Tech Olive

We’re not sure how anyone at Microsoft missed this, but a bug in the Windows Virtual DOS Machine (VDM), which handles legacy 16-bit programs, was found and has apparently gone unnoticed for 17 years. VDM was first implemented in a July 1993 update of Windows NT and has since been included with all 32-bit Windows operating systems, including Windows 7. Microsoft says that if a hacker exploited this vulnerability, they “could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”

Microsoft hasn’t released any kind of fix yet and we don’t know when they will, but one Google engineer who found the bug, Tavis Ormandy, said there’s a quick workaround: edit group policies to block 16-bit applications from running.

via [ComputerWorld]

Going into a Del Taco and ordering one of their “macho-sized”  drinks will get you a Star Trek Online limited edition collector’s cup with a peel-off code that you can redeem on Atari’s website. That code will grant you an early access, 48-hour free trial of Star Trek Online.

[Press Release]

Developer Rebellion has announced the minimum and recommended specs for their upcoming game Aliens vs. Predator. Check them out below.

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows 7/ XP/Vista
• 1 GB System RAM (XP)/2 GB System RAM (Vista)
• 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4/Athlon 64 3000+ or equivalent processor
• DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 128 MB RAM (NVIDIA 6600 or better, ATI X1600 or better)

Recommended Requirements:

• Windows 7/ XP/Vista
• Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 or equivalent processor
• 2 GB System RAM
• DirectX 9.0c compliant video card with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA 8800 series, ATI HD2900 PRO or better)

via [AVP Galaxy]

Well folks, it’s finally here after many delays. It’s been a long journey, so get your dose of the new Firefox here.

Now that that’s all taken care of, where’s 4.0? Come on Mozilla, hurry it up!

Also, join us after the break for a short video about all the new things you’ll find it Firefox 3.6

UPDATE: Firefox 3.6 Portable is now available. Get it here.

Continue Reading »

Remember just a couple of days ago when Acer said that US PC manufacturers would become extinct in 20 years? It seems like the same company making that claim is looking to be the number one PC maker in the world by 2012. HP, currently the number one, has a 19.3-percent market share at the moment and Acer has a 13-percent market share. If notebook trends continue to increase, there’s a great chance that Acer will surpass HP to take the spot away as the world’s largest PC manufacturer. Acer said it shipped roughly 33.5 million laptops in 2009 and they expect to ship at least 40 million this year.

The competition between all of these PC makers is just getting started, ladies and gents. Grab a pale of popcorn and have a seat.

via [MaximumPC]

According to Mozilla’s release schedule, Firefox 3.6 will be coming tomorrow, not the 26th like we thought. Come tomorrow at 9:30 AM PST, get that F5 key warmed up and ready to download the newest Firefox release.

via [Lifehacker]

Hey all you Twitterers of the universe. The Microsoft Man himself now has an official Twitter account and he already has 275,000+ followers! Check him out. Oh, and while you’re at it, you can follow us on Twitter as well.

Steam announced today that the much anticipated Bioshock 2 is now available for pre-order. And if you’re not quite ready to commit to buying it, then perhaps a discount  and a free game will help? That’s right, Steam is knocking 10% off of Bioshock 2 and throwing in a free copy of the original game for anyone that pre-orders.

[Press Release]

We here at the Olive, as well as any other news publication, strive on traffic. No, not the kind that makes you late for work. We live off of the number of readers we have coming to this website daily. Without our faithful readers, we wouldn’t have the support to keep the site going, which is why this statistic hits home.

According to a study done by Outsell, 44-percent of people that read Google News only read the short bit of info of each news piece without fully clicking through to the actual source. And since 57% of readers prefer a digital news source, online traffic is extremely crucial for newspapers and other news source if they plan on staying alive.

via [TechCrunch]

Look out, folks. If you’re a I’ll-buy-that-only-if-it’s-made-in-America type of person, you may be out of luck because the founder of Acer, Stan Shih, says that computer brands based in the US will be gone in 20 years.

“The trend for low-priced computers will last for the coming years, but US computer makers just don’t know how to put such products on the market. US computer brands may disappear over the next 20 years, just like what happened to US television brands.”

Acer passed Dell to take the second spot in the largest computer manufacturer last year and it’s said that they will overcome HP in 2011.

[AFP]