The Insider: Bit of a lifestyle change looms for Microsoftie
The Insider is the P-I business staff's weekly compendium of quips, quotes, observations and asides, tidbits, weird facts and gossip.

Microsoft Prepares for a Busy 2003
After facing down the financially troubled year 2002 in fine form, software giant Microsoft is looking ahead to 2003, a year in which the company will unleash an unprecedented collection of desktop and server software and services.

The Upper Hand in Handhelds?
Dell Computer's pattern of attack is familiar by now: Find a product that enjoys good margins. Then build it--or have it built--cheaply enough so that you can underprice the competition and still be profitable. Ship the product, and watch the market-share points stack up.

Microsoft loses grip on university
Microsoft's hold on Auckland University desktops is about to be challenged, with the school of engineering offering students and staff a choice between Microsoft Office and Sun Microsystems' Star Office. 3

With Microsoft support, time may have come for tablet PCs
The basic design of laptop computers -- a screen and keyboard joined by a hinge -- has been unchanged for years.

Pocket PC Software Parodies
Are you good with PhotoShop and have some good ideas? If so, submit them to me at ed at pocketpcthoughts dot com and I'll put together a column with the best submissions.

Lindows to hit retail shelves
With Christmas just around the corner, the consumer-friendly Linux distribution is readying its high street invasion

Socket Brings 802.1X to PocketPC
Newark, CA-based Socket Communications today unveiled that its Low Power Wireless LAN Compact Flash card is getting support for 802.1X security. This move will allow users of the company's Compact Flash 802.11b-enabled client card, usually used in PocketPC-based personal digital assistants (PDAs), to use the authentication of 802.1X.

Microsoft Delivers Web Services Enhancements 1.0
On the same day software tools group Eclipse announced new projects and members, Microsoft Corp unveiled Web Services Enhancements 1.0 (WSE) to support the latest specifications to make it easier for Visual Studio .NET developers to complete projects.

Microsoft flaws go from bad to verse
A flaw in some Microsoft software has moved a security expert to try his hand at poetry.

Microsoft Struggling In The Wireless Market
Some have characterised this as a battle of the giants, with Nokia in one corner and Microsoft in the other. If so, then the plucky little European contender is fighting above its weight and giving the reigning champ all sorts of problems.