Microsoft is gearing up to release a beta version of Windows XP Service Pack 2. An e-mail sent out Thursday invited testers to install and evaluate the pre-release code when it becomes available within the next several weeks.

The second Windows XP service pack is the first major upgrade to Microsoft's flagship operating system. The package is slated to include a variety of bug fixes, as well as new security features, improved patch distribution and updated Internet technologies.

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AOL has quietly switched on a new feature in its instant messaging network that allows users to be concurrently online from multiple locations using the same screenname. Previously, a user would be disconnected from their original AIM session if they signed in from another computer.

AIM is the first major network to enable such functionality, although Jabber offers a similar feature. But unlike Jabber, AIM broadcasts incoming messages to all active locations simultaneously. Messages will not be sent to idle locations or those set Away. If every location is inactive, messages will then be delivered to all.

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Microsoft has put pen to paper in outlining its vision for Windows Update. Even though version 4 is still in use by beta testers, Microsoft has drawn up its roadmap for the service's next generation, which includes SP2 for Windows XP and an updated release of Internet Explorer.

Windows Update 5.0 is set to enter into testing before the end of this year and extends patching capabilities to the full monty of Microsoft products including Office, SQL Server, Exchange, as well as Windows.

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The semi-annual Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles serves as an opportunity for Microsoft to showcase its latest and upcoming wares to eager developers and pundits alike. PDC 2003 was no exception, bringing together a record number of attendees for more than 120 technical sessions.

Longhorn was the star of PDC 2003, as Microsoft gave developers their first official taste of the next-generation Windows. In his Monday morning keynote to kick off the conference, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates outlined the new platform on which Longhorn will be built, calling it the company’s largest effort since Windows 95.

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Microsoft this week quietly unveiled and delayed Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers, formerly codenamed "Media2Go," broadening its Media Center family beyond the desktop.

Portable Media Center ferries digital media content such as videos, music, television programming, pictures and photo stories off the desktop. Several OEMs have already partnered with Redmond to produce devices centered on the code.

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Centercode has an exclusive opportunity for network managers, network administrators and IT managers alike. The company is seeking a limited number of people to participate in a disaster recovery software beta test for Novell NetWare 6.0 and later.

The software takes point-in-time backups and can manage partitions to protect NetWare servers from data loss. Applicants for the beta test must manage a network and control backups for NetWare 6.0 Support Pack 3 or NetWare 6.5 systems. To qualify, access to a hardware backup solution such as RAID, NAS, fiber channel attached storage, or tape is require.

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iTunes for Windows has received its first upgrade in order to correct problems reported by users following the music software's launch last week. Some iTunes users running Windows 2000 found their systems freezing up after installation, while others reported memory glitches. The new release brings iTunes up to version 4.1.1.54.

"A few customers reported conflicts with specific PC configurations and we quickly updated the iTunes software in response," said an Apple spokesperson in a statement. "iTunes 4.1.1 addresses an isolated incompatibility with Windows 2000 and older third-party CD burning software, as well as problems caused by corrupt MP3 files on some users' PCs."

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Hell has frozen over, according to Apple. The iTunes Music Store made its official Windows debut Thursday in a grand opening furnished with promotions galore.

The pomp and circumstance surrounding Apple's move into Windows territory exceeds even the store's own groundbreaking foray into online music last April. Turning the music world on its heels once again, Apple has teamed up with America Online and Pepsi to deliver melodies to the masses.

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"The year's biggest music story is about to get even bigger," reads an invitation sent by Apple to leading reporters and industry analysts.

One week before it launches Mac OS X version 10.3, code-named Panther, Apple will officially unveil iTunes for the Windows platform - bringing the company's music store to an immense new market of PC users.

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Apple is gearing up to launch the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, code-named Panther, later this month - just days before Microsoft debuts the first public build of Longhorn.

The new release, which brings Mac OS X to version 10.3, will be available at 8pm on October 24. Apple retail stores nationwide will hold special events to celebrate Panther's long-awaited arrival.

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Sun Microsystems and Microsoft have struck an agreement that will extend support of Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM) until September 30, 2004 in order to impart a smooth transition to customers.

As part of the agreement, the two firms will cooperate to provide upgrade information and technical assistance for customers and developers, as well as links to download non-Microsoft JVM's on Microsoft's Java Web site.

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Citing privacy and child safety concerns, Microsoft will shut down its MSN chat rooms in 34 countries and bring its US chat under the umbrella of Redmond's other subscription-based MSN services.

Microsoft claims chat rooms have become a haven for inappropriate communication and pedophiles targeting children. To curb such behavior, MSN chat will now be strictly monitored and require those in the United States to disclose their credit card information before entering. Microsoft will then be able track down anyone violating its policies.

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To coincide with today's launch of the AMD Athlon 64, Microsoft has issued a beta version of Windows XP designed for the long-awaited new desktop and notebook processor.

Redmond announced its intentions to support the AMD64 platform last April, after it shipped a preview version of the operating system to developers. Dubbed Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems, the beta will also natively support AMD's Opteron processor for servers and workstations.

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In his keynote address at Apple Expo 2003 in Paris, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled long-awaited updates to the 15-inch PowerBook, as well as a new wireless keyboard and mouse combination.

All PowerBooks were given a speed boost, but the 15-inch offering now features the same aluminum enclosure and lighted keyboard found in the 17-inch model. "2003 has been 'the year of the notebook' for Apple," said Jobs.

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UPDATED In a surprise move that has left network administrators fuming, VeriSign has added a wildcard DNS record to all .com and .net domains - redirecting all nonexistent Web addresses, as well as those without valid DNS entries, to a VeriSign search page.

The change, which VeriSign calls its "Site Finder" service, could also adversely affect e-mail spam filtering that relies on discarding messages from invalid hosts.

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