Microsoft

Microsoft will be closing its public beta programme for Vista today. Users who want to participate in the beta test have until 30 June to download a copy before it is withdrawn from Microsoft's website.

The Vista public beta programme was launched earlier this month and demand for the 3.5GB download was so great that Microsoft had to restrict access after fears that it could bring down the internet.

Ian Moulster, product manager for .Net platforms at Microsoft, said on his MSDN blog that users should start the download today, even if they don't complete it.

Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it would delay the release of its Office business software suite, citing "product performance" issues.

In a statement released by the company's Waggener Edstrom public relations firm, Microsoft said it would now release the product to big business customers by the end of the year, instead of in October as planned.

Is Windows Genuine Advantage, Microsoft's anti-piracy initiative/utility that denies you some Windows updates and enhancements if you're using a pirated copy of Windows, getting less annoying...or more ominious? It depends on which news you care to pay attention to today.

Microsoft is warning users of malicious software that could be used to attack Windows systems that lack the company's latest security updates.
The exploit code targets a vulnerability in the Remote Access Connection Manager (RASMAN) service, used by Windows to create network connections over the telephone. The bug, which was patched June 13, is rated critical by Microsoft, the most severe rating available. www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-025.mspx

Excel users have one more reason to worry. On Tuesday, a hacker published code that takes advantage of an unpatched flaw in the Microsoft spreadsheet software, the third such exploit to be disclosed in the past week.

This attack could be used to run unauthorized software on a PC, but it requires that the victim first be tricked into opening an Excel document, according to an alert published on the Securitytracker.com Web site.

A private security company has found a way to nuke the controversial callback component in Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy tool. Firewall Leak Tester, a company that provides tools to test the quality of personal firewall software, has released a utility called RemoveWGA that blocks Microsoft from "phoning home" from Windows PCs on a daily basis.

Apple has the same sort of dominance in the online music and portable music player business that Microsoft has in the desktop software space. However, Microsoft plans to change that by going head to head with Apple in both the iPod and iTunes markets.

According to a report from Reuters, sources familiar with Microsoft's plans (which generally means company insiders) have confirmed that the software giant is developing an iPod rival and an online music service to compete with iTunes.

Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia opened up TechEd 2006 in Boston Sunday evening by proclaiming that Windows Vista was the most secure operating system in the industry. But a bold statement can only go so far, and much of this week's conference has been spent reinforcing that point.

Microsoft Corp.'s program for testing whether a PC is running a genuine copy of Windows, known as Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), has drawn considerable fire from users since it was launched last July.

Microsoft announced Thursday that chairman and co-founder Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role at the company, effective July 2008, to spend more time working on his charitable foundation.