microsoft

I'm so proud to be Canadian. ;-) Months before its highly anticipated release, Microsoft Canada has -- accidentally it seems -- given the media an inside glance at Vista's pricing. Although the list was quickly ripped down, Ed Bott of ZDNet was able ... to take down many of the upcoming packages, and we'll share some of them with you here. (Source: microsoft-watch.com ) As we've discussed a bit in the past, there are two different schemes for installing (and paying for) Microsoft's new operating system. Those who have an OS upgradeable to Vista will save some significant moolah. For instance, an ... (view more)

As the major release of Vista approaches, Microsoft has officially announced that it will be buying back $16.2 billion worth of its stock by June of 2011. The move comes just hours after the close of its first tender, which included 155 million ... shares at a rate of $3.6 billion. All of these moves are said to be for the sole purpose of stimulating a rather dormant stock in the quiet moments before the release of Microsoft's anxiously awaited Vista. By officially adding the $16.2 billion buyback to its stock plans, Microsoft has now grown its total future expenditure to $36 billion. The move ... (view more)

Despite their competition with one another in the world of web browsers, Microsoft has reportedly invited the folks from Mozilla to its headquarters in Redmond, Washington for an information session designed to make Firefox (and other software ... products) more compatible with Vista. Like any operating system (OS), Vista will be successful or unsuccessful depending on the software it can run problem-free. Although Mozilla and Microsoft provide a fierce rivalry for one another with Firefox and Internet Explorer, respectively, the Redmond-based company clearly realizes that more people will ... (view more)

It's been some time since yours truly or anyone at Infopackets reported on Microsoft security. After a typhoon of activity earlier this summer with the release of OneCare Live and then the controversial Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), the ... Redmond-based company has remained relatively hush on its plans for protecting itself and its paying customers. However, Microsoft again enters the spotlight with a recent announcement regarding former McAfee veteran, Vincent Gullotto. (Source: hackinthebox.org ) Once dubbed by CNET News to be the industry's "Virus Hunter", Gullotto has in recent years been ... (view more)

Recently, Infopackets brought you a few details on the Zune, along with some visuals of the new portable player. And just a few days ago, those wonderful and mischievous sneaks responsible for the underground Zune images are whispering in-depth ... details about the device's appearance, controls, and features. We've made it pretty clear in our recent coverage of the Zune that it is Microsoft's upcoming rival to the immensely popular iPod. The Zune has gone through a number of stages, from gaming peripheral with the power to run Xbox software to its current state as a WiFi music player. Still ... (view more)

As Internet Explorer 7 ushers in some surprising positive reviews for industry giant Microsoft, Mozilla has announced that its Firefox 2.0 browser will be delayed until at least mid-October. The re-scheduling of Firefox 2.0 means that Mozilla's new ... web crawler won't be ready this month, greatly disappointing a growing fan base. Mozilla: Growing in Popularity Once an underground cult favorite for its security features that, for the most part, improved on many Microsoft faults, Mozilla's Firefox browser is constantly growing in popularity. In total, most sources estimate that Firefox now ... (view more)

Let the mud-slinging, well, continue: just months before the intended release of Sony's Playstation 3 (PS3) console, rumors are beginning to swirl in the tech industry on which console company might come out on top. In response to a recent analyst ... report which projected the PS3 to claim victory, Microsoft alleges that one of Sony's most significant claims about its console is unlikely to be a success. Furthermore: Boston-based market analyst "The Yankee Group" recently predicted that Sony, undoubtedly the most successful console-producer of the last two gaming generations (PS1 and PS2), will ... (view more)

Vmware Server Begin enjoying the benefits of server virtualization with the free VMware Server. VMware Server installs on any existing server hardware and partitions a physical server into multiple virtual machines by abstracting processor, memory, ... storage and networking resources, giving you greater hardware utilization and flexibility. Streamline software development and testing and simplify server provisioning as you utilize the ability to "build once, deploy many times." http://www.vmware.com/products/server/ Ultimate List Of Free Windows Software From Microsoft Microsoft has ... (view more)

For the hardcore programmers out there, be warned that the anticipated Windows Powershell scripting technology has already been targeted by a group of European virus writers. A mischievous Austrian group has developed a malware code with the ... potential to shut down Microsoft's Powershell program, a major part of the upcoming Exhange Server 2007 (set for release in late 2006 or early 2007). (Source: microsoft-watch.com ) Windows Powershell is the newest command-line shell from Microsoft, an engine that serves as the controller of system administrative tasks. Its main draw is that it allows ... (view more)

In a recent address of tech industry executives in Orlando, Florida, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer encouraged his listeners to get behind a plan that would see PCs become drastically more affordable for the world's less affluent users. The magic price ... tag? Just $100 -- a number that for most North Americans has proved hardly enough cold hard cash to purchase basic software (usually from Microsoft itself), let alone an entire system. For Ballmer, lowering PC costs to just $100 could in turn curtail rising piracy rates, which Microsoft has recently becoming increasingly determined to root out. ... (view more)