Microsoft Corp. today was filing its final legal brief in a landmark antitrust battle, offering a rebuttal to the government's revised plan to break it up. The company planned to submit more testimony that it felt was left out of the case.

The company's filing, expected not long after the financial markets were to close in the east, was expected to include revisions to the government's breakup proposal. According to an e-mail from Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan, the new changes ``were designed to correct the ambiguity and vagueness'' of the plan.

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Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: ELBO - news) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive e-commerce relationship with Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone, which will establish EBWorld.com as the exclusive retailer for the MSN Gaming Zone. This partnership calls for EBWorld.com to create MSN Game Shops and provide MSN's 14 million Gaming Zone members with the opportunity to purchase games and access special offers.

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The contractual aspects of the Sun-Microsoft Java squabble have resulted in another ruling by Judge Whyte, but neither side is cheering about it. In making his ruling that Sun is not entitled to $35 million in liquidated damages for Microsoft having "inadvertently" made Java source code available on its web site, the judge has set a date on which he intends to set a date for the main trial (no, really). At that hearing, expert witness names will have to be disclosed, and dates set for a cut-off for facts and expert discovery.

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Well, this week federal judge Thomas Penfield Jackson will finally order a break-up of Microsoft, a multi-billion-dollar private company. However, not many people know all of the reasons for breakup of Microsoft. Some were not included in the briefs submitted by the Department of Justice.

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Software giant Microsoft Corp (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) said on Wednesday its revenue growth in China was likely to double in 2000, driven by income from original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreements.

``The China business doubled last year and we're pretty bullish we're going to see the same growth this year,'' Graham Brant, general manager for Microsoft Hong Kong Ltd, told Reuters. Microsoft's China operation, with 500 people in offices around the country, was its sixth largest revenue-generating market after Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced that the eighth annual Microsoft^® Tech Ed event, which will be held June 5-8 in Orlando, Fla., has sold out, drawing more than 11,500 developers and IT professionals. In addition, Microsoft Tech Ed 2000 will be combined with 15 worldwide Tech Ed events for an estimated total attendance of 35,000, which makes it one of the largest worldwide technical education events ever.

This year's show will feature more ISVs, sponsors and exhibitors than previous Tech Ed events, suggesting that enterprises are more geared up than ever to Web-enable their businesses using the Microsoft Windows^® DNA 2000 platform.

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Microsoft Corp. and Quark Inc. today announced they are cooperating to enable the industry-leading QuarkXPressÔ desktop publishing software to produce eBooks and other digital documents for Microsoft^® Reader with ClearType™ display technology.

The companies plan to work together to build a Quark™ XTensionsÔ software module for avenue.quarkÔ - an enhancement to QuarkXPress that allows printed content to be repurposed for the Web and other media outlets - that will enable users of QuarkXPress 4 to easily convert content to Microsoft Reader format for multiple devices, including laptops, PCs, Pocket PCs and purpose-built reading devices. The XTension will be available for downloading from Quark's Web site (http://www.quark.com/) at no charge (connect-time charges may apply). In addition, the two companies plan to continue working closely together to incorporate this file conversion technology as an integral part of future Quark products.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced that more than 30 book publishers have participated in a production launch program for Microsoft^® Reader with ClearType™ display technology, ensuring the availability of over 800 of their books for Microsoft Reader when it launches later this summer. The launch publishers' eBooks will be offered for sale in barnesandnoble.com llc's (http://www.bn.com/) upcoming eBookstore for Microsoft Reader.

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MSN™ CarPoint™ (http://www.carpoint.com/), the leading online automotive marketplace, today announced details on the top 10 cars that get the most and least miles per gallon. At the top of the list of cars that get drivers to their destination with the least amount of fuel is the Honda Insight, providing 61 mpg around town and 71 mpg on the highway. Additional standouts include the Volkswagen Golf TDI and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

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Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in Microsoft(r) SQL Server(r) 7.0 Service Packs 1 and 2 installation routine. When run on a machine that is configured in a non-recommended mode, the routines record the administrator password in a log file, where it could be read by any user who could log onto the server at the keyboard.

When SQL Server 7.0 Service Packs 1 or 2 are installed on a machine that is configured to perform authentication using Mixed Mode, the password for the SQL Server standard security System Administrator (sa) account is recorded in plaintext in the file \%TEMP%\sqlsp.log. The default permissions on the file would allow any user to read it who could log onto the server interactively.

The password is only recorded if Mixed Mode is used, and even then, only if the adminstrator chose to use SQL Server Authentication when installing the service pack. Microsoft has long recommended that SQL servers be configured to use the more secure Windows NT Authentication Mode, and customers who have followed this recommendation would not be affected. Even on affected machines, the password could not be compromised if, per normal security recommendations, normal users are prevented from logging onto the machine interactively.

Read more

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Attorneys for Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) were busy Tuesday preparing their final legal response to the government's plan to break up the software giant for antitrust violations.

The response, due Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., will be Microsoft's last opportunity to make its case before Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson enters his final ruling. Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said the company's filing will address the substance of the Justice Department's revised breakup plan that was filed at Jackson's request. He declined to go into further detail.

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Thomas Penfield Jackson doesn't hold back: When a Microsoft lawyer once complained that too many excerpts of Bill Gates' videotaped deposition were being shown in trial, Jackson quickly made his feelings known. ``I think the problem is with your witness, not with the way in which his testimony is being presented,'' he barked.

``I think it's evident to every spectator that, for whatever reasons, in many respects Mr. Gates has not been particularly responsive,'' said the U.S. District Court judge, appointed to the bench by President Reagan in 1982.

The occasionally outspoken judge overseeing the historic antitrust lawsuit filed against Microsoft by the government and several states is no stranger to high-profile cases.

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Last Saturday's article, "Perspective on Integration, Bundling and the Law" was picked up by ZDNET News under the title, "Freeze!  It's a catch-up!" That commentary was based on my observations about recent news that Sun and Oracle were bundling their products (hardware and software) into "vertical stacks" to better serve the e-Enterprise market where they claim to have the dominant platform.  The authors of the ZDNET article suggested it was "ironic" that Sun and Oracle were actively practicing "bundling" after complaining to the Department of Justice (DoJ) about just such practices by Microsoft.  I took exception, claiming it was not ironic but an action that should have been expected:  while Microsoft was frozen in judicial limbo, Microsoft's competitors should be expected to merge forces (and software and hardware in this case) and try to catch-up to and blow by the leader!  Momentum counts for a lot in this race.  To miss this opportunity would be foolish in the extreme.

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Throughout its decade-long antitrust skirmish with the U.S. government, Microsoft has fervently maintained it is not a monopoly - that there are numerous alternatives to its market-dominating Windows operating system, its Office suite of business applications, and its browser, e-mail and back-office technologies.

But can you really run a business in today's high-tech, wired world without relying in some way on Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) technology? The answer, according to systems integrators, computer consultants and even Microsoft rivals, is a resounding yes - and no. Why the hedge? Because, they say, business realities are defined by the line between what's possible and what's practical.

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Numair Faraz was just 5 years old when he began learning the ins and outs of MS-DOS^®, and at 10, he started studying the C++ programming language. Now the 15-year-old student from Diamond Bar, Calif., is planning to spend time this summer drafting a book on computational neuroscience for the layperson. In Overland Park, Kan., 17-year-old Ephren Taylor Jr. is using his technology skills to take the concept of an after-school job one step further. Taylor and a classmate have started their own dotcom company - an online job search engine for teen-agers - by raising capital and relocating the business from Taylor's home to a real office in Kansas City, Kan. Although Faraz and Taylor already have set ambitious schedules for themselves this summer, both plan to take some time off and participate in the Teen TechFest Computer Camp, sponsored by Microsoft and ACEplanet.com.

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ThinkFast Consulting, Inc., a premier full-service provider of integrated business intelligence (BI) solutions dedicated to the strategic deployment of BI throughout and beyond the enterprise, has partnered with Microsoft Corporation and Maximal Innovative Intelligence, Ltd., to offer two complimentary half-day E-Business Intelligence seminars for finance, marketing/sales and information technology executives.

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Microsoft boasts in its ads that the company's innovation has made it a world technology leader. But that's not the only way the software giant is blazing trails. Just as aggressively as it has developed and marketed software, Microsoft is using innovative tactics to become a powerhouse in the political arena.

As a federal judge prepares to order a breakup of the company as early as this week because of antitrust violations, lobbying and political connections might be one of Microsoft's best hopes of emerging intact.

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) may be King of the Hill in basic software for personal computers, but in the realm of handheld computing a competitor has a near monopoly.

Four out of every five personal digital assistants, or PDAs, sold the past few years have come from Palm Inc. (NasdaqNM:PALM - news) To take on Palm, which has its own operating system for handhelds, Microsoft launched last month a revamped operating system called Pocket PC.

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BrainBuzz.com, the leading online career vortal for IT professionals, announced today a joint marketing partnership with Microsoft's Tech-Ed 2000 conference. The Tech-Ed 2000 event, to be held in Orlando June 4 through June 7, attracts nearly 15,000 IT professionals and developers, giving them the technical education they need on the newest products, technologies and services

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From outside, the four-story Tudor house looked like any other home on the tree-lined streets of Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood. But what was going on inside was much different. Microsoft had leased the house, packed it with college students and technology, and assigned one task: develop a dot-com venture. The software company then spent three weeks, 24 hours a day, watching, listening and learning..

This exercise was just one in a series of efforts by Microsoft to determine how today’s teenagers and twenty-somethings -- the so-called Internet Generation -- work, learn, live and use technology. The company plans to use this knowledge to ensure its products and services keep pace with the generational and technological evolution of its customers.

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Microsoft Corp., working closely with the Greater Houston Area Red Cross and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) in a joint project known as "A Class Act," recently helped provide school supplies for children in foreign countries ravaged by war or natural disasters. The supplies were sent in "school chests," cartons filled with typical school supplies such as pencils, rulers, chalk, erasers, crayons, paper, and even soccer balls and jump ropes. Students from Houston-area elementary and middle schools gathered the supplies and filled the chests.

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Microsoft is giving developers improved tools for building applications designed to improve workplace efficiency and communication.

Microsoft last week announced Microsoft® Office 2000 Developer Edition Version 1.5, an updated version of Office 2000 Developer that offers new tools for building workflow applications and collaborative Office solutions. By integrating with and capitalizing on features in Exchange 2000 Server and SQL Server™ 7.0, the tools will enable developers to create better solutions for Office-based collaboration and to fully automate a variety of business processes. Microsoft also announced the release to manufacturing of Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server, which will be included in Office Developer Edition Version 1.5. Used in conjunction with Exchange 2000 Server, the Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server allows developers to quickly build Exchange-based collaborative workflow solutions.

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Constantly typing in passwords and user names when entering different online stores can make for a frustrating shopping experience.

But as more businesses and shoppers are finding out, Microsoft has a solution. The Microsoft® Passport service streamlines the online shopping process by allowing customers to use the same user name and password at any participating store. For online businesses, the single sign-in service helps eliminate the hassle of creating, protecting and managing user names and passwords. And the service continues to attract business participants.

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File Flash has posted that there are new drivers out for the RAGE 128/RAGE 128 PRO for all recent Windows operating systems. Here is a short breakdown of what the new drivers do:

Windows NT driver - An Open GL compliant driver
Windows 95b/98 driver - A special purpose driver that includes full compatibility with Direct3D and OpenGL applications
Windows 2000 driver - has a brand new special purpose driver out for you Windows 2000 users who want full Direct3D and OpenGL support with their RAGE 128 and RAGE 128 PRO cards.

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Noticed an updated version of CPUCooL. CPUCooL is a program that monitors temperature, fan speed, and voltages for many motherboards. It works with all chipsets from Intel, ALI, VIA, AMD, and SIS 5595 motherboards.

You can download CPUCooL v5.1.9.2 from here.

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A new DVD Genie is out. DVD Genie allows you to modify the region code for popular software-based DVD Players such as Software Cinemaster, PowerDVD and WinDVD (among a few). It also allows you to tweak these programs with undocumented features to better fit your system. DVD Genie will also allow you to select which program runs when a DVD Disc is inserted into the drive and contains support for fullscreen Zooming on widescreen movies with certain players.

You can download DVD Genie v3.50 from here.

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Microsoft has issued a last minute cancellation of its Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS) announcement, which was scheduled for June 1st. Several times already the company has put back the date when it will put some flesh on the bones of the project it has described as comparable in cost and ambition to the development of the Boeing 747 and NASA's lunar programme, but this time it could be serious. NGWS now seems poised on the brink of disappearing into a legal morass which could last months, even years.

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Gamesutra have posted a postmortem of Turbine Entertainments's Asheron's Call. It has been written by the lead designer of Asheron's Call and is quite a good read. Here is a snippet of the postmortem:

In May 1995, I walked into a small suburban home in southern Massachusetts and met my new co-workers. Having left my previous job at a genetics lab, I expected nothing more than an interesting summer project as "A Game Writer." Little did I realize what was in store for me and this start-up company called Turbine.

Having filled every nook of a residential home with PCs, an enterprising group of about ten developers was already busy working on the game that would one day become Asheron's Call. Although not a single one of them had professional game development experience, I was immediately impressed with their enthusiasm and dedication. After introductions, I was told to scrounge around for a desk. Upon securing an end table and a plastic lawn chair, I sat down and started meeting with various team members to figure out just what this game was all about.

You can read more here.

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You've already popped for the "Viva Rock Vegas" digital watch, the Bedrock yo-yo, the Wilma Flintstone doll. Yours may be a modern Stone Age family, but that doesn't mean you live under a rock. A new alliance between Universal Pictures and custom browser developer NeoPlanet Inc. will deliver Fred, Barney and the rest of their caveman crew to the desktops of a new, Web-savvy generation of "Flintstones" fans.

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I have posted my review of the Samsung AnyCam MPC C-10. Here is a snippet of the review:

Unlike the conventional input device that requires a separate capture board, the MPC-C10 USB(Universal Serial Bus) camera is readily and directly linked to the computer without separate capture board, thereby providing easy access even for beginners. MPC-C10 is in fact an eye for the computer and is easily connected to the standard USB port of the PC to provide video and audio communications, video games, capturing the still/moving image and establishment of the electronic albums. So, It's a multipurpose digital camera for PC.

You can read more of the review here.

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Microsoft are working on a new chat format for their MSN service (Which will integrate with MSN 6 in the future). You can check out the new format now via http://beta.chat.msn.com/ or register your nick name with them at http://nickname.msn.com. If you have a problem joining a chat - change the URL to this - http://beta.chat.msn.com/download2.asp?Return=join.asp. Here are the new features:

• Registered Nicks Once you claim a handle, it's yours to keep. So register your nickname to be the one and only.
• Personal Profile Create a page to tell the world who you are. Let friends put a face to the name, share your favorite links & more.
• Find a Friend Looking for a friend? Just type in their nick to find out where they are. Then you can visit them in their room - or invite them to yours!
• Tag Friends In a busy chat room? Trying to talk to several friends? Now you can tag friends to make their messages easier to follow.
• Whisper it! "Whispering" is better than ever! Try the optional floating whisper box or the right click viewing of any whisperer's public profile.
• My Chats Have a favorite chat? Click the "Add to My Chats" Option in the Chat Room and start a list of the best chats on the Web. Hand picked, by you!
• Easy Navigation Find the most popular rooms and keep you and your friends stay on top in our new member sort order.
• Sounds New sound events tell you when a user is tagged, hosting or invited to a chat.
• Feedback Chat Try out our new features in The Lobby and let us know what you think!

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The government on Friday refiled its plan to break Microsoft into two, including technical suggestions from the presiding judge and setting the stage for a final ruling in the landmark antitrust case as early as next week.

The government's filing came in the form of an order which District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson could sign and issue, mandating the eventual break-up of Microsoft (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) and immediate restrictions on its conduct.

It was very similar to the sweeping plan the government filed late last month. The government proposal would split Microsoft into one company that manufactures operating systems and a second that makes everything else -- in particular, the dominant Microsoft Web browser.

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Microsoft Corp. said Friday it was pushing back its Forum 2000 from June 1 to June 22 because of "strong indications" that the judge in the company's antitrust case might issue a final decree next week. The forum, which will take place in Redmond, is expected to be the venue where the software maker provides details about Next Generation Windows services, one of its biggest new architecture announcements in years.

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The government put final touches Friday on its plan to split Microsoft in two because it violated U.S. antitrust laws.

The proposed order was to be filed by day's end with District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who ruled last month that Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) violated antitrust law by abusing monopoly power. The trial suddenly moved into high gear earlier this week, at what Microsoft lawyers expected to be the first of many routine hearings on a remedy.

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A new patch has been released for Windows NT and Windows 2000. Funny that the Windows 2000 versions file name has SP2 written on it:

Summary

Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability and the patch can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-036.asp

Issue

• The “ResetBrowser Frame” vulnerability, which affects both Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. Like most implementations, the Windows implementation provides the ability for a Master Browser to shut down other browsers via the ResetBrowser frame. However, there is no capability to configure a browser to ignore ResetBrowser frames. This could allow a malicious user to shut down browsers on his subnet as a denial of service attack against the browser service, or, in the worst case, to shut down all browsers and declare his machine the new Master Browser.
• The “HostAnnouncement Flooding” vulnerability, which does not affect Windows 2000. Because there is no means of limiting the size of the browse table in Windows NT 4.0, a malicious user could send a huge number of bogus HostAnnouncement frames to a Master Browser. The resulting replication traffic could consume most or all of the network bandwidth and cause other problems in processing the table as well.
  
  

Affected Software Versions

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The European Commission on Friday has reiterated its concerns over U.S. software firm Microsoft Corp's (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) plans to buy MediaOne Group Inc's (NYSE:UMG - news) 29.7 percent stake in British cable company Telewest Communications

``We sent Microsoft a statement of objections last week,'' Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said. ``But this is a quite normal procedural step. It's something we do in 90 percent of cases where we have launched an in-depth investigation into a merger or acquisition.''

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The Justice Department is expected to stick with its plan to split Microsoft in half rather than adopt a suggestion by anti-Microsoft industry groups to divide the company into three parts, a source close to the antitrust case said Thursday.

The proposal for a three-way split, instead of the two-way breakup suggested by the Justice Department, came unexpectedly in a packed courtroom. Company lawyers flinched and observers looked on in amazement as U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson expressed his admiration for the industry groups' friend-of-the-court brief.

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Thanks To Stephen O'Grady for the tip: I'd heard a while ago that Microsoft was dropping the BackOffice name and it appears that it quietly happened this week. If you navigate to the old BackOffice Web site, you will be redirected to a new site for "Microsoft Servers." Likewise, this site, not the old BackOffice site, is linked to from Microsoft's main product page.

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Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ - news) today announced the opening of the Compaq and Microsoft Datacenter Solutions Lab. With the goal of providing customers with the most robust, reliable and comprehensive Windows 2000 Datacenter Server deployment, this new Compaq facility will be jointly staffed by Compaq and Microsoft personnel. The 3,000 sq. ft. lab, located near Microsoft's Redmond campus, will support the Compaq Datacenter Joint Support Queue and provide customers with a centralized point of communication for ensuring efficient and reliable problem resolution.

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Microsoft says the judge in its antitrust case is rushing to judgement on whether to divide the firm, but experts said on Thursday although its argument may be a good one it faces an uphill battle in appeals court.

District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson abruptly ended the trial Wednesday two years after it was filed, asking the government to tinker with a proposal to break the company into two entities before resubmitting it Friday. Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) can comment on the form of that final draft, but not do much more.

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Antivirus software maker Computer Associates International warned of a new email virus called Cybernet, which can affect Microsoft's Outlook program and disable computers. The virus, much like the "I Love You" virus, also spreads through Microsoft's software, Computer Associates said.

Cybernet appears as an email with a subject line "You've Got Mail!!!" and says it's virus free, but it will try to format a computer user's hard drive and infect Microsoft Word or Excel files. Cybernet can overload email servers because it attaches to the first 50 entries in a person's Microsoft Outlook address book.

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Here is the latest on the new SoundBlaster Live! drivers for Windows 2000:

Latest info that I have so far looks like around mid-June, folks.
If the date changes, I'll update it. And if it looks like its going
to get posted sooner, I'll try and beat you guys to posting the news.

Still checking on the CT4700 issue for the folks who inquired in this
NG.
--
Harvey Fong
Technical Marketing Specialist
Audio Products
Creative Labs Inc.

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Watch out Microsoft, RealNetworks and Apple--here comes Yahoo. As the heavyweights of streaming media technology duke it out for market share, Yahoo is quietly testing software for playing and managing digital media files intended to go head-to-head with the market leaders.

As first reported by CNET News.com, in addition to playing Internet radio stations, the Yahoo Player supports formats including MP3, Windows Media and CDs.

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Microsoft and Yahoo! control the top five Internet domains accessed by British surfers in April, audience research group Nielsen/NetRatings said Thursday. MSN.com led with nearly three million visitors, 600,000 more than number two Yahoo.com. These were followed by Microsoft.com, Yahoo.co.uk and Microsoft's Passport.com, which is linked to its hotmail Web-based email service.

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A court ruled Thursday that a Taiwanese company should pay Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) about $7.8 million for stealing the U.S. company's Windows 95 and other software. Microsoft, the huge software company based in Redmond, Wash., sought the compensation in 1996 after Taiwanese police seized 58,000 copies of pirated software in a raid of Chung Ti Technology Co.'s warehouse in Taipei.

Chung Ti's owner Hu Chung Lin has been sentenced to two years in jail for copyright infringement in a separate case. The Taiwan High Court said Chung Ti had exported the fake products and made improper profits at the expense of the U.S. company. It was not immediately known if the Taiwanese firm will appeal the ruling. Under pressure from the United States, Taiwan has stepped up its crackdown on copyright infringement in recent years.

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Voter.com and Microsoft Corp. today announced a content-sharing, co-branding and advertising deal that will help usher politics into the Internet age. The deal will launch a co-branded Web site between Voter.com and Slate.com, the leading Internet political magazine, and will create extensive links between MSNBC and Voter.com. The exclusive deal confirms Voter.com's dominance of the online political space on the Internet and fortifies Voter.com's reputation as the political portal of choice in a new political era.

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Creative Labs has posted its FastTrax Driver Release 516 (NVIDIA drivers, Creative Display Director). The Creative Display Director will allow you to adjust all of the configurable parameters of your NVIDIA based Creative Graphics Card. Please note that these drivers are BETA, and no technical support will be available for them.

You can download the file from here.

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Hosting more than 160 CEOs from around the world, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates painted a future of technology and the Internet that will emphasize personalization and desktop-free computing.

Not surprisingly, Gates' vision of the future looked suspiciously like the future his software company is working to build. Next week, Gates and other Microsoft officials will unveil their plans for Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS) at a Forum 2000 conference here.

NGWS will move Microsoft away from its desktop-computing paradigm to a world where personal information is stored on servers and can be accessed from any device, anywhere.

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The Microsoft® Windows® platform brings considerable flexibility to embedded and appliance devices. At the recent WinHEC 2000 conference, Microsoft demonstrated a broad range of Windows Powered appliances, such as a handheld bar code scanner, point-of-sale terminals, and server appliances for enterprises and small businesses. The demos showed that Windows CE, Windows NT® Embedded and Windows 2000 can help developers build end-to-end business solutions for a wide range of business customers and applications.

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Microsoft has reached another milestone on the road to bringing Microsoft® Windows® 2000 to the enterprise.

Microsoft yesterday announced the delivery of Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Beta 2 to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and independent hardware vendors (IHVs). The release will allow these companies to help their customers evaluate Windows 2000 Datacenter Server and the Windows Datacenter Program.

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Intel Corp. Wednesday announced that it is shipping its 933MHz Pentium III chip. The new processor, for desktop PCs, is priced at $744 in 1,000-unit quantities.

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The federal judge hearing the government's antitrust case against software giant Microsoft today ordered the Justice Department to submit an alternative plan for a breakup of the company.

After hearing a little more than four hours of arguments in his courtroom, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson told lawyers for the Justice Department's antitrust division to update by Friday the government's plan for remedying the company's anticompetitive conduct.

A new breakup plan may include splitting the Redmond, Wash., company into three parts, including one strictly for its Web browser, instead of the two-way split the government had envisioned earlier.

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The judge in the Microsoft antitrust trial said he foresees ``no further process'' in the trial after Wednesday's hearing on possible remedies, setting the stage for an early decision.

``I contemplate no further process,'' Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson told the hearing. He did not make clear when he may rule on the case. Jackson is considering remedies to restore competition in the software industry after finding last month that Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) abused its monopoly power in personal computer operating systems.

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While arguing Wednesday for their proposal to break up Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news), attorneys for the Justice Department revealed two new e-mails by company chairman Bill Gates which, they contend, show Microsoft's continuing efforts to dominate the software market.

The first e-mail, from Gates to a select group of managers and executives, deals with wireless, handheld computers and personal digital assistants. Gates urges his managers to make changes in the Microsoft Outlook e-mail program to aid the adoption of Microsoft's line of handhelds instead of the popular Palm Computing Inc. models.

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Julien has posted his comprehensive review of Corel WordPerfect Office 2000 Standard Edition. Here is a snippet from the review:

There was a time, years ago, when WordPerfect was the leading and best selling word processing software, worldwide. Even Microsoft wanted to beat its supremacy. Remember the hidden Easter egg of Microsoft Word 2.0, where a monster destructed the WordPerfect icon! Since then times have changed and WordPerfect has encountered a lot of difficulties. It was bought by Novell and re-bought by Corel. Corel is maybe the best thing that happens to WordPerfect - since it brings WordPerfect to Corel’s touch. This new office software suite also comes with the old leading spreadsheet software named Quattro Pro. Quattro Pro was the “jewel software” of Borland that was sold to Corel. Along with some other new features, Corel brings these great applications together in this brand new suite. Is Corel WordPerfect Office 2000 Standard Edition worth the buy? Read and find out!

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The judge in the Microsoft antitrust trial on Wednesday questioned a government plan to split the software giant in two, and praised an outside proposal to break off its Internet browser into a third company.``The effect of a bisection will in effect create two separate monopolies,'' District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said in questioning the government's proposal at the start of hearings on how to address Microsoft's monopoly power.

Later, Jackson praised as an ``excellent brief'' a 65-page friend-of-the-court filing submitted by the Computer and Communications Industry Association and Software and Information Industry Association.``Rather than reorganizing Microsoft into only a Windows company and a single applications company, the court should supplement plaintiffs' proposed final judgement by separating the Internet Explorer product and personnel into a third, independent company,'' the brief said.

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The judge presiding over the Microsoft antitrust case grilled government lawyers today over their plan to break the software giant into two separate companies.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson expressed reservations on making an immediate decision whether to break the company up, wondering aloud whether it should first be heard by an appeals court. But he also rebuffed a request by a Microsoft attorney to further delay the case. ``I intend to proceed to the merits of the remedy'' for violations of antitrust law, Jackson told Microsoft lawyer John Warden at the start of today's hearing in federal court here.

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The judge presiding over the government's antitrust suit against Microsoft today rebuffed a request by a company lawyer to delay consideration of the Justice Department request to break up the software giant.

``I intend to proceed to the merits of the remedy'' for violations of antitrust law, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson told Microsoft lawyer John Warden at the start of today's hearing in federal court here. Warden had told the judge he thought that only two items should be on the agenda - the company's motion to dismiss the government's suit and a discussion of the timetable for the case.

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Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates today told CEOs of leading companies from around the world that the Internet is rapidly entering a new third phase, beyond mere connectivity and simple transactions. In a speech opening Microsoft's fourth annual CEO Summit, Gates shared his belief that the successful companies in this next generation of the Internet will be those that renew their customer commitment, strengthen ties with partners and use the power of leading-edge Internet services to enable seamless interaction both within their organization and throughout their business model.

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Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq: MSFT) fate in its epic antitrust battle may now depend on the very machine that the company helped make ubiquitous: a computer. Lawyers on both sides already are looking beyond Judge Jackson's courtroom to the inevitable appeal, which will likely be heard by a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Under a standard procedure rarely breached in that appeals court, a computer will randomly assign the three-judge panel to the case from the court's six Republican and four Democratic appointees.

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Microsoft Corp's (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) MSN Internet service plans to spend US$90 million in Asia to offer new services and expand its marketing and raise brand awareness over the next 12 months, a company executive said on Wednesday.

``Over the next 12 months, we intend to invest in Asia alone close to US$90 million. That obviously shows our commitment to the region,'' Moshe Lichtman, the vice-president of the company's international consumer group, told a news briefing.

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I have posted up a review of the new Microsoft Network including information on the UI etc etc. Here is a snippet:

Installation is a breeze, it takes about 30 seconds to get the program installed. A female voice greets you and helps you through the easy parts of the installation. The first screen that greets you is the License Agreement, once you have accepted this it is on to the next part.

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As mentioned earlier - Microsoft has launched their new MSN preview 1 for download. Here are some of the new features:

• Cool new Web interface
• Easy sign-in and access to your favorite MSN features
• Integrated support for music and video
• Support for multiple users
• Simple, low impact installation

Take note that Microsoft recommend installing it on a US-English operating system - but this preview DOES install on all language versions apart from Japanse.

Begin Downloading MSN Preview 1

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Daily Radar has posted five movies of gameplay from upcoming Microsoft games, including Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion and Mechwarrior 4. You can download all the movies by going to here.

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We recently had a chance to sit down with Kevin Bachus, Microsoft's point man for third party relations. The console is still roughly a year and a half away, so there is very little hard information right now. So we decided to focus on the general strategy behind Xbox's third party development, for both domestic and Japanese publishers.

Daily Radar: Let's begin by talking about your general relationship with third-party developers. There has been a lot of speculation about Microsoft as a development partner. How have third parties reacted to you, considering that you have traditionally been considered a competitor?

Kevin Bachus: Well, that's an interesting question; I haven't been asked that before. Honestly, it surprised us because they seemed to have welcomed us as a newcomer into the market more than we anticipated. To some extent, everyone likes an underdog, and in most markets we're not, and that's kind of a refreshing change. So the fact that we have no "baggage," no sort of "legacy policy," has been refreshing to them.

To read more of the interview, click here.

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After months of back-and-forth volleying between Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) and the government, the question of what sanctions should be imposed against the software giant now shifts to the federal judge who has overseen the antitrust case from its start.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson is trying to craft a remedy that will curb Microsoft's future behavior and restore competition in the software industry. His attention, and that of everyone else involved in the case, centers on a government proposal that would split Microsoft into two companies. Just how seriously Jackson is considering the plan could be indicated during a hearing scheduled for today.

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Just an update to state that Microsoft is due to finally launch the beta of their new look MSN sometime today. This will be the first time people get to see Mars in action, the majority of expert internet users are not likely to be too impressed but it should be pretty good for novice users.

The site area and download area will be http://preview.msn.com.

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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.

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Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) today announced the availability of the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Datacenter Server beta 2 release to industry partners including server hardware vendors, IHVs, ISVs and research institutes. Windows 2000 Datacenter Server is Microsoft's operating system for the most demanding levels of availability and scalability. Delivery of beta 2 to qualified Datacenter Server hardware vendors enables them to provide a complete evaluation platform to beta and Joint Development Program (JDP) participants for high-end enterprise computing solutions, such as large dotcoms, application service providers, online transaction processing, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, data warehousing, enterprise messaging and server consolidation.

``The availability of beta 2 and the launch of the Datacenter JDP is a key milestone toward completing the validation of all the elements of the Windows Datacenter Program,'' said Michel Gambier, group product manager of Enterprise Server Marketing at Microsoft. ``Working closely with our industry partners, beta and JDP customers, our objective is not only to test the operating system, but also the Datacenter Hardware Compatibility Test and services framework of the program.''

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) co-founder Paul Allen sold $3.4 billion of the software giant's stock since mid-February and plans to sell $75.8 million more for diversification, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Allen unloaded 35.5 million common shares valued at $3.4 billion between Feb. 16 and March 7, according to a filing he recently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission,

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Microsoft today finally confirmed that build 2525.6 released last week has been classed as Release Candidate 1. There isn't much else to add on the matter apart from saying that the final release is getting closer and closer.

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Microsoft chairman Bill Gates plans to spend 130 million pounds ($193.2 million) to bring the world's brightest students to England's Cambridge University, the Times reported on Tuesday. The newspaper, citing an unidentified source for its information, said it would be the biggest international scholarship scheme yet launched in Britain.

The Microsoft boss's personal charity was preparing to set up a permanent foundation that would finance 230 scholarships at Cambridge, where a Bill Gates House would be established as a students' center, the Times said. The scholars could be of any nationality and would be able to study any subject offered at Cambridge, but they were likely to be drawn largely from the fields of science and technology.

``This is a global project. It's not just for selected students, it's for the best students in the whole world,'' the source was quoted as saying. o immediate comment was available from Cambridge University or Microsoft on the report.

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Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday many Arab states were in a good position to put many governmental functions online because of their small populations. ``Due to the relatively low populations in their countries, some Arab governments are faced with an enormous opportunity to extend e-government more quickly and easily than (some) other countries,'' Pierre Dupont, Microsoft's e-government specialist for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said at a briefing.

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Time Warner today announced that Microsoft^® Reader with ClearType™ display technology will be a reading format for the iRead channel of iPublish.com at Time Warner Books, a pioneering new online publishing venture also announced today at the eBook Pocket PC event.

Designed to showcase a wide range of published works and serve as a catalyst for increased distribution of electronic titles to online outlets, iRead will help spur interest in the unique advantages of eBooks and ePublishing. It will be one of three channels in iPublish.com at Time Warner Books (http://www.ipublish.com/), an ambitious online community that will unite readers, authors and editors.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced new tools for building workflow applications and collaborative Microsoft^® Office solutions that integrate and take advantage of features in Microsoft Exchange 2000 and Microsoft SQL Server™ 7.0. Office 2000 Developer Edition version 1.5 offers professional tools for building tracking and workflow solutions, including the new Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server, the Workflow Designer for SQL Server, and the developer editions of Exchange 2000 Server and SQL Server 7.0. In addition to existing Office developer tools, these workflow tools allow for quick and easy development of collaborative, Office-based solutions that help automate business processes. Today's announcement was made in conjunction with the release to manufacturing (RTM) of the Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server, ensuring retail availability of Office 2000 Developer version 1.5 in late July.

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Highlighting the strength of the Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 platform for the ISP/ASP market, Microsoft Corp. further demonstrates its commitment to the success of ISPs, cable operators, telecommunications companies and Web hosters at ISPCON Spring 2000, the world's largest gathering for the Internet's professional community. A keynote address on Windows Media™ technology and a host of tools and technologies illustrating the strength of the Windows 2000 platform will help demonstrate the many ways in which ISPs and ASPs are successfully implementing and managing solutions based on tools from Microsoft and its industry partners.

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Microsoft Corp. announced today that "Timeline," the latest bestselling novel from author Michael Crichton, is available free for immediate download from barnesandnoble.com in the Microsoft^® Reader format for the Pocket PC (connect-time charges may apply).

The news was released at a press conference attended this morning by Crichton; Dick Brass, vice president of Technology Development at Microsoft; Erik Engstrom, president and chief operating officer of Random House Inc., publisher of Crichton's books in the English-speaking world; and Steve Riggio, vice chairman of barnesandnoble.com llc.

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Microsoft Corp. will announce partnerships with Simon & Schuster, a unit of Viacom Inc. and Random House, a unit of Germany's Bertelsmann AG (BTGGga.DE), to obtain popular titles for its electronic book software, according to The New York Times. Over the next three weeks there will be more such announcements, the New York Times said, citing a person close to Microsoft.

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Despite a late-day rally, the stock market was down Monday. The Nasdaq shed 26 points to 3,364, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 84 points to 10,543.

Leading the tech decline was Microsoft Corp., which fell to a 52-week low of $62.44 before closing down 88 cents to $64.19, a loss of 1 percent and a new 52-week-low close. Microsoft countered the U.S. Department of Justice with a court filing Monday that argued the government's proposal to break up the company contradicts the Justice Department's stance taken five years ago.

The Nasdaq, which halted trading of MicroAge Inc. on April 14, has delisted the Tempe, Ariz.-based Web integrator at of the opening of business Monday. MicroAge filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions on April 13.

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Who wants digital entertainment on just the computer these days? Everything out there is going digital in some form or another isn't it? Everybody I've ever had the pleasure to speak to says digital entertainment is for the computer, and the computer alone. Well, I have news for you that isn't the case anymore! The computer is in most homes today considered a "family" system right? However, the computer is a very single user device last time I checked. One member would have a the system for a period of time, then another member of the family might use the system for awhile. Most families as a whole today use the computer for a form of digital media for doing several things, the Internet, DVD, or the new digital format MP3, which allows you to record your CD audio collection in a digital file format for playback with the loss of clarity you might experience in other forms such as a wave file.

You can download BulletProof FTP v1.21 from here.

Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it will soon unveil new software to make its MSN Internet service easier for Net novices, hoping to draw more business away from Web access giant America Online Inc.

The software, which will be made available in a test version later this week, will integrate popular features of the Internet such as search, Web browsing and digital media, Deanna Sanford, lead product manager for MSN marketing said in an interview. To make the service easier to use, Microsoft essentially customized its Internet Explorer Web browser, adding bright, cartoonish icons across the top for one-click access to common Internet features.

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Microsoft (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) Chairman Bill Gates's investment vehicle plans to sell about $450,000 of its stake in Red Hat Inc. (NasdaqNM:RHAT - news), a provider of Linux-based software, according to a regulatory filing.

Cascade Investment LLC, based in Kirkland, Wash., notified the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month of its intention to sell 18,575 common shares, or $450,000, of Red Hat. The filing was dated May 8.

The stock was part of 4 million shares acquired by Cascade in September 1998. It was not immediately known if the shares have already been sold, but Cascade, managed by Michael Larson, sold 222,187 Red Hat shares for more than $9 million at the end of March, the filing showed.

Red Hat shares were down 1-11/16 to 17-1/2 in Nasdaq trading on Monday afternoon. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., Red Hat is one of the best known distributors of Linux, an alternative computer operating system to the Windows system from Microsoft Corp. Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, is one of the world's richest men. The Linux systems are based on ``open source'' codes that are nonproprietary and freely available.

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When Microsoft rolls out its Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS) architecture next week, about the only bigwig who won't be onstage is group vice president Jim Allchin. That's an odd coincidence, given the fact that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) officials have promised that NGWS will provide a road map for Microsoft's future client and server products. As a member of President Steve Ballmer's inner circle, the so-called Business Leadership Team, Allchin is one of the company's key strategists. Microsoft officials insisted Allchin won't be there live because he'll be on a well-deserved two-month vacation. But as Microsoft watchers are well aware, in recent months "sabbatical" and "vacation" have become synonymous at Microsoft with "resignation."

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A phone call from a Microsoft lawyer earlier this month provided some more signposts as to how Microsoft intends to implement/embrace 'open' industry standards. Jason Bishop, who'd been involved in development of SOAP in his previous job as a contractor at Microsoft, was due to give a talk to the Seattle area Java-XML SIG, but immediately prior to his presentation he took the call, and was reminded that he was still covered by NDA.

In an email to SIG members after the meeting SIG chair Dennis Sosnowski said that Bishop had to "severely edit his presentation at the last minute," following the lawyer's call, and expressed some bafflement: " I was puzzled to hear about this, since I couldn't imagine (1) what he'd have been talking about that would be proprietary or (2) why the most innovative legal staff in the industry would be so concerned to make sure he didn't spill anything. I was even more surprised when several Microsoft SOAP people, apparently including a lawyer, then showed up at our meeting (none of them having any interest whatsoever in Java, as far as I could tell). Jason was unable to tell me anything, of course, but the amount of concern from M$ got my interest."

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Marking its latest effort in its battle against Microsoft, RealNetworks today unveiled a product that packages many of its online media delivery services into one offering. Real Entertainment Center, as the new product is called, bundles some of the company's most popular products, including a new version of its audio and video streaming software, RealPlayer 8; RealJukebox 2, which transforms CD tracks into digital format; and RealDownload 4, which manages the way people download files from the Web.

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Microsoft Corp. (NasdaqNM:MSFT - news) argued in an unexpected court filing on Monday that the government said in an earlier case five years ago it would be against the public interest to break up the company.

``The government has already admitted that the breakup of Microsoft would be 'dangerous to the economy's welfare' and 'against the public interest,''' Microsoft argued in an unscheduled filing just two days before a hearing on the case.

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Microsoft is making it more challenging than ever for technology professionals to become Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers. With many companies expected to adopt Windows 2000, and the need for more highly skilled workers to help them plan and manage that migration, Microsoft is raising the bar for MCSE candidates by revamping the tests required for its new MCSE Windows 2000 credential -- including rigorous testing for real-world skills. Not only must the next generation of MCSEs know how to design, develop and manage Windows 2000 applications and related Microsoft server products, they must also prove their skills and experience on new performance-based exams that test hands-on experience rather than rote memorization of facts.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced widespread industry support from leading independent software vendors (ISVs) for its Windows Media™ screen capture technology, the industry's first true-to-the-source screen-capture compression technology for capturing and streaming computer motion without any loss in image quality or screen content. The unique Windows Media screen technology, designed for real-time streaming of computer-generated content for corporate training, distance learning, and streamed software presentations has experienced rapid acceptance by software developers since being unveiled last month.

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OverDrive Inc. and Microsoft Corp. announced a comprehensive set of authoring tools and services to enable publishers to easily create eBook titles based on Microsoft® Reader with ClearType™ display technology. A beta version of the initial product, ReaderWorks Standard -- which enables individuals to convert content from Microsoft Word, HTML, ASCII, OEB or image files into Microsoft Reader format -- is available via free download from the ReaderWorks Web site (connect-time fees may apply).

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Microsoft Corp. today announced results from a new report by ZD Labs that independently verified the streaming scalability and reliability of Microsoft® Windows Media™ Services, and challenged the digital media industry to follow suit by freely allowing public evaluation of the scalability and reliability of streaming server technology. The ZD Labs study, released today, demonstrated that Windows Media Services, a part of Windows^® 2000 Advanced Server, provides customers with unmatched scalability and reliability. This study, together with Microsoft's public load simulator software and the public disclosure of ZD Labs testing methodology, demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to freely providing customers with the information and tools they need to make the most educated decision in the selection of a streaming media platform.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced that Steve Ballmer, president and CEO of Microsoft, will deliver the opening keynote address at Microsoft® Fusion 2000. Fusion 2000, Microsoft's premier partner event of the year, will be held at the World Congress Center and Georgia Dome in Atlanta, July 14-17. Ballmer will kick off the show on July 14 by discussing how the Internet is changing the way we do business, the way people communicate, and even the way we are entertained. Throughout the four-day show, other leaders within Microsoft's Enterprise and Partner Group, including Jeff Raikes, group vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, will focus on business opportunities for the channel provided by the growing Internet economy and related new solution offerings for customers.

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Microsoft Corp. and Epic Records Group today announced they have reached an agreement to feature the song "New Skin" by Incubus in "Motocross Madness™ 2," a new game for the PC from Microsoft. "Motocross Madness 2" is the sequel to the award-winning "Motocross Madness," an action racing game that captures the raw adrenaline of professional motocross racing and freestyle stunt competition.

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Continuing its leadership in bringing digital media to audiences worldwide, Microsoft Corp. today announced the addition of 13 international versions of its Windows Media™ Player 7 Media Guide, featuring localized audio and video from more than 260 of the world's foremost content providers.

Three international versions of the Media Guide -- Brazil, Japan and Latin America -- are available immediately. Ten more will be launched by the end of May: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The Media Guide, a feature of Windows Media Player 7, offers direct access from the player to featured audio and video content.

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Microsoft Corp. today announced that Windows Media™ Technologies is now the leading choice among enterprise customers using streaming media, according to independent research firm Market Decisions Corp. (MDC). MDC's April 2000 study of 1,200 large organizations found that 46 percent of those using streaming media chose Microsoft^® Windows Media versus 43 percent that chose RealNetworks, the next largest competitor. In addition, the study found the use of streaming media among large organizations has doubled from 10 percent to 20 percent since October 1999, and the use of streaming media among enterprise organizations is growing dramatically, as indicated by the number of companies intending to deploy streaming media solutions over the next six months growing by 125 percent in the same period.

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Microsoft may get an idea this week just how seriously the federal judge in the antitrust case is considering a government proposal to split up the software company. A remedy hearing scheduled for Wednesday could provide insight into U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's thinking.

``What would be a major development is if the judge gave any indication on his thinking about whether a breakup remedy is even on the table,'' said Rich Gray, an antitrust expert in Silicon Valley.

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Microsoft's Love Bug patch for Outlook has already been criticised for being too drastic a solution, but now it's coming under fire from Gartner for both this and for the complexity involved in deploying it. After years of being abused for taking a cavalier attitude to security, now Microsoft is taking flak for getting the fix wrong.

Attacks like the Love Bug and Melissa used an attachment to replicate themselves by sending messages to all entries in the Outlook address book of the infected machine. The Microsoft patch, which will be generally available shortly, requires manual authorisation if any external application attempts to use the address book, and filters out a wide range of executables and shortcuts. This in itself seriously maims the intended functionality of Outlook (although you might think that's a good thing), but it seems that getting the fix to users could be troublesome.

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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.

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