windows

Microsoft is running a special offer allowing students to upgrade to Windows 7 for just $29.99. They can also buy a special academic edition of Office 2010 for $79.95 outright. The upgrade offer is for the Professional edition of Windows 7. That's ... effectively the midway point between Home Premium (the edition most home users will be running) and Ultimate (the most feature-filled and expensive edition for individuals). Compared with Home Premium, the Professional edition offers some extra features which might not appeal to students, such as easier company network connections, but one which ... (view more)

Microsoft has released security updates for 34 different problems, a monthly total that has only been matched once. Three sets of problems are ranked as critical, and several are so-called zero-day bugs. A zero-day bug is one in which the problem is ... not discovered by the software developer itself. This creates the risk that hackers will be able to get a head-start on finding a way to exploit the bug before the developer is able to produce a fix. The critical issues affect both Internet Explorer and Windows itself. Of the 10 security bulletins, these are the priority for installation and ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed that the first official version of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 will be released next month (July, 2010). It doesn't appear the pack will bring any major updates, but it could still drive up business sales. A service pack is ... a collection of all updates released for the software since its original launch. At one stage service packs were a way to get updates (via disc) to people on dial-up modems who didn't want to use the automatic update download service; today they are used more among people who prefer to carry out major updates in a single batch. Another benefit of ... (view more)

Yesterday Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a techie audience that Windows was doomed. A day later, Microsoft's head honcho has retorted that he sees PC sales growing as technology adapts to consumer demands. Speaking at the D: All Things Digital Conference ... on Tuesday night, Apple CEO Steve Jobs predicted a steady decline for Microsoft's Windows operating system as more people move towards alternative platforms for their web needs. Rather than power up Windows-based PCs, Jobs said, more and more people will start using smartphones, tablet computers, and more portable options. Microsoft CEO Says PCs ... (view more)

A recent report says that Google, which is working hard to complete its upcoming Chrome operating system (OS), has started phasing out its own internal use of the Microsoft Windows. The report on Google's OS use emerged Tuesday when the Financial ... Times said search engine leader Google had decided to cut back its employment of Windows, citing for reasons of security concerns. (Source: computerworld.com ) Google Testing Chrome OS Internally It's likely the move to phase out Windows is primarily the result of Google's continuing work on its own operating system, Chrome OS. Google is currently " ... (view more)

Less than two weeks after Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced it would not be using Windows 7 on its upcoming Slate tablet PC, hardware producer Asus says they're willing to step up to the plate and offer their Eee Pad (tablet PC) hosting Windows 7. HP ... announced early last week that it would not use Windows 7 due to underwhelming touchscreen capabilities. HP says it will instead go with the webOS (operating system) when Slate ships this October. Asus Eee Pad Boasts 12" Screen, 10-Hour Battery, Win7 Stepping in to defend Windows 7's compatibility with tablet computers is Asus, who recently ... (view more)

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)