Planet Lowyat

Microsoft ISA Server 2006 Service Pack 1 have been released!

The new features focus on configuration change management and enhanced troubleshooting designed to help you identify and resolve ISA Server configuration issues within the ISA Server Management console.

The service pack includes the following new features and feature improvements:

• Configuration Change Tracking—Registers all configuration changes applied to ISA Server to help you assess issues that may occur as a result of these changes.
• Test Button—Tests the consistency of a Web publishing rule between the published server and ISA Server.
• Traffic Simulator—Simulates network traffic in accordance with specified request parameters, such as an internal user and the Web server, providing information about firewall policy rules evaluated for the request.
• Diagnostic Logging Viewer—Now integrated as a tab into the ISA Server Management console, this feature displays detailed events on packet progress and provides information about handling and rule matching.
Improvements for existing features, including:
• Support for integrated NLB mode in all three modes, including unicast, multicast, and multicast with Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP). Previously, ISA Server integrated NLB-supported unicast mode only.
• Support for use of server certificates containing multiple Subject Alternative Name (SAN) entries. Previously, ISA Server was able to use either only either the subject name (common name) of a server certificate, or the first entry in the SAN list.
• Support for Kerberos Constrained Delegation (KCD) cross-domain authentication. Credentials from users located in a different domain than the ISA Server, but in the same forest, can now be delegated to an internal published Web site by using KCD .
• Support for client certificate authentication in a workgroup deployment. This removes the requirement to map each client certificate to an Active Directory® directory user account.

For more information about this service pack, see Microsoft Article 943462.
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Practical Technology has learned from several sources that Linspire, the San Diego, Calif-based Linux distributor is being bought out by Xandros, the Canadian desktop Linux vendor.

In an announcement that was sent out today, June 30, to Linspire stockholders, CEO Larry Kettler wrote that the stockholders had decided to sell all of Linspire’s assets. This deal specifically includes Linspire, Freespire, and the company’s distribution agnostic CNR (Click ‘N Run) desktop installation platform.

This move is not being greeted with enthusiasm by all of Linspire stockholders’. Kevin Carmony, former CEO of Linspire, wrote on his blog, “In classic Michael Robertson [Linspire's founder and chief owner] form, he has once again completely disregarded the 100 some-odd shareholders of Linspire by pulling off this deal without a shareholder meeting. Most states require shareholder approval of any merger or reorganization of a corporation, or the sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the corporation’s assets. Even if a company only has 1 minority shareholder, there should be a shareholder meeting and the acquisition explained to all shareholders. What do Linspire shareholders get in place of a shareholder meeting? This completely worthless notice in the mail.”

Carmony, who has since switched to Ubuntu for his Linux needs, went on, “This will end up being a completely insignificant event for Linspire shareholders, and the end for Linspire customers. I predict this was done to: 1) help Robertson drain the company of its cash and resources. When I left Linspire, we had a very profitable year and the company had millions in the bank. I predict Robertson has moved this money to himself, family, and his other companies, leaving Linspire’s minority shareholders with nothing. 2) help Robertson save face by issuing a “Linspire Acquired by Xandros!” press release, instead of living with the public humiliation that Linspire failed under his leadership. Such a press release will of course be meaningless, unless the acquisition was substantial. As a shareholder, I will eventually find out. 3) Give Xandros (also seemingly on life support) a press release, and perhaps some way for them to spin this to investors to raise money.

Since Carmony left the firm in the summer of 2007, Linspire was successful in getting the long delayed CNR out the door. In addition, Linspire made a deal with Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, and Mint, to offer their users easily installed software through the CNR system. However, the company’s CNR development has proceeded at a very slow pace and users were complaining about the lack of availability of up-to-date Linux software from the service.

Xandros, with its distribution’s tracing its roots back to 1999’s Corel Linux, can claim to be the oldest desktop Linux distributor. More to the point, with its deal with Asus to pre-install Xandros Linux on Asus’ amazingly popular Linux-powered Eee computer line, Xandros has become a very popular Linux distribution. Sources at Xandros have also told Practical Technology that while the company is not making money hand over fist it has been realizing “a very nice revenue stream from its Asus systems.

Neither company, at this time, has confirmed either the deal or the amount that exchanged hands to make it happen. According to a source close to the acquisition, the approximately $1-million loan that Linspire had made to Xandros several years ago did not play a role in this transaction. That loan, the source said, had been settled for pennies on the dollar.

Carmony, however, doesn’t see any real value coming out of the Xandros deal for Linspire stockholders. Carmony told me, “?Before Linspire and Xandros try to spin this into something actually positive, I’d like to offer my Linspire shares to either Michael [Robertson] or Andy Typaldos (Xandros’ CEO) for $.10 a share. That’s 80% less than what it was worth just ten months ago. If this transaction happened at a good valuation, then I’m sure Michael or Andy will be all over my offer, right?”

The former CEO has been hostile towards the company’s leadership for some time. In April, Carmony complained publicly about Linspire not holding a stockholder’s meeting. He then wrote, “We had a top-notch finance team that made sure we always stayed on top of our accounting, audits, financial statements, and compliance to shareholders with properly scheduled and documented board meetings and annual shareholder meetings. Since leaving Linspire, this practice seems to have ended.”

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Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.4 via the Mac OS X Software Update:

The 10.5.4 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1994.
For detailed information on security updates, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

This represents a rapid turnaround for Mac OS X version updates, with the last point upgrade having been released just one month ago (May 28th). The new update, however, is a requirement for some of the features of Apple’s upcoming MobileMe service.

Update: Alongside OS X 10.5.4, Apple also released Security Update 2008-004 for users running OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5 - 10.5.3. This security update appears to be included in the OS X 10.5.4 update but has also been made available as a standalone update.

Finally, Apple released Safari 3.1.2 for Mac OS X 10.4.11. This update addresses a WebKit vulnerability that was fixed for Windows XP and Vista users in Safari 3.1.2 for Windows (released June 19th) and for Leopard users with the 10.5.4 update.

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Adobe has released Acrobat 9, the latest version of its PDF document tool that includes built-in support for Flash and multimedia content.

Acrobat 9 lets users convert MOV and WMV files to Flash content that can be embedded within PDFs alongside audio content and even 3D models. The free Acrobat Reader 9 will play the movies, eliminating the need to open other media players.

Adobe released a beta test version of Acrobat 9 earlier this month, along with a new online service called Acrobat.com that includes a Web-based word processor, conferencing and remote access, PDF creation, and 5 gigabytes of file storage.

In combination with the Acrobat.com service, Acrobat 9 lets multiple users collaborate in real-time online to share documents.

The new PDF Portfolios feature in Acrobat 9 lets users drag and drop documents and multimedia content into a single PDF document, then choose from myriad layout and presentation options.

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AMD AND INTEL are teaming up to backhand Nvidia in the physics arena. They are presenting a unified front to shut out NV for the first time.

If you remember, NV bought Ageia a while ago, and Intel owns Havok. Until today, this left ATI out in the cold; they could do their own and end up with a situation where each GPU has it’s own physics, or simply sit out the fray. They wisely chose to partner with Havok/Intel, and in doing so, marginalise Nvidia.

If the two sides play nice, and I have no doubt they will in the short and medium term, then that leaves the Nvidia/Ageia PhysX API as the red-headed stepchild of the industry. You have the Intel support mechanisms vs the Nvidia ones, Intel financial clout vs Nvidia. Take a guess which one will win that? Since ATI GPUs are in the two leading consoles, owning about 75+% of the installed base for which game devs target, that is a really strong incentive for developers to go Havok.

In the end, this is a political move, likely the first in a string, to cut off Nvidia’s air supply. It forces developers to take sides, Intel or Nvidia, and more importantly, console vs PC. The Intel/NV battle could go either way, likely decided by checkbooks more than anything, but the console/PC decision is done and dusted. NV loses badly here and there is nothing that they can do until the next console generation in 2011 or so.
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