News


Deals Set Stage for Chinese President's Visit to Microsoft

Chinese computer manufacturer Founder Technology Group Corp. signed an agreement Wednesday with Microsoft Corp. as part of an overall effort to crack down on widespread software piracy in China.

Microsoft Launches Academic Search Tool

Microsoft this week took another shot at nemesis Google as it released the first beta test copy of its own academic search system.

Google Launches Calendar App

Google Inc., the top online search engine, is unveiling a calendar service that allows users to store appointments online, receive reminders about them and share those plans with others.

Microsoft To End Windows 9x Support in July

This time, there will be no more temporary reprieves. Microsoft has begun warning users of Windows 98, 98 Second Edition and Windows Millennium Edition that the end is near -- for all technical support, at least.

.NET Exam for Enterprise Developers Now Available

Microsoft Learning Group also plans to launch multi-language versions of SQL Server exams in April.

Microsoft Launches Windows/Linux Site

Microsoft late last week did something longtime industry watchers thought they'd never see: The company announced it has set up a Web site specifically aimed at improving communications with Linux and the rest of the open source world.

'Live Clipboard' Is Coming

Chief technical officer Ray Ozzie has only been at Microsoft a year but he has already started making an important impact on the company's technology directions, especially in the area of the software giant's online services play.

Lawyer: British Hacker Could Be Prosecuted Under U.S. Terrorist Statutes

A Briton accused of mounting the largest ever successful hack of U.S. government computer networks could face prosecution under U.S. anti-terror laws, despite assurances he will not, his lawyer told an extradition hearing Wednesday.

Google Defends Cooperation with China

Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt on Wednesday defended the search engine's cooperation with Chinese censorship as he announced the creation of a Beijing research center and unveiled a Chinese-language brand name.

Winternals Sues Best Buy for Unlicensed Software

A Texas software company sued Best Buy Co. Inc. in federal court on Tuesday, alleging that the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer was using unlicensed versions of its diagnostic equipment.

Chinese Company Founder Buys Windows Licenses

Founder extends goodwill gesture in hopes of promoting use of genuine versions of Windows software.

MySpace.com Hires Former Microsoft Exec

MySpace.com said Tuesday it has tapped a former federal prosecutor and Microsoft Corp. executive to be its online safety chief, the latest move by the social networking site to shore up security.

Microsoft Ships April Atlas CTP

Microsoft this week released the April Community Technology Preview (CTP) of ASP.NET, code-named "Atlas."

Extra, Extra: FrontPage Is Dead

As Microsoft works on delivering new tools for creating and maintaining Web sites, it also plans to quietly kill off FrontPage at the end of the year.

Winternals Sues Best Buy

Texas software company alleges that Best Buy's Geek Squad subsidiary is using unlicensed copies of Winternals' diagnosis tools.

Microsoft Releases 5 Security Bulletins

Microsoft on Tuesday released five security bulletins as promised. All five addressed vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to take complete control of an affected system. Three of the bulletins were rated critical, and one addressed a high-profile, zero-day exploit in Internet Explorer.

Partner Watch, April 10

NetLib releases data encryption software for SQL Server backup tapes.

Cell Phone Industry Steps Closer to VoIP

LAS VEGAS -- Wojtek Felendzer held a mobile phone to his ear as he walked across the room, the call automatically switching behind the scenes from a Wi-Fi wireless hotspot to the regular cellular network.

IBM Unveils Encryption Chip

In an effort to boost the level of data security on portable computers, cell phones and other gadgets, IBM Corp. is unveiling a method for injecting encryption capabilities into the heart of the machines' circuitry.

Norway Gov't Moves Toward Open Source

The Norwegian government on Friday said it will step up use of open-source software to reduce its dependency on computer giants like Microsoft.