Office, Microsoft's collection of programs for business documents and tasks, is fast becoming a software platform unto itself. A growing number of software developers are creating programs that run on top of Office, in the same way that Office and thousands of other applications run on Microsoft Windows.
Plug-ins are available that make Word a lawyer-friendly word processing system or turn the Excel spreadsheet into a virtual financial adviser, along with hundreds of other programs that boost the capabilities of Office software.
Microsoft and Citrix Systems embraced the holiday spirit by announcing a five-year extension on their longstanding technology-sharing pact for terminal services.
On Tuesday, the two software allies announced an expansion of their technology marriage, which they signed in 2002. The expansion calls for broad patent cross-licensing of their respective terminal service technologies and a technology collaboration agreement to extend the Windows Terminal Server technology in the Windows Server due in 2007, code-named Longhorn.
And here's a little bit of non-coincidental news: Microsoft, which cancelled its 2005 lineup of XSN Sports titles for the Xbox in a successful bid to get competitor EA to add its titles to the Xbox Live online gaming service, this week sold off its sports games studio. The result: No more sports titles from Microsoft. So now, even the mighty colossus from Redmond is bowing down to the power that is EA. Angry yet? Well, there's no time for that: Instead, you can just get on your knees and bow down to the EA corporate superpower like everyone else. Remember when those guys were all about promoting the personalities of the programmers who created their games? No, I don't either.
With the ink barely dry on Microsoft's acquisition of anti-spyware vendor Giant Company Software, questions have arisen about the ownership of the anti-spyware code Microsoft bought. Sunbelt President Alex Eckelberry says that his company has exclusive rights over elements of the technology, including the ability to offer SDKs (software developer's kits) for Giant AntiSpyware technology.
That could make it difficult for Microsoft to integrate Giant technology with other products. Microsoft issued a short statement regarding Sunbelt's claims Thursday saying, "We understand that Giant granted a co-ownership right to Sunbelt concerning an earlier version of Gianta??s anti-spyware software product. However, the granting of that right to Sunbelt does not constrain either party from innovating and developing new products that are based on that earlier version."
Students of iconoclastic computer scientist Daniel Bernstein have found some 44 security flaws in various Unix applications, according to a list of advisories posted online.
The flaws, which range from minor slipups in rarely used applications to more serious vulnerabilities in software that ships with most versions of the Linux operating system, were found as part of Bernstein's graduate-level course at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The latest crop of security flaws comes two days after a software-testing company announced that it had found 985 flaws in the latest Linux kernel during the past four years using the company's analysis software. While the number seems high, the company said it is far lower than the number associated with most commercial software.
As part of its plan to access a broader portfolio of intellectual property, Microsoft has signed a patent swap deal with design software maker Autodesk.
Under the pact, the two companies will get access to each other's patents in a variety of areas, including data management, collaboration, digital effects, digital rights management, project management, computer-aided design and location-based services.
Media giant Time Warner will pay about $510 million to two US regulatory agencies to settle various fraud charges against its AOL unit, the company revealed this morning. Time Warner will avoid litigation by settling inquiries from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC). However, the deals have several caveats, chief among them that the DOJ and SEC can further investigate company employees.
Seven months ago, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates vowed to "help users be in control" over the rampant spyware infesting Windows systems. Today, Redmond followed through on its pledge by acquiring anti-spyware firm Giant Company Software.
According to Microsoft, the new beta will scan a customer's PC to seek out spyware and allow users to remove the threat. Once installed, the beta can be configured to block known spyware from being downloaded. The tool will be available for users of Windows 2000 and later.
Software giant Microsoft hopes an impending court ruling on its five-year antitrust battle with the European Union will bring both sides back to the negotiating table, but EU regulators still balk at resuming direct negotiations, officials said Thursday.Considering that the full appeal could take years, the consequences of a suspension could be huge. If court President Bo Vesterdorf backs the EU, the U.S.-based software giant would be forced to divulge some of its long-cherished trade secrets to competitors and untie the digital Media Player from its Windows platform. Microsoft will be carefully assessing the legal arguments Vesterdorf gives.
Microsoft has made available a new build of its Visual Studio 2005 integrated development environment. The Redmond, Wash., software giant released the latest version of its Visual Studio 2005 CTP (Community Technology Preview) last week for developers looking to get better acquainted with the tool set.
This CTP is available for download on the Microsoft Developer Network. The CTP focusing on Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition is known as the November CTP. Microsoft also plans to release a "December CTP" that will focus on Visual Studio Team System. This CTP was initially expected to be delivered before Christmas, but it could come later, sources said.