Microsoft hit by record EU fine

<font size="3">Microsoft hit by record EU fine</font>

Microsoft have been fined 497 Million Euros ($613m, £331m). This is approximately 8% of the profit Microsoft makes in Europe. EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti is giving Microsoft 90 days to comply with the ruling which states Microsoft must make a seperate version of Windows without Windows Media Player for Europe and within 120days show some of their code for Windows.

Microsoft have stated they will appeal against the decision and legal battles will likely last years.

A harsh decision by the EU but one that reflects attitudes to Microsofts monopoly of the desktop PC market. Maybe Mario Monti is secretly working on a case against Apple who bundle Quicktime and iTunes (a dominate music service) in their Apple OSX operating system. Such a move is fair since iTunes dominates the market share of online music services. Should the EU force Microsoft to comply this will damage...

IPv6 rollout in 2005 for China and Japan

<font size="3">IPv6 rollout in 2005 for China and Japan</font>

China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are all dedicating time and effort to the research and development of Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) technology, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK), a division of Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). IPv6 is the replacement for the more than 20-year-old IPv4 protocol, which is quickly running out of available addresses.

Full Story: digitimes.com

New rules sought for Internet wiretaps

<font size="3">New rules sought for Internet wiretaps</font>

Technology companies should be required to ensure that law enforcement agencies can install wiretaps on Internet traffic and new generations of digital communications, the Justice Department says.

The push would effectively expand the scope of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, a 1994 law that requires the telecommunications industry to build into its products tools that U.S. investigators can use to eavesdrop on conversations with a court order.

Fearful that federal agents can't install wiretaps against criminals using the latest communications technologies, lawyers for the Justice Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration said their proposals "require immediate attention and resolution" by the Federal Communications Commission.

Full Story: cnn.com

Project Management Experts Exam Now Live

<font size="3">Project Management Experts Exam Now Live </font>

Microsoft Corp. has released Exam 70-281, Planning, Deploying, and Managing an Enterprise Project Management Solution, to the general public on March 2. The exam counts as an elective toward the MCSE on Windows 2003 track.

According to the exam guide, Microsoft targets IT professionals tasked with managing medium and large-scale projects, typically using Microsoft Enteprise Implementation Framework. Those environments typically involve the deployment of IIS 6.0 (IIS), Windows SharePoint Services, SQL Server 2000, Project Server 2003, Project Professional 2003, and OLAP data services, among other technologies.

View: 70-281 exam guide
View: MCSE requirements
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Windows XP SP2 could break existing apps

<font size="3">Windows XP SP2 could break existing apps</font>

Some software developers may find their applications no longer work on machines using Microsoft Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, which will be released later this year.

Microsoft has made something of a trade-off with the update, focusing on security improvements at the expense of backward compatibility. The company has called on all software developers to test their code against the beta version of Service Pack 2, or face the possibility that the update will break their handiwork.

Full Story: ComputerWeekly.com

Study: Training Leads to Promotion, Employee Retention

<font size="3">Study: Training Leads to Promotion, Employee Retention</font>

Investing in training could be a good step toward a promotion, according to a survey by The Training Camp.

The November 2003 survey showed that of the more than 500 IT employees polled (including contract workers), 87 percent were promoted after taking a training course or certification program.

In addition, 82 percent of survey takers returned to their current job after participating in a training course or certification program. Over half of those polled were lucky enough to have company-sponsored training.

Full Story: mcpmag.com

MCDST Exams, Courses Discounted

<font size="3">MCDST Exams, Courses Discounted</font>

For a limited time, Microsoft is offering a 20-percent discount on the MCDST exams worldwide, available at participating Prometric and Pearson Vue testing centers worldwide. The company is also promoting a discount on MCDST-related training, available only within the U.S. at participating training providers.

The MCDST exams—70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Windows XP Operating System and 70-272: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Windows XP Operating System—each retail for $125 in the U.S.. During the promotion, however, Microsoft is discounting the exams to $100. Candidates must complete exams by August 31, 2004.

Full Story: mcpmag.com

Developer Exams Spotlight Security

<font size="3">Developer Exams Spotlight Security </font>
Microsoft plans to beta test two new security-related developer exams April 21 through May 4.

Having announced a slew of exams on the networking operating systems side in the past three months, Microsoft Corp. is now turning its attention to new security-focused exams for developers. The company recently just posted information on two new exams:

• 71-330 Implementing Security for Applications with Visual Basic .NET
• 71-340 Implementing Security for Applications with Visual C# .NET

Exam 70-330, numbered 71-330 while in beta, carries stringent requirements--Microsoft recommends that candidates have at least three or more years of experience. Exam 70-340 (71-340 in beta) has similar experience recommendations. Both exams are expected to be beta tested April 21 through May 4, according to information posted on the Pearson Vue testing site....

Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP SP2

<font size="3">Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP SP2</font>

In Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft is introducing a set of security technologies that will help to improve the ability of Windows XP-based computers to withstand malicious attacks from viruses and worms. The technologies include network protection, memory protection, safer e-mail handling, more secure browsing, and improved computer maintenance.

Together, these security technologies will help to make it more difficult to attack Windows XP, even if the latest updates are not applied. These security technologies together are particularly useful in mitigation against worms and viruses.

This document specifically focuses on the changes between earlier versions of Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 2 and reflects Microsoft’s early thinking about Service Pack 2 and its implications for developers. Examples and details are provided for several of the...

Yahoo Begins Rolling Out Its Own Search Technology

<font size="3">Yahoo Begins Rolling Out Its Own Search Technology </font>

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Internet media company Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it was switching to its own Web search technology and dropping its use of competitor Google Inc.

The widely anticipated announcement marks the unwinding of a long-term relationship between Yahoo, operator of the world's most-visited Internet properties, and Google, the No. 1 Web search provider.

The friendly partnership evolved into an intense rivalry as Google's popularity soared and Web-search advertising revenue, which traffic providers like Yahoo share with search companies, boomed.

"The transition has obviously been underway for many months. It doesn't come as a surprise," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of product management at Google, which is expected to go public later this year.

Yahoo recently has made...