Domain: msdn.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to msdn.com.
Stories · 282
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IE7 Announced for Longhorn and WinXP
sriram_2001 writes "There is now an official announcement from Bill Gates on Internet Explorer 7. It will be available in beta form this summer for Longhorn and XP SP2. The IEBlog has commentary about the decision making process that went into the new browser version." Coming on the heels of the June Beta announcement for Longhorn, if things go as planned it will likely be here in early summer. The new browser's early arrival was first discussed last year. -
MSN Search - From A UI Perspective
An anonymous reader writes "The user interface community has also started poking and prodding away at the latest iteration of MSN search and has discovered some interesting findings including: XHTML strict, CSS for layout and the death of IE 5 support. You can also read first-hand MSN designer insight into the design process as well." -
Google Cans Comment Spam
fthiess writes "Comment spam is in many ways even more annoying than regular email spam, since you generally have to do more than just hit the delete button to get rid of it. Its defining characteristic is that spammers abuse websites where the public can add content (blogs, wikis, forums, and even top referrer lists) to increase their own ranking in search engines. It seems, however, that the days of content spam are numbered: today Google announced that, in partnership with MSN Search and Yahoo!, that they have implemented a way to block content spam." (More below.)"Briefly, you just change your blogging/wiki/forum/etc. software so that any hyperlinks in publicly-contributed text have a new rel=nofollow attribute added to any anchor tags. Google, MSN, and Yahoo! will now no longer index any such links, so the motive for content spamming disappears. Especially hopeful is the fact that a slew of makers of blogging software, including Six Apart, have announced they are supporting the new attribute."
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Mike Hall on Choosing Embedded Linux over Windows
prostoalex writes "Mike Hall from Microsoft asks the audience why they would choose Linux over Microsoft for embedded projects. He provides a point-by-point description of benefits of Microsoft's products (Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded) and points out that starting out on Windows-based embedded platform might save development and testing time." -
NYT Reviews Digital Picture Frames
prostoalex writes "New York Times reviews the digital picture frames available commercially: 'Yes, with the ultimate digital camera accessory: the digital picture frame, a flat-panel screen designed exclusively for showing digital photos. A digital frame can do something no ordinary frame can do: change what's in it at the touch of a button, or even treat you to a slide show. Think of it as a screen saver that doesn't tie up your computer.' For those who would rather build the devices themselves - both Linux Toys and Wi-Fi Toys contain the chapters on creating Linux-based digital picture frames out of old laptops. Channel 9 on Microsoft Developer Network also has a step-by-step walk-through of building a Windows-based digital picture frame." -
How Can I Trust Firefox?
TheRealSlimShady writes "Peter Torr (who?) from Microsoft invites a certain flamewar with his essay 'How can I trust Firefox?' He raises some interesting security related points about the download and installation of Firefox, some of which should probably be addressed. The focus is on code signing, which Microsoft is hot on. Of course, the obvious question is 'Do I trust Firefox less than IE?'" -
How Can I Trust Firefox?
TheRealSlimShady writes "Peter Torr (who?) from Microsoft invites a certain flamewar with his essay 'How can I trust Firefox?' He raises some interesting security related points about the download and installation of Firefox, some of which should probably be addressed. The focus is on code signing, which Microsoft is hot on. Of course, the obvious question is 'Do I trust Firefox less than IE?'" -
MySQL Uses Microsoft's Open Source Software
EqualSlash writes "The Windows installer for the upcoming MySQL 4.1 release will be built using Microsoft's first ever open source project - Windows Installer XML toolset(Wix). According to an InternetNews report, they are using Wix to convert the MSI file designed using InstallShield into XML to achieve greater control over the installer. Of course, they are simply using it because it's Open Source (CPL license) and in good faith. Earlier this year, when Microsoft surprised everybody by releasing the Wix project under an open source license, some were cautious about using it, as the specific XML schema it uses might be patented just like the Office xml schema. Whatever.. Rob Mensching, Wix's lead developer, is very happy about MySQL choosing to use Wix for their installer." -
Microsoft Releases FlexWiki as Open Source
davemabe writes "Microsoft is apparently releasing its FlexWiki wiki implementation as an open source project. FlexWiki is the software used to run the wikis over at Channel 9. My question is: Is this software as good as the ever-extensible Kwiki implementation?" -
Microsoft Releases FlexWiki as Open Source
davemabe writes "Microsoft is apparently releasing its FlexWiki wiki implementation as an open source project. FlexWiki is the software used to run the wikis over at Channel 9. My question is: Is this software as good as the ever-extensible Kwiki implementation?" -
Anatomy Of A Bug In Microsoft Office
bender writes "An insightful look at what it is like to track down and fix a bug in Microsoft Office is available from Microsoft's Blog site." -
Anatomy Of A Bug In Microsoft Office
bender writes "An insightful look at what it is like to track down and fix a bug in Microsoft Office is available from Microsoft's Blog site." -
Stan Lippman On Version 2 Of Managed C++
Lansdowne writes "Stan Lippman, one of the founding fathers of C++ and currently a language architect at Microsoft, has prepared an exhaustive translation guide, comparing old Managed C++ to the revised CLI/.NET version of C++. According to Lippman, "There are a number of significant weaknesses in the original language design (Version 1), which we feel are corrected in the revised language design (Version 2)."" -
NovodeX Physics Engine SDK/Demo Released
JJC writes "If, like me, your favourite thing about Doom 3 is the test_boxstack demo map, you're in for a treat. To demonstrate their physics engine, NovodeX has produced a Windows program, called NovodeX Rocket, that lets you set up and manipulate a number of 3D objects and watch them collide and interact realistically. Included are ragdolls (human, deer, horse and monsters), dominoes, trebuchets and a giant Jenga tower. This coincides with the NovodeX Physics SDK v 2.1.1 becoming freely available for non-commercial use. I heard about this from David Weller's MSDN Blog." -
MSIE 7 May Beat Longhorn Out The Gate
Quantum Jim writes "InternetNews.com reports that a major upgrade for Microsoft Internet Explorer may be imminent. Apparently in response to the recent mass migration away from MSIE, top Microsoft developers have been soliciting for improvements in the old browser at a web log and at Channel 9, an aggregate journal previously discussed by /.. InternetNews.com speculates that improvements could possibly include support for tabbed browsing, better security, more PNG and CSS compliance, and RSS integration (which Firefox and Opera Mail already support). Go competition!" -
MSIE 7 May Beat Longhorn Out The Gate
Quantum Jim writes "InternetNews.com reports that a major upgrade for Microsoft Internet Explorer may be imminent. Apparently in response to the recent mass migration away from MSIE, top Microsoft developers have been soliciting for improvements in the old browser at a web log and at Channel 9, an aggregate journal previously discussed by /.. InternetNews.com speculates that improvements could possibly include support for tabbed browsing, better security, more PNG and CSS compliance, and RSS integration (which Firefox and Opera Mail already support). Go competition!" -
Getting Things Done?
machinder asks: "In reading Cory Doctorow's notes for the Life Hacks presentation at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, I saw reference to David Allen's book Getting Things Done. Casting about for it a bit, I see a lot of developers have touted the thing in their blogs. I'm sold, and am starting to implement this system, but I'm wondering if any other Slashdot readers have used the system, and if they have any advice?" -
Show Me The Money - Microsoft Money Vs. Quicken
prostoalex writes "The weblog entry 'Show me the money' is an interesting tale of Microsoft Money from a developer who now manages software development in the Tablet PC group at Microsoft. Having worked before with Money, which was assigned a task of beating Quicken, Philip describes the disasters that happen when marketing and advertising people rule the software development: 'Money's success or failure was judged using the same metrics as MSN's websites. Metrics like minutes viewed per month. Like ad revenue. Like click-through. Stickiness. I am not making this up.'" -
Microsoft Launches Visual Studio Express, VS 2005 Beta
An anonymous reader writes "At the TechEd Europe keynote today, Microsoft launched Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1. With it, they also released a set of five 'Express Editions' of Visual Studio. These currently free applications offer a student and hobbyist-oriented version of Visual Studio, and are available in C#, C++, VB, Web Developer, and SQL flavors. Each download weighs in at right around 50MB and features tools, documentation, and starter kits. There's been multiple posts and more information on this announcement over at MSDN Blogs, too." Update: 06/29 13:57 GMT by S : A clarification from the Express FAQ: Although the Beta Express products are currently free to download: "We have not announced pricing and licensing and will not do so until next calendar year." -
How Microsoft Develops Its Software
crem_d_genes writes "David Gristwood has a post on his blog that notes '21 Rules of Thumb - How Microsoft Develops Its Software', on which he will elaborate at TechEd in Amsterdam next week. It was derived from interviews with Jim Mccarthy, also of Microsoft. Gristwood: 'As someone who has been involved with software development for over two decades, the whole area of how you actually bring together a team and get them to successfully deliver a project on time, is one worthy of a lot of attention, if only because it is so hard to do. Even before I joined Microsoft, ten years ago, I was interested in this topic, having been involved myself in a couple of projects that, I shall politely say, were somewhat less than successful.' Tips include such features as 'Don't know what you don't know.'; 'Beware the guy in a room.'; 'Never trade a bad date for an equally bad date.'; and 'Enrapture the customers.'" -
Microsoft Is Planning To Renew IE Development
jm.one writes "In his weblog the Mozilla developer Gervase Markham (aka Gerv) points out that Microsoft is re-constituting the Windows IE team. You can save Mozillazine's bandwidth(they've been /.ed every day this week) by directly checking out this post at Dave Massy's WebLog at MSDN. They even have set up an IE Feedback section in their channel9 wiki." -
Microsoft Is Planning To Renew IE Development
jm.one writes "In his weblog the Mozilla developer Gervase Markham (aka Gerv) points out that Microsoft is re-constituting the Windows IE team. You can save Mozillazine's bandwidth(they've been /.ed every day this week) by directly checking out this post at Dave Massy's WebLog at MSDN. They even have set up an IE Feedback section in their channel9 wiki." -
Microsoft Is Planning To Renew IE Development
jm.one writes "In his weblog the Mozilla developer Gervase Markham (aka Gerv) points out that Microsoft is re-constituting the Windows IE team. You can save Mozillazine's bandwidth(they've been /.ed every day this week) by directly checking out this post at Dave Massy's WebLog at MSDN. They even have set up an IE Feedback section in their channel9 wiki." -
Microsoft Is Planning To Renew IE Development
jm.one writes "In his weblog the Mozilla developer Gervase Markham (aka Gerv) points out that Microsoft is re-constituting the Windows IE team. You can save Mozillazine's bandwidth(they've been /.ed every day this week) by directly checking out this post at Dave Massy's WebLog at MSDN. They even have set up an IE Feedback section in their channel9 wiki." -
Microsoft Is Planning To Renew IE Development
jm.one writes "In his weblog the Mozilla developer Gervase Markham (aka Gerv) points out that Microsoft is re-constituting the Windows IE team. You can save Mozillazine's bandwidth(they've been /.ed every day this week) by directly checking out this post at Dave Massy's WebLog at MSDN. They even have set up an IE Feedback section in their channel9 wiki." -
Slashback: XPiracy, Panel, Gentoo
Slashback is back, with a boatload of updates, clarifications, and corrections to make previous Slashdot stories make more sense. This week, there are bits on BitKeeper, Microsoft's update policy when it comes to illegally copied versions of Windows, a change in schedule for an upcoming games panel, and more. Read on for the details.The real requirements for Longhorn, at least at this juncture. Cryoknight writes "It seems that Longhorn will run on almost anything that's a P4 or better, judging by this article from C|Net News. You only need a 64mb graphics card to run the slickest version..."
(That's in contrast with earlier reports that the average Longhorn system would be hefty indeed; of course, listed minimums and recommendations are often worlds apart.)
How many bits could Mandrake chuck if Mandrake could chuck bits? Shipud writes "Speaking of AMD beating Intel, Mandrake have just released their v.10 for AMD64. Claiming to be on the average 20% faster, and compatible with 32-bit applications." As usual, it's never a good time to buy a computer.
The War Of The Word, Part II Random Guru 42 writes "Chris Pratley, whose earlier blog entry was the source of much discussion [referring to this Slashdot post of April 27], has just recently replied to everyone's feedback both here and as comments on that earlier entry."
Gentoo Community Reaches Out to Daniel Robbins nporter writes "Slashdot reported the news that Daniel Robbins has stepped down as chief architect of Gentoo Linux. It was revealed that due to his commitment to Gentoo he racked up a hefty personal debt of $20,000. The Gentoo Community is showing its appreciation to its founder in droves by placing donations to the Gentoo Store, proceeds of which will go toward paying down Robbins' debt. I count over a thousand dollars (and growing rapidly) has already been donated, just based upon posts to the forums. It's great to see Linux users coming together like this to show support for someone who has contributed so much to the Linux community."
Bitkeeper redux, redux. gosand writes "Part two of the two-part interview with Bitkeeper author Larry McVoy is up at Newsforge. (Part 1 was posted here yesterday). They essentially talk about why and how BK fits into the kernel development model. There are only two questions, one answered by Larry, and one answered by Linus. Maybe that is because BK makes them 2.5x as efficient, and they can answer everything in just one answer each. :-)"
MS Clarifies: No SP2 For Pirated XP Copies PingXao writes "Unlike earlier reports, this eWeek story says MS will not be allowing pirated versions of Windows XP to install SP2. They plan to release the update within a couple of months as everybody knows, but what's interesting is this quote from a MS spokesperson that supposedly explains their reasons for this approach: "... using genuine software is an important part of keeping systems secure and running smoothly because it means continued access to the latest security enhancements and product updates." Not that I blame them for not providing assistance to people who violate their copyrights, but I wonder if they actually paid someone to come up with that insightful explanation. Something like "We don't provide updates to pirates" would have done the trick. Why cloud the issue with talk about secure this and security that when the basis for the policy has absolutely nothing to do with security?"
Games panel at Smithsonian - update tripmaster writes "For those slashdotters that tried to get a ticket but were foiled by the smaller venue, the panel on games with Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garfield and Doug Church being held Sunday, May 16th at the Smithsonian in Washington DC has been moved to a bigger space. Miyamoto should be showing the same highlights of his latest game as premiered at E3. Questions from the audience will be collected and posed to the speakers -- a rare chance to ask query some of games' most visionary and influential creators."
Off again, on again. Doug Muth writes "According to this piece on Yahoo, the restraining order which was issued against SpamCop on May 10th has been dissolved by the judge who further remarked that, 'the TRO [entered May 10] was not a determination of the merits of the case.'"
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Slashback: XPiracy, Panel, Gentoo
Slashback is back, with a boatload of updates, clarifications, and corrections to make previous Slashdot stories make more sense. This week, there are bits on BitKeeper, Microsoft's update policy when it comes to illegally copied versions of Windows, a change in schedule for an upcoming games panel, and more. Read on for the details.The real requirements for Longhorn, at least at this juncture. Cryoknight writes "It seems that Longhorn will run on almost anything that's a P4 or better, judging by this article from C|Net News. You only need a 64mb graphics card to run the slickest version..."
(That's in contrast with earlier reports that the average Longhorn system would be hefty indeed; of course, listed minimums and recommendations are often worlds apart.)
How many bits could Mandrake chuck if Mandrake could chuck bits? Shipud writes "Speaking of AMD beating Intel, Mandrake have just released their v.10 for AMD64. Claiming to be on the average 20% faster, and compatible with 32-bit applications." As usual, it's never a good time to buy a computer.
The War Of The Word, Part II Random Guru 42 writes "Chris Pratley, whose earlier blog entry was the source of much discussion [referring to this Slashdot post of April 27], has just recently replied to everyone's feedback both here and as comments on that earlier entry."
Gentoo Community Reaches Out to Daniel Robbins nporter writes "Slashdot reported the news that Daniel Robbins has stepped down as chief architect of Gentoo Linux. It was revealed that due to his commitment to Gentoo he racked up a hefty personal debt of $20,000. The Gentoo Community is showing its appreciation to its founder in droves by placing donations to the Gentoo Store, proceeds of which will go toward paying down Robbins' debt. I count over a thousand dollars (and growing rapidly) has already been donated, just based upon posts to the forums. It's great to see Linux users coming together like this to show support for someone who has contributed so much to the Linux community."
Bitkeeper redux, redux. gosand writes "Part two of the two-part interview with Bitkeeper author Larry McVoy is up at Newsforge. (Part 1 was posted here yesterday). They essentially talk about why and how BK fits into the kernel development model. There are only two questions, one answered by Larry, and one answered by Linus. Maybe that is because BK makes them 2.5x as efficient, and they can answer everything in just one answer each. :-)"
MS Clarifies: No SP2 For Pirated XP Copies PingXao writes "Unlike earlier reports, this eWeek story says MS will not be allowing pirated versions of Windows XP to install SP2. They plan to release the update within a couple of months as everybody knows, but what's interesting is this quote from a MS spokesperson that supposedly explains their reasons for this approach: "... using genuine software is an important part of keeping systems secure and running smoothly because it means continued access to the latest security enhancements and product updates." Not that I blame them for not providing assistance to people who violate their copyrights, but I wonder if they actually paid someone to come up with that insightful explanation. Something like "We don't provide updates to pirates" would have done the trick. Why cloud the issue with talk about secure this and security that when the basis for the policy has absolutely nothing to do with security?"
Games panel at Smithsonian - update tripmaster writes "For those slashdotters that tried to get a ticket but were foiled by the smaller venue, the panel on games with Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garfield and Doug Church being held Sunday, May 16th at the Smithsonian in Washington DC has been moved to a bigger space. Miyamoto should be showing the same highlights of his latest game as premiered at E3. Questions from the audience will be collected and posed to the speakers -- a rare chance to ask query some of games' most visionary and influential creators."
Off again, on again. Doug Muth writes "According to this piece on Yahoo, the restraining order which was issued against SpamCop on May 10th has been dissolved by the judge who further remarked that, 'the TRO [entered May 10] was not a determination of the merits of the case.'"
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Slashback: XPiracy, Panel, Gentoo
Slashback is back, with a boatload of updates, clarifications, and corrections to make previous Slashdot stories make more sense. This week, there are bits on BitKeeper, Microsoft's update policy when it comes to illegally copied versions of Windows, a change in schedule for an upcoming games panel, and more. Read on for the details.The real requirements for Longhorn, at least at this juncture. Cryoknight writes "It seems that Longhorn will run on almost anything that's a P4 or better, judging by this article from C|Net News. You only need a 64mb graphics card to run the slickest version..."
(That's in contrast with earlier reports that the average Longhorn system would be hefty indeed; of course, listed minimums and recommendations are often worlds apart.)
How many bits could Mandrake chuck if Mandrake could chuck bits? Shipud writes "Speaking of AMD beating Intel, Mandrake have just released their v.10 for AMD64. Claiming to be on the average 20% faster, and compatible with 32-bit applications." As usual, it's never a good time to buy a computer.
The War Of The Word, Part II Random Guru 42 writes "Chris Pratley, whose earlier blog entry was the source of much discussion [referring to this Slashdot post of April 27], has just recently replied to everyone's feedback both here and as comments on that earlier entry."
Gentoo Community Reaches Out to Daniel Robbins nporter writes "Slashdot reported the news that Daniel Robbins has stepped down as chief architect of Gentoo Linux. It was revealed that due to his commitment to Gentoo he racked up a hefty personal debt of $20,000. The Gentoo Community is showing its appreciation to its founder in droves by placing donations to the Gentoo Store, proceeds of which will go toward paying down Robbins' debt. I count over a thousand dollars (and growing rapidly) has already been donated, just based upon posts to the forums. It's great to see Linux users coming together like this to show support for someone who has contributed so much to the Linux community."
Bitkeeper redux, redux. gosand writes "Part two of the two-part interview with Bitkeeper author Larry McVoy is up at Newsforge. (Part 1 was posted here yesterday). They essentially talk about why and how BK fits into the kernel development model. There are only two questions, one answered by Larry, and one answered by Linus. Maybe that is because BK makes them 2.5x as efficient, and they can answer everything in just one answer each. :-)"
MS Clarifies: No SP2 For Pirated XP Copies PingXao writes "Unlike earlier reports, this eWeek story says MS will not be allowing pirated versions of Windows XP to install SP2. They plan to release the update within a couple of months as everybody knows, but what's interesting is this quote from a MS spokesperson that supposedly explains their reasons for this approach: "... using genuine software is an important part of keeping systems secure and running smoothly because it means continued access to the latest security enhancements and product updates." Not that I blame them for not providing assistance to people who violate their copyrights, but I wonder if they actually paid someone to come up with that insightful explanation. Something like "We don't provide updates to pirates" would have done the trick. Why cloud the issue with talk about secure this and security that when the basis for the policy has absolutely nothing to do with security?"
Games panel at Smithsonian - update tripmaster writes "For those slashdotters that tried to get a ticket but were foiled by the smaller venue, the panel on games with Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garfield and Doug Church being held Sunday, May 16th at the Smithsonian in Washington DC has been moved to a bigger space. Miyamoto should be showing the same highlights of his latest game as premiered at E3. Questions from the audience will be collected and posed to the speakers -- a rare chance to ask query some of games' most visionary and influential creators."
Off again, on again. Doug Muth writes "According to this piece on Yahoo, the restraining order which was issued against SpamCop on May 10th has been dissolved by the judge who further remarked that, 'the TRO [entered May 10] was not a determination of the merits of the case.'"
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The War Of The Word
atari_kid writes "For who didn't know Microsoft has a internal blogging service, which is becoming popular with their employees. And even some of their high level managers have their own blog like Chris Pratley, a group program manager (GPM) for Word2002 (OfficeXP) project. Mr. Pratley just blogged on his 'personal philosophical' conversion from a Mac geek to a Microsoft devotee & his interesting perspective on the 'Word Processor' wars of the mid-90's and why Microsoft won." -
The War Of The Word
atari_kid writes "For who didn't know Microsoft has a internal blogging service, which is becoming popular with their employees. And even some of their high level managers have their own blog like Chris Pratley, a group program manager (GPM) for Word2002 (OfficeXP) project. Mr. Pratley just blogged on his 'personal philosophical' conversion from a Mac geek to a Microsoft devotee & his interesting perspective on the 'Word Processor' wars of the mid-90's and why Microsoft won." -
The War Of The Word
atari_kid writes "For who didn't know Microsoft has a internal blogging service, which is becoming popular with their employees. And even some of their high level managers have their own blog like Chris Pratley, a group program manager (GPM) for Word2002 (OfficeXP) project. Mr. Pratley just blogged on his 'personal philosophical' conversion from a Mac geek to a Microsoft devotee & his interesting perspective on the 'Word Processor' wars of the mid-90's and why Microsoft won." -
Microsoft Launches 'Channel 9' Blog
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "As reported by News.com, Microsoft quietly launched Channel 9, a blog/discussion forum aimed at improving communication with outside developers, on Tuesday. Named for the audio channel that many airlines use to let passengers listen in on crew conversations during flight, Channel 9's creators state the following in a welcoming message: 'Five of us in Redmond are crazy enough to think we just might learn something from getting to know each other...Join in, and have a look inside our cockpit and help us fly the plane.'"