Windows 'Longhorn' To Succeed XP?
In a surprise change to its Windows strategy, Microsoft is considering pushing back the release of Blackcomb, and instead following up Windows XP with an interim operating system currently dubbed 'Longhorn'. First reported by eWeek, Longhorn will not contain the .NET-centric core the software giant had planned for the next version of Windows. Blackcomb was initially slated for a late 2002 release, but Microsoft officials now concede even Longhorn may not hit that mark.
It is unclear what will become of Blackcomb, which is currently in early stages of alpha testing, or why a decision was made to postpone its release. Although, Microsoft Vice President Jim Allchin told eWeek the decision had nothing to do with the ongoing antitrust case, suggesting .NET simply may not have been ready.
With HailStorm Brewing, AOL Readies 'Magic Carpet'
America Online is quietly rolling out a new unified sign-in service, similar to Microsoft's Passport, across its properties and partner sites. Codenamed "Magic Carpet" and currently promoted as the "Screen Name Service," visitors will be able to sign in with a single click and seamlessly browse sites supporting the new technology. Additionally, the service will be compatible with AOL, AOL Instant Messenger, and CompuServe 2000 accounts.
A clear competitor to Microsoft's fledgling Passport service, which provides authentication for MSN sites as well as a wallet service for "express" purchases, AOL's Magic Carpet could have a direct impact on the software giant's goal to establish a Web services platform.
Senate Committee To Address XP Concerns
Upset with the software giant's refusal to allow third-party instant messaging and media player applications to ship with Windows XP, Sen. Charles Schumer has called for hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee into Microsoft's "anticompetitive practices." The Committee will investigate the effect the upcoming OS has on Internet competition, and "discuss the possibility of enjoining the release of Windows XP." These latest hearings are slated for September, and will be overseen by Chairman Patrick Leahy.
Sen. Schumer also sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, demanding the company open XP to rival software manufacturers. "If PC makers and consumers can choose their browser in Windows XP, surely they should be able to choose their media player, messenger service and other applications," he wrote.
Microsoft Issues First Post-RC1 XP Build
Microsoft released to testers late Monday evening the first post-RC1 interim build of Windows XP. Build 2520 contains very few notable changes, focusing on bug fixes in preparation for Release Candidate 2. As first reported by BetaNews, the software giant is expected to deem Windows XP golden by mid-August, with a drop date of August 28. This interim release follows last week's version separation with Windows .NET Server, which will now follow a 3xxx naming convention.
Windows XP will launch nationwide on October 25 in a billion-dollar marketing campaign. PC vendors have already begun preparing for the release, christening systems as "XP Ready" and offering discounts on upgrades to the new operating system. While pricing details have not been officially unveiled, Windows XP Personal Edition is expected to run $99 USD, with Professional Edition carrying a $199 price tag.
Palm Ups Processing Power in Handhelds
Palm announced Tuesday plans to transition its handhelds to ARM-based processors, partnering with Intel, Motorola, and Texas Instruments. The three chip makers will license components of the Palm OS platform to create processors utilizing ARM technology, much improved over the current Dragonball core. Today's generation of Palm chips run at a speed of 33 MHz, while the new processors will be able to run at speeds up to 200 MHz, giving a boost to multimedia applications on the handhelds like audio and video playback.
Intel and Motorola will specifically work with Palm to optimize the OS for each company's ARM-based offerings. Adding support for Intel's StrongARM chips will be an important step in competing with more powerful PocketPC devices, which currently use the technology and offer superior multimedia capabilities. Palm also plans to make full use of the chip giant's XScale technology, set to debut late this year. Intel XScale processors will run at almost five times the speed of current handhelds.
Sun, HP Lend Further Support to Open Source
Seemingly in response to Microsoft's opening of Windows CE 3.0 in its own Shared Source model, computer giants Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard also announced today products that each are opening under the fashionable rival Open Source model. Adding to a number of additional applications that it has previously opened, Sun will unwrap the source to Grid Engine, a powerful distributed computing application, at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention this week. Additionally, HP has shored up its support of the Open Source community Monday with an announcement that it will open and release a software development platform for creating mobile e-servers, christened 'Coolbase'.
Grid Engine, acquired by Sun one year ago, uses a master daemon to control thousands of processors over a network allowing maximum computer usage. Essentially, only 20% of processing power is used per system in a corporate environment; Grid Engine allows distribution over all processors available resulting in the best use of the network. Grid Engine is available for Solaris, Linux Kernel 2.2 and 2.4, and GNU C-lib 2.1.2 environments.
Microsoft Shares Windows CE Source
In an effort to further promote its Shared Source licensing philosophy, Microsoft posted to the Web late Friday source code to Windows CE 3.0. The company also issued a broader source license for the embedded operating system, citing the code may be used only for non-commercial purposes. Download of the CE source requires a Passport login, as well as Platform Builder 3.0.
Early reaction to the release by Open Source advocates was harsh, criticizing Microsoft for limiting its use and forcing dissemination of the Shared Source license. Fears also arose over the software giant's tracking of downloads, as developers could potentially be sued for similar code despite never actually viewing the source.
Microsoft Unveils Office for Mac OS X
Thursday at MacWorld in New York, Microsoft previewed the next Macintosh version of Office. Still without an official name, Office 10 for Mac OS X is expected to be released shortly after Apple's 10.1 update to the operating system this fall. Unlike its predecessor, Office 10 is being developed exclusively for Mac OS X. Kevin Browne of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit said the "trade-offs weren't worth it" to develop the suite for both OS X and OS 9.
Office 10 capitalizes on many advantages offered by Mac OS X. The interface has been updated to match Apple's Aqua, using features such as panels and dialog boxes attached to document windows. OS X's protected memory and multi-tasking provide Office with increased
performance, while the Quartz graphics engine offers enhanced tools for creating graphic-rich documents.
BetaNews Summer Giveaway
UPDATED Long overdue, we at BetaNews would like to announce our first contest of 2001. Much has changed in the last seven months, and we plan to do more to show our appreciation for your continued support. To take part in the giveaway, all you must do is fill out a short survey regarding BetaNews and what you would like to see offered or changed on the site.
The prizes are as follows:
Majestic Takes Gaming to New Level
In its third and final beta stage, EA's Internet-based Majestic has set the benchmark for other game developers by immersing a player within a plot more than ever before. In the pilot episode, participants must find clues leading to a conspiracy involving mind control devices and aliens using Majestic's homepage, which is full of links pointing to actual Internet locations. The closer the player comes to solving the mystery, the more real it becomes.
When first setting up an account on Majestic, players may optionally fill out their phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Brining the game into the real world, Majestic will often make phone calls and send faxes,
e-mails and instant messages providing tips and inside information. Reminiscent of The Game starring Michael Douglas, Majestic blurs the line between reality and fiction.
Microsoft to Announce WMP for Mac OS X
On Thursday morning, Microsoft will announce a version of its Windows Media Player built specially for Mac OS X. MacWorld attendees in New York will be able to catch a glimpse of a working prerelease demonstration, and experience the "carbonized" Windows Media Player for themselves.
Citing consumer demand for Windows Media, Microsoft has developed the player with Mac users in mind, featuring Apple's highly touted Aqua user interface. Built on Apple's Carbon API, Windows Media Player will run natively, taking full advantage of OS X's capabilities such as multi-processing. In short, Microsoft has programmed the software to look, feel, and operate consistent with other Mac OS applications.
Sun Attacks Microsoft Over Java Removal
Sun Microsystems responded Wednesday evening to news that software giant Microsoft will remove support for Java in the upcoming Windows XP. In a prepared statement, Sun officials remarked, "it is
a move that was intended by Microsoft to hurt consumers and the millions of developers
that use the Java platform. Microsoft's attempts to neutralize the innovations brought to the web by the Java platform are widely known." The company added, "Microsoft's action is not so much a swipe at Sun, but at the hundreds of companies and millions of developers who innovate with the Java platform."
Sun refuted Redmond's claims that the removal of Java was due to January's joint settlement. "This move by Microsoft was a unilateral decision by them and was not a result of the settlement of the Sun Microsoft lawsuit. That settlement gives Microsoft seven years to distribute the Java virtual machine," the statement read.
Microsoft Yawns at Activation Crack Claims
Microsoft has responded to claims by German-based TecChannel yesterday that Windows Product Activation could be easily bypassed. The group states this feat is accomplished by simply copying a certain file provided the amount of RAM is identical on each machine. Based upon the report, this would allow for an unlimited number of activations - effectively rendering WPA obsolete. However, Microsoft strongly disagrees with TecChannel's assessment of its IP technology, claiming that activation is still yet to be cracked, and has not reached its peak.
Microsoft product manager Allen Nieman told BetaNews, "Contrary to what is stated,
these steps do not lead to a crack of product activation in Windows XP at all and it is certainly not the "death" of product activation in
Windows XP." He goes on to clarify, "What these steps do is provide a method for someone to contrive their PC, with Windows XP RC1 installed, to appear to be another PC with another PC's activation information. It is important to note that by making these changes, it is possible that Windows XP may operate unexpectedly with the user's real hardware configuration."
ISP Requests Testers, Offers Free Net
Competing ISPs offer Internet connections ranging from high-end DSL and cable, to dialup. With very little means to distinguish themselves from one another, some Internet providers must result to unorthodox tactics in order to stay a head above the rest. Beta testers who sign up to trial ErieX's nationwide network will find just that - a unique way of getting online.
One thousand testers will be selected for the test, consequently receiving free Internet access. In return, users will provide regular
feedback on the company's software client and service. ErieX has included the ability to perform routine system maintenance into its
program, such as defragmenting or running scan disk on a hard drive. Another focus of the test is the software's interface, which is simplified to provide easy one-click access to programs such as media players.
Win Prizes with Atmosphere Beta
Beta testers who have become proficient at designing rich, virtual 3D worlds with Adobe Atmosphere can put their skills to the test in Adobe's Beta Design Contest. At stake is up to $3500 dollars, with a secondary prize of $1500. Additionally, all winning entries will be showcased in an online gallery.
Adobe Atmosphere authors three dimensional "worlds" that are reminiscent
of Microsoft's shelved Chromeffects software, and competitive toward Wild Tangent's current product offerings. The Atmosphere beta is available for download via FileForum.
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