Microsoft to shut off free versions of Windows 7 soon

On March 1, users of the free, release candidate versions of Windows 7 will experience bi-hourly shut downs, Microsoft says. These shut downs will continue until June 1. On June 1, the RC version has officially expired. Microsoft will replace the wallpaper with a background that says the copy of Windows is not genuine.

After June 1,those who haven't upgraded to a purchased copy of Windows 7, which typically requires a clean install, will experience the following issues:

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Microsoft fixes 26 security holes, warns on unpatched multi-vendor SSL vulnerability

As expected, today's Patch Tuesday is a doozie. Microsoft released 13 bulletins to fix 26 vulnerabilities in Windows and Microsoft Office. This includes the first Hyper-V-specific patch. But wait, there's more. Microsoft also issued a security advisory (977377) over a publicly-known vulnerability in the Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols.

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Can Microsoft be the new Apple? Why failure would be its savior

The world is agog at the most obvious editorial published in the New York Times yesterday about Microsoft's lack of innovation. Today, Microsoft responded with equal predictability. The thing is, Microsoft has always been a follower. It hasn't got a roster of ground-breaking ideas to its credit. It has risen to success by noticing others' great technologies and building its own version that works 80% as well as the original, but costs less.

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IE flaw that lets remote hackers read your hard drive is extra bad for XP users

On Wednesday a security researcher demonstrated a flaw in Internet Explorer at the Black Hat DC conference that could allow a hacker to remotely read files on the victim's local drive. The demonstration prompted a security advisory from Microsoft.

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Startup Huddle wins Microsoft's SharePoint 2010 contest

On Friday, Microsoft announced that Huddle was the winner of a weeklong, invitational contest, in which seven startups were challenged to build a social app for SharePoint 2010 in just one week.

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Microsoft gags ex-CFO Chris Liddel and pays him $1.9M

Nothing like being paid almost two million bucks for leaving a job and keeping your mouth shut -- one $950,000 check a month after you've left and another $950,000 six months later. That's the sweet deal Microsoft gave Chris Liddell, the company's former chief financial officer who officially resigned on November 24.

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Microsoft posts record-breaking Q2, thanks to consumers, Windows 7

Microsoft today reported a record-breaking fourth quarter, which it laid at the feet of consumers adopting Windows 7. Its units that service the enterprise didn't fair as well. The company reported revenue of $19.02 billion for its fiscal Q2 quarter which ended Dec. 31, a 14% increase over the year-ago Q2. Diluted earnings per share were 0.74. This beat analyst expectations of revenues of $17.8 billion and $0.59 per share.

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Microsoft releases a slew of (mostly) free training tools for MS Office, Windows 7

If there is a silver lining to the frustration caused by Microsoft's new Ribbon menus, it is this: the company has created a program geared to end user training of Office 2007 and Windows 7 comprised of more than a dozen (mostly) free tools.

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Microsoft issues emergency critical IE patch; fixes 8 holes

As expected, Microsoft today released MS10-002 to address multiple vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer -- eight all told. This includes the Remote Code Execution vulnerability responsible for the so-called Google attacks (as reported in Microsoft's Security Advisory 979352).

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Microsoft to release emergency IE patch tomorrow

Microsoft will be releasing patch MS10-002 for Internet Explorer tomorrow, Jan. 21, 2010, at about 10 a.m. PST. The out-of-band patch fixes the critical bug responsible for the widely publicized attacks against Google and other corporations. It is a cumulative patch, meaning that it includes all patches for other vulnerabilities that Microsoft was planning on including during the next Patch Tuesday.

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Microsoft bug triggers international incident

A Microsoft software vulnerability is being implicated in the cyberattacks that triggered Google's recent high-profile comments about possibly pulling out of China altogether.

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Microsoft apologizes for, but doesn't really fix, software validation snafu

Problems with the licensing server has left some customers unable to use their apps for more than a month

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Microsoft pulls Office from its store in preperation for Jan. 11 injunction

Microsoft has pulled every version of Office except the $670 full-version Office Ultimate 2007 from its online store to comply with a court order requiring it to remove custom XML technology from its popular Word software by January 11.

Microsoft had originally promised that it would be ready with a revised version by the January 11 deadline, but now says that the revised software will be available "soon."

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With four days until Word injunction, Microsoft files another appeal in i4i case

Microsoft today filed another appeal in an attempt to overturn the court's ruling in the $290M case against i4i. In December, a court issued an injunction preventing Microsoft from selling new copies of Word 2003, Word 2007 and Word for Mac 2008. The injunction starts in 3 days on January 11.

i4i released the following statement

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Microsoft gadgets from CES (somewhat) relevant for business

As the week draws closed on the Consumer Eltronics Show in Las Vegas, there is a moment to reflect on the consumer tech toys by Microsoft most likely to influence the enterprise. The biggest among them is the introduction of so-called "slate" PCs, keyboardless touch screens that use Windows 7.

Slideshow: Cool CES gadgets are here

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Microsoft offers many versions of Office 2010. Here's a chart

Microsoft has revealed a whole plethera of options and prices for Office 2010. On Tuesday it announced the prices for four boxed retail versions and three "key card" versions. It has also promised a free, advertising supported version (available only on new PCs).

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Microsoft patents 'air guitar' technology

Microsoft researchers are pounding away on the idea of gesture-based computing. Reports have surfaced today about yet another patent pending technology that interprets sign-language like gestures and uses them to control an application. This one sends gestures over a wireless connection. The video below demonstrates how it can convert someone's air guitar motions to control the Guitar Hero game.

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Top Microsoft stories in '09 (and the post-season college football schedule)

The editors and bloggers that make up the Microsoft Subnet community wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and best wishes for a great 2010. We'll be taking a short hiatus from December 24 through January 3. We'll be back on January 4 bringing you more news, blogs, podcasts, opinion and discussions about Microsoft. As has become a holiday tradition, I have assembled a quirky list of Holiday 2009 resources for your reading pleasure this week.

Year-in-review stuff ...

Most popular Microsoft Subnet blog posts in 2009.

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Microsoft loses appeal: can't sell MS Word

A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a patent infringement judgment against Microsoft which bars Redmond from selling current versions of its Word program, the Wall Street Journal reports. A Texas jury had ruled in favor of Toronto-based i4i over the summer.

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Microsoft rebels: seven stories of users who abandoned Redmond

Over the past couple of years, Microsoft shops have been increasingly wooed by vendors offering alternatives to Windows, Exchange, Microsoft Office and other Microsoft wares. The competition has grown so fierce that in May, Red Hat went so far as to sue Switzerland (and win), saying that it could not grant Microsoft a no-bid contract for Office when so many other options exist.

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