Gates Makes Case for 'Trust Ecosystem'
by Alex Woodie

The community of IT developers and users needs to come together as part of a "trust ecosystem" if digital collaboration is going to make the next leap forward, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates said in a keynote speech at the RSA Security conference in Silicon Valley yesterday. As part of this trust ecosystem, Gates called for the creation of a technological framework to identify people, devices, and code. READ MORE >

Microsoft Faces European Commission Deadline Today
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft is facing a deadline today for complying with the European Commission's demands that the company deliver a workable plan that allows competitors to more easily write applications for the Windows Server operating system. The software giant, which is expected to formally present its remediation plan to European regulators in an oral hearing before tonight's midnight deadline, could be slapped with fines of $2.4 million per day if the EC decides Microsoft's plans don't go far enough. READ MORE >

Moderate Patch Tuesday Yields Two Critical Fixes
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft issued patches for seven security vulnerabilities in its products yesterday, including two for critical problems in Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer, and another very important flaw that affects systems running non-Microsoft browsers, such as Firefox. When it comes to Microsoft products likely to be run on Windows Server operating systems, there were just a handful of fixes. However, there are still un-patched Windows vulnerabilities floating out there, waiting for hackers to take advantage of them. READ MORE >

How Low Can You Go?
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

We are at the dawn of a new virtualized age of X64 server computing, and very inexpensive and powerful servers are coming our way. The advent of inexpensive dual-core processors in the X64 server market will force all server makers to change the way they price and package their products, and it will eventually cause software makers to rethink their pricing, too. I feel a crunch coming, and it is one that is going to be tough on vendors and not necessarily good for customers over the long haul. READ MORE >