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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 16, 2004 Microsoft Identifies Problems with SP2 Developing a Computer for the Developing World Campuses Turn to Packet Shaping MICROSOFT IDENTIFIES PROBLEMS WITH SP2 Microsoft has released a list of about 50 applications, including some of its own, that the company said will have problems working properly with the long-awaited Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP. The service pack include a number of important security upgrades that consumers have been calling for, and SP2 was released to manufacturers earlier this month. One of the changes, however, is that SP2 activates the Windows firewall by default, and this firewall causes problems with a number of applications because it affects their ability to receive data over the Internet. The list of affected applications includes products from Symantec, Computer Associates, and Macromedia, as well as several products from Microsoft, including Visual Studio .Net, Operations Manager, and SQL Server. Some companies have issued advisories to employees not to install SP2 until all potential problems have been identified, though others insist that the security benefits from the service pack are more important than possible conflicts. CNET, 16 August 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5311280.html DEVELOPING A COMPUTER FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD A researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University is developing a computer that he believes can prove to be an economically sustainable product for developing countries. With support from Microsoft and Korean computer maker TriGem, Raj Reddy hopes to have working models of the so-called PCtvt ready by the end of the year. The PCtvt will be a wirelessly networked computer that also functions as a television, telephone, and DVD player. Reddy believes that such a device, which he said will cost $250, can be a viable product in the developing world, offering consumers a set of features for a price they could manage while providing makers of the device a profit without relying on subsidies or philanthropy. Because the PCtvt is intended for many consumers who cannot read, it will likely require a wireless infrastructure that can support significant amounts of bandwidth to accommodate content heavy on audio and video transmissions. To this end, Reddy is working with researchers at the University of California who are developing high-speed wireless networks for application in rural areas. New York Times, 16 August 2004 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/technology/16combo.html CAMPUSES TURN TO PACKET SHAPING In an effort to keep campus networks running smoothly, a number of colleges and universities are putting caps on the amount of data students are allowed to send across computer networks. One institution with such caps is Kent State University, which had discovered that 10 students on its network were responsible for more than half of the network's traffic. Similarly, officials at the State University of New York at Binghamton found that among late-night users, just 3 percent accounted for nearly 90 percent of the traffic. Increasingly sophisticated packet shapers allow universities to tailor caps to an institution's particular needs. Some institutions, for example, only control outgoing traffic, and the result of exceeding the limit can range from a warning to losing network access. Students often complain about bandwidth limits, but at least one institution, Duke University, earned compliments from its students when it implemented caps. The university's network had become so slow that students were pleased to see the network's speed restored after the caps were put in place. Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 August 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i49/49a02901.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ 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/ ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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