The proposed “European browser elections” recalls the legal battle with Netscape.  The point missed at that time is still the case today.  When Windows 98 came out it had incorporated Internet Explorer 4 into the operating system making it possible to move toolbars.  Internet Explorer 4 could also be loaded on Windows 95 to allow the same function.  Internet Explorer has been a part of Windows ever since making it vulnerable to attacks on that browser. 

Microsoft should take a lesson from their battle with Netscape.  They could have diffused the issue then by offering to include Netscape on the Windows CD. 

The offer of an election is self-serving compared to making all major contenders available as a choice of browsers right from the desktop.  Recall that when most of the public was still on dialup, there was a selection of Internet Service Providers available at startup.  The same type of option could be made with the browsers.

Private Addresses

There are certain addresses in each class of IP address that are not assigned. These addresses are called private addresses. Private addresses might be used by hosts that use network address translation (NAT), or a proxy server, to connect to a public network; or by hosts that do not connect to the Internet at all.

Many applications require connectivity within only one network and do not need external connectivity. In large networks, TCP/IP is often used, even when network layer connectivity outside the network isn’t needed. Banks are good examples. They may use TCP/IP to connect to automatic teller machines (ATMs). These machines do not connect to the public network, so private addresses are ideal for them. Private addresses can also be used on a network where there are not enough public addresses available.

The private addresses can be used together with a network address translation (NAT) server. Either a NAT server or a proxy server to provide connectivity to all hosts in a network that has relatively few public addresses available. By agreement, any traffic with a destination address within one of the private address ranges will NOT be routed on the Internet.

Available Address Ranges

Class A; 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255
* Class B; 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
Class C; 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255

• There are three classes of IP addresses that an organization can receive from InterNIC: Class A, B, and C.
• InterNIC reserves Class A addresses for governments throughout the world, Class B addresses for medium-size companies, and Class C addresses for all other entities.
• When written in a binary format, the first bit of a Class A address is always 0.
• The first 2 bits of a Class B address are always 10, and the first 3 bits of a Class C address are always 110.

* The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved 169.254.0.0 through 169.254.255.255 for Automatic Private IP Addressing. Windows 98, Millennium, 2000, and XP support APIPA.

• Windows 2000 and Xp TCP/IP attempts to find a DHCP server on the attached network to obtain a dynamically assigned IP address.
• In the absence of a DHCP server during startup (for example, if the server is down for maintenance or repairs), the client cannot obtain an IP address.
• APIPA generates an IP address in the form of 169.254.x.y (where x.y is the client’s unique identifier) and a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. If the address is in use APIPA selects another IP address and if necessary, reselects addresses up to 10 times. After the computer generates the address, it broadcasts to this address and then assigns the address to itself if no other computer responds. The computer continues to use this address until it detects and receives configuration from a DHCP server. This allows two computers to be plugged into a LAN hub, to restart without any IP address configuration, and to use TCP/IP for local network access.

Cookies are text files saved on your system to help remember information about websites you have gone to. They may include login & password, pages visited, etc. They are included in the classification “spyware,” but are usually harmless. Your cookies settings will be found in Internet Explorer. From the menu bar, select “Tools”, scroll down to “Options”. You will find the settings for cookies on either the “Security” or “Content” tab.

The repair console will ask which partition you wish to log into. (DO NOT use the number pad to choose the partition number or press or the system will reboot at this point.) It asks in case there are more than one instance of Windows Xp or 2000. Next you will required to enter the administrator’s password. Press to signify the default of no password if you haven’t established one.

Once you are logged in you’ll be told to enter ‘help’ for a list of commands. If you have received the message “cannot find ntldr”, you may need to repair the master boot record with the command ‘fixboot’. It is also possible to rebuild the master boot record (in case of a boot sector virus) with the command ‘fixmbr’. You’ll want to run ‘fixboot’ afterwards and before you exitthe repair console. Like dos, you exit with the command ‘exit’.

Worthy of consideration is the potential of extra-judicial consequences for acts of web “piracy”. This deserves some clarification. Note that there are US & European encryption processes for DVD’s. The European version was cracked by a 15 yr old Norwegian and posted online a year or more back. At 78 k, this isn’t complex software. More recently, a kid who was caught for producing a version of the Blaster worm went to court looking for a plea deal.
Unlike smoking, these acts of youthful experimentation have consequences for others. Those who have gotten away with such acts find greater challenges such as cracking into webservers. Having dealt with trying to get rid an invader on a server I was responsible for I can attest that it was a headache I didn’t need. Fortunately this invader didn’t care about the website hosted there to the point of altering it’s content. Had I hijacked the code of of some hothead, there may have been the devil to pay for that transgression with little or no recourse.
The point here being that regardless of your moral or ethical feelings about utilizing tools, content, etc. developed by others; the price for doing so could be high.

Update; 8/1/09
For those who download music, I suggest they dump it on a usb drive, dvd, ipod, etc. Then put Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Perry Como’s “Hot Diggity Dog” in their shared folder. This will fend off the Music Gestapo and free up their bandwidth from those seeking to download from their shared folder.