17 Apr 2008 15:39

The company has warned of the need for urgent investment in the internet's infrastructure, deliberately avoiding the term 'net neutrality'

The US telecoms giant AT&T has claimed that, without investment, the internet's current network architecture will reach the limits of its capacity by 2010.

Speaking at a Westminster eForum on Web 2.0 this week in London, Jim Cicconi, vice president of legislative affairs for AT&T, warned that the current systems that constitute the internet will not be able to cope with the increasing amounts of video and user-generated content being uploaded.

"The surge in online content is at the centre of the most dramatic changes affecting the internet today," he said. "In three years' time, 20 typical households will generate more traffic than the entire internet today."

Cicconi, who was speaking at the event as part of a wider series of meetings with UK government officials, said that at least $55bn (£27.5bn) worth of investment was needed in new infrastructure in the next three years in the US alone, with the viagra 50 mg figure rising to $130bn to improve the network worldwide. "We are going to be butting up against the physical capacity of the internet by 2010," he said.

He claimed that the "unprecedented new wave of broadband traffic" would increase fifty-fold by 2015 and that AT&T was investing $19bn to maintain its network and upgrade its backbone network.

Cicconi added that more demand for high-definition (HD) video will put increasing strain on the internet infrastructure. "Eight hours of video is loaded onto YouTube every minute. Everything will become HD very soon and HD is seven to 10 times more bandwidth-hungry than typical video today. Video will be 80 percent of all traffic by 2010, up from 30 percent today," he said.

The AT&T executive pointed out that the internet only exists thanks to the infrastructure provided by a group of mostly private companies. "There is nothing magic or ethereal about the internet — it is no more ethereal than the highway system. It is not created by an act of God but upgraded and maintained by private investors," he said.

Although Cicconi's speech did not explicitly refer to the term "net neutrality", some audience members tackled him on the issue in a question-and-answer session, asking whether the subtext of his speech was really around prioritising some kinds of traffic. Cicconi responded by saying he believed government intervention in the internet was fundamentally wrong.

"I think people agree why the internet is successful. My personal view is that government has widely chosen to… keep a light touch and let innovators develop it," he said. "The reason I resist using the term 'net neutrality' is that I don't think government intervention is the right way to do this kind of thing. I don't think government can anticipate these kinds of technical problems. Right now I think net neutrality is a solution in search of a problem."

Net neutrality refers to an ongoing campaign calling for governments to legislate to prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from charging content providers for prioritisation of their traffic. The debate is more heated in the US than in the UK because there is less competition between ISPs in the US.

Content creators argue that net neutrality should be legislated for in order to protect consumers and keep all internet traffic equal. Network operators and service providers argue that the internet is already unequal and certain types of traffic — VoIP, for example — require prioritisation by default.

"However well-intentioned, regulatory restraints can inefficiently skew investment, delay innovation and diminish consumer welfare, and there is reason to believe that the kinds of broad marketplace restrictions proposed in the name of 'neutrality' would do just that with respect to the internet," the US Department of Justice said in a statement last year.

The BBC has come under fire from service providers, such as Tiscali, which claim that its iPlayer online-TV service is becoming a major drain on network bandwidth. In a recent posting on his BBC blog, Ashley Highfield, the corporation's director of future media and technology, defended the iPlayer: "I would not suggest that ISPs start to try and charge content providers. They are already charging their customers for broadband to receive any content they want."

Date: June 4th, 2007

Author: Debra Littlejohn Shinder

This information is also available as a PDF download.

Microsoft Office 2007 provides a lot of new features and functionality, but what about compatibility? Here are 10 tips for dealing with compatibility issues when you upgrade to the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

#1: Understanding and using new file formats

All the Office 2007 programs use new default file formats based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML). The new formats are indicated by an “x” in the file extension. For example:

XML is an open standard, and the change makes it easier to move files between different applications. It also makes file sizes smaller than those saved in the old binary formats. However, some users with previous versions of Office may not be able to open files in the new formats.

You can still save files in Office 2007 programs in Office 2003 file formats. Just select Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc) from the Save As Type drop-down list in the Save As dialog box, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A: You can easily save individual files in the old Office 2003 formats.

#2: Changing the default format

If you want to always save files in the old format by default, click the Office button, then the <program name> Options button, and select Save in the left pane. Choose Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc) from the Save Files In This Format drop-down list, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B: You can set the default to always save files in the old Office 2003 format.

When you save a file in the old format that was originally created in the new format, you may get a message advising that some of the formatting and features that are only supported by Office 2007 programs will be lost.

#3: Using Office 2007 compatibility mode

Office 2007 programs introduce a new feature called compatibility mode. If you frequently share files with others who haven’t upgraded or you need to work on your files on another computer (for example, a laptop) that doesn’t have Office 2007 installed, you can ensure that the files you create in Office 2007 don’t contain any features that aren’t supported by the previous version of the Office program.

If you place your Office 2007 applications in compatibility mode, incompatible features, such as the SmartArt diagramming tool, won’t be available to you. Instead, you’ll use the diagramming tool from Office 2003 so that the diagrams you create can be edited in the older version of the program.

Compatibility mode is automatically on when you open a file that was saved in the old file formats, when you convert a file from the XML-based format to the older format, or when you configure the program to save to the old format by default. In viagra 25 Word, compatibility mode also kicks in if you create a new document from an old-format template (.dot).

When the Office 2007 program is in compatibility mode, it will be indicated in the document title bar, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C: Office Compatibility Mode is indicated in the title bar of the document.

Some features can be returned to the document if you reopen it in an Office 2007 program; others can’t. For a full list of the features that are lost when you work in compatibility mode and which ones can be refreshed, see the article “Compatibility Mode in the 2007 Office System“ on the Microsoft TechNet site.

#4: Installing the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack

If someone with whom you exchange files is still running an older version of Office and you want to be able to send them files in the new XML formats (for instance, so they can see the formatting features that are unique to Office 2007), they can install the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack.

The Compatibility Pack allows users of Office XP or Office 2003 to open, edit, save and even create files in the new XML-based formats. The pack is available as a free 27.1 MB download from the Microsoft Web site. It can be installed on machines running Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP1, and Windows Server 2003.

#5: Using the OMPM File Converter

If you have a large number of Office files saved in the old format that you want to change to the new XML-based format, you don’t have to open and save them one at a time in the Office 2007 program. Instead, you can perform a bulk conversion using the Office File Converter that’s included in the Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM).

The OMPM is a free 2.7 MB download available from the Microsoft Web site. It can also be used by administrators in organizations to scan and generate reports about the Office files on the network. You can install it on computers running XP SP2, Vista, or Server 2003.

Once the OMPM is installed, to perform bulk file conversions you use the OFC.EXE tool at the command line. You’ll need to create an ofc.ini file with settings defining what you want to convert. Microsoft provides a template for the ofc.ini file that you can edit to indicate the path for the folders you want to convert. For more information on the contents of the ofc.ini file and how to invoke it programmatically, see “Converting Office documents to Open XML.”

#6: Viewing PowerPoint presentations with PP Viewer 2007

PowerPoint 2007 provides many cool new graphical features that aren’t supported by older versions of PowerPoint. These presentations can be viewed by Office XP/2003 users with the Compatibility Pack installed, but what if you want to see a presentation on a computer that doesn’t have any version of Office installed?

You can use the PowerPoint Viewer 2007 to view these presentations will all the new features intact. It also supports opening presentations that have been password-protected in PowerPoint 2007 — however, it does not support viewing presentations that have been protected using Microsoft Information Rights Management technology.

The Viewer is a free 25.8 MB download available from the Microsoft Web site. It can be installed on computers running Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP1, Vista, and Server 2003.

At the time of this writing, viewers for Word and Excel 2007 were not yet available. But you can use the Word and Excel 2003 viewers to view Word and Excel 2007 files if you install the Compatibility Pack. For details, see KB article 925180, “How to view Word 2007 and Excel 2007 files by using Word Viewer 2003 and Excel Viewer 2003.”

#7: Using the Compatibility Checker

Before you send a document that was created with an Office 2007 program to someone who’s using a previous version of Office, you can run the Compatibility Checker, which is built into Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007. It will identify any features or formatting you’ve used that won’t be recognized by older versions of Office.

A list of the incompatible content will be displayed, and you’ll be advised that such content may not be fully editable in the previous version. The Compatibility Checker runs automatically when you save a file in the old format. You can also run it manually from the Office | Prepare menu, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D: You can run the Compatibility Checker from the Office Logo | Prepare menu.

#8: Outlook 2007 and Exchange 5.5

Outlook 2007 works only with Exchange 2000 or later. Users who attempt to connect to an Exchange 5.5 Server will get a message that Outlook is unable to log onto the Exchange server. Extended lifecycle support for Exchange 5.5 ended in January 2006, and Microsoft intentionally designed Outlook 2007 to prevent it from connecting to Exchange 5.5 servers to avoid data loss and other problems that were anticipated with this combination.

Be sure you know what version of Exchange server your organization is running before you update to Outlook 2007.

#9: Office 2007 file formats and mobile devices

The new XML-based file formats can’t be opened with current Pocket Office programs on Windows mobile devices running Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0. The newest version, Windows Mobile 6, supports the XML-based file formats.

Microsoft is expected to release an update for Windows Mobile 5 in mid- or late 2007 that will allow it to open Office 2007 documents, but those still using WM2003 devices are apparently just out of luck.

#10: Adding on a “classic” user interface

Although not exactly a compatibility issue, many users find Office 2007’s new user interface incompatible with their way of doing things. The Ribbon replaces the old-style menus, and while this new tabbed Ribbon seems to be easier to learn for new users (who haven’t used previous versions of Office), many longtime Office users have complained that they miss the old menus.

If you want, you can install a third-party add-on that gives you back the old menu bar without sacrificing the new Ribbon. Classic Menu for Office 2007 installs easily and costs $29; it’s available from www.addintools.com. After it’s installed, an extra tab appears on the Ribbon called Menus, as shown in Figure E.

Figure E: If the new Ribbon interface is incompatible with the way you like to work, you can add back the Classic Menu.

Date: June 5th, 2007

Author: Scott Lowe

This information is also available as a PDF download.

Recently, TechRepublic published a list of Vista services and identified which ones can safely be disabled. Now, the question becomes this: How do you actually disable services in Vista? If you know how to manage services in Windows XP or other versions of Windows, this tutorial won’t add too much knowledge to your repertoire, but if you’ve avoided services for fear of a serious snafu, this information will be right up your alley.

The Services control panel

All service management in Vista is handled through the Services Control Panel applet. How you get to the Services applet depends on how you have chosen to view the Control Panel in Vista. If you’re using a fresh-out-of-the-box Vista installation, you probably haven’t made many changes to how things work and are using Vista’s new Control Panel view. In this case, follow these steps:

Figure A: Vista’s Control Panel page

Figure B: System And Maintenance options on the Control Panel

1. On the System And Maintenance page, click Administrative Tools.
2. From the Administrative Tools page (Figure C), double-click on the Services option.

Figure C: The Administrative Tools Control Panel options

1. When prompted by User Access Control to verify that opening the Services Control Panel applet is allowed, click the Continue button. If you are not prompted, you have either disabled User Access Control or are logged in with an account that does not have the ability to run with administrative privileges.
2. You should now be at the Services Control Panel applet, shown in Figure D.

Figure D: The Services control panel applet

Managing services

In the Services applet, take note of the Status and Startup Type entries next to each service. When a service is running, it will be listed as Started in the status column. If the Status column next to a service is blank, it means that the service is not running. When it comes to the Startup Type column, each service can have only one of four possible states:

• Automatic: The service starts automatically when the system boots. If a service is no longer required, it will stop but may still be set to Automatic.
• Automatic (Delayed Start): Similar to Automatic, but the service may not start immediately at system boot. This service option is new in Windows Vista and can help reduce the resources needed to start a system, since not all required services need to be crammed into memory all at once.
• Manual: The service starts and stops when necessary or starts when initiated by the user.
• Disabled: The service never runs, regardless of the need.

Be aware that there is a big difference between a service simply not running and a service being set to Disabled. Only when a service is actually disabled can you be sure that it will never run. If a service is set to Manual, it can still run when the system calls for it.

Disabling a service

Once you’ve identified the service you want to disable, actually disabling it isn’t too difficult. Follow these steps:

1. Double-click on the name of the service to open the Properties page for the individual service.
2. Locate the Startup Type list, shown in Figure E.

Figure E: Change the Startup Type to Disabled

1. Click the down arrow next to the Startup Type box and choose the Disabled option.
2. Click the OK button.

When you are finished, you’ll see that the Startup Type column status for your selected service has been modified. Figure F shows you the results of this example.

Figure F: The service is now disabled

Summary

Depending on what you need to do, disabling unnecessary services in Vista can help your system boot faster and run better. The steps we outlined here will help guide you through the process.

Chances are, if you’re an Internet Explorer 7 user, you have seen the built-in search box in the top right hand corner. You know, the one that looks like this:

Now, you may be wondering why Live Search is being used and not Google, right? Well, basically, Internet Explorer is a Microsoft-based program and Google is not. And since Microsoft is a pretty smart company, they’re not going to use the most popular search engine (Google) for their Web browser. Instead, they used Live Search, which is run by Microsoft. That makes sense, but what if you prefer Google? (Don't worry, so do I!) Is there anything you can do? Keep reading and you'll find out!

Luckily, there is a solution! You are able to change the default search engine in IE 7 to any one of your choice. You can even opt to put Google’s I’m Feeling Lucky search feature in the search box if you want! Here's how:

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First off, click on the drop down menu in the top right hand corner of Internet Explorer 7 and choose Find More Providers.

Let's say you want to add Google. To do that, go to http://www.google.com (in another tab or window) and enter in the word TEST (in all capital letters). Next, go back to the Find More Providers page and paste the entire URL from the other page (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=TEST) into the yellow box in step 3. Now, name the URL something like "Google" or "Google Search" and hit the Install button. Note: Make sure your yellow box looks like this before you proceed:

You’ll then be taken to a confirmation screen. Confirm everything and then go take a look at the search engine drop down menu. You should now see Google there as an option. You can then set Google as your default search engine by clicking Change Search Defaults, Google. So, now, your search box will look like this:

That was easy enough, right? Happy searching!