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SAN FRANCISCO, June 4 ? Is the world?s biggest software company facing a technology gap? Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, addressed that question directly Wednesday in a memo to the company?s rank and file that laid out the challenges of the next two or three years in stark detail. HIS MESSAGE: With no immediate breakthroughs in technology coming, and with the Linux computer operating system and a batch of other open-source programs biting at its heels, Microsoft will have to do a better job of persuading customers it has something they need. (MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC...

Microsoft, Intel and IP to Bring Changing of the Guard in VOD Server MarketsCompanies that make Distributable Servers are expected to take over the VOD server market with lower cost points and smaller form factors.In-Stat/MDR Research HighlightMay 19, 2003With Video On Demand (VOD), Subscription Video On Demand (S-VOD), Network Personal Video Recorders (N-PVR), and "Anything On Demand" (X-VOD) all being made ready for wide spread deployment by service providers throughout the world, the market for VOD Servers is heating up, reports In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com). The high-tech market research firm expects that efforts on the part of Concurrent Computer Corporation, SeaChange International,...

AOL assimilated by the Microsoft Borg Opinion Future of Mozilla.org, Netscape and web standards in jeopardy. By Fernando Cassia: Monday 02 June 2003, 11:01 WHILE SOME technology-impaired Wall Street "analysts", pro-Microsoft lobby groups, like the Association for Competitive Technology, and "easy-money" stockholders cheered the recent AOL-Microsoft settlement, people on the open source front have been experiencing lots of fear and uncertainty after news of this deal broke out. There is a record level of internal turnoil at Netscape, sources say. Why the outrage about the future of Netscape? Netscape is not only "another browser company". Netscape is at the...

Operation Buccaneer Defendants Defendant Nickname Warez Group Affiliations Conviction Date Offense* Sentencing Date Sentence SANKUS, John, Jr. Philadelphia, PA. eriFlleH DrinkOr Die, Harm Felony Feb. 27, 2002 18 U.S.C. §371 May 17, 2002 46 months ERICKSON, Barry Eugene, OR Radsl RiscISO, DrinkOrDie, POPZ Felony May 2, 2002 18 U.S.C. § 371 May 2, 2002 33 months GRIMES, David A. Arlington, TX Chevelle DrinkOrDie, RISC, RTS Felony March 4, 2002 18 U.S.C. § 371 May 24, 2002 37 months NAWARA, Stacey Rosenberg, TX Avec RTS, Razor1911, DrinkOrDie Felony March 19, 2002 18 U.S.C. § 371 June 21, 2002 30 months...

Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) (From the Patriot Act) A full technical analysis of the system is available by clicking here (TCP ports, DLL info, etc covered) Section 216 Pen Register and Trap and Trace StatuteThe pen register and trap and trace statute (the "pen/trap" statute) governs the prospective collection of non-content traffic information associated with communications, such as the phone numbers dialed by a particular telephone. Section 216 updates the pen/trap statute in three important ways: (1) the amendments clarify that law enforcement may use pen/trap orders to trace communications on the Internet and other computer...

Host: Brian (Microsoft) Q: when / will there be the next version of IE? A: As part of the OS, IE will continue to evolve, but there will be no future standalone installations. IE6 SP1 is the final standalone installation. Host: Rob (Microsoft) Q: What's the long-term outlook for IE as a development platform? Are there major limitations planned for future releases (such as in Longhorn) due to security reasons? I know that this is a concern to many developers that rely on IE technology. A: Security continues to be a top priority. The platform will change for longhorn but...

Freeware Firewalls? Anyone have any recommendations on a good freeware firewall that won’t eat up all my computers resources? I’m running the freeware version of Zone Alarm but that thing seems to be eating up a good bit of system resources. Anyone here have any recommendations? TMMT

LOS ANGELES, May 30 (Reuters) - SCO Group Inc. (NASDAQ:SCOX), in a dispute with IBM and others over claims its intellectual property rights to the Unix operating system have been violated by competing software, on Friday said it will begin to open its code in a bid to show it has been improperly used. On a conference call with reporters and analysts, Darl McBride, the president and chief executive of Lindon, Utah-based SCO, said the company was willing to give proof to the technology industry and others that code from Unix appears in the Linux operating system as well. SCO...

The SCO Group vs. IBM lawsuit gives off a subtle, unpleasant odor I couldn't quite place. When SCO set its sights on Linux distributors and even Linux itself, the source of the stench became unmistakable -- Redmond. It was too early to make an accusation when the suit was filed since any such claim lacking even circumstantial evidence would be nothing more than a conspiracy rant. Nevertheless, a few of us on VarLinux.org discussed the possibility that this was all about destroying Linux, and pondered a Microsoft involvement. A motive is clear. Microsoft perceives Linux as a great threat,...

Sun's Schwartz on Solaris vs. Linux This is part 2 of a 3 part interview series with Jonathan Schwartz, EVP of Sun Software. In part 1, Mr. Schwartz talked about how Sun is expanding its software business. In this segment, he talks about why Sun isn't worried about Linux. Part 3 on Mr. Schwartz's view on the future of software has also been posted. NewsTeam [Always On] | POSTED: 05.07.03 @20:57 AlwaysOn: Given your new initiatives, it looks like Sun is shifting its model to emphasize more software in the service side of its business. Schwartz: I don’t think that’s...

Linux OS helps to green the planet Non profit org revives old PCs By INQUIRER staff: Thursday 29 May 2003, 11:36 INCREASING INTEREST in the Linux operating system is helping to avert ecological mayhem from old PCs, it has emerged. A report in today's Nikkei Business Daily said that a non profit Japanese organisation will install the Linux OS on old computers and pass them on to schools and to social welfare organisations after cleaning old data on the hard drives. And, the report, said, the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle for Sustainable Society Organisation, which is a non profit organisation, aims to...

Darl McBride threatens to sue Linus Torvalds Barratry as a business plan By Egan Orion: Thursday 29 May 2003, 08:08 YESTERDAY DIDN'T GO VERY WELL for Darl McBride, Caldera's CEO. Novell delivered a letter disabusing him of the notion that Caldera owns significant Unix intellectual property. It couldn't have come at a worse time -- right before the company's analyst teleconference announcing its quarterly financial results. Then Slashdot got the story, and published a scathing commentary by Bruce Perens, soundly denouncing Caldera's litigation and threats. Finally, Darl McBride apparently came unhinged during an interview with CBS Marketwatch. He indicated...

<p>Tech giants settle Netscape lawsuit, set seven-year licensing pact for AOL to use Internet Explorer.</p> <p>NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Microsoft has agreed to pay $750 million to AOL Time Warner to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed by AOL on behalf of its subsidiary Netscape last year.</p>

Unix is ours not SCO's, says Novell By Steve Ranger [28-05-2003] Prove your allegations against Linux or take them back, warns Novell CEO Novell has claimed it and not SCO holds the copyrights to Unix, and has blasted SCO's "intentionally vague" intellectual property claims against Linux vendors and users. Launching a stinging attack on SCO, the Utah-based vendor demanded that the firm should provide more details of its allegations against Linux or take them back. In a biting letter sent to Darl McBride, chief executive and president of SCO, Novell's chief executive and chairman Jack Messman (pictured) ripped into...

Computer Hardware & SoftwareBoies' TakeVictoria Murphy, 05.28.03, 6:03 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO - Hired gun David Boies can't understand why no one likes his client. All SCO Group did was file a billion-dollar lawsuit against IBM claiming the computer giant was sharing code secrets with open source developers. Somehow, everyone thinks SCO is in it for the money and out to thwart Linux. In Boies' eyes, it's hard to see how anyone could jump to that conclusion. The $1 billion in damages and future royalties SCO (nasdaq: SCOX - news - people ) is seeking won't put a mere dent...

Microsoft Co-Opts Open Source On Its Terms May 26, 2003 SCO license deal highlights Microsoft's endorsement of for-profit development By John Foley, with Larry Greenemeier and Aaron Ricadela In the controversy that pits the SCO Group, owner of one of the original Unix operating systems, against Linux distributors, Microsoft has come down on the side of SCO. Yet, overlooked in the stir created when Microsoft recently licensed SCO's Unix for use in some of its products is the fact that Microsoft has been easing restrictions on its own code. May marks the second anniversary of Microsoft's so-called shared-source initiative,...

"Finally made it, Ma! Top o' the world!"…literally Climbers can now email friends and family from 17,400 feet thanks to the highest cybercafé in the world at the Mount Everest base camp. The Everest internet café has been launched to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest on 29 May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing. Not only will it allow the 50,000 hardy trekkers who tackle the peak every year keep in touch with loved ones but internet access at base camp will make it easier to call for emergency assistance and check...

Bruce Perens writes: "We knew that SCO's attack on Linux was a lie. But we never dreamed of the big lie behind it. "This morning, Novell announced some of the terms of the company's 1995 agreement to sell its Unix business to SCO. The shocking news is that Novell did not sell the Unix intellectual property to SCO. Instead, they sold SCO a license to develop, sell, and sub-license Unix. The title to Unix copyrights and patents remains with Novell. To back up this assertion, Novell refers to public records at the Library of Congress Copyright Office and the U.S....

Microsoft Pulls Update for WindowsWed May 28, 2003 12:08 AM ETSEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday it has withdrawn a security update for its Windows XP software after discovering that it switched off Internet connections for some of the 600,000 users who downloaded and installed it. The update, a small software addition that is used to fix and add features to existing software programs, was originally aimed at improving the security of Internet connections. But after releasing the update on May 21, Microsoft discovered it was incompatible with other security firewall software used to protect home computers from...

Kurt Pfeifle writes "Steve Ballmer's recent trip to Munich to offer up to 90% rebates for the Microsoft Software Assurance and Licenses was in vain. The ruling party of Germans biggest city and self-proclaimed 'technology capital' now decided to migrate 14.000 workstations to Linux and an OSS office suite. A study comparing the alternatives had assigned 6218 (out of 10.000) points to Linux/OSS, while the MS Windows platform only scored 5293. Babelfish translation of the latest newsticker story."