Microsoft

One of the most crucial mistakes Microsoft made with its 2007 perating system (OS) Vista was fail to convince gamers that the OS was worth an upgrade. Vista, by all accounts, slowed down systems more than necessary, making it one more obstacle in ... the quest to play titles like Crysis at the maximum video frames per second. It seems, however, that the Redmond-based company's attempt to rectify that situation with the new Windows 7 is paying off. According to a recent survey performed by video game download center Steam, users of the increasingly popular operating system account for an ... (view more)

Former Microsoft head Bill Gates has said technology can help the world's poorest people survive and even thrive amidst the economic downturn. But he warned that innovations are often only driven by the prospect of a profitable market. Gates, who ... quit Microsoft two years ago to concentrate on philanthropic work, made the comments in his annual letter to supporters of his charitable foundation. He opened by arguing that innovation "can make the difference between a bleak future and a bright one." (Source: pcworld.com ) Tech Projects Must Be Self-Sustaining The letter warns that without ... (view more)

Microsoft is drawing heavy criticism this morning after it was revealed that the company's Windows Mobile Marketplace could be denying app developers large amounts of money due to flaws in the Redmond-based firm's payment system. Microsoft received ... an overwhelming number of complaints from angry software developers claiming that the company owes them "thousands of dollars" in revenue for their Windows Mobile apps (applications). Even those producers who made changes to their account to qualify for quick payment were said to be denied their rightful earnings. Faulty Payment System to Blame The ... (view more)

Microsoft has made its next move against competitor Google by publicly announcing that it will remove the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of logged searches from its servers after 6 months of storage. Back in September of 2008, search engine ... goliath Google announced it would begin anonymizing IP addresses logged in its servers after nine months, a reduction by half from its previous 18. Cookies would also be removed after this time. Google Critics: Time Frame Still Not Enough Privacy advocates have criticized Google for not doing enough, since the company only bothers to remove the last of ... (view more)

After the German and French governments cautioned against the use of its browser Internet Explorer (IE), Microsoft has issued a response that not only looks to reduce the amount of fear that has since surfaced because of the Chinese attacks on ... Google , but also hopes to land the company some added revenue in the process. On their Security Research ... (view more)

The German government has issued an official warning that citizens should avoid using Internet Explorer. It's a response to a recently discovered flaw in the browser that is believed to have been exploited by hackers attacking Google in China. ... Germans Expect Flaw to be Widely Exposed Soon The warning comes from the Federal Office for Information Security, known locally as the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI). The warning, which was translated via Google Translate, read: "The BSI expects that [the Internet Explorer] vulnerability will be used [very soon] for attacks on ...<a href="/news/5401/avoid-internet-explorer-says-german-government" class="more-link">view more

Microsoft is proving that the old adage "If you can't beat them, join them" still holds true. Earlier this month, the company agreed to add a new software license option for U.S. customers called "Rental Rights" that, in a nutshell, allows companies ... to purchase Windows and Office licenses like never before. More than a few companies have expressed their desire to act as a "middle man" in renting or leasing Microsoft software to their customers. An Internet cafe, for example, would be interested in a deal with Microsoft. In failing to strike a compromise in the past, these ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says his company will not pull its operations out of China. The issue arose after Google said it could be forced to leave the country after deciding to no longer censor website results. Ballmer did not discuss the ... censorship issue directly, but told CNBC that "We've been quite clear that we're going to operate in China." He added that "I don't understand how [pulling out] helps us and I don't understand how that helps China." (Source: washingtonpost.com ) Questioned about recent hacking attacks on Google that appear to have originated in China and may have prompted ... (view more)

Microsoft has uncharacteristically spoken out against Google over the two firms' free online storage offers. The comments follow Google's announcement that it is extending the size and type of files eligible for free back-up. To date, users of ... Google Docs had been severely limited in the amount of data they could store online. Storage could only be used for specific types of document file, namely: word processing, spreadsheet and presentation files. Free Google Docs Storage Balloons to 1GB The firm now says users will be allowed 1GB of free storage, with extra space available for 25 cents per ... (view more)

If you're still running an old version of Adobe's popular Flash player plug-in, you'd better update, says Microsoft. The software giant, which rarely tells customers to halt their use of another company's wares, has had it with the many bugs and ... security vulnerabilities in Flash Player 6.0, released several years ago. In response to multiple bugs and a slew of security vulnerabilities, Microsoft has through its most recent Security Advisory (#979267) told users that they should either uninstall Flash Player 6.0 or immediately switch to a newer edition of the plugin. Threats Include Remote ... (view more)