Applications

Two of the world's largest computer and software companies have been sued by UK-based BTG International for patent infringement over Web-enabled software update and other technologies. BTG, a UK-based intellectual property and technology development company, along with New York-based Teleshuttle, fi...

SECURITY BRIEF

First Pocket PC Virus ‘Poses No Threat’

Antivirus company Sophos's virus researchers reported the first ever virus to infect the Microsoft Pocket PC operating system. The Duts virus (W32/Duts-A) is able to infect PDAs running the Pocket PC operating system, and it was reportedly written by the 29A virus writing gang. This is the same grou...

TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT

Solutions to Spyware Plague Come to Enterprise Users

Spyware, an intrusive malicious software -- or malware -- application that slips into computers via free downloads and visits to some Web sites, is quickly becoming the second most troublesome computer malady after virus infections. Spyware can track Web surfing habits and send the results to purvey...

Microsoft has released its monthly round of patches, including two patches for critical vulnerabilities and one that patches a hole that could become the basis of a widespread computer worm attack. At the same time as the patch release, a Danish company announced additional security holes in Microso...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the third and final day of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2004 -- the company's main event for business partners -- with a message of increased company investments to fuel innovation in the industry. "For businesses dedicated to innovating with tech...

After more than 70 months without a significant drop in its share of the U.S. Web browser market, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) saw its hold on the mouse clicks of Web surfers slip by one percent over the last month. On the basis of a daily survey of some 30 million browsers, WebSideStory, a San ...

More than a third of the software on the world's PCs has been pirated from its makers, according to a study released yesterday by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), whose members include Adobe, Apple, Cisco Systems, IBM and Microsoft. The annual study -- this year conducted for the first time by ...

Microsoft has hit the news once again by invoking its next major update to Windows XP -- called Service Pack 2 (SP2) -- in response to the significant security risks that have emerged over the past couple weeks. This time, the company has gone beyond its vague time frame for releasing SP2 "later thi...

As part of its "Patent Busting Project," the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) yesterday released its "Ten Most Wanted" patents -- patents it claims pose the greatest threat to the public domain. At its web site, the EFF has posted a "wanted poster" that mimics those found on post office walls. "...

In one of the last settlements with states that sued it over antitrust allegations, Microsoft settled with Arizona, agreeing to US$104.6 million in vouchers for the state's consumers, who will each get up to $15 for purchasing Microsoft's operating system or applications. The settlement, which coinc...

Microsoft unveiled plans Tuesday to release stripped-down versions of its Visual Studio developer's tools and SQL Server database in an attempt to appeal to nonprofessional programmers. The inexpensive, lightweight "Express" versions are intended for people who write programs but do not work as soft...

Fujitsu and Microsoft have announced a collaborative agreement to develop Fujitsu's next-generation, Itanium-based server, which will be optimized for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and next-gen Longhorn server. The deal -- a new Memorandum of Understanding announced in Japan that builds on the two...

TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT

Mobile Phone OS Battle Heats Up

Cell phones are no longer used simply for voice communications; increasingly, they support text messaging, e-mail, Web surfing and even video transmissions. With this transformation has come the need for a more sophisticated mobile operating system. Half a dozen vendors, including Microsoft and Symb...

Microsoft's business division today announced a new version of Great Plains, a financial management software package. According to the company, the new version of Great Plains, now in version 8.0, offers improved usability and functionality for distribution, manufacturing and project accounting. Mic...

After failing to cut into the deluge of spam sent to Internet users with the Can Spam Act, the U.S. government might now be aiming legislation at spyware -- silent software programs that identify and often track users and their online behaviors -- with bills in the House and Senate. A bill from Mary...

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