Although 1 in 5 bugs logged to Microsoft's semi-public database of Windows Vista problems haven't yet been fixed, a Windows developer and consultant who analyzed the listing said Friday that his research showed the company was quickly addressing bugs as they were submitted.
Robert McLaws, who hosts the Longhorn Blogs site, fed the nearly 28,000 bug reports from the Connect site's database -- open only to Microsoft-chosen beta testers -- into Excel. Of the 27,479 bugs, 5,743 remained classified as "open."
Microsoft and European Commission antitrust officials again appear headed for a collision in their long-running dispute. Just days ahead of meeting, the chief EU antitrust enforcer said she will seek additional fines against the software company, while Microsoft insists that hundreds of programmers are trying to produce a remedy that will satisfy the EU.
Antitrust Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she expects EU Commissioners to approve a hefty daily fine against Microsoft when the commissioners meet next Wednesday.
Microsoft has reworked the PC assessment tool in Windows Vista after fielding complaints from hardware makers--but the changes may not be enough to completely quell concerns.
In May, the software maker promised to make changes to the Windows System Performance Rating tool, which aims to assess how capable a machine is of harnessing the upcoming operating system's new features. Critics were unhappy with the way it presented scores and how it came up with its ratings.
High ImpactWhat's new:After fielding complaints from hardware partners, Microsoft has overhauled a Windows Vista tool that assesses how well a PC performs with the updated operating system.Bottom line:The changes still don't provide a fair picture of a computer's abilities, some partners are saying privately. More tweaks may be needed, if Microsoft wants to avoid ruffling feathers.
Microsoft is shipping a free downloadable tool to let users create a private folder where they can store sensitive files.
Dubbed Private Folder 1.0, the utility enables a user to create a folder called "My Private Folder," which is then password protected. The tool only lets users create a single folder, however.
Additionally, in order to download Private Folder 1.0, users need to pass the Windows Genuine Advantage validation test -- which is true for most free Microsoft software.
Microsoft recently released a new community technology preview (CTP) version of its Atlas framework, adding a long-awaited feature supporting dynamic application-controls rendering as well as several bug fixes.
The June Atlas CTP continues fleshing out Microsoft's evolving framework for building rich Web applications. Atlas, Microsoft's .NET-based answer to AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), is intended for release in Microsoft's next Visual Studio update, code-named "Orcas," but Microsoft is developing it publicly and with frequent preview releases to encourage earlier adoption. Microsoft issued a Go-Live license for Atlas in March, allowing developers to openly release production applications built around Atlas.
Microsoft today said it will support the Open Document Format, following pressure from governments all over the world that the software giant back the productivity standard.
The Redmond, Wash., company said it has formed the Open XML Translator project, an initiative to build a bridge between Microsoft's own Office Open XML document format and the ODF.
With Translator, Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs will be able to read documents created in ODF, which allows text, spreadsheet and presentation files to work with one another even if they were created with different vendors' applications.
Although Bill Gates' massive philanthropic foundation tends to get the most attention for its efforts to transform education, the company he co-founded also is paying close attention to the world of academia.
Microsoft sponsors technology contests, partners with academics, runs extensive research centers around the world and donates products to educators.
While many of its competitors have similar programs, academics and analysts say the Redmond company's extensive involvement, especially through its Microsoft Research centers, seems to go further than most.
Microsoft is planning to have a portable music and video player out by Christmas in a challenge to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod.
The digital player will have a wireless Internet connection, enabling users to download music without being linked to a computer, a feature the iPod doesn't offer, according to people briefed on Microsoft's plans.
The Redmond company is seeking to take share from Apple's iPod, which commands 77 percent of the $4 billion U.S. market for digital music players, based on figures from market researcher NPD Group Inc. Apple's iTunes music store is used for 72 percent of music downloads. Microsoft has spent the past six years relying on partners to make players that use its software.
Microsoft said Tuesday that it will comply with sanctions imposed by South Korea's antitrust regulator after a court rejected the company's request for a stay.
Microsoft had asked the Seoul High Court to allow penalties to be suspended while the company pursues a legal challenge to a ruling earlier this year by the Korea Fair Trade Commission ordering it to provide two separate versions of Windows beginning Aug. 24.
"Consistent with the court's decision, Microsoft will, in a timely manner, comply with the KFTC's order," the Redmond-based company said.
Microsoft is working on a service pack for its recently released Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server software, with
improvements planned in areas such as authentication and data warehousing, Microsoft officials write in their blogs.
Team Foundation Server is the collaboration component of the companys Visual Studio 2005 Team System ALM (Application Lifecycle
Management) platform. A beta release of the service pack is due in the near future, according to Microsoft's Rob Caron, a content architect for Team System.