Federal authorities have described a new Internet-based worm that is targeting Windows machines through email and Web servers as being more disruptive than this summer's "Code Red" worm. The worm, dubbed "Nimda" ("admin" spelled backwards), likely originated in China and is unique because it attacks a number of known flaws in various versions of Windows. Viewers can obtain the worm visiting tainted Web sites, and it can be sent via an email attachment called "readme.exe". Security experts say that it doesn't delete any data, but it's very hard to remove, quite easy to spread, and can be used in Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
Compaq Computer will announce Oct. 4 that it will begin shipping two new iPaq handhelds using the new version of Microsoft's PocketPC software and will offer a wireless communications expansion pack, sources say. The company confirmed it would make product announcements on Oct. 4, but declined to discuss details. The Compaq announcements will be part of Microsoft events in San Francisco and London where other partners, such as Casio, Hewlett-Packard, Intermec Technologies, Symbol Technologies and Toshiba, are expected to make similar announcements. Microsoft is expected to officially launch its new Pocket PC 2002 operating system, code-named Merlin, at that time. The new OS will come with new tools, such as wireless networking and security features, to make life easier for corporate workers.
A computer worm that spreads to both servers and PCs running Microsoft software flooded the Internet with data on Tuesday. Known as "Nimda" or "readme.exe," the worm spreads by sending infected e-mails, copying itself to computers on the same network, and compromising Web servers using Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) software. Analysis of the worm is still in the early stages, experts said.
Improved Reliability Coupled with Microsoft's Market Dominance Will Result in 73 Million New License Shipments in 2002. Microsoft's release of Windows XP is approaching and the new product will likely appear in corporate accounts within a few short months of being released, according to IDC. The global market intelligence and advisory firm is forecasting that Windows XP sales will account for 67% of Microsoft's worldwide client operating environment (COE) new license shipments during 2002.
According to a report published this week by research analysis firm IDC, Microsoft will sell over 73 million Windows XP licenses by the end 2002, giving the new OS a dominant position in the market. The firm says that Windows XP will be aided by its increased reliability over Windows 2000 and 9x/Me, as well as Microsoft's overall market dominance. And according to IDC, Windows XP will quickly account for over 67 percent of all Windows products, providing Microsoft will the much-needed mover away from the Windows 9x code base.
Responding to a diving stock market, high tech companies such as Microsoft and Red Hat Software are buying back large amounts of their own shares. Microsoft is still being pretty quiet about the plan, but with over $30 billion in cash and a directive from stockholders to buy back stock at the company's discretion, the company is in a good position to help keep the stock price from tanking.
With the release of a low-cost Pentium 4 chipset that enables PC makers to build systems that tie the high-end chip to standard, low-cost SDRAM memory, Intel is now busy phasing out its popular Pentium III product line for desktop PCs. By the end of the holiday season this year, Pentium III desktop systems will be gone for good from store shelves, with only corporate accounts being able to purchase such systems for a limited time thereafter. Intel says it will continue to sell its low-end Celeron line, which is based on the Pentium III chip, for the short term as well.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 came out a winner in the recently published 2001 Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) Survey conducted by Survey.com and published by The OLAP Report. OLAP is one of the hottest areas of data management, and SQL Server 2000 has confirmed its leadership in business intelligence with its integrated Analysis Services component. In the largest survey of its kind, more than 644 OLAP users from 46 countries were asked to rate 11 vendors on implementation, performance and overall satisfaction of integrated analysis services.
For the second time in a week, Microsoft and the government received an extension in an important court filing. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has reset the deadline for a joint status report originally due Sept. 14. That deadline has now been extended until Thursday, and a hearing originally scheduled for Friday will take place on Sept. 28. Both Microsoft and the Justice Department are apparently grappling with the effects of last week's devastating attacks in Washington and in New York.
Dell Computer launched on Monday the Dimension 8200, a new high-end, consumer-oriented desktop PC designed for running 3D games, editing video and performing other intensive tasks. Because high-end PC owners also tend to upgrade hardware over the lifetime of a PC, the Dimension 8200's case can be opened like a clamshell, without tools. The new design aims to increase the ease with which customers can access the PC's internal components, a Dell representative said. Its predecessor, the Dimension 8100, is no longer for sale.