.NET News Desk

Netbook Apps SDK Betas

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST

Intel has put out its promised beta SDK for Windows (C and C++) and Moblin (C) developers working on future Atom-based netbook apps and ports. It can be downloaded at http://appdeveloper.intel.com. Intel couldn’t help but repeat the forecast that netbook units shipped should top 50 million by the end of the year.

Microsoft Cloud Patent Application Not What It Seems

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST

InformationWeek stumbled on a Microsoft patent application dating back to 2006 deceptively titled “Migrating Data to New Cloud,” which makes it sound like a way out of vendor lock-in, one of the chief drawbacks to cloud computing. Well, it’s not according to Vordel CTO Mark O’Neill. Vordel’s got a unique cloud service broker in beta that should resolve the cloud lock-in issue.

Gartner Miscounted Acer Shipments: Reuters

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST

Gartner told Reuters that it overestimated how many PCs Acer shipped in the last seven quarters by around 11%. Not a little matter since Acer ousted Dell from the number two spot worldwide during that time. By Reuters’ calculations Gartner miscounted by as many as a million boxes in some of the quarters between 1Q08 and 3Q09.

Office 2010 & Web Apps Due in June

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:15:00 EST

Office Web Apps, Microsoft’s answer to Google Apps, are supposed to be out sometime in June along with Office 2010. Microsoft, which confirmed the rumored timing, has yet to price the half-dozen versions of Office 2010. The browser-based Office Web Apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, will be free to consumers via Windows Live. Businesses with volume subscriptions to Office will also get free access to the dumbed-down weblets, which they will be able to host internally if they want to. That alternative is viewed as more secure than going to Google’s servers to use Google Apps. Meanwhile, SQL Server 2008 R2 is due May 6.

Microsoft Reportedly Bows to Opera’s Wishes

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST

In response to Opera’s complaints Microsoft has reportedly modified the proposed ballot screen that’s supposed to get it out from under the European Commission’s latest antitrust charges. Rather than be inside Internet Explorer, the ballot screen offering Windows users alternatives to IE will appear in a web-page format and the choice of the top five browsers in Europe including IE will appear randomly rather than alphabetically, according to Bloomberg.

Microsoft Unloads a Couple of Fast Assets

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:15:00 EST

Microsoft has sold the Folio and NXT businesses it got when it bought Fast Search and Transfer, the Norwegian enterprise search firm, last year to Rocket Software on undisclosed terms. Folio is a clutch of publishing tools and NXT publishes intranet documents. Fast bought the products a few years ago for $15 million. Fast’s native technology has gone into SharePoint and is still available standalone.

Windows Server Revenues Pass Unix/Linux for First Time

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:15:00 EST

In Q3 Windows server sales by revenue surpassed Unix/Linux boxes for the first time in history according to Seeking Alpha blogger Dennis Byron. Using IDC numbers he says Linux was 14.4% of the total, a personal best and Unix dragged in at 27%. He concludes that Linux and Windows don’t meet much in the marketplace. Of course all server shipments are down about 20%.

Who, Us?

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:15:00 EST

Microsoft is disclaiming responsibility for the so-called “black screens” that some Windows 7 users have been experiencing when they boot up. Apparently the problem has also cropped up on some XP and Vista machines. Microsoft thinks it’s a virus.

PC Spending’s Coming Back: Goldman Sachs

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:00:00 EST

Goldman Sachs claims the corporate PC and PC server refresh will be one of the most important trends in technology over the next two years, positively impacting software and semiconductors as well as hardware. It’s projecting PC growth of 12% next year and 13% in 2011, when the cycle should peak. Revenue growth, however, will be limited to the low to mid-single digits because of aggressive pricing and the shift to lower-end desktops and notebooks. It figures Dell will be the biggest beneficiary because of its outsized exposure to the enterprise.

Cloud Expo New York Call for Papers Deadline December 15

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:45:00 EST

Cloud computing is a game changer. The cloud is disrupting traditional software and hardware business models by disrupting how IT service gets delivered. Entrepreneurial opportunities abound as this classic disruptive technology begins to proliferate, so it is no surprise that SYS-CON's industry-leading International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo series is going from strength to strength.

Intel Demos Cloud Computing Chip

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:15:00 EST

Researchers from Intel Labs demonstrated an experimental, 48-core Intel processor, or “single-chip cloud computer,” that rethinks many of the approaches used in today’s designs for laptops, PCs and servers. This futuristic chip boasts about 10 to 20 times the processing engines inside today’s most popular Intel Core-branded processors. The long-term research goal is to add incredible scaling features to future computers that spur entirely new software applications and human-machine interfaces. The company plans to engage industry and academia next year by sharing 100 or more of these experimental chips for hands-on research in developing new software applications and programming models.

Crystal Reports Founders Aim Cloud Computing

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

The founders of Crystal Reports and veterans of Microsoft, Symmetrics and Business Objects have launched a start-up out of Vancouver called Indicee that’s developed a cloud-based reporting application meant to give SMBs frustrated with cutting and pasting data into spreadsheets a faster way to mash data and create reports. The company sees itself as bringing reporting and analysis to the masses. The widgetry eliminates manual spreadsheet data manipulation; consolidates data from different systems, reports and spreadsheets; bypasses direct access to information locked up in corporate databases; and processes queries in plain English.

Dell Dumps Polish Plant on Foxconn

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST

Dell is transferring ownership of its new factory in Poland over to contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group on undisclosed terms. Foxconn will produce desktops, laptops, servers and storage for Dell at the Lodz plant and reportedly retain present staff. Dell just shifted its EMEA production from Ireland to Poland for Lodz's marginally cheaper wages, savaging the recession-ravaged Irish economy and adding to its already long unemployment lines.

Cloud Expo New York Diamond and Platinum Sponsorships Sold Out

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:00:00 EST

SYS-CON Events announced today that the "Diamond" and "Platinum" sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming Cloud Expo New York sold out the same day the "show prospectus" for the 5th International Cloud Computing Conference & Expo (www.CloudComputingExpo.com) was sent to more than 100 sponsors and exhibitors. 5th International Cloud Expo will take place April 19-21, 2010, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City with more than 5,000 delegates and over 100 sponsors and exhibitors participating in the conference. Cloud Expo is the world's leading Cloud-focused event and is held five times a year, in New York, Silicon Valley, Europe, Japan, and Brazil.

SECUDE’s Secure Login Client Version 5.0 Enables Windows 7 Support

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:45:00 EST

The need for an easy single, yet secure,login procedure has always been an elusive issue for many big organizations. Multiple user names and passwords, multiple logins, and the ensuing confusion and frustration consume much of a user's productivity in terms of time and energy. Secure Login provides secure Single Sign-On and total landscape encryption for SAP supporting a variety of different authentication mechanisms including Active Directory, LDAP, SAP-ID, RADIUS, RSA SecurID®, SQL DB, and even smart cards.

Microsoft WebsiteSpark

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:45:00 EST

Did you know that PHP runs on Windows?? Run Drupal, WordPress, SugarCRM, or other PHP-based apps on Windows today with the free Microsoft Web Platform Installer. Microsoft WebsiteSpark is a specially designed program for PHP Web developers and designers to help you explore running on Windows. This program enables you to get new business leads to grow your business, and receive the software, support and trainingyou may need, at no cost for 3 years. To find out how to start getting new business leads, and leveraging the benefits of WebsiteSpark please enter your information here to download the Program Guide and receive enrollment instructions.

Jury To Decide in March Who Owns Unix

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:45:00 EST

SCO's case against Novell for slander of title is going to trial on March 8. That means a Utah jury will decide who the heck owns Unix. Novell tried like the dickens but failed to get the date pushed back to next summer during a hearing Tuesday with Judge Ted Stewart, who'll be presiding. If Judge Stewart didn't already know how jury-shy Novell is, he does now.

So Long, Neelie

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:00:00 EST

Europe’s antitrust chief Neelie Kroes, who has dunned two of America’s largest and most influential companies, both paeans to capitalism, a small fortune during her term in office, is going to be replaced. She was a candidate for reappointment to what is considered a great portfolio but didn’t get the job again. Described as “extraordinary, prickly, focused, like hugging barbed wire,” she came to power five years ago on a thin private-sector resume and has been over-compensating ever since for the fear that she would be seen as weak.

HP Unveils Converged Infrastructure Solutions for Microsoft Environments

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST

HP today announced new integrations of the recently introduced HP Converged Infrastructure architecture for Microsoft applications, enabling customers to simplify the management of their computing environments while increasing efficiency. The proliferation of IT sprawl has created technology silos in data centers with maintenance and operations consuming approximately 70 percent of an organization’s technology budget.

Hard Drive Data Recovery Service- When Is It Necessary?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

You need not to opt for recovery service, if your hard drive is physically intact and working properly. If all the hard drive internals are working properly, you would be able to start your system and access data from it. However, the the internal components of your computer hard drive gets damaged, you can not retrieve data from it and you need to opt for data recovery services for easy and quick accessing of your valuable and mission critical data. Each file that you store on your computer hard drive is crucial from your business point of view. When you lose even a single file, you might feel lost. Particularly for the businesses, loss of valuable files might prove a real disaster. Although, the manufacturers might give you guarantee of the hardware, but when a problem occurs in your drive, you can not retrieve data from it. Manufacturers can only replace the damaged hard drive if it is in guarantee period, but could not help you to get your data back.

Canada & Australia Smile of Microsoft-Yahoo

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST

The Microsoft-Yahoo deal got approved by regulators in Canada and Australia. The Justice Department and the European Commission are reviewing the plan.

Mozilla Opens its Books

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Mozilla’s revenues – that’s the Mozilla Foundation and all subsidiaries – did $78.6 million last year, up 5%. As a gauge, its 2007 over 2006 was up 12%. Most of the money comes from Google of course though now it has its own browser, plus Yahoo, Amazon and eBay. Its deal with Google runs through 2011. Mozilla’s total assets at the end of last year were $116 million, up 17%. The IRS is still auditing Mozilla’s books from ’04-’07.

Corel To Go Private Again

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Corel, the Canadian company that acquired the once great WordPerfect and Quattro Pro from Novell intending to take on Microsoft, is going private again. Vector Capital, the private equity house that owns over 68% of the company is offering $4 a share cash, nearly a 28% premium, for the rest of it, having upped the offer from $3.50 to get management’s backing.

Windows 7 Selling

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Windows 7 has sold at an unprecedented rate in the few weeks it’s been out, double any previous version of the operating system according to what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the company’s annual stockholders meeting the other day. He was reportedly counting both boxed and OEM copies but did not offer any numbers. Windows 7 officially went on sale October 22.

Azure Gets its First Commercial ERP App

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:15:00 EST

While Microsoft is webifying bits and pieces of its client/server Dynamics ERP solution, it ain't gonna put any full-blown Dynamics ERP on Azure. Too much customization and integration to make a good candidate apparently. Enter Acumatica, a potentially competitive third-party ERP solution that compares itself to NetSuite except NetSuite is wholly SaaS and Acumatica, out only since June but one of the few programs already in production on the still-in-beta Azure, straddles both a client's on-premises site and the Microsoft cloud. The Acumatica software is the same in the cloud as it is on-premise and experimenting with in on site is supposed to make accounts more comfortable with the idea of using it in the cloud.

CSC Signs Record Cloud Deal with Royal Mail

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Britain's hidebound state-owned Royal Mail is getting a cloud. Yup, CSC is supposed to provide 30,000 of its employees with access to newfangled web-based services using Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), part of Microsoft Online Services. CSC will also provide first line helpdesk support. The new contract is described as an industry first: CSC is the first Microsoft service provider to win a cloud deal of this size.

Sun Releases New Update for Solaris 10 Operating System

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Solaris 10 10/09 provides new features, fixes and hardware support in an easy-to-install manner, preserving full compatibility with over 11,000 third-party products and customer applications, including Oracle database and application software. With over two decades of Sun/Oracle collaboration, there are more Oracle database deployments on the SPARC/Solaris combination than any other OS and Sun is leading the way to bring high-performance solutions for the entire range of Oracle products. Solaris 10 10/09 also leverages the innovation and contributions of the OpenSolaris(TM) community, including investments by third-party companies such as Intel and AMD, to add more capabilities to Solaris 10's award-winning portfolio of enterprise features. This release also builds on Solaris' proven track record as a highly secure deployment platform, including enterprise-grade security features such as Solaris Trusted Extensions, and support for the built-in cryptographic acceleration features of Sun's UltraSPARC(R) CMT processors.

Rackspace Offers Its First-Ever Showcase for Retailers

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Rackspace Hosting announced a new service to assist its e-commerce customers this holiday season. The Rackspace Holiday Shopping Mall, a promotional area hosted on NoMoreServers.com will offer discounts and coupons to encourage holiday shopping and highlight the benefits of using e-commerce. Rackspace counts more than 2,000 e-commerce stores among its customers. The Rackspace Holiday Shopping Mall is the first of its kind for Rackspace Hosting. The website will feature offers from retailers who are also Rackspace customers, like Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss, and ULTA as well as firms like Bonobos, TeeFury, and ChristmasLightsEtc. A complete list of offers is available at http://nomoreservers.com/mall.

eBay Teams Up With Microsoft to Offer Daily Deals

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Microsoft Corp. and eBay Inc. today announced they are partnering to offer eBay Daily Deals through a new Internet Explorer 8 Web Slice for the holidays. With most holiday shoppers looking to save money, Microsoft and eBay will present online Daily Deals through a new Windows Internet Explorer 8 Web Slice that will showcase popular products selling at deep discounts. Customers will receive continuing updates and detailed information about these Daily Deals for eBay, all within the Favorites Bar in Internet Explorer. 8.

Microsoft CFO Quits

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:15:00 EST

Microsoft’s CFO Chris Liddell, 51, a New Zealand import, is bored and wants a better job. So he’s “looking at a number of opportunities that will expand his career beyond being a CFO” – according to a statement out of Microsoft – and will be leaving at the end of the year. Microsoft’s replacing him with Peter Klein, 47, currently CFO of Microsoft’s $19 billion-a-year Business Division, responsible for Office.

There’s Good News & There’s Bad News: Gartner

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST

Gartner has updated its crystal ball - or gotten a new one - and now says that more PCs will ship this year than it expected because laptops, especially netbooks, are selling; it gives Windows 7 little to no credit. In September Gartner was projecting a 2% decline; now it says the number will be up 2.8% to 298.9 million units. It had to eat its words when it discovered that the third quarter was stronger than it allowed and that Q3's results "alone virtually guaranteed we would see positive growth this year" - suggesting that it missed the turn altogether.

How to Handle File Indexing Corruption in Microsoft Windows 7

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST

File Indexing is an allegedly useful feature of the Microsoft Windows operating system. It extracts critical information from files on hard disk and creates the “searchable keyword index” that Is used for making the file search more efficient. Using file indexing service, you can easily searching for a phrase, properly or word in a document, even without knowing name of the file that you want. In some situations, the indexing of file may get damaged and may access all your files inaccessible from Windows hard drive partition. In such cases, you need to opt for Windows Partition Recovery to get your valuable files recovered from affected Windows partition.

Windows Vista Service Pack Installation Fails with Error 0XC0190036

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Microsoft releases various Service Packs for its already existing Windows operating system versions. These include several patches and refinements over earlier version that help improving its performance and stability.

'Cannot Find the Path Specified' Error Accessing Clustered Volume

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST

Windows clustering gives a unique way to employ fail over support for demanding applications and services. With clustering, applications and data can be made available on different servers, which are linked together as clusters.

Unsuccessful Rollback Phase Cause Partition Loss in Microsoft Windows

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST

Several users upgrade their operating systems from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista. But in case if any error during the setup process, rollback phase is initiated. When you run the rollback phase, your system returns to previous installation of Microsoft Windows operating system

SAP & Microsoft Cut Anti-Oracle Pact

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST

Striking while Oracle is at sixes and sevens over Sun, SAP and Microsoft, two of its worst enemies, have cut an anti-Oracle accord. Microsoft will recommend SAP’s BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation application to its customers as its preferred solution, which should irritate Oracle as well as help SAP tickle its flagging sales.

Yahoo’s Wasting Away

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:15:00 EST

According to the latest figures from comScore, Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, was a breath away from claiming 10% of US searches in October, up a half-a-point over September while poor consumptive Yahoo at 18%, a new low, lost eight-tenths of a point. Yahoo used to be a plumper 20%-21%. Google like Microsoft was also up a half point. AOL’s got a shrinking 2.9% and it’s on the block with Microsoft considered the likely buyer.

AMD Tops Top500

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST

The world’s most powerful supercomputer is Jaguar, the recently upgraded Cray XT5 rig at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, according to the new semi-annual Top500 list. Jaguar’s roughly 250,000 processors went from quad-core Opterons to six-core Istanbul Opterons and now delivers 2.3 petaflops of theoretical peak performance or 1.75 petaflops on the Linpack benchmark, dethroning IBM. Four of the top five machines are now AMD-based. This and Intel’s money too. My, my. It’s Cray’s first time in the top spot. HP’s got 210 of Top500 machines; IBM’s got 186. China’s got number five.

Beta, Beta, Beta

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST

Microsoft has put out public betas of Office 2010, the SharePoint-dependent Office Professional Plus 2010 with its browser-based, Google Docs-offsetting Office Web Apps for business (this time with editing in Word and OneNote), Visio 2010 and Project 2010, both Office extensions, Exchange Server 2010 and SharePoint 2010 as well as Office Mobile 2010 with its mobile apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace Mobile 2010.

AIR 2, Flash Player 10.1 in Beta

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST

Adobe’s AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 for Windows, Mac and Linux have been sent out to beta. Flash Player 10.1, advertised as the first “consistent browser runtime release of the Open Screen Project that will enable uncompromised web browsing of expressive applications, content and high-definition videos across the desktop and devices,” supports x86-based notebooks and should turn up on smartphones and other Internet-connected widgetry next year. It should eat less battery power and deliver better video playback. AIR 2 has enhanced support for mass storage devices and native application processes.