Rather than exploiting the things that computers do well -- which is how the software industry usually works -- Microsoft Corp. and others are trying to protect users by taking advantage of the things a computer can't do well. For example, computers can't usually recognize letters or numbers when their edges are irregular and they're set against a complex background. Despite enormous increases in the sophistication and power of computers, that kind of edge detection and pattern recognition remains a tough challenge. So yesterday, Microsoft began using just such images on the registration page of its popular free Hotmail e-mail service, hoping that will reduce Hotmail's notorious spam glut.
This week, both Microsoft and Apple Computer dropped the legal gauntlet on workers who took advantage of the companies. In the Microsoft case, an employee of the software giant was arrested and charged with selling over $9 million worth of Microsoft software, purchased in-house at a steep discount. For Apple, the damage was done by a former contract worker who stole plans to the company's PowerMac designs last summer and posted them on a public Web site in advance of the product's release. The bizarre legal cases come just days after Microsoft threatened a Windows enthusiast Web site with legal action if its proprietor refused to hand over its domain name freely to the company.
Microsoft on Thursday released an upgrade to its set of Web-based services that can be used to add location-aware features to applications that run on devices ranging from mobile phones to personal computers. Microsoft's mapping service, called MapPoint .Net Version 3.0, was made available with new features and geographical information for customers that use the service to add features such as driving directions and mapping to consumer and business applications.
MapPoint .NET is Microsoft's first .Net Web service, said Steve Lombardi, product manager for MapPoint.Net. Web services are applications delivered over the Internet that make use of industry standard technologies including XML (Extensible Markup Language) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).
Microsoft Corp. is ratcheting up its efforts to ensure that independent software vendors, partners, system integrators and component vendors address potential application compatibility issues with the upcoming Windows .Net Server 2003 family before it is released next April. Application compatibility is often a thorny area when new products are released, and Microsoft is trying to limit, as far as possible, any negative user experiences with .Net Server.
The Redmond, Wash., software company is moving to make the new server platform more secure by default; as a result, some default settings, group policy controls and security settings have been changed in the upcoming server release. This means that ISVs and others now have to thoroughly test their applications to ensure ongoing compatibility.
Microsoft's top challenges for 2003 include reviving Office, delivering Windows.Net Server and keeping a "lid" on Linux. According to the 2003 annual list compiled by Directions on Microsoft, a Kirkland-based research house and newsletter, Microsoft's top challenges next year include boosting sagging sales of Office, delivering the first .Net-enabled server and first Windows server upgrade in three years, and minimizing the spread of Linux on the server and the desktop.
The list this year is similar in some respects , however, to Microsoft's Top 10 Challenges for 2002. For example, the older list cites beating back Linux, convincing customers to upgrade, selling annual licenses and subscriptions and delivering .Net as top challenges. But some of the challenges cited in the 2002 list--converting MSN eyeballs into revenue and making gains in wireless and PDA markets--were omitted in 2003.
Microsoft should see its current quarter results lifted by the strong holiday season performance of its Xbox video game console and related game software, an analyst said on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Charles Di Bona, in a research note, said Microsoft stood to benefit from higher sales of more profitable game software even as discounts cut into its revenues from sales of the money-losing Xbox console itself. "Preliminary reports from retailers indicate that game software is moving extremely well this holiday season as discount-driven console sales through the fall have boosted the installed base," Di Bona said.
It's down to the wire for Microsoft CRM. Solution providers report that the release candidate of the low-end CRM package from Microsoft looks to be on track for general availability by month's end. Partners said the code looks solid and that it's unclear whether there will be a second release candidate.
MS-CRM touts tight integration with the Microsoft Outlook mail client and reportedly offers the basic sales force automation capabilities many companies need. It does not have all the bells and whistles that Siebel Systems' CRM product is known for, but for "many companies, [MS-CRM will be] good enough," said Jay Fruin, president of Leveraged Technologies, a New York-based CRM specialist.
Why XP is excellent
OS Opinion
I've used 'em all -- Linux, BeOS, DOS and all the various incarnations of Windows (including Windows 286). And while I can sympathize with folks wanting to stick with older versions of Windows, it may be time for them to get their heads out of the sand! How many times have you suffered through the agony of "the blue screen of death"? That doesn't happen with Windows XP . How often do you reboot your computer because your antique operating system has hiccuped on new hardware or software it doesn't like?
America Online will cut about 300 jobs on Wednesday, beginning an expected wave of layoffs as it trims costs and tries to revive the embattled Internet division of AOL Time Warner Inc., a source close to the company said. Sources familiar with the situation as well as analysts expect the layoffs to be the first over the next couple months.
Some sources have said the layoffs could match the 1,925 made last year, shortly after AOL completed its $106.2 billion purchase of Time Warner. The AOL division has been struggling with a deep slump in advertising spending and subscriber growth, as well as ongoing federal probes into its accounting practices.
Tech Update: In the keynote that Bill Gates gave at Comdex, it seemed as though he set a goal for Microsoft to improve the productivity of its customers. He said, "In the decade ahead, I can predict that we'll provide over twice the productivity improvements we did in the '90s." Can we improve on productivity? Is there really that much room left?
Raikes: The answer is, absolutely yes. But, we'd all admit that it's somewhat difficult to quantify. For example, if you step back to 1990, very few people were using e-mail. Very few people were able to communicate broadly across their organization or to easily collaborate with people outside of their organization. The 1990s brought a significant increase in productivity from being able to connect with people using e-mail. Was it two times or three times, or an order of magnitude? That's difficult to tell. It's the same with the Internet and intranets. Being able to have access to the vast amount of information resources absolutely made a difference in productivity. But it is somewhat difficult to quantify. In some cases, you'll see it's an improvement of 50 percent, and some cases it may be a factor of five.