News


Apple, Labels Focus on Copy Protection

The last time Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs took on major recording companies, he refused to budge on his 99-cent price for a song on iTunes.

Microsoft and Packeteer Join Forces on 'Branch Office in a Box'

Branch offices present special challenges for IT, mostly because of often slow or unreliable WAN connections, and a lack of onsite IT personnel to secure the local network and computers. Microsoft Corp. and Cupertino, Calif.-based Packeteer believe they have found a solution with iShaper, which is being promoted as a "branch office in a box."

IT Professionals Fear Losing Jobs Over Security Breach

A recent study commissioned by systems management and deployment appliance maker KACE found that the majority of IT professionals working in "Fortune 100,000" or mid-sized companies" (defined as those companies with 100 to 100,000 employees) fear they could lose their job in the event of a security breach at their company.

Reports: Microsoft Pursuing Yahoo

Microsoft is said to be resuming its pursuit of search engine operator Yahoo, which will help it better compete with search leader Google.

Microsoft Buys Mobile Advertising Company

Microsoft, perhaps stung by its failure to buy online advertising giant DoubleClick in recent months, announced that it has bought European company ScreenTonic SA, a mobile advertising company.

Seven Critical Patches on Tap for Tuesday

All seven updates will address critical issues, Microsoft said. Redmond lumped the bulletins into several groups, two of which affect Windows.

Microsoft Role Complicates '$100 Laptop' Project

One of the most ambitious aspects of the "$100 laptop" project for schoolchildren in developing countries is the machines' open-source software platform, designed to be intuitive for kids.

RIM Unveils Newest BlackBerry: The Curve

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. is introducing its third new model in less than a year, a mid-sized device geared toward consumers who might prefer a full keyboard for typing text rather than the abridged one on the popular Pearl.

IBM Bores Tiny Holes in Computer Chips

Computer chips, it seems, work better if they're more like Swiss cheese than American cheese.

BizTalk R2 Beta Released

BizTalk R2 represents a change in thinking about RFID, or radio frequency identification, says Microsoft product manager.

Next Version of VB Dubbed 'VBx'

Visual Basic guru Paul Vick revealed this week on his blog that the company is working on a reboot of Visual Basic, dubbed at this stage VBx

Intel To Cut 1,000 Jobs in New Mexico

Intel Corp. said Tuesday that it expects to cut more than 1,000 jobs at its Rio Rancho plant as the company ends production of an older silicon wafer technology.

Presentation Toolset in Testing Phase

IdentityMine has released a community technology preview, or CTP, of a toolset for Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) developers called "Blendables."

Digg.com Users Rebel Over DVD Copy-Protection Locks

Operators of a Web site that ranks and displays items based on recommendations from its users relented this week in allowing people to post information and links on breaking the locks on high-definition DVDs.

Microsoft Moves to the Forefront of Security

Formally announces availability of security suite for Microsoft clients

Company Concedes 'Excel' Name to Microsoft

A niche software company says it will rename one of its programs, admitting defeat in a three-year effort to win money from Microsoft Corp. after it claimed the name was too close to Excel.

News Analysis: Why Vista Was Vulnerable

Microsoft Corp. likes to promote Windows Vista as its most secure operating system release ever. And with good reason. After all, the company put a lot of software-development elbow grease into its top-to-bottom redesign of Vista's default security experience.

Dell Chooses Ubuntu for Linux Machines

The fortunes of the Ubuntu version of Linux got a boost on Tuesday as Dell Computer, Inc. announced it will begin selling the open source operating system with selected desktop and laptop models in its consumer lines

AmberPoint Awarded Gold Partner Status From Microsoft

Company recognized for its governance solution, which helps manage enterprise applications in a service-oriented architecture.

.NET Entity Framework Slips Beyond Orcas

On April 28, Microsoft confirmed in a blog posting that the ADO.NET Entity Framework is now officially out of the next version of Visual Studio codenamed Orcas.