John Lister

A senior Microsoft figure in the UK has said Windows 7 tries to mimic the look and feel of a Mac. Microsoft headquarters responded by calling him "inaccurate and uninformed." Simon Aldous, Microsoft's partner group manager, recently gave an ... interview to PCR, a computer industry magazine. As you'd imagine given the timing, the interview covered the development of Windows 7, which he agreed was like "Vista on steroids". However, he went on to say: "One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use. What we've ... (view more)

Microsoft is examining claims that a bug in Windows 7 could allow a hacker to remotely disable a computer. The news comes just as the firm urges users of previous editions of Windows to give priority to one particular patch in this month's security ... update. The Windows 7 bug, reported by a security researcher who's posted what he claims to be code for exploiting the bug, involves the Server Message Block. That's a section of Windows used in networks for features such as file and printer sharing. Bug Allows "Infinite Loop" Attack Laurent Gaffie says that the bug could make it possible for a ... (view more)

If your iPhone's wallpaper has suddenly changed to a picture of singer 1980's singer sensation Rick Astley, it's not just a prank by a friend. Instead, it's a worm virus that could lead to significant harm. The problem only affects "jailbroken" ... handsets, those which have been adapted by the user to allow them to run applications without any restrictions. Note that a jailbroken iPhone is different from an unlocked iPhone, which allows the phone to make calls on any network. The worm takes advantage of the fact that many people who have jailbroken their phone go on to use a file transfer system ... (view more)

According to TechCrunch, Google is reported to have paid $30 million for Internet phone call company Gizmo5. It could be a major boost for Google Voice, but may also raise further interest among regulators. (Source: techcrunch.com ) Google Voice ... lets users hook up a single phone number that can receive calls. When they get a call on that number, a user can have multiple phones ring, such as home, work and cellphones. The service also includes features such as voicemail transcription, meaning the user can search for words in their messages in the same way as with emails. The firm also offers ... (view more)

Microsoft has assured users that it will strive to give cloud computing customers the same privacy commitments given to those using desktop software. But it warns that this could be limited by government regulations, particularly where data is ... transferred across international borders. Cloud computing is a broad term, but generally refers to set-ups where data, an application, or even an operating system is stored on, and operative from, a remote server rather than a user's computer. As Microsoft notes, it's not a new idea: Hotmail is an example of a cloud-based service, with the emails and ... (view more)

One of the most visible changes in Windows 7 is that the User Account Control (UAC) system has been made less irritating than with Vista. However, a security firm says that less hassle comes with a price. The UAC system, which debuted in Vista, ... means that once installed, software is not automatically able to run without restraint. Instead, when it wants to perform an action which will change Windows itself, a pop-up box asks the user for permission. The user must be logged in under an administrator account to give this permission. Vista Users: UAC Most Annoying The idea was to put a block on ... (view more)

Microsoft's share of the Internet browser market has fallen by almost a tenth in the space of one year. The lost share has been split between Firefox, Safari and Google's new Chrome browser. (Source: informationweek.com ) Monitoring firm Net ... Applications has just released its browser statistics for October. While some reports are concentrating on the changes since September, which saw Internet Explorer drop by just one percentage point, the trends are much more striking when comparing October 2009 to October 2008. Firefox Does Most Damage During that one year period the percentage of Internet ... (view more)

It remains unclear whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be able to bring its proposed net neutrality rules into force. Another politician has launched a bid to block the FCC from further regulating the net, while an Internet ... carrier claims the commission doesn't have the legal power to bring the rules into force. Last week, the FCC voted unanimously to adopt plans for new rules enforcing the existing principle of net neutrality. The overall idea is that Internet carriers should treat all traffic equally. In practice that could mean cable firms and ISPs would not be allowed ... (view more)

Many users are taking up the offer for Windows 7 "Upgrade," which requires the user to have a pre-existing, legitimate copy of Windows 2000, XP, or Vista already pre-installed on the user's machine. However, Microsoft has recently confirmed it is ... technically possible to install an upgrade-only edition of Windows 7 on a machine that doesn't already have another version of Windows pre-installed. That said, the firm has also pointed out that doing so is an illegal breach of licensing conditions. Several websites have printed what they describe as 'workarounds', which use an upgrade ... (view more)

In its attempt to make Windows 7 a success and build a successful chain of retail stores, Microsoft has declared war on one of the most annoying parts of buying a new PC: bloatware. Bloatware -- known less charitably as crapware -- is trial software ... which PC manufacturers include with new computers. To the manufacturers and developers it's a great deal: the manufacturers get some bonus content while the developers can expose their products to new computer buyers. However, many users find the programs useless and unwanted; they usually come with limited functionality until the full edition is ... (view more)