Microsoft Windows may be dominating the headlines for security-related breaches but the open-source Linux server operating system remains the biggest target of overt intruder attacks, according to a study by U.K.-based Mi2g.
Mi2g, which provides digital risk management research, said 67 percent of all successful overt digital attacks was done against the Linux OS, which has exploded in popularity but in the U.S. and abroad.
Attacks against Linux were three times higher than against Microsoft Windows, which accounted for 23.2 percent, Mi2g reported.
Illicit copies of Office 2003 leaked out onto the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) early Thursday, and on the same day, Microsoft said it would make the new office suite available to some licensing customers.
Corporations and organizations which bought into Microsoft's maintenance program, Software Assurance, as well as subscribers to its Microsoft Developer Network, will be able to download Office 2003 and the OneNote stand-alone application starting Monday, Sept. 15, Microsoft said.
Although Microsoft had originally announced that Office 2003 would be available for downloading Oct. 1, the Redmond, Wash.-based developer moved up the date because customers wanted a jump on evaluating the suite.
Borland is bringing modeling and designing capabilities to the .Net development community in a new incarnation of its Together tool. Together Edition for Microsoft Visual Studio.Net integrates UML (Unified Modeling Language) design and modeling with the Microsoft .Net Framework code and reduces the complexity of UML, according to Todd Olson, chief scientist for the Together line at Borland.
Borland's LiveSource functionality, for instance, enables developers to synchronize models and code so that any changes users make to a model automatically take hold in the code.
Microsoft is doubling its annual dividend to 16 cents a share. The fiscal 2004 dividend - only the company's second ever - is payable Nov. 7 to shareholders of record at the close of business Oct. 17. A company news release described the payment as Microsoft's "second annual dividend," apparently because it is being paid in the company's fiscal year 2004, which began July 1. The software giant paid its first ever dividend in March.
Select Microsoft Corp. customers will get early access to several of the vendor's new Office System products on Monday, the company said. Volume buyers who bought Microsoft's software maintenance plan Software Assurance (SA) and subscribers to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) developer service will be able to download the Office 2003 suite applications, the OneNote note-taking tool, and several other applications starting Sept. 15, Microsoft said in a statement sent via e-mail Thursday.
Microsoft originally planned to offer the products online on Oct. 1, but moved the release forward because customers are eager to start evaluating the new products, the company said.
Microsoft's surprise decision to submit Windows Media Series 9 as a standards candidate in Hollywood underscores the software giant's ambitions to take its multimedia technology beyond the Net--and the considerable barriers it faces.
The Redmond, Wash.-based company sent in its underlying video-compression code for vetting by Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers (SMPTE) this week, a first for Microsoft and a marked departure from the company's longtime commitment to keeping its technology proprietary. In doing so, it's aiming to provide a viable successor to MPEG-2, a compression standard that is the foundation of satellite, cable, video-editing systems and DVDs.
By the time big tech companies approach middle age, they either wind up reinventing themselves or start sliding into mediocrity.It happened to Microsoft, to mention one of the best recent examples. Say what you like about Bill Gates, but he oversaw an ambitious refashioning that left his company stronger than before.
The same can't be said for Sun Microsystems, a one-time high-flying server maker whose strategy--if you can call it that--has been to throw a lot of stuff against the wall and wait to see what sticks.
Here's again a beta inside from Ditto...
Welcome to the MSN® Beta Program! We're delighted to have you onboard. You've been selected to test the new MSN Plus subscription software. This e-mail gives you instructions on how to download the software and get started testing.
We are very excited about this program, and to kick it off, we will give t-shirts to the first 50 people who sign in to BetaPlace (the technical beta Web community at Microsoft) and install the software! Read on for details on how to sign in and download the software.
But first, here's a little information on the Beta Program. It is your chance to:
Use MSN software free of charge. The MSN software is free of charge for participants use during the beta program.
Make a difference. MSN considers input from individuals who have had the opportunity to use and evaluate MSN products and services for future MSN products and services.
Be the first to try new products. You'll be able to use MSN software before anyone else.
Getting started
Here's all the information you'll need to download the software and get going in the program. The first thing for you to do is take the survey on BetaPlace and then install the software. You can install the software directly from BetaPlace or you can wait until you receive the beta CD kit and install it from the CD. You will be mailed the beta CD kit within the next seven to ten business days.
Please note:
During the program we will be asking you to test an upcoming version of MSN Plus subscription software that is designed to enhance your online experiences and is not Internet Access or a replacement for it. In order to test the software you will need to have an existing Internet access connection (e.g. broadband or dial-up).
During installation you will get prompted for credit card information - even though you will receive the MSN subscription software for free during the beta. You will not see any charges on your credit card until the beta has expired, and only after if you choose to continue as a paying subscriber. We will be sure to send you a reminder email announcing the closure of the beta so you will have the opportunity to cancel your subscription before charges begin if you desire.
Two sets of secure Web services standards are under development: one led by IBM and Microsoft, the other by the Liberty Alliance. The two efforts are driven by different perspectives, with the result that they overlap in some ways and are complementary in others, both for Web services and for Internet single sign-on (I-SSO). The separate sets of standards will eventually converge, but until then, companies that have a need to implement new secure Web services should make minimal, tactical investments in their architecture.
A federal judge last week rejected Microsoft's post-trial claim that Eolas had misrepresented the facts in the patent case, which claimed the software giant had stolen browser technology relating to plug-ins. The ruling came after a $521 million verdict against the software giant last month, and ends Microsoft's first attempt to challenge the result.
Several more post-trial motions remain to be dispensed, and Microsoft doesn't expect a final judgment in this round to be handed down until October or November. After that, Microsoft has 30 days to decide whether to appeal, which it has pledged to do.
Still, last week's loss on claims of "inequitable conduct" heightened the sense that not only Microsoft but the entire Web may soon be forced to make substantial adjustments--and that pages around the Web and on private intranets will have to be rewritten to work with an altered IE.