Microsoft to devs: Don’t ruin Win 8 launch with crap code
Microsoft has urged developers to only use approved Windows 8 software interfaces to avoid spoiling the launch of its new operating system with dodgy code. In a stark warning this week, the company stated third-party programmers should “resist the temptation” of invoking APIs that aren’t included in the official Software Development Kit (SDK) for the new Metro user interface. Developers who flout this rule are in “violation of customer expectations and [Windows] Store policy”, the software giant stated in a ...
Report: Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut
Microsoft will kick off a Windows 8 upgrade program for buyers of Windows 7 PCs in early June, according to a report. But unlike past deals, this one may come with a price tag. [ Windows 8 is coming, and InfoWorld can help you get ready with the Windows 8 Deep Dive PDF special report, which explains Microsoft’s bold new direction for Windows, the new Metro interface for tablet and desktop apps, the transition from Windows 7, and more.
Google and Microsoft: A race for the bottom
It’s been a lively few weeks here in Cringeville, as my inbox will attest. First, before anyone else sends me another email on this: Yes, I messed up in my second post on Google’s Wi-Fi lies (“Google’s Wi-Fi spygate troubles have only just begun”). In that screed I stated “a number of the regulars here in Cringeville believe people who leave their Wi-Fi networks secured deserve whatever they get.” [ For a humorous take on the tech industry's shenanigans, subscribe ...
Lenovo expands recall of ThinkCentre desktops due to fire hazard
By Agam Shah | IDG News Service Lenovo is expanding the recall of some ThinkCentre all-in-ones due to a component defect that can cause the PCs to overheat and catch fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stated on Tuesday. The PC maker is recalling 13,000 more ThinkCentre M90z and M70z models after a fire and smoke incidents were reported in the U.S, the CPSC said. The government bureau is asking consumers to immediately stop using the computers.
Microsoft automates Office 365 installs
Microsoft has updated its automated software development tools to the new Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2012, and in a sign it wants to push its cloudy productivity has added the capability to automate Office 365 deployments. Details are sketchy at present, but the download page for the software promises “Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 365.” That’s a step up from the “Office 365 Assessment Report” offered in the tool’s predecessor, ...
Microsoft retunes Intune for full Android, iOS app integration
Microsoft has been showing off updates to Intune and System Center Config Manager which grant BYOD users to download and manage company-approved iOS and Android applications or run them via VDI. For his closing keynote at the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) in Las Vegas, Brad Anderson, corporate vice president of the management and security division, made a strong pitch for companies to let staff use their own devices for work. He stated those that don’t would not be able to ...
Yahoo! enters! last! chance! saloon!
The lazy reaction to Yahoo!‘s latest attempt at revival is cynicism, but a closer examination suggests it is playing a blended hand of cards as well as it can. As we all know Yahoo! lost the search wars to Google, as did a bunch of other vendors that appeared well placed at the time. One of them, Alta Vista, ended up being acquired by Yahoo, which has never entirely given up on its original core business. But that was a ...
Motorola refuses Microsoft bond to keep Windows 7 in German market
By Loek Essers | IDG News Service Motorola refused Microsoft’s offer of a $300 million bond to postpone enforcement of potential German injunctions against Microsoft products that use the H.264 video codec, which if granted could exclude Microsoft from the German market, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Microsoft could lose its rights to distribute in Germany products that use the H.264 video standard and the 802.11 WiFi standard, pending a court ruling on April 17.
Microsoft states scale-out storage not needed for huge data
Infrastructure vendors’ vision of huge data rigs based on scale-out NAS won’t come to fruition, according to the Microsoft executive heading the company’s huge data push for SQL Server 2012. David Campbell, a Microsoft Technical Fellow in the Data & Storage Platform Group claims personal responsibility for Microsoft’s adoption of Hadoop as both an app on the Windows platform and Azure. In conversation with The Register he declared himself “Diametrically opposed” to huge data rigs built on scale-out storage.
Microsoft censors Pirate Bay links from IM
Microsoft has confirmed that users of its instant messaging app will not be able to send each other links to popular torrent site The Pirate Bay, citing malware fears. “We block instant messages if they contain malicious or spam URLs based on intelligence algorithms, third-party sources, and/or user complaints. Pirate Bay URLs were flagged by one or more of these and were consequently blocked,” Redmond told The Register in an emailed statement. One can comprehend banning links to malware, even ...
