microsoft

The Web search race heats up

The major search engines are notorious for their claims of out-doing each other. For years, Google and Yahoo battled it out over which had the largest index. Google eventually claimed the title two years ago, but Yahoo countered that relevancy is more important than size.

And this year, the features race is on, with interface and site overhauls either already done or in the works at the top four search providers.

Google's big search site update, in May, garnered headlines for its integration of image, video and other search types into one long list of Web results. And Ask.… Read more

Microsoft plays catch-up on search

Microsoft unveiled on Wednesday the first significant changes to its Live search site since it was launched over a year ago, adding new shopping, entertainment and health verticals and improving video search. But most of the changes, particularly in the core search relevancy, mirror what competitors already offer.

The company demonstrated the new features at an event dubbed "Searchification" at its Mountain View, Calif. offices. Some of the news was leaked late last week in a blog entry written by one of its own employees.

The most interesting items are:

• User reviews and ratings when searching for … Read more

Microsoft: 'Halo 3' nets biggest day in entertainment history

Halo 3, the much-anticipated Xbox 360 game that launched Tuesday, set the all-time record for most revenue earned in a single day by any entertainment property, Microsoft said Wednesday.

The company said that Halo 3, the third and final episode in the hugely popular franchise, netted $170 million in sales in the U.S. in its first day. If true, that would top previous records set by the motion pictures Spider Man 3 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

There's little doubt Microsoft has been pinning a great deal of hope on Halo 3 and was expecting it … Read more

Microsoft: Excel 2007 bug is skin deep

A bug in Excel 2007 reported earlier this week may be ugly, but it's only skin deep, Microsoft said late Tuesday.

With the bug, results that should have been shown as 65,535 showed instead as 100,000, and a related problem cropped up with 65,536, Microsoft's David Gainer said in a blog posting. But the problem affected how Excel showed the number, not in what the spreadsheet software actually "knows."

"This is an issue in a function that puts numbers in cells, so the values in Excel's memory are actually correct," … Read more

Time is ticking for new Microsoft ads

Microsoft is putting a stop watch on new video-ads found on the company's Web sites.

Visitors to MSN will see an advertisement prior to watching their first video and then new ads will appear every three minutes after. The ads not only show up in the video player but they also unfold an extended section that is similar to a pop-up ad.

This is a different tact taken by Google's YouTube, which last month began testing an overlay format that appears at the bottom of the screen for 10 seconds before disappearing.

Both companies are trying to figure … Read more

Searching for more search industry event names

I'm sitting here at Microsoft's "Searchification" event in Mountain View, Calif., but I can't tell you any of the news because it's all embargoed until tonight at 9 p.m. PT. Check back then for the full story. In the meantime, you can get a mini preview leaked by a Microsoft employee last week.

I realize the search market is a hot space and the major players, along with a lot of minor players, are all trying to hold themselves out as industry leaders. But some of the names of the events are getting … Read more

Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself

While Vista was originally touted by Microsoft as the operating system savior we've all been waiting for, it has turned out to be one of the biggest blunders in technology. With a host of issues that are inexcusable and features that are taken from the Mac OS X and Linux playbook, Microsoft has once again lost sight of what we really want.

As we're more than aware, Vista Ultimate comes at a premium. For an additional $160 over the Premium SKU price, Ultimate gives you a complete backup and restore option, BitLocker Drive encryption, the ever so popular Windows Fax & Scan, and the "Ultimate Extras." But what started with a promise of "Extras" by summer, quickly turned into an apology from Microsoft and the eventual release of DreamScene and Windows Hold 'Em (among others) today. And while each of the "Extras" runs just fine, Microsoft's "Extras" blunder is just another reason why the company must abandon Vista before it's too late.… Read more

Improving Red Hat's JBoss numbers

Red Hat is struggling to get the value its expected from JBoss. That was clear from its earnings report yesterday and Matthew Szulik's comments:

"The rate of JBoss bookings has not met my expectations," Red Hat CEO Matthew Szulik said on the company's second fiscal quarter 2008 conference call. "We expect it could double RHEL [Red Hat Enterprise Linux], so far it's about the same. We will accelerate JBoss growth in the second half of the year."

What can Red Hat do to boost its JBoss business? Is the sky falling?… Read more

MIT students turn famed Harvard statue into 'Halo' chief

It goes without saying that in addition to a stellar reputation for academic innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is renowned for its geeky pranks. The best-known of these was perhaps the time when students decorated the campus' Great Dome to look like Star Wars robot R2D2 in celebration of the legendary film series' first prequel in 1999.

But Star Wars prequels are so last decade. These days, it's all about the much-hyped Xbox 360 title Halo 3. And why prank your own campus when you can pull a fast one on those snotty Crimsons next door?

Consequently, MIT pranksters … Read more