Windows Archive

PowerToys are additional programs that developers work on after a product has been released to manufacturing. They'll add fun and functionality to your Tablet PC experience. Microsoft also released the Office XP Pack for Tablet PC. In the meantime, ZDNet published a 3-page article regarding Tablet PC: "What will it do for you"?

"Microsoft has decided to skip a Windows server release to coincide with the Longhorn client and instead jump directly to Blackcomb, company officials confirmed Friday. Until recently, Microsoft has been talking up plans to synchronize its Windows server and client releases, starting with the next major version of Windows, code-named Longhorn." Read the report at eWeek.

Microsoft late Wednesday issued patches for three security holes affecting its Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Windows 2000 platform and versions of the Internet Information Server (IIS). The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant warned that the most critical of the three bugs was an unchecked buffer in PPTP (define) implementation that could enable denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

WindowsForDevices.com has obtained an exclusive copy of the powerpoint slides used in the keynote presentation at Microsoft's 3rd annual Windows Embedded Developer Conference at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Also, according to data recently compiled by Evans Data Corp (EDC), Windows and Linux are running neck-and-neck in terms of developer use for future projects.

The Justice Department is trying to determine whether Microsoft is sharing details about its Windows operating system with competitors as required under a proposed antitrust settlement, the Los Angeles Times reported. Investigators want to know whether Microsoft has withheld formulas that could allow rivals to write programs that work well with Windows, the newspaper's Web site reported Wednesday night, quoting unidentified executives of software companies.

Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced the release of its Windows XP embedded operating system with Service Pack 1, meeting its promise to deliver new Windows XP Embedded technologies within 90 days of the client release.

A number of screenshots of Windows Longhorn were leaked, and some people in the know have confirmed that these shots are authentic. The new UI is called "Plex" and it is clear that Microsoft is moving away from the traditional UIs, to highly task-based ones. Check out the shots before they vanish.

The basic pen-based concept of a Tablet PC isn't new. Such concepts have come and gone, with the exception of those seen in PDAs. So what gave Microsoft the confidence to succeed where other players have faltered? With the new Acer TravelMate C100 Tablet PC, HardwareZone takes a look at the fundamentals as well as the operating system behind the Tablet PC. A very intersting article with many screenshots, especially pages 2 and 3 (showing the Windows XP TabletPC Edition).

Datacenter update promises performance boost and new roads for software developer. Microsoft's first operating system designed for the corporate data center has garnered sparse acceptance since its release last year, but the software is on the verge of a performance upgrade that experts say could put it on the road to corporate recognition. Read it at PCWorld.

Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on the second release candidate, or near-final testing version, of Windows .Net Server 2003, sources said. The clock is ticking for Windows .Net Server 2003, an operating system that is used to run high-end computers that manage everything from checking passwords to keeping track of a corporate payroll. The new system is also the foundation of Microsoft's .Net Web services initiative, geared to power advanced Internet operations. Also, Microsoft is considering charging for additional security options, and admits it didn't move on security until customers were ready to pay for it.

"With Windows XP already reaching its first birthday, it is already time to start thinking about what is round the corner for the next release of the Windows operating system. While the chances of us seeing a major new release of Windows before 2005 is highly unlikely, there is a high possibility that there will be, as predicted on ActiveWin earlier in the year, a minor update to the Windows XP operating system sometime within the next 2 years. The question is, do we really need a new operating system quite as soon as that? Why not just wait a while before releasing another one? Or at least make sure the one you have released as bug free as possible." Read the editorial at ActiveWin.

Microsoft releases to manufacturers an update that would allow PCs running Windows XP to connect to peripherals, handhelds and cell phones without wires. Read the report at C|Net.

According to developers close to the Redmond, Wash., company, a proposal to deliver a Windows 'Yukon' release—timed to tide over Microsoft and its users until the long-awaited Longhorn debuts—is on the company's drawing boards. Microsoft executives have held fast to their promise that Longhorn will be the version of Windows designed to follow Windows XP on the desktop, and Windows .Net Server 2003 on the server. In recent weeks, however, company representatives have taken to calling Longhorn the next "major" version of Windows.

An interesting turnabout took place over last weekend when Microsoft Corp. posted on its Product Support Services Web site a detailed knowledge base article that provides step-by-step instructions on how to change volume-licensed product keys for Windows XP. But the move, which started as a customer service to help users legitimately change keys, could actually serve as a blueprint of sorts for hackers to access XP keys, some said.