Educated world will be a much better place to live than an uneducated one. (Yes sometimes you wonder why educated people make such a big mess' in certain cases, but collectively, we will all gain, by aiding respecting and honoring each other.) Although I am a not so wealthy teacher, entrepreneur, physicist, dreamer.. et al, I have managed to donate a few laptops so far, with the support of my dear ones. Think about it this Xmas, may be your family could make a bunch of children happy somewhere! Just like the kids from a school in Cambodia in above photo.
Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give 1 Get 1 Program for a brief window of time in North America. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home. If you're interested in Give 1 Get 1, Just sign up in the box (once you follow the link below!)to the left and you'll receive your reminder prior to the November 12 launch date.
Also if you'd like to donate an XO laptop today, simply click the donation button on the right (Agian after clicking on the link below) . A donation of $200 will pay for and deliver one XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, $400 will pay for and deliver two XO laptops, and so on.
One Laptop Per Child Give One Get One Program
Thursday, November 08, 2007
One Laptop Per Child program Opens up Give one Get one Program
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Now Google Got Gas, (Really Google at Gas Station)
Now you can get there without asking directions, thanks to Google Maps coming soon to a gas pump near you. You will be able to find offers within the Gas Station Store, Find Restaurants, hotels and Motels nearby. If you are bored attractions around the area, will also be displayed on a Google Map. Once you know what you want one can print the driving directions and be on your way.But I wonder when most vehicles get GPS with all these information and connectivity to your cell phone, will these be still attractive?
GREENSBORO, NC – November 7, 2007 – Consumers can now display maps, find local listings, and even print driving directions and money-saving coupons from Gilbarco’s Encore® dispensers with color screens and the Applause™ media system. The live internet connection means all information is in real time. The Gilbarco® Applause™ media system is the first content management system that uses Google’s world-class open content infrastructure to deliver valuable information at the pump.
Consumers can view maps on the pump’s screen and locate their desired destinations. They can also search Google’s local business listings by category (restaurant, hospital, gift shop, etc.) to find the nearest choices. Once a destination is selected, consumers can also print the driving directions at the pump. Easy-to-read instructions are printed on the receipt printer, making it convenient to take them with them in the car.
"Getting directions at the pump is safer than using internet-enabled devices from the driver’s seat and far more reliable than just asking a stranger," said Kirsten Paust, vice president of global retail systems at Gilbarco Veeder-Root. "We believe consumers will prefer convenience stores that deliver useful information and ultimate convenience. Retailers who use these tools will make themselves more valuable to consumers and gain the competitive edge."
Applause™ is an extension of Gilbarco’s existing SMART Merchandising™ System for providing promotions, advertisements, and coupons at the fuel dispenser. Current users of the SMART Merchandising system will be able to easily migrate to the enhanced functionality available from Applause™ media system.
Applause™ and Encore S dispensers with color screens are currently on exhibit at the 2007 NACS Show, November 7 – 9, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Booth 2525.
News Source
RadioHead Might Find That Pot of Gold "In Rainbows"
I have followed RadioHead's album release and basically happy about what they did. Today I read many news outlets talking about what is the amount of money that came to Radiohead.
The site seem to have got something like 1.2 Million and people who downloaded music on average paid $6 for the album.
My simple question is if RadioHead went with it's record producers or publishars, how much royaltes would they have received per album? my wild guess is that $2-$3. So RadioHead is making twice the amount that it is used to make!
When they release the 40 pound ($80) disk set that includes two CDs and 2 twelve inch vinyls, they will sell at least some more as not every RadioHead fan is "On the Net" and there are reasons for having a CD or record. So if they sell 100000 albums, they will make $8 Million (minus cost).
So Music Creators, you do not need RIAA controlled music Studios. Yes to start off, do not sign 20 year contracts!
Congrats RadioHead
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Google Analytics and Your Search Engine, Analyze That!
I started experimenting (actually playing, I need to justify what I do) the Google Analytics' recently introduced new features. One of the best parts was the of site search reporting, this allows you to link and analyze your website's internal search engine with Analytics account.
If you are not much familiar with Analytics site search feature or want to learn how to put it to best use, Avinash Kaushik, a web analytics evangelist, has this great post about how to use site search reporting which I leaned about at the Official Google Blog;
Official Google Enterprise Blog: Use Google Analytics with your Google Enterprise site search engine.
Even if you do not have Google Search Appliance, Google Mini and Custom Search Business Edition both are (Web Analytics and Avinash's site) still good learning tools to learn about how your site perfoms.
Google Analytics
Avinash
Monday, November 05, 2007
VOIP IP Telephony: No gPhone (Google Phone) But Open Handset Alliance and Android.
VOIP IP Telephony: No gPhone (Google Phone) But Open Handset Alliance and Android.: "No gPhone (Google Phone) But Open Handset Alliance and Android."
Sunday, November 04, 2007
AMD Quad Core Phenom X4, pricing revealed
I am waiting to upgrade my cluster with new AMD Processors, Quad core Phenom X4. My boards are all AM2 slots and I wonder if I could simply plug the new CPU's in. If so I will have 16 cores in my hands. If not I will have to shell out money for two motherboards.
ISA Hardware published these prices. Does not look bad for Quads.
HD9600WCGDBOX CPU Desktop Phenom X4 9600 (4MB,95W,AM2) box $278.00
HD9700XAGDBOX CPU Desktop Phenom X4 9700 (4MB,125W,AM2) box $288.00
Saturday, November 03, 2007
EFF Will File a Amicus Brief in Jamie Thomas Trial Appeal
Although a little late in reporting, Jamie Thomas' appeal case will get assistance from EFF. According to a post on EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation;
"the outcome will likely turn on Jury Instruction #15, which equates "making available" with "distributing" a copyrighted work. If the appeals court rejects that jury instruction, the verdict against Ms. Thomas would have to be thrown out and the case re-tried."
According to the same post they will argue on "Distribution", how it is defined in the Copyright Act (might not extend to Internet!) and or actual proof of that the distribution of copy righted material took place. As INAL, please read the EFF article that describe everything in detail.
Most People are Unaware That They are Being Tracked on the Internet
Samuelson, Annenberg Report: Consumers Believe Privacy Policies
Prohibit Common Advertising Practices
October 31, 2007 -- In advance of the Federal Trade Commission's Town Hall on behavioral advertising, (“Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, and Technology.” The event will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, technology experts, and academics to address consumer protection issues raised by the practice of tracking consumers’ activities online to target advertising - or “behavioral advertising.”)
The Samuelson Clinic and the Annenberg Public Policy Center have released a report (PDF) showing that most consumers think privacy policies prohibit common online advertising practices.
The study shows that individuals do not understand the basics and legality of information collection techniques. In a new poll of California adults sponsored by the Samuelson Clinic and conducted by the University's Survey Research Center, 37% thought that privacy policies prohibit websites from analyzing the data they collect directly from users. When Annenberg explained the third- party network advertising model to survey respondents, 85% did not agree that a "valued" site should be able to serve clickstream advertising to them based on visits to other websites. The Annenberg survey also makes clear that many consumers do not understand or think through the privacy implications of sharing their real name and email address with a website. The report builds upon a joint paper released at the Federal Trade Commission's 2007 "Tech-Ade" event, and recommends that the Commission police the term "privacy policy," so that sites advertising the term provide protections consistent with consumer expectations.
The Behavioral Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, and Technology townhall meeting webcast is available and people are advised to submit a comment.
FILING A COMMENT— Deadline: COB Friday, November 16, 2007
Any person also may submit written comments on the topics to be addressed at the Town Hall. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to behavioraladvertising_comments@ftc.gov or by mail to Secretary, Federal Trade Commission, Room H-135 (Annex N), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Comments must be received by COB Friday, November 16, 2007.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Oregon Attorney General Says No to RIAA; Files Motion to Quash on Behalf of University of Oregon
In Arista v. Does 1-17, a new ex parte case to get discovery from the University of Oregon about the identities of its students, the Oregon Department of Justice has made a motion, on behalf of the University of Oregon, to quash the subpoena obtained by the RIAA.
This is the first such motion of which we are aware that has been made by the university itself, rather than by the students.It is also the first instance of which we are aware of a State Attorney General bringing a motion to quash an RIAA subpoena.
complete detail at Recording Industry vs The People
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Under all the noise, gPC Arrives in Wallmart from Google and Everex.
When we were all looking and searching for gPhone and OpenSocial API, which is harder to find than the gSpot, (VoIP IP Telephony suggested gSpot will be the store name that will sell Google Phone, gPhone) has released gPC, to Wallmart.
The venture is an effort between Everex (Ha! I thought they were dead and gone eons ago) and Google and perhaps Ubuntu, gOS(h!) the operating system shipped with the gPC is variant of Ubuntu desktop. gOS is accompanied by OpenOffice, GIMP photo software, the Xing DVD and video player, and Rhythmbox music management software already installed. In addition Google applications such as Documents and Spreadsheets, Calendar, News, and Maps are on the desktop. Also pre-installed is the Firefox web browser, Meebo IM, and Skype.
The "Linux for Masses" initiative by Google, OSS community and Everex has done a real good job of staying G,
Good OS or Google OS
Green as the processor, 1.5GHz Via C7-D processor, Via UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core, are very low power consumption compared to most Intel and AMD chips.
Why did not the designers look at things like Mac Mini before developing this PC? all those good things explained are stuffed into a 80s looking PC Box.
It is available at Wallmart, and the details are at Everex. I will replace my old pentium III home test server with this, which has been running for last 5-6 years.
If you are a developer, this is the place to go.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Oracle's Larry Ellison on Our (His) Future
Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison, on his first visit Israel last weekend, told TheMarker that collaborative open source software is nothing to be feared, and mocked the "Google-envy" he said Microsoft was suffering t an event hosted Saturday night by TheMarker, the American Embassy and Oracle Israel.
"I detect Google-envy in Silicon Valley. In fact, the most interesting thing is that Microsoft has Google-envy, which is fascinating, because Microsoft makes more money than Google," Ellison says.
He was visiting Israel with his family, and spoke during a weekend in which he toured the country by helicopter, from Gaza to Lebanon.
He went on to say that Web 2.0 phenomenon is not a passing fad, and postulated that Google isn't a direct rival. He also believes that one day, Oracle will pass Microsoft and become the world's biggest software company.
But I like most about "Oracle" in Larry Ellison when it comes to talk about what he knows;
"Open source is not something to be feared. Open source is something to be explained. Open source wins not because it's open and not because it's free. Open source wins only when it's better," he says.
The Apache web server is currently the most successful open source product in the world," Ellison says. "It displaced Microsoft IIS not because it was free and not because it was open source, but because it was more secure and faster, and more reliable.
"Linux, I believe, is competing very effectively with (Microsoft's) Windows. The thing that's misleading is that for free software to take over - well, the purchase price of software is only about 10 percent of the total cost of ownership of software. So even if the software is free, the most you can save is 10 percent off. Now the question is, what are your other costs of developing applications, of running applications on a daily basis, of dealing with problems when they occur? We think that Oracle is absolutely very competitive with open source," he says.
Read the complete article at Haaretz
Monday, October 29, 2007
FairUse4WM Blocked Again with Windows Update!
Microsoft recently send out a Windows update that seems to block the Windows Media hacking tool, FairUse4WM. So DRM-free music tracks you decrypted using FairUse4WM? Well, it looks like the fun is over. It does not work anymore.
Elsewhere on the net people are wondering if the "Security Update for Windows XP (KB933729)" has anything to do with it.
Microsoft blocks FairUse4WM v2 after 3 months of DRM free music
Want a Movie with your Medicines or Photos?
Walgreen plans to introduce Movie kiosks to their Phot section where customers can select and purchase movies. These are movies that are not frequently stocked in stores. Once selected,have them burned onto DVDs in about 15 minutes.
Recent change in copy-protection rules governing DVDs have freed Walgreen and other retailers to tap this new movie market by letting consumers burn digital copies onto blank discs at stores.
"We hope to launch DVD-burning kiosks in the next few months. We think its a type of solution that will work very well in our stores, giving us the ability to provide a virtual inventory to a diverse customer base," said Tiffani Bruce, a spokeswoman for Walgreen, the nation's largest drugstore chain, with more than 6,000 stores.
Walgreen and other retailers are working with Sonic Solutions, which released software based on the recently approved industry specifications last month.
Sonic said consumers or retailers need special DVD burners and recordable discs to use its Qflix software, which also paves the way for download services from companies such as Amazon.com Inc,, Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Blockbuster Inc's Movielink.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Leopard (Mac OS X) on a Regular PC in Three Easy Steps
Usually when a MAC OS X version is out, there follows a Patched DVD’s from Uphuck, Netkas get the OS X running on a generic PC. But usually the people who tries these type of experiments are very impationt. If you are one of these and do not want to wait for the polished releases to come out, there is a very easy three step process to get Leopard running on a PC.
I have already Leopard running on my Mac Mini and I would rather leave it there. But if you do not have an Intel Mac here is the link that let you install leopard on a PC.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Leopard Growls!
Mac OS X operating system has hit store shelves and on the other hand consumers are increasingly snapping up Macintosh computers perhaps educated by millions of new their iPods and the flagship product, iPhone.
I was going to go to the store to pickup a family pack (Yes I have more than one Mac and even thinking of moving at least one copy of Windows (XP or Vista) to My Intel Macs.) . The reason was to get the complementary tee but when I saw the crowd I decided to let it go. I will go tomorrow and pick up my copy. I hate queues or lines, no matter what ever it is, except when I am forced follow lines like at air ports.
Some people are already complaining about Time Machine not backing up to networked devices over the wireless. Well I have Firewire Drives!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Who is Going to Comment on WHOIS to ICANN
I raised my hand to request by Doc Searls post on this ICANN. ICANN is, if you did not know, Hmmm let me quote Doc himself;
"Except ICANN is more like Grendel's cave, only a helluva lot bigger, and far more boring. It's easy for an outsider to be daunted by ICANN's labyrinthine bureaucracy, its complex processes, its mountain of documents, the galactic scale of its influence, the ecclesiology of its high-level gatherings and its near-countless topics of concern. The relatively small topic what happens to whois would be easy to miss. For example, it's not even listed among the many current topics on ICANN's top-level topics page."
But Once you read it please head over to WHOIS redux: Demand privacy in domain name registration, to learn more about this and act on it.
Or if you already know about these stuff;
"ICANN is currently soliciting Public Comments until 30 October, 2007 on the most recent GNSO WHOIS Task Force and Working Group Reports, recommendations, and related Staff Overview of Recent GNSO Whois Activity and Staff Implementation Notes on the WHOIS Working Group Report. An overview and links to all related WHOIS documents currently available for comment can be found at: http://www.icann.org/public_comment/#whois-comments-2007"
Or just send your comments to whois-comments-2007@icann.org.
M$ Explains the Recent Forced System Updates and System Reboots
Register report on October 25 that informed us that a number of admins were seeing Microsoft Desktop Search 3.01 pushed out to users via Microsoft’s WSUS enterprise patching/update system, in spite of having opted out of this “resource-hogging search app.” (the new version is not much different from the old one, hogs your system!).
Meanwhile, there’s a new theory circulating as to why a number of Windows XP and Vista users are reporting that their machines are patching and forcibly rebooting themselves. It might be Windows Live OneCare’s fault.
ZDNet's M.J. Foley's unblinking eye on M$ has put all those information together with explanations and updates from M$. Happy Computing!
Sony Copying ADs again?
Looking at this engadget post, it seems Sony is running out of creative ideas or money for ADs or both!.
I guess Sony like no other!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
IMAP, A New Feature In GMail, Get your GMail ON iPhone
Gmail users can now use IMAP to synchronize e-mail on their iPhones and desktops. Matthew Glotzbach, product management director for Google Enterprise, announced the release of IMAP support in Gmail Wednesday at Interop New York. Glotzbach, a keynote speaker, said Gmail account holders can begin using IMAP immediately. He held it up as an example of Google's attempts at continuous innovation, saying it's one of many new features Google has added since launching Google Applications in February.
"IMAP isn't new, but bringing it together is," he said.
" Sync your inbox across devices instantly and automatically. Whether you read or write your email on your phone or on your desktop, changes you make to Gmail will be seen from anywhere you access your inbox. Don't fret if you don't see "IMAP Access" yet under the Settings menu. We're rolling it out to everyone over the next few days."
But this video explains how to set it up once you have in your settings menu it.
GMail Blog also has an article on IMAP and Syncing GMail across devices with IMAP.
Tags:
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Xbox 360 Arcade console officially debuts.
The Xbox 360 Arcade console combines a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector and 256MB of on-board memory for storing games and entertainment content. It also includes five games previously available only to Xbox 360 users who signed up for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade online service - Pac-Man Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rock and Feeding Frenzy. A wireless controller is also included. The system has a price $279.99.
There is also changes to XBOX Japanese Market;
Starting on November 1 in Japan, the Xbox 360 20GB bundle will start retailing for ¥34,800 ($306) which is a $44 cut from its previous price. The 360 core system will start going for ¥27,800 ($245) which gives it an $18 cut. Microsoft is also putting out a limited Value Pack for the console for ¥34,800 ($306) which comes with Viva Pinata and Forza Motorsport 2 titles but no HDMI cable.
The price cuts and new models are not only in the Microsoft side. Sony has reduced to price of PS3 and introduced a new model with 40GB drive.
Yet I like to see how WII will beat both of them during the holidays.
Oink Goes Boink!
Although I do not condone works of big music business' I think these are the things that they should go after rather than grand mothers and small kids. The people who create sites like oink and people who join those sites are real culprits.
Here is the news release by BBC.
British police arrested a 24yo man in Middleborough on suspicion of being the site admin, while Dutch police simultaneously raided the sites Amsterdam-based servers. The raids, which were coordinated by Interpol, follow a two-year investigation by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The raids in Amsterdam and the northeast English city of Middlesbrough followed a two-year investigation into a members-only Web site, which allowed users to upload and download albums before their release.
Prerelease leaks have become one of the most damaging forms of piracy for the music industry which is struggling with falling sales. Recorded music sales have fallen by more than a third in the last six years, the industry says.
An estimated 180,000 members paid "donations" via debit or credit cards for OiNK's catalog of music and other media.
Monday, October 22, 2007
M$ gives into EU Rulling and will not Apeal
Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, gave in to European Union demands to make information available to developers of rival programs such as Linux after more than three years of legal wrangling. The agreement resolves a key dispute over a 2004 ruling. The Redmond, Washington-based company also said it won't appeal a Sept. 17 court ruling upholding the EU decision.
The EU is still considering fining Microsoft for its past failure to disclose information to competitors including developers of so-called open-source software, Kroes said. Regulators are also probing complaints related to Vista, the latest version of Windows, and Microsoft Office.
Carlo Piana, a lawyer for the Free Software Foundation Europe, which represents open-source developers, said the agreement may give free software makers access to the so-called protocol information. ``As soon as we've read the agreement, we'll have a final view,'' Piana said in a telephone interview.
`Ongoing Obligation'
Microsoft has an ``ongoing obligation'' to update the information as its products evolve, the commission said. Failure to do so could result in daily penalties, it said.
Open source developers will be able to access the information, and Microsoft will not assert patents against non-commercial open source software development projects. Also, the royalties for a worldwide license will be reduced from 5.95% to 0.4%.
In July 2006, the EU also imposed a 280.5 million-euro penalty against the software company for failing to license information to rivals. It was the first time that the EU had fined a company for failing to comply with an antitrust order.
The text from European Commissioner for Competition Policy Neelie Kroes's press conference on Microsoft's decision to drop its appeal and comply with EU penalties.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
ComCast Torrent Blocking Tested By An AP Reporter
New York Times is reporting that The Associated Press reporter attempted to download, using file-sharing program BitTorrent, a copy of the King James Bible from two computers in the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas, both of which were connected to the Internet through Comcast cable modems.
Both were blocked as previously reported by various media.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Drive by Pharming targets Broadband users.
I can at anytime use a few wireless routers around my house and access Internet without any problem because there is no security. Many a times I have walked over to the houses and advised them as how to secure there routers. Also most of these routers also act as gateway to Internet. So when I saw this security report on the SearchSecurity, I was not very surprised.
Millions of broadband users are at risk for a new kind of attack called drive-by pharming, which targets password weaknesses in the victim's router, researchers from Symantec Corp. and Indiana University warned Thursday.
The threat is greatest for those who don't change their default passwords after using them to bring the router online. According to an informal study by Indiana University, up to 50% of home broadband users fail to reset the password after installing their router.
"What worries me if that it's so simple for people to fall for this kind of attack," said Zully Ramzan, senior principal researcher for Symantec Security Response. "Most people connect to the Internet through broadband today, but they don't adequately protect their routers."
Attackers use this technique by luring the victim to a malicious Web site. Once the user is on that site, the attacker is able to use JavaScript to change the DNS settings on the router. "This gives the attacker complete discretion over which Web sites the victim visits on the Internet," Ramzan said. "For example, the user may think they are visiting their online banking Web site but in reality they have been redirected to the attacker's site."While the threat affects mostly home users, Ramzan said enterprise environments are also at risk.
"A lot of people take their laptops home and work off their home router," he said. "One of the ways people break into networks is by stealing credentials from a compromised laptop."
His advice to users is to reset their router passwords at least once -- the day it is hooked up to the home or office computer system. If the password is changed every few months, that's even better.
Professor Markus Jakobsson of the Indiana University School of Infomatics the new attack technique shows how important the human factor is in security
"While drive-by pharming arises due to inadequate protective measures, there is also another human component: If an attacker can trick you into visiting his page, he can probe your machine," he said in a statement. "Deceit is not new to humankind, but it is fairly recently that security researchers started taking it seriously."Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Microsoft and Best Buy racketeering case, Appeal rejected by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court Monday rejected an appeal by Microsoft (M$) and BestBuy? in the racketeering case against Microsoft and Best Buy that alleges consumers had MSN accounts activated and were charged for them without their knowledge when they purchased new PCs at the big box store.
In that ruling, the court reinstated the case, which accuses Microsoft and Best Buy of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The Supreme Court allowed the ruling to stand.
The two companies will now face a class-action lawsuit involving thousands of consumers and potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
News source at PC World
Monday, October 15, 2007
Led Zeppelin Goes Online and Joins Digital Age
Looks like old dogs can learn new tricks! The Led Zeppelin is releasing all their songs for down load at online music stores. Come on Beatles, give in to Apple and be on iTune!
"We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalog will now be available digitally," Jimmy Page said in a statement. "The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner that they prefer.", according to AP (via USA Today).
The albums being made available for download as of Nov. 13 include;
Led Zeppelin (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), untitled fourth album (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffiti (1975), Presence (1976), In Through the Out Door (1979), Coda (1982) and How the West Was Won (2003).
The band has signed a separate deal with Verizon Wireless to offer their songs as ringtones and downloads to mobile phones, Verizon said in a statement.
Porn Spam brings in Five Years in Jail and Costs 1.3Million Dollars
Jeffrey A Kilbride, of Venice, California, and James R Schaffer, of Paradise Valley, Arizona, bought lists of email addresses and sent the owners links to pornographic websites, prosecutors said. They were convicted of charges including conspiracy, money laundering, fraud and transportation of obscene materials after a three-week trial and were sentenced by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell, in Phoenix. The spammers were prosecuted under the U.S. anti-spam law CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
Prosecutors said Kilbride and Schaffer, both 41, had started their spamming business four years ago and earned more than $2m in commissions.
Over nine months in 2004, Kilbride, Schaffer and an associate transmitted more than 600,000 spam messages, according to court documents. They were paid commissions based on the number of people who accessed the websites via the spam.
News Source East Valley Tribune.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Oracle offers to buy BEA
Oracle has offered to acquire Silicon Valley rival BEA Systems for $17 per share, a total of about $6.67 billion in cash.
If consummated, the acquisition could eliminate issues about what BEA will do for future growth while furthering Oracle's years-long effort to consolidate as much of the software industry under its own roof.
"Oracle's...offer to purchase BEA Systems provides a logical conclusion to the questions surrounding the future of BEA," said Technology Business Research analyst Stuart Williams. "Oracle can integrate the BEA technology directly into the core of the Oracle stack, strengthening it, while at the same time removing a competitor and adding close to $1.4 billion in annual revenue to its coffers."
Oracle's offer, made in a Tuesday letter to BEA's board of directors, is a 25 percent premium over BEA's closing price Thursday of $13.62. BEA's shares surged 33 percent, or $4.49, to $18.10 in morning trading Friday.
Maddona Leaves Recording Company
After Nine Inch Nails had dumped its record label and was to offer future albums direct to the public, Oasis and Jamiroquai have joined the new wave. But the icing on the cake seem to be the move Madonna made. She is dumping warner Brothers. Radiohead went on sale last week without a label.
We salute you artists, I now might change my stance on not buying music. At least now I have one I like and I can buy (NIN) without enriching RIAA. I like to see where RIAA will be in 10 years. I think all the old artists know the deal. It is new artists that get hooked. Hope someone will come up with a new record label.
According to The Wall Street Journal, which revealed leaked details of the deal yesterday, her package will include an advance of $17.5 million, advance payment for three albums of between $50 million and $60 million, plus a $50 million payment in cash and shares for the concert promotion rights. When Madonna does tour, she will receive 90 per cent of the gross revenues.
Revenues from licensing ventures, such as product endorsements, will be evenly split. The deal is in sharp contrast to the move by Radiohead this week to release its new album, In Rainbows, via its own website, avoiding corporate partnership. The band allowed fans to choose how much they wanted to pay for the album.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
RIAA (and alike) Continues to make people sick,
I was just reading tins on Daily Tech and you just wonder how stupid people are, RIAA ,PRS and us who buys music. Just see the following statement!
"Another possible avenue of legal action for the RIAA is the pursuit of businesses that play unauthorized music in stores. The Performing Rights Society (PRS), Britain's version of the RIAA, may give the RIAA some possible ideas with its pending litigation. The PRS is suing the Kwik Fit Group, a car repair shop in Edinburgh, for £200,000 in damages. The case revolves around the complaint that Kwik Fit employees brought in personal radios which they played while working on cars, which could be heard by colleagues and customers. The PRS says this amounts to a public "performance" and should have entailed royalties."
Daily tech also tells us how it plays out in the political front. At least one democrat has some thinking cap on and of course the Bush administration cannot see beyond the rabbit fence. I really wonder what happened to Republicans, the people's party?
" Some fear the RIAA is overstepping its bounds, including in the Thomas case. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Virginia Democrat, and strong advocate of fair use, recently went on record stating that the trial verdict was excessive and "way out of line" with other cases of this nature.
The Bush Administration feels that the case was very fair and was a positive example of our nation's laws at work.
"Cases such as this remind us strong enforcement is a significant part of the effort to eliminate piracy, and that we have an effective legal system in the U.S. that enables rights holders to protect their intellectual property."
With the RIAA's powerful legal, financial, and political backers nobody can truly say what it impossible for it to accomplish. Now as it is in the midst of delivering its eighth wave of infringement letters to colleges, it may soon be turning its attention to CD burners or businesses that play music in front of customers."
Read more and stop buying music after reading posts like Daily Tech's.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Jamie Thomas appeals RIAA (Capital Records v Jammie Thomas) decision,
I am no fan of RIAA nor MPAA. Thanks to RIAA, I have stopped buying music about 5 years ago. Just my principal. I have never downloaded nor shared a song. More over I do not even lend CD's or DVD's I have. Not because of the love to anyone but because I want to keep playable unscratched of my collection. I think my CD collection, before I stopped buying, amounts to about 300 CD's. I also buy DVD's of Movies I like and Love. (I have stopped that now awaiting my decision on HD DVD or Bluray I might be buying both as, I have looked at dual versions of HD players.) but here is a tip, wait a month or two, you can get a DVD for prices ranging from $4:50-9:00) which is the range I pay for movies.
What RIAA helped me to in music is to appreciate Classical music. I have learned to listened to classical music more than before and I will set off in finding Non-RIAA music. Perhaps it is time to make a list of music publishers that are non-RIAA. So that people can prove that they still like to buy music but not give into the heavy handedness of likes of RIAA.
I do not condone illegal downloading of music, nor the half truths that I hear RIAA presenting to courts and uneducated Juries.
Jamie Thomas may or may not have broken laws but charging $220000 for 24 songs is a crime. The Judge must be a moron too (in my eyes) to allow such things to pass through. These type of heavy handedness further makes it to worth while to look for those independent publishers. As people get educated, even morons can learn if facts were presented properly.
Jamie Thomas has said that she is appealing the jury decision and have setup a website and has a youtube video, her intension is to get donations if that is what you think that you should do. She also posts information on her myspace page.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Bill Gates Shares music (Fodder for Lawyers against RIAA)
Is RIAA going after only poor small people. Bill Gates says that he shares music in an public interview and we do not see RIAA chasing him!
Here is the piece from USA Today interview! Lawyers, keep a copy of this! You might be able to use it in next court case against RIAA.
Q: What's the coolest thing about the upgraded Zune?
A: Look at this thing! (Holds up a Zune 8) Three or four years ago there was nothing like this. This is cool as heck. I'm finding music I haven't seen in 20 years. Hey, the Lovin' Spoonful? They're in this thing. I find one of their songs. I send it to friends I had an apartment with, it was actually 30 years ago. I can send it out to them and say, "Remember when we listened to this?" It's amazing.
Tags:IE7 is a WGA renegade or/and. M$ eases WGA
I was surprised to find this little gem posted on IEBlog, which is posted below. May be because IE7 adoptation is below that of IE6 and Firefox. I checked one of my blogs just now and IE7 got about 17%.
So going along this logic, M$ might tighten WGA on XP and rlax it on VISTA in order to gain market share or self promotion. M$ just allowed OEM to continue selling XP for another 5 months.
I have tested VISTA but will not use until I write a whole set of rules on my firewall. I don't want Uncle Bill to see what kind of panties I am wearing! ;) Don't worry, I am a developer and I develop for all, I even have a MSDN account. I do not need to crack WGA or use hacked versions of Windows. I just don't like any one doing anything on my computers without my consent. So I have my XP so tight the boldie will break something trying to penetrate!
Here is an excerpt from IEBLOG
Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users. With today’s “Installation and Availability Update,” Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users. If you are not already running IE7, you can get it now from the Internet Explorer home page on Microsoft.com, get a customized version from a third-party site, or, if you haven’t already received it via Automatic Updates, this version will be delivered to you as we described previously. If you are already running IE7, you will not be offered IE7 again by Automatic Updates.
Additionally, we’ve made minor changes to IE7 for Windows XP based on customer feedback:
- The menu bar is now visible by default.
- The Internet Explorer 7 online tour has updated how-to’s. Also, the “first-run” experience includes a new overview.
- We’ve included a new MSI installer that simplifies deployment for IT administrators in enterprises. Learn more about it here.
Tags:
Friday, September 28, 2007
Doubleclicking is Good, Google says
Google is watching you. But you already knew that. Every time you conduct a search using its search engine, Google keeps tabs—and uses the information to send you ads tailored to the interests and tastes suggested by your searches.
Here's something you probably didn't know: The company may let you close the blinds, digitally speaking. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told legislators on Sept. 27 that the company is exploring whether to let users keep Google from tracking the sites they're visiting. To do so, the company would enable Web surfers to shut off so-called cookies, the bits of code used to track the sites visited by individual computers and deliver ads related to those sites. Schmidt outlined that and other steps in an e-mail to Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) read during a Senate hearing concerning Google's proposed purchase of DoubleClick. Google also is investigating technology that would keep user data collected from different sources from being concentrated in one place, and ways to better notify customers of Google's data-collection practices.
Continue reading at Google Defends the DoubleClick Deal.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Say Hello to HALO for the third time and the best article that I read about it, "Rethinking Halo"
After seeing fans on the TV waiting for the release of the HALO 3 and still thinking about which console to buy, (Xbox Ultimate or WII) and I set out to search for information on Halo. I am not a shooter game fan but I have a lot of friends who are. I have seen the game, I like the graphics but running around and shooting anything that moves is not my cup of coffee. But others say the same about the games I like, Simulations, driving and flying mainly. I also like to those in real life, flying mainly with model aircrafts and helicopters.
Back to Halo. It is a very important for Microsoft (or M$ as the empire is lovingly known here) make this issue of the game a success. In fact they plan to overtake PS3 with the aid of HALO. So the article "Rethinking Halo" gave me all the information I needed to fill the holes of my knowledge about the game, both current and past.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
SFLC files a lawsuit against Monsoon Multimedia Inc., on behalf of the developers of BusyBox, Erik Andersen and Rob Landley.
The Software Freedom Law Center has filed a lawsuit to enforce an open-source license. The suit charges Monsoon with using BusyBox under the GNU General Public License version 2 but failing to publish its source code. Under the terms of the license, distributors of software that uses the licensed software must make their source code available. Failing to do so is considered copyright infringement.
This case is a last resort after Monsoon failed to rectify the situation, he said. The suit is necessary because from a legal perspective, copyright owners can start to lose rights if they don't act to protect them, Dan Ravicher, legal director at SFLC, said.
Monsoon develops digital video products, including a device that enables remote TV viewing.
The GPL Violations Project is a group that actively pursues license violators and has brought at least one case to court in Germany. Earlier this year, one of the project's team members publicly revealed violations that Cisco Systems Inc. made in its phone previously called the iPhone. Cisco subsequently corrected the problem.
More information;
On Behalf of BusyBox Developers, SFLC Files First Ever U.S. GPL Violation Lawsuit
HAVA thread related to the same issue.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Open Office by IBM, it is a symphony, Long live ODF
IBM ANNOUNCED in New York City that it will offer a complete set of office productivity applications, desktop software, called IBM Lotus Symphony, at an event today in New York. The programs will be available as free downloads from the IBM Web site.
The IBM's offerings are versions of open-source software developed in a consortium called OpenOffice.org. The original code traces its origins to a German company, Star Division, which Sun Microsystems bought in 1999. Sun later made the desktop software, now called StarOffice, an open-source project, in which work and code are freely shared.
By joining Sun and Google to develop and promote open source software products implementing ODF, IBM adds welcome resources and marketing power to lure users away from the high costs and vendor lock-in of Microsoft Office.
IBM executives compare its ODF initiative with the support it gave to the open source system Linux by promoting its use in corporate data centers, support that helped make Linux very successful over the last several years.
Monday, September 17, 2007
MIIVI is VIIDE and looks like wide open too!
MIIVI is VIIDE, while ago I wrote about Mediadefender using a site called Miivi to attract potential movie or music down loaders. They appeared to have change the name to viide but now it seems that mediadefender has become wide open instead! The same source TorrentFreak (Dugg) and ARS Technica (Slashdotted) reports about juicy details about the company.
Ironaically the leaked information was dilivered/distributed via bittorrent!, and everybody is going through personal details, contracts and contacts.
Before I could finish the article TF again posted about anothe leak, MediaDefender Phone Call and Gnutella Tracking Database Leaked
Well All those labels and movie companies that hired mediadefender to defend their products must be wondering about defense they got, from a company that even could not protect it self, even after a giant information leak!
The group supposed to be responsible for this havok, is Mediadefender defenders
Microsoft, M$, European Antitrust Decision upheld!
The 13-judge Grand Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, A European Union court upheld a landmark 2004 European Commission antitrust decision against Microsoft
"The Court of First Instance essentially upholds the Commission's decision finding that Microsoft abused its dominant position," a court statement said. The Court also ordered Microsoft to pay most attorneys fees incurred by rivals who had brought the action.
The Commission had later said Microsoft failed to comply with its order on interoperability and fined the company an additional 280.5 million euros. It is considering a further fine for non-compliance.
Information from Reuters.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
SCO is ready to read Chapter 11 Now
SCO today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, just a month after losing several key court rulings in its legal fight against Novell Inc., IBM and others over what it asserts is the company's Unix intellectual property.
In an announcement today, Lindon, Utah-based SCO said it filed a voluntary petition for reorganization, as well as for its subsidiary, SCO Operations Inc.
"The board of directors of The SCO Group have unanimously determined that Chapter 11 reorganization is in the best long-term interest of SCO and its subsidiaries, as well as its customers, shareholders and employees," the company said in a terse press release late today. That is what happens when one bites the hand that feeds one. Looking forward to see you vaporise after IBM case closes. If you did not know, I get all my SCO court related news from Groklaw!
Friday, September 14, 2007
M$ Fiddles with your WIndows (and we don't need Damn permission)
Microsoft well known here as M$ has been caught updating users Windows machines without asking them or even mentioning them. I just checked mine but some how they missed mine! May be because I disabled automatic updates and use a firewall that windows does not know about! (Windows does not recognize Jetico Personal Firewall but it does a great job). I will update my windows when I want so disabling automatic updates might help in the events like this.
The Story came from Scott Dunn, of Windows Secrets, who noticed that Windows Update (WU) has recently started altering files on users' systems without displaying any dialogue box to request permission.
This latest snafu has replaced nine files on systems;
In Vista, the following files are updated:
1. wuapi.dll
2. wuapp.exe
3. wuauclt.exe
4. wuaueng.dll
5. wucltux.dll
6. wudriver.dll
7. wups.dll
8. wups2.dll
9. wuwebv.dll
In XP, the following files are updated:
1. cdm.dll
2. wuapi.dll
3. wuauclt.exe
4. wuaucpl.cpl
5. wuaueng.dll
6. wucltui.dll
7. wups.dll
8. wups2.dll
9. wuweb.dll
But Scott assures (I would take his word over M$' in this matter) that these files does not cause any harm to your system. But the M$' capability of doing so and utter disregard to it's users might be some thing that States wanting to extend the anti trust watch would want to show the Judge.
Scott also tells us how you can watch your system and registry changes with a free program Tiny watcher, which I already use, to see things like this in the future.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
SUN finally sets, Schwarts settles to sell windows
Gone are the days when former Sun Chief Executive Scott McNealy proclaimed: "It's mankind against Microsoft."
But that doesn't mean the company has become agnostic. Rather, the Sept. 12 move was the ultimate expression of Sun's new religion—one that in some ways is just as risky. If Sun was once defined largely by who its rivals were, it's now partnering with many of them in an effort to ensure as many customers as possible have the option of buying its technologies.
The new Microsoft deal follows alliances with IBM (IBM) and Intel (INTC), which Sun is trusting to resell its Solaris server software for customers who want it. It's another aspect of Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz's plan to drive adoption of Sun technologies as broadly as possible. The linchpin of the scheme: The 2005 plan to give away the battle-tested Solaris, Sun's crown jewel, for free. As a result of these efforts, "We can do business with 100% of the marketplace now. That's not something we could have said a few years ago," Schwartz told BusinessWeek in a recent interview.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
States ask for extension of Microsoft Antitrust oversight extension
(AP) -- Ending court oversight of Microsoft's business practices in November would not allow enough time to consider the antitrust implications of the new Windows Vista operating system, a group of states said in a filing Thursday.
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who oversees Microsoft Corp.'s adherence to the terms of a 2002 antitrust settlement, asked the software maker, the Justice Department and a group of states led by California submit reports by Thursday on the effectiveness of the consent decree.
The oversight aimed to make it possible for Microsoft's middleware competitors - who build software that links the operating system with everyday programs - to compete fairly, even if Microsoft's operating system monopoly persisted.
"Microsoft has not directly contravened these provisions," said the states' report, which was submitted by the office of California Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Antitrust concerns about Microsoft began surfacing with news of a Federal Trade Commission investigation in 1991, and in 1994 the software maker agreed to modify its contracts with PC makers to ease restrictions, which ended renewed U.S. and European antitrust investigations.
Another round of investigations led to a federal lawsuit that ended with a court declaration that Microsoft was using its operating system monopoly to squash middleware competition, and led to a settlement and the consent decree in 2002.
The California group said the January launch of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista, changes the game.
"As a practical matter, termination of the Final Judgment means ... plaintiffs will not be able fully to assess the impact in the marketplace of Microsoft's recent introduction of Vista," the group wrote.
Florida and Utah, two of eight states plus the District of Columbia that make up the California group, didn't sign on to the report.
"Florida made the decision not to join the filing at this time because we do not completely share the Group's position that the consent decree was totally ineffective," said Sandi Copes, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general, in a statement. "We do agree, however, that we have not seen as much competition introduced as we expected."
The Utah attorney general's office declined to comment until it could confirm the papers have been received by the court.
In its report, the Justice Department said it appeared the consent decree was working. Web browsers like Mozilla's FireFox and Apple Inc.'s Safari present "renewed competition," as do the increasing popularity of programs available through a Web browser.
"The final judgments have been successful in protecting the development and distribution of middleware products and in preventing Microsoft from continuing the type of exclusionary behavior that led to the original lawsuit," Thomas O. Barnett, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's antitrust division, said in a statement.
The Justice Department said in its report that while Microsoft's operating system market share hasn't dropped because of the consent decree, "it would misapprehend the purpose of the Final Judgments to rely on these facts to argue that the Final Judgments have been ineffective. Microsoft was never found to have acquired or increased its monopoly market share unlawfully."
In its own report, Microsoft directly countered California's claims, saying, "The Final Judgments were never designed to reduce Microsoft's share in any putative market."
But the California group said the consent decree has not led to any more competition. The report cites Microsoft's continued dominance in the operating system market and the fact that few, if any, PC makers have sold computers with non-Microsoft Web browsers set as the default, among other examples.
One of the casualties of Microsoft's practices was Netscape. Its Web browser led the field until Microsoft started bundling its own Internet Explorer with Windows and restricting how PC makers installed competing products. It was eventually bought by AOL.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Doing some real work with GMail with a little help from little known features.
Official Gmail Blog: Top 10 little-known Gmail features (Part 2)
This little info actually helped me. I use GMail extensively and yes I had to schedule many an event via email. I used to send the email and then create an event to match what I did with the email. But this little fact given in the article (The link above) saved the day! Funny how you don't see many things that are obvious!.
"1. Create event
Since I use Gmail and Google Calendar at work (through Google Apps), I'm constantly emailing people about meetings, and scheduling them on everyone's calendars. When I'm writing an email to set up an event, I can actually do it all from within Gmail by clicking the "Add event info" link below the subject line. Then choose the time and location for the meeting or party. When you send the email, the event details will be added to to your Google Calendar, and Gmail will send an invitation to the email recipients to add it to their calendars as well."
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Don't use mobile communications while mobile in UK
Motorists who use a hand-held mobile phone or fiddle with a satellite-navigation system while driving could be jailed for up to two years. Prosecutors have said they could be charged with dangerous driving in a dramatically tougher approach to such offences. Those caught fiddling with an MP3 music player or texting on a mobile at the wheel could also face the charge.
Prosecutions will be brought whenever it is judged that using the equipment posed a danger, such as forcing a car to swerve or causing a distracted motorist to jump a red light.
Those who kill while using a mobile phone will face 14 years behind bars under the charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald said: "There is widespread public concern about the use of mobile phones and other hand-held electronic equipment while driving.
"We accept that in cases where there is clear evidence that danger has been caused by their use - such as texting while driving - then our policy should spell out that the starting point for charging will be dangerous driving."
The long story continues here at This is London
An Apology and $100 for early iphone customers!
How about the guys who paid thousands? Ha! and those guys who stood on the lines for days? well that is life!
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs apologized to customers who paid full price for the iPhone before he cut the cost by $200 on 5th of this month.
In an open letter on the company's Web site, Jobs said users who bought the phone before the discount and got no other rebate will receive $100 in credit at Apple's retail or online stores.
``Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust,'' Jobs wrote today. ``We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.''
The rebate and price cut raised concern that demand may have stalled, hurting Jobs's effort to sell 10 million iPhones in 2008 and take on Research In Motion Ltd. and Motorola Inc. Cupertino, California-based Apple plans to sell its millionth iPhone by the end of this month. The iPhone, a combined iPod media player and mobile handset, went on sale June 29 for as much as $600.
Apple shares fell $1.75, or 1.3 percent, to $135.01 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading after a 5.1 percent slump yesterday. The stock has gained 59 percent in 2007.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Silverlight flashed and Moonlight is on the way!
Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday officially released version 1.0 of its Silverlight rich media player. Silverlight is a cross platform, cross browser plug-in that enables designers and developers to build rich media experiences and .NET based RIAs for the web.
WeSeePeople: Silverlight released and Moonlight is on the way!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
New iPods, Love them!
Apple has unveiled a new line of iPod's, including a long awaited touch-screen iPod and the new look nano. Added to the bunch is ability to buy music via iTunes directly from the device.
Touch-screen iPod, iPod Touch features the same 3.5-inch, touch-screen display as the iPhone, on which light finger touches allow the user to scroll through menus and resize pictures with two fingers.
You get all of the lovely multi-touch goodness that the iPhone provides, so you can swipe, flick and flip through your music, videos, pictures and podcasts to your heart's content. The display is 3.5in wide, 320 x 240 and is of course perfect for Cover Flow.The iPod Touch includes the Safari Web browser, with Google and Yahoo search engines and easy access to YouTube videos. Basically a iPhone without a chain attached to AT&T.
The iPod Touch is 8mm thick, and can store photos, music, videos and other digital data. It is priced at $299 and will be available in Australia later this month. A 16GB model will go on sale for $399.
Jobs demonstrated the iPod nano playing video by watching an episode of The Daily Show featuring John Hodgman, the actor who appears as the PC in the US versions of Apple's "Mac and PC" television ads.
Jobs said the new iPod nano provides 24 hours of audio and five hours of video playback on a single battery charge. The redesigned iPod nano comes in two versions - a 4GB version in silver, for $149, and 8GB version in colours, for $199.
Palm Foleo found dead at birth
According to a post by Palm CEO Ed Colligan, Palm has decided to shelve much talked about mini notebook, Foleo due to inconsistencies in operating system and development platforms. Palm is striving hard to have all the systems on a single platform.
Financially, Palm will take a limited charge of about $10 million dollars to our earnings. Perhaps it is a good decision by Palm. I would not have bought one as I have given up using Palm a long time ago. I have considered getting Treo but went Windows way after hearing all the negative reviews about Treo.
Funny thing about the Palm CEO's post is that it collected a bunch of comments complaining about palm devices!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
OOXML Fails to Win Fast Tracking Approval
The International Organization for Standardization has voted against a proposal to fast-track Microsoft's Office Open XML format as an international standard. Here's how the vote went: all 41 of the of the countries that had worked on the proposal participated in the vote. There were 17 "yes" votes, 15 "no" votes, and 9 abstentions. Without counting the abstentions, that works out to 53.12 percent approval, far short of the two-thirds majority needed. Of the 87 national standards bodies voting, 18 voted against OOXML, leaving OOXML just shy of the 75 percent threshold for that vote.
Microsoft Corp. failed to win approval for its Office software file format to be considered an international standard, losing a closely watched vote that reflects the software giant's broader battles in Europe and around the world.
Voting on the file format, called Open XML, closed Sunday at the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO. To become a standard, Open XML needed to meet two criteria; it missed both -- albeit narrowly in one case. File formats are the rubrics used to turn bits of data into business letters, spreadsheets and presentations.
A spokesman at ISO, the primary international body that ratifies standards on everything from the size of nuts and bolts to the technical specifications of computer codes, declined to comment, saying the group was preparing an announcement about the vote.
The standards struggle -- which has pitted Microsoft against open-source advocates and traditional rival International Business Machines Corp. – is important because it speaks to the issue of who should control the digital codes used to store billions of documents. Microsoft sought to have its document formats adopted as a standard in part to allay concerns that it keeps rivals from developing competing office software.
The vote isn't the end of the line for Microsoft. The standards issue now enters another phase during which the company has a chance to convince disapproving countries to change their minds. In a statement, a Microsoft executive, Tom Robertson, said he was "extremely delighted" that 74% of the countries voted to support Open XML as a standard. Microsoft needed 75%. Microsoft fell shorter in the other requirement, that two-thirds of a key group of countries vote yes. According to people familiar with the matter, 53% in the key group did so.
