Tag Archives: the gimp

Updates 2010-10-12

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Hey folks!

Microsoft has released more than a dozen updates today, correcting nearly 50 vulnerabilities in Windows, and MS Office. This includes security updates. Use Windows Update to get these updates as soon as possible:
  http://update.microsoft.com/

Apple released updates to MacBook Firmware that corrects issues related to new A/C adapters. Use the Apple Updater to get the most recent updates.

Adobe Reader 9.4 and Adobe Acrobat 9.4 were released. These are critical updates – if you have Acrobat or Adobe Reader installed (and chances are VERY good that you do), install this update immediately through Help, Check for Updates. For most users, a reboot is not required. If you have not yet updated to Adobe Reader 9, get version 9.4 here:
  http://get.adobe.com/reader/
If you’re using a version of Adobe Acrobat prior to 9.x, you would be well served to either upgrade to 9.x (there are discounted upgrades) or uninstall it completely. Since Acrobat does not guarantee updates to previous versions, this could cause problems for you if you are not running the most current version. Beware, however, that Acrobat 9 does require newer versions of MS Office than it’s predecessors, so you may be forced to upgrade to MS Office 2010 as well. If your only requirement is to export Word Documents “with links” to PDF, consider using OpenOffice.org instead, which you can obtain from the link below (and ditch Acrobat!). OpenOffice.org supports every popular document format, and can export to PDF preserving data, links and content:
  http://openoffice.org/

Adobe AIR 2.0.4 is a security update. Please update as soon as possible.
  https://12pd.com/click?air

Adobe also released updates for After Effects. When possible, use Help, Check for Updates, but if your application doesn’t offer that option, use the following URL to find and download each update for your software:
  http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

Browser Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Opera 10.63 is a stability and security update. This update corrects several freeze and crash bugs, as well as more than a dozen other issues, and multiple security updates that could ultimately be used to take control of your computer. This is a security update. If you have Opera installed, use Help, Check for Updates to install the update immediately.
  http://www.opera.com/browser/download/

Internet Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

WordPress for iPhone/iPad v2.6 improves setup, corrects dozens of bugs, adds autosave, revisions, video and better media library management. This is not a security update. Use iTunes or the App Store to obtain this free update.

EA Download Manager 7.0.0.57 is a new major version of EADM. No changelog is provided, so treat this as a security update.
  http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/html/pbPage.welcome

uTorrent 2.0.4.22450 is a security update, correcting a remotely exploitable vulnerability in the protocol behind uTorrent. If you use uTorrent, update it right away.
  http://www.utorrent.com/downloads

Codec Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Vista Codec Package 5.8.3 updates included codecs. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application. This version works for both Windows XP and Windows Vista. AFTER installing the update, go to the control panel and uninstall the crapware toolbar that it includes.
  http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

Win7 Codec Package 2.6.5 updates included codecs and improves default settings behavior. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application. AFTER installing the update, go to the control panel and uninstall the crapware toolbar that it includes.
  http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Win x64 Codec Support 2.6.9 updates included codecs and improves default settings behavior. This update applies only to 64-bit computers, and requires either the Win7 Codec Package or the Windows Vista Codec package. AFTER installing the update, go to the control panel and uninstall the crapware toolbar that it includes.
  http://shark007.net/x64components.html

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

CDBurnerXP 4.3.7.2423 corrects several reliability errors. This is not a security update.
  http://cdburnerxp.se/

VLC Media Player 1.1.4 corrects a major security vulnerability that could enable an attacker to take control of your computer. This is a security update. If you have VLC Media Player installed, you should update it as soon as possible.
  http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

Office Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.

Notepad++ 5.8.2 corrects a crash bug and other minor bugs. This is not a security update. Get the update from:
  http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

GIMP 2.6.11 is a bugfix release. This is not a security update.
  http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

DVDFab 8.0.2.2 corrects several crash bugs, and compatibility issues with certain video drivers. This is not a security update.
  http://www.dvdfab.com/en/download.htm

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ProcDump 2.01 now generates a dump file name based on the date and time if no file name is specified, adds support for per-process performance counters, and reports in the dump comment for performance counter triggers the biggest CPU consuming thread. This is not a security update.
Autoruns 10.04 adds a number of additional shell extension locations and reports Safe Mode’s alternateshell value, as well as a couple bugfixes. This is not a security update.
Process Monitor 2.93 fixes a filter-related bug. This is not a security update.
  http://sysinternals.com/

LogMeIn Win 4.1.1558 is a network protocol update. If you already have LogMeIn installed, you’ve probably already been prompted to install this update. It *is* a legitimate update. If you closed it (without calling me for verificatin!), you can install the update by right-clicking on the LogMeIn icon in your tray, select “Open LogMeIn”, click “About”, then “Check for Updates”. After a few minutes of downloading, the updater will start. You’ll be prompted to click “Update”, approve installation and finally “close” the installer when done. Alternatively, you can download the full installer from:
  https://secure.logmein.com/logmein.msi

Developer Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

TortoiseSVN 1.6.11 corrects several reliability bugs. This is not a security update. A reboot is required.
  http://tortoisesvn.net/downloads

Virtual Machine Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VirtualBox 3.2.10-66523 corrects a number of stability and performance issues for both host and guest environments, as well as more than a dozen hardware-compatibility issues. This is not a security update.
  http://dlc.sun.com/virtualbox/vboxdownload.html

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2010-07-13

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Hey folks!

Microsoft released four updates for Win7/Vista and five updates for XP today, including two for Windows and two or three for Microsoft Office. A reboot is required for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Use Windows Update to obtain the latest software:
  http://update.microsoft.com/

Apple released updates this month for Epson and HP printers. This is not a security update. Use the Apple Updater to obtain relevant software for your installation.

Adobe released updates to Acrobat and Reader on June 29th. These are major security updates, so if you haven’t updated yet, please do so now. A reboot is required.
  http://get.adobe.com/reader
Adobe also released updates for FrameMaker 9, Photoshop 9, 12 and CS5. Use Help, Check for Updates, or download the updates directly from the link below:
  http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/new.jsp

Java 6 Update 21 corrects a number of bugs, including multiple security issues. This is a security update. If you KNOW that you actually USE Java, then you need this update. If you DO NOT use Java, please take a moment to uninstall it from your computer (through the control panel).
  http://www.java.com/getjava 

Important Notes

Everything above this section should be checked by everyone on every computer. Chances are good that close to every single computer you touch will be affected by those updates. This is not the case with the items below, though you should still check each line item below to see if it applies to software you have installed.

Please remember that while I list many different applications within these updates, most people should ONLY install updates for a program if they already have a previous version of that program installed.

It is essential to maintain all the applications you have installed on your computer, but often you can minimize the time investment and the potential for exploitation simply by uninstalling software you do not need.

Also note that using the applications own “check for updates” function, when available, will best preserve your current settings, and often avoid any crapware that might come with a fresh installer. Use this option if it’s available to you.

Browser Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Firefox 3.6.6 corrects timing and reliability of the new ‘stalled plugin’ functionality. This is not a security update, but is a major stability release. Use Help, Check for Updates, or the URL below:
  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Opera 10.60 is a security update, and adds several other features, including more distinctive fraud detection, history navigation, search improvements and HTML5 fixes. This is a security update.  Use Help, Check for Updates, or the URL below:
  http://www.opera.com/

Flock 2.6.1 is a security update, incorporating the security fix from Firefox 3.6.4. This is a security update.  Use Help, Check for Updates, or the URL below:
  http://www.flock.com/

Google Chrome 5.0.375.99 corrects multiple security issues. This is a security update. Use “Tools, About” to find out if you have the most up-to-date version, and install it if necessary.
  http://www.google.com/chrome/

Internet Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Connectify 2.0.1.15550 enables Connectify to run as a service, and corrects several bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.connectify.me/index.html

Slingshot 1.2 adds encryption to the stored FTP credentials. This should be treated as a security update. To install this update, you’ll need to uninstall any previous version.
  http://slingshot.commanigy.com/

Trillian 4.2.0.20 is a bugfix release, correcting multiple issues, including crash bugs and performance issues. This is not a security update. The update will install automatically if you’re patient, or you can download it direct from the link below.
  http://www.trillian.im/download/
Also note that updates are available for Trillian for Mac beta and Trillian for Droid is now in testing.

Codec Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

Vista Codec Package 5.7.8 updates included codecs and subtitle improvements. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application. This version works for both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
  http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

Win7 Codec Package 2.5.6 updates included codecs and subtitle improvements. To install the update, you must uninstall and reinstall the application.
  http://shark007.net/win7codecs.html

Win x64 Codec Support 2.6.0 updates included codecs and subtitle improvements. This update applies only to 64-bit computers, and requires either the Win7 Codec Package or the Windows Vista Codec package.
  http://shark007.net/x64components.html

Media Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

The Gimp 2.6.10 corrects a nasty crash bug in the previous release. This is not a security update, but installation is strongly recommended if you use The Gimp.
  http://www.gimp.org/

CDBurnerXP 4.3.5.2256 adds disc spanning, and corrects several other minor bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://cdburnerxp.se/

Winamp 5.581 corrects several bugs, including crashes, memory leaks and cosmetic issues. This should be treated as a security update.
  http://www.winamp.com/media-player/en

Office Updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.

Notepad++ 5.7 corrects a number of stability issues. This is not a security update.
  http://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Security Software Updates

One or more of these is likely to be of interest to most people.

SuperAntiSpyware 4.40.1002 corrects performance issues and updates detection libraries. This is not a security update.
  http://www.superantispyware.com/

Capture Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

VideoCacheView 1.72 corrects problems with Firefox content parsing. This is not a security update.
  http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/video_cache_view.html

Converter Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Any Video Converter 3.06 adds additional output support for mobile devices, including iPhone4 and various Android devices. This is not a security update.
  http://www.any-video-converter.com/

Education updates

One or more of these are likely to be of interest to most people.

Kodu 1.0.64.0 corrects a number of bugs relating to physics, user-interaction and map development. This is not a security update.
  http://fuse.microsoft.com/kodu.html

Utility Updates

These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

TightVNC 2.0.2 is a major update for the popular VNC client. This is not a security update.
  http://www.tightvnc.com/

CPU-Z 1.55 adds various hardware support. This is not a security update.
  http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Goodsync & Goodsync2Go 8.2.9.9 corrects several cosmetic issues, auth, activation and sync issues across certain protocols. This is not a security update.
  http://www.goodsync.com/download/affs/goodsync-x12pd.exe

GPU-Z 0.4.4 adds additional hardware support, corrects several crash bugs on certain hardware, and adds clock monitoring and die size measurement. This is not a security update.
  http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

Ketarin 1.1.2.337 adds several nifty features I requested, including multireplace – which will greatly simplify application profiles that use text within their version number. This is not a security update.
  http://cdburnerxp.se/help/kb/20

SysInternals released updates to Disk2vhd and ADExplorer, correcting minor bugs, increasing usability and in the case of Disk2vhd, greatly increases reliability for unstable systems.
  http://sysinternals.com/

Web Package Updates

These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

phpMyAdmin 3.3.4 is a stability and reliability update, but also adds synchronize functionality between servers. This is not a security update.
  http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php

BuddyPress 1.2.5.2 is the third in a recent flurry of bugfix releases. This version corrects avatar display issues, activity stream links, template parsing, activation links and a number of other issues, some of which were very frustrating. This should be treated as a security update.
  http://buddypress.org/download/

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/

Updates 2010-01-05

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Hey folks!

A belated merry Christmas and happy New Years!

Please remember that if you DO NOT already have any of these applications installed, you should not install them now simply because they are listed here.

Microsoft Update released an out-of-cycle update for MS Office that corrects issues with Rights Management Service. This is not a security update.
  http://update.microsoft.com/

Apple released firmware updates for the iMac last week. This is not a security update. Use the “Apple Updater” to get the most recent versions of all the affected software.

Adobe has announced a critical security vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, all current versions. They intend to release a patch on Patch Tuesday (ONE MORE WEEK!). Be careful opening any sites that you’re not familiar with, and if you do get a popup within a browser telling you that a security update, antivirus program or virus scan is necessary, CLOSE THE WINDOWS IMMEDIATELY! This is the AVXP virus and exploits the Adobe Reader flaws that will not be patched for another week!

Also be aware that OpenOffice.org 3.2.0 is now a release candidate. That means we can expect it to be officially released in the next couple weeks. If you’re using OpenOffice.org, this means you should start planning to download the 150mb+ update package soon. This download size, and the start-up time on older hardware, are my only reservations with encouraging everyone to use OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft Office (and the fact that there isn’t a replacement for Outlook). Well, that and the pending Oracle buyout of Sun (the developers of OpenOffice.org, the Java platform and MySQL), which freaks me out far more than the Adobe buyout of Macromedia did a few years ago.

Speaking of the Oracle buyout of Sun, please take a few moments to read an article or two from the site below:
  http://www.helpmysql.org/
Once your familiar with the issues, please sign this petition. If you use pretty much any open source web platform today, such as WordPress, SMF, phpBB, or any of literally thousands of others, you’re using a MySQL backend. That *will* be affected by the Sun buyout unless they divest MySQL, meaning that maintenance and other future development of those systems *will* cost you time, money or both.
  http://www.helpmysql.org/en/petition

Internet updates:
One or more of these are likely to be of interest to everyone.

FileZilla 3.3.1 corrects several bugs, including one to properly address closing an SFTP session. This is not a security update.
  http://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client

Media updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

ATI Catalyst Drivers 9.12 improves performance in certain games and adds support for several newer cards.
  http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

Vista Codec Package 5.5.1 updates ffdshow and Gabest codecs, as well as adding the MPC audio renderer. This is not a security update. Don’t forget to UNINSTALL any previous codec packages, including previous versions of this one, before installing this update.
  http://shark007.net/vistacodecpackage.html

K-Lite Codec Pack 5.60 updates several codecs, MPC, and various other minor changes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack/

XBMC Media Center 9.11 introduces several new features and dozens of bugfixes. This is not a security update.
  http://xbmc.org/

DVDFab 6.2.1.8 adds newer codecs, and various minor bugfixes. This is not a security update.
  http://www.dvdfab.com/download.htm

SUPER v2010 build 37 adds support for a handful of additional codecs, corrects several bugs and improves support on multi-processor computers. This is not a security update.
  http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html#Dnload

Paint.NET 3.5.2 adds more intuitive font support, and fixes several non-critical bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.getpaint.net/download.html

The Gimp 2.6.8 corrects a number of stability issues and several exploitable bugs in image rendering. This is a security update.
  http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Utility updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

CPU-Z 1.53 adds various hardware. This is not a security update.
  http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Recuva 1.34.460 adds performance improvements and corrects a couple bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Defraggler 1.16.165 adds 64bit support, and several tweaks and improvements. This is not a security update.
  http://www.piriform.com/defraggler

Roboform 6.9.98 fixes form filling on certain sites, license and activation issues, and a couple of bugs in the Firefox implementation. This is not a security update. You will be required to close all browser windows in order to upgrade.
  http://www.roboform.com/download-update.html

GoodSync 8.1.1.5 (and several other recent versions) correct well over two dozen reliability and shared computer issues, including an important fix for those using non-latin character sets. This is not a security update.
  http://www.goodsync.com/download.html

Notepad++ 5.6.3 and 5.6.4 correct several minor bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/notepad-plus/files/

CCleaner 2.27.1070 adds a number of reliablity and cosmetic improvements. This is not a security update.
  http://www.ccleaner.com/download

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.43 corrects several bugs, including those causing crashes in certain scenarios. This is not a security update.
  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

a-squared Free 4.5.0.22 fixes a number of bugs, some responsible for crashing or freezing the machine. This is not a security update, but all users of a-squared should upgrade.
  http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

IsoBuster 2.7 adds a number of performance and reliability changes, including additional file format support and raw recovery from damaged/blank media. This is not a security update.
  http://www.smart-projects.net/isobusterdownload.php

WinSCP 4.2.5 is the first stable release in the 4.2 branch, and features a handful of security and user interface improvements, as well as over a hundred bugfixes. This is a security update. If you use WinSCP, you should update before initiating your next connection.
  http://winscp.net/eng/download.php

TeraCopy 2.1 corrects two large file transfer bugs. This is not a security update.
  http://www.codesector.com/teracopy.php

Developer updates:
These are unlikely to be of interest to most people.

Microsoft released the new Internet Explorer Application Compatibility VPC images, with a new shelf life of only about 3 months. However, if you *need* to test your site or applications on various Windows operating systems, this is by far the easiest way.
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=21EABB90-958F-4B64-B5F1-73D0A413C8EF&displaylang=en

MySQL 5.1.42 adds several dozen reliability and consistency fixes to the 5.1 branch. This is not a security update.
  http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.1.html#downloads

Web Package Updates
These are likely to be of interest only to web developers.

WordPress 2.9.1 was released today. WP 2.9, released over Christmas, added over 500 requested features and bugfixes. Most notable among the new features is plugin-less embedding for third-party video (just paste the URL, it’ll figure out what you want to do), global “undo” functionality, a built-in image editor (for minor changes you don’t have to do the work BEFORE you upload anymore!), and a much improved updater for plugins and versions, enabling you to globally update plugins that are known to be compatible with your current version based on actual user experiences, instead of doing them one by one by trial and error. 2.9.1 fixes certain CURL, scheduled posts and pingback issues introduced in 2.9. This is a security update.
  http://www.wordpress.org/download/
WordPress 2.9.x is expected to be the last feature branch before the version 3 release. V3 will merge the codebases for WordPress and WordPress MU, enabling you to quickly add users and editors to your existing WP powered sites.

That’s all for now folks. Keep it clean out there. 😉

Regards,

Shawn K. Hall
https://SaferPC.info/
https://12PointDesign.com/