Microsoft

A leaked list reveals some of the most commonly requested features for the successor to Windows Vista (code-named Windows 7). The 61 suggestions include some based on rival products, such as Session Restore from Mozilla's Firefox browser. After a ... crash, a Firefox user is able to go straight back to the page or pages that they were browsing at the time. Other users suggested a Firefox-style download manager to make it easier to keep track of multiple simultaneous downloads. Another common theme is improvements to visual displays of information, such as the Recycle Bin icon gradually 'filling ... (view more)

One year after the release to manufacturing, Windows Vista has increased Microsoft's bottom line and, according to Microsoft, shipped 88 million copies. Unfortunately, it isn't meeting larger expectations and reportedly hasn't made the kind of ... progress that was anticipated in the enterprise world. A survey on Windows Vista adoption taken last month by Gartner Inc. compared to the exact same survey taken in October 2006 concluded that enterprises are 9-12 months behind their original expectations. "The uptake is much lower than expected" said Michael Silver, an analyst with Gartner Inc. ... (view more)

A few weeks ago, Microsoft and Facebook announced their happy eloping, an arrangement that included an astounding $240 million wedding ring. Now, it's becoming clear just what that money will mean for Microsoft and perhaps more importantly the ... millions of Facebook fanatics. Since the purchase, Facebook and Microsoft have enjoyed a tumultuous honeymoon. In fact, some analysts argue that Microsoft paid too much for its share (1.6%) of the social networking site, leaving company executive Steve Ballmer to retort, "The valuation of Facebook is still to be determined. Certainly today, it's very, ... (view more)

Continuing its merry jaunt down the road towards global assimilation, on November 6, 2007 Microsoft officially launched its new Windows Live Suite . More of an extension than an upgrade, the new version of Live attempts to combine all of the ... current-generation networking tools into one. For example, it includes a Flickr-like image sharing system (Windows Live Photo Gallery) and a Myspace-like networking system (Windows Live Spaces). Additionally, the new Live has extended security options for parents, and deeper integration with Windows Vista and other Microsoft applications. This seems like ... (view more)

Citing concerns over Microsoft's Office 2007 and Windows Vista licensing terms, Becta , the UK government's agency for education technology has reportedly warned schools against signing licensing agreements, and filed a complaint with the UK's ... Office of Fair Trading, alleging that Microsoft engages in anticompetitive practices in the academic software license marketplace. ArsTechnica is reporting that Becta and Microsoft have been in talks over the issue but have not reached an agreement. In the meantime, Becta is recommending that schools avoid Microsoft's School Agreement subscription ... (view more)

The Microsoft Windows Updates fiasco now includes several IT administrators after Microsoft reportedly began installing (without user permission) a resource-hogging search application company-wide, despite administrators having systems configured ... not to use the program. It all resulted in slowing several systems to a crawl. Originally, Microsoft tried to refute reports from frustrated bloggers that Enterprise customers were being forced to install the Windows XP desktop search tool whether they wanted it or not. Later that same day Microsoft finally admitted they had screwed up. Bobbie Harder ... (view more)

Just last week, I happily reported that a University of California researcher had provided firm evidence that the dreaded Storm Worm virus was drying up under the heat of security companies and new, protective programs. Unfortunately, it appears to ... be a rare case. Other research suggests malicious code is instead on the rise, increasing five-fold throughout the first half of 2007. (Source: zdnet.com ) According to research conducted and released by Microsoft, the maliciousness associated with Trojans, phishing schemes, keyboard logging, and other nasty habits made an impressive jump during ... (view more)

In my opinion, people don't need any more reason to avoid Windows Vista like the plague, but now APC Magazine is reporting that swapping out a video card or updating a device driver can end up triggering a complete Vista deactivation. What does it ... mean? The results could lead to Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM), until one can obtain a new activation code from Microsoft. A few days after swapping out a video card on a computer running Windows Vista Ultimate the APC author started receiving a Windows Activation prompt telling him he had three days to activate Windows or he'd end up going into ... (view more)

While Windows XP continues to thrive and Windows Vista fizzles, Microsoft has been busy redesigning Vista's successor, currently named Windows 7. The new operating system is scheduled for release sometime in 2010. ZDNet is reporting that Microsoft ... has created a stripped-down version of the Windows kernel named 'MinWin' for Windows 7, in attempts to reduce dependencies in Windows that have made the operating system bloated and difficult to maintain and upgrade. Recently, Microsoft was able to create a new separate, usable core. MinWin will be at the heart of future versions of Windows Media ... (view more)

ZDNet is reporting that Windows Vista users have been receiving "out of memory" and other errors when copying and moving data, especially large numbers of files, making it difficult to track down the problem. Windows Vista users running Kaspersky ... Anti-Virus 6 or 7 trying to copy a large number (16,400) of files, or smaller groups of files that in total exceed 16,400 files have received the "out of memory" error. Once the error occurs, a range of other errors can occur such as menus and tabs disappearing, reboots and Blue Screens of Death (BSOD) also occur. The Kaspersky Anti-Virus isn't the ... (view more)