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• WindowBlinds 1.0 Released to Registered Users
  Time: 22:49 EDT/03:49 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Dennis

  WindowBlinds 1.0 has been released for Object Desktop Network users and Registered users. You can download it by going to the WB download page.

  We will be posting our review in the next few days.

   

• ActiveWindows Mouse Pads
  Time: 16:38 EDT/23:38 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Alex H

  The Mouse Pads have been so popular that we have had to order another batch so don't forget that the first ActiveWindows piece of merchandise is now available to order. The first product in our new range of logos is the ActiveWindows Mouse Pad.

   
• Last Major Windows 2000 Beta Ships
  Time: 16:37 EDT/23:37 GMT Source: PC World Posted By: Alex H

  Microsoft last week shipped the last major beta-test of Windows 2000, the latest public version of the operating system that observers say seems just about ready to go.

  Release Candidate 2 represents the last time Microsoft plans to make any major changes in Windows 2000. A third release candidate is possible, says Keith White, director of the company's business and enterprise division, but any fixes resulting from it will be minor.

  In RC2, the company addressed about 10,000 bugs and work items such as unhelpful error messages that beta-testers identified in RC1, White says.

  Major areas of focus in the more than 30 million lines of code were improving application compatibility, simplifying Internet connections and domain name server configuration, cleaning up the user interface by removing unnecessary items, and shipping more reliable and plentiful hardware drivers.

  Testers say that Windows 2000 has basically taken shape since RC1.

  Alan Williams, director of distributed systems at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania, says Windows 2000 Professional looks solid, but the Active Directory and DNS features have bugs. He says Microsoft is aware of the problems, which he declined to specify.

   
• A Look at Works Suite 2000
  Time: 16:35 EDT/23:35 GMT Source: PC World Posted By: Alex H

  For years, serious computer users have looked down their noses at Works. Microsoft's application suite for home customers has lived in the shadow of Office, its bigger, more powerful, more businessy sibling. But even those know-it-alls might want to take a serious look at the latest Works suite.

  No longer a pale shadow of Office, Works Suite 2000 is surprisingly powerful, yet easy to use, with a focus on making home tasks simpler. Its impressive collection of tools integrates nicely through a slick interface. And because it includes a copy of Microsoft Word 2000, Works Suite 2000 may even provide a viable alternative for business users who absolutely, positively don't need an industrial-strength spreadsheet or database program.

   
• Run Applications Off the Web
  Time: 16:33 EDT/23:33 GMT Source: PC World Posted By: Alex H

  Some day, you'll run your word processor off a Web server. At least, that's what both Sun Microsystems and Microsoft say. And in late August, Sun put its money where its mouth is by announcing concrete plans to make Web-based applications available.

  Long known as a server vendor, Sun ventured into the software market earlier this year by purchasing Star Division, which makes the StarOffice desktop suite. The company's August announcement detailed plans to offer this suite as a Web-based application. Not to be outdone, Microsoft promptly announced it will deliver Microsoft Office in a similar configuration.

  So, does it make sense to replace your trusty PC applications with Web-based versions? Neither Microsoft nor Sun is yet delivering its suite this way. But thinter.net, an application service provider for small businesses, hosts StarOffice free for subscribers. I took a look to find out if it's practical to work the Web this way.

   
• McAfee Protects the Paranoid
  Time: 16:31 EDT/23:31 GMT Source: PC World Posted By: Alex H

  Protecting the privacy of your e-mail messages and e-shopping may sound daunting, but starting this week you can get some assurance from security expert Network Associates. The company is selling McAfee PGP Personal Privacy 6.5.1 for $19.95.

  PGP, which stands for Pretty Good Privacy, is an encryption tool that combines symmetric and public key encryption. It is free from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Web site.

  Personal Privacy 6.5.1 is McAfee's own version of PGP that adds some extra tools for encrypting just about anything.

  With a base key level of encryption at 4906 bits, PGP goes far beyond the security levels in most encryption software, according to McAfee representatives.

  "Basically anything less than 128-bit can be broken pretty easily," says Lisa Citron, product marketing manager for McAfee. "Until processor speeds get really fast, no one's going to crack that encryption without significant effort."

  Browsers often come with low-level 40-bit encryption keys, which a hacker can break relatively easily, Citron says. The more bits in the key, the more secure your data will be.

  McAfee's new product is not restricted from U.S. export, as products higher than 56 bits in key length were until last week. The White House has approved export of encryption products of any length, except to a handful of countries considered terrorist states.

   
• Paul Allen cleared in sex harassment case
  Time: 16:26 EDT/23:26 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Alex H

  The sexual harassment suit filed against Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, has been dismissed by a judge in Los Angeles. The suit was filed by his former business partner (no, not Bill) Abbie Phillips. The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be retried.

  Phillips claimed she had been forced out of Storyopolis Investment, which she was managing for Allen, after she resisted a sexual advance made by the billionaire. In the suit, she was claiming damages for lost earnings, lost employment, emotional distress and punitive damages, having quit the company in April 1997. The case was filed on 2 April 1998.

   
• MS France in shock Linux availability claim
  Time: 16:24 EDT/23:24 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Alex H

  The French authorities seem to be trying to limit the reverberations of their investigation of Microsoft, which leaked out last week. The French competition and anti-fraud directorate (DNERF) of the ministry of finance's probe is in response to complaints by consumers that they do not want to have Windows pre-loaded.

  Just one person in France is known to have been successful in obtaining a refund for Windows 98: Remi Lacombe, a teacher, received FF1690 by not accepting the end user license agreement. But there's a separate spat going on in France; the French Canadian version of Windows is sold for around half the price of the French version, so distributors are bringing in grey versions. DNERF apparently does not want this issue to escalate and it points out that this could be a contract law matter, rather than a competition law issue. If the same complaints are found to in other EU countries and cross-border trade is involved (perhaps to francophone Belgium), it is quite possible that DNERF would boot the problem to the European Commission's DGIV competition directorate.

   
• NCR charges Netscape with patent infringement
  Time: 16:22 EDT/23:22 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  Browser software company Netscape Communications was accused by NCR, the U.S.'s top maker of automated teller machines, of infringing upon nine NCR software patents.

  Dayton, Ohio-based NCR sells hardware, including cash registers and scanners, and software for the retail and financial services industries. NCR claims in a suit released today in U.S. District Court in Wilmington that it owns nine patents awarded between 1996 and 1999 protecting methods for organizing and retrieving information from computer databases.

  The company alleges that Mountain View, California-based Netscape, acquired in March by America Online, the world's largest Internet service provider, is wrongly using NCR technology in its business.

   
• HP's curious NT tale gets curiouser
  Time: 16:20 EDT/23:20 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Alex H

  The L-boxes HP launched earlier today, and which will be available in mid-October, are intended to bridge the gap when IA-64 arrives, said Patrick Rogers, system solutions marketing manager at HP US.

  Rogers filled in more details about HP's strategy with its OS and confirmed that even though it will compete with its own Intel server division, it is serious about NT not being robust enough an OS for the platform.

  Nor, said Rogers, did Linux cut it in a mission critical environment, even though he acknowledged the level of support HP was giving to the IA-64 port.

  It's HP/UX all the way. And if Compaq ever dumped its Tru64 Unix for Linux, that would be a major blunder, said Rogers.

   
• How MS can hold onto the market while embracing XML
  Time: 15:05 EDT/20:05 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  The sight of Microsoft enthusiastically embracing open standards, really meaning it, and being believed as well is novel, but as far as XML is concerned, it's becoming less so. Microsoft really is driving XML, Paul Maritz really (probably) means it when he says Web services architectures should be open and standards-based, and the Microsoft strategy revealed so far seems remarkably short on proprietary catches.

  Mostly. The company's big bang announcement of its Windows DNA 2000 platform strategy did indeed outline a future where there would at least theoretically be room for all sorts of different platforms, but under the covers there are a few catches that make the open strategy not quite so open, and therefore more traditionally Microsoft, after all.

   
• MS IE5 XML not entirely pure, and what's this patent?
  Time: 15:05 EDT/20:05 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  Great emphasis is being given by Microsoft to XML, prompting the suspicion that it won't be long before we read of impure XML. Parsing Ballmer's recent comments and looking at the sub-text, when he said that software would "metamorphose", and that it could not do so "in today's environment of monolithic server code", it was clear that Ballmer was working from a carefully prepared text, behaving uncharacteristically, and was not at all playing his usual cheerleader role.

  What had focussed Ballmer was the role that XML was to play in Microsoft's future plans. If there's one thing we can be certain about, it's that Microsoft's intentions towards XML are less that honourable. It is true that Microsoft was active with W3C in bringing about XML, and that it has made a number of moves towards incorporating XML in its products. If this were Java, it would just be a matter of time before Microsoft's route from so-called monolithic Web sites to integration was only possible with a Microsoft version of XML. Is, as some analysts are saying, XML to big for Microsoft to be able to do this? We'll see. But the nature of the XML support in IE5, and some related patenting shenanigans are causes for concern.

   
• MS Softway purchase - could it unleash 'Linux for Windows?'
  Time: 15:01 EDT/20:01 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  On Friday Microsoft announced it had bought small San Francisco Unix developer Softway Systems, explaining that the deal was intended to strengthen Unix-Windows interoperability. But there's more to this than meets the eye - Softway had been putting its toes into the waters of open source and Linux on Windows, so despite the public statements, Microsoft may be tipping its hand.

  According to the press statement it's a case of small Unix developer engulfed, not many dead. And anyway, Softway had already been close to MS, announcing a co-marketing deal in May. The release says, deadpan, that Microsoft customers "will benefit from this acquisition through future expanded and integrated tools and utilities, via products such as Microsoft Services for Unix, which provide interoperability between Unix and Windows."

   
• Microsoft Announces Works Suite 2000, The Complete Software Solution for the Home
  Time: 09:29 EDT/14:29 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. today announced the release of Microsoft^® Works Suite 2000, the newest version of the company's home productivity software suite. Works Suite 2000 is an integrated software package that helps consumers complete all of their home projects, from writing a school report or creating a family newsletter to planning a family vacation or helping with the neighborhood yard sale. Its redesigned Task Launcher helps consumers access a broad range of applications quickly and easily, including Works 2000*, Word 2000, Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 Standard, Money 2000 Standard, Home Publishing 2000, Expedia Streets & Trips 2000 and Picture It! Express 2000.

   
• Microsoft Announces Windows 2000 Certification For Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers
  Time: 09:28 EDT/14:28 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. today announced the Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 certification track for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs). The premier credential includes the core skill set necessary to design, develop and manage medium-sized to very large computing environments using the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system and the BackOffice family of integrated server products. The new track is the latest move by Microsoft to continue raising the standards of certification by including performance-based exams, adaptive testing techniques and emphasizing troubleshooting. The Windows 2000 track also requires design skills for security, network infrastructure or directory infrastructure. Candidates with at least one year of experience implementing and administering a network operating system will likely be most successful in passing the exams.

   
• Microsoft Announces Technologies to Enable Knowledge Worker Solutions As Part of Its Digital Dashboard Initiative
  Time: 09:27 EDT/14:27 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  As part of it Digital Dashboard initiative, Microsoft Corp. today announced availability of three toolkits to enable solutions for knowledge workers that deliver the right information at the right time. Available today on the Web are the Microsoft^® Digital Dashboard Starter Kit, Outlook^® 2000 Team Folder Wizard, and Team Productivity Update for BackOffice^® Server 4.5. These three technologies make it easier for solutions providers and IT professionals to create "digital dashboard" solutions and offer new tools for collaboration in Microsoft Exchange- and BackOffice-based environments. A digital dashboard is a customized Microsoft Office 2000-based solution that consolidates personal, team, corporate and external information with single-click access to analytical and collaborative tools.

   
• Site News
  Time: 06:02 EDT/12:02 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Alex H

  Do you want to work on Active Windows? At the moment we are looking for people to help us update the news, mainly the DVD and Gaming section. If you are interested then send an email to either myself or Byron. If you could put in a listing and links to other web sites you have worked on then it would be appreciated.

   
• Experts: Javascript Not Just a Hotmail Problem
  Time: 05:48 EDT/11:48 GMT Source: Internet News Posted By: Alex H

  Web developers and users were warned Friday that security vulnerabilities in Web-based e-mail and other sites that allow user postings may be more widespread than previously thought.

  According to security experts, most major Web mail services, message boards, guest books and auction postings are not completely screening for Javascript. As a result, the services enable users to embed code which is automatically executed when the page is displayed by others.

  "My guess is that 98 percent of the Web sites that allow users to supply text have a bug somewhere, because it's so hard to catch all the locations," said Richard M. Smith, an independent security consultant in Cambridge, Mass.

  The warnings follow reports Monday that it's possible to inject Javascript into email messages which, when opened by some users of Microsoft's (MSFT) Hotmail service, could perform malicious tasks. Microsoft officials insist Hotmail is not unique and that the attacks described by Bulgarian programmer Georgi Guninski could be implemented on any Web-based e-mail service.

  What might have seemed a public relations brush off by Microsoft has proven to be disturbingly true. Martin Battaliou, a London-based programmer for a large telecommunications firm, said he has since uncovered vulnerabilities in almost all of the most popular Web mail services and has developed demonstration exploits that use embedded javascript to steal passwords, change user settings, and otherwise wreak havoc with others' accounts -- just by getting them to view a message to their Web-based e-mail account.

  "The risks here are tremendous. If you want to choose a link and go to another URL you must log off your Web mail. If you click the link, you run the risk of infecting all your settings or having all your e-mail deleted," Battaliou said.

• Exclusive: WindowBlinds 1.0
  Time: 17:30 EDT/22:30 GMT Source: Stardock Posted By: Dennis

  We have just received an exclusive copy of WindowBlinds 1.0. Its really quite remarkable with a major noticeable different in speed from previous WB versions!

  We will post our review of it as soon as we have a chance to write it. Here is one preview of it though:

  

  You can read the readme here as well.

  WindowBlinds 1.0 will be officially released tomorrow.

   
• Site News
  Time: 15:29 EDT/20:29 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  As some of you already know, you can now reach the site via http://www.activewindows.com. Many of you ask us what we will be working on next, what we will be adding to the site etc, well we are not working on any new sites apart from ActiveSci-Fi as we want to keep ActiveWindows ahead of the rest just like it is now. The ActiveSci-Fi website will be maintained by a completely separate group of people, I'll just be doing the design and making sure things stay updated. Anyway, here are the upcoming reviews:

  Hardware: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, Regular Visor
  Software: Nocturne, Sinistar Unleashed, Atlantis 2, Firestorm, X: Beyond The Frontier, System Shock 2, Heavy Gear 2, Shadowman, Rogue Spear
  Applications: Photoshop 5.5, Coral Suite 9
  Others: DirectX 7

   
• Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro - Review
  Time: 08:04 EDT/13:04 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  I have posted my review of the new Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro. Here is a snippet from the review:

  A few years ago Microsoft released the SideWinder Game Pad, their first foray into the world of game pad designs, from then on we have been getting regular game pad related releases. Now we have the new version of their original game pad - The SideWinder Game Pad Pro, but does it offer enough extras over the original to make it a worthy purchase?

   
• Microsoft secretly paid for ads for Independent Institute
  Time: 04:12 EDT/09:12 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  Microsoft secretly paid for newspaper ads by a California foundation that purported to present the independent views of 240 academic experts who said the U.S. government's antitrust case against the software giant was hurting consumers, according to a published report.

  The New York Times quoted Microsoft spokesman Greg Shaw as acknowledging that the world's largest software company paid for the June newspaper ads.

  The Times also cited internal documents of the Independent Institute of Oakland, California, showing that Microsoft paid a $153,868 bill to cover the cost of newspaper ads and air fare for the foundation's president, David Theroux, to travel to Washington for a press conference the day the ads ran in two major newspapers.

  The full-page ads appeared in The Washington Post and the New York Times on June 2, the day the Microsoft trial resumed for its final month of testimony. Courtroom arguments on "proposed findings of fact" are scheduled for Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson.

   

• Infoseek exec nabbed in sex scandal
  Time: 04:10 EDT/09:10 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex H

  A top executive for one of the Web's biggest sites has been arrested by FBI agents on federal charges for allegedly crossing states lines to solicit sex from a minor.

  Patrick Naughton, 34, an executive vice president of Infoseek Corp. and Disney's GO Network, was apprehended late Thursday night in Santa Monica, Calif., after he had arranged to meet a teenage girl who actually turned out to be the creation of an FBI special agent, according to a 17-page criminal complaint and affidavit released by the FBI Saturday.

  The affidavit describes, in often lurid detail, about a dozen Internet chats, e-mails and phone conversations over a seven-month period in which Naughton allegedly tried to meet the girl for the purpose of having sex, even after repeatedly being told her age was 13.

• Ballmer to Make MSN CarPoint Announcement
  Time: 10:37 EDT/15:37 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Alex H

  On Monday, Sept. 20, 1999, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer will make an important announcement about the MSN™ CarPoint™ online automotive service strategy at the "Way Things Work" exhibit at the Metreon in downtown San Francisco. This press conference is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and will conclude at approximately 11:30 a.m.

  Press registration for this event will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 outside the "Way Things Work" exhibit at the Metreon. A continental breakfast will be served beginning at 9 a.m. The Metreon is located in the Yerba Buena Gardens area at 101 Fourth St. in downtown San Francisco.

  Registration deadline is end of day Friday, Sept. 17. Members of the press can register for this event by sending an e-mail message with their name, publication and e-mail address to wereg@wagged.com. A confirmation notice will be sent by e-mail following registration.

   
• BeOS Shows What It Can Be
  Time: 10:32 EDT/15:32 GMT Source: PC World Posted By: Alex H

  As the war of the operating systems rages on, notch a victory for the little guy.

  While Windows and Linux battle it out on the main stage, Be, the upstart operating system maker, got a boost this week from iDOT.com. The PC manufacturer announced that it is shipping a $449 (less monitor) PC with BeOS installed.

  Also this week, Dell Computer announced that it will sell the $69.95 BeOS through its online store, GigaBuys. For the time being, however, Dell will not be selling PCs with BeOS pre-installed.

  iDOT.com's 333K6-2 BeOS Series system, available immediately, includes an Advanced Micro Devices K6-2 333-MHz processor, 32MB of 100-MHz memory, a 4.3GB hard drive, 40X CD-ROM drive, a 56K modem, sound support, floppy drive, keyboard, and mouse.

   

• What's New in RC2?
  Time: 05:38 EDT/10:38 GMT Source: Microsoft Posted By: Alex H

  Every week we put your How-Come-You-Did-That questions to the Windows 2000 development team. This week's column focuses exclusively on Release Candidate 2 (now available). Use the button above to submit your questions to the dev team on any Windows 2000 subject.

  Q -  What's new in Windows 2000 Release Candidate 2?

  A - Microsoft has worked closely with Beta users to fix bugs and to deliver solutions to address customer feedback. This release delivers further fit-and-finish work that makes Windows 2000 easier to set up and configure; improves wizards and error messages to make them clearer; makes using Windows 2000 administration tools a more consistent experience; and improves hardware and software compatibility.

  Broader Hardware and Software Support Enhanced hardware support -- for example, Plug and Play of multi-function peripherals (printing, scanning, etc.). More printers are now supported, including the Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet series. Improved application compatibility. Simplified Administration

  Easier Setup & Configuration:

  Simplified connection to the Internet -- both for large businesses using RRAS (Routing & Remote Access Services) that want more control over administration, and for home users or small businesses using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to connect their private network directly to the Internet. The new RRAS Setup Wizard is now more scenario-based; common configurations are clearly described and easier to understand, such as how to enable remote computers to dial into a network. Options are easier to configure, such as RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service) for centralized policy management, DNS Proxy/DHCP allocation for NAT (Network Address Translation), PPTP/L2TP filters for VPN (Virtual Private Networks) and adding IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol). Simplified DNS configuration by making it easier to create DNS PTR (pointer) records and by adding age and scavenging information to file-based zones. A PTR record is used for mapping a reverse DNS domain name, based on the IP address of a computer that points to the forward DNS domain name of that computer. DNS Aging/Scavenging enables the administrator of a DNS server to track whether a record is periodically refreshed (which indicates its validity) and periodically scavenge/delete stale records.

  Simplified Dialog Boxes & Message Text:

  Simplified error messages for greater clarity. Added warning text to options that have a potential adverse impact on system or network performance. Added message pages that educate the user about a feature or explain how to perform the step required to set up a service. These instructions are visible while the administrator performs the recommended actions. Added meaningful descriptions to each service so that users know what is running on their computers. Displayed InfoTips when the description is truncated or because the column is too narrow to display the full text. Modified dialog boxes to ensure that text can be easily translated into other languages without distorting the appearance of text. Moved most frequently used commands to the top of context menus.

  Improved Start Menu:

  Cleaned up the Start Menu by removing unnecessary items, adding more meaningful icons, and adding InfoTips to each program. Added Local Security Settings and Services snap-ins to the Start Menu, making it easier to find and configure domain-wide security policies.

  Enhanced Event Viewer:

  Enhanced the Event Viewer by adding hyperlink support to the description field. For instance, applications can now log events with URLs pointing to technical support sites. All event data is placed on one property page, making it easier to open an old log file and copying an entire event to the Clipboard so that the event can be easily pasted into an e-mail message.

  Key administration tools that have been enhanced include:

  Active Directory Users and Computers & Active Directory Domains and Trusts. Security Policies, Computer Management and Performance Monitor. DHCP, DNS & WINS and Routing and Remote Access.

  Windows Media Services RC2 includes Windows Media Services, which delivers high-quality streaming multimedia to users on the Internet and intranets. It consists of server and tools components for delivering audio, video, illustrated audio and other multimedia types over networks.

  Broader Security Options Added 30 new international Certification Authorities (CAs) covering approximately 20 countries. Certificate Services provides customizable services for issuing and managing certificates used in software security systems employing public key technologies. You can use Certificate Services in Window 2000 to create a certification authority (CA) which will receive certificate requests, verify the information in the request and the identity of the requester, issue certificates, revoke certificates, and publish certificate revocation lists.

   
• Sega delays Dreamcast Network
  Time: 04:35 EDT/09:35 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex H

  Sega of America, currently based in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, said Thursday its Dreamcast Network will not support online gaming until the second half of 2000.

  Although the Dreamcast Network won't be immediately available, Sega said it will:

  - Offer such Internet functions as Web browsing, chat and e-mail by the fourth quarter of 1999.

  - Support such online mini-games as board, puzzle and card games by the first and second quarter of 2000.

  - And expand to encompass full online gaming during the third and fourth quarter of 2000. Twelve online titles, including Half-Life, will be released during this period.

   
• Apple won't put OS X on other platforms
  Time: 04:33 EDT/09:33 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex H

  The forthcoming client version of Mac OS X won't be available on third-party systems built around IBM Corp.'s new CHRP-based PowerPC motherboard spec, according to Apple Vice President of Product Marketing Phil Schiller.

  During a conversation with Germany's Macwelt magazine at this week's Apple Expo here, Schiller also quashed speculation that Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) will offer a Windows version of its Sherlock Internet search technology and addressed other issues, including Mac OS 9 upgrade pricing and the company's rumored plans to create its own Internet portal site.

   
• Will Compaq cut back Unix plans?
  Time: 04:30 EDT/09:30 GMT Source: News.Com Posted By: Alex H

  Compaq is likely to halt development work on a Unix operating system for Intel's forthcoming high-end processors, analysts say, a move that would simplify the company's corporate product strategy.

  Compaq has committed to releasing the Tru64 version of Unix for Intel's 64-bit "Merced" chips, but industry observers suspect the computer company won't go through with that plan. A reversal would pare Compaq's product line--but also indicate how difficult it is for Compaq to pursue several development and marketing plans.

  The decision would mirror the end of the development of Windows NT and its successor, Windows 2000, for use on Compaq's Alpha chip, a move that led Compaq to dismiss about 100 engineers.

   
• eBay to ban some music and software sales
  Time: 04:28 EDT/09:28 GMT Source: News.Com Posted By: Alex H

  eBay will prohibit the sale of software and music on recordable compact discs and backup software packages, except when the seller is the copyright owner, according to a message posted today on the company's Web site.

  The new policy addresses concerns that software pirates are doing a brisk business on auction sites. A recent survey by the Software & Information Industry Association, an industry lobbying group, charged that about 60 percent of the more popular software sold on eBay, Excite Auctions, and ZDNet Auctions between August 15 and August 20 was pirated, or sold illicitly.

   

• Microsoft enters online auction business
  Time: 04:26 EDT/09:26 GMT Source: News.Com Posted By: Alex H

  Microsoft launched an auction site today, the latest attempt to wrest some of the lucrative online auction business from eBay as well as to bolster its own MSN Internet access service.

  The "soft" launch--to be followed by a formal announcement on Monday--coincides with Microsoft's joining forces with nearly 100 online sites, including Excite@Home and Lycos. The companies are building a network of auction sites that share listings, in an effort to reel in auction leader eBay.

  For Microsoft, this is its first foray into the auction business. On the MSN site's first day, the items up for sale ranged from antiques to travel packages.

  Amazon.com and Yahoo, the second-largest Internet directory, already have created their own auction sites but both have yet to strongly challenge eBay.

• E-mail hoax a 'serious issue,' says MS
  Time: 16:12 EDT/21:12 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron

  Another year 2000 e-mail hoax is circulating the Internet, and it is being described by Microsoft Corp. as a "serious issue."

  The Redmond, Wash., company has found that customers are receiving bogus e-mail purporting to be from Support@Microsoft.com. An attachment includes a Trojan Horse that, when executed, takes a user's personal information (including password, login and user name).

   

• Microsoft Year 2000 Product Analyzer 2.0
  Time: 16:09 EDT/21:09 GMT Source: Win 98 Central Posted By: Byron

  The Microsoft Year 2000 Product Analyzer performs the following tasks:

  • Identifies installed software products on specified drives by scanning the drives for executable files
  • Compares the resulting list of products to the products listed in a compliance database
  • Generates a report of the compliance levels of the products it discovered, based on the information in the compliance database
   
• MS should embrace Linux, buy Sun, dump Win2k
  Time: 09:03 EDT/14:03 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft should break itself up voluntarily, buy Sun and release its own version of Wine, the API wrapper that allows Windows programs to run on top of Linux. This, chutzpah-riddled British Linux developer GBdirect tells us, is how the company can avoid collapse over the next few years and come up with aqn adequate response to the Linux tide.

  Naturally when we got GBdirect's email suggesting we might be interested in the company's somewhat radical take on MS versus Linux, we thought 'desperate bid for publicity.' Well it is, certainly, but the analysis is well-written and thoughtful, and there's quite a bit of interesting meat underlying the sensationalist suggestions. (Full article)

   

• France opens probe into MS Windows monopoly
  Time: 08:12 EDT/13:12 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  The French finance ministry has opened an investigation into Microsoft, according to the local press. Apparently it has come to the ministry's attention that it's well-nigh impossible to buy a new PC that doesn't come with Windows pre-installed, so the French authorities will be asking why this is, and whether it harms consumers.

  These two questions, readers of The Register's trial coverage will have noted, are inextricably bound together. Microsoft discount structures and MDAs (Market Development Agreements) make it prohibitively expensive for PC OEMs to ship rival operating systems, which results in a reduction in consumer choice, and in what is to all intents and purposes a monopoly of the desktop OS market (precise conclusion currently sub judice) for Microsoft.

• Microsoft Likes to play Dreamcast too!
  Time: 18:26 EDT/23:26 GMT Source: News.Com Posted By: Dennis

  One week after its noticeable absence from Sega's Dreamcast launch, Microsoft today announced the availability of software for developers that should speed the creation of Windows CE-based games.

  Microsoft said it is working on its Windows CE toolkit 2.0--a suite of software programs designed to spur development of Dreamcast games and applications. Although Microsoft and Sega announced a year ago that the Dreamcast game console would run Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, today's announcement is the only outward sign that the two companies have been working together at all.

   
• MSN offers Internet Access for $6
  Time: 18:25 EDT/23:25 GMT Source: News.Com Posted By: Dennis

  Microsoft today said it will begin offering discounted rates for its MSN Internet Access service, marking another step in its strategy to win over consumer Internet users and another potential threat to rival America Online's pricing structure.

  Microsoft will offer the service for as low as $6 per month in a deal with longtime computer retail partner Lan Plus. Those who sign up for membership--which costs $69 for one year or $99 for two years--on its new shopping site, MyShoppingClub.com, will receive a CD-ROM with MSN Internet Access.

   
• Exclusive: WindowBlinds 1.0 Due Monday
  Time: 18:15 EDT/23:15 GMT Source: Stardock Posted By: Dennis

  While the North East US is under Tropical Storm Floyd's wrath, we're monitoring WindowBlinds! Its finally going to go gold!

  We will be receiving the exclusive final WB 1.0 tommorow, but it will be released publicly on Monday. We'll post a review as soon as we can!

  Currently, WindowBlinds is at version 0.99.6 so its clear to see 1.0 is coming, and we've received reports from Stardock that it has some slight interface changes so we'll bring you more information as we get it.

  And as always we'll tell you as soon as WB 1.0 is released!

  Thanks for visiting ActiveWindows!

   
• Exclusive: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro - Review
  Time: 15:32 EDT/20:32 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  C. Scot Giles has posted his review of the new Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro. We will be posted another review of this keyboard in the next few weeks with more sections and screenshots. Here is a snippet from the review:

  The keyboard uses two connections to attach to your computer. One goes into the traditional PS2 keyboard connector that is standard on personal computers. The other connector attaches to a Universal Serial Port (USB), if your computer has one. You don't need to use the USB connector if you don't want to, but one of the nice features of this keyboard is that it has two USB connectors built into it that allow you to daisy-chain other USB devices. I currently have my USB Zip drive connected to one of the ports in the keyboard and it works fine. The documentation states that if your computer's BIOS supports a USB keyboard, you can actually connect only through the USB port.

   
• Gates to Give $1 Billion for Minority Scholarships
  Time: 15:17 EDT/20:17 GMT Source: Avault Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft chairman Bill Gates today will announce plans to donate at least $1 billion to fund full college scholarships for minority students, his biggest charitable contribution to date. The Gates Millennium Scholarships will cover room, board and tuition for at least 1,000 high school students a year over the next 20 years in the fields of education, math, engineering and science, Reuters is reporting.

  Students covered by the scholarships will be fully funded for their entire college education, including graduate studies. The commitment is the largest for any single cause by Gates and is among the largest ever for any charitable purpose, matching a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations by CNN founder Ted Turner.

   
• IntelliMouse Explorer Released
  Time: 08:03 EDT/13:03 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft has released the IntelliMouse Explorer into stores in the US. The pricing starts at $69.95.

  - Accuracy - The precise IntelliEye optical sensor tracks movement on just about anything. All the sensor needs is a surface with a small amount of detail, including wood, plastic, or even your pant leg.
  - Easier Internet navigation - The two thumb buttons act as forward and back buttons in your browser.
  - Precision - No moving parts, so your mouse is smooth and precise and there's no need to use a mouse pad.
  - Feels great in your hand - This mouse is designed to support your hand and fingers. The rubberized sides make the mouse easier to grip and more comfortable to use because it requires less effort to hold.

   

• Windows Update Additions
  Time: 07:06 EDT/12:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft have added the following fixes to Windows Update over the last couple of days:
  
  

  • Update for Security Vulnerability in Windows 98 Telnet Client
  • Update for "Fragmented IGMP Packet" Security Vulnerability
  • Security Update for Microsoft virtual machine
   
• Microsoft 'changes the world through software'
  Time: 06:49 EDT/11:49 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  The modest title that Bernard Vergnes, the old-timer who has been put out to pasture as chairman of Microsoft Europe, took for his talk at the IDC European IT Forum in Paris was "Changing the world through software".

  Gates' vision statements that had driven the company were duly trotted out by his obedient servant, from computers on every desk and in every home [Vergnes admitted that in the early days. the "home" part had often been dropped], through DNS, and a Web life style, to Ballmer's more recent idea of empowering people with great software [40 million lines, for example], anytime, any place and on any device.

   

• Windows 2000 "On The Verge" Of Shipping
  Time: 06:45 EDT/11:45 GMT Source: TechWeb Posted By: Byron

  Despite some last-minute repackaging of high-end load-balancing capabilities, Microsoft's long-awaited Windows 2000 operating system is "on the verge of shipping," CEO Bill Gates said Wednesday.

  Gates said component load-balancing capabilities in Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Data Center needed additional polishing for management and accessibility issues before Windows 2000 ships later this year. They will be released instead in a new Application Center Server next year or through technology preview program.

   

• ActiveWindows Community Reminder
  Time: 01:06 EDT/06:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Just another reminder about signing up for our ActiveWindows Community on MSN. It allows you to chat with us in our chat room or via our message board, it also lets you post your own screensavers and backgrounds for other ActiveWindows readers to download.

• Age of Empires 2 goes GOLD
  Time: 21:40 EDT/02:40 GMT Source: Microsoft Posted By: Dennis

  Microsoft announced that Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings has gone gold today at 3:00pm PST.  This means that the product is completed and is expected to start showing up on store shelves in the U.S. in early October; and internationally shortly thereafter. It will be fully localized in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.

  Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is the sequel to the award-winning, best-selling real-time strategy game Age of Empires. Since the release of the original Age of Empires in November 1997, the Age of Empires franchise (including the original Age of Empires, Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome, and Age of Empires Gold Edition) has sold over three million units worldwide.

   
• Beware Of Virus-Riddled Y2K E-Mail
  Time: 21:35 EDT/02:35 GMT Source: Internet Week Posted By: Matt

  Antivirus experts are urging computer users not to open a year 2000 countdown program that comes in the form of an e-mail sent by Microsoft on Tuesday.

  The e-mail was not sent by Microsoft, and the enclosed attachment is not a Y2K countdown program, but rather a Trojan virus. If users attempt to open the alleged program, the virus can install itself onto the user's computer and then is capable of sending data and information from that system across the Internet.

  Antivirus experts at Star Internet, a U.K.-based ISP, along with Network Associates and Sophos, are analyzing the e-mail attachment, called "Y2Kcount.exe." Star has confirmed that the virus originated in Bulgaria and has also identified some key warning signs.

   

• Windows 2000 RC2 Released
  Time: 16:34 EDT/21:35 GMT Source: E-Mail Posted By:

  We just received word that Release Candidate 2 has just been released. It is build 2128 as we reported previously. Testers will receive CDs next week. We will keep you updated. ActiveWindows does not support the illegal warezing of Windows 2000 or any other product so please don't ask..

   

• Savage 3D or Savage 4 Users: Hate the drivers? Sign Savage News' Petition
  Time: 16:34 EDT/21:35 GMT Source: E-Mail Posted By: Dennis

  We have received information that Savage 3D and Savage 4 users are not satistified with their service.  Here's a quote of the petition to give you an idea of what they mean:

  "We, the undersigned, are users of your Savage3D or Savage4 chipsets. The quality of currently available drivers for both the Savage3D and Savage4 based cards leaves much to be desired. Not only do they not match the promised features listed on your site, we face incompatibilities and bugs almost on a daily basis. Looking at the history of these drivers, we see little or no progress and the loss of features and performance. The availability of recent drivers is also an issue. Your site doesn't update very often, and most of the time the drivers listed there are much older then drivers obtained via other sources. We also request a list of fixes and modifications with each set of drivers. We would like a quick response to these issues."

   
• Lotus and Microsoft to Integrate Windows Media Technologies Into Release 5 of Lotus Notes and Domino
  Time: 11:27 EDT/16:27 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Lotus Development Corp. and Microsoft Corp. today announced their intent to integrate Microsoft^® Windows Media™ Technologies into Lotus' Notes and Domino Release 5 collaboration software products via IBM's HotMedia Connect technology. This strategic distribution, development and licensing agreement will deliver the benefits of Microsoft streaming multimedia technology to potentially tens of millions of Notes and Domino R5 users worldwide as well as tighten the integration between Lotus and Microsoft technologies.

   
• Microsoft Collaborates With SAP to Make MSN Hotmail Available On mySAP.com
  Time: 11:27 EDT/16:27 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  At SAPPHIREÒ '99, Microsoft Corp. announced that it will provide the MSN™ Hotmail™ Web-based e-mail service for mySAP.comÔ Marketplace. mySAP.com provides an open collaborative business environment of personalized solutions on demand. This enables companies of all sizes and industries to fully engage their employees, customers and partners to capitalize upon the new Internet economy. SAP will also integrate MSN LinkExchange into mySAP.com to help its small-business customers increase their online traffic and sales.

   
• Microsoft Agrees to Acquire Visio as Part of Mission To Increase Productivity for Businesses
  Time: 11:26 EDT/16:26 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") today announced it has agreed to acquire Visio Corp. (Nasdaq "VSIO"), the leading supplier of enterprise-wide business diagramming and technical drawing software, furthering Microsoft's mission of increasing productivity for businesses large and small - and their knowledge workers - worldwide.

   

• Palm Pilot V - Review
  Time: 09:45 EDT/14:45 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  I have posted my review of the Palm Pilot V. Here is a snippet from the review:

  Most of you would have come across some sort of palm organizer during your lifetime. They could have been in the form of the Palm Pilot or some Windows CE based organizer. There isn't really much doubt that the Palm Pilot by 3Com is currently the most popular of the batch, with new versions released regularly. Their latest release is the rather sleek and sexy Palm V, this version offers a much improved, clearer screen, better software and a much smaller, lighter design.

   

• WebTV Hole Leaves Users Exposed
  Time: 08:15 EDT/13:15 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex R.

  Here's a new one... WebTV has a security hole that involves mail bombing.  From ZDNN:

  The problem occurred when an e-mail message sent to a WebTV user's mailbox was bounced back -- WebTV accounts can only hold about 150 messages and bounce back incoming e-mail messages when they are full. If the WebTV user had the spam filter activated, then the returned message would divulge the user's ID numbers to the sender -- in addition to the reason the e-mail was deflected.

  Microsoft says the problem has already been cured.

   

• The next PalmPilot - Not by 3Com
  Time: 7:05 EDT/12:05 GMT Source: CNN Posted By: Cliff

  Palm has a had a fantastic run, creating a long line of popular handhelds, that have held the PDA market hostage since the first Palm 1000 came off of USR's assembly line. But, in recent weeks, new rumblings have been heard in PalmPilot news. The most recent of which is of the Visor, a new PDA which will be released by HandSpring, which was founded by the same folks who originally created the Pilot. Check it out:

  The Visor runs from 10 to 20 percent faster than the Palm III and V, but speed was not the goal in designing Visor, Handspring co-founder Jeff Hawkins said. Expandability was -- with miniature modules the size of two stacked Wheat Thins that snap into the back of the Visor to eventually run peripherals ranging from MP3 players to voice recorders.

   

• Epic's Tim Sweeny On DirectX 7
  Time: 06:36 EDT/11:36 GMT Source: Voodoo Extreme Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft's new DirectX7 API will be released soon. I've already ported Unreal Tournament's Direct3D code to DirectX7 and have noticed a nice speedup on the TNT2 and GeForce256, primarily due to improved texture management.

  The API's simplicity has also improved, which is something you don't often see: usually code just gets more complex as it evolves. Porting Unreal Tournament's code from DirectX6 to DirectX7 only took 3.5 hours, and mostly consisted of deleting now-redundant code and changing function calls and interfaces. I'm very glad to see the IDirect3DTexture, IDirect3DViewport, and IDirect3DLight interfaces gone, and replaced by much simpler state-setting code. Direct3D's abuses of object-oriented programming are now gone.

  With DirectX7, Microsoft did something I welcome, and would like to see more of: they designed the new Direct3D interfaces to not be backwards-compatible with the old ones. This enabled them to remove from view a bunch of the old baggage that obfuscated Direct3D: execute buffers are gone, unnecessary intermediate objects are gone, and much less weird COM QueryInterface stuff is necessary.

  Ripping out old code and replacing it with new, better designed code is a great practice which too many software developers are afraid of.

  -Tim Sweeney

   

• MS pulls scalability feature from Win2k RC2
  Time: 06:28 EDT/11:28 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft will officially ship Windows 2000 Release Candidate 2, intended to be the final widespread beta, today, but the company has reportedly removed component load balancing from the Advanced Server and Datacenter Server RC2 code. This raises questions about Win2k's scalability and clustering ability, although the company claims the matter is simply a packaging decision.

  We at The Register propose to have one of our uncharacteristic attacks of believing Microsoft at this juncture, and we'll tell you why. Load balancing is important to scalability, and scalability has been a running sore for NT for years. So if Microsoft pulls it from the beta one is naturally inclined to suspect that it doesn't work properly yet. But Microsoft has also laid out its plans for multiple versions of Win2k, with feature and pricing escalators attached. So the packaging decision could have been to move this feature upscale in order to differentiate more between the capabilities of the different products.

   

• Sun boss abuses MS, claims 250k downloads for StarOffice
  Time: 06:27 EDT/11:27 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Byron

  Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun, dropped in to the IDC European IT Forum in Paris by satellite (again), but he did update his one-liners: his latest is that "W2K will be a greater disaster than Y2K".

  McNealy pointed out that conventional brokers who scorned online trading because the size of their client's deals were often an order of magnitude greater than those of E*Trade or Schwab would run into trouble when their clients died and their children put the accounts online elsewhere. There was no room for such complacency, he noted. "Have lunch or be lunch" was getting a bit tired, but "Those who snooze will lose" updated it. The situation concerning broadband was not as bad as was made out, McNealy claimed. Each month, enough fibre to encircle the world three times was being laid, despite around half the world's population dying without having made a telephone call. To McNealy Dialtone has become the Webtone, and he wants narrow band to be near-free, with broadband charged economically.

• Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad Pro Released
  Time: 16:37 EDT/21:37 GMT Source: Microsoft Posted By: Byron

  Just got an e-mail from Microsoft stating that the SideWinder Game Pad Pro has been released into stores. So I asked a few friends to make sure, and yet again it is out and available in CompUSA for $39. My review will be up on Thursday, but I'll tell you now that it is worth it.

   

• MS revisits Internet strategy
  Time: 14:47 EDT/19:47 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex H

  On Monday, Microsoft Corp. revisited, for the first time in a major way since 1995, its original Internet strategy. Four years ago, Microsoft's overarching message was that it planned to Internet-enable all of its future system and application software. Monday, the company's message was substantially different.

  Over the next couple of years, Microsoft plans to bring to developers -- via the Internet and the Windows 2000 operating system -- everything they need to make writing Web-enabled apps of their own easier.

  The company made a number of product and roadmap announcements in San Francisco, Calif., to fill out some of the hints its executives have given over recent months as to the company's future Web plans.

   

• Developers split on proposed Web language standard
  Time: 14:44 EDT/19:44 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  Efforts to craft a new language for building Web pages may stall because of rifts within the development community, which is debating a proposed standard.

  Last month the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) proposed Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML), turning it over to the development community for a final review period, but since then the process has lost some momentum. Developers have not been to agree on a naming convention that orients Web browsers to their tasks.

  XHTML would rewrite Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the Web's most commonly used language. The rewrite would make it easier for individual industries to design Web pages that meet their specific needs.

  At stake is how browsers will make sense of the Web when it is written in a potentially infinite variety of individually tailored languages.

  Web authors use HTML to design basic Web pages. HTML tags designate format and page elements such as paragraph breaks, color, tables, and lists. With XHTML, HTML would be rewritten in Extensible Markup Language (XML), a technology for creating Web languages.

   

• Top News
  Exclusive: Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike - Review
  Time: 10:05 EDT/15:05 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  I have posted my review of Microsoft's upcoming SideWinder Dual Strike game controller. Here is a snippet from the review:

  Well now, this is a funny looking gamepad isn't it?. The Microsoft Dual Strike game is a new 3-D design that blends together the functions of the gamepad and the mouse. But everyone take note, the Dual Strike controller is USB only.

   
• Dark City Review
  Time: 10:00 EDT/15:00 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Alex H

  I have posted my review of the Movie Dark City by Alex Proyas. Here is a snippet of the review:

  When the film starts you spend a bit of time wondering what is going on in the movie, not as delusional as you might think, but quite an interesting way to start the film. It gives you an interesting sensation finding out information and being informed of things as soon as the main character finds out. It is almost the norm for the main character to know more information about what is going on than the audience knows, but in this film when John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) wakes in an strange hotel room and finds he is wanted for a series of brutal murders, you know you are in for a good movie. 

   
• Sony: Dreamcast 'half' of PlayStation 2
  Time: 09:44 EDT/14:44 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Alex H

  Sony Corp. tried to stall rival Sega's booming Dreamcast sales by releasing more details of its highly anticipated PlayStation 2 entertainment console Monday. The Japanese consumer electronics giant confirmed its technology-packed device will hit the shelves in Japan in six months, on March 4, at a price of 39,800 yen -- the same price the original PlayStation sold for more than four years ago. Sony also revealed that the PlayStation 2 had 85 software partners in Japan and 46 in the United States.

  "The new system is not just a technology upgrade," said Kaz Hirai, president and chief operating officer of Sony Computer Entertainment of America Inc. (NYSE:SNE). "These are not just next-generation consoles but the vision of next in home entertainment. We have developed the most advanced entertainment platform in the world."

   
• Linux could pip other OSes to Merced post
  Time: 09:40 EDT/14:40 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Alex H

  It was no coincidence that Intel showed off Linux Apache running on Merced at its recent Developer Forum, although Microsoft managed to squeeze in with a demo which, unfortunately, ended up with an error message.

  Information we received just before IDF suggested that teams of engineers were working flat out to make Win64 run on Intel silicon, while Linux was performing as sweet as a nut.

  It was, let's be fair, quite an achievement for Intel to get an OS booting on two week old silicon at all, but it does suggest that Linux is more 64-bit ready than any of the other contenders in the race.

   
• AOL vies to become major search player
  Time: 09:36 EDT/14:36 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  In an effort to turn up the competitive heat on portal leader Yahoo, America Online has quietly launched a new Web search engine.

  Called AOL Search, the service reflects AOL's ongoing attempts to keep its users from going to competitors for Web searches and services. The search service can be found online, though not on the main AOL.com page. AOL expects it will launch AOL Search within the next four weeks on AOL.com.

  In June, AOL launched a version of AOL Search only for its online service that will become a highlight in its upcoming AOL 5.0 software release. It lets subscribers search for both Web content and its proprietary offerings, which currently can be located through keywords.

   

• Another Hotmail Bug
  Time: 08:17 EDT/13:17 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex R.

  Microsoft is investigating yet another security problem within its Hotmail free email service.

  According to Bulgarian bug hunter Georgi Guninski, who has a number of bug finds to his credit, Hotmail permits the sending of JavaScript code that could automatically present a bogus password entry screen. Usernames and passwords entered by unsuspecting users could be collected by the email sender.

   

• Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro Released
  Time: 04:54 EDT/09:54 GMT Source: e-mail Posted By: Byron

  Just a note that we have received word that the new Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro has been released in the US. The price is $69.99 at CompUSA. We should have a review of it this week.

  Related Articles: New Microsoft USB Keyboards

   
• DirectX 7 Gold Goes To Testers
  Time: 02:16 EDT/07:16 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Alex H

  As we mentioned a few days ago - DirectX 7 has gone gold, and finally went to testers yesterday evening. The final official version number is 4.07.00.0700.1 but files are as expected 0700. Don't worry public, it certainly isn't far away now.

  Key Features of DirectX 7.0:
  - Visual Basic type library for DirectX
  - Visual Basic DirectX samples
  - DirectDraw support for stereo display devices
  - Direct3D support for hardware transform and lighting engines and cubic
  environment mapping
  - D3DX library providing increased ease of use for Direct3D
  - DirectSound support for hardware voice management and selectable 3D
  algorithms
  - DirectMusic support for DLS-2 hardware
  - DirectMusic Producer support for hybrid notation and editing of sequence
  tracks in segments
  - DirectInput support for WDM drivers on Windows 98
  - Enhanced game controllers control panel
  - DirectPlay performance enhancements
  - New sample applications that illustrate the use of the new features
  - New DirectInput force editing tool
  - Improved documentation, including dynamic filtering for language-specific
  information

   

• ActiveWindows Community Reminder
  Time: 01:06 EDT/06:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Just another reminder about signing up for our ActiveWindows Community on MSN. It allows you to chat with us in our chat room or via our message board, it also lets you post your own screensavers and backgrounds for other ActiveWindows readers to download.

   

• ActiveWindows Mouse Pads
  Time: 01:05 EDT/06:05 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Bob

  The Mouse Pads have been so popular that we have had to order another batch so don't forget that the first ActiveWindows piece of merchandise is now available to order. The first product in our new range of logos is the ActiveWindows Mouse Pad.

• Microsoft Woos Developers
  Time: 16:53 EDT/21:53 GMT Source: Techweb Posted By: Alex H

  Microsoft is releasing Windows 2000 Release Candidate 2 (RC2), as part of week-long campaign to rally developers behind the Windows 2000 operating system.

  Microsoft is giving out Win 2000 RC2, one of the final milestones on the road to shipping product, to all 19,000 attendees at a DevDays event to be held Wednesday, a company spokesman said.

   
• Student sued for site's links to MP3 files
  Time: 16:50 EDT/21:50 GMT Source: The Register Posted By: Alex H

  A 17-year-old Swedish student has been hit with a lawsuit by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for promoting piracy by linking his Web site to an archive of allegedly illegal MP3 digital music files.

  According to German newspaper Der Spiegel, student Tommy Olsson's site is the first Web site owner whose pages contain only links to music files to be targeted by the IFPI.

   
• Consumers sometimes pay the price for free email
  Time: 16:45 EDT/21:45 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  When it comes to free Internet services, sometimes you get what you pay for. Millions of Net users, particularly newer ones, are flocking to free Web-based email accounts and free dial-up Internet service providers. But a recent rash of outages, security snafus, postponed public stock offerings, and privacy blunders have raised questions about the quality of service consumers can expect when they get something for nothing.

  Excite@Home's free Web-based email service Excite Mail has suffered limited outages for the past two business days, the company confirmed Friday.

  The company's problems come on the heels of recent outages at Microsoft's competing free Hotmail email service, as well as a major security breach that may have compromised Hotmail users' privacy.

  The troubles for free Net services don't end there. For example, USA.net, a Web mail service and outsourced corporate email company, pulled its planned IPO in August.

  Together, these shortcomings seem to constitute a worrying trend, leaving consumers to wonder whether free services are worth it, or whether the young Internet industry can make good on its promises.

  One explanation for the service problems: Free Net services often have trouble handling a high volume of usage, company executives and analysts say. Many times, free services--whether they are online or not--do not properly anticipate the level of demand they create, they said.

  "You're starting to see more and more people using these free services. The network infrastructures might not be able to deal with the demands that the customers are placing on the networks," according to Michele Pelino, an Internet analyst at The Yankee Group.

   

• Microsoft Kicks Off Next Wave of Application Hosting Programs
  Time: 16:42 EDT/21:42 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. today announced general availability of its Complete Commerce program for Application Service Providers (ASPs). Launched as a pilot project in November 1998 with 10 service providers, it has since expanded to 25 service providers. The program is now available to any service provider seeking a full solution for hosting outsourced business-to-consumer direct selling commerce solutions for medium and large enterprises. Complete Commerce is just one example of numerous new and expanded relationships with industry-leading ASPs to further validate customer and technical requirements for outsourced business software from Microsoft as well as other popular Microsoft^® Windows^®-based applications from independent software vendors (ISVs).

   
• Windows DNA 2000 Provides Pervasive XML Support For Next-Generation Web Development
  Time: 16:41 EDT/21:41 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. today expanded its industry-leading commitment to eXtensible Markup Language (XML) with a series of announcements for far-reaching XML support in Windows^® Distributed interNet Architecture (Windows DNA) 2000, the next generation of the Microsoft^® platform for building distributed Web applications. XML, an industry-standard technology developed by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), enables heterogeneous interoperability of data, components, business processes and applications over the Internet.

   
• Microsoft's New X-Box Console Talk
  Time: 16:13 EDT/21:13 GMT Source: MSNBC Posted By: Byron

  MICROSOFT HAS NOT FORMALLY announced its new console, which is currently referred to as X-Box. But a few analysts and software publishers where invited to attend highly secretive demonstrations of the new system last week during the European Computer Trade Show in London.

  According to sources who attended those closed-door sessions, X-Box will feature a 500-megahertz Intel processor backed by the nVidia GeForce graphics chip — an innovative graphics chip that reportedly generates 3-D graphics without tapping into the main processor.

  Though X-Box will feature a DVD drive, no one has mentioned whether it will have the navigational software needed to run DVD movies.

   
• Microsoft Embarks on New Era of Enabling Web Development with Windows DNA 2000
  Time: 15:18 EDT/20:18 GMT Source: Presspass Posted By: Bob

  Microsoft this week embarked on a new era of enabling Web development when it introduced Windows DNA 2000, a comprehensive, integrated platform for building and operating state-of-the-art distributed Web applications as well as the next wave of Internet-based Web services. Microsoft’s new programming architecture builds on existing technologies and tools to make Web services into reusable, universally programmable building blocks that can be easily created, combined and augmented by the millions of developers worldwide.

   
• IE5 Bug leaves computers open to invasion
  Time: 15:18 EDT/20:18 GMT Source:News.com Posted By: Bob

  The vulnerability is in IE5's ImportExportFavorites feature, which lets users import and export lists of commonly accessed Web addresses. The trouble is that the feature lets a malicious Web site operator run executable code on the computer of someone who visits that Web site.

  "The net result is that a malicious Web site operator potentially could take any action on the computer that the user would be capable of taking," warned Microsoft

   
• Microsoft, Unisys team for speech
  Time: 15:18 EDT/20:18 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Bob

  Unisys and Microsoft today announced a marketing and technology alliance that they claim will broaden the market for advanced desktop and telephony speech applications.

  The two companies are working together to speed the adoption of the Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) for speech applications, providing software developers with a set of tools and support programs that work to simplify speech technology deployment, according to the companies.

   
• Sony Playstation 2 Officially Announced
  Time: 09:27 EDT/14:27 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Heralding in a new age of digital entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced the launch details of its revolutionary computer entertainment system, PlayStation2. Building on the success of the worldwide best-selling PlayStation game console with hardware shipments exceeding 60 million units, PlayStation2 is designed to bring together movies, music and games to form a new world of computer entertainment.

   
• Developer Adoption of Microsoft Windows 2000 Surging
  Time: 09:27 EDT/14:27 GMT Source: Press Release Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. today announced strong support for the Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 operating system by the developer community worldwide. More than 2,200 independent software vendors (ISVs) building more than 4,600 applications are participating in the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN™) Windows 2000 Readiness Program. Over 1,000 of those ISVs are ready to ship their products concurrent with the release of Windows 2000. In addition, the Windows 2000 Developer Center on MSDN Online has become the fastest-growing MSDN Online feature ever, with more than 50,000 developers having visited the site in the last month alone. In addition, on Sept. 15, Developer Days '99 will educate more than 19,000 developers in the United States and Canada, and a total of more than 70,000 developers worldwide this fall with locations in more than 60 countries. Developers will learn how to build secure, reliable and highly scalable Web applications on Windows 2000 and Component Object Model (COM)+. With thousands of developers now moving their applications to Windows 2000, customers can be assured that these applications will be optimized to take advantage of the new capabilities and the improved reliability and manageability of Windows 2000.

   

• Microsoft planning Web-based strategy
  Time: 09:26 EDT/14:26 GMT Source: ZDNet Posted By: Byron

  Microsoft Corp. is unveiling a plan to dominate software development in the post-personal-computer era, extending its Windows technology to include building blocks for creators of new Web-based applications and electronic-commerce services.

  The strategy, to be outlined Monday in San Francisco, represents Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT) most decisive shift yet away from the PC-centric approach that has long encouraged software developers to create programs that work mainly with its Windows operating systems.

• ActiveWindows Community Reminder
  Time: 13:06 EDT/18:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Just another reminder about signing up for our ActiveWindows Community on MSN. It allows you to chat with us in our chat room or via our message board, it also lets you post your own screensavers and backgrounds for other ActiveWindows readers to download.

   

• ActiveWindows Mouse Pads
  Time: 13:05 EDT/18:05 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Bob

  The Mouse Pads have been so popular that we have had to order another batch so don't forget that the first ActiveWindows piece of merchandise is now available to order. The first product in our new range of logos is the ActiveWindows Mouse Pad.

   

• Site News & Another Domain
  Time: 12:37 EDT/17:37 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Hi All - We have decided to buy up http://www.activewindows.com because we have noticed a few sites that link to that address instead of our main one, not only that, but with the name of the site as ActiveWindows we guess it's an obvious choice. It should go live sometime this week.

  Here is the latest in our upcoming line up of reviews:

  Hardware: Microsoft Dual Strike (Zulu), Microsoft Gamepad Pro (This Week), Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer, Palm Pilot V (This Week)
  Software: Nocturne, Sinistar Unleashed, Atlantis 2, Firestorm, X: Beyond The Frontier, System Shock 2, Heavy Gear 2
  Applications: Photoshop 5.5, Coral Suite 9
  Others: DirectX 7

• Exclusive
  DirectX 7 Goes Gold
  Time: 18:06 EDT/23:06 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Alex H

  We have confirmation that Microsoft's DirectX 7 has gone Gold internally and is to be released to beta testers soon. At the moment though we do not have a confirmed public release date, but it will be released to the public before the end of the month. The final version number is 4.07.00.0700

   
• Science Fiction Fans Wanted
  Time: 16:20 EDT/21:20 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Byron

  Yes I know that it's a little weird that I'm posting about Science Fiction writers wanted, well you may or may not know that we used to run a website called ActiveSci-Fi, well we are finally going to be bringing it back from the dead and we are on the look out for a large group of news writers for the site. If you are interested then please get in to contact with me as I'm working on the website myself.

  We will get back to you within a week.

   
• Week in Review
  Time: 10:43 EDT/15:43 GMT Source: ActiveWindows Posted By: Dennis

  We've started something new!

  We've posted the top 10 news on one page to get you up to date on what's happened this week.

  If you'd like for this to happen every week, email me at dennisg@activewin.com and if we get enough feedback to continue it, we'll keep doing it!

   

• Bugs plague not-so-secure Windows beta
  Time: 03:47 EDT/08:47 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  Microsoft can't get a break with Windows security issues--or can it? Another apparent security problem is dogging Microsoft, this time affecting Windows 2000 Beta 3.

  Unlike last week's NSA key controversy, Microsoft willingly admits to the new problem and says that it has been corrected. Some security experts, however, aren't so sure.

  The Windows 2000 weakness came to light when David Litchfield, a security expert with Arca Systems, gave instructions in an Internet posting for exploiting the operating system's automatic login feature.

  The feature, introduced with Windows 2000 Beta 3, was designed to let a system load without the need for a password.

  Microsoft claims the feature is activated on stand-alone machines, or PCs not connected to a network server. The installation would create a default account based on registration information and would assign a blank password. The system would thereafter login automatically after startup.

  The feature can be disabled or the password changed, said Scott Culp, Microsoft's product manager for Windows security. Windows 2000 is also designed to delete the auto login account whenever a system is attached to a network server.

  Microsoft changed the feature in one of the beta versions released soon after Beta 3 went out in April. It no longer activates by default and requires the user to set a password.

   

• Excite Mail problems persist for 48 hours
  Time: 03:43 EDT/08:43 GMT Source: News.com Posted By: Alex H

  Excite Mail, Excite@Home's free Web-based email service, is suffering outages caused by a hardware failure that are affecting a portion of its users, the company confirmed today.

  Between 10 percent and 15 percent of Excite Mail's users have been without service for as long as 48 hours, according to Excite@Home spokeswoman Melissa Walia. The company does not disclose how many people use its Excite Mail service, but more than 38 million people have registered to use Excite.com, the Internet portal business of Excite@Home.

  "We have had a hardware failure associated with one of our storage machines," Walia said.

Read more of the past months news in our News Archive for July and Previous August News.

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