Imagine a Windows operating system that makes the physical location of your files irrelevant. Imagine that, regardless of where you save a file, you can search for it, find it, and open it from any location on your computer--so that anytime you need to organize, access, or otherwise manage any file on your system, it's all just one viewing pane away.
That's the concept we see in early builds of Windows Longhorn, the OS Microsoft says will merge all flavors of Windows XP, and, more importantly, overhaul the Windows file system for the first time since Windows NT.
But we just got used to NTFSBased on a look at a recent alpha build that leaked onto the Net, the benefits of Microsoft's new file system, called Windows Future Storage, are starting to emerge (even though the current build doesn't use WinFS, as it's known, as its native file system). WinFS is based on the next version of SQL Server, code-named Yukon, and will replace the old FAT and NTFS of previous versions.
WinFS introduces new data-storage capabilities intended to make it much easier to find files on your PC--for example, two new features called Windows Storage Full-Text Index and Windows Future Storage Services aim to vastly improve Windows searching. The new Longhorn search dialog gets rid of Windows XP's multiple options (file type, location, hidden documents, and so on) and simply asks, ""What are you looking for?"" Longhorn provides examples of search queries you can enter, such as ""What is a firewall?"" or ""Pictures from John.""
Fluid files
Longhorn's ""virtual file"" structure lets you categorize your files, then filter your folder views by criteria you assign. For example, you can organize music in the Music Library folder using album, artist, playlist, track, song duration, or genre, then filter your folder view so that you see only, say, songs shorter than one minute (handy if you want to get rid of incomplete MP3 downloads or corrupted song files, for example). Every folder in Longhorn offers a Filter By option.
In addition, you can use various criteria to ""stack"" files in virtual folders. You can stack your contacts (Longhorn includes a My Contacts folder that acts as a central location for all your address book entries, vCards, and more) by name, e-mail address, and street address, or it can stack digital images by your camera type or the date a picture was taken. This stacking method is just the start of the benefits that Yukon and WinFS might eventually provide--the goal is a totally fluid file structure, in which you can access anything you need by context rather than simply by location. However, WinFS will no doubt increase OS system requirements: its indexing system runs continuously in the background.
Blend of features
Early Longhorn has also worked in some security improvements, including an administrative feature that would restrict times during which users can log on to their PCs (for example, a company could restrict use to daytime hours to prevent hackers from trying to sneak in at night); you'll also find changes to the Control Panel and some subtle interface changes. Microsoft has overhauled the installation procedure, which will be almost totally graphical and will allow users to add or remove specific OS components, such as support for tablet PCs.
Meanwhile, digital media elements abound, albeit in incomplete form. A My TV application seems destined to draw from Windows XP Media Center Edition's personal video recorder capabilities, Windows Media Player is a nearly invisible component of the entire OS (remember that whole Internet Explorer lawsuit, guys?), and Longhorn lets you create photo albums and digital photo slide shows without opening a separate app.
We'll be keeping an eye out for future Longhorn versions and development builds; Microsoft hasn't given a time frame for the final OS, but industry reports suggest it will be complete by late 2004 or 2005.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Microsoft opts against SP5 for Windows 2000
Microsoft has decided to make its final update to Windows 2000 largely a collection of previously released fixes rather than an all-new service pack.
The company said that by going with a collection of updates, rather than a service pack, it would be enabling customers to update their machines more quickly. The release of the "update rollup" will be in the middle of next year, Microsoft said in a posting to its website last week.
"Microsoft talked to many customers about their plans for maintaining their Windows 2000 deployments," the software maker said in a FAQ on its site. "The most frequent requests were for Microsoft to make it as easy as possible to keep Windows 2000 systems up-to-date from a security perspective and to reduce the amount of predeployment testing (customers) would need to perform."
The update collection will include fewer fixes than a service pack, with most of those having already been released separately.
Barring a change in plans, the update collection will be the last significant update for Windows 2000, which is still widely used by businesses. The collection replaces what would have been the fifth service pack for the operating system, which was released in March 2000.
"Because Microsoft believes the Update Rollup will meet the needs of customers better than a new service pack, there will be no Service Pack 5 (SP5) for Windows 2000," the software maker said. "Therefore, SP4 becomes the final service pack for Windows 2000."
The company did not say exactly what will be included in the update collection but did say it will contain "all security-related updates produced for Windows 2000 between the time SP4 was released and the time when Microsoft finalizes the contents of the Update Rollup," as well as a small number of updates not related to security.
Microsoft has released collections of security updates for Windows 2000 before, also employing the technique with Windows NT 4 and Windows XP. In order to install the Windows 2000 update when it comes out next year, customers will need to be running Service Pack 4, which was released in March 2003.
Microsoft is winding down its development and support efforts for the operating system, though some work will continue for several years. Mainstream support for the OS is slated to end next June, with extended support available until 2010.
The company said that by going with a collection of updates, rather than a service pack, it would be enabling customers to update their machines more quickly. The release of the "update rollup" will be in the middle of next year, Microsoft said in a posting to its website last week.
"Microsoft talked to many customers about their plans for maintaining their Windows 2000 deployments," the software maker said in a FAQ on its site. "The most frequent requests were for Microsoft to make it as easy as possible to keep Windows 2000 systems up-to-date from a security perspective and to reduce the amount of predeployment testing (customers) would need to perform."
The update collection will include fewer fixes than a service pack, with most of those having already been released separately.
Barring a change in plans, the update collection will be the last significant update for Windows 2000, which is still widely used by businesses. The collection replaces what would have been the fifth service pack for the operating system, which was released in March 2000.
"Because Microsoft believes the Update Rollup will meet the needs of customers better than a new service pack, there will be no Service Pack 5 (SP5) for Windows 2000," the software maker said. "Therefore, SP4 becomes the final service pack for Windows 2000."
The company did not say exactly what will be included in the update collection but did say it will contain "all security-related updates produced for Windows 2000 between the time SP4 was released and the time when Microsoft finalizes the contents of the Update Rollup," as well as a small number of updates not related to security.
Microsoft has released collections of security updates for Windows 2000 before, also employing the technique with Windows NT 4 and Windows XP. In order to install the Windows 2000 update when it comes out next year, customers will need to be running Service Pack 4, which was released in March 2003.
Microsoft is winding down its development and support efforts for the operating system, though some work will continue for several years. Mainstream support for the OS is slated to end next June, with extended support available until 2010.
Striking up digital video search
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are quietly developing new search tools for digital video, foreshadowing a high-stakes technology arms race in the battle for control of consumers' living rooms.
Google's effort, until now secret, is arguably the most ambitious of the three. According to sources familiar with the plan, the search giant is courting broadcasters and cable networks with a new technology that would do for television what it has already done for the Internet: sort through and reveal needles of video clips from within the haystack archives of major network TV shows.
The effort comes on top of Google's plans to create a multimedia search engine for Internet-only video that it will likely introduce next year, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. In recent weeks, Mountain View, Calif.-based Google has demonstrated new technology to a handful of major TV broadcasters in an attempt to forge alliances and develop business models for a TV-searchable database on the Web, those sources say.
"Google's trying to bring TV to the Web the same way they're bringing books to the Web," according to a media executive who asked to remain anonymous.
Google declined to comment for this report.
While Google is immediately aiming to cater to the broadband market, Microsoft has its sights on the interactive TV market for cable providers, being ushered in by convergence devices like its Microsoft Media Center PC software. It is building technology that will let people with a Media Center PC or Internet-connected TV comb through and find specific video files available over the Internet, broadcast and video-on-demand networks, according to a source. The software giant is expected to showcase the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, the source said.
Yahoo is picking lower-hanging fruit. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Web portal is planning to introduce a multimedia search engine and is working with Web entertainment and news aggregators to index video clips that are already online. According to one source, the company plans to introduce its service in the first quarter of 2005.
"Google's trying to bring TV to the Web the same way they're bringing books to the Web."
--anonymous source
America Online also will be a player in audio and video search. Earlier this year, the company bought audio-search company Singingfish.
Video is in the spotlight as the Internet begins to mature into an entertainment platform and becomes a viable companion for television, convergence devices that combine PC and TV features, and the networked home. As nearly 30 million U.S. households get wired with broadband Internet, more people are getting comfortable using multimedia online, giving TV audiences more choices than ever about how and when they consume programming.
That's poised to open up access to vast new video libraries that will require new search technology to organize and make content relevant to viewers, much like Internet search engines have made sense of billions of disorganized Web pages.
Cable operators, phone companies and satellite companies are also upping the ante for video, bringing interactive, on-demand services to the television through enhanced set-top boxes, personal digital video recorders and convergence PCs.
Search is the glue that will one day bind these services and help consumers navigate the increasing amount of available content, media executives say. Already interactive programming guide makers have moved to make search more advanced, and companies like Comcast are beginning to sign up for those services. Comcast recently inked a partnership with Microsoft's ITV division to use its interactive programming guides.
For Google, Yahoo and even AOL, offering searchable video is an extremely attractive new market because it not only keeps them relevant to consumers hungry for multimedia, but it helps them appeal to brand advertisers, which spend about $60 billion annually on commercials. Major TV advertisers are comfortable with the effects of commercials, and they're likely to wake up to Internet opportunities once on-demand video is ubiquitous.
Still, navigating the complexities of broadcast will likely be a significant challenge for Google and others in search. Business models for broadcasters online vary widely, and securing broadcasting rights over broadband could be sticky.
For example, if Google and Yahoo want to host and play video from their Web sites they must clear those digital rights with broadcasters. And broadcasters themselves must secure Internet rights with actors, producers and musicians, as well as clear spectrum signal rights with affiliates.
Being careful of existing business models is an issue, too. For example, CBS News offers video for free online, while ABC News offers subscription and paid video services for the likes of AOL and SBC Yahoo. CBS may want to boost traffic in order to sell advertising, but ABC may want to promote its subscription services via video search.
Search technology also must make vast improvements in order to find relevant audio and video. Currently a Web surfer inputs a search query into an engine to receive thousands upon thousands of results, and most people abandon the site if they don't find what they're looking for in the first 10 listings. But with clips of audio and video, that discernment will only increase, because each clip might be 15 seconds to several minutes.
The Goog tube
Google's project for TV search is ultra-secretive; only a handful of broadcast executives have seen it demonstrated so far. To build the service, the company is recording live TV shows and indexing the related closed-caption text of the programming. It uses the text to identify themes, concepts and relevant keywords for video so they can be triggers for searching.
The software allows people to type in keywords, such as "Jon Stewart," to retrieve video clips of the comedian's TV appearances, marked with a thumbnail picture with some captioning text, for example. Refining the search results for the show "Crossfire" would display a page that looks similar to a film reel, with various still images paired with excerpts of closed captioned text of the now-infamous fight between Stewart and CNN's "Crossfire" hosts. The searcher could click on and watch a specific segment of the show.
Google has approached broadcasters to determine business models so that it does not incite copyright lawsuits from rights holders. Google itself can pair relevant advertisements next to video search results. But a broadcaster may wish to use search to drive sales for DVDs, subscription-content services or to sell advertising that would run before and after the video rolls.
"The business models are too soon to tell, but everyone is interested," a source said. "First, the meetings are about, 'Don't sue us for nicking your closed captioning,' and then it's the commercial possibilities."
Other companies have tried similar services and failed. Los Angeles-based FasTV--whose service lets people search for video
clips, trailers and music videos--ran out of money and closed during the dot-com bust, despite strong ties to content providers. It had content-licensing agreements with the likes of MGM, Reuters and the American Film Institute. Virage, too, developed technology for searching video and audio, but some executives say its software was weak.
Google has filed patents related to video search and the display of relevant advertising. For example, in September 2003, Google co-founder Larry Page filed a seemingly broad patent application for a "method to search media." Its system relies on stored data sets, or text "metatags" that represent published content or media, to retrieve and match multimedia to query terms. "Publishers provide authorization to display copyrighted materials through a permission protocol," according to the patent application.
More immediately, Google has been working with National Public Radio and others to index transcripts of audio already on the Internet so that clips can be searchable from its news search engine.
The 800-pound Microsoft is betting on search technology for the Internet, with plans to introduce its own engine next year. But more broadly, it's developing search technology that will be platform agnostic, meaning it will allow people to find text and video from various mediums like broadband, broadcast and set-top boxes. It aims to do so by creating a specialized index for traceable programming labeled with metatags, or keywords.
It also is testing a system for inserting commercials into video that would be contextually relevant to the programming.
A Microsoft representative would not confirm the company's video search plans, but said that its Asia labs are working on projects surrounding annotating video for search purposes. The representative added that the company is not pre-releasing product plans for CES.
"The ways in which we navigate video is underwhelming for people," said Alan Schulman, chief creative officer of Brand New World, an advertising and new media company. "The Web is spoiling us with customization and personalization. We have to offer the same way to navigate video whether it's in broadband or television."
Yahoo's video playYahoo also is trying to index Web video available online today and broaden the reach of its search-related advertising program.
The Web portal plans to collect XML feeds of video content from third-party publishers. That way, it can index programming and make it searchable to visitors. Yahoo's database will rely on the title and description of video content to deliver relevant results, as opposed to actual language within the video.
The copyright questions are more clear in this proposition: Internet content companies looking to drive traffic to their video can likely sell more TV-like advertising if it works.
Yahoo spokeswoman Stephanie Iwamasa would not confirm the existence of a Yahoo video search service.
"We have not announced any launch plans for multimedia search and do not have relationships (feeds or otherwise) with video search aggregators," she wrote in an e-mail. "Furthermore, we do not comment on rumor or speculation."
Google's effort, until now secret, is arguably the most ambitious of the three. According to sources familiar with the plan, the search giant is courting broadcasters and cable networks with a new technology that would do for television what it has already done for the Internet: sort through and reveal needles of video clips from within the haystack archives of major network TV shows.
The effort comes on top of Google's plans to create a multimedia search engine for Internet-only video that it will likely introduce next year, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. In recent weeks, Mountain View, Calif.-based Google has demonstrated new technology to a handful of major TV broadcasters in an attempt to forge alliances and develop business models for a TV-searchable database on the Web, those sources say.
"Google's trying to bring TV to the Web the same way they're bringing books to the Web," according to a media executive who asked to remain anonymous.
Google declined to comment for this report.
While Google is immediately aiming to cater to the broadband market, Microsoft has its sights on the interactive TV market for cable providers, being ushered in by convergence devices like its Microsoft Media Center PC software. It is building technology that will let people with a Media Center PC or Internet-connected TV comb through and find specific video files available over the Internet, broadcast and video-on-demand networks, according to a source. The software giant is expected to showcase the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, the source said.
Yahoo is picking lower-hanging fruit. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Web portal is planning to introduce a multimedia search engine and is working with Web entertainment and news aggregators to index video clips that are already online. According to one source, the company plans to introduce its service in the first quarter of 2005.
"Google's trying to bring TV to the Web the same way they're bringing books to the Web."
--anonymous source
America Online also will be a player in audio and video search. Earlier this year, the company bought audio-search company Singingfish.
Video is in the spotlight as the Internet begins to mature into an entertainment platform and becomes a viable companion for television, convergence devices that combine PC and TV features, and the networked home. As nearly 30 million U.S. households get wired with broadband Internet, more people are getting comfortable using multimedia online, giving TV audiences more choices than ever about how and when they consume programming.
That's poised to open up access to vast new video libraries that will require new search technology to organize and make content relevant to viewers, much like Internet search engines have made sense of billions of disorganized Web pages.
Cable operators, phone companies and satellite companies are also upping the ante for video, bringing interactive, on-demand services to the television through enhanced set-top boxes, personal digital video recorders and convergence PCs.
Search is the glue that will one day bind these services and help consumers navigate the increasing amount of available content, media executives say. Already interactive programming guide makers have moved to make search more advanced, and companies like Comcast are beginning to sign up for those services. Comcast recently inked a partnership with Microsoft's ITV division to use its interactive programming guides.
For Google, Yahoo and even AOL, offering searchable video is an extremely attractive new market because it not only keeps them relevant to consumers hungry for multimedia, but it helps them appeal to brand advertisers, which spend about $60 billion annually on commercials. Major TV advertisers are comfortable with the effects of commercials, and they're likely to wake up to Internet opportunities once on-demand video is ubiquitous.
Still, navigating the complexities of broadcast will likely be a significant challenge for Google and others in search. Business models for broadcasters online vary widely, and securing broadcasting rights over broadband could be sticky.
For example, if Google and Yahoo want to host and play video from their Web sites they must clear those digital rights with broadcasters. And broadcasters themselves must secure Internet rights with actors, producers and musicians, as well as clear spectrum signal rights with affiliates.
Being careful of existing business models is an issue, too. For example, CBS News offers video for free online, while ABC News offers subscription and paid video services for the likes of AOL and SBC Yahoo. CBS may want to boost traffic in order to sell advertising, but ABC may want to promote its subscription services via video search.
Search technology also must make vast improvements in order to find relevant audio and video. Currently a Web surfer inputs a search query into an engine to receive thousands upon thousands of results, and most people abandon the site if they don't find what they're looking for in the first 10 listings. But with clips of audio and video, that discernment will only increase, because each clip might be 15 seconds to several minutes.
The Goog tube
Google's project for TV search is ultra-secretive; only a handful of broadcast executives have seen it demonstrated so far. To build the service, the company is recording live TV shows and indexing the related closed-caption text of the programming. It uses the text to identify themes, concepts and relevant keywords for video so they can be triggers for searching.
The software allows people to type in keywords, such as "Jon Stewart," to retrieve video clips of the comedian's TV appearances, marked with a thumbnail picture with some captioning text, for example. Refining the search results for the show "Crossfire" would display a page that looks similar to a film reel, with various still images paired with excerpts of closed captioned text of the now-infamous fight between Stewart and CNN's "Crossfire" hosts. The searcher could click on and watch a specific segment of the show.
Google has approached broadcasters to determine business models so that it does not incite copyright lawsuits from rights holders. Google itself can pair relevant advertisements next to video search results. But a broadcaster may wish to use search to drive sales for DVDs, subscription-content services or to sell advertising that would run before and after the video rolls.
"The business models are too soon to tell, but everyone is interested," a source said. "First, the meetings are about, 'Don't sue us for nicking your closed captioning,' and then it's the commercial possibilities."
Other companies have tried similar services and failed. Los Angeles-based FasTV--whose service lets people search for video
clips, trailers and music videos--ran out of money and closed during the dot-com bust, despite strong ties to content providers. It had content-licensing agreements with the likes of MGM, Reuters and the American Film Institute. Virage, too, developed technology for searching video and audio, but some executives say its software was weak.
Google has filed patents related to video search and the display of relevant advertising. For example, in September 2003, Google co-founder Larry Page filed a seemingly broad patent application for a "method to search media." Its system relies on stored data sets, or text "metatags" that represent published content or media, to retrieve and match multimedia to query terms. "Publishers provide authorization to display copyrighted materials through a permission protocol," according to the patent application.
More immediately, Google has been working with National Public Radio and others to index transcripts of audio already on the Internet so that clips can be searchable from its news search engine.
The 800-pound Microsoft is betting on search technology for the Internet, with plans to introduce its own engine next year. But more broadly, it's developing search technology that will be platform agnostic, meaning it will allow people to find text and video from various mediums like broadband, broadcast and set-top boxes. It aims to do so by creating a specialized index for traceable programming labeled with metatags, or keywords.
It also is testing a system for inserting commercials into video that would be contextually relevant to the programming.
A Microsoft representative would not confirm the company's video search plans, but said that its Asia labs are working on projects surrounding annotating video for search purposes. The representative added that the company is not pre-releasing product plans for CES.
"The ways in which we navigate video is underwhelming for people," said Alan Schulman, chief creative officer of Brand New World, an advertising and new media company. "The Web is spoiling us with customization and personalization. We have to offer the same way to navigate video whether it's in broadband or television."
Yahoo's video playYahoo also is trying to index Web video available online today and broaden the reach of its search-related advertising program.
The Web portal plans to collect XML feeds of video content from third-party publishers. That way, it can index programming and make it searchable to visitors. Yahoo's database will rely on the title and description of video content to deliver relevant results, as opposed to actual language within the video.
The copyright questions are more clear in this proposition: Internet content companies looking to drive traffic to their video can likely sell more TV-like advertising if it works.
Yahoo spokeswoman Stephanie Iwamasa would not confirm the existence of a Yahoo video search service.
"We have not announced any launch plans for multimedia search and do not have relationships (feeds or otherwise) with video search aggregators," she wrote in an e-mail. "Furthermore, we do not comment on rumor or speculation."
'India lags behind even Lanka in IT use'
India has chronically under-invested in IT in comparison not only to US, Europe and China but also compared to Sri Lanka and Egypt. It should not measure its success in IT merely by looking at its exports but also on the basis of IT use within the country, said chairman, Microsoft Corporation Pvt Ltd and member of CII National Council, Ravi Venkatesan. Microsoft has done a study with Nasscom on IT productivity in India and its impact on the economy and will be coming out with the report in January 2005, he added.
When it comes to IT penetration and IT use even in a state like Maharashtra, remove Mumbai and Pune, it falls short on most parameters, Mr Venkatesan said, at the third edition of 'Digital Maharashtra - Promoting competitiveness of knowledge-based industry' organised by CII here on Monday.
Microsoft plans to expand in India and is also considering options of either expanding at its existing centres in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore or move to Chennai, Kolkata or Pune. While the Andhra Pradesh chief minister spoke to him and the West Bengal IT minister came calling, there were no such push from Maharashtra, which was not promoting Maharashtra aggressively. Mr Venkatesan said.
"Maharashtra needed to make IT a priority. It would need to attract key 'light house' companies to set up a significant presence in the state as the IT industry had a herd like behaviour," Mr Venkatesan suggested. Maharashtra also needed to lead the country in e-governance, he said.
Microsoft India's focus in the country, Mr Venkatesan said, would be to look at education in a big way. It has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra for Project Shiksha, which is aimed at training teachers from government schools from January 2005.
The company will be coming out with the Marathi version of its Windows and MS Office products. This package for education institutions will be available at lower rate. Project Shiksha, to be done in association with NIIT, is aimed at training 80,000 teachers who in turn will teach 35 lakh students.
Microsoft India will be spending $20 million in India over the next three to five years in the area of education. A similar MoU have also been signed with the Karnataka and Uttaranchal also.
When it comes to IT penetration and IT use even in a state like Maharashtra, remove Mumbai and Pune, it falls short on most parameters, Mr Venkatesan said, at the third edition of 'Digital Maharashtra - Promoting competitiveness of knowledge-based industry' organised by CII here on Monday.
Microsoft plans to expand in India and is also considering options of either expanding at its existing centres in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore or move to Chennai, Kolkata or Pune. While the Andhra Pradesh chief minister spoke to him and the West Bengal IT minister came calling, there were no such push from Maharashtra, which was not promoting Maharashtra aggressively. Mr Venkatesan said.
"Maharashtra needed to make IT a priority. It would need to attract key 'light house' companies to set up a significant presence in the state as the IT industry had a herd like behaviour," Mr Venkatesan suggested. Maharashtra also needed to lead the country in e-governance, he said.
Microsoft India's focus in the country, Mr Venkatesan said, would be to look at education in a big way. It has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra for Project Shiksha, which is aimed at training teachers from government schools from January 2005.
The company will be coming out with the Marathi version of its Windows and MS Office products. This package for education institutions will be available at lower rate. Project Shiksha, to be done in association with NIIT, is aimed at training 80,000 teachers who in turn will teach 35 lakh students.
Microsoft India will be spending $20 million in India over the next three to five years in the area of education. A similar MoU have also been signed with the Karnataka and Uttaranchal also.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Hyderabad centre: A window to Microsoft's brave new world
Microsoft India Development Centre (MIDC) in Hyderabad is working on a slew of products and technologies in coordination with its parent in the US. Some of the important technologies include infrastructure and internet security services, next version of Windows, Windows services for Unix, RRas (remote dial-up services), intrusion prevention/proxy and a host of other areas.
Microsoft Corporation (India) Private Ltd technical specialist Govindraj Rangan said: "A good amount of work on technologies is being done out of MIDC in coordination with its parent in Redmond."
MIDC is currently working on software methodologies, designing, testing and component development for the infrastructure and internet security area, which are expected to play a major role in the overall growth of the company, he said adding that the new technology would help defend information systems through programme and internal system.
Similarly, it is working on technologies/ services for Unix which provide a full range of cross-platform services that help integrate Windows in a secure and cost-efficient manner into existing Unix and Linux environments, Mr Rangan said. The product lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT systems by enabling customers to rapidly consolidate diverse platforms, he added. It is also working on multi-language Windows starter for easy access to non-English users.
Though the research lab is in the US headquarters, all the testing of new technologies are being undertaken in Hyderabad.
"Microsoft encourages employees to come up with innovative schemes and the same will be referred to the headquarters for consideration. Based on the importance and relevance to the future, the innovations will be considered," Mr Rangan said further.
The Centre is also working on the next version of Windows - Longhorn, with more features such as powerful search engine, applications development, and high-performance tools with added security features to give the customers a wonderful experience, Mr Rangan pointed out.
"We expect the next version of Windows to be rolled out during 2006," he said.
According to Mr Rangan, the company has reduced the number of vulnerabilities on the Windows Server system from a high of 40 in 2000 to eight in 2003 and the same is expected to go further down with the new technology and security features.
Currently, the Windows group is working on technologies for R2 Server and Longhorn client and server. Other developments include work on the next version of Visual Studio and Visual Studio Team System, Mr Rangan said.
Moreover, the storage team is jointly developing the Microsoft Data Protection Server, a new product for the Windows Server System family which leverages disks to provide customers with continuous data protection coupled with rapid and reliable data recovery at a low TCO.
Microsoft Corporation (India) Private Ltd technical specialist Govindraj Rangan said: "A good amount of work on technologies is being done out of MIDC in coordination with its parent in Redmond."
MIDC is currently working on software methodologies, designing, testing and component development for the infrastructure and internet security area, which are expected to play a major role in the overall growth of the company, he said adding that the new technology would help defend information systems through programme and internal system.
Similarly, it is working on technologies/ services for Unix which provide a full range of cross-platform services that help integrate Windows in a secure and cost-efficient manner into existing Unix and Linux environments, Mr Rangan said. The product lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT systems by enabling customers to rapidly consolidate diverse platforms, he added. It is also working on multi-language Windows starter for easy access to non-English users.
Though the research lab is in the US headquarters, all the testing of new technologies are being undertaken in Hyderabad.
"Microsoft encourages employees to come up with innovative schemes and the same will be referred to the headquarters for consideration. Based on the importance and relevance to the future, the innovations will be considered," Mr Rangan said further.
The Centre is also working on the next version of Windows - Longhorn, with more features such as powerful search engine, applications development, and high-performance tools with added security features to give the customers a wonderful experience, Mr Rangan pointed out.
"We expect the next version of Windows to be rolled out during 2006," he said.
According to Mr Rangan, the company has reduced the number of vulnerabilities on the Windows Server system from a high of 40 in 2000 to eight in 2003 and the same is expected to go further down with the new technology and security features.
Currently, the Windows group is working on technologies for R2 Server and Longhorn client and server. Other developments include work on the next version of Visual Studio and Visual Studio Team System, Mr Rangan said.
Moreover, the storage team is jointly developing the Microsoft Data Protection Server, a new product for the Windows Server System family which leverages disks to provide customers with continuous data protection coupled with rapid and reliable data recovery at a low TCO.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Microsoft to spread software through U.N.
Microsoft signed an agreement Wednesday with UNESCO to promote the use of information technology in education in developing nations and boost the number of languages in which its applications are offered.
Under the agreement, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will support the software maker's efforts to expand the number of languages featured in its Local Language Program. That initiative, launched earlier this year, is designed to provide desktop software and tools in local languages by collaborating with governments and universities.
The U.N. agency also will collaborate with Microsoft to promote the refurbishment of tech devices. This effort is designed to help developing countries boost access to cost-effective computer technology.
In addition, Microsoft will help UNESCO develop IT curriculum and training courses for teachers. The company's initiatives, such as the Solutions Sharing Network and the Innovative Teachers program, will be used to try to improve education in developing countries.
The two bodies will jointly set up a technology center in North Africa to improve access to IT and develop skills among youths. They also will explore the possibility of collaborating under Microsoft's Partners in Learning program in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
The software giant has focused its attention on developing countries by offering them products such as stripped-down Windows XP and software translated into local languages. These efforts come as open-source software is gaining clout in some countries.
Microsoft to fix 'download warning' flaw
Microsoft has said it will take "appropriate action" to fix a problem in
Internet Explorer and Windows XP SP2 that allows a malicious Web site to
bypass the browser's warnings when downloading potentially harmful content.
The problem was first reported to Microsoft on Nov. 15 by security company
Finjan. At the time, Microsoft said Finjan's security advisory was
"misleading and possibly erroneous". On Monday, French Web site K-otik
published exploit codes that could take advantage of the same vulnerability.
On Tuesday, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company still believes
the claims are misleading because "significant user interaction and user
interface steps have to occur before any malicious code can be executed."
However, the software giant did admit that it was possible to bypass the
security warnings in IE--even when using Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
"Microsoft is investigating this method of bypassing the Internet Explorer
download warning and will take appropriate action to cover this scenario in
order for customers to be properly advised that executables downloaded from
the Internet can be malicious in nature," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson acknowledged that if the file was saved in the start-up
folder, it would automatically run the next time the user restarted their
computer.
"The user must go to the folder containing that executable and choose to run
it, or log off and log back onto the computer if the attacker attempted to
save the malicious executable into the user's Windows Startup folder," the
spokesperson said.
However, the spokesperson said the problem was not a security vulnerability
but actually a clever use of social engineering.
"It is important to note that this is not the exploitation of a security
vulnerability, but an attempt by an attacker to use social engineering to
convince a user to save an executable file on the hard drive without first
receiving the Internet Explorer download warning," the spokesperson said.
Security experts disagree with Microsoft on this point.
Sean Richmond, senior technology consultant at antivirus firm Sophos
Australia, agreed that the exploit would require some user interaction but
said this was definitely bypassing a security feature in IE and SP2.
"This is certainly something that is bypassing some of the security features
that are meant to be there. It is a way of bypassing the dialogues in IE. It
will result in the (malicious) file being saved on the user's computer,"
said Richmond, who added that the matter would be worse if that file could
be saved in a computer's start-up folder.
Richard Starnes, an information security professional with around 20 years
experience in information security, incident response, computer crime
investigation and cyber terrorism, said that legislation could be used to
force Microsoft--and other software developers--to improve their code and
take financial responsibility for their customers' losses.
"I wonder how solid Microsoft's coding would become if strategic governments
around the world removed the liability shield that software manufactures now
currently enjoy. They would then have some real financial incentive to get
it right the first time, instead of this Computer Science 101 coding they
are continually churning out," said Starnes.
Starnes believes the quality of software development has fallen in the past
two decades.
"Most commercial releases of software today wouldn't have made it out of
beta 20 years ago," he added.
Internet Explorer and Windows XP SP2 that allows a malicious Web site to
bypass the browser's warnings when downloading potentially harmful content.
The problem was first reported to Microsoft on Nov. 15 by security company
Finjan. At the time, Microsoft said Finjan's security advisory was
"misleading and possibly erroneous". On Monday, French Web site K-otik
published exploit codes that could take advantage of the same vulnerability.
On Tuesday, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company still believes
the claims are misleading because "significant user interaction and user
interface steps have to occur before any malicious code can be executed."
However, the software giant did admit that it was possible to bypass the
security warnings in IE--even when using Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
"Microsoft is investigating this method of bypassing the Internet Explorer
download warning and will take appropriate action to cover this scenario in
order for customers to be properly advised that executables downloaded from
the Internet can be malicious in nature," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson acknowledged that if the file was saved in the start-up
folder, it would automatically run the next time the user restarted their
computer.
"The user must go to the folder containing that executable and choose to run
it, or log off and log back onto the computer if the attacker attempted to
save the malicious executable into the user's Windows Startup folder," the
spokesperson said.
However, the spokesperson said the problem was not a security vulnerability
but actually a clever use of social engineering.
"It is important to note that this is not the exploitation of a security
vulnerability, but an attempt by an attacker to use social engineering to
convince a user to save an executable file on the hard drive without first
receiving the Internet Explorer download warning," the spokesperson said.
Security experts disagree with Microsoft on this point.
Sean Richmond, senior technology consultant at antivirus firm Sophos
Australia, agreed that the exploit would require some user interaction but
said this was definitely bypassing a security feature in IE and SP2.
"This is certainly something that is bypassing some of the security features
that are meant to be there. It is a way of bypassing the dialogues in IE. It
will result in the (malicious) file being saved on the user's computer,"
said Richmond, who added that the matter would be worse if that file could
be saved in a computer's start-up folder.
Richard Starnes, an information security professional with around 20 years
experience in information security, incident response, computer crime
investigation and cyber terrorism, said that legislation could be used to
force Microsoft--and other software developers--to improve their code and
take financial responsibility for their customers' losses.
"I wonder how solid Microsoft's coding would become if strategic governments
around the world removed the liability shield that software manufactures now
currently enjoy. They would then have some real financial incentive to get
it right the first time, instead of this Computer Science 101 coding they
are continually churning out," said Starnes.
Starnes believes the quality of software development has fallen in the past
two decades.
"Most commercial releases of software today wouldn't have made it out of
beta 20 years ago," he added.
Satyam joins Microsoft mainframe alliance
Satyam Computer Services Ltd, the fourth largest software services exporter
from India, today announced that it has joined the mainframe migration
alliance (MMA) created by Microsoft and industry partners which enables
customers using mainframe systems to move seamlessly to the Windows
platform.
Satyam's expertise in developing business solutions for mainframe migration,
coupled with the current alliance, will enable it to provide customers an
alternative roadmap with the resources they need to achieve the scalability,
reliability, and security they have come to expect from the mainframe, while
delivering a much greater ability to adapt to ever changing business
requirements.
"We are delighted to be a member of the MMA. The company's high caliber
Microsoft .Net-based architectural capabilities, emphasising prescriptive,
re-usable .Net technologies, combined with extensive domain and migration
best practices, will assist Microsoft's customers globally to have a
positive experience migrating to more modern server platforms," Hari
Natarajan, vice president and head of the global Microsoft mission, for
Satyam Computer Services said.
"In addition, this alliance community underlines Satyam and Microsoft's
commitment to ensuring that approved best practices in mainframe migration
reaches the enterprise customer community swiftly and efficiently,"
Natarajan added.
Satyam is a leading provider of business solutions for various platforms
ranging from mainframe to internet applications. Satyam has wide ranging
expertise and experience in offering services to clients on and away from
mainframes.
Migration to newer and modern architectures is necessitated due to
increasing maintenance and enhancement costs of existing platforms, market
demanded flexibility and changing business models, diminishing return on
investments (ROI) in the long term, and leveraging the broader technology
spectrum.
"We are very pleased that Satyam has joined the Mainframe Migration
Alliance," Spyros Sakellariadis, project manager (mainframe migration
alliance) for Microsoft Corp said.
Satyam also has strong alliances with leading product vendors for tools and
processes on both the mainframe and target platforms.
This helps Satyam follow a well-defined tool based approach coupled with
effective processes to shrink the migration timeline and deliver faster and
better applications. Thus the value proposition here points to the cost
saving and reuse achieved and the return on investment obtained.
from India, today announced that it has joined the mainframe migration
alliance (MMA) created by Microsoft and industry partners which enables
customers using mainframe systems to move seamlessly to the Windows
platform.
Satyam's expertise in developing business solutions for mainframe migration,
coupled with the current alliance, will enable it to provide customers an
alternative roadmap with the resources they need to achieve the scalability,
reliability, and security they have come to expect from the mainframe, while
delivering a much greater ability to adapt to ever changing business
requirements.
"We are delighted to be a member of the MMA. The company's high caliber
Microsoft .Net-based architectural capabilities, emphasising prescriptive,
re-usable .Net technologies, combined with extensive domain and migration
best practices, will assist Microsoft's customers globally to have a
positive experience migrating to more modern server platforms," Hari
Natarajan, vice president and head of the global Microsoft mission, for
Satyam Computer Services said.
"In addition, this alliance community underlines Satyam and Microsoft's
commitment to ensuring that approved best practices in mainframe migration
reaches the enterprise customer community swiftly and efficiently,"
Natarajan added.
Satyam is a leading provider of business solutions for various platforms
ranging from mainframe to internet applications. Satyam has wide ranging
expertise and experience in offering services to clients on and away from
mainframes.
Migration to newer and modern architectures is necessitated due to
increasing maintenance and enhancement costs of existing platforms, market
demanded flexibility and changing business models, diminishing return on
investments (ROI) in the long term, and leveraging the broader technology
spectrum.
"We are very pleased that Satyam has joined the Mainframe Migration
Alliance," Spyros Sakellariadis, project manager (mainframe migration
alliance) for Microsoft Corp said.
Satyam also has strong alliances with leading product vendors for tools and
processes on both the mainframe and target platforms.
This helps Satyam follow a well-defined tool based approach coupled with
effective processes to shrink the migration timeline and deliver faster and
better applications. Thus the value proposition here points to the cost
saving and reuse achieved and the return on investment obtained.
Java flaw could lead to Windows, Linux attacks
A flaw in Sun Microsystems' plug-in for running Java on a variety of
browsers and operating systems could allow a virus to spread through
Microsoft Windows and Linux PCs.
The vulnerability, found by Finnish security researcher Jouko Pynnonen in
June, was patched last month by Sun, but its details were not made public
until Tuesday. Security information provider Secunia posted information
about the flaw in an advisory that rated it a "highly critical" threat.
The Java plug-in enables small Web programs, known as applets, to run safely
on a user's computer. But the security flaw allows a malicious Web site
accessed through a victim's browser to bypass those protections.
"It allows execution of attacker-supplied code without user interaction
(apart from viewing a Web page) which usually means a 'critical'
classification," Pynonnen stated in an e-mail interview with CNET News.com
"The same exploit could also be used against various operating systems and
browsers, which makes it more serious," he added. The vulnerability can be
used to attack systems running on Windows or Linux, for example, and using
major browser software such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Firefox--meaning a large number of systems are vulnerable to attack.
An attacker could use the flaw to do anything the victim normally could,
including browse, modify or run files, upload more programs to the victim's
system, or send out data from the system, Pynnonen wrote in an advisory
dated Tuesday.
While the major browsers have had to deal with a significant number of
security issues, the flaw is a rare black eye for the security of Sun's Java
technology. Java is designed to be able to run programs downloaded from the
Internet on various operating systems safely, without danger to a PC. The
"sandbox" that cordons off Java applets from the rest of the system has
typically worked well.
However, the flaw allows small snippets of Web code, known as Javascript, to
execute functions of Java that were never meant to be run by external
programs.
Last week, while announcing details of Sun's forthcoming Solaris 10
operating system, President Jonathan Schwartz noted that Java hasn't been
afflicted by a single Java virus.
However, the new security hole could allow a virus to use the Java plug-in
to invade PC systems. In October, a flaw in the Java plug-in for cell phones
raised the specter that a malicious program disguised as a helpful
application could attack a phone's software, if run by a user.
Like the recent iFrame vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the
Java flaw could allow a malicious Web site to download and execute a program
that would compromise a visitor's PC.
"It could be easily used for spreading viruses or other malware," Pynnonen
said in the e-mail. "The exploit itself can't be easily embedded in e-mail,
because Java applets contained in e-mail aren't normally started
automatically. However an e-mail message could contain a link to a Web page
which has the exploit."
While Sun would not speculate on how the flaw could be used by attackers,
the company did say that it worked hard to distribute the patch for it to
all users.
"We took this very seriously, and we have gone the extra mile to post these
patches," a Sun representative said on Tuesday.
The advisories from Sun, Secunia and Pynnonen do not address whether the
problem could affect Apple Computer's Mac OS X operating system, which is
based on a Unix-like core of code, similar to Linux. The Sun representative
said that the Mac issue is being investigated.
Apple Computer was not immediately available for comment.
browsers and operating systems could allow a virus to spread through
Microsoft Windows and Linux PCs.
The vulnerability, found by Finnish security researcher Jouko Pynnonen in
June, was patched last month by Sun, but its details were not made public
until Tuesday. Security information provider Secunia posted information
about the flaw in an advisory that rated it a "highly critical" threat.
The Java plug-in enables small Web programs, known as applets, to run safely
on a user's computer. But the security flaw allows a malicious Web site
accessed through a victim's browser to bypass those protections.
"It allows execution of attacker-supplied code without user interaction
(apart from viewing a Web page) which usually means a 'critical'
classification," Pynonnen stated in an e-mail interview with CNET News.com
"The same exploit could also be used against various operating systems and
browsers, which makes it more serious," he added. The vulnerability can be
used to attack systems running on Windows or Linux, for example, and using
major browser software such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Firefox--meaning a large number of systems are vulnerable to attack.
An attacker could use the flaw to do anything the victim normally could,
including browse, modify or run files, upload more programs to the victim's
system, or send out data from the system, Pynnonen wrote in an advisory
dated Tuesday.
While the major browsers have had to deal with a significant number of
security issues, the flaw is a rare black eye for the security of Sun's Java
technology. Java is designed to be able to run programs downloaded from the
Internet on various operating systems safely, without danger to a PC. The
"sandbox" that cordons off Java applets from the rest of the system has
typically worked well.
However, the flaw allows small snippets of Web code, known as Javascript, to
execute functions of Java that were never meant to be run by external
programs.
Last week, while announcing details of Sun's forthcoming Solaris 10
operating system, President Jonathan Schwartz noted that Java hasn't been
afflicted by a single Java virus.
However, the new security hole could allow a virus to use the Java plug-in
to invade PC systems. In October, a flaw in the Java plug-in for cell phones
raised the specter that a malicious program disguised as a helpful
application could attack a phone's software, if run by a user.
Like the recent iFrame vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the
Java flaw could allow a malicious Web site to download and execute a program
that would compromise a visitor's PC.
"It could be easily used for spreading viruses or other malware," Pynnonen
said in the e-mail. "The exploit itself can't be easily embedded in e-mail,
because Java applets contained in e-mail aren't normally started
automatically. However an e-mail message could contain a link to a Web page
which has the exploit."
While Sun would not speculate on how the flaw could be used by attackers,
the company did say that it worked hard to distribute the patch for it to
all users.
"We took this very seriously, and we have gone the extra mile to post these
patches," a Sun representative said on Tuesday.
The advisories from Sun, Secunia and Pynnonen do not address whether the
problem could affect Apple Computer's Mac OS X operating system, which is
based on a Unix-like core of code, similar to Linux. The Sun representative
said that the Mac issue is being investigated.
Apple Computer was not immediately available for comment.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Microsoft gives developers a glimpse of Avalon
Although the next version of Windows is still about two years from release, Microsoft on Friday offered developers an early look at the new graphics engine that will accompany it.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software powerhouse released what it calls a "community technology preview" of the Avalon presentation engine for Windows. It's not a full beta, or test, version, but rather an incomplete set of code that lets developers test certain features and pass along their thoughts to Microsoft.
"It's basically a build that has a couple new features that we want to test out with customers," said John Montgomery, a director in Microsoft's developer division. "This is just our way of getting feedback."
Avalon was originally envisioned as a core feature of Longhorn, the next version of Windows. It will still be a part of that operating system, but it will also be made available as an add-on for users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
The main purpose of the new technology preview is to test Microsoft's ability to bring Avalon to its older operating systems. Microsoft has done community previews in the past, typically with developer-centered programs such as Visual Studio. The company created one earlier this year for its "Whitehorse" modeling tools.
Avalon is a key part of Windows' future, but it is something the average computer user will never touch directly. Instead, it's an improved method of dealing with graphics, designed to let developers write snazzier-looking applications.
So far, Microsoft hopes it will be able to bring most of the features envisioned for Avalon onto its older operating systems, Montgomery said.
The main difference is that newer graphics drivers in Longhorn allow for better performance and newer hardware. With Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, users might see slower performance, fewer shades of gray or less 3D animation, Montgomery said.
But, he said, developers wanted the support for older operating systems because it means they can write programs for Avalon that can be used by existing PCs, as opposed to only the machines that run Longhorn.
"The goal is give developers a consistent set of APIs," or application programming interfaces, Montgomery said.The code Microsoft is releasing Friday is pretty rough, Montgomery said.
Its release is limited to developers who subscribe to the Microsoft Developer Network, and the company warns customers not to use it even on a primary development computer, with there being every likelihood of bugs and a pretty good chance developers will want to reinstall their system once they're done using the Avalon preview.
A beta of Avalon is slated for next summer, along with the first beta of Longhorn. Final versions of Longhorn and Avalon are expected in the second half of 2006.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software powerhouse released what it calls a "community technology preview" of the Avalon presentation engine for Windows. It's not a full beta, or test, version, but rather an incomplete set of code that lets developers test certain features and pass along their thoughts to Microsoft.
"It's basically a build that has a couple new features that we want to test out with customers," said John Montgomery, a director in Microsoft's developer division. "This is just our way of getting feedback."
Avalon was originally envisioned as a core feature of Longhorn, the next version of Windows. It will still be a part of that operating system, but it will also be made available as an add-on for users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
The main purpose of the new technology preview is to test Microsoft's ability to bring Avalon to its older operating systems. Microsoft has done community previews in the past, typically with developer-centered programs such as Visual Studio. The company created one earlier this year for its "Whitehorse" modeling tools.
Avalon is a key part of Windows' future, but it is something the average computer user will never touch directly. Instead, it's an improved method of dealing with graphics, designed to let developers write snazzier-looking applications.
So far, Microsoft hopes it will be able to bring most of the features envisioned for Avalon onto its older operating systems, Montgomery said.
The main difference is that newer graphics drivers in Longhorn allow for better performance and newer hardware. With Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, users might see slower performance, fewer shades of gray or less 3D animation, Montgomery said.
But, he said, developers wanted the support for older operating systems because it means they can write programs for Avalon that can be used by existing PCs, as opposed to only the machines that run Longhorn.
"The goal is give developers a consistent set of APIs," or application programming interfaces, Montgomery said.The code Microsoft is releasing Friday is pretty rough, Montgomery said.
Its release is limited to developers who subscribe to the Microsoft Developer Network, and the company warns customers not to use it even on a primary development computer, with there being every likelihood of bugs and a pretty good chance developers will want to reinstall their system once they're done using the Avalon preview.
A beta of Avalon is slated for next summer, along with the first beta of Longhorn. Final versions of Longhorn and Avalon are expected in the second half of 2006.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Microsoft on Thursday launched a beta version of its Web search technology, as it entertains ambitions of catching up to rivals Google and Yahoo.
What the software giant unveiled is a more advanced version of technology it introduced in July, with more searchable documents and personalization features. The site is accessible at www.Beta.search.msn.com.
As of Thursday morning, the beta site and many new features such as music clips were accessible only intermittently.
We're looking into it," a Microsoft representative said. "Because it is a beta, it may go down from time to time, but it does appear to be improving."
MSN Search Beta has more bells and whistles than previous versions. The company, however, has not yet replaced Yahoo Search technology from powering its engine, and it won't do so until sometime in 2005.
Microsoft had been widely hyped as being ready to introduce a full-fledged search engine sometime this year. Founder and Chairman Bill Gates said earlier in 2004 that the company would have a homegrown technology by the end of the year to best the reigning search champ, Google.
Still, Justin Osmer, product manager of MSN Search, said, "While it's not final, it's a significant step to getting us back in the game."
MSN also introduced a blog focused on Web search, following similar moves by Yahoo and Google.
Despite boasts from Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer that Microsoft will build a superior Web search technology from scratch, the company is still largely a philosophical threat to No. 1 Google and No. 2 Yahoo.
The three companies are battling to win search loyalists and a greater stake in the multibillion-dollar advertising business associated with results pages. Microsoft is considered a formidable competitor by all, with plans to eventually combine desktop and Internet search, but its service has yet to fully materialize after 20 months in development (which is why it licenses technology from rival Yahoo). Meanwhile, Google and Yahoo make seemingly daily improvements to theirs.
"This is still a shot in the firing range rather than in the battle," said Danny Sullivan, an industry expert
Among the improvements to the version introduced Thursday is the capability of letting visitors personalize search results by setting their geographical location. After performing a search, a Web surfer can hit the "near me" button to see local results. The technology is also designed to automatically identify the physical location of Web pages it indexes, and it attempts to detect the locale of a visitor to better match his or her results.
The beta service also lets people use a "dial" to reconfigure search results based on the dates pages were updated and their popularity on the Web.
MSN Music and Microsoft's encyclopedia service, Encarta, will also play a role in the new search site. When a person searches for a person or place along with an indicator--for example, an expression like "San Francisco population"--the search engine will display an answer from Encarta. Also, people can search for the name of a musician, like Madonna, to call up clips of her music from MSN.
MSN said that the service now searches 5 billion Web documents, up from 1 billion in July. Google said Wednesday that it has updated its index from roughly 4 billion documents to more than 8 billion.
The layout of the test site will include sponsored search results from MSN partner Overture Services, a subsidiary of Yahoo.
What the software giant unveiled is a more advanced version of technology it introduced in July, with more searchable documents and personalization features. The site is accessible at www.Beta.search.msn.com.
As of Thursday morning, the beta site and many new features such as music clips were accessible only intermittently.
We're looking into it," a Microsoft representative said. "Because it is a beta, it may go down from time to time, but it does appear to be improving."
MSN Search Beta has more bells and whistles than previous versions. The company, however, has not yet replaced Yahoo Search technology from powering its engine, and it won't do so until sometime in 2005.
Microsoft had been widely hyped as being ready to introduce a full-fledged search engine sometime this year. Founder and Chairman Bill Gates said earlier in 2004 that the company would have a homegrown technology by the end of the year to best the reigning search champ, Google.
Still, Justin Osmer, product manager of MSN Search, said, "While it's not final, it's a significant step to getting us back in the game."
MSN also introduced a blog focused on Web search, following similar moves by Yahoo and Google.
Despite boasts from Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer that Microsoft will build a superior Web search technology from scratch, the company is still largely a philosophical threat to No. 1 Google and No. 2 Yahoo.
The three companies are battling to win search loyalists and a greater stake in the multibillion-dollar advertising business associated with results pages. Microsoft is considered a formidable competitor by all, with plans to eventually combine desktop and Internet search, but its service has yet to fully materialize after 20 months in development (which is why it licenses technology from rival Yahoo). Meanwhile, Google and Yahoo make seemingly daily improvements to theirs.
"This is still a shot in the firing range rather than in the battle," said Danny Sullivan, an industry expert
Among the improvements to the version introduced Thursday is the capability of letting visitors personalize search results by setting their geographical location. After performing a search, a Web surfer can hit the "near me" button to see local results. The technology is also designed to automatically identify the physical location of Web pages it indexes, and it attempts to detect the locale of a visitor to better match his or her results.
The beta service also lets people use a "dial" to reconfigure search results based on the dates pages were updated and their popularity on the Web.
MSN Music and Microsoft's encyclopedia service, Encarta, will also play a role in the new search site. When a person searches for a person or place along with an indicator--for example, an expression like "San Francisco population"--the search engine will display an answer from Encarta. Also, people can search for the name of a musician, like Madonna, to call up clips of her music from MSN.
MSN said that the service now searches 5 billion Web documents, up from 1 billion in July. Google said Wednesday that it has updated its index from roughly 4 billion documents to more than 8 billion.
The layout of the test site will include sponsored search results from MSN partner Overture Services, a subsidiary of Yahoo.
Wipro on an MS high
Coinciding with the successful completion of a five-year relationship between Microsoft and Wipro, Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, visited Wipro to outline the strategy of the relationship going forward.
With more than 5000 employees focused on delivering Microsoft technology solutions to customers, Wipro has established separate practices to support Microsoft.NET and infrastructure related business opportunities in response to customer needs and accelerating business growth.
Within the past five years, Wipro has expanded its Microsoft related business and expects that growth to gain momentum. Wipro has aligned key internal business units to provide a broader range and suite of Microsoft related consulting services to enterprise customers that include platform strategy consulting, product engineering services, application integration and management, IT infrastructure and BPO services, across key verticals that include retail, manufacturing, energy & utilities, healthcare and financial services.
Wipro has also collaborated with Microsoft on joint solution development covering seven key focus areas: business process management, help desk management, retail point of sale, RFID, zero touch deployment, hospital information system and the store manager workbench.
"Wipro offers deep industry expertise and a rich portfolio of solutions that build on the Microsoft platform to help customers reduce costs and grow their top line," said Mr Ballmer. "We look forward to evolving our relationship with Wipro and helping customers worldwide realise more value from their IT investments."
Outlining the relationship that Wipro enjoys with Microsoft, Azim Premji, Wipro chairman, said that the alliance provides a significant opportunity to accelerate business more and more. "Customers are looking for ways to reduce their IT spend while gaining in the areas of security, application availability and productivity," he said.
With more than 5000 employees focused on delivering Microsoft technology solutions to customers, Wipro has established separate practices to support Microsoft.NET and infrastructure related business opportunities in response to customer needs and accelerating business growth.
Within the past five years, Wipro has expanded its Microsoft related business and expects that growth to gain momentum. Wipro has aligned key internal business units to provide a broader range and suite of Microsoft related consulting services to enterprise customers that include platform strategy consulting, product engineering services, application integration and management, IT infrastructure and BPO services, across key verticals that include retail, manufacturing, energy & utilities, healthcare and financial services.
Wipro has also collaborated with Microsoft on joint solution development covering seven key focus areas: business process management, help desk management, retail point of sale, RFID, zero touch deployment, hospital information system and the store manager workbench.
"Wipro offers deep industry expertise and a rich portfolio of solutions that build on the Microsoft platform to help customers reduce costs and grow their top line," said Mr Ballmer. "We look forward to evolving our relationship with Wipro and helping customers worldwide realise more value from their IT investments."
Outlining the relationship that Wipro enjoys with Microsoft, Azim Premji, Wipro chairman, said that the alliance provides a significant opportunity to accelerate business more and more. "Customers are looking for ways to reduce their IT spend while gaining in the areas of security, application availability and productivity," he said.
Microsoft CEO visit Hyderabad
Steve Ballmer, the high-profile chief executive officer of global software major Microsoft, will be making a short visit to the cyber city of Hyderabad on Monday to inaugurate the first phase of Microsoft India Development Centre's (MIDC) campus, considered to be the largest outside the US (Redmond). Mr Ballmer will be also laying the foundation stone for the second phase.
Steve Ballmer, the high-profile chief executive officer of global software major Microsoft, will be making a short visit to the cyber city of Hyderabad on Monday to inaugurate the first phase of Microsoft India Development Centre's (MIDC) campus, considered to be the largest outside the US (Redmond). Mr Ballmer will be also laying the foundation stone for the second phase.
The first phase of the MIDC campus, coming up in 18 acres of land out of the total 43 acres of land adjacent to the Indian School of Business at Manikonda near Hyderabad, is expected to accommodate up to 800 professionals, sources said.
The first phase, which is expected to have a built-up area of around 175,000 sq ft and is being constructed with an investment of over Rs 50 crore, will help the company shift some of its workforce from its existing leased facilities at Hitec City.
With the expansion of its activities in Hyderabad, Microsoft is said to have cleared the apprehensions regarding its committment to the cyber city, the government sources said, adding, that over the last two years the company's manpower in Hyderabad has been substantially increased to over 1,500 professionals as against 300.
The second phase, for which the foundation stone will be laid on Monday by Mr Ballmer, will also be coming up in the first 18 acres of land. Together, the two phases are expected to accommodate around 2,000 professionals, the sources said.
Steve Ballmer, the high-profile chief executive officer of global software major Microsoft, will be making a short visit to the cyber city of Hyderabad on Monday to inaugurate the first phase of Microsoft India Development Centre's (MIDC) campus, considered to be the largest outside the US (Redmond). Mr Ballmer will be also laying the foundation stone for the second phase.
The first phase of the MIDC campus, coming up in 18 acres of land out of the total 43 acres of land adjacent to the Indian School of Business at Manikonda near Hyderabad, is expected to accommodate up to 800 professionals, sources said.
The first phase, which is expected to have a built-up area of around 175,000 sq ft and is being constructed with an investment of over Rs 50 crore, will help the company shift some of its workforce from its existing leased facilities at Hitec City.
With the expansion of its activities in Hyderabad, Microsoft is said to have cleared the apprehensions regarding its committment to the cyber city, the government sources said, adding, that over the last two years the company's manpower in Hyderabad has been substantially increased to over 1,500 professionals as against 300.
The second phase, for which the foundation stone will be laid on Monday by Mr Ballmer, will also be coming up in the first 18 acres of land. Together, the two phases are expected to accommodate around 2,000 professionals, the sources said.
Microsoft to hire hundreds at Hyderabad campus
"We don't go behind adding buildings first but go behind quality professionals to enable them to realise the real potential in Microsoft worldwide," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation."
India possesses the incredible, brilliant and skilled engineering workforce across the spectrum and it is a great opportunity for a company like Microsoft to have a great centre at Hyderabad," said Mr Ballmer, who was here on Monday for the inauguration of Microsoft's 28-acre campus.
Addressing a huge gathering after inaugurating the first phase of the campus along with the AP chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr Ballmer said: "We are committed to growing in India in general and Hyderabad in particular. As the world's fastest growing IT market, India has long been a strategically important region for Microsoft."
India is a key to the company's mission of enabling people, governments, businesses and communities to realise the full potential, he added. The CEO also laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the campus.
Microsoft prefers high-level engineering skills and the creative working capabilities in India. The products being developed is for the worldwide markets. "Come and join us to realise the great potential and work together to create a great company," Mr Ballmer invited.
To a question, Mr Ballmer said that the company will recruit hundreds of professionals in the next 12 months to make the campus play an important role in contributing to innovation at Microsoft. "The inauguration of the new campus here shows our commitment to deepening the relationship with India and partnering with Indian governments and developer communities to create new opportunities for customers and for the industry," he said further.
On investments, Mr Ballmer said that this is part of the $400 million investment plans for India announced by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2002 when he visited India. "We continue to invest and grow in India as well as Redmond," he added.
The campus continues to engage in developing and providing support services in the areas of Windows (next version), Office, MSN, search engine and many other products. In addition to that, the Hyderabad centre will also help in localising the language to take its products to the rural masses. "Currently, the company is involved in localising the services in 16 different Indian languages," Mr Ballmer said.
Meanwhile, after inaugurating the campus Dr Reddy said that the Congress government will create 400 acres of IT infrastructure in just one year as against the previous government's eight years. "We will create an IT infrastructure of 400 acres of land in just 12 months as against previous government's eight years and the state is committed to taking up the IT in a major way," Dr Reddy said.
India possesses the incredible, brilliant and skilled engineering workforce across the spectrum and it is a great opportunity for a company like Microsoft to have a great centre at Hyderabad," said Mr Ballmer, who was here on Monday for the inauguration of Microsoft's 28-acre campus.
Addressing a huge gathering after inaugurating the first phase of the campus along with the AP chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Mr Ballmer said: "We are committed to growing in India in general and Hyderabad in particular. As the world's fastest growing IT market, India has long been a strategically important region for Microsoft."
India is a key to the company's mission of enabling people, governments, businesses and communities to realise the full potential, he added. The CEO also laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the campus.
Microsoft prefers high-level engineering skills and the creative working capabilities in India. The products being developed is for the worldwide markets. "Come and join us to realise the great potential and work together to create a great company," Mr Ballmer invited.
To a question, Mr Ballmer said that the company will recruit hundreds of professionals in the next 12 months to make the campus play an important role in contributing to innovation at Microsoft. "The inauguration of the new campus here shows our commitment to deepening the relationship with India and partnering with Indian governments and developer communities to create new opportunities for customers and for the industry," he said further.
On investments, Mr Ballmer said that this is part of the $400 million investment plans for India announced by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2002 when he visited India. "We continue to invest and grow in India as well as Redmond," he added.
The campus continues to engage in developing and providing support services in the areas of Windows (next version), Office, MSN, search engine and many other products. In addition to that, the Hyderabad centre will also help in localising the language to take its products to the rural masses. "Currently, the company is involved in localising the services in 16 different Indian languages," Mr Ballmer said.
Meanwhile, after inaugurating the campus Dr Reddy said that the Congress government will create 400 acres of IT infrastructure in just one year as against the previous government's eight years. "We will create an IT infrastructure of 400 acres of land in just 12 months as against previous government's eight years and the state is committed to taking up the IT in a major way," Dr Reddy said.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
STEVE BALLEMR CEO of MICROSOFT WILL BE IN HYDERABAD ON 15th November
Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Corporation Steve Ballmer will be in Hyderabad on Nov 15th 2004. He will inagurate Micrsoft Indian Development Centre(MIDC) Campus located at Manikonda Village, near Hitech City. The new facility is expected to house about 1600 professionals. In addition to inagurating the facility, Ballmer would also lay foundation for the second phase of the campus, which will have a capacity to house another 1600 employees. Though the total investement on the project is not being disclosed as of now, it said that the campus is part of the Rs 500 Cr investment plan, Bill Gates had announced during his last visit to india.
According to governement sources, Ballmer's engagement in the city yet to be fianlised while the chief minister is scheduled to met him for over one hour. "There is also a plan for a brief industry representaives meet. but, his programme is tightly planned," sources said.
The Company, according to sources has pinned its hopes on the facility and the resoures that would be created through it. The MIDC, once it becomes fully, operational, would be Microsoft's biggest unit outside Redmond,US.
According to governement sources, Ballmer's engagement in the city yet to be fianlised while the chief minister is scheduled to met him for over one hour. "There is also a plan for a brief industry representaives meet. but, his programme is tightly planned," sources said.
The Company, according to sources has pinned its hopes on the facility and the resoures that would be created through it. The MIDC, once it becomes fully, operational, would be Microsoft's biggest unit outside Redmond,US.
Microsoft skips Itanium with new Windows
Microsoft will come out with a special version of Windows next year for
clusters, but it won't run on Intel's most powerful server chip, at least
for now.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said this week that Windows Server
2003 Compute Cluster Edition will not run on servers built around the
Itanium 2 chip from Intel. Instead, the software--a version of the company's
flagship operating system for clusters containing up to 128 processors--will
run on 32-bit/64-bit server chips from Advanced Micro Devices and Intel.
The decision not to support Itanium 2 is the latest slap in the face for the
chip family that 10 years ago threatened to take over the world. Last month,
Hewlett-Packard terminated its line of Itanium 2 workstations.
Itanium 2 chips provide fairly substantial performance gains, and the chip
is building momentum among heavy-duty computer users. In the most recent
list of the top 500 supercomputers, the number of Itanium-based systems grew
from 61 to 87.
Unfortunately for Intel, however, Itanium 2 systems require their own
special software. As a result, mass corporate adoption has been slow. Both
Itanium server makers and developers have been reluctant to put massive
amounts of energy into porting their products to the chip.
A Microsoft spokeswoman did not pinpoint the reason behind the decision but
said it likely revolved around demand for the product. She also added that
the version of the operating system coming next year is only the first
version and that Microsoft is strongly considering supporting Itanium 2 in
the next version of the operating system.
Most of the Itanium supercomputing clusters on the Top 500 list contain
hundreds of processors and typically run Linux. Many are also located at
research institutions, which often receive free or subsidized technical help
from corporate sponsors.
Database clusters typically contain 128 or fewer processors, said Brooks
Gray, an analyst at Technology Business Research. "Itanium today is not
necessarily the ideal platform for the highly scalable cluster servers. It
may be more appropriate for the traditional big-iron implementations."
Although Microsoft's move doesn't help Itanium, it may not hurt that much,
either, because of the prevalence of Linux in clustering, countered Gordon
Haff, an analyst at Illuminata.
"Microsoft is focusing where they will see the most volume, but it remains
to be seen whether the new edition will help Microsoft at all," he said.
The decision not to support Itanium 2 with the new operating system emerged
this week, when Microsoft released a software developer kit for the
operating system that didn't include Itanium 2 support. A beta version of
Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition is due to come out in the first
half of next year, and a final version in the second half.
An Intel spokeswoman pointed out that Microsoft remains committed to Itanium
on other products. Microsoft currently sells a version of Windows for
Itanium and has ported its SQL Server database to it.
Earlier this year, Intel admitted that Itanium 2 sales aren't meeting its
internal goals.
Microsoft's move will also likely prompt many analysts to speculate as to
whether Microsoft will eventually pull its support for Itanium 2 in general
in the future. The company has pulled it support for different server chips
in the past, due to slack demand. Years ago, Microsoft produced, or
committed to produce, a version of Windows for Digital Equipment's Alpha
processor; the MIPS processor, originally developed by Silicon Graphics
Inc.; and IBM's Power chips. All of these projects were ultimately scotched.
Gray speculated earlier this week that Intel itself would kill off the chip
line in 2007 or retrofit it to better run the mass of software built for
so-called x86 chips like Intel's Xeon or AMD's Opteron. "I believe Itanium,
as we know it today, will be discontinued," he said.
clusters, but it won't run on Intel's most powerful server chip, at least
for now.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant said this week that Windows Server
2003 Compute Cluster Edition will not run on servers built around the
Itanium 2 chip from Intel. Instead, the software--a version of the company's
flagship operating system for clusters containing up to 128 processors--will
run on 32-bit/64-bit server chips from Advanced Micro Devices and Intel.
The decision not to support Itanium 2 is the latest slap in the face for the
chip family that 10 years ago threatened to take over the world. Last month,
Hewlett-Packard terminated its line of Itanium 2 workstations.
Itanium 2 chips provide fairly substantial performance gains, and the chip
is building momentum among heavy-duty computer users. In the most recent
list of the top 500 supercomputers, the number of Itanium-based systems grew
from 61 to 87.
Unfortunately for Intel, however, Itanium 2 systems require their own
special software. As a result, mass corporate adoption has been slow. Both
Itanium server makers and developers have been reluctant to put massive
amounts of energy into porting their products to the chip.
A Microsoft spokeswoman did not pinpoint the reason behind the decision but
said it likely revolved around demand for the product. She also added that
the version of the operating system coming next year is only the first
version and that Microsoft is strongly considering supporting Itanium 2 in
the next version of the operating system.
Most of the Itanium supercomputing clusters on the Top 500 list contain
hundreds of processors and typically run Linux. Many are also located at
research institutions, which often receive free or subsidized technical help
from corporate sponsors.
Database clusters typically contain 128 or fewer processors, said Brooks
Gray, an analyst at Technology Business Research. "Itanium today is not
necessarily the ideal platform for the highly scalable cluster servers. It
may be more appropriate for the traditional big-iron implementations."
Although Microsoft's move doesn't help Itanium, it may not hurt that much,
either, because of the prevalence of Linux in clustering, countered Gordon
Haff, an analyst at Illuminata.
"Microsoft is focusing where they will see the most volume, but it remains
to be seen whether the new edition will help Microsoft at all," he said.
The decision not to support Itanium 2 with the new operating system emerged
this week, when Microsoft released a software developer kit for the
operating system that didn't include Itanium 2 support. A beta version of
Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition is due to come out in the first
half of next year, and a final version in the second half.
An Intel spokeswoman pointed out that Microsoft remains committed to Itanium
on other products. Microsoft currently sells a version of Windows for
Itanium and has ported its SQL Server database to it.
Earlier this year, Intel admitted that Itanium 2 sales aren't meeting its
internal goals.
Microsoft's move will also likely prompt many analysts to speculate as to
whether Microsoft will eventually pull its support for Itanium 2 in general
in the future. The company has pulled it support for different server chips
in the past, due to slack demand. Years ago, Microsoft produced, or
committed to produce, a version of Windows for Digital Equipment's Alpha
processor; the MIPS processor, originally developed by Silicon Graphics
Inc.; and IBM's Power chips. All of these projects were ultimately scotched.
Gray speculated earlier this week that Intel itself would kill off the chip
line in 2007 or retrofit it to better run the mass of software built for
so-called x86 chips like Intel's Xeon or AMD's Opteron. "I believe Itanium,
as we know it today, will be discontinued," he said.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
NAnt is used to create an automated build process for your project
When there are large number of developers working on the same project, and if you are opting for a daily builds of the project, you cannot rely on building by a single user. You need a tool to handle it. NAnt is an open source tool that helps you create a build of the project very easily. In the current version, NAnt is a console application.
Visual Studio.Net 2003 is unable to handle dependencies between projects very well and hence NAnt cannot be built using VS.Net 2003. Microsoft, however, had made the necessary modifications with VS.Net 2005 Beta, and NAnt can be used directly to build applications. However, you can compile NAnt using the NAnt build scripts, and then debug NAnt using VS.Net. To do this, open the NAnt solution file in VS.Net and change the following debugging properties of NAnt.Console project ( using Project -> properties ->Configuration Properties -> Debugging)
1. Debug Mode : Program
2. Start Application: Select NAnt.exe that you just compiled
Then you can use NAnt to build your project. NAnt has originated from the Apache Ant Project, and is derived out of a code base which had put together thousands of nightly builds in the past years.
Visual Studio.Net 2003 is unable to handle dependencies between projects very well and hence NAnt cannot be built using VS.Net 2003. Microsoft, however, had made the necessary modifications with VS.Net 2005 Beta, and NAnt can be used directly to build applications. However, you can compile NAnt using the NAnt build scripts, and then debug NAnt using VS.Net. To do this, open the NAnt solution file in VS.Net and change the following debugging properties of NAnt.Console project ( using Project -> properties ->Configuration Properties -> Debugging)
1. Debug Mode : Program
2. Start Application: Select NAnt.exe that you just compiled
Then you can use NAnt to build your project. NAnt has originated from the Apache Ant Project, and is derived out of a code base which had put together thousands of nightly builds in the past years.
.NET SCORES OVER JAVA
.NET SCORES OVER JAVA
The server side developer community send this press release. It claimed the following.
Microsoft Visual Studio.NET platform performs “Significantly better”
Than IBM’S J2EE based web sphere studio, according to a study released by the
Middleware Company(TMC), owners of the popular Server Side Developer
Communities.
According to the report by TMC, which is a subsidiary of VERITAS SOFTWARE, the goal of the Microsoft-Commissioned study, entitled “ Comparing Microsoft .NET and IBM Web sphere/J2EE”, was to determine which framework - .NET or Web sphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD) – made building a business-to-business enterprise Web Application more efficient for programmers.
TMC charged two three-man teams of developers, similarly skilled in their respective frameworks, to build an application that would create and track work orders.
The J2EE team consisted of one member with 3 years of experience on various Unix platforms, of which LINUX was one of the types, and one with roughly 4 years of experience in installing, configuring and supporting Web sphere on multiple platforms, of which LINUX was one type. 3 developers from California-base VERTIGO SOFTWARE, which specializes in building Microsoft based applications, comprised the .NET team. All had between 5 and 13 years of experience on the platform.
Team J2EE used IBM’s Rational Rapid Developer (RRD) and Web Sphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD) running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1 to build two implementations. Team .NET used Visual Studio .NET running on Windows Server 2003 to create its program. The test was conducted to see which framework fared better in 4 categories: development productivity, configuration and tuning, performance, reliability and manageability.
The teams were to build an application that created and tracked work orders. From there, the work order was to be processed on a separate corporate network that takes all the order information. A second server would then act like the database while a handheld device would go to someone in a warehouse or shop who has to complete the order, which he physically puts together, accounting for time spent on the order, etc.,
While the findings provide developers with a good indication of the benefits of Windows Server 2003 over Red Hat enterprise Linux AS 2.1, the study was ostensibly designed to weigh the merits of developing enterprise applications using Visual Studio .NET or Web Sphere Studio.
The report said the integrated .NET run time features within Server 2003 saved team .NET a lot of headaches because of its built in Web Server, load balancing and session and message servers.
-
The server side developer community send this press release. It claimed the following.
Microsoft Visual Studio.NET platform performs “Significantly better”
Than IBM’S J2EE based web sphere studio, according to a study released by the
Middleware Company(TMC), owners of the popular Server Side Developer
Communities.
According to the report by TMC, which is a subsidiary of VERITAS SOFTWARE, the goal of the Microsoft-Commissioned study, entitled “ Comparing Microsoft .NET and IBM Web sphere/J2EE”, was to determine which framework - .NET or Web sphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD) – made building a business-to-business enterprise Web Application more efficient for programmers.
TMC charged two three-man teams of developers, similarly skilled in their respective frameworks, to build an application that would create and track work orders.
The J2EE team consisted of one member with 3 years of experience on various Unix platforms, of which LINUX was one of the types, and one with roughly 4 years of experience in installing, configuring and supporting Web sphere on multiple platforms, of which LINUX was one type. 3 developers from California-base VERTIGO SOFTWARE, which specializes in building Microsoft based applications, comprised the .NET team. All had between 5 and 13 years of experience on the platform.
Team J2EE used IBM’s Rational Rapid Developer (RRD) and Web Sphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD) running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1 to build two implementations. Team .NET used Visual Studio .NET running on Windows Server 2003 to create its program. The test was conducted to see which framework fared better in 4 categories: development productivity, configuration and tuning, performance, reliability and manageability.
The teams were to build an application that created and tracked work orders. From there, the work order was to be processed on a separate corporate network that takes all the order information. A second server would then act like the database while a handheld device would go to someone in a warehouse or shop who has to complete the order, which he physically puts together, accounting for time spent on the order, etc.,
While the findings provide developers with a good indication of the benefits of Windows Server 2003 over Red Hat enterprise Linux AS 2.1, the study was ostensibly designed to weigh the merits of developing enterprise applications using Visual Studio .NET or Web Sphere Studio.
The report said the integrated .NET run time features within Server 2003 saved team .NET a lot of headaches because of its built in Web Server, load balancing and session and message servers.
-
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
MICROSOFT DEBATES SPOOFING AS SECURITY FLAW
Microsoft is rejecting claims from security researchers that a spoofing technique discovered on Internet Explorer is a security vulnerability.The software giant did accept the possibility that spoofing could occur on version 6 of IE but rejected claims that this is a security flaw.
Spoofing is a way of making people think they are visiting their chosen Web site when they are in fact looking at a "spoofed" site. Spoofing techniques are frequently used in phishing scams--e-mails that attempt to steal personal information by purporting to be from legitimate groups.
In an e-mail statement, the company said: "Microsoft is aware of a security issue reported last week that could allow spoofing the URL a user sees in Internet Explorer's status bar. Users could see a URL in the status bar when the mouse hovers over the link on a Web page, but clicking the link would take the user to a different URL. Our investigation has indicated that this is not a security vulnerability."
Benjamin Tobias Franz, a researcher in Germany, posted warnings last week on the online bulletin board Bugtraq,, stating that Internet Explorer could spoof links if perpetrators put two URLs and a table inside an HTML href tag.
The result, Franz asserted, is that malformed links to URLs could take people to an entirely different Web site without their knowledge.
But Microsoft said a large amount of social engineering would need to take place if victims were to fall for such attacks.
"An attacker would need to entice a user to visit a site and then entice the user to click a link on that site based on the URL that appears in the Internet Explorer status bar," Microsoft's statement said. "Once on the destination site, the user would need to be enticed by the attacker to take some action, such as disclosing confidential financial information, without the user noticing that the URL in the address bar does not match the URL that the user thought he (or) she was visiting."
The company advised people to check that the URL in the browser address bar was the intended destination before going to the site. Franz and Microsoft agreed that Windows XP Service Pack 2 is unaffected by the issue.
Microsoft added that it "will evaluate the feasibility of implementing similar changes on earlier versions of Windows in the future."On Bugtraq, Franz said HTML e-mail messages were vulnerable to the technique, so Microsoft Outlook Express is also affected. Franz wrote that people should right-click on links to check their real destination
Spoofing is a way of making people think they are visiting their chosen Web site when they are in fact looking at a "spoofed" site. Spoofing techniques are frequently used in phishing scams--e-mails that attempt to steal personal information by purporting to be from legitimate groups.
In an e-mail statement, the company said: "Microsoft is aware of a security issue reported last week that could allow spoofing the URL a user sees in Internet Explorer's status bar. Users could see a URL in the status bar when the mouse hovers over the link on a Web page, but clicking the link would take the user to a different URL. Our investigation has indicated that this is not a security vulnerability."
Benjamin Tobias Franz, a researcher in Germany, posted warnings last week on the online bulletin board Bugtraq,, stating that Internet Explorer could spoof links if perpetrators put two URLs and a table inside an HTML href tag.
The result, Franz asserted, is that malformed links to URLs could take people to an entirely different Web site without their knowledge.
But Microsoft said a large amount of social engineering would need to take place if victims were to fall for such attacks.
"An attacker would need to entice a user to visit a site and then entice the user to click a link on that site based on the URL that appears in the Internet Explorer status bar," Microsoft's statement said. "Once on the destination site, the user would need to be enticed by the attacker to take some action, such as disclosing confidential financial information, without the user noticing that the URL in the address bar does not match the URL that the user thought he (or) she was visiting."
The company advised people to check that the URL in the browser address bar was the intended destination before going to the site. Franz and Microsoft agreed that Windows XP Service Pack 2 is unaffected by the issue.
Microsoft added that it "will evaluate the feasibility of implementing similar changes on earlier versions of Windows in the future."On Bugtraq, Franz said HTML e-mail messages were vulnerable to the technique, so Microsoft Outlook Express is also affected. Franz wrote that people should right-click on links to check their real destination
Monday, November 01, 2004
CODE SWAP
It used to easily connect to other developers and search for code.
When u write a little piece of logic, you may wonder- hasn’t this stuff been written by some other coder somewhere in the world ? you can google and check whether someone had really written something similar.
However there is little chance that someone takes pain to post, whatever he or she has written, on the net.
Communities are the way Microsoft is trying to build its base. Codeswap.Net is a neat little utility which plugs into VS.Net and then searches for code.
When u write a little piece of logic, you may wonder- hasn’t this stuff been written by some other coder somewhere in the world ? you can google and check whether someone had really written something similar.
However there is little chance that someone takes pain to post, whatever he or she has written, on the net.
Communities are the way Microsoft is trying to build its base. Codeswap.Net is a neat little utility which plugs into VS.Net and then searches for code.
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