Well, it's better than nothing, I guess

thats a pretty good article, even though its a repeat of all the forums on this website, ut atleast its al in one place

axims are 4 evr(hopefully)
-nathan-
einstein is my hero

The USPS is dependable and secure, unlike the ftp link that left the product to open to theft.

As you can guess by my user name, I am a little biased....

it only took them a month since they started shipping out A05 units and still they're not shipping the CDs. How long does it take to press a CD? It sure looks like my DVD burner could produce Upgrade CDs a lot faster than Dell is producing them, and my burner is only capable of 16x speed.

Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. - Thomas Jefferson

Humba,

I do love that tagline. It is one of my favorite quotes. So true...


-JmE-

I found this statement a touch dismissive: "Although Dell delayed Axim X5 shipments by only about two weeks, the glitch disappointed at least some Axim owners. Some voiced their discontent on Web forums, including Dell's own tech support site."

Actually, those of us who have older Axims with PocketPC 2002 have been waiting two months now, not two weeks.

And while we're at it, emailman said "The USPS is dependable and secure, unlike the ftp link that left the product to open to theft." Alas, that's more than a little biased, it's basically incorrect.

The FTP link wasn't secure because they thought their installer would restrict the install just to WM2003 units. That was an intentional configuration by Dell. Apple and Microsoft both use FTP and HTTPS to distribute restricted files all the time and it works fine. Blaming FTP for that is like taking out an ad with sensitive content in a national newspaper in a really simple to break code and then blaming the newspaper because so many people figured out that code.

In the long run, mailing the CDs will be about as secure. Someone will post the file to usenet or Gnutella and voila, it'll be out. Fortunately, most Axim users really don't have a problem with the relatively small fee Dell is charging.

Absolutely!

and "Someone will post the file to usenet or Gnutella and voila, it'll be out", it's already out there...

-JmE-

Which is no surprise and exactly what us "evil pirates with a upgrade CD order (or now with a completed order ;P ) have been telling all along. The only people who really got hurt when Dell pulled the update were those who were (and still are) waiting since they got a slow Axim. The real pirates can only laugh at that..
But I'm wondering a bit.. could Dell be preparing an A06 ROM? The delays are ridiculous and there's no logical explanation for all those delays (unless they spent weeks debating whether they should come up with a more secure installer or simply ship a CD), and there have been a couple of patches for WM2k3 already. Most notably, the .NET runtime has been updated, there's the issue with notifications, and the Axim is a lot slower to start if the power button is pressed if running WM2k3. Last week-end I have downgraded (my TM card went bonkers.. and looked like broken until another driver reinstall (must've been like the 20th try or so) finally got things back to normal) and since then my Axim awakes a lot faster than before. I have also compared startup time with the Ipaq 5550 we have here at work and that one starts up immediately. So, not all is well in Dell 2003 land yet..

Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. - Thomas Jefferson

I think that Dell is working on the A06 ROM, which will probably be relatively problem free compared to some of the glitches A05 still has, at the same time working on an entirely new installer to try to curb piracy. Maybe it'll ask for a product key now, or crosscheck your Axims serial number against an online database. Dell did specifically cite work on the installer as one of their reasons for the new delay on the main page. They called it an "interface redesign", and since I'm sure that they probably aren't to worried about the aesthetics of the installer at this point I would interpret this statement to mean they are essentially overhauling the installer for better security. Either way I'm guessing that they think this will make the A05 patch that is now circulating online obsolete and undesireable, while at the same time making it more difficult to pirate A06.

In the end I'm sure someone most certainly will, it probably just won't be the sort of thing an amateur hacker could pull off anymore.

It takes ONE person to make a file avaliable on the internet, and once its out there, its not getting back :P

If ONE person puts an ISO or the contents of the disc on the net, its as good as it being put on the net officially by dell. People who want/need it will get it.

Mailing out CDs doesnt stop piracy. That is absolutely ridiculos.

Spending more then 2 minutes to code the installer may combat piracy however.

/me slaps dell

PDA: X51v - ROM A12
Case: Stock dell sleeve case
Memory: 2GB OCZ SD Card, 512MB Kingston CF card

Accessories:

Holux 236 Bluetooth GPS
Dell Bluetooth keyboard
Sony MDR-V500 Bluetooth Headphones (built with parts from Logitech Bluetooth Headphones)

All I know is, is that Ive been waiting very patiently for the new Op to come out. I dont know how much longer they can put it off for, its becoming ridiculous.......

I don't really care which method Dell uses for delivery....heck, at this point, I'd be happy if they ask Santa to deliver it.

Two things...

1) Dell released to CNET a few days ago that they "were unable to make the installer more secure" (paraphrased). I will post the link if someone wants it, I think I already did somewhere here at Aximsite.

2) Even if an A06 version comes out, they will have to get it to the people running A05 (like the European upgrade CDs that have been shipping)

IMHO, there is not logic behind it... I think Dell will simply say or do anything to buy time, save face, and get on with selling.

Axim is a great product at a wonderful price, Dell, however is full of it.

-JmE-

What exactly is a professional hacker?

Sure, it has been a good 15 years or more since I hacked on a regular basis, but amateur? I think you mean talented vs untalented, right?

-JmE-

BTW: If Dell really wants to protect it's code, I would suggest they hire some competent help from outside. Until they do that, good luck!