Microsoft opening up on the Web

Microsoft opening up on the Web

news analysis On the PC, Microsoft may not be writing every program that people use, but by controlling the operating system, the company has maintained a dominant position.

The company is in the early stages of trying to carve out a similar role on the Internet. To do that, Microsoft is not just branching out, but also reaching out to make itself more compatible with rivals.

"When you talk to people who are heavy Internet users, they don't all use just one service from one company," Microsoft corporate vice president Chris Jones said in an interview this week. "They end up using a smattering of services."

For sure, Microsoft would like to have people use its Web mail service, its instant-messaging software and its blog software, but what it wants most is to ensure that it has some central role for the vast majority of Web surfers.

Of course, Microsoft is not alone in this pursuit. Google and Yahoo, and potentially others, also covet such a role. And in many cases, rivals have the early lead.

Microsoft is trying to strike back by building on its strength--Windows. While its first products were browser-based services and largely a rebranding of existing MSN products, the company's latest products are desktop programs. They are also more open. Windows Live Mail, for example, works particularly well with a Windows Live Hotmail account, but also can be used with other Web mail services.

Directions on Microsoft analyst Matt Rosoff said he expects this to become a model for Microsoft as time goes on. "I don't think we've seen anywhere close to the end of these," he said. (Rosoff is also a writer for the CNET blog network.)
Microsoft's newfound openness is evident in several other pieces of the company's strategy.

For those who do like the Windows Live services on the Web, the company is making sure they are accessible from non-Microsoft devices as well. The company recently struck a deal with Nokia to make Microsoft services accessible from its smart phones.

And as it tries to take on Adobe's ubiquitous Flash with its Silverlight platform for Web developers, Microsoft is again hoping to be seen as open, announcing this week that it will add support for Linux, in addition to Windows and the Mac.

The idea is that, at some point along the way to the Internet, Microsoft--and therefore its ad engine--touch nearly everyone. Of course, this is a bit harder than it has been on the desktop side.

In some cases, Microsoft is hoping that it can move into markets where it is not already a strong player, largely by aggregating the efforts of others. Social networking is one area where the company has discussed such a role.

Jones again hinted at this, saying that in the real world he has many different social networks and that he expects the same to be true on the Internet. "I'll probably be involved in many and what I'll want to do is make it really easy to stay in touch with all of them," he said. "And so how can we build software services that help?"

In some cases, Microsoft is also looking to link its existing tools with the social networks, such as a deal with Bebo to use Microsoft's contacts and instant-messaging technologies. The contacts part of the arrangement means that on Bebo there will be a secure way for Windows Live users to bring their contacts over to the social network. That contrasts with many social-network sites that just ask for your e-mail account name and password.

Aiming to provide more of the basics
Beyond such one-off deals, Microsoft is eyeing a role at providing some more basic services, such as sharing and accessing files. Windows Live Photo Gallery, a Windows application that went into public beta testing this week, is an example of a starting point for photo storage, but Microsoft has its sights set higher.

"Over time you'd like to have the service so that all your photos were available from any device, not just the ones you put in your photo album, and that it was easy to have those things backed up, to have them with the resolution you want, and then to have very collaborative experiences with pictures," Jones said.

"So, that you can see with photos we've taken a big step in this release of Windows Live, but we've got more to do."

The same goes for file sharing, he said. "We have a cloud-based way to do file sharing called SkyDrive, and then we have a peer-to-peer based way to do it called FolderShare," Jones said. "Well, over time it might make sense for us to really start to make that experience be seamless so you could get to all your files from anywhere."

Those two are just the first pieces in what Microsoft hopes will be an entire Live infrastructure that developers can write on top of, much the way they write programs that run on top of Windows today. It's a notion that some have dubbed a "cloud OS."

Such services are going to take massive amounts of storage space, which Microsoft also believes will eventually lead to a battle between only a few large companies for many of these core infrastructure pieces.

But as it pursues these different strategies, clashes among different parts of Microsoft seem inevitable. Silverlight, the Windows Live services team and the Live infrastructure group are all trying to be Web platforms of one sort or another.

And even the browser is a tough one for Microsoft. The company doesn't want to lose potential users of its services by not supporting Firefox, but Internet Explorer market share helps strengthen Windows.

"It gets to 'What is the goal of Windows Live?'" Rosoff said. "You want the most audience for the services, but you want to maintain the importance of Windows, and Internet Explorer is a part of Windows. There are some conflicts with the entire online services strategy," Rosoff said.

But internal conflict is part of Microsoft's way of doing business. Rosoff notes that the Windows Media Center, Xbox and Internet TV groups all are aiming to be the center of the digital living room.

"To some degree that's the way Microsoft has always worked," Rosoff said. "They've always allowed technology to compete and not necessarily picked a winner."

By : Ina Fried
Keyword : Staff Writer, CNET News.com

How To Keep Your Computer Secure

How To Keep Your Computer Secure

How would you react if you found out that your email had been accessed without your permission? How would you feel if all your personal and private information had been leaked and was available for anyone who wanted it? Doesn't sound very comforting does it? Well, there is a way to avoid all that and remain reasonably assured that your information is secure. It's all about good passwords...

Good passwords are hard to come by. Most of us have to pick our passwords rather suddenly without much warning? Go beyond your name, your partners name birthdays, favourite colors etc. You can probably already see a pattern forming here, can't you? Ok, now for the scary part: most passwords are easily guessed and provide virtually no protection.. on the foot path where everyone can see it and grab it!

So how do we fix this? We think up a better password. Does that mean something long, awful and cryptic that you wont remember and will probably have to write down in case you forget it? Please no! That's the sort of password that snooping people want! So we need to strike a balance somewhere One that is much more than some simple detail, yet cryptic enough that it couldn't be guessed too easily.

Let's assume for a second your name is Andrew. Now, say Andrew wants something simple, yet based on his name which will act as a "keyword" to help him easily recall his password. We'll mix in some UPPER and lower case characters and some numbers to replace letters, also known as elite speak, or 1337 speak. He might come up with up AnDr3w. That's decent. If one of your hobbies is let's say surfing he might try and combine his passion with his password. We'll abbreviate "internet" as simply "net". Here come the substitution and we get "n3T". Excellent! Now to combine them as two words. Now most people separate words with a space " ", but on the internet, that is best represented as an underscore "_". So, we'll combine them both using our new tricks to get "AnDr3w_n3T". Excellent!

What you need is a password that you don't have to write down, is uncrackable, simple and comfortably to use. I say "practically" because given enough time, any password in the world can be cracked. But this one should keep the password crackers busy and by the time they're even remotely close to it, he's changed it and they will have to begin again.

Why not think of a nursery rhyme whereas you take the first letter of every word and add a number or letter.g.: "baa baa black sheep have you any wool" turns into "bbbshyaw" and "humpty dumpty sat on the wall" turns into "hdsotw2005". Let your imagination run wild with the sorts of passwords you can create using this technique.

So the next time you hear of someone's account being broken into, or see someone trying to find a sticky note with their password on it, just remember, with a password created using the above techniques you wont really have to worry as much about either of those problems.

By : Michael Kanehl
Keyword : How To Keep Your Computer Secure

The 10 Best FREE Animated Screensavers

The 10 Best FREE Animated Screensavers

The following are in my opinion the 10 best free screensavers available for download on the internet. They are all guaranteed to be without viruses or spyware and are completely free and safe to use. Anyhow, heres the list and a brief description of each screensaver:

1. TROPIC WATERFALL - This Tropic Waterfall is truly a wonder. As you watch this amazing waterfall you can't help but think about how marvelous nature is to create something so special. As you look at this site, you can hear the sounds of this paradise. You can get a look at all those tropical butterflies and birds while you enjoy the peacefulness of this waterfall falling into a beautiful bay. This animated screensaver is sure to bring you to this calm state you deserve after long hours working on a computer.

2. ALPINE LAKE - What a beautiful and peaceful site this is. Let yourself get carried away by this amazing animated screensaver. You'll enjoy the calmness of the alpine world and its wildlife as you get a glimpse of the fishes in the lake as well as bears enjoying the surroundings. As the day passes by, make sure you watch the moon rise over the snowy mountain tops.

3. WATERFALL BAY - Watch this deserted bay with its wonderful waterfall. This animated screensaver is so soothing, as you listen to the calming sound of the waterfall as the birds are chirping and flying sky high, you will also appreciate those colorful butterflies fluttering over the flower filled meadow.

4. CORAL ISLAND - This exceptional screensaver will transport you in a tropical paradise where you can admire the colorful sea life of the surrounding coral reef. Download this unique animated screensaver, and dive into this magical tropical paradise!

5. THREE BEARS - Watch bears playing together undisturbed by human presence. See their natural behavior as they frolic around a fallen tree trunk. Their playful and gentle personality will make you see them in a whole new perspective. Download this amazing animated screensaver and seize the opportunity to watch bears enjoying life as they do when no one is watching.

6. SEAFLOOR SHIPWRECK - Watching this scene is as close as it gets to a real scuba dive. You will explore the sunken ship, as well as the beautiful surroundings and the colorful fishes. But make sure you watch out for the octopus and sharks!!! Download this amazing screensaver, and dive amongst the marine life filled with surprises!!!

7. DEEP IN THE JUNGLE - Only deep inside the jungle can you actually enjoy such a pleasant view. Download this animated screensaver and get a peak of the jungle life. From a monkey enjoying his day on a branch to a tiger taking a walk, you'll love all the action and sounds. Make sure you also get a glimpse of the colourful parrot and butterflies. Let yourself get carried away by all it has to offer you.

8. SUMMER - A paradisiac beach, a calm and quiet spot shaded by the palm three, which is what this animated screen saver, has to offer. While you enjoy watching the monkey relaxing on this palm tree, you can catch a glimpse of the small sailboat.

9. SPRING FOREST - Celebrate the beginning of Spring, by taking a walk in this beautiful Spring Forest. You will enjoy all the colorful butterflies, as well as the calming sound of water and the chant of the birds. Download this animated screensaver and celebrate the arrival of Spring.

10. GOTTHIQUESQUE FIRE - This amazing gotthiquesque fireplace is sure to give you the warmth you seek in those long cold days. This real-time animated screensaver is sure to relax. You will like the fact the time on the clock is in sync with the time on your computer.

By : Jeremy Den Hartog
Keyword : Screensavers

Review of HP, Toshiba, and Dell Computers

Review of HP, Toshiba, and Dell Computers

Whenever you are in the market for any common consumer good, you find your self inundated with advertising slogans and marketing messages. So, how do you find out what is best for you?

Take the case of computers. With the high rate of obsolescence in computer hardware, you will find yourself in the marketplace for computers quite often. And then it all begins: You are bombarded with technical specifications as well as emotional appeals. Each manufacturer tries to tell you why they are the best.

So that you can make an intelligent decision, I have decided to review three computers for you. For this review, I am considering the Dell Latitude C600 Laptop, the Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527, and the HP Pavilion Media Center M8120N Desktop PC. Note this is not a comparison of the three computers; rather it is like a review of three different computers.

The Dell Latitude C600 Laptop has the 850 MHz Pentium III processor, a 14.1" display, 256MB of memory, and a 10G hard drive. It serves the needs of most users. But, customers have reported that it heats up more than the usual laptop. Another shortcoming that some consumers have reported is about the fact that this machine has only 1 USB port.

The Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527 has Intel's 1.73 GHz Core Duo T2080 processor. This processor has a multithreaded architecture for improved multitasking performance. It has a 120 GB hard drive and 1 GB of installed RAM. Most uses find the machine to be great value for money. In fact, it has been occasionally labeled the College Students Computer due to its affordability.

The HP Pavilion Media Center M8120N Desktop PC, unlike the previous two is not a laptop. It has the 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad E6420 quad-core processor. This processor is really fast when it comes to multitasking applications. This machine has 2 GB of installed RAM up to 8 channels of surround sound output, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

So, when you are in the market for a computer, make sure to compare all the features between similar models and only then make your final choice. In doing so, do not forget to consider the price of the different options. Sometimes a missing feature can be added on later.

And then again, you cannot forget the all important after-sales service. There are many horror stories that one hears about service. Make sure to read around before you decide on one computer.

By : Ajeet Khurana
Keyword : HP, Toshiba,Dell Computers