The Norwegian programmer who created DeCSS, the first widely used tool for decrypting the copy protection found on commercial DVD movies, announced this week a similar hack for the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology that protects songs purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store. The hack casts doubts on Apple's ability to protect the intellectual property rights of artists who sell music on the iTunes service, and comes just a month after the company opened iTunes to Windows users. Critics have long alleged that much of Apple's software development advantage in the past came from its small, tightly-controlled market; now that Apple is pushing DRM-enabled products like iTunes and the iPod into the wider Windows world, the company is finding out how difficult it is to control the teaming masses.
Microsoft is retiring its six-year-old NetMeeting online conferencing application and instead will push Office Live Meeting, formerly known as PlaceWare, for online meetings. NetMeeting helped pioneer online conferencing when it was released in May 1996, before the advent of instant messaging (IM) and other services for real-time online communication. The software still ships as part of Windows and some of its features, such as whiteboarding and application-sharing, are used by the MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger IM applications.
Bill Gates, for one, thinks that the digital era is far from fading. In fact, he thinks it's only now getting interesting.
In a draft of an upcoming white paper, Bill Gates acknowledges that "computing today is at a crossroads." But he's got no doubt about the ultimate destination: more innovation, with his own company leading the way, of course. NEWSWEEK's Steven Levy recently sat down in New York City with Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect to discuss technology, security and even a bit of politics.
Microsoft has admitted that a number of existing partners will not "make the grade" after the software giant overhauls its channel strategy. The firm unveiled changes to its certification programme earlier this year, and all partners must re-certify to keep their current status. From 1 January, to receive Gold Partner status, resellers must amass a total of 80 points in skills, including licence and software asset management, network infrastructure and security. Lower-tiered Certified Partners must secure 50 points.
Microsoft's MSN has lined up Cable & Wireless America to stream third-party advertisements for MSN's upcoming free, online video service.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft said Monday that it will use technology from Cable & Wireless to encode advertisers' 15-second videos into its proprietary format, Windows Media 9. Cable & Wireless will then use its content-distribution network to stream the ads to MSN Video, a broadband video player set to launch later this winter. MSN Video will feature news and entertainment programming, and it will be free to users.
Microsoft is conducting research that could help it in its quest to make search a greater part of its Windows operating system. The Redmond, Wash., software giant is experimenting with different search technologies that will, among other tasks, conduct Google-like searches on an individual's hard drive or categorize query results in different ways intended to make the data easier to digest.
In many ways, the research seems geared toward finding a user interface for the storage and database functions in Longhorn, a major Windows update expected in 2006.
Microsoft agreed this weekend to pay $64 million to settle a set of antitrust-related class action lawsuits in Tennessee, ending charges that it over-charged consumers for Windows and other products in that state. The deal is predictably similar to the many other class action lawsuit settlements Microsoft has made with consumers in other US states, and will see the software giant provide vouchers for any users who purchased Windows, Office, Word, or Excel between December 21, 1995 and December 31, 2002. The vouchers can be used to purchase any computer software or hardware.
A hacker compromised several key servers belonging to the Debian Project, a Linux distribution maker last week, an event that seems to mirror issues Microsoft had two years ago when hackers compromised the software giant's network. The hacker incursion into Debian, however, was more dramatic, with the project's bug-tracking, mail list, Web server, and security component servers being compromised. In the aftermath of the attack, however, Debian officials say the code for its Linux distribution was unchanged.
Bill Gates discusses "Longhorn," Linux and why he's so optimistic about the future.
The smoke having almost cleared from several years of antitrust proceedings, Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates is turning his attention to what he's calling "seamless computing." The most influential figure in the software industry is confronting other challenges as well, including following through on his company's Trustworthy Computing initiative to make Windows more secure. In addition, Gates is shepherding a landmark Windows upgrade in "Longhorn," which is due in 2006, while fending off the Linux challenge and pushing Web services for application integration. Gates discussed these issues and more in an interview with eWEEK Editor in Chief Eric Lundquist at Comdex in Las Vegas last week.
Microsoft is preparing a series of major changes to the security capabilities in the Windows client and server platforms, and they will further lock down the company's flagship operating systems.
In separate service packs due over the next six months, the Redmond, Wash., software developer plans to add several security features to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, according to company officials here at Comdex last week. Microsoft also plans to harden the client by turning off more services by default.
The biggest change will be in the server product, which will get a feature that can prevent unsecured machines from connecting to corporate networks. The changes result from discussions that Microsoft executives have been having with customers about ways to improve the security of the company's products.