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Byteback
THE article “Disaster in the Arabian Sea” (Aug 23 issue) is an eye-opener. The immense harm the oil-spill has done to the Karachi coastline, marine life and vegetation is incalculable. To a lesser but no less important extent, it has deprived the low-income and middle-class sections of the population of Karachi from the opportunities for recreation available by the seaside, though temporarily.
Nobody can deny that this disaster has resulted from gross negligence for which heads should roll, but those responsible for it won’t. Why first of all did the NSC charter a tanker that was 24 years old and obviously not seaworthy, since it had already been denied entry by the US and the European Union in their waters?
It is also surprising to learn that the tanker was in the control of the local pilot when the accident occured. In all the discussion programmes on the TV channels - private as well as official — all the maritime experts and officials firmly declare that steering the tanker safely into harbour is the responsibility of the master of the ship. The local pilot, it is repeatedly claimed, boards the ship merely to acquaint the master with local conditions, etc, and does not share responsibility for guiding or piloting the ship. If this is so why did the local pilot assume charge instead of leaving it to the ship’s master?
Incidentally, I remember reading many years ago of a bacteria developed by an Indian employee of General Electric (GE) that “eats up” oil slicks when released in the affected areas. This received a great deal of publicity when GE tried to patent the bacteria but the courts disagreed, ruling that a living natural organism could not be patented since it occured naturally and was not somebody’s creation. I don’t know what became of this bacteria, and whether it is still in use. But it may be worthwhile finding out.
ASAD SIDDIQI
Lahore
RPC service
AFTAB ZUBERI
Karachi
Editor replies: The RPC (Remote Procedural Call) message indicates that your computer is infected with the Blaster worm which is playing havoc on the net these days. To fix this problem, visit the McAfee or Symantec website and download a w32.blast.worm removal patch. After you run it, you will be prompted to connect to Microsoft’s website for downloading a patch to fix Windows XP’s vulnerability. Also make sure you install a third-party firewall software, such as ZoneAlarm Pro from
This concerns other readers too whose machines have been hit by the Blaster worm.
Kazaa on cablenet
ZAIN ALI
Karachi
Editor replies: Call WorldCall technical assistance person to give you the IP address of their server and ask whether they offer socks service.
Printer options
ASIF KHAN
Editor replies: You should specify all your printing customizations in the printer you install on your main system.
Pin and Ping
1. What is the difference between Pin and Ping?
2. What is the POP3 server of Hotmail?
3. Is there any website from where I can download english movies in MP3 format?
4. I don’t want to use Norton Antivirus 2002. Can you tell me any other antivitus software?
HAMZA ZAFAR
Karachi
Editor replies: The answers are mentioned in the order asked:
1. PIN (Personal Identification Number) is used for idenitification purpose, usually in order to access certain services, such as those at banks, organizations, ISPs accounts, etc. Ping is a diagnostic utility used for finding out the status of your host computer.
2. mail.hotmail.com
3. Try some peer-to-peer networks, such as Kazaa, Imesh, Morpheus, etc.
4. Try latest available version of Panda, Pc-Cillin, or McAfee VirusScan.
Lindows on Windows
1. I wish to install Lindows 4.0 version. Can I have dual OS option after I install it with Win98? Can I run the Lindows setup from Windows?
2. How I can install LAN card on Lindows?
3. Can I install programs, such as msn and Yahoo IMs, antivirus, etc, in Lindows?
DR DHAHRI A ADEEL
Hyderabad
Editor replies: Yes, you can run Lindows setup from Windows. This way Linux installer will recognize another OS on the disk, and will build a boot loader configuration file automatically.
2. The LAN will get detected on it’s own provided that its drivers are available in the Lindows driver’s repository.
3. Therotically, according to Lindows’ claims, all the Windows compatible programs can be run on Lindows. However practically, it has been a major disappointment. The last version of Lindows released had quite a few glitches which caused programs fail to run properly.
Graphics card
Yakoob alvi
<yakoob_2002@yahoo.com>
Editor replies: In fact the latest Geforce series really packs a punch. The 256MB DDR memory cards also provide exceptional performance and can cost around Rs22000. For not-so-heavy duty, you can try ATI Radeon 9200. For conversion of format, you can try any of the available decoders, such as AudioCatalyst, or Ezcdcreator.
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