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U-M Online Newsletter—February 2006
- Change Your Password, Especially If It's Old
- ITCS Support for Windows 98 and Me to Stop June 30
- Do Not Spam List Improvement Reduces Spam 25-50%
- Anti-Virus Software Available for Macintosh Computers
- Internet Access Kits Now Available for Downloading from Blue Disc Web Site
- Mulberry Vendor Files for Bankruptcy
Change Your Password, Especially If It's Old
For security reasons, ITCS recommends that you change your UMICH Kerberos password regularly—at least once every six months. If you haven't changed your password for a while, please do so.This is especially important if you haven't changed your UMICH password for several years. Some routine software updates in coming months will result in very old passwords not working anymore. This is because the software used to create or last update those passwords is not compatible with the upgraded software. If your password hasn't been changed since December 1998, please change it now to ensure that it will continue to work.
For information about selecting and changing your password, see Choosing and Changing a Secure UMICH Password (R1162).
ITCS Support for Windows 98 and Me to Stop June 30
On June 30, ITCS will end its support for client workstations running Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me. ITCS will continue to support Windows 2000 and later, although support for Windows 2000 will likely cease within another year. (see details)Microsoft is also ending its support for these older operating systems on June 30. For details, see the End of support for Windows 98 and Windows Me page on the Microsoft web site.
Do Not Spam List Improvement Reduces Spam 25-50%
Two additional block lists (Spamhaus's SBL and XBL lists) were added to the Do Not Spam List service in late January. These lists are widely used on the Internet and well trusted.Users of the Do Not Spam List service should see a reduction of 25-50% in spam e-mail. For details about the Do Not Spam List, including instructions for signing up for it, see Using the Do Not Spam List to Reduce Spam (S4323).
Anti-Virus Software Available for Macintosh Computers
Many virus experts say it's only a matter of time before a Mac OS X virus is released. Be prepared by installing Sophos Anti-Virus on your Macintosh computer.The U-M Anti-Virus Anti-Spam (AVAS) Steering Team has arranged for Sophos Anti-Virus software to be licensed and made available to members of the University community who use Macintosh computers—including U-M Online members.
For downloading and installation instructions, see Installing and Using Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X (S4339).
Internet Access Kits Now Available for Downloading from Blue Disc Web Site
The Internet Access Kit software, formerly distributed at U-M only on the Blue Disc CD-ROM, can now be downloaded from the redesigned Blue Disc web site.The redesigned site still provides information about the Blue Disc CD-ROM and related software, but now it also allows members of the U-M community to download the contents of the Blue Disc CD-ROM via the web.
Mulberry Vendor Files for Bankruptcy
The Mulberry vendor—Cyrusoft International, Inc./ISAMET—filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on September 30, 2005. Mulberry is the desktop e-mail program that ITCS supports and provides to the U-M community.No immediate change is expected in ITCS's support for Mulberry users. ITCS has a perpetual license for Mulberry; members of the U-M community can continue to use Mulberry, and ITCS can continue to distribute it as long as needed. Mulberry will continue to be available until alternatives have been identified and users have been helped to make the transition to those alternatives. Please be aware, however, that because no new versions of Mulberry will be made available by the vendor, there is no guarantee that the current version will continue to work with future versions of Windows and Mac OS.