Windows

Microsoft fixes 15 flaws with six patches; four considered critical

Microsoft has released its June 2007 security bulletin, which includes six updates: four are designated Critical by the software giant. Two of the patches affect Windows Vista, with one Critical patch specific to Internet Explorer. One of the Important patches affects Microsoft Office. To keep your Windows XP SP1 system secure, update to Windows XP SP2 today. All Microsoft security patches for Windows and Office software are available via Microsoft Update or via the individual bulletins detailed below.

MS07-030: ImportantEntitled "Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Visio Could Allow Remote Code Execution (927051)," this bulletin affects users of Microsoft Visio … Read more

Adobe Acrobat adds Vista flexibility, remote printing

Adobe Acrobat 8, which shipped two months before the January release of Windows Vista, can now run on Vista and Citrix 64-bit systems. Acrobat and Reader version 8.1 enhancements will download with Adobe update notifications and can be found at Adobe's Web site.

There's also new integration with Microsoft Office 2007, such as the capability to create a PDF file by right-clicking the mouse from within supported applications. Microsoft Outlook 2007 can now preview multipage PDF files within e-mail messages, just as it already displays Office documents. And Mac users will be able to view Flash movies … Read more

Report: Microsoft eyes server memory to cut PC crashes

Microsoft is apparently telling computer makers that they may need to start putting in PCs the same kind of error-correcting memory commonly used in servers to avoid crashes due to memory errors.

According to a report in EE Times, the software maker has been privately circulating a white paper that claims errors from standard memory are now among the top 10 causes for system crashes.

The issue was discussed at last week's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Los Angeles, though the EE Times report said memory chip makers and computer manufacturers were not necessarily all in agreement about … Read more

At WinHEC 2007, Microsoft vigorously defends Vista

To counter the flagging expectations around Windows Vista, Microsoft added a last-minute keynote this morning from Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President Windows Product Development, at this year's WinHEC, the Microsoft Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles. Nash used his 30 minutes to talk about the number of device drivers included in the Windows Vista box and available online, and also about the number of compatible or certified for Vista hardware products on the market 100 days after release. While the numbers are high--certainly higher than 100 days after the release of Windows XP--many feel they should be higher. … Read more

Mundie: Future software to exist in the clouds and on your PC

For all the talk about future software leaving the desktop and running exclusively from services on the Internet, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie doubts this will be so. Speaking in Los Angeles at WinHEC 2007, Mundie's keynote speech, The Evolution of Computing, described, in part, the future of software. He admitted desktop software has reached a road bump; faster apps will require faster CPUs on the PC and that's becoming harder to accomplish--the old way. Mundie talked on Tuesday morning about the evolution of multicore processor architecture on desktops and laptops. He said that the … Read more

Gates: 40 million Vista copies sold

LOS ANGELES--Microsoft has sold more than 40 million copies of Windows Vista so far, Bill Gates told a crowd of hardware developers Tuesday.

That's more than the total install base of Windows' largest competitors, Gates quipped as he began his keynote at the Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference (WinHEC) here.

"As of last week, we've (sold) nearly 40 million copies," Gates said. "That's twice as fast as the adoption of Windows XP, the last major release we had."

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Microsoft confirms Windows Server '08 name--again

LOS ANGELES--For the second time in recent days, Microsoft has inadvertently confirmed Windows Server 2008 as the official name for Longhorn Server.

Microsoft France had the name up on its Web site as of 10:30 p.m. PT Sunday, though it may well take it down (Credit to bink.nu and other Microsoft enthusiast sites for bringing attention to the posting). The move follows an earlier slip-up on its U.S. press site.

The company is expected to officially give the product its name this week at the Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference (WinHEC) here.

Vista supports Pentax 'raw' camera images

Pentax has released software that lets Windows Vista read and manipulate "raw" images taken directly from higher-end Pentax cameras' image sensors without in-camera processing.

Microsoft announced on its photo blog the availability of the Pentax codec used to encode and decode raw images.

Raw images are popular among professionals and enthusiasts who want more elaborate control over their photography, but supporting raw formats is tough, mostly because there's largely no standard from one camera to the next. Pentax is unusual in digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera makers in that its high-end model, the K10D, supports Adobe Systems' DNG (digital negative) format … Read more

Vista designer hops over to Frog

After helping lead the team that designed many of Windows Vista's key features, Tjeerd Hoek is leaving Microsoft.

Hoek is joining creative house Frog Design as executive creative director of software and hardware convergence and will be based at its Seattle studio. Hoek spent 13 years at Microsoft, beginning as a designer in the Office unit before moving on to MSN and most recently, to the Windows unit, where he was director of user experience design.

"I have truly enjoyed my time with Microsoft, and I am excited about the opportunity to bring my experience to Frog," … Read more