windows

A computer running Windows 7 stayed secure for longer than a Mac in the "PWN2OWN" hacking contest this week. But the challenge showed that Internet Explorer 8 -- just released today -- is still vulnerable. The contest, dubbed PWN2OWN, takes place at ... the annual CanSecWest security conference. Participants have to find a way to breach security on one of several computers, each running a different browser and operating system which have been fully patched with all currently available security updates. The winner this year took just 10 seconds to compromise a MacBook. It's bad news for ... (view more)

Could this be the end of the storied relationship between Internet Explorer and Microsoft's Windows operating system? That may just be the case with recent rumors suggesting Microsoft may terminate the popular browser. According to reports surfacing ... last night, Microsoft may make Internet Explorer 8 the last in a long line of dominant browsers. Some are clearly happy about the possibility of a new Microsoft browser, one built from the ground up with, ideally, constant consultation between the software company and users (not unlike the Windows 7 beta). Montreal tech consultant Gerhard Mack is ... (view more)

Not a big fan of Internet Explorer 8? Well, Microsoft's upcoming and highly-anticipated operating system (OS) Windows 7 actually allows you to shut the program off altogether -- along with several other features users might not want loaded on their ... systems. The 'off switch' is actually a security feature at heart. "If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use. This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system (for security-conscious customers) and not available to users on the computer," said Jack Mayo, of Microsoft. "These same files are staged so ... (view more)

The Vista Capable lawsuit -- like the consumer and business market's dissatisfaction with Windows Vista -- refuses to go away. Shortly after a federal judge revoked the class-action status of the Vista Capable lawsuit, lawyers for the plaintiffs are ... now reportedly asking the judge to reconsider that decision. Originally, the class-action suit involved all parties who purchased Vista Capable PCs, but a recent court ruling narrowed it down to six individual plaintiffs. (Source: crn.com ) Plaintiffs Attempt To Recertify Class-Action Status Lawyers for the plaintiffs are attempting to recertify ... (view more)

Windows 7 beta testers are disputing whether or not Microsoft's is taking notice of their feedback. The dispute follows a blog post by Steven Sinofsky, the man in charge of engineering Windows 7 . He notes that in one week in January Microsoft ... received data through Windows 7's automatic feedback system every 15 seconds. According to Sinofsky, it's impossible to keep everyone happy. That's partly because there are only so many changes Microsoft can make to the system and still finish it, and partly because in many cases testers often have opposing views about a feature. (Source: msdn.com ) Ina ... (view more)

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced today that the new and improved Windows 7 will be made available for netbooks, those tiny laptops currently out-selling conventional PCs. With the current economic crunch, consumers are cutting down on purchases ... of more expensive notebooks and desktops. Ballmer and the rest of the Microsoft family are feeling the strain, since PCs account for one of the largest markets for Windows software. Ballmer has apparently taken note of the surge in netbook popularity and plans to release a full (if somewhat "lighter") version of Windows 7 that will be able to run ... (view more)

Microsoft has revealed that Windows 7 will include better mobile broadband connection, more and clearer fonts, and improved handwriting recognition. But most analysts are more interested in several updates which will contain absolutely nothing new. ... Starting on Tuesday, Microsoft is releasing up to five updates to the current beta edition of the system. The updates do not contain any new features or fix any problems: that won't come until the next test edition. These updates simply replace files with near-identical copies and are designed to ensure that the Windows Update delivery system is ... (view more)

A new strain of malware that can spread rapidly from machine to machine using a variety of infection techniques, including the poisoning of web servers which then go on to contaminate visitors, has reportedly been identified by Security Researchers. ... (Source: theregister.co.uk ) The malware, dubbed VIRUX by security researchers at Trend Micro, is spreading around the globe, but seems to be propagating faster in the U.S. than anywhere else. (Source: trendmicro.com ) VIRUX appears to be more complex than its cousin VIRUT and has the ability to circumvent Microsoft's Windows Firewall security ... (view more)

TaggedFrog Based on the convenient drag'n'drop technique, TaggedFrog allows you to organize your files, documents and Web links. Just add objects to the library and tag them with any keywords. That's it. You can forget the file name or where the ... file is located, but don't worry -- the tags will find the file for you. http://www.lunarfrog.com KDE for Windows Project KDE is a desktop environment originally built for UNIX, but now it's available for Windows. You can use this installer to download and install the various binary packages that you need to run KDE applications on MS Windows. http:// ... (view more)

What's the problem with introducing a new operating system? When it comes to Microsoft, the upgrade makes your last operating system pretty much obsolete, even if it took almost ten years to construct and a lot of hassle to promote. A recent survey ... from industry analysts Gartner found that about 30 per cent of large businesses were seriously considering skipping Windows Vista altogether, a significant blow to Microsoft which has spent the last year and a half trying to convince home and corporate users alike that the operating system is worth the software and training costs associated with ... (view more)