14,025 Topics
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| | I laughed out loud when I saw this headline on the ars technica Web site: “[URL=http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/07/16/monkey-see-monkey-do-microsoft-launches-mobile-app-site]Monkey see, monkey do: Microsoft launches mobile app site[/URL].” It’s so typical of Microsoft in recent years to desperately emulate companies it perceives as its competitors, even at the expense of its own embarrassment. The …  |
 | That's what the [URL="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121623279341859201.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news"]Wall Street Journal[/URL] seems to think anyway. I can't help but be a little cynical about this, what with their would-be deal with Yahoo! hardly cold in its grave. The cold-hearted journalist in me tends to see conspiracy theories wherever it looks, so please forgive me if … |
| | Here’s a footnote for the current chapter of the Microsoft-Yahoo acquisition saga. Microsoft this week issued a [URL=http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/jul08/07-14statement.mspx]statement[/URL] to “set the record straight” about [URL=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=321697]Yahoo’s July 12 rejection[/URL] of the latest acquisition offer from Redmond. Rather than trying to paraphrase, here’s Microsoft in its own words, including references to “activist … |
 | BestBuy is now offering Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) in a shrink-wrapped box for $19.99. This is the only packaged Linux that BestBuy currently sells. I haven't seen the package or visited my local BestBuy store in several months but I am happy about this decision. Shelf space is at a … |
 | [I]It's not always easy, And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together ~Jack Johnson, Better Together. [/I] [URL="http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/07/11/schmidt_independent_yahoo_better_for_competition/"]AP is reporting [/URL]this morning that Eric Schmidt, he being CEO of the great and almighty Google, thinks it would better if Yahoo! remained … |
| | A built-in profiler, a new attributes language and enhanced project analyzer are among the features in RealBasic 3, the cross-platform integrated development environment from Real Software. The IDE for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows began shipping today. RealBasic 3 now supports attributes—which the company characterizes as compile-time properties—for project … |
| | Technology stocks received something of a boost yesterday, with the NASDAQ rising 21 points to 2,266. Traders were buzzing about Microsoft’s admission that it would re-open talks with Yahoo, but only if less-than-subtle co-conspirator Carl Icahn can manage to unseat the Yahoo board of directors. Icahn, the famed corporate raider, … |
| | Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is not only an apish buffoon, but he also apparently lacks a backbone. It was revealed today in a [URL=http://in.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idINWNAS033120080707]letter to Yahoo shareholders[/URL] written by “activist investor” Carl Icahn that Ballmer expressed fears that the current Yahoo board—hostile to a takeover by Microsoft—could put the huge … |
| | Here's a story that didn't get much play on the wire services. Microsoft on June 30 published [URL=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc203350.aspx]format specifications[/URL] for Office binary files as well as protocol documentation for Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, Outlook 2007, Office SharePoint Server 2007 and SQL Server 2005. According to the company, the move … |
| | Microsoft is betting that people would rather fork over $US20 a year for the legal right to use its Office application suite than install an old or pirated copy or use one of a growing number of free alternatives. Having been faced with that exact decision myself this week, I … |
| | I’ve been highly critical of many of Microsoft’s moves lately, mostly because they have felt like the awkward ramblings of a company one step behind the curve, but the other day Microsoft made, what in my view, is a smart play. They bought [URL="http://www.powerset.com/"]Powerset[/URL], a San Francisco-based semantic search company … |
| | The Wall Street Journal reported this morning (and thousands of others since then) in a [URL=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121496732802022117.html] front-page story[/URL] that Microsoft is seeking new channels of opportunity for acquiring the search business of Yahoo. Redmond has reportedly been in talks with Time Warner and WSJ parent company News Corp., cooking up … |
| | According to the official Microsoft Developer Network [URL="http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/default.aspx"]IEBlog[/URL] Internet Explorer 8 will come packed with a whole host of new security features. These will include the SmartScreen Filter which replaces the Phishing Filter in current versions of the browser. Eric Lawrence, Program Manager for Internet Explorer Security says that this … |
 | Matrox has announced what it claims to be the first true QuadHead GPU, the Matrox M-Series. Which begs the question, just how many monitors do you need? With 512 MB of memory, native PCIe x16 performance and a fanless design for quiet operation you might think Matrox has done enough … |
| | 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 … |
| | My colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols recently wrote a piece on his fine Practical Technology blog called [URL="http://practical-tech.com/operating-system/dear-microsoft-thanks-for-the-help-linux/"]Dear Microsoft, Thanks for the help, Linux[/URL] in which he argues that Microsoft’s ill-timed decision to cut off easy access to XP tomorrow (June 30th) combined with its announcement it would be releasing the … |
| | It wasn't due for another six weeks or so, but today Microsoft surprised many folk by starting to sell its new Hyper-V server virtualisation software. Microsoft had repeatedly told anyone who asked, and anyone who was listening, that it would be released in August. However, Microsoft customers were alerted to … |
| | Speaking before the start of the Microsoft [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jun08/06-25GFWBigPicturePR.mspx"]Big Picture[/URL] gaming showcase in San Francisco, Jon Schappert, a Microsoft Corporate VP, took the opportunity to lay claim to Windows being the biggest gaming platform on the planet. Not Microsoft, you might like to note. Not the Xbox. But rather, and specifically, … |
| | The big news on Wall Street today is the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep the Fed Funds rate at 2% - a move designed to keep rising inflation at bay. When the Fed cuts rates, the idea is that nation’s money supply will be loosened up, and money becomes easier … |
| | You’re about to begin a project that will tap into or integrate data from a database. You’ve been looking for low-cost ways to clear that data of duplicates, near-dupes, and obsolete or garbage data. But cleansing tools are expensive. As of today, there’s a free solution for you to think … |
| | 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 … |
| | Easier installation, 3D desktop effects, digital music and video management and an up-to-date OpenOffice are among the enhancements in openSUSE 11.0, which became generally available this week. Designed for the novice as well the advanced, installation options include a choice of Gnome 2.22 or KDE 4 desktop environments and the … |
| | How much is $630 worth? According to [URL="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/19/ebayer_live_search_game/"]The Register[/URL] the rather surprising answer is $714. That is the price that an enterprising eBayer has put on some money, and by manipulating the Microsoft Live Search advertising cashback offer implemented by Microsoft last month the guy reckons you can turn a … |
| | It has not been a good couple of weeks for Microsoft, at least not when it comes to how the online search space is fanning out anyway. Following on from the refusal of yahoo to take the Microsoft buy out bid seriously, comes the news that it is jumping into … |
| | 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 … |
| | Yes, it's Sunday again and you know what that means--Crystal Ball Sunday and new predictions for Linux and Open Source for the coming months. This week I probe application and operating system interoperability. Developers and integrators are going to begin focusing considerable effort on the interoperability of Windows, Linux, and … |
| | Following announcements at the [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/events/teched2008/itpro/default.mspx"]Microsoft Tech Ed IT Professionals 2008[/URL] conference in Orlando this week, it would appear that Internet Explorer 8 will concentrate on getting things right for the business user. This means a focus on deployment issues, a focus on improving compatibility and updates to the IE admin … |
| | I'd hate to be Jerry Yang's therapist today. The Yahoo CEO turned down a $33 per share buyout offer from Microsoft several months ago, with some saying the price could have gone as high as $37 per share. But that was then and this is now. The Associated Press is … |
| | At the risk of sounding like just another Microsoft bashing session, I already trust Apple’s [URL=http://www.apple.com/mobileme/] MobileMe[/URL] more than [URL=http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2364.html] Microsoft’s Mesh[/URL]. Apple today unveiled the new service which it says will be up and running in July. MobileMe will replace the venerable .Mac online file storage service and compete … |
| | Acer is the latest company to jump on the ultra-portable bandwagon with Aspire one, a 2.2-pound unit that sports a near-full size keyboard and can yield as much as six hours of battery life per charge, according to claims by the PC maker. Rival Asus last month began shipping [URL=http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2339.html] … |
| | If you’re a Ruby or Python developer building AJAX applications, you’ve got to learn JavaScript. Even if you’re converting Ruby code to client-side JavaScript with a tool like [URL= http://www.scribd.com/doc/220397/RJShow-it-works] RJS[/URL], it can still be helpful to know the AJAX component for adding features and debugging. Now Microsoft is promoting … |
| | Welcome to another edition of Crystal Ball Sunday! This week my predictions center around system builders and integrators and their use of Linux to lower costs, standardize hardware offerings, and provide a new systems to buyers that are ready to go to work. Acer has already discussed Linux being the … |
| | Microsoft today gave [URL=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-jun.mspx] advance notice [/URL]of a security bulletin it will release on Tuesday to repair seven vulnerabilities in Windows and Internet Explorer, three of them critical. The three critical warnings involve potential remote code execution, and affect Bluetooth, DirectX and IE. According to reports, the latter patch might … |
| | [I]Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. ~Dylan Thomas. [/I] Every once in a while you come across a blog post from a writer that makes you sit up … |
| | This must truly be the end of days. Like Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: “Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling…human sacrifice, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria.” Microsoft is giving advice on securing its software to Apple. It’s “laughable on …  |
| | Bill Gates opened [URL= http://www.microsoft.com/events/TechEd2008/default.mspx] Tech-Ed 2008 Developers[/URL], its annual developers conference in Orlando, Fla., today by saying good-bye to a group the Microsoft founder said has been the company’s most important. “The success of Microsoft really is due to our relationship with developers,” he said in his keynote this … |
| | Channel Insider has [URL="http://www.pr-inside.com/channel-insider-names-red-hat-enterprise-r619668.htm"]announced[/URL] that [URL="http://www.redhat.com"]Red Hat Enterprise Linux[/URL] has beaten off the competition in the 2008 Product of the Year awards to scoop the server operating system award. This is important for two reasons: firstly the fact that awards are given to products which "exemplify attributes of high importance … |
| | According to an [URL="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208401867"]Information Week[/URL] article, it would appear that gamers actually like the in-game adverts that they see while they play. Or rather Massive Inc, a Microsoft subsidiary that handles in-game advertising, has said as much. Gamers were surveyed and the results suggest that they will happily accept such … |
| | When [URL="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080222/105312322.shtml"]Bill Gates gave a speech[/URL] last winter and hinted that the need for a keyboard was going to be diminishing, the writer in me scoffed, but I should learn to take Bill’s little hints a bit more seriously because the next version of Windows (aka Windows 7) is going …  |
| | There's an interesting story up at [URL="http://consumerist.com/tag/windows/?i=5010868&t=microsoft-and-the-1632-copy-of-vista"]The Consumerist[/URL] at the moment about some chap called Bill who has been charged $1632 for a single Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade license. It would appear what has happened is that Windows Live Marketplace kept saying to try again later when Bill pressed the … |
| | Maybe it’s all part of a kinder, gentler Microsoft; or maybe it’s something else. In the latest example of Redmond’s increase in openness, the “Evil Empire” in an [URL=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/may07/05-16ANSIVotePR.mspx] announcement[/URL] last week said it backs the addition of the Open Document Format to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards … |
| | [I]I can’t stand this indecision married with a lack of vision Everybody wants to rule the world ~Tears for Fears, Everybody Wants to Rule the World. [/I] There has certainly been a lot of gamesmanship going on in the computer industry these past few weeks as the industry’s biggest players … |
| | I laugh inside when Microsoft loses ground, even in the slightest way. It’s particularly sweet when Redmond loses to a company like Novell, which owned the LAN market it pioneered through the 1990s, only to have it ripped from its grasp by the totally inferior Windows NT. This week Novell’s … |
| | American readers will have been delighted by l[URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7413099.stm"]ast night's announcement[/URL] ('last night' is relative, it was last night in the UK) that Microsoft is going to offer cash back on items bought through its partners from its search engine scheme. The idea completes a notion that began over a decade … |
| | [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 … |
| | [URL="http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/05/21/vole-loses-alcatel-lucent"]According to The Inquirer[/URL] Microsoft has lost the long running Alcatel-Lucent patent case. The US International Trade Commission has ruled against Microsoft in the case which accused Alcatel-Lucent of violating four Microsoft patents concerning IP-based phone software. The ITC concluded that "there is no violation of section 337" which refers … |
| | Even though the guy missed, Steve Ballmer might still end up with egg on his face. If the Microsoft CEO fails again to acquire Yahoo, he might do well to open his own diner since he always seems to have a ready supply of eggs. This time they came his … |
| | Virtualization of operating systems is all the rage these days; the benefits to software developers and testers are clear. What if you could virtualize applications? According to [URL=http://www.xenocode.com/]Xenocode[/URL], you can. The company today released [URL=http://www.xenocode.com/Products/Studio/]Virtual Application Studio[/URL], a US$40-per-seat environment that turns an application into a self-contained executable, able to … |
 | 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 … |
| | [I]Fool if you think it's over 'Cause you said goodbye Fool if you think it's over I'll tell you why ~Chris Rea, Fool (If You Think It's Over). [/I] Those two crazy kids, Microsoft and Yahoo! are talking again. I know. I know. You thought it was over. Everyone did. … |
The End.