Posted by Oyya-Info on Friday, September 25, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Arguably Microsoft's biggest threat is its irrelevance to Web
developers. Though the company dominates personal computing and is a
major force in enterprise computing, it remains a distant also-ran to
LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl) development for the
growing Web ecosystem. On Thursday Microsoft announced its WebsiteSpark program to build inroads with the Web crowd, but the program is unlikely to make a serious dent on LAMP's dominance.
The reason? There are some big strings att... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, September 14, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature in its search engine Bing called Visual Search.
The new feature shows you pretty Silverlight-powered fly-in thumbnail
images for only 50 specific search results (it will be expanded in the
future), such as "Digital cameras," "New cars," "MLB players," and "Top
songs." As you refine a query from one of the 50 visual searches
available, thumbnails that don't match your query anymore fly off
screen, and the rest reshuffle to fill in the blank spaces.
In a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Wednesday, September 9, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft issued a formal security advisory late Tuesday on a reported zero-day flaw
in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. However, the software maker
also said that the flaw does not affect the final version of
Windows 7, contrary to earlier reports.
"Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a possible
vulnerability in Microsoft Server Message Block (SMB) implementation,"
Microsoft said in the advisory. "We are not aware of attacks that try to use the reported vulnerabilities o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Tuesday, September 1, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
 Ruston
Panabaker, Microsoft's principal program manager of strategic silicon
partnering, shows how later builds of Windows 7 were able to let the
processor enter low-power states for longer periods of time, saving
more power.
Upgrading a newer machine from Windows Vista to
Windows 7 might mean that you get to see the last few minutes of that DVD on a long flight.
At a demo on Tuesday, Microsoft showed two identical laptops playing
the same DVD, with the Windows 7-equipped notebook getting ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, August 24, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Intel and Microsoft will hold an event next week to discuss collaboration on improvements to Windows 7. The event, on September 1 in San Francisco, will "share how the two
companies collaborated on key enhancements during the development of
Windows 7," according to Intel. Steve Smith, vice president and
director, Intel's Digital Enterprise Group Operations, and Michael
Angiulo, general manager of Windows Planning and PC Ecosystem at
Microsoft, will talk at the event. Microsoft plans to launch ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Wednesday, August 19, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft has released a free trial of its cloud-based relational database.
The community technology preview (CTP) of SQL Azure Database was made available Tuesday, along with a preview of an SQL Server driver for building PHP applications for the Azure platform.
The Azure Services Platform,
first announced at a developer conference last year, is Microsoft's
move into the rapidly growing cloud-computing market. As with all cloud
platforms, the idea is to provide scalable, hosted services o... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Wednesday, August 12, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft has delivered the next iteration of its flagship database product, SQL Server 2008 R2, to developers for review.
The company released a preview of the software to MSDN and TechNet
subscribers on Monday. A community technology preview (CTP) will be
available on Wednesday for general download, Microsoft said in a blog post.
SQL Server 2008 R2, previously code-named "Kilimanjaro," is the next
generation of the Microsoft SQL Server database platform. The product
is planned for release ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, August 10, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
 Windows 7 64-bit will soon take over desktop computers.
Consumers have had the option of 64-bit Windows computing since the release of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition in May 2005, four years after the release of Windows XP 32-bit. At the end of 2006,
Windows Vista
32-bit and 64-bit versions were released simultaneously. Yet chances
are you're currently using a machine that runs the 32-bit version of
Windows.
This is about to change. Windows 64-bit has started to gain a significant footho... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Sunday, August 2, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
A rip-out-the-carpet PC refresh of both software and hardware is in the
offing as Microsoft's latest operating system and new laptop designs
converge later this year.
At the Intel Technology Summit in San Francisco on Wednesday, an
executive described the imminent mobile future, including a major
refresh of Netbook silicon, better-designed "ultrathins," and
turbo-powered high-end laptops.
Netbooks may undergo the biggest change. Models that appear after
Windows 7 ships in October will see the... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Saturday, August 1, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
 Microsoft's proposed "ballot screen" that would let users in Europe choose which browser they want on their PC. (Credit: Microsoft)
It looks like there won't be a browserless version of Windows 7, after all.
Microsoft said late Friday that it won't ship the Windows 7 "E" version
of Windows even though Europe has yet to sign off on its revised plan.
The plan calls for the company to ship Windows 7 with Internet
Explorer, but present a ballot screen in which users in Europe can
decide whether ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Tuesday, July 28, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
If you're the type of person who uses a lot of search engines and
doesn't mind having a toolbar installed, you might want to check out Firefox Super Search. This
Firefox-only
add-on puts the power of 160 search engines in one toolbar, with about
70 that can be searched right from the toolbar itself.
If you're used to Firefox's built-in search box, this is a pretty
big step up both from selecting one engine at a time and having to add
additional engine tools from Mozilla's catalog. It's also... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Sunday, July 26, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Windows 7 will be more than just a better interface. Under-the-hood
changes will allow chips from Intel, Nvidia, and Advanced Micro Devices
to ratchet up Windows 7 performance above previous Microsoft operating
systems.
Microsoft on Wednesday said it has finalized the code for Windows 7,
set to ship with new PCs starting October 22. Improvements will include
how Windows handles multitasking, graphics acceleration, and
solid-state drives.
Microsoft is working closely with Intel, whose chips w... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Tuesday, July 21, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft dropped a mini-bombshell on Monday, announcing that it is
contributing thousands of lines of code for inclusion in Linux.
But lest anyone think Microsoft suffered a massive head trauma
over the weekend, the code it is releasing isn't really about helping
Linux compete better with Microsoft. The drivers are really geared at
making Windows a better host for Linux.
"The Linux device drivers we are releasing are designed so
Linux can run in enlightened mode, giving it the same optimiz... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Friday, July 17, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
 For
people who've set other browsers set as default, the IE 8 installer now
always asks whether they want to make IE the new default. (Credit: Microsoft)
Responding to widespread carping, Microsoft has made it less likely that
Internet Explorer 8 will become the default browser against the user's wishes.
Previously, installing the browser offered an "express settings" that
would make IE 8 the default browser without asking, though the custom
settings route explicitly asked. Now the express ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Tuesday, July 14, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
The next version of Office moved a step closer to reality on Monday as
Microsoft released an invitation-only technical preview of Office 2010.
However, the release of the software will be limited. Attendees
of this week's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, as well as
the recent TechEd show, will gain access to the desktop versions of Office 2010. Microsoft has also been taking sign-ups via its Office 2010: The Movie teaser Web site.
Also, it won't show off the program's biggest ch... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Tuesday, July 14, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft's internal data credits the launch of its new Bing search
engine with an 8 percent boost in unique visitors during June.
It's been clear for a while that Bing's launch produced gains for Microsoft during its initial month, but the degree to which that gain was produced by those strolling by as a lark or by those actually using the service daily was unclear. Microsoft released data Monday
claiming an 8 percent gain in unique users during the month, and said
"based on our own polling... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, June 15, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
After plenty of coverage
about how its Bing search engine makes it all too easy for kids to find
and view porn, Microsoft has made some changes that will make it easier
for parents to block or monitor what their kids are viewing on the
site.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced that it is making two changes the company thinks will help address the issue.
According to the post, "explicit images and video content will
now be coming from a separate single domain, explicit.bing.net. This is
i... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, June 15, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft's move to offer Windows 7 in Europe without a browser may
help rivals, but it could make life more difficult for European
consumers, particularly those who want to upgrade their existing
machines.
As first reported earlier on Thursday by CNET News, Microsoft plans to ship Windows 7 to both PC makers and retail stores with Internet Explorer removed.
Now, most people will get Windows 7 on a new PC. Presumably, in
that case, the computer maker will chose to add back Internet Explor...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, June 15, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
SAN FRANCISCO--Microsoft's operating systems are still vulnerable to
attacks, but more often than not it's older versions that are taking
the big hits.
That was the message from Scott Charney, corporate vice
president in Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group, when he sat down
with me on Tuesday. We chatted about the latest threats, including
Conficker. The much-maligned
Windows Vista, he noted, wasn't hit in the way that older versions of the operating system were.
"Some of those widesp... Continue reading ...
Posted by Oyya-Info on Monday, June 15, 2009,
In :
Microsoft
Microsoft will begin offering its first hosted security service under
the Forefront brand on Thursday, dubbed Forefront Online Security for
Exchange and designed to help keep malware and spam out of e-mail
in-boxes.
The hosted service, which will cost $20 per user per
year or less based on volume licensing, targets enterprise Exchange
customers and includes a Web-based console for setting up policies for
virus and spam protection, said Doug Leland, general manager of
Microsoft's Identity and S... Continue reading ...
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