Robert Scoble Leaving Microsoft
Microsoft technical evangelist and blogger Robert Scoble, who became renowned in the blogging community for his unabashed opinions of Microsoft products, announced over the weekend that he is leaving the company for small podcasting startup PodTech Network.
Scoble will become vice president for media development at the company, which produces and distributes business-related podcasts. Expanding on his experience with Microsoft's Channel 9 development network interviews, Scoble will also take part in expanding PodTech's content to video.
Microsoft Responds to WGA Concerns
Microsoft late Friday publicly responded to widespread reports that a recent change to its Windows Genuine Advantage program caused the software to contact Microsoft servers on a daily basis. The company says it will soon release an update to make WGA only call home every 14 days.
Rolled out last year, Windows Genuine Advantage is an anti-piracy program implemented to detect counterfeit copies of Windows XP. This component is called WGA Validation. Microsoft later expanded the program with WGA Notifications, which causes users running counterfeit versions of Windows to be notified directly on their desktop that their operating system is not legitimate.
Yahoo Ships Customized IE7 Beta 2
Yahoo! on Friday released its own customized version of Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2, which sets Yahoo as the default search provider and makes the browser load up the portal's services upon launch. Yahoo's homepage loads in the first tab with Yahoo! Mail in the second.
"Yahoo! used the beta version of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) to customize IE7 to meet their needs. The IEAK is available to all developers and partners who want to create their own customized versions of IE7, as well as IT pros who want to use it to ease enterprise deployment," explained IE7 program manager Dean Hachamovitch.
No Fix for Critical Windows 98, Me Flaw
Microsoft has encountered a critical vulnerability in Windows 98, 98 SE and Windows Me that it simply cannot fix, the company acknowledged Friday. The flaw affects Windows Explorer and after investigating the issue, Microsoft said it would need to reengineer a significant amount of the operating system.
Announced as part of April's security bulletins, a remote execution vulnerability exists in Windows Explorer because of the way that it handles COM objects. A malicious Web site could force a connection to a remote file server, which in turn causes Explorer to fail and potentially execute arbitrary code.
Microsoft Cluster Server Goes Gold
Microsoft on Friday released to manufacturing Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003, which is designed to run high-performance computing applications in parallel with other systems. The new product is Microsoft's first offering in a space largely dominated by UNIX and Linux.
The operating system has already been tested for oil and gas reservoir simulation, simulating enzyme catalysis and protein folding, and by car companies, Microsoft says. The company claims the falling cost of high-performance computing is helping to boost the market, which grew by 24 percent in 2005. Compute Cluster Server 2003 will cost $499 USD per node, and will be available to customers in August. Evaluation editions are available now.
Microsoft Admits WGA Phones Home
Microsoft acknowledged reports Wednesday that its latest update to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), an anti-piracy program implemented to detect counterfeit copies of Windows XP, phones home to the Redmond company on a daily basis.
News of the occurrence surfaced this week after privacy advocate Lauren Weinstein confirmed Internet murmuring that a connection was being made to Microsoft's servers even after WGA had validated a Windows system as legit. Microsoft quickly responded to the issue, saying the feature was a "safety switch."
Google Tests Branded AdSense Program
In an effort to further expand the number of sites running its advertising as part of the AdSense program, Google is beta testing a new feature that will enable companies to establish their own branded AdSense offering. Customers will be able to sign up for and manage AdSense without visiting Google.
The AdSense API is targeted at Web hosting, Web publishing, social networking and blogging sites that have 100,000 or more daily pageviews. End users will be able to join AdSense and implement it on their pages, and the overall site will receive a cut of all revenues. Interested developers can find out more on the Google Code Blog.
Google: Fight for Net Neutrality
With the United States House of Representatives set to vote on a bill that would enable Internet providers to charge for priority access to their networks, Google is asking consumers to speak out. The search engine, along with Microsoft, Yahoo and others, say the bill would create a two-tiered system.
In an open letter posted on the Google Web site, company CEO Eric Schmidt says action must be taken to protect the Internet. He claims that smaller companies who cannot afford to pay will be pushed to the side in the name of profiteering.
U.S. Senate Won't Probe Telco Spying
The United States Senate is backing away from plans to ask the heads of major telecommunications companies to testify about the National Security Agency's domestic spying program. Verizon, BellSouth and AT&T were accused in a USA Today report last month of sharing customer data with the NSA.
The story claimed that the NSA was collecting phone records of millions of calls made within the United States in order to help the Bush administration's war on terror. President Bush previously asserted that the spying only involved calls made to international destinations.
Hotbar, 180solutions Merge Adware
Adware companies Hotbar and 180solutions have merged their businesses into a new company that will be known as "Zango," which is the name for 180solutions' primary advertising software product it bundles in third party downloads.
The companies say Zango, which usually comes with online games and music, and Hotbar will continue to be offered as is. Hotbar enables users to change their Internet Explorer and Outlook toolbar, and adds links to Hotbar services and downloads. Both products are considered risky adware by security vendors.
Microsoft Releases Business Antivirus
Microsoft on Tuesday took the wraps off its Antigen lineup of security products for e-mail, which include antivirus and anti-spam protection that the Redmond company acquired from Sybari Software in 2005. Four offerings will initially make up the Microsoft Antigen brand.
Antigen for Exchange integrates into Exchange Server 2003 and 2000 to stop viruses and other malicious content from reaching a corporate network, as well as containing internal outbreaks. Antigen for SMTP Gateways provides similar features for Windows Server systems running a mail server.
Error May Cause MacBook Heat Issues
Not one to usually admit problems with its products, Apple acknowledged in a recent support article that heat issues reported by customers of the new MacBook laptops may be the result of a manufacturing slip-up. A piece of plastic may have been left on some systems, which covers the device's rear vent.
"This is used in the factory to prevent dust from getting into your computer. If your MacBook has the plastic still over the vent, simply remove and discard it," Apple said. The company also noted that it is normal for MacBooks to become hot after extended usage, as "increased operating temperatures in portable computing products are common throughout the industry."
Jeff Bell Named Xbox Marketing Chief
Microsoft on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jeff Bell as the new corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business. The division includes Microsoft's Xbox and Games for Windows groups. Bell will report to Microsoft's overall entertainment head Peter Moore.
Bell comes to Microsoft from DaimlerChrysler, where he helped turn around the Jeep and Chrysler brands, as well as pioneer marketing tactics in urban areas. "His accomplishments at DaimlerChrysler, including the creation of its owner loyalty program, his track record in driving automotive video game strategies, and his influence on urban marketing plans, are indicators of his expertise and leadership," said Moore.
New Microsoft E-Mail Client Gets Ads
UPDATED Microsoft is embedding advertising in its new e-mail client software known as Windows Live Mail Desktop, the company disclosed late Friday. The feature, known as Active Search, will display text links based on a message's content, much like Google does with its Gmail service on the Web.
Windows Live Mail Desktop is expected to be released later this year and will eventually serve to replace Outlook Express, updated for Vista and renamed Windows Mail. Because it will not ship with Microsoft's new operating system, Live Mail Desktop will be available as a free download.
Torrent Site The Pirate Bay Returns
Popular Swedish BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay came back online Saturday night, after being shut down in a police raid last week and forced to relocate to The Netherlands. The raid prompted a response from Pirate Bay supporters, which attacked the Web sites of the Swedish police and government.
The government Web site was offline Saturday after a flood of requests for a file overloaded its servers. The file requested was a picture of Swedish Justice Minister Thomas Bodstroem, who has fought to make file sharing illegal in a country with traditionally lax copyright laws.
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