WinInsider

The federal judge overseeing the government antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. has declined to get immediately involved in a dispute between the software giant and rival AOL Time Warner Inc. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said in an order issued late Thursday that the issues are narrow enough to be resolved without her intervention. She nevertheless ordered that AOL report to her Monday morning if there is still no agreement. Microsoft and AOL traded legal jabs on Thursday, with the software giant claiming AOL hasn't fully revealed how it has aided the nine states seeking tougher sanctions against Microsoft for violations of antitrust law.

I was surprised to learn about a post-XP Longhorn desktop release that Microsoft revealed in July, but I have an even bigger surprise for you now: This interim version, once thought of as Windows XP Second Edition (XP2E), won't ship any time soon. Instead, Microsoft now expects to ship Longhorn in late 2003, about a year later than originally planned. The reason? I've heard that Microsoft is adding two interesting new features to the release: a SQL Server .NET-based file system (once code-named Storage+) and a .NET "bar" that will sit on the right side of the screen and let Microsoft and third parties integrate plug-ins for Web services such as MSN Calendar, Hotmail, .NET My Services, and other features. This bar is fully extensible (think Active Desktop 2002) so developers can integrate their services into it and legally extend the Windows UI. As I've noted on my SuperSite for Windows, the Longhorn delivery "extension" makes me believe that Microsoft will ship an updated version of Windows XP this fall. I have no corroborating evidence for this suggestion; it's just a hunch.

A Microsoft VP updates us on the company's .Net initiative in light of a series of security breaches that question the reliability of the service

C|Net Video - high speed connection

The word "solution" -- the act, method or process of solving a problem -- has taken on new connotations over the years in the world of information technology, but its essence remains. There are many products out there, but the real value of IT lies in finding the right ones, and putting them together in the right way, to overcome business challenges and build efficiency into business processes.

Microsoft has had some great products through the years -- the Windows operating systems, SQL Server, ISA Server and BizTalk Server, to name a few. And now, in test labs on Microsoft's Redmond campus, the Windows Engineering Solutions and Services group is bringing these products together to create a whole new offering for enterprise customers.

The world has moved into a new year, and it is more apparent than ever how technology has changed the way we work and live. Microsoft has always been at the forefront of bringing technological innovation into the home, and Windows XP is no exception. Since hitting the shelves October 2001, Windows XP has delivered exciting new capabilities that have allowed users to have more fun with their personal computers. Additionally, other software companies are now offering exciting companion products that make the home-computing experience more enjoyable, more relevant and more secure for the whole family. Together with Windows XP, these new products are enabling computer users to do more with their home computers than most ever thought possible.

This is the last week you can submit public comments regarding the settlement to the DOJ on the antitrust settlement. If you are interested in submitting your comments, please visit. The direct email address is: microsoft.atr@usdoj.gov, make sure you include subject Microsoft Settlement.

Microsoft's antitrust woes are generating enough legal briefs to level several Northwestern forests. Late Wednesday, the software maker filed a brief with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Circuit alleging that rival AOL Time Warner is not supplying information subpoenaed as part of discovery process for a March 11 hearing in the ongoing antitrust case against Microsoft. The hearing will involve debate over potential penalties against Microsoft. Nine states and the District of Columbia have proposed forcing Microsoft to open up the source code to its Internet Explorer Web browser, among other penalties.

An antitrust research group said on Wednesday it plans to file a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. and the U.S. Justice Department, charging that both failed to fully disclose contacts that led to a proposed settlement of the case against the software giant. The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) has set a news conference for Thursday to release details of its suit and a request that the judge overseeing the remainder of the antitrust case wait for full disclosure of the communications before passing judgement on the settlement.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that six of the leading systems integrators support Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 and have trained consultants ready to design, maintain and install customers' deployments. Systems integrators Accenture, Avanade Inc., Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Compaq Global Services, Compuware Corp. and KPMG Consulting Inc. have all successfully worked with a number of customers on deploying BizTalk Server-based solutions, using their expertise in Microsoft technologies to deliver the right business solutions quickly.

Now you all know why I think AOL, Sun, Netscape and all alike are bunch of greedy, stupid idiots, that can't do have decent work themselves, and attach themselves to Microsoft and try to bring it down. Selfish idiots!

Netscape Communications, a division of AOL Time Warner, filed suit against Microsoft on Tuesday, claiming that the software giant's business practices crushed the onetime upstart's Internet browser. The lawsuit is based on previous court findings that Microsoft's business practices amid the infamous browser wars of the 1990s violated two sections of the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. In April 2000 a federal judge ruled that Microsoft used anti-competitive means to thwart Netscape's browser, which once had a leading position in the market but now is a distant second to Microsoft's Explorer. In June 2001, a panel of seven appellate judges upheld eight separate antitrust counts against Microsoft.