WinInsider

2001, of course, was a year that changed everything, not just in the PC sector, but in the wider world, courtesy of a devastating series of terrorist attacks in the United States and the subsequent military operations in Afghanistan. While these events are far more important than anything I've got to say about the high tech industry, I have no illusion about the reason you're reading WinInfo, so I won't bore you with my opinions and thoughts on these tragic events and stick, rather, with the topic at hand. The only thing sadder than this human tragedy, perhaps, would be attempting to capitalize on it.

The nine states holding out against the proposed settlement of the landmark Microsoft antitrust case on Monday asked a federal judge to reject the software company's request to delay remedy hearings. Earlier this month, Microsoft argued that because of the gravity of the remedy nine states are asking for, the company should get more preparation time. But the nine states told U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Monday's filing that Microsoft's arguments were an unnecessary delay.

Thanks to NeoWin for this link

Earlier this month, Universal Music introduced copy protection for its line of audio CDs using Midbar Tech's Cactus Data Shield (CDS). The announcement that Universal will copy protect its CDs - ostensibly to prevent users from ripping MP3s for trade online - came the day before the launch of pressplay, Universal's (and Sony's) subscription outlet for digital audio.

With a purchased copy of the "More Music" CD, I discovered that it is possible to copy the disc and burn MP3s from it using software freely available for download online.

Amazon is now accepting preorders for Microsoft's Visual Studio .NET. Customers must wait until January 17 for the shipped product, almost a month earlier than the official launch slated for February. Pricing in the Amazon online catalog is set at $999.99 USD for the professional edition of the programming suite. Other variants are available through the site including a January 10 release of Visual Basic .NET 2002, Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect, Visual Studio.NET Developer Enterprise 2002, and upgrade releases.

Visual Studio .NET and Visual Studio .NET Enterprise Architect introduce three significant new features: software modeling, database modeling, and development frameworks and templates. Over 20 different programming languages -- including Microsoft's latest implementation of Java -- are supported. It also yields support for Web standards such as XML, SOAP, and UDDI to extend interoperability across platforms.

As demand for Xbox continues to grow, so does the portfolio of games available for Microsoft Corp.'s future-generation video game system. By the end of this year, 38 games will be available for Xbox enthusiasts, nearly double the number developed for Nintendo's GameCube. An immediate hit with consumers since its Nov. 15 launch, Xbox also is proving to be a hit with developers.

"We're ecstatic about the support we're seeing for Xbox," said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at Microsoft. "Since day one, game developers have been excited about how easy it is to bring their creative visions to life on Xbox. Now the gamers are the ones benefiting, with a great choice of great games in all the key categories."

Jupiter Media Metrix on Wednesday said the holidays boosted traffic to the Web sites of Amazon.com Inc. and eBay Inc. in November, while Microsoft Corp. logged the biggest increase in traffic among rivals AOL Time Warner Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

AOL Time Warner maintained the top spot in terms of traffic with 84 million unique visitors, or the number of users who visited the Web site at least once in the given month, up 33 percent year over year. But Microsoft showed the most momentum, growing 39 percent from a year earlier to 75 million users.

The MSN network of Internet services today announced that visitors to MSN spent $5.6 billion online during the 2001 holiday season.1 Exceeding early predictions, MSN eShop witnessed a 106 percent increase in the number of shoppers who visited the site during this year's holiday season compared with last year.

"More and more people are enjoying the unbeatable combination of the stores they trust, unbiased advice, useful comparison shopping tools and the convenience of shopping any time from the comfort of their home or office," said Jim Barr, general manager of Commerce Services at MSN. "Online sales at MSN have increased by 56 percent this year, certainly a clear indication that online shopping has come of age."

Go MS, GO!

Facing a court-ordered breakup, Microsoft still comes out ahead Even with one arm tied behind its back, Microsoft proved once again that it never backs down from a fight. The company started the year with a federal judge's ruling ringing in its ears: You are an abusive monopoly that should be broken into two.

Undaunted, Microsoft continued to build controversial features (Smart Tags, photo editing and music playback) into its upcoming OS pending a decision on its appeal. The verdict: Microsoft is a monopoly but breaking it up would be extreme.

Within weeks, the company introduced Windows XP, accompanied by new music from Madonna and concern from some consumers over registration and licensing changes.

Microsoft asked a federal judge on Friday to extend by another four months the scheduled date for a remedy hearing in its landmark antitrust trial. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly had scheduled the hearing for March 11, but Microsoft argued that because of the gravity of the remedy nine states are asking for, the company should get more preparation time. The hearing would help the judge determine what sanctions to make against Microsoft for its antitrust violations.

"The states' far-reaching proposal and broad expansion of this case made today's motion necessary," said Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler.

A federal judge in Baltimore on Thursday postponed until next month a decision on the proposed billion-dollar settlement of class-action antitrust cases against Microsoft. U.S. District Court Judge J. Frederick Motz said he will not decide until after Jan. 10 whether to endorse the settlement deal, which would require the company to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to put software and computers into some of the poorest schools in the United States.

Motz had said he would issue a decision on the settlement proposal by mid-December. But the judge said in a brief statement that he would hold off to give Microsoft and settling attorneys more time to try to negotiate a compromise with dissenting class-action lawyers.