OpenLogic unveils scan for open source software
by Jan HarrisOpenLogic Inc, an open-source software vendor, is launching OpenLogic Discovery, a scanning engine which can identify installed open source software on Windows, Linux and Solaris machines.
The Discovery application, which is now offered for general availability, detects all open source software, whether it was installed explicitly or bundled with other software products.
It is targeted [...]
June 26, 2007
Google to add mail migration to Google Apps
by Brian TurnerGoogle is rumoured to be ready to release mail migration to Google Apps this week – in order to help encourage companies to integrate more of their data over to Google’s servers for storage.
Email clients which support an IMAP interface will be able to use this new feature, which will then allow a user’s emails [...]
June 18, 2007
YouTube launches Adobe tool for online editing
by Jan HarrisYouTube, the popular video sharing website, has launched a Web-based editing tool with Adobe branding.
The tool, known as ‘remixer’, allows users to create more professional-looking videos by splicing together video clips, photos, music, graphics and other media.
Similar tools are already offered by Photobucket and Yahoo Video. Photobucket launched an Adobe-branded editor in February, [...]
June 12, 2007
Microsoft on schedule with Windows Server 2008
by Jan HarrisMicrosoft has squashed growing rumours that the release of Windows Server 2008 could be delayed into 2008. On its Server Division blog, the company says that it is fully on track to release the product to manufacturing in the second half of 2007.
The Windows Server 2008 operating system, formerly known as Longhorn Server, has [...]
June 11, 2007
Microsoft insists Vista provides Turbo Memory support
by Brian TurnerMicrosoft has refuted claims from Sony that its latest Vista operating system does not support either Intel’s Turbo Memory technology or hybrid hard drives.
Sony has said that it will not include Turbo Memory in its Vaio laptops, due to be launched this summer, because Vista will not support Turbo Memory until Service Pack 1 [...]
Adobe releases AIR beta
by Jan HarrisAdobe Systems is due to announce a beta version of AIR software, formerly known as Apollo.
AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) is a browser plug-in which makes Web-native applications operate like desktop programs.
The software development kit will allow developers to build hybrid applications that integrate the Internet with the PC.
Developers will be able to [...]
May 31, 2007
General Wireless first with PC-to-mobile messaging
by Brian TurnerAs part of its ongoing development of PC-to-mobile messaging technology, General Wireless will be the first company in the world to offer SMS and MMS PC-Plugins for Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Outlook 2007.
The new technology, which is targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises, addresses an increasing demand for mobile connectivity.
The PC-Plugins, known as eSMS [...]
May 25, 2007
Dell Launches Ubuntu PCs
by Jan HarrisDell Inc has responded to demands from Linux enthusiasts with the US launch of three computer systems, including one notebook, with the Ubuntu Linux operating system pre-installed.
The systems will be released in the UK and Europe when Dell is satisfied that customer support is in place. It is currently preparing troubleshooting scripts in different [...]
May 24, 2007
Symantec update brings down Chinese PCs
by Jan HarrisSymantec’s antivirus signature update for Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security 2007 and Norton 360, released by Symantec on May 17, contained a flaw that disabled millions of PCs in China last week.
According to the Chinese Internet Security Response Team (CISRT), the update mistakenly quarantined two critical system files in the Simplified Chinese version of [...]
May 23, 2007
Microsoft plans new document formats
by Brian TurnerMicrosoft is expected to announce its sponsorship of an open source project to create a converter between Ecma Open XML and a Chinese national standard called Unified Office Format (UOF).
Microsoft decided to support UOF through a translator because of interest from the Chinese government customers and institutions. The project is a collaborative effort with [...]
May 2, 2007
Microsoft release Silverlight source code
by Jan HarrisMicrosoft is expected to release the source code to part of its Silverlight technology at the MIX 07 convention which is being held in Las Vegas this week.
Microsoft is also expected to release a beta of Silverlight, its new technology for online media applications. Silverlight is a browser plug-in which allows web content providers [...]
April 27, 2007
Microsoft cracks down on counterfeit software
by Jan HarrisMicrosoft has vowed to crack down on software piracy after research showed that one-third of customers still run counterfeit software.
Microsoft’s ‘Keep IT Real’ anti-piracy campaign has helped reduce the Windows XP piracy rate to 12.9 per cent in the campaign’s first year – a drop of 3.8 per cent.
As the campaign moves into its second [...]
April 16, 2007
Google sponsors handwriting recognition technology
by Jan HarrisGoogle is sponsoring an open source project called OCRopus, which is developing a handwriting recognition system to convert handwritten documents to computer text. The project has also attracted funding from German government agencies and other public and private organisations.
The open source document analysis and OCR (Optimal Character Recognition) system could be used to create [...]
April 10, 2007
Microsoft plans to drop DRM
by Brian TurnerMicrosoft has been talking to record companies, such as EMI, about selling downloads for its Zune portable media player without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
DRM aims to prevent unauthorised person to person file sharing, but has not proved to be very effective and can prevent users from making back up copies of DVDs and music [...]
March 30, 2007
IBM developing ‘Koala’ wiki tool
by Brian TurnerIBM is developing a Wikipedia-like tool for how-to knowledge, at its Almaden Research Lab.
The tool, a Firefox Web browser plug-in called Koala, will help people automate repetitive online tasks, such as filling out forms or paying bills.
An IBM researcher demonstrated Koala at the ETech (emerging technology) conference in San Diego, but it has [...]
March 29, 2007
Mac users run Vista with Boot Camp beta
by Brian TurnerApple has made the newest version of Boot Camp available for download on its website.
The software allows Mac users to run the Vista operating system on their Intel-based systems.
The new version is still officially a beta product, but it now works with the 32-bit version of Vista and also includes support for updated [...]
Microsoft Vista sales soar to 20 million?
by Jan HarrisMicrosoft says it has sold over 20 million copies of its Vista operating system since it was released on 30 January.
This beats initial sales of Windows XP, which sold 17 million copies in its first two months on sale, although a direct comparison is misleading as the PC market has grown substantially since XP [...]
March 23, 2007
McAfee conflicts with Zonealarm
by Brian TurnerWindows users with multiple security programs installed may be in for a rude awakening this morning – the latest update to McAfee Security Suite 9 won’t allow the software to work in conjunction with the free Zonealarm firewall.
According to McAfee technical advisor Bill Chapman, this is due to a software conflict between McAfee Security Security [...]
Yahoo provides OneSearch for mobile users
by Jan HarrisYahoo has launched an Internet search system for users of internet-enabled mobile phones.
The service will start in the US, but will be rolled-out to international markets later in 2007.
The service, called OneSearch, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics show in January, will focus on providing local information rather than just a list [...]
March 20, 2007
Adobe releases alpha version of Apollo for web developers
by Jan HarrisAdobe Systems is planning to release an alpha version of its innovative Apollo software on Monday.
The initial release is aimed at Web developers and programmers, who will be able to download a software development kit and ‘runtime’ software for running Apollo applications from Adobe’s labs site – labs.adobe.com.
Apollo is the code name for [...]