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WinInfo Short Takes: Week of March 17

An often irreverent look at some of the week's other news...

Latest Microsoft Conspiracy Theory Asserts Office 2003 Lock-In
A curiously similar set of articles popped up online this week that describe Microsoft's latest Office suite, Microsoft Office 2003, as Redmond's most recent attempt to lock users into Microsoft technologies and products. The charges go something like this: Because Microsoft "forces" you to use its technology--Windows Server 2003, Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server (formerly code-named Tahoe), and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server on the server, along with Windows XP and Office 2003 on the client--across the board to get the best experience, the company is obviously up to something evil. Folks, I'd be the first person to rip into Microsoft--if only this idea wasn't so ridiculous. Here's the real story: Office 2003 is the first Office version to fully support open standards such as XML. Office 2003 will work with non-Microsoft, server-based data sources, as long as they support XML. That's it. This capability lets Office 2003 users work in a perfectly heterogeneous environment, maybe with Oracle or SAP on the back end and Office 2003--especially the Microsoft InfoPath forms application--on the client. Yes, Microsoft applications, services, and servers work well together; that's a logical competitive strategy. But Office 2003 does let you work with non-Microsoft technology, and that's a first. If you're looking for a real conspiracy, consider this: Why doesn't Microsoft support non-Windows CE mobile devices despite the fact that Palm, Symbian, and other platforms have far more market penetration than its own devices do? If the company were really user-centric, wouldn't it support the platforms people really use?

Microsoft Forms New Division to Advance the PC
Microsoft has formed a new division dedicated to designing and building prototype PC designs. The decision is rather strange for a company that primarily makes software, but apparently Microsoft feels enough compelling PC designs don't exist on the market, so the company assigned the task to its crack designer. Sadly for Microsoft, this role is already filled--and quite nicely--by Apple Computer, which has spent the past 7 years creating innovative PC designs. I can't imagine that Microsoft's designs will go very far beyond what Apple has done so far, but you never know. I'd really like to see a more functional PC, with the appropriate ports on the front where they belong and some sort of module case extension so that you could easily add drive bays and, if necessary, even new power supplies to an existing box. Sure, these features are more utilitarian than pretty, but then so is Windows compared with the Macintosh OS.

Microsoft Is Spying On You! Microsoft is ... Yawn
The Microsoft conspiracy theories never end, and this week several minor and semimajor news organizations picked up on an old report from a German technology news portal that claims that Windows Update is somehow spying on users. For the memory-challenged (which includes me, incidentally), the claim goes like this: Windows Update transmits to Microsoft a list of the software installed on your system and the machine's hardware configuration. Read that again. Windows Update--which is designed to specifically tailor the updates you receive to your exact configuration--has the gall to transmit to Microsoft a list of your installed software and hardware. Wow, this is heady stuff. Oh wait, it isn't. As I mentioned last week, Microsoft needs this information to give users a customized list of updates. Furthermore, other claims--such as Microsoft having the ability to shut users out of Windows Update--are also easily (and correctly) explained; in this case, Microsoft has already discussed the fact that pirated copies of Windows XP won't be updateable. If the company can't determine that your copy was pirated, they can't shut you out of Windows Update. Put succinctly, this story is more Microsoft conspiracy hogwash.

Creative Jumps on Board with Media2Go
Creative Technology (which uses the name Creative Labs in the United States) is the most recent company to jump onboard the Microsoft Media2Go platform and will sell its own portable audio and video device this fall. Creative joins iRiver, SAMSUNG, SANYO, and ViewSonic, which announced support for the platform in January. "Creative is the largest manufacturer of hard disk drive-based audio players in the world," said Brian Riseland, a product manager for Microsoft's Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group. That statement is debatable, I suppose, but Creative is a big win for Microsoft and a sign that Media2Go will see massive industry support. Media2Go, you might recall, is the device everyone expected Apple to build--a portable player that supports digital music, video, recorded TV shows, and photo slide shows, all in a small, handheld package.
 
Microsoft Revises Licensing 6.0 Yet Again
Microsoft has revised its much-reviled enterprise-based Licensing 6.0 scheme yet again, leading me to wonder whether the company won't simply make small changes every few months until the licensing program is the way it should have been in the beginning. Under the new terms, server software (but not Windows Server) licensed for multiple CPUs will be significantly less expensive. Another licensing change regarding the number of Client Access Licenses (CALs) that businesses need is also forthcoming.

AOL Provides Pop-Up Ad Buster
AOL is finally providing its 26 million US subscribers with a way to block those annoying pop-up advertisements that clog the online experience for so many (but not for me because I use Mozilla); AOL's international customers will get the new capability in a few months. The new AOL Web Pop-Up Controls let subscribers dynamically control pop-up ads, including those particularly obnoxious "pop-under" windows so many sites use. The move follows an AOL decision last fall to stop accepting third-party and merchandise-delivery pop-up ads on its network of sites. For the millions who aren't part of AOL, various solutions exist to clean up the online experience, but I'm happy to see one of the major players finally take a procustomer stance. Maybe MSN could follow AOL's lead. You know, as usual.

Would You Like Wi-Fi with That?
One of the strangest news stories that came out of this week's launch of the Intel Centrino was the announcement that fast-food king McDonald's will soon begin offering wireless Internet access in 10 of its Manhattan-area restaurants, with plans to expand to hundreds of stores nationwide by the end of the year. Customers who purchase a value meal will get one hour of free access, the company says. But seriously, folks, although I understand that Wi-Fi, the 802.11b wireless standard, access is a value-add for many businesses, the idea of combining fast food with Web browsing is a little strange, like the not-so-synergistic relationship between Taco Bell and the Xbox during an ad campaign last year. Will the plan take off? It seems to be working for Starbucks.

Future Intel Chips on Tap
With the launch of the Centrino behind it, Intel is setting its sights on future CPUs and chipsets, some of which the company will tout at this week's CeBit tradeshow in Hanover, Germany. On tap are the Canterwood and Springdale chipsets, which support an 800MHz front-side bus (compared with 400MHz and 533MHz on today's PCs) and dual-channel DDR400 RAM (which is geekspeak for wicked fast). Springdale also features the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 integrated graphics system and new chips that will speed up its integrated Gigabit networking support. Both chipsets and the new Pentium 4 processors will ship sometime in the next 3 months, Intel says.

Toshiba Updates Pocket PC
This week, Toshiba unveiled a new Pocket PC design that adds numerous enhancements to the company's successful Toshiba Pocket PC e740 (the first to include integrated 802.11b wireless capabilities). The Toshiba Pocket PC e750 features 96MB of internal RAM, phone capabilities through new support for Voice over IP (VoIP) networks, and, of course, integrated wireless capabilities. After only a year in the Pocket PC arena, Toshiba has made a good name for itself, and the company has secured almost 4 percent of the suddenly crowded market. A new version of the software that drives Pocket PC devices, Microsoft Pocket PC 2003, will ship mid-year, according to sources.

Sun Files Yet Another Brief in Java Case
With all the excitement about various Microsoft conspiracies this week, some of us might have lost track of what I think is the bread-and-butter news story of the year: Sun Microsystems' Java lawsuit against Microsoft. This week, Sun filed a brief in its lawsuit charging that it will suffer "irreparable harm" if Microsoft isn't forced to immediately bundle Sun's Java technology in Windows XP. Sun says Microsoft has systematically sought to illegally destroy Java by coercing developers, creating its own incompatible Java version, and creating uncertainty over Java's future in the developer community. "Microsoft asks this court to wait until the harm \[to Java\] has become certain, at which point it will be irremediable and intervention will be pointless," Sun's filing reads. "The harm confronting Sun is so egregious and irremediable, equity demands judicial intervention." Arguments in the case's preliminary injunction phase begin April 3 at the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. Fun for all involved.

MOM, SMS Updates on Tap
Next week at the annual Microsoft Management Summit, Microsoft will unveil its plans for Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM), Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, and other management-related products and services. Executives Brian Valentine, Kirill Tatarinov, and Bill Veghte will deliver keynote speeches addressing the company's management vision, and the company will undoubtedly make a slew of announcements. Stay tuned!

Microsoft Bails from Corel Investment
Just months after Microsoft purchased 20 percent of application-maker Corel, the software giant is selling the stock at a massive loss. Microsoft purchased the stock for about $135 million in October and is unloading it for just $12.9 million. Speculation is rampant that Microsoft is selling its stake in Corel because of Corel's increased emphasis on Corel WordPerfect Office, a low-cost alternative to Office. But Microsoft says that isn't the case. "Microsoft maintains an interest in Corel and believes in the technology that the company has to offer," a Microsoft spokesperson said this week. "Microsoft's decision to sell its Corel shares is normal and part of prudent portfolio management." I can see where a $106 million loss is normal and prudent portfolio management, but ... oh wait. No, I can't.

Windows to Support iSCSI Storage
Microsoft announced this week that it will support the iSCSI storage standard in Windows. Yet another exciting development in the world of storage. Snore.

Office 2003 Back on MSDN, This Time for the Duration
For those Microsoft Developer Network(MSDN) Universal subscribers who weren't quick enough to snag Office 2003 Beta 2 when Microsoft briefly made it available for download on MSDN Subscriber Downloads, go nuts. It's back online, for good.

AMD Unveils New Chip-Numbering Scheme
Now that Intel has somewhat abandoned what I call "Megahertz Marketing," rival AMD is once again changing the way it denotes its various processors. In the past, AMD named processors not by megahertz rating but by how the chip compared, performance-wise, with Intel's CPUs. The new name change, which goes into effect with the April 22 launch of the Operton line, uses a Volvo-like numbering scheme in which the model number refers to the model series, number of cylinders, and the number of doors in the vehicle. Actually, the AMD model numbering scheme uses a numbering system that refers to the number of supported processors and the model number. AMD will have three new Operton chip series: the 100 series (for one-processor models), the 200 series (for dual-processor models), and the 800 series (for models that support as many as eight processors). The first models will be the 140, 240, and 840 and, presumably, future models will increment from there (141, 241, 841, and so on).  The scheme makes sense to me!

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