News


Music Web Site: Breach Exposed Accounts

Credit card data on Bananas.com music and gear Web site compromised, with several victims coming forward.

Google To Close AOL Investment in 2Q

Google Inc. said Thursday it expects to complete its $1 billion investment in America Online during the second quarter, slightly later than the two popular Web sites originally anticipated.

Microsoft Community Release for SQL Server Service Pack

Microsoft Wednesday delivered the first Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2005, including the data mirroring technologies that missed last fall’s release of the big update to Microsoft’s flagship database product.

ICANN To Test Non-English Domain Names

The Internet's key oversight agency has outlined a plan for testing domain names entirely in non-English characters, bringing closer to reality a change highly sought by Asian and Arabic Internet users.

Microsoft Licenses Live Communications Server Extensions

Microsoft is turning to a third-party firm to make Microsoft Live Communications Server more interoperable with other communications products based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

Computer Researchers Warn of Net Attacks

New Internet attacks targeting computers that manage global Internet traffic has potential to overwhelm popular Web sites and disrupt e-mails

Judge To Order Some Access to Google Database

Google Inc.'s legal showdown with the Bush administration over the right to protect the privacy of its audience and trade secrets appears to be tilting in the Internet search engine's favor, even though a federal judge has signaled he will order the company to turn over some records to the government.

Gates Says Microsoft Committed To Bridging Digital Divide

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates sketched out a vision for the future in which a cell phone will become a "digital wallet," able to get e-mail and even scan business cards, while computers and TVs will merge.

Microsoft Plays to Small Business

Microsoft this week continues its quest to bring more small business customers into the software fold with its first Small Business Summit, where officials announced options aimed at making it easier for smaller customers to obtain financing.

Microsoft Says EU Refused Open Antitrust Hearing Request

Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday that the European Commission has refused its request for an open antitrust hearing later this month -- hearings the EU said are never open to the public.

The Rumors Spread -- Has Vista Slipped?

An overzealous Microsoft employee may have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag as to when the company plans to release Windows Vista, when he posted to a Microsoft blog on Monday stating it will come out in November.

New Office Bulletin Fixes 6 Critical Flaws

Flaws allowing remote code execution in Microsoft Office and elevation of privilege in Windows were the source for two security bulletins posted by the software giant on Tuesday.

Best Buy is First National Retailer to Get Gold Certified

Best Buy became the first national retailer to achieve Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status, the companies said Tuesday.

Partner Watch, March 13

Sanbolic releases updated file system and volume manager solutions for SAN storage systems.

China's Wireless Encryption Standard Rejected

The world industrial-standards association has rejected China's controversial wireless encryption standard for global use, news reports said Monday, dealing a blow to Beijing's effort to promote its own standards for computers and telecoms.

FBI Computer Project May Hit $500 Million

The FBI plans to spend up to $500 million building the final piece of its delayed, troubled technology upgrade, yet risks a repeat of earlier missteps that led to excessive costs, according to a government report released Monday.

Newspaper Finds Covert CIA Workplaces, Employees via Internet Searches

The identities of 2,600 Central Intelligence Agency employees and the locations of two dozen of the agency's covert workplaces in the United States can be found easily through Internet searches, according to an investigation by the <i>Chicago Tribune</i>.

U.S., Google To Face Off in Court

The Bush administration will renew its effort to find out what people have been looking for on Google Inc.'s Internet-leading search engine, continuing a legal showdown over how much of the Web's vast databases should be shared with the government.

China Promises Tax Breaks To Encourage Tech-Based Economy

China will offer tax breaks to technologically innovative companies and boost spending to promote scientific breakthroughs as part of a new program to create an "innovation-oriented country," an official said Friday.

EU Sends Microsoft Compliance Warning

The European Commission told Microsoft Corp. on Friday that it was "still not in compliance" with a 2004 antitrust ruling that ordered it to share information with rivals to make their software work with Microsoft servers.