NerdGrind - How-to Computer Help - Tutorials - Tech and Gadget News » Microsoft

Google Tries to Convert Internet Explorer Users to Become Chrome Users

Nerd Grind — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:35:18 +0000

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer you may have noticed the message above when you visited the Google homepage. Google is doing everything they can to entice IE users to become Google Chrome converts.

Whoever controls the browser controls a large portion of both the desktop, and the Internet. Maybe Microsoft should consider making their browser lighter and faster.

Microsoft Security Essentials Includes SpyNet Spyware

Nerd Grind — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:38:47 +0000

A few days ago Microsoft released their free anti-virus software called Microsoft Security Essentials, which is replacing Windows Defender.

Microsoft says Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, but it is Security Essentials itself that contains spyware. Read on, I’ll explain. This is a must read for anyone concerned about their privacy.

Upon installation the setup wizard asks to validate your version of Windows. Those who are using a pirated, or modified, version of Windows will most likely find an easy work around for the validation. It is only those innocent people who bought a computer at shops that pirated their copy of Windows, and installed it on unsuspecting customer PCs, that will have a problem. If Microsoft really wants to protect all Windows PCs they should just make Security Essentials free to everyone, except Microsoft’s motive here was to create a piracy checking software disguised as anti-virus software.

Microsoft has a message for those that may have counterfeit software installed. Microsoft warns that users of illegal pirated software are at risk from malware, viruses, spyware, and phishing scams. Really? Isn’t everyone who runs Windows, legal or not, whether connected to the Internet or not? Once again, this message isn’t going to scare away real pirates, it’s only going to prevent innocent victims that had pirated software installed on their machines from using Security Essentials, but it’s really not a big deal, since there are plenty of free alternatives.

Next Microsoft tries to instill more fear by warning computer users that using Security Essentials with other antivirus or antispyware programs "may cause sever performance problems." This message alone will cause a lot of people to remove sometimes better software to run Microsoft’s instead.

In the middle of your installation you might get a message that New Updates have been installed. This occurs after Security Essentials starts scanning, and thinks it has found, not a virus, but software that might be counterfeit. The Windows Update is meant to check your software to see if it is pirated. This isn’t a coincidence, this is Security Essentials doing something Microsoft didn’t disclose to people downloading their product, that Security Essentials checks for pirated software, specifically pirated Microsoft software.

Under Settings Microsoft SpyNet is listed, which is a service that sends information to Microsoft from your computer about a lot of things, including any software Security Essentials suspects is pirated. SpyNet doesn’t allow you to opt out, but instead requires a Basic membership, which means by using Security Essentials you have not choice but to allow Microsoft to spy on you. The Basic membership says in part:

"Send basic information to Microsoft about software that Microsoft Essentials detects, including where the software came from, the actions that you apply or that Microsoft Security Essentials applies automatically …"

Microsoft fails to mention they aren’t just checking for viruses, and other harmful stuff.

I use McAfee Security Center, and have never been happier. McAfee replaced Norton Antivirus, which slowed down my fast computer, and caused other problems it shouldn’t have caused.

Microsoft Security Essentials could land Microsoft in court with the Department of Justice asking why Microsoft is invading Windows users’ privacy without notifying them that they are spying on them in ways they don’t mention in any of their documentation. I suggest using an alternative to Security Essentials. Microsoft is proving they are willing to violate individual privacy rights to catch software pirates. In my opinion, this will cause customers to lose trust in Microsoft, once they realize Microsoft is secretly spying on them. Microsoft might respond by saying legal owners of their software have nothing to worry about, but that will only confirm Google’s assertion that Microsoft is an evil corporation. As Google says, "Don’t Be Evil."

Despite the warning Microsoft gives that uninstalling Security Essentials will "leave your computer unprotected," I must disagree, uninstalling Security Essentials is the only way to fully protect your privacy.

Jon Skeet Not Allowed to Accept Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award

Nerd Grind — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:13:11 +0000

Jon Skeet has received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award since 2003 for his work and contributions to the C# programming language. Skeet joined Google about a year ago, and recently asked his Google bosses if he could renew his award, which is only given out to around 1,500 developers worldwide, and his Google bosses said no. Skeet wrote on his blog:

It’s with some sadness that I have to announce that as of the start of October, I’m no longer a Microsoft MVP.
As renewal time came round again, I asked my employer whether it was okay for me to renew, and was advised not to do so. As a result, while I enjoyed being awarded as an MVP, I’ve asked not to be considered for renewal this year.
This doesn’t mean I’m turning my back on that side of software development, of course. I’m still going to be an active member of the C# community. I’m still writing the second edition of C# in Depth. I’m still going to post on Stack Overflow. I’m still going to blog here about whatever interesting and wacky topics crop up.
I just won’t be doing so as an MVP.
Thanks to all the friends I’ve made in the MVP community and Microsoft over the last 6 years, and I wish you all the best.
Keep in touch.
Published Thu, Oct 1 2009 6:21 by skeet

Skeet works on Google Sync, and during his 20% other projects time, his bosses are okay with him continuing his C# work, but he just can’t accept the MVP award for it.

Since Skeet works on Google Sync, I have to wonder if that project is written, at least in part, in the C# programming language.

Google Chrome Frame Works Around Stubborn Microsoft

Nerd Grind — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:10:25 +0000

On Tuesday Google introduced Google Chrome Frame that is an open source plug-in that bring HTML5, and other open web technologies to Internet Explorer.

With Google Chrome Frame, developers can now take advantage of the latest open web technologies, even in Internet Explorer. From a faster Javascript engine, to support for current web technologies like HTML5’s offline capabilities and

To start using Google Chrome Frame, all developers need to do is to add a single tag:

When Google Chrome Frame detects this tag it switches automatically to using Google Chrome’s speedy WebKit-based rendering engine. It’s that easy. For users, installing Google Chrome Frame will allow them to seamlessly enjoy modern web apps at blazing speeds, through the familiar interface of the version of IE that they are currently using.

For Wordpress users there is a plug-in that helps with Google Chrome Frame integration, which really isn’t necessary since it’s easy to simply add the tag above.

Herein lies the problem. Web site visitors are redirected from the web site homepage to a plug-in download page. Most people won’t have a clue what Google Chrome Frame is, so they’ll be unlikely to download and install something they know nothing about.

Even though the Google Chrome web browser is faster than Internet Explorer, most people continue to use the slower Internet Explorer because they are familiar with it. For most people easier is better.

If Google really wants to get people to adopt new technologies to improve the Internet, they’ll need to convince companies like Microsoft to move ahead at the speed of technology. Since Microsoft is so reluctant to do anything "open source" Google is having a tough time, so they are appealing to developers (documentation here), and Internet surfers to pressure Microsoft, or work around Microsoft by trying to get a grass roots ground swell of support from developers and Internet surfers.

Microsoft is also introducing their own header tags for developers to add to their websites to be able to continue to have Internet Explorer 8 render their web sites in Internet Explorer 7 mode.

We want to see push technology that makes web site development easier for developers, so their web sites will render properly in any web browser using web hooks in their web site.

It seems unlikely that a web site owner will risk alienating their readers by redirecting them to a plug-in install page that they must install to view the web site. While we think Google Chrome Frame is a great idea, how it is integrated into an Internet surfer’s life will decide if this project succeeds or fails.

Microsoft Windows 7 Hosting Party Spoof Video

Nerd Grind — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:26:22 +0000

A site called House Party made some videos promoting the use of Microsoft Windows 7 to host parties.

Yes, this is a real video that encourages people to have a party to celebrate the launch of Windows 7, but hey, bring your own computer with Windows 7 installed.

The video above is the serious, and really boring video. The video below is the spoof, and yet not a spoof, because all they did is take a cut of the real video and bleep some parts to make it seem bad.

Google Patents Search Box With Two Buttons

Nerd Grind — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:30:52 +0000

Back in 2004 Google submitted a single illustration of their Google.com homepage, of which the main component is a search box with two submit buttons below it, and a few text links.

On September 1, 2009 Google received their search page patent from the United States Patent Office. Technically Google has patented their homepage as a web "graphical user interface," for which they now have a patent to exclusively use that design. Google also submitted an application for the design of their search results in 2004, and that patent was issued in 2006. It would seem Google intended to license out the use of their patent to other search engines, namely Yahoo, but just ahead of the patent license approval some search engines have change their design to steer clear of the infringing on Google’s patent.

There is a long history behind the story of Google’s design patent filings. It all begins with Overture.

Overture Inc. was a paid search company that pioneered the paid bid-for-placement technology. In July 2001, the US patent office issued Overture a patent for the technology. Patent 6,269,361; also known as the 361 patent, essentially covered all AdWords like business models. Google needed access to the 361 patent in order to use AdWords, but it never managed to negotiate a licensing agreement with Overture. Consequently, in April 2002 Overture sued Google over patent infringement.

In July 2003 Yahoo acquired Overture in a mostly stock deal valued at $1.63 billion. This was an expensive deal as Yahoo’s stock was not flying very high at the time. Also, Overture did not have anything valuable apart from the 361 patent. Yahoo and Microsoft counted for the bulk of Overture’s revenue, and were it not for the 361 patent, Microsoft would have certainly walked away. The deal was very bad news for Google as Yahoo was now in a position to get just about anything they wanted from Google at the bargaining table. Yahoo is still dancing with Microsoft, since Yahoo announced they will now be using the Bing search engine technology for Yahoo search, but will deliver it in a slightly different way.

Google and Yahoo settled the 361 patent dispute in August 2004, which also happens to be when Google submitted their design patent applications that were approved in 2006, and September 1, 2009. Google disclosed the patent dispute settlement with Yahoo in a SEC filing just before its initial public offering (IPO). The relevant excerpt from Google’s SEC filing states:

Overture will dismiss its patent lawsuit against us and has granted us a fully-paid, perpetual license to the patent that was the subject of the lawsuit and several related patent applications held by Overture. The parties also mutually released any claims against each other concerning the warrant dispute. In connection with the settlement of these two disputes, we issued to Yahoo 2,700,000 shares of Class A common stock.

At the time of the patent settlement disclosure, 2.7 million shares of Google represented roughly 1 percent of the company.

It seems that just as Google was tidying up loose ends in their legal and commercial dominance of the search industry, they had plans to put their competitors in the uncomfortable position of having to answer to Google for design patent infringement. Knowing the incredible brain power that exists at Google, they are likely to have been working on all sorts of other ways to insure they will become an all powerful company, that might seem "evil" to some who Google chooses not to do business with.

At one point it seemed only a matter of time before Google owned Yahoo, but now it seems that Microsoft will own Yahoo, since Google will have enough control over the search industry to attract the scrutiny of antitrust regulators.

Microsoft Wants Overpaid Laid Off Employees to Pay Them Back

Nerd Grind — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:07:47 +0000

Microsoft is asking some of the 1,400 employees they laid off last month to pay back money overpaid to them in a severance check. We are also hearing rumors that other employees were underpaid.

An HR screw up like this isn’t much of an endorsement for Microsoft’s Dynamics Human Resources Management Software.

New Xbox 360 Motherboard Leaked – May Feature 256MB Flash Memory

Nerd Grind — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:38:28 +0000

Microsoft has codenamed the next version of the Xbox 360 motherboard Jasper. The board apparently comes with some unannounced goodies. The motherboard contains a 65nm graphics processing unit, and uses less than a 150W power supply. Jasper clocks in at 25W less than before.

More than anything, however, is the inclusion of a 256MB flash memory chip for internal storage. This should make you Xbox owners out there who don’t own a hard drive happy. Get to saving!

Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 Has Managed to Outsell Original Xbox

Nerd Grind — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:16:34 +0000

Microsoft has just announced that sales of the Xbox 360 have outpaced total sales of the original Xbox. This announcement comes just two days after the 360’s third birthday on November 22. Happy birthday, you loud awesome beast!

To put things in perspective, the original Xbox’s life cycle was almost four years long. The 360 has outsold it in just three years, and before another lucrative holiday season to boot. Microsoft’s continued success brings a tear to all of our eyes.

Columbia Pictures Appears Again on Xbox 360 Netflix Service – Sony to Follow Suit

Nerd Grind — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:05:27 +0000

Columbia and Sony never doled out a satisfactory answer as to why their content disappeared from the Netflix portion of Xbox Live, but Columbia Pictures has made an amends. The movie giant and much of their varied content has re-appeared for instant streaming via your Xbox 360. Sony Pictures has yet to follow suit but various sources indicate it should not be long until they do. This is a great start, however. Get to streaming guys!

NerdGrind - How-to Computer Help - Tutorials - Tech and Gadget News » Microsoft

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