7 - 13 June 2001
Issue No.537
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 7 - 13 June 2001 Issue No.537 |
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Hoaxing a virus
EGYPTIAN Internet users complied as much as their global counterparts to the warning that advised the removal of a "dormant virus" from their hard drives. What appeared as a friendly e-mail which circulated widely between mailboxes worldwide warning of a virus that infected net surfers "especially from Yahoo!" turned out to be a hoax. The warning advised locating and deleting the Windows file SULFNBK.EXE. Moreover, it urged the "need to contact everyone you have sent ANY e-mail to in the past few months," alleging that "many major companies have found this virus on their computers." It ended with, "Please help your friends!!!" otherwise, the "dormant" virus would be activated on June 1. Of course, nothing was easier than forwarding the warning, which spread fast and furious across the globe.Although virus companies issued statements denying that the given file was infected and explaining that it was a useful Windows file, the warning was too late, as it took its time to circulate. For their part, annoyed computer experts advised Internet users to run updated virus scans before taking such action in the future. Those who learned the lesson the hard way are currently trying to retrieve their deleted file. People just don't learn, do they?
Yousra goes online
SUPERSTAR Yousra is getting wired and preparing for her imminent virtual presence on her own, now under-construction Web site, yousra.com. As Al-Ahram Weekly went to print, the site's counter displayed a staggering 10,111-visitor count-- although the all-white page is void of anything except the picture of a smiling Yousra surrounded by red and pink flowers in what appears to be a crystal ball or a bubble.However, all 10,111 visitors were reminded that there was only one day left before meeting the box-office-hit celebrity on the net, which should be Friday. So hold your horses until tomorrow.
Internet for free
NOTHING is more appealing than a free offer. Knowing this too well, Egypt's local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are flashing this key word, one after the other. Last month the leading ISP, LinkdotNet, believed to have the largest subscriber base of Internet users across the nation, announced it would soon be providing free Internet access. The remaining accounts of current link subscribers have been upgraded "to a life-time account," while new subscribers will pay LE99, also for a life-time account. This means subscribers will "only" pay for the time they spend online, which according to LinkdotNet's CEO Khaled Bishara is LE1 per hour.Link's announcement was followed a few days later by a similar announcement from MenaNet ISP. It was reported that the national telephone company Telecom Egypt had bought GegaNet, another ISP, to provide the same free Internet service.
So how will all those companies make money, people are asking? "The money generated from the time users spend online will be shared by the ISP and Telecom Egypt," is Bishara's answer. He declined to give the exact percentage of this sharing process.
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