***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2002 Reliable Web Server, No Operating System Gateway Takes on Apple Secret Service to Add Cybersecurity Task Forces AND In Tough Economic Times, Term-Paper Sites Prosper Study Shows Mixed Result for E-Books Study Questions Educational Benefit of Computers RELIABLE WEB SERVER, NO OPERATING SYSTEM Two former Motorola engineers, frustrated by the constant attention and maintenance required to keep Web servers running and safe from attack, have designed a new Web server to run--potentially for years--without human input. The server runs on a "kernel," just 4KB in size, rather than having an operating system. According to Eric Hauk and Eric Uner, the two men behind the project, it is a significant departure from every other sort of device running the Internet today. Their server eschews the notion of "enterprise computing" in favor of "embedded computing," which lies behind medical and other devices that have extremely small margins for error. Hauk and Uner said their server is virtually immune from hackers and viruses, though they concede their system sacrifices some flexibility for its security and reliability. Some observers were skeptical, saying that the system's security has not yet been tested and that other systems can be made extremely reliable if operators install patches and updates. NewsFactor Network, 26 August 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19164.html GATEWAY TAKES ON APPLE In an unusual advertising move, Gateway Inc. has launched an ad campaign that pits its new all-in-one Profile PC against Apple Computer's iMac. The new ads place a Profile PC next to an iMac, saying the Gateway machine has better performance and storage and greater selection of software. Direct comparisons among specific products has been relatively rare in the PC market, and even more unusual is the Windows versus Apple OS aspect. However, Gateway and Apple, which each control about five percent of the U.S. PC market, both want to be the leader in the computer niche for schools and small businesses. Wall Street Journal, 26 August 2002 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1030309512300723115,00.html SECRET SERVICE TO ADD CYBERSECURITY TASK FORCES The Secret Service announced that it will add nine Electronic Crimes Task Forces, in cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami, to the ones already in New York and Washington, D.C. The task forces allow security officials from local companies to come together and compare strategies and experiences in cybersecurity. The meetings are designed to encourage strong cooperation among representatives from business, academia, and the government. The Patriot Act, passed after September 11, 2001, requires that the task forces be established in every major U.S. city. ComputerWorld, 22 August 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_939427_1794_9-10000.html AND ***************************************************** IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES, TERM-PAPER SITES PROSPER Despite the beating taken by most sectors of the Internet economy, Web sites that sell term papers are doing quite well. Kenny Sahr, founder of SchoolSucks.com, said that other than casinos and porn sites, term-paper sites are the only ones making money. The co-founder of another such site, Genius Papers, agreed, saying that his company has grown every year of its operation. Academics and others trying to stem plagiarism have been working to minimize the impact technology has had on cheating, using tools like Turnitin.com and doing their own searches to try to identify cheaters. Nonetheless, ad revenue and subscriptions for homework and term-paper sites continue to be strong. The sites are ostensibly offered for research purposes, though all concerned admit they are used for cheating, which, according to Sahr, might be a poor idea for students. He said many of the papers on his site "stink." Wired News, 26 August 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,54571,00.html STUDY SHOWS MIXED RESULT FOR E-BOOKS A study conducted at Ball State University showed that e-books are having mixed success competing with conventional printed texts. The study compared comments and academic performance between those using printed texts and those using e-books. Quiz scores between the two groups were, on average, the same, suggesting similar instructional potential from e-books. Users of e-books, however, complained about the difficulty of navigating through e-books and of finding particular words. E-book features that drew praise were those that were similar to what can be done with a printed book, such as highlighting sections of text. The directors of the study said they remain optimistic about the potential for e-books, seeing value in the ability to store several whole texts on a single device and to have those texts updated every semester. Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 August 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/08/2002082601t.htm STUDY QUESTIONS EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT OF COMPUTERS A study conducted by two economists showed that although efforts to increase computer and Internet access to public schools, especially to disadvantaged schools, have been successful, that access has not translated into higher scores on standardized tests. The study, "The Impact of Internet Subsidies in Public Schools," found that federal subsidies increased the number of Internet-equipped classrooms in California by 66 percent from 1996 to 2000. Several critics of the study said that scores on standardized tests are just one measure of student learning and are probably not an accurate indicator of the value of computers in schools. One of the authors of the study noted that wiring classrooms remains a hot topic, something that can be used for political mileage, while training teachers to use technology effectively in the classroom is a very low priority. Nando Times, 23 August 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/510360p-4054526c.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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