The PDF: The ‘real’ digital paper

As we go about our daily computing chores, we forget about the ‘small’ things on our PCs that have significantly contributed to our digital lives.

A number of important applications and tools combine to empower us, as computer users, but one of these tools has really taken off, and penetrated many aspects of our computing experience, without us noticing. And best of all, it’s not even a Microsoft product!

Adobe Acrobat, now into version 7, has been installed by over half a billion users worldwide throughout the past decade. That is a massive and unparalleled number by any application, other than Windows and, possibly, the Office suite.

Think about it’s success for a moment. Anyone can download Acrobat Reader for free, and therefore everyone can exchange these neat digital documents.
If you want to create PDF files, you have to purchase, or pay for the license, of a full version of Adobe Acrobat.

How much simpler can a company’s strategy be? It’s a lot like the book and magazine industries. We get the book or magazine, but don’t need to know, or incur the cost of, producing and publishing it. Should we decide one day to actually produce a publication, then we’ll need to make the necessary investment. It’s basic human nature, hence it’s success.

PDFs, the extension used by Acrobat files, are everywhere. Newspapers use PDFs on their websites as the ‘image’ format of choice to post the newspaper’s pages. Magazine and newsletter publishers do the same, but it has truly empowered the newsletter and fanzine community who use Microsoft Word to produce newsletters and can distribute them in a protected, un-editable format, that includes compressed text and graphics, and which everyone can read!

Everything from research papers and studies, to user manuals and guides is becoming a PDF file you can download off the ‘net’. Acrobat is available for every platform, including Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

What’s more, today your Symbian or Microsoft -powered phone or PDA can include a version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to help you take your documents on the move. It’s also laying the foundation for the future revolution in digital books (eBooks).
As for using Acrobat, in conjunction with Word or other applications, it’s very easy. Once installed, an Acrobat button pops up on your Word menu bar and all you have to do to create a PDF of an opened doc is press it!

If it’s graphic, plus text, work you want to PDF, it’s possible in Adobe Illustrator which opens every known graphic format (ai, eps, cdr, jpg ...etc) and save it as PDF. Immediately, you’ve got a PDF of anything you need.

Apart from its highly acclaimed and market leading products like Adobe PhotoShop, Illustrator and InDesign, Acrobat and Acrobat Reader are the real reason why 500 million PC users interact with Adobe every day. People keep on talking about the ‘future paperless office or home’.

Well, it already arrived, several years ago, and it’s called PDF. Whatever that abbreviation means, to me it stands for Pretty Darn Fantastic!

zeid@maktoob.com

Clues to expose ‘Phishers’

As 2005 starts, analysts are predicting that the next big security problem will be 'phishing'.
For those of you who still haven't heard this term, where have you been?

Phishing refers to the criminal act of hackers and digital thieves who trick users into revealing their bank account or credit card numbers, an so on. This is achieved by directing users to a fake website, through an email they receive, and the site is sometimes a replica of the sites of famous banks.

All the discussion now is on the best ways to avoid becoming a phishing victim.
First, and most importantly, you must remember that real companies almost never send e-mail asking you to submit personal data.

The message might include authentic looking graphics, trademark symbols and an authentic-looking e-mail address in the ‘from’ line, but all of that can be easily faked.

One of the easiest ways to figure out it's a fake is by noting the tone of these messages which attempts to create concern, or literally scare you into giving up personal and financial information by saying that your account needs to be verified, updated or confirmed immediately.

Usually, banks and financial institutions never do that. When they want you to change personal info, they call you or ask you to drop by.

Another clue to look for is the threat of negative action, such as canceling your account if you fail to take the requested action immediately.

Any respectable organization wouldn't communicate with its customers with threats, especially if they've done nothing wrong!

Once you've spotted these clues, and feel that the message may be illegitimate, contact the organization (bank, credit card company… etc) to inform them of the hoax that you received.

Sometimes, phishers take on the guise of famous vendors or suppliers you deal with on the Web, such as top shopping sites. When you receive a message that starts with "Dear Customer" instead of your name, then you should be suspicious. After all, Amazon.com, eBay and every respectable web business has your name registered as a user, and has systems to send you messages that include your name!

Let's assume, God forbid, that you've already become a victim of phishing. How could that have happened to you? Well, it's already happening to millions of Internet users all over the world. Simply if you're not the suspicious type, and haven't heard about such scams you'll believe anyone or anything you find in your email!

So, what's to be done if you have indeed divulged credit information to a phisher?
You must immediately report the theft of your credit card number, or account number, to the body who issued you the card or account. Do this immediately, to halt withdrawals on your account.

Like every other form of eCrimes- viruses, worms, trojans...etc- phishing depends solely on your knowledge and vigilance. Now you know about it, beware!

zeid@maktoob.com