A software company that Microsoft acquired this week to help beef up computer security may come with a bug of its own--a company claiming ownership of the programs.Sunbelt Software of Clearwater, Fla., on Friday confirmed reports that it has exclusive rights over certain aspects of the anti-spyware programs Microsoft gained in its acquisition of Giant Company Software on Thursday.
The exclusive rights claimed by Sunbelt mean only Sunbelt can legally create and distribute software development tools for Giant's programs. If legitimate, the claim means Microsoft would need permission from Sunbelt before letting software partners build links to Giant's programs, which are designed to combat spyware and spam. Without such links, the software may not work well with programs from third parties.
Sunbelt President Alex Eckelberry said he and executives from Microsoft are in cordial talks about a number of "business and technical issues" relating to the Giant acquisition. So far, the companies have had no disagreements or disputes, he said.
Microsoft issued a statement on Friday saying it will be the sole owner of all new versions of the Giant anti-spyware system that it develops, regardless of previous legal agreements between Giant and Sunbelt.
"There's nothing about these pre-existing commitments that will prevent us from bringing to market the product we think is needed and is right for our customers," said Amy Carroll, director of product management in Microsoft's security business and technology unit.
In addition, the company does not expect Sunbelt to restrict its ability to let other software developers tap its programs, Carroll said.
"We're very comfortable we will be able to offer software developer kits without running afoul of these agreements; we don't see that as an issue at all," she said.
Microsoft plans to honor a Giant contract and furnish Sunbelt with special updates through mid-2007 that enable Giant's programs to spot new kinds of spyware.
When it announced the acquisition, Microsoft said it planned to use Giant's technology to block spyware from infecting Windows PCs. Because of its popularity, Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is a favorite target of spyware developers.
Spyware monitors people's activity on the Internet in order to steal passwords and log-in information. Another variety, called adware, delivers pop-up advertisements. The unwelcome software has become a huge annoyance for many unwitting computer users who've inadvertently downloaded the stuff while surfing the Web.
Programs from Giant, a 12-person company based in New York, can scan a person's PC for spyware and remove it. Microsoft intends to incorporate the technology into its products and expects to release a new version of the Giant product next month.
Some reports have said that Microsoft may eventually charge customers to use the tools to clean spyware off Windows, but the company has not yet made any announcement about pricing.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Microsoft Office developers get own venue
Microsoft next year plans to host its first developers conference dedicated to the Microsoft Office System, underscoring the company's strategy to make Office a foundation for customized business applications.The conference will take place Feb. 2 through 4 in Microsoft's home town of Redmond, Wash., and will feature Microsoft chair Bill Gates as its keynote speaker. The company said Monday that it expects about 800 developers from independent software vendors, consulting partners and corporate customers to participate.
Microsoft created a conference dedicated to the Office System to promote the creation of add-on products and specialized applications that use popular applications, such as Word and Excel, as a front-end. The Office System is a package of products designed to make what Microsoft calls "information workers" more productive.
For example, a consulting house could create an application for administrative tasks in a medical practice using Office. Microsoft itself has started to create closer linkages between its own customer relationship management applications and Office.
The company estimates that there is about $100 billion in business available to partners that build off of the Office System.
With the launch of Office System 2003 in October of last year, Microsoft sought to create tighter linkages between the individual desktop applications as well as with Windows Server 2003. For instance, people can now more easily share documents on a Web server.
Microsoft has also boosted XML and Web services support in the Office System. This allows people to write applications that access data from company networks and funnel the information into Office documents.
"This is our first developer conference for the entire Microsoft Office System, signifying the transformation of Microsoft Office from a suite of products to a platform on which developers can build valuable solutions for Microsoft Office System customers," Adam LeVasseur, group product manager of Microsoft's Information Worker Product Management Group, said in a statement.
In the next version of Office System, currently called Office 12, Microsoft said it will seek to find other areas to link together desktop and server software components.
Another significant change to the Office System was the introduction of Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System nearly two years ago, which allows programmers familiar with the company's flagship development environment to write Office applications. In the past, people wrote scripts, or macros, that were difficult to maintain and not suitable for large-scale applications.
Microsoft said 70,000 partners are trained on Office and that about 400 custom applications based on Office System 2003 have been built since last year.
Microsoft's rival IBM, meanwhile, is also pursuing partners in a client software initiative. Big Blue has developed software, called Workplace, that uses a Web portal approach to deliver documents and data to front-end applications.
Microsoft created a conference dedicated to the Office System to promote the creation of add-on products and specialized applications that use popular applications, such as Word and Excel, as a front-end. The Office System is a package of products designed to make what Microsoft calls "information workers" more productive.
For example, a consulting house could create an application for administrative tasks in a medical practice using Office. Microsoft itself has started to create closer linkages between its own customer relationship management applications and Office.
The company estimates that there is about $100 billion in business available to partners that build off of the Office System.
With the launch of Office System 2003 in October of last year, Microsoft sought to create tighter linkages between the individual desktop applications as well as with Windows Server 2003. For instance, people can now more easily share documents on a Web server.
Microsoft has also boosted XML and Web services support in the Office System. This allows people to write applications that access data from company networks and funnel the information into Office documents.
"This is our first developer conference for the entire Microsoft Office System, signifying the transformation of Microsoft Office from a suite of products to a platform on which developers can build valuable solutions for Microsoft Office System customers," Adam LeVasseur, group product manager of Microsoft's Information Worker Product Management Group, said in a statement.
In the next version of Office System, currently called Office 12, Microsoft said it will seek to find other areas to link together desktop and server software components.
Another significant change to the Office System was the introduction of Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System nearly two years ago, which allows programmers familiar with the company's flagship development environment to write Office applications. In the past, people wrote scripts, or macros, that were difficult to maintain and not suitable for large-scale applications.
Microsoft said 70,000 partners are trained on Office and that about 400 custom applications based on Office System 2003 have been built since last year.
Microsoft's rival IBM, meanwhile, is also pursuing partners in a client software initiative. Big Blue has developed software, called Workplace, that uses a Web portal approach to deliver documents and data to front-end applications.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Microsoft, Autodesk sign patent pact
As part of its plan to gain access to a broader portfolio of intellectual property, Microsoft has signed a patent swap deal with design software maker Autodesk.
Under the pact, the two companies will gain access to each other's patents in a variety of areas, including data management, collaboration, digital effects, digital rights management, project management, computer-aided design and location-based services.
Microsoft has been stepping up its activity on the patent front, ramping up its own filings and at the same time trying to ink cross-license deals with other tech companies. Microsoft has been using the combined power as a marketing vehicle against Linux, noting that it indemnifies its customers against potential patent infringement claims.
"This is part of a pretty broad effort we've got going on," said David Kaefer, Microsoft's director of intellectual property licensing. Microsoft has signed similar deals with Cisco Systems, SAP and Siemens and has hopes of inking as many as 30 such pacts in the next five years. Microsoft is currently in talks with about a dozen companies on potential patent-swapping alliances, Kaefer said.
The stepped-up intellectual property effort began a year ago this month, when Microsoft moved to simplify the process of licensing its technology.
Microsoft and Autodesk had been negotiating the deal for about six months. That makes the agreements among the quicker ones to be ironed out, Kaefer said, noting that it sometimes takes as long as two years to reach a deal.
Kaefer noted that the two companies were already close partners and talking regularly and that Microsoft's top lawyer, Brad Smith, is close friends with Autodesk general counsel Marcia Sterling.
Neither company would discuss financial details of the cross-licensing arrangement, including whether any money changed hands. Kaefer has said that Microsoft currently spent about $1.4 billion last year on patent licensing, but noted the company has an opportunity to narrow those losses by more aggressively licensing its own portfolio.
Autodesk CTO Scott Borduin said the arrangement with Microsoft is the first major cross-licensing deal Autodesk has done. Such deals are an improvement for the industry, he said, which often uses patents to stifle innovation.
"This represents a positive step in terms of software companies getting together and cooperating on these things rather than using patents to try and slow each other down," he said.
Earlier this week, Sony and Samsung signed a cross-license deal of their own,.
"That deal is interesting," Kaefer said, noting that it covered most, but not all, of the two rivals' patent portfolios.
Under the pact, the two companies will gain access to each other's patents in a variety of areas, including data management, collaboration, digital effects, digital rights management, project management, computer-aided design and location-based services.
Microsoft has been stepping up its activity on the patent front, ramping up its own filings and at the same time trying to ink cross-license deals with other tech companies. Microsoft has been using the combined power as a marketing vehicle against Linux, noting that it indemnifies its customers against potential patent infringement claims.
"This is part of a pretty broad effort we've got going on," said David Kaefer, Microsoft's director of intellectual property licensing. Microsoft has signed similar deals with Cisco Systems, SAP and Siemens and has hopes of inking as many as 30 such pacts in the next five years. Microsoft is currently in talks with about a dozen companies on potential patent-swapping alliances, Kaefer said.
The stepped-up intellectual property effort began a year ago this month, when Microsoft moved to simplify the process of licensing its technology.
Microsoft and Autodesk had been negotiating the deal for about six months. That makes the agreements among the quicker ones to be ironed out, Kaefer said, noting that it sometimes takes as long as two years to reach a deal.
Kaefer noted that the two companies were already close partners and talking regularly and that Microsoft's top lawyer, Brad Smith, is close friends with Autodesk general counsel Marcia Sterling.
Neither company would discuss financial details of the cross-licensing arrangement, including whether any money changed hands. Kaefer has said that Microsoft currently spent about $1.4 billion last year on patent licensing, but noted the company has an opportunity to narrow those losses by more aggressively licensing its own portfolio.
Autodesk CTO Scott Borduin said the arrangement with Microsoft is the first major cross-licensing deal Autodesk has done. Such deals are an improvement for the industry, he said, which often uses patents to stifle innovation.
"This represents a positive step in terms of software companies getting together and cooperating on these things rather than using patents to try and slow each other down," he said.
Earlier this week, Sony and Samsung signed a cross-license deal of their own,.
"That deal is interesting," Kaefer said, noting that it covered most, but not all, of the two rivals' patent portfolios.
Gates joins board of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was elected Tuesday to serve on the board of directors of prominent investment company Berkshire Hathaway.
In doing so, Gates will serve as an advisor to longtime friend and BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY CEO Warren Buffett.
In a statement, Gates said he hoped his years of experience at Microsoft would prove to be of value to Berkshire's shareholders.
"I am delighted and honored to have been asked to serve on the board of this very successful company," Gates said. Gates also serves on the board of Bothell, Wash.-based biotech company Icos.
Despite being close to Gates, Buffett has long eschewed investing in technology companies, concentrating much of his investment in the insurance business.
In 1997, top Microsoft Office executive Jeff Raikes sent Buffett an e-mail urging the billionaire to consider investing in Microsoft, noting the economic "moat" between Microsoft and its competitors was stronger than other Hathaway investments, such as Coca-Cola.
The e-mail came to light during a consumer class-action trial in Minnesota.
In doing so, Gates will serve as an advisor to longtime friend and BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY CEO Warren Buffett.
In a statement, Gates said he hoped his years of experience at Microsoft would prove to be of value to Berkshire's shareholders.
"I am delighted and honored to have been asked to serve on the board of this very successful company," Gates said. Gates also serves on the board of Bothell, Wash.-based biotech company Icos.
Despite being close to Gates, Buffett has long eschewed investing in technology companies, concentrating much of his investment in the insurance business.
In 1997, top Microsoft Office executive Jeff Raikes sent Buffett an e-mail urging the billionaire to consider investing in Microsoft, noting the economic "moat" between Microsoft and its competitors was stronger than other Hathaway investments, such as Coca-Cola.
The e-mail came to light during a consumer class-action trial in Minnesota.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Microsoft testing subscription Outlook
Microsoft has started private testing of a service that would offer consumers, on a subscription basis, access to the company's Outlook e-mail and calendaring program, along with 2 gigabytes of e-mail storage.
Microsoft Office Outlook Live, as the service is being called, would be a paid service that would let consumers use Outlook to manage Hotmail-based e-mail, calendar and contact information. In the current beta, customers are being given 2GB of mail storage, the ability to send individual messages with up to 20MB of attachments, as well as a downloadable version of Outlook.
Outlook Live, which the company began testing last week, is similar to the Outlook Connector feature Microsoft currently includes as part of its MSN Premium service, which costs $9.95 a month.
A Microsoft representative said Outlook Live would be a separate paid service but declined to comment on what it might cost. The company said it hopes to ship Outlook Live in the first half of next year.
Microsoft first demonstrated a version of the Outlook connector at a meeting with financial analysts in July 2003. The Outlook Connector feature was added when Microsoft debuted the MSN Premium service at the end of last year.
One of the key differences is that the Outlook connector does not include Outlook and is aimed at customers who already use Outlook 2002 or later. Outlook Live subscribers get a subscription version of Outlook 2003 as part of the package.
Microsoft also said it hopes to have additional features by the time it is ready to launch Outlook Live. The company had an animated Flash presentation about the program on its Web site for a time.
Some details about Outlook Live were earlier reported by BETA NEWS.
Earlier Monday, Microsoft launched a public test version of its desktop search program but did not mention Outlook Live during a conference call with reporters.
Microsoft Office Outlook Live, as the service is being called, would be a paid service that would let consumers use Outlook to manage Hotmail-based e-mail, calendar and contact information. In the current beta, customers are being given 2GB of mail storage, the ability to send individual messages with up to 20MB of attachments, as well as a downloadable version of Outlook.
Outlook Live, which the company began testing last week, is similar to the Outlook Connector feature Microsoft currently includes as part of its MSN Premium service, which costs $9.95 a month.
A Microsoft representative said Outlook Live would be a separate paid service but declined to comment on what it might cost. The company said it hopes to ship Outlook Live in the first half of next year.
Microsoft first demonstrated a version of the Outlook connector at a meeting with financial analysts in July 2003. The Outlook Connector feature was added when Microsoft debuted the MSN Premium service at the end of last year.
One of the key differences is that the Outlook connector does not include Outlook and is aimed at customers who already use Outlook 2002 or later. Outlook Live subscribers get a subscription version of Outlook 2003 as part of the package.
Microsoft also said it hopes to have additional features by the time it is ready to launch Outlook Live. The company had an animated Flash presentation about the program on its Web site for a time.
Some details about Outlook Live were earlier reported by BETA NEWS.
Earlier Monday, Microsoft launched a public test version of its desktop search program but did not mention Outlook Live during a conference call with reporters.
MSN joins in search frenzy
Microsoft's MSN has unveiled desktop-search technology, entering a hotly contested race to dominate information access on the PC.
The Web portal introduced its MSN TOOLBAR SUITE in a beta, or test version, on Monday. The software lets people search the contents of their hard drive, including Microsoft Outlook e-mail, calendar items, contacts and Office documents. It also lets them navigate the Web with MSN's proprietary search technology, released last month, from points within e-mail and within Windows.
"We've been doing a lot to catch up (in search), but this is an area where we go beyond," Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for MSN Information Services, said in a conference call announcing the service. Mehdi added that MSN could reach as many as 100 million people with the new software, which the company expects to launch in a finished version next year.
The move pits Microsoft against Google, among others, in a battle for presence on consumers' PCs. Microsoft has long planned to introduce technology for mining files on the desktop, but it has come later to the market than its top search rival Google, which introduced a beta service in October. Yahoo said last week that it will debut software in early January, and Ask Jeeves plans to come out with a product this week.
Desktop search is the latest frontier of development for major search providers, Web portals and software makers. Desktop files can be cumbersome for people to navigate using the search features in current operating systems, and all the companies believe they can improve users' ability to organize or find massive amounts of personal data on the PC. For search companies such as MSN, Yahoo and Google, the desktop could also eventually become a venue for delivering contextual or personalized advertising.
Christopher Payne, a vice president at MSN, said the company will not immediately display ads on the desktop, but if people perform a Web search, it will deliver sponsored search ads.
The MSN Toolbar Suite, which is free, includes an updated version of a toolbar plug-in for Internet Explorer and new toolbars for Windows Explorer, Outlook and the MSN Deskbar.
MSN will eventually embed desktop and Web search into its other applications, too. The company has already added a Web search box to the 7.0 version of its instant messenger service. However, that Web search box queries the current MSN search site, which is still powered by Yahoo technology. Once Microsoft throws its weight entirely behind MSN search, it will be an even more powerful threat to Google's dominance.
MSN said the suite is superior to rival software because it searches more file types, including calendar items, contacts and documents such as music or photo files that contain "metatags." It also includes more points to search for information within Outlook or via the desktop, unlike Google's search technology, which displays results within a Web browser only.
The search software also helps people find information they're looking for by suggesting answers as soon as the user begins to type a letter.
Finally, information is kept private and secure on the PC, Payne said. The software preserves privacy by not caching by default Web pages that people visit, unlike rival tools, Medhi said.
The technology indexes the user's hard drive over hours at first, then it continuously adds to the index as documents are created.
MSN does not plan to add the technology to other Windows environments at this time, Payne said. But he said the company will introduce the tool in other languages sometime next year.
Ultimately, Microsoft plans to build an information tool to answer all people's questions, Medhi said. Such a tool will be developed with great investment over a 10-year span, he said.
The Web portal introduced its MSN TOOLBAR SUITE in a beta, or test version, on Monday. The software lets people search the contents of their hard drive, including Microsoft Outlook e-mail, calendar items, contacts and Office documents. It also lets them navigate the Web with MSN's proprietary search technology, released last month, from points within e-mail and within Windows.
"We've been doing a lot to catch up (in search), but this is an area where we go beyond," Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president for MSN Information Services, said in a conference call announcing the service. Mehdi added that MSN could reach as many as 100 million people with the new software, which the company expects to launch in a finished version next year.
The move pits Microsoft against Google, among others, in a battle for presence on consumers' PCs. Microsoft has long planned to introduce technology for mining files on the desktop, but it has come later to the market than its top search rival Google, which introduced a beta service in October. Yahoo said last week that it will debut software in early January, and Ask Jeeves plans to come out with a product this week.
Desktop search is the latest frontier of development for major search providers, Web portals and software makers. Desktop files can be cumbersome for people to navigate using the search features in current operating systems, and all the companies believe they can improve users' ability to organize or find massive amounts of personal data on the PC. For search companies such as MSN, Yahoo and Google, the desktop could also eventually become a venue for delivering contextual or personalized advertising.
Christopher Payne, a vice president at MSN, said the company will not immediately display ads on the desktop, but if people perform a Web search, it will deliver sponsored search ads.
The MSN Toolbar Suite, which is free, includes an updated version of a toolbar plug-in for Internet Explorer and new toolbars for Windows Explorer, Outlook and the MSN Deskbar.
MSN will eventually embed desktop and Web search into its other applications, too. The company has already added a Web search box to the 7.0 version of its instant messenger service. However, that Web search box queries the current MSN search site, which is still powered by Yahoo technology. Once Microsoft throws its weight entirely behind MSN search, it will be an even more powerful threat to Google's dominance.
MSN said the suite is superior to rival software because it searches more file types, including calendar items, contacts and documents such as music or photo files that contain "metatags." It also includes more points to search for information within Outlook or via the desktop, unlike Google's search technology, which displays results within a Web browser only.
The search software also helps people find information they're looking for by suggesting answers as soon as the user begins to type a letter.
Finally, information is kept private and secure on the PC, Payne said. The software preserves privacy by not caching by default Web pages that people visit, unlike rival tools, Medhi said.
The technology indexes the user's hard drive over hours at first, then it continuously adds to the index as documents are created.
MSN does not plan to add the technology to other Windows environments at this time, Payne said. But he said the company will introduce the tool in other languages sometime next year.
Ultimately, Microsoft plans to build an information tool to answer all people's questions, Medhi said. Such a tool will be developed with great investment over a 10-year span, he said.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Windows work hits a snag
Microsoft's long-awaited new Windows file system is still a work in progress.
Although Microsoft hopes to ship a test version of WinFS in late 2006, it could be several more years before the revamped storage mechanism finds its way into Windows Server.
The software maker has already decided that WinFS will ship separately from Longhorn, the new desktop version of Windows that is due in 2006. On Friday, Windows Server Chief Bob Muglia said that WinFS will also not be a part of the server version of Longhorn that ships in 2007.
"WinFS in not in the Longhorn client," he said in an interview. "It is also not in Longhorn Server."
It is not even clear if Microsoft will include it with the Longhorn update that is scheduled to follow a couple of years later.
"That would be the earliest," Muglia said. "We have to look and see if that is possible still, because it is a major new file system."
Instead, WinFS may not debut in the operating system until the next decade, when the version of Windows beyond Longhorn, code-named Blackcomb, is slated to ship.
"In terms of something major like WinFS, we still need to figure it out," Muglia said.
When it removed WinFS from Longhorn earlier this year, Microsoft said it would offer developers a beta version of the file system at the same time as Longhorn, but separate from the new OS.
Muglia said he is confident that Microsoft's advanced file system, a decade-old dream, will eventually make it into the operating system. However, he said the company did err by talking about plans before it knew it could deliver.
"We've been working on this for a long time, and this team is going to deliver," he said. "Our mistake, frankly--and it was a mistake--was to go out and talk about it before we really had clarity as to how we would be able to deliver it and all the complexities there."
He stressed that Microsoft is trying to do things with WinFS that no one has ever done before.
"This isn't a relational database," he said. "This is a brand-new data model, and it satisfies a whole class of applications that frankly have been unsatisfied from a data model perspective since the beginning of history. We've been working on things like this for a long time."
Meanwhile, Microsoft's server unit has plenty of things to work on in the nearer term. First up are two updates to Windows Server 2003, which are in various stages of testing. Service Pack 1 of the OS, which reached the "release candidate" stage earlier this week, should ship by March, Muglia said.
A set of additional features for the OS, known as Windows Server 2003 "R2," entered a private beta this week and is slated to ship in the second half of next year. Microsoft was more specific about its release in a note to testers, promising an October ship date.
"I just heard that we said that, and I was annoyed that we actually sent that out," Muglia said. "I feel good about the second half. We'll find out about October as we get closer."
The R2 release includes several already available features, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Active Directory Application Mode, or ADAM. It also has new features such as Active Directory federation services and a basic storage area network (SAN) management feature. With R2, Microsoft is adding features designed to make it easier for companies to manage branch servers with centralized file and print services as well as remote hardware management.
Leading up to Longhorn ServerAt the same time, Microsoft is working to get the server version of Longhorn to the beta stage. The company plans to have a test version of Longhorn Server ready in the second half of 2005. Earlier this year, Microsoft expressed hope that a beta might ship in the first half.
With Longhorn Server, the company has several priorities, one of which is to make the operating system more easily tailored to specific roles. Large businesses will be able to customize their installation of the OS to tailor a server to a particular task, such as an application server or media server.
Windows Server 2003 has limited ability to dedicate a server to the role it is performing. Longhorn Server will enable much finer-tuning of setups. "In Longhorn, it is possible to create images that can then be deployed to a given server with just the roles configured in it and just the software that's needed to run that role," Muglia said.
The goal, Muglia said, is to make the operating systems more secure, by exposing only the code needed for the tasks being performed. Such servers should also be easier to manage, because Microsoft should be able to make it simpler to automate tasks unique to each type of server.
However, Muglia said that the goal is not to create a host of different packages scaled to different tasks and sold at a lower price.
"It's not the cost side," Muglia said. "Most of our customers, frankly, are asking for more flexibility in terms of what they deploy on servers, not focusing on cost-reduction through specific editions."
Although the company has separate Web server and storage versions of its OS, Muglia said he doesn't see each of these roles becoming a separate product, although he stressed that packaging decisions for Longhorn Server have not yet been made.
In addition, Muglia said there will be some new management features and changes that will reduce the need for system reboots. Improvements in terminal services and rights management are also planned.
He said Microsoft is still on track for its 2007 launch but noted that the company is "still in the earlier stages on Longhorn."
"We're working in lockstep with our client brethren," he said, noting that the release date for Longhorn Server is later primarily because more testing time is needed for a server release. "It's still a little early to know exactly what will be in the release."
Microsoft still has work cut out for it moving its customers from Windows NT 4 to current versions of Windows Server. Although Muglia said he is pleased with efforts so far, 20 percent of that customer base still has not switched, he said.
The operating system will reach the end of formal support at year's end, though Microsoft is offering paid custom support to customers that are still developing their transition plans.
Although Microsoft hopes to ship a test version of WinFS in late 2006, it could be several more years before the revamped storage mechanism finds its way into Windows Server.
The software maker has already decided that WinFS will ship separately from Longhorn, the new desktop version of Windows that is due in 2006. On Friday, Windows Server Chief Bob Muglia said that WinFS will also not be a part of the server version of Longhorn that ships in 2007.
"WinFS in not in the Longhorn client," he said in an interview. "It is also not in Longhorn Server."
It is not even clear if Microsoft will include it with the Longhorn update that is scheduled to follow a couple of years later.
"That would be the earliest," Muglia said. "We have to look and see if that is possible still, because it is a major new file system."
Instead, WinFS may not debut in the operating system until the next decade, when the version of Windows beyond Longhorn, code-named Blackcomb, is slated to ship.
"In terms of something major like WinFS, we still need to figure it out," Muglia said.
When it removed WinFS from Longhorn earlier this year, Microsoft said it would offer developers a beta version of the file system at the same time as Longhorn, but separate from the new OS.
Muglia said he is confident that Microsoft's advanced file system, a decade-old dream, will eventually make it into the operating system. However, he said the company did err by talking about plans before it knew it could deliver.
"We've been working on this for a long time, and this team is going to deliver," he said. "Our mistake, frankly--and it was a mistake--was to go out and talk about it before we really had clarity as to how we would be able to deliver it and all the complexities there."
He stressed that Microsoft is trying to do things with WinFS that no one has ever done before.
"This isn't a relational database," he said. "This is a brand-new data model, and it satisfies a whole class of applications that frankly have been unsatisfied from a data model perspective since the beginning of history. We've been working on things like this for a long time."
Meanwhile, Microsoft's server unit has plenty of things to work on in the nearer term. First up are two updates to Windows Server 2003, which are in various stages of testing. Service Pack 1 of the OS, which reached the "release candidate" stage earlier this week, should ship by March, Muglia said.
A set of additional features for the OS, known as Windows Server 2003 "R2," entered a private beta this week and is slated to ship in the second half of next year. Microsoft was more specific about its release in a note to testers, promising an October ship date.
"I just heard that we said that, and I was annoyed that we actually sent that out," Muglia said. "I feel good about the second half. We'll find out about October as we get closer."
The R2 release includes several already available features, such as Windows SharePoint Services and Active Directory Application Mode, or ADAM. It also has new features such as Active Directory federation services and a basic storage area network (SAN) management feature. With R2, Microsoft is adding features designed to make it easier for companies to manage branch servers with centralized file and print services as well as remote hardware management.
Leading up to Longhorn ServerAt the same time, Microsoft is working to get the server version of Longhorn to the beta stage. The company plans to have a test version of Longhorn Server ready in the second half of 2005. Earlier this year, Microsoft expressed hope that a beta might ship in the first half.
With Longhorn Server, the company has several priorities, one of which is to make the operating system more easily tailored to specific roles. Large businesses will be able to customize their installation of the OS to tailor a server to a particular task, such as an application server or media server.
Windows Server 2003 has limited ability to dedicate a server to the role it is performing. Longhorn Server will enable much finer-tuning of setups. "In Longhorn, it is possible to create images that can then be deployed to a given server with just the roles configured in it and just the software that's needed to run that role," Muglia said.
The goal, Muglia said, is to make the operating systems more secure, by exposing only the code needed for the tasks being performed. Such servers should also be easier to manage, because Microsoft should be able to make it simpler to automate tasks unique to each type of server.
However, Muglia said that the goal is not to create a host of different packages scaled to different tasks and sold at a lower price.
"It's not the cost side," Muglia said. "Most of our customers, frankly, are asking for more flexibility in terms of what they deploy on servers, not focusing on cost-reduction through specific editions."
Although the company has separate Web server and storage versions of its OS, Muglia said he doesn't see each of these roles becoming a separate product, although he stressed that packaging decisions for Longhorn Server have not yet been made.
In addition, Muglia said there will be some new management features and changes that will reduce the need for system reboots. Improvements in terminal services and rights management are also planned.
He said Microsoft is still on track for its 2007 launch but noted that the company is "still in the earlier stages on Longhorn."
"We're working in lockstep with our client brethren," he said, noting that the release date for Longhorn Server is later primarily because more testing time is needed for a server release. "It's still a little early to know exactly what will be in the release."
Microsoft still has work cut out for it moving its customers from Windows NT 4 to current versions of Windows Server. Although Muglia said he is pleased with efforts so far, 20 percent of that customer base still has not switched, he said.
The operating system will reach the end of formal support at year's end, though Microsoft is offering paid custom support to customers that are still developing their transition plans.
Friday, December 10, 2004
LEARNING MICROSOFT.NET 1
What is Microsoft.NET ?
Microsoft .Net is the first software development platform to be designed from the ground up with the internet in mind although .NET is not exclusively for internet development rather it provides a consistent programming model that can be used for many types of applications.
Microsoft’s .NET initiative is broad based and very ambitious. It includes the .Net Frame work, which encompasses the languages and execution platform, plus extensive class libraries providing rich built-in functionality. Besides the core .Net Frame work, the .Net Initiative includes protocols ( such as SOAP, simple object access protocol) to provide a new level of integration of software over the internet, and a set of pre built web based services called .Net My services.
Goals behind Microsoft .NET are :-
Many of the goals Microsoft had in mind when designing .NET reflect the limitations identified from earlier tools and technologies.
1. Creating Highly Distributed Applications:-
The trend in business applications is towards a more highly distributed model. The next generation of applications may have their elements distributed among various organizations. This contrasts with today’s dominant model in which all the elements of an application ( except possibly a browser based client) are located solely within a single organization.
2. Simplifying Software Development :-
Developers need to be able to concentrate on the business logic in their applications, and to stop writing logic for things like state management and scalability. Writing software for the internet should not require expertise in a long list of internet specific technologies. A related goal is to have development for other platforms. A Component accessed over a local network or over the internet should be manipulated with code very much like that for a component accessed on the local machine. The software platform should be able to take care of the details in transmitting the information to and from the component.
3. Better user interfaces over the web :-
User interfaces development also needs to be as similar as possible for the Internet compared to local access. While local, platform specific interfaces will always of offer more flexibility than a browser based interface. .Net makes those 2 types of interfaces as similar to develop as possible. By making web based user interfaces richer and more flexible than they are now, bringing them as close as possible to the richness of local, forms-based interfaces.
4. Simplifying Deployment :-
The problems of DLL Hell, and the need for large installs of forms based applications, are just two examples of current deployment issues. .Net makes it easier by just copying a compiled module over to a system and run it. No registration, no GUIDs, no special installation procedure.
5. Support for a variety of Languages :-
While the idea of one grand, unifying language sounds good in theory, in the real world, different types of developers need different tools. Microsoft .NET designed to support a multitude of languages, from Microsoft and third parties. This allow the development community to evolve languages that best fir various development needs.
6. An Extendable Platform for the Future :-
A new platform needs the capability to adapt to changing conditions through various extensions and variations. .Net is designed with greater extendibility and flexibility than any previous software development platform.
7. Future Portability of Compiled Applications:-
Operating Systems will make major changes and perhaps entirely new ones will be introduced in the future. Investments in software development need to be carried forward to those platforms. The goal of .Net is to allow applications to move from current platforms to future platforms, such as 64-bit operating systems with a simple copy, and no recompilation.
Microsoft .Net is the first software development platform to be designed from the ground up with the internet in mind although .NET is not exclusively for internet development rather it provides a consistent programming model that can be used for many types of applications.
Microsoft’s .NET initiative is broad based and very ambitious. It includes the .Net Frame work, which encompasses the languages and execution platform, plus extensive class libraries providing rich built-in functionality. Besides the core .Net Frame work, the .Net Initiative includes protocols ( such as SOAP, simple object access protocol) to provide a new level of integration of software over the internet, and a set of pre built web based services called .Net My services.
Goals behind Microsoft .NET are :-
Many of the goals Microsoft had in mind when designing .NET reflect the limitations identified from earlier tools and technologies.
1. Creating Highly Distributed Applications:-
The trend in business applications is towards a more highly distributed model. The next generation of applications may have their elements distributed among various organizations. This contrasts with today’s dominant model in which all the elements of an application ( except possibly a browser based client) are located solely within a single organization.
2. Simplifying Software Development :-
Developers need to be able to concentrate on the business logic in their applications, and to stop writing logic for things like state management and scalability. Writing software for the internet should not require expertise in a long list of internet specific technologies. A related goal is to have development for other platforms. A Component accessed over a local network or over the internet should be manipulated with code very much like that for a component accessed on the local machine. The software platform should be able to take care of the details in transmitting the information to and from the component.
3. Better user interfaces over the web :-
User interfaces development also needs to be as similar as possible for the Internet compared to local access. While local, platform specific interfaces will always of offer more flexibility than a browser based interface. .Net makes those 2 types of interfaces as similar to develop as possible. By making web based user interfaces richer and more flexible than they are now, bringing them as close as possible to the richness of local, forms-based interfaces.
4. Simplifying Deployment :-
The problems of DLL Hell, and the need for large installs of forms based applications, are just two examples of current deployment issues. .Net makes it easier by just copying a compiled module over to a system and run it. No registration, no GUIDs, no special installation procedure.
5. Support for a variety of Languages :-
While the idea of one grand, unifying language sounds good in theory, in the real world, different types of developers need different tools. Microsoft .NET designed to support a multitude of languages, from Microsoft and third parties. This allow the development community to evolve languages that best fir various development needs.
6. An Extendable Platform for the Future :-
A new platform needs the capability to adapt to changing conditions through various extensions and variations. .Net is designed with greater extendibility and flexibility than any previous software development platform.
7. Future Portability of Compiled Applications:-
Operating Systems will make major changes and perhaps entirely new ones will be introduced in the future. Investments in software development need to be carried forward to those platforms. The goal of .Net is to allow applications to move from current platforms to future platforms, such as 64-bit operating systems with a simple copy, and no recompilation.
Microsoft eyes bigger financial services software mart pie
Microsoft India plans to increase its presence in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) solutions segment.
The company has for the last two quarters been working on Experience Banking, its integrated solutions for the banking sector.
Tarun Malik, applications server and enterprise marketing manager with Microsoft India, said the idea is to provide end-to-end solutions right from the back office to the end user (the customer).
With banks profiling and segregating customers even within the broader categories of affluent, high income and low income groups, the idea is to provide solutions so that the banks can serve customers "ready to pay the extra service charge" better.
According to IDC, the opportunity for packaged software in BFSI is projected to rise to $500 million by 2008.
The other players in this segment include Oracle and IBM, but Malik pointed out that while Oracle was strong in database and IBM in services, Microsoft was providing end to end solutions.
Some of the customers to whom Microsoft is providing solutions include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Saraswat Bank and Shamrao Vitthal Bank. "We are aiming to address the whole ecosystems of the customer's needs," said Malik.
He pointed out that several co-operative banks were showing interest in the solution.
Experience Banking is supposed to helps banks change the customer, employee and operations experience so that they can achieve increased market share and profitability.
It is expected to help banks differentiate their brand and achieve a competitive advantage with increased employee satisfaction and productivity, faster response to changing market needs, and reduced total cost of ownership.
Malik pointed out that the idea is to provide this across all classes of cities and towns including the rural markets. In the insurance sector, Microsoft is waiting for the players to get their act together before making a comprehensive move.
The company has for the last two quarters been working on Experience Banking, its integrated solutions for the banking sector.
Tarun Malik, applications server and enterprise marketing manager with Microsoft India, said the idea is to provide end-to-end solutions right from the back office to the end user (the customer).
With banks profiling and segregating customers even within the broader categories of affluent, high income and low income groups, the idea is to provide solutions so that the banks can serve customers "ready to pay the extra service charge" better.
According to IDC, the opportunity for packaged software in BFSI is projected to rise to $500 million by 2008.
The other players in this segment include Oracle and IBM, but Malik pointed out that while Oracle was strong in database and IBM in services, Microsoft was providing end to end solutions.
Some of the customers to whom Microsoft is providing solutions include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Saraswat Bank and Shamrao Vitthal Bank. "We are aiming to address the whole ecosystems of the customer's needs," said Malik.
He pointed out that several co-operative banks were showing interest in the solution.
Experience Banking is supposed to helps banks change the customer, employee and operations experience so that they can achieve increased market share and profitability.
It is expected to help banks differentiate their brand and achieve a competitive advantage with increased employee satisfaction and productivity, faster response to changing market needs, and reduced total cost of ownership.
Malik pointed out that the idea is to provide this across all classes of cities and towns including the rural markets. In the insurance sector, Microsoft is waiting for the players to get their act together before making a comprehensive move.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Microsoft nears release of 64-bit Windows
Microsoft said Tuesday that it has released a near-final test version of updates to its Windows and Windows Server operating systems.
The company said it has reached the "release candidate" stage for Service Pack 1 of Windows Server 2003. Microsoft is also at a similar point with several 64-bit Windows versions that use the same code base, including Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Microsoft reiterated that all three products are slated for final release in the first half of next year, with a second release candidate in between. A second update for Windows Server 2003, known as R2, is also planned for next year. Microsoft is shooting for a private beta of that release later this month, with a goal of having about 1,000 testers. The company said it hopes to release a public beta of R2 in the first half of next year, with the final release some time in the second half of the year. For some time, Microsoft has been promising to deliver 64-bit versions of Windows to support AMD's Opteron and Athlon 64 processors, but final releases of the server and desktop operating systems were delayed until next year. The same version of Windows will also accommodate chips from Intel that support 64-bit extensions to the longstanding x86 architecture. Microsoft said it hopes the new versions of Windows will help make 64-bit computing a mainstream activity by next year. "There's a need for a mainstream 64-bit solution that is fast to deploy and easy to grow into," senior product manager John Borozan said in a statement. "Volume deployment of x64 will spur new opportunities for innovation that were previously limited by 32-bit barriers." The biggest advantage of 64-bit computing today is the ability to directly access more than 4GB of physical memory. Those who own a 32-bit version of Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003 will be able to exchange it for a license for the 64-bit edition, Microsoft has said. Microsoft already has separate versions of Windows that support Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor, which has a completely distinct instruction set from the Opteron and the Athlon 64. The release candidate for Windows Server 2003 SP1 is now available from Microsoft's site. The code for the 64-bit Windows versions is available now for those who take part in Microsoft's technical beta, or test, program. Within 30 days, Microsoft said, it will make the release candidate of those versions part of its Customer Preview Program. The Windows Server update adds a number of the security enhancements Microsoft added to Windows XP with Service Pack 2. New features for Windows Server include an enhanced firewall, support for "no execute" hardware from AMD and Intel, and a new Security Configuration Wizard that blocks ports and services not being used by a particular server.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Windows NT 4 support to come at price in '05
Microsoft reiterated on Friday that companies still using Windows NT Server 4 going into 2005 will have to sign up for a custom contract to get support.
Microsoft is offering up to two years of custom support to companies still using the OS when Microsoft ceases its extended support for the program at the end of 2004.
The company has decided to expand the for-free program to cover more security issues. Microsoft is now pledging to offer fixes for vulnerabilities rated either as "critical" or "important." Previously, the software maker had only committed to fixing critical flaws.
Those fixes will be available only to those that take part in the paid custom-support program, though Microsoft has said it would offer a patch publicly were there to be another virus on the order of Blaster.
"We will act to protect the integrity of the Internet," said Peter Houston, senior director of Windows serviceability.
At the same time, the company stressed that it is not changing the Dec. 31 end-of-life date for NT 4 Server. The desktop version of NT 4, NT 4 Workstation, reached end of life in June.
"My recommendation is that if you haven't done so already, begin your migrations immediately," Houston said. Those who need more time should take part in the custom service program, he said.
After spending much of this year talking to customers, Microsoft has decided to commit to offering the custom support for up to two years, though customers can purchase as little as three months' worth--an incentive for those that migrate quicker. The company has been trying to convince as many customers as possible to upgrade to newer versions, offering, among other things, a step-bystep migration guide on its Web site.
Microsoft would not say how much the program costs but said it is a flat fee regardless of how many servers a company has, with the fee based on the length of the contract.
Houston said he did not know the exact number of customers that have signed up for the custom support program, but he said it is on the order of 100--mostly businesses and government agencies that are among Microsoft's largest customers.
Microsoft also said Friday that it will offer a similar plan for its Exchange 5.5 e-mail server software when that program ends extended support at the end of 2005. Custom support for that program will run through the end of 2007.
Microsoft is offering up to two years of custom support to companies still using the OS when Microsoft ceases its extended support for the program at the end of 2004.
The company has decided to expand the for-free program to cover more security issues. Microsoft is now pledging to offer fixes for vulnerabilities rated either as "critical" or "important." Previously, the software maker had only committed to fixing critical flaws.
Those fixes will be available only to those that take part in the paid custom-support program, though Microsoft has said it would offer a patch publicly were there to be another virus on the order of Blaster.
"We will act to protect the integrity of the Internet," said Peter Houston, senior director of Windows serviceability.
At the same time, the company stressed that it is not changing the Dec. 31 end-of-life date for NT 4 Server. The desktop version of NT 4, NT 4 Workstation, reached end of life in June.
"My recommendation is that if you haven't done so already, begin your migrations immediately," Houston said. Those who need more time should take part in the custom service program, he said.
After spending much of this year talking to customers, Microsoft has decided to commit to offering the custom support for up to two years, though customers can purchase as little as three months' worth--an incentive for those that migrate quicker. The company has been trying to convince as many customers as possible to upgrade to newer versions, offering, among other things, a step-bystep migration guide on its Web site.
Microsoft would not say how much the program costs but said it is a flat fee regardless of how many servers a company has, with the fee based on the length of the contract.
Houston said he did not know the exact number of customers that have signed up for the custom support program, but he said it is on the order of 100--mostly businesses and government agencies that are among Microsoft's largest customers.
Microsoft also said Friday that it will offer a similar plan for its Exchange 5.5 e-mail server software when that program ends extended support at the end of 2005. Custom support for that program will run through the end of 2007.
Unisys, Oracle, Microsoft team on business software
Unisys, Oracle and Microsoft are expanding a joint engineering program to boost the performance of Oracle's software running on Windows, the companies plan to announce Monday at Oracle's annual trade show.
Oracle's software, including its flagship database and its higher-level business software, are available for Unix, Linux and Windows, but the Windows versions have been something of a second priority, said Tom Manter, program director for enterprise database applications at Unisys. The companies now hope to turn that around.
"From what we're seeing and what we're going to see next week at Oracle OpenWorld, that's going to change. Oracle is embracing Windows and made a commitment to work with Microsoft and with Unisys," Manter said. The result should be better performance and more bang for the buck for those running Oracle software on Unisys' ES7000 server, which can accommodate as many as 32 Intel Xeon processors and 16 Intel Itanium processors.
Unisys has been changing its own database strategy. Two years ago, the company was focused chiefly on Microsoft's SQL Server database, but now Unisys has 50 engineers and marketing staff working on the Oracle project, up from zero a year ago, Unisys said.
Unisys' database directions diverge somewhat from Oracle's recent marketing efforts. Where Unisys has emphasized large multiprocessor servers, Oracle has been touting groups of lower-end machines sharing the same database, and while Unisys has been heavily advocating Windows, Oracle has been promoting Linux.
A tight Microsoft-Unisys partnership loosened somewhat in recent months as Unisys embraced Linux. Unisys argues its common foes still are machines from companies such as IBM, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard that use RISC, or reduced instruction set computing, processors.
Unisys also plans to announce on Monday several customers running Oracle software on Windows. They are Wetherill Associates, Calgary Co-op, the Chicago Parks District and the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Wetherill replaced four older Sun 4500 servers with two ES7000 models.
Oracle's software, including its flagship database and its higher-level business software, are available for Unix, Linux and Windows, but the Windows versions have been something of a second priority, said Tom Manter, program director for enterprise database applications at Unisys. The companies now hope to turn that around.
"From what we're seeing and what we're going to see next week at Oracle OpenWorld, that's going to change. Oracle is embracing Windows and made a commitment to work with Microsoft and with Unisys," Manter said. The result should be better performance and more bang for the buck for those running Oracle software on Unisys' ES7000 server, which can accommodate as many as 32 Intel Xeon processors and 16 Intel Itanium processors.
Unisys has been changing its own database strategy. Two years ago, the company was focused chiefly on Microsoft's SQL Server database, but now Unisys has 50 engineers and marketing staff working on the Oracle project, up from zero a year ago, Unisys said.
Unisys' database directions diverge somewhat from Oracle's recent marketing efforts. Where Unisys has emphasized large multiprocessor servers, Oracle has been touting groups of lower-end machines sharing the same database, and while Unisys has been heavily advocating Windows, Oracle has been promoting Linux.
A tight Microsoft-Unisys partnership loosened somewhat in recent months as Unisys embraced Linux. Unisys argues its common foes still are machines from companies such as IBM, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard that use RISC, or reduced instruction set computing, processors.
Unisys also plans to announce on Monday several customers running Oracle software on Windows. They are Wetherill Associates, Calgary Co-op, the Chicago Parks District and the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Wetherill replaced four older Sun 4500 servers with two ES7000 models.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Microsoft rushes out critical IE fix
Microsoft published a patch for Internet Explorer on Wednesday, aiming to close a month-old hole that has been used by viruses to spread and by an ad banner attack to compromise PCs.
The vulnerability, dubbed the Internet Explorer Elements flaw by Microsoft, had previously been called the iFrame vulnerability. The issue--which does not affect Microsoft's major Windows XP security update, Service Pack 2--could allow an attacker to take control of a victim's PC, if the user is logged on as an administrator. Most home users tend to log onto Windows as administrators.
A Microsoft representative said the software giant had released the update before its next scheduled patch day, Dec. 7, because it had already been used by malicious software to compromise Windows users' PCs.
"That's one of the things that we factor in--when the customers are affected or there are active attacks," said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager at Microsoft's security response center.
An attacker can use the vulnerability to gain control of a person's computer when the victim clicks on a simple Web link. The attacker would then have complete control of the system, and could install programs, view, modify or delete data and create new accounts.
The patch arrived more than a month after news of the vulnerability was first posted on public security mailing lists. The move garnered criticism from Microsoft, which has led a drive to convince security researchers to give software makers at least 30 days to fix issues before outing the problem in public forums.
The IE flaw underscores that online criminals are all too willing to use the latest vulnerabilities to take illicit control of users' PCs. Two computer viruses appeared on the Internet in early November, using the vulnerability in Microsoft's browser to infect PCs after their users clicked on a simple Web link. The viruses, called Bofra.A and Bofra.B by antivirus companies, were loosely based on the source code of MyDoom.
In addition, online intruders breached the security of at least one server at advertising host Falk last week and used the computer to distribute an attack to the service's clients, including The Register, a technology news and opinion site.
The IE Elements flaw affects PCs with IE version 6 installed, but does not affect computers that have been upgraded to Service Pack 2. The software, the latest version of Windows XP, has been downloaded more than 130 million times, Microsoft's Toulouse said.
The latest update for IE 6 can be downloaded from Microsofts security site or through Windows Update.
The vulnerability, dubbed the Internet Explorer Elements flaw by Microsoft, had previously been called the iFrame vulnerability. The issue--which does not affect Microsoft's major Windows XP security update, Service Pack 2--could allow an attacker to take control of a victim's PC, if the user is logged on as an administrator. Most home users tend to log onto Windows as administrators.
A Microsoft representative said the software giant had released the update before its next scheduled patch day, Dec. 7, because it had already been used by malicious software to compromise Windows users' PCs.
"That's one of the things that we factor in--when the customers are affected or there are active attacks," said Stephen Toulouse, security program manager at Microsoft's security response center.
An attacker can use the vulnerability to gain control of a person's computer when the victim clicks on a simple Web link. The attacker would then have complete control of the system, and could install programs, view, modify or delete data and create new accounts.
The patch arrived more than a month after news of the vulnerability was first posted on public security mailing lists. The move garnered criticism from Microsoft, which has led a drive to convince security researchers to give software makers at least 30 days to fix issues before outing the problem in public forums.
The IE flaw underscores that online criminals are all too willing to use the latest vulnerabilities to take illicit control of users' PCs. Two computer viruses appeared on the Internet in early November, using the vulnerability in Microsoft's browser to infect PCs after their users clicked on a simple Web link. The viruses, called Bofra.A and Bofra.B by antivirus companies, were loosely based on the source code of MyDoom.
In addition, online intruders breached the security of at least one server at advertising host Falk last week and used the computer to distribute an attack to the service's clients, including The Register, a technology news and opinion site.
The IE Elements flaw affects PCs with IE version 6 installed, but does not affect computers that have been upgraded to Service Pack 2. The software, the latest version of Windows XP, has been downloaded more than 130 million times, Microsoft's Toulouse said.
The latest update for IE 6 can be downloaded from Microsofts security site or through Windows Update.
Microsoft Research to open lab in Bangalore
Microsoft Research will open a laboratory in Bangalore, India, the company's third research installation overseas and a sign of India's increasing importance in tech.
The lab, set to open in January, will initially focus on four areas: multilingual systems, technology for emerging markets, geographical information systems and sensor networks. Over time, however, the direction of the lab's research will be largely determined by the people it recruits.
"As a research organization, you want to hire the best and brightest people. That's what we did in China six years ago," said Rick Rashid, senior vice president of Microsoft Research. "Ultimately, the work that will be going on there will be based on the people we hire."
In the past few years, the Redmond, Wash., software giant has become more active in immersing itself in emerging markets. It has released budget versions of the Windows XP operating system in Thailand, for example, as well as specially priced software bundles for educational institutions in developing countries. Last year, Microsoft created an internship program geared toward recruiting doctoral students in India. It also supports five technical labs in Latin America, Rashid said.
Although the lab will work on projects with global impacts, two of the initial areas of research--multilingual systems and technology for developing nations--will nonetheless dovetail to a certain extent with some day-to-day tech problems many Indians face. There are 15 official languages in India, and that doesn't count English, one of the most important languages for government and business. Additionally, there are variants, such as Hindustani, according to the Central Intelligence Agency's World FactBook. The research conducted by the lab will focus on machine translation and on software for allowing users to more easily access information written in different languages on the same computer.
Rapid PC growth, combined with a fairly low per capita income, has also made India a popular place to try out cheap PCs that require little training. Hewlett-Packard has tested solar power printers and cameras in India. Advanced Micro Devices, meanwhile, is promoting what it calls the Personal Internet Communicator, a $185 PC, on the subcontinent.
Geographical information systems revolve around better managing data about the Earth. In this field, Microsoft has developed SkyServer and TerraServer to enable scientists to share astronomical and geological data. Erected in 1998, TerraServer gets 20 million hits a day.
Other companies, such as GeoFusion and MetaCarta, meanwhile, are looking at ways to correlate information in databases to points on a map. In this way, users can get a visual image of complex or lengthy sets of data: Data-feeds from a tagged tuna become a line on a map, while police reports can be plotted by time and space to reconstruct a person's movements.
Bangalore is India's tech capital, but rapid growth has led to traffic jams and power outages, according to many.
P. Anandan, a computer vision specialist who has been working at Microsoft Research since 1997, will head up the laboratory. Initially, the Bangalore lab will employ about 12 scientists. Overall, Microsoft has about 700 researchers employed at Microsoft Research. Other labs are located in Redmond, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Cambridge, England.
Things weren't always so rosy in India. Microsoft had to recall 200,000 copies of Windows 95 from the country because a pixilated map showed Kashmir as a disputed area and not part of India proper.
The lab, set to open in January, will initially focus on four areas: multilingual systems, technology for emerging markets, geographical information systems and sensor networks. Over time, however, the direction of the lab's research will be largely determined by the people it recruits.
"As a research organization, you want to hire the best and brightest people. That's what we did in China six years ago," said Rick Rashid, senior vice president of Microsoft Research. "Ultimately, the work that will be going on there will be based on the people we hire."
In the past few years, the Redmond, Wash., software giant has become more active in immersing itself in emerging markets. It has released budget versions of the Windows XP operating system in Thailand, for example, as well as specially priced software bundles for educational institutions in developing countries. Last year, Microsoft created an internship program geared toward recruiting doctoral students in India. It also supports five technical labs in Latin America, Rashid said.
Although the lab will work on projects with global impacts, two of the initial areas of research--multilingual systems and technology for developing nations--will nonetheless dovetail to a certain extent with some day-to-day tech problems many Indians face. There are 15 official languages in India, and that doesn't count English, one of the most important languages for government and business. Additionally, there are variants, such as Hindustani, according to the Central Intelligence Agency's World FactBook. The research conducted by the lab will focus on machine translation and on software for allowing users to more easily access information written in different languages on the same computer.
Rapid PC growth, combined with a fairly low per capita income, has also made India a popular place to try out cheap PCs that require little training. Hewlett-Packard has tested solar power printers and cameras in India. Advanced Micro Devices, meanwhile, is promoting what it calls the Personal Internet Communicator, a $185 PC, on the subcontinent.
Geographical information systems revolve around better managing data about the Earth. In this field, Microsoft has developed SkyServer and TerraServer to enable scientists to share astronomical and geological data. Erected in 1998, TerraServer gets 20 million hits a day.
Other companies, such as GeoFusion and MetaCarta, meanwhile, are looking at ways to correlate information in databases to points on a map. In this way, users can get a visual image of complex or lengthy sets of data: Data-feeds from a tagged tuna become a line on a map, while police reports can be plotted by time and space to reconstruct a person's movements.
Bangalore is India's tech capital, but rapid growth has led to traffic jams and power outages, according to many.
P. Anandan, a computer vision specialist who has been working at Microsoft Research since 1997, will head up the laboratory. Initially, the Bangalore lab will employ about 12 scientists. Overall, Microsoft has about 700 researchers employed at Microsoft Research. Other labs are located in Redmond, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Cambridge, England.
Things weren't always so rosy in India. Microsoft had to recall 200,000 copies of Windows 95 from the country because a pixilated map showed Kashmir as a disputed area and not part of India proper.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Microsoft Windows Longhorn
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.
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.
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.
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