Microsoft News Tracker

Joe Wilcox discusses Windows Vista’s Speed Bumps:

About 18 months ago, I suggested that Microsoft’s security challenge with Windows Vista would be “trying to make the operating system more secure without taking too much away from partners and customers.”
…
Unfortunately, after many months of using Windows Vista, I conclude that Microsoft has placed a thick security facade around the operating system that impedes usability compared to Windows XP. The comparison to XP is important. Microsoft must emphasize user benefits to show potential customers that the current operating system isn’t good enough compared to Windows Vista. If the experience isn’t better–as in much better–customers will be less likely to rush out and buy off-the-shelf upgrades or new Windows Vista PCs. Neither situation would be good for Microsoft partners.
…
For example, I am rather stunned by the enormous number of security popups introduced in Windows Vista, either by the operating system’s “User Accounts Control” or Internet Explorer 7. Because Windows Vista has been in beta and the number of popups has reduced with each new test version, I decided to stay quiet and watch–to cut Microsoft some slack because of the amount of undeserved crap the company gets. But, if news reports are to be believed, with Release Candidate 1 imminent and the number of popups still numerous, I decided to voice my concerns now. Microsoft partners should carefully what Microsoft’s approach to Windows Vista security might mean for them.

Much more by following the link. I never thought that upgrades of existing XP systems were going to be that numerous and I still expect the overwhelming majority of new PCs to ship with Vista, but this rather makes you wonder whether Microsoft is in for some really bad PR.

Still, hopes for RC1 are high and Paul Thurrott says it is planned for early September despite some problems:

… behind the scenes, the company has had to come up with a new plan for the Release Candidate 1 (RC1) version of the product after plans to use build 5520 for RC1 fell through.

There’s been lots of press buzz over Microsoft offering to help the Firefox developers ensure that it runs on Vista, but my experience in recent years as the representative of a major ISV has been that for any new Windows OS, or even a major service pack, Microsoft is all over developers of popular 3rd party applications to ensure there are no compatibility glitches. Firefox certainly qualifies for that kind of support. In fact, Microsoft proactively tests a number of 3rd party applications themselves and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had tested Firefox. Some of the information and tools that Microsoft makes available for ISVs are listed here.

How Vista screws dual-booting nirvana. Vista continues the Windows tradition of overwriting the Master Boot Record. (Via Neowin)

The Korea Times:

The South Korean unit of U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. said Tuesday it will unveil two Korean only versions of Windows this week that will unbundle its media player and messaging service from the software to comply with an antitrust ruling.

“We will supply the two separate versions of Windows to personal computer manufacturers on Aug. 24,” said Kwon Chan, a spokesman at Microsoft Korea Inc.
…
South Korean consumers are expected to use the new versions of Windows software in late October. Starting February next year, all personal computers sold in South Korea should be equipped with only the two new versions, local media reported.

You may recall that this was required by an antitrust judgement against Microsoft in Korea and Microsoft’s request for a stay was not granted.

Update 8/23: Some more details:

Microsoft will now offer two versions of both the Home and Professional editions of Windows XP for the Korean market, said Microsoft spokesman Oliver Roll.

A “K” version includes the Windows Messenger and Windows Media Player software, along with links to Web sites of companies that offer competing products. A version dubbed “KN” will come without the Messenger and Media Player applications, Roll said.

Press release:

… as alleged in lawsuits announced by the company, “cybersquatters” and “typosquatters” have registered these domain names containing trademarked terms or misspelled words – and hundreds of other domain names like them – with the goal of illegally profiting from them via online ad networks. Thousands of such domains targeting Microsoft are being registered each day.
…
Internet Safety Enforcement Attorney Aaron Kornblum leads Microsoft’s new enforcement campaign that targets Web site cybersquatters and typosquatters. Kornblum says that Microsoft’s Trademark and Internet Safety Enforcement groups began to notice a surge in domain name registrations containing the company’s intellectual property earlier this year while monitoring Web sites registered by online fraudsters known as phishers. This existing anti-phishing “Domain Defense Program,” operated in conjunction with Microsoft vendor Internet Identity of Tacoma, Wash., will be expanded to incorporate these new anti-cybersquatting initiatives.
…
Microsoft’s announcement of a new enforcement campaign targeting cybersquatters includes:

First, Microsoft has filed two civil lawsuits against a total of four named defendants who allegedly are profiting from domain names that infringe on Microsoft trademarks. These two lawsuits include federal law claims under ACPA and the Lanham Act as well as state law claims for statutory unfair competition and common law unfair competition and conversion.
…
Second, Microsoft also is taking action to unmask defendants who have used privacy protection services to conceal their identities. This can be challenging, Kornblum says, because some domain registrars have created services that protect the registrants’ personal information at a minimal cost. To unmask those identities, Microsoft is filing a ‘John Doe’ lawsuit aimed at identifying cybersquatters and typosquatters who have used privacy protection services to conceal their identities, and naming as defendants: John Doe defendants 1-217.

Microsoft soon plans to issue subpoenas to multiple registrars of domain names infringing on Microsoft’s intellectual property. This lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Cause No. C06-1192 RSM.
…
Lastly, Microsoft is working to aggressively halt online auctions of infringing domain names. With increasing frequency, people purchase a domain name and, if it generates a compelling amount of traffic, resell the domain name for a profit. To address the problem of domain auctioneering, Microsoft will expand its systematic searches of such auctions and seek to have them removed from the auction Web site.

More details by following the link.

Yet again, Microsoft denies Xbox 360 Core system price cut, but concedes that retailers may have their own plans for the console.

Last week’s Yankee Group prediction that the Sony PS3 will come out on top in the next generation game console war has sparked a lot of debate, and GameSpot interviewed Sony Computer Entertainment American president Kaz Hirai about it and general PS3 staus. He didn’t have much to add about the Yankee report, but among the PS3 revelations were:

• PlayStation 3 is on schedule for Nov. 17 launch, but production has not started yet
• 2 million units available at launch, 2 million more units by end of year, likely to be shortages. (This was corrected after the interview where the original statement was only 2M total by end of year. -ed.)
• List of games for launch will not be finalized until September
• PlayStation Network Platform (the PS3 online network) should be available launch day

More by following the link, but September and November are going to very busy months for the PS3 production crews.

Speaking of the PS3, DailyTech has some new PS3 photos, joystiq spotted an IGN video walkthrough of the PS3 interface and Microsoft: Sony’s 1080p Support on PS3 is all Hype:

It’s not uncommon for companies to downplay features that its products don’t have in comparison to its competitors. Companies will usually talk about how customers won’t likely use the feature or how it’s not cost-effective to implement such features at a certain price point. Microsoft has been on the defensive with its XBOX 360 for quite some time. The company has defended its lack of a built-in next generation DVD drive, it has downplayed the importance of HDMI with next generation games and now it is saying that 1080p doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Xbox Live Vision video cameras showed up a month early at some Toys ‘R’ Us stores.

Details of a Xbox Live Arcade Stick from Madcatz also leaked out.

Update: Some photos of the Xbox Live Vision video cam and the Xbox interface are here.

Back in April, Microsoft and Autodesk were hit with penalties in a patent infringement suit brought by Z4 Technologies. Yesterday, the judge in the case raised the original $115M Microsoft penalty by $25M:

Microsoft willfully infringed on the patents of a small Michigan company and engaged in litigation misconduct in its effort to defend itself, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis upped a jury’s award against Microsoft by $25 million, plus nearly $2 million in legal costs. He cited several instances of misconduct and “ample circumstantial evidence” that Microsoft viewed the patent-holder, closely held z4 Technologies, as “a small and irrelevant company that was not worthy of Microsoft’s time and attention, even if Microsoft was potentially infringing its patents.”
…
Microsoft plans to challenge the decision at the U.S. Court of Appeals.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said in an e-mail. “We believe that the facts in this case clearly show that Microsoft and others developed their own product activation technologies well before z4 Technologies claims to have created this technology.”

Autodesk did not return calls for comment.

More details including examples of the “litigation misconduct” by following the link.