Hi, my name is tommEE and I am a Sprint PCS user
I have to say, due to my situation I have been stuck with Sprint PCS for cell phone access. They suck, there is no other way to describe the service than that. To shed more light on how they suck here is the newest info. CNET has a story related to the Handspring springboard phones. Instead of them providing software updates for the device to be able to use Sprint's newer networks, they have decided to give up on the great advances in technology, and just offer the subscribers $250 credit towards Sprint PCS. Nice, we won't support you but if you accept this money and pay it right back to us, we'll screw you again. Read more here.

Maybe I talk too fast
I was looking around the "Screensavers" web site and there is an article on the different types of 802.11. I am an early adaptor of the wireless devices but like all, I started to call them Wi-Fi also. This article on Tech TV's site might be able to explain the difference between the type of old and new wireless to those who are just coming into the Wi-Fi scene. Check it out here

New worm hitting the users of Microsoft
The Merkur worm is a Visual Basic script that spreads through file sharing networks such as KaZaA, Bearshare, and eDonkey, as well as through mIRC, an Internet Relay Chat program. It sends itself out to contacts mined from Outlook address books and targets computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Me.

The program copies itself into the infected computer's hard drive under the following names:

C:\Autoexec.exe
C:\Windows\Screensaver.exe
C:\Windows\System\Avupdate.exe
C:\Program Files\Uninstall.exe
C:\Program Files\Kazaa\My Shared Folder\Ipspoofer.exe
C:\Program Files\Kazaa\My Shared Folder\Virtual Sex Simulator.exe
C:\Program Files\Bearshare\Shared\Ipspoofer.exe
C:\Program Files\Bearshare\Shared\Virtual Sex Simulator.exe
C:\Program Files\Edonkey2000\Incoming\Ipspoofer.exe
C:\Program Files\Edonkey2000\Incoming\Virtual Sex Simulator.exe

The file sharing entries are named so as to entice other users to download the files and restart the infection process. This is a new trend in worms, using P2P networks as infection mechanisms.

Merkur also sends itself out as an attachment using the Outlook address book to mine for new email victims. Merkur is an executable attachment that must be double-clicked to start the infection process. Just reading the email without double clicking will not cause infection.

The email has the following characteristics:

Subject: Update your Anti-virus Software
Message: Here is a patch for your AV software, it will cover all the latest outbreaks of worms etc. (worms as in virus not earth worms! lol)
Attachment: Taskman.exe

Removal instructions
Symantec posts advice on how to remove the virus. McAfee and other antivirus products will have similar instructions on their websites.

Update the virus definitions.
Restart the computer in Safe mode.
Run a full system scan and delete all files that are detected as W32.HLLW.Merkur@mm.
Remove the value AVupdate C:\Windows\System\AVupdate.exe from the registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
Restore C:\Windows\Taskman.exe and C:\Windows\Notepad.exe, if necessary.

So far the damage from this worm is estimated as low, but with multiple mechanisms for infection, the distribution is rated high.

Free Sun Software?
Well Sun had an anouncement that stated that they will be release some of their software for free. The company said it has released two new versions of its Sun ONE Application Server 7. Sun said the new software, which is used to manage Web-based transactions between client PCs and back-end databases, is now more tightly linked to its Java development tools. The company also said it plans to extend its free version to the SunLinux, HP-UX, and AIX operating systems in January. Earlier this year, Sun announced plans to offer a free low-end version of its application server software as part of the Solaris operating system. Read more here

Yay, Linus says, June is the time
In an article on CNET News.com, the next version of the Linux kernel is expected by June. Top Linux programmers had been debating whether changes would be grand enough to warrant naming the next version 3.0, but Torvalds called the next version 2.6. These programmers typically don't conduct such debates in person, preferring instead to trade ideas, code and sometimes acerbic remarks on the Linux kernel mailing list. Read the article here.