Don't Touch that DSL Installation CD

Phone Wiring

When you purchase DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) broadband Internet service from an ISP (Internet Service Provider) such as your phone company, the ISP almost always provides you with an installation CD. Ever wonder what it installs? It installs the ISP's branding all over your computer.

DSL Modem

Besides electrical power and telephone wiring to the jack, all the DSL modem needs to access the DSL line is your DSL username and your DSL password. The DSL username and DSL password should be saved to your router not your computer, and that is why you do not need to install any DSL software on your computer. Additionally, the router provides critical network firewall protection and makes it easy to share your DSL connection with multiple computers. Contrary to what your ISP will tell you, there is no need to install any software on your computer. Doing so will just gunk up your computer. Don't do it.

Ethernet Cable

Setup without Installing Software
Instead, use your computer's web browser to access the router's configuration web page (administration console) to enter and save your DSL username and DSL password.

Router

1) Get Your DSL Login Information
Using a computer with Internet access, go to your ISP's web site and create or register your DSL account. Take note of your DSL username and DSL password. (Note that some ISPs may have you create your DSL account via the DSL connection.)

2) Setup Equipment
Connect up all your equipment. The DSL modem connects to the phone jack with a regular telephone wire (RJ-11). The router connects to the DSL modem and to the computer each with an Ethernet cable (Cat5). Your equipment setup can be simplified by using a combination DSL modem device with a build-in router.

Phone Jack ←→ DSL Modem ←→ Router ←→ Computer(s)

Equipment Connections

3) Configure Router to do DSL Login
Use your web browser to log into the router configuration web page.

Common Router Configuration Web Pages

Router Manufacture	Administration Console	Username	Password
2wire	192.168.1.254 homeportal	admin	(blank)
Apple	10.0.1.1	(blank)	public (blank)
ASUS	192.168.1.1	admin	admin
Belkin	192.168.2.1	(blank)	(blank) admin
D-Link	192.168.0.1	admin	admin (blank)
Linksys	192.168.1.1	admin (blank)	admin
NETGEAR	192.168.0.1	admin	password
TRENDnet	192.168.1.1	admin	admin
Zoom	10.0.0.2	admin	zooomadsl

Note that manufactures sometimes change the default settings, so many older routers have different default settings. For an extensive list of router logins, visit: routerpasswords.com

Each manufacturer's router configuration web page is a little different, but the basic configuration steps are usually the same.

Configuration Steps:

1. Find the DSL automatic settings detection option and run it
   
2. If you have your DSL username and DSL password, enter them into the DSL login fields.
   
3. Save your settings.
   
4. Look for a status message or status page and check that the DSL connection is active.
   
5. Browse to a news web site to verify you are connected to the Internet.
   
6. If you are presented with a web page to create your DSL account, do that and then go back to the router configuration web pages and save your DSL username and DSL password.

Once you have tested your Internet connection, you should consider using the router configuration web page to change your router's administrator password and to setup your wireless network (Wi-FI).

Still Trying to Trick You
Some ISPs are so desperate to force you to install their DSL software on your computer that they will block your Internet access with a software download web page. ISPs generally have software only for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. To support other operating systems, such as Ubuntu, the ISP will have an alternate activation or registration option that does not involve downloading and installing their software.

Alternate Registration/Activation Web Pages

ISP	Backdoor
AT&T	http://144.160.11.35/register

If you are running Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows, one option is to temporarily customize your browser so that it reports a different operating system.

On Mac OS X:
      Safari → Preferences → Advanced → Check option to Show Develop menu in menu bar → close window → Develop → User Agent → Other... → Replace all text with: Ubuntu → OK

For other systems:
      User Agent Switcher

Router Installation CD
Your router probably also came with an install CD. As with the ISP install CD, don't touch it.

Fewer Moving Parts
Avoiding your ISP's unnecessary DSL software will keep your machine cleaner and reduce the likelihood encountering problems in the future. Plus, having the router manage the DSL login information makes using multiple computers easier.

Java Snippets

Some people learn best through examples. With that in mind, here are some stripped-down simplified examples of Java code to perform various tasks. These snippets are not robust enterprise-ready patterns nor do they do not represent best practices. Rather, they are barebones examples to help you get up and running as quickly as possible.

Catalog of Java Snippets:

• HashMap Loop
  
• XML Writer
  
• XML Validator
  
• XML Reader
  
• Web Page Reader

Elsewhere:

• Mac Java (create an installer)
  
• Set JAVA_HOME in a Command Script
  
• Bare Bones Browser Launch for Java

The snippets are presented as complete programs so you can quickly run and test them. For example, to try out the "HashMap Loop" example, you would download the HashMapLoop.java file and execute the following commands:

     $ javac *.java
     $ java HashMapLoop.class

Code here is Public Domain Software — Free to Use as You Like.

---

HashMap Loop
HashMaps are convenient for storing key-value pairs. This snippet iterates over a HashMap collection without explicitly creating an iterator.

HashMapLoop.java

import java.util.HashMap;
public class HashMapLoop {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      HashMap<String, String> data = new HashMap<String, String>();
      data.put("Color", "Green");
      data.put("Size",  "Medium");
      data.put("Speed", "Fast");
      for (String key : data.keySet())
         System.out.println(key + " --> " + data.get(key));
      }
   }

View/Download: HashMapLoop.java

Color --> Green
Speed --> Fast
Size --> Medium

Program Output

---

XML Writer
This snippet creates a very simple DOM (Document Object Model) containing a list of countries and then writes the DOM out to an XML file.

XmlWriter.java

import java.io.File;
import java.util.HashMap;
import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder;
import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory;
import javax.xml.transform.*;
import javax.xml.transform.dom.DOMSource;
import javax.xml.transform.stream.StreamResult;
import org.w3c.dom.*;

public class XmlWriter {

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      try {
         //Sample Data (countries and capitals)
         HashMap data = new HashMap();
         data.put("Egypt",   "Cairo");
         data.put("Finland", "Helsinki");
         data.put("Japan",   "Tokyo");

         //Create DOM (with top-level node)
         DocumentBuilder xmlBuilder =
            DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance().newDocumentBuilder();
         Document xmlDoc = xmlBuilder.newDocument();
         Node node = xmlDoc.createElement("countries");
         xmlDoc.appendChild(node);  //top-level node

         //Add Data to DOM
         for (String key : data.keySet()) {
            Element elem = xmlDoc.createElement("country");
            elem.setAttribute("capital", data.get(key));   //attrib
            elem.appendChild(xmlDoc.createTextNode(key));  //content
            node.appendChild(elem);
            }

         //Write DOM to XML file
         Source source = new DOMSource(xmlDoc);
         Result result = new StreamResult(new File("countries.xml"));
         Transformer xformer =
            TransformerFactory.newInstance().newTransformer();
         xformer.setOutputProperty(OutputKeys.INDENT, "yes");
         xformer.transform(source, result);
         }
      catch (Exception e) {
         System.out.println(e.getMessage());
         }
      }

   }

View/Download: XmlWriter.java

countries.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<countries>
<country capital="Helsinki">Finland</country>
<country capital="Cairo">Egypt</country>
<country capital="Tokyo">Japan</country>
</countries>

File Created by Program

Note that using a DOM holds the entire XML tree structure in memory. For large data sets it is often necessary to instead use SAX (Simple API for XML) which uses an event based approach to hold and process only the part of the document that is needed.

---

XML Validator
This snippet validates an XML file against an XSD (XML Schema Definition).

XmlValidator.java

import java.io.File;
import javax.xml.XMLConstants;
import javax.xml.validation.Schema;
import javax.xml.validation.SchemaFactory;
import javax.xml.transform.stream.StreamSource;

public class XmlValidator {

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      try {
         StreamSource xsdInput = new StreamSource(new
            XmlValidator().getClass().getResourceAsStream("countries.xsd"));
         Schema schema = SchemaFactory.newInstance(
            XMLConstants.W3C_XML_SCHEMA_NS_URI).newSchema(xsdInput);
         schema.newValidator().validate(new StreamSource(
            new File("countries.xml")));
         System.out.println("XML file sucessfully validated against XSD.");
         }
      catch (Exception e) {
         System.out.println(e.getMessage());
         }
      }

   }

View/Download: XmlValidator.java

XML Schema Used to Validate XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
   <xs:element name="countries">
      <xs:complexType>
         <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="country" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
            </xs:sequence>
         </xs:complexType>
      </xs:element>
   <xs:element name="country">
      <xs:complexType mixed="true">
         <xs:attribute name="capital" type="xs:string" use="required" />
         </xs:complexType>
      </xs:element>
   </xs:schema>

View/Download: countries.xsd

cvc-complex-type.2.4.a: Invalid content was found starting
with element 'region'. One of '{"":country}' is expected.

Program Output

---

XML Reader
This snippet reads an XML file and prints out the name of each node along with its first attribute.

XmlReader.java

import java.io.File;
import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder;
import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory;
import org.w3c.dom.*;

public class XmlReader {

   static void processNode(Node node) {
      String msg = "node --> " + node.getNodeName();
      String nodeContent = node.getFirstChild().getNodeValue();
      if (!nodeContent.equals("\n"))  //check if has text content
         msg = msg + " | value: " + nodeContent; //add text content
      if (node.hasAttributes())  //add first attrib if exists
          msg = msg + " | attrib: " +
            node.getAttributes().item(0).getNodeName() + "=" +
            node.getAttributes().item(0).getNodeValue();
      System.out.println(msg);  //display node information
      for (Node subNode = node.getFirstChild(); subNode != null;
            subNode = subNode.getNextSibling())
         if (subNode.getNodeType() == Node.ELEMENT_NODE)
            processNode(subNode);
      }

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      try {
         DocumentBuilder xmlBuilder =
            DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance().newDocumentBuilder();
         Document xmlDoc = xmlBuilder.parse(new File("countries.xml"));
         processNode(xmlDoc.getDocumentElement());
         }
      catch (Exception e) {
         System.out.println(e.getMessage());
         }
      }

   }

View/Download: XmlReader.java

node --> countries
node --> country | value: Finland | attrib: capital=Helsinki
node --> country | value: Egypt | attrib: capital=Cairo
node --> country | value: Japan | attrib: capital=Tokyo

Program Output (input file: countries.xml)

---

Web Page Reader
This snippet reads the contents of a web page (example: WebPageReader.html).

WebPageReader.java

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;

public class WebPageReader {

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      String url = "http://www.centerkey.com/files/snippets/WebPageReader.html";
      try {
         BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(
            new InputStreamReader(new URL(url).openStream()));
         for (String s = reader.readLine(); s != null; s = reader.readLine())
            System.out.println(s);
         reader.close();
         }
      catch (Exception e) {
         System.out.println(e.toString());
         }
      }

   }

View/Download: WebPageReader.java

<html>
<head><title>Simple Web Page</title></head>
<bogy><h1>WebPageReader Test</h1></body>
</html>

Program Output

This approach can also be used to read text data, such as a product's current version number, from a web site.

Set JAVA_HOME in a Command Script

Apache Ant is generally the preferred tool for building Java applications, and most IDEs support building with Ant right from the IDE. However, when you need to build your Java application outside of the IDE, it can be handy to have a script kick off Ant.

On Microsoft Windows the script needs to know the location of the JDK and Ant, which generally entails:

• Relying on environment variables to be set correctly or
  
• Hardcoding the path locations

Both approaches are brittle and likely to result in maintenance and support headaches down the road. Additionally, hardcoding the paths assumes all the developers are running the same versions of the JDK and Ant. These limitations are insignificant for a centrally managed commercial software organization, but they can be problematic for a distributed open source project.

DOS For Command
Fortunately, it's easy to write a Command Script (.cmd) batch file using the DOS for command that automatically determines the path to the most current versions of the JDK and Ant. To test out the for command, try the following at the Windows Command Prompt.

Command Prompt Demonstration:

C:\>for /d %i in ("\Program Files\Java\jdk*") do set JAVA_HOME=%i
C:\>set JAVA_HOME

You should see a result similar to:
       JAVA_HOME=\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_13

Command Script Solution
To make it easy to launch Ant, put the following build.cmd file into the same folder as your build.xml Ant configuration file.

The build.cmd File:

@echo off
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: build.cmd (v1.0)               ::
:: Microsoft Windows Build Script ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

:: Set JAVA_HOME
for /d %%i in ("\Program Files\Java\jdk*") do set JAVA_HOME=%%i

:: set ANT_HOME
for /d %%i in ("\Apps\Ant\apache-ant*") do set ANT_HOME=%%i

:: Display Variables and Launch Ant
set JAVA_HOME
set ANT_HOME
call %ANT_HOME%\bin\ant build
pause

View/Download: build.cmd

Now to build your project, double-click the build.cmd file.

While the script does not hardcode the JDK and Ant versions, it does require that the JDK is installed into the default location and that Ant in installed (copied) into the \Apps\Ant folder.

Alternative Approach
If you prefer to be more robust in your detection of the JDK home, you can use the DOS reg query command to read the Windows Registry information to locate the JDK. In the build.cmd file, replace the line that sets JAVA_HOME with the lines below.

Use Windows Registry to Set JAVA_HOME:

:: Set JAVA_HOME
set KeyName=HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Development Kit
set Cmd=reg query "%KeyName%" /s
for /f "tokens=2*" %%i in ('%Cmd% ^| find "JavaHome"') do set JAVA_HOME=%%j

View/Download: set-java-home.cmd

The output of the reg query is piped through find to single out the desired key value. The third token (represented by %%j) on the line is the path.

Simplify
By having build.cmd auto-detect the JDK and Ant, you can simplify the steps for new developers looking to contribute to your open source project.

Mac OS X Shell Script
To kick off Ant on a Mac, you can use this shell script:

#!/bin/sh
#############################
##  Mac OS X Build Script  ##
#############################

cd `dirname $0`
ant build

View/Download: build.sh.command

This script is simple because Apple bundles the JDK and Ant with Mac OS X.

Save Mac Data with Snap Backup

For most Mac users, Apple's Time Machine is the best solution for backing up their data. But for those who desire more control over exactly what data to backup, there's Snap Backup. If you backup only your personal data instead of your entire hard drive, your backup files can be relatively small and often even fit on a USB flash drive (memory stick).

The trick is knowing exactly what folders and files to backup.

Follow the steps below to setup Snap Backup on your Mac OS X system to backup your:

• Documents Folder
  
• Safari Bookmarks
  
• Address Book Data
  
• iCal Data
  
• Mail (Mail.app) Data
  

1) Install Snap Backup
Snap Backup is a free open source utility for archiving your data.

Get it at: www.snapbackup.com/download

2) Configure Snap Backup
Go into the Applications folder and launch Snap Backup.

There will be one folder listed in the "Source: Data to Backup" section by default. Select it and use the Remove button to delete it.

Then click the Add Folder button. Select your Documents folder and click the Choose button. Repeat the add process for the following folders and files.

Source	Description	Data Location (under Home folder)	Type
Documents Folder	Work files	Documents	folder
Safari	Bookmarks	Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist	file
Address Book	Contacts	Library/Application Support/AddressBook	folder
iCal	Meetings	Library/Calendars	folder
Mail	E-mail	Library/Mail Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist	folder file

Data Location is relative to your Home folder (/Users/[YourUserName]). For example, the full path for the Documents folder on my system is: /Users/dem/Documents

In the "Destination: Location to Store Backup" section, enter /Users/[YourUserName]/Backup/ into the "Save Backup (Zip) File Into:" field.

Click the Save Settings button.

3) Prepare for Backup
Optional: To make your e-mail more compact, you can empty your mail Trash (Mailbox &rarr Erase Deleted Message). Additionally, you should delete unneeded attachments (Message &rarr Remove Attachments).

Quit Address Book, iCal, and Mail.

4) Perform Backup
In Snap Backup, click the Backup Now button to perform the backup.

Be sure to perform backups on a regular basis, and periodically copy your backup files to a USB flash drive or external hard drive.

---

In the event you need to restore your data from a backup, follow the steps below.

Restore Steps:

1. Quit Address Book, iCal, and Mail
   
2. Use Finder to navigate to your Backup folder
   
3. Identify the backup file you wish to restore and double-click it (this will reveal the contents of the backup file)
   
4. Drag the contents into your Home folder
   
5. Launch Address Book, iCal, and Mail and check that your data has been restored.
   

If you have a suggestion for an enhancement to Snap Backup, please let us know using the feedback form.

Outlook Done Button

A strategy called Inbox Zero centers around a "process to zero" approach to keeping your e-mail inbox empty. You can use the Inbox Zero strategy to save yourself from e-mail overload and significantly reduce the amount time you waste rereading e-mails and sifting through an overflowing, stale inbox.

Many of your e-mail messages can simply be deleted after you have read them, and other messages should be moved into specific folders for future action or reference. However, it is likely that the majority of your incoming messages simply need to be quickly read once and then moved out of the way into some kind of general "Done" folder. These are the messages that require no action and are not worthy of filing into any specific folder, but it would be unwise to immediately delete them.

Many e-mail applications make the process of moving read e-mail into a "Done" folder very easy with a single button click or keystroke -- not Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft has an amazing ability to make obvious and simple tasks become painfully convoluted and cumbersome. Fortunately, there is a way to

configure Outlook to enable you to "process to zero" without being forced to use the mouse to drag each and every message into a "Done" folder.

Follow the steps below to create an Outlook macro which implements a Done button. The first step guides you though creating a certificate for you macro so the macro will be "trusted" on you computer. Then you will create the macro itself and a corresponding Done folder. Lastly, customize the toolbar to add a button which runs the macro.

Steps:

A) Create a Personal Digital Certificate
Start → Programs → Microsoft Office → Microsoft Office Tools → Digital Certificate for VBA Projects → Your certificate's name: Personal Certificate → OK → OK


B) Create Macro from Microsoft Outlook
1: Tools → Macro → Macros...
2: In "Macro Name:" field, enter "MoveToDone" and click "Create"
3: Enter the following code into the VBA editor:

Sub MoveToDone()
  Set DoneFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI"). _
     GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox).Parent.Folders("Done")
  For Each Msg In ActiveExplorer.Selection
     Msg.Move DoneFolder
     Next Msg
  End Sub

View/Download

4: Tools → Digital Signature... → Choose... → Select "Personal Certificate" → OK → OK
5: File → Save
6: File → Close and Return to Microsoft Outlook Office

C) Create a Done Folder
File → New → Folder... → Name: Done → Select Mailbox (top of list) → OK

D) Add Done Button
Tools → Customize... → Commands → Macros → Drag Project1.MoveToDone onto the toolbar → Context menu (right-click) for the new MoveToDone button → Set "Name:" to Done → Close


E) Enable Macros
After restating Outlook and clicking your new "Done" button, you will be prompted to allow the button to run.

Check the "Always trust macros from this publisher" option and then click "Enable Macros".

Now you can move a message from your Inbox into the Done folder with the "Done" button.

You might also find it valuable to use the "Outbox" as your to do list. If you need to take action on the e-mail, reply to the message even if you do not immediately send your reply. That way, your "Outbox" becomes your to do list.

Leveraging your Outbox as your to do list and using your new Done button, you can maintain an empty Inbox and focus on doing real work instead of suffering from e-mail overload.

GIMP Screenshot Processor (Script-Fu)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In that vain, rather than describe something on your computer display in words, it is often more effective to use a screenshot. However, raw screenshots can be cumbersome.

The image processing I use to make a raw screenshot easier to handle and view is straightforward:

1. Scale down (shrink) the image by 80%
   
2. Run the sharpen filter to make the text more readable
   
3. Reduce the palette to 256 colors to take less space
   
4. Add a border to make the image standout
   
5. Save the image as a PNG file for universal viewing

The image processing is easy in most graphics editors, but it is rather tedious if you are making lots of screenshots. If you use the Open Source (free) graphics editor GIMP, you can write a script to automatically perform the steps.

; GIMP Screenshot Processor v1.1 (Script-Fu)
(define (screenshot-processor img draw)
   (gimp-image-scale img  ;Shrink image 80%
      (* (car (gimp-image-width img)) 0.8)
      (* (car (gimp-image-height img)) 0.8))
   (plug-in-sharpen TRUE img draw 25)  ;Sharpen image
   (gimp-image-convert-indexed img  ;Reduce colors to 256
      1 0 256 FALSE TRUE "")
   (script-fu-addborder img draw  ;Add 4px border
       4 4 '(128 128 128) 0)
   (gimp-image-flatten img)  ;Convert to single layer
   )
(script-fu-register
   "screenshot-processor" "Screenshot Processor"
   "Shrinks, sharpens, reduces color, and adds border to current image."
   "Dem Pilafian, Center Key Software"
   "Public Domain" "February 25, 2008" ""
   SF-IMAGE "Image" 0 SF-DRAWABLE "Drawable" 0)
(script-fu-menu-register "screenshot-processor" "<Toolbox>/Xtns/Misc")

Download screenshot-processor.scm

Steps to Install:
1) Download script and save it as: screenshot-processor.scm
2) Copy file to folder: <installfolder>/GIMP-2.0/share/gimp/2.0/scripts/
3) Xtns → Script-Fu → Refresh Scripts


Now you are ready to take your screenshot (in Microsoft Windows: <Ctrl-PrintScreen> or <Alt-PrintScreen>).

Steps to Run:
1) Create new image by pasting screenshot into GIMP
2) Xtns → Misc → Screenshot Processor
3) File → Save → Name: screenshot.png → Save → Save

The result is a convenient screenshot image file that is appropriate for sending in an e-mail.

Please, No Word Docs

It used to be that when someone would e-mail me a Microsoft Word document I would cringe but basically accept that that just reflected the sad state of the computer world. If I needed to open the Word document, I feared Microsoft ActiveX components and malicious macro viruses taking over my computer and deleting files or stealing passwords.

Nowadays there is almost never a good reason to e-mail a Word document. If you intend for the recipients to only view and print the document, send the document as a PDF file. If, on the other hand, you intend for the recipients to make edits to the document, send the document as an ODF (Open Document Format) file.

Generating PDF Files
Wikipedia describes PDF as "the de facto standard for printable documents." PDFs are easily opened on most all computers today and tend to be very compact, so they are practical and convenient as e-mail attachments.

On Mac OS X it couldn't be easier to generate PDF files. Apple built PDF support right into the operating system. From any word processor, like iWork Pages or MS Office, just bring up the print window (press <Command-P>), click the "PDF" button, and select "Save as PDF...".


Generating a PDF on Mac OS X
After you have saved your document as a PDF file, send it as an e-mail attachment.

On Windows it's almost as easy, but you first need to install a print-to-PDF utility such as the popular and free PDFCreator. After installing PDFCreator, just print from any word processor, such as OpenOffice.org or MS Office, and select the printer named "PDFCreator".


Generating a PDF on Windows
Save the PDF file to your Desktop and then send it as an e-mail attachment.

OpenDocument
If you intend for the recipients of your e-mail message to be able to edit the document you are sending, you will want to be sure the recipients have access to a word processor that understands the format of your attached document.

Unfortunately, if you send a Word Perfect file, you are discourteously assuming the recipients have purchased Word Perfect. Likewise, if you send an MS Word file, you are discourteously assuming the recipients have purchased MS Word. And, if you send an iWork Pages, you are discourteously assuming the recipients have purchased iWork Pages. There is a better way.

OpenDocument (ODF) is an international standard document format which does not dictate a restriction of using a particular word processor. If you or any of your e-mail recipients do not already have an ODF capable office suite, there are full featured Open Source office suites that can be downloaded for free.

OpenOffice.org

KOffice

For Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux, download OpenOffice.org. For Linux, you can also download KOffice. These are complete office suites with word processors, presentation programs, and spreadsheets.

Please
Next time you need to send out a document, think of the recipients. Please, no Word docs.

Elsewhere
Please don't send me Microsoft Word documents (nothingisreal.com)
ODF likely standard for e-governance (Sify.com)
Why Are You Still Wasting Money on MS Office? (Open Media Boston)
Judge: Microsoft documentation unfit for US consumption (Ars Technica)
Governments adopt OpenDocument Format (ComputerWeekly.com)
US libraries back Massachusetts ODF plan (Computer Business Review)
Massachusetts verdict: MS Office formats out (DesktopLinux.com)
Belgian government chooses OpenDocument (ZDNet)
Norway likely to mandate open document formats (InfoWorld)
California may mandate ODF for all state offices (DesktopLinux.com)
Texas, Minnesota eye move to ODF (InfoWorld)
French government report lauds ODF (CNET News)
Microsoft tries to maintain its monopoly...are you surprised? (InfoWorld)