"Corona" dramatically improves Internet streaming by introducing Fast Stream, which gives an instant-on, always-on experience, bringing home-theater-like audio and video quality to broadband PC users. "Corona" is poised to lead the third generation of streaming on the Web, which includes broadcast-quality experiences for end users and enhanced profitability for the entire digital media ecosystem.
"Corona" introduces two new professional level audio and video codecs. The new Windows Media Audio Professional is the first codec to enable Web-based delivery of 6-channel surround sound with full-spectrum, full-resolution audio (24 bit/96 kHz sampling). A new version of the Windows Media Video codec provides a 20 percent efficiency boost compared with the previous version and now introduces the ability to provide HDTV-like video quality at file sizes half that of today's DVDs, for local playback on the PC.
Microsoft released two security bulletins late Tuesday. The first updates a patch the company released for a handful of its chat software clients in May, and the second details a work-around to a flaw in its Internet Explorer Web browser that comes as a result of the aging Gopher protocol.
Microsoft's work-around for the [Gopher vulnerability] issue is the same as that provided by Online Solutions: that users should select Internet options from within IE's Tools menu, then click Connections and select "LAN settings." From there, users should check "Use proxy server for your LAN," click the "Advanced..." button; type "localhost" into the textbox next to the word "Gopher" and put "1" in the port field.
While Linux is being embraced by a number of governments thanks to its perceived flexibility, relative security and bargain basement price, some open-source proponents are still finding it a hard sell when pitted against the reputation and resources of major vendors. Such is the case in Mexico, where an ambitious government project to build out the country's IT infrastructure and move its 100 million citizens online by 2006 is being sponsored in large part by Microsoft. Through a series of deals, the software maker has agreed to invest an estimated $100 million in software and training for tens of thousands of teachers, technicians and professionals.
And you guys thought that Microsoft was bad, take a look at what Oracle has been up to - quietly bribing politicians. Nice for Microsoft case to provide smoke, so Oracle could go about its dirty business.
As questions mounted about a controversial contract between California and Oracle, a lobbyist for the database giant wrote a detailed memo encouraging the company to make a series of cash contributions to win the support of key state politicians. According to the e-mail, Oracle lobbyist Ravi Mehta encouraged Robert Hoffman, director of legislative affairs at the company, to "make contributions to a number of individuals who are presently in office or running in safe seats and will be elected to the California legislature next year." For example, the memo notes that one candidate for the assembly will "be an ardent supporter of Oracle when elected." At another point, Mehta asks whether Oracle would "consider making a charitable contribution [to] Stanford" and earmark it to support the son of a state senator who was a student at the university. The e-mail is likely to add fuel to a controversy that has already enmeshed top state politicians. Gov. Gray Davis and Attorney General Bill Lockyer have returned campaign contributions from Oracle in the wake of the scandal.
Microsoft said Wednesday that it intends to play a major role in a new organization, the Open Mobile Alliance, which is promoting standard ways for cell phones to exchange data over the air. The Open Mobile Alliance, unveiled Wednesday, was created by the merger of two other groups promoting standard ways for cell phones to exchange data such as e-mails: the Open Mobile Architecture initiative, created by Nokia last year, and the more established WAP Forum, of which Microsoft is a member. The Open Mobile Alliance has 200 member companies and is focused on one area: the delivery of data over cellular telephone networks. In Europe and Asia, where cell phones outnumber computers, wireless e-mails sent between phones are the norm. But while billions of e-mails are exchanged each month on these continents, wireless data hasn't yet caught hold in the United States.
A federal judge on Wednesday denied Microsoft's request to dismiss the antitrust case being pursued against it by nine states and the District of Columbia. Microsoft had asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to dismiss the case in part because the Justice Department and nine other states had separately settled with the software giant. The plaintiff states and the District of Columbia rejected that settlement and chose to continue litigation. But Microsoft argued that only the Justice Department should determine national antitrust policy, a role the company claimed the litigating states were trying to usurp. Four other motions are still pending before Kollar-Kotelly, as well as a final decision on the separate settlement.
America Online has quietly released a preview version of its next-generation AOL 8.0 software. The preview version, offered to beta testers this week, is not a drastic shift in appearance and use from AOL 7.0. Since the new version is in beta, AOL 8.0 will likely undergo more changes and additions as the fall release date draws closer. The AOL 8.0 beta comes bundled with Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser. Over the past year, AOL has waded further away from using IE as the default browser in its various online services and has warmed up to its Netscape Communications subsidiary instead. AOL's Lennon declined to say whether Netscape will come bundled in future beta versions.
Microsoft revealed Wednesday that several companies are already deploying beta versions of its upcoming Windows Media Services technology, code-named Corona, in production environments. Chief among these is MSNBC, whose Web site is one of the most frequently visited online destinations, and the most popular Web-based news site. MSNBC delivers over 10 million audio and video streams per month, Microsoft says, and it has been taking advantage of Corona technology for two months now. The Corona version of Windows Media Services is available only in the Windows .NET Server family, which will be completed late this year, according to Microsoft. Since early April, however, MSNBC has been using beta versions of the product on its Web site, and has delivered over 7 million streaming audio and video clips to users with the new server technology. MSNBC confirms that the Corona server streams media twice as efficiently as its predecessor, using the same hardware.
California legislators investigating a controversial contract with Oracle sifted through hundreds of pages of documents from the database giant late Tuesday, including e-mail in which key participants discussed how to present cost-savings estimates that are at the heart of the controversy. In response to a request from the legislative audit committee, which is investigating the $95 million no-bid contract, Oracle and its business partner, Logicon, have submitted a two-inch stack of documents. Among the papers were printouts of e-mail in which company employees discuss which government officials to approach about the deal, strategies for making the sale and how to calculate cost savings.
In one e-mail, Logicon employee Rajan Mittu and Greg Loos, a sales associate at Oracle's office in Rocklin, Calif., discuss how to characterize the value of California's many existing Oracle contracts. That issue is crucial to determining whether the deal was good for the state: Oracle claimed that California would save money by consolidating sales to various state agencies, but a state audit later determined that the contract included more "seat licenses" than were needed.
Itanium 2, Intel's upcoming chip for high-end servers and workstations, has slimmed down. The final version of the chip, which goes on sale in a few weeks, will have a surface area of 421 square millimeters--approximately 10 percent smaller than originally planned. The reduction in size comes because of subsequent manufacturing improvements, an Intel representative said. Although it remains a relatively large processor, the slimmed-down chip will give Intel a little extra breathing room on costs and manufacturing. In February, Intel representatives said the chip would measure 464 square millimeters, which would have made it one of the largest chips in years.