Microsoft Archive

A group of software developers have created a program to make Microsoft Office work with files in the OpenDocument format, a move that would bridge currently incompatible desktop applications. Gary Edwards, an engineer involved in the open-source OpenOffice.org project and founder of the OpenDocument Foundation, on Thursday discussed the software plug-in on the Web site Groklaw.

Microsoft has been looking at a possible acquisition of the Yahoo online portal and search engine, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Citing unnamed sources, the paper claims that a faction within Microsoft is lobbying to have the company purchase a stake in the search provider, but that such plans are "on hold".

Microsoft has released the first of two betas planned for its Virtual Server 2005 R2 service pack 1 product. Virtual Server 2005 R2 service pack 1 will support AMD Virtualization and Intel Virtualization Technology, giving customers better interoperability, strengthened isolation to prevent corruption of one virtual machine from affecting others on the same system, as well as improved performance for non-Windows guest operating systems.

Microsoft said the weaker earnings came as it invests money in its services push and also as it tries to ramp up production of the Xbox 360 games console. Microsoft on Thursday reported third-quarter sales and earnings that were below what some analysts were expecting, and said future earnings will be dented as it aims to boost its Windows Live Internet services and other new businesses.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, the Linux world's very own Thurrot-before-he-lost-his-faith, writes: "People tell me I bash Microsoft too much; that Microsoft's products really are great. OK, so I won't bash Microsoft this time around. I'll let Microsoft's own friends do it."

" Let's start with Vista. Fine, so it got delayed by a few months. No big deal. If people can wait for a year, they can definitely wait for a few more months. But with Vista, Microsoft is definitely taking a big leap forward. Right about now, all you Mac fans are clamoring to be heard claiming that Mac OS had all these features for years. True. But with 2-3 percent marketshare in the desktop area, I really don’t think Microsoft is all that worried about the Macintosh platform. And with Vista, most Mac enthusiasts wouldn’t be able to point fingers at Windows users about how sleek (appearance and functionality) their OS looks, because Vista definitely looks comparable. I agree it feels quite raw, but it’s still in Beta, so I’m willing to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt here."

"Microsoft gained nearly five percent market share in the Web server market, however still lags well behind market leader Apache, research and security firm Netcraft said Friday. Nonetheless, it was the biggest one-month swing in the history of the industry. With more than 80 million Web sites on the Internet, Microsoft now claims a 25.2 percent share, up 4.7 percent from March. Apache still leads by a wide margin, however it was down close to 6 percent to 62.7 percent. Sun remained a distant third, down slightly to 2.36 percent."

A company that began trading in secondhand licenses for Microsoft software last autumn has been attracting business from within the UK and internationally selling more than 2500 secondhand software licenses from insolvent or downsizing companies to other businesses through discount-licensing.com. "As long as we stick to Microsoft terms and conditions, we can pretty much do what we want," Disclic director Noel Unwin told ZDNet UK. "We've had interest from America, Australia, India - which is quite surprising as we've specifically focused our marketing in the UK."

Microsoft plans to launch a Web site to share the activities of its internal Linux laboratories, an effort to sample feedback from customers who combine Microsoft and open-source software. Customers will be able to submit requests to Microsoft employees. For example, a person could ask how to best test the use of Linux desktops working with Microsoft's directory software.

Microsoft has urged UK PC vendors not to give customers the opportunity to buy a PC without a pre-installed operating system. Supplying base systems, or 'naked PCs', is a missed opportunity, according to Michala Alexander, Microsoft's head of anti-piracy. Writing in Microsoft's Partner Update magazine, which is distributed to computer dealers, Alexander estimated that 5 percent of computers sold in the UK in 2006 would not include an operating system.

Microsoft has a big surprise planned for not just those of its own customers using virtualization, but for those in the open-source community as well. On April 3, the software giant will use the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in Boston to announce that it is making its Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition product available as a free download from the Microsoft Web site. On a related note, "XenSource has prepped its first major charge at Microsoft Windows customers with a new package that includes the open source Xen hypervisor along with some management software."

"This time it's patents that will ensure the downfall of GNU/Linux and with it, the entire world of open source. But before hanging up your certified geek propeller-hat and retraining as a dental hygienist, you might want to consider the following brief history of Microsoft's use of fear, uncertainty, and doubt as a weapon against GNU/Linux." Hopelessly pro-everything-that-is-Linux, but an interesting overview of Microsoft's approach to Linux over the years nonetheless. Elsewhere, the Guardian looks at the challanges Microsoft is currently facing.

Microsoft employees are arguing among themselves over who is to blame for the delay in the launch of Windows Vista. One disgruntled insider named Who da'Punk voiced his feelings in a blog posting under the heading 'Vista 2007. Fire the leadership now!'.

Fresh on the heels of a delay in broad availability of Windows Vista, Microsoft confirmed late Thursday that it is also pushing the mainstream launch of Office 2007 to next year. As with Vista, Microsoft hopes to finish the code for Office 2007 this year. The company said work will be completed by October, when it will make Office 2007 available to business customers that have signed up for Microsoft's volume-licensing program. And, again like Vista, Microsoft plans to ship retail and original equipment manufacturer versions of the product in January. UPDATE: Microsoft has joined a committee that has a key role in the ratification of the OpenDocument format as an international standard.