Transmeta on Tuesday released a software development tool for its Crusoe processor and for developing embedded mobile devices that use Microsoft Windows CE .Net and Windows XP Embedded operating systems. The kit is meant for the Crusoe model TM5800 processor and is designed to facilitate system design, reduce board space and improve performance of Windows CE .NET.
"Transmeta's Crusoe processor provides the combination of optimum performance and power efficiency for next-generation devices running Windows Embedded operating systems," Todd Brix, group product manager for Microsoft's embedded devices unit, said in statement.
Only about a year after the first "Smart Displays" shipped, Microsoft is dropping further development of software for the displays that connect wirelessly to a PC.
"After evaluating current market trends ... Microsoft is not at this time working on the next version of Smart Display technology," said Megan Kidd, a Microsoft product manager, in an e-mail response to questions. Microsoft and its hardware partners came to the decision to stop work on the Smart Display product in early December, she said.
"A lot of us analysts questioned that as a concept for quite a while. It is in essence a dumb mobile terminal. Tablet PCs at consumer level prices can fit in to that same role as the smart display, but be a full terminal instead of a dumb one."
Microsoft on Monday launched a new advertising campaign, referred to as "Get the Facts," which is designed to give customers information about the advantages of using its Windows operating system versus Linux, its open-source competitor.
When he was appointed to the position, Taylor said he would make it his personal mission to publicize more studies that showed that Microsoft software beat the return-on-investment pants off the open-source alternatives.
The open-source community is rallying against comments made by The SCO Group CEO Darl McBride late last month that the GPL, under which Linux and open-source software is distributed, violates the U.S. Constitution as well as copyright and patent laws.
McBride created a furor last month when he wrote: "We believe that adoption and use of the GPL [GNU General Public License] by ... the software industry was a mistake. The positions of the Free Software Foundation and Red Hat [Inc.] against proprietary software are ill-founded and are contrary to our system of copyright and patent laws."
Computer security researchers are again warning about a critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel that could be used by malicious hackers to take control of systems using the popular open source operating system.
ISEC Security Research said Monday that it found a critical vulnerability in code that is used to manage virtual memory on Linux systems. The vulnerability affects versions of the Linux kernel up to and including version 2.6 and would give low-level Linux users total control over a Linux system.
ISEC, a noncommercial security research group based in Poland, discovered the problem in kernel code for a component called "mremap," according to a message posted by Paul Starzetz, an ISEC member.
Microsoft on Monday will deliver a belated holiday gift to partners and small business owners. Sources say the Redmond, Wash. software giant will announce that it will give five free client access licenses (CALs) to Windows Small Business Server 2003 customers to make up for a bug in the server and its Windows SharePoint Services that derailed many installations this fall.
The five free CALs, valued at roughly $500, will be available to existing customers and new purchasers of the standard and premium editions of the server software from January 5, 2004 though February 5, 2004, sources said. The free five-pack will be offered in addition to the existing five CALs that come with the server.
Before kicking off my 2004 predictions column, I'd like to offer a quick self-critique. After reviewing my predictions from last year, I'd say (to be generous) that your all-seeing Microsoft Watcher achieved a barely 50/50 accuracy rate.
Xbox "Next" will appear before anyone's expecting it. The common wisdom is that Microsoft will show a very early prototype of Xbox 2.0 this spring, but ship no new console until 2005. But our tipsters are hinting that some type of interim Xbox release (possibly code-named "Bobsled") could be in the works. All should become clearer later this week, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2004 in Vegas. Stay tuned for more details.
The hand-held devices, called Portable Media Centers, will store and play back video, music and photos. Microsoft unveiled a prototype at last year's Consumer Electronics Show, under the code name Media2Go. The company had originally hoped to see at least one of the devices on the market during the recent holiday season, but the first release is now expected in the second half of this year.
Companies including Samsung Electronics, ViewSonic Corp., iRiver International and Creative Technology are working on versions of the devices. Each will run a specialized version of Windows CE, the Microsoft operating system for smaller machines. The model is similar to the way Microsoft has worked with Tablet PCs, creating a specialized version of Windows XP and encouraging manufacturers to build for it.
There's no rest for the weary. Microsoft is putting pedal to the metal to get Service Pack 1 for Office 2003 out by May, sources said. The current schedule is to prep a release candidate by April and final, or "Release To Web," code by late May.
The plan now is for SP 1 to include not only the hot fixes and patches that typically flow after the retail release of a product, but also fairly major new features for both InfoPath and OneNote, the sources said.
The release also will include security bolstering as part of the company's continued security push, code-named Springboard, the sources said.
The computing industry will up the ante on its consumer bet this week, as Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other tech stalwarts head to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show.
Microsoft kicks off the festivities with a pre-show speech Wednesday by Chairman Bill Gates, who is expected to push an up-close-and-personal version of the "seamless computing" message he delivered earlier at the Comdex trade show.
Gates is also expected to provide details on Microsoft's latest effort to popularize an automotive version of its Windows operating system. The software giant has developed a specialized version of Windows CE to power automotive devices such as navigation systems and music players.