Microsoft’s quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday painted a rosy picture of a healthy and vibrant tech company. Revenue from Windows sales jumped 28 percent versus the same quarter a year ago.

And there’s little doubt that Windows 7 is a hit. More than 10 percent of all PCs worldwide run Windows 7, which is the fastest-selling operating system in history, Redmond claims. And while Microsoft’s third-quarter revenue of $14.5 billion rose a modest 6 percent over the same period a year earlier, profits shot up an impressive 35 percent.

So what’s not to like?

Well, for starters, Microsoft’s position in the emerging mobile computing market is questionable at best. For large enterprises, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry phones still rule, while Apple’s iPhone and Google Android-based devices continue to make inroads.

Redmond has stumbled badly in the cell phone arena. Its Windows Mobile 6.x platform is essentially moribund. Know anyone who uses a Windows phone anymore? (Yes, I know they’re out there, but their numbers are dwindling fast.) The company recently scrapped its social media-oriented Kin device, which arrived on the mobile scene at least a year too late.

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The next version of the Microsoft Security Essentials is now in limited public beta.

New features:

Windows Firewall integration – During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.

Enhanced protection for web-based threats – Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.

New protection engine – The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.

Network inspection system* – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials.

* For Windows XP users: Please note that the network inspection system feature will not be enabled on Windows XP. This is because the network inspection system requires the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) in order to run, and WFP is only available in Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, if you are running Windows XP, you can still use all other beta features.

Users need to register for a Beta account before they can download the Beta version, more info here.

Take note that Microsoft Security Essentials only offers basic protection for your PC.  Use products from Kaspersky Lab for complete PC protection- Get one here.

Despite ever-increasing Mac sales, Microsoft’s still has an undisputed dominance over the computer industry.

With such a vast presence, much has already been written about Microsoft: Its history, its products, even its former CEO Bill Gates. For those itching to know even more, we’ve dug up 10 snippets of info that you might not have heard before.

What experimental musician created the Windows start-up sound? How do they celebrate anniversaries? Does Microsoft have a “pest” problem? Have a read of our Microsoft-themed facts, stats and trivia and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

1. “Micro-soft’s” First Ever Mention

The first ever mention of “Microsoft” was in a letter from Bill Gates to co-founder Paul Allen in 1975. Gates initially wrote the company name as Micro-soft, which made sense considering it’s a portmanteau of “microcomputer” and “software.”

Losing the hyphen, “Microsoft” was officially registered as a company in November, 1976 in New Mexico where Gates and Allen were working with their first major customer, MITS. Microsoft didn’t move to its current campus in Redmond, Washington until 1986.

The Microsoft logo has changed several times over the years, the current “Pac-Man” logo was introduced in 1987, but previous to that was the “blibbet” logo that’s pictured above. The “blibbet” refers to the stylized “o” and was apparently once the name of a burger served in the Microsoft company cafeteria.

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Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, two titans of tech, have been friends, competitors, and colleagues. They’ve even gone on double-dates.

So what does Steve Jobs have to say about Microsoft’s founder? We went looking, and have compiled a list of Steve Jobs’ best quotes about Bill Gates.

The claws come out as Jobs challenges Gates’s creativity and criticizes aspects of Microsoft’s business. But the Apple CEO also softens up, likens their relationship to matrimony, and speaks fondly of the legacy Gates will leave. There’s even a cute video from a 1983 Apple event when Gates “woos” Jobs during a company-sponsored dating game.

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A computer security engineer at Microsoft reports that the company discovered at least 1800 bugs in Office 2010 by tapping into the unused computer horsepower of idling PCs.

The bugs were uncovered by running millions of ‘fuzzing tests’, a practice used by both software developers and security researchers to detect flaws. The method involves inserting data into file format parsers to see where programs fail by crashing.

Senior security test lead with Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, Tom Gallagher said they found and fixed about 1800 bugs in Office 2010’s code.  “While a large number, it’s important to note that that doesn’t mean we found 1,800 security issues. We also want to fix things that are not security concerns,” he says.

He refuses to reveal the exact number of flaws uncovered through fuzzing that qualifies as vulnerabilities.

Gallagher who co-hosted a presentation on Microsoft’s fuzzing efforts at the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, British Columbia says that the non-security bugs discovered in Office 2010 that also exist in previous editions will be fixed in those versions’ upcoming service packs

 Microsoft was able to detect such a large number of bugs in Office 2010 by using under-utilised and idle PCs throughout the company. “We call it a botnet for fuzzing,” said Gallagher, referring to what Microsoft has formally dubbed Distributed Fuzzing Framework (DFF).

Client software installed on systems throughout Microsoft’s network are set to automatically run fuzzing test when the PC’s are idle, such as on weekends. “We would do millions of [fuzzing] iterations each weekend,” Gallagher said — up to 12 million in some cases.

Client software installed on systems throughout Microsoft’s network automatically kicks in when the PCs are idle, such as on weekends, to run fuzzing tests “We would do millions of [fuzzing] iterations each weekend,” Gallagher said — up to 12 million in some cases.

Source

Whenever it comes time to talk about Microsoft, the discussion almost always turns to the company’s handling of security. Microsoft’s critics say the software giant’s programs fail to adequately protect users. They also contend that Microsoft takes far too long to update its software, which makes the trouble last longer. Admittedly, Microsoft’s poor software design does sometimes cause major security issues.

But that doesn’t mean that Microsoft is always to blame.

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Yesterday, Microsoft made available patches for 25 vulnerabilities affecting various releases of Windows, Office and Exchange Server.

All updates are currently being served to customers worldwide through Windows Update.

Here’s the list of the latest patch:

·         MS10-019 addresses two vulnerabilities in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 2.

·         MS10-020 addresses five vulnerabilities in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 2.

·         MS10-021 addresses eight vulnerabilities in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Important and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-022 addresses a vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Important and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-023 addresses a vulnerability in Office has a maximum severity rating of Important and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-024 addresses two vulnerabilities in Exchange, has a maximum severity rating of Important and an Exploitability Index rating of 3

·         MS10-025 addresses a vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-026 addresses a vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-027 addresses a vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-028 addresses two vulnerabilities in Office, has a maximum severity rating of Important and an Exploitability Index rating of 1.

·         MS10-029 addresses a vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Moderate and an Exploitability Index rating of N/A.

More details can be found over here.

Microsoft has released a platform demo version of Internet Explorer 9. To try the new browser you need Windows Vista SP2 (With Platform Upgrade) or Windows 7, and an existing Internet Explorer 8 installation.

How the future browser might look like, from Microsoft’s perspective- Test drive IE9 now

Now you can purchase the latest Windows 7 operating system from your nearest IT store.

Price details after the jump!

In conjunction with the launch, Microsoft and partners(Intel, HP, Dell, Acer, DiGi, AMD, Asus and Lenovo) will be holding roadshows at Plaza Lowyat, KL (2 – 8 November), Ikano Power Centre, PJ (4 – 8 November), Gurney Plaza, Penang (6 – 8 November), and City Square, JB (13 – 15 November).

Via LowYat.net

Microsoft Malaysia has organised a barrage of events, including roadshows and contests, nationwide to mark the launch of its Windows 7 PC operating system.

These activities will take place next month and will feature products and services from prominent industry players Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell, Acer, DiGi Broadband, AMD, Asus and Lenovo.

The software giant and its partners will be hosting roadshows at KL’s Low Yat Plaza (Nov 2-8) and Ikano Power Centre (Nov 4-8); Penang’s Gurney Plaza (Nov 6-8); and Johor Baru’s City Square (Nov 13-15).

In keeping with Microsoft’s “7” theme, it will hold a grand launch of Windows 7 at the Low Yat Plaza on Nov 7.

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