[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4776″ align=”left” size=”Small 150 width” quality=”100″] Java Problems Ongoing.  Are You At Risk?

As we outlined last month, the serious flaws in Oracle’s Java7 were enough to set the industry abuzz with criticism.  Since our last newsletter remaining flaws in Java7 permitted attacks on Facebook and Apple, though the companies claimed no customer or user data was compromised.  Twitter warned that about 250,000 user accounts were compromised.

In essence if you are running an outdated version of Java you are at risk.  Oracle has scrambled to provide fixes.  The most recent came in early February and contained some 50 security fixes; then another February 19 with several additional fixes. According to PC World, the latest update, Java 7 (Update 15) and Java 6 (Update 41), address five additional vulnerabilities that couldn’t be included in the emergency Java update that Oracle released on Feb. 1 due to time constraints.

For the average user who may be confused, uninitiated and wary, geek.com has provided a handy guide for disabling Java in your browsers.  It should be noted that all browsers as well as Windows, OS-X, and Linux operating systems are vulnerable.

Furthermore, according to Information Week mobile developer sites were targeted in the recent attacks, so if you are a mobile developer and feel you’ve been compromised, it’s critical that you check your source code. We’ve included some helpful links if you want to further explore the issue:  Information Week, geek.com, PC World, Oracle Java topics, Oracle downloads

Hello!  A Tablet That Can Call Home.

The Asus Fonepad is what many of us have been waiting for:  A tablet that’s a phone that’s a tablet.  Who wants to carry a slew of devices around to talk, type, hype and chat?  In short Fonepad is a 7″ Android tablet that features 3G data and voice capabilities.

But, is it really the bomb?  Do you really want to hold a 7” tablet up to your ear?  For some, perhaps, who rely on speakerphone, no big deal?  For others, probably, no way!  As one reviewer put it:  who wants to hold something up to your ear that blocks out the sun?

On the other hand the Fonepad is expected to be relatively inexpensive (about $250 US), resembles the Nexus 7 in many respects, and adds a phone into the mix.  So use the phone or not, it’s there at a very decent price.  Asus hasn’t  yet given a US release date, so for the moment we can wait and see how it’s received in the UK and Asia.

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Do Operating Systems Matter Anymore?

While they certainly will matter on the back end — to the average user, the operating system is becoming less and less important.

Why?  For starters, a proliferation of device sizes, shapes, capabilities and operating systems are now in direct competition with the traditional PC model.  Furthermore, Software As A Service (SAAS) is dynamically affecting how we receive and use applications for business and pleasure.

As a business owner, I might utilize several servers, a cloud-delivered custom customer relations management system, and a proprietary accounting system; permit a BYOD environment for certain employees, and use, say, Google Docs or Windows for my daily word processing and spreadsheet applications.

It hasn’t been so long ago that the Microsoft OS had us pretty locked into a rigid my way or the highway mentality. Surely you remember the blue screen of death.  Surely you remember that your primary OS choices were Windows or Apple.  Application delivery is a fast shifting paradigm, and it will be fascinating to see how it coalesces, or, indeed, if it does; and whether it even matters. Here’s more if you want to explore:  Forbes.  Computerworld.

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