Long-time Microsoft security-watcher Russ Cooper says that the software giant must do more to enhance the security of its products. Microsoft Corp. closed the book on a tumultuous 2002 in which it sent most of its developers back to school for a month-long crash course in "Secure by Design" programming. The effort was part of Microsoft's "Trustworthy Computing" initiative, which amounted to a public relations mea culpa in which the software giant pledged to start taking the security of its products more seriously.
As a result of the Secure by Design refresher course, during which time development on the software giant's forthcoming Windows Server 2003 all but ground to a halt, Microsoft says that Windows developers received security and trust training, and new code testing processes were put in place.
A federal judge stepped in on Wednesday to referee a simmering dispute between Microsoft and Sun over a court order that Microsoft start distributing Sun's Java programming language in its Windows operating system. Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said Sun's proposal was "ambiguous, overly broad and would mandate an unreasonable timetable" for getting Java into Windows. "Implemetation could result in great disruption to the industry as well as undue harm to consumers," Desler said. "We have formulated a clear approach that will quickly achieve the court's objectives without many of the adverse consequences that would flow from Sun's proposed order," Desler said.
How long will it be before your computer is able to read your facial expressions? Will a rude gesture become the next Control-Alt-Delete? The future has a way of creeping up without us noticing. For example, the styling of many contemporary cars bears a strong resemblance to the "cars of the future" that were touted in the 1960s and '70s. And while in-car navigation systems are rarely standard equipment, as an option or aftermarket accessory they cost less than many people spend on audio gear.
Microsoft is still struggling to ship Microsoft CRM, which was promised by the end of last year but is now in Release Candidate 3 stage. Partners now expect the company to release the software to manufacturing next week, barring further problems. But, they add, the story out of Redmond changes day-to-day. Microsoft would not comment on timing for release-to-manufacturing dates but confirmed that partners now have Release Candidate 3 in hand.
Microsoft CRM, ostensibly aimed at the low-end small-business space, has managed to dominate most CRM conversations across businesses of all sizes--even though competitors are quick to characterize it as a "one-dot-zero" release from a company that takes three major versions before producing a solid product.
The original version of Microsoft Movie Maker editing software was so limited that it disproved the adage "free is good." Fortunately, Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2 (beta) is a significant improvement, offering a range of low-end functionality and one potential blockbuster feature in AutoMovie.
You work in a scalable interface with menus on the left driving operation. The work area is on the bottom, and you can switch between a storyboard and a three-track timeline interface. That area is topped by a preview area and a window for video, effects, transitions, and titles.
Investors are expected to be as interested in hints from Microsoft about plans for its $40.5 billion cash mountain as they are about this week's quarterly earnings report which is expected to show record sales. Revenues at the world's largest software maker are expected to swell as much as 11 percent from a year earlier to between $8.5 billion and $8.6 billion, a new high, meaning the Redmond, Washington-based company's cash balance is likely to grow further.
Investors will be looking for signals about how much more cash Microsoft will set aside to hedge against its ongoing legal battles, analysts said. A lower legal risk could allow Microsoft to be freer with its cash -- and perhaps even pay dividends.
Analysts at the Dundee Securities Corporation said today that Canadian company ATI was "well positioned" to pick up future Xbox business. Obviously, Microsoft is trying to lever Nvidia and ATI against each other - both of them being suppliers, or would be suppliers. It's sort of a Sendo thing, or maybe a Zsoft thing, all over again, we suspect. David Hodgson, a senior analyst at ATI, reports that the Vole will do "everything possible" to compete against the Playstation 3, although Microsoft is not well known for designing chips in the past. Dundee said it believed the GPU supplier to Microsoft's next console - the Xbox 2, right? - will be compensated through some kind of Byzantine licensing deal.
Selected applicants were notified Tuesday of their acceptance into the Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 beta test. Microsoft began taking nominations for the test beginning last October. "Thank you for your interest in the Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) beta program. We are pleased to inform you that you have been approved to participate in the SP4 beta program," the Microsoft Windows Sustained Engineering Team wrote in an e-mail. "You have been selected from a large pool of applicants because we believe you will provide us with useful feedback throughout the program."
Microsoft on Thursday is likely to report a solid but not spectacular quarter, reflecting the continuing slump in the economy and in corporate spending habits, financial analysts say. For the company's second fiscal quarter of 2003, which ended Dec. 31, analysts polled by First Call on average are expecting profits of 47 cents a share on revenue of between $8.5 billion and $8.6 billion. That compares with profits of 42 cents a share on revenue of $7.7 billion in the same quarter last year -- a growth in revenue of about 10 percent.
Microsoft Corp., moving to stem the tide of foreign governments embracing the Linux open-source operating system, on Tuesday announced it has formed a global initiative to provide governments around the world with access to Windows source code. The new security initiative, the Government Security Program (GSP), has been designed to "address the unique security requirements of governments and international organizations throughout the world," said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief technology officer.