Microsoft Briefs BetaNews on IIS Bug
In light of the IIS 5 ISAPI Extension bug, a Microsoft spokesperson contacted BetaNews with a detailed briefing of the company's response. The flaw, which affects only customers running IIS5, is considered to be a serious threat since the software's default configuration leaves users open to attack. Microsoft has utilized many avenues to inform customers of the importance of applying the security patch. The release of the second Service Pack for Windows 2000 has also been delayed in order to incorporate this latest fix.
By sending a unique string of characters to an IIS 5 machine with Internet Printing enabled, a malicious user can gain full access to a Web server. The printing service module is installed by default. Microsoft informed BetaNews, "IIS 5.0 customers are not at risk if they have removed the Internet Printing capability from their servers. The IIS 5.0 security checklist recommends that this be done, and the security template provided in the checklist removes it. Likewise, the IIS 5.0 Lockdown Tool removes the capability unless the user explicitly chooses to retain it."
Microsoft Denies WMP Anti-Trust Accusations
Microsoft has issued a stern denial of charges that it is using its OS dominance to force customers to upgrade to Windows XP in order to get the latest and greatest media player. If users want to experience Microsoft's Windows Media Player 8.0 however, XP is indeed a prerequisite. Redmond justifies this decision by pointing out that Windows Media Player 8 relies on advanced technologies, which are only available in Windows XP.
Earlier this week, a group of tech industry activists known as ProComp, or the Project to Promote Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age, stated that Microsoft was utilizing "bolting practices both to violate the consent decree it agreed to in 1995, as well as both Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act." In ProComp's online FAQ, it is stated that, "The Project to Promote Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age (ProComp) is composed of companies and organizations seeking to promote consumer choice in the electronic marketplace."
Microsoft Sued For Copyright Infringement
It is common knowledge that Microsoft introduced digital rights management technology into the forthcoming Windows XP. However, a little-known California company named InterTrust is alleging that Microsoft has violated its patents for protecting digital media from theft and copyright infringement. Apparently, Microsoft's internal development of similar technologies has come too close to InterTrust's proprietary software.
InterTrust claims that the lawsuit will protect their patents.
Intuit Quicken 2002 Beta Signup
Intuit is now accepting beta testers for "Kayak," the upcoming Quicken 2002 for Windows, and "K2" for Macs. No information is available on feature sets or updates at this time, but Intuit has promised to notify BetaNews as soon as that information can be released to the public. To apply to test Quicken 2002, visit Intuit's Windows and Mac beta sites.
Guninski Uncovers XML Scripting Flaw
Early this morning, BetaNews received an advisory from Georgi Guninski on yet another vulnerability that he has uncovered. The bug involves Active Scripting being executed, even when disabled in IE5.x and Outlook Express. Microsoft claims that a fully patched Internet Explorer 5.x with updated Windows Scripting Host will not experience the problem, but Guninski disagrees.
"There is security vulnerability in IE 5.x and at least Outlook Express. The problem is Active Scripting is still executed even if it is
disabled. While this is not actual exploit by itself it opens the door for many other exploits."
MSN Announces Explorer 6.1, Delays Slightly
Despite rumors that Microsoft's Brad Chase is leaving the company, MSN is moving full steam ahead. According to Microsoft, over six million people use MSN Explorer and the latest incarnation of the software will soon be released. Explorer consolidates all of MSN's online services into a user-friendly environment meant to compete directly with America Online. MSN Explorer 6.1 features several minor upgrades and additional functionality. As Microsoft ventures further down the Dot Net path - MSN Explorer users can expect broader changes.
Internet Explorer, an MSN Instant Messenger client, MSN Internet access, and music software are components of the software. MSN portal content is also integrated. The installation of MSN Explorer will be enhanced in version 6.1, and it should be easier for customers to access all of these features.
Game Voice Beta Update
For those of you with a Microsoft Game Voice, the folks at Redmond have announced the availability of Game Voice 1.2a Beta. New features include full compatibility with Windows 2000, better keyboard injection for improved voice command recognition, keyboard push-to-talk for your chats, keyboard activation for voice commands, improved compatibility for American and British English profiles, and also Internet auto-dial will no longer be triggered automatically. Notably, DirectPlay features in this release are based on DirectX 8, rather than DirectX 4 as previous releases were. Many NAT/Firewall issues were also resolved in this release. This release is not backward compatible with other versions of Game Voice, and users will not be able to connect machines running older code.
When installed with Direct X 8, the software now is compatible with Windows 2000 games such as Quake 3, Half-Life, and Asheron's Call. This beta solves the issue of voice command failure that some users were experiencing.
'Clippy' Lives On
Microsoft has created a parody Web site around the life and times of 'Clippy,' the quirky Microsoft Agent Office Assistant. Due to the functionality in Office XP, Microsoft does not feel it is necessary for Clippy to assist users anymore. In short, Clippy is now obsolete and may require job re-training. Visitors to the Web site can vote on his fate, view his resume (even he needs one now), check out his to-do list, watch a video edited by Gilbert Gottfried (who else could bring the Clippy persona to life?), and even play a game with Clippy. Although, I am sure that Clippy does not find dodging staples to be very entertaining. For a laugh, read about and vote on Clippy’s fate at officeclippy.com.
Editorial: It's Been Real: Goodbye RealNetworks
With the recent release of Realplayer 8, yet another software company has outlined the path that it will follow to its own destruction. RealNetworks has managed to release a taste of a product, which may even be worse than the one that preceded it. Following the route taken by Netscape, they have innovated in a reactionary manner rather than by listening to the demands of their customers. RealNetworks may fall flat on their face quicker than Rudy Giuliani – although they would probably prefer facing Hillary Clinton rather than brutal onslaught of Microsoft. That is why they are positioning themselves to eventually be bought out.
A once useful media player’s standard installation was transformed into a bloated menagerie of components and add-ons with the release of RealPlayer 7. These needlessly suck away system resources and add useless functionality. RealPlayer 7 also featured an annoying system tray program, which was meant to serve two main functions. It tied services offered on Real.com and their partners’ WebPages into a neat, assessable, little bundle, and reduced RealPlayer’s load time. The “features” added to 7.x perpetuated this attempt to make the player load faster- well, at least in the mind of some developer. This tray icon was made more difficult to remove in the second release of RealPlayer – how nice. It would also be nice if the typical end-users had the knowledge to remove the add-ons (deals RealNetworks made with third parties to garner some short-term profitability), and knowledge of privacy depriving "features" (tracking the behavior and habits of users, and Comet Cursor ). All of these random add-ons and changes to the product hint at the lack of any clear strategy which the once solely dominant streaming media player will follow.
Commentary: The Internet and Print Media
Millions of people are now online, and that number will continue to increase as low cost devices become more readily available. Many of these devices will exist as a wireless technology or even inside an automobile. A constantly open floodgate of information will be available for those who would desire such as thing. Caught in the flood are the newspapers, which once stood unopposed as the primary source of information - with the exception of television. However, newspapers are more portable and tend to provide much more detailed information than television. Internet news sources do have the capacity to fulfill both of those requirements, and are the most potent threat to tradition. Subscriptions to the Philadelphia Inquirer have plummeted by the thousands in the past year. Apparently as a result, even the papers themselves can now be found online.
Online news ventures such as MSNBC, ABCNews, and CNN aggressively pursue a wider user base. Major Internet providers and software companies often provide free content in an attempt to become the dominant portal to the Internet. Attempts were made to charge for online content (Slate Magazine and its subscription fiasco), but these have ultimately been unsuccessful. Users have a wide variety of ultra competitive news sources to choose from all for the price of Internet connectivity. Literally thousands of editorials, comics, and interactive news applications are available. Users may even be notified when the topic of their choice becomes available – all for nothing. Financial news is almost real time, and there is no need to flip through pages filled with thousands of symbols that the reader could care less about. A whole wealth of information can be easily searched, navigated and updated on a continuous basis.
Windows Update a Marketing Ploy?
When the average end-user’s computer notifies them that a Critical Update is available for Windows, many seem to feel obligated to download all "updates" available in the Product Catalog. An audit of needed updates and additional enhancements to Windows are a convenience, and a step toward making the PC self healing -- although many of these components are not necessary for the consumer. Rather than being a centralized location meant to distribute essential maintenance for a product, Windows Update’s existence could easily be considered a strategic effort to make other Microsoft products and services ubiquitous.
The advent of Windows Critical Update Notification for Windows Update provided a gateway for the typical end user to maintain an up-to-date version of Windows rather than remaining static from the day the machine was purchased. In doing so, the need for technical support can be significantly reduced while assuring that the most recent Windows technologies will be utilized by an increased percentage of the user base. The unsuspecting user will compulsorily download many of the available components on the Windows Update site without giving any thought to what exactly it is that they are downloading.
Editorial: Homogeneity and the Level Playing Field
Recent Antitrust actions may serve to level the playing field in the OS market, providing the opportunity for superior technologies to be judged according to their merit. Assuming Hardware vendors and ISVs take advantage of this open "window," the consumer will benefit greatly. Determining which OS a manufacturer should port their products to is a key decision, which requires a valid evaluation process - not just listening solely to what popular media says is hot.
Judge Jackson has given his Findings of Fact and Microsoft now has a stigma that will not be going away anytime in the near future (or so we have been told by each and every technology oriented article that has been published recently). Overly aggressive business tactics will no longer be the norm at Redmond, as the company attempts find ways to change its focus before it is too late. The resulting freedom to break from their non-beneficial relationships with the software giant allows vendors to make decisions based upon what would be best for their own products, so long as malcontent developers take advantage of the position that they now find themselves in. Rather than porting products to what seems to be a Windows killer, the opportunity presents itself to finally make a break with the past.
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