Google Desktop Search has formally left its beta confines with a 1.0 release that adds support for Mozilla's Firefox Web browser and Thunderbird e-mail client. The software can also now run as a free-standing search box anywhere on the desktop and utilize plug-ins to extend searches to additional content types.

Google has opened up its search APIs and is encouraging software developers to "create new and innovative applications using the desktop search product." Plug-ins for indexing Trillian instant messaging logs and scanned PDFs and faxes are currently available for download.

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INTERVIEW Microsoft Research announced last week that anti-spam technology has been used to create more effective vaccine designs for HIV. Such machine learning techniques could have a broad impact on biological research in the coming years, and BetaNews sat down with Microsoft's Nebojsa Jojic to find out more about his team's work.

BetaNews: To start, tell us a little bit about the project and its goals.

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The European Commission has rejected a demand from the EU Parliament to send a controversial bill allowing software patents back for a first reading. The first reading would restart the legislative process and allow for lawmakers to lessen the scope of what can be patented. Instead, the Commission expects to send the law through for a second review.

Representatives from Poland, which twice rejected the bill's adoption, now say they will remain quiet unless other countries voice objections. Spain and the Netherlands previously supported a restart. But EU officials expect the second reading to be approved without debate. "We have not seen any change of heart on the part of any EU member," an EU official told reporters on Friday.

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Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg issued a preliminary ruling Thursday that states three Mac enthusiast sites can be forced to expose their sources to Apple Computer. Kleinberg said journalistic protections do not cover Web sites, and will hear further arguments Friday from Apple and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

The hearings stem from a lawsuit filed by Apple against Web sites that reported about an upcoming FireWire-based interface for GarageBand, code-named Asteroid. Apple claimed its "trade secrets" were illegally disclosed and issued subpoenas demanding information the individuals who leaked the news.

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America Online's Netscape team has opened its doors to the public, releasing the first beta of the revived Netscape Web browser. Based upon Firefox, Netscape version 8 focuses on security and protecting user privacy, and supports rendering with both Mozilla's Gecko and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser engines.

As reported by BetaNews, AOL originally planned for a February beta, but pushed back the release to March citing the need for more time. The company has been polishing the numerous changes and enhancements that were added since the prototype of Netscape 8 last November.

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A top Windows architect has left his Redmond home to join the ranks at Google, although it's not clear what his new position will involve. Marc Lucovsky, a 16-year Microsoft veteran, joins a number of high profile developers hired by the search giant, including Mozilla programmers Ben Goodger and Darin Fisher.

According to the Microsoft Watch newsletter, Lucovsky voluntarily left his Microsoft position last November. Coming from a post at Digital Equipment Corporation, he was involved in the creation of Windows NT and the Win32 kernel. Most recently, Lucovsky was named chief software architect for the now-defunct Microsoft's .NET My Services, or "Hailstorm," project.

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An appeals court has overturned a $565 million decision against Microsoft in the patent lawsuit brought on by the University of California and Eolas. Microsoft heralded the reversal as a victory not only for Redmond, but for all Internet users. A UC spokesperson, however, claimed victory on some issues as well.

The University of California granted Eolas exclusive rights to a patent that covers a mechanism used by developers to embed interactive programs within a Web browser. Eolas claims that Microsoft's Internet Explorer infringed on this patent through its loading of plug-ins such as Macromedia Flash or Apple's QuickTime.

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At the Intel Developer Forum Tuesday, Windows head Jim Allchin confirmed that Microsoft plans to deliver final versions of Windows for 64-bit processors in April. The x64 edition of Windows XP is slated for release early next month, with Windows Server 2003 adding support for 64-bit processors by the end of April.

Intel is expected to release its consumer 64-bit processors around that timeframe, including the company's Celeron 64. AMD, meanwhile, has had its 64-bit Opteron and AMD64 chips available since last year. Microsoft has been beta testing Windows for the next generation processors since 2003, and recently issued a second release candidate.

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Doubling expectations, Sony says it will have 1 million PlayStation Portable units on store shelves for the device's much-anticipated US launch on March 24. The company wants to avoid encountering the same problems it experienced in Japan, where only 1.2 million PSPs have been sold due to very limited supply.

The PSP is a versatile entertainment device that offers 3D games, as well as the ability to watch movies and listen to music. Units will retail for $249.99 USD and will include several accessories along with the movie Spider-Man 2. Several other movies will be available in Sony's UMD disc format following the PSP's launch.

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Microsoft has sold its sports game repertoire to French videogame maker Ubisoft for an undisclosed sum. The move comes as Microsoft shifts resources away from its Game Studios division and Ubisoft gears up its product line in an effort to fend off a hostile takeover from Electronic Arts. EA bought a 20 percent stake in Ubisoft earlier this year.

Ubisoft says it purchased NHL Rivals, NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive, and MLB Inside Pitch from Microsoft. Despite entering a sports game market dominated by EA, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot says, "There is still room for innovation in the sports genre, and Ubisoft has some great ideas that we're looking forward to implementing."

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Nokia isn't the only mobile phone maker announcing new models ahead of the CeBIT electronics conference in Germany next week. Sony Ericsson has unveiled four handsets, which include the company's first Walkman-branded phone that sports a built-in music player, and bundles a 512MB memory stick and headphones.

The Walkman phone, or W800, was first announced at 3GSM earlier this month. It supports MP3 and AAC audio files, which can be played in a music mode even when the phone is off. Software will be included to easily transfer tunes from a computer.

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Nokia has spruced up its mid-range mobile phone line with three new voice-centric handsets. At the top is an update to Nokia's hugely popular 6230, which feature a 1.3-megapixel camera, music player with support for MP3 and AAC, as well as FM radio. The 350 euro 6230i also takes a page from Motorola's playbook and adds a "push to talk" function.

For those with less musical tastes, Nokia has designed the 6021 with basic voice features and built-in Bluetooth technology. The 6021 includes push to talk, and is priced at 200 euros. Rounding out the new offerings is the Nokia 6030, which lacks the walkie-talkie capability, but includes FM radio for 150 euros.

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According to recent data from two Web statistics firms, Mozilla's Firefox continues to eat away at Microsoft's Internet Explorer market share, but its gains have begun to slow. WebSideStory reports that Firefox is used by 5.69 percent of Web surfers while IE usage has dropped below 90 percent for the first time in years to 89.95 percent.

Although it continues to make progress in a market once dominated solely by IE, Firefox's rate of growth has diminished since its 1.0 launch in November. The open source browser's market share initially grew 34 percent, but has since dropped to a rate of 15 percent.

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Apple employee number 31 and head of the team that created the first Macintosh, Jef Raskin, has died at the age of 61. Raskin pioneered using a simple graphical interface in his desire to make computers easier to use. But despite initiating the project, Raskin never saw the Macintosh make its 1984 debut.

Following a bitter dispute with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Raskin left Apple in 1982 and founded another company devoted to improving computer interfaces. Nonetheless, he is remembered by Macintosh team members as a critical force behind many computing innovations seen today. Raskin, however, was not a fan of Mac OS X, which he characterized as inhumane and complicated.

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As expected, Opera Software has released a second beta of its next Web browser, which includes a solution for the spoofing vulnerability caused by Internationalized Domain Names. The company has taken a slightly different approach than Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, and continues its endeavor for a better long-term fix.

The problem with IDN stems from its use of the Unicode character set to enable domain names that include international letters. Unicode URLs must be converted by a Web browser into a format called "Punycode," which opens the door for a malicious Web site to mimic a trusted URL, including its SSL security certificate.

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