Microsoft has made available the Windows 2000 Software Development Kit (SDK) for beta testers to download. The SDK will help guide you when developing applications for Windows 2000, providing tools, samples, whitepapers, and other useful materials. The download is rather large, so be prepared to spend a day on the net. The SDK will become publically available when Windows 2000 launches this February. Beta testers may download the SDK now via the NTBeta FTP.

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Microsoft has issued a patch for a flaw in the TCP/IP stack of Windows 9x. When you are transmitting data over high-delay networks (for example, satellite links), transfer throughput may be lower than expected and the number of packets retransmitted may be unnecessarily high. Although the problem was noticed last August, Microsoft only released the patch late last month after a long period of regression testing. Windows 95, 98 and 98 SE are affected. You may download the fix from Microsoft's Download Center.

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Palm PDA users with mobile data access are in for
a treat, courtesy of AU-System. The Swedish software house is offering
a WAP (wireless application compliant) browser for free download on
the Web.

The firm says that the software, which was co-developed with Ericsson,
allows most Palm operating system-compatible devices to access almost
any WAP 1.1-compliant Web-based service.

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America Online says it is developing new
software for the Casio Casseopeia and Compaq Aero palm-sized personal computers to access, send and receive AOL e-mail. AOL is also talking features on an upcoming Macintosh browser, and is expected to announce set-top box developments.

Casio will distribute the software with the Cassiopeia, the company said. Julie Mason, a spokesperson for AOL, told Newsbytes that
the new software is in the final stages of development and will be
followed by similar software for other portable appliances.

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We have the official results in for the eFront Millennium Giveaway. Because it will take time for all of the winners to choose their prizes and the possibility that some people will not respond, additional winners will be contacted by e-mail if needed. These winners were randomly drawn by a script at 12:00am 1/1/2000. The envelope please...

*drum roll*

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Microsoft has released the first security update of the year for their Commercial Internet System mail server. The IMAP service included in the server has an unchecked buffer, which could allow a malicious user to remotely cause services on the server to fail, or cause arbitrary code to run on the server. For more information or to download the patch, visit Microsoft's Security Advisor Web Site.

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Network Solutions, Inc., largest registrar of domain names, today announced the opening of a new Web site to help settle domain disputes.

The site, located at DomainMagistrate.com, will "help its customers and the Internet community make the transition to a new, global domain name dispute policy." The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), which went into effect today, was approved by ICANN and is mandated by all registrars. It proved specific guidelines for when a dispute over a domain name occurs, that slightly differs from current policies.

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Microsoft Mid-Atlantic has begun a contest for the launch of Windows 2000 on February 17th. To enter, you must fill out some information and answer a few simple questions about Windows 2000. Prizes include an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco to see the live launch, a VIP package to a local launch, and a free copy of Windows 2000 Professional. Enter the contest and register for a local event at windows2000contest.com.

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The whopping $10-million winning bid in the
auction of the Internet domain Year2000.com has turned out to be a
prank, according to online auction destination eBay Inc.

However, eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove told Newsbytes today that
it is still not known if the sellers of the address - Y2K prophet
Peter de Jager and Internet marketing firm Tenagra Corp. - will be
lefty empty handed.

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Sophos has issued a warning on three malicious code programs observed over the weekend - two Trojans and one worm.

The programs - Two trojans (Troj/Kill98 and Troj/Zelu) and one virus
(W32/AntiQFX-A) - were the result of customer queries, the firm said,
and, so far, the good news is that they have not been seen in the
wild.

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Started almost two years ago as the first fully customizable media player, K-Jöfol quickly became a top download for all digital music lovers alike. Previously working on a DOS-based MP3 decoder, Christophe Thibault (aka rOn) "wanted to code on something for Windows platforms and so I choose to code a customizable MP3 player."

K-Jöfol offered not only the option to change the top 'skin' of the program, but also the physical shape, something not found in other players at the time. Steve Gedikian, K-Jöfol graphic designer, attributes the radical design to the growing Windows customization movement going on at the time. Its intuitive user interface not only attracted graphic artists, but also set a trend for digital music players to come.

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Internet Explorer users worldwide may come across the year 3900 as they browse the Web today. This is due to a flaw in the way IE renders JavaScript.

The getYear() query normally returns a two-digit year, however upon reaching the year 2000, Internet Explorer is returning four digits. Microsoft has claimed this to be a problem in the implementation of JavaScript itself, independent of IE. However, BetaNews tested the same code under recent Netscape, Opera, and Mozilla browsers without an erred result.

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Reading through a laundry list of the critical sectors that reported being unaffected by Y2K, John Koskinen, Chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion said that the
Council is collecting "continued positive information both here and abroad."

In the United States, the electric power, telecommunications,
banking, securities, aviation and satellite sectors are all reporting
that their systems are operating normally

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Cheers and fireworks greeted the dawn of a new millennium sweeping
from its starting point in the Kiribati Island chain in the Pacific Ocean
along the International Dateline to New Zealand, Australia, east Asia
and into the world's largest country, Russia, stunned by the sudden
resignation of President Boris Yeltsin but partying hard.

Conversation about the departure of Yeltsin buzzed through celebrations
in Moscow as a big fireworks display over the Kremlin marked the new
millennium. Vodka flowed.

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Computer Associates International Inc. [NYSE:CA] today
warned computer users of yet another virus that's been released
into the wild in time for Y2K. The virus has been named "Lucky2000"
and it overwrites Visual Basic scripts.

According to Computer Associates, Lucky2000 runs on Windows 95,
Windows 98, and Windows NT platforms, if Visual Basic script is
installed, and infects all files in the current directory regardless
of their extensions. When a file is infected, the entire content of
the file is replaced with the virus body.

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