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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2002 EU, African Nonprofit Look to Linux New Technology Said to Take Wi-Fi to Another Level Survey Shows Online CD Sales Falling AND UC Santa Barbara Bans Two Versions of Windows Researchers Work to Preserve Languages Hewlett-Packard Spearheads Program for Users with Disabilities EU, AFRICAN NONPROFIT LOOK TO LINUX System integrator Netproject, a UK-based company, won a contract last week from the European Union to study the feasibility of moving some member countries' operating systems to Linux. Currently the countries use Microsoft operating systems, but many involved have come to regard Microsoft's pricing and short upgrade cycles as too expensive. Separately, SchoolNet Namibia, a nonprofit trying to bring technology to schools in Namibia, rejected an offer from Microsoft to switch to Windows from Linux. A letter from the organization criticized the software maker for suggesting that the nonprofit pay $9,000 for Windows XP, even while offering a discount on Office. The two announcements came as a number of Microsoft customers have raised concerns about cost, pointing to open-source alternatives as significantly cheaper. A spokesman from Microsoft argued that when all costs of ownership are considered, open-source is not necessarily cheaper than Microsoft. ZDNet, 4 November 2002 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-964310.html NEW TECHNOLOGY SAID TO TAKE WI-FI TO ANOTHER LEVEL Start-up company Vivato says its new antenna technology will offer Wi-Fi wireless access to hundreds or even thousands of users at greatly increased distances through a single connection. The antenna, which looks like a large picture frame, is said to work at distances of up to 2,000 feet inside buildings and 4 miles outdoors. Current Wi-Fi, or 802.11b, technology is limited to a few dozen users who must be within a few hundred feet of the antenna. Vivato's antenna focuses several radio beams, which it is able to steer, resulting in a stronger signal with significantly increased capacity. Industry analysts were cautiously optimistic, saying that Vivato's work, though unproven, takes an important step in addressing the needs of enterprise customers in the wireless market. New York Times, 3 November 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/04/technology/04WIRE.html SURVEY SHOWS ONLINE CD SALES FALLING A survey by research firm comScore Networks shows online sales of prerecorded music have fallen by 25 percent from this time last year. According to the study, consumers continue to prefer file-swapping services, including those from groups like Morpheus as well as those offered by the recording industry, because they free customers from having to pay for songs they don't want. A consumer can buy a writable CD drive, download individual songs, and record them in any grouping and sequence desired. Phil Leigh of Raymond James and Associates said the market behavior clearly indicates that users don't "want to be straightjacketed into buying a prepackaged CD." Washington Post, 4 November 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64690-2002Nov4.html AND ***************************************************** UC SANTA BARBARA BANS TWO VERSIONS OF WINDOWS Campus officials at the University of California at Santa Barbara issued a policy statement to students banning the use of Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 operating systems on the school's network. The statement blames the two operating systems for "hundreds of problems," some of which required temporarily shutting down the campus network. An official from the university said that most of last year's security lapses were traced to the 200 computers--of a total of 3,800 on the network--that were running Windows 2000. A spokesman from Microsoft said the university's problems stemmed from poor network management rather than any problem with the operating systems. The university will still allow certain systems to run Windows 2000, but only in "controlled" environments where university officials can be certain that the security settings are configured properly. Chronicle of Higher Education, 4 November 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/2002/11/2002110402t.htm RESEARCHERS WORK TO PRESERVE LANGUAGES Some have predicted that between 50 and 90 percent of the world's languages will disappear within the next hundred years. An initiative called the Rosetta Project aims to create an archive of more than 1,400 languages facing extinction. According to Doug Whalen, founder of the Endangered Language Fund, no digital technology has "a ghost of a chance of being taken as seriously archival" for the long term. The Rosetta Project will use technology created by Los Alamos Laboratories and Norsam Technologies that micro-etches text on a high-density storage disk. The disk is expected to last for 2,000 years and can be read with a 1,000 power microscope, ensuring that it will be useful and accessible for many future generations. For each language, the disk will contain vocabulary lists, grammar, numbering systems, and sample texts. Wired News, 4 November 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,54345,00.html HEWLETT-PACKARD SPEARHEADS PROGRAM FOR USERS WITH DISABILITIES The Library Technology Access (LTA) initiative, led by Hewlett-Packard, aims to increase library computer accessibility for users with disabilities. The goal of the program is to design "template" solutions that libraries can implement easily to improve access for users with visual, hearing, mobility, or learning disabilities. The first part of the initiative launched recently with installations at several libraries around the nation. The workstations at the test sites will record how users interact with the technology, providing data that will be used to generate models of how assistive technology and accessibility tools can best serve library patrons. FCW.com, 29 October 2002 http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2002/1028/web-library-10-29-02.asp ***************************************************** 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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