November 23, 2007

EXO Performance Network researchers claimed that after the series of benchmark tests it was concluded that Vista Service Pack 1 will not significantly improve the performance.

According to Exo-Blog:
"After extensive testing of both RTM and SP1-patched versions of Windows Vista, it seems clear that the hoped-for performance fixes that Microsoft has been hinting at never materialized. Vista SP1 is no faster than Vista from the RTM image."

November 23, 2007

The founder of MP3.com, Michael Robertson, came up with the solution how to make Windows software run on top of Linux. Robertson's solution is a new Linux distribution that will run all Windows applications as they would run on Windows 98, NT and XP. Robertson said that Windows users "have a big investment in Windows software and don't want to leave it behind. With Lindows OS, they won't have to. You can install the Windows software and it behaves exactly as it would on their Windows machine."

November 22, 2007

Microsoft officials confirmed late Tuesday that Windows XP contains a significant random number generator bug.

According to Computerworld:
"The researchers, Benny Pinkas from the University of Haifa and two Hebrew University graduate students, Zvi Gutterman and Leo Dorrendorf, reverse-engineered the algorithm used by Windows 2000's pseudo-random number generator (PRNG), then used that knowledge to pick apart the operating system's encryption. Attackers could exploit a weakness in the PRNG, said Pinkas and his colleagues, to predict encryption keys that would be created in the future as well as reveal the keys that had been generated in the past."

August 17, 2005

WindowsDevCenter has published an in depth look at Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system. The article covers installation, new search functionality, virtual folders, Internet Explorer 7, Network Presentation, SafeDocs, User Account Protection, the Aero Glass interface, and a number of tips and tricks.

June 15, 2005

WindowsDevCenter has published an article explaining how to use the new version of MSN Toolbar to enable tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 6. This is a great option for IE users while they wait for IE 7 to be released.

June 8, 2005

Microsoft has added tabbed browsing to Internet Explorer through a new feature of the free MSN Toolbar. The software can be installed on Microsoft Windows XP / Server 2003 / 2000 and Internet Explorer 5.01 or later. Along with tabs, the MSN Toolbar features integrated web and desktop search, smart filling of online forms, and instant access to Hotmail and a number of other free MSN services.

June 6, 2005

The Register and Gizmodo have published instructions on how to change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro just by editing two bytes on the installation CD. You don't get all the functionality, but you do get useful things like Remote Desktop, User Management and enhanced security features. Also, you cannot install Service Pack 2 after the installation, although it might be possible to merge SP2 into the installation CD. This seems like a nice hack, but don't be surprised if one day Microsoft sends you a nasty Windows Update as a reward for attempting such a stunt.

June 2, 2005

WindowsForDevices has published a lengthy guide to Windows Mobile 5.0, from a developers perspective. The article provides an overview of the new tools needed for building applications on the new platform, as well as new features like picture management, contact management, GPS and Smartphone integration, SMS messaging, multimedia support, managed code support, Direct3D / DirectDraw / DirectShow APIs, digital rights management (DRM) support, ActiveSync integration, Telephony API integration, GPRS network support, new Outlook Mobile functionality, Configuration Manager integration, the Camera Capture API, Mail Application Management, and more. The article also looks at new tools like Visual Studio 2005, the Windows Mobile 5.0 SDK, advanced device emulator support, an improved debugger, and more. The article also includes plenty of source code examples for readers to examine.

June 2, 2005

ArsTechnica has published an extensive multi-part article looking at the technical insides of the Xbox 360. Among the features covered are the multi-core Xenon PowerPC CPU, the advanced GPU, use of procedurally generated geometry and real-time skin mapping, the multi-level cache architecture, VMX-128 vector processing, symmetric multi-threading, and more. In addition, there are plenty of comparisons to the architecture of the Sony PS3.

May 19, 2005

Microsoft has revealed some details about the upcoming Office 12 software suite. New features include enhanced collaboration, advanced searching and indexing, document management, incoming e-mail prioritization, creation of dashboards, XML data sharing, easier integration with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and more.

May 18, 2005

WindowsDevCenter has published an article on boosting the performance of Windows XP. Tips include adding RAM, disabling transitions and fades, optimizing your hard drive, removing spyware and adware, disabling unnecessary services, tuning your pagefile, optimizing NTFS performance, and more.

May 16, 2005

According to information on various blogs, Microsoft has had recent meetings with Red Hat. The speculation is that Microsoft might be in talks to purchase the Linux distribution provider. The move would allow Microsoft to "embrace and extend" Linux, causing massive confusion in the Linux marketplace, and allowing Windows to gain even more market share.

May 15, 2005

Microsoft is getting ready to release a beta of its Windows OneCare service, which combines firewall, anti-spyware, anti-virus, backup and restore, file repair, hard drive clean up, defragmentation, and PC tune-up features. The consumer service will compete with a number of security and utility vendors like Symantec. It is yet unclear if customers will trust Microsoft to perform these tasks, since the company is responsible for many of the security holes in Windows that caused these problems in the first place.

May 13, 2005

After yesterday's announcement of the Xbox 360, a number of web sites have published detailed information about the Xbox 360 console and related games. GameSpot.com has a 10 minute video of the Xbox 360 in action along with game developer interviews.

May 13, 2005

The BBC has published a two-part article on the business challenges facing Microsoft and what the company needs to do to survive and prosper during the next few years. Microsoft is taking a beating from open source projects like Linux, Apache, OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird. Apple is attacking with the iPod and Mac OS X Tiger. Google is attacking with a fantastic search engine and a dozen innovative projects like GMail and Google Maps. Skype is taking the Internet VOIP market by storm. With Microsoft's hands tied battling security problems in Windows and working on getting Longhorn out the door, it is hard to imagine the company being able to fight back in any significant way. Xbox 360 and Windows Mobile 5.0 are a step in the right direction but certainly not enough to deal with the fierce competitive onslaught.

May 13, 2005

Microsoft has finally published the official specifications of the Xbox 360. As rumored, the game system has three 3.2 GHz PowerPC CPU cores, an ATI graphics chip, and much more. See the specifications for additional details.

May 10, 2005

Today at the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded Developers Conference (MEDC 2005) in Las Vegas, Bill Gates announced the launch of Windows Mobile 5.0 (previously referred to as Windows Mobile 2005 or Magneto). Enhancements include new network support for 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, as well as one-handed operation, persistent memory storage, improved Microsoft Office functionality, new security features, Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, new hard disk support, and more. In related news, CNET has published an interview with Bill Gates about Windows Mobile 5.0.

May 9, 2005

ActiveWin has posted detailed specifications for the Xbox 360. Media features include support for DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, and JPEG Photo CD. Video output support is 16:9 at 720p and 1080i with anti-aliasing. Other features include 3 symmetrical 3.2 GHz PowerPC cores with 2 hardware threads and 1 vector unit per core as well as 1 MB of L2 cache, an ATI 500 MHz graphics core supporting 48 floating-point shader pipelines, 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM, 256+ channel audio, 3 USB 2.0 ports, support for 4 wireless controllers, detachable 20GB drive, Wi-Fi ready networking, more than a dozen new Xbox Live features, and more.

May 7, 2005

eWeek is reporting that the Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system has problems with SMB file sharing and authentication with Active Directory servers. The problem occurs with both Windows servers and Linux Samba servers. These problems have forced many IT managers to delay deploying Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. In addition, there are other incompatibilities with existing third-party software and hardware.

May 3, 2005

Engadget has published a two-part interview with Bill Gates, where he talks extensively about the Xbox 360, Windows Mobile 2005, HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, Windows Media Center, IPTV, and Tablet PCs. The only topic not discussed is Longhorn.