Security experts tell us that a computer with an up-to-date operating system and up-to-date applications is safer to use because updates often include security patches. Keeping everything updated can be a problem, though.
Some applications remind users when updates are ready: Adobe's Creative Cloud applications do this. Firefox can be set to install updates automatically. Windows 10 includes both manual and automatic options. Most applications, though, still depend on the user to check periodically and to manually install updates.
Some utility applications, particularly those that are provided without charge, add a bit of complexity by automatically installing apps you probably don't want unless you explicitly opt out. And sometimes opting out is difficult. Wouldn't it be nice to have a technician who installed all the updates for you?
A utility called Ninite (pronounce: NIN-ite, not NI-nite) can keep an eye on nearly 150 applications and install updates when they become available. The company has paid versions that are intended primarily for corporate IT support departments because one administrator can control which applications are updated on any number of computers. The paid version is also available for individual users for $1 per month per computer and there are reasons why an individual user might want to pay. The per-machine cost drops as more machines are added. A 50-person company would pay 70¢ per month per computer, a 1000-person company would pay 36.5¢ per month per computer, and a 20,000-person company would pay 25.6¢ per month per computer.
If you choose the free version, the process is simple. Visit the Ninite website and select the items that you want to install or update. You will then download a file that has been customized for you. It will install any applications you've selected that aren't already installed on the computer and will then check for updates each time you run it after that. That makes it a manual process, so you'll need to remember to run the program occasionally. Once you've done that, the updates will be installed automatically.
When Ninite tries to update an application that's running, the update will fail and Ninite will display a message. You can then close the application and have Ninite retry the update. And if an application wants to install a browser helper object or menu bar or any other potentially unwanted application, Ninite will refuse the offer. It's rather like having an intelligent helper do the work of keeping the computer up to date.
There may still be applications that you'll have to update manually, but the 150 applications that Ninite knows about will at least no longer need to concern you. Even though Firefox, Chrome, and Opera handle their own updates, I have Ninite watch them. In all, Ninite keeps 23 applications up to date for me, including MusicBee, Java and .Net runtimes, Libre Office, Filezilla, and 7-Zip. Filezilla sometimes comes with unwanted applications attached, so I always had to watch the installer carefully. Ninite eliminates that concern.
After downloading the installer, you'll run it for the first time and the application will check the list of applications you want against what's already installed on your computer. If an application isn't installed, Ninite will install it. If it is installed, Ninite will check to see if it's up to date and, if not, it will download and install the latest version.
The free home version doesn't even have ads. As Ninite puts it, "Pro users keep Ninite running."
As handy as the free version is, the paid version could be well worth the small price if you have several computers around the house and it's definitely worth the cost for commercial installations because the updates will happen automatically.
When I converted to the paid version, there were a couple of minor problems: Ninite repeatedly told me that Skype needed to be updated, but Skype told me it was up to date, and Ninite also wanted to install Google Drive, which seems to cause problems with the newer Backup and Sync from Google.
To resolve these minor issues, I created a policy and applied it to the computer. Policies make it possible to create exceptions. Each policy is named and can be applied to one or more computers. My "Omit Skype and Google Drive" policy sets those two applications to locked and sets all other applications to be updated automatically.
If you'd like to see the full current list of apps that Ninite knows about, click the link below. Click it again to hide the list.
Ninite saves time and keeps your computer up to date.After using the free version of Ninite for many years, I've switched to the version that costs $12 per year per computer. It saves time that I would otherwise need to spend updating applications and it eliminates the bother of having some applications install unwanted components. The interface is a lot more cumbersome than it needs to be and that's the only think keeping Ninite from a 5-cat rating.
Additional details are available on the Ninite website.
When something goes wrong with a computer, a lot of people have a knee-jerk response and frequently that response worsens the problem. Think of a grease fire on a stove. Your first thought might be to get water onto the fire, but that will only spread the fire. The right response is a sauce pan cover that will smother the flames.
The computer equivalent sometimes involves the Windows Event Viewer. As handy as this component is, it might lead you in the wrong direction.
Case in point: The other day, I noticed that "Backup and Sync by Google", which I use to synchronize Google Docs files with my computer and to synchronize some files on the computer with other computers and with hand-held devices wasn't running. I restarted the service and all was well, but then the icon disappeared again. This was repeated time and again for more than a week.
All of my files are backed up using other methods, so this wasn't a serious problem, but it was annoying. When I expect a file to be accessible on a tablet or phone, I want it to be there and when the service isn't running, that doesn't happen.
So I started poking around in the Event Viewer to see if I could find something that identified what was killing the service. Around the time that the service quit, I found several errors for a Distributed COM service. Further research indicated that this error was reported 40 to 50 times per day.
One might be forgiven for thinking this is an emergency, but it's not. The error message ("The server {D63B10C5-BB46-4990-A94F-E40B9D520160} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout.") wasn't particularly useful, but additional research led to a discussion on the TechNet section of Microsoft's site. The suggestion was to simply ignore the error. Although something that was supposed to happen didn't, the system later resolve the problem by using another method. Microsoft engineers explained that it's better to allow the system to resolve the problem than to disable the component.
This particular error wasn't associated with the Google service anyway and I never did determine what causes the service to stop. This didn't happen with the earlier version of the service and, based on feedback to Google, it seems that I am not alone.
As a temporary workaround that might become permanent, I have created a job in the Task Scheduler that attempts to start "Backup and Sync by Google" every hour. That's a work in process because the problem isn't consistent. Sometimes the service stops and no files are synchronized, but in other cases it seems that only the icon in the Notification area stops working. Although the user interface has disappeared, the service continues to sync files.
Claiming national security implications, the US Treasury Department has blocked the acquisition of Qualcomm by Broadcom, which is in the process of moving its headquarters from Singapore to the United States.
On March 12, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the decision is "based on the facts and national security sensitivities related to this particular transaction only and is not intended to make any other statement about Broadcom or its employees, including its thousands of hard working and highly skilled US employees."
The decision seems to be related to concerns about research into fifth generation (5G) communications. Qualcomm spent about $5.5 billion on research last year and the primary concern was that Broadcom would reduce spending. Broadcom had said that it planned to create a $1.5 billion program to train engineers in the US and that it would make the United States the global leader in 5G.
Broadcom's statement says "Although we are disappointed with this outcome, Broadcom will comply with the Order."
San Diego-based Qualcomm is the world's largest maker of chips for smart-phones and it owns many of the technologies used in 3G and 4G systems. Previously Intel had considered acquiring Qualcomm, mainly because Intel has no products that are serious contenders in the mobile device market.
The combined Qualcomm-Broadcom would have been huge and would provide chips for everything from mobile communications devices, automobiles, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
In the past, phone manufacturers released new phones before the infrastructure was present to support them. With 5G, that process might finally be reversed. AT&T and Verizon are promising to have 5G mobile hot-spots in place before 5G smart phones are shipped.
At last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, AT&T and Verizon said that 5G phones will be released next year and both providers will offer fifth-generation mobile service using portable hot-spots called "pucks" starting this year
Verizon expects 5G mobile handsets to be available during the first half of 2019 and that mobile hot-spots should start being available this year. The big 3 wireless providers (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile) are pushing to have 5G network capabilities by the end of this year even though no phones will be able to use the upgraded services until next year.
In other words, we have a situation in which the horse is being placed ahead of the cart, where the horse belongs. This is uncommon.
The first 5G phones will probably come from Huawei, Xiaomi, and ZTE -- manufacturers based in China. Huawei and ZTE are closely aligned with the Chinese government and there are security concerns about phones from these companies.
The 5G technology is expected to be faster and more reliable than what we have now and it's expected to have a large impact on many industries. In a January conference call for investors, AT&T described its plans for hot-spots that would make it possible for users to connect a mobile device to a 5G network.
Finally! Microsoft will work with Intel to provide microcode updates to Windows users to deal with Spectre 2 attacks that take advantage of Intel's poorly designed chips and initial botched fixes that made the problem worse.
Intel now has code that it believes to be fully functional and the updates can be distributed either as firmware updates from Intel to computer owners or as microcode patches from Microsoft. Firmware updates are, in many ways, preferable because they address the hardware directly, but they're challenging for users to implement.
So Microsoft may eventually send the updates as part of the routine patch cycle process, but they haven't committed to this. Instead, the new code has been added to Microsoft's catalog and users must download and install the patch manually. Currently code is available for some Intel Skylake processors and other CPUs will be added as Intel finishes work on the patches.
The microcode updates are in the catalog here.
