Microsoft Working on Spyware Solution

" During a weekend trip to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates revealed that his company is working on an antispyware software solution. Gates didn't say when the company would ship the technology or whether it would be bundled with Windows or shipped as a standalone product.

Gates did say, however, that Microsoft is dedicating 'hundreds of millions of dollars' of its $5 billion annual R&D budget toward solving the problems of 'malware and adware.' Although Gates says that he's never been victimized by a virus, his PCs have been riddled with spyware, forcing him to run third-party spyware scanners. 'I haven't had a virus on my machine basically ever,' he said."

WindowsITPro - Microsoft Working on Spyware Solution

XP Reloaded, Phase 2: XP MCE 2005, Media Center Extenders, and More

"Microsoft will unleash the second wave of its XP Reloaded campaign tomorrow with the launch of new multimedia products such as Media Center PCs based on Windows XP Media Center Edition (XP MCE) 2005 and Media Center Extender devices from a variety of hardware partners. The company will kick off the second phase of XP Reloaded with a gala event, the Digital Entertainment Anywhere Launch Event, which will be held tomorrow in Hollywood, California."

WindowsITPro - XP Reloaded, Phase 2: XP MCE 2005, Media Center Extenders, and More

VistaDB 2.0 released

"VistaDB 2.0 data engine for .NET has been released. VistaDB is the #1 alternative to Jet/Access, MSDE and Xbase for building small to midsize WinForms and ASP.NET database applications. Robust data engine with SQL-92 support features a small 1MB footprint, single-file data store, rich data types, billions of rows per table, transaction processing, managed ADO.NET Provider, VCL components, visual utilities, XCOPY deployment, zero configuration with free unlimited distribution, and much more."

DotNetJunkies - VistaDB 2.0 released

Dell, Intel, Microsoft launch web services standard

Industry giants AMD, Intel, Dell, Microsoft and Sun have thrown their weight behind a web services specification that could provide a common way for systems to access and exchange management information.

The publication of the Web Services Management (WS-Management) specification is designed to address the cost and complexity of IT management.

By using web services to manage IT systems, deployments that support WS-Management will enable IT managers to remotely access devices on their networks, regardless of whether the systems are just out of the box, powered down or otherwise unavailable, the companies claimed.

Bink.nu - Dell, Intel, Microsoft launch web services standard

Ξεχάστε τη σιλικόνη: Μελωδίες μεγέθυνσης στήθους!

Πριν από μια δεκαετία ο Hideto Tomabechi έγινε γνωστός στην Ιαπωνία, γιατρεύοντας τα μέλη της οργάνωσης AUM Shinrikyo, τα οποία είχαν υποστεί πλύση εγκεφάλου και είχαν αναλάβει την ευθύνη για τη διαρροή θανατηφόρου αερίου στο μετρό του Τόκιο. Οι Ιάπωνες θα τον είχαν ξεχάσει, αν δεν παρουσίαζε πριν από μερικές ημέρες μια μελωδία, η οποία έχει την ικανότητα να μεγεθύνει τα στήθη, όσων την ακούνε! Φυσικά, το συγκεκριμένο ringtone αναμένεται να κάνει θραύση στις νεαρές γυναίκες, παρά το υψηλό της κόστος, ενώ αντίθετα οι άνδρες, μάλλον θα πρέπει να κλείνουν τα αυτιά τους κάθε φορά που ακούνε τις πρώτες νότες της.

myPhone - Ξεχάστε τη σιλικόνη: Μελωδίες μεγέθυνσης στήθους!

Compact Flash 3.0 στα 66 Mbps

Τεχνολογίες δανεισμένες από τους ηλεκτρονικούς υπολογιστές πρόκειται να χρησιμοποιεί η επερχόμενη γενιά των καρτών μνήμης Compact Flash, καθώς η έκδοση 3.0 εγκρίθηκε πριν λίγες μέρες και σύντομα αναμένεται να πάρει το δρόμο για τη γραμμή παραγωγής.

Οι υπεύθυνοι για την ανάπτυξη της νέας έκδοσης έδωσαν έμφαση στον τομέα της ταχύτητας, αντιμετωπίζοντας ουσιαστικά τις κάρτες Compact Flash σαν σκληρούς δίσκους IDE. Έτσι χρησιμοποίησαν γνωστές τεχνολογίες - όπως οι UltraDMA 33 και 66 - με αποτέλεσμα τόσο την εκτίναξη του ρυθμού διαμεταγωγής δεδομένων από τα 12 στα 66 Mbps, όσο και την αυξημένη απόδοση, χάρη στην ενσωμάτωση τoυ DMA (Direct Memory Access). To DMA - εκτός από την αυξημένη απόδοση όπως προείπαμε - επιτρέπει στην Compact Flash να επικοινωνεί απευθείας με τη μνήμη RAM της συσκευής, παρακάμπτοντας τον επεξεργαστή και μειώνοντας έτσι το φόρτο του, με αποτέλεσμα φυσικά την μειωμένη κατανάλωση ενέργειας.

Η έκδοση 3.0 των προδιαγραφών θα οδηγήσει επίσης στην άρση του περιορισμού της χωρητικότητας στα 2.2 GB, καθώς το σύστημα αρχείων πλέον θα είναι το FAT32 - σε αντίθεση με το FAT16 που χρησιμοποιείται σήμερα - ανεβάζοντας το όριο στα 6 GB.

myPhone - Compact Flash 3.0 στα 66 Mbps

Important Security Update for Firefox Available

"October 1, 2004. The Mozilla Foundation releases an important security update for Firefox. All users should upgrade to the latest version of the Firefox Preview Release. A patch is available for current Preview Release users."

mozilla.org - Important Security Update for Firefox Available

H VIVODI TELECOM μειώνει τις τιμές ADSL πρόσβασης για ακόμη πιο υψηλές ταχύτητες

"H Vivodi Telecom φέρνει πιο κοντά τις Broadband υπηρεσίες στην Ελλάδα, δίνοντας τη δυνατότητα υψηλών ταχυτήτων, μειώνοντας τις τιμές πρόσβασης (ADSL Access).

Με σκοπό την εξάπλωση της ευρυζωνικότητας, η Vivodi προσφέρει για πρώτη φορά στην Ελλάδα τιμές πρόσβασης που ξεκινούν από €14.9 για ταχύτητα 256 Kbps ενώ η ταχύτητα των 2 Μbit έχει διαμορφωθεί στα €89.9."

Insomnia - H VIVODI TELECOM μειώνει τις τιμές ADSL πρόσβασης για ακόμη πιο υψηλές ταχύτητες

Tellas: Ασφαλιστικά μέτρα κατά ΟΤΕ

"Αίτηση ασφαλιστικών μέτρων κατά του OTE για το θέμα της σύνθετης προσφοράς υπηρεσίας πρόσβασης ΑDSL, αλλά και συνδρομής μέσω του πακέτου Conn-X, κατέθεσε πριν από λίγη ώρα και η Tellas.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι τις προηγούμενες ημέρες τόσο η FΟRTHnet όσο και η Hellas on Line είχαν καταθέσει ανάλογες αιτήσεις ασφαλιστικών μέτρων."

Insomnia - Tellas: Ασφαλιστικά μέτρα κατά ΟΤΕ

Insomnia - Παραγγελία CD Windows XP SP2 Ελληνικό ΔΩΡΕΑΝ

Η Microsoft φέτος δίνει τη δυνατότητα στους χρήστες που δεν έχουν γρήγορη σύνδεση στο internet να παραγγείλουν δωρεάν σε cd το SP2 για την έκδοση των Windows XP που διαθέτουν. Από τις 28 Σεπτεμβρίου 2004 μπορείτε να παραγγείλετε το δικό σας cd στο ακόλουθο link.

Παραγγελία SP2

Insomnia - Παραγγελία CD Windows XP SP2 Ελληνικό ΔΩΡΕΑΝ

Ηοtmail Τέλος (δωρεάν) εποχής

Από τούδε και στο εξής, οι χρήστες του Hotmail θα πρέπει να πληρώνουν για να έχουν πρόσβαση στα μηνύματά τους μέσω του Outlook. Η Microsoft ανακοίνωσε ότι θα αρχίσει να χρεώνει για την υπηρεσία, προκειμένου να περιορίσει τη δραστηριότητα των spammers.

Στο παρελθόν, οι χρήστες μπορούσαν να κατεβάσουν e-mails από το Hotmail στο Microsoft Outlook και στο Outlook Express δωρεάν. Τώρα μόνο αυτοί που πληρώνουν ετήσια συνδρομή θα μπορούν να διαβάζουν τα μηνύματά τους χωρίς να ανοίξουν browser window.

Insomnia - Ηοtmail Τέλος (δωρεάν) εποχής

Η HELLAS ON LINE δίνει 1 GB χώρο στο e-mail όλων των συνδρομητών της!

H Hellas On Line, αλλάζει τα δεδομένα και στην ηλεκτρονική αλληλογραφία, καθώς γίνεται ο πρώτος ελληνικός ISP που αυξάνει τη χωρητικότητα του mailbox των συνδρομητών της, δίνοντας του 1 GB ενώ παρουσιάζει το πρώτο πραγματικό anti-spamming και νέο, ενισχυμένο anti-virus.

Πλέον ο χρήστης της HOL έχει χωρητικότητα 1GB στην ηλεκτρονική του θυρίδα αλληλογραφίας ενώ ο μέγιστος αριθμός μηνυμάτων που μπορεί να βρίσκεται κάθε στιγμή σε κάθε mailbox γίνεται 10.000 e-mails.

Insomnia - Η HELLAS ON LINE δίνει 1 GB χώρο στο e-mail όλων των συνδρομητών της!:

Nokia announce the 6670 Series 60 smartphone

Nokia 6670 imaging smartphone boasts a megapixel (1152x864 pixels) camera and a host of business applications. The 6670 is a tri-band GSM, GPRS class 6 phone weighing 118 g (108.6 x 53 x 20.9 mm). The phone is the first Series 60 product to support mobile antivirus software by F-Secure. Security can be further reinforced with the Nokia Mobile VPN client and other security features such as SSL encryption. The new photo editor application enables enhancing the images directly on the phone with crop, frame, autofix and text-adding functionalities. The 6670 offers document viewers for reading email attachments, powerful PIM features, web browser with support for PDF files and compatibility with Nokia Wireless Keyboard and the new Nokia Wireless GPS Module. The phone is expected in October @ approximately 500 Euros. For more information please check Nokia Announcement, Product photos and Nokia 6670 home page.

My-Symbian.com - Nokia announce the 6670 Series 60 smartphone

New Mono Releases: Stable and Unstable

• Stable: Mono 1.0.2 is a service update to the Mono 1.0.xx series and only contains bug fixes over the last Mono 1.0.1 release. You can read the release notes or go directly to the downloads page.
  This release is inteded for folks using Mono for production systems.
  The 1.0.2 release also includes new versions of Gtk#, the Mono Documentation and improved versions of XSP and mod_mono for those using ASP.NET.
• Development: Mono 1.1.1. This is the first release of the development branch of Mono and includes many new features, ports to new platforms, a 64-bit VM for 64-bit systems and performance has increased dramatically. For the details on all the new features, see the release notes
  Only the Runtime, class libraries and the supporting libgdiplus are new. Every other package can be used from the 1.0.2 branch (Gtk#, monodoc, xsp, mod_mono).

Mono Project News - New Mono Releases: Stable and Unstable

Opera Mobile reaches 1 million direct downloads

"Opera Software has announced that over 1 million copies of its Opera Mobile web browser for Symbian OS have been downloaded from the company's direct download site to date, making it far and away the most popular 3rd party application for Symbian OS devices. That is in addition to pre-installed copies of Opera on the smartphone platform and downloads through other archives and partner sites."

infoSync World - Opera Mobile reaches 1 million direct downloads

Multiple Vulnerabilities in Mozilla based Web Browsers

Reported September 14, 2004, by Mozilla Security Group
VERSIONS AFFECTED:
Mozilla 0.x through Mozilla 1.7.x
Mozilla Firefox 0.x
Mozilla Thunderbird 0.x

DESCRIPTION
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, and Mozilla Thunderbird, the most severe of which could compromise a system.

Multiple Vulnerabilities in Mozilla based Web Browsers - Windows IT Pro Magazine

Longhorn Changes May Affect Microsoft's Tools Strategy

"The effects of Microsoft Corp.'s recent 'Longhorn' changes are trickling down to the developer division and could ultimately impact the company's tool strategy.

Microsoft officials earlier this month announced the company is cutting some key features, such as the WinFS file system, from Longhorn, the next major version of Windows, to meet its late-2006 deadline. That time frame, however, is also putting in question two significant development efforts: 'Orcas,' a future version of the Visual Studio tool set, and 'Avalon,' Longhorn's presentation-layer subsystem."

WinBeta.org - Longhorn Changes May Affect Microsoft's Tools Strategy

OpenOffice.org 1.1.3 RC

"OpenOffice.org is the open source project through which Sun Microsystems is releasing the technology for the popular StarOffice productivity suite. It is an international office suite that will run on all major platforms and provide access to all functionality and data through open-component based APIs and an XML-based file format. It establishes the necessary facilities to make this open source technology available to the developer community."

Neowin.net - OpenOffice.org 1.1.3 RC:

VMWare reveals Ace in the hole

"Using its strengths in virtual machine technology, VMWare Inc. on Monday unwrapped new beta software for the desktop that allows administrators to more securely deploy and mange work environments outside the corporate network.

Described by company officials as an 'assured computing environment,' VMware Ace is designed to let managers provision and secure Intel-based PC environments to the extended enterprise. It also allows managers to implement enterprise-level IT policies on a virtual machine that contains an operating system, applications, and data to create a specific and isolated environment. "

MSFN - VMWare reveals Ace in the hole

JBoss Releases Application Server 4.0

"JBoss Inc. Monday announced that its new JBoss Application Server 4.0 is available.

The Atlanta company, which calls itself a 'professional open source' company, said JBoss AS 4.0 has achieved certification for J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) version 1.4 for which it had to pass more than 23,000 tests of the Test Compatibility Kit. "

eWeek - JBoss Releases Application Server 4.0

Worms on rise against Microsoft

"The number of new viruses and worms aimed at Microsoft Corp's ubiquitous Windows operating system rose 400 per cent between January and June from the same period a year earlier, says leading computer security company Symantec.

Nearly 5000 new Windows viruses and worms were documented in the first half of the year, up from about 1000 in the period a year earlier, said Symantec, the world's largest computer security company by revenue.

The problem of computer viruses can be huge, overloading computers with messages, automatically rebooting systems and sometimes disabling them. "

Bink.nu - Worms on rise against Microsoft

WinXP Service Pack 2 available in even more languages!

Just released:
"Greek"
Hebrew
Arabic


Download it here and choose your language

Bink.nu - WinXP Service Pack 2 available in even more languages!

Microsoft JPEG Flaw Exploited

"According to a report published Friday by Internet research firm Netcraft (netcraft.com), code has been published on the Internet that claims to partially exploit a weakness in the way Microsoft's software handles image files.

The vulnerability would reportedly enable a hacker to gain control of a computer by creating a JPEG image that would compromise a range of Microsoft software, including the Office suite and most versions of Internet Explorer, which is regularly exposed to JPEG images on Web pages. "

Bink.nu - Microsoft JPEG Flaw Exploited

Code Flaws Open Linux Apps to Attack

"Vulnerabilities in code libraries that could potentially affect open-source programs using the GUI toolkit GTK+ were reported on the security Web site Secunia on Thursday. As initially discovered by Chris Evans, these problems could theoretically be exploited to spark a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack and otherwise compromise a computer system.

One vulnerability, which affects BMP image processing in applications, could be taken advantage of to create an infinite loop in the application. This could affect open-source image editors, for example.

Two others rely on handling errors while decoding images in the XPixMap (XPM) format developed in 1989. These vulnerabilities could be exploited by the use of an XPM image to create either an integer or buffer overflow, either of which could allow the execution of malicious code."

WinBeta.org - Code Flaws Open Linux Apps to Attack

MozillaZine Talkback

mozilla.org today released Mozilla 1.7.3, which patches some minor security holes (known vulnerabilities page not yet updated). Release Notes for Mozilla 1.7 are available, and builds can be found in the mozilla1.7.3 direcory on mozilla.org's FTP site.

MozillaZine Talkback - Mozilla 1.7.3 Released

Wireless Firewire specification approved

"The 1394 Trade Association, responsible for managing the IEEE 1394 specification more commonly known as 'Firewire', has approved a new MAC Convergence Architecture for a Protocol Adaption Layer (PAL). That allows IEEE 1394 devices, which is a wired data bus, to tunnel through a wireless connection at speeds up to 480 Mbps. The Association will also work with the PAL's developers, the WiMedia Alliance, to develop interoperability tests and certifications to allow wireless Firewire devices to talk to each other. The Association will also be working with the MultiBand OFDM Alliance Special Interest Group, another industry trade group, to coordinate the development of both the wireless Firewire and UltraWide Band (UWB) specifications.

When the dust settles, the intent is to have a common, very-fast standard for wireless peer-to-peer data transmission between two devices. However, such a system will still face stiff competition from other high-speed wireless systems, such as next generation Bluetooth, WiMax, and even 3G networks, depending on where the involved parties try to position it in the market."

infoSync World - Wireless Firewire specification approved

Microsoft Download Centre Demanding OS Validation

"The Microsoft Download Centre has been updated with some graphical improvements on both the search, listings and item pages. Crucially in the new look download centre many application downloads are now being flagged with a 'Genuine Users Symbol' Clicking the link takes you off to read about the new validation system:

'The validation process also determines if you have activated your copy of Windows. If you have not activated Windows, you will be asked to enter the 25-character product key printed on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) you received with your PC or software purchase.

Windows Activation is not required. You may access genuine Windows downloads with either an activated Windows client, or by using a Windows services activation key. Activation is, however, the quickest and easiest way to receive genuine Windows downloads from the Download Centre. Activation is also the best way to let Microsoft know that you are a Windows Genuine Advantage customer, and that you are ready to receive the service and support you that expect and deserve from Microsoft. Read more about the Windows activation process.'"

Bink.nu - Microsoft Download Centre Demanding OS Validation

Cisco, Microsoft in security showdown

"Cisco Systems and Microsoft are headed for a collision over network security, with customers caught in the middle.

The two companies have each proposed competing 'end to end' security architectures, marking the latest evolution in network defense--an approach concerned not only with scanning for viruses but also with policing networks to deny connections to machines that don't conform with security policies. But for now at least the twin offerings are not interoperable. That means customers might be forced to choose between using technology from one company or the other, unless the two tech giants can strike a deal to guarantee compatibility."

Bink.nu - Cisco, Microsoft in security showdown:

Για αθέμιτο ανταγωνισμό κατηγορεί τον ΟΤΕ η Tellas

Δριμύτατη κριτική για αυτοκαταστροφική πορεία και αθέμιτο ανταγωνισμό, ασκεί κατά του ΟΤΕ η Tellas, με επιστολή της προς τον υπουργό Μεταφορών κ. Μιχάλη Λιάπη, την οποία υπογράφει ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος της εταιρείας κ. Andrea Costa.

Η κριτική της Tellas εστιάζεται στην πολιτική επανάκτησης από τον ΟΤΕ πελατών της Tellas (win-back campaign), πολιτική που έχει ήδη προκαλέσει στην Tellas ζημιά ύψους 27,2 εκατ. ευρώ. ¨Όπως αναφέρει στην επιστολή της η εταιρεία, παρά το γεγονός ότι, μετά από σχετική προσφυγή της, η Εθνική Επιτροπή Τηλεπικοινωνιών & Ταχυδρομείων (ΕΕΤΤ) αποφάσισε τη λήψη ασφαλιστικών μέτρων κατά του ΟΤΕ, η εν λόγω πολιτική του Οργανισμού όχι μόνο δεν έχει σταματήσει, αλλά έχει ενταθεί τους τελευταίους μήνες, με περισσότερες από 10.000 καταργήσεις προεπιλογής φορέα ανά μήνα.

myPhone - Για αθέμιτο ανταγωνισμό κατηγορεί τον ΟΤΕ η Tellas

Nokia: Κλείνοντας τις "τρύπες του Bluetooth"

"Η Nokia αντιμετωπίζει με σοβαρότητα όλα τα θέματα ασφαλείας που αφορούν τις συσκευές και αναπτύσσει συνεχώς προηγμένα λειτουργίας αντιμετώπισης αυτών των προβλημάτων σε όλα της τα κινητά". Αυτά αναφέρονται μεταξύ άλλων στην ιστοσελίδα της φινλανδικής εταιρίας και σίγουρα προκαλούν την έκπληξη των χρηστών της. Μήπως επιτέλους έλυσε όλα τα προβλήματα που σχετίζονται με ανεπιθύμητες εκρήξεις στις τσέπες ανυποψίαστων χρηστών; Μάλλον όχι. Η ανακοίνωση αναφέρεται στα "κενά ασφαλείας" που ανακαλύφθηκαν σε κάποια από τα κινητά της και σχετίζονται με το Bluetooth. Υπενθυμίζουμε ότι τα συγκεκριμένα κενά ασφαλείας είχαν ανακαλυφθεί και δημοσιευθεί από τη βρετανική A.L. Digital τον περασμένο Ιανουάριο, ενώ αρχικά η Nokia είχε επιβεβαιώσει την ύπαρξή τους, τονίζοντας ωστόσο ότι δεν πρόκειται να τα λύσει με την αναβάθμιση του λογισμικού της. Χρειάστηκε να περάσουν αρκετοί μήνες και το θέμα ήρθε και πάλι στην επικαιρότητα, όταν η Nokia ανακοίνωσε ότι τελικά... θα προχωρήσει στην κυκλοφορία νέου firmware, ώστε να "κλείσει" τις τρύπες του μπλε δοντιού.

myPhone :: Nokia: Κλείνοντας τις "τρύπες του Bluetooth"

KDE Project Ports Mozilla, Adds Support in Applications

Ars Technica, along with dot.kde, is reporting that a number of KDE hackers have ported Mozilla for use in KDE applications. The Gecko engine is currently being brought into KDE as a 'KPart,' which will enable Gecko to be embedded in KDE applications. The port came about at a week-long KDE conference called 'aKademy,' and was done by a number of core KDE maintainers, including some of KDE's current HTML engine (KHTML) hackers. The team is currently working on integrating support for Gecko into the KDE Desktop's default browser, Konqueror. They currently plan to check this support into Mozilla CVS, and be a fully supported port of Mozilla.

MozillaZine Talkback - KDE Project Ports Mozilla, Adds Support in Applications

Windows XP SP2 and USB 2.0 Driver Gets Confused

"After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP, the universal serial bus (USB) drivers do not appear to update.

After you upgrade from Windows XP to Windows XP Service Pack 2, the USB drivers appear with the earlier version numbers, even though the files have been updated. "

MSFN - Windows XP SP2 and USB 2.0 Driver Gets Confused

Microsoft's New Mice Get Touchy

"Microsoft is introducing a new line of keyboards and mice this week, including some with fingerprint readers that lets users scan a finger instead of having to enter a log-in name and password when accessing online services or logging on to the PC.

A keyboard, mouse, and a stand-alone fingerprint reader were added to Microsoft's hardware lineup. The products are aimed at consumers and are meant for convenience use only. Strong, or hard-to-guess passwords are still recommended for sensitive data such as financial information or for access to corporate networks, Microsoft says."

ieXbeta Board - Microsoft's New Mice Get Touchy

Η FORTHnet στα 620 Mbps

"H FORTHnet προχώρησε στην αναβάθμιση της συνολικής ταχύτητας διασύνδεσής της με το εξωτερικό, αγγίζοντας πλέον τα 620 Mbps.

Πιο συγκεκριμένα, η εταιρία έθεσε πρόσφατα σε λειτουργία και τέταρτο ιδιόκτητο ενσύρματο κύκλωμα χωρητικότητας 155 Mbps μέσω υποθαλάσσιας οπτικής, για τη διασύνδεσή της με το διεθνές Internet.

Οι αλλεπάλληλες αναβαθμίσεις του δικτύου της FORTHnet, αποδεικνύουν έμπρακτα ότι η εταιρία επενδύει συνεχώς στην ενίσχυση των υποδομών της στοχεύοντας στη διατήρηση του υψηλού επιπέδου των υπηρεσιών της και στην καλύτερη εξυπηρέτηση των πελατών της."

ADSLgr - Η FORTHnet στα 620 Mbps

Nokia 9300: The Brick Goes Pocket Sized

For years the Nokia 9x00 series has been the butt of many a building related joke, a hugely capable device sure, but at a significant cost in dimensions.

Well, that's changed. With today's announcement of the 9300, Nokia have moved the goalposts back that extra bit further, even if the Treo team added Johnny Wilkinson and Dan Marino to their line up they'd still not get the ball close enough.

Mobitopia - Nokia 9300: The Brick Goes Pocket Sized

Μείωση τιμών Adsl από τον Οτέ +Νέα πρόσβαση Conn-X

"Τη διάθεση του Conn-X και νέες χαμηλότερες τιμές για το ADSL, ανακοίνωσε σε συνέντευξη Τύπου που πραγματοποιήθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη ο ΟΤΕ. Πρόκειται για την πρώτη ADSL σύνδεση του ΟΤΕ που εγκαθιστά ο πελάτης μόνος του (self installed), η διάθεση του οποίου αρχίζει από 1η Οκτωβρίου 2004.

Το Conn-X χρησιμοποιεί την τεχνολογία ADSL και περιλαμβάνει όλα όσα χρειάζονται για να κάνει ο πελάτης την εγκατάσταση πρόσβασης μόνος του και να συνδεθεί με το διαδίκτυο.

Το πακέτο Conn-X περιλαμβάνει το modem, το CD με τους drivers και τα καλώδια που απαιτούνται για τη σύνδεση καθώς και το CD της πρόσβασης στο internet. Στη συσκευασία περιλαμβάνεται ειδικό έντυπο με σαφείς οδηγίες για εύκολη εγκατάσταση και σύνδεση από τον πελάτη."

Insomnia - Μείωση τιμών Adsl από τον Οτέ +Νέα πρόσβαση Conn-X

Longhorn Transformation Pack 7

"'This small piece of software will transform your Windows XP (and SP2) or Windows Server 2003 into the best looking Longhorn port that is available right now, without any extra software!

WindowsX: If I may say so, I guess this is the second revolution. An almost brand new transforming system that never existed before, this version supports all XP and 2003 clients. This means you can use this software perfectly on every Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 client, doesnt matter if its beta or alpha build. Furthermore, you can rollback your system files to obtain new updates from Windows Update and reinstall it so you don't need to use Batchmod or wait for the author to make new updates. Yet another great update is visual style. I added lots of awesome visual styles for brand new concepts and also make existing ones more perfect (Especially Longhorn Aero and Slate).'"

Bink.nu - Longhorn Transformation Pack 7

Microsoft expects PC sales to slow and acknowledges Linux threat

"Microsoft foresees a slowdown in PC sales in 2005 which, it says will affect its own growth. It has also warned that sales of Linux may affect Microsoft's revenues in the coming year.

The warnings have been given in the company's annual submission to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Whilst the warnings contain a certain amount of back-covering to protect it from irate shareholders should something go wrong, Microsoft is clearly of the opinion that the 2003 surge in PC sales may be over."

Bink.nu - Microsoft expects PC sales to slow and acknowledges Linux threat

AMD Demonstrates The First X86 Dual-core Processor

"Today, AMD announced it has demonstrated the industry's first x86 dual-core processor. During demonstrations held at the company's Austin facilities, AMD showed an HP ProLiant DL585 server powered by four dual-core AMD Opteron processors, manufactured on 90nm silicon-on-insulator process technology."

ieXbeta Board - AMD Demonstrates The First X86 Dual-core Processor

Converting XML to RDF

"Last month we looked at the REST interface to Amazon Web Services (AWS), and how an f parameter in a URL calling this interface can point to an XSLT stylesheet. If you set it to 'xml' instead of pointing it at a stylesheet, Amazon returns data in formats that conform to either the 'lite' or 'heavy' DTDs (and corresponding schemas) included with their SDK; if you do, their server applies the stylesheet to that data at the server before returning the result to you."

XML.com - Converting XML to RDF

XP SP2 and SQL Server

In June, I wrote about the effects that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) has on SQL Server (see "Windows XP SP2 Defaults Break SQL Server Connections").

Now that XP SP2 is dribbling out through Windows Update and other sources, I want to revisit the topic. XP SP2 has some great new features, such as the easy-to-use Windows Firewall that comes turned on by default.

WindowsITPro - XP SP2 and SQL Server

RSS links

"Looks like everyone's talking about RSS these days."

Nick Bradbury - RSS links

HOL: Συνεργασία με την ΕΠΟ για συλλεκτικές κάρτες Internet

Η Hellas On Line, επίσημος υποστηρικτής της Εθνικής Ομάδας Ποδοσφαίρου, σε συνεργασία με την ΕΠΟ δημιούργησε δύο συλλεκτικές κάρτες τηλεφωνίας και Internet, στις οποίες απεικονίζονται στιγμιότυπα από τον θρίαμβο της Εθνικής μας στα γήπεδα της Πορτογαλίας. Η διάθεση των καρτών, που γίνεται αποκλειστικά από την Hellas On Line και την ΕΠΟ ενόψει του επικείμενου ποδοσφαιρικού αγώνα της Εθνικής με την Τουρκία στις 8/9, αρχίζει άμεσα.

myPhone - HOL: Συνεργασία με την ΕΠΟ για συλλεκτικές κάρτες Internet

Bluetooth sucks

"I've had it. I'm actually surprising myself with this, as I have always had high hopes for the technology. Now, after a lot of experience with different products, I must say it is a failure.

The idea of bluetooth was that we'd get rid of cables or the need to adjust IR ports once and for all. The reality is different, unfortunately."

Mobitopia - Bluetooth sucks

CERT Recommends XP SP2

CERT has issued a recommendation that Microsoft XP customers upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) using Automatic Update/Windows Update. They characterize the update as "significantly" improving "defenses against attacks and vulnerabilities." But at the same time, CERT also notes that "Service Pack 2 makes significant changes to improve the security of Windows XP, and these changes may have negative effects on some programs and Windows functionality."

Microsoft Watch - CERT Recommends XP SP2

Windows Media Player 10

H δέκατη έκδοση του Windows Media Player είναι γεγονός και οι αλλαγές αρκετές. H νέα έκδοση ξεχωρίζει για το καινούριο περιβάλλον εργασίας που είναι πλέον αρκετά πιο απλό από τη προηγούμενη έκδοση και πλήρως παραμετροποιήσιμο. Αίσθηση κάνει η δυνατότητα κωδικοποίησης μουσικών αρχείων στη διάσημη μορφή mp3 που η Microsoft προτιμούσε να αγνοεί στις προηγούμενες εκδόσεις, υποστηρίζοντας μόνο το WMA που αποτελεί δική της δημιουργία.

Insomnia - Windows Media Player 10

Peeping Tom webcam worm created by virus writers

"Virus writers have developed a 'Peeping Tom' worm that can use webcams to spy on computer users in their home or workplace, internet security watchers have warned.

The newly discovered Rbot-GR worm (W32/Rbot-GR) spreads via network shares, exploiting a number of Microsoft security vulnerabilities before installing a backdoor Trojan as it travels, security firm Sophos said."

ieXbeta Board - Peeping Tom webcam worm created by virus writers

Almost Too Easy! Creating Cross-Platform ASP.NET Applications Using Mono

"Running basic ASP.NET applications on other platforms using Novell's open-source Mono project is as easy as copying the files to the new system. For ASP.NET 1.x authors, cross-platform code is fast becoming a reality."

Almost Too Easy! Creating Cross-Platform ASP.NET Applications Using Mono

.NET 1.0 SP 3 and .NET 1.1 SP 1 Offically Released

"Today .NET 1.0 SP3 and .NET 1.1 SP1 was put on Windows Update as a Critical Update. You can also download the service packs from the MSDN download center."

Bink.nu - .NET 1.0 SP 3 and .NET 1.1 SP 1 Offically Released

OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework 1.2 Released

The long anticipated release of version 1.2 of the Smart Device Framework has been released.

Download the install package, binaries and source here.

View the online Help here.

View the official Press Release here.

View the v1.2 Release Notes.

OpenNETCF.org - OpenNETCF Smart Device Framework 1.2 Released

eBayFeed - converts your eBay searches to RSS!

eBayFeed/1.0 allows you to create customized RSS 2.0 feeds of your favorite eBay searches. Compared to other eBay-to-RSS solutions, ebayFeed has the following advantages: it is fully customizable and extensible (open-source), it supports eBay platforms of other countries (take a look at config.inc), you can run it on your own server, it doesn't log your clicks on items, nor does it advertise your search habits to others (such as qksrv.net), and it allows you to fully utilize eBay's advanced search forms. It currently supports eBay USA, eBay UK, eBay Germany, eBay France, eBay Italy.

MobileRead Networks - eBayFeed - converts your eBay searches to RSS!

XP SP2 Gives Reasons to Switch to the Linux Desktop

Opinion: With security holes to the left of us and program incompatibilities to the right, SP2 is giving corporate IT departments more reasons than ever to consider a move to Linux desktops.

Contrary to popular belief, I'm perfectly happy to run Windows as well as Linux desktops. It's just that, well … the Linux desktops tend to run better and be more secure then their Windows cousins. And that's true both for me and for enterprise desktop users.

eWeek - XP SP2 Gives Reasons to Switch to the Linux Desktop

Microsoft's Longhorn Failure Is Linux's Chance

Opinion: With the promises of Longhorn revealed as market-freezing trickery, Linux has its best chance ever to seize control of the desktop.

Microsoft's vaporware master plan is finally broken. The wonderful wizards of Redmond are still saying, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" But even the most fanatical Microsoft supporter has to see that Longhorn has become Shorthorn

eWeek - Microsoft's Longhorn Failure Is Linux's Chance

Microsoft Makes More Open-Source Overtures

"Still feeling the pressure from Linux and other open-source software competitors, Microsoft Corp. is reaching out further to the open-source community with offers of joint development and testing. But it's not yet clear if anyone is ready to listen.

In addition to forming new initiatives to deal with Linux growth, including an upfront and official dialogue with members of the open-source community, Microsoft may also be considering releasing new sections of code as open source."

MSFN - Microsoft Makes More Open-Source Overtures

Mozilla Foundation Announces XForms Development Project

"Novell, IBM join in effort to implement W3C's XForms recommendation

August 11, 2004, (Mountain View, CA). The Mozilla Foundation, in collaboration with Novell and IBM, today announced the formation of a project to implement the W3C's XForms 1.0 Recommendation. XForms is the forms module in XHTML 2, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which enables developers to deliver the type of next-generation, rich, portable web-based applications desired by corporate IT."

Mozilla Dot Org - Mozilla Foundation Announces XForms Development Project

Mozilla 1.8 Alpha 3

"Mozilla 1.8 Alpha 3 - Released August 18, 2004"

Mozilla Releases - Mozilla 1.8 Alpha 3

Mono 1.0.1 bug fix release; Development News: AMD64 support

"A bug fix release of Mono has been released, this contains fixes for various problems that people were running into.

AMD 64 supported
Zoltan Varga has completed the AMD64 port of the Mono JIT engine and it is ready for testing. The AMD64 port is the second 64-bit port of Mono, the first one was the SPARC v9 port."

Mono Project News - Mono 1.0.1 bug fix release; Development News: AMD64 support?

O'Reilly publishes 'Mono: A Developer's Notebook'

We're pleased to announce that O'Reilly Publishing just released Edd Dumbill and Niel M.Bornstein's excellent Mono book: Mono: A Developer's Notebook. Available now!

Mono Project News - O'Reilly publishes 'Mono: A Developer's Notebook'

Linux Journal - HOWTO: Building a Diskless 2.6 Firewall

"For your next DIY project, pick up an old Pentium computer and a CompactFlash card and build a custom router/firewall."

Linux Journal - HOWTO: Building a Diskless 2.6 Firewall

O.T.E : Το στοίχημα των ευρυζωνικών

Στόχος μεταξύ άλλων είναι η στήριξη του «Σύζευξις», έργο του Γ' ΚΠΣ που ενώνει 1.800 φορείς του δημοσίου και μέρος του έχει ανατεθεί στον ΟΤΕ ο οποίος πάντως ουσιαστικά θα προσφέρει ολόκληρο το δίκτυο κορμού, αλλά και η υποστήριξη τουλάχιστον 500 χιλ. χρηστών ADSL.

"Σημειώνεται ότι σήμερα οι ενεργοί χρήστες ADSL (γρήγορο internet) είναι περίπου 26.000. Προβλέπεται ότι μέχρι τα τέλη του έτους θα είναι περί τις 50.000 έναντι στόχου για 80.000 που δεν επετεύχθη καθώς όπως είναι γνωστό καθυστέρησε τραγικά η προμήθεια του αναγκαίου εξοπλισμού."

Insomnia - O.T.E : Το στοίχημα των ευρυζωνικών

Windows update harbors AMD conflict

"A problem in the Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP may keep owners of AMD-based computers from using the long-awaited security package, according to Microsoft.

In an article posted in the Knowledge Base section of its Web site, Microsoft says that Service Pack 2 may not work with computers running Advanced Micro Devices' 64-bit microprocessors. The Redmond, Wash.-based company says owners of such PCs may want to bypass the update completely."

ieXbeta Board - Windows update harbors AMD conflict

Microsoft Announces 2006 Target Date for Broad Availability Of Windows "Longhorn"

"Windows WinFX Developer Technologies Will Be Made Available For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Corp. today announced it will target broad availability of the Windows® client operating system code-named 'Longhorn' in 2006, and make key elements of the Windows WinFXTM developer platform in 'Longhorn' available for Windows XP and Windows ServerTM 2003.

'Longhorn' will deliver major improvements in user productivity, important new capabilities for software developers, and significant advancements in security, deployment and reliability."

Bink.nu - Microsoft Announces 2006 Target Date for Broad Availability Of Windows "Longhorn"

Microsoft Responds to SP2 Security Center Issue

"Microsoft has responded to Neowin with regard to the XP SP 2 problem story we ran yesterday, as reported by PC Magazine & e-Week:

We wanted to alert you to some misguided press reports that may cause Microsoft customers undue concern. Some articles have posted that claim there is a highly critical vulnerability that would allow a malicious user to spoof the Windows Security Center in Windows XP SP2 however this claim is not accurate. we don’t know how closely you have been following this issue, but we wanted to make sure you had the facts from Microsoft."

Bink.nu - Microsoft Responds to SP2 Security Center Issue

Microsoft: Linux isn't cheaper

Microsoft on Wednesday released the latest in a series of studies it has commissioned that show Windows to be as cheap or cheaper than Linux as part of its "Get the Facts" campaign.

The latest study, conducted by BearingPoint, found that even looking at only the "hard costs" of licensing and support, Windows Server 2003 was often cheaper than Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Novell/SUSE Linux

While the acquisition costs associated with licensing and support should be evaluated, this study has found after comparing the cumulative costs within medium and enterprise scenarios over a five year period that those costs do not significantly differentiate Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 or Novell/SUSE Linux 8," BearingPoint said in the conclusion of its report.

WinBeta.org - Microsoft: Linux isn't cheaper

TechEd: Microsoft to kill 'Kodiak' code name

"Microsoft will dump its 'Kodiak' code-name that had been tagged to the next generation release of Exchange Server, instead shifting strategy to release individual improvements as they are ready, according to company executives here at TechEd 2004.

The Kodiak name was used to represent a whole set of technologies. We will deliver those technology pieces not in a single release, but as soon as possible,' said Kim Akers, senior director at Microsoft.

Pieces that were expected in the Kodiak release, which was due in the 2006 timeframe, include the forthcoming Yukon relational data store technology, enhanced security, mobility improvements, and 64-bit support, among other things."

MSFN - TechEd: Microsoft to kill 'Kodiak' code name

Microsoft creating Windows for supercomputers

"Microsoft has launched an effort to produce a version of Windows for high-performance computing, a move seen as a direct attack on a Linux stronghold.

High-performance computing once required massive, expensive, exotic machines from companies such as Cray, but the field is being remade by the arrival of clusters of low-end machines. While the trend could be considered an opportunity for Microsoft, which has long been the leading operating-system company, Linux has actually become the favored software used on these clusters.

Now Microsoft has begun its response, forming its High Performance Computing team and planning a new OS version called Windows Server HPC Edition. Kyril Faenov is director of the effort, and Microsoft is hiring new managers, programmers, testers and others."

ieXbeta Board - Microsoft creating Windows for supercomputers

Microsoft extends product support to 10 years

"Microsoft Corp. next month will institute a new product life-cycle policy that extends support for Microsoft products to a minimum of 10 years from the current seven years. The updated policy also provides increased support for IT infrastructure security assistance, Microsoft said at its Tech Ed conference in San Diego.

The announcement, in a keynote presentation by Microsoft Corporate Vice President Andy Lees, was welcomed with applause by the audience."

ieXbeta Board - Microsoft extends product support to 10 years

Microsoft will release its own P2V solution for Virtual Server 2005

"During a TechEd 2004 session, a Microsoft representative revealed this will happen: a new “Virtual Server Migration Toolkit” will be released in beta (as web download) during Q3 2004, and in RTM during Q4 2004. This toolkit is an add-on to actual ADS 1.0 and will eventually work with Virtual Server 2005 only."

Bink.nu - Microsoft will release its own P2V solution for Virtual Server 2005

Exchange Intelligent Message Filter (Spamfilter) released!

Intelligent Message Filter is based on Microsoft SmartScreen Technology from Microsoft Research. By using e-mail characteristics tracked by SmartScreen technology, Intelligent Message Filter can help determine whether each incoming e-mail message is likely to be spam. Based on this likelihood, you can choose to block e-mail messages at the gateway or at the mailbox store. For more information about Intelligent Message Filter, see Exchange Intelligent Message Filter Overview.

Bink.nu - Exchange Intelligent Message Filter (Spamfilter) released!

Exchange 2003 SP1 released!!

"Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) offers new updates and improvements to Exchange Server 2003. Enhancements include new language support for Outlook Mobile Access and Microsoft Office Outlook® Web Access spelling checkers, and out-of-office modification, a larger text entry field, search folder support, and improved menu navigation for the Outlook Mobile Access user interface."

Bink.nu - Exchange 2003 SP1 released!!

Access 2003 Conversion Toolkit Will Significantly Streamline Database Conversion

"The Microsoft Office Access 2003 Conversion Toolkit is a set of tools and documentation designed to ease the deployment of Microsoft Office 2003. Specifically, it helps organizations discover, evaluate and convert their Microsoft Office Access databases. (Microsoft Office Access 2003 is a program that enables the management of desktop databases.) The Access Conversion Toolkit is made up of four components: a scanning tool, a reporting tool, e-learning and documentation, as well as changes to the Microsoft Office Access application itself. Although the toolkit is designed primarily for IT professionals, all customers moving from Access 97 to either Access 2002 or Access 2003 will benefit from the new tool."

Bink.nu | Access 2003 Conversion Toolkit Will Significantly Streamline Database Conversion

Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 2.0 for Microsoft .NET

"Web Services Enhancements 2.0 for Microsoft® .NET (WSE) is a supported add-on to Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework that enables developers to build secure Web services based on the latest Web services protocol specifications.

WSE 2.0 simplifies the development and deployment of secure Web services by enabling developers and administrators to more easily apply security policies on Web services running on the .NET Framework. Using WSE, Web services communication can be signed and encrypted using Kerberos tickets, X.509 certificates, username/password credentials, and other custom binary and XML-based security tokens. In addition, an enhanced security model provides a policy-driven foundation for securing Web services across trust domains. WSE also supports the ability to establish a trust-issuing service for retrieval and validation of security tokens, as well as the ability to establish more efficient long-running secure communication via secure conversations."

Bink.nu - Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 2.0 for Microsoft .NET

Windows 95 makes it to Pocket PC

This was made possible by a Pocket PC port of Bochs, by Mamaich, who has also ported DosBox, a 'program similar to Bochs but it's a lot faster and only emulates DOS'. Sadly, the author tried and failed to get WarLords II working on both these versions, but I'm sure time will tell!

If you're keen to try this on your own Pocket PC, you'll need a minimum of a 256MB memory card (or stream the image over a wireless network) and you'll need a program like Nyditot Virtual Display to increase your screen resolution. Oh, yes, and you'll also need the emulator.

According to Miracle, what we really need now is for another developer to 'pick this up and optimize it to get more speed, since Mamaich stated that he will not continue to work on this, but instead focus more on DosBox.'

ieXbeta Board - Windows 95 makes it to Pocket PC

Another TechEd Hot Button: WSE 2.0

Microsoft will use next week's conference to talk up the latest version of its Web Services Enhancements technology.

As part of its emphasis on developer and security issues at its annual TechEd conference next week, Microsoft will tutor attendees in the finer points of its Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 2.0 technologies.
WSE is the vehicle via which Microsoft provides annual or biannual updates to its Web-services support. The 2.0 release includes support for Web services specs upon which Microsoft, IBM and BEA have collaborated, as well as support for greater security.

Microsoft Watch - Another TechEd Hot Button: WSE 2.0

Oracle Joins Microsoft's Visual Studio

In a move considered by some to be an easing of tensions between rivals, Oracle has joined Microsoft's Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program as a premier-level partner.

'Microsoft is pleased to announce our partnership with Oracle,' said Eric Rudder, senior vice president of Servers and Tools at Microsoft in a statement issued Thursday. 'The integration of Oracle's products with Visual Studio .NET 2003 will provide our mutual customers with a more productive developer environment for building Oracle applications on the Microsoft Windows platform.'

In its announcement, Microsoft hailed the partnership as an initiative that will increase productivity, ease deployment and provide tighter integration between Oracle Database and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003.

ieXbeta Board - Oracle Joins Microsoft's Visual Studio

Ballmer Throws Down the Security Gauntlet

'I guarantee you our company will have the most secure software in the world. We may also have the most popular, so it is the most attacked. We're learning from all those attacks. Some days the only thing I can be happy with on the security front is that we're getting smarter fast.' — Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer during his closing speech of this week's Microsoft Government Leaders Forum-Americas 2004.

Microsoft Watch - Ballmer Throws Down the Security Gauntlet:

IBM Drops Gloves in Database War with Oracle

"IBM is taking off its kid gloves. IBM, the blue-chip company with a buttoned-down reputation, on Friday fired off a full-page newspaper ad in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal aimed at stealing its archrival Oracle Corp.'s database customers. 'MAY DAY! MAY DAY! (rescuing Oracle users),' the ad said. It goes on to warn readers that Oracle sales people will soon call on them to buy the next version of its software as it stops supporting current versions.

On the one hand, the ad befits a long, bitter rivalry between International Business Machines Corp. and Oracle for the top spot in the database markets. Oracle dominates the database market, but IBM has been challenging it for the top spot. But consolidation and antitrust threats have forced software companies to become more friendly, as evidenced by Microsoft making up with a number of rivals like America Online, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and SAP AG, after years of being thought of as the biggest bully in the sandbox."

Neowin.net - IBM Drops Gloves in Database War with Oracle

USS Enterprise Finally Flies!!!

'Found on Slashdot Japan: Model builder Kaname of Kumamoto, Japan has built a flying radio controlled model of the original Star Trek's USS Enterprise. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for a video. Or go here for an mpeg, and here for a WMV.) The ship measures from 75 cm, and only weighs 16 grams. It's a wobbly flight, but makes you think what else in Star Trek might work if it were tried.'

Slashdot - USS Enterprise Finally Flies!!!

Microsoft Readies Updates For Tech Ed

"A raft of updates are expected at next week's Microsoft Tech Ed show in San Diego, including the release of Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Internet Security & Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 and possibly beta one of Visual Studio 2005.

As of late Thursday, the status of the first beta of the new Visual Studio toolkit, code-named Whidbey, remained day to day. Best-guess estimates from company insiders that it would surface at Tech Ed, as planned, ranged from 'likely' to 'iffy.' A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment on the timing of the beta."

WinBeta.org - Microsoft Readies Updates For Tech Ed

Microsoft Readies New Bridging Tool

"Redmond's new 'Information Bridge Framework' is designed to make Office-back office connectivity more transparent.

Microsoft is readying a new tool that is designed to connect Microsoft Office applications to back-end enterprise systems.

The tool, called the 'Information Bridge Framework,' or IBF, is on tap to debut at the company's Tech Ed 2004 conference in San Diego next week, sources said.

IBF is designed to connect Web services to the Office client with no 'extra hops' or intermediate servers required.

IBF is designed to build on top of the XML support that Microsoft already has built into its Office System 2003 applications, such as Word, Excel and Outlook. IBF will allow developers and information-worker users to expose 'enterprise business objects' and then pull them right into their familiar Office documents."

WinBeta.org - Microsoft Readies New Bridging Tool

PCI Express - Believe the hype

Rolling out this summer will be Intels new architecture--the PCI-Express. The PCI Express bus will replace I/O interfaces such as PCI and AGP8X on all servers and workstations, as well as desktops, notebooks, and communications devices.

With high performance RAID, and enhanced network performance, the PIC-Express will be a must have for hardware enthusiasts and computer users alike. There is a possibility of increasing full-duplex GbE and 10GbE, which could not be done in PCI-enabled boxes. With a PCI bus, you have to open up the box and insert a card, but with PCI-Express, manufacturers can put connectors on the motherboards that will enables users to simply plug in cables at the back of the box which completely simplifies the process.

WinBeta.org - PCI Express - Believe the hype

Security Guidance Kit v1.0 available as download

"What is the Security Guidance Kit?

The Security Guidance Kit is a collection of how-to information, software tools, and detailed prescriptive guidance within a small 'viewer' application. The materials within the Kit are all designed to help you implement security measures in your environment. The topics covered include patch management, anti-virus measures, securing remote access, and blocking unsafe email attachments."

Bink.nu - Security Guidance Kit v1.0 available as download

Mozilla 1.8 Alpha1

These release notes describe system requirements, installation instructions, and known issues for Mozilla 1.8 Alpha1. These notes are updated when we receive feedback, so please check back for new information. Consult our releases page to download the source and the latest version of Mozilla for your platform.

Mozilla Releases - Mozilla 1.8 Alpha1

Mozilla 1.7 RC 2

These release notes describe system requirements, installation instructions, and known issues for Mozilla 1.7 RC 2. These notes are updated when we receive feedback, so please check back for new information. Consult our releases page to download the source and the latest version of Mozilla for your platform.

Mozilla Releases - Mozilla 1.7 RC 2

The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide

"As Linux makes its way into previously Microsoft-only environments, whether in a server or desktop capacity, it is likely that Samba becomes involved in the process of integrating the systems. Hot on the heels of the September 2003 release of Samba 3.0 comes The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide, edited by John H. Terpstra and Jelmer R. Vernooij, two of the cofounders of the Samba team."

Linux Journal - The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide

Writing Scalable Applications with PHP

A follow-up to April's print article, "Real-World PHP Security".

The first part of this article, "Real-World PHP Security", appeared in the April 2004 issue of Linux Journal and covered the subject of secure PHP development. This article takes you, the professional PHP developer, one step further, by providing detailed explanations and reliable source code that illustrate the steps to follow in order to develop successful PHP applications.

One day or another, every developer faces a situation in which he/she is responsible for extending the functionality of an existing application or prepare an application for an increase in use and traffic (scaling up). Our goal today is to make this process trivial by learning to develop applications based on a clean, elegant and modular design that is secure, reliable and flexible while keeping it all simple.

Linux Journal - Writing Scalable Applications with PHP

Google moves toward clash with Microsoft

"Edging closer to a direct confrontation with Microsoft, Google is preparing to introduce a powerful file and text software search tool for locating information stored on personal computers.

Google's software, which is expected to be introduced soon, according to several people with knowledge of the company's plans, is the clearest indication to date that the company, based in Mountain View, Calif., hopes to extend its search business to compete directly with Microsoft's control of desktop computing. "

ieXbeta Board - Google moves toward clash with Microsoft

Is Torvalds really the father of Linux?

"It's hard to imagine that Linus Torvalds could have launched Linux without directly using earlier operating system work, according to a report that has become controversial even before its scheduled publication Thursday.

The 92-page report, from a 14-person Washington, D.C., think tank called the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, suggests more Linux credit should go to Minix. A Unix clone, Minix that was designed by Andrew Tanenbaum at Vrije University in Amsterdam for the study of operating systems and software, which Torvalds used before he embarked on Linux development in 1991.

According to the study, it's safe to argue that Tanenbaum, who had years of OS experience and who had seen the Unix source code, could create Minix in three years. 'However, it is highly questionable that Linus, still just a student, with virtually no operating systems development experience, could do the same, especially in one-sixth of the time.

Although the new study raises more questions than it answers, in an interview author Ken Brown was bolder in his claims. 'It's clear to me, at least from quotes from Tanenbaum, that Linus started from Minix...He just sat down with Minix and wrote this product. By definition, that is not an invention,' Brown said. 'If you sit down with the Ford blueprints and build a Chrysler and don't give Ford any credit, that's not invention.' "

ieXbeta Board - Is Torvalds really the father of Linux?

MS chief reveals Xbox 2 development secrets

On the morning after Microsoft's exclusive E3 drinks reception in Hollywood, where the likes of Allard, Peter Moore, Shane Kim and the European Xbox team mixed with a handful of sweaty hacks, the Xbox creator was in an open mood when we spoke with him. He discussed the current state of play for the Xbox business and beyond, offering insights into next-gen software development and how it will change the way we experience videogames.

When asked if, aside from the XNA demonstrations we've already seen, he had been privy to next-gen demonstrations, he said: 'There's some stuff that's just knocked my socks off.

Bink.nu - MS chief reveals Xbox 2 development secrets

Microsoft adds disaster aid to volume licensing

Microsoft said Wednesday that some volume licensing customers will soon be able to store their software at no charge on an additional server used solely in the event of a disaster.

The software maker said that starting June 1, businesses in its Software Assurance program will be able to make a duplicate copy for each server software product they license.

There are two major caveats, however. The software must be stored on a "cold" server, that is, one turned off until a disaster occurs. Also, the rights to store the extra copy are good only as long as a Software Assurance agreement is in place.

Microsoft has been working to add benefits to the Software Assurance program amid criticisms that the primary benefit--free upgrades--is not justifying the cost. Microsoft has already added additional training, support and other perks to improve the program.

Bink.nu - Microsoft adds disaster aid to volume licensing

Microsoft to submit antispam standard

Microsoft on Wednesday said it plans to submit a proposal to make its antispam technology a standard, becoming the latest Internet giant to seek industry approval for the adoption of its technique.

The technology, called "Caller ID for E-mail," is an Internet Protocol-based method to ensure that the sender's return e-mail address is authentic. Many spammers have used a method called "spoofing," which makes their return addresses appear legitimate to the recipient's spam filters. Often, people open unwanted spam, thinking it originated from a contact, which could lead to the further dissemination of viruses and user annoyance.

Microsoft plans to file its proposal to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an industry standards body, either this week or next.

Bink.nu - Microsoft to submit antispam standard

Microsoft cuts back on worker benefits

Goal is to reduce expenses by 21% Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software company, will cut vacation time for new employees and charge US workers a $40 copayment for brand-name prescription drugs as part of plans to cut costs as sales growth declines.

Microsoft also will reduce the discount for employee stock purchases to 10 percent from 15 percent starting in July, spokeswoman Tami Begasse said. Using generic drugs can save Microsoft as much as 80 percent in prescription costs compared with brand-name drugs, she said.

Chief financial officer John Connors wants to reduce operating expenses by 21 percent next year to about $21.9 billion to boost profit as sales slow. Microsoft has forecast revenue to grow as little as 3.4 percent next fiscal year, compared with the 14 percent it expects for the year ending next month.

Bink.nu - Microsoft cuts back on worker benefits

Commerce Server 2002 Service Pack 3

Service Pack 3 is not required if Commerce Server 2002 Feature Pack 1 is already installed. Commerce Server 2002 Feature Pack 1 includes the incremental fixes beyond SP2. Do not use this Service Pack with the Commerce Server 2002 Trial Software; a version of this Service Pack can be downloaded with the Commerce Server 2002 Trial Software .

Commerce Server 2002 Service Pack 3 (SP3) contains a collection of hotfixes and security fixes, including added support for Windows Server 2003, Visual Studio .NET 2003, SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (64-bit), .NET Framework 1.1, removal of the 5 connection limit for Commerce Server 2002 Developer Edition, and Commerce Server 2002 Developer Edition on Windows XP.

Please be sure to read and review the documentation in the download readme.htm before installing Commerce Server SP3

Bink.nu - Commerce Server 2002 Service Pack 3

Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 Service Pack 2 released

Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 Service Pack 2 (SP2) provides the latest updates to ISA Server 2000 and provides an even higher level of security, reliability and stability to customers. Microsoft strongly encourages customers to install SP2 on all computers running ISA Server.

ISA Server 2000 SP2 can be installed directly on ISA Server 2000, ISA Server 2000 Service Pack 1 or ISA Server 2000 Feature Pack 1 or any other combination of hot fixes.

ISA Server SP2 can be applied to ISA Server Standard and Enterprise Editions, and includes:

• All hot fixes and security updates issued since ISA Server was released to manufacturing.
• Fixes for common issues reported by customers through Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS).
• Enhanced stability of the ISA Server services and administration tool in a number of scenarios.
• Fixes that enable ISA Server to run on Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003, Standard Edition and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.
• Fixes recommended through an audit by third-party security experts.

Bink.nu - Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 Service Pack 2 released

Symantec Firewalls Vulnerable to Intrusion, DOS

Symantec has confirmed a flaw in its firewall software products for Windows that could enable remote access or denial of service by attackers.

The company has released updates to fix the security holes, discovered by eEye Digital Security. Secunia termed the flow extremely critical because of the large installed base for the affected Norton Internet Security and Norton Personal Firewall products and the potential for the flaw to be exploited by an auto-propagating worm.

Despite the ease of repair (Symantec users can simply run the products' LiveUpdate auto-update feature), vendors expressed concern about the similarity to the mid-March revelation of a vulnerability in ISS' Black Ice products, which was exploited barely a day later by the Witty worm. That incident raised alarms about "zero day exploits" - attacks published the same day a security hole becomes public, leaving no time for network administrators to repair vulnerable systems.

Netcraft - Symantec Firewalls Vulnerable to Intrusion, DOS

Opera 7.50 Released

"Opera Software today released 7.50 for Windows, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris. Opera 7.50 offers users hungry for a better Internet experience the latest advancements in Internet technologies, with the same engineering excellence and inventiveness that made its browser rendering so famous, now also offers a top-notch e-mailer, newsreader, IRC-compatible chat client, contact database, support for RSS newsfeeds and much, much more. Still, with all the features, Opera remains the fastest, best coded, small browsing application in the world, weighing in at 3.5 MB."

Neowin.net - Opera 7.50 Released

Microsoft Releases Source Code for WTL

"Microsoft on Tuesday night released the source code for its Windows Template Library under the open-source Common Public License and posted it on SourceForge, the open-source code repository. The Windows Template Library (WTL) is a library for developing Windows applications and user interface components. It also extends the Active Template Library (ATL) and provides a set of classes for controls, dialogs, frame windows, GDI objects and more.

The ATL is a set of template classes developed by Microsoft Corp. to aid in the development of ActiveX controls and Component Object Model (COM) objects. They're template-based C++ classes that simplify the programming of COM objects. The COM support in Visual C++ allows developers to easily create a variety of COM objects, Automation servers and ActiveX controls."

Neowin.net - Microsoft Releases Source Code for WTL

Microsoft to Battle Spyware

"Nearly half the world's computers may soon have built-in protection against debilitating infections of spyware and other unwanted software, thanks to Microsoft's update of the Windows XP operating system.

Expected to be released this summer, the Windows XP Service Pack 2 update will contain no fewer than five new security features designed to ward off the unauthorized installation of software via the Internet, according to Microsoft officials. The company hopes the features will not only quell the growing number of complaints from consumers about Windows XP's susceptibility to spyware, but will also save businesses millions of dollars in tech support calls."

MSFN - Microsoft to Battle Spyware

Oh boy, Denial of Service Vulnerability in IEEE 802.11 all Wireless Devices

"A vulnerability exists in hardware implementations of the IEEE 802.11 wireless protocol[1] that allows for a trivial but effective attack against the availability of wireless local area network (WLAN) devices.
An attacker using a low-powered, portable device such as an electronic PDA and a commonly available wireless networking card may cause significant disruption to all WLAN traffic within range, in a manner that makes identification and localisation of the attacker difficult.

The vulnerability is related to the medium access control (MAC) function of the IEEE 802.11 protocol. WLAN devices perform Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), which minimises the likelihood of two devices transmitting simultaneously. Fundamental to the functioning of CSMA/CA is the Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure, used in all standards-compliant hardware and performed by a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) physical (PHY) layer."

Bink.nu - Oh boy, Denial of Service Vulnerability in IEEE 802.11 all Wireless Devices

Microsoft: SP2 Will Not Install on Pirated Copies of XP

"Contrary to the remarks it made to the ComputerTimes, Microsoft now claims that it will not permit users who have obtained Windows XP illegally to upgrade to its latest service release. Instead, the software giant will continue to enforce compliance with its licensing.

In a nutshell, Microsoft group product manager Barry Goffe told ComputerTimes that Windows XP Service Pack 2 would not exclude pirated copies from upgrading, and that it was more important to keep user safe than to be 'concerned about the revenue issue.'


To clarify its position, a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews, 'Press reports indicating Windows XP Service Pack 2 will install on pirated or illegal copies of Windows XP are not entirely true. Prior to installing, SP2 will check the OS' product ID (PID) against a list of known pirated PIDs. If a PID is found to be invalid, SP2 will not install.'"

BetaNews - Microsoft: SP2 Will Not Install on Pirated Copies of XP

OSX Emulation on a x86

"This is the first official release of PearPC. Please note that this is an experimental program not meant for productive use. There are still unimplemented instructions, mysterious bugs and missing features. Don't use it on important data, it WILL destroy them sooner or later! However if you are brave enough to try it out fetch one of the builds or the source. Don't forget to read the documentation, it will save you hours of frustration! And please don't whine if it doesn't work for you but fix the bugs."

ieXbeta Board - OSX Emulation on a x86

Google Unveils Redesigned Blogger.com

"Google Inc., the No. 1 Web search company that recently announced plans to go public through a Dutch auction, on Monday rolled out a new design of its Blogger service that enables users to self-publish Web content.

The latest version of the free product allows users to instantly publish their Weblogs, or personal journals called 'blogs,' from any e-mail-enabled device, including cellular phones and handheld devices. Other new features also enable Blogger users to invite comment from readers or to post personal profiles."

ieXbeta Board - Google Unveils Redesigned Blogger.com

Shock as Microsoft Evangelist Robert Scoble Recommends Microsoft Technologies

Much has been made in recent days about Microsoft evangelist Robert Scoble and his comments about how Mozilla can take advantage of the new technologies introduced in Longhorn, the next major version of Windows. Scoble's thoughts on how Mozilla Firefox could be enhanced via features such as Avalon, Longhorn's new graphics layer, and WinFS, the enhanced file storage system, prompted InternetNews to conduct a follow-up interview, sparked a discussion at Slashdot and caused MozillaNews to quote almost enough to stretch the definition of fair use.

Which is interesting, as nothing Scoble said was particularly surprising. The fact that a Microsoft employee even mentioned Mozilla was a shock to some but it should be noted that Scoble, who was an established member of the weblogging community long before taking a job at Microsoft, was speaking for himself and not Redmond. Furthermore, Microsoft have recently started encouraging their employees to maintain weblogs, launching initiatives such as blogs.msdn.com and Channel 9. In addition, while some media outlets reported that Scoble was offering advice to Mozilla, in reality he simply was recommending technologies whose widespread adoption would benefit Microsoft. At its core, this is a simply case of a Microsoft evangelist evangelising Microsoft. Nothing particularly surprising about that.

MozillaZine Talkback - Shock as Microsoft Evangelist Robert Scoble Recommends Microsoft Technologies

Namco Releases Tekken 5 Teaser

"While Namco's Tekken 5 won't be officially unveiled until E3 next week, there's a tiny teaser for the game available at Namco's new Japanese webpage promoting the series. If you check out Tekken-Official.jp today, there's some art in the background that doesn't look like any Tekken character we remember.

As for what he does look like, the hair is oddly reminiscent of Dennis Rodman's, which ironically inspires memories of Zack from the Dead or Alive series.

Speculate over that how you like, at any rate, and look forward to more details when Namco unveils its new arcade fighter next week."

Neowin.net - Namco Releases Tekken 5 Teaser

Longhorn WinHEC Build: What's New?

"As I'm sure most people know by now, we've made an updated build of Windows 'Longhorn' (build 4074) available. My colleague Mike Taulty pointed to a webcast from Dave Massy that highlights the progress that's been made since the bits we handed out at the PDC. Of course many people (myself included) hate webcasts: they're just too slow and it's hard to pick out the salient points. So I've taken the liberty of posting the notes I took whilst watching this webcast, to give you the choice between watching or skim-reading...

This week we've released a Longhorn Community Technical Preview - the first update to the Longhorn bits distributed to PDC attendees. The updated bits were distributed to WinHEC attendees and are also available to MSDN subscribers. There are 32-bit and 64-bit (both Itanium and 64-bit extensions) images in both debug and retail versions. The SDK has been updated, and a DDK has also been released."

MSFN - Longhorn WinHEC Build: What's New?

IPAQ h5550 goes interstellar

"On Thursday, May 6, HP announced that their handy, dandy iPAQ Pocket PC was being used by the Expedition 9 crew aboard the International Space Station Soyuz 8 space craft.

For anyone who has ever dreamed of owning a Star Trek -like Tricorder, this is very cool. The handheld computers run a truncated version of Microsoft Windows, and will be used by astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke and cosmonaut Gennady I. Padalka as mobile productivity tools to record daily crew procedures, write personal memos and check e-mail and calendars.

The crew will also be able to listen to music, view photos from home and read e-books, allowing them to have some of the comforts of home on their journey. The devices will remain aboard the ISS and be reconfigured for each new crew. For the next flight, two additional iPAQs are expected to launch to the station for a total of four iPAQs."

MSFN - IPAQ h5550 goes interstellar

KOffice 1.3.1 Released

The KOffice team is happy to bring you the first bugfix package that builds upon the successful 1.3 version, adding even more enhanced OpenOffice.org import and export filters, improved spellchecking with ispell, fixes in hyphenation and many more. See the release notes and the complete list of changes.

KDE News - KOffice 1.3.1 Released

Microsoft verifies, updates "XP Reloaded" plans

"Various Microsoft representatives verified this week that 'XP Reloaded' will be a marketing campaign aimed at rejuvenating consumer excitement in Windows XP, a product that has evolved dramatically since its initial release in October 2001. Set to run from October to December 2004, XP Reloaded will focus on new XP versions such as Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, as well as various product updates that will ship in late summer/early fall, including XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and the next major version of Windows Media Center, and add-on products like Portable Media Centers and Media Center Extenders. What's changed is that Microsoft originally planned to have separate marketing campaigns for XP SP2 and XP Reloaded; now SP2 will be marketed as part of the XP Reloaded campaign."

Bink.nu - Microsoft verifies, updates "XP Reloaded" plans

Windows Roadmap

"During his keynote address at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2004 in Seattle Tuesday, Microsoft Group Vice President Jim Allchin updated attendees on the company's client and server product plans for the next two years. Allchin also declared the coming product waves to be part of what Microsoft calls 'the experience economy,' where only those products that think through end-to-end experiences will be wildly successful. Allchin called out non-tech industry companies such as Starbucks as innovators of the experience economy."

Bink.nu - Windows Roadmap

Microsoft Unveil New Copyright Protection Software

Microsoft is unveiling copyright protection software to allow rented songs or movies to be used on portable players, cellular phones and other devices.

The company's latest 'digital rights management' software, code-named Janus, was released Monday. It will give songs and videos purchased through subscription services a sort of digital expiration date that works even when the data is transferred from a computer. The technology also protects the content against piracy.

The goal is to make it easier for companies who want customers to rent songs or videos, rather than own them, to also let those users play back the content on portable players.

WinBeta.org - Microsoft Unveil New Copyright Protection Software

Windows XP SP2 breaks .NET

"A new update of Visual Studio .NET will be released at the same time as Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. The reason is the tightening of security that SP2 implements: network protection, memory protection, email security, and browsing security.

From a developer’s point of view the most important changes are to RPCs (Remote Procedure Calls), DCOM and memory execution protection. These changes could cause applications to stop running if good design practices haven’t been followed. The surprise is that VS.NET is affected, and after installing SP2 the debugger no longer works because the Windows firewall is now turned on by default."

MSFN - Windows XP SP2 breaks .NET

MSN 6.2 Pulled

Many of you may have seen MSN Messenger 6.2 posted on the main MSN Messenger site, then later removed and swapped for the old one.

An update to our story from yesterday on MSN adding four paid online games to its stable of subscription-based offerings: Looks like a last-minute glitch has resulted in Microsoft postponing the availability of its MSN Messenger 6.2 update. 'The (new) games have already begun to roll out today on the 6.1 client, and many consumers will already have access tonight (Thursday evening),' an MSN spokeswoman said. 'However, the 6.2 client is currently on hold.' The new target for 6.2 is Monday

ieXbeta Board - MSN 6.2 Pulled

Opera 7.50 beta 1 available for download

Opera 7.50 beta 1 has been released and is now available for download.

Opera 7.50 beta 1 adds several new features and improves on the innovations of Opera 7.
A quick glance at new features and improvements:

* Enhanced built-in e-mail client, Opera Mail
* IRC-compatible chat
* Completely new sleek UI design

ieXbeta Board - Opera 7.50 beta 1 available for download

Hard drive speed limit is reached

"US scientists have found the theoretical maximum speed that data can be written to a PC's hard drive.

They discovered the limit by shooting electrons travelling close to the speed of light at a chunk of the same material used in computer hard drives."

ieXbeta Board - Hard drive speed limit is reached

MSN Messenger 6.2 out

"Microsoft have released version 6.2 of their popular messaging software, MSN messenger. It is available for download at the links below. As our screenshots show, Microsoft appear to be bundling their MSN toolbar with this release; Microsoft often criticised by regulators regarding their practise of bundling their software in this manner. One can draw one obvious conclusion from this move; Microsoft is worried about Google and their search dominance, and intend to take back some of the market share."

ieXbeta Board - MSN Messenger 6.2 out

Πρόσβαση ADSL χωρίς πάγιο από την Tellas

Μετά την επιτυχημένη εισαγωγή της υπηρεσίας Free Internet για ελεύθερη πρόσβαση των χρηστών dial-up στο Internet βασισμένη στη χρονοχρέωση, η Tellas εφαρμόζει το πρωτοποριακό αυτό πρόγραμμα και στον τομέα των ευρυζωνικών υπηρεσιών, καθιστώντας τη γρήγορη διακίνηση δεδομένων στο Internet προσιτή σε κάθε κατηγορία χρηστών.

Αναλυτικότερα, από σήμερα, οι χρήστες του Internet μπορούν να έχουν ελεύθερη πρόσβαση στις υπηρεσίες ADSL της Tellas, χωρίς πάγιες μηνιαίες χρεώσεις. Οι χρήστες πληρώνουν το εφάπαξ κόστος ενεργοποίησης των 25 ευρώ και στη συνέχεια χρεώνονται αποκλειστικά και μόνο για τον πραγματικό χρόνο που παραμένουν συνδεδεμένοι στο Internet.

myPhone - Πρόσβαση ADSL χωρίς πάγιο από την Tellas:

Microsoft: May expectations for Longhorn

Microsoft is expected to deliver its first draft of the delayed Longhorn OS next month, with some of its ambitious sub-system features trimmed down. If Longhorn is not ready in time for May's WinHEC hardware conference, Microsoft could lose goodwill from OEMs, developers and customers.

It is believed Microsoft will release alpha code for Longhorn, the first publicly available code for the operating system, at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), in Seattle, Washington, between 4 and 7 May.

ieXbeta Board - Microsoft: May expectations for Longhorn

Microsoft Architects Journal

Microsoft Architect's Journal - a platform where authoritative software architects from all corners of Microsoft's architect community will discuss the connection between opportunities once out of reach and the solutions that now make them possible. It will be a platform for thought leadership on a wide range of subjects on enterprise application architecture, design and development.

Bink.nu - Microsoft Architects Journal

Oracle Database 10g beats Microsoft SQL Server 2000

"In a head-to-head, comparative manageability cost study conducted by Progressive Strategies, Oracle Database 10g outperformed Microsoft SQL Server 2000, delivering significant cost and time savings."

AME Info Business News - Oracle Database 10g beats Microsoft SQL Server 2000

NVIDIA Launches GeForce 6 Series

NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, introduced today the NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6800 models of graphics processing units (GPUs) for high-performance desktop computers. The NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series, which includes the flagship GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800, is designed to deliver:

• Industry-leading 3D performance- new superscalar 16-pipe architecture delivers more than twice that of current industry leading NVIDIA GPUs
• New features, including Microsoft DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 feature set - for ultra-realistic cinematic effects
• Unprecedented on-chip video processing engine - enabling high-definition video and DVD playback

WinBeta.org - NVIDIA Launches GeForce 6 Series

Microsoft Preps 2004 Ad Blitz for Windows XP

"Hundreds of millions of customers run the Windows XP client today, but enterprise adoption and retail sales have lagged. Microsoft's solution to that problem is a multipronged advertising blitz centered on the XP updates the company has released since the OS's debut 3 years ago. Microsoft wants you to know that if you haven't looked at XP lately, you might be surprised by how much the product has improved.

The ad blitz will begin in June with the release of XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), one of the largest and most important updates Microsoft has ever created for any of its products. Once seen as a simple collection of bug and security fixes, XP SP2 took on new importance last summer after various high-profile virus and worm attacks. In response to those attacks, Microsoft moved the product into its main build lab and grafted to XP a slew of security-oriented updates that were originally envisioned for Longhorn, the next major Windows release."

Bink.nu - Microsoft Preps 2004 Ad Blitz for Windows XP

What? They cut WinFS??

"There has been a great deal of hubub about what Jay Greene’s BusinessWeek article means for Longhorn, and WinFS in particular.  I’ve been surprised by the general silence on MS blogs on this topic – which is perhaps an indication that I ought to be careful myself ;)  But let me throw caution to the wind and get to the punch line: I, from my vantage as a Longhorn Evangelist, haven’t seen any changes that significantly impact anything we’ve said at PDC, or since, about the WinFX platform.  You won't see me editing my slides, changing my talking points, or cutting back my demos, because the message about WinFX's capabilities hasn't changed."

Bink.nu - What? They cut WinFS??

LindowsOS Becomes Linspire

"Embattled Linux (news - web sites)-based software vendor Lindows.com formally changed the name of its desktop operating system from LindowsOS to 'Linspire' this week.

The name change came after a two-year trademark dispute with Microsoft. The San Diego, California, company says it renamed its OS product in an effort to end Microsoft's international legal attacks.

The Redmond, Washington, software giant has sued Lindows for trademark infringement in several countries over the similarity between the Windows and Lindows names."

Bink.nu - LindowsOS Becomes Linspire

Microsoft enhances its CRM tool

"The software giant's plans for its CRM product include a new component for palmtops. Microsoft's Business Solutions Unit last week announced plans to release an enhanced version of its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software in the summer of 2005.

Microsoft CRM 2.0 will feature a raft of new capabilities, including features for campaign-management, service-scheduling, marketing-automation and business-process-automation. The software giant is currently readying the first beta of the software.

Microsoft will also deliver additional customer-service enhancements for Outlook for mobile users, at the same time as the 2.0 release. The firm also revealed that it would add a Pocket PC complement to its CRM program."

Bink.nu - Microsoft enhances its CRM tool

Windows Update struggling to remain available

Microsoft's Windows Update web site has been experiencing slow response times in the wake of yesterday's release of critical security updates. A browser request through Internet Explorer eventually raises the site after an extended wait, and in some cases it is possible to successfully download and install updates over a broadband connection. Dynamically updating performance charts for Windows Update are available here.

Bink.nu - Windows Update struggling to remain available

Microsoft and Suicide

"All those who think Linux will clean Microsoft's clock who are also people who have never compiled software, please hold up your hand. See, it is the technical community (those who compile - the Compilers) that sees Open Source as the ultimate winner while all the people who actually buy software don't. The truth is that Microsoft is positioning itself to take on Linux on Linux's turf if that's required. Bill Gates has been quite clear that his company's need for huge cash reserves is to keep it going for up to five years in the face of ZERO sales. So Microsoft could match Open Source pricing without the Open Source and while the compilers might not be swayed, everyone else (the other 98 percent of the market) would be."

p2pnet.net - Microsoft and Suicide

Winner: Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Server 2003

"Windows Server 2003 won the top spot in this year's e-Business Foundations category on the strength of the components it combines for building an organization's basic IT infrastructure.

Our judges were impressed by Windows Server 2003's improved security features. Chief among those was the move to the all-new IIS (Internet Information Services) 6.0 Web server, which is faster, more reliable and more secure than the previous version of IIS. What's more, IIS 6.0 is not installed by default in Windows Server 2003, which reduces unnecessary exposure."

MSFN - Winner: Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Server 2003

Longhorn and Yukon timelines

Now that Yukon has been pushed back to the first half of 2005, I cannot believe the recent reports indicating Longhorn is on track for a first half of 2006 release. It just doesn't add up. Why? Because both products are tied to a Visual Studio release.

This means that they only have 1 year to develop VS.NET Orcas. No way hose.
VS.NET Orcas could only be released in Q2 2006 if:

• The delay is only caused by Yukon and VS.NET 2005 is already completed. The recent tech preview indicated otherwise.
• There are two seperate teams for 2005 and orcas. Well, I do believe that they already are developing parts of Orcas, but I think Orcas isn't getting to full speed development before 2005 is finished.
• Orcas has only a couple of additional features, like 2003 had. This is however very unlikely, because of all the new technologies they have to integrate to unleash the power of longhorn to developers.
• Untie the release of longhorn and visual studio, but this isn't an option at all. A new OS doesn't make sense without developer tools.

DotNetJunkies - Longhorn and Yukon timelines

The Only Way Microsoft Can Die is by Suicide

"When I wrote last week about my conclusion that the legal system -- any legal system -- is unequipped to change Microsoft's monopolistic behavior, I had no idea that within 24 hours, Sun Microsystem would be throwing in the towel, trading its so-called principles for $1.95 billion in cash. So I guess I was right. Only now, a few thousand readers out there expect me to blithely produce an answer to the problem of what to do to bring Microsoft into the civilized world. Well, I say it can't be done."

MSFN - The Only Way Microsoft Can Die is by Suicide