The Download Blog

Tom and Rafe discuss the apps they put on first thing when they get a new computer.

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With all the hubbub about Snow Leopard and Windows 7, there's another operating system out there you may not have noticed that's getting a significant update: Ubuntu Linux.

Ubuntu backer Canonical plans to release its "Karmic Koala" version on Thursday, and both the desktop and server versions of the open-source operating system take significant steps toward cloud computing. The concept of moving work away from the computer in front of you and into the network does have some merit, but cloud computing is today's fashionable buzzword, and Canonical Chief Executive Mark Shuttleworth is sensitive to its overuse.

Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth speaking at the Intel Developer Forum

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)

"What frustrates me is the term 'cloud' has come to mean anything with an Internet connection, including some stuff that really looks familiar like internal IT," said Shuttleworth in an interview. It's fair to say that in Ubuntu's case, though, it's not a stretch.

Built into the server version of Ubuntu 9.10 is Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, technology built atop the Eucalyptus software package. Amazon Web Services (AWS), a collection of computing infrastructure accessible over the Net on a pay-as-you-go basis, is among today's most significant cloud-computing efforts, and Eucalyptus implements many of its functions so companies can build their own "private clouds" using the same services.

And in the desktop version of Ubuntu, the cloud connection is a service called Ubuntu One, which lets Ubuntu users synchronize files stored on different machines and back them up on the central service. Storage space of 2GB is free, and 50GB costs $10 per month.

The Ubuntu software itself is free; Canonical sells Ubuntu support services.

Even at the cutting edge of cloud computing, Web-based applications can be frustrating to write and to use.

Spreadsheets can't sort data well, there are lags between mouse clicks and the program's response, graphics look Mickey Mouse rather than lavish. But Google, among the most aggressive cloud computing advocates, is trying to address some of those shortcomings.

The company has released experimental but still very much real software that brings in some of the power of the PC, where people often use Web applications. Google Native Client--first released in 2008 but updated with a new version Thursday--is a browser plug-in for securely running computationally intense software downloaded from a Web site. And on Tuesday, Google released O3D, a plug-in that lets Web-based applications tap into a computer's graphics chip, too.

The projects are rough around the edges, to say the least. Native Client--NaCl for short--is more security research project than usable programming foundation right now, and O3D exists in part to try to accelerate the arrival of some future, not necessarily compatible, standard for building 3D abilities into Web applications.

Google Native Client is shown here running a fractal landscape explorer.

(Credit: Google)

But both fundamentally challenge the idea that Web apps necessarily are stripped-down, feeble counterparts to the software that runs natively on a personal computer, and they come from a company that has engineering skill, a yen for moving activity to the Internet, and search-ad profits that can fund projects that don't immediately or directly make money.

"There are things you can do in desktop apps that you can't do in Web apps. We're working very hard to close that gap, so anything you can do in a desktop application you can do safely and securely from a Web application," said Linus Upson, a Google engineering director.

PCs do the darnedest things. When a program crashes, your system slows down, or a file or program refuses to open, it's probably due to a problem with an application or device. But not always. Computer viruses and worms will cause your PC to exhibit many of the same symptoms as a failed or failing component or program.

Here are some of the primary indicators that your system is infected:

• Your system slows to a crawl for no apparent reason.
• The machine crashes, with or without an automatic restart.
• Error messages pop up repeatedly.
• Programs or files open slowly or not at all (especially security apps).
• You can't access drives or other storage media.
• Certain Web sites won't open in your browser, especially those of security software vendors.
• You can't download updates for your antivirus software.
• You can't print.
• A program disappears from your system.
• Strange icons are added to your desktop, or programs appear that you never installed.
• The unused space on your hard drive disappears (which could mean a worm is making copies of itself).
• People in your contacts list receive e-mail from your account, often with a virus attached.
• There's a big jump in the amount of traffic on your network, especially outbound.

How to disinfect a PC
Whenever your system starts acting funky, the simplest remedy is to use Windows' System Restore feature to turn back the clock to a time when the machine worked. (Note that many viruses and worms can outsmart System Restore, so this is far from a cure-all.)

Microsoft's Help and Support site offers step-by-step instructions for using System Restore in XP (which also describes how to undo a restoration). Vista users will find information on System Restore and other system-recovery options for that operating system on the company's Windows Help and How-to site.

Even if System Restore appears to fix your PC, update your antivirus software's definitions and do a full system scan with the program. If you don't use AV software, download and install a copy. You'll find a list of free and low-cost antivirus programs on this Download.com page. Two freebies that get rave reviews from most users are Avira AntiVir Personal and Avast Home Edition.

Another option for virus and worm removal is Microsoft's own Malicious Software Removal Tool, which can disinfect a PC but doesn't prevent infections. Note that if your system is set to receive automatic Windows updates, it probably already has the tool installed. You can read more about MSRT on the Microsoft Help and Support site.

Of course, if the virus or worm has blocked your PC's access to the Internet or is preventing your security software from running, you'll have to use another system to download and install an up-to-date antivirus program on a flash drive, optical disc, or other external storage device. Then plug or insert that device in the infected machine and run the AV program from there. One option is the free ClamWin Portable, though many other free AV programs can be installed and run off external media.

Where did the virus/worm come from?
When you're in the midst of a PC disinfection, the source of the virus may not be your first concern. But once your system is working again, you want to avoid whatever action caused the problem.

In the past, most viruses and worms traveled via e-mail and latched themselves onto your hard drive when you clicked to open an attachment, or sometimes when you merely viewed a message. Now infections are more likely to occur after you browse to an infected Web site or download and open a file.

The recent Conficker worm takes advantage of Windows' Autorun feature that allows programs to open simply by plugging in the USB flash drive, CD, or DVD on which it's stored, sometimes even if you thought you had disabled Autorun and AutoPlay on the machine. Microsoft released a patch that closed this hole late last year, though you still must disable these features manually. You'll find instructions for doing so on this site.

Your best virus/worm-prevention strategy is to keep Windows and your antivirus/antispyware/firewall software up-to-date, don't open e-mail attachments you weren't expecting (even if they appear to be from someone you know), and avoid file-sharing and other dicey Web sites. This is no guarantee of keeping your PC virus-free, but it will keep the odds in your favor.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)

Cisco announced on Thursday Network Magic 5.0, a suite of network management software. This is the first product released by Cisco since its acquisition of Pure Networks earlier this year.

The suite provides an array of tools for people to visualize, manage, and get a variety of network tasks done. These tasks include: connecting and sharing computers' content or printer, controlling how computers on the network access the Internet, repairing connection and performance problems, optimizing performance and reliability, and so on.

I tried the software briefly and really liked the Network Map function where all devices that connect to your network are revealed, regardless if they are printers, computers, handheld, or any other types of network devices. The software even shows a message each time a new device connects to your network. Other information such as the detailed status and network advisory can also come in handy.

One thing to keep in mind, though, the software installs a few items that run by themselves in the background each time you start the computer, including Pure Network Platform and the Network Magic front-end software. These can potentially slow down your computer.

Network Magic comes in two commercial versions. The Network Magic Essentials ($29.99) (download free trial) is built for users who only require the basic functionality of the software, such as connecting two or three PCs to share a network connection, files, or a printer. Network Magic Pro ($49.99) provides a broader set of capabilities for managing and securing the network. The Pro version supports a Mac Add-On client ($25) that allows for getting a Mac managed the way a PC would be via the network.

All of these versions offer a seven-day free trial time, and I really think they are worth a try.

This blog has been updated with the correct default kilowatt-per-hour rate.

Sometimes it's the little things that count, especially when it comes to your carbon footprint.

When it comes to PC usage, those little things include turning off your computer when you're not using it. Enter Verdiem, with its free download called Edison, which it is offering to consumers to help with their PC power management at home.

(Credit: Verdiem)

Verdiem has a similar product for large enterprise customers--and they of course charge for it. But Edison is free, and available at the company Web site, or from Microsoft.com/environment. Microsoft and The Climate Savers Initiative are both supporting the launch of Edison.

There are more than 1 billion PCs in the world, and each is responsible for an average of 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year, says Allison Cornia, Verdiem's vice president of marketing, adding, "Most people are really unaware how much energy PCs are wasting, and we want to draw a lot of attention to that."

I tried it out, and it seems easy enough. Download and register the program, and a window pops up. A series of tabs helps you customize your settings. Choose your peak work and non-work hours, and when you want Edison to save more or less power.

Using the "save more" setting while you're working will power down your display and hard drive after 5 minutes, and suspend your PC after 10. "Save less" means your display will be powered down after 30, your hard drive after 45, and never suspends your computer. There are several settings between those extremes as well.

But the part where you actually feel like you're making a difference is under the "Estimated Annual Savings" section. Once you plug in what your local power company charges for kilowatts per hour, Edison calculates money and energy saved per year, as well as how much carbon dioxide is not being emitted. After having Edison installed for roughly 4 hours, at the default $0.089 kW/hr, I'd be on track to save $30.85 this year in energy costs, 346.68 kW/hr, and 472.52 pounds of CO2.

It's Windows-only for now, but Verdiem says it will add an OS X-compatible version depending on whether Mac users show interest.

Update 11:03 a.m. PDT: I added more comment from Zimbra. Update 9:25 a.m. PDT: I added more background and details about my hands-on test.

Any of the 263 million Yahoo Mail users who were antsy for change now have something they can sink their teeth into.

The first real fruits of Yahoo's $350 million acquisition of Zimbra are becoming apparent with the release Thursday of the Yahoo Zimbra Desktop. The e-mail software, available as a free download for Windows and Mac, works when the user is offline, and it offers options for basic online word processing and spreadsheets, task management, and file storage.

Zimbra Desktop's e-mail interface should be familiar to users of either Outlook or Yahoo Mail. (Click for larger version.)

(Credit: CNET News)

Zimbra Desktop means that Yahoo beat out Google in the race to provide e-mail that also works offline, but it took a different approach to get there. Google looks to be adding offline access through the open-source Gears project, a plug-in that augments a Web browser's abilities.

But Zimbra Desktop, while using browser interface technology called Ajax that can give Web browsers an elaborate interface, actually runs as a standalone application. It employs Java software to store data locally, and it's a hefty download--38MB for Windows, 34MB for Mac OS X, and 44MB for Linux.

Yahoo has formed a new group focusing on cloud computing, in which services available on the Internet substitute for local applications. But until the day when a reliable, fast Internet connection is available anywhere, offline access to applications is a significant feature.

Webmail is a compelling facet of cloud computing, letting people reach their e-mail from any number of computers or mobile devices. But from a user's point of view, Zimbra Desktop's approach--a downloadable application that doesn't run in a browser--is actually more like traditional e-mail client software such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.

Zimbra Desktop gives access to basic word-processing abilities, with documents stored online. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: CNET News)

"We've aimed to blur the line between an Ajax Web-client and a conventional desktop application, and this release is a leap towards reaching that goal," Zimbra's Mike Morse said in a blog posting Thursday.

Web e-mail comes full circle
Existing Zimbra customers can use the e-mail application through a regular browser, letting them access their e-mail from a machine that doesn't have Zimbra Desktop installed. But the Web client version doesn't offer offline access, said John Robb, Zimbra's vice president of product marketing.

So why use Zimbra Desktop when regular e-mail client software has provided offline access to e-mail for well over a decade?

"The exciting thing is you're getting the Zimbra features that haven't been available to people without the Zimbra server," Robb said, specifically mentioning conversations, tagging, small applications called Zimlets, and rich searching features such as the ability find all messages from a particular person and with a PDF attached.

Also, Yahoo Mail customers can't use the Zimbra browser-based interface yet, so they won't get access to Zimbra features when borrowing friends' computers or using airport kiosks.

Yahoo's Zimbra and Yahoo Mail programmers now are working more closely together, though, and the two projects will be converging somewhat.

"You should see a lot of synergy between the Yahoo Mail team and the Zimbra team. This is a first example," Robb said. "You'll see Zimbra technology appearing in many parts of the Yahoo Mail experience, and things from Yahoo Mail will come over to the Zimbra side."

After many months of quiet integration, Zimbra's ascent within Yahoo has been apparent. As part of a major reorganization in June, Zimbra leader Scott Dietzen was named to run all of Yahoo's messaging and communication work.

The software can be used to connect to Yahoo Mail and also to other accounts such as AOL or Gmail that support remote access via POP (Post Office Protocol) or the newer IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

Test-driving Zimbra Desktop
I had no trouble installing, configuring, and running Zimbra Desktop to send and receive e-mail. As with Yahoo's Webmail interface, it mirrors Microsoft Outlook's look and keyboard shortcuts.

However, it's not perfect. It didn't seem connected to my Yahoo address book for contacts or calendar for events.

Zimbra Desktop can handle multiple accounts; I had no trouble setting up access to my Gmail account.

Unless you instruct it otherwise, Zimbra Desktop will synchronize your in-box but not folders where you may have filed message. You can manually sync folders when you click on them, but the process worked erratically for me.

One feature I liked, similar to Gmail's conversation view, shows a small triangle next to e-mail messages that are part of a back-and-forth exchange. Clicking on the triangle expands the e-mail header list so you can see all the messages of the exchange.

Another feature I was glad to see is tags, which, similar to Gmail labels, let you describe e-mail messages in a more useful way than filing them into folders. Folders are better than nothing, but I hate having to decide which folder to use for a message that belongs to more than category--travel, photography, and family, to pick one example.

Zimbra's tags and Gmail's labels didn't synchronize, though. And tags are specific to an e-mail account, so clicking on a tag will show only a subset of messages within one

Zimbra Desktop's productivity suite elements are workable but nothing to write home about. Unlike Google Docs, Microsoft Office files can't be opened, and there's no presentation software. The spreadsheet is extremely spartan, and runs awkwardly inside the word-processing application.

Zimbra Desktop shows an icon in Windows' system tray, but not as an application in the Taskbar. I had one significant problem: When I was trying out a spreadsheet and minimized all my applications, not even the system tray icon was visible. Manually terminating the process didn't work either; an error message indicates Zimbra Desktop is still running somewhere on my system. Hello, reboot.

There's still work to be done getting Zimbra to run as a standalone application. This is the error message that I got after complications minimizing the application.

Robb confirmed that address book and calendar synchronization don't yet work. "We believe those are mandatory features to make it generally available," he said.

Other top priorities are making the documents better and endowing Zimbra Desktop with the instant-messaging feature available in the browser-based version, Robb said.

And right now Zimbra customers only can run the software by installing it on their own servers. Yahoo is working on a hosted version that Yahoo itself will run, he said, that will launch in coming quarters.

Google Docs, the online office suite from the search giant, now has some limited but still useful support for PDF files.

PDF files now show in Google Docs' interface.

People using the service now can upload and view documents encoded with the widely used and now standardized Portable Document Format initially created by Adobe Systems. People also can transfer PDFs stored on the Web. (Look below for a screenshot showing the two-pane PDF view.)

The move, announced on the Google Docs blog Friday, isn't much of a surprise. In addition to the fact that it makes eminent sense, close observers already had begun seeing signs that hinted at imminent Google Docs PDF support.

Google Docs, still in beta testing, competes with Microsoft Office but is relatively primitive when it comes to feature support.

However, because it's Web-based, Google can add new features relatively easily; users simply use the Web site, and they appear, one of the chief advantages of the software-as-a-service approach. And given that Google's three big areas of focus are search, ads, and applications, expect lots of resources to be poured into this area.

I found the PDF support snappy and very handy. However, my quick test of the service showed some rough spots with the PDF support.

For example, I couldn't find a way to zoom in or out, which definitely is essential, even on ordinary 1024x768-pixel screens. Being able to hide the minidocument page view pane on the right, which lets you scroll quickly through the document, might help.

Search also doesn't scour the contents of PDF files, a feature whose significance Google, of all companies, presumably understands.

Editing has a long way to go. You can't type text in a PDF, though you can export other Google Docs files to PDF. And copying uses a peculiar box to select text, not the familiar cursor with highlighted words.

You'd better have a screen at least 1024 pixels wide. Most of us with PCs these days do, of course, but what about support for mobile devices?

I also didn't like one user interface moment: the site offered a very unhelpful error page when I tried to upload a file exceeding the 10MB size limit.

Overall, though this is a big step in the right direction.

An example of Google Docs showing a PDF file.

I'll be the first to admit that the appearance of an ominously blue, ominously blank screen followed by an instant shut-down smacks of malware. Well, it smacks of something, and file-eating, process-disrupting intruders are the most likely cause.

They're also the most convenient excuse for explaining away perplexing computer abnormality. As Sara from Southend, U.K., reminds us, however, that might not be exactly the case.

Complete your scans, by all means, but if nothing suspicious turns up, start looking at your hardware, particularly if it's a few years old. Dust, crumbs, and other crud pile up, clogging vents and causing your Old Reliable to overheat. When that happens, checking out is a computer's self-defense mechanism. (It beats combustion, anyhow.)

Sound familiar? Grab a screw driver, some cotton swabs or soft cloth, and a can of compressed air (available at any office supply or computer shop, and possibly drug stores, too) and get to work letting sunlight and freshness into the deep recesses of your neglected machinery--and blowing the bad stuff out.

If that fails to work, it's back to blaming the spyware.