3,842 Topics
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| | I laughed out loud when I saw this headline on the ars technica Web site: “[URL=http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/07/16/monkey-see-monkey-do-microsoft-launches-mobile-app-site]Monkey see, monkey do: Microsoft launches mobile app site[/URL].” It’s so typical of Microsoft in recent years to desperately emulate companies it perceives as its competitors, even at the expense of its own embarrassment. The …  |
 | That's what the [URL="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121623279341859201.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news"]Wall Street Journal[/URL] seems to think anyway. I can't help but be a little cynical about this, what with their would-be deal with Yahoo! hardly cold in its grave. The cold-hearted journalist in me tends to see conspiracy theories wherever it looks, so please forgive me if … |
| | Here’s a footnote for the current chapter of the Microsoft-Yahoo acquisition saga. Microsoft this week issued a [URL=http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/jul08/07-14statement.mspx]statement[/URL] to “set the record straight” about [URL=http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=321697]Yahoo’s July 12 rejection[/URL] of the latest acquisition offer from Redmond. Rather than trying to paraphrase, here’s Microsoft in its own words, including references to “activist … |
 | BestBuy is now offering Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) in a shrink-wrapped box for $19.99. This is the only packaged Linux that BestBuy currently sells. I haven't seen the package or visited my local BestBuy store in several months but I am happy about this decision. Shelf space is at a … |
 | [I]It's not always easy, And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together ~Jack Johnson, Better Together. [/I] [URL="http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/07/11/schmidt_independent_yahoo_better_for_competition/"]AP is reporting [/URL]this morning that Eric Schmidt, he being CEO of the great and almighty Google, thinks it would better if Yahoo! remained … |
| | A built-in profiler, a new attributes language and enhanced project analyzer are among the features in RealBasic 3, the cross-platform integrated development environment from Real Software. The IDE for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows began shipping today. RealBasic 3 now supports attributes—which the company characterizes as compile-time properties—for project … |
| | Technology stocks received something of a boost yesterday, with the NASDAQ rising 21 points to 2,266. Traders were buzzing about Microsoft’s admission that it would re-open talks with Yahoo, but only if less-than-subtle co-conspirator Carl Icahn can manage to unseat the Yahoo board of directors. Icahn, the famed corporate raider, … |
| | Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is not only an apish buffoon, but he also apparently lacks a backbone. It was revealed today in a [URL=http://in.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idINWNAS033120080707]letter to Yahoo shareholders[/URL] written by “activist investor” Carl Icahn that Ballmer expressed fears that the current Yahoo board—hostile to a takeover by Microsoft—could put the huge … |
| | Here's a story that didn't get much play on the wire services. Microsoft on June 30 published [URL=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc203350.aspx]format specifications[/URL] for Office binary files as well as protocol documentation for Office 2007, Exchange Server 2007, Outlook 2007, Office SharePoint Server 2007 and SQL Server 2005. According to the company, the move … |
| | Microsoft is betting that people would rather fork over $US20 a year for the legal right to use its Office application suite than install an old or pirated copy or use one of a growing number of free alternatives. Having been faced with that exact decision myself this week, I … |
| | I’ve been highly critical of many of Microsoft’s moves lately, mostly because they have felt like the awkward ramblings of a company one step behind the curve, but the other day Microsoft made, what in my view, is a smart play. They bought [URL="http://www.powerset.com/"]Powerset[/URL], a San Francisco-based semantic search company … |
| | The Wall Street Journal reported this morning (and thousands of others since then) in a [URL=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121496732802022117.html] front-page story[/URL] that Microsoft is seeking new channels of opportunity for acquiring the search business of Yahoo. Redmond has reportedly been in talks with Time Warner and WSJ parent company News Corp., cooking up … |
| | According to the official Microsoft Developer Network [URL="http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/default.aspx"]IEBlog[/URL] Internet Explorer 8 will come packed with a whole host of new security features. These will include the SmartScreen Filter which replaces the Phishing Filter in current versions of the browser. Eric Lawrence, Program Manager for Internet Explorer Security says that this … |
| | That’s it. I’ve had enough. Today I draw a line in the sand with me and Windows XP on one side and Microsoft and any of its new operating systems—including Vista—on the other, for ever more. What got me started on this—the reason for this pledge—is simple: Yesterday Microsoft said … |
| | My colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols recently wrote a piece on his fine Practical Technology blog called [URL="http://practical-tech.com/operating-system/dear-microsoft-thanks-for-the-help-linux/"]Dear Microsoft, Thanks for the help, Linux[/URL] in which he argues that Microsoft’s ill-timed decision to cut off easy access to XP tomorrow (June 30th) combined with its announcement it would be releasing the … |
 | It wasn't due for another six weeks or so, but today Microsoft surprised many folk by starting to sell its new Hyper-V server virtualisation software. Microsoft had repeatedly told anyone who asked, and anyone who was listening, that it would be released in August. However, Microsoft customers were alerted to … |
| | Speaking before the start of the Microsoft [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jun08/06-25GFWBigPicturePR.mspx"]Big Picture[/URL] gaming showcase in San Francisco, Jon Schappert, a Microsoft Corporate VP, took the opportunity to lay claim to Windows being the biggest gaming platform on the planet. Not Microsoft, you might like to note. Not the Xbox. But rather, and specifically, … |
| | You’re about to begin a project that will tap into or integrate data from a database. You’ve been looking for low-cost ways to clear that data of duplicates, near-dupes, and obsolete or garbage data. But cleansing tools are expensive. As of today, there’s a free solution for you to think … |
| | According to [URL="http://www.bt.com"]BT[/URL] the average UK office worker sees less sun than the average coal miner. The growing trend of 'chain-desking' where workers feel that being out of the office is the same as being out of touch, is blamed for the vampire-like existence. The research was conducted on behalf … |
| | Easier installation, 3D desktop effects, digital music and video management and an up-to-date OpenOffice are among the enhancements in openSUSE 11.0, which became generally available this week. Designed for the novice as well the advanced, installation options include a choice of Gnome 2.22 or KDE 4 desktop environments and the … |
| | How much is $630 worth? According to [URL="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/19/ebayer_live_search_game/"]The Register[/URL] the rather surprising answer is $714. That is the price that an enterprising eBayer has put on some money, and by manipulating the Microsoft Live Search advertising cashback offer implemented by Microsoft last month the guy reckons you can turn a … |
| | It has not been a good couple of weeks for Microsoft, at least not when it comes to how the online search space is fanning out anyway. Following on from the refusal of yahoo to take the Microsoft buy out bid seriously, comes the news that it is jumping into … |
| | When I opened my mail box today and picked up this month’s [URL="http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=10395&page=1"]Streaming Media Magazine[/URL], [URL="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000325/"]David Caruso[/URL], aka Horatio Caine on [URL="http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/"]CSI Miami[/URL], stared out at me from the cover in his trademark shades. Not exactly what you expect from a magazine aimed at video geeks, but apparently Caruso is … |
| | Following announcements at the [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/events/teched2008/itpro/default.mspx"]Microsoft Tech Ed IT Professionals 2008[/URL] conference in Orlando this week, it would appear that Internet Explorer 8 will concentrate on getting things right for the business user. This means a focus on deployment issues, a focus on improving compatibility and updates to the IE admin … |
| | I'd hate to be Jerry Yang's therapist today. The Yahoo CEO turned down a $33 per share buyout offer from Microsoft several months ago, with some saying the price could have gone as high as $37 per share. But that was then and this is now. The Associated Press is … |
| | At the risk of sounding like just another Microsoft bashing session, I already trust Apple’s [URL=http://www.apple.com/mobileme/] MobileMe[/URL] more than [URL=http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2364.html] Microsoft’s Mesh[/URL]. Apple today unveiled the new service which it says will be up and running in July. MobileMe will replace the venerable .Mac online file storage service and compete … |
| | Acer is the latest company to jump on the ultra-portable bandwagon with Aspire one, a 2.2-pound unit that sports a near-full size keyboard and can yield as much as six hours of battery life per charge, according to claims by the PC maker. Rival Asus last month began shipping [URL=http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2339.html] … |
| | If you’re a Ruby or Python developer building AJAX applications, you’ve got to learn JavaScript. Even if you’re converting Ruby code to client-side JavaScript with a tool like [URL= http://www.scribd.com/doc/220397/RJShow-it-works] RJS[/URL], it can still be helpful to know the AJAX component for adding features and debugging. Now Microsoft is promoting … |
| | Microsoft today gave [URL=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-jun.mspx] advance notice [/URL]of a security bulletin it will release on Tuesday to repair seven vulnerabilities in Windows and Internet Explorer, three of them critical. The three critical warnings involve potential remote code execution, and affect Bluetooth, DirectX and IE. According to reports, the latter patch might … |
| | [I]Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. ~Dylan Thomas. [/I] Every once in a while you come across a blog post from a writer that makes you sit up … |
The End.