White House effort targets ‘patent trolls’
The White House is set to announce Tuesday sweeping reforms aimed at so-called patent trolls who stand accused of hurting American businesses.
Linux, Open Source, & anti Microsoft news
Google Advocates 7-Day Deadline to Publicize Critical Vulnerabilities
Two security engineers for Google say the company will now support researchers publicizing details of critical vulnerabilities under active exploitation just seven days after they’ve alerted a company. The goal,…
Ubuntu’s Shuttleworth: Microsoft no longer dominates PC biz
Ubuntu headman and part-time astronaut Mark Shuttleworth has declared victory over Microsoft’s domination of the PC industry, noting that the competitive landscape today is far different from what it was…
DARPA unveils Android-based ground sensor device
DARPA announced a sensor reference system device based on a new Android-based sensor processing core called the Adaptable Sensor System (ADAPT). The initial ADAPT reference device, called UGS (unattended ground…
Stop the Microsoft, Skype wedding, screams enraged Cisco in court
Cisco and Italian ISP Messagenet will try to convince a European court today that it should overturn the EU’s approval of Microsoft’s acquisition of VoIP biz Skype.
Microsoft Changes An Ad After Blogger Points Out It Got The Math Wrong
Microsoft changed an ad that claimed its new ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet was bigger than an iPad after a blogger claimed that the math Microsoft used in the ad was…
HTML5 webpage locks ‘would stifle innovation’
Innovation could be stunted by plans to include ways to digitally lock media in the web’s core technology, rights campaigners warn.
How Microsoft screwed itself for the next generation of video game consoles
Microsoft’s Xbox One announcement last week was supposed to be big, shocking, and amazing. It was supposed to blow the PlayStation 4 reveal out of the water and take everyone…
Feds propose Open Document Format support
The office of the Australian Government Chief Technology Officer (AGCTO) is proposing support for the Open Document Format (ODF) in an annual review of computing system policies.
Microsoft’s patent application envisions awards for watching TV
Microsoft could eventully award achievements to users for TV watching, that is if the company’s patent application recently published by the US Patent and Trademark Office ever comes to fruition.
Reports: New Xbox could DOOM second-hand games market
Microsoft has been quite cagey about its plans for games licensing on the new Xbox One, but multiple reports now suggest there’s going to be very little incentive for a…
More than half of Windows 8 users just treat it like Windows 7
For all Microsoft’s hype about The Interface Formerly Known As Metro (TIFKAM), more than half of all Windows 8 users ignore the new Start Screen and treat the OS as…
Busted: Microsoft intercepts, decrypts, and reads your Skype messages
According to a test by Ars Technica, Microsoft is intercepting, decrypting, and reading at least some Skype messages — to the point where URLs embedded in Skype chat are being…
It’s a two-stepping day for Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday
We are back at it again with 10 updates in Microsoft’s May edition of Patch Tuesday. Two are rated Critical, with the remaining eight rated as Important. This month’s Patch…
Android has become a hedge against Microsoft and Windows
Hewlett-Packard rolled out another Android device this week. This could become a pattern as PC makers hedge against a world that’s less about Microsoft and more about Google.