, the card just gets faster and faster. Maybe it cos I'm British that I've always backed the little guy, but ATI arn't going to remain 'the little guy' for much longer unless nVidia can pull something out of the hat pretty soon.

Thursday 3 July, 2003

It's Coming... by @ 11:02 am

What's coming? I don't have a clue! I'm sitting here typing out a story about a product I know nothing about. All I know is it's made by Sapphire and is powered by ATI. Apart from that, I know nothing. Why? Well this ones got me hooked. It's got my ever-watchful newshound instincts teetering on the edge of orgasm. I'm intrigued and just can't wait to find out 'What is under that cloth?'

What's under this cloth?

Wednesday 2 July, 2003

Mozilla 1.4 Final Released by @ 7:37 pm

Here is a list of the main additions to be found in Mozilla 1.4:

•Mozilla on Windows now has support for NTLM authentication. This enables Mozilla to talk to MS web and proxy servers that are configured to use "windows integrated security".

•Mozilla's bookmarks have been overhauled. Bookmarks now include a root level folder, the ability to have two differently named bookmarks pointing at the same location, site icons in the Bookmark Manager and Bookmarks Sidebar, and separators now have support for labels.

•Composer now supports click and drag dynamic image and table resizing. If an image is selected or if the caret is placed inside a table, eight resizing handles appear and allow to resize the image/table with a simple click/drag/release. In the case of an image, the resizing is done real-time and a semi-opaque shadow of the image at its target size is shown during resizing. A tooltip shows in real-time the target size in pixels, and the relative change in pixels too.

•Mail now has junk-mail context menu items, a "delete junk mail" menu item and many other usability improvements for junk-mail controls.

•Pop-up blocking has been streamlined to improve usability.
Users can now specify "blank page," "home page," or "Last page visited" for each of first window, new window and new tab.
Users can now specify default font, size and color for HTML mail compose.

•Image blocking/disabling is now more flexible and users can "view image" to see blocked or not loaded images.

•"Launch file" after downloading has been enabled for .exe files
It is possible to build Mozilla for Win32 using GCC. See the win32 build instructions for details.

•Proxy auto-config (PAC) failover has been implemented

•Mozilla 1.4 contains thousands of additional bugfixes, including changes to improve performance, stability, web site compatability, standards support, and usability.

Head on over to www.mozilla.org for full details and download links.

Norton AntiVirus 2004 Beta Version Available by @ 7:26 pm

Symantec, the daddy of all antivirus software has released a beta version of their 2004 product. The first 50 users who report undocumented bugs will get the final version for free. Symantec says:

We are very pleased to make the beta version of Norton AntiVirus 2004 for Windows 98/2000/Millennium/XP available for download. Norton AntiVirus 2004 is the best, most reliable and easy to use antivirus program in the world.

Many new improvements and new features have been added to Norton AntiVirus 2004. We are very interested in your feedback on this product. We will give away 50 FREE copies of Norton AntiVirus 2004 to the first 50 beta users that submit undocumented bugs. Winners will be notified via e-mail.

For full details, pop over to the Symantec beta website

Please note: The beta version will auto expire in 30 days.