Microsoft exec warned Bill Gates: 'I would buy a Mac today'

A senior Microsoft executive told Bill Gates in 2004 that he would buy a Mac if only he was not employed by the Windows maker. In an email dated 7 January 2004, Jim Allchin, who is co-president of Microsoft's Platform Products and Services Group, told Gates, the company's co-founder, and chief executive Steve Ballmer, that Microsoft had lost its way. The email was submitted as evidence by attorney Richard Hagstrom in an Iowa court, on the second day of Comes v Microsoft, an class action lawsuit against the software maker that alleges unfair business practices harmed consumers. ...more

Rights Management Server gets a Service Pack

Microsoft has released Service Pack 1 for its Rights Management Server (RMS). The update adds a number of new features designed to broaden the appeal of the product, which sets 'persistent protection' for documents and emails that stipulates what can and cannot be done with the information contained. Firstly, the update strips RMS of the requirement for online activation so that it can be deployed in high security networks not connected to the Internet, a trait common to some public sector departments. ...more

A second Excel flaw emerges

Another 'zero day' security flaw has emerged with Excel just as Microsoft is scrambling to fix the vulnerability that appeared last week. The new vulnerability could be exploited by convincing a user to click on a link on a specially crafted Excel spreadsheet, meaning a criminal hacker could gain control of the computer. According to an alert sent to customers by security firm Symantec, the security breach occurs when Excel fails to check user-supplied input properly before copying it to an insufficiently sized memory buffer. ...more

Opera Fast Forwards its new browser

Opera Software has finished polishing the new version of its desktop browser - Opera 7. The Norwegian company describes version 7 as a substantial upgrade, with the browser being rewritten from the rendering engine up. New features include a Fast Forward button for multiple page documents and the Wand for managing single click log-ins for password-protected sites. ...more

First lunar eclipse of 2001

You may be interested to know that one Japanese Web site is broadcasting live a lunar eclipse. On 9 January at around 9pm GMT, the live-eclipse.org site will feature the first lunar eclipse of 2001 and if you are lucky you might just see the moon turn a shocking shade of red. ...more