Microsoft is releasing the new version of the Windows operating system – Vista. The official press release says Vista is available for businesses this month and the consumer version will be available this January 2007. For full details, go to http://www.microsoft.com/presspass
Microsoft is also releasing Office 2007 next month. In fact, our software supplier, SHI is already selling the licenses for Office 2007 and Vista and was instructed by Microsoft to remove the Office 2003 product and the Windows XP upgrade products from the license program. Pretty much proof positive Microsoft means it this time.
What does it mean for you?
Vista, like most new operating systems has “bigger yet” hardware requirements. This makes upgrading an existing computer a challenge. As a rule of thumb, I recommend you wait until you get a new computer to get Vista. If you are the adventurous type (Microsoft hopes so) you can check out your current computer with the Vista advisor at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx
You can get lots of information about Windows Vista at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/. Be sure to check out “The Experience” and “The Features” sections to get detailed overviews of Vista elements. “The Community” section offers different blogs and articles highlighting different features as well as providing an introduction to Vista.
Welcome to your new Office!
Microsoft Office 2007 is the latest office product and it too has some new requirements. It requires you have Windows XP ServicePack 2 and at least 2 Gigabytes of hard disk space.
Before you run out and buy a copy, they offer a test drive. There are a lot changes here, including the way it looks. I suggest you try the test drive. You can find more info and the test drive link at
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/default.aspx
We’re learning too, so watch TTnT for tips on Office 2007 and Vista!
Centra Central
Dec. 1 - TRS (Teacher's Retirement System) (Jennifer Humphries)
Dec. 8 - Behavior Based Interviewing (Jennifer Humphries)
Dec. 15 - Recruiting Tools (Jennifer Humphries)
Enroll or browse upcoming events or learn more about Centra by clicking the Centra Symposium link from the EIT webpage or going directly to http://eit.tamu.edu/centra.html. Playback any of the 250+ recorded sessions from the Public Recordings link at http://centra.tamu.edu/main/tce. For more information, go to http://eit.tamu.edu/Centra/frionline0607.pdf.
Web Tips – COOKIES - WHAT ARE THEY, WHERE ARE THEY, WHY ARE THEY*
edited by Jill Hughson
“Cookies” is the term used for little chunks of data that web servers can store on your hard drive. They are often used to make your web surfing more personal and convenient, but some people fear that cookie abuse could lead to loss of privacy.
Cookies Are Good For You
More and more sites are using cookies to enhance your web experience and enable some pretty cool features. They use cookies to help customize the site to suit your liking. It's kind of like going to a restaurant where the waiter remembers your name and knows you like blue cheese dressing and extra croutons on your salad. If you do any online shopping, cookies make it possible to use a shopping cart where you can place your selections before checking out. You can even logoff half way through a shopping expedition and pick up later right where you left off. Some stores will even store your billing address in a cookie so you don't have to re-type when you place another order.
What's in a Cookie?
The reading and writing of cookies normally takes place without the user knowing that it's going on behind the scenes. Cookies are stored in a variety of places on your hard disk, depending on your browser and operating system. A typical cookies file contains the name of the site that wrote the entry, an expiration date, and some additional data pertaining to your visit to a site. Other crumbs of data that may be stored in cookies include your domain name (the part to the RIGHT of the "@" sign in your e-mail address -- NOT your username), the date and time of your visit, the type of computer, operating system and browser you have, and a history of the pages you visit at a specific site.
Cookies Are Safe
It's important to remember that a cookie cannot store any personal data such as your name, e-mail address or phone number unless you explicitly provide that information on a form at the site creating the cookie. Remember these important facts about cookies:
- Cookies are designed to save you time and make surfing easier
- Cookies cannot access personal data or files from your hard drive
- Cookies can only be read by the Web site that created them
For more information and how you can “toss your cookies,” go to http://www.geocities.com/buddychai/Tips/Browser1.html
*From Buddy’s Browser Tips N Tricks
Have a web tip you’d like share? Send it to ajhughson@ag.tamu.edu ! Please be aware that if a tip doesn’t make it in right away, we’ll save it for future use.
Tip of the Month: Exploring Internet Explorer 7
by Jeffrey SoRelle
Late last month, Microsoft Corp. released Windows Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) for Windows XP. This new browser provides a greater level of security, makes everyday tasks easier, and will work with the Web sites you are currently visiting. However, one big catch is, you MUST be using Windows XP. For you Windows 95, 98, ME or 2000 users, IE 7 will not work on your systems and you need to stay with IE 6.
Why upgrade? Internet Explorer 7 provides improved navigation through tabbed browsing, web search right from the toolbar, advanced printing, easy discovery, reading and subscription to RSS feeds, and much more. Plus (and likely the most important reason to upgrade) IE 7 provides new and improved security. The new security features help defend against malicious software (also known as malware). Also included are new ways to better protect against the theft of personal data from fraudulent websites, a practice known as phishing.
To upgrade:
After completing the settings section, it is recommended that you take the quick tour of the new IE 7 to become accustomed to the new features. (Figure 3)
Enjoy a better (and more secure) browsing experience!