Emerging Technologies

Emerging Technologies TechBuzz New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Internet Growth, Use and Connectivity • Rapid growth rates will continue due to more non-computer devices being connected to the Internet every day. • Rapid growth in parts of the world experiencing high rates of economic development. • Asian governments are encouraging businesses in their countries to develop new Internet enabled devices. • Sony will begin selling variety of IPv6-enabled devices in U.S. technology markets in early 2006. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Connecting to the Internet:More Choices, More Users • Increasing need for faster connections. • Broadband home connections expected to increase approximately 30% by 2006. • Increased competition between cable companies, DSL providers, and satellite providers have kept prices constant or lowered them. • Some governments subsidize broadband home connections, attempting to grow productive participants in the technology-based businesses of the future. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Connecting to the Internet:More Choices, More Users • More people using the Internet for entertainment purposes which requires a broadband connection. • Downloading music and video files • Playing online video games in real time • Broadband providers offering variety of connection speeds and prices. • Faster speeds being marketed as “gamer’s connections” or “power user specials.” New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Ricochet Service • Cellular data network combined with radio transmission and wired connections. • Gives customers continuous connection as they move around a metropolitan area. • Provides connection speeds in 150-200 Kbps range. • Lower operating frequency signals travel through walls and building structures better. • More reliable and longer distance connections than Wi-Fi. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

The Buzz on Browsers • Other Internet browsers began to make a dent in Microsoft’s dominant position in 2004. • Security flaws in Internet Explorer increasingly exploited by worm and virus writers. • Organizations and individuals began to doubt reliability of a single browser. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Open Source Project • The Mozilla project is the open source browser software project that manages development of software used in Netscape Navigator. • Browser rendering engine: a complete rebuild of the internal workings of the browser. • Gecko engine: browser rendering engine used in Netscape Navigator, the Mozilla browser and the Mozilla Firefox browser. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Open Source Project • Bugzilla: a bug tracking system that helps teams manage large software development projects of all kinds. • Operated on a volunteer basis by programmers working in their spare time since 1999. • Mozilla Foundation created in 2003 with contribution of $2 million from Time Warner’s AOL division. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Security of Open Source Software:An Open Question • Many experts believe the open source approach to software development reduces hidden security flaws. • Source program code is posted online and is publicly available. • Wide variety of programmers worldwide identify and resolve potential problems in the software. • Closed source software can only be debugged by the programmers working for the company that owns the source code. • Internet Explorer is closed source software. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Suite • A combination of software applications developed by the Mozilla open source project. • Web browser • E-mail client and newsreader – Mozilla Messenger • HTML editor – Mozilla Composer • Instant messaging chat client – ChatZilla • Time Warner’s AOL division distributes most of the Mozilla Suite under the Netscape brand name. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Firefox • Mozilla Firefox: standalone browser released by Mozilla open source project in 2004. • Takes up less disk space and runs faster than other browsers. • Designed to easily customize appearance or functionality by giving programmers an easy way to write program extensions. • Program extension: a small program that works with an existing program to give it extra capabilities. • Program extensions may add new buttons to toolbars, alter the way existing buttons work, or make it easier to create and add other program extensions. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Browsers for Hire:Opera and iRider • Internet Explorer, Navigator, Mozilla, and Firefox are all available at no cost. • Some browsers, such as Opera and iRider, charge a license fee New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Opera • Started out as research project at Telenor, Norway’s state telecommunication company. • Program code written independently and is not affected by security flaws exploited by those attacking Gecko-based browsers or IE. • First Web browser to offer tabbed browsing, a button to toggle on and off the download of images with a Web page, and a search window that the user could configure to run searches in specific search engines automatically. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Opera Web Browser Main Screen New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

iRider • Designed for power users. • Can open and manage multiple Web pages at once. • Can view thumbnail images of all open Web pages displayed in a hierarchical map called a Page List. • Keeps all open Web pages in memory until the user deletes them. • User can run several searches simultaneously and compare the results. • Security flaws have not been identified. It does use some parts of the IE code when it runs so weaknesses may be found. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Hierarchy of thumbnail images (one for each Web page visited). Multiple Searches in the iRider Web Browser New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

New Options, Improvements, and Problems for E-mail Users • A default e-mail client is usually installed when you install a browser on your computer. • An e-mail client manages your incoming and outgoing e-mail messages and any newsgroups to which you have subscribed. • You can use any e-mail program to manage your e-mail messages. • Web-based e-mail addresses must be accessed through the sponsor’s Web site unless it has an option to manage it using a program such as Outlook Express. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

New Options, Improvements, and Problems for E-mail Users • Most people have more than one e-mail address. • Primary e-mail address for personal and/or business correspondence. • Secondary e-mail addressed for online subscriptions, online purchases, and mailing lists. • Being careful about distribution of primary e-mail address may lessen amount of spam and junk email that you receive. • You should become familiar with the different e-mail programs available before you decide which one to use. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Thunderbird • Part of the Mozilla open source project. • Must be downloaded separately from the Mozilla Web site. • Can import items from other e-mail programs on your computer such as the address book entries. • Has a spell checker and allows you to encrypt or digitally sign messages. • A powerful feature of Thunderbird is its adaptive spam and junk mail filters. • Saved search folders make it easy to find messages based on criteria that you specify. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Mozilla Thunderbird • Has the ability to subscribe to and receive newsfeeds automatically using Really Simple Syndication (RSS). • Really Simple Syndication (RSS): an XML file format that makes it possible to share updates such as headlines and other Web site content via a newsfeed. • Most RSS newsfeeds must be read through a program called an aggregator that lets you receive newsfeed content. • When you subscribe to a newsfeed, you can choose a frequency on which to download messages. • Can be used to manage your Usenet newsgroup subscriptions. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Message Pane Folders Pane Preview Pane Thunderbird Inbox Window New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Opera M2Client • Installed with the Opera Web browser. • Can import information from Outlook Express, Netscape Mail, Eudora, and earlier versions of Opera into Opera or create a chat account for Internet relay chat. • Messages are stored in a single database (instead of folders) so that messages are easy to search and retrieve. • Has the ability to subscribe to RSS newsfeeds automatically. • You can use Opera’s M2e-mail client to manage messages from newsgroups. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Page Bar Opera Mail Tag New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Gmail from Google • Google received a lot of publicity when the test program for Gmail was released. • Gmail promises one gigabyte of storage space for every user, causing other online Web-based e-mail services to increase their free storage space. • Paid for by adding advertisements to e-mail messages based on searches of those messages causing concerns about the privacy of e-mail messages. • Because Google performs routine maintenance on its servers, such as backups and archives, your messages might be stored forever in these files, making your private messages part of a permanent archive. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Google Gmail Inbox Window New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Web Logs • Web logs, blogs, have been around for awhile, but were catapulted into mainstream media during the 2004 presidential campaigns. • Used as a way for candidates to discuss campaign issues in an unfiltered way. • Howard Dean, Senator John Kerry, and President George W. Bush used blogs to communicate with supporters and respond to stories in the media. • Blogs are not subject to the same ethical guidelines of professional reporters, so information contained in them should be considered personal opinion, not “hard news.” New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

“You’ve Got Spam!” • Spam: unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE) or bulk mail. • Includes unwanted solicitations, advertisements, or e-mail chain letters sent to an e-mail address. • Spam wastes people’s time and their computer’s disk space. • Spam can consume large amounts of Internet capacity. • It is estimated that the amount of spam received by the average company will increase from approximately 1% in 1995 to 80% in 2005. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

“You’ve Got Spam!” • Many grassroots and corporate organizations are fighting spam aggressively. • Most companies find it more effective and less costly to eliminate spam before it reaches users. • An increasing number of approaches have been devised or proposed to combat spam, such as the passing of laws and technical changes in the mail handling systems of the Internet. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Reducing Spam • Reduce the likelihood that a spammer can automatically generate your e-mail address • Control the exposure of your e-mail address so software robots searching the Internet for e-mail addresses cannot easily obtain them. (They search for strings containing “@”.) • Use multiple e-mail addresses such as one for your Web site, another to register for access to Web sites, another for shopping accounts, etc. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Reducing Spam • Other approaches use one or more techniques that filter e-messages based on their contents. • Many U.S. jurisdictions have passed laws that provide penalties for sending spam. • The CAN-SPAM Law is the first U.S. federal government effort to legislate controls on spam. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

CAN-SPAM Law • Regulates all e-mail messages sent for the primary purpose of advertising or promoting a commercial product or service. • Unsolicited e-mail messages must identify the sender, contain an accurate message subject and a notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation, make it possible for the recipient to “opt out” of future mailings within 10 days of receipt of the request, include the sender’s physical postal address, and prohibit the sender from selling or transferring an e-mail address with an opt out request to any other entity. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

CAN-SPAM Law • Each violation is subject to a fine of up to $11,000. • Additional fines are assessed for those who violate one of these provisions and also harvest e-mail addresses from Web sites, send messages to randomly generated addresses, use automated tools to register for e-mail accounts that are subsequently used to send spam, and relay e-mail messages through a computer or network without the permission of the computer's or network’s owner. • Enforcement is a problem because spammers can move their operations from one server to another in minutes. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

The New Frontier for Wireless Networking: WiMAX • New advancement in wireless networking is called WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). • 802.16e wireless network standard being developed for use in metropolitan areas. • Will have a range of up to 31 miles. • Will not require building cabled third-generation networks and purchasing expensive FCC licenses to send signals in the 3G radio spectrum. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

The New Frontier for Wireless Networking: WiMAX • First WiMAX network launched in England in January 2005. Other WiMAX networks will be launched in Europe, Japan, and the United States in 2005. • Technology manufacturers are working to develop standards and equipment being tested in different metropolitan areas. • WiMAX technology is expected to be in wide use in the United States in the year 2007. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

New Developments in Virtual Communities • The Internet has become an important tool that enables communication among members of the community. • Online Social Networks • Online Business Networks • Online Political Networks • Software for Educational Communities New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Online Social Networks • New virtual communities exist for the sole purpose of being a community. • Useful tools for persons who want to make new local friends, establish acquaintances before moving to a new location, or obtain advice of various kinds. • craigslist • Friendster • LinkedIn • MySpace • Ryze • Tribe.net • ZeroDegrees New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Online Business Networks • Focus on business networking. • Users log on to seek jobs, find potential business partners, recruit workers, and engage in other business development activities. • Users are looking for specific solutions to their problems. • Online business networks tend to use categories that reflect specific interests and try to make it easy for business persons to find exactly the connections they need, quickly and efficiently. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Online Political Networks • Used in the 2004 U.S. elections to rally supporters, raise funds, and get their messages out to voters. • Provide a place for people interested in a candidate or an issue to communicate with each other. • These sites allow people to discuss issues, plan strategies, and arrange in-person meetings called meetups. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Software for Educational Communities • Many colleges and universities use learning platforms such as Blackboard or WebCT to deliver instruction over the Internet. • Distance learning platforms include tools such as bulletin boards, chat rooms, and drawing boards that allow students to interact with their instructors and each other. • Blackboard and WebCT are commercial software packages that schools must pay for. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Software for Educational Communities • Many schools that have come to rely on distance-learning platforms to deliver a large part of their instruction have faced budget cutbacks in recent years. • Schools in developing countries struggle to find money to pay the licensing fees charged. • Several groups of universities and individuals have sponsored the development of open source distance-learning platforms. • Two of the most widely used open source distance-learning platforms are Moodle and JA-SIG’s uPortal. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Moodle Home Page New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

New Challenges for Online Security • Security is broadly defined as the protection of assets from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction. • The Internet brings certain risks to both users and their computers. • New threats emerge and old threats become more invasive as technology gets better and more users are connected to the Internet. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Viruses, Worms, and Spyware • Some of the biggest threats to online users come in the form of e-mail messages. • Two of the best ways to prevent your computer from becoming infected are having current antivirus software and a firewall. • Most major ISPs distribute free antivirus and firewall software to their subscribers because the lack of security by their subscribers results in problems for the providers. • More powerful antivirus and firewall programs with additional features can be purchased. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Viruses, Worms, and Spyware • Identity theft is an increasing threat on the Internet. • ISPs and credit agencies are creating new ways to deal with online identity theft. • Avoid giving sites information about yourself unless you are confident that the Web site is both legitimate and secure. • Many credit cards offer free services in which they alert their customers by e-mail when they exceed their credit limits or have more than a preset number of transactions in a single day. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Viruses, Worms, and Spyware • Another way to protect yourself from online attacks is your choice of operating system and Web browser. • Most browsers have security features that let you set options to prevent ActiveX controls and pop-up windows from running on your computer. • You should keep your Microsoft updates and service packs current. • Other Web browsers are considered “safer” because they have less market share than Internet Explorer, and hackers spend less time trying to find ways to uncover and exploit vulnerabilities in those programs. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Phishing Expeditions • A type of security attack in which people are sent e-mail messages that seem to originate from a legitimate sender in an effort to gain information about the recipient. • Phishing has become one of the biggest Internet e-mail problems in recent history. • Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is an industry association that works to eliminate the identity theft and fraud that result from Internet phishing. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Phishing Expeditions • Phishing is such a large problem because some people do not verify the source of messages that they receive and then respond to them, assuming they are legitimate. • Some ISPs are providing software that alerts customers when they are about to enter a spoofed site. • DomainKeys create a digital signature that lets the recipient or recipient’s server authenticate the message to verify that it originated from the source that it claims it is from. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Defense Against Phishing • The best defense against phishing attacks is to make consumers aware of the problem and prevent them from visiting phishing sites. • Call and check the legitimacy of a message BEFORE responding. • Never click the links in a message that you suspect is spoofed. • Check your bank statements and credit card statements carefully when you receive them. New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Defense Against Phishing • Phishing attacks reduce consumer confidence in electronic commerce and the institutions and organizations that are victims of spoofing. • Many banks try to educate their customers about phishing. • The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills related to spyware in October 2004: • Internet Spyware Prevention Act (I-SPY) • SPY ACT (Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass) New Perspectives on The Internet, Fifth Edition—Comprehensive, 2005 Update

Emerging Technologies