News


Internet Explorer 7.0 to Focus on Security

Fresh on the heels of a security-related update of Internet Explorer 6.0 in Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft is promising a second security-focused overhaul of the browser for Windows XP SP2 systems called Internet Explorer 7.0.

Longhorn Beta Coming in First Half

Windows "Longhorn" Beta 1 is on track for availability in the first half of this year, a Microsoft official said last week.

Gates: Microsoft Working on a New Version of Internet Explorer

Gates made the IE announcement during a wide-ranging keynote about Microsoft's security plans at the RSA Conference in San Francisco. Gates also said Microsoft will develop its own anti-virus engine, its anti-spyware software will be free for consumer users of Windows, and Internet Security & Acceleration Server 2004 is released to manufacturing.

I, Robots.txt

In a recent bout of stupidity, the U.S. Department of Energy apparently accidentally published confidential Homeland Security Department documents marked "For Official Use Only", and the documents remain visible via Google's Web cache.

Limited Group Testing 'R2'

Microsoft is doubling the size of the group conducting private tests of the Windows Server 2003 "R2" release, but the test group remains tiny compared to the scope of Microsoft's public betas for operating systems.

Dual-Core Pentiums Coming In Q2

Intel announced this week it is already turning out trial production runs of two of its promised dual-core processor models, enabling creation of desktop PCs that can run four separate threads at once. Deliveries of production processors and supporting chipsets will come in the second quarter, a company spokeswoman says.

Chip Consortium to Produce 'Cell'

Intel is facing a challenger in multi-core processors from a surprising competitor -- a consortium that includes IBM, Sony and Toshiba.

HP Board Pushes Fiorina Out

HP chairman and chief executive officer Carly Fiorina, the architect and champion of HP's controversial 2002 merger with fellow computer giant Compaq Computer, resigned Wednesday at the request of HP's Board of Directors.

Microsoft to Buy Sybari

Microsoft signed a definitive agreement to buy anti-virus and anti-spam vendor Sybari Software for an undisclosed sum, the companies said on Tuesday.

Windows Server 2003 SP1 Hits RC2 Stage

Microsoft posted second release candidates on Wednesday night for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

Microsoft Releases 12 Security Bulletins, 8 Critical

Microsoft on Tuesday delivered its promised heavy load of security bulletins, including two patches for critical flaws already in the public domain.

Gates: Perfect Smart Client? – Office, of Course

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates used the company's first Office System Developer Conference to pitch Office as the obvious smart client for applications being built by the 800 partner developers in the audience.

Visual Studio Tools Emphasized at First Office Devcon

Microsoft kicked off its first ever Office System Developer Conference here Wednesday, emphasizing the increasing programmability of the Office suite and its improving integration with other products.

Flood of Security Bulletins Coming Next Tuesday

IT departments worldwide should have an exceptionally busy Tuesday next week, evaluating and deploying a flood of patches from Microsoft.

Microsoft Creates Free Utility for Detecting Network Sniffers

Microsoft on Wednesday posted a free security tool in the Microsoft Download Center to help administrators root out unauthorized network sniffers running on Windows computers.

Cloak Hides Off Limits Files From Nosy Users

ScriptLogic is shipping Cloak, a tool that lets systems managers show individual users only those files and directories that they are allowed to access. Like the fabled stealth capability of Klingon warships, files and directories that users are not authorized to access become invisible to them.

Why the Dip in Office Revenues?

Microsoft's most recent quarterly financial report showed a stumble in the lucrative Office suite's otherwise steady march toward ever-larger revenues. Revenues for the Information Worker unit fell 3 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. On the other hand, profits from the unit shot up 11 percent.

HPC Market Growth Strong

High-performance computing is becoming more common and less expensive, according to analysts at IDC.

Microsoft Launches MSN Search

Microsoft's long-awaited direct challenge to Google's Internet search dominance arrived Tuesday with the formal launch of MSN Search.

Microsoft to Meet with Antitrust Regulators about Longhorn

The back-and-forth between Microsoft and government regulators about whether Windows "Longhorn" will violate the U.S. antitrust agreement will escalate this month to a face-to-face meeting. Windows XP Service Pack 2 also emerged as a topic for antitrust-related discussion.