Though perhaps not as terrifying as Godzilla, Microsoft has managed to persuade a major Japanese vendor of Linux into buying patent protection.
Tokyo, Japan-based Turbolinux joined Microsoft in announcing a deal pledging that Microsoft will not sue Turbolinux users for any alleged
infringement in open source code shipped as part of the Linux distribution.
At the heart of the patent protection is Microsoft's allegation that open source software infringes on the company's intellectual property.
Microsoft on Tuesday expanded the capabilities of its Windows Live ID service by adding support for single sign-on for its Windows Live services and making it possible for users to sign up for an ID from a mobile device.
Microsoft executives posted the updates to Windows Live on separate blog entries. Windows Live ID is the gateway to Microsoft's Windows Live services, which include e-mail, instant messaging, blog hosting, and security.
Microsoft has launched a new recruitment site aimed at recent college and MBA grads, called "View My World. The most interesting thing about the site is the types of jobs Microsoft is highlighting there.
Openings on the Xbox, Zune, Silverlight, Windows Live and Windows Mobile teams get top billing on ViewMyWorld. The Flash-based site uses video clips, links to blogs and RSS feeds to show off the up-and-coming opportunities at the company on primarily consumer-focused teams. There are interviews with current Microsoft employees as well as a couple of now-former employees who are made to seem as if theyre still on staff.
Microsoft's Live Labs has debuted a new service to allow users to create and share various types of lists. Called Listas, the application can be used not only for lists, but for notes, favorites and other communal types of information. Like Wikis, the lists can then be shared with the public, which allows for group editing.Along with the service, Live Labs has created a companion toolbar for Internet Explorer which allows users to collect information from the web and add it to their lists, be it search results or full or partial web pages. Users also can subscribe to others' lists through RSS, the company said.
The core code for Microsoft's Windows OS is undergoing a rewrite to make it slimmer for use in a wide range of future products, including Windows 7, the OS that will succeed Vista.
The internal project, code-named "MinWin," is not being readied for a product just yet but will be part of Windows 7, said Eric Traut, a distinguished engineer, during a recent presentation at the University of Illinois. A video of his talk has been posted online.
The kernel is the fundamental code underlying an OS that manages services for applications such as drivers, file management and memory.
Too much emphasis is put on Internet-search advertising, says Brian McAndrews, a Microsoft senior vice president who predicts that more buyers will switch to other kinds of online ads.
Microsoft, which is far behind Google Inc. in the Internet-search market, gets the bulk of its advertising revenue from so-called display ads -- banners, video spots and other graphical promotions.
Because Google is newer to display ads, Microsoft may benefit if more buyers embrace the format.
Microsoft is working on delivering the next version of Windows Embedded CE in November and on tapping the market for service-enabled devices.
Kevin Dallas, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Embedded Business group, said the company plans to launch Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 on Nov. 15 at the Embedded Technology 2007 show in Yokohama, Japan. The show is described on its Web site as "the world's largest trade show and conference for embedded system designers and managers."
The new operating system will be the foundation for service-oriented devices, Dallas told eWEEK in an interview. Windows Embedded CE 6.0 will feature support for Web services on devices, VOIP (voice-over-IP) video technology capabilities and Internet Explorer updates, Dallas said.
Obviously. But what will Halo 3 be selling like in October? Or January? According to market researchers at NPD, video game hardware and software sales in the US jumped 75 percent in September, thanks largely to the long-anticipated release of Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Total video game sales in the month were $1.36 billion, up from $779 million in the same month a year ago. The big news from a Microsoft perspective, however, is that the Xbox 360 outsold the Wii for the first time in September, 528,000 units to 501,000.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer compared the company's search technology to a precocious toddler -- one who would eventually grow up to rival nemesis Google Inc.
During an animated discussion at the Web 2.0 Summit moderated by organizer John Battelle, Ballmer took a paternal tone, saying Microsoft's own Web search technology needed improvements.
"You're just 3 years old, and we've got you in there playing basketball with a 12-year-old," Ballmer gushed and gesticulated, nearly popping out of his seat. "You're growing up quick and getting better every day, and you've got all the potential in world, and it may take you 'til you're 7, 8, 9 or 10, but you're gonna dunk and you're gonna dunk on the other guy some day, Johnny."
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer refused to say whether the software company was looking to buy either Yahoo or Facebook, despite much prodding from John Batelle, the co-host of the Web 2.0 Summit here Oct. 18.
But Redmond does expect to acquire about 20 companiesfrom $50 million to $1 billionevery year for the next five years, including companies that use open-source software, he said.
"We have a great partnership with Facebook on the advertising front. We love Facebook and we'll see where that takes us," was all that Ballmer would say with regard to a potential acquisition.