Microsoft will reveal hundreds of pieces of proprietary computer code from its monopoly Windows operating system in the next several weeks to comply with an antitrust settlement it signed with the U.S. Justice Department last year, the company said on Monday. The software giant said the disclosures are part of its first steps to comply with the settlement that must still be approved by a federal judge and is still opposed by nine state attorneys general seeking stiffer sanctions. Microsoft said it plans to disclose 385 bits of computer code and internal operating rules, previously kept secret, that outside software developers can use to write programs to run on Windows.
Microsoft has spent the last couple of years piling enterprise-friendly, network-dependent features into its Pocket PC mobile operating system, but these features do little good when devices lack network connectivity. T-Mobile USA's T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition provides that connectivity, enabling companies to make more of the Pocket PC OS by pairing it with integrated voice and data functions across T-Mobile's GPRS wireless network.
The T-Mobile (also known as VoiceStream) device, which became available last week for $549 with activation, runs a version of Pocket PC 2002 that Microsoft has extended to support phone functions. The device allows companies to take full advantage of Pocket PC's virtual private network, terminal services and server synchronization functions, and makes the T-Mobile device a compelling enterprise client.
Microsoft has agreed to abide by certain provisions of the settlement agreement it reached with the Justice Department, the company said Monday. Microsoft said it plans to hold a conference call Monday morning to issue updates on the settlement process, and to release more details about which aspects of the proposed settlement it will abide by. "Although the proposed settlement has not been entered by the District Court, Microsoft has agreed to implement certain provisions of the settlement agreement while the court process is pending," the company said in a press release.
Among other provisions, the company promised to refrain from contracts and related activities that compel other companies to do its bidding. The Windows operating system, at the heart of a court ruling that branded Microsoft a monopolist, would emerge largely unchanged, and Windows XP--once a focal point of further proceedings--would be free of any significant restrictions.
By contrast, the states that are continuing with litigation want Microsoft to sell an alternative version of Windows, from which middleware such as browsers and media players can be removed; license through auction its widespread Office software for use on competing operating systems; give away for free the source code, or blueprint, to its Internet Explorer Web browser; and carry in Windows for 10 years Sun Microsystems' version of the Java Virtual Machine.
Once Bill Gates got out of his way, Steve Ballmer and his most loyal officers quickly set about remaking Microsoft inside and out. Internal development and review procedures were completely overhauled to keep sloppy code from leaving the shop. Ballmer's "ass on the line" policy sets up a chain of accountability that runs from worker bee developers to vice presidents for every product. That took care of new software, but Microsoft also needed to polish up its existing product line. Ballmer's team figured out that Microsoft can't fight its enemies if it's wasting energy on infighting between groups. Turf squabbles were proscribed and everyone's focus was turned outward to real threats in the enterprise: Sun, IBM, and OSS (open-source software).
That migration is an epic journey that makes the trip from 16-bit to 32-bit code look like a weekend jaunt. Each of the server products will travel at its own pace. The forthcoming Yukon version of SQL Server, for example, will not be written on the .Net Framework, according to John Montgomery, group product manager for the .Net development platform. "There is too much code running too near the kernel for that," he says. "But Yukon will expose its entire programming model as managed code."
When teams write new code, the assumption is that they will do so in a managed space "unless there's a compelling reason not to," Montgomery says. Here, by the way, managed C++ will play a special role. For example, a C# version of DirectX achieved only 60 percent of native performance, according to Montgomery, whereas a managed C++ version nearly equalled it. All .Net languages are created equal, but some are more equal than others.
First we had Windows 2000, then Windows XP, and now .Net Server, Microsoft's latest and most ambitious effort yet to redefine enterprise computing. But unlike Microsoft's previous server operating systems, the .Net implementation is expected to form not only the optimal platform for all existing applications, but also for a range of as yet unimagined, loosely coupled apps that are today but a gleam in developers' eyes. Although Microsoft has never lacked the ability to dream, the company is still dogged by its assumption that the majority of applications will only run on a proprietary Windows server platform in the future.
According to analysts, the task that Microsoft has set itself is not an easy one. Microsoft is gradually bringing all the elements of next generation Web services components to the table, but it risks sending a message that it owns the entire platform, said Dwight Davis, vice president and practice director at Summit Strategies. "Microsoft is the only company that can tie it all together," Davis said.
A Microsoft Drives XML into the core of its client software stack, Groove Networks is set to unveil a new toolkit designed to extend the collaborative capabilities of Windows applications. The move is part of Microsoft's overall effort to leverage XML to make Office the de facto front end to any enterprise application, and more specifically tightly couple Office with Microsoft offerings such as Great Plains and BizTalk.
Designed as an add-on to Microsoft's .Net development environment, Groove Toolkit for Visual Studio .Net allows developers to rapidly build WinForms-based applications hosted in Groove's Workspace environment. Using C# or VB .Net, the toolkit will ease the development of WinForm applications that leverage the collaborative capabilities of SharePoint Team Services and Groove Workspace, said Jack Ozzie, co-founder and vice president of development, platform, and developer services at Groove Networks.
This story made my day!
After taking Microsoft to school in the original Microsoft antitrust trial, former DOJ trustbuster Joel Klein has accepted a job running New York's public school system. No word on what qualifications Klein has for this job, beyond of course his experience slapping down the school boy-like antics of America's favorite tech monopoly. But seriously, folks, I'm sure the New York public school system is in good hands. Good luck to Mr. Klein.
Makes you wonder who is this guy, and how much retarded is he? I guess no one would hire him in technology sector, wonder why?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has broadened its probe of AOL Time Warner's (AOLTW) financial practices to examine the company's relationship with Las Vegas software company PurchasePro, according to a published report.
AOLTW is under investigation by both the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for alleged financial misdealing such as improperly booking revenue from business partners like PurchasePro. AOLTW forged a deal with the business purchasing software company in March of 2000 whereby it agreed to help PurchasePro sell its software in return for part of the revenue and warrants for PurchasePro's stock.According to a report in Friday's online edition of the Wall Street Journal, AOLTW is being investigated for cashing in $27 million worth of PurchasePro stock and booking it as advertising revenue.
Here are the highlights from this month's Bonus Pack... Microsoft filed 17 lawsuits againts piracy; Ballmer in charge; Top ten reasons why Microsoft is a good citizen; Intel to release Itanium 2 at two speeds; Security vulnerability in Sun's IPlanet; Scripting flaw threatens PHP Web servers; Linux hack attacks on the rise; Oracle will lie to get your money; so desperate; AOL fails on AIM interoperability promise; AOL's accounting under SEC investigation; Longhorn: It's all in the timing; Microsoft 'Avalon' Framework for Longhorn; Secret Project: Xbox With Extras Features; .NET Enterprise Server with 8-Node Clustering; Windows Media 9 Series ("Corona") Preview; Microsoft courts .Net developers; Visual Studio.Net gets update this fall; Microsoft Shifts to Phase Two with .NET.