Business

Last week it was reported that Microsoft's customer satisfaction rating had rebounded from a 4 per cent drop in 2007 caused by the mess that was Windows Vista. Now, a new study of hardcore techies finds that there's some truth to that report, as ... most people feel prepared to admit that Windows 7 makes up for Vista, by a long run. Last Wednesday we reported that the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI, had improved Microsoft's mark from a 70 in 2007 -- shortly after Vista's public release in January -- to a 76. Experts pointed to Windows 7, which was released in October of last year, ... (view more)

Tech hardware producer Hewlett-Packard (HP) has decided it won't be loading the very popular Windows 7 operating system (OS) on its upcoming Slate tablet computer after all. The company recently revealed that it would instead ship the device with ... webOS, a Linux-based system. The move is a somewhat surprising one, given that much of the buzz surrounding the Slate has been associated with HP's plans to run Windows 7. The operating system, which launched in October of last year, has made fans the world over. It has helped Microsoft recover from the debacle that was Windows Vista, with customer ... (view more)

Microsoft recently lost its latest battle to have a $290 million decision over copyrighted Word XML functionality overturned. In a move to overcome another decision made against it earlier this year, the software giant has paid $200 million to ... VirnetX to keep that company quiet over its own patented technology. Back in March, a Tyler, Texas jury found that Microsoft had infringed on a copyright owned by VirnetX. The patent involved virtual private network (or VPN) technology used in Microsoft's Windows XP and Vista operating systems. The Redmond-based firm was ordered to pay a hefty $105.7 ... (view more)

Microsoft's road back into the good graces of techies worldwide has been a long and trying one. Most of the struggles came after 2007's launch of Windows Vista, a highly-touted and highly-disappointing operating system (OS). Four years later, ... Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has admitted that Vista "was just not executed well." Microsoft Annual CEO Summit Ballmer made the statement on Wednesday at Microsoft's annual CEO Summit. The charismatic, bold executive spoke for about thirty minutes on Microsoft and his role as the software giant's Chief Executive Officer. As part of his speech, Ballmer ... (view more)

Microsoft recently unveiled a whole new look for its very popular online email service, Hotmail. Heading the list of new features is "Sweep," which automatically prioritizes emails into categories. The Hotmail update is just one part of Microsoft's ... plan to improve all of its Windows Live products over the next several months. Designated Emails Marked with Priority The new Sweep feature automatically designates certain kinds of emails low priority. Think of it like a weekly Best Buy or grocery store flyer; you signed on to the mailing list, but these emails certainly aren't as important as ... (view more)

Microsoft has filed a lawsuit claiming an online software operator breached nine of its patents. The general reaction thus far is that the case has much to do about trying to deter a business competitor, rather than protecting genuine innovation. ... The case is against Salesforce.com, a company which offers customer management services: its slogan is that it is "the enterprise cloud-computing company", an idea borne out by its phone number, 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE. Most of Salesforce's products are based on marketing campaigns and tracking sales leads, putting it directly in competition with Microsoft ... (view more)

Google has designed a new course that teaches students how to hack. Those students of Google's "Web Application Exploits and Defenses codelab" will learn how hackers uncover security vulnerabilities and exploit web applications. Jarlsberg ... Application: The 'Sitting Duck' The entire codelab uses a program called Jarlsberg as the perfect example of a "sitting duck" target. Similarly named as the kind of cheese filled with holes, Jarlsberg is a small, yet full-featured microblogging application with plenty of security holes to boot. While the Jarlsberg application allows users to publish text and ... (view more)

An independent software company is offering a program it says will smooth the process of upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7. But there are questions about whether or not it breaches Microsoft licensing conditions. The package, called Desktop ... Upgrade to Windows, comes from Parallels. The firm specializes in virtualization software, most notably a package allowing Mac users to run Windows, which can be particularly useful for those making the leap from a PC to a Mac. The software aims to deal with two major upgrading headaches: one is that, with the exception of moving from one edition of ... (view more)

A new security flaw in Microsoft's very popular Windows 7 operating system (OS) could open users up to a remote code execution and denial-of-service attack, Microsoft said in a security advisory on Tuesday evening. The vulnerability affects only ... 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. The flaw affects the Canonical Display Driver, or CDD.DLL, used in the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) and DirectX drawing. The vulnerability is tied to the graphics system's desktop composition process. (Source: zdnet.com ) Microsoft: Remote Code Attack "Unlikely" Luckily, it ... (view more)

The curse of Windows Vista may have finally come to an end. Recently, Microsoft not only regained their lost customer satisfaction rating, but also managed to attain their highest rating to date, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index ... (ACSI) survey. All signs are pointing to Windows 7 as being the reason for the happy Microsoft customers. Vista Customer Satisfaction Rate Low Microsoft had much to lose with the release of Windows 7, especially since Vista was considered by many to be a marketing flop. The reaction to Vista became so negative that many credit it as the reason ... (view more)