Windows XP Mode is a new virtualization feature to be available to Windows 7 users running the Ultimate, Professional or Enterprise versions of the operating system. This is basically a revamped version of Microsoft Virtual PC and a pre-configure Windows XP virtual machine.

The beauty of this set up is that you can have your XP applications run just as if they were installed in Windows 7. There is a folder created in your start menu that allows you to launch these applications with a single click without having to load the XP virtual machine manually each time. In effect, the XP virtual machine will be running in the background when these applications are being used but it’s transparent to the user.

As of the present time, XP Mode is still in beta and requires you to download and install Windows Virtual PC. Both are freely available as beta versions from the Microsoft website. The requirements to run XP Mode are as follows:

1. Windows 7 (Ultimate, Professional or Enterprise)
2. Hard disk: 2GB for installing Windows XP Mode. Addtional 15GB of hard disk space for the virtual Windows environment.
3. A processor capable of hardware virtualization, with AMD-V™ or Intel® VT (use this handy little application to find out if you have this capability)

If all these conditions are met you can download XP Mode, Windows Virtual PC and install them. I’ve been using this set up for a few days now and it’s very handy to run some older applications that do not work well under Vista or 7. You can also use Windows Virtual PC to create new virtual machines or run existing ones that were created with older versions (it even runs my eComStation 2.0 RC5 vm).

Cheers!
~TheNerd

I’ve recently had the chance to ask Joachim Benjamins of Mensys about the state of eComStation, their involvement with the product and where it fits in this mordern world of Linux and Windows operating systems. Here is the interview in full. Enjoy.

1. TheNerd: What is Mensys and how are you involved?

Joachim: Mensys started out as a company that saw the lack of OS/2 specific knowledge and product availability as an opportunity to start a mailorder firm to satisfy that demand. I have been working here since 1995, and have seen the company grow and diversify.

2. TheNerd: What is eComStation and how does it relate to OS/2?

Joachim: eComStation is an OEM distribution of OS/2. As such, it is basically OS/2 with patches applied and all sorts of enhancements to make it run on current hardware. The main reason for this product is to support people (and companies) that need or want to run OS/2 on non-ancient computers.

3. TheNerd: How does Mensys fit in with Serenity Systems and eComStation?

Joachim: Mensys got in touch with Serenity Systems as soon as they (SSI) got the IBM OEM contract for OS/2. We were actively involved with OS/2 so we knew what was going on in the ‘OS/2 world’. eComStation is the name that was given to the OEM version of OS/2, as part of the deal with IBM was that the product was not allowed to be called “OS/2″.

4. TheNerd: When do you anticipate that eCS 2.0 will go GA?

Joachim: We have worked really hard to fix the last bugs and were able to release eComStation 2.0 RC6 at Warpstock Europe 2008. After RC6 there will be a final RC7. which needs to get some wide testing, and we anticipate that the GA version should be ready early next year. Of course, we are aware that this is really late – but I once read that serious delays make you a ‘big developer’ *

* With Android’s delay, Google is officially a big software developer

5. TheNerd: How many developers actively work on eCS and what are they currently working on?

Joachim: We have several developers working on various parts of the operating system, like ACPI and other important low-level drivers, we co-fund the development of UniAud (audio subsystem), a lot of volunteers work on translating and maintaining the NLV (national language versions) of eComStation up to date. The official development team consists of 74 people at this moment, however not all of them are equally active of course. (http://ewiki.ecomstation.nl/eDG)

6. TheNerd: Will there be following versions of eCS shortly after 2.0 is released? i.e. 2.01, 2.02, 2.03 etc…

Joachim: No doubt there will be updates required to the 2.0 GA version and it makes sense to release these as new versions, when enough of them have been collected. Our primary concern is getting the localized versions released when eComStation 2.0 English is ready though.

7. TheNerd: Who do you see as the main customers using eCS these days?

Joachim: We see an increase in the amount of corporate users, as it seems more and more clear that eComStation is the only viable way to obtain an OS/2 license. These customers are rather happy with the ability to install on modern machines and are returning for more licenses. We also offer quite extensive support for some custom requirements to these larger accounts. Despite this, the largest group of customers is still formed by the endusers and computer-enthousiasts.

8. TheNerd: In your opinion, what do you see as the benefits and short falls of eComStation in today’s market that is flooded with Windows and Linux?

Joachim: There’s a couple of main benefits in my view:

• Once used to the WPS and it’s merits, you will find it hard to find a similar way of working on any other desktop system.
• The lack of viri and other malware makes it good for surfing and emailing, with the latest versions of Firefox and Thunderbird readily available, although the lack of an up to date Flash player can be a problem at certain websites. Luckily the latter may change soon…
• eComStation provides excellent backward compatibility to OS/2 and as such supports old and even very old OS/2 applications, for corporate users this can be very important.
• performance: eComStation is really performing well on relatively modest hardware.

The short falls in my opinion are:

• lack of new ‘native’ applications, although there is a lot of applications that can be (and are) ported from Linux. Paul Smedley is doing an excellent job of keeping some important applications current, like the Apache webserver, MySQL database and other mainstream applications. Have a look here for a complete list.
• there is currently no multiuser capability for the desktop. Third party applications are available to enable this though.
• no support for Windows applications like MS Office, but OpenOffice.org is available even in the current release to provide at least some document compatibility.
• eComStation really isn’t meant for multimedia applications, although it can play DVD movies and MP3 music.

9. TheNerd: In the future will eCS development remain partially focused on the end user market or will it be focused more and more on the enterprise/corporate markets?

Joachim: This will probably always be a mixture between demand from corporate users and wishes from the enduser market.

10. TheNerd: What do you envision as the future of eComStation?

Joachim: I think eComStation will keep serving a certain niche-market for corporate users and it will remain a viable platform for many users who want a computer to simply work. We keep working on improving the browsing experience and to remain a useful platform for doing every day work.

11. TheNerd: Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Joachim: We are very grateful for the patience of everyone while we’re working on the last issues of eComStation 2.0. Of course, we want to thank all volunteers who keep helping to make this product possible in the first place!

Thanks very much to Joachim for is time spent answering my questions. And for journalistic integrity I do run a small business that is a Mensys reseller and I have been selling eComStation related software for the past 2 and a half years.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am not one to put up with bullshit or red tape for very long. You would also know that I am the kind of person who is always testing out new things and that I have a constant thirst for knowledge.

For the past four years I have been working as Help Desk Analyst for various government departments. So you ask what I am getting at? Well the above are some of the main factors to why I need to leave my current job. It’s sort of a Catch 22, I guess. It’s a very stable position with a pension and great medical benefits but I just can’t take it anymore.

My parents can’t understand why [update Sept 4,2008 - Mom says that her and Dad have a good grasp on my reasoning for moving on from this position - thanks Mom ] I would want to leave such a job and go for something in the private sector that doesn’t offer the same amount of stability or benefits. I can tell you why, it’s because I’m getting burnt out. A person can only take so much of the same thing (some can handle this more that others). I’m getting tired of the repetitive questions and petty (I really do mean petty) “issues” that people seem to think are important. It would be safe to say that 99% of these petty requests have no bearing on the grand scheme of things and no effect on the end result. It’s tough for me to sit here and respect a place that places so much emphasis on issues that don’t mean anything and don’t advance towards the improvement of the organization.

I feel that I need a job where I can take pride in what I do. I don’t have to be saving baby bunny rabbits or anything crazy like that but it would be nice to have some sort of gratification out of it. In my current position there are no methods in place to reward productivity or encourage hard work. The only thing that can happen is you can be scolded if you do not perform to expectations but there’s nothing that can really be done so no one worries about being fired. What kind of place is that to work? I’ve heard people wonder why no one wants to work any overtime but they can’t figure out why. Sure, we get paid for it but there’s nothing to make us feel that it will be rewarded in any other way than monetary. Management doesn’t even tell us whether or not they appreciate the work we do over and above our daily duties.

There are other factors that come in to play here as well. One is that there is no accountability, FOR ANYTHING. It really doesn’t matter what you do there’s almost nothing that can be done about it. Human Resources has warnings and written warnings that can be used but in all my time here I have never known of anyone using them.

Another one of the reasons for me wanting to get it is the issue of stagnation. I feel that in the past few years (mostly the past two) that there’s really been no change in the technology that we use. This is where my thirst for learning is just about killing me. Since the technology is pretty much at a standstill, I have learned a few ways to help keep my mind at ease but it’s no longer enough. There were a few times when it looked like some new projects were going to come through but they have almost all been squashed at the last minute.

There are more issues why I feel the need to part ways with this position but I don’t think I will mention them as I’ve already been scolded for pointing them out. Once I leave I may consider talking about them in greater detail but for now I’m sure I’ve bored you enough already.

Cheers!
~TheNerd

Secunia PSI (Personal Software Inspector) is a neat little application that scans your PC and informs you about outdated (only if it contains vulnerabilities), end-of-life and vulnerable software. Basically what it does is scans your PC (sort of like a virus scanner) and then creates a report of the software that needs attention.

When I first scanned my computer it was rated at 85% (the percentage of software that is “safe”). It took me a while, but in about three quarters of an hour I had all the software on my Windows XP install  updated and had my results up to 98% (I still have some software in Vista that needs updating).

The neat part is that it also provides you a direct link to downloads of new software versions  and if there aren’t any downloads it provides fairly detailed info on how to fix it if possible.

The current version is RC2 and it is free for personal use. Please be aware that this software stays in contact with a database at Secunia to provide up-to-date information about vulnerable and end-of-life software. If that concerns you then maybe you would want to stay away from this product.

If you are interested in giving it a try go to psi.secunia.com. I’ve include some screenshots of the applicaton below.

PS> I heard about this on Security Now…

Ok so in the last post I talked about a product called Free CompuSec and talked about how good it was. This weekend I decided to try out the whole disk encryption included with the latest version of TrueCrypt.

First off I would like to say that I am very impressed with TrueCrypt. It’s open source (which is a bonus for me) and is extremely easy to use. I’ve used a TrueCrypt in the past to create encrypted volumes and files but never for whole disk encryption.

The biggest plus over Free CompuSec is that TrueCrypt can encrypt your drive while you use it. Unlike Free CompuSec you don’t have to reboot and put your computer aside while you wait for it to finish. The only drawback is that it takes TrueCrypt a long time to do the whole drive. My notebook has an 80 GB drive and it took just about 10 hours to encrypt the whole thing. When I used Free CompuSec it only took about 2 hours to encrypt a 60GB drive.

I guess, once again, it depends on where your priorities are. If you need to use your computer then you might want to use TrueCrypt as you can still use your computer while it’s running but if you don’t mind being without a system for a few hours then you might want to try Free CompuSec. As far as the rest goes they both do just about the same thing. TrueCrypt doesn’t have the secure VOIP program but it’s a great utility if you just need encryption.

I’ve finally decided it’s time to look into whole disk encryption for my notebooks. This day and age with all the information one has on a mobile PC there really isn’t much of an excuse to not have it encrypted. I’ve recently found a program called Free CompuSec by a German company named CE-Infosys. I would like to say thanks to Steve Gibson of the Security Now podcast for putting me on to this program.

Free CompuSec can do lots of things but my main reason to use it was for the whole disk encryption because I was worried what would happen in the even my notebook was lost or stolen. Below is a short list of the features I think are very useful.

1. Pre boot access control (the main reason I use it)
2. Encryption for CD / DVD for secure publishing and sharing of CD data using CDCrypt
3. Encryption for Diskettes and Removable Media Devices such as ZIP drives, USB thumb drives or Memory sticks
4. [ClosedTalk]® for secure VoIP communication
5. It’s free for both personal and business use (this not not very common)

Installing Free CompuSec was a breeze and only took a few minutes. What sucks up the time is when you first encrypt the drive. This can take up to two hours (at least on the two notebooks I tested it on) so if you are of the impatient type you might want to set it to encrypt when you are on the way to bed for the night.

All in all my first impression of this software is good. There are others out there like TrueCrypt, which is open source, that would probably accomplish the same thing but I am not overly familiar with how it works so you may want to try both of them and see which one works best for you.

~TheNerd