Pioneering Solutions eBusiness News has changed it's software solutions provider in order to utilize industry leading software and enabling us to provide the latest industry news to our readers. Affective 09/26/2007 new posts can be located here. See the Entries RSS section in the left hand column to update your RSS feeds.

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Microsoft responds to IBM’s free competitor (Lotus Symphony) to MS-Office

by ZDNet's David Berlind

In case you missed it, IBM today released a free office productivity suite based on OpenOffice.org called Lotus Symphony. According to News.com’s Martin Lamonica: After years of watching Microsoft rake in billions of dollars from its desktop software franchise, its competitors are pouncing. IBM on Tuesday announced the release of Lotus Symphony, a suite [...]

Everything you’ve read about Vista DRM is wrong (Part 1)

by ZDNet's Ed Bott

Self-described "professional paranoid" Peter Gutmann of the University of Auckland has become the most widely quoted source of information on DRM and content protection in Windows Vista. The trouble is, Gutmann's work is riddled with factual errors, distortions, contradictions, and outright untruths, and his conclusions are equally wrong. In this three-part series, I'll show you why Gutmann's outrageous and inflamatory arguments don't stand up to close scrutiny.

What you can expect in Vista SP1

by ZDNet's Ed Bott

Microsoft has finally removed the wraps from its plans for Windows Vista Service Pack 1. What's in it? When will you be able to get your hand on it? Will it include a new search interface to address antitrust complaints? I've got answers to those questions and more.

Microsoft posts two major Vista fix packs for download

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

Remember those Windows Vista reliability and performance fix packs -- beta versions of which temporarily escaped to the masses last week? On August 7, Microsoft posted the final versions of the two packs for download.

Hamster plus Hotspot equals Web 2.0 meltdown!

by ZDNet's George Ou

Robert Graham (CEO Errata Security) gave his Web 2.0 hijacking presentation to a packed audience at Black Hat 2007 today. The audience erupted with applause and laughter when Graham used his tools to hijack someone’s Gmail account during an unscripted demo. The victim in this case was using a typical unprotected Wi-Fi Hotspot [...]

Here’s the list of fixes in those new Vista fix packs

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

I linked to an AeroXP post this morning listing hot fixes for Windows Vista provided in two new Knowledge Base postings. A number of those fixes seem like they are the same ones expected to be part of Vista SP1. The AeroXP post is gone now. Poof! So if you wanted the list of what's in there, here it is.

Vista Hands On #18: Log on automatically

by ZDNet's Ed Bott

A reader asks how to automatically log on to a default user account without having to click an icon on the Welcome screen. The procedure for setting up auto-logon is pretty simple, as long as you understand the security risks. I have step-by-step instructions, plus a link to a useful power toy that does the necessary registry edits for you.

Multiple Microsoft search refreshes due over the 12 months

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is readying multiple new search releases -- the first of which is coming this fall -- that it will launch over the next 12 months. It also is readying a "2.0" refresh of its core Windows Live suite for this fall, as well.

Microsoft to offer code protection, validation to other software developers

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is planning to deliver on October 1 to third-party software developers a set of technologies that will allow them to add code protection and activation mechanisms to their own software.

Microsoft drops 6 bulletins, fixing 11 vulnerabilities

by ZDNet's Ryan Naraine

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday train arrived today with six bulletins covering at least 11 vulnerabilities, most carrying the company's highest severity rating.

Vista SP1 beta 1 to launch in mid-July

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

It's official: We are now in the under-promise and over-deliver era at Microsoft. Beta 1 of Vista Service Pack 1 is coming -- with shut-down, CPU performance and other fixes -- earlier than expected. And the final Vista SP1 is looking like November 2007.

iPhone reviews: Not perfect, but worthy of the hype

by ZDNet's Dan Farber

Yesterday I wrote about Steve Jobs making an all-in bet on the iPhone. Now the first reviews are in from those seeded by Jobs with the device. The verdict was universal, at least among the three reviewers (who don’t want to be viewed as contributing to the hype, but were clearly enamored of [...]

America's tech moment of truth

Commentary--I'd like to deliver my first State of the Union speech. I don't hold public office, but as a citizen, I figure that I have this prerogative. My message: We're doomed, people.

6 iPhone questions I need AT&T and/or Apple to answer

 by ZDNet's Matthew Miller

Even after laying out what my personal costs to buy the iPhone would be and finding out the number is quite high I am still seriously thinking about camping out in line at my local AT&T store. I already called them to confirm they would be getting some and also chatted a bit about swapping my family from T-Mobile to AT&T. However, there are 6 questions that I need AT&T and/or Apple to answer before I am ready to really commit to the iPhone.

Microsoft to address Google search complaint in Vista SP1

 by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is making changes to Windows Vista in response to a Google complaint that claimed Vista's integrated desktop search is harming the performance of Google Desktop and hampering customer choice. Microsoft plans to incorporate some of the search-related changes in Vista Service Pack 1, which the company is finally admitting will be out in beta form before the end of 2007.

‘Critical’ Vista, IE 7 patches highlight MS security updates

by ZDNet's Ryan Naraine

This month's batch of patches from Microsoft includes six bulletins covering at least 15 vulnerabilities, including several critical code execution holes in Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7.

Microsoft provides first public demo of the Surface tabletop

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

On Saturday, June 9, at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, Microsoft let the public see, touch and test-drive the Surface interactive tabletop system that the company unveiled at the end of May. Check out some of my shots of users giving the Surface a whirl.

Build a premium Vista PC - step by step

by ZDNet's George Ou

Late last year I wrote Build your dream PC and not get ripped off and it was basically a component guide for a high to super high-end gaming PC. Some readers asked for a mainstream business, graphics design, or regular home computer. Well this article should answer that call along with the component guide and [...]

Vista Service Pack 1: It lives

 by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

 With all the Microsoft-created confusion out there around when -- and even whether -- the company plans to deliver the first service pack (SP) for Windows Vista, it's nice to see some concrete proof that Vista SP1 does exist. The proof: Check out the WinFuture.de Vista SP1 screen shot from WinHEC.

Using Google to replace Sharepoint, LimitNone’s gShare bridges MS-Office/Google Apps divide

by ZDNet's David Berlind

Over the last couple of weeks, I have spent a lot of my time writing about Google Apps as though it could be a replacement for Microsoft Office. I still believe that for many companies and users, it either is, will be, or can be such a replacement. There are a great many users who [...]

Windows Live Calendar, Presence coming soon to a dev platform near you

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

 Missing from Microsoft's Windows Live dev platform beta, launched this week, were a couple of key building block services, specifically calendar and presence interfaces/services. But more information -- if not actual code on those two pieces is coming this summer.

Boo.com back after dot-com boo-boos

Boo.com, which was originally an online fashion retailer when it fell into liquidation in 2000, has been relaunched as a social-networking and travel-booking site, using user-generated content to help travelers decide which hotels to book.

Russinovich: Malware will thrive, even with Vista’s UAC

by ZDNet's Ryan Naraine

Despite all the anti-malware roadblocks built into Windows Vista, a senior Microsoft official is lowering the security expectations, warning that viruses, password-stealing Trojans and rootkits will continue to thrive as malware authors adapt to the new operating system.

Is Microsoft’s Cloud OS actually a Cloud DB?

by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley

What, exactly, is Microsoft's Cloud OS? Is it an operating system (OS) at all? Or is more of a database (or two) in the Blue/CloudDB sky?

HP talks with Vera Wang’s hands

 by ZDNet's Dan Farber

For the last several quarters, HP has been on a roll. CEO Mark Hurd is credited with turning the company around after the Carly Fiorina era, despite the tawdry pretexting scandal. During this rehabilitation period, HP has also had an image makeover. The stodgy company that liked to talk about its engineering prowess, starting in [...]

Web video battle royale: Adobe vs. Microsoft

by ZDNet's Larry Dignan

Adobe and Microsoft have soft-pedaled their rivalry on the Web, but a series of announcements from the two companies shows where this competition is really going. Destination: Web video. And if you believe that video is going to be the most important cog of the Web the stakes are very high (see Techmeme discussion). First [...]

Microsoft licenses Vista for 'diskless' PCs

Microsoft is loosening the reins on Vista licensing in an effort to let businesses try out some new computing possibilities, including "diskless" PCs.

For the most part, the Windows licensing terms have assumed

Intel’s Nehalem processor: Biggest leap since the Pentium Pro

by ZDNet's Dan Farber

At a press gathering this morning, Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, revealed details about a next generation processor, Nehalem, which brings an entirely new microarchitecture (and motherboards), and will include onboard memory and graphics controllers. Nehalem-based desktop, server and mobile processors and systems are slated to be [...]

Windows Vista upgrade FAQ

by ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

No matter how much is written about Windows Vista, people still seem hungry for more information, and the most commonly asked questions all seem to revolve around upgrading an existing PC to Windows Vista from a previous version of Windows.