Microsoft News Tracker

Internet Advertising Revenues Surpass $4 Billion for Q3 and the fact that it is up 33% over Q3 2005 is the good news. The bad news is that it is only up 2% over Q2 2006. Of course, the worst news is that the spoils are unevenly distributed among the players and while Google shows great growth, other players like Microsoft just get by.

And speaking of advertising, Microsoft apparently thinks Google shouldn’t have the eyeballs in the US municipal free Wi-Fi market all to itself, so it signed up to provide ads for MetroFi’s public network in Portland, Oregon. No financial details were disclosed.

Internet Explorer 7 Auto-Updates Begin

Office 2007 and Windows Vista were made available for download by members of Microsoft’s MSDN and TechNet programs. Vista is also now available to Volume License customers. Also, CompUSA will start retailing Vista and Office 2007 to small businesses on Nov. 30 through a special volume licensing plan. Unsurprisingly, bootleg versions are also available, but Microsoft says they won’t work for long.

Microsoft’s Software Update Services (SUS) users got a 6 month reprieve until July 10, 2007. It’s being replaced by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).

If Linux violates Microsoft’s patents, let’s see the proof. I can’t believe that Microsoft would be so foolish as to sue its customers, so FUD like Ballmer’s remarks and deals with impoverished Linux vendors like Novell are all we’ll see. Related: Red Hat Rejects Patent Agreement with Microsoft.

Microsoft Delays Halo 3 to Late 2007

Had to happen: Universal sues MySpace over “user-stolen” content

Hardware hackers (in the old, good sense) are already taking apart their Zunes.

Microsoft is either going to release a low end version of Longhorn Server called Fresno for the appliance market or they aren’t.