Apple Computer Tuesday posted patches to fix numerous bugs in the Mac OS X operating system, and for the first time, mimicked Microsoft's naming system for its security updates.
The update, dubbed Security Update 2005-001, affects both the client and server editions of Mac OS X 10.2.8 and Mac OS X 10.3.7, said Apple, and fixes flaws in the Safari Web browser, the Mail component, and the ColorSync component.
According to Danish security firm Secunia, which rated the vulnerabilities as "highly critical," many could be exploited to compromise a Mac computer, insert code remotely to the machine, or delete or read files.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $750 million to the Geneva-based Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI), a partner of the World Health Organization, to support children's immunization programs in the world's poorest countries.
The foundation run by American computer software multi-billionaire Bill Gates announced Tuesday it was donating 750 million dollars (575 million euros) over 10 years for worldwide infant vaccination.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said the money would go to the Geneva-based Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI), a partner of the World Health Organization.
Verizon Wireless has selected Microsoft's Windows Media format for its new V CAST mobile multimedia service, the companies said Wednesday.
Starting Feb. 1, Verizon's V CAST users will have access to audio and video clips encoded in Windows Media, Verizon and Microsoft said in a statement. Verizon announced the launch of its 3G (third-generation) network and the V CAST service earlier this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
While other mobile operators offer Windows Media players on their handsets, Verizon is the first to offer a multimedia service based entirely on Windows Media technology, said Neil Sharma, a business development manager at Microsoft. Competitors in the space include RealNetworks Inc. and Apple Computer Inc.
Electronics news site Engadget.com has resolved a dispute with Microsoft in which the software giant sent a letter demanding Engadget remove screen shots concerning the future of Windows mobile software, according to the founder of Weblogs, Engadget's parent company.
The letter, which Microsoft also sent to other Web sites that posted the item, suggested Microsoft is attempting to crack down on those who use content that the company considers proprietary. Apple Computer recently had a similar response to unauthorized publication of future product information, filing suit January 4 against the owner and the editor of Apple fan site Think Secret.
Microsoft will meet with representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice next month for the first of several briefings intended to ensure that its upcoming Longhorn operating system complies with the terms of the final judgment in the government's antitrust case against the software maker.
In court papers filed Tuesday, the government also said that its technical committee raised concerns about whether Windows XP and Service Pack 2 are in compliance with the judgment. Microsoft replied to those concerns recently and the government is reviewing its responses, it says.
Microsoft in mid-2005 will put a piracy lock on two of its download Web sites, requiring all Windows XP and Windows 2000 users to validate their copy of Windows as genuine before downloading software, the company says.
The lock will be placed on the Microsoft's Download Center and Windows Update Web sites, which offer applications such as Windows Media Player and the new Windows AntiSpyware product as well as security updates for Microsoft products.
Validation is not required for Windows Automatic Updates, says David Lazar, a director in Microsoft's Windows Client group. Automatic Updates is a feature in Windows that is used to download and install security updates to Microsoft software.
Microsoft made it official Monday: It has no plans to appeal the antitrust sanctions levied against it by the European Commission. As a result, a stripped-down version of Windows, minus Windows Media Player and related files, is moving forward rapidly.
At least some PC makers had an inkling about Microsoft's intentions not to appeal as of last Wednesday. That's when Microsoft delivered to them the version of Windows ordered by the European Commission that Microsoft is currently calling "Windows XP Reduced Media Edition."
People subscribe to magazines, Internet access, cable service and even mail-order movies. But how many consumers would pay monthly or annual subscription fees to use the type of desktop computer software that they normally buy outright?
That's one question raised by Microsoft's decision, announced last week, to start offering a version of its Outlook e-mail program as part of a $60-per-year service through the company's MSN Internet division.
The subscription isn't solely for the use of Outlook. The idea behind the service, called Microsoft Office Outlook Live, is to let people use Outlook to connect to and manage the messages, appointments and contacts in their free MSN Hotmail accounts. The service also includes such features as extra online storage.
On the heels of Apple Computer's attempt to crack down on journalists for allegedly misappropriating trade secrets, some free-speech advocates are worried that Microsoft has launched a similar campaign.
In a Jan. 18 letter it said was issued on behalf of Microsoft, the law firm of Covington & Burling asked the publisher of tech-enthusiast site Engadget.com to remove screenshots of a forthcoming Microsoft operating-system release known as "Windows Mobile 2005." According to the request, Microsoft considers the images to contain "proprietary trade secret information belonging to Microsoft."
To paraphrase a famous 17th century playwright: Alas, poor Windows NT, I knew it, Bill: An OS of many blue screens, of most excellent fancy: It hath borne me on its network a million times; and now, how abhorred in our collective memory it is!
Whatever you will say about Windows NT, it was a very successful and prosperous operating system. When Windows 2000 and Active Directory finally replaced it, many NT-administrator types longed for simpler times - as when it was appropriately patched, it was stable, performed well, and was easy to administrate.