Microsoft Windows Forum

We already know quite a lot about Windows 7: it has a distinct [URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/daveyw/2008/09/21/windows-7-leaking-like-crazy/"]Office 2007 feel to the UI[/URL], it is likely to feature some kind of [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/21193/53/"]instant on fast booting process[/URL], and the OS itself should [URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/blogs/daveyw/2008/11/15/windows-7-scales-to-256-processors/"]scale to some 256 processors[/URL]. The launch of an official '[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2998.html"]Engineering Windows 7[/URL]' …

It was the fourth-worst trading day in Wall Street history, with the Dow off 679 points (about 8% of the index's total value) and the Nasdaq falling almost 9%, to 1,398 for the session. There's a lot to point at here, but the main culprit seems to be the fact …

An update on the report from the UK’s Financial Times and The Telegraph that Microsoft is all set to buy Yahoo’s search engine division for $20 billion: more media outlets are carrying the story on Sunday night, including Drudge and CNET. But CNBC found an inside source who claims the …

Steve Ballmer called Linux a "[URL="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/"]Cancer[/URL]" in the past, ranted about [URL="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/111706-ballmer-linux-users-owe.html"]patent infringement[/URL], [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9005171&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1"]accused[/URL] Linux programmers of ripping-off intellectual property, and [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/steve/2006/11-02NovellInterop.mspx"]penned[/URL] a deal between rival Novell to sell Linux. Wait, that last one doesn't fit with the others. Did you ever notice how someone is often mean or harsh …

If you've been thinking of ditching your old BlackBerry and getting a new Bold or Storm, but hate the idea of an upgrade or early termination fee, I have some great news for you. The best part of the new devices has been all its new browser has to offer. …

Henry Ford, father of the mass production assembly line, would have hated Linux although embracing it today might help pull his company out of its current financial nosedive (Current stock price under $1.50 per share). Ford held 161 patents and if he were alive today, some of those might well …

[I]Way down deep it's the same old you Way down deep you ain't hiding the truth Just for a minute you had me confused Baby way down deep it's the same old you ~Tom Petty, Same Old You.[/I] My colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols in his aptly titled [URL="http://blogs.computerworld.com/the_big_windows_7_lie"]Cyber Cynic[/URL] column …

Two weeks ago I was asked a question to which, given my occupation, I should have known the answer. The question was: “How many software testers are there?” Being editor of a magazine about software testing, that's a number I should have know cold. At the time, I offered an …

A Firefox developer has [URL="http://ehsanakhgari.org/blog/2008-11-04/dont-leave-trace-private-browsing-firefox"]revealed[/URL] that pre-release versions of Firefox 3.1 have been updated with a new feature. Officially called 'Private Browsing' it will be more familiar to many as the much talked about Porn Mode that [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20303/53/"]caused such controversy[/URL] when Microsoft announced it was being included within the forthcoming …

Who couldn't use some extra cash these days? Thousands of dollars in prize money is up for grabs as testers face off in [url=http://www.utest.com/bug_battle/]Battle of the Browsers[/url], a seven-day contest that starts today. Applications in the contest's arena are Google's Chrome, Firefox 3.1 alpha 2 and IE 8. To qualify, …

You cannot have escaped the fact that this week is the Microsoft PDC2008. Those attending the Professional Developers Conference, only held every other year, were lucky enough to witness the first full public demo of Windows 7. What's more, PDC attendees even walked away with a full pre-Beta build of …

[I]You can do one of two things; just shut up, which is something I don't find easy, or learn an awful lot very fast which is what I tried to do. ~Jane Fonda [/I] Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to have learned Jane Fonda's big life lesson. In fact, dude doesn't …

Microsoft came out with a new line of ads? Yes, I was on Youtube looking for the[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw"] Gates and Seinfield commercials[/URL]; hoping that the 3rd ad was out; instead I found out that [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/18/jerry-seinfeld-and-bill-g_n_127384.html"]Microsoft pulled The Bill gates and Seinfield Commercials[/URL]. Microsoft created a [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkZdkHylJ3w"]new line of Microsoft ads[/URL] that …

Well, as they say in Vegas, in for a dime, in for a dollar. Or in the case of the Congressional bailout that President Bush wasted no time whipping out his sharpie and signing into law, how about $700 billion? The revote in the U.S. House of Representatives was never …

Hot off the press comes the [URL="http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.planning/browse_thread/thread/e047739c7e3345f0?pli=1"]news[/URL] that Mozilla is pushing out yet another Firefox update real soon now, Firefox 3.0.3 will be released as soon as possible to fix a rather serious bug in Firefox 3.0.2 which has not long been released itself. In fact, my 3.0.2 update was …

The second [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw"]Microsoft-Seinfeld ad[/URL] was released Friday. It had a few funny moments, but once again left most people shaking their heads wondering exactly what Microsoft hopes to achieve. I'm not sure they know. Although they may have a game plan, it's hard for anyone to see exactly what it …

Has The Idea of one Mega Internet Computer Operating System ever crossed your mind? I have definitely thought about the possibility of a World Wide Operating System but I guess I was not the only one thinking about it. Google started out as a Search Engine, Their next big step …

I recently wrote a [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3077.html"]blog[/URL] stating that I was trying to go back to 7. I went to bed and got some geek sleep and then woke up and did the impossible! I have written out the steps below how to get back to Internet Explorer 7 by tricking Microsoft. …

I can just hear Jerry Seinfeld’s monologue taking jabs at Redmond: “…and what’s with Microsoft Vista—Bob and Windows ME weren’t embarrassing enough?” Who knows, maybe he already has. But now all that must be put aside as he takes on the role of pitch man for Vista. Do the folks …

Microsoft has announced a $300M dollar ad campaign, featuring 90s TV star [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/"]Jerry Seinfeld[/URL], which according to multiple reports has been designed to save Vista and salvage Microsoft's battered reputation. There is so much wrong with this strategy, it's really hard to know where to start. First of all, the …

That's the question I had not thought of asking, nor really given much thought to at all, until now. What prompted the question was the appearance of the [URL="http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2008/08/18/windows_5F00_7_5F00_team.aspx"]Official Engineering Windows 7 blog[/URL]. The third posting proved to be a fascinating read, providing the kind of insight into the development …

Microsoft products have always presented a paradox for organizations. On one hand they seem to be universally derided. On the other, they remain the corporate standard. Open source, SaaS/online and other alternatives have had a hard time gaining widespread traction in large organizations. That's partly because companies would likely rather …

Many of the operating system tools that come with Windows are far inferior to free alternatives, and you can't beat the price. This post looks at some of my favorite free utilities. [URL="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/"]Firefox [/URL]– Web Browser No round-up of free utilities would be complete without the fabulous Firefox, perhaps the …

Yes, you read that correctly: Servers to Gadgets to Desktop. It seems that Linux Operating System expansion will occur in that order. First, Linux was in the Data Center booting Apache to the top spot for worldwide web services. Next, Linux was found on gadgets as small as cell phones, …

There’s an old saying, 'What do you want for nothing, your money back?' But the fact is there is lots of good free software out there. Much of it has a much smaller footprint than your typical Windows software from Mega Corporation (you know which companies I’m talking about) and …

For once someone has done the right thing. You might remember my [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2881.html"]last post[/URL] was a disappointed rant against China for restricting access to the Internet for journalists covering the Olympics. I can't speak for the US but in the UK it got as far as our National news bulletins. …

Details of a future Microsoft operating system were revealed yesterday by David Worthington, a guy who works down the hall from me. He has apparently gotten his eyes on Microsoft documents that contained extensive details of a ground-up OS rewrite code-named Midori. Based on those documents, [URL=http://tinyurl.com/5ryum5]he reports[/URL] for SD …

Microsoft it was disclosed today will become a sponsor of the Apache Software Foundation, forking over US$100,000 a year for theprivilege . In return, Redmond will gain access to the [URL=http://poi.apache.org/]Apache POI[/URL] project, a Java port of file formats of Microsoft's Office suite of applications. Based on Microsoft's history, I …

Stocks are up this morning - up 56 points a half-hour after the open - thanks to a higher-than-expected durable goods report. In real-speak, that means that heavy equipment and bulk manufacturing buyers broke open their checkbooks last month and bought more bulldozers and crates of metal than Wall Street …

That’s it. I’ve had enough. Today I draw a line in the sand with me and Windows XP on one side and Microsoft and any of its new operating systems—including Vista—on the other, for ever more. What got me started on this—the reason for this pledge—is simple: Yesterday Microsoft said …

According to [URL="http://www.bt.com"]BT[/URL] the average UK office worker sees less sun than the average coal miner. The growing trend of 'chain-desking' where workers feel that being out of the office is the same as being out of touch, is blamed for the vampire-like existence. The research was conducted on behalf …

Yes, I'm afraid it's true; Firefox is the most popular browser out there. Standing at this moment at over 11.5 millions downloads since its production release Tuesday, June 17. How can I make such a sweeping statement? It is the most popular browser ever because of the number of voluntary …

When I opened my mail box today and picked up this month’s [URL="http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=10395&page=1"]Streaming Media Magazine[/URL], [URL="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000325/"]David Caruso[/URL], aka Horatio Caine on [URL="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/"]CSI Miami[/URL], stared out at me from the cover in his trademark shades. Not exactly what you expect from a magazine aimed at video geeks, but apparently Caruso is …

Andrew Cuomo, New York Attorney General, has been fighting one of those fights that you sadly cannot win: to rid the Internet of child pornography. Believe me, as a father of four I would love to say that it was possible but as a technology journalist with some 20 years …

[URL="http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/05/iphone-runs-windows-vista-kinda/"]Slippery Brick reports[/URL] that it is now possible to run Windows Vista on your iPhone, well after a fashion at any rate. In fact what you get is a Vista emulator called VistaPerfection 2.0 which provides your iPhone with "wallpapers, sliders, sound effects and over 90 Vista-themed icons for everything …

In the past few weeks, we have seen Microsoft trying to acquire Yahoo! for some $46-odd billion dollars. They failed. So, moving on, they are [URL="http://furrier.org/2008/05/19/silicon-valley-rumor-microsoft-to-buy-yahoo-search-and-then-facebook/"]trying to acquire Facebook now[/URL]. Mark Zuckerberg is standing firm on this one though. They are decisively saying "no" to the acquisition. [URL="http://www.ginside.com/2008/1589/google-to-buy-facebook/"]Facebook is not …

The Mozilla team says its latest browser is stable, and has posted [Firefox 3 RC 1](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-rc.html) on Saturday. Apart from more than 900 enhancements the team claimed were [delivered in beta 4](http://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/index.php/2008/03/10/firefox-3-beta-4-now-available-for-download/), Firefox 3 RC1 also includes the so-called AwesomeBar, a beefed-up location bar that anticipates destinations as you type …

Before I tell you about Bill Gates’ speech at CEO Summit 2008 today, I’d like to share one more story from my trip to Orlando for STAR EAST last week. And then I’ll tie the two together. In [my May 10 post](http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2434.html) from the conference, I mentioned “Testing Dialogues—In the …

Microsoft continues to reach out and touch mobile device makers and their carriers. The company today announced a deal with Research in Motion that will enhance integration between Microsoft’s Windows Live services and Blackberry 7000 and 8000 series devices as well as the [URL= http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2443.html]BlackBerry Bold[/URL], a brand-new model unveiled …

Microsoft is not old by corporate standards, but in the world of technology it is down-right staid. That’s why it takes a while for it to make major changes (or five years to roll out an OS). A few years ago when Bill Gates was still in charge, he recognized …

I'm no Microsoft basher, but I've never hidden my personal loathing for Vista. Yet even I was surprised to learn this week just how cynical Microsoft appears to be regarding Vista. It started the other day when a Steve Ballmer speech to the [URL="http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/"]Microsoft MVPs [/URL]leaked out. According to several …

[URL="http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=11463"]Reports are emerging[/URL] that according to a Gartner analysis, albeit a controversial one, Windows is on the verge of collapse. The conclusion being that unless something is done soon then it is only a matter of time before a competitor that is more able to tackle the problems it has …

Today's trading was flat, with most of the tech news coming from the Yahoo & Microsoft camps. Microsoft seems to be getting all Tony Soprano-like on the Yahoo board, issuing a pointed letter that emphasized an April 26 deadline for accepting its $44.6 billion takeover bid for the mega-web portal. …

Wordpress 2.5 has been under development for 6 months. This past weekend, [URL="http://ma.tt/"]Matt Mullenweg[/URL] [URL="http://wordpress.org/development/2008/03/wordpress-25-brecker/"]announced[/URL] the release of Wordpress 2.5 at his keynote during [URL="http://dallas.wordcamp.org/"]WordCamp Dallas[/URL] 2008. You can read more about [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress"]Wordpress on Wikipedia[/URL]. You can get your copy here: [URL="http://wordpress.org/download/"]click here[/URL] But most of all, a huge congrats …

[URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/181083/microsoft-offers-free-vista-sp1-support.html"]According to IT Pro[/URL] Microsoft has done a u-turn when it comes to charging users for installation or compatibility support with regard to Vista SP1. It says that Microsoft is now "offering free support to any Windows Vista SP1 user experiencing problems." Quoting Microsoft MVP Brandon LeBlanc, it reports "you …

Kind of a quiet week in the technology corner of the stock market. That's not so bad, as people can exhale and figure out if the latest Federal Reserve move to cut the Fed Funds rate by .75 points signals the bottom (finally) of the bearish stock market. if so, …

Well, it looks like the latest installment of Microsoft's browser, IE8, is now [url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/ie8/readiness/Install.htm]available for download[/url] in beta status. While I'm not daring enough to give it a go myself, word on the street is that, while Microsoft boasts it passes the ACID2 test, it renders most sites rather awkwardly, …

Businesses are snapping their wallets shut, at least when it comes to software spending - usually a good leading indicator of economic growth. One key benchmark, the ChangeWave corporate software spending survey, has seen a shift into negative territory for the first time in years. In its January, 2008 survey …

Nobody has ever accused Microsoft of not knowing how to play hardball. From its history of monopolistic practices, of elbowing competitors out of the marketplace (hello, Netscape!), or lifting ideas it likes from adversaries like Apple without shame, Microsoft is more than ready to throw the first punch. With that …

[URL="http://www.opera.com"]Opera Software ASA[/URL], the company behind what used to be the alternative web browser of choice until Firefox came along and changed all that, has urged Microsoft to give consumers a genuine choice of standards-compliant browser clients. It has filed an official complaint with the European Commission which describes at …