Japan, China, S.Korea to jointly develop Windows replacement

"Japan, China and South Korea plan to develop an original operating system in a bid to challenge the domination of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, news reports said. Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma is to propose the plan when he meets his Chinese and South Korean counterparts in Phnom Penh on Wednesday on the sidelines of the ASEAN trade ministers' meeting, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun said Sunday, quoting sources.

The three countries are expected to reach an accord in mid-September, when senior trade ministry officials are to hold another meeting, Asahi said, and to establish a joint private-. The accord would be the first signed by major economies, the two dailies said. Under the expected tie-up, the partners are expected to improve open-source operating system, like Linux. The three countries are to set up a joint private-sector promotion committee in mid-November, to include Japanese businesses such as NTT Data Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., NEC Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Fujitsu Ltd."

Neowin.net - Japan, China, S.Korea to jointly develop Windows replacement

'Longhorn' Rollout Slips

"Microsoft Corp. has once again shifted the schedule for the release of 'Longhorn,' the company's next major version of Windows, leaving some users up in the air about an upgrade path.

Microsoft executives from Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates on down have long described Longhorn as the Redmond, Wash., company's most revolutionary operating system to date. The product was originally expected to ship next year. Then in May of this year, officials pushed back the release date to 2005. But now executives are declining to say when they expect the software to ship."

Neowin.net - 'Longhorn' Rollout Slips

PHP growing surprisingly strongly on Windows

"Although PHP is universally thought of as implying Linux, Apache and MySQL, nearly 7% of PHP sites [when counting by ip address] run on Windows. This has doubled over the last year, and on its current growth trajectory PHP will overtake Cold Fusion as the most popular non-Microsoft scripting language used on Windows during the next year."

Netcraft - PHP growing surprisingly strongly on Windows

Sun Doubles Java Distribution on Desktop

"Sun Microsystems Inc. has doubled its distribution of Java on the desktop since it announced at its JavaOne show that two leading PC manufacturers had agreed to license the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to ship with their PCs and laptops. Rich Green, vice president of Sun developer tools and Java software, told eWEEK that Sun has signed new Java licensees that will ship Java on their desktop and laptop computers, and that with the addition of the new companies, Sun will have distribution of Java on what amounts to 50 percent of the worldwide shipments of PCs. "

eWeek - Sun Doubles Java Distribution on Desktop

Will Linux remain true to its roots?

"It might look like the battle of David and Goliath, but in the case of the SCO Group v. IBM, not too many people are rooting for David.

The SCO Group, which has filed a $3 billion suit against Big Blue, alleges that Unix code--which it claims rights to--was wrongly used in some of IBM's Linux code. IBM has filed a countersuit, saying that SCO is simply trying to make money from laying claim to code that is freely available under the General Public License. Linux distributor Red Hat has also joined the fray, asking that SCO be stopped from making claims of intellectual property misuse in Linux code. Most Linux developers have weighed in on IBM's side, expressing annoyance at what they perceive as SCO's attempt to undermine the very nature of open-source software development.

The case is making headlines, but the larger issue in question is whether Linux--which has become the poster child for open-source software development--can truly remain open while simultaneously gaining acceptance in the corporate marketplace."

Tech News/CNET.com - Will Linux remain true to its roots?

PHP-Nuke 6.8 released to the public

"A quick note to let you know that PHP-Nuke version 6.8 has been released to the public. Many fixes are present in this release, be sure to read the included text file CHANGES to know exactly what's been added/removed and fixed. Hope you enjoy this release. You can download it from here as usual. At the same time I want to announce that version 7.0 development will start on the next week. One of the most requested features will be present on 7.0 version: Users groups 100% configurable from the administration area with lot of functions."

PHP-Nuke - PHP-Nuke 6.8 released to the public

Motorola to sell off its Symbian stake

Motorola is planning to sell its 19 percent ownership stake in Symbian, the leading developer of operating systems for smart phones that use next-generation cellular networks.

The No. 2 global handset maker said Friday it is selling the stake to fellow Symbian investors Nokia and Psion, in a move that should give Motorola more freedom to work with developers of other operating systems. It will also give Java developers a choice of platforms when they write applications for features such as ring tones and advanced messaging, according to Motorola.

CNET News.com - Motorola to sell off its Symbian stake

Will Microsoft tweak IE?

"Microsoft told the Web's leading standards body that it's considering making changes to its Internet Explorer browser in light of a recent ruling against the company in a patent infringement lawsuit.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued a statement Thursday indicating that Microsoft is mulling its options after a federal court earlier this month found that plug-ins and applets in Internet Explorer (IE) infringed on patents held by Eolas Technologies and the University of California. The software giant was ordered to pay $521 million to the Web technology company and the university. 'In the near term, Microsoft has indicated to the W3C that they will very soon be making changes to its Internet Explorer browser software in response to this ruling,' Steven R. Bratt, chief operating officer of the W3C, said in a statement. 'These changes may affect a large number of existing Web pages.' "

CNET News.com - Will Microsoft tweak IE?

Microsoft Virtual PC for Windows 5.2

"Microsoft Virtual PC is a powerful software virtualization solution that allows you to run multiple PC-based operating systems simultaneously on one workstation, providing a safety net to maintain compatibility with legacy applications while you migrate to a new operating system. It also saves reconfiguration time, so your support, development, and training staff can work more efficiently.

Microsoft will release Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 late in calendar year 2003. In the meantime, a 45-day free trial of the Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 5, now from Microsoft, can be downloaded for evaluation purposes."

MSFN - Microsoft Virtual PC for Windows 5.2

Browser Suit Spurs Microsoft to Change IE

"Microsoft Corp. is planning to alter its market-leading Internet Explorer Web browser as a result of a recent $521 million browser-patent verdict against it.

'Microsoft has indicated to W3C [Worldwide Web Consortium] that they will very soon be making changes to its Internet Explorer browser software in response to this ruling,' wrote W3C Chief Operating Officer Steven R. Bratt in a notice posted on the Web standards body's Web site. The changes could affect 'a large number of existing Web pages,' he wrote.

Earlier this month, a federal jury in Chicago ruled in favor of Eolas Technologies Inc. and the University of California, which claimed that Microsoft infringed on their patent for technology that allows interactive applications such as 'plug-ins' and 'applets' to be embedded in Web pages."

WinBeta.org - Browser Suit Spurs Microsoft to Change IE

Opera, Mozilla take new aim at Microsoft

"Two of the last remaining serious Web browser rivals to Microsoft's Internet Explorer each released new versions this week, promising faster and more stable surfing.

The Mozilla project, which is creating an open-source version of the Netscape browser, released the beta, or public test of its version 1.5 software on Wednesday. Opera Software, the Norway-based commercial Web software developer, released an updated version of its latest browser on Thursday."

ZDNews News: Opera, Mozilla take new aim at Microsoft

SQL Server's Scalability Run Stalls

"SQL Server 2000 64-bit and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition 64-bit had a great run, but it looks like Microsoft's challenge to Unix and Oracle on scalability is over for now.

Ever since the April launch of Windows Server 2003, every major benchmark run by Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition and SQL Server 2000 64-bit set a new record for raw performance."

WinBeta.org - SQL Server's Scalability Run Stalls

Learning the JavaScript debugger Venkman

"If you've ever written some JavaScript, and had a bug in it, and gone to great lengths of finding out why it didn't work, you've probably used some of the traditional debugging 'tools' that have been available to JavaScript programmers. An unholy mix of alert boxes or maybe document.write plus judiciously inserted debugging code, and tons of out commented code. The programmer had all this, plus the error logging tool of whatever browser he was developing in. This usually meant either IE's rather lacking error messages, or Netscape's slightly more informative JavaScript console. Because of this, JavaScript have been blamed for lacking proper development tools. Enter Venkman, a JavaScript debugger, tightly integrated into Mozilla."

svendtofte.com - Learning the JavaScript debugger Venkman

Νέο υποβρύχιο καλώδιο του ΟΤΕ συνδέει τηλεπικοινωνιακά Ελλάδα και Ιταλία

H πόντιση του νέου διεθνούς υποβρυχίου καλωδίου, που θα συνδέει τηλεπικοινωνιακά την Ελλάδα με την Ιταλία, πραγματοποιείται την Παρασκευή στην Κέρκυρα.

Το έργο αυτό, αποτέλεσμα συνεργασίας του ΟΤΕ με τη γαλλική ALCATEL, θα αυξήσει τη σημερινή χωρητικότητα του δικτύου κορμού του ΟΤΕ για την κάλυψη των αυξημένων διεθνών αναγκών, εν όψει μάλιστα των Ολυμπιακών Αγώνων του 2004.

Το έργο περιλαμβάνει το σχεδιασμό και την εγκατάσταση ενός υποβρυχίου καλωδιακού δακτυλίου οπτικών ινών από την ALCATEL που θα επεκτείνει το εθνικό και διεθνές δίκτυο κορμού του ΟΤΕ. Βασίζεται στην τεχνολογία DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) και επιτρέπει την αναμετάδοση δεδομένων, φωνής, εικόνας και άλλων σύνθετων εφαρμογών σε πολύ υψηλές ταχύτητες.

ADSLgr - Νέο υποβρύχιο καλώδιο του ΟΤΕ συνδέει τηλεπικοινωνιακά Ελλάδα και Ιταλία

Symantec adds product activation

The software maker adds controversial antipiracy technology to the new edition of its Norton Antivirus software.

CNET News.com - Personal Technology

Mozilla 1.5 Beta Released

"mozilla.org has just released Mozilla 1.5 Beta. Amongst the usual improvements, there's a range of Mail & Newsgroups enhancements and a major ChatZilla update. This is also the first milestone to include a spellchecker. Grab a build from the mozilla.org Releases Page (or direct from ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/releases/mozilla1.5b) and check out the Mozilla 1.5 Beta Release Notes for more information."

MozillaZine Talkback - Mozilla 1.5 Beta Released

Microsoft Office 2003 Available on MSDN Oct. 1st

"It looks as though Microsoft has set a [somewhat] definate date for the release of Microsoft Office 2003 to MSDN Subscriber Downloads.

Expected Ship Date: October 2003
Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition 2003 (English, German, Japanese)
Expected to be available from MSDN Subscriber Downloads October 1, 2003. Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, Exchange Server 2003, Standard Edition (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese)
MSDN Subscriptions Library, October 2003 (English, Japanese)

Note: The information above is tentative and subject to change without notice."

WinBeta.org - Microsoft Office 2003 Available on MSDN Oct. 1st

Macromedia Extends MX Line of Tools

"Macromedia Inc. Monday announced new versions of its top tools for building rich Internet applications.

Norm Meyrowitz, president of products for the San Francisco company, said the new MX 2004 family extends the Macromedia MX family of products the company announced in April 2002.

The company announced new versions of Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, Fireworks MX, Macromedia Studio MX and a new product known as Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004, Meyrowitz said. In addition, Macromedia also is delivering new component-type building block technology called MX Elements and a new look and feel for applications called Halo.

The all-new product, Flash MX Professional 2004, provides a development environment for advanced developers, the company said."

eWeek - Macromedia Extends MX Line of Tools

PHP 4.3.3

"The PHP developers are proud to announce the immediate availability of PHP 4.3.3. This release contains a large number of bug fixes and we strongly recommend that all users of PHP upgrade to this version.

Download: PHP 4.3.3
View: Changelog | PHP 4.3.3 Release Announcement"

Tech-Critic - PHP 4.3.3

Developers to get first taste of 'Longhorn' | CNET News.com

"After months of speculation, Microsoft plans to give developers their first hard look at the next version of Windows in October.

The Redmond, Wash., company expects to release a 'developers preview' of the new operating system, code-named Longhorn, at its professional developers conference in Los Angeles. Although it won't be a full beta, or test, version, Microsoft executives have promised it will be more than just 'slideware,' software that companies haven't been using and don't know when it will be coming.

The company is expected to hand out a development kit that will give developers their first look at the inner workings of the much-heralded new operating system. Longhorn will usher in a raft of changes from previous versions of Windows."

CNET News.com - Developers to get first taste of 'Longhorn'

Symbian poses a credible threat to Microsoft

"The steady progress over the year provides evidence that Symbian poses a credible threat to rival operating system developer Microsoft Corp., which was widely expected to dominate the smartphone market. Smartphones, which enable users to access data services from their mobile handsets, only accounts for a small part of the overall mobile phone market, but the industry is moving toward more smartphone devices."

msmobiles.com - Symbian poses a credible threat to Microsoft

#develop .96 – Forms Designer Improvements

"At the end of this year's #develop summer camp, we bring you this new release of #develop – it has been a long wait. We have focused on improving the forms designer: a more stable roundtripping has been implemented, the forms designer now sports a functioning menu designer, components can be selected in a new dropdown in the property grid, resetting properties of controls to default values via a context menu has been added, the toolbox is configurable with custom controls, user controls can be reloaded automatically - additionally, many more smaller changes and bug fixes have been incorporated."

SourceForge.net: #develop .96

VMware Workstation 4.0.2.5592

"VMware features the ability to run multiple operating systems on the same PC without the need to partition the hard drive, or rebooting.

Users can isolate and protect each operating environment, and the applications and data that are running in it. It allows users to interoperate among each of these operating systems, including full networking, device and file sharing, and cut- and-paste capabilities, and undo changes made in a given session.

VMware allows operators to encapsulate and manipulate each operating environment, and have the ability to roll back and restart an application, or move an environment among differently configured machines.

Host OS - Runs on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Linux
Guest OS - Microsoft operating systems including Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.1,and MS- DOS 6, Popular Linux distributions including Red Hat, SuSE Linux, and Linux-Mandrake FreeBSD 3.x, 4.3."

softnews.ro - VMware Workstation 4.0.2.5592

Opera 7.20 BETA 4 (Build 3069)

"With Opera's new rendering engine, the Web has never been so fast! With additional features aimed at moving you quickly through the Web like keyboard shortcuts, mouse gestures, window management and great search features, it's the only place you won't be caught for traveling at such speed!

Opera uses less memory and less space on your hard drive than competing browser applications, making you more productive on the Web while providing other programs enough resources to perform at their best level.

Features such as multiple document interface (MDI), mouse gestures, keyboard shortcuts, Hotclick translation, presentation tool, zooming, integrated search, and so many more were first introduced in Opera, and now they are being copied by other browser makers. Downloading Opera gives you access to ALL these unique, innovative features, as well as many more to come."

Neowin.net - Opera 7.20 BETA 4 (Build 3069)

Auto-Patching for SQL Server On Its Way

"There's been a lot of speculation this week on when, whether and if Microsoft will make its patch-update feature an automatic default in Windows Longhorn. But it seems the Redmond software giant already is working on making auto-update a part of current and future versions of SQL Server.

Microsoft isn't talking dates as to when automatic patching for SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 'Yukon' will go live, but it's a given. Also, Security Supersite Editor Larry Seltzer reminds us all that auto-patching is already part of Windows XP and Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and 4."

Microsoft Watch - Auto-Patching for SQL Server On Its Way

New DVD-copying tools to hit shelves

"Despite staunch legal opposition from Hollywood, a new package of DVD-copying software is headed for online and offline retail shelves.

DVD drive company Tritton Technologies on Friday said it agreed to distribute software called DVD CopyWare, created by United Kingdom-based Redxpress. Like software from rival 321 Studios, which has been sued by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the CopyWare package will make a perfect copy of DVDs to a blank disc.

Tritton said it is simply trying to help people make backup copies of their own DVDs, not facilitate movie piracy, even though no protections against making multiple copies or making duplicates of copies are included in the software."

CNET News.com - New DVD-copying tools to hit shelves

News: Web services registry spec released

"A Microsoft- and IBM-backed group that promotes the use of the emerging UDDI Web services specification announced Thursday that its members would start distributing test copies of the latest version of the specification.

The UDDI, or Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, specification serves as a registry and locator
service that identifies and catalogs Web services applications so that they can be easily found online. The UDDI Business Registry Operators Council, made up of IBM, Microsoft, NTT Communications and SAP, is promoting usage of UDDI by providing support to the software development community.

The Operators Council said Thursday that it would begin making beta copies of UDDI Version 3 available to developers of Web services applications. Earlier this year, OASIS, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, ratified Version 2 of the specification as an industry standard."

ZDNet News - Web services registry spec released

Oracle issues security alert

"Database giant Oracle warned of a flaw in its XML software that could open a door for denial-of-service attacks. In an alert posted Monday, Oracle said the flaw affects companies using the XML Database (XDB) component for the company's Oracle 9i software. XDB stores data based on Extensible Markup Language (XML), the growing standard for delivering Web services and uniting back-end software.

A hacker could exploit a buffer overflow hole in XDB to launch a denial-of-service attack or capture data, according to the alert. Oracle said the flaw was most likely to be exploited in an insider attack launched over a corporate network. Customers were advised to apply the appropriate patch, as detailed in the alert."

CNET.com - Oracle issues security alert

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-032

Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (822925)
Originally posted: August 20, 2003

Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Internet Explorer.
Impact of vulnerability: Two new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could enable an attacker to run arbitrary code on a user's system if the user either browsed to a hostile Web site or opened a specially crafted HTML-based email message.
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical
Recommendation: System administrators should install the patch immediately.

Affected Software:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows Server 2003

An End User version of the bulletin is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-032.asp.

Microsoft TechNet - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-032

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-033

Unchecked Buffer in MDAC Function Could Enable System Compromise (823718)
Originally posted: August 20, 2003

Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Windows®
Impact of vulnerability: Run code of the attacker's choice
Maximum Severity Rating: Important
Recommendation: Users should apply the security patch to affected systems.

Affected Software:
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.5
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.7
Not Affected Software:
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.8

An End User version of the bulletin is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-033.asp. "

Microsoft TechNet - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-033

REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-040

Unchecked Buffer in MDAC Function Could Enable System Compromise (Q326573)
Originally posted: July 31, 2002
Updated: August 20, 2003

Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft Windows.
Impact of vulnerability: Run code of the attacker's choice.
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical
Recommendation: Users should install the security patch immediately.

Affected Software:
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.5
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6
- Microsoft Data Access Components 2.7

Microsoft Technet - REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-040

REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-030

Unchecked Buffer in DirectX Could Enable System Compromise (819696)
Originally posted: July 23, 2003
Updated: August 20, 2003

Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft Windows
Impact of vulnerability: Allow an attacker to execute code on a user's system
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical
Recommendation: Customers should apply the security patch immediately

Affected Software:
- Microsoft DirectX 5.2 on Windows 98
- Microsoft DirectX 6.1 on Windows 98 SE
- Microsoft DirectX 7.1 on Windows Millennium Edition
- Microsoft DirectX 7.0 on Windows 2000
- Microsoft DirectX 8.0, 8.0a, 8.1, 8.1a, and 8.1b when installed on Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows - Millennium Edition or Windows 2000
- Microsoft DirectX 8.1 on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003
- Microsoft DirectX 9.0a when installed on Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with either Windows Media Player 6.4 or Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 installed
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition with either Windows Media Player 6.4 or Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 installed

An End User version of the bulletin is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-030.asp.

Microsoft TechNet - REVISED: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-030

MS releases unholy trinity of security fixes

"Microsoft yesterday released another cumulative fix for Internet Explorer designed to address all the old flaws with the Swiss cheese browser and fix a set of fresh problems.

Separately, Redmond also issued patches to correct less serious vulnerabilities with a ubiquitous Windows middleware package and a revision of a July advisory on a serious vulnerability involving MIDI files.

The new IE flaws could enable an attacker to run arbitrary code on a user's system if the user either visited a hostile Web site or opened a specially crafted HTML-based email message."

The Register - MS releases unholy trinity of security fixes

Windows admin 'feature' poses latest hazard

"An obscure messaging feature in Windows could be the latest source of security problems for Internet users, experts have warned.

Security experts are warning users to switch off a Windows messaging feature that has been taken over by spammers and could now pose the latest security threat for Windows users. The feature, known as the messenger service, was originally designed to let a network administrator send warnings to users when, for example, a server is scheduled to go down for maintenance. Last year, bulk advertisers began using the tool to send pop-up advertising messages directly to a user's computer, and researchers say it would be simple for a virus writer to exploit the feature as well. The feature is not related to Microsoft's instant messaging software."

MSFN - Windows admin 'feature' poses latest hazard

MS Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment

"Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Microsoft® Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment (BDD). The accelerator is a new offering that can reduce tasks for deployment of Windows® XP Professional, Office XP Professional and Office Professional Edition 2003 by up to 75 percent per desktop, helping enable enterprises to realize the value of their software investments more quickly. The new Microsoft Services (MCS) zero touch service builds on BDD to completely automate the installation process and adds a provisioning engine to enable outsourcing partners to build new managed desktop solutions."

MSFN - MS Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment

Sony's Memory Stick beats at rivals

"Philips Electronics is the latest major consumer electronics maker to license Sony's Memory Stick technology, which continues to gain support from large manufacturers and expand its potential for wider distribution.

Philips announced Tuesday it is licensing Memory Stick technology for use with its Nexperia chips, which are used in consumer products such as DVD players, cell phones and other handheld devices. Nexperia-based products with Memory Stick technology will be available in the second quarter of next year, according to Philips. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "

CNET News.com - Sony's Memory Stick beats at rivals

Nokia to acquire Sega.com

"Mobile phone giant Nokia is to acquire the assets of Sega's online and wireless gaming operation to boost its own N-Gage online games device.

The Sega Network Application Package (SNAP), which enables networked multi-player games, will form the core of Nokia Mobile Phones' Entertainment and Media Business Unit's online games service."

The Register - Nokia to acquire Sega.com

cuckooo: OpenOffice.org nested in KDE

"Have you ever dreamt of OpenOffice.org integration in KDE? Perhaps you should try cuckooo, a KDE Part which allows OpenOffice.org to be run in a Konqueror window. It is currently limited to just viewer capabilities, but as you can see from the screenshots, the technology is promising. You can of course download and try it, but please be patient with it. Cuckooo is at a very early stage of development, so you might encounter debug info on the standard error output, misbehavior or even crashes. But if you are willing to test it, I am looking forward to feedback!"

KDE.News - cuckooo: OpenOffice.org nested in KDE

Office 2003 Hits RTM

"Microsoft Corp. today announced the completion of the core products in the new Microsoft Office System and has released all products to manufacturing, marking a critical step in the delivery of the company's most powerful and valuable release of Office.

The Microsoft Office System is composed of industry-leading productivity programs, servers and services, and includes programs such as the Microsoft Office 2003 editions, and the 2003 versions of Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Visio, FrontPage and Publisher. The abilities in the core products can be extended in Microsoft Office System solutions by taking advantage of the productivity-enhancing capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and the three new programs: Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003 and Microsoft Office OneNote 2003. The Microsoft Office System is the result of one of the largest and most successful development efforts and beta tests in Microsoft history. More than 600,000 beta testers - approximately three times the participants in previous beta tests - provided Microsoft with detailed feedback over the past year, allowing the company to develop the most innovative and stable Office products to date."

Neowin.net - Office 2003 Hits RTM

Symantec pays $62.5m to settle patent lawsuit

"Symantec yesterday paid $62.5 million to settle a long-running patent lawsuit with Michigan-based security firm Hilgraeve.

As part of the settlement for a patent involving in-transit scanning for malicious code (US Patent Number 5,319,776), Symantec also received licences to the remaining patents in Hilgraeve's portfolio, including patents related to data communications."

The Register - Symantec pays $62.5m to settle patent lawsuit

Sun Tells More of Mad Hatter

"Sun Microsystems is giving hints about its upcoming open-source based desktop suite, dubbed Project Mad Hatter. The company is proffering the suite as an alternative to Microsoft Windows, claiming it is more secure, less complex, and less expensive."

PCWorld.com - Sun Tells More of Mad Hatter

The GPL will win, claims law prof.

"Eben Moglen, Professor of Law at Columbia University and the FSF's pro bono general counsel for the past decade, says that there's nothing to fear from the GPL (General Public Licence) being tested in a US Court. He also expressed astonishment to describe SCO's latest legal tactic to reject the validity of the GPL. SCO is suing IBM for breaching its UNIX™ copyright, and IBM and Red Hat are countersuing SCO."

The Register - The GPL will win, claims law prof.

Doom 3 Delayed until 2004

"Some rather disappointing news from the people over at id. It seems Doom 3 will NOT be released this year. There goes half of the fantastic fall lineup (and impending flamewars between doomers and half-lifers). From CNNmoney:

'The game, which was originally expected this holiday season, has been delayed until sometime in 2004. Activision, which is publishing the game, hinted at this a couple of weeks ago in a conference call, but id executives confirmed the delay to me earlier this week.

'It's not our job to have the game done by an arbitrary date,' said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. 'Our job is to ensure the game is as good as it can be and then ship it. ... We don't expect to have it done this year.' '"

Neowin.net - Doom 3 Delayed until 2004

DVD Plus Identifier 2.0

"DVD Plus Identifier retrieves and interprets the ADIP of DVD R and DVD RW discs. The ADIP contains a variety of parameters such as disc manufacturing information and supported write speeds. All this information is especially useful for uniquely identifying discs when comparing the quality of different discs. Since the packaging of a disc is not a reliable way of identifying it (e.g. different brands can still have the same manufacturer and some discs don't even have any labeling whatsoever). It now offers a 100% reliable method to distinguish between discs.

What's New in This Release:
- An alternative method of ADIP retrieval has been added
- Several small fixes, changes and improvements"

Neowin.net - DVD Plus Identifier 2.0

Sun to blast off Gemini in 2004

"Sun isn't getting radical just yet, but it is prepping the first of its multicore low-end processors for delivery in 2004.

As expected, the Gemini processor will combine two UltraSPARC II cores on a single piece of silicon. The chip is due sometime next year, coming in at about 1.2GHz and consuming but 32 Watts of power at maximum load. This is the very product Afara WebSystems was working on before Sun acquired the company last year."

The Register - Sun to blast off Gemini in 2004

PHP 4.3.3RC4 released

"PHP 4.3.3RC4 has been released for testing. This is should be the last release candidate prior to the final 4.3.3 release. Please test this release as much as possible, so that any remaining issues can be uncovered and resolved."

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor - PHP 4.3.3RC4 released

DirectX Attack Expected - Patch Windows Now

"Following last week's MSBlast worm attack, security experts at Microsoft and other firms are worried that a recently discovered vulnerability in DirectX could cause even more problems

Microsoft seems to have survived the MSBlast worm attack, but now the company is urging Windows users to patch their systems against a different, potentially more dangerous, vulnerability in its software.

Even though most businesses have installed the patch for MSBlast, there is another vulnerability that could completely overshadow last week's events. On 23 July Microsoft posted a security bulletin on its Web site that describes a 'critical' vulnerability in DirectX. According to Microsoft, unprotected systems could be at the mercy of an attacker by simply playing a midi file or visiting a malicious Web page."

MSFN - DirectX Attack Expected - Patch Windows Now

www.microsoft.com runs Linux? Up to a point ...

"On Friday Microsoft changed its DNS so that requests for www.microsoft.com no longer resolve to machines on Microsoft’s own network, but instead are handled by the Akamai caching system, which runs Linux.

Akamai provides an internet-wide caching system, which can act as a symmetric defence to distributed denial of service attacks. Just as a denial of service attack funnels traffic from many different points to a single destination, Akamai's DNS servers multiplex requests for a specific hostname to the nearest point to each attacking machine in its global caching system, diminishing the effect of the attack by dividing the inbound requests amongst its many servers, and limiting the amount of DDoS traffic by localising the distance between attacker and target. Akamai presents a more challenging target for a DDoS than any single network, and would seem to be the best practical step where a distributed denial of service is directed at a hostname that the target organisation cannot reasonably take offline."

Netcraft - www.microsoft.com runs Linux? Up to a point ...

Microsoft to release tiny XP service pack?

"The rumour is that Microsoft has got into such a flap about the Blaster worm that it's readying a small service pack called SP1a for Windows XP, which might emerge within the next two weeks.

Except it can't be called SP1a as there is one of those already for the Java VM, so maybe it will be SP1X or something. 'Tiny', as one of our readers points out, is relative in the case of 'modern' operating systems from Microsoft."

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft to release tiny XP service pack?

Phantom console unveiled.

"If you have a need for blazing fast processor speed, cinematic graphics, and Dolby Digital Surround Sound, then experience the Phantom Game Console for a true high performance gaming environment. The Phantom provides access to more games of every genre than any competing product. Phantom's breath-taking speed, graphic realism and Dolby Digital 7.1 Surround Sound put it in a class of its own . . . the must-have high performance game console."

Neowin.net - Phantom console unveiled.

PlayStation 2 Independence: The PS1DRV Hack

"To make a long story short, the exploit allows anyone with a memory card and a valid, legal PS1 disc to hijack the boot process and run any piece of code. Absolutely no modification to the system is necessary to use the exploit (my only working PS2 is not moddded, and I have developed and tested the exploit on this machine). All one really needs is a way to send the files to the memory card to enable the exploit."

Neowin.net - PlayStation 2 Independence: The PS1DRV Hack

SDK for Windows Mobile 2003-based Smartphones

"The new SDK for Smartphone 2003 allows developers to build applications for Windows Mobile 2003-based Smartphones leveraging the Microsoft .NET Compact Framework, Windows CE. NET 4.2, an improved emulator and new ATL support. This enables a whole new host of benefits for developers, such as rapid application development, native XML Web services support, enterprise class connectivity and performance, and IDE support from Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003."

MSFN - SDK for Windows Mobile 2003-based Smartphones

Windows XP SP2 Delayed Until Late 2004

"In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft has pushed back the release date for the second Windows XP service pack to the third quarter of 2004. SP2 was long expected to debut before the end of 2003, a year after SP1 made the rounds."

ieXbeta.com - Windows XP SP2 Delayed Until Late 2004

Windows Messenger v5.0 for Windows 2000/XP

"Windows Messenger lets you see when your friends are online and exchange instant messages with them. Send instant messages with cool, new emoticons, call anywhere in the world from your computer, see when someone's typing, page a contact's mobile phone, send pictures and music to your friends, and much more. You can also use this free program to make phone calls, send a message to a pager, trade pictures and music with your friends, and much more."

MSFN - Windows Messenger v5.0 for Windows 2000/XP

Doom 3 Multiplayer screens

"Activision has released a couple new high res screenshots of Doom III, showing some multiplayer action from this upcoming sequel by id Software and Splash Damage. On a related story, HomeLan and EuroGamer are both offering their first impressions of the QuakeCon 2003 Doom 3 deathmatch demo."

Neowin.net - Doom 3 Multiplayer screens

Microsoft and ATI Technologies Develop Xbox 2

"Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq 'MSFT') today announced it has entered into a technology development agreement with ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT). Under the agreement, ATI is developing custom, leading-edge graphics technologies for use in future Xbox products and services.

'We're combining Microsoft's vision, software experience and R&D resources with ATI's pioneering leadership in graphics technologies to create innovative future Xbox products and services that meet the lifestyle needs of consumers in the Digital Decade,' said Robbie Bach, senior vice president of the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft. 'We selected ATI after reviewing the top graphics technologies in development and determining that ATI's technical vision fits perfectly with the future direction of Xbox.'"

Neowin.net - Microsoft and ATI Technologies Develop Xbox 2

Sco declares the Linux GPL invalid.

"SCO WILL attempt to win its $3 billion case against IBM by arguing that the General Public Licence (GPL) is invalid. That's what a pleader at legal practice Boies Schiller and Flexner is telling the Wall Street Journal today. The GPL licence allows software and work derived from it to be copied by anyone at no charge."

Neowin.net - Sco declares the Linux GPL invalid.

Microsoft agrees to remove XP activation, slashes price to bone

"Thai up means Office bundled for $35.

In order to compete with the Thai government's plan to sell a million cheapo Linux PCs, which we covered earlier, Microsoft did some fancy footwork on pricing. And on activation. According to the Journal, Microsoft said it would sell WIndows XP and Office at a piffling $36 a PC. And Microsoft also agreed to make specific Thai versions of Windows XP, IE and the Media Player."

MSFN - Microsoft agrees to remove XP activation, slashes price to bone

Microsoft Office Project 2003 to be RTM August 18th

"Microsoft Corp. today announced that on Aug. 18 it will release to manufacturing one of the programs of the Microsoft Office System, Microsoft Office Project 2003. This milestone brings companies one step closer to the features in Project 2003 that align resources and business activities with strategic objectives, which can make the difference between those organizations that achieve success and those that do not."

MSFN - Microsoft Office Project 2003 to be RTM August 18th

Windowsupdate.com killed

"As part of its effort to stop the progress of the MSBlast worm, Microsoft is killing off the Windows Update address that the self-propagating program was set to attack.

Because the worm is programmed to attack only that address and not the site that it redirects to, the software giant has decided to eliminate the Windowsupdate.com address. The move is one of a series of efforts that Microsoft has undertaken to try to thwart an attack on its servers that was expected to be launched by infected computers starting Friday."

ieXbeta.com - Windowsupdate.com killed

MS03-026 Scanning Tool

"Microsoft has released a tool, KB 823980scan.exe, that can be used to scan networks to identify host computers that do not have the 823980 Security Patch (MS03-026) installed. For additional information about the Security Patch (MS03-026), Please review Knowledge Base Article 823980 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base."

ieXbeta.com - MS03-026 Scanning Tool

Microsoft Software Update Services 2.0 Pre-release Program Nominations

"The Microsoft Software Update Services (MSUS) 2.0 Pre-release Program is now accepting nominations!

The vision for MSUS is to provide an efficient and effective means to keep all Microsoft products up to date with the latest patches, starting with Windows, Office, SQL, and Exchange in MSUS 2.0."

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft Software Update Services 2.0 Pre-release Program Nominations

Are Windows and Linux Technology Equals?

"Compared to the Windows operating system, Linux is an upstart. As the flagship product of Microsoft, Windows benefits from more than two decades of intense, heavily funded development work. Microsoft programmers have incorporated feedback from countless users in both the server and desktop sectors. To the general public, the term 'Windows' is synonymous with 'computer.' Linux, although it has been in existence for years, has only begun its climb up the enterprise-computing chain in the last two to four years. It is little known by the general public. The Linux kernel has yet to make it to version 3.0.

Yet the upstart Linux invokes comparisons to Windows because of its growth rate. Research firm IDC identifies the 'Lintel' format, or Intel-based servers running Linux, as the faster-growing server segment. Sun has launched its Mad Hatter Linux desktop push, and Wal-Mart has begun selling ultra-cheap Linux-based PCs. Governments around the world -- including the U.S. -- have started to make Linux their OS of choice. Still, can this young operating system compete with Windows technologically? Is it ready to go head to head with Microsoft's well-developed OS?"

Neowin.net - Where unprofessional journalism looks better - Are Windows and Linux Technology Equals?

Office 2003 prices leak online

"Pricing for Microsoft Office 2003 has appeared online together with a heavy hint at its release date, in what appears to be the latest e-commerce blunder.

Prices for Microsoft Office 2003, together with a range of other upcoming products from the company, have been released on online retailer Amazon.com's UK site."

MSFN - Office 2003 prices leak online

Half of Windows crashes down to third-party software

"Scott Charney, chief security strategist at Microsoft, told developers at the TechEd 2003 conference in Brisbane, that information collected by Dr Watson, the company's reporting tool, revealed that 'half of all crashes in Windows are caused not by Microsoft code, but third-party code'.

Charney's comments come as the company highlights the rigour with which it tests its own products before release. Microsoft emphasised that products such as Yukon and Exchange Server were undergoing thorough testing -- both internally and via independent third parties -- prior to their release to the market. "

ieXbeta.com - Half of Windows crashes down to third-party software

Microsoft's "Office 12" Under Development Process

"Even as Microsoft prepares to launch Office 2003 this fall, it is readying a new quality-first development process for Office 12.

The company is stepping up its quality assurance, stressing a new goal, called Milestone Q, of getting code clean and solid earlier in the development process, according to a Microsoft internal memo examined by CRN. Toward that end, the company will use more automated quality-assurance and testing tools such as Big Button and Buddy Web. Office 12 is also known internally as the Longhorn version of Office. "

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft's "Office 12" Under Development Process

Introduction to OOP in Flash and ActionScript, Part 1

"Object-oriented programming, or OOP, often seems to be shrouded in a veil of mystery. It sounds esoteric, perhaps the kind of thing into which you need to be initiated. And for many, it remains that way because the learning curve with so many development platforms is so high. Enter Flash and ActionScript, and the whole picture changes quite significantly."

O'Reilly Network: Introduction to OOP in Flash and ActionScript, Part 1 [Aug. 12, 2003]

Exam 70-292 Set for Release August 14

"Testing centers will begin accepting registrations Wednesday for 70-292: Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000.

Microsoft this Thursday will release Exam 70-292, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000. Candidates will be able to register for the exam via Prometric and Vue testing centers on Wednesday."

Neowin.net - Exam 70-292 Set for Release August 14

A third of Net users hacked or infected

"A US survey reveals 32 per cent of Internet users have experienced security breaches in the past two years.

Nearly 32 percent of Internet users surveyed in mid-July said they had been affected by a hacker or computer virus in the past two years.

About 43 percent of them said they felt vulnerable on their home computers, while 17 percent felt they were vulnerable from viruses and hackers at work. The survey, conducted by Edelman, a public relations firm, questioned more than 1,000 adults nationwide.

American Internet users were warned by Microsoft last month of a new virus attack. On Monday, the new worm, MSBlast, infected at least 7,000 computers in a matter of hours, according to Symantec. Still, security experts said the spread was slowed because the virus program had several flaws."

MSFN - A third of Net users hacked or infected

Microsoft kills off Outlook Express

"It might be the world's most widely distributed e-mail client, but Microsoft has confirmed that it has no intention of further developing Outlook Express.

'[Outlook Express] just sits where it is,' said Dan Leach, lead product manager for Microsoft's information worker product management group. 'The technology doesn't go away, but no new work is being done. It is consumer e-mail in an early iteration, and our investment in the consumer space is now focused around Hotmail and MSN. That's where we're putting the emphasis in terms of new investment and new development work.' "

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft kills off Outlook Express

Microsoft ordered to pay $520m

"Software giant Microsoft has been ordered by a US court to pay out more than half a billion dollars for breaching a patent with its Internet Explorer web browser.

A Chicago jury found that the part of Explorer designed to enable extra functions through 'plug-ins' - add-on programs - infringed patents held by a small Chicago company and the University of California.

The jury ruled that the two should be paid $1.47 for every copy of Windows, Microsoft's computer operating system, sold between 1997 and 2001 - which makes the total fine $520.6m (£324m).

Microsoft said it was disappointed by the decision, and that it planned to appeal."

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft ordered to pay $520m

Google Toolbar 2.0.95 (Final)

"The Google Toolbar increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web and takes only seconds to install. When the Google Toolbar is installed, it automatically appears along with the Internet Explorer toolbar. This means you can quickly and easily use Google to search from any website location, without returning to the Google home page to begin another search."

The Google Toolbar is available free of charge and includes these great features:
• Google Search: Access Google's search technology from any web page.
• Search Site: Search only the pages of the site you're visiting.
• PageRank: See Google's ranking of the current page.
• Page Info: Access more information about a page including similar pages, pages that link back to that page, as well as a cached snapshot.
• Highlight: Highlight your search terms as they appear on the page; each word in its own color.
• Word Find: Find your search terms wherever they appear on the page.
• New! Popup Blocker: Make surfing the web easier by stopping annoying popups. (currently only available for English)
• New! AutoFill: Automatically fill in a form with the click of a button. (currently only available for English)
• New! BlogThis: Create a weblog post pointing to the page you are visiting. (currently only available for English)
• New! Country Search: Restrict your search to pages located in a specific country. (currently only available for English)

ieXbeta.com - Google Toolbar 2.0.95 (Final)

Microsoft's New Office Rules

"Even as Microsoft prepares to launch Office 2003 this fall, it is readying a new quality-first development process for Office 12.

The company is stepping up its quality assurance, stressing a new goal, called Milestone Q, of getting code clean and solid earlier in the development process, according to a Microsoft internal memo examined by CRN. Toward that end, the company will use more automated quality-assurance and testing tools such as Big Button and Buddy Web. Office 12 is also known internally as the Longhorn version of Office.

In the current Office development workflow, if a developer thinks a feature is done, he checks it into the system,often before his program manager or testers have worked with it. Going forward, the developer, tester and program manager all will work on the code before it is checked into the main source branch. Theoretically, that means it will be immediately ready for internal testing, also known as 'dogfooding.' "

Neowin.net - Microsoft's New Office Rules

Cost of new Office coming soon

"Microsoft plans to reveal pricing and a release date soon for the next version of its Office software, according to analysts.

So far, the company has only said that the various components of its newly renamed Office System line of products would ship late this summer. That means Microsoft would need to have a final version of the software to ship to PC manufacturers within the next few weeks."

MSFN - Cost of new Office coming soon

Hackers own all Wi-Fi hotspot data

"No unencrypted data passing over public access Wi-Fi hotspots is safe from the prying eyes of hackers using simple packet sniffing tools, industry analysts have claimed. According to analyst the Butler Group, existing security measures built into 802.11x wireless infrastructures is simply not good enough to protect data."

Neowin.net - Hackers own all Wi-Fi hotspot data:

Microsoft Puts a Price on Secure IM

"Microsoft is set to announce pricing and licensing details for its Office Live Communications Server 2003 on Monday, entering the final stretch for delivery of the enterprise instant messaging product by the end of the year."

PCWorld.com - Microsoft Puts a Price on Secure IM

Final version of Office 2003 near

"For IT administrators who consider Outlook 2003 the best part of the upcoming Office 2003 suite of applications, the wait for the new messaging client won't be much longer.

Office 2003 is expected to go to manufacturing Aug. 15, which is also when pricing information should become available, according to people familiar with the company's plans. Office 2003, which has been tested by about 600,000 users, is the upgrade to Office XP. The software was originally set to launch in June but was pushed back because of additional testing requirements."

WinBeta.Org - Final version of Office 2003 near

One Small Step For Microsoft ...

"Microsoft is taking another step towards its goal of simplifying software-patch management across its product line.
Next month, the company will begin beta testing its Microsoft Installer 3.0 technology, according to beta information cited by various Windows enthusiast sites, including Steven Bink's Bink.nu.

If Microsoft sticks to plans it articulated earlier this year, MSI 3.0 will become one of two software-installation programs backed by the Redmond software juggernaut. At present, Microsoft supports at least eight different installers across its various product lines."

Microsoft Watch - One Small Step For Microsoft ...

Longhorn desktop 2005, Longhorn Server 2006

"Longhorn Server Won't Ship Simultaneously with Longhorn Desktop. In the topsy-turvy world of the next Windows Server version ('Will it be Longhorn Server?' vs. 'Will it be Blackcomb Server?') comes news that the next version, which will indeed by Longhorn Server, will not ship alongside desktop versions of Longhorn.

This is similar to what happened with the Whistler project, which morphed into separate Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 development paths. Microsoft hopes with Longhorn, however, to get the desktop and server releases a bit closer to each other in order to make life easier on customers. According to current schedules, however, what I call Windows Longhorn (desktop) will ship in late 2005, while Longhorn Server won't hit until early 2006. Since Microsoft likes to keep its server releases about three years apart, that's good timing. But then Microsoft was never one to keep to a schedule."

Neowin.net - Longhorn desktop 2005, Longhorn Server 2006

Adobe adopts product activation

"Adobe Systems Inc. has completed tests on product activation, and plans to roll out the technology soon. Microsoft quietly introduced product activation - a method of registering software so that it cannot be installed on more than one machine - in 2001, with the second service pack for Microsoft Office 2000. It has since been included in Office XP as well as Windows XP. The technique is used to prevent revenue loss due to piracy. The Business Software Alliance, of which Adobe is a member, has estimated that annually, billions of dollars have been lost as a result of people passing copies of program disks around to friends.

Adobe's software has in the past been protected by a serial number, which the user had to type into the installation program. But licence keys have been posted in many Usenet news groups, and 'key generators' - software that can generate a working serial number for a given program - are also becoming popular. Embedded activation elements been recently been added to software that requires consumers to register their programs upon installation."

Neowin.net - Adobe adopts product activation

When Is 54 Not Equal to 54? A Look at 802.11a, b, and g Throughput

"Now that the 802.11g standard has been finalized, comparisons with the other standards in the 802.11 family are inevitable. One conclusion that is frequently drawn is that 802.11g offers similar speeds to 802.11a. After all, both products are advertised as having a data rate of 54 Mbps.

This article develops a simple model for the maximum TCP throughput of 802.11 networks so that a comparison can move beyond a simple comparison of nominal bit rates. According to the model, 802.11g is significantly faster than 802.11b. In a network consisting only of 802.11g clients, it is even slightly faster than 802.11a. However, 'protection' mechanisms added to 802.11g to ensure backwards compatibility with legacy 802.11b clients can cut the throughput by 50 percent or more."

O'Reilly Network: When Is 54 Not Equal to 54? A Look at 802.11a, b, and g Throughput [Aug. 08, 2003]

Αφιέρωμα: Για όσους ξεχνούν ή δεν γνωρίζουν

Είμαστε οι Έλληνες τελικά οι μόνοι που τράβηξαν και τραβάνε τόσα για λίγο ανθρώπινο Internet;

Πολλοί είναι αυτοί που αγανακτούν με την κατάσταση που επικρατεί σχετικά με την ακρίβεια της πρόσβασης του Internet στην Ελλάδα και με την δυσκολία επίτευξής της αλλά και τα βάζουν με τον ΟΤΕ που όλα από αυτόν αρχίζουν και όλα σε αυτόν τελειώνουν.

Είχαμε και έχουμε πολλά προβλήματα ακόμη άλυτα, όπως η μη-χρονοχρέωση (Flat-Rate) για πρόσβαση στο Internet που δεν υπάρχει ακόμη στην Ελλάδα όπως επίσης και φτηνή για τις «μάζες» ADSL πρόσβαση.

ADSLgr Independent Review Site For Broadband In Greece - Αφιέρωμα: Για όσους ξεχνούν ή δεν γνωρίζουν.

Intrusion detection grabs the attention

"Commitment to IT security in big business has never been stronger, with network and host intrusion detection systems (IDS) high on the shopping list, according to research.

A study of enterprise purchasing plans conducted by Meta Group indicated strong interest in such systems which, the analyst firm said, are becoming accepted as a necessary part of well-secured environments.

Other long-term plans were found to include centralised security information management consoles for many organisations"

WinBeta.Org - Intrusion detection grabs the attention

Apache group aims at J2EE applications

"The group behind the popular Apache open-source Web server software plans to develop a complementary application server, shaking up an already turbulent market.

Greg Stein, chairman of the Apache Software Foundation, announced in an open letter this week the formation of the Geronimo project, which will work to create Apache-compatible software for delivering Web applications based on Sun Microsystems' Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) technology. "

CNET News.com - Apache group aims at J2EE applications

Microsoft Web services plan targets Java

"Microsoft hopes to turn up the heat on its Java rivals with plans for new software that could simplify the creation of heavy-duty Web services applications.

The software, code-named Indigo, is the next generation of Microsoft's .Net Web services product. The company is expected to disclose more details at its Professional Developer's Conference in Los Angeles in October. While Microsoft executives have offered scant information on Indigo, people familiar with the company's plans said that the software takes direct aim at IBM, Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, Oracle and other rivals that sell products based on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard."

MSFN - Microsoft Web services plan targets Java

ePSXe 1.6.0 released

"ePSXe 1.6.0, the Playstation emulator, has been released. Many things have been fixed and some more features should be included in another fix version that will be released shortly."

Neowin.net - ePSXe 1.6.0 released

PHP 4.3.3RC3 released

"PHP 4.3.3RC3 has been released for testing. This is should be the last release candidate prior to the final 4.3.3 release. Please test this release as much as possible, so that any remaining issues can be uncovered and resolved."

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor - PHP 4.3.3RC3 released

IBM sues SCO for selling Linux

"IBM has thrown itself right into the middle of the legal trainwreck that is SCO with a countersuit seeking to protect its own IP.

In an almost comical turn of events, IBM is charging that SCO cannot claim bits of the Linux operating system are proprietary since SCO once sold a version of Linux under the GPL. IBM is also looking to secure its own IP by charging that SCO has infringed on four Big Blue patents. Last but not least, IBM claims that SCO disrupted IBM's server business by terminating its AIX license."

The Register - IBM sues SCO for selling Linux

Microsoft SQL Server Yukon Beta 1 Available

"After waiting for many days, finally all beta testers have got access to Microsoft SQL Server Yukon Beta 1. Earlier this beta was only available to a selective group of testers"

ieXbeta.com - Microsoft SQL Server Yukon Beta 1 Available

Memory sticks are the latest security risk

"Memory sticks have been branded as the latest security risk by security firm SecureWave, whose intrusion prevention technology can be used to control the use of the popular devices in corporate environments.

The alleged risk here is that 'many organisations run the risk of viruses and unauthorised software entering the network, as well as confidential data being removed through these small, yet powerful desktop devices.'

So flash memory sticks pose similar risks to those posed by floppy disks, and then some. SecureWave's concerns echo those of Websense which earlier this year warned that online storage sites provided a route to smuggle data out of organisations."

MSFN - Memory sticks are the latest security risk

VMware Workstation 4.0.1 Build 5289

"VMware Workstation is powerful virtual machine software for the desktop. Optimized for the power user, VMware Workstation runs multiple operating systems -- including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Novell NetWare -- simultaneously on a single PC in fully networked, portable virtual machines. VMware Workstation provides more choice, greater flexibility, and more powerful functionality than any other virtual machine software in the marketplace today."

MSFN - VMware Workstation 4.0.1 Build 5289

Google Toolbar 2.0.94 Beta

"Another beta of Google Toolbar 2.0 has been released, no word on what's changed yet.

The Google Toolbar increases your ability to find information from anywhere on the web and takes only seconds to install. When the Google Toolbar is installed, it automatically appears along with the Internet Explorer toolbar. This means you can quickly and easily use Google to search from any website location, without returning to the Google home page to begin another search."

MSFN - Google Toolbar 2.0.94 Beta

Lexar Readies 4GB Compact Flash Card

"Lexar Media has begun shipping a 4GB capacity Compact Flash card, the largest-capacity flash memory card of any format currently available, but consumers should be aware that with the arrival of higher-capacity cards come some potential compatibility problems."

PCWorld.com - Lexar Readies 4GB Compact Flash Card

Wi-Fi to be embedded in 95% of notebooks by 2005

"Market watcher In-Stat/MDR has added to the growing weight of research reports that claim there are going to be lots of notebook PCs with built-in WLAN adaptors over the coming years.

According to In-Stat/MDR's latest report, The Wi-Fi Field of Dreams: If You Embed Wi-Fi, Infrastructure will Come, the company reckons that some 16 million Wi-Fi-enabled notebooks will be sold to businesses this year. By 2005, it says, 95 per cent of notebooks will feature WLAN support as standard. "

The Register - Wi-Fi to be embedded in 95% of notebooks by 2005

SCO ready to clean out Linux users for $1399 per CPU

"Linux users face a serious question. Is $699 too much to pay for a good bath?

The $699 scrubbing fee is exactly how much SCO wants for one CPU's worth of a Linux license, and that's just for the time being. Come October 15, the single CPU fee jumps to a whopping $1,399."

The Register - SCO ready to clean out Linux users for $1399 per CPU

Open up servers, unbundle WMP, Europe tells MS

"Microsoft must open up on its server interfaces and either unbundle Media Player from Windows or ship competing players with the product, the European Commission said today in a 'last warning' to the company. According to the Commission, 'Microsoft's [antitrust] abuses are still ongoing,' and the company is being given one final chance to answer the objections before Europe pushes the button. "

The Register - Open up servers, unbundle WMP, Europe tells MS

Windows Memory Diagnostic

"The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard. Windows Memory Diagnostic is designed to be easy and fast. On most configurations, you can download the diagnostic, read the documentation, run the test and complete the first test pass in less than 30 minutes."

WinBeta.Org - Windows Memory Diagnostic

Ο ΟΤΕ κινδυνεύει να μείνει εκτός «Σύζευξις»

"Το γεγονός ότι βάσει της τεχνικής αξιολόγησης ο ΟΤΕ φαίνεται να μένει εκτός των βασικών τμημάτων του έργου «Σύζευξις» ύψους 75 εκατ. ευρώ («Κοινωνία της Πληροφορίας» Γ' ΚΠΣ) προβληματίζει την ηγεσία του, με αποτέλεσμα να επανεξετάζεται η συμμετοχή του στο διαγωνισμό. Οι τελικές αποφάσεις θα ληφθούν από το διοικητικό συμβούλιο του Οργανισμού στα τέλη του Αυγούστου.

Το «Σύζευξις» είναι ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα τηλεπικοινωνιακά έργα που σχεδιάζονται στη χώρα και έχει στόχο να συνδέσει 1.800 φορείς-υπηρεσίες του Δημοσίου. Μέχρι στιγμής και χωρίς τις οικονομικές προσφορές στο τμήμα του (υποέργο 1), που αφορά στο κέντρο της Αττικής, καλύτερη βαθμολογία συγκεντρώνει η ACN (συνεργάζεται με τις Αττικές Επικοινωνίες), ενώ για τα τμήματα που αφορούν στο υπόλοιπο της Αττικής και στη Θεσσαλονίκη προβάδισμα φαίνεται να έχει η Forthnet."

ADSLgr Independent Review Site For Broadband In Greece - Ο ΟΤΕ κινδυνεύει να μείνει εκτός «Σύζευξις»

Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8

"Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 contains core Data Access components such as the Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB provider and ODBC driver. This redistributable installer for the MDAC 2.8 release installs the same Data Access components as Microsoft Windows Server 2003."

MSFN - Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8

NewsGator 1.3 Released

We are very pleased to announce the release of NewsGator 1.3! This is a major update; Outlook folder integration is tighter than ever, NNTP newsgroups are now supported, offline posting support is available, and numerous other features and fixes are included in this release. We strongly recommend that all NewsGator users update to this release.

This is a free upgrade for licensed users of 1.x versions.

NewsGator - NewsGator 1.3 Released

File swappers ignore RIAA threats

"Internet users appear to be snubbing the RIAA as they continue to download music files with no regard for copyright, according to a US-based study by Pew.

Despite aggressive challenges by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to on-line music suppliers like the defunct Napster, two-thirds of Internet users in the US who copy digital music on-line say they don't care if the music is copyrighted, according to the report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project."

The Register - File swappers ignore RIAA threats

Red Hat takes the fight to SCO

"Red Hat has filed a complaint against SCO, hoping to protect Linux's good name.

Red Hat is asking for a judge to confirm that the company has not violated SCO's IP. In addition, Red Hat wants to hold SCO accountable for using 'unfair and deceptive actions' in its crusade against the Linux community."

The Register - Red Hat takes the fight to SCO

Linux developers ignoring SCO

"New research indicates that SCO's legal threat against Linux may go down as the 'shot ignored around the world.'

Evans Data polled more than 400 software developers and found that 70 percent of them are not too concerned about SCO's IP assault. The developers largely agreed that SCO's actions will have little bearing on whether or not they deploy Linux in their enterprise. A paltry 12 percent of the respondents said that SCO has scared them enough to kick their Linux habit."

The Register - Linux developers ignoring SCO

Microsoft to let Office users jump to Professional

"Move aims to placate customers surprised by product differentiation.

Microsoft Corp. when it releases Office 2003 will give certain Office Standard Edition users the right to order Office Professional Edition applications at no extra cost and offer a 'Step-up License' to upgrade to the full Office Professional suite, the company said."

WinBeta.Org - Microsoft to let Office users jump to Professional

Nvidia buys mobile MediaQ

"Computer graphics chipmaker Nvidia said Monday it is entering the wireless device market by buying mobile specialist MediaQ."

CNET News.com - Nvidia buys mobile MediaQ

Battle of the blog

"As commercial interests have increasingly dominated the Internet, Web logs have come to represent a bastion of individual expression and pure democracy for millions of bloggers.
So it should come as little surprise that a technology behind blogs--online chronicles of personal, creative and organizational life--has manifested the kind of bitter fight for control that is inevitable in any truly democratic institution."

CNET News.com - Battle of the blog

Intel to secure hard drives at chip level

"Intel has signed an agreement with Wave Systems to use the company’s Embassy Trust Suite security software with a future Intel desktop motherboard. The chip vendor said the agreement would accelerate efforts to develop ‘trusted computing’ technology, which promises to increase the security of data stored on computer hard drives using a combination of hardware-and software-based security."

MSFN - Intel to secure hard drives at chip level

Linux Earns User-Friendly Rating

"Linux, once viewed as an operating system only computer geeks could appreciate, is today a much more user-friendly software that companies, public administrations, and consumers can master almost as easily as Microsoft's Windows XP. That's the core finding of a study published on Friday by Relevantive, a Berlin-based company specializing in consulting companies on the usability of software and Web services."

PCWorld.com - Linux Earns User-Friendly Rating

Novell buys Ximian

"Novell is beefing up its Linux play with the cash acquisition of Ximian. The company has confirmed that it will continue to support Ximian-sponsored Mono and GNOME open source projects."

The Register - Novell buys Ximian

Guess what? Microsoft won

"Squabbles and airy disputations about the exact import of the ballyhooed antitrust case--the so-called trial of the century--will doubtless continue for years. When U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the breakup of Microsoft, the digi-punditry predicted a dire future for a soon-to-be corporate cripple. I generously scored it a draw, since the Redmondians finally agreed to cut out their goon tactics in return for the government ending its jihad."

CNET News.com - Guess what? Microsoft won

Creating an Online RSS News Aggregator with ASP.NET

"Learn about displaying XML data in an ASP.NET Web page using the XML Web control to retrieve remote XML data, and about using the Repeater control to emit XML data from a database. With the ever-increasing demands of data sharing among disparate platforms, the use of XML has exploded over the past few years. Realizing this trend, Microsoft made sure to include robust XML support throughout the .NET Framework. For ASP.NET developers, this means that displaying and working with XML data in a Web page has never been simpler. Throughout this article we'll learn about XML and ASP.NET by building an RSS 2.0 syndication engine and an online news aggregator."

MSDN - Creating an Online RSS News Aggregator with ASP.NET

Nvidia Detonator 44.71 - Windows 2000/XP

"Two/three weeks ago Detonator drivers 44.71 leaked onto the web. The big downside from that release was that it only supported certain models GeForce FX cards. Through an official source we now have Detonator 44.71 for all graphics cards avalable. So this is not a hack, it's the real thing."

MSFN - Nvidia Detonator 44.71 - Windows 2000/XP

Microsoft Demonstrates 64-bit .NET Framework CLR

"Microsoft says the next release of its .net framework will have both 32-bit and 64-bit native. The firm claims that writing managed code now will be easy to port and in 'many cases', will just require copying existing apps to the new environment. There's an MSDN TV vid on the Microsoft site with Christopher Brown explaining how this is going to happen."

MSFN - Microsoft Demonstrates 64-bit .NET Framework CLR

Macromedia Flash Player 7 Public Beta Released

"Macromedia Flash Player is the standard for delivering high-impact, rich Web content. Designs, animations, and application user interfaces are deployed immediately across all browsers and platforms, attracting and engaging users with a rich Web experience"

MSFN - Macromedia Flash Player 7 Public Beta Released

Nero 6.0.0.11

"An yet another build of the fine burning program called Nero is released. You can burn cd's dvd's and erase your cd's and dvd's with this excellent program. You can also copy your cd's and dvd's with it."

WinBeta.Org - Nero 6.0.0.11

Nvidia DirectX 9 market lead chipped away by ATI

"Nvidia commands a 64 per cent share of the desktop graphics chip market, but only 60 per cent of the DirectX 9-compatible chip business.

Nvidia's leadership in the desktop space is now well established, but it's interesting that the company's share of the high-end of the market isn't as high. The implication is clear: its arch-rival, ATI, has begun to chip away at its lead, thanks to products like the Radeon 9800, 9700 and 9600."

The Register - Nvidia DirectX 9 market lead chipped away by ATI