Microsoft on Wednesday launched a major security initiative intended to address concerns that its software is prone to security problems and virus attacks. On Tuesday, Microsoft contacted about 1,000 of its largest customers to outline its program, called the Strategic Technology Protection Program, and address their concerns about recent worm attacks, said analysts and sources close to the company.
The first part of STPP, "Get Secure," provides Microsoft customers with a security toolkit that consolidates software patches, "hot fixes" and updates into one place. Microsoft also will offer free technical support for security matters, and through regional account representatives it will work with customers to assure their networks are secure.
Hoping to further entrench its Office business software suite in the marketplace, Microsoft on Wednesday said it will offer discounted versions through mainstream retailers of Office XP to students and teachers to use at home. The educational package of Office XP will include the full version of Word 2002, Outlook 2002, Excel 2002 and PowerPoint 2002 for $149 and will go on sale Oct. 25. Microsoft said that puts the software at almost 70 percent off the regular Office XP Standard price. It will come in different packaging to help set it apart from commercial Office products.
Responding to allegations by Novell that it had tried to disparage the company, Microsoft yesterday said that it had already tried to address Novell's concerns by halting the shipments of the offending promotional materials and issuing new clarifying statements. Microsoft says that it hopes that Novell will take these efforts in good faith, though of course, Novell is now suing Microsoft for making false and misleading statements about Novell and its products. Novell is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a corrective advertising campaign by Microsoft.
Better-than-expected economic news Wednesday helped the Nasdaq recover from another batch of profit warnings. The Nasdaq composite index rose 50.40 points to 1,542.73, and the Dow Jones industrial average was up 72.17 to 9,022.76. The markets opened lower Wednesday after Nortel Networks and Openwave Systems issued profit warnings Tuesday after the closing bell. That put an end to that day's rally after the Federal Reserve's half-percentage point cut to interest rates.
Microsoft Corp. and Siebel Systems Inc., the world's leading provider of e-business applications software, today at Siebel Worldwide User Week 2001 announced the integration of Siebel 7 and the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server and the various products in the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family. Siebel 7, the latest version of Siebel eBusiness Applications, supports the Windows 2000 Server and Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and provides integration with other Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers such as Microsoft Exchange Server and BizTalk Server 2000. Via Microsoft's platform, Siebel 7 provides global enterprise organizations with a highly reliable, scalable and manageable solution for building customer satisfaction and loyalty while maximizing revenue.
Adding a new challenge to their list of legal attacks, the record industry and Hollywood studios have joined forces to sue Music City, Kazaa and Grokster, which together form one of the most popular file-trading networks to spring up in Napster's wake. The suit marks the fourth major legal action the copyright holders have filed in their attempt to restrain millions of people from trading copies of songs and movies online. So far they have been successful, shutting down Scour, stopping trades on Napster and putting smaller outfit Aimster on the financial ropes. :(
Microsoft is phasing out Windows NT 4.0, its 5-year-old operating system for businesses. Microsoft on Monday discontinued the server version of NT because of increased demand for its newer replacement, Windows 2000, and because of the forthcoming release of Windows XP. The software giant is no longer selling NT Server 4.0 via its volume licensing programs, through which businesses can buy the operating system in bulk and with a discount, according to Microsoft's Web site. The software giant, however, will continue to sell individual copies of NT 4.0 through retail stores.
Microsoft has just released to the web the brand new version 2.0 of its eBook reader software. Microsoft Reader 2.0 now supports premium eBook content on up to four Windows-based PCs, laptops, and Pocket PC 2002 devices. This new PC version is already available in several languages and can be downloaded for free
My theory has been conform by the Sun corporation itself. Sun is bunch of idiots. No wonder why Sun stock is worth spare change. Sues MS to remove java, then begs to but it back, what a bunch of whinnies; and now this.
Sun Microsystems has acknowledged three flops in its acquisition strategy in the areas of consumer gadgets, storage and software. Sun reported in a regulatory filing that the acquisitions of Diba in 1997, Encore in 1997 and NetDynamics in 1998 didn't work out as hoped. In all these cases, products that didn't match initial expectations forced the Palo Alto, Calif., server maker to write off a total of $51 million of value, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
When Cliff Reeves began working in the software industry, Richard Nixon was in the White House, computers were exotic beasts served by a relatively small coterie of cognoscenti, and the personal computer was not even a pipe dream. In an industry where even a decade of experience makes one a veteran, Reeves is practically a founder.