Microsoft

Many within the tech world are expecting Microsoft to announce a beta version of Internet Explorer 9 at the upcoming MIX 2010 conference. While nothing is yet confirmed by Microsoft, the new version of the popular browser is expected to boast ... improved support for open web standards. Microsoft has in the past been criticized for not fully supporting open web standards. Considering that most Microsoft software produced is proprietary and closed source, the push towards open web standards for Internet Explorer is a huge change for the company, and many critics believe it will yield high returns ... (view more)

A senior Microsoft executive has forecast that 300 million copies of Windows 7 will be sold during 2010. That comes just days after Microsoft reported sales of 90 million Windows 7 licenses to date. The comments came from chief operating office ... Kevin Turner, the man effectively responsible for Microsoft's day-to-day operations. He was speaking to the London School of Economics. Sales Outweigh Economic Conditions Turner said he expected the positive response to the new operating system to drive sales, outweighing a natural reluctance by businesses to spend large amounts amid harsh economic ... (view more)

The Microsoft browser ballot has been under way for a few days now, and there's already an indication that some people are moving away from Internet Explorer. How the Microsoft Browser Ballot Works This week saw the debut of a scheme which prompts ... Internet Explorer users in Europe to choose one or more browsers from a list of the 12 most popular on the continent. It's a system put together by Microsoft to stave off regulator criticism that including Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows gave it an unfair advantage in its market over competitors such as Apple's Opera Browser, ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that the next edition of its mobile operating system (OS) won't be backwards compatible. That may hurt sales of current handsets which, though not obsolete, will soon be second-string. The company confirmed that it won't be ... possible to upgrade phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 to the new system, set to be released this year. As part of a rebranding, the system will formally be known as Windows 7 Phone series rather than Windows 7 phone. The reason for the lack of upgrade is that Microsoft is severely restricting the scope available for handset designers with version 7. ... (view more)

Microsoft recently administered a devastating blow to the Waledac botnet , one of the world's biggest networks of compromised computers and as such a huge contributor of spam and malware to the world wide web. One would think this was good news for ... Internet users everywhere (and in many ways, it is) -- however, some critics are wondering if the end justified the means. Microsoft Sidesteps ISPs According to Richard Boscovich, Microsoft's senior attorney within its Digital Crimes Unit, the attack on Waledac began when Microsoft filed a formal complaint with the U.S. District Court of Eastern ... (view more)

The Microsoft Windows browser ballot campaign is officially under way. As of yesterday morning, the Redmond, Washington-based software company began asking European Union (EU) users which browser they wanted to be designated their default web tool. ... The browser ballot is Microsoft's response to European Commission allegations that its Windows operating system, which has typically shipped with Microsoft's own Internet Explorer as the default web browser, is violating antitrust law. Microsoft last year said it would appease its critics by offering a selection of the most popular web browsers for ... (view more)

A Seattle judge has dismissed a "downgrade" from Windows Vista to Windows XP fee lawsuit that alleged antitrust violations. The class-action suit was filed by Emma Alvarado of Los Angeles in February 2009 after she was charged $59.25 to downgrade ... the operating system (OS) on a newly purchased Lenovo laptop. Alvarado alleged that Microsoft abused its monopoly by trying to cash in on the popularity of Windows XP over Windows Vista. Lawsuit Failed to Prove that Microsoft Received 'Unjust Enrichment' Judge Marsha J. Pechman, of U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, said ... (view more)

In response to claims of copyright infringement, web site "cryptome.org" was recently (and temporarily) shut down after the site posted an internal document outlining details on how Microsoft manages logs of user activity. (Source: sfgate.com ) Web ... proprietor John Young filed a counterclaim a day after Microsoft filed its Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice, arguing that he had a fair use to publish the document, a full day before the deadline was set by Network Solutions, his hosting provider. Cryptome.org Temporarily Shut Down Network Solutions shut down Cryptome.org ... (view more)

Microsoft is reminding users that support for several editions of Windows will end beginning April 13, 2010. It will mean no more security updates, though users can easily upgrade to supported editions without charge. The affected editions are ... Windows XP with the second service pack (SP) and Vista with no service pack applied. In other words, if you haven't already installed at least Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Vista Service Pack 1, your computer will be exceedingly vulnerable to security exploits (and hackers). Service packs are collections of security and software updates which are ... (view more)

A recently discovered decade-old denial-of-service condition could cause the instantaneous crash of a system and present users with the now-infamous blue screen of death, says a group of researchers. The condition was discovered this week by a ... collection of researchers in Malta, the tiny southern European archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean. According to Paul Gafa, CTO of 2X Software, if a user launches an application containing the malicious code, they could find their systems crashed. "You can be the least privileged user on the system and still crash it," Gafa said. (Source: ... (view more)