Microsoft on Tuesday released a beta version of Visio 2007, its data organization and visualization tool for Microsoft Office 2007. Visio 2007 has four new feature sets: data linking, data refresh, data graphics and pivot diagrams. Richard Wolf, general manager Office Visio, demonstrated the new capabilities Tuesday at the Interop New York Exposition IT conference.
Visio 2007 is now part of the Office 2007 Beta 2 release on Microsoft's Web site. The release sparked snickers across cyberspace in July, when it became clear that Microsoft would charge interested testers $1.50 per download, an uncommon practice for software developers. Since then, Microsoft has reported that it is revamping the Office 2007 "ribbons" interface as a result of beta testers pointing out screen space issues.
Microsoft is clamping down on software piracy, announcing Sept. 19 that it is filing federal lawsuits against 20 resellers of Windows XP and Office versions that the company claims are illegal.
In a statement, the Redmond, Wash., software giant called the lawsuits part of a "broader company initiative to combat counterfeiting and other forms of software piracy."
In the lawsuits, Microsoft claims that these 20 resellers either distributed counterfeit software or software components. The company also accuses some of the resellers of hard-disk loadingthe practice of installing pirated software onto desktops and notebooks and then selling these computers to businesses and users.
In an effort to simplify the distribution of Windows Vista and make it easier for customers to upgrade, Microsoft will
include the various retail versions of the OS on one DVD instead of having separate DVDs for each Vista edition.
In the past, Microsoft distributed each version of the Windows client OS on its own disk. However, in a move it is calling
"Windows Anytime Upgrade" -- which cuts costs for Microsoft as well as making it easier for customers to upgrade -- the version
of Windows Vista that a customer buys will be activated by his or her product key and will be on a disk with the other editions
of the OS.
Microsoft has added another high-profile IT threat researcher to its growing security team, this time luring Jimmy Kuo, a research fellow at anti-virus software maker McAfee's AVERT Labs.
According to multiple sources within the anti-virus community, Kuo has resigned from his longtime position at the anti-virus software maker to take on a new job at Microsoft. Kuo, who has been working in McAfee's AVERT Labs since the outfit was started in 1995, will reportedly serve as an anti-virus "guru-at-large" at Microsoft, which is rapidly expanding its security software business.
Microsoft hopes to bank on the popularity of online video-sharing services such as YouTube and Google Video with its
own competitive service, which goes into beta on Tuesday.
Soapbox on MSN Video, which will allow users to upload and share personal videos with others who use the service, is now available
as a beta release in the U.S. for the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers. The service initially is available by invitation-only,
though users who want to take part in the beta can sign up for a waiting list at http://soapbox.msn.com
Like competing video-sharing services, Soapbox will allow users not only to upload videos to the Web in almost any digital
video format, but also to tag and categorize them so other users can find them.
Hewlett-Packard Co. is leveraging Microsoft software in a new portfolio of storage products aimed at taking on EMC in the small-to-medium-sized market.
HP's StorageWorks All-in-One Storage Systems come in two models for a range of capacity needs, and can be installed
in less than 10 clicks of a mouse, the company said. The systems provide storage, sharing, management, back-up and protection
for SMBs' application and file data.
According to a report in "Business Week," Microsoft's scoffing at Web-based productivity tools such as ThinkFree, Google's Writely, and Google Spreadsheets was nothing but talk after all. Behind the scenes, the software colossus has been working to turn its Microsoft Works tools into Web services that can compete with these and other online challengers. "It's official now," ThinkFree CEO TJ Kang told "Business Week." "We're definitely on [Microsoft's] radar."
Dell has announced plans to build a manufacturing facility in Poland as part of an effort to meet growing demand in central and Eastern Europe. The hardware maker said it and its key suppliers may invest as much as 253 million euros ($321 million) in the growing Polish economy. The facility in Lodz will be a Polish first for Dell and is expected to open with around 1,000 workers in autumn 2007.
Bell said the decision to settle on Poland over other countries was the result of "long discussions with the central government and city government. The focus has been on employment and training in high-quality areas." Bell declined to comment on whether the company had received financial incentives from the Polish government.
John Lauer, who headed Microsoft?s Small and Midsize Solutions & Partner Group, announced he is leaving the company to launch his own startup.
Lauer's new venture will focus on products and services for mid-size companies that use Microsoft's CRM applications. In a prepared statement a company spokesman said, "Microsoft deeply appreciates the contributions John has made through his leadership of the Midmarket team."
Davide Vigano, a 19-year veteran of the company who most recently served as general manager of the Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partner group, will replace Lauer.
Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's Platforms and Services Division, has sent an open letter to developers citing the "tremendous opportunity" that Windows Vista gives them, adding that the time is now to get ready for the operating system.
"If you want to ride the wave we're creating with Windows Vista, the best way is to have your application ready by the time we ship," Allchin said in the open letter, which appeared Sept. 15 on the Windows Vista Developer Center site. "And that is very soon."
Indeed, said Allchin: "Barring any unforeseen quality issues such as bugs around data corruption, resiliency, or security, we remain on track for business availability of Windows Vista later this year, with our consumer launch in January."