IE7 to Support International Domains
Microsoft said this week that Internet Explorer 7 will finally provide support for international domain names (IDN), detailing a number of security measures it will put into place to prevent phishing and spoofing attacks. Firefox, Opera and Safari implemented similar protections earlier this year.
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.
Texas Expands Suit Against Sony BMG
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has expanded his state's lawsuit against Sony BMG that was filed in November over the use of illegal spyware in its XCP copy-protection mechanism. The new charges allege that Sony's other DRM software, SunnComm MediaMax, installs even if a user declines the license agreement.
In the initial filing, Abbott sued under Texas' Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005, and sought civil penalties of $100,000 for each violation of the law, attorneys' fees and investigative costs. The additional allegations invoke the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
EU Threatens Microsoft with Daily Fines
The European Commission on Thursday threatened to hit Microsoft with a 2 million euro daily fine for refusing to open Windows to third parties. Microsoft criticized the announcement by saying the EU doesn't understand the difference between opening source code and APIs.
In March 2004, the EU ordered that Microsoft give competitors access to certain Windows networking protocols, which "would allow non-Microsoft work group servers to achieve full interoperability with Windows PCs and servers." The demand was in addition to a 497 million-euro fine and a requirement that Microsoft strip Media Player from Windows XP.
AOL Previews Suite, Improves AIM Mail
In a further indication that AOL is considering phasing out its all-in-one client and moving customers to its new suite of integrated applications, the company on Wednesday began offering a preview of AOL Suite to all members. The software is not yet final, but is being offered outside keyword Beta for the first time.
The AOL Suite Preview integrates an updated version of AOL Mail, the AOL Explorer browser and AIM Triton. A NavBar resides on the side of the screen to launch applications and provide instant access to AOL services such as travel and keywords.
Security Vulnerability Found in VMware
A "very serious" security vulnerability has been discovered in VMware's line of virtual computing products, including VMware Workstation, GSX Server, ACE and VMware Player. The flaw could enable malware to effectively "jump" from the virtual machine onto the real computer running VMware software.
"Since VMware is used heavily in malware research, this is an obvious danger," says Alex Eckelberry, CEO of Sunbelt Software. VMware has posted updates to the affected products, which customers are urged to download immediately. Alternatively, users can disable the NAT service, which contains the vulnerability.
Google Personal Search Gets Trendy
Google Zeitgeist is great for seeing global patterns in Web searches, but what about your own search history? Google has expanded its Personalized Search feature to track similar trends in the browsing habits of each of its users. You can find out what topics you're most interested in and what sources you value most.
"I'm pretty addicted to looking at my search history for interesting patterns," said Google software engineer Yu Chen. "So I decided to go a step further and write a script to pull together some stats about how I was searching. We thought other people might like to see this sort of thing too, so today we launched a Trends feature that gives you a look at a list of your top searches and clicks and other info about your search activity."
Seagate Buys Maxtor for $1.9 Billion
Hard disk manufacturer Seagate has agreed to purchase rival Maxtor in a deal valued at $1.9 billion. The new company will retain the Seagate name, but it's not clear if Maxtor products will be rebranded. Seagate believes it can help Maxtor cut costs to the tune of $300 million.
Under the terms of the proposed transaction, Maxtor shareholders will receive .37 shares of Seagate common stock for each Maxtor share they own. In total, Seagate shareholders will control 84 percent of the newly combined company while Maxtor shareholders control the other 16 percent.
AOL, Google Ink $1 Billion Ad, IM Deal
As expected, Google and Time Warner announced late Tuesday a deal in which the search giant will make a $1 billion investment in AOL in return for a 5 percent stake in the company. The agreement expands a previous search partnership to include advertising and the linking up of Google and AOL's instant messaging networks.
News that Google had effectively ousted Microsoft from talks with AOL surfaced Friday. Microsoft's MSN division had been expected to replace Google as AOL's search engine and advertising provider, but months of negotiations came to a sudden halt after Google offered to include the monetary investment.
MS: Want Windows Live Messenger? Pay.
The only thing hotter than the Xbox 360 this holiday season may be invites to join the Windows Live Messenger beta test. Thankfully, Microsoft has a recommendation for those who can't wait for access to the latest bits: pay for an invitation on eBay.
Microsoft's new instant messaging client is in private beta, but users are granted a limited number of invitations for friends and family -- similar to the approach Google took with Gmail. In response, eager Messenger fans have begun to leave their e-mail all over the Web hoping someone grants them an invite.
Sunbelt Completes Kerio Firewall Buy
Sunbelt Software on Tuesday completed its acquisition of Kerio's desktop and server firewall products, a move which will save the popular free Kerio Personal Firewall from its planned retirement. In addition, Sunbelt is lowering the price of the full version to $19.95.
As previously reported, Kerio says it is moving out of the desktop market and focusing on software for small businesses. The company currently offers Kerio MailServer and Kerio WinRoute Firewall in that space.
Microsoft: No Sidebar Until Vista Beta 2
Testers and developers looking forward to playing with Vista's most prominent new feature over the holidays will have to wait a bit longer. Microsoft officials confirmed to BetaNews late Monday that the Windows Sidebar won't be delivered in a public build until Beta 2.
Microsoft on Monday released the December CTP of Windows Vista, which includes a number of changes mostly centered on the areas of performance, security and mobility. Build 5270 also includes the new Windows Defender anti-spyware application, and a feature called BitLocker, which encrypts a full hard drive.
OpenOffice.org 2.0.1 Update Released
The first update to OpenOffice.org has been released exactly two months after the launch of version 2.0. Five release candidates of 2.0.1 have been made available since that time, with the final build showing up on OpenOffice.org mirror sites early Tuesday.
Version 2.0.1 brings a myriad of bug fixes and feature enhancements to the open source suite, which includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation builder and a database -- all for free and available in 36 languages for Windows and Unix based platforms. OpenOffice.org 2.0 most notably added support for the OpenDocument format and has received rave reviews from users.
AOL Discontinues New Media Player
After seven months of beta testing, America Online has discontinued its new AOL Media Player software, replacing it with the subscription based digital music service it launched in November called AOL MusicNow. Variations of the software are still available in the AOL client and on AOL.com.
As first reported by BetaNews, AOL Media Player (AMP) ran independent of the company's client software and was one of many new efforts to expose AOL products and services to Web users outside its "walled garden" of subscribers.
Windows Server 'Longhorn' Updated
Alongside the December CTP of Windows Vista, Microsoft has released build 5270 of Windows Server "Longhorn." Both operating systems are available on the same DVD image. Although development is currently in line with the client build, the next Windows Server won't be ready until 2007.
It's not yet clear when Microsoft will split off development, but Windows Vista is expected to reach the feature-complete Beta 2 milestone in February, well before Windows Server "Longhorn." In addition to build 5270, Microsoft has also released a new Platform SDK and Driver Development Kit for its next-generation operating systems.
Microsoft Releases December Vista CTP
In a conference call Monday afternoon, Shanen Boettcher of the Windows Client group announced the availability of the December Windows Vista CTP, numbered build 5270. The CTP focuses on improving security, performance and mobility aspects of Microsoft's next Windows release, but still lacks the Sidebar.
The test build is available now to Vista technical beta testers and will show up later today on MSDN and TechNet. Around 500,000 people will be testing the December CTP, which according to Boettcher is, "intended for use by developers and IT pros."
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