<IT WORLD> Microsoft 'fixes' bring more pain
By Martin J Young
HUA HIN, Thailand - The release by Microsoft this month of its bug-fixing
Windows XP Service Pack 3 had its expected aftermath - a plethora of complaints
as customers tried to install the software. Unlike its predecessor of four
years ago, SP2, which included big changes to the Windows Security Center, SP3
contains mostly bug fixes ... and there were a lot to fix.
Tech websites and blogs are awash with complaints about SP3, ranging from
complete failure to boot, to non-starting third-party applications, to the
dreaded "blue screen of death". Another issue is that SP3 will not downgrade to
Internet Explorer 6 after
installation; you are stuck with Internet Explorer 7 - unless you uninstall
SP3.
The trouble with a standard service pack is that not all computers are
standard, to the extent that it is rare to find two with an identical
configuration. This is why there will be a range of different problems
experienced by different users.
To give it credit, Microsoft has published a list of known issues on its
Knowledgebase website. Conspiracy theorists might like to put claim Microsoft
purposely sabotaged SP3 to force users to dump the company's aging XP operating
system and take up much-disliked Vista, even if that brings a bag new problems!
But we know this is not the case, as all versions of Windows have Service
Pack-related problems.
If you still want to go ahead and install SP3, back up all important files
beforehand, fasten your seat belts, and make sure your seats and trays are in
the upright position ... there could be technical turbulence ahead!
Microsoft
has been busy this week patching other software with six critically labeled
security patches released on "Patch Tuesday". Security holes in Windows and
Office were filled to prevent exploits in Microsoft's Jet Database Engine, an
integral component of Windows that can be attacked if users open maliciously
infected database files with the .mdb extension as used in Access. Also
released were patches for Microsoft Word and Outlook, again vulnerable if
infected documents are opened. The bottom line is watch what you open with
regards to email attachments if you want to keep your machine free of nasties.
Microsoft
is claiming success with Windows Vista, with more than 140 million licenses
sold since its release in January last year. Chairman Bill Gates may be elated
and claiming "very rapid sales rates", but critics have countered the
celebrations by stating that all new computers come with Vista pre-installed so
the figures do not really reflect actual consumer demand.
Even those customers that downgrade back to XP have still purchased a license
for Vista and are included in these figures. There is no doubting that Vista is
still a hard sell and people are clinging to XP despite the recent glitches
with its latest service pack.
Industry
The Microsoft and Yahoo saga continued this week as billionaire investor Carl
Icahn entered the fray and bought an estimated 50 million shares in Yahoo in an
effort to wage a proxy fight for seats on the board.
If the move goes ahead, its intentions are to unite Yahoo shareholders in
forcing the company to resume talks with Microsoft, which walked away from the
table last week following Yahoo's rejection of a US$47.5 billion bid. The
veteran investor made the stake to coincide with the deadline for board
nominees which had to be made by Thursday to qualify for the July 3 annual
meeting. Following the collapse of negotiations last week, Microsoft stated it
was moving on, so it remains to be seen whether this effort will entice the
software giant back into the arena.
Internet
Space may be the final frontier, but Microsoft has made an announcement that it
wants to bring it into your living rooms this week. A free software application
called WorldWide Telescope was launched on Monday by the Redmond,
Washington-based software giant that will allow the exploration of distant
galaxies, stars, planets and space phenomenon by everyone from students to
professionals.
The system uses over 12 terabytes of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the
Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center and the Spitzer Space Telescope, all connected
into one giant virtual universe. Users can zoom in and out of Galaxies
thousands of light years away and explore distant planets.
The system is similar to Google's offering launched last year called Google
Sky, an add-on to Google Earth which has since been offered on a browser
platform. Microsoft is putting education before profit with this venture though
claiming that it will offer a generation of kids more knowledge about space and
what lies beyond our own planet. The software can be downloaded from
www.worldwidetelescope.org.
Google
introduced a number of tools this week that assist online social interaction.
Friend Connect allows users to move their profiles between different social
networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook.
The service revolves around Google's Open Social platform, which standardizes
social networking applications across different websites. The system allows
users to add a couple of lines of code to their own websites and have social
gadgets up and running instantly without any programming or databases.
Naturally there will be a huge chunk of revenue in it for Google somewhere, as
providing a system that helps users link up millions of social profiles and
accounts on thousands of different websites has massive potential for targeted
advertising.
Latest reports indicate that Facebook will not be adopting Friend Connect at
the moment, arguing it distributes information from Facebook to other
developers without user knowledge and is contravening its privacy policies.
Gaming
Microsoft claimed this week that its Xbox 360 has beaten Sony's PlayStation 3
and Nintendo's Wii to selling 10 million units in the US market. A senior vice
president for the company's Interactive Entertainment division stated that
history dictates that the first company to reach 10 million console sales wins
the generation battle.
The console has reached 19 million sales internationally; these figures will no
doubt be boosted by the recent release of Grand Theft Auto IV. Wii is closing
in with a reported 8.8 million units sold and the PS3 brings up the rear with
4.1 million. Analysts predict that 2008 will be the biggest year to date for
the interactive entertainment and gaming industry.
Martin J Young is an Asia Times Online correspondent based in Thailand.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
Microsoft
has been busy this week patching other software with six critically labeled
security patches released on "Patch Tuesday". Security holes in Windows and
Office were filled to prevent exploits in Microsoft's Jet Database Engine, an
integral component of Windows that can be attacked if users open maliciously
infected database files with the .mdb extension as used in Access. Also
released were patches for Microsoft Word and Outlook, again vulnerable if
infected documents are opened. The bottom line is watch what you open with
regards to email attachments if you want to keep your machine free of nasties.
