Multiple milestones as Acer buys Gateway
Click title for source at ZDNet.com…
by Larry Dignan
August 27th, 2007
Acer announced Monday that it is buying Gateway for $710 million in a move that vaults the Taiwan-based PC vendor into the top 3 globally based on revenue.
Acer reckons that Gateway will give it more than $15 billion in revenue and shipments topping 20 million PC units a year (official statement).
But the actual nuts and bolts of the deal take a back seat to some of the moving parts in the industry. Here’s a look:
Acer becomes a bigger player. Acer was moving up the PC rankings anyway and the Gateway purchase just accelerates the move. What will be interesting to watch is how Acer manages multiple brands such as Acer, Gateway and eMachines. These days most of the PC manufacturing is farmed out anyway so it’s really a brand game. Can Acer hit a home run with any of these brands?
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August 30, 2007
Business: Acer Eats Up Two Useless Companies, Becomes #3 And Thwarts Lenovo In Europe
Business: “Microsoft revises anti-Linux campaign with new site”… If you can’t beat ‘em, keep fighting…
Microsoft revises anti-Linux campaign with new site
Click title for source at ComputerWorld.com…
It compares Windows Server with rival operating systems
Elizabeth Montalbano
August 24, 2007 (IDG News Service)
Microsoft Corp. has replaced its controversial anti-Linux “Get the Facts” Web site with a kinder, gentler site explaining how its Windows Server operating system compares with open-source Linux and other competitive operating systems.
The new WindowsServer/Compare Web site provides information about how Windows Server stacks up in total cost of ownership, reliability, security, manageability and interoperability with Linux, Unix and IBM’s mainframe architecture.
Microsoft has posted on the site customer information, feedback from industry experts, white papers and resources about the capabilities of Windows Server. It also offers information for developers building applications on Windows Server.
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Oops!: “Massive Microsoft WGA meltdown fingers legit Vista and XP owners as pirates”… Another Reason To Upgrade To Windows-2000
Massive Microsoft WGA meltdown fingers legit Vista and XP owners as pirates
Click title for source at ComputerWorld.com…
Gregg Keizer
August 25, 2007
Microsoft Corp. has blamed an unspecified server problem for a 19-hour stretch during which paying users of Windows XP and Vista were accused by the company’s Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation system of running pirated software. Any Vista system fingered during the episode was stripped of some features, including the operating system’s Aero graphical interface.
As of Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT, Microsoft said the problem had been fixed.
“We are aware it is a server-side issue,” said Phil Liu, a Microsoft program manager in the WGA group. “[But] the cause is unknown at this current time.”
“Customers who received an incorrect validation response can fix their system by revalidating on our site,” said Alex Kochis, senior product manager of WGA, in a blog posting. The site Kochis referred to is the Genuine Microsoft Software home page, which includes links to validation tests for Windows and Microsoft Office. “After successfully revalidating, any affected system should be rebooted to ensure the genuine-only features are restored,” Kochis continued.
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R&R: Australian Teen Cracks Aussie Gov’t $84,000,000 Dollar Porn Filter
Student cracks Government’s $84m porn filter
Click title for source at News.Com.Au…
By Nick Higginbottom and Ben Packham
August 26, 2007 12:30am
Article from: Herald Sun
* Schoolboy takes 30 minutes to bypass filter
* Leaves impression filter still working
* Cracks upgraded filter in 40 minutes
A MELBOURNE schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government’s new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.
Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government’s filter, released on Tuesday.
Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks.
Parents easily fooled
His technique ensures the software’s toolbar icon is not deleted, leaving parents under the impression the filter is still working.
A former cyber bullying victim, Tom feared a computer-savvy child could work out the bypass and put it on the Internet for others to use.
Tom, who spoke to Communications Minister Helen Coonan about cyber safety during a forum in May, said the Federal Government should have developed a better Australian made filter.
“It’s a horrible waste of money,” he said.
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August 27, 2007
.NET: .NET 3.5 Explained… Simply
.NET Framework 3.5
Click title for source at DanielMoth.com…
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
.NET Framework (NetFx or Fx) version 3.5 has two elements to it that must be understood: the green bits and the red bits. The original references to this term are on old blog posts by Soma and Jason. Compared to those two blog entries I have the advantage of 13 months of hindsight 
, so I will provide here the details behind those descriptions in my own words starting with my own slide:
Windows: “Microsoft Endorses Product That Turns Off Vista UAC Nags”
Microsoft Endorses Product That Turns Off Vista UAC Nags
Click title for source at BetaNews.com…
Scott M. Fulton, III
August 24, 2007
The latest version of a well-reviewed third-party security policy enhancement system for Windows Vista claims to solve what its manufacturer characterizes as “not a secure solution” to a critical problem Windows historically had with administrator privileges on programs. But in the announcement of the upgrade earlier this week, a key Microsoft product manager is quoted as having acknowledged Vista’s own take on the solution was not quite enough, effectively reversing his company’s stand on User Account Control.The product is BeyondTrust Privilege Manager 3.5, and its key new feature is the ability to run Vista’s UAC transparently without prompting the user for privilege elevation. In Monday’s press release, Microsoft director of client security product management Austin Wilson is quoted as not only endorsing the product, but appearing to agree with BeyondTrust’s key contention: that the UAC prompts were not only a nag but an insecure solution in itself.
Tools & Code: “Scott Hanselman’s 2007 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows”
Scott Hanselman’s 2007 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows
Click title to go to Scott Hanselman’s site to see scores of freely available tools for the developer & power-user…
Everyone collects utilities, and most folks have a list of a few that they feel are indispensable. Here’s mine. Each has a distinct purpose, and I probably touch each at least a few times a week. For me, util means utilitarian and it means don’t clutter my tray. If it saves me time, and seamlessly integrates with my life, it’s the bomb. Many/most are free some aren’t. Those that aren’t free are very likely worth your 30-day trial, and perhaps your money.Here are most of the contents of my C:/UTILS folder. These are all well loved and used. I wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t use them constantly. Things on this list are here because I dig them. No one paid money to be on this list and no money is accepted to be on this list.
Shameless Personal Plug: Discover more cool tools and programming tips on my weekly Podcast with Carl Franklin – Hanselminutes (Podcast Feed/Podcast Archives) - “Our show is guaranteed not to waste your time. Free free to listen in double speed and waste half as much.”
This is the Updated for 2007 Version of my Original List and 2005 and 2006 List, and currently subsumes all my other lists. Link to http://www.hanselman.com/tools when referencing the latest Hanselman Ultimate Tools List. Feel free to get involved here in the comments, post corrections, or suggestions for future submissions in the HanselForums. I very likely made mistakes, and probably forgot a few utilities that I use often.
August 25, 2007
Tools & Code: “25 Most Active Open Source Projects at Microsoft’s CodePlex”
25 Most Active Open Source Projects at Microsoft’s CodePlex
Click title for source at EWeek.com…
With a bid underway to obtain the blessing of the Open Source Initiative for two of its software licenses, Microsoft is working to burnish its open source credentials. Here are the 25 most active projects, as of August 21, on Microsoft’s CodePlex open source project hosting Web site, along with the licenses under which the projects have been released. The following images and descriptions are courtesy of the Codeplex Web site.
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Business: “Open source companies to watch”
Open source companies to watch
Click title for source at NetworkWorld.com…
Newcomers focusing on everything from a Microsoft Exchange rival to server virtualization and data integration
By Jon Brodkin, Network World, 08/23/07
Open source is making its way into more and more enterprises with cheap, robust alternatives to solutions offered by proprietary software vendors. Read this article to learn about nine open source companies worth watching in the areas of Web search, server virtualization, data integration, collaboration software and e-mail.
Company name: Apatar
Founded: February 2007
Location: Chicopee, Mass.
What does the company offer? Tools that let customers integrate information from in-house applications or data sources with those hosted on the Web.
Why is it worth watching? Apatar makes it easier to form partnerships by more effectively sharing data across applications, says Nucleus Research Vice President Rebecca Wetteman. “With the proliferation of on-demand applications, there is a lot of valuable data — and potential partnerships — out there on the Web,” she says. “But it’s hard to form partnerships, because data integration between the enterprise and Web-based applications is difficult. Apatar bridges this gap by [eliminating duplicate data], filtering, naming and storing Web-based data.”
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Business: “Google Apps no match for MS Office, report says”
Google Apps no match for MS Office, report says
Click title for source at InfoWorld.com…
Research report warns that deploying Google Apps with its ‘rudimentary’ feature set as an Office replacement could be a career-limiting move
By Jon Brodkin, Network World
August 23, 2007
Deploying Google Apps could be a “career-limiting move for enterprise architects” if they expect too much from the software-as-a-service collaboration suite and its “rudimentary” feature set, the Burton Group research and consulting firm says in a new report.
Google Apps is useful in a limited set of circumstances, the report says. Start-ups and other small businesses might want to use it as a basic office and collaboration suite. Google Apps can also be considered a point solution for businesses that need a “lite” collaboration or enterprise content-management application, or a rudimentary replacement of Microsoft Office for “non-power users” who need only basic e-mail, word processing, and spreadsheet capabilities.
Even at Google’s offices, Apps is used internally only as a collaboration add-on to Microsoft Office, the report says.
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