News


Microsoft's TerraServer Proof Point Still Serving Aerial Data

The TerraServer project that began six years ago as a proof point for the scalability of the then-unreleased SQL Server 7.0 is live and still growing, serving up free aerial images of neighborhoods, stadiums and harbors at half-meter resolution.

Virtual Server 2005 Released to Manufacturing

Virtual Server 2005 is released to manufacturing, a Microsoft spokesperson said Thursday. RTM marks the final development milestone in the server virtualization software's odyssey from a third-party beta version to an official Microsoft product.

XP SP2 Release Rumor Mill Gets Loud

Windows enthusiast sites are abuzz this week with rumors that Windows XP Service Pack 2 is minutes to days from release.

Vendors Clamber Aboard for 'Lindenhurst' Launch

OEMs thundered out of the gate with new servers based on Intel's Xeon processors with 64-bit extensions as Intel formally launched the server platforms for the long-awaited chip this week.

Cumulative Patch Ships for 3 Critical IE Flaws

More than a month after the Download.Ject vulnerability began exploiting a flaw in Internet Explorer, Microsoft fixed the underlying critical security vulnerability with a cumulative security patch over the weekend. The software giant urged customers to apply the update immediately.

Microsoft to Fix IE Ahead of Next Patch Tuesday

Microsoft vowed to release an out-of-cycle patch next week for Internet Explorer, its embattled browser that was shown to be so vulnerable by the recent Download.Ject problem that many security experts recommend that users stop using the product.

Windows Server 2003 SP1, 64-bit Extended Editions Slip to 2005

Microsoft has given up on delivering Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2003 for 64-bit Extended Systems and Windows XP 64-bit for 64-bit Extended Systems this year.

Hidden Gem: Windows Server Roadmap

On occasion, Microsoft publishes a great white paper with little fanfare. That's the case with a document called the "Windows Server Product Roadmap," which the company published in mid-June. Anyone in charge of buying or influencing the purchase of Windows servers ought to print out a copy.

Microsoft Rejects Japanese Antimonopoly Recommendation

The Japanese Fair Trade Commission recommended on July 13 that Microsoft is in contravention of Japan's Antimonopoly Act. Microsoft formally gave the JFTC notice of its plans to seek further hearings on the recommendation this week.

Microsoft Finishes SQL Server 2005 Beta 2

Microsoft this week released its long-awaited Beta 2 for SQL Server 2005, the next major release of Microsoft's flagship database that was formerly code-named "Yukon."

Office 2003 SP1 Available

Microsoft on Tuesday posted Office 2003 Service Pack 1, a collection of bug fixes for all the Office applications as well as feature enhancements for OneNote, InfoPath, Outlook and Access.

Microsoft Earnings, Revenues Grow in 4th Quarter

Microsoft on Thursday announced 15 percent revenue growth, and 82 percent earnings growth for its fourth quarter compared to the year-ago period. But the company missed analyst expectations for earnings per share.

Microsoft Contributes Analyst, Free Software to Cybercrime Organization

Microsoft announced Wednesday that it is helping a new cyberforensics organization get off the ground with the contribution of a full-time analyst and $46,000 worth of software.

Fujitsu Ships Itanium 2 Server

Fujitsu's U.S. subsidiary this week rolled out the second server in its line of Itanium 2 processor-based systems.

Abridean Updates Provisioning Software

Abridean advanced its user management and provisioning software this week with a new release that introduces centralized management of policies governing the granting and removing of user access to systems, data and resources.

Microsoft Unveils $30 Billion Stock Buyback

Company executives also announced plans to issue a special one-time dividend of $3 per share and change Microsoft's regular dividend payments from 16 cents per share per year to 8 cents per share per quarter.

Lindows to Get $20 Million from Microsoft, Will Change Company Name to Linspire

Microsoft agreed to pay $20 million to Lindows to get the San Diego-based desktop Linux OS vendor to stop using a name that Microsoft contends infringes upon its Windows trademark.

Windows Update Services Delayed

Citing the need to incorporate user feedback and the higher priority of Windows XP Service Pack 2-related work, Microsoft pushed back its shipment target for Windows Update Services from the end of this year to the first half of next year.

Quarantining Part of Windows Server 2003 'R2' Fleshed Out

Microsoft unveiled details, a name and partner support for the quarantining technology it plans to add to Windows Server 2003 next year in the update release, code-named "R2."

Patch Tuesday Brings Fixes for 2 Critical Security Flaws

Microsoft patched two critical flaws in its software in a batch of seven security bulletins released today as part of the company's monthly "Patch Tuesday." Each of the two critical flaws could allow an attacker to take complete control of a Windows computer over the Internet.