Filed under: Internet, Blogging

Automattic plans to release the next major version of its popular blogging client, WordPress, later this month. But if you're OK with running your web site on beta software, you can download WordPress 2.7 beta 2 today. It's relatively stable, and features a whole slew of improvements over WordPress 2.6.

Some of the most visible changes for your readers will be support for threaded comments and sticky posts. In other words, they'll be able to reply to individual comments without resorting to a silly @ symbol, and you'll be able to make an important post hang out at the top of your page even after you've written more recent articles.

But the really big changes are all in the administration area. WordPress 2.7 has a completely new interface that both saves space (by grouping a number of items together in a collapsable sidebar), and allowing you to customize the interface by dragging and dropping widgets.

But the new interface is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are a few of my favorite new features in WordPress 2.7:

• You can search for and install plugins directly from your blog's administration page. No need to find and download a plugin, upload it to your FTP server and then enable it. You can take care of the whole thing in just a few clicks.
• WordPress 2.7 includes an automatic upgrade script that will download the latest version of WordPress and install it for you.
  

Overall, WordPress 2.7 replaces at least two plugins I had come to rely on, Ozh' Admin Drop Down Menu, and WordPress Automatic Upgrade. I'll be curious to see if the automatic upgrade plugin continues to work with future versions of WordPress though, as it does include a few features that the WordPress auto-upgrade utility lacks, like an integrated database backup tool.

First look at WordPress 2.7 beta 2 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: iPhone

Do you have a gripe about your iPhone? If you're one of the many people who wishes the much-hyped gadget had basic things like copy/paste or the ability to shoot video, now there's a place to take your gripes. Please Fix the iPhone is a very attractive site about people's problems with Apple's mostly-very-attractive phone.

The format of the site is pretty simple: a list of people's wishes for improvements to the iPhone, with the ability to vote for any you agree with. The front page shows the top 10 of the thousands of wishes people have submitted. I knew people had problems with the iPhone, but I didn't know they had thousands of problems with it. Take that number with a grain of salt, though: wishes range from the serious (no physical keyboard) to the not so serious (no self-destruct button).

Please Fix the iPhone! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Sure, Windows 7 will have a less annoying User Account Control system, a nifty new taskbar, and the ability to burn ISO files. But what have you done for laptop users late, Microsoft? As it turns out, quite a bit.

Windows 7 has been designed to start up and shut down more quickly than Windows Vista, which comes in handy if you happen to be doing some light work on your PC while waiting at an airport and you need to slam your notebook shut and run for the gate once you realize you missed the final boarding call.

Microsoft is accomplishing the quicker boot speed by reducing the number of services that launch at startup and loading drivers in parallel instead of sequentially. Windows 7 also includes improved window management that will let you load more windows without running out of memory.

And there are also a bunch of improvements to power management that will result in an 11% orbetter battery boost. These include better management of wireless radios (like WiFi and Bluetooth), and some tweaks tht will let the CPU run slower or spend more time idling.

Windows Vista already has a number of features that help you get more life out of a laptop battery than you'd get with Windows XP, including advanced power management settings that let you fine tune your screen brightness, CPU speed and other settings. It looks like Windows 7 takes things a few steps further.

You can watch three videos demonstrating Windows 7's speedier boot time, improved window management, and reduced battery draw at Engadget.

Microsoft promises faster boot, longer battery life from Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, Security

It may not be typical Download Squad fare, but this morning's news from PC World is important enough to share with our readers.

Researchers Eric Tews and Martin Beck managed to break a TKIP key in about 15 minutes using a non-dictionary attack. It's the first reported chink the in armor for the encryption standard that replaced WEP.

Some of the code used in the attack has made its way into the Aircrack-ng wireless cracking tool, which means Pandora's box is wide open. In the article, Sri Sundaralingam, VP of Airtight Network states "Its just the starting point. Erik and Martin have just opened the box on a whole new hacker playground."

The newer WPA2 standard remains safe, so now may be the time to upgrade your router if it's not supported.

Download Squad PSA: WPA encryption successfully cracked originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, Security

It may not be typical Download Squad fare, but this morning's news from PC World is important enough to share with our readers.

Researchers Eric Tews and Martin Beck managed to break a TKIP key in about 15 minutes using a non-dictionary attack. It's the first reported chink the in armor for the encryption standard that replaced WEP.

Some of the code used in the attack has made its way into the Aircrack-ng wireless cracking tool, which means Pandora's box is wide open. In the article, Sri Sundaralingam, VP of Airtight Network states "Its just the starting point. Erik and Martin have just opened the box on a whole new hacker playground."

The newer WPA2 standard remains safe, so now may be the time to upgrade your router if it's not supported.

Download Squad PSA: WPA encryption successfully cracked originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fun, Productivity, Education

Write or Die from Dr. Wicked is quite an interesting application. You must keep typing or you will receive reminders to get back to work. Sometimes those reminders are quite unpleasant.

You can choose nice, gentle reminders, in the form of pop up boxes, the normal reminders which make the screen turn red and play music, or kamikaze reminders which start undoing what you have been typing if you stop. There are also Electric Shock reminders but, you can't always check that box.

This would be a perfect tool for anyone who needed to get a lot of words on paper in a specific amount of time. You can set word goals or time goals - or both. I gave myself a goal of 10 minutes and/or 20 words for writing this post. It is quite handy little tool for writers, bloggers or students who really need to get stuff done.

Plus, it's a lot of fun and the reminders are a good way to keep yourself on track if you have a tendency to stop working, stare off into space or get easily distracted. Or, if you're like me, having a word count goal and a timer makes me work that much harder to get all the words in before the timer goes off!

[Via The Renegade Writer Blog]

Write or Die keeps you on track originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

I don't do a lot of ISO creation, so when I do find myself needing to compile an image I like a nice, uncomplicated app to get the job done.

Free ISO Creator's self-explanatory interface makes the process about as easy as it can get. Browse for files and folders to add, choose where you'd like your ISO to be saved, and click convert. It's speedy, compiling my test CD in about 12 seconds.

Bootable images can be created, and CD, DVD-5, and DVD-9 are supported, and you can also specify your ISO to be created as ISO 9660 or UDF. I'd get in to more detail, but this is a simple, straightforward app, and there's nothing at all tricky about using it.

Free ISO Creator is a 1mb free download for Windows only.

Free ISO Creator creates images in three easy steps originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Windows, Freeware

While I use (and love) TeamViewer, not everyone's IT budget can justify the $700 expense. If you're in need of a good, zero-config alternative, check out Ammyy Admin.

It's a very slick application. Both the host and remote user download the same file - a tiny (128kb), portable executable. Launch it, and Ammyy displays one tab for the client and a second for the host (operator). Just like TeamViewer, your host connects to an echo server and receives an ID. Enter it into your client id window and click connect. Like TeamViewer, all communications are fully encrypted.

Once the host confirms your request, you're in. It's not as fast as TeamViewer, and it doesn't support autoscaling - but it does have a few advantages. Price is one, obviously, but I also appreciate that the Ammyy host service can be installed while you're connected to a client.

It will also remember authorized connections and automatically add remote operators to its list of permitted users. Ammyy also sports a file transfer mode which looks and functions much like TeamViewer's version. Again, AA's implementation isn't quite as fast, but it's still good enough to get the job done.

While autoscaling your hosts' screen isn't an option, you are able to zoom to predefined levels. There are also buttons to send ctrl-alt-delete and ctrl-esc to your host (TeamViewer lacks the latter).

For a free application with no nag screens, Ammyy Admin is a simple and highly functional tool for remote support.

Ammyy Admin is a free TeamViewer alternative for remote support originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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