OCRON - Blog

Internet Explorer 9 Users can eliminate Facebook Ticker.

2011-11-21T09:51:00.001-08:00

IE 9 Users Can Now Rid Themselves Of Facebook Ticker

Posted by David Cohen on November 21st, 2011 12:10 PM

Since Facebook’s introduction of its news ticker, which is quite unpopular with many users, users of Google Chrome and Firefox have received ways to eliminate it, but Internet Explorer faithful have been left out in the cold, until now.
Pete McKenna posted details on how to remove the offending ticker from Internet Explorer 9 on his blog.
After ensuring that they are running IE9, and not an earlier version, users should:

Install this hack to the IE9 registry, which allows the browser to toggle the menu bar on and off via the alt key.
Install IE7Pro.
Close IE9 if it is open, and then reopen it and press the alt key, which should bring up the old menu bar.
Go to Tools, IE7Pro Preferences. Under Modules, unclick everything except Scripts & Plugins. Under Base Settings and Mouse Settings, unclick everything. Under Mouse Settings, unclick everything. Under URL Alias and Search, delete any entries. Under Plugins, make sure that Enable Plugins is selected. Under User Scripts, make sure Enable User Scripts is clicked. Click OK, close IE9, and reopen it.
If a toolbar was installed with IE7Pro, click the large X to disable it, and, when prompted, click only Grab and Drag. BHO and Preferences should not be clicked. Click Disable.
Go to this script and, on the right-hand side, click install. Do the same in the pop-up window.
Close IE9 and reopen it and, when you access Facebook, a big chat pane should appear in place of the ticker.

Readers: Have you gotten used to the ticker, or do you still want to get rid of it?

OCRON: Apples IOS5 is available for download today!

2011-10-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Apples IOS5 is available for download today!
Joe Laviano, OCRON Systems, LLC
October 21, 2011

I have been using IOS 5 for IPhone and IPad for the last 4 months and it is truly a game changer. IOS 5 has so many great new features, but the best is the new notification interface...simply unlock your IPhone and swipe down with your fingure and WHAM, an organized list of your Text, Email, Facebook, Twitter, Calender.....all your notifications. This feature was taken from Google's Andriod OS but Apple spiced it up with their magic! The iCloud is equally as great, no more plugging into iTunes to synch, and you can back up your device to the iCloud with the tap of the screen.

Check out the following link, it details some of the other great features of IOS 5. Be sure you back-up your device to iTunes before you download and install the new IOS 5, save yourself the heart ache of losing your precious data.

Please feel free to contact OCRON with any of you questions at joe@ocronusa.com.

http://www.zdnet.com/photos/ios-5-out-today-20-features-you-need-to-know/6312076?tag=mantle_skin;content

Finally...Facebook for IPad!

2011-10-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Facebook Finally Launches Its Own IPad Application

Posted by Jackie Cohen on October 10th, 2011 3:59 PM

Facebook has finally launched its own version of the social network optimized for the iPad.
Until now, the version of Facebook that appeared on the iPad was the same as what showed up on the much smaller-sized screen of the iPhone.

This required iPad users to choose between the lesser of two evils: either use a portion of the iPad’s screen to surf Facebook, or hit a button in the top or bottom corner to expand the navigable area, thus reducing resolution.
This predicament created a market for third-party developers, namely Oceoway’s Friendly — not to be confused with Facebook acquiree friend.ly, which is a question-and-answer application.
However, users have complained that even Oceoway’s Friendly still didn’t do enough to optimize the Facebook experience for the iPad’s screen.

Now the pictures supplied by Facebook certainly make it look like the social network has addressed these issues (so much that we can almost appreciate why the app’s lead developer, former Facebook engineer Jeff Verkoyen, felt frustrated that his project didn’t go live sooner).

However, we still need to get some hands-on — make that fingertips, since that’s how you navigate on the iPad version of Facebook — time with the app before we can definitively concur that the new version improves the experience.

Additionally, Facebook has added chat and games to the iPad version, both of which aren’t available on the iPhone yet.

And whichever features of Facebook you choose as your favorites become available in the left-hand column of the screen on the iPad.

The iPad version of Facebook becomes available for download today in Apple’s App Store.
Readers,We’d love to hear from you about your experiences with using Facebook on the iPad, past and present.

Please share this and OCRON...

Facebook Southwest Airline Ticket Scam.

2011-10-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the scoop on the Southwest Ticket Scam...

Free tickets on Southwest Airlines? It's the latest Facebook scam

by Graham Cluley

Facebook users should beware the latest scam doing the rounds on the social network. A so-called opportunity to win free tickets with Southwest Airlines may look like a dream come true, but in fact is an opportunity for scammers to harvest your information.

Naked Security reader Wayne told us that he'd seen the messages being spread from the Facebook account of his daughter and her work colleagues, and further investigation found others users' accounts being used to spread the scam links.

What's interesting, as our friends at Facecrooks point out, is that the messages are being spread via comments on other users' walls rather than as status updates.

Messages include:

sweet! i just got 2 free flight vouchers from Southwest Air to fly to any destination i can think of lmao! i didnt believe it would work but it was, got it here..[LINK] try for yourself i just figured i would share with everyone

hey, i got my free Southwest airfare from [LINK] u should submit for a your own pair while they are still offering them!

hi, i just got my free Southwest airfare from [LINK] you should claim your own pair while its still available!

Southwest is offering complementary flights..but for a short time only: [LINK]

wassup, i just picked up my free Southwest tickets from [LINK] you should request yours while its available!

If you do click on the links you're taken to a webpage which looks like the genuine Southwest Airlines website, but instead urges you to connect with it via Facebook.

The offer of free tickets may have proven too attractive a lure, of course, and so you might agree to proceed - whereupon you are greeted with the all-too-familiar sight of a Facebook dialog asking for your permission to install a third-party application.

This rogue application can access your profile, and post messages from your account - allowing the scam to spread widely.

You'll then be presented with a series of questions and offers, which scoop up your personal information. Would you be prepared to give this level of information about yourself to a complete stranger in the street?

But you shouldn't be so keen to share your personally identifiable information, especially when you cannot be sure what is going to be done with it.

Will we see more of these air ticket-related scams in the future on Facebook? I would bet money on it. After all, everyone dreams of the idea of flying off somewhere without having to pay for the privilege. In the past, we've seen Facebook scams regarding free tickets with JetBlue and Delta Air Lines, so it's not really a surprise to see the latest scam use a similar ploy.