WinInsider

Microsoft has released a new version 4.6.0071 of MSN Messenger. Features:

• Add-ins for Windows Messenger
• Improved support for computer-to-phone calls
• More flexibility in resizing the conversation window
• Other improvements

Microsoft released a number of free entertainment enhancements to its Windows XP operating system Thursday, as the software maker continues to advance its digital media strategy. Dubbed Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP, the free download includes tools for getting more out of the new operating system's built-in media player. Microsoft's holiday goodie bag includes new visualizations and skins, playlist-to-spreadsheet export utility, and extra tools for amateur moviemakers.

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday urged a federal judge to endorse its antitrust settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and ignore what it called an "extreme" alternative offered by some states in the case. In a filing with the court, Microsoft's lawyers said the remedy offered by states opposed to the settlement proposal was "radical and punitive" and went beyond the findings against the company. Microsoft said some of the proposals "seem calculated to inflict maximum commercial harm on Microsoft" and would amount to a divestiture of its valuable Windows operating system and Office suite of business software.

For centuries the humble slug has eaten its way through the world's vegetable patches, frustrating farmers and gardeners alike, but thanks to British scientists the great plant muncher is about to be munched. Scientists at Britain's University of West England have developed the "SlugBot," a prototype robot capable of hunting down more than 100 slugs an hour. It operates after dark when slugs are most active and uses their rotting bodies to generate the electricity it needs to power itself.

Microsoft is disputing claims made by an Oracle executive that Microsoft uses Unix on its Web servers instead of the flagship Windows program, which is the main operating system targeted by hackers. Oracle has been pitching its own software as "unbreakable" in a new marketing campaign that executives have used in part to call attention to what they see as the improved security of their platform running on Unix, compared with Microsoft's rival Windows standard. Since Oracle launched its new ad campaign seven weeks ago, the number of hackers that have tried to hack the company's Web site has risen 10-fold, Oracle said last week.

In a widely anticipated move, Microsoft filed a remedy proposal in its antitrust case Wednesday that closely matches a settlement cut with federal and state trustbusters last month. The Redmond, Wash.-based company also delivered a harsh rebuttal to a remedy proposal filed Friday by nine states and the District of Columbia, which refused to sign the settlement agreement forged by the government.

"It is readily apparent (both from the terms of their proposal and from their comments to the press) that the non-settling States seek to punish Microsoft and to advance the commercial interests of powerful corporate constituents--Microsoft competitors such as Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Apple and Palm. Neither objective is appropriate under the antitrust laws," according to the Microsoft statement.

When Intel's Pentium 4 comes to notebooks next year, consumers will discover a boost in computing power--and possibly an extra fan. The new mobile Pentium 4 chip, which sources familiar with Intel's plans say will launch in late March or early April, will run at 1.6GHz and 1.7GHz--faster than any other portable chip. But sources say the new Pentium 4 will also be much more power hungry than current Pentium III-M processors, which go up to 1.2GHz, or current Athlon 4 mobile chips from Advanced Micro Devices. As a result, notebook makers will need to take extra precautions to fit the Pentium 4 into existing lines. Models that don't have a second fan for heat removal, for example, will likely have to add one. Larger, heavier batteries will also be part of the mix.

The federal judge overseeing Microsoft's antitrust-related class action lawsuits has reviewed the company's controversial proposed settlement and come away unimpressed. Citing the "serious issues" he has with the settlement, which would supply the nation's poorest schools with computers and software supposedly worth $1 billion, Judge J. Frederick Motz has told the company and plaintiff's lawyers to meet with a mediator to hammer out more acceptable terms. The meeting will take place next Tuesday.

Pinstripes may be as popular as mouse ears this week here in the home of Disneyland. Bankers by the thousands are gathered here December 12-14 for the Bank Administration Institute Retail Delivery Conference. It's their industry's largest conference devoted to retail banking -- the bread-and-butter business of taking deposits and making consumer and small-business loans. Microsoft has a significant presence at the conference, because software is helping transform how bankers do business. To attract and retain customers, for example, bankers today are less likely to use free toasters than they are the latest customer relationship management (CRM) software.

Microsoft Named One of 12 Most Influential Solution Providers For "Intelligent" Enterprises. SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services Is Key to Microsoft's Business Intelligence Vision.

Microsoft Corp. today was named a top company in the Intelligent Enterprise Dozen - the 12 IT solution providers that most influence the development of "intelligent" enterprises - as selected by the editors of Intelligent Enterprise Magazine. Microsoft achieved this honor based on its commitment to delivering affordable business solutions that enable enterprises to improve business intelligence (BI) at a lower total cost of ownership and faster time to benefit, with products such as Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and its Analysis Services component.