Furthering its commitment to the support and development of XML, Microsoft Corp. today announced the official beta release of its newest XML parser, which is available for immediate download from the MSDN^® XML Developer Center (http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/general/msxmlprev.asp). An XML parser (or processor) is the programming component that implements the core XML standards and provides XML services to applications. This version of the parser, MSXML3, increases XML conformance over previous releases by achieving a pass rate of over 98 percent using the OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structural Information Standards) XML Conformance Test Suite. It also extends support for the Simple API for XML (SAX2) programming interface, making SAX2 accessible from the Visual Basic^® development system.

We have posted Microsoft's latest Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List; this list is vital to anyone who is planning to purchase Windows 2000 machines and add devices or for those of you who are planning to upgrade older machines. Check it out! In text format, 2.2 MB.

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We have posted Microsoft's extensive list of bugs that have been corrected by Windows 2000 Service Pack 1. They are subdivided by area addressed, as follows: Base Operating System, Directory Services, Internet Information Services & COM +, Mail, Management/Administration, MDAC/Data Access, MSMQ, Networking, Other, Printing, Security, Setup, Shell, and more. There are several hundred fixes corrected - this fix is essential for any network administrator. Check it out!

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We have updated an info page about Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Release 1 which was released over the weekend; The service pack is a rigorously-tested collection of updates that addresses customer-reported concerns with the Windows 2000 operating system. SP1 enhances the overall reliability of Windows 2000 and features easier and more robust mechanisms for applying Service Packs to Windows.

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I've just posted our complete review of Microsoft Encarta Interactive English Learning Professional Deluxe. Here is a snippet of the review:

Who believed a few years ago that Microsoft would become such a great and respectable knowledge software editor? The Microsoft Encarta family is proud to welcome new learning software to help users learning the Shakespeare language. Microsoft Interactive English Learning Professional Deluxe uses the same old good pedagogy methods that in the first Encarta Interactive English Learning title released one year ago in Europe. This new edition is business focused as it concerns in priority businessmen with adapted short training lessons for those who are very busy. English has now begun a kind of worldwide language and speaking it is vital for businessmen in order to treat affairs efficiently all around the world due to the globalization.

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Microsoft has released the final version of Service Pack 1 for Windows 2000. This service pack fixes many known bugs and problems in Windows 2000 as well as adding more driver support.

Microsoft has started shipping its August editions of MSDN which include the long awaited gold version of Windows Me, so far various European subscribers have been the first to get their hands on the new operating system thanks to early shipments of the August pack being sent out over the last few days.

It looks highly likely that Microsoft will finally release its long awaited first service pack for Windows 2000 on Tuesday August 1st. The final version went "rtm" on June 21st and seems set for this release date according to various sources.

Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates today told financial analysts that the company's core businesses - including the Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office, as well as the company's other applications, server, online and consumer products - had a record year and already are building the foundation for the Microsoft .NET strategy. Microsoft's annual Financial Analyst Meeting showcased a combination of sales and performance momentum for core products and previewed a range of next-generation software technologies.

Microsoft Corp. previewed the next version of MicrosoftÒ Office today at the company's annual Financial Analyst Meeting in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft demonstrated technologies that make it easier for users to learn new features and use existing features more effectively, simplify the process of working with others, and provide new tools that enable users to store, access and analyze relevant business information. Microsoft also demonstrated how the next version of Office will enable users to truly interact with the Web using Web-based services. The new version will extend innovations and benefits to Office users of all types, from business and home users to IT managers.

Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0 and Windows® 2000. Under certain conditions, the vulnerability could enable a malicious user to cause code of his choice to run when another user subsequently logged onto the machine.

Download Now - Q269049_W2K_SP2_x86_en.EXE - 225 Kb

Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in a protocol implemented in Microsoft® Windows® systems. It could be used to cause a machine to refuse to respond to requests for service.

Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-047.asp

Issue

If normal security practices have been followed, and port 137 UDP has been blocked at the firewall, external attacks would not be possible. A patch is available that changes the behavior of Windows systems in order to give administrators additional flexibility in managing their networks. The patch allows administrators to configure a machine to only accept a name conflict datagram in direct response to a name registration attempt, and to configure machines to reject all name release datagrams. This will reduce but not eliminate the threat of spoofing. Customers needing additional protection may wish to consider using IPSec in Windows 2000 to authenticate all sessions on ports 137-139.

Affected Software Versions

We have fixed a problem with our mailing list, this means you can now subscribe/unsubscribe to our mailing lists for both ActiveWin and ActiveDVD. Our mailing list is sent our daily each evening with all of the latest Windows and DVD news depending on which one you subscribe to.

It looks into your eyes, turns on soft lights and mood music, and responds to commands. It teaches piano, helps do the grocery shopping and keeps an eye on the kids. Microsoft Corp.'s home of the future does just about everything but let the cat out and tuck you into bed.

The Microsoft Home is not a real home, at least not yet. It's a wing of the Executive Briefing Center at the company's Redmond campus full of ``smart'' appliances and gadgets wired to the Internet, designed to showcase what the company calls ``better living through technology.''

Momentum for Windows 2000 Active Directory remains strong, as reflected both in the number of Windows 2000 copies sold since launch as well as the number of certified applications developed for Windows 2000 that leverage Active Directory. Microsoft has exceeded its targets on several fronts. In addition, today marks the availability of Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2.2, a powerful tool that makes it easier for enterprise customers to manage multiple directories in a heterogeneous directory environment and has the added benefit of simplifying the deployment of Active Directory.

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When Joe Martin began to feel the effects of paralysis from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease) three years ago, he visited the Carolina Computer Access Center (CCAC) in Charlotte, N.C., to find out whether there might be some way for him to continue using a computer as his disease progressed. At CCAC, Martin found more technology options than he had ever imagined.

"The Perfect Storm" and a slew of other recent movies and video games have done for computer graphics what the Model T did for cars: they have opened the eyes of the general public to the potential of new technology.

But now that technology has achieved such lifelike effects, the role of more traditional approaches to visual expression -- composition and design, shading and detail -- becomes less certain. Will these more subtle forms of art become the horse and buggy of the computer age?

We have posted an interview with Bill Venne the Mechanical Engineering Manager who worked on the recently released Microsoft SideWinder Plug and Play Gamepad. More interviews with various Microsoft employees are on the way...Maybe one day we'll get Bill Gates on here.

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REDMOND, Wash. - July 25, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will release "Microsoft® Train Simulator," a software program designed to simulate the thrills of the railways on the personal computer, in the spring of 2001. Attendees at the National Model Railroad Association's (NMRA) National Train Show next week in San Jose, Calif., will be the first to see an early version of the software and experience the excitement and adventure of "Microsoft Train Simulator."

"Train Simulator" aims to bring the most true-to-life virtual train experience to the PC. Working in cooperation with six of the world's leading railroads, Microsoft is re-creating hundreds of miles of routes with realistic scenery, equipment and operations. Using multiple camera angles, players can take on the role of an engineer, passenger or bystander.

Lifelike engineer's control panels, scenery and weather; and accurate elevations and terrain data mirror real-world train travel. Player activities can include anything from keeping passenger time schedules while managing unforeseen barriers and negotiating freight through mountain passes in winter storms to navigating some of the world's busiest commuter lines.

"Microsoft Train Simulator" comes from the simulations group at Microsoft, distinguished for developing the world's best-selling PC-game software, "Microsoft Flight Simulator." Long synonymous with exacting standards of quality and realism, the simulations group at Microsoft is dedicated to providing both flight and rail fans with experiences that are "as real as it gets."

"Our 18-year commitment to simulations continues with 'Microsoft Train Simulator,'" said Mike Geertsen, product planner in the simulations product unit at Microsoft. "We are excited to create a product that brings the thrill of trains and railroading to the general public and allows train enthusiasts and modelers to extend their hobby onto their personal computers."

Players can operate nine different trains, ranging from steam locomotives and modern diesels to high-speed electric "bullet trains," as they travel any of six famous rail routes from around the globe. These routes include both historic and contemporary rail operations.

The six railroads included in "Microsoft Train Simulator" are listed below:

· Amtrak. Players can race up and down the busy northeastern corridor of the United States as the "bullet train" comes to America with Amtrak's new Acela high-speed train.

· Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Users experience the challenges and awesome power of moving today's freight through the spectacular Marias Pass and along the southern border of Glacier National Park in Montana.

· The Flying Scotsman Railways. Enthusiasts chug along some of England's most beautiful countryside in the late 1920s in what is arguably the world's most famous steam locomotive.

· Kyushu Railway Co. Users explore the mountainous Hisatsu line on Japan's southern island of Kyushu.

· Odakyu Electric Railway. Players navigate one of the busiest commuter lines out of Tokyo or take in the breathtaking scenery of Mt. Fuji.

· The Venice-Simplon Orient Express. Participants visit the Austrian Alps in the 1930s for the ultimate in romantic European steam train travel.

As it did with the "Flight Simulator" series, Microsoft developed "Microsoft Train Simulator" with open architecture and tools, and designed it as a train-simulation platform for home entertainment. These features enable enthusiasts and third-party developers to customize and extend the product by creating new trains, routes, scenery, world objects and challenges.

The NMRA National Train Show takes place Aug. 4-6 at the San Jose Convention Center. Attendees can test-drive "Microsoft Train Simulator" at booth 592-594. More information about the train show can be found on the NMRA's Web site at http://www.nmra.org/.

Scheduled for broad availability in spring 2001, "Microsoft Train Simulator" will deliver unparalleled realism, enabling PC users to accurately re-create railroading adventures from a desktop. "Microsoft Train Simulator" is being developed in conjunction with United Kingdom-based Kuju Entertainment. More information on Kuju Entertainment is available on the Web at http://www.kuju.com/.

More information about "Microsoft Train Simulator" and the participating railroads is available on its official Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/trainsim/.

Intel has provided us with a nice test system featuring its new top-notch high-end processor: the Pentium III 1Ghz B. For the first time ever a processor reaches the 1Ghz barrier. Who would believe that, a few years ago when the most powerful CPU were only 16mhz ones? So once again the well-known Moore theorem is right. In this review we will see if the latest Intel's baby hold on its promises. When I unpacked the box I was only able to say 'Wahoooooo', because when Intel says that a PIII 1Ghz B bring power they surely mean it! Indeed the processor is surrounded by a big heatsink with two independent power supplied fans! This processor seems to heat enough to cook your eggs! ;-) Buying a new air-conditioning system will be soon imperative to use a computer safely.

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This is the first story in a four-part series about Windows Millennium Edition that will highlight each of the themes around which the new consumer operating system was developed: PC health, digital media, home networking and the online experience. Already released to manufacturing, Windows Me will be available in retail channels on Sept. 14.

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MSN® CarPoint™, the most-visited car-buying site on the Web, today announced the launch of CarPoint Market Update, a new monthly data service newsletter that provides the auto industry, including manufacturers and their suppliers, with regular statistics about the car makes, models and features consumers want to purchase.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement with professional golfer Annika Sorenstam, LPGA Tour standout and two-time U.S. Women's Open champion, to promote the upcoming release of the Microsoft® "Links 2001™" PC golf simulation game. "Links 2001," the newest version of Microsoft's leading PC golf franchise, is scheduled to appear in retail locations in late October.

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Hapless HP OfficeJet users waiting for Windows 2000 drivers have now had the rug pulled from under them again. Drivers for the older 500, 600 and 700 series all-in-one products had been promised drivers between July 10th and 24th, but now the HP website shows no firm delivery date at all, instead promising a beta driver will be made available 'as soon as possible'.

Microsoft's claims this week that the "MSN network of Internet services" has become the "No 1 worldwide Internet destination for consumers" on "multiple Web sites associated with the MSN brand" got plenty of publicity upfront, but how true were they? Specifically, the company claimed that its own count shows 201 million unique users visiting MSN during June.

On the available evidence, we don't think that the claim is true - although Microsoft may well become number one in the fullness of time, just as it eventually did with IE.

America Online is hiding behind unjustified security and privacy concerns to avoid having to make its AOL Instant Messenger service compatible with competing programs, rival companies have charged.

The white paper is signed by several companies developing or marketing instant messaging services--including Microsoft and CMGI subsidiary Tribal Voice--and it charges AOL with "inappropriately [using] security and privacy concerns as justification for blocking open communication."

Microsoft has issued the first release candidate for its Windows 2000 Data Center edition, a major step toward pushing the delayed operating system out the door.

Data Center is the highest-performance version of Windows 2000 and is designed to run on complex multiprocessor servers that sit at the heart of corporations and e-commerce sites. Versions of Windows 2000 for desktops and midrange servers came out in February.

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ReviewNews.com have posted a review of the Microsoft IntelliEye Optical Mouse. Here is a snippet of the review:

There really is no firm way to benchmark this mouse, it’s more on personal preference as long as it does the job. I did find it easier to line up my rails in quake 3, and it’s much smoother running around the battlefields in Brood War. But I haven’t quite found a mouse benchmarking program. If anyone has one of these, shoot it on over to me will ya? Another nice feature is that the mouse is USB. It comes with a PS/2 adaptor, but using the USB channel gives you a faster response rate.

To read more of the review then click here.

Summary
Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability affecting Microsoft(r) Outlook Express. The vulnerability could allow a malicious user to send an email that would "read over the shoulder" of the recipient as he previews subsequent emails in Outlook Express. A patch is available that eliminates this vulnerability as well as those discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletins MS00-043 and MS00-046. Customers who already have taken the corrective action discussed in either of these bulletins do not need to take any additional action. Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-045.asp
Issue
By design, HTML mail can contain script, and among the actions such a script can take is to open a browser window that links back to the Outlook Express windows. Also by design, script in the browser window could read the HTML mail that is displayed in Outlook Express. However, a vulnerability results because the link could be made persistent. This could allow the browser window to retrieve the text of mails subsequently displayed in the preview pane, and relay it to the malicious user. There are several significant restrictions on this vulnerability: - Only the recipient could open the HTML mail that established    the link. - The attack would only persist until the user either closed    the browser window that the HTML mail opened, or closed    Outlook Express. - The malicious user could only read mails that were displayed    in the preview pane. If the preview pane feature were    disabled, he could not read mails under any conditions. The vulnerability is eliminated in Outlook Express 5.5, and customers who have installed it do not need to take any additional action. Outlook Express 5.5 is available as part of Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1, and, except when installed on Windows 2000, Internet Explorer 5.5. A patch is available for customers who prefer not to upgrade to Outlook Express 5.5. 
Affected Software Versions
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.01

Summary
Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in Microsoft(r) Outlook(r) and Outlook Express. The vulnerability could allow a malicious user to send an HTML mail that, when opened, could read, but not add, change or delete, files on the recipient's computer. If coupled with other vulnerabilities, it could potentially be used in more advanced attacks as well. The patch eliminates this vulnerability as well as those discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletins MS00-043 and MS00-045. Customers who already have taken the corrective action discussed in either of these bulletins do not need to take any additional action. Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-046.asp 
Issue
By design, an HTML mail that creates a file on the recipient's computer should only be able to create it in the so-called cache. Files in the cache, when opened, do so in the Internet Zone. However, this vulnerability would allow an HTML mail to bypass the cache mechanism and create a file in a known location on the recipient's disk. If an HTML mail created an HTML file outside the cache, it would run in the Local Computer Zone when opened. This could allow it to open a file on the user's computer and send it a malicious user's web site. The vulnerability also could be used as a way of placing an executable file on the user's machine, which the malicious user would then seek to launch via some other means. The vulnerability would not enable the malicious user to add, change or delete files on the user's computer. Only files that can be opened in a browser window, such as .txt, .jpg or .htm files, could be read via this vulnerability, and the malicious user would need to know or guess the full path and file name of every file he wished to read. The vulnerability resides in a component that is shared by Outlook and Outlook Express, and as a result the vulnerability affects both products. A version of the component that is not affected by the vulnerability ships as part of Outlook Express 5.5, and customers who have installed it do not need to take any additional action. Outlook Express 5.5 is available as part of Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1, and, except when installed on Windows 2000, Internet Explorer 5.5. 
Affected Software Versions
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.01 
- Microsoft Outlook 97 
- Microsoft Outlook 98 
- Microsoft Outlook 2000

Summary
On July 18, 2000, Microsoft released the original version of this bulletin, to advise customers of the issue and recommend that they install either of the two service packs that will eliminate the vulnerability. On July 20, 2000, the bulletin was updated to announce the availability of patches that eliminate the vulnerability. Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in Microsoft(r) Outlook(r) and Outlook Express. Under certain conditions, the vulnerability could allow a malicious user to cause code of his choice to execute on another user's computer. The patch eliminates this vulnerability as well as those discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletins MS00-045 and MS00-046. Customers who already have taken the corrective action discussed in either of these bulletins do not need to take any additional action. Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-043.asp 
Issue
A component shared by Outlook and Outlook Express, Inetcomm.dll, contains an unchecked buffer in the functionality that parses e-mail headers when downloading mail via either POP3 or IMAP4. By sending an e-mail that overruns the buffer, a malicious user could cause either of two effects to occur when the mail was downloaded from the server by an affected e-mail client: - If the affected field were filled with random data, the    e-mail could be made to crash. - If the affected field were filled with carefully-crafted data,    the e-mail client could be made to run code of the malicious    user's choice. The vulnerability affects all Outlook Express users and all Outlook users whose mail clients are configured to use either POP3 or IMAP4. Outlook users who have configured Outlook to use only MAPI services are unlikely to be affected by the vulnerability. Despite this, Microsoft recommends that such customers apply one of the corrective steps discussed in the Patch Availability section, primarily because the patch protects against other vulnerabilities that affect all Outlook users, regardless of the mail protocol they use. A version of Inetcomm.dll that is not affected by the vulnerability ships as part of Outlook Express 5.5, and customers who have installed it do not need to take any additional action. Outlook Express 5.5 is available as part of Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1, and, except when installed on Windows 2000, Internet Explorer 5.5. Customers who do not wish to upgrade to Outlook Express 5.5 should install the patch provided below. 
Affected Software Versions
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 4.01 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.01 
- Microsoft Outlook 97 
- Microsoft Outlook 98 
- Microsoft Outlook 2000

Microsoft has put back the release to manufacture of Windows 2000 Service Pack 1. Originally due earlier this week, the monstro 83MB patch is now scheduled for release on 24 July and should be available for web download a few days later.

The software giant is keeping mum on the actual causes of the delay, but the word on the street seems to point to some kind of security issue.

Let's face it: Windows Explorer is a lousy tool for managing files. Take a look at FileQuest 2.0, recently released by PiQuest, and you'll see just how inadequate Explorer is.

What makes FileQuest special? Here's just one example: Think of your basic Windows Explorer screen, with a folder tree on the left and the contents of a folder on the right. Click a folder in the left pane and the right pane's display changes accordingly. With FileQuest, click on a folder in left pane, and you're looking at the contents of two folders. Click on another folder and you see three. This is the easiest way imaginable to view two folders at once. You can simultaneously display up to a rather excessive 15 folders. That's just the start.

The beginnings of two possible configurable new front ends for Windows are buried inside the preview edition of Whistler, the next version of Win2k due out next year. Options called "Start Panel" and "Start Page" can be enabled in the code, and used as alternatives to the standard Start menu. As the preview doesn't ship with these enabled, and Microsoft hasn't exactly shouted about the feature, it can be seen as work in progress - a hint of what may be to come.

We'd like to give credit to whoever unearthed this first, but it's tricky. Paul Thurrott of WinInfo explains it in detail, and thanks Nate Mook of Betanews for tipping him off. Nate Mook of Betanews explains it too, and thanks Paul for discovering it. Still, nice to see these guys getting on at last.

Microsoft Thursday announced plans to test new features within its Internet Explorer browser software that are supposed to give users more control over the use of cookies that can track their online surfing activities.

Microsoft said it's releasing the "privacy-enhancing" features to about 2000 users for beta testing with the Windows version of Internet Explorer 5.5, which was made available for downloading last week. Within four weeks, the company hopes to release a public beta version for general use that will incorporate the new capabilities.

Windows Me--Microsoft's cutesy abbreviation for Millennium Edition--is billed as the last member of the product line that began conquering the world's desktops five years ago with the ascension of Windows 95. (Yes, Microsoft said the same of Windows 98 before it arrived, but this time the company seems to mean it.)

This final installment in the Windows 9x family includes flashy gewgaws and an important new suite of system recovery utilities, all aimed at device-happy consumers who like multimedia tools and who long for a more crash-resistant PC. Businesses using Windows 95 or 98 will also find things to like about Me. In particular, its recovery capabilities could entice systems administrators who are driven to distraction by users who crash machines after installing unauthorized software. But companies that need rock-solid stability, powerful networking capabilities, and serious security features are far better off migrating to Windows 2000 Professional.