That will teach them a lesson
Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday it is suing a small software company called Lindows, claiming that name infringes the trademark of the software giant's flagship Windows operating system. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington, Microsoft is seeking to force a name change of the Lindows software, which is a version of the Linux operating system capable of running programs made for Windows.
"We're not at all asking the court to stop or prevent the company from making the product, we're simply saying it shouldn't use a name that confuses the public and infringes our trademark," Microsoft spokesman Jon Murchinson said.
Microsoft may have touted Windows XP as the most secure operating system it has made, but the company on Thursday released a bug fix for a security hole that could leave some people's systems open to malicious attack. Microsoft is recommending that every Windows XP customer apply the patch immediately. Customers using Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows ME with the "Universal Plug and Play" (UPnP) service up and running should also use the patch, the company said.
Windows users can download the patch from Microsoft's Web site.
Comcast Corp.'s proposed purchase of AT&T's cable operations to create pay television's big gorilla is seen getting regulatory approval, but analysts were less certain on Thursday that it would help merger plans by the largest satellite broadcast firms.
AT&T and Comcast, with 22 million subscribers, reach 20 percent of U.S. households. Their merger, if approved, would trump the 16 million customers of satellite television providers EchoStar Communications Corp. and Hughes Electronics'DirecTV.
Microsoft Corp. stands to win big from the $47 billion sale of AT&T Corp.'s cable network to Comcast Corp., with the software giant finally seen making inroads in high-speed cable Internet access and interactive television, analysts said on Thursday.
The deal calls for Microsoft to convert its $5 billion investment in AT&T debt into 115 million common shares of AT&T Comcast, giving it a vote in what will be the country's biggest cable network with 22 million subscribers.
Windows XP, just like Win2k & NT before it, runs many background Services for a wide variety of tasks, e.g. Plug & Play support, Print Spooler & even Task Manager.
There are ways of optimizing the usage of these Services and configure your machine for improved performance and even security by modifying their respective Startup types, and in some cases disabling them altogether. 3D Spotlight's tweak guide will take you through a multitude of different Services, explaining how and what they work for.
Take it a look:
http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/winxp_services/index.shtml
Citing a slew of upcoming software releases, Microsoft announced this week that 2002 will usher in "the next chapter of .NET," with products such as Windows .NET Server, the Tablet PC, and Visual Studio .NET bringing Web services to a wide range of users for the first time. Microsoft noted that 2002 arrives "on the heels of an historic year" for the company that saw the release of Windows XP, Office XP, and the company's first gaming console, the Xbox. Here's what we can expect from Microsoft in the coming year: Visual Studio .NET, Windows .NET Server, Tablet PC, Great Plains Dynamics and eEnterprise Release 7.0, Speech Technologies for .NET, Microsoft TV Advanced Platform, Xbox, Corona Digital Media Technologies.
Program Designed to Identify Security Solutions Experts to Help Customers Get Secure And Stay Secure
Microsoft Corp. today announced a new partner security solutions certification program, which reflects the company's ongoing commitment to provide customers with the technologies, tools and resources to help them get secure and stay secure. The Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program for Security Solutions is designed to help customers easily identify solution providers with proven expertise in upholding the highest industry standards and best practices for secure systems.
Less than two months after the launch of its new Windows XP operating system, Microsoft has reshuffled a few high-ranking executives in its flagship Windows unit. The reordering at the division also affects the software giant's wireless-software group. Roger Weed, who handled marketing for that group, replaces John Frederiksen, a top executive who led the marketing effort for Windows XP. Frederiksen said his new role at Microsoft has not been officially announced and declined to reveal what it might be.
"I have been in Windows for the past four years and am at home on paternity leave with a new baby," said Frederiksen. "I am going to be switching jobs when I return in January."
The informal community of Internet software pirates has been ripped apart by the recent international law-enforcement raids on many of its elite crackers, members of the shadowy scene said this week. This is a bad hit for warez," one self-described 18-year-old programmer, who has been a member of the community for four years, wrote in an online chat with CNET News.com. "Right now, every scene is at a standstill. Every one of them." Warez is the generic online name for digital content such as games, movies or software whose copy protection has been defeated by skilled programmers. The programs can then be used on any PC without first buying the software.
Palm reported on Wednesday a quarterly loss that was slightly smaller than expected, while sales were down 44 percent compared with the same period a year ago. The handheld maker reported a loss of $25.2 million, or 4 cents per share, on revenue of $290.6 million for its fiscal second quarter that ended Nov. 30. Those figures include inventory writedowns, amortization of goodwill, and restructuring charges. In the same quarter a year ago, the company reported earnings of $27.5 million, or 4 cents per share, on revenue of $522.2 million. Excluding the special charges, the company reported a loss of 6 cents per share. That narrowly beats the consensus figure from analysts of a loss of 7 cents per share, according to First Call.