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Here’s something to clean up after Vista when it leaves a mess on your machine. I ain’t saying that Vista is bad, but I know lots of people who claim they have needed this at one time or another. I guess the list of Vista “features” on the paper qualify it as bathroom humor… even if it is in kanji.
Microsoft announced today that they have completed Office 2007 and that it will be available on November 30th to business customers. That’s funny… I’m still waiting for them to complete Office ‘97 
Microsoft Office has become the software package that people love to hate. It has gotten so big and clumsy over the years, that it is one of the best sources of humor in the software industry. It has become synonymous with bloated, buggy code. Only time will tell if Office 2007 can live up to this legacy.
After years of delays,Microsoft has finally released MSIE 7. Of course, I’ll be giving it a try, but it has a long way to go before it catches Firefox.
If you want to give it a try yourself, Here’s a direct link to the IE7 download page.
FYI.. don’t expect a fast download. I can’t get it to download any faster than 3KB/s.
Microsoft has announced the prices for Vista today. As expected, they are pretty steep when compared to Linux. Could it be that Microsoft has pushed the wrong buttons this time?
The prices listed are approximately the same as the price of XP at the same level. You all remember those prices… the ones that were blamed for the agonizingly slow adoption of XP?
You know, of course, the the price to OEMs will be far lower. This will keep Grandma and Grandpa using Windows for the foreseeable future. The problem is with the geeks. Spending $159 on an upgrade that is mostly comprised of stuff that has been available for free in the last few generations of Linux distros is going to be a hard sell in the geek community. It won’t be long before the Linux snobbery displayed by slashdotters begins to rub off on the general populace. The next two or three years should be interesting.
FiringSquad.com has a link to Amazon’s Vista pre-order page. According to both of these sources, the release date is January 30, 2007.
According to FiringSquad, this information shouldn’t be considered accurate. It wouldn’t be the first time that Amazon allowed you to pre-order vaporware, so I would tend to agree with them.
You know that Microsoft update that you got on patch Tuesday? Well, you would be well advised to install it ASAP. This patch plugs 12 vulnerabilities that could allow an attacker to take over your machine. This one looks like it is more serious that the “average” batch of critical patches. One of the flaws allows the attacker to compromise the system without any interaction from a user at all. If you think I’m being a little paranoid, check this out: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an alert about this nasty Windows bug.
The Wizzards of Redmond are getting cozy with the other dark side of software. Microsoft is challenging hackers to break Vista by giving them a recent release build. I’m of two minds about the whole thing.
On one side, I think that Microsoft is doing us all a service by getting the most dangerous users out of the way first. Theoretically, if these guys can’t hack Vista, it is secure enough for the average user. They would also be the folks most likely to find hidden flaws.
On the other side, I’m skeptical about whether these hackers will actually inform Microsoft of any flaws they find. My fear is that there wil be hundreds of zero-day exploits released on the same day that Vista is. Of course, there are other ways to get a pre-release version of Vista, so maybe the version given out at Black Hat won’t make much difference.
The only thing I can say for sure is that they are taking a BIG risk.
OK. Microsoft has publicly promised to “play fair” with other software and software vendors. Please excuse me while I snicker a little.
It sounds like the Beast of Redmond has some lofty goals, but I doubt that they will amount to anything more than lip service. If they really intended to do anything about it, you would be able to go to a major computer disty (like Dell) and order a computer without Windows for LESS that you would pay for one that has it. End of story.
I’m sorry, but Microsoft has a huge amount of bad behavior to overcome before anyone will start believing in their promise of good behavior. There are too many Netscape examples out there to believe what they have to say.
I’m still waiting to find out what the Advantage part of Windows Genuine Advantage is. Is it the Advantage of someone using my system to beta test spyware? If Microsoft has this kind of definition of the word Advantage, Just exactly what is their definition of Fair?
It looks like The Beast of Redmond has been hit with another annoyance in it’s plan to take over the world. Microsoft was slapped with a second lawsuit over the behavior of WGA.
Once again, Microsoft claims that WGA is not spyware, and that it is there to help the consumer. By law, they have every right to lie about the purpose of their software. Unfortunately for them, the most insanely profitable company in the world will get very little latitude in the public eye. Does anyone remember when Microsoft promised that their XP licensing agreement would eventually allow them to drop the price of Windows substantially? Did anyone ever see the price do anything but increase?
C’mon guys. As much as you want it to be true, your consumers aren’t all as incredibly stupid as you believe. People will stop getting annoyed when you show us a Genuine Advantage. There was a time when I thought Microsoft was a great company. The last 5 years have really been a turn-off in that respect.
Meanwhile, I’m not sure I like the idea of all of the lawsuit stuff. It appears to be another case of Jackpot Justice. I must admit, however, to a certain amout of satisfaction in seeing Microsoft get stomped on in much the same way that they have stomped on others. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
Well, it looks like Microsoft may get slammed a little for WGA after all. A California user is suing Microsoft alleging that WGA violates current spyware laws. I wasn’t thinking about this kind of thing when I mentioned that WGA should hurt their bottom line, but I’m not surprised to hear about it. Unfortunately, lawsuits are unlikely to adversely affect the beast of Redmond. They’ll just give the Microsoft legal horde something to do, then make the price of Windows go up.
It looks like Microsoft is delaying the release of Office 2007 until the end of the year. This is yet another slip in the litany of product delays that have become the story of Microsoft. Maybe that’s what they mean by the Windows Genuine Advantage… random release schedules. The article makes a big deal about missing the holiday buying season, but I don’t know of anyone who ever asked for an Office upgrade for Christmas.
Microsoft has finally made instructions for uninstalling and disabling WGA notifications. It’s about time.
WGA is probably the single most annoying thing that the beast of Redmond has done. It would be very nice to see it devastate their bottom line and teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, it probably won’t.
On the bright side, it has pushed a few more people into switching to alternatives like Mac OS and Linux. As people switch to the alternatives, they tend to get better… as they get better, more people switch to them. Need an example of what can happen? AMD vs. Intel.
You’ve probably heard all about the Windows Genuine Advantage spyware controversy. If you want to get around it, here is a way to stop WGA from phoning home. Thanks to Specialst for the pointer.
It would have been so much better for Microsoft if they had simply released an uninstaller. I can’t think of anything more annoying than a company’s refusal to allow you to remove a piece of software. When you find out that it is spying on you, it just multiplies the annoyance a hundredfold.
One caveat: I haven’t tried uninstalling WGA myself. I can’t say whether it works or not. Use it at your own risk.
Bill Gates’ announcement of his impending departure has left Microsoft to ponder the future of their world domination strategy. Apparently, they didn’t need a long tome to think. This ZDNet article discusses Microsofts up-and-coming company leaders.
Whether you love the guy or hate the guy, you have to admit that Bill Gates is going to leave a big void when he is gone. If you want to find an example of rags-to-riches entrepreneurship that can even come close to rivaling Bill’s rise to the top, you would have to look back to the kings of the industrial revolution. He was by far the most visible of business leaders in recent memory, becoming something of a pop culture icon.
Well, maybe one of the new guys will end the “licensing” era for software. It was a good short term revenue stream for Microsoft, but it won’t be long before people tire of being pushed around by it.
Bill Gates announced today that he has decided to quit working for Microsoft and instead focus all his time on his foundation. I guess now that he has conquered the business world he has decided to focus his attention on creating a utopian paradise.
Note: This change isn’t scheduled to happen until 2008.
Microsoft still is not apologizing for pushing people into unwittingly joining a test program for their beta version of WGA. They have no intention of backing out the anti-piracy tool that was stealthily installed on millions of machines in the guise of a high priority update. The unfinished tool still sends home to Microsoft on a regular basis, and still cannot be removed once installed.
At the same time… Microsoft is saying that they won’t put their Vista beta2 on BitTorrent due to “legal and privacy issues”
So… someone check my logic here. We have a company that installs a piece of software that:
Isn’t this software called Spyware by definition? Since when does spyware have fewer “legal and privacy issues” than BitTorrent?
I think someone at Microsoft needs serious professional help if they believe that WGA and the ludicrous press releases associated with it are even remotely credible. Most users would be much happier if you were honest about what WGA is… a dishonestly veiled attempt to squeeze more money out of a market that you monopolize.
Update:
I ran across this recent Microsoft justification of WGA. I have to say that it made me even angrier. It claims that no info is sent to Microsoft after the initial validation, and claims that their failure to mention the periodic download of a settings file is an “oversight". If it really was an “oversight", then they would make a settings file available that would shut the whole thing off. Better yet, make a removal tool available. Until those are available, I’m afraid that all evidence says that they are liars.
I’ve never used the word “liars” in print before, and it will probably call forth a legion of Redmond lawyers. However, I think that it is justified in this case. Microsoft has broken a major trust. They have installed a piece of software under false pretenses, it is entirely for their own benefit, and they refuse to allow it to be removed. I fail to see any “genuine advantage” at all.
It looks like I’m not the only one expressing an opinion. Check out this post on Groklaw.
Recently I updated my PC so that I could install the WinFX development SDK and I noticed a new download called Windows Genuine Advantage. At first I did not think much about it. In order to install WinFx, I had to download and install it. The only thing that annoyed me about it was that I was previously able to install WinFx without it. Odd and annoying, but not atypical Microsoft behavior. However, after reading this article about what Windows Genuine Advantage is and does, I am down right pissed.
Windows Genuine Advantage is an anti-piracy tool installed by Microsoft to check to see if the version of Windows installed on a PC is legit or not. If it is not, then Microsoft will nag you to death and deny you patches. The kicker, however, is that it sends status updates everyday to Microsoft and can receive commands to shutdown parts of a PC from Microsoft.
My big question is: why is Microsoft doing this? No pirate in his right mind is going install it. It seems like another anti-piracy tool that is designed to punish honest users. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but still… why did Microsoft not come clean about this application until users figured out it was up to, weeks after strong-arming every honest user into installing it?
I was trolling around the web today, when I stumbled on a gem of an article at eWeek. Beta users are complaining about the number of prompts for privilege elevation in Windows Vista.
It’s really quite humorous to see. The main reason why Unix and it’s variants are more secure than Windows is user restrictions. Now that Microsoft has finally caved in to the obvious and started restricting people a little more, they are being chastised for it. Hilarious.
Microsoft asked contract workers to defer 7 days of this fiscal year to next fiscal year. It’s obviously an attempt to cut costs for this quarter and allow them to get closer to their projections. Meanwhile, contractors end up with an unexpected, unpaid vacation.
It happens all of the time… but not in the healthiest companies. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Microsoft is in bad shape, but it is an omen that all may not be perfect in the land of MS. Could this be the first chink in Mr. Softy’s armor?
Gartner is predicting that Windows Vista will be delayed until the second quarter of ‘07, instead of it’s current expected delay until Q4′06. This would bet the Nth delay since it’s originally delayed release time in 2005.
Before complaining too much, consider what will happen if they release a product 6 months before it is ready. Take your time guys, just keep us updated about the (honest) release schedule.
The Beast of Redmond is showing it’s human side again. Microsoft’s Coding4Fun page has a few suggestions for how to play an April Fool’s prank using a computer. Some of you may remember that ShamelessGeeks.com was the victim of a sick practical joke by the very same people last year. The whole thing caused a significant amount of psychological damage to both of me, and we hope it is never repeated.
Microsoft announced that it will be shaking up it’s Windows unit on the day after announcing yet another Windows Vista delay. Though I applaud them for refusing to release the OS until it is finished, 4 years worth of delays on a 2 year project is outrageous.
Did everyone notice the passage about management fear of sending bad news up the chain? That usually means that the guys at the top are being too tough on the middle and lower managers. Unfortunately, it is the way nearly every software company has operated since the .bomb bubble burst. It’s hard to find a manager who is competent, yet strong enough to make a stand, and even harder to find an upper level manager who doesn’t think he is above the laws of physics.
This time it looks like Windows Vista won’t be out until at least January of 2007. Lots of Windows ‘dependents’ are squealing about the delay. In addition, it looks like Microsoft’s stock price is slipping a bit.
Since Microsoft’s new policy about support covers a version until 2 years after it’s successor is released, this means a reprieve for those of us who aren’t looking forward to an upgrade.
For a few hours on Friday, McAfee’s anti-virus software was identifying legitimate applications, including MS Excel, as malware. As you can guess, this caused files from these applications to be quarantined or deleted, breaking the applications in the process.
I know lots of geeks out there who will tell you that Excel is some of the worst malware out there, but that they wouldn’t want it deleted from their disk. I’m wondering how many people had the file deleted, but didn’t notice any change in Excel’s behavior
Microsoft has released its list of six Windows Vista products at last. I’m wondering what the price will be and whether they will have package licensing deals. So far, I haven’t seen anything. It’s a shame, too. It will cause me to delay my upgrade plans.
Microsoft, as you will recall, sold their souls when they required remote activation of a legally purchased product. They have made it so difficult to upgrade that many hobbyists like myself are getting deeper and deeper into Linux, and getting better and better at living without Windows. My prediction: when a few more games are available for Linux (you can already play some of the great ones like Quake 4 and CoD2), many like myself will forego Windows in favor of something we can afford.
Microsoft is showing off a new software tool for managing online identities. Hopefully, it isn’t like their old software tool for managing online identities.
Sometimes, I wonder if there is anyone at Microsoft that has a memory that lasts more than a few patch cycles. The last Microsoft Wallet app opened up millions of users to identity theft and, if prosecuted, could have resulted in billions of dollars in fines. I’m wondering what makes them think that they have a bulletproof system this time?
The whole idea of online identities with CC numbers, SS numbers, and any other info that could be used to impersonate me just seems scary. Though it would be desirable to have all of that in one convenient place for shopping, I would hate to have it in one convenient place for hackers. Too little to gain for the risk. Count me out.
Bill Gates spoke out against Internet censorship at a Lisbon, Portugal forum today. Thank you, Captain Obvious. In Mr. Gates’s defense, his statement was far better than coming out in favor of censorship.
The whole thing was obviously in response to the heat that some large western companies are taking for the recent shutdown of free speech in China. Though his sentiment was good, nobody with 2 or more contiguous brain cells in their head believes that Microsoft was in favor of this. Bill’s time is better spent on his humanitarian missions than on trying to explain something that everybody already understands.
It isn’t often that you see a locally destructive worm anymore, but it looks like we’ll be seeing one soon. Mywife.E is set to begin corrupting files on the 3rd of every month starting now. It’s a good time to make sure that your AV software is up-to-date. Since this one is said to attack the popular types of document files, it might be a good idea to back them up on Thursday.
Experts say that Mywife.E’s impact should be low due to it’s limited circulation. However, if it strikes you, it’s impact could be devastating.
UPDATE:
It seems that this may be more prevalent than I originally thought. This Reuters article about the Kama Sutra worm appears to be a much better article about the same worm. You’ll want to make sure that you are protected.
According to the slashdotters, The upcoming release of Windows Vista will only allow digitally signed drivers to install. There are, of course, exceptions based on the unwillingness to update code for 32 bit versions of the OS. The digital signing will require a “free” license from Microsoft, which will require a digital certification that is currently priced at $500 per year.
Before seeing this as some kind of saviour mechanism that will stop the installation of rootkits, remember that it probably wont take hackers more than a week to crack the system. In exchange for that week of security, you will have to pay by seeing the end of open-source and shareware drivers, the loss of the ability to get around unfair DRM restrictions, and SERIOUS hardware compatibility problems.
I, for one, won’t believe any of it until I actually see it happen. Can you imagine Vista coming out to a large amount of fanfare, but only running on a small percentage of the installed PC base due to hardware compatibility issues? The whole thing would be so close to IBM’s OS2 fiasco that we would all end up with Macs running Linux. I think Microsoft knows that too.
CNet has a story about people afraid that Windows XP support would end this year. It was always my understanding that Microsoft stopped supporting OS’s 5 years after they were released. This appears to have changed to “2 years after a successor is released".
When XP finally gets deprecated, I suspect that there will be a big outcry about the proliferation of viruses. It’s probably a valid complaint, but won’t do any good. Microsoft’s argument will be that they shouldn’t have to support a product forever… which is equally valid.
It looks like the Microsoft’s move toward Open Standards really was too good to be true. Obviously, last weeks big announcements were intended to give Gov. Romney of Massachusetts an excuse to embrace MS Office. Yet another example of Microsoft’s big money “persuading” the government. Sheesh!
Just thought I’d point out that there is yet another “Windows vs. Linux” study available for your amusement. As usual, you have two equally annoying sides to this story. Microsoft continues to believe that they will convince everyone how reliable Windows is by buying expert opinions. Linux lovers still think that they can convince Grandma that Linux is as easy to use as Windows by screaming it at the top of their lungs.
Is it just me, or does the tech industry seem to have a learning disability?
It looks like there is a rather nasty exploit for a recently uncovered IE bug. This one could remotely run code on your machine if you are lured to a malicious web site. I would suggest that you use the Firefox link at the top of this web page to download the latest version… just until IE is safe to use again (if ever).
I never thought I’d post something to the Humor and Windows/Microsoft categories at the same time. Well, you have to give them a lot of credit this time. Contrary to their Beast of Redmond persona, they have released what may be the funniest high-tech video of all time. It explains the new WSYP (We Share Your Pain) program, where you get to share the pain of a system crash with the programmer responsible for it. Enjoy.
I guess the 120,000 letters a month will get the attention of anyone, including the Beast of Redmond. According to senior Microsoft executives, Adobe’s PDF (Portable Document Format) will be supported in the next version of Office. It is unknown whether this feature will be included for free, or come as an add-on premium service. It’s great news to anyone who has to ship product documentation in electronic form. It’s nice to see Microsoft catching up to the Open Source community on this issue.
Microsoft’s unwillingness or inability to fix a flaw in their lightweight jet database engine has resulted in a virus that can completely take control of your system. The worst part of this is that Microsoft was given plenty of warning, but chose to ignore the danger. The fact that this one seems to spread slowly will be little comfort to those who lose control of their systems to botnets.
Microsoft released Office 2003 SP2 yesterday. Download it now to remove all of those annoying old bugs and replace them with new and improved bugs.
A friend just pointed out a recruitment letter from Microsoft to Eric Raymond. For those of you who forgot who Eric is, he’s the guy who wrote one of the most anti-Microsoft publications: the Cathedral and the Bazaar. Eric could have been a lot more professional about his response. The letter shows how little you have to know about your market to be a recruiter, not some twisted Microsoft plot (though they probably have plenty of those too).
I’m sure that everyone in the computer biz has horror stories about stupid recruiters. I have personally been recruited for my own job twice. Both times were within a week of giving notice. I’ve also had a recruiter hand me a stack of resumes from AI experts, even though the job description was Electronics Technician. The recruiter’s response to my complaint was “same thing, right?”
I’d love to hear any stories you have about clueless recruiters. Who knows… Maybe Shameless will write an opinion column.
Microsoft has taken a legal swing at the European commission by filing a new lawsuit. In it, Megabucks… er… Microsoft is trying to fight the order to provide broad licenses for their communications protocol source code.
I’m unsure why either side is considering this a problem. If the protocol specifications are released, and Microsoft is held to their own specs, why is the source code necessary?
I understand that a monopoly must be held to different rules, and I sympathize with those who believe that Microsoft has abused IP laws to the detriment of the entire world. But… I fail to see why the open-source community doesn’t just write their own source code in this case.
If you are still using the stone age Microsoft browser, you may want to check out this report about a new Internet Explorer vulnerability that attacks msdds.dll. Although Microsoft points out that it doesn’t ship with Windows, they neglect to mention that is does ship with Office XP and Office 2003.
You probably want to fix this one ASAP. There is already an exploit available, and it could potentially take over your system.
If you want the unofficial, ShamelessGeeks recommended patch, just click on the Get Firefox button at the top of this page
It looks like there are a growing number of worms designed to exploit the recently announced Windows 2000 vulnerabilities. I’m not surprised at the ‘gloom and doom’ predictions coming out of all of the computer security firms. After all, there hasn’t been a good AV justification outbreak for around a year.
The fact that all of the scumbags out there are writing the same worm to exploit the same vulnerability means that they have been hungry for something to do for a long time. This alone speaks volumes about Microsoft’s recent security push. I don’t often compliment the beast of Redmond, but you have to give them credit for doing exactly what they said they would. Now if only they would come up with a reasonable licensing model for their software…
Reuters is reporting the existence of a nasty new virus called ZOTOB, which can cause serious problems in a system with Windows 2000. According to FSecure, those with Windows XP or Windows 2003 Server aren’t affected yet, only those with NT, 2000, ME, or 9x versions. However, they are still subject to future worms based on the same vulnerability, which Microsoft labels MS05-039. It would be a good idea to follow that Microsoft link and download the patch it indicates.
A couple of things to note about this one:
UPDATE:
It looks like there is a little confusion online as to which OSes this bug afflicts. The best I can get out of the available sources is that the flaw exploited is in all Windows versions, but the fixed offsets used are only present in Windows 2000. If that is true, then even a somewhat inept hacker could modify the original code to use new offsets to attack different MS operating systems. If there isn’t an exploit for XP yet, there will probably be one available within days. It is best if you just apply the patch, whatever version of Windows you run.
How do you cause a geek to have mixed feelings? Show him a story about Microsoft winning a lawsuit against a spammer, even if it is technically just a settlement.
Geeks are almost universally anti-spammer. But then, who isn’t? A vast majority of geeks also believe that Microsoft has too big of a stranglehold on the software industry, and that handing them windfall profits from litigation is a bad thing. Hence the mixed feelings.
So… It’s lucky that Microsoft got this settlement. I was afraid that they wouldn’t make any profits this year, and that Redmond WA would become a ghost town. Yeah, right.
Microsoft Windows Vista is scheduled for official release to beta testers today. This is the long awaited “longhorn” release that you have probably heard endlessly about.
In the eWeek announcement, you will find a link to the PC Mag review of Vista. It’s rather long winded, so I’ll give you a brief synopsis: Vista is the prettiest and best Windows version so far, but it won’t have all of the features that were originally announced for Longhorn. They have re-done the driver model to cut down on crashes (usually a self-defeating move, IMHO), and are forcing driver writers out of kernel space. They have a beautiful new style with translucent windows that will only work on higher-end hardware. There are serious compatibility problems with some current applications, but those are expected to be fixed by the release date. They have new search facilities, new ways to organize data, icons now display meta-data such as thumbnails and the first page of documents. I’d describe these functions in more detail, but I’ll just direct you to a copy of KDE 3.3 if you would like to see what they actually look like.
In short… the Windows GUI is catching up to the OSS guys, and may pass them by release date. The underlying OS is adopting *NIX-like security features, but it remains to be seen whether they will make the final cut. It’s still a wait-and-see thing.
Once again, Microsoft is tightening restrictions on the use of it’s software in yet another “anti-piracy” drive. I still have a problem with Microsoft’s requirement that I buy a new copy of Windows every time I upgrade my machine beyond a certain point. It’s about like telling me that I have to get a new monitor every time I upgrade my motherboard, or additional copies of a CD if I want to play it in my car.
I don’t practice or condone piracy, but someone has gotta stop these people. The root cause of piracy is Microsoft’s inability to find a reasonable way to regulate the distribution of their software. I don’t have an answer for their problem, but I know that accusing people of theft because they upgrade their equipment often is a really bad option.
Unlike many OSS advocates, I don’t have a big problem with Microsoft’s software products. I don’t even have a problem with them making a profit on it. What I have a BIG problem with is the arrogance that they display with their licensing arrangements and predatory business practices. With Windows XP, they convinced us that it was OK for them to keep an enormous database that tracked every machine that runs Windows. Now we see that they will be using it against us.
Every time Microsoft shows a slowdown in growth, they tighten the stranglehold on their own customers. This time it’s only free upgrades that are denied to those who are “unclean". It’s only a small step beyond the Big Brother inspired database that came out with XP, but I shudder to think what’s next.
It looks like the MS PR machine has finally decided on a name for the next Windows. Today, Microsoft announced that the OS code-named Longhorn will be released as “Windows Vista”. The beta version will be released by August 3rd.
As previously announced, the final version of “Vista” should be released sometime in the second half of 2006. It is the longest gap between Windows versions in the company’s history.
Well, maybe that’s what they should call it instead of a Spyware Removal Tool. It looks like anit-spyware groups are annoyed at Microsoft again. This time, it looks like they are playing favorites with a spyware (thats right… I used the S word) company that they have designs on. The current default action for Claria software has been changed from ‘remove’ to ‘ignore’. So if Microsoft really buys Claria, what will that say about their business practices? Didn’t they already end up in court for this type of thing?
Oh well… it looks like the early nineties all over again. Anybody want to start a company that makes IPO’s?
According to this AP News Feed, Microsoft intends to build RSS into all of it’s new operating systems. For the uninitiated, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way to monitor news feeds and other online content to see what has been updated at your favorite sites. If you want an example of what RSS feeds look like, just click this link to see the RSS feed for this blog. If you are looking for an application that works well with RSS, I recommend a Firefox extension called “sage”.
Increased support for RSS is something that I look forward to. However, I share the opinion of one of the experts quoted in the above article: I don’t see how Microsoft intends to monetize RSS. Lets face it… Microsoft isn’t known for doing things just to be nice. Even when they give something away for free, it is only so that they can force others out of the market. I’m wondering when we’ll get hit with the price.
According to Reuters, Microsoft has announced 3 critical flaws that could allow an attacker to take control of an unprotected machine and “steal data or launch other attacks". If you have automatic updates turned on, then you should get them in this months security patch release. If not, then try www.microsoft.com/security.
Microsoft will release SP5 for Windows 2000 this month just prior to stopping mainstream support for the OS. This will be the final security update for the 5 year old OS, and signals the end of an era in personal computing.
Microsoft hopes that pushing Win2k onto the deprecated pile will push business toward XP. I think that the main reason for the reluctance is more of a prohibitively expensive license agreement than security concerns, but who am I to say so?
It looks as though Microsoft has decided to make XML standard in the next version of Office. This has been hinted at and suspected for quite some time, but now that they have announced it to the press, it looks official. The use of an open standard like XML as a default is new teritory for Microsoft. This looks like a step toward abandoning the proprietary formats that were used to lock out competitors. Lets hope that they continue in that direction.
Despite the obvious controversy incitement attempt, here is an article on how Windows is increasing it’s enterprise market share. Windows is pulling ahead slightly as companies continue to invest more in their infrastructure. However, the conclusion that Windows is “wiping the floor” with Linux is FUD of the highest order, and isn’t based on any facts mentioned in the article. It sounds a lot like the idiots who said that Linux would make Windows extinct by the end of the decade. I guess poor reporters have to generate controversy somehow.
The increase in Windows usage seems to be an indicator of two things:
The swing isn’t away from Linux to Windows, it is away from higher-priced Unix systems to Windows. A lot of this is due to the fact that the Unix world has been slow to move away from the world of six-figure server systems that they lived in for years. It’s hard to convince people to spend hundreds of $K on a whizzbang super system when you can get nearly the same functionality from a souped-up high-end PC. Now that Microsoft has improved security, the final argument for large systems is getting weaker by the day. As the justifications for big systems shrink, Windows is the logical choice for many companies.
It looks like someone has figured out a way around the Microsoft Windows anti-piracy tools. Read this one yourself… When you are done laughing, come back to ShamelessGeeks. Better yet, don’t wait till you are done laughing, that may take too long.
Microsoft already knows that piracy is directly proportional to price. That’s why Linux is never pirated
As previously mentioned on ShamelessGeeks.com, Microsoft unveiled the Anti Virus subscription service that we have all been expecting. Unfortunately there is no news about the fee yet. Since the initial rumors started late last year, other players in the AV market have seen their stock prices decline considerably.
Hold on to your hats folks. Microsoft appears to be extending the hand of friendship to the Open Source community. It would be nice to end, or at least tone down, some of the spiteful talk from both sides, but I have my doubts. These two groups tend to despise each other’s philosophy to the very core. Their flame wars rival the partisanship of Washington DC. Excuse me for being a bit skeptical.
Note that the second half of this article goes into the issue of software patents, which is something that Microsoft has a huge financial stake in. No matter what the so-called “experts” say, when someone is allowed to patent a language operator (IsNot), the system is broken beyond repair. The little tweaks that software patent advocates propose are really just a way to make themselves look more virtuous without actually affecting their bottom line.
I think this is just the “embrace” part of “embrace and extend". The “extend” part is the one that actually hurts.
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