Duffbert's Random Musings

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• Microsoft software will continue to be hit by security holes.  OK, that should prevent an 0-for-? score this time next year...  :-)
• The Linux desktop will score some significant wins over Windows in corporate America.  Yes, I know that IBM has hinted that they are going that route already, and I won't count progress on that front as a "win" for my prediction.  But I do think that there will be at least 3 major corporate defections from Windows and Office to Linux and open source in 2004.  2004 will be the "year of the Linux desktop".
• Microsoft will face a major class-action or liability suit for defective software, most likely related to security.  Somewhere in 2004, there will be a Slammer-type worm or bug that will wreak havoc worldwide, and it will be the catalyst for a slew of lawsuits against Microsoft.  I know I mentioned this before, but I think that the next major virus hit will be too tempting a target for lawyers.  And it's not like Microsoft hasn't acknowledged that they need to improve their security...
• Microsoft will somehow "embrace-and-extend" Linux in some form.  This is how I see it...  Longhorn won't see the light of day until 2006 at least, and Linux is making major inroads on ground formerly held exclusively by Microsoft (the OS and Office).  I don't think Microsoft can hold out another year (much less three) without doing something to help keep Linux devotees from completely and permanently abandoning the Microsoft platform.  I expect to see some sort of offering by Microsoft to attempt to hold all the Linux penguinheads attention until they can get Longhorn out the door.
• The offshore outsourcing pendulum will start to swing back a little.  It seems like 2003 has been the year of the offshore programming migration.  Everyone wants cheaper programmers.  But I think that 2004 will start to see some flaws in the rosy picture that has been painted for offshore agreements.  Culture, language, quality of software, etc.  I also think that the government will start to intervene on behalf of the software industry, either under the guide of homeland security or election year 2004.
• Grid computing will get a breakthough application in 2004.  The concept of being able to utilize unused CPU cycles on multiple machines is rather interesting, and it makes a lot of sense.  There have been a few applications I'm aware of, like disease research and searches for prime numbers.  I'm thinking that some sort of peer-to-peer application with grid computing built in will be the next wave to hit in this area...

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Document Number:  1084841

Problem
Changes to a form do not affect previously composed documents if the form uses Store form in document.  That is, older documents in the database do not reflect the new Form changes.  How can you update the documents to reflect changes made to the form?

Content
To update existing documents that were created with the Store Form in Document form option with a new form design, follow the steps below.   Note:  These steps are also effective for forms which contain subforms.

1.        Create an agent with the following settings:
-        When should this agent run:   Manually from the Action Menu
-        Which document(s) should it run on?:   All documents in the database
-        Formula:
SELECT $TITLE="Form Name";
FIELD $TITLE:=@DeleteField;
FIELD $INFO:=@DeleteField;
FIELD $WINDOWTITLE:=@DeleteField;
FIELD $BODY:=@DeleteField;
FIELD FORM:="Form Name";

Note:        If the form has an alias then the alias name should be specified rather than the form name.

2.        Refresh the affected documents.
Notes 5.x & 4.x does not have a menu option to execute Tools, Refresh Fields.  You must create a SmartIcon that executes the @Command for either "ToolsRefreshAllDocs" or "ToolsRefreshSelectedDocs".   (The "ToolsRefreshSelectedDocs" command is preferred when you need to update only certain documents, but you need a method to select those documents (such as a view with a selection formula).)

        Steps to create a SmartIcon that executes the "ToolsRefresh" command:

a.        From the menu, select File, Tools, SmartIcons.
b.        Select "Edit Icon."
c.        Scroll to the end of the icon list.
d.        Select an icon labeled "Macro Button."
e.        Edit the description field to read "ToolsRefreshSelectedDocs" or "ToolsRefreshAllDocs".
f.        Select Formula.
g.        Select "Add @Command."
h.        Select either "ToolsRefreshSelectedDocs" or "ToolsRefreshAllDocs."
i.        Select Paste.
j.        Select OK.
k.        Select Done.

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Document Number:  1090821

Problem
When adding parameters to the NOTES.INI file on the Notes client or Domino server, you notice that the last line is not taking effect.  Why is this?

Some examples:

• The following debug parameters are added as the last lines of the NOTES.INI on the server:

• The following parameter is added as the last line of the NOTES.INI on the workstation:

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Document Number:  1141080

Problem
The "Allow More Fields in Database" option on the Advanced tab of the Database Properties allows you to add additional unique field names to the UNK (UNique Key) table.  The Help entry for this option in Notes 5.x indicates this will allow 64k names, but the Help entry in Notes 6.0 and 6.5 reflects 23k names.  Has the number of names actually decreased?

Content
The "Allow More Fields in Database" option was incorrectly documented in Notes 5.x, and the documentation was corrected in Notes 6.0 and 6.5.  When using this option the UNK (UNique Key) table has a limit of approximately 23,000 fields per database.

From the Notes 6.5 Help database:

Allow more fields in database
This option allows a database to contain up to 23,000 fields. For a database without this option selected, all field names when concatenated cannot exceed 64 kilobytes, which results in a database limit of approximately 3,000 fields.

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Document Number:  1110357

Problem
As part of Microsoft's settlement agreement with Sun, Microsoft has announced that it will no longer be authorized by Sun to have the ability to support the Microsoft virtual machine (VM) after January 2, 2004.  The following link provides additional information:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/news/jre.asp

Effective immediately Microsoft no longer ships the Microsoft VM with its operating systems and new service packs will not include the Microsoft VM.  Some of their latest Service Packs may actually uninstall the Microsoft VM.

Note:  At this time, the following FAQ on the Microsoft web site indicates that Windows XP no longer removes the VM:

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/faq.asp

Microsoft will not distribute new versions of the Microsoft VM for download.  Microsoft will continue to provide security fixes to shipped versions of the Microsoft VM until January 2, 2004.      

Details on which Microsoft operating systems and service packs contain the Microsoft VM:

Windows OS versions prior to Windows XP shipped with the Microsoft VM.

• The Windows XP Service Pack 1 includes the Microsoft VM.
• Windows XP Service Pack 1a does not have the Microsoft VM.  Note: Installing the XP SP1a may uninstall the Microsoft VM

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When an '@' is part of the domain in a Web address, the browser treats the string to the left of it as a user name to fill in any userid prompts, and everything on the right side as the domain name. This is perfectly legitimate syntax. Click here for the actual standard document about URIs.

Malicious coders, such as phishers, often will use this technique to obscure the actual address of the site they send you to. For example, they might send you a message that appears to be from Paypal and include a link that looks something like this:
http://www.paypal.com@64.225.264.128/accounts/validate.htm (The IP address I used is illegal for the same reason they use 555 phone numbers on TV shows.)

Notice, the numeric string to the right of the '@' mark. This link will not take you to www.paypal.com, but to 64.225.264.128. But most unsophisticated users won't notice the difference. Still, all of this monkey business is perfectly legal (if immoral) under the URI standard.

The latest bug adds a twist: If you put ASCII 00 and 01 characters (designated as %00%01 in the spec.) just prior to the '@' character, then Internet Explorer won't display the rest of the URL when the user views the page. In Javascript you must use just the %01 character and also decode the string with the unescape() function..

So what does it actually look like? Try pressing the button below. In the Status bar, the link appears to take you to the White House site, but it actually takes you to the latest column of one of our eWEEK columnists.

<removed>

The actual link was: http://www.whitehouse.gov%01%00@www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1407901,00.asp

The applications for phishing attacks are pretty self-explanatory. The viewer will think they're on www.paypal.com, or whatever, but they will actually be who-knows-where.

There are many variations of this particular scheme, and surprisingly some of them partially work on Mozilla as well.

The anchor link version of this vulnerability also results in the partial, incorrect address being displayed in the status line as the user hovers the mouse over the link. Versions of Mozilla I tested (Versions 1.0 and 1.5) also showed the partial address in the status line, although they displayed the full address in the address bar. Just for fun, I tried Netscape 4.7 as well. Despite being one of worst programs ever written, it handled this situation properly, displaying the full URL in the address and status lines.

There is also the issue of HTML e-mail. If an HTML message is sent with one of these links, could the user be misled to the wrong site?

When you click on the link in a message in Outlook 2002 it opens a browser window with the correct address, and it even strips out what was to the left of the '@.' Ironically, Outlook Express 6 takes you to the site on the left side of the '@.' So in the above example, surprise, it actually takes you to www.whitehouse.gov.

Still, if you're reasonably skeptical of what you get in the mail and take reasonable precautions, you're probably safe from both of these problems. Unfortunately, not everyone is so careful.

So expect to read on these pages soon about the poor folks who credulously clicked away and got taken. It's like watching an accident happen and you're powerless to stop it. Just be careful about where you go in that browser.

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The motion sickness bags are a first for the theme park resort, which never before has used them on a ride.

Walt Disney World spokeswoman Rena Langley estimated that less than 1 percent of all riders get sick on the $100 million ride called Mission: Space. The attraction uses a multi-arm centrifuge to simulate twice the normal force of gravity.

The motion sickness bags are being used on a trial basis and are located in various spots on the ride.

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Document Number:   1085749

Problem
You have a UNID for DocumentA that is stored in DocumentB. Now DocumentA is Deleted.  If in an agent or event you use the UNID stored in DocumentB to retrieve DocumentA using the Doc = DB.Getdocumentbyunid(UNID), you do not get an error.  If you continue to process the using Doc you will probably want to generate an error similar to the following:

If you use this code stub you can generate errors.

Set Doc = DB.Getdocumentbyunid(UNID)
If Not(Doc is Nothing) Then
     .... you think that you have a valid document but it could be a deletion stub
End

Content
The solution is to test for BOTH Doc is Nothing and Doc.Size <> 0.  Here is a sample function:

Function IsDocThere(TestDoc As NotesDocument) As Integer
        IsDocThere = False
        If TestDoc Is Nothing Then Exit Function
        If TestDoc.Size = 0 Then
                Set TestDoc = Nothing
                Exit Function
        End If
        IsDocThere = True
End Function

You can just call this from your code with this.  Upon return, if there is a deletion stub, the Doc is set to nothing so that it does not interfere with tests, and returns False regardless of whether it is a deletion stub or a non-existing document.

If IsDocThere(Doc) Then
      ........ Do Some stuff with document
Else
      ......... Process error if necessary
End If

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Document Number:  1109686

Problem

How can you determine whether a LotusScript agent is leaking memory?

Content
** Note**:        This technote should be distributed on an as-needed basis only - specifically, only when either you or a customer suspects that there are memory leaks in a LotusScript agent.  The agents included below are intended to be used only to identify memory leaks in a LotusScript agent.

If you suspect that a LotusScript agent is leaking memory, use one of the following scripts to determine whether memory is indeed not being freed once the agent finishes executing.

The following scripts monitor allocated memory for each thread.  Each executive process takes up one thread.  You need to be aware of this as you are troubleshooting - because the values may change when a different executive process runs your agent than the last time it was run.  When more than one executive process is being run on the sever, there is no way to control which thread the memory check agent will run on.  If it runs on a thread other than the thread that the leaking agent ran on, then the output is irreverent.  When possible, it may be best to limit the number of executive processes (set in the Server document) to 1 while troubleshooting the leak.

Each memory-checking script should be placed in an agent to execute before the agent in question and again after the agent in question.  Compare the two sets of numbers.  If the second set of numbers is higher, all memory has not been freed.

If a memory leak is found, isolate the pieces of the code that are leaking.  One way to do this is to break up the code into smaller pieces.  Execute the appropriate leak-checking agent, then execute the modified agent, then execute the leak-checking agent again.

Leak-Checking Agents:

I.  If the agent is running in the fore-ground, use the following code:

Sub Initialize  
    Msgbox(" Total LotusScript Memory Allocated: " + (Lsi_info(50)))
    Msgbox(" Total LotusScript Memory Allocated from OS: " + (Lsi_info(51)))
    Msgbox(" Total LotusScript Blocks Used: " + (Lsi_info(52)))    
End Sub

This agent displays a message box showing the amount of memory allocated via LotusScript.  Remember to run this code immediately before and after you execute the agent in question - to compare values and determine whether the agent is indeed leaking memory.

II. If the agent is scheduled, use the following code:

Sub Initialize  
     Print "Total LotusScript Memory Allocated: " + Str$(Lsi_info(50)) + Chr$(10) + Chr$(13)
    Print "Total LotusScript Memory Allocated from OS: " + Str$(Lsi_info(51)) + Chr$(10) + Chr$(13)
    Print "Total LotusScript Blocks Used: " + Str$(Lsi_info(52)) + Chr$(10) + Chr$(13)
End Sub

This agent writes to the server's LOG.NSF file.  Remember to run this code immediately before and after the agent in question - to compare values and determine whether the agent is indeed leaking memory.

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Document Number:  1085468

Problem
Using Domino Designer R5, you create a new database that is not based on one of the available database templates by selecting File, Database, New from the menu and selecting the default Blank option for the template in the New Database dialog box.  In Domino Designer, under the Views potion of the new blank databases, you see one view titled (Untitled) that is set as the default view for the database.  You create a new view, give it a title and make this new view the default database view.  This causes the view called (Untitled) to no longer be the default view.  However, if you attempt to delete the view called (Untitled), the following error displays even though the (Untitled) view is not the active view:

"The active view cannot be deleted."

Content
This issue has been reported to Lotus Quality Engineering.  In the Notes Client select the view you want to delete, then from the menu bar, select "Action" then select "View Options" and then select "Delete View".  This will delete the active view.  When you switch back to the Designer Client the view will be gone.

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Document Number:  1115709

Problem

You are using a Microsoft Office application, Microsoft Excel for example, and you want to create a link to a Notes document.  How can this be done?

Content
Within Microsoft Excel, you can create links to Notes documents as follows:

1. Within the Notes document, right click and select "Copy as document link."
2. In Excel, select Edit -> Paste Special from the menu.
3. In the Paste Special options, select "Paste Link", "Picture (Enhanced Metafile)", and "Display as Icon"

1. Within the Notes document, copy the document's Notes URL (Notes://DominoServer/UNID) or the HTTP URL (http://FQHN-DominoServer/UNID)
2. In Excel, select Insert -> Hyperlink.
3. In the "Insert Hyperlink" options, type in the text that will be displayed as the clickable link and paste the URL address into the "Type the file or web page name" field.

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