Just days after we posted news about Google’s acquisitions that position it to make a large impact on HTML 5 video development, suspicion is floating around the tech world that Microsoft is planning a big announcement for Internet Explorer 9, the next installment of their declining browser.

If Microsoft intends to keep their commanding share of the browser market, they will need to continue to adapt to web standards. At their MIX 2010 developer conference in Las Vegas, experts predict that Microsoft will unveil a new IE version that takes into account HTML 5 elements, including support for vector graphics like SVG.

Even with IE 8, the current version, Internet Explorer is still far behind competitors like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Opera. If ever there were a time for Microsoft to make a game-changing play, that time is now.

Source: Webmonkey

Continue reading: Microsoft may soon step up its HTML 5 game

Website owners should always be concerned about the latest news and developments with the web browser wars and Web standards. Decisions made by these third parties can directly affect how your website is presented to your viewers and whether you need to make adjustments.

Our original post centered around Apple and Google’s unwillingness to adopt the open Theora format, citing its inferior performance quality to the proprietary and patent-laced H.264. This is still the case with both Apple and Google producing browsers that support the video tag from HTML 5 but do not support Theora. Youtube has added support for it, but it does not work in Mozilla Firefox, which, as an open source browser, cannot distribute H.264 technology.

It seems dismal, and Microsoft has still added little to the discussion, although they have at least joined it. All of this, however, might be about to take an unusual turn for the better. The Theora format was created by On2 Technologies and then released as open source later. On 17th of February, their stockholders approved a merger with Google and possibly future development on open video formats. This could be good for all parties in the end.

Source: On2 Technologies

Continue reading: The HTML 5 video debate revisted

Microsoft provides a tool for Windows Server 2008 that tests for security misconfiguration. It comes with a graphical interface and a command line interface for both local and remote scans. It looks for vulnerabilities, performs assessment checks, and checks SQL Server 2005.

In addition to Windows Server 2008, MBSA runs on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 systems. It scans for misconfigurations on Internet Information Server (IIS), SQL Server, Internet Explorer, and MS Office.

MBSA is available for download from the Microsoft website. It is free to download and use on Windows systems. It comes with a readme.html document containing information on system requirements, scan options, and tool support options.

Source: Microsoft

Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Test Windows Server 2008 with MBSA

In yet another dispute regarding its Bing.com search engine, corporate giant Microsoft has won the domain wapbing.net.

The Redmond company claimed the name violated its trademark for “Bing” and filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum. Microsoft also claimed that the registrant intended for the domain to be deliberately confusing and was thus using it in bad faith.

According to the case documents, the name was registered by Xin Net Technology Corporation, a Chinese domain register notorious for its spam activities.

Source | Domain News
Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Microsoft wins dispute over wapbing.net

Tech giant Microsoft won a dispute filed with the National Arbitration Forum over the domain bingnews.org this week. The company alleged that the name, which was registered by Prabhjot Singh, violated the trademark of its Bing search engine.

Microsoft won the case because of its trademark on “Bing” and because the registrant did not respond, but was this domain really worth going after? It is true that companies must pursue violations in order to keep their marks, but is going after each and every one necessary? In this instance, Singh didn’t appear to be using the name in bad faith. The domain itself isn’t very good, either. I doubt either party could profit from it.

Continue reading: Microsoft wins dispute over bingnews.org

Microsoft Outlook is a great desktop mail client for at home or in the office, but what if you are using a computer not configured for Outlook access and need to check your mail? When this happens, Outlook Web Access (OWA) is a good alternative.

Originally called Exchange Web Connect (EWC), OWA is simply a webmail client designed to look almost identical to Outlook. It lets you check email, calendars, contacts, and more. Older versions require Internet Explorer, but the latest version will also work with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

Unfortunately, not every Outlook user can use OWA. In order for it to work, you must have a server with Microsoft Exchange installed. Most companies using Outlook should have this, but personal users will find themselves out of luck.

Continue reading: How read Outlook mail via web

Question: How do I setup remote management of an IIS 7 server on Windows Server 2008?

Answer: By default, remote management is turned off. Therefore, you must turn it on before you can use any of its features. Although IIS is available for Vista and other versions of Microsoft Windows, remote management only works on Windows Server. You can install remote management with three easy steps:

1. Install the service called Web Management Service (WMSVC)
2. Turn on remote connections.
3. Set any other configurations you desire, such as ports, IP address and domain settings.
4. Start the WMSVC service. You can also set it to start up automatically at boot.

A full detailed description of each step is available on the Learn IIS website.

Tomorrow, we will learn about using the remote management software.

Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Remotely managing your Windows web server

Frontpage is a WYSIWYG editor created by Microsoft. Though it is now legacy software, having been replaced by the company’s new Expression Web, there is still significant demand for Frontpage web hosting.

The good news is most hosts still provide Frontpage extensions, the technology needed for the software to sync with your provider. The number of hosts supporting Frontpage will likely decline in the coming years, however, so users of the software would be better off switching to a newer alternative.

Also keep in mind that a good many hosts provide their own free WYSIWYG editors. If you don’t know HTML and only need a simple site, such a tool would probably meet your needs.

Continue reading: Frontpage web hosting

Microsoft, which has long offered proprietary alternatives to open source web platforms and scripting languages, is now offering a toolkit that will make it easier for PHP developers to utilize it’s .NET data services. PHP, which stands for PHP Hyptertext Processor and is sponsored by the commercial organization, Zend Technologies. It is licensed under a free software license.

PHP is used by hundreds of thousands of websites running various web applications and content management systems. Microsoft’s ASP scripting language has often been considered a direct competitor. For Microsoft to now be extending a hand to PHP shows that the software giant now realizes they cannot stamp out open source technology, which continues to spread in business, with many web servers and websites adopting it.

Zend Technologies and Microsoft have also formed agreement to ensure that PHP will run on Windows, a concession Microsoft is undoubtedly willing to make because most PHP application developers prefer to develop for a Linux environment. This move by Microsoft comes just weeks after it announced plans to submit GPL code to the Linux kernel, something Microsoft once described as “a cancer”.

Source: Microsoft
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Microsoft Working with PHP

Microsoft is a company that needs no introduction, but for those who have been under a very low-tech rock for the past 20 years, they are the dominating software force in the PC market. Their operating system, Windows and their office suite are used on the majority of the world’s computers. Microsoft also competes in the gaming console market with its Xbox 360. To say that it would be suicide to take them on in the legal arena is probably an understatement.

Nevertheless, someone decided to register a domain name with the word “xbox” in it. That someone is an actual company, MeiXun Technology Ltd, based in GuanZhou, China. Microsoft, the trademark owner of XBOX filed a complaint with the National Arbitration Forum on June 29. The complaint and all correspondence were submitted in English and Chinese. MeiXun, however, did not respond to the cybersquatting allegations.

The panel found that the name was confusingly similar to the XBOX trademark, with only “ps” added to the front of it (possibly to indicate PlayStation). Rather than make it acceptable because of the prefix, the panel found that it only adds to confusion by joining two competing gaming platforms. The website attached to the domain was used to sell third party modification chips for Xbox and other consoles, which is illegal in the United States. The panel found that the respondent had registered the domain name in bad faith and ordered the domain be transferred to Microsoft.

Source: National Arbitration Forum
Photo: Flickr

Continue reading: Microsoft Scores PSXBOX.NET in Dispute

In an effort to increase efficiency and reduce costs, IT companies will do anything to save a few pennies. Microsoft is ready to take things to a whole new level by building a data center with no walls or roof.

Such an outdoor server room would not leave the hardware exposed, however. Microsoft currently builds data centers by placing hundreds of server-laden shipping containers together in an open-floor building. The Redmond company thinks it can cut cuts even further by simply removing the building from the equation.

According to Debra Chrapaty, a leading figure in the company’s infrastructure plans, building a facility without walls and a roof would cut costs by a third and construction time in half.

The servers will still be protected by the shipping containers that enclose them, but my guess is a fence of some sort will need to be erected. Shipping containers are designed to sit on a ship’s deck exposed to the elements, so they should do a fine job of replacing an actual building.

Source | NY Times

Continue reading: Microsoft to build outdoor data center

Last month we discussed the current state of HTML 5, particularly regarding its video component. Not only were the major browser makers, Mozilla, Google, Apple, and Opera, all duking it out over what should be considered standard, but the largest browser maker, Microsoft, had barely contributed to the debate at all.

Now Microsoft has begun to open up to the HTML 5 development mailing list, indicating that they are interested in joining the discussion. Their latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, includes some HTML 5 features, although it is far behind Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera. Microsoft clearly wants to be involved now, a move that more than likely is the result of website owners embracing HTML 5 even in its development state and Google’s willingness to adopt it, with its huge Web presence.

HTML or hypertext markup language, is the technical language of the World Wide Web. It is standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium or W3C. Much of the HTML 5 development, however, has come from an outside organization called Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG), which the major browser makers established as a reaction to their disappointment with XHTML 2.0. There has been a highly publicized debate about embedded video standards, whether to use Ogg Theora or H.264. Until now, Microsoft has been largely silent.
Source: ZDNet Asia

Continue reading: Microsoft joins the HTML 5 discussion