Microsoft to hand over Windows secrets to Samba team
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InfoWorld - Developers of open-source Samba software will find their work a little easier thanks to an agreement with Microsoft, signed Thursday, that will give them access to previously secret data on how the Windows operating system works.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft's first server OS aimed at helping Windows users organize and share files on a home network is nearly ready for prime time. The companyÂ will releaseÂ Windows Home Server Release Candidate 1 (RC1) to early adopters this week in anticipation of the product's final release later this year. There are two ways for users to get the software. Developers can sign up for the Windows Home Server Code2Fame Challenge, a contest Microsoft has set up to encourage them to build new applications and add-on technology to the OS. Developers are eligible to win up to $50,000 worth of cash and prizes, according to Microsoft. For users who just want to experiment with the new OS, they can get RC1 by participating in a survey , after which they will be permitted to download the software. Microsoft unveiled Windows Home Server, formerly known by the code name Quattro, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The software is aimed specifically at letting home Windows PC users share and store multimedia and other files, as well as install security to protect files on a home network. Initially Windows Home Server will be distributed through hardware vendors only, though Microsoft is mulling selling it out of the box as well. Hewlett-Packard Co. was the first hardware vendor to sign on to distribute the OS on its MediaSmart Servers, which will be available before the end of the year. The vendor was later joined by U.S. computer maker Gateway Inc., French external storage maker LaCie Group SA and German consumer electronics company Medion AG, which also will build hardware for Windows Home Server. Microsoft also will offer a version of the OS for custom system builders. Windows users said they are curious about the forthcoming OS, but are in no hurry to rush out and purchase a new home server unless it would solve a specific need they have. Windows XP user Matt Villano said he is interested in setting up a home network once he completes an upcoming move to a new residence in the San Francisco Bay area, and is considering Windows Home Server to help him do that. Villano, who works from home, said there are limitations to his current IT workflow, ones setting up a network would solve. "Right now when I print, I have to shut down, undock from my station, dock at [my wife's] and start up again," he said. "A home network would eliminate that." Villano said that Windows Home Server is only one option he is mulling to set up his network, but likes the idea of using the product to manage multimedia files as well as perform everyday tasks. However, he said he would need to read about and evaluate Windows Home Server carefully before making any final purchasing decisions.
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A flaw in popular Windows server software could allow remote attacks to be launched against systems, Microsoft has confirmed. The vulnerability is in Windows Internet Name Service, or WINS, a network infrastructure
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HACKERS ARE swapping information online about the latest hole in Windows in the hope of getting a good exploit onto other people&#39;s computers before they install SP2.
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A translation tool released by Microsoft will make it easier for users to move and share text files in open formats.
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A pilot program at the Microsoft Download Center will require users to validate their Windows license in exchange for access to file downloads. Users with counterfeit software may find themselves locked out altogether.
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InfoWorld - Microsoft&#39;s first server OS aimed at helping Windows users organize and share files on a home network is nearly ready for prime time.
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Microsoft plans to block access to some features by unlicensed versions of OS.
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IT administrators preparing for the Windows XP SP2 juggernaut may want to catch up on their reading before deploying the service pack.
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Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has issued significant security enhancements to its operating system software, making the Windows Server 2003 SP1 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) available for download.
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U.K. users will be able to replace pirated versions of Windows that they have purchased.
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Visitors with a pirated copy of Windows may lose easy access to company's Download Center.
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Ziff Davis - Is Microsoft taking a page from Apple's playbook as it moves to curtail the spread of information it considers 'trade secrets'?
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Microsoft teams Linux distributor to craft a single sign-on system for mixed Windows/Linux networks.
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The ruling forces Microsoft to divulge some trade secrets and produce a version of Windows without its digital media player.
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Software giant plans to issues fixes next week for vulnerabilities in its Windows Mail, Internet Explorer and Windows XP.
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Windows users could soon be paying for Microsoft software that keeps their machine free of spyware.