We will be actively updating AskAW again and we need some people to help us! The volunteer positions will include answering AskAW questions. Your not under any obligation to keep answering questions but if you are inactive for 3 or more weeks we will remove you from the staff.

You will be given access to a private community on MSN where we answer the questions. While nothing will be given in return for this we have been known to give the top helpers free POP3 accounts (email addresses). Your name will also be shown on our AskAW staff page.

If you are interested or would like more information on becoming a volunteer email us at dennis@activewin.com and we will be happy to hear from you.

At this time we aren't accepting questions for AskAW we are only asking for volunteers. Later this week we will post information on obtaining help for your question(s).

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No surprises here, but Internet Explorer 5.5 has gone gold a week before Windows Millennium (Windows Me). Build 3406 seems to be the build that will be released to the web pretty soon. As expected - Microsoft has removed the links to the preview version's details from their server so we could get the released to the web gold version of Internet Explorer 5.5 as early as next week.

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Microsoft will demonstrate the functionality of a pre-release version of NetStore's Web Administration Service, at TechEd in Orlando on 8 June 2000 and in Amsterdam from 4-7 July 2000. Code named Jupiter, this service is designed to enable reseller and customer mail administrators to securely administer NetStore's ASP hosted MS Exchange services from any PC with a web browser.

The service will significantly benefit ASPs in effectively meeting the daily administrative needs of their customers. NetStore's Web Administration Service includes the ability to add new customers, users, distribution lists, and to review contract history, features that conventional hosting systems have not facilitated in the past.

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As the legal battle over Microsoft Corp.'s right to integrate technologies into its programs and operating systems drags on, the company is forging full steam ahead with the next very tightly integrated version of Windows.

Only one day before Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued his final judgment in the Department of Justice vs. Microsoft antitrust case, Microsoft released to testers what might be the final beta release of its Windows Millennium Edition product.

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Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer welcomed on Friday an offer from the U.S. Justice Department for more talks aimed at settling their antitrust dispute. ``We would still love that opportunity,'' Ballmer told a news conference during a ``European Business Summit'' organized by Belgium's employers' federation.

``We would love to settle this case. We were unable to in the last round discussion. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time,'' Ballmer said, referring to earlier talks aimed at reaching a settlement which collapsed in April.

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The Microsoft Corp. case and Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's ruling center on Windows, leaving the future of Pocket PC, the operating system for handhelds, up in the air.

There is the potential for Pocket PC, Microsoft's updated Windows CE platform, to escape the Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) product hierarchy, develop more quickly and take a stronger position in the handheld market. It could also lose the confidence of the shrinking number of hardware manufacturers currently supporting it

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If you saw people walking up to a shark that was lying in the bottom of a fishing boat and kicking it in the head, you'd do well to warn them, "Careful! It's not dead yet!"

By the same token, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) may have been hooked and landed by Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's ruling Wednesday, but it's not yet dead (or even unconscious). The higher-court fishing wardens may yet require Jackson to throw his catch back in the water, and software developers may decline to eat the entrée even if it's served.

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Forget due process arguments. Forget the harsh tone of his final memorandum and order -- where he called Microsoft "untrustworthy," "disingenuous" and "guilty of antitrust violations."

Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's biggest mistake: He bought into the government's argument that Microsoft Office is the platform most likely to rival Microsoft Windows.

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A day after a federal judge ordered his company split in two, Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Chairman Bill Gates on Thursday choked up and got teary-eyed -- while handing out scholarships to poor minority students who sang the software mogul's praises. Gates, looking relaxed and appearing with his wife Melinda, announced the first batch of scholarships to be handed out under a 20-year, $1 billion programme to help a total of 20,000 students pay for college.

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Microsoft Corp., having lost a major round in its antitrust case, is appealing to the court of public opinion. Company co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates will once again be featured in a television ad, to be aired starting Sunday, extolling the virtues of Microsoft technology and its commitment to its customers, without directly addressing the antitrust case.

``The next generation of software is being developed right here,'' a sweater-clad Gates says in the ad, talking directly to the camera while music plays in the background.

• 28k
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You boot up Microsoft Windows and click on the Microsoft Internet Explorer and call up the Bill Gates Net Worth Page. The page is not sponsored by Microsoft. But every 15 minutes it updates what Gates is worth based on the current price of his Microsoft stock. He owns not quite 742 million shares.

At 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Gates is worth $51,134,342,368.75. But then the stock slips a little. At 4:30 he is worth $51,041,623,706.25. In 15 minutes, he loses nearly $93 million.

This is the wonder and the horror of Bill Gates. The wonder of how one man's ideas can transform the world. The horror of how one man's wealth can be so vast that he can drop $93 million without a twitch.

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We have posted up our second ActiveWin interview in a new section that will hopefully fill up with more interviews over the coming weeks and months with various people who work for Microsoft in the games, software and hardware departments. Our second interview is with Mike Groesch, he is Microsoft SideWinder Program Manager.

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Justice Department antitrust chief Joel Klein said Thursday that the government was ready to negotiate with Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) if the negotiations are ''meaningful'' and deal with the company's violations.

Klein told a news conference with Attorney General Janet Reno that while settlement is ``always the preferred course...it's also imperative that a settlement meaningfully address the harm that's occurred to this market.''

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Julien has posted his review of Microsoft's Cordless WheelMouse. Here is a snippet from the review:

Microsoft started manufacturing mice a long time ago, and each year or so they release new innovative hardware that helps users better enjoy the computing world. Microsoft clears up your desktop with the Microsoft Cordless Wheel mouse. It’s a cordless mouse that works with digital radio frequency.  The mouse also comes with a wheel to help you scroll and zoom.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate availability of the Microsoft^® Outlook^® E-mail Security Update, a significant security enhancement to the Outlook messaging and collaboration client that can help prevent the spread and impact of computer e-mail viruses. The update, which now includes customization features for administrators based on feedback from customers, partners and security experts, is available free of charge for download from the Office Update Web site at http://www.officeupdate.com/ (connect-time charges may apply). Microsoft strongly recommends that all users of Outlook download this update to help protect themselves against the growing problem of malicious e-mail viruses.

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David Harper faces the same challenge as many other network administrators. He needs a firewall to protect records within the system he oversees, as well as ways to conserve networking bandwidth and provide secure access away from the office. The solution also needs to do all of these things without gobbling up too much of his system's resources or his time.

That's why Harper, network administrator for a Washington State Agency, got excited when he heard about Microsoft's Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (ISA Server). The new product, which is still in beta review, is designed to meet the firewall and cache needs of administrators such as Harper.

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Gains in shares of Microsoft Corp (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) boosted European trade in U.S. stocks on Thursday and index futures pointed to a stronger opening on Wall Street, dealers said.

June futures for the S&P were up 5.0 points to 1,477.0 by 1020 GMT, several points above fair value to indicate initial gains for the Dow Jones industrial average. The Nasdaq June future was 53.25 points higher at 3,787.

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The European Commission said on Thursday it was too early to predict the implications of a U.S. court ruling that Microsoft Corp (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) must be split in two for its own antitrust investigation into the software giant.

``Whatever happens, it will obviously have implications for our investigation. But we have to see what the final ruling is first,'' spokeswoman Amelia Torres told a news briefing.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled on Wednesday that Microsoft should be broken in two and labelled it ``untrustworthy'' for abusing its dominant position in the personal computer operating system market.

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The ruling by a U.S. federal judge to break up Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) generated big interest but little concern in Asia. Main stock markets were mixed today and analysts played down the impact on the region's companies.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson on Wednesday gave Microsoft four months to devise a plan to divide itself into two parts, declaring the software giant had violated U.S. antitrust laws and that it had ``proved untrustworthy in the past.''

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Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday it was seeking a stay of the implementation of a U.S. court ruling that it must be split in two. ``We will be appealing and also seeking a stay of this decision so the appeal can move forward without harm to consumers and Microsoft,'' Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told reporters, in his first reaction to the antitrust ruling.

District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson on Wednesday ruled that Microsoft be split into an operating systems business, managing its Windows software, and an applications business managing other software products.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said in an interview published on Thursday that Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) had credibility problems in his courtroom that contributed to his decision to break the company in two and impose stiff restrictions on its business practices.

``I had to make judgements about the credibility of witnesses, and I found some of them more credible than others,'' Jackson told the Wall Street Journal. He declined to cite specific instances, the newspaper said.

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Undaunted by a federal judge's order to break Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) in two, company co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates insists the computer software giant has not broken antitrust laws and promises an appeal that could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. ``This is the beginning of a new chapter in this case,'' Gates said. ``We will be appealing this decision, and we believe we have a very strong case on appeal.''

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Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) President Jonathan Zuck expressed alarm about a federal judge's decision to split Microsoft and said that the court has ignored the voices of technology firms and consumers in his ill-conceived ruling.

``It's hard to imagine a worse scenario for technology development in America,'' said Mr. Zuck. ``Technology firms across the United States and consumers everywhere are the losers with the Judge's rubber stamping of the government's scheme. It will set a negative precedent for technology development for years to come. IT firms will be peering over their shoulders not on the lookout for their robust competitors, but for government regulation creeping up behind them.''

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Chairman Bill Gates on Wednesday vowed to appeal a federal judge's ruling to break the software giant into two parts, saying the company had a strong case.

Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who has ruled Microsoft was an abusive monopoly, minutes earlier on Wednesday ordered the split to prevent the world's biggest software company from committing further antitrust violations.

``We will be appealing this decision, and we believe we have a very strong case on appeal. We believe this ruling is inconsistent with the past decisions by the Appeals Court, with fundamental fairness, and with the reality of the marketplace,'' Gates said in a statement on Microsoft's Web site.

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RealNames, the market leader in Internet Keyword navigation, today announced The ruling in the Microsoft case Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson splits Microsoft into two parts of differing size:

Operating System Business: All Microsoft Windows operating systems, including: Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, the mobile operating system Pocket PC and upcoming operating systems Windows Millennium Edition, and Whistler, the code-name for an operating system that merges the consumer and business editions of Windows.

-Applications Business: This is a catch-all term for everything else. All Microsoft applications are here, including Microsoft Office. It also includes Internet software, like the Internet Explorer browser and Outlook Express e-mail program. ``Middleware,'' the programs that run on networks like BackOffice, SQL Server and IIS are here as well. This is also the place for Microsoft's many other holdings, such as games, hardware (keyboards, mice, joysticks and others), the Microsoft Press book publisher, MSNBC, the Microsoft Network, Media Player, Slate, Expedia, and Hotmail.

The order also places certain conduct restrictions on Microsoft, such as barring it from entering exclusive deals with other companies and maintaining control of the Windows desktop's appearance when selling an operating system pre-installed through a hardware vendor.

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RealNames, the market leader in Internet Keyword navigation, today announced that it condemns the US Government's decision to prosecute Microsoft and the court's decision to break up the company.

According to Keith Teare, founder and CEO of RealNames Corporation, ``Has anybody considered what this means for Microsoft's partners and the future of technology? RealNames is a start-up with technologies that improve the Internet experience for consumers through a natural language navigation system, using Internet Keywords instead of lengthy web addresses. Microsoft embraced our open standards-based architecture in March 2000 because it makes perfect sense for consumers to use Internet Keywords within MSN and Internet Explorer. The service is already available in the United States, Germany, the UK, Spain, France and will soon be available in Japan, Korea and China. Without Microsoft it could take years to deliver Internet Keywords globally. ''

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The landmark antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) may be headed toward the U.S. Supreme Court, but in all likelihood it would be taken up later rather than sooner.

Now that District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has ordered the software giant split in two -- and with Microsoft set to appeal -- the federal government will have to decide whether to then try to take the case directly to the nation's highest court, bypassing the U.S. appeals court.

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U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said on Wednesday Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) had ``proved untrustworthy'' and was ``unwilling to accept'' the company broke the law. His comments accompanied his order to break Microsoft into two companies.

Key points of the judge's order are as follows:
-the split into two companies will last for 10 years;
-restrictions on Microsoft's business conduct to start in 90
days;
-Microsoft must provide greater access to its Windows source
code;
 -Microsoft must submit its plan to comply with the breakup

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A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered the world's biggest software company to be split in two in a final ruling aimed at preventing Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) from committing further antitrust violations.

No breakup of the company is imminent. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson has said the company would remain intact until the appeals process is exhausted and Microsoft has vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

If the judgment is upheld, it would be the harshest antitrust action taken against a U.S. corporation since AT&T agreed to spin off the ``baby bell'' regional phone companies in 1982.

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The antitrust laws that the U.S. government has wielded against Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) aim to protect consumers from monopolists and allow competition to flourish.

Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's expected order on Wednesday would, if it stands up on appeal, lead to the first breakup of a major U.S. corporation since AT&T agreed to spin off the ``baby bell'' regional telephone companies in 1982.

The law on which the Microsoft case is based was written by Sen. John Sherman, an Ohio Republican and brother of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, to combat industrial giants in the oil, steel and railroad industries at the end of the 19th Century.

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Start getting prepared for Windows 2000 with the Microsoft Readiness Framework (MRF) Skills Manager Tool 3.0. The tool enables individuals to quickly ramp up on emerging Microsoft products and technologies. Version 3.0 with enhanced features provides personalized learning plans and resources targeted at the competencies needed for Windows® 2000 Server Active Directory and Windows 2000 Professional Desktop Deployment. As new scenarios are developed, an updated version of Skills Manager will be released.

• For More Information - http://www.microsoft.com/enterpriseservices/
• Version - 3.0
• Release Date - 6 Jun 2000
• Estimated Download Size/Time @28.8 - 80,390 kb / 6h 22min

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) co-founder Paul Allen has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell 2 million common shares of the software giant, valued at more than $128 million.

Allen -- one of Microsoft's biggest shareholders with a 4.1 percent stake as of May 23 -- made the filing on June 1, before the judge in the government's antitrust case announced on Wednesday he planned to release his final decision in the matter later in the afternoon.

According to Allen's filing, Microsoft has 5.103 billion shares outstanding. The filing was released on Wednesday by the SEC.

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The judge in the Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) antitrust case said he will release his final decision at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, which is widely expected to include breaking the company in two.

``The court will issue its memorandum and order and final judgement,'' the court said in an announcement. ``Copies of the decision will be made available to the public, in both electronic and paper form, beginning at 3 p.m.''

District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found in April that Microsoft's behavior broke antitrust laws. His order would be aimed at preventing future antitrust violations.

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India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd said on Wednesday it had formed a strategic alliance with Microsoft Corporation (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) to provide Web and enterprise integration application deployment solutions to U.S. public sector customers.

The agreement is initially with Microsoft Federal Consulting Services to provide solutions using Windows DNA 2000 technology, it said. Windows DNA 2000 is Microsoft's platform for rapidly building and deploying next-generation e-commerce, line-of-business and Web solutions that integrate with customers, partners and existing applications.

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The Microsoft suit is likely to grind on for some time. Meanwhile, other monopolies grow.  The weather here in the Northeast is early spring but the market action is decidedly summer-like, and there is not much on the calendar.

I haven't been commenting on every twist of the Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) remedy phase because, frankly, all this lawyerly posturing bores me to death. We all know Microsoft is not going to deal seriously with Judge Jackson; we all know Judge Jackson had his mind made up a long time ago, and we all know that what really matters is what happens in the appellate division.

The one thing we are learning that is mildly interesting is that it is likely to have to grind through there rather than go express to the Supreme Court, which under the leadership of Judge Rehnquist is not keen on promoting itself into a leading role.

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For those of you with a subscription to MSDN who can't wait a few more weeks for the gold version of Windows Millennium Edition, the Release Candidate 1 has been released onto MSDN's subscribers download section.

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Microsoft has warned open source developers off using its ASF streaming media format. The author of VirtualDub, an open source video capture and editing package which reverse engineered the ASF format, has dropped ASF support after a call from Microsoft's Windows Media group.

Avery Lee, the author of Virtual Dub, says he received "a polite phone call from a fellow at Microsoft who works in the Windows Media group. He informed me that Microsoft has intellectual property rights on the ASF format and told me that, although I had reverse engineered it, the implementation was still illegal since it infringed on Microsoft patents."

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With final arguments in hand, a judge overseeing the historic Microsoft Corp. antitrust case may be ready to rule on whether to split the computer software giant into two separate companies.

On Tuesday, Microsoft attorneys filed a fresh response to the Justice Department's breakup plan. The company's filing - a day earlier than expected - cleared the way for the U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who sits in Washington, D.C., to rule at any time.

As his company was taking care of the last-minute legal work, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was in Washington, D.C., appearing at a congressional hearing on the future of high technology in the United States and around the world.

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Active Voice Corporation (Nasdaq: ACVC - news) today announced that Microsoft is demonstrating Unity(TM) Enterprise for the Exchange 2000 platform, at SuperComm 2000 in Atlanta this week. The demonstrations, taking place in Microsoft's exhibit (booth 1027), focus on Hosting and ASP solutions, which benefit business customers of all sizes that need to access the latest computing capabilities quickly and cost-effectively. Microsoft selected Active Voice and the enhanced messaging capabilities of its unified messaging solution Unity to demonstrate outsourced messaging services using Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server. Using the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server family of operating systems as a base platform, solutions such as unified messaging will enable service providers to bring new services to market quickly and cost-effectively.

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Wednesday that a possible break-up of the software giant would slow innovation within the industry, but that the company would survive either way.

``The real issue in a possible break-up would be the harm it does to innovation,'' Ballmer told representatives of the Norwegian computer business. ``But we'll be fine either way. We'll move on,'' he said in a speech in Oslo, part of a European tour.

District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found in April that Microsoft violated antitrust laws, in a case brought by the U.S. Justice Department and 19 states. The U.S. government wants the company split in two, and Jackson is expected to rule in the state's favor later this week.

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Via Technologies Inc. today announced a reworked version of its Cyrix III processor designed for use in low-cost PCs. Known primarily in the United States as a manufacturer of chip sets, the Taiwan-based company launched its first microprocessors in February. The processors are designed to compete in the budget PC market, with the company initially focusing its energies on garnering a share of the rapidly growing Asian market.

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Mobile phone customers are being targeted by a new computer virus that Internet security experts said is the first of its kind. The virus, called "Timofonica," is reported to be "in the wild" in Spain, where customers of the phone company Movistar have been hit with annoying computer-generated phone calls, according to the antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab. The virus type, known as a worm, targets phones that use the European GSM mobile standard.

Security experts said the virus is the first to hit mobile phones, although they emphasized that the worm is propagated by computer and not via the telephone system. They also said the attack is relatively benign, as it does not destroy computer files but merely delivers a message disparaging the Spanish telephone company Telefonica.

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Tweak Town has taken a look the MSI GeForce256 32mb SDR graphics card, and here is a snippet of the review:

Tweak Town are happy to give you a review of the MSI GeForce 256 Power3D 8809 32mb SDR. This beautiful video card sports a 256 bit Single Chip GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), AGP 4x and 2x with Fast Writes support and a 350Mhz RAMDAC just to mention a few - Yummy!

To read more of the review click here.

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As a federal judge was preparing to mete out a remedy for Microsoft's violations of antitrust law, official Washington rolled out the red carpet Tuesday for its chairman, Bill Gates.

Microsoft Corp.'s (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) final filing in the case is Wednesday and the judge may rule within days whether the company should be split in two, setting off a round of appeals. As the pressure has grown on his company, Gates has put Washington on his agenda, wooing members of Congress with personal visits and campaign donations.

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Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates two security vulnerabilities in Microsoft® Internet Explorer. The vulnerabilities involve how IE handles digital certificates; under a very daunting set of circumstances, they could allow a malicious web site operator to pose as a trusted web site.

In addition to eliminating the "SSL Certificate Validation" vulnerabilities, this patch also eliminates all vulnerabilities discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS00-033. Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-039.asp

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Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp. chairman and chief software architect, today announced a new initiative that will link two classrooms on opposite coasts for a year of interactive, technology-enabled learning. Called Washington2Washington (W2W), the program pairs a social studies classroom at the SEED Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., with a science classroom at Sequoia Middle School in Kent, Wash., during the 2000-2001 school year, equipping both with a range of technology tools and resources.

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Julien has posted his review of MGI Software's newly released VideoWave III. Here is a snippet from the review:

The democratization of Movie-Making has conducted many users to buy camcorders and video capture cards solutions. Indeed the price of such equipment reached $50,000 a few years ago. Now you can buy a complete multimedia editing solution for only $5000. But a remaining problem is that editing videos on computers has always been a hard and dull task to do especially for novice users that discover tools like Adobe Premiere (which is certainly very efficient software) but also very complex. The Canadian ‘eye’ software manufacturer, MGI, has unveiled to the world its brand new video solution: VideoWave III. This brand new software brings simplicity to edit high-end videos on computers. One sentence really reflects what this new release brings to the product: “PC Video Made Even Easier“. If I have to say something about it I’d say ‘Simply the best’. So below is a complete review of this innovative software.

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Sean has just posted Microsoft's extensive list of compatible desktop (towers & desktops) systems for the Windows 2000 operating system. With over 1,500 systems listed, this is priceless for those who are planning to purchase a new system and install Windows 2000 or for those who plan to upgrade their existing system with the new software. This list is sorted alphabetically by company then by model - check it out! Make sure you also check out our other Windows 2000 compatible system lists (servers, laptops, & clusters) in our ActiveWin2k website.

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Microsoft has released its update for Asheron's Call today as expected. You can read the State Of Code and the Build Notes online. The update is ready to go - so get downloading. We will have a June update for our review online later in the week.

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Software giant Microsoft Corp expects to win an appeal against a U.S. court ruling which could force the break-up of the company, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a visit to the Austrian capital, Ballmer also said he expected the company to complete its purchase of a stake in British cable services provider Telewest Communications from MediaOne Group Inc ``within months''.

District Judge Thomas Penfold ruled on April 3 that Microsoft, the world's largest software producer, broke U.S. antitrust law by abusing its dominant position in personal computer operating systems.

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Cable and Wireless plc (NYSE "CWP"), the global telecommunications group, and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") today announced a strategic alliance agreement that brings together their collective strengths with those of Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE "CPQ") to create a wide range of cable and wireless application service provider (ASP) services for business users around the world. This alliance will enable Cable & Wireless to offer enterprise-class IT services to small and medium-sized businesses in a single package, at an affordable cost.

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Today at the Microsoft^® TechEd 2000 conference Microsoft Corp. announced a new Internet-standards-based approach for building components, called Web Parts, that deliver content and services to digital dashboards. Using the Web Part XML schema, corporate developers and partners can more easily create customizable digital dashboards that bring together personal, team, corporate and external information with single-click access to analytical and collaborative tools.

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At Microsoft^® Tech•Ed 2000 today, Microsoft Corp. announced that 2,500 technology specialists are qualified and ready to work with customers in all phases of Exchange 2000 planning and deployment. These specialists, many from leading global IT service organizations, have completed intensive training on Exchange 2000 and already have helped deploy it to thousands of end users worldwide. In addition, many independent software vendors (ISVs) and application service providers (ASPs) are working closely with Microsoft to deliver services and solutions built on Exchange 2000.

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Building on its commitment to improving business on the Internet, Microsoft Corp. today announced a multilevel firewall and high-performance Web caching server for the enterprise, Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 (ISA Server 2000). The newest addition to the Microsoft^® Windows^® DNA 2000 platform, ISA Server 2000 takes advantage of the security, manageability and control benefits of the Windows 2000 operating system. ISA Server 2000 provides secure, fast Internet connectivity, protecting organizations' information assets from intruders and unauthorized use, and enhancing employee productivity.

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One year after its formation, a Microsoft Corp.-led industry organization is continuing to drive the development of a new operation support systems (OSS) model that will allow service providers to deploy cost-effective end-to-end OSS application solutions to address next-generation services. The OSS Working Group, which today includes 37 industry-leading independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators, is working collectively to define an industry-standard OSS Markup Language (OSSML) that will enable interoperability between a wide range of third-party OSS applications. OSSML will comprise XML schemas used for OSS application-to-application interoperability for competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), application service providers (ASPs) and broadband service providers.

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Today in Booth 1027 at SUPERCOMM 2000, Microsoft Corp. will demonstrate solutions that enable service providers to deliver next-generation network services to consumers and businesses. The demonstrations will focus on key areas of opportunity for service providers, including mobile data solutions, application service provider (ASP) solutions, audio and video solutions, and service management solutions. Using the Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 Server family of operating systems as a base platform, these solutions enable service providers to bring new services to market quickly and cost-effectively.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced the feature set for Microsoft^® BackOffice^® Server 2000, the next version of the leading comprehensive server suite for Windows^® 2000 that reduces the cost and complexity of building, deploying and managing integrated and scalable IT solutions for branch offices, departments and medium-sized businesses.

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We have posted up our first ActiveWin interview in a new section that will hopefully fill up with more interviews over the coming weeks and months with various people who work for Microsoft in the games, software and hardware departments. Our first interview is with Robb Rinard from Rainbow Studios, he is the designer of the newly released Microsoft game Motocross Madness 2

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Microsoft's Windows Millennium Edition beta testers got hold of what could well be the final release candidate for the new Windows 9* release that has been in beta for close to a year. Build 2535 is Release Candidate 2.

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Microsoft Corporation is preparing to issue its first beta release of "Whistler," the next version of Windows 2000. And this release will run the gamut from a new Personal Edition that will ultimately replace Windows Me, to a series of high-end 64-bit products for Intel Itanium processor-based systems. The initial rollout of the beta will be focused exclusively on Microsoft's closest partners, such as software developers, hardware companies, PC makers, Joint Development Program (JDP) members, and corporate deployment professionals. And unlike the Windows 2000 beta, which lasted almost three years, Microsoft is promising a "very aggressive timeframe" for Whistler: The company plans to ship the product in April 2001.

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Microsoft released the demo of Motocross Madness 2. The demos is just over 40 MB's in size and remember to read our review as you download:

Motocross Madness 2 lets you put your skills to the test racing to win and competing like the pros. Along with all new event modes (like Enduro) Motocross Madness 2 features an entirely new mode of gameplay -- Pro Circuit career mode -- where you start out as a rookie "privateer" competing against a field of tough AI competitors. Your goal: prize money, sponsorship dollars and career win points. Your ultimate goal -- reach the pro Supercross circuit... and Supercross Super Stud-dom.

Motocross Madness 2 features an upgraded physics engine that allows independent rider and biker motion, variable surface friction (slick ice, gravel, mud) and a range of bike handling and performance options. We've also added incredible new graphics for eye-popping terrain (4 times as large as the terrain in the original) populated with 3-D objects and a variety of vehicles and characters. Throw in licensed motorcycles, gear, and a create-your-own custom rider and bike feature -- and you've got one BOSS racing experience.

This demo includes a stunt quarry and a nationals track, one racing skin and two bikes. You can play either single player stunt, single event mode or multiplayer racing. Events last for either five minutes or five laps.

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There will be a special monthly shipment of Windows Millennium Edition in July that is scheduled to ship the second week of July and will include:

• Windows Millennium Final Edition (English). Windows Millennium Edition is a Windows operating system for home users, coming out later this year. It is designed so consumers can experience the possibilities of digital media and home networking, and offers the broadest support for consumer hardware and software.

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More than half of the American public (54%) support Microsoft's position in the U.S. Government's anti-trust suit against the company according to a recent poll by InterSurvey, provider of innovative Web-based surveys. Less than half that number, just 23%, supports the Government's proposal to break up Microsoft into two independent companies. Approximately one-third of those surveyed are neutral when asked about the two competing positions.

Respondents were asked their opinions about the Government proposal to break up Microsoft and about the counter-proposal submitted by Microsoft. First, respondents were asked to what degree they supported the government's position:

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Justice Department antitrust lawyers objected Monday to Microsoft's suggestion that a full year be granted to develop details of the software company's breakup for anti-competitive practices. In its last expected court filing before a federal judge decides how to punish the company, the government said that a full year ``is unwarranted.''

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A group of companies including Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM), Virgin, and News International have linked up with FairMarket to launch an online auction network in the United Kingdom. Those companies will list the network’s auctions on their portal sites. Consumers will be able to search merchandise posted at any of the sites, as well as look for merchandise from suppliers including Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq: DELL).

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Following his TechEd keynote address on Monday, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates had a few words to say about the company’s ongoing Department of Justice antitrust case. In response to a question sent to him by a Microsoft developer over the Internet, Gates reiterated during a Web cast his confidence that the company will win its case at the appeals level. Gates said he thought it was “almost ironic” that Microsoft’s adversaries claim there is no competition in the PC software market, and claimed Microsoft has brought myriad benefits to the market, using as a measuring stick, the “lower” prices enjoyed by consumers

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Microsoft Corp., attempting to move its business forward despite a looming breakup ruling in federal court, plans to unveil a portion of its next-generation Internet technology today.

The Redmond, Wash., software company says the new feature for a product called BizTalk server -- which likely won't be on the market until the fourth quarter -- will help businesses easily connect different processes linked to electronic-commerce transactions, such as billing, inventory management and shipping. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates will unveil the technology during a speech at a software developers' conference in Orlando, Fla.

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After over 3 months of work, Stardock has just released WindowBlinds 1.3 for the general public. For v1.3, Stardock spent a lot of time working with users on compatibility issues and performance. A few features did sneak in such as skinnable menubars, the ability for skins to have their own menu trees (some new skins using this will be out shortly), and enhanced plug-in support.

WindowBlinds is a program that allows people to completely change the way Windows looks and feels by applying skins to the entire OS. Users can make Windows look like an alternative OS (like MacOS or Linux) or something completely different.

Visit http://www.stardock.com to get ahold of WindowBlinds 1.3!

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The government this morning will concede to changes Microsoft requested to a proposal to break up the software giant. But the government is also expected to oppose other changes to the proposal it is concerned U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson might have considered adopting without reasonable input.

The filing is yet another unexpected twist in the two-year antitrust saga, which pits the Justice Department (DOJ) and 19 states against Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft. Jackson could rule at any time following Microsoft's response, expected Wednesday morning.

Many of the most serious changes proposed by Microsoft deal with the case's time elements. The software giant, for example, would like 12 months instead of four after Jackson's ruling to give a detailed breakup plan. While the government is asking Jackson to break Microsoft into separate operating systems and software applications companies, it has left the finer details of how to enact the split to Microsoft.

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Today in his opening keynote at Tech*Ed 2000, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates demonstrated new software that will deliver on the Microsoft vision for programming the next phase of the Web. Addressing over 11,500 of the record number 35,000 worldwide Tech*Ed 2000 attendees, Gates issued a ``call to action'' for developers to start engaging today with Microsoft® Windows® DNA 2000, Microsoft's platform for Web Services.

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Today at Tech•Ed, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced BizTalk™ Orchestration, breakthrough new technology for creating and managing complex business processes that span multiple applications, platforms, services and organizations behind the firewall and over the Internet. This revolutionary new technology will help customers take advantage of new business opportunities and coordinate relationships with trading partners over the Web.

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In his Microsoft^® Tech· Ed keynote address today, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates demonstrated new features of the next generation of the Visual Studio^® development system, dubbed Rapid Application Development (RAD) for the Server. RAD for the Server tools will help developers using Windows^® DNA 2000 to accelerate and simplify the creation of rich server-side applications and Web Services.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the SOAP Toolkit for Visual Studio^® 6.0 on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN™) developer program Web site (http://msdn.microsoft.com/). The SOAP Toolkit, which includes source code, adds features to the current version of the Microsoft^® Visual Studio development environment to enable the millions of developers using Visual Studio to easily build Web Services using SOAP, the Simple Object Access Protocol.

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New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Baltimore has been named the Certified Technical Education Center (CTEC) of the Year for Maryland by Microsoft Corp.'s Mid Atlantic District Office.

The award, presented at a ceremony in Baltimore, is given to computer training centers that demonstrate a substantial investment and commitment to introducing new Microsoft technologies and then training clients on those technologies. According to Microsoft, New Horizons of Baltimore was chosen to receive the honor because of its commitment to quality, and the fact that it was one of the first to utilize Windows 2000-trained instructors in the Mid-Atlantic District.

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Multi-Media Productions (USA), Inc. is proud to announce the appearance of Brett Arsenault, chief technology officer of the E-Business Solutions Group at Microsoft Corp., on World Business Review. The weekly television series focuses on business and technology, and is hosted by General Alexander Haig, chairman of Worldwide Associates, Inc. and former U.S. Secretary of State during the Reagan administration.`` Dan Miklovic, vice president of Collaborative Commerce at the Gartner Group, joins the panel, serving as industry expert. The topic of the discussion is ''E-Business Enterprise Solutions.``

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While Microsoft's lawyers continue to battle a government plan to divide the company in two, chairman Bill Gates tomorrow will return to a familiar role: that of chief techie, evangelizing the company's Windows technology. At a conference for software developers beginning tomorrow in Orlando, Fla., Gates will take the wraps off new technology intended to make Microsoft a key player in the booming business-to-business e-commerce market.

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Cisco Systems Inc. is the world's second-most-valuable technology company. It boasts a 62 percent market share for its core product. It aggressively acquires emerging technologies and grafts them into its flagship products. And its market power is so great that three of its most entrenched rivals have surrendered in the past year.

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The guys over at Reactor Critical have posted up a massive in depth preview of Microsoft's upcoming DirectX 8 release. Here is a snippet:

It is Microsoft's well established tradition to release once a year a new version of DirectX which is meant to provide interaction with multimedia devices. The API is intended primarily for developers of computer games. This year will not by a long chalk be an exception. In this article we shall describe new capabilities which are expected to emerge in DirectX 8 and dwell at length on changes and additions to the graphic part of DirectX.

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Users are still waiting for a fix for MS Outlook after the ravages from the ILOVEYOU, Melissa and related viruses. Microsoft is itself in a bit of a fix here; having pushed the idea of attachments, a security fix based on blocking all attachments seems like a massive climb-down.

But on the other hand, what else could you do? Microsoft initially announced a patch that would drastically curtail Outlook's ability to deal with attachments, but for some reason, it hasn't actually got it out the door yet. It's been delayed several times already, and it's not clear when it will actually ship - or indeed, what it will actually be.

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I have posted my review of Microsoft's newly released Motocross Madness 2. Here is a snippet:

There is only one word to describe Motocross Madness games and that is Fun. Motocross Madness 2 has it in bundles, especially when playing against friends over the internet. There are a number of new courses that have been added to the game over the first title, they include the excellent single player career mode called "Pro-Circuit Racing", you get to compete against other racers for money, which you put towards fixing damage etc that you get during the races. There are also massive "Enduro Racing" events too. The main thing you will notice right from the start is how much bigger the game is in terms of environments, they are huge and getting around the enduro race tracks and seeing everything there is to see will take a long while.

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I have posted my review of Microsoft's newly released Motocross Madness 2. Here is a snippet:

There is only one word to describe Motocross Madness games and that is Fun. Motocross Madness 2 has it in bundles, especially when playing against friends over the internet. There are a number of new courses that have been added to the game over the first title, they include the excellent single player career mode called "Pro-Circuit Racing", you get to compete against other racers for money, which you put towards fixing damage etc that you get during the races. There are also massive "Enduro Racing" events too. The main thing you will notice right from the start is how much bigger the game is in terms of environments, they are huge and getting around the enduro race tracks and seeing everything there is to see will take a long while.

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For the second time in six weeks, a group of South American security researchers has discovered a simple method for breaking RealNetworks streaming video servers. Underground Security Systems Research revealed Thursday that a single URL sent at a Real video server causes the system to stop functioning. The company says it will have a fix for the problem soon.

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We have updated various Frequently Asked Questions such as Windows Millennium Edition, Whistler (Windows 2001) and the X-Box. You can check out the updates through the main FAQ page.

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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS00-037 announces the availability of a patch that eliminates a vulnerability in the HTML Help facility that ships as part of Microsoft® Internet Explorer. Under certain conditions, the vulnerability could allow a malicious web site operator to run code on the computer of a visiting user.

What’s the scope of the vulnerability?

This vulnerability could allow a malicious web site operator to cause code to execute on the computer of a user who visited the site. Such code could take any action that the user himself could take, including but not limited to creating, changing or deleting data, or communicating with an external web site.

Download for Windows NT 4.0 & Windows 9x http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=21705

Download for Windows 2000 http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=21706

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Microsoft Security Bulletin MS00-032 announces the availability of a patch that eliminates a vulnerability in Microsoft® Windows 2000.

What's the scope of the vulnerability?

This vulnerability could make it easier for a malicious user to compromise sensitive data belonging to a Windows 2000 user. By design, Windows 2000 should encrypt this data using the strongest cryptography available on the machine, but, because of the vulnerability, it's actually protected with weaker cryptography.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms00-032.asp

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Microsoft today announced that the trial version for Motocross Madness 2, the award-winning sequel to Motocross Madness, will be available for download early next week on the game's official site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/motocross2/. An adrenaline-pumping racing game developed by Rainbow Studios, Motocross Madness 2 delivers all of the unbridled competition and freestyle stunts of true motocross competition.

The trial version of Motocross Madness 2 will feature both a stunt quarry for body bending freestyle competition and a Nationals track for intense motocross racing. In addition, gamers will get to sample two of the game's over 16 bikes and two racing skins for the rider's gear. The trial version also has single and multiplayer options, with multiplayer matchmaking for up to eight racers available for free* on Zone.com.

Motocross Madness 2 represents the ultimate experience in racing and competitive realism, utilizing cutting-edge graphics, real bikes and racing gear straight from the professional motocross circuits, tracks co-designed by Supercross 125CC East Champ, Stephane Roncada; and a state-of-the-art physics engine. And, continuing the tradition started with the first Motocross Madness, Motocross Madness 2 has all the multiplayer mayhem that gamers have come to rely on. The game features a ranking system called the Internet Top 100. Players will be able to race online at Zone.com and have the points from their career wins tracked nightly. Gamers who earn enough points will then have their in-game number plates automatically updated with their current ranking in the top 100. Motocross Madness 2 is currently available in North America for US$39.95.

For more information on the game, visit the official site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/games/motocross2/

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The potential impact of a court-ordered breakup of Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) remains as murky as the millions of lines of code that made the software giant's ubiquitous operating systems successful, with corporate friends and foes alike poised to benefit.

But one thing is clear, analysts say: Consumers have the most to lose. ``As long as there is turmoil in the industry, the only people who could possibly lose right now are the consumers, because there aren't any companies necessarily equipped to step in and immediately fill a void from a crippled Microsoft,'' said analyst Rob Enderle, who follows Microsoft for research firm Giga Information Group.

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The American Red Cross plans to sell 5,000 common shares of Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news), valued at more than $313,000, which the disaster relief agency received as a donation.

The shares were donated in April and the Red Cross filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell them at the end of May. The Red Cross said in the filing it received the stock from an individual it identified as Tony Hsieau. The SEC document contained no further information about the donor.

There was no immediate comment from the Red Cross, which routinely gets donations in the form of securities. Microsoft shares are up 1 to 65-9/16 in afternoon Nasdaq trading.

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) and Canadian officials on Friday poured cold water on reports authorities in British Columbia were trying to lure the software behemoth north amid its antitrust battle with the U.S. government.

Microsoft, which has been in the Seattle area since the late 1970s and employs nearly 20,000 people in its sprawling corporate campus in Redmond, Wash., said it was staying put.

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Canadian government authorities in British Columbia have encouraged Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) to move there, the BBC reported. The offer comes as the company awaits a penalty ruling in the antitrust suit brought against it by the U.S. government. The BBC said the offer included a promise of favorable treatment, including a possible loan to build new offices. Microsoft's current headquarters are about 100 miles south of the border

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As both sides in the Microsoft Corp. antitrust trial rush to paint their perspective of the software giant's future -- niggling over handfuls of words and phrases throughout a flurry of last-minute legal documents -- their filings are spotlighting a geeky nugget of technology that for years has spelled dominance for Microsoft: the API.

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Step 9 Software Corporation, a leading provider of web-enabled pre-integrated Operational Support Systems (OSS) for competitive communications providers, today announced it has joined Microsoft Corporation's (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) Windows Telecommunications Alliance and the OSS Working Group to help promote interoperable, best-of-breed solutions for the competitive communications market.

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An explosion rocked the South African office of U.S. software giant Microsoft on Friday, shattering windows but causing no injuries, a company spokeswoman said. ``There was an explosion at around 5 a.m. this morning. Nobody was hurt,'' Terry Annecke, marketing director for Microsoft's South African operations told Reuters.

She said the blast was caused by an unidentified device and occurred in the courtyard next to the company's office in Johannesburg. Police were investigating. No staff, apart from four security guards, were in the building at the time of the explosion.

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Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP - news) will offer full refunds for some of its handheld computers because their screens can't show as many colors as promised, the company said Thursday.

One of them, the Jornada 545, was launched April 19 with much fanfare as one of the first handhelds to run Microsoft Corp.'s (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Pocket PC operating system.

The $499 Jornada was marketed as being able to show about 65,000 colors at once. Through a mistake in the development process, it can only show about 4,000, H-P said. The error was discovered by customers.

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Starting off a HUGE month over at TweakTown  - They have published a 4 page - GeForce Overclocking Guide, covered in the guide are such things as What You'll Need, Video Card overclocking?, Why Should I, Cooling, Overclocking, Benchmarks and more! Here is a snippet of the guide:

"So you've got yourself one of the fastest video cards on the market today, that is the GeForce 256. Why not make it a little faster? If you are wanting to do so, overclocking is the answer... Overclocking any video card in particular the GeForce, already run VERY HOT, overclocking more then they are designed to be can kill or cause lockups. Overclocking any product these days will, VOID THE WARRANTY, this is the same with a GeForce 256 video card! We will not take any responsibility for any damages, although you are unlikely kill your GeForce - unless you push your card a little to far, Enjoy!..."

You can read more of the guide by clicking here.

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As reported earlier today, still more legal filings next week will precede U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's remedies ruling in the antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT)

Microsoft on Wednesday filed a lengthy response to the Department of Justice's second version of its proposed remedies, at the same time adding another document that called the request for a corporate breakup "extreme and unjustified." In the latter filing, Microsoft lawyers questioned the logistical viability of divestiture saying "When an injunction is so vague and ambiguous that it defies comprehension, it is void and unenforceable."

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A high-performance version of Advanced Micro Device's Athlon processor dubbed Thunderbird will make its debut Monday, according to sources close to the company.

The Thunderbird is essentially an enhanced version of the Athlon, a line of processors that has been credited with turning the company's fortunes around. Its release is expected to spark a new round of competitive battles with Intel.

To be incorporated into high-end consumer systems and business desktops, Thunderbird will run at speeds ranging from 750 MHz to 1 GHz and higher, according to sources.

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We would like to welcome you all to the new and improved ActiveWin mailing list. We have finally sorted out all of the previous problems we had with delivering our list to you all (Our server wouldn't send any more than 200 mailings out). So now you can all look forward to daily e-mails keeping you up to date with everything that is happening in the world of Windows and Microsoft.

Subscribe to the HTML mailing list

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32-bit Server editions of the next version of Windows 2000, code-named "Whistler," will offer a "headless" option that allows the product to more closely compete with embedded and Unix-based solutions. Headless servers operate without a local display, keyboard, or mouse, and management is done remotely over a network. To facilitate this feat, Microsoft is working with hardware makers to create BIOS support for headless servers. A first generation version of the technology will actually debut this summer in a software kit Microsoft is supplying to PC makers. But the release of Whistler next spring will offer solution providers with the first true Windows headless server.

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The judge in the Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) case on Thursday unexpectedly extended the proceedings, ordering further filings from both sides before he rules on how to prevent future antitrust violations by the software giant.

District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who was widely expected to announce his decision as early as Thursday or Friday, instead asked the Justice Department to file additional comments by Monday and Microsoft to file by Wednesday of next week.

Jackson had been expected to issue his remedy without further input from either side, but made his order after holding a telephone conference with the parties over Microsoft's latest filing, made Wednesday, which had been assumed to be the last.

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Planet Allegiance has posted word that the new patch (1.11) for Allegiance has gone live on the main servers. Here's what's new with the patch:

• The Sector Support Ship has been replaced by the Assault Ship. Much heavier armor, slightly faster, and can carry the Aleph Resonator missile, but loses the ability to carry Nanite healing weapons.
• The new Assault ship can be researched from the shipyard 1.
• Missile Frigate missile capacity increased by 50%.
• The tracking ability of the MIRV missiles has been significantly reduced.
• It is easier to get missile lock on larger ships.
• It is harder to get missile lock on stealth craft.
• The damage inflicted by sniper rifles against capital ships has been increased by 33%.

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Julien has posted his review of Microsoft's SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel. Here is a snippet from the review:

Serious gamers know that driving into their favorite racing games with a keyboard or a joystick isn’t very realistic and accurate. Until now there have only been a few expensive and rudimentary steering wheels for the PC. However, now Microsoft hopefully has got the perfect solution that will give realistic racing feelings to everyone. It seems that Microsoft has once again deployed its legendary hardware “know how” touch by unleashing an innovative state-of-the-art Force Feedback Steering Wheel using groundbreaking technology from the ever-so-popular Force Feedback Pro joystick. To accompany this new breakthrough in racing wheel hardware, this Force Feedback Wheel also comes with robust non-slip pedals.

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Sean has posted Microsoft's recently updated Windows 2000 Certified Application List; This certification means the application uses advances in Windows technology as defined in the Windows 2000 Applications Specification standards; not being certified does not mean the program will not work, it just means that it is not guaranteed. Applications that carry this Certified-for-Windows logo are designed to deliver new levels of reliability, manageability.

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We have just posted Microsoft's latest update of the Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List - This comprehensive list vitally lists all the hardware components that will work with Windows 2000. Check it out! The list is large - 1.7 MB in text format.

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Microsoft, Inc., the Seattle-based computer company recently completed a case study of Medi-Bill Associates, Inc (www.medi-bill.com). Medi-Bill, is a full service medical billing company which offers MB On-Line Access. This program enables clients to submit claims and review reports over the internet. One of the first companies to offer this type of service, Medi-Bill developed the necessary technology in conjunction with Infosys, a partner of Microsoft. ``The technology necessary to insure security, accuracy and efficiency had to be developed by a leader in the software industry,'' said Michael Sandick, President of Medi-Bill Associates. ``We knew that it was important to contract with a company who had both the expertise and the technical power to build the system that was needed. For Infosys' part, they understood that we were doing something really innovative in our field and they were excited to see how the technical and practical melded in the final product.''

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Cleanwave, an Arizona-based provider of overnight pick-up and delivery laundry services, announced today a partnership with Microsoft, Exodus Communications and Compaq to create the infrastructure for the online order fulfillment of laundry orders on their web site, www.Cleanwave.com.

Cleanwave's site will be used to process orders for the pick-up and delivery laundry service from customers in metropolitan areas across the country. Microsoft's applications and e-business platform, the high-speed site hosting capabilities of Exodus Communications and Compaq's advanced computer technology will be used to facilitate and streamline the operation of the order and fulfillment systems.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced a licensing arrangement with Labyrinten Data AB and isSound that will enable text-to-audio synchronization of eBooks created for the Microsoft^® Reader format.

Announced at the annual Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC), the technology will give publishers the option of including additional information within their eBooks to enable synchronized audio narration. This will enable consumers to freely switch between the audio and text versions of an eBook so, for example, they can choose to read the text of one chapter and then listen to another chapter being read aloud.

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Microsoft Corp.(NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Wednesday criticized a final government proposal to split the firm in order to prevent future antitrust violations as defective, vague and ambiguous.

``When an injunction is so vague and ambiguous that it 'defies comprehension' it is void and unenforceable,'' Microsoft told District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in a 44-page submission. Jackson is expected to rule soon on a remedy.

The company also criticized the judge for holding only one day of hearings on remedies May 24, in contrast to the months Microsoft had sought to prepare for extensive further proceedings.

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In its last chance to argue against a court-ordered breakup, Microsoft told U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson today that the government's proposal to split the company in two was vague and ambiguous, extreme and unjustified.

Judge Jackson, who has already found Microsoft guilty of numerous violations of antitrust law, is expected to issue his final order in the landmark case as soon as Thursday. Virtually all participants in the case, as well as outside observers, expect the judge to order that Microsoft be split into an operating-systems company and an applications company, as requested by the Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general.

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CPU Review  have updated their Athlon/P3 Price Comparison (pricing information from PriceWatch as of May 31, 2000; including tables and charts, and added P3-933 pricing).

To check it out then click here.

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Tekfront have posted their review of the setup server, Cobalt Qube. Here is a snippet of the review:

It seems everyone, weather it be a business or just a simple household has a network of some kind, and server is usually involved. Server, you ask? When most people here that word the idea of pain, hard to follow instructions, and lack of flexibility come to mind. What if I was to tell you that the days of pain when dealing with a server, would be replaced with days of joy and productivity? Interested? Keep reading? However, before I continue, let me shock you by going a little further. The size of this sever is merely a footprint, and it is still a full blown Internet and Intranet Server! Yes, it's true, keep reading to find out what the Cobalt Qube 2 can do for you for a fraction of the cost and upkeep time of a standard PC based server!

You can read more of the review here.

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Start-up instant messaging firm Odigo says it has released new software that will tear down the barrier between America Online's popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and ICQ.

The announcement could mark the first instance in which people who use the two services can communicate with each other. AOL owns both instant messaging services. Since acquiring ICQ in June 1998, the online giant has maintained a wall between the two services, but it has always acknowledged it would let customers communicate with each other if there was enough demand.

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