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Find out what happened in the world of software in February 2009. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Tax Filing Guide
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Acrobat Standard vs. Pro
New Software Releases
Norton Antivirus 2009 Gaming Edition
CorelDRAW X4 Special Anniversary Edition
New at SoftwareMedia
Oracle Licensing
Total Training Licensing
BlackBerry Licensing
Briefly…
- Microsoft launches Elevate America to give free tech training to millions.
- Borland unveils Team Inspector which tests new software for release readiness.
- Adobe is offering free Flex Builder software to recently unemployed developers. Details
- Microsoft Office 14 has been delayed and won’t ship until next year.
- Symantec announces Endpoint Virtualization Suite as its entry into desktop virtualization.
And just because we thought it was cool, check out this Card Animation from Adobe!
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SoftwareMedia launched its business page on Facebook this month. Check out the SoftwareMedia Page on Facebook to meet some of the people behind the scenes, read about software news, and keep up with current promotions.
If you have a Facebook account, be sure to become a fan of SoftwareMedia. We will be sending out an exclusive discount code to our Facebook fans later this month, so don’t miss out!
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Adobe has officially acknowledged security problems with the recent versions of Acrobat 9 and Reader 9. This vulnerability can be exploited by malformed PDF files, causing the application to crash and potentially allowing a hacker to take control of the system.
Adobe will be releasing critical updates for Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 that will fix this problem by March 11th. Updates to older versions will be released by March 18th.
In the meantime, reports have indicated that disabling JavaScript in these programs can help protect your system from currently known attacks. To disable JavaScript in Acrobat or Reader, follow these steps:
- Select Edit>Preferences
- Select the JavaScript Category
- Uncheck the ‘Enable Acrobat JavaScript’ option
- Click OK
For more information, see the security bulletin on Adobe’s website.
Microsoft recently confirmed there will be six different editions of Windows 7. Most home users will only see Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional, which will be the two main editions targeted to average users. The four other editions are: Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic (only for emerging markets), Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Enterprise (for large volume licensing).
If you plan on upgrading to Windows 7 once it is released, cheaper upgrade versions will be available to current Windows XP and Windows Vista users. However, if you currently use Windows XP, you will have to do a “clean” install of Windows 7, which means you will lose everything on your hard drive and will have to restore all of your data from external backups. Current Windows Vista users will only be able to “migrate” to a similar version of Windows 7 (i.e. Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium). If you want to switch versions (say, jump from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional) you will have to do a clean install. An easier way to upgrade would be to install the similar version of Windows 7 to you current Vista version, and then use the Windows Anytime Upgrade feature found in Windows 7 to purchase an upgrade key to activate additional features.
VMWare, the global leader in virtualization solutions, announced that it has developed a Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP) for smart phones. The MVP will allow end users to run multiple phone accounts from a single device. So, if you have separate phones for work and personal use, you will soon be able to integrate them into a single physical device.
The software for MVP will allow IT departments to secure corporate data on an employee-owned smart phone, thus giving employees the freedom to choose their favorite device. For personal smart phone use, the MVP will simplify the process of transferring all of your data to a new physical device, making upgrades virtually painless.
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McAfee recently conducted a study that found over $1 trillion was lost in 2008 from data theft and other cyber crimes. Data theft has been on the rise lately due to the economic downturn, and the situation is predicted to only get worse. Unlike traditional “nuisance” viruses of the past, the McAfee study showed that 80 percent of today’s malware is aimed at making a financial gain.
The good news is the main targets of today’s cyber crimes are larger corporations, with many attacks coming from current or past employees. However, malware aimed at individual users is still on the rise, and steps need to be taken to protect your own personal information. Check out SoftwareMedia’s Internet Security Guide to learn about viruses, phishing and spyware, and how you can make sure you’re protected.
]]>Find out what happened in the world of software in January 2009. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Tax Filing Guide
New Software Releases
Diskeeper 2009
Corel Family Pack 2009
FileMaker 10
Apple iLife 2009
RoboHelp 8
Roxio Toast 10
Captivate 4
Briefly…
-
Corel releases service pack for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. Click here for download.
- Windows 7 Beta reviewers who were critical of Vista (like Intel) are praising the OS.
-
Sybase software reported fourth quarter earnings well above Wall Street’s expectations.
- Early numbers show Intuit’s Turbo Tax has lost market share to H&R Block’s TaxCut
- Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 released this month. See Photos.
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Reliable sources say the outgoing CEO of Symantec John Thompson is the top candidate for the post of U.S. Commerce Secretary. His experience as CEO for a Symantec, the largest security software provider in the world, makes him an ideal candidate. Dean Garfield, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, says “His work on diversifying the corporate ranks bodes well for his willingness to think broadly about advancing our competitiveness on a global basis.” Thompson joined Symantec in 1999 and oversaw the acquisition of more than a dozen companies, including the $10.5 billion purchase of Veritas Software in 2005. While Thompson has always kept his political activities separate from business activities, he did hold several fundraisers for Obama at his California home. If chosen, he would fill the last slot in President Obama’s Cabinet. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thompson is just one of the names under consideration and that no decision has been made.
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Last month we reported that spam levels dropped by half when rogue ISP McColo was taken offline. Well it now appears that spammers have regrouped and are finding ways to send more junk mail. “At the current rates, we’ll be back at those pre-McColo takedown levels probably within the next three to five weeks,” said Adam Swidler, senior product marketing manager for Google Message Security. Almost 75% of all email this month was spam, a figure which reflects spammers’ changing tactics to ensure their messages are not blocked. They are using programs that detect a person’s ISP and then route the mail through that ISP, which avoids it getting blocked. ISPs are not currently set up to stop that kind of abuse. An interesting side note from InfoWorld about the McColo takedown: “It was the community of researchers rather than law enforcement that caused McColo’s upstream providers to disconnect it from the Internet.” See our guide on how to prevent spam.
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5,000 jobs at Microsoft Corporation will be cut over the next 18 months. After the announcement earlier this month, 1,400 jobs were cut immediately. “Economic activity and IT spend slowed beyond our expectations in the quarter, and we acted quickly to reduce our cost structure and mitigate its impact,” said Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell. 5,000 jobs equates to 5% of its workforce, although overall workforce is not expected to drop that much as they continue to hire in key areas. Other expense cuts, like delayed salary increases, were also announced. The announcement also included a warning that profit and revenue will most certainly drop over the next two quarters. The news sent shock waves across financial markets. Other software companies have announced major cuts as well: SAP to cut 3,000; Autodesk to cut 750; IBM to cut 2,800.]]>
iLifers new and old are in for a treat with the new release of Apple iLife 2009. The suite includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand and iWeb. Slick new features are plentiful. iPhoto users will find Faces and Places useful for face detection, face recognition and geotagging. GarageBand 2009 takes simple composition to a whole new level with its new Learn to Play feature, which includes musicians like Sting and John Fogerty. In iMovie you can use the new Precision Editor to easily advance the preview window, skim the edges of clips to resize them with the mouse, drop new clips with a simple click-and-drag, apply transitions, effects and more. iWeb ’09 features the ability to FTP from any server, new support for multiple Websites, new templates and widgets for RSS feeds, YouTube videos, photos and more. iLife is free on all new Mac purchases. And a version seeded with malware has also been making the rounds, so use caution and be aware of pirated software, even on popular BitTorrent sites.
]]>Find out what happened in the world of software in December 2008. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
TurboTax 2008
TaxCut 2008
Filemaker Bento 2
CA Internet Security Suite 2009
Norton Systemworks 12
Briefly…
-
Microsoft released “Seadragon Mobile”, its first iPhone app, for viewing images.
- A recent update to Mac OS X Leopard is causing a host of problems for users.
-
Adobe’s Integrated Runtime (AIR) has been taken out of beta for Linux users.
- Microsoft settled with Primax Electronics, a mouse maker they sued in July.
- Symantecannounced the next version of Internet Security for Mac. Expected to ship soon.
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Holidays, Terrorist Attacks, Presidential Election Top Spam ListKeep an eye out for holiday-themed spam this season. According to Symantec, be wary of spam with “Christmas” in the subject line. In addition, spammers continue to use recent tragic news events as a staple tactic. The Mumbai terrorist attacks were followed by a surge of spam with subjects referring to the attacks. The messages were typically offering medication. Another major news event spammers are still playing up is the presidential election. Messages about Barack Obama, John McCain, speeches and more have not subsided.
On the plus side, spam volume decreased dramatically worldwide when Hong Kong based web hosting company McColo was shut down based on abuse complaints. Symantec saw a 65% drop compared to the 24 hours prior to the shutdown. In the New Year spam and phishing attempts related to the IRS and tax season are expected to increase. January to March is typically when taxpayers become reacquainted with their tax advisers as the mid-April tax deadline approaches. Click here for our Internet Security Software Guide.
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Microsoft shipped an emergency security update this Wednesday, December 17th. The update, considered critical, was released outside of the usual monthly release cycle to protect customers. It is meant to counter an escalating wave of malware attacks targeting a zero-day browser vulnerability. The publicly disclosed vulnerability could allow remote execution if a user views a specially crafted web page using IE. The update modifies the way IE validates data binding parameters and handles the error resulting in the exploitable condition. Microsoft recommends that you immediately assess your systems and networks and apply this security update. Click here for full details.]]>
While other companies are reporting revenue woes, Adobe is among the few with good news. Really good news. The software manufacturer just reported record revenue for Q4, 2008. Their fourth quarter revenue of $915.3 million was up $4.1 million from Q4 2007, and up $23.9 million from last quarter. It’s also their sixth consecutive year of double digit growth. The quarter’s success was largely due to the anticipated release of Creative Suite 4 and all the individual CS4 products. Its mobile and device segment also saw growth of 115%, representing 5% of Adobe’s revenue.
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Adobe has few true competitors who actually threaten the design software giant’s domination. But is Microsoft the biggest threat? The Redmond based software manufacturer is using its deep pockets to challenge Adobe’s dominance in the Web design space. The main competing products to keep an eye on are Adobe’s Flash and Microsoft’s Silverlight. Netflix recently announced it would use Silverlight to stream movies over the Internet. And the CBS Corp college sports group built its Web site in Silverlight instead of Flash. Currently, 98% of PCs have Flash Player installed; only 25% have Silverlight. But Microsoft is “willing to invest” in order to win over certain sites. Have you used Silverlight? Do you have it installed? What is your opinion?
]]>Find out what happened in the world of software in November 2008. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
ACD Photo Manager 2009
Trend Micro 2009
AutoSketch 10
Backup Exec 12.5
New at SoftwareMedia
Panda Security Software
Kaspersky Licensing
Briefly…
-
Microsoft registers the domain name “kumo.com”, which means “cloud” in Japanese.
- QuickBooks announces geographic visualization tool for customer data & business activity.
-
Adobe launched a new technology for Photoshop called Pixel Bender.
- VMware bought French mobile virtualization company Trango.
- SymantecCEO John Thompson set to retire after 10 years.
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Microsoft recently announced plans to offer free anti-virus software as a download with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and upcoming Windows 7. In mid-2009 Microsoft will replace Windows Live OneCare with this new software, code-named “Morro”. Microsoft wants to “help provide that core level of protection” for the 60% of consumers in developed markets – and even more in emerging markets – who are without up-to-date security protection of their PCs. A smaller footprint version will also be available, making Morro ideal, even for those with low-bandwidth or less-powerful PCs.Shares of Symantec and McAfee dropped with concerns that Morro will compete with their products. But Microsoft says it will not rival Symantec or McAfee, and it’s “really focused on the 50 to 60 percent of PC users who don’t have, or won’t pay for, anti-virus protection”. Morro will only include anti-malware software, whereas security suites from Symantec & McAfee include encryption, firewalls, password protection, parental controls and data backup programs. Morro is named after Brazil’s Morro de Sao Paolo beach. Brazil is just one of the emerging markets where users generally cannot afford to buy anti-virus suites. ]]>
Two new pieces of malware aimed at Mac OS X were discovered this month. The one that presents real danger, a Trojan, is a downloader that contacts a remote server to download the files it installs. It is found on porn websites and poses as a codec needed to play video files. The user is tricked into downloading and installing it. It installs a DNSChanger, which routes the user’s internet traffic and leads them to phishing websites or pages displaying advertisements. The second piece of malware is not being considered a real threat.]]>
After spending a year observing cybercriminals on the Internet, Symantec researchers were able to dig up detailed information on the exchange of highly prized financial information. According to the report, there is a well organized and lucrative group of people buying and selling tools for cybercrime. The selling price? Well, $23 for a keystroke logger; $225 to have a botnet at your fingertips; and $740 to $3,000 for a tool that exploits vulnerabilities on banking websites. Over the year’s time, if the sellers could sell everything they were offering, it would amount to over $275 million. Factoring in the worth of victims’ credit card information and bank credentials, the sales would reach $7 billion. Also in the study, pirated software was most likely to be found in desktop games, followed by utility applications and multimedia software.
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Microsoft has ruled out any chance of another takeover bid for Yahoo. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking at a shareholders meeting, said “We thought we had something that made sense. Didn’t make sense to them. We’ve moved on.” While discussions of acquisitions are clearly finished, Ballmer did say they would be open to a partnership on internet search. “There is no active discussion on that front, but we’d be very open to it.” Google accounts for over 70% of all US searches; Yahoo for 18%; MSN for 5%.]]>
Find out what happened in the world of software in October 2008. The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Sign up to keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
Adobe Creative Suite 4
QuickBooks 2009
VMware Fusion 2
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
McAfee 2009
Norton Internet Security 2009
Briefly…
-
$100 rebate for onOne’s Plug-In Suite 4 for Adobe Photoshop. Plus free upgrade for CS4 compatibility.
- Vista SP2 began shipping to a limited number of testers this month.
-
$200 rebate for new users of Autodesk AutoCAD LT 2009 for a limited time.
- Corel says takeover talks have ended; will continue as independent software company.
- Microsoft released its first security patch for the pre-beta version of Windows 7.
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With just a few exceptions, Adobe Creative Suite 4 bundles and applications are now shipping. Adobe’s biggest launch to date includes updated versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Contribute, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, OnLocation, Encore and the Creative Suite packages. With Creative Suite, Adobe is providing more of an incentive for you to upgrade with each new release. If you have CS3 or CS3.3 your upgrade price will be cheaper than those with a prior version. However, for a limited 4 month engagement, the upgrade prices will remain the same. So if you have a version prior to CS3, upgrade soon!One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is in the user interface. It now uses tabs so you can work on multiple tabs with just one window open. New for Photoshop is Content-Aware Scaling, which takes a large image and resizes it without cropping people out of the shot. Dreamweaver features the addition of Live View; Flash brings tighter integration; Fireworks offers improved performance; Premiere improves workflow; After Effects offers searchable timelines and projects; Illustrator adds the ability to have multiple artboards; and InDesign boosts Flash integration and live preflighting. ]]>
This month Microsoft announced its new cloud services platform, Windows Azure. Cloud computing is a style of computing which users can access technology-enabled services from the internet (“in the cloud”). The basic concept for Azure is that “developers, consumers and enterprises will be able to build, deploy and access cloud-based applications running on what is essentially a re-tooled, distributed version of Windows Server. That re-tooled version is Windows Azure.” Experts say anything Microsoft releases will have to be compelling, unique and competitive on price. Other companies who have already released such services include Amazon, Salesforce.com and Google. But Microsoft contends they can bring simplicity, scale and openness to the market. Additionally, it will build a series of its own applications and services developers and customers will be able to take advantage of. Azure isn’t expected to be released for another year.]]>
In the war against a rapidly growing enemy, security companies like Symantec and McAfee have to challenge fundamental assumptions about how security suites work. With new releases of their top security programs, manufacturers are making breakthrough improvements. With Norton Internet Security 2009, Symantec has built everything from the ground up to provide solid protection without slowing your computer down. No pop-up notices, performance lags or annoying scans – except in emergencies. With McAfee Internet Security 2009 the focus is more on building an entirely new malware detection system. Hard drive size and computer speed have traditionally limited the effectiveness of PC security software, sometimes slowing computers to a halt. But McAfee has solved this problem by shifting the work to powerful processing centers via the internet. Other companies to release new versions of their security software include Kaspersky Lab. CA Internet Security Suite 2009 coming soon.
]]>Whatever the economy might bring, Microsoft is predicting it will fare better than others in the IT industry. Although it did lower its growth outlook for the year, now forecasting a mild recession, it did not lower it as much as some were anticipating. Microsoft is staying afloat by corporate customers renewing licenses and other business programs. At the same time, they are taking their worst hit from small businesses which are perhaps “more affected by the credit squeeze”. In any case, Microsoft’s approach to the recession is to focus on cutting costs and investing for the future.]]>
The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
Photoshop Lightroom 2
Kaspersky 2009
McAfee 2009
Quicken 2009
ACT! 2009
Norton Internet Security 2009
Norton Antivirus 2009
Briefly…
- Adobe launched Creative Suite 4, slated to ship in early October.
- Paragon Software, known for partitioning, backup & disk maintenance, now available at SoftwareMedia.com.
- The Best Global Brands 2008 survey puts Microsoft at #3, Google at #10, Apple at #24.
- Adobe posted better-than-expected quarterly results this month, raising shares 5 percent.
- Symantec rolled out Norton Antivirus 2009 and Norton Internet Security 2009 this month..
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The Seinfeld-Gates commercials from Microsoft have already come to an end. Despite the controversy that the ads were pulled because of criticism, Microsoft and all parties involved contend that this was always the plan with the ads, saying “Jerry was contracted for three commercials and that was it.” The ad campaign is now moving on to phase two, which involves Eva Longoria Parker (among other TV stars) and the theme “I am a PC”.
With the buzz about the new campaign, many are asking why Microsoft isn’t making more of a direct rebuttal against competitor Apple, who clearly takes aim at Microsoft in its ongoing ads. The tables could easily be turned, but it isn’t necessary. Apple is rapidly growing and for good reason, but with eleven of twelve new computers running Windows, Microsoft still holds first place by a long shot. Only time will tell what will happen with these two companies.
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Demonstrating their confidence in the company’s long-term growth yet again, Microsoft has announced plans to buy back $40 billion in stock for the second time. They just completed their first buyback program, and this one will last through 2013. Microsoft shares have lost 22 percent of their value since they announced their (failed) bid to buy Yahoo. In light of the buyback announcement, investors pushed Microsoft’s stock to $26.50 a share in premarket trading, up 5.33 percent. Microsoft revenue exceeded 60 billion dollars in fiscal 2008.]]>
In their biggest acquisition to date, McAfee has announced plans to buy Secure Computing for $465 million. The deal will help round out McAfee’s security offerings, adding specialized equipment that keeps hackers from breaking into computer networks. This will vault the #2 rated computer security company further into the protection of business networks as well as boost the number of companies that use its services. “The market is moving toward bigger vendors with broader suites. That just means more dollars for McAfee,” McAfee Chief Executive DeWalt said. “That is why we are expanding the portfolio.” Secure Computing began in 1984 developing technology to protect computer systems at the U.S. National Security Agency. It was spun off as an independent company in 1989.
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Next month developers will get their first look at the next major version of the Windows operating system, Windows 7. Microsoft will demonstrate its progress at the annual Professional Developers Conference next month. “Attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7,” said marketing manager Denise Begley. Windows 7 will use the same kernel as Vista, which is seen as a positive thing for the compatibility, stability and timeline of the new OS.]]>
The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
FileMaker Bento
Peachtree Timeslips 2009
Quickbooks Pro 2008 Enhanced Payroll
Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.4
Photoshop Lightroom
Briefly…
- Microsoft has launched a new blog for Windows 7 customers and partners.
- Autodesk, Inc. beat Wall Street’s expectations for its fiscal second quarter results.
- You can now deploy FileMaker Pro databases on iPhone or iPod Touch with FMTouch.
- Symantec introduces Norton Safe Web Beta, a website safety rating program similar to Hacker Safe.
- Microsoft has completed development on Small Business Server 2008 and expects it will ship in November..
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Total Training, maker of the most trusted training programs for Adobe and Microsoft software, is back and better than ever! In celebration, we are offering a Free 7-Day Trial Pass and special pricing on all Total Training products through December 31st. Each Total Training DVD provides users with hours of dynamic, high-quality training from a professional expert in the field. Easily play and navigate through the DVD on your TV or computer screen (dual monitors are ideal) while you follow along with the tutorials. Simply watch the tutorial and then try it yourself. Pause, rewind and review as you wish. Tutorial project files are included. So forget those Photoshop books that are collecting dust on your shelf. Get easy-to-use Total Training and you’ll be a pro in no time!
]]>Microsoft Patch Tuesday came on August 12th this month with 26 flaw fixes for Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Office, Outlook Express, Windows Messenger and Internet Explorer. Flaws were also patched in Windows 2000 through Vista and Windows Server 2008. Eleven of the 26 fixes were labeled ‘critical’, the highest on Microsoft’s four-point rating system. (Microsoft is expected to change its rating system this fall). The one patch missing was the critical fix for Windows Media Player, which was previously announced but not released. Microsoft said it needed more time to develop it.
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Corel Corporation has eluded this month that they might be in discussions for a sale. Specifically, they mentioned “potential strategic third-party alternatives” that could benefit shareholders. No agreement has officially been reached, but they have confirmed they are in discussions. In light of the news, stocks rose 11%. Corel’s Q2 profits dropped 60% year-over-year. Corel is a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software with more than 100 million users worldwide. In 2006 Corel purchased Ulead and Intervideo. ]]>
Comedian and sitcom star Jerry Seinfeld has been enlisted to be the next Microsoft spokesperson. The advertisements will promote Windows Vista and will also feature Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. Aiming to portray Vista in a more favorable light, the $300 million campaign will debut on September 4th. Microsoft’s new ad agency, Crispin Porter & Bogusky, is hoping Seinfeld will have enough of a positive effect to turn people’s perceptions of Vista around. Others think the tactic won’t work as it is too little too late for Vista, and they should focus on the Windows 7 release. Only time will tell, and we’ll be watching September 4th! Oh, and Seinfeld is getting $10 million for his work on the campaign.]]>
The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
WordPerfect Office X4 Pro
ACT! 2008 for Real Estate
ViaCAD 2D/3D v6
onOne Photoshop Plugin Suite4
Peachtree 2009
IMSI TurboCAD for Mac
Briefly…
- Patent filing suggests Apple may be working on a new lecture-capture software program for students.
- Symantec released Norton 2009 products to public beta this month.
- Former Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen was named to Oracle Corp. board of directors.
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Microsoft has released a tweaked version of Windows XP for the One Laptop Per Child program.
- Since launching Hyper-V, Microsoft has managed to win over some of competitor VMware’s accounts..
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After nearly four months, Mac clone company Pystar might be coming to an end. Alleging violation of its shrink wrap license, trademark and copyright infringement, Apple, Inc. has filed suit in the federal district court. Pystar began selling a computer called OpenMac, aka “Hackintosh”, which runs a “modified unauthorized version of the Leopard operating system” on a standard PC. While each copy of Mac OS X was legitimately purchased, Apple claims that Pystar had no right to modify its code for a PC and then distribute that modified code. Pystar’s products are “advertised and promoted in a manner that falsely and unfairly implies an affiliation with Apple.” What’s worse, Pystar’s computers are missing key elements like iLife, Bluetooth, IR Recever, DVD burning and the ability to update the computer. ]]>
A major flaw in the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS) was discovered months ago but kept under wraps as software vendors attempted to patch the issue. Then a computer security company inadvertently published details of the flaw this month, weeks before they were supposed to be made public. The flaw, discovered by researcher Dan Kaminsky, can be exploited to poison DNS caches and re-direct Internet traffic to malicious sites. The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) has issued this list of workarounds and mitigation for the flaw.
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Windows Vista is being adopted by more and more businesses, with usage by businesses up 40% since January. However, that’s still less than expected. In fact, it’s less than 10% of the companies surveyed by Forrester Research. And most of the business installs of Vista are from companies migrating from versions other than XP, which remains the most popular edition. Despite this demand, sales of Windows XP through Microsoft have been discontinued. (SoftwareMedia still has Windows XP in stock, for those interested). Looking to the future, Windows 7 development is on track and still slated for a January 2010 release. Microsoft remains relatively mum on Windows 7, in contrast to its pre-Vista strategy. ]]>
The leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter is now providing a low-footprint copy of its #1 seller free of charge. VMware said it is offering its ESXi 3.5 software free, in response to pressure from competitors that are threatening its lead in the virtualization field. ESXi is a basic hypervisor, which is technology that separates the OS from server hardware so multiple OSes can run virtually on one physical server. ESXi is built for running virtual machines, minimizing configuration requirements and simplifying deployment. ESXi now incorporates a direct integration with the Virtual Appliance Marketplace to allow users to immediately download and run virtual appliances.
Click Here for the Download Site
Click Here for Documentation & Compatibility
Keep in mind 3i is just the hypervisor, and end users will still need Virtual Center Management Server (VCMS) and Vi3 Foundation, Standard, or Enterprise. Contact the VMware Professional Partners at SoftwareMedia to fulfill your quote, or fill out this VMware Quote Form.
]]>The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Compare Accounting Programs
Software Licensing Guide
VMware & Virtualization Guide
Audio Software Guide
New Software Releases
Microsoft Expression 2
Windows XP Pro SP3
IMSI TurboCAD 15
Quark Licensing
Peachtree 2009
Laplink Gold 2008
Briefly…
- Embarcadero Buys CodeGear, a division of Borland Software, for $23 million.
- Gates, on his last day, predicts Yahoo deal unlikely
- Rumors fly about Microsoft seeking to buy search engine Powerset
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Adobe Acrobat 9, soon to be released, will include support for Flash and multimedia content.
- New updates released for CorelDRAW X4 .
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In 2006, Microsoft founder and front-man, Bill Gates, announced plans to step down from his full-time role at Microsoft. As June draws to a close, that day has finally come. Handing the reigns over to CEO Steve Ballmer, Gates is stepping down to part-time employee and chairman. Gates’ primary focus will shift toward his charitable foundation, according to Newsweek.Steve Ballmer sounded off on Gates’ departure: “He founded the company, he’s accumulated this wealth, he’s got this foundation, he’s got this fame. That’s irreplaceable. Also, Bill grew up with every one of the technologies in this company. He’s got more capacity to remember things than anybody I’ve ever known. It’s unlikely we’ll have anybody again who has that breadth.” ]]>
Within the first week of release, Firefox 3 has been downloaded in excess of 17.3 million times. The latest version of the popular web browser caught attention this month with its attempt to set a world record for the most downloaded software in the first 24 hours of release. With 8 million downloads in the first 24 hours, Firefox 3 set a statistic currently being considered by the Guinness Book of World Records.By comparison, Firefox 2 was downloaded 1.6 million times in its first 24 hours.
New features in Firefox 3 include one-click bookmarking, the smart location bar, phishing and malware protection, spell check, session restore and full zoom. Download Firefox 3. ]]>
Software security company McAfee named Hong Kong’s “.hk” the world’s most dangerous domain. According to a report released this month, over 19 percent of “.hk” sites contain malware, viruses, high rates of spam, or aggressive pop-up ads. The report was compiled using McAfee’s SiteAdvisor software in comparing 74 top-level domains. China’s “.cn” comes in second with over 11 percent of its sites found to be similarly hazardous.According to the study, Finland’s “.fi” ranks as the safest with only 0.05 percent hazardous sites.
One Hong Kong based security analyst points out potential flaws in the survey. “McAfee are only looking at the top-level domain bit, they are not looking at the location of the server,” said Richard Stagg, director and managing consultant at Handshake Networking, a vendor-independent security consultancy. “They’re not paying attention to where sites are actually hosted.”
Stagg points out that many spammers and malware authors choose domain registrations in foreign countries where it’s difficult to shut those domains down. ]]>
VMware, Inc.announced this month that the top universities from the Times-QS World University Rankings have employed VMware’s virtualization solutions to reduce operating costs, carbon emissions, and power consumption.Some of the prestigious schools using VMware include Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Purdue, the University of Maryland, the University of Auckland, and the University of California campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego.
These and other universities are running database systems and education-specific solutions like CollegeNET in VMware virtualized environments.
In addition to the environmental benefits of virtualization, these schools also expect to see an improvement in application availability and performance. Read more about how virtualization can help your business. ]]>
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Backup Exec 12 Licensing
Briefly…
- Bill Gates announces prototype technology that will allow home and office walls to become computers.
- Rumors fly about Microsoft’s interest in acquiring Yell Group, owner of U.S. company Yellow Book.
- Adobe Flash Player 10, code named “Astro”, went into beta this month.
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With the Microsoft-Yahoo deal supposedly closed, Google is now in partnership talks with Yahoo.
- After a few setbacks, Windows Home Server Power Pack will soon enter public beta.
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Three new beta versions are available for free download this month from Adobe: Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth. These three betas demonstrate the direction Adobe is taking with features and technologies to simplify and streamline workflow across all media. Specifically, users of the next Adobe Creative Suite may be able to mix and mash up the applications with online content and third-party tools. Bringing tools from CS to the desktop or the Web could lead to new ways of exploring Adobe’s software. A mashup, for example, allows users to do things like mash up Google Maps to display anything from apartment listings to UFO sightings. Developers will be able to write one set of code to create widgets that can be used throughout Adobe’s CS programs. Widely reported rumors that Creative Suite 4 will be released in October have been slammed by Adobe, saying the rumors are “just made up”.
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Microsoft has announced plans to support new file formats for Office with Service Pack 2, including Open Document Format (ODF), Portable Document Format (PDF), and XML Paper Specification (XPS). In the past, Microsoft has created add-ons for users to be able to convert these files. But with these formats becoming more popular, it has gone one step further to build support directly into Office. With this announcement, the European Commission said that it will investigate the affect the move will have on consumer choice. “The Commission will investigate whether the announced support of Open Document Format in Office leads to better interoperability and allows consumers to process and exchange their documents with the software product of their choice,” the commission said in a statement reported by Dow Jones. Office 2007 Service Pack 2 is not expected until sometime in the first half of next year.
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In an attempt to keep its consumer security software from bogging down computers, Symantec is looking in a different direction. Currently, its security software embeds itself into a PC operating system to scan for behavior that indicates malware. However, in the upcoming release of Norton 360 for example, Symantec will incorporate a new statistical approach to detecting malware. Instead of directly linking to the OS, it will search for patterns. This method is theoretically less likely to bog down a system. On a broader scale, Symantec is trying to make its next generation of products faster and less of a drag on PCs in general. Its new goal for installation time is less than one minute, a number that currently ranges from 8-10 minutes. Another goal is reducing the size of programs by four times.]]>
Microsoft broke its silence today about Windows 7, but essentially said that it will not speak publicly about the OS. The Redmond company said it has little to say about the next edition of Windows, for now. “With Windows 7, we’re trying to more carefully plan how we share information with our customers and partners,” said Chris Flores, Windows Client director. This is a new approach compared to past releases, in particular Windows Vista. Many think this is a good approach, saying it is better to know less than have bad information floating about. “Talk about Windows Vista got us all excited, and people invested time and money in anticipation of features being there [in the final operating system] that weren’t there,” said analyst Michael Cherry. Microsoft has stated that Windows 7 can be expected in early 2010, about 3 years after Windows Vista became available.
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Adobe Flex Builder 3
Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac
Windows Server 2008
Briefly…
- Microsoftdonates $500,000 to help develop hardware and software that consumes less power.
- After more than two years, Microsoft unveils Live Mesh, a synchronization and collaboration platform.
- Intuit has released QuickBase to developers, soon to launch it as a software as a service (SaaS).
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Long-time Adobe Photoshop developer Mark Hamburg has left the company to work for Microsoft.
- Symantec has created a user forum for its Norton products, now in beta.
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With VMware on top of the virtualization world and Microsoft poised to enter it, you may be curious what all the buzz is about. Not only does server virtualization allow a single physical server to host many virtual servers running different operating systems, it can cut costs, reduce energy use and de-clutter hardware spaces. VMware has been the market leader in this space, although Microsoft’s Hyper-V is set to be added to Windows Server 2008 later this year.
SoftwareMedia is now a VMware Professional Partner ready to evaluate your business’ virtualization needs and provide you with a VMwareTotal Cost of Ownership (TCO) report. This report will show you your cost as well as your projected “big picture” savings. Simply fill out the TCO form and a sales rep will contact you.
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Microsoft has announced plans to support new file formats for Office with Service Pack 2, including Open Document Format (ODF), Portable Document Format (PDF), and XML Paper Specification (XPS). In the past, Microsoft has created add-ons for users to be able to convert these files. But with these formats becoming more popular, it has gone one step further to build support directly into Office. With this announcement, the European Commission said that it will investigate the affect the move will have on consumer choice. “The Commission will investigate whether the announced support of Open Document Format in Office leads to better interoperability and allows consumers to process and exchange their documents with the software product of their choice,” the commission said in a statement reported by Dow Jones. Office 2007 Service Pack 2 is not expected until sometime in the first half of next year.
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Microsoft Office Labs, a new effort by the company, allows them to test productivity ideas before they are officially ready for prime time. With Office Labs, one can try out small features to new product concepts. The goal is to get good feedback early on before putting projects into full effect. This month Microsoft is going public with two new projects: Search Commands and Community Clips. Search Commands allows Office users to search for the commands they want to use, rather than having to use the new ribbon interface. Community Clips is an attempt to create user help videos. In all, Microsoft is working on about 10 ideas or so, but the remainder are in the planning stages.]]>
An investment firm that owns a majority stake in Corel Corporation has offered to acquire the remaining shares and take the company private, again. This would be the second time in five years. Just two weeks after this announcement, CEO of three years David Dobson announced his resignation. Dobson left to take a job at a Fortune 500 company in the U.S. This news comes shortly after Corel’s X4 software release, and within a year of its acquisition of smaller vendors like WinZip and Ulead. Corel’s profits were up 25% year over year and they are predicting a profit in its second quarter.
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Symantec Backup Exec 12
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Adobe Flex Builder 3
Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac
Windows Server 2008
Briefly…
- Mac Security company Intego is questioning Symantec’suse of their name “Dual Protection” on its Antivirus for Mac software boxes.
- Tests show that Windows-based ATM machines are easily hacked, with all personal data clearly readable.
- Sage Software has named telecom industry veteran Sue Swenson as its new president and CEO.
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Microsoft announced plans to develop and offer software for the iPhone, including Microsoft Office Suites.
- Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said they will work with Apple after all to bring Flash to the iPhone.
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Microsoft brought out former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw late last month to start the launch of Windows Server 2008. “I’m not here to write code,” began Brokaw. Instead he spoke of the radical transformation of society by today’s technology. At the height of that technology is Microsoft Windows Server 2008, what Microsoft calls its biggest IT launch in history. It delivers advancements in speed, security and management, but some agree its virtualization and network-access control features come up short.New server administrative role schemes boost security, the Server Manager program improves manageability, Internet Information Server (IIS) Web management functionality is revamped, Active Directory is easier to control, and Windows Terminal Services has been redesigned. It’s also significantly faster than Windows Server 2003, especially when client machines are running Vista. But Microsoft’s server virtualization tool Hyper-V (available in beta with Server 2008) will not be final until later this year. Compatibility between non- and older Windows versions is also missing. Microsoft also launched SQL Server 2008 at the event, but the product won’t actually be released until the second half of 2008. ]]>
Speculation and reports are abound that Microsoft has plans to release the third and final service pack of Windows XP in the second half of April 2008. Currently in Release Candidate 2 stage, the first beta version of SP3 was available last December. There are an estimated 1,073 fixes to come, including some features backported from Windows Vista. A few weeks ago the newest build was leaked to sites such as The Pirate Bay. Microsoft has warned that “this build was not intended for public release,” and “bits may have been modified with malware or other bad code that Microsoft hasn’t tested.” On another note, some are asking whether Microsoft is purposely delaying the release of SP3 while it hypes up Vista SP1.
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Windows Vista SP1 was released this month with 573 bug fixes and patches. “Changes focus specifically on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards.” Some reviews from around the Web:“Crisper performance” – PC Magazine
“Downloading and installing the update will take some users a few hours” –CNET
“Doesn’t have enough noticeable changes to make you jump out of your seat” –Gizmodo
“I can definitely notice a difference in network transfer speeds” –Giz commenter
One issue that still remains is that users running certain Symantec security software still cannot download SP1. Certain drivers, including a software driver for Symantec’s Endpoint Protection 11 and Network Access Control products, were reportedly causing technical issues after SP1 was installed. Symantec has fixed the driver issue in an upcoming maintenance release, but until then users will have to wait. ]]>
Microsoft rival Apple caused some controversy of its own this month when it released the updated Safari Web browser for Mac and Windows. It offered the new version up for download on its website, but the controversy came in the push they made to Windows users – whether they had previously installed it or not. The Apple Software Update application is installed on Windows PCs when iTunes is installed, which means quite a few people have the updater. But the issue is that even if the user doesn’t have Safari installed, Apple pushes the update to users, automatically checking the “install” box by default.
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Briefly…
- And the Oscar goes to… Autodesk!, for their Maya Fluid Effects system.
- Apple announces Aperture 2.0 as a counterattack to Adobe’s Lightroom software.
- Adobe is working on project to run programs written in various languages on Flash Player.
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A new Trojan Horse virus from digital photo frames was found by Computer Associates.
- VMware is working on a fix for a security flaw that could expose companies to hackers.
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Microsoft’s $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo made big headlines this month, with mixed sentiments from all parties involved, including Microsoft and Yahoo. The obvious and most publicized goal of the bid is to merge the two companies into one that can compete with Google, most especially in the online advertising space. Some say the joint effort would be like “the blind leading the blind”, as neither company is close to touching Google in this arena. But Bill Gates says that Microsoft has a strategy for competing in the search space, which it will pursue with or without Yahoo. So what’s Yahoo’s take on the potential takeover? CEO Jerry Yang has said that Microsoft isn’t assessing Yahoo’s value fairly. He has informally rejected the proposal via press release, but an official rejection has yet to take place. We’ll continue to monitor this story and the implications the merger could have as the details unfold.
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Developers can now use the Adobe Integrated Runtime software to develop Rich Internet Applications unbound by the restrictions of the Web. The new Adobe AIR download allows Web applications to be run offline (“online apps offline, independent, everywhere”, as one blogger summarized it). Companies with applications on the AIR platform include Nasdaq, The New York Times, and eBay, which debuted “eBay Desktop” for frequent eBayers. Other projects are similar to AIR, including Google Gears and Microsoft Silverlight, which is already anticipating a second edition. Both Silverlight and AIR plan to release ports for Linux as well. Download Adobe AIR here.
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With the 2007 tax year filing deadline approaching on April 17th, many of our customers are starting to purchase their tax preparation software. Unsure how you’re going to complete your taxes this year? More and more people are pushing their accountants aside in favor of easy-to-use programs like TurboTax and Tax Cut. These programs offer straightforward, easy answer questions that are automatically put into the correct forms. You can get your refund in as little as 9 days. Tax software programs are available for as little as $20. Review our unbiased tax filing guide for tips and information on the different options available to you.
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A glitch this month made Windows Vista Service Pack 1 available to general users running the 64-bit version of Vista – nearly a month early. Users who chose “check for new updates” via Windows Update saw that Service Pack 1 was ready. The code has been finalized, and no flaws have been reported due to the glitch. In fact, the update was recently released to businesses with volume licensing pacts as well as MSDN and TechNet developers. This particular release, however, was only meant for technically advanced testers, not a broad group of users. Microsoft has stated that SP1 will be released for general availability in mid-March.
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OnOne Photography Software
Briefly…
- Apple launched iTunes movie rentals. 1,000 films will be available for rent by February.
- Microsoft expands and acquires Calista Tech in effort to target virtualization leader VMware.
- Microsoft accused of stealing functionality that allows users to type Chinese characters.
- Adobe named to Fortune’s list of 100 best companies to work for.
- New Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Suites and Applications now available.
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We are upon the one year anniversary of the Microsoft Windows Vista launch. And yet many people in the community can’t stop talking about Windows 7, now in the stage “Milestone 1″. M2 and M3 are due out this year, and you can see screen shots and videos on the Web. Microsoft and its representatives are not discussing Windows 7 at this time, but several industry sources, including TG Daily, have confirmed the receipt of a roadmap that will put the new OS out for sale in the second half of 2009. Some think Microsoft is pushing Windows 7 because of slow Vista sales. But while Vista may not be selling at double the rate of XP, it has helped boost Microsoft’s client-division revenues by nearly 70 percent.Technorati Tags: ms windows 7, windows 2009, windows 7 release ]]>
It’s hard to believe, but WordPerfect had full control of half of the word processing market in 1990 – less than 20 years ago. Today, WordPerfect is in a very distant second place to Microsoft Word with about 10% of the market share. This month Microsoft resurrected an old lawsuit filed by Novell (former owner of WordPerfect). Novell claims that between 1994 and 1996, Microsoft maliciously withheld technical information about Windows 95 to give Microsoft Office an advantage over its rivals. Microsoft is now asking that the suit be quashed, although the details of their request are not being released. Regardless, Corel is fighting its own battle for the growth of WordPerfect.Technorati Tags: microsoft vs novell, word vs wordperfect, microsoft wordperfect lawsuit ]]>
Symantec warned late this month of an attack involving the subversion of routers. This was the first time Symantec had seen such an attack, although they were aware it could happen. The attack targeted a Mexican bank. The intended victims received spam e-mail claiming they’d received an e-card, directing them to a popular Spanish language e-card site. But the email had image tags that contained an HTTP get-request to the router to change its Domain Name System settings. It then redirects traffic flowing overt he router to a specific IP address. Symantec claims this was a simple hack, but advised businesses to change their default security settings on routers and educate users about clicking on suspicious links.Technorati Tags: symantec router compromise, symantec security warning, symantec attacks ]]>
Last month SoftwareMedia reported a bug in Intuit QuickBbooks 2006 for Mac. The bug was contained in a flawed product update released in December. It has been to blame for the deletion of documents and financial files from user’s PCs. While QuickBooks did release a patch for the bug, it was discovered earlier this month that the bug can resurface at public Internet hotspots. During this time they suggested that if users must use QuickBooks Pro 2006 for Mac at a Wi Fi spot that they contact QuickBooks for a temporary workaround. Since then, another patch has fixed the issue, although any lost data was unable to be recovered.Technorati Tags: quickbooks 2006 mac, intuit security warning, quickbooks security flaw ]]>
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Roxio Easy Media Creator 10
Microsoft Office Accounting 2008
Briefly…
- Nero 8 multimedia management software now enables authoring of Blu-Ray and HD DVD.
- Symantec was awarded $21 million in damages against Chinese-based counterfeit Symantec distributors.
- A Quickbooks update this month caused a loss of Desktop data for some Mac users, Read More
- Adobe reported $911 million in 4th Quarter sales; 60% was from their Creative Solutions line.
- New Windows Home Server offers file sharing, automated backups, and remote access.
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The Top Internet Security Trends According to Symantec:
- Bots | they silently slip onto unsecured computers and perpetrate a variety of malicious activity
- Data Breaches | high profile data breaches
- Vista Release | attackers have found holes in the OS
- Spam | it has reached new record breaking levels, with PDF and greeting card spam on the rise
- Professional Attack Kits | easy-to-use cyber fraud kits are being sold
- Phishing | there was an 18% increase the first half of the year
- Exploitation of Trusted Brands | where attackers wait for victims to come to them
- Web Plug-in Vulnerabilities | compromising the confidentiality of a vulnerable computer
- Vulnerabilities for Sale | selling vulnerability information to the highest bidder
2008 Cybercrime Forecast:
- Bot Evolution | diversification and evolution of bot behavior
- Elections | dependence on technology in the election process could get ugly with hackers involved
- Advanced Web Threats | new web based threats will emerge
- Mobile Platforms | attackers will take advantage of the complexity and connectivity of phones
- Evolution of Spam | it will continue to evolve to evade the systems that block it
- Virtual Worlds | the popular use of persistent virtual worlds (PVWs) and massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) will spark new criminals
The official launch for three highly anticipated Microsoft products is slated for late February 2008. Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 will launch together on February 27, 2008. Despite the launch date, Microsoft Visual Studio 08 should ship in early January and SQL Server 2008 isn’t expected to ship until the second quarter. Windows Server 2008 is currently in the second release candidate (RC2) stage. The theme of the mega launch is “Heroes Happen Here”, in support of the work that IT professionals are doing.
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The Norway-based company Opera Software claimed this month that Microsoft is abusing its dominant market position to lock users into the Internet Explorer Web browser. In fact, Opera has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission, alleging that Microsoft is giving people no choice in receiving IE by bundling it with the Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. Only after receiving it do they have the choice of deleting it or using a different product (like the Opera OS). Microsoft lashed back, stating their belief that IE is a benefit to consumers and that the use of another OS remains a completely free choice. A representative for Opera Software said “we are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them”.
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Digital cameras were a hot item for giving and receiving this holiday season. But what does the new camera owner plan to do with their photos? Whether they are a casual photo taker or an aspiring photo professional, chances are, the new photographer will require some software to supplement their purchase. SoftwareMedia has a wealth of basic photo editing software and professional photo editing software from which to choose. Other ideas for the new photographer include greeting card software, brochure software and graphic design software. Buy any photo software program today and get an extra $5 off on your purchase* with code PHOTO4U. *Expires 2/1/08. ]]>
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Sybase Infomaker 11
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Top 10 Software Gift Ideas
- Adobe Photoshop Elements | essential “elements” of adobe photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Elements | essential “elements” of adobe premiere
- Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing | the leading typing tutorial software
- Microsoft Expression | design & build web sites & applications
- Mac OS X Leopard | mac os boasting over 300 new features
- Windows Vista | os with five different editions to meet your unique needs
- Norton 360 | comprehensive security for up to 3 users
- Microsoft Streets & Trips | travel, directions & maps
- Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo | organize, enhance and edit photos
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Microsoft Office 2007 | office productivity, featuring the new ribbon tool
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This month Apple released three new editions of its big-buzz “Get a Mac” TV ads. The new ads take aim at the Windows Vista operating system while promoting the new Mac Leopard OS. In the “PR Lady” ad, Vista hires a PR rep to help spin Vista’s issues. The “Boxer” ad features PC showing the world that he’s not going down without a fight. And in the “Podium” ad PC campaigns for Vista, saying “Don’t give up on Vista”. Just about a year old, Vista has had 26 security, bug fixes & enhancements to date. But with Service Pack 1 on the way, Microsoft is hoping Vista adoption among businesses will improve. Leopard was not without holes and skepticism either, but then again users in general tend to have lower expectations with the first edition of any product, especially electronics. The one thing critics are praising both operating systems for is their parental controls.]]>
Symantec has purchased data-loss protection company and partner Vontu for $350 million. Vontu’s software is used to control the flow of sensitive information across corporate networks. It’s all about answering these questions: Where is my confidential information stored? How is it being used? And how do I prevent it from being lost? This was a smart move on Symantec’s behalf, many say, as the DLP market is a hot right now. The new technology is one of the few available ways to protect against insider threats, which can lead to theft of data, customer records, or valuable intellectual property by employees, business partners, or malware attacks.
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Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is here and is expected to ship in early December. With more than 250 new features, Visual Studio 2008 includes significant enhancements in every edition. Whether you’re a novice home developer or a seasoned professional development team, the right edition of Visual Studio 2008 is there to help you face complex challenges and create innovative solutions. 2008 editions include Standard, Po, Team System, Team Suite and Foundation Server. Notable features can be found in three key areas: Rapid Application Development, Effective team collaboration, and break through ser experiences.
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Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen has turned his reins over to current President Shantanu Narayen. Chizen has been CEO of Adobe for seven years, shepherding the company into a creative professional software behemoth and overseeing dramatic changes like the merger with Macromedia in 2005. He picked a good time to leave, say analysts, as the company is still reeling over its CS3 sales and expects to hit the “high end” of its fourth-quarter revenue forecast. Chizen will continue to be involved with the company as a board member and adviser through the 2008 fiscal year.
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Symantec Endpoint Protection 11
Norton Systemworks 2008
News in Brief
- Symantec and Microsoft to join the Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code (SafeCode).
- The U.S. is the world’s largest spammer, responsible for 28.4% of all spam in the world.
- Newly released Nuance OmniPage Pro 16 offers tools for converting documents into PDF and making them editable.
- VMware, leading maker of virtualization software, saw its third quarter profit triple to 64.7 million.
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Adobe and Microsoft have announced intentions to increase development of Web-based software.
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It’s been nearly two and a half years since Apple released it’s last operating system, Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger”. Only time will tell whether it was worth the wait, but the new release – Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard” – promises to be a substantial advance for the Mac OS. Apple lists more than 300 changes on its website, but here are the big ones: Time Machine: In what Apple calls a “giant leap backward”, this new feature allows a user to see how their system looked on any given day in the past, including deleted files, etc.
Finder: The enhanced Apple search tool still allows search through files and data, but now has a more context sensitive user interface.
Dock: The new dock allows files and folders to be “docked” and “stacked”, hence de-cluttering the desktop.
QuickLook: See the contents of a document in the form of a small pop-up image or hover text by mousing over it before clicking.
Spaces: Users can organize their application into groups or categories so that common or related categories can be configured to launch at the touch of a key.
Other Enhancements have been made to iChat, Parental Controls, Boot Camp, iCal, Mail, Photo Booth, and much more.
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See all the new Features of Mac OS X Leopard
Emails containing malicious PDF files have been putting computers at risk this month, but a Security Update for Acrobat Reader is available. The e-mails appear to be credit card statements, and the PDF attachments are called ‘REPORT.PDF, INVOICE.PDF or YOUR_BILL.PDF. If opened without the new Adobe security update, it starts downloading software from servers in Malaysia or Sweden. Many Reader users have yet to install the update, although Adobe is encouraging everyone to do so.
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Microsoft plans to hold a Project Conference this month, which will focus on the latest Project release – Project 2007 – as well as Microsoft’s 2005 acquisition of project and portfolio management company UMT. Microsoft’s general manager for Microsoft Office Project will discuss how it has applied the technology and expertise from UMT to change Project to be “able to handle all work across an organization.” In the past people have been hesitant to use Project software because it was oriented towards very structured projects. Anguilo will address how Project 2007 has changed all that, as well as give a preview of the next version of the program, already in development.
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Members of the OSx86 user community have proclaimed that they hacked Mac OS X Leopard and the software is running on what would be a Windows-based PC. They have posted instructions on how to create a bootable Leopard installation disk to run on a PC. All this came before the new OS was even officially released. The process is very technical, and they say that the OS is partialy crippled without the Mac hardware it was meant to run on. Most notably, the Wi-Fi support is nonexistent. Leopard is already set up for Macs to support a Windows partition through included software Boot Camp.
]]>The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Microsoft Open Business Licensing
Microsoft Open Volume Licensing
Adobe TLP Licensing Guide
Symantec Licensing Gude
New Releases This Month
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
Adobe Audition 3.0
CA Internet Security 2008
Borland C++ Builder 2007 R2
News in Brief
- Microsoft Excel 2007 bug shows the number 100,000 instead of 65,536; Microsoft working on a fix.
- Google and Microsoft to sit for Senate panel to debate Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick.
- Microsoft is back on a 2-3 year release cycle with SQL Server, to be released in Q2 2008.
- Office for Mac 2008 by Microsoft is expected to ship January 15th, 2008.
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Computer Associates (CA) has released its entire line of 2008 consumer security and desktop software.
This Month’s Deal
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SoftwareMedia has expanded its software license offerings to include Microsoft Open License (Open Business and Open Volume), Adobe Transactional License and Symantec Express License. The expansion was in response to customers’ growing interest in software licensing and the many benefits that accompany it. Buying through a licensing program gives small and medium businesses volume discounts, support options, more customizability and less packaging to deal with. A top complaint is that licensing programs are confusing, as each program has different rules and requirements. That’s why we recommend contacting a licensing specialist from the SoftwareMedia Customer Advantage Program. For your convenience, you can also use one of our convenient buying guides to determine the best licensing options for your business needs.
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Adobe has a new logo and tag line for its popular Photoshop family of products. The new logo takes the shape of a speech bubble and also the letter P, and is accompanied with the tag line “See What’s Possible”. Adobe’s goal with the new image is to deliver a unified message and enhance Photoshop’s presence and visibility in the marketplace. The new logo will appear on the product packaging, web, etc. It was announced at Photoshop World this month in Vegas, where Adobe also gave a preview of Photoshop Express, an online, consumer-focused image-editing solution.
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Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate has shipped, allowing select customers to get a hold of near-finalized code for the program. One major new feature of the new release is Windows Server Virtualization, which will ship as a beta version with Windows Server 2008. Virtualization is the simulation of an actual machine running in a virtualized hardware environment on top of a physical machine which acts as the host. VMware is the current leader in the field in which Microsoft is behind. Windows Server Virtualization, code named Viridian, will ship with Windows Server 2008 in February 2008.
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Most of those using Bluetooth technology on their phone or laptop are unaware that they are susceptible to new threats: bluejacking, bluesnarfing and bluebugging. Bluejacking is a new method of sending an anonymous text message, and if Bluetooth is enabled, the device can be used to search other contacts and send them text messages. Bluejacking wouldn’t create a great danger. But bluesnarfing, which allows hackers to access information stored on a mobile device, can be dangerous. It takes advantage of a security flaw in older Bluetooth devices. But the most serious new Bluetooth threat is Bluebugging, where the hacker can access the commands without alerting the owner. The hacker could potentially make phone calls, send text messages, see contacts, eavesdrop on conversations and connect to the internet. The one thing to note with these threats is that the hacker usually has to be within 30 feet or so from the device. The moral of the story? Symantec suggests not turning on Bluetooth unless it is being used. They also suggest antivirus and firewall applications. Other effective methods are passwords and not opening attachments from people you don’t know. ]]>
The SoftwareMedia Tribune gives you all the latest software news, releases, innovations, tips, tricks and more. Keep up with the latest Software News and get exclusive discounts for SoftwareMedia.com in you inbox once a month!
Help & How To
Buy Discount Software
Video Software Guide
Audio Visual Software Guide
Internet Security 101
New Releases This Month
Adobe Visual Communicator
Adobe Coldfusion 8
Pinnacle Studio 11 Software
Scansoft Omnipage Pro 16
News in Brief
- Federal judge ruled class action lawsuit against “Windows Vista Capable” campaign may proceed.
- The next edition of Symantec Norton Security software - the 2008 edition - is expected to ship this month.
- Adobe denies that PDF spam is a security risk, after a surge of it this month.
- Symantec software announced it has no plans to make more large acquisitions, and future deals will be smaller.
- Nuance Communications completes acquisition of mobile software developer Tegic Communications.
This Month’s Deal
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The first update to Microsoft Windows Vista will arrive in the first quarter of 2008 in the form of Service Pack 1. The update is mostly a collection of existing fixes and tweaks for improving stability and reliability; it’s not a delivery with a lot of features. There will be a few minor enhancements, though, like the ability to encrypt multiple hard drive partitions using Vista’s BitLocker feature. Support for exFAT, a file format for removable storage and for EFI (extensible firmware interface) will also be added. The update is expected to be a hefty 1GB download and will require 7GB of free hard drive space to install, though much of that will be returned to the user after installation. There is controversy over whether the release will have a large effect on the plans of businesses to move to Vista. Analysts are doubtful, while Microsoft expects the release to prove that the OS is ready for mass adoption. In June Microsoft agreed to make changes to the desktop search feature in response to complaints from Google. It appears they will keep the promise with the SP1 release. In addition to SP1 for Windows Vista, the final service pack for Windows XP will be released.
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In a quiet move, AOL has stopped offering its free Active Virus Shield software in favor of using the McAfee VirusScan Plus program. AOL used Kapersky for about a year before quietly dropping it this month. The new AOL Portal, called AOL Internet Security Central, now offers McAfee VirusScan Plus, parental control software, identity theft protection and pop-up blockers. To install the McAfee software you simply have to sign up for an AOL account. One cited reason for the drop is that Kapersky was controversial and overly demanding, requiring that AOL permit spam or adware to users at some point in the future.
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Adobe has announced that its next edition of the Flash video player, Flash Player 9 (“Moviestar”), will soon support the video standard known as H.264. This is the same technology behind high-definition (HD) DVDs. Major movie studios and video-sharing sites have yet to announce any intention to run the high-definition, although most expect they will jump on board quickly. The Flash Player 9 will also include support for High Efficiency AAC audio standards. These new video and audio functions are already supported by many digital video authoring tools such as Premiere Pro and After Effects. Flash Player 9 will be available this fall via download.
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Corel Corporation has announced a partnership with CVS/Pharmacy to enhance the pharmacy’s photo customers experience with advanced photo editing, printing and sharing technology. Corel has developed CVS Photo Editor Plus, a solution based on Corel Snapfire, stating that “Corel understands how people interact with their digital images”. The Photo Editor will encourage customers to be more creative with their photos. It will allow customers to easily organize, enhance and share photos, as well as make stunning photo creations. It will be available on the CVS Picture CD or as a free download to millions of CVS/Pharmacy photo customers. CVS/Pharmacy is the largest pharmacy in North America, with 6,200 locations.
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The second beta test version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 was released this month. Visual Studio 2008 enables developers to rapidly create connected applications that deliver the highest quality rich user experiences. It will make it easier than ever to capture and analyze information, and to rapidly create more secure, manageable & reliable applications that take advantage of Vista and the 2007 Office system. Beta 1 of then-code-named “Orcas” was released this past April, and the final release is expected in late February 2008. Visual Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 are also expected to ship at that time.
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What was believed to be one of the largest global software piracy ring in the world has been busted. Raids in the southern region of China were led by the U.S., China and Microsoft, and exposed a $2 billion dollar software piracy ring. 13 products in 8 languages – including Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Symantec software – were distributed across 26 different countries. And the 55,000 copies that were confiscated only represent 1% of the estimated output of these programs. China has long been the world’s leading source of illegally copied goods, including clothes, movies and music. 24 people have been arrested.
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The most comprehensive collections from Adobe’s Creative Suite 3 line are now shipping. The release of Creative Suite 3 Production Premium and Creative Suite 3 Master Collection complete the CS3 roll out, the biggest release in Adobe’s 25 year history. Production Premium (MSRP $1,699) is a collection of integrated post-production software tools for video professionals working with film, broadcast, DVD, Web and mobile devices. Master Collection (MSRP $2,499) combines all 12 of Adobe’s design and development tools for the professional who is increasingly being asked to work with multiple media types. Both programs are available for Windows and Mac platforms and are now shipping. Also included in this release were these individual applications: Adobe After Effects CS3 Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, and Adobe Soundbooth CS3.
]]>Just when you think all the Vista hype is over, here are some cool new features of the OS that you soon won’t be able to live without. Business, Home Premium and Ultimate editions now include a program to back up and restore individual files, groups of files, or even the whole PC. Vista’s new snipping tool allows you to capture an image of any part of your screen (say goodbye to your Prt Scrn button). Vista can also generate a system health report to ensure your computer is operating at maximum efficiency. The Windows address bar performs like the address bar in IE (allowing you to visit websites) and like the Run command (allowing you to start programs and open documents). And finally Vista has one new feature exclusively for notebook users. The Windows Mobility Center lets you tweak display, volume, battery status, wireless connectivity and more.
Technorati Tags: vista, windows_vista, microsoft_windows_vista
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An updated release of Peachtree became available this month, the culmination of roughly 18 months of development. Sage’s “Customer Connected Design Center” allowed hundreds of customers – actual Peachtree users – to take part in enhancements and features. Performance enhancements, more user-control capabilities and improvements for producing more specific information output are among many changes to the program. 100 new fields, 50 new filters and 30 new sorting options for information make Peachtree 2008 yet again one of the best accounting programs for small businesses and industry niches.
Technorati Tags: peachtree, peachtree_2008, sage_software
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Google complained earlier this month that Microsoft’s Instant Search feature in Windows Vista is anticompetitive. They claimed that Microsoft hardwired the search making it impossible for third party desktop search products (like Google Desktop Search) to integrate into the system efficiently. Microsoft responded, saying Service Pack 1 would allow third party searches to work somewhat more effectively. Google was not satisfied. The US District Court judge overseeing Microsoft’s antitrust settlement finally addressed the ongoing complaints days ago, announcing that they will ignore them. “Google is not a party in this suit” the judge said, stating instead that she would “stand in the shoes of consumers”. ]]>
The crossover success of iTunes on Windows has prompted Apple to do it again. This time they’ll make the Safari Web browser available to users of Microsoft’s operating systems. The next edition of Safari (3.0) is now in beta and runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista, as well as the Mac OS X. The driving force behind the crossover is likely the iPhone. Apple is pitching Safari and Web-based applications for the highly anticipated new iPhone, due out in just days. The Apple iPod is already used by far more Windows users than Mac users.
Technorati Tags: safari, windows, browsers ]]>
The end is here for Adobe Freehand MX, one of a few Macromedia applications the company is discontinuing. Freehand MX was one of the first major illustration software packages for Mac… the first version released in 1988 and the 11th and last version in 2003. It is credited for popularizing Mac as the premiere platform for desktop publishing. While Adobe will continue to sell and offer support for Freehand MX (released in 2003), they will no longer develop new features or deliver patches or updates for new operating systems and hardware. Adobe is directing Freehand users to recently-released Illustrator CS3, and are offering a special upgrade price of $199. Like many end of the line, older versions of software, Freehand MX 11 is still available for purchase at SoftwareMedia.com.
Technorati Tags: freehand adobe, find adobe freehand, buy adobe freehand, macromedia freehand software
Nuance Communications has announced that it will purchase VoiceSignal Technologies to help jumpstart its advancement into voice-enabling mobile devices and services. Nuance is already the premier voice recognition software vendors, with its Dragon Naturally Speaking recognizing 99% of spoken words. VoiceSignal’s software lets users give voice commands to send a text message to a contact, and lets users search Internet search engines via voice. The deal, worth an estimated $293 million, should be finalized later this year.
Technorati Tags: nuance speech recognition, nuance mobile speech, nuance voice recognition
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235 – That’s the number of Microsoft patents that they claim open source software programs infringe upon. Open source software is freely distributed to consumers, businesses and to programmers (who can then modify, build on, and distribute all over again, for free). They make no money on software sales, instead making profit selling support services. Open source is one of the few operating systems that Microsoft views as a viable threat. With these accusations, Microsoft says it prefers licensing deals – with developers, distributors and users - instead of legal action. Their claims include that Linux software violates 42 patents; graphical user interfaces violate 65; email programs violate 15, and Open Office by Sun Microsystems violates 45.
Technorati Tags: microsoft vs open source, microsoft legal, microsoft law suits, microsoft legal accusations
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Symantec is working on the delivery of the next major upgrade to its security product for enterprises. The new program, code-named Hamlet, will be announced next month. It will incorporate technology from several of Symantec’s recent acquisitions. Hamlet will use WholeSecurity Inc.’s signature-based detection method, which relies on knowing the identity and characteristics of a bad program. It will also control policies for what devices can be connected to the network, a function from Sygate Technologies Inc. Hamlet will also include rootkit detection in addition to traditional antivirus and firewall features.
Technorati Tags: symantec security, symantec internet security, symantec new releases, symantec security enterprise
]]>Microsoft will soon have an answer to the popular Adobe Flash Player: its own plug-in called Microsoft Silverlight. Like Flash, Silverlight plays media files and displays interactive Web applications. And it works on Windows, Mac and in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. It will have an accompanying development tool for developers and designers, just like Flash. The targeted audience for the release is media and entertainment companies. Partners who have already shown interest in using the software include Major League Baseball and Netflix. The beta will be released later this month at the Mix07 conference for designers and Web developers, but only time will tell if Silverlight will shine.
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With Adobe’s new CS3 line now shipping, you may be wondering what is so special about the new Photoshop CS3 Extended Edition. It’s basically the same application with “extended” capabilities, and is meant to target new vertical markets like architecture, engineering, medicine and science. It is ideal for creative professionals using 3D and motion, and the extra features are targeted at video postproduction tasks, 3D texture-map editing and scientific image analysis.
Click here for a comprehensive buying guide to all the Adobe CS3 products.
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In its largest acquisition in four years, Business Objects has purchased software maker Cartesis for $300 million. Cartesis makes performance management software, including financial reporting and governance risk and compliance products. Known for business intelligence products aimed at the CIO of a company, this new purchase hints that they aim to expand their sales to CFOs as well. The deal follows a string of smaller acquisitions by Business Objects in the past year.
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5 billion people in the world have yet to benefit from the PC revolution. Microsoft hopes to reach 1 billion of those people with a new program for students that it will present to governments worldwide. It entails a low-cost bundle of Office and Windows. The $3 Student Innovation Suite includes Windows XP Starter, Office Home & Student 2007, Windows Live Mail Desktop and several educational products. To be eligible, governments must pay for at least half the price of the student’s PC.
“The biggest launch in Adobe’s 25 year history”, the launch of Creative Suite 3, took place this week with a webcast audience of over 10,000 people. The creative suite line is a revolutionary offering of tightly integrated design and development tools for every medium. The latest release not only unites the best of Adobe and Macromedia (which it acquired in 2005) products, but it is also set to run on PowerPC and Intel-base Macs, as well as on Windows Vista. CS3 will have three basic editions depending on your focus: Design, Web and Production. A Master Collection will also be available for those who design across all media. The CS3 line will ship in mid-April, along with the individual application releases, which include Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended Edition, Illustrator CS3, Flash CS3, Dreamweaver CS3, Fireworks CS3, Indesign CS3 and more. SoftwareMedia is your source for Adobe CS3 software. Check back for availability!
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Windows Vista is of to a fast start, selling more than 20 million copies since its January 30th release. Comparatively, Windows XP sold 17 million in its first two months. Says corporate VP Bill Veghte: “We are setting a foundation for Windows Vista to become the fastest-adopted version of Windows ever.” These figures include boxed copy sales and sales of new PC’s with Vista installed. And customers are purchasing with the future in mind, trying to get the most full-featured version possible. High-end versions of the operating system, such as Windows Vista Ultimate, have seen the most sales.
Technorati Tags: vista sales, windows vista, micrsoft vista
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Expanding its presence in the digital media software market, Corel’s acquisition of Ulead and InterVideo is now complete. InterVideo is a leader in digital media authoring and playback software, with a focus on high-definition video and DVD. Ulead leads in development of video imaging and DVD authoring software. Combined, they make up the broadest offering of digital media software from any manufacturer – ranging from photo sharing, image editing, advanced digital imaging, video editing, high-definition DVD creation and playback software.
Technorati Tags: corel corporation, corel ulead, corel intervideo, corel software
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Microsoft’s new Web site design and development tool, Expression Web, is more grown up than it’s predecessor FrontPage. It places CSS and XML at the core of its design strategy, and makes them as approachable as possible. So, while non-coders may have to go through more training than with FrontPage, the resulting sites will meet all current Web design standards. The program is more user friendly than others in its field, shielding much of the code from the user and offering templates and IntelliSense functions. Expression Web is Microsoft’s first release in the Expression line for creative professionals, which they hope will give rival Adobe some competition.
Technorati Tags: microsoft expression web, expression web, microsoft expression
]]>Wow. Sunday’s Academy Awards marked the beginning of Microsoft’s extended global marketing campaign, with a goal of delivering 6.6 billion viewings of Vista ads over the next few months. The budget is estimated around $500 Million, though the company has not given details.
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Norton 360 was released this month, nine months after Microsoft’s managed service OneCare was released. It touts all-in-one security for $79/year. It includes a firewall, antivirus software, antispyware scanning software, antiphishing protection, backup and restore and computer diagnostics tools. All this can be found on Microsoft’s OneCare Live service, which goes for around $49/year. Both programs can be installed on up to three PCs. Other than price, or perhaps brand preference, the difference between the two suites is that Norton’s allows for online backup. 2GB are included free, and additional storage can be purchased for a small fee. Note that Microsoft’s OneCare requires removal of all antivirus and firewall applications before starting. Symantec also claims lighter processor load and faster performance. Whatever you decide, it appears managed online security services are the way to go this year!
]]>Nuance Communications, the market leader in speech and imaging solutions like Dragon Naturally Speaking, has acquired BeVocal Inc. The acquisition of the provider of self-service customer care to wireless carriers was for $140 Million. BeVocal specifically provides support with handset activation and sales of add-on features. Nuance sees BeVocal’s expertise and established relationships with carriers such as Cingular Wireless and Virgin Mobile as a great opportunity to expand Nuance’s presence in the mobile market.
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In line with its strategy to create a nimble set of productivity tools with Internet tie-ins, Corel released a free beta version of its new WordPerfect Lightning today. Lightning includes basic word processing and note taking tools: Navigator is a floating window that displays a list of files and notes in progress; Notes allows for basic word processing like formatting, bullets and screen shots; Viewer is a speedy program for opening PDF files and DOCs. Lightning synchronizes content on your hard drive with online folders at Joyent, which offers a generous 200MB of storage as well as e-mail, a calendar, bookmarking and collaboration capabilities. Gather Ideas - Capture your ideas in an easy-to-use workspace.
View Documents - Look at at, read, print and save multiple document types in one place.
Organize Your Thoughts - Use the familiar ‘tree and folder’ structure to arrange information.
Share With Others - Send notes to friends and colleagues, inviting content and comments.
Download the Beta Version Free! ]]>
The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. Beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier (March 11, 2007) and end one week later (November 4, 2007). The goal of extending DST is so the sun will set one hour later, therefore minimizing energy use and the demand for electricity to light households.
The following everyday devices and programs will likely have incorrect time zone settings during the new four-week period: clocks, cell phones, PDA’s, fax machines, VOIP phone systems, computer operating systems, IT systems and more.
Most applications will be fixed with a simple patch. Here are some links to information and patches from major vendors:
Apple
Blackberry
Cisco
IBM
Juniper
Microsoft
MySQL
Novell
Oracle
Red Hat
Sun Microsystems
WordPress
A common workaround for many devices is to turn off the function that automatically adjusts the clock for DST. This can be done in Windows, for example, by right-clicking the time on the task bar; clicking “adjust date/time”; clicking the “time zone” tab; and un-checking the box that says “automatically adjust clock for DST changes”.
*Please note, DST is not observed in Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Arizona.
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January’s Consumer Electronics Show brought the industry’s top movers and shakers to Las Vegas, including, of course, Microsoft. In Bill Gates’ annual address, he spoke of plans for a home server, code-named “Quattro”. The server will target mainstream consumer households with two or more PCs. The software functions include linking up information stored on devices (such as PCs, Xboxes and Zune); remote access; the ability to stream video and music to devices; information backup and recovery; and the ability to add and remove disk drives as you please. The software is based on Windows Server 2003, but Microsoft says the interface will be much more user friendly.
Learn more about Microsoft Home Server plans at Microsoft.com.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft Home Server, Home Server, Microsoft Quattrro
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Several lawsuits, child molestations and loads of criticism later, MySpace is finally making a move toward better security for its underage users. The company will provide parents with a notification software, code named “Zephyr”. It will allow parents to see the name, age, and location their children are using, and warn of any changes made to this data. It will not allow them to read their child’s e-mail or see their profile page. Some call MySpace’s recent efforts minor, and further legal action is being investigated if they refuse to raise the age limit from 14 to 16. Currently 22% of MySpace users are under 18. MySpace’s reaction to the legal threats?
They say it’s better to have the limit at 14 than have them lie about their age, an act typically done by those assuming other identities. Currently 14-15 years olds are given a private profile that cannot be viewed by members over 18. Users under 18 can’t access “mature” groups and can block contact from unknown adults. Zephyr will put some of the security burden back on parents, though some are skeptical parents will actually use the software. Another recommended step is that the company finds a way to verify member ages against public databases. Click here for MySpace safety tips.
Technorati Tags: MySpace Safety, My Space Safety, MySpace Safety Software
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A Los Angeles man was convicted of spam e-mailing, the first such case in the United States. Jeffery Goodin was found guilty of running a scam that fooled users into giving out personal information, believing they were working with a legitimate business. Goodin compromised AOL accounts to send out e-mails appearing to be from AOL’s billing department. He sent millions of e-mails during the course of his career as a spammer. He is convicted of spam and ten other counts, and will be sentenced in June 2007 to a maximum of 101 years in prison.
Are you concerned about spam and other internet security issues? Try the new Internet Security Suite 2007 by Computer Associates.
Technorati Tags: spam laws, spam protection
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With the help of companies like IBM, Intel and Hewlett-Packard, Linux has gone from an experimental idea to an almost-mainstream operating system. Those same companies have joined forces to support the free OS collaboratively, forming the Linux Foundation. Their mission: to help Linux compete more effectively against Microsoft. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, says “I work on the technology itself, not any of the other issues,” and he willingly accepts the partnership with the Linux Foundation. The Linux Foundation hopes to improve in areas where Microsoft does well, such as the promotion, protection, and standardization of the OS.
Technorati Tags: Linux Foundation, Linus Torvalds
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As reported by Computerworld, PC users didn’t think they were more secure in 2006. Online attacks have become more sophisticated, and there are more money-hungry cybercriminals than ever. Microsoft patched more bugs in ’06 than any previous year, new classes of attacks were discovered, vendor security complaints have risen, and, oh yes, spam is back.
Here are the top five security stories of 2006:
Organized Internet criminals often lack the expertise and access to commit cybercrimes like writing computer viruses, committing identity theft and laundering money, but they do have the funds to support them. Many have taken a new approach, recruiting promising students at universities, computer clubs, and online forums. Recruits are planted in businesses as “sleepers”, and then paid to write viruses that can send spam or infect millions of computers with spyware that can detect credit card numbers and personal information. Protect you and your company from cybercrimes with McAfee Internet Security 2007.
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Google Inc. and NASA have announced a partnership that will combine Google’s technology with NASA’s abundance of data and images. Some of the outcomes of the collaboration will include online real-time weather images and forecasting. High-resolution 3D maps will allow users to take virtual “flights” across the moon and through canyons on Mars. Users will also be able to track the International Space Station and the space shuttle in real-time. This announcement comes after the memorandum the two signed last year to cooperate on supercomputing, biotechnology and nanotechnology. The two may even plan to share personnel, facilities, equipment and technology.
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A new Vista security feature called ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) will randomly arrange positions of key data areas to block hackers from predicting target addresses, making Vista more resilient to virus and worm attacks. But in order for the feature to work properly, computer manufacturers would have to make changes at the BIOS level, making DEP/NX (Data Execution Prevention/No eXecute) enabled by default. Major manufacturers like Dell, Gateway and Hewlett-Packard have all agreed to the changes, which Microsoft security program manager Michael Howard says is “huge”. As for CPUs that today support DEP/NX, users will be able to manually verify that DEP is enabled.
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Crystal Reports XI from Business Objects is better than all other report writers on the market, according to a CRN Magazine product review. An “essential tool to have in every organization”, Crystal Reports is tops.
From the very start, Crystal Reports XI is much improved. Like the start page, whose clean design borrows the open Web-like user interface concept from some of Microsoft’s server UI’s. Online help, support, updates and training are easier than ever. Also improved is a user’s ability to run searches and jump between projects.
Crystal Reports XI features enhancements like cascading prompts, better exporting configs, including RTF, HTML previews and enhanced sorting. Report prompts don’t have to be placed into static lists any longer, and prompt definitions can now be shared in multiple reports. Sorting group values now can have their own formulas, with sorted reports being consolidated via a parameter mechanism. Sorting formulas used in parameters allow users with different sorting requirements to access the same report. This feature reduces the number of reports that need to be maintained.
The new HTML What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) preview eliminates having to publish reports each time you make an update. And a helpful new feature automates adding report data into charting and cross-tab features, so they can automatically be generated during the design process. Convert raw XML files into formatted reports, HTML or WML. The driver accepts both DTD (Document Type Definition) and schemas, and works on top of Java’s J2SE 1.4 SDK. The software also arrives with a DataDirect that accepts XML over ODBC data sources. This access is limited to specific structures but can accept multiple file types such as data island files, ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) and hierarchical formatted files.
Crystal Reports has come a long way since the days it associated formulas with report fields directly. Its new Formula Editor breaks down all the coding aspects of a report into formulas, formats, SQL expressions and functions. Separating procedures into well-defined steps, formulas and functions interact with reports more simply. Add code to each report section, including code that can change behavior based on input data, or even change the look and feel between sections. On multiple levels, Crystal Reports has become bigger, better, and more productive. See all Versions of Crystal Reports.
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A prank screen saver that mimics the blue screen caused by a software error that freezes Windows is now available on Microsoft’s website. BlueScreen v3.2 cycles different “blue screens of death” and rotates through startup screens typically seen during a system boot. Its accuracy has even fooled IT departments and NT developers. But security software manufacturers are not amused. McAfee, for example, is preventing its users from downloading the software because it is meant to scare people. Whether it amuses you or not, Microsoft has decided to keep the prank on their site as a download.
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Symantec has released the first beta version of Norton 360 to the public. Sold as a yearly subscription, 360 provides virus, spyware and fraud protection, automated backup and restore and computer tune-up tools. The service will basically run itself, doing things like anti-virus scans while the PC is idle. Symantec created the product to give computer users a full range of automatic, easily understood, yet powerful protection. Both Microsoft and McAfee have released similar subscription-based security programs, and Symantec has stated they hope to have their program ready this year.
Technorati Tags: Norton Security, Buy Norton, Norton 360, Norton Three Sixty
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Microsoft has widely released Internet Explorer 7, yet Quickbooks 2004 and 2005’s Internet features are not compatible. If you’re using one of these prior Quickbooks versions, you won’t be able to use browser-based features like Help, Navigator and Payroll. Intuit plans to release a patch in December for Quickbooks 2005, though they say 2004 will not be compatible with IE7. In the meantime, they suggest declining the IE7 update or rolling back to IE6. Another option would be to upgrade to QuickBooks 2007, which is fully compatible with IE7. Quickbooks is not the first program to have issues with the new IE release.
Technorati Tags: quickbooks 2007, quickbooks 07, quick books 2007, quickbooks pro 2007, quickbooks professional 2007
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With Vista’s release coming soon, Microsoft is remembering the epic release party of Windows 95 that corresponded with an Office suite upgrade. It was all the news could talk about, there was a big release festival in Redmond, and people waited in lines at computer stores for hours to get it. So are Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 as much of a must-have as the 95 release was? We think so. A lot has changed since the 2001 release of XP. Vista will have much-needed improved security, mobility, visual appeal, backup systems and search capability. Only time will tell if consumers hype Microsoft’s release like they did 11 years ago.
Vista comes out in January, reserve your copy today!
Technorati Tags: reserve vista, buy windows vista, buy vista, microsoft vista
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Two of the biggest security software manufacturers, Symantec and McAfee, are stepping up their accusations that Microsoft’s Windows Vista blocks their software. Microsoft will include antivirus and anti-spyware software with the new OS, better security being a primary reason for the release. In addition, they have closed off access to the “Windows kernel”, the primary way that security software products gain access to detect and block rootkits, keystroke-logging software, and worms. The trouble with the kernel is that it becomes a loophole that allows malware creators to exploit those same interfaces, a threat that Microsoft says outweighs the benefits. Symantec and McAfee say the move undercuts their products at a convenient time – when Microsoft is entering the desktop security software market.
Addressing competitive concerns, Microsoft held an online meeting with security companies last week. But the conference crashed shortly after it started, and Symantec and McAfee were not able to get back in. While many are saying this is just a coincidence, it does beg the question, while Microsoft is clearly very serious about improving the level of security in Vista, how serious are they about outreaching to security companies?
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Large threats spammed to millions of mailboxes are widespread, but not usually a grave concern anymore. More targeted attacks are what keep corporations up at night. Though they only make up a tiny portion of overall threats, targeted Trojan horses are used for industrial espionage and other financial crimes. They send messages to email addresses at an organization with an attachment—typically a Microsoft Word document—that installs keystroke-logging or screen-scraping software. Seeing as a typical attack is sent to 1-10 email addresses, they usually go undetected by security software.
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October sees two new browser releases with Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0
Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer, the planet’s largest Internet browsers, released huge upgrades this month. IE 7.0 plays catchup to many of its competitors, adding features such as the popular tabbed browsing. Microsoft enhanced the feature with QuickTabs, which reduces tabs to tiled thumbnails for a simple view. They also added integrated search and support of RSS feeds, improved print functions and enhanced security touches. Even if you don’t download it yourself, you’ll get the installer automatically via Windows Update, so IE users enjoy! As for the Firefox 2.0 update, Mozilla made a new interface, better security, improved crash protection and other small but useful tweaks.
As expected, both browser releases were not without bugs. Experts have found a weakness in Internet Explorer 7.0 called the “Spoofing Bug”. It is a bug that allows a Web site to display a pop-up that can contain a spoofed web address, which attackers could exploit to trick people into believing they’re on a trusted website. Bug hunters have found two bugs in Firefox 2.0 that Mozilla’s security chief says are “just noise” and have been fixed, adding “we think it’s great that the security community is working so hard to help us identify bugs”.
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Adobe Systems has released a beta version of Soundbooth, an audio-editing program for Web designers and video professionals. Soundbooth is alternative to their current audio product, Audition, and will have more appeal for people who are not audio specialists. It is expected to be included in future versions of creative suite, as design and video professionals are being asked to do more and more with audio. The interface will be more user-friendly than Audition, with the goal that users will be able to learn the program by using it, rather than studying a tutorial. Soundbooth is expected to be released next year and will cost around $350.
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With a new feature called “Anytime Upgrade”, Microsoft has confirmed that all versions of Vista will be shipped on one single DVD. This will let customers upgrade to a higher version directly, without having to physically get new media. Users will initially get only one product key (for the version they purchased), but will have the option to pay to upgrade later. There is speculation that the decrease in production cost could mean cheaper upgrades, but Microsoft has yet to comment. Reserve Vista Today
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A bi-annual security threat report by Symantec found that “phishing” e-mail messages sent in the first half of 2006 had increased by 81% over the prior six months. Phishers pretend to be legitimate financial organizations and ask for personal information, account numbers and passwords - which they may use maliciously. They have become more sophisticated at dodging spam filters and researching networking and personal websites to find individual information. Symantec has addressed this issue with its new release of Internet Security 2007, which contains phishing shield protection. Avoid phishing scams, order today!
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More and more, family members are unable to access important data because lost loved ones have not left passwords behind. It’s an increasingly common problem as people move their lives (address books, calendars, financial information, etc.) online. Most e-mail providers will not give out the information due to privacy laws, stating their commitment to customer confidentiality. So what can be done? This dilemma can be avoided by putting passwords to e-mail and other online accounts in an estate planning document that will be viewed by a trusted individual or an attorney.
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In a recent USA Today feature, Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe Systems, says it all started at his dad’s Brooklyn appliance store. “His business was about loyalty and word of mouth. He would do anything for the customer.” Chizen has been Adobe’s CEO since 2000, and he has brought the same customer focus to the company. Addressing the high cost of Adobe’s programs, he says that Adobe’s customers want the best and they care about quality. Under his reign Adobe has effectively doubled its revenue. It also doubled its customer base with the acquisition of rival company Macromedia last year, bringing even more popular programs into the mix.
Earlier this month Adobe announced the release of an updated Creative Suite, Creative Suite 2.3. The new edition will include an Acrobat 8 Professional that has been enhanced by Macromedia technology, and it will ship with Macromedia’s Dreamweaver program, one of the top web development programs around. Pre-Order Adobe Creative Suite 2.3 today. It is expected to ship in early November.
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Symantec recently updated its most widely used security software programs: Norton Antivirus 2007 and Norton Internet Security 2007. Both now provide better protection and system performance. The new versions have improved on memory use, boot time, scan speed and download speed, making them more nimble overall. Norton Antivirus 2007 can protect your PC against viruses, spyware and related risks, while Internet Security 2007 includes antivirus and anti-spyware protection along with firewall, intrusion protection and a phishing shield. Available for shipment immediately.
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Adobe Creative Suite release 2.3 places a focus on smooth creation and output of PDF files, starting with the addition of Acrobat 8 Professional. Acrobat 8 Pro has advanced tools for high-quality PDF files, helping to automate workflow and control costs. Specifically, Acrobat 8 has improved on the print preview function, allowing a more realistic view before printing. CS 2.3 also allows for collaborative reviews, digital signatures and submitting forms. And it now ships with Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 for Web design and development. Available in early November 2006, pre-order Creative Suite 2.3 Premium today!
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Adobe has announced two new releases of its “Elements” software line: Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Premiere Elements 3.0. Available separately or as a bundle, these programs give you professional editing capabilities with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. They allow you to edit, display and share your personal media the way you want, with new capabilities for mobile devices such as iPods or cellular phones.
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The new Adobe Captivate 2.0 has gotten a major upgrade that allows you to create interactive simulations, software demonstrations, scenarios and more… all without programming knowledge or multimedia skills. With Captivate 2.0, training professionals, educators or business people can quickly create content with interaction, feedback, audio and video. With an intuitive interface, Captivate generates content in Flash format, which can be viewed by millions of Web users. Captivate 2.0 is expected to ship later this year.
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Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 has been issued to about 500,000 Technical Beta Program, MSDN and Technet subscribers. Traditionally, the “Release Candidate” version is considered to be a complete and stable version. When RC1 is found to be bug free, it is followed with the Release to Manufacture (RTM) version (for OEM vendors) and then Final Code (for sale to public). Later this month, Microsoft will offer about 1.5 million public downloads to current beta testers, and 2 million copies to the general public for further testing.
RC1 should mark the final strech for the operating system, but many will not be surprised if Microsoft makes one more public release before finalizing Vista. Unlike Vista RC1, Microsoft made a huge media splash back in 2001 with the release of XP RC1, announcing 115 days until final release (a promise it kept).
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The available date of Microsoft’s upcoming operating system, Windows Vista, has been pushed back numerous times. The release date has gone from “before the holidays” to January 2007, and it is now expected in late January. But Microsoft has made it clear that they will not hesitate to delay the release yet again if it has any concerns about the quality of the software. Many analysts feel that, in fact, Microsoft will need to push the date back again, noting that it normally takes nine to twelve months to ship the final product after the second “beta” release. Windows Vista Beta 2 came out in May.
Some PC makers may actually be hoping for a delay in order to avoid having to market an operating system that does not yet exist. Researchers expect the most recent delay, causing them to miss the 2006 holiday season, could cost them roughly 1.1 million units sold.
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Microsoft Canada briefly posted retail pricing information for each of the new Vista editions. Though they were immediately taken down, we have the prices here for you, converted to United States dollars. Please note that there is no telling whether these prices will remain nor how the pricing scheme in the U.S. will be, thus these prices are subject to change.
Full Versions
- Vista Home Basic - $233
- Vista Home Premium - $269
- Vista Business - $341
- Vista Enterprise - no price listed
- Vista Ultimate - $450
Upgrade Versions
- Vista Home Basic Upgrade - $116
- Vista Home Premium Upgrade - $179
- Vista Business Upgrade - $224
- Vista Enterprise Upgrade - no price listed
- Vista Ultimate Upgrade - $269
The pricing scheme is about what was expected. Since most people will be upgrading, $100 - $300 isn’t bad for a Microsoft operating system. Another thing to keep in mind is that there will likely be discounts and promotions this holiday season, even though Vista isn’t expeced to ship until late January of 2007. Microsoft is currently discussing a range of promotions with PC makers, in an effort to avoid disappointing sales during the holiday season as consumers wait for the much-anticipated software release.
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Protecting the environment is an increasing concern in all aspects of our lives, and technology is no exception. There are several steps each of us can take to lessen our impact on the environment. 1. Turn off the computer if you’re not using it (especially at night and weekends). In contrast to popular belief, this does not take up more energy than leaving it running, and it can also reduce wear on the system. 2. Use the computer’s power-management features to conserve energy while the computer is running. 3. Recycle or donate your old technology; it protects the environment from hazardous wastes. Monitors, computers, keyboards and printer cartridges can all be recycled (independently or through the manufacturer), and donating these items can help those in need.
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In a posting on a Mozilla newsgroup site, Microsoft’s open-source software lab offered “some 1:1 support in getting Firefox and Thunderbird to run on Vista,” stressing the software giant’s commitment to open source projects. Thunderbird is Mozilla’s email client and its Firefox web browser is one of Internet Explorer’s few competitors. Because of this, among other factors, the invite was initially received with mixed emotions in the online community (many skeptical of Microsoft’s motives, others not clear why help is needed). But Mozilla has accepted the offer. Mozilla software engineers will get one-on-one time with Microsoft people at its open source facility in Redmond, WA.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommends that Windows users apply Microsoft Security Patch MS06-040 as soon as possible. The patch will fix a vulnerability that could enable an attacker to remotely take control of a system and install programs, view, change or delete data, and create new accounts. DHS advises to make haste, as the vulnerability could impact government, private industry and individual home users alike. Users may visit http://update.microsoft.com and select “express” to install these critical security updates. Visit Microsoft.
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With the new release of Quark 7, the debate over the best page design software continues. Earlier this Summer Quark released its first upgrade in three years, addressing some issues that now put it back in competition with Adobe’s InDesign. Among them: integration of the OpenType font format; ability to manipulate the opacity of objects and type; add drop shadows without Photoshop; tab functions; improved palette control; and more. Though Quark lagged in InDesign’s shadow for some time, these new features prove that the program is still in the running. Visit Quark.
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Internet Explorer 7, the “high priority” update from Microsoft, will address the many security vulnerabilities in IE 6. It will be delivered via Automatic Updates in Windows XP. The Automatic Updates feature (typically used for just patching security weaknesses) is being implemented because of the significance of the security enhancements in IE 7. Though users will be given the choice to install, not install or postpone installation, businesses are encouraged to prepare for the update expected later this year.
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At first glance, the new version of FileMaker appears to be a minor upgrade from last year’s 8.0, but a closer look shows some big enhancements. The new “Web Viewer”, integrates browser functionality into the database interface. An advanced script debugger allows developers to quickly track down and fix coding errors on the fly. Other improvements include increased speed, better PDF support and a vastly improved help and demonstration system. Visit FileMaker.Technorati Tags: filemaker 8.5, new filemaker, file maker pro, filemaker pro, filemaker, filemaker database, filemaker developer, filemaker software, filemaker pro software, database software filemaker pro, filemaker program, filemaker pro program ]]>
This is ultimately a matter of opinion, but has the new Apple television campaign gone too far? The commercials feature a laid-back, 20-something, casual guy (“I’m a Mac”) and a pudgy, middle-aged man in a suit (“I’m a PC”), conversing as if they were two computers. In one ad, the PC is sneezing - the result of exposure to thousands of viruses - while the Mac stands unafraid, declaring that he doesn’t get sick. The ads, portraying PC users as uptight dorks, come at an interesting time, with Apple’s hyped-up new ability to run Windows. What do you think? Click on the title to add your comments.
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“This project is about learning, not about laptops,” says Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the One Laptop per Child association. The program addresses shortage of computer access in the poor and rural areas of the world by providing $100 laptops purchased at cost. Negroponte continues to say, “No matter which global problem you are addressing … the solution always includes education.”
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