Well, maybe not ASAP, but the almost-finished version of
IE7 is out there
. And in other browser news, apparently Mozilla is going to take Microsoft up on its offer for help in
developing Firefox for Vista
, thereby placing itself in the teeth of the beast.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/24/20060 comments
OK, so I’m not the only one who found this week’s little
proclamation from Google
banning the use of the word "Google" as a verb completely ridiculous.
Mike wrote:
"Maybe Google had better start googling to find the mind they’ve apparently lost. 'Genericide?' It is the ultimate compliment to become a verb. They ought to be worried about new and innovative ways to improve their product or expand, not how someone uses their name as a verb. There is certainly no guarantee that just because they’re the search engine of choice today that it will stay that way. I seem to recall at one time Netscape was the de facto standard Web browser. I reach for a Kleenex, even though it’s a Scot tissue. I put on a Band-Aid, even though it’s a non-stick Curad. I just got back from Xeroxing something, although I have no idea what brand the copy machine is (and don’t care).
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/17/20061 comments
Actually, the terrorists aren't winning today, thanks to some
crack
work by our friends in the UK
. Given that serious backdrop, it's a
little incongruous for us to hear that downloading Windows patches is
a matter of national security, or at least a topic important enough to
merit
a decree
from the Department of Homeland Security.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/10/20061 comments
Crank up that Google OS rumor mill again. More than a year after
luring
a key Windows architect
, Google has snapped up Andrew Morton, a Linux
guru sometimes referred to as Linus
Torvalds'
right-hand man
.
Also, in the land of bored teens and bad rock bands, Google has plunked
a chunk of money down on being the search and ad engine for MySpace, causing
much consternation, no doubt, among
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/08/20060 comments
La Résistance has gone mainstream. Once a more-or-less underground combatant in the battle against the Internet Explorer empire, Mozilla and its Firefox browser are now
engaging in full warfare
with along with a couple of powerful new allies: Google and RealNetworks.
Mozilla’s guerilla tactics already had Redmond, the overwhelming winner over Netscape in the first browser war, looking over its shoulder. Firefox controls as much as 15 percent of the global browser market today , and RealNetworks will now offer it, along with that pesky Google toolbar, to users who download the popular RealPlayer media player.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/03/20065 comments
From the files of "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" (for fans of really old Saturday Night Live episodes),
here’s an article
telling us that Microsoft will continue to buy security companies in its quest to build a well-rounded offering.
Goodness! Next thing you know, we’ll find out that Redmond has business interests outside of Windows and Office...
This does present a good opportunity, though, to pass on some revealing reader feedback about Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft’s competitor to Symantec’s Norton Antivirus. Apparently the two aren’t playing together well. Robbi writes:
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/03/20060 comments
It’s a list that would have made
Carnac the Magnificent
proud, but it doesn’t have much of a punch line. In fact, Gates was selected, along with a strange myriad of historical figures, by a state-run newspaper as
one of 50 foreigners
shaping China’s modern development.
There’s no word yet on how Gates feels about being on the list, but maybe a Norwegian reporter can make one up for us, since he’s already done a fake interview with Microsoft’s main man.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/03/20061 comments
Speaking of betas
, that "other" beta product just became
a new cash cow
for Microsoft. Want to download Office 2007 Beta 2? That’ll cost you the price of a soft drink and some of those pre-packaged cookies from the hallway candy machine.
Does having to pay to download the Office beta annoy you? Sound off here or send me e-mail at
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Posted by Lee Pender on 08/01/20064 comments
A Redmond magazine columnist
now has his doubts
about the Software Asset Management program. Any thoughts on SAM? Any experience with it? Comment here or send me e-mail at
[email protected]
.
Posted by Lee Pender on 07/25/20060 comments
With Windows Genuine Advantage blowing up in Redmond's face (scroll to the last entry
here
), I asked whether any of you had experience with a company that sold pirated software. Without mentioning any names (as promised), here are some of the stories I received:
"Yes, I worked at a place that sold/installed pirated software. I think it was terrible. This was in the days of Novell, and what they did was buy software (Novell) and use it in the office and also install it at client sites. So when it was time to call Novell for support, it was a big scramble to figure out who was registered as the owner. Also, when it was time to upgrade, it was a big mess. We also sold people RAM and charged them for Compaq RAM and installed Kingston."
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Posted by Lee Pender on 07/25/20060 comments