The SoftwareMedia Tribune
Find out what happened in the world of software in February 2009. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!

Help & How To
Tax Filing Guide
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Acrobat Standard vs. Pro

New Software Releases
Norton Antivirus 2009 Gaming Edition
CorelDRAW X4 Special Anniversary Edition

New at SoftwareMedia
Oracle Licensing
Total Training Licensing
BlackBerry Licensing

Briefly…

• Microsoft launches Elevate America to give free tech training to millions.
• Borland unveils Team Inspector which tests new software for release readiness.
• Adobe is offering free Flex Builder software to recently unemployed developers. Details
• Microsoft Office 14 has been delayed and won’t ship until next year.
• Symantec announces Endpoint Virtualization Suite as its entry into desktop virtualization.

SoftwareMedia launched its business page on Facebook this month. Check out the SoftwareMedia Page on Facebook to meet some of the people behind the scenes, read about software news, and keep up with current promotions.

If you have a Facebook account, be sure to become a fan of SoftwareMedia. We will be sending out an exclusive discount code to our Facebook fans later this month, so don’t miss out!

Adobe has officially acknowledged security problems with the recent versions of Acrobat 9 and Reader 9. This vulnerability can be exploited by malformed PDF files, causing the application to crash and potentially allowing a hacker to take control of the system.

Adobe will be releasing critical updates for Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 that will fix this problem by March 11th. Updates to older versions will be released by March 18th.

In the meantime, reports have indicated that disabling JavaScript in these programs can help protect your system from currently known attacks. To disable JavaScript in Acrobat or Reader, follow these steps:

1. Select Edit>Preferences
2. Select the JavaScript Category
3. Uncheck the ‘Enable Acrobat JavaScript’ option
4. Click OK

For more information, see the security bulletin on Adobe’s website.

Microsoft recently confirmed there will be six different editions of Windows 7. Most home users will only see Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional, which will be the two main editions targeted to average users. The four other editions are: Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic (only for emerging markets), Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise (for large volume licensing).

If you plan on upgrading to Windows 7 once it is released, cheaper upgrade versions will be available to current Windows XP and Windows Vista users. However, if you currently use Windows XP, you will have to do a “clean” install of Windows 7, which means you will lose everything on your hard drive and will have to restore all of your data from external backups. Current Windows Vista users will only be able to “migrate” to a similar version of Windows 7 (i.e. Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium). If you want to switch versions (say, jump from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional) you will have to do a clean install. An easier way to upgrade would be to install the similar version of Windows 7 to you current Vista version, and then use the Windows Anytime Upgrade feature found in Windows 7 to purchase an upgrade key to activate additional features.

VMWare, the global leader in virtualization solutions, announced that it has developed a Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP) for smart phones. The MVP will allow end users to run multiple phone accounts from a single device. So, if you have separate phones for work and personal use, you will soon be able to integrate them into a single physical device.

The software for MVP will allow IT departments to secure corporate data on an employee-owned smart phone, thus giving employees the freedom to choose their favorite device. For personal smart phone use, the MVP will simplify the process of transferring all of your data to a new physical device, making upgrades virtually painless.

Read more about Mobile Virtualization.

McAfee recently conducted a study that found over $1 trillion was lost in 2008 from data theft and other cyber crimes. Data theft has been on the rise lately due to the economic downturn, and the situation is predicted to only get worse. Unlike traditional “nuisance” viruses of the past, the McAfee study showed that 80 percent of today’s malware is aimed at making a financial gain.

The good news is the main targets of today’s cyber crimes are larger corporations, with many attacks coming from current or past employees. However, malware aimed at individual users is still on the rise, and steps need to be taken to protect your own personal information. Check out SoftwareMedia’s Internet Security Guide to learn about viruses, phishing and spyware, and how you can make sure you’re protected.