FoxPro’s future fuels debate among users
Despite a concerted online effort by devoted Visual FoxPro developers, Microsoft says it won’t change its plan to halt work on the venerable database programming tool.
Stories by Eric Lai
How I cut my data centre costs by $700,000
Amazon.com's web storage service S3 (Simple Storage Service) recently passed the one-year mark. While S3 has got many positive mentions in the press, reports from actual customers have been harder to find. At O’Reilly Media's Emerging Technology (ETech) conference in San Diego last week, SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill stepped up, giving a kiss-and-tell account of his "love affair" with S3 -- the good and the bad.
Exchange 2007 upgrade alternatives abound
Microsoft’s recently released 2007 upgrade Exchange provides faster 64-bit-powered performance along with many other new features, especially when paired with the latest Outlook 2007 email client.
Blog divulges details about next Windows OS
For the second time in five weeks, information about a key upcoming Microsoft product has come to light because of a presentation placed on the company's Web site by an employee in Denmark.
Open XML makes it on to ISO fast-track
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) has agreed to put Open XML, the document format created and championed by Microsoft, on a fast-track approval process that could see it ratified as an international standard by August.
Forced software upgrades can add up for Vista users
Windows users contemplating the cost of upgrading to Vista may need a fatter wallet than they thought.
Microsoft tool helps plan Office 2007 conversions
Microsoft Corp. last week released the final part of a free tool kit designed to help corporate users convert their existing Office files to Office 2007's new Open XML file format.
Has open-source software lost its halo?
Is open source still a grassroots social movement made up of idealistic underdogs trying to revolutionise an amoral industry? Or has it become a cloak used by IT vendors to disguise ruthless and self-serving behaviour?
Microsoft releases list of verified Vista applications
Microsoft has released a list of 800 applications it has officially verified so far to run bug-free on Windows Vista.
Microsoft unleashes six Vista deployment tools
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday officially released six free tools to help businesses deploy Windows Vista.
Vista not playing nice with gamers
Windows Vista's powerful new graphics engine may be one of its hallmark features, but it's engendering complaints from a key segment of potential early adopters: hardcore gamers.
Mashups, wikis and Second Lives help IBM get its mojo back
IBM’s research achievements are legendary: the hard drive; DRAM; the relational database; DES data encryption; Deep Blue, the chess-playing supercomputer; Blue Gene, Deep Blue’s DNA-simulating descendant — and two Nobel prizes. It was also granted the most patents of any company worldwide for the 14th straight year.
Microsoft raises Vista tech support costs for consumers
Microsoft Corp. has significantly raised what it charges retail customers for technical support for its latest software, Windows Vista and Office 2007, while narrowing the help offered to users.
Powering up the datacentre – a not so simple issue
If anyone knows how to protect against power outages caused by extreme weather it would be Jeff Biggs. The vice president of operations and engineering for Peak 10, a fast-growing US datacentre operator, Biggs has taken many steps to harden Peak 10’s co-location facilities in Florida against the state’s annual threat of hurricanes.
Firefox use up nearly 50% in 2006
Propelled by the release of its Version 2.0 in October, the free Firefox web browser saw almost a 50% increase in use during 2006, according to one web measurement firm.