Like many companies, the company I work for is mainly IE6. The older machines are running Windows 2000 and some of our clients applications (applications we have no control over) don't work with IE7.

We recently tested Gmail Apps to use for the majority of our agents and one of the biggest problems with the web interface was the lack of features that are available in other browsers. With the newest version of Gmail, this is a problem of the past.

Gmail has been working with IE engineers at Microsoft to fix some of the problems they found with their code and how it works with IE6. In order to see these changes you will need to install the latest updates from Microsoft (or specifically the update described in MS08-022).

New confirmed features for IE6 users include colored labels, invisible mode and Gmail Labs. With Google trying to compete in the enterprise email sector I believe this is a step in the right direction. What do you think about this change?

News source: Gmail Blog

Virus Bulletin this month released the results of a major comparative of the latest security products, covering a range of metrics. These include detection rates over various types of malware, false positive rates, scanning speed, proactive detection, and response times to outbreaks.

Taking a look at the first one, detection rates, it's clear that a beta version of GDATA's AVK 2009 (which uses the Avast and BitDefender scan engines) took first place for both malware (measured against 1,164,662 samples) as well as ad- and spyware (94,291 samples). Avira's Premium Security Suite 2008 was second for malware, F-Secure 2009 was second in ad- and spyware, and Secure Computing's Webwasher gateway product came third in both categories.

The most interesting data to emerge from this measurement (4 week span) was that the 2009 version of Norton topped the table with an impressive 6,202 incremental micro-updates, issued several times per hour, while Kaspersky came a distant second with a mere 696. Half of the 34 products tested had fewer than 100, including those from McAfee (21) and Trend Micro (30)

Link: Virusbtn

Microsoft might be introducing application specific glass renderings. The color of the glass frame around a window can be changed in Vista, but the change is global to the system. The color of any particular window glass frame can not be set by choice. But, how about being able to change the color/opacity level of a the glass frame of any application through defined events or commands? According to a Patent number 7418668:

A method for changing a color value and/or level of opacity value of a glass appearance window frame for an application window is described. The method includes steps of determining a defined color value and a defined level of opacity value to apply to a glass appearance window frame and displaying the glass appearance window frame in accordance with the defined color value and the defined level of opacity value. A command may be received to apply the defined color value and the defined level of opacity value to the glass appearance window frame, thereby applying the defined color value and level of opacity value to the glass appearance window frame. Color values and/or level of opacity values may be changed automatically, be application specific, and/or be changed in response to receipt of an input from a user to change one or more portions of a default configuration.

Full Story: @ Redmond Pie

The first Windows ad from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the ad agency that won the big $300 million contract with Microsoft, features Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates. It has made its appearance on television, but you can watch it on YouTube, at the Windows homepage, stream it, or download it straight from Microsoft. Everyone at the Orbiting HQ gives the ad a big WTF, me included. Compare it to the HP ad Seinfeld did last year, and you've really got to wonder what the hell happened.

The ad is set mainly in a shoe store. Microsoft and Windows are only mentioned once in the whole commercial, and we only see the Vista logo right at the end. One thing is for sure: this ad definitely does not start to tell "the real Vista story." Maybe it's lame, but the commercial is actually quite a big deal. It marks the largest consumer marketing campaign in the history of Microsoft. According to a press release, this ad is only the beginning...

Video: Seinfeld + Gates Ad
Link: Full read at Arstechnica.

For this month’s “Patch Tuesday” (September 9th) Microsoft is planning to release 4 critical updates. Being rated “critical” means that the flaws allow remote code execution and is the highest rating Microsoft gives.

The first 2 patch fixes vulnerabilities in Windows Media Player and Encoder.

The third patch covers windows, Internet Explorer, Net. Framework, Office, SQL Server and Visual Studio

The fourth and final patch covers vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office.

September is a quieter month for Microsoft. In contrast August saw 11 patches being issued.

Intel Corp. has decided to postpone the release of its central processing units (CPUs) with built-in graphics core to 2010 because of the "customer feedback", according to a slide from a roadmap of the chipmaker published by a web-site. “Intel remains committed to delivering stable, high quality, industry leading platforms on a predictable cadence. Based on 2008 client platform learnings and customer feedback, we have realigned our features and schedules for 2009 mainstream Nehalem chips,” a statement published on a slide that resembles a slide from Intel’s roadmap, reads. The slide was revealed by HKEPC web-site.

Originally planned to be released in 2009, code-named Auburndale processor for mobile computers and Havendale chip for desktop PCs (both based on Nehalem micro-architecture) are now scheduled to be launched in early 2010, based on the information from the slide. The delay is hardly critical for Intel in terms of revenue, but since those chips greatly simplify the company’s production process, it is strange that Intel decided to delay such products.

View: The full story @ Xbit-Labs

The flash memory market is abuzz as Korean news sources, along with Reuters and Bloomberg, are reporting that Samsung Electronics is thinking about buying SanDisk. A Samsung spokespersn, James Chung, said: "We are considering various opportunities regarding SanDisk but nothing has been decided.''

Korea-based Samsung is the world's largest NAND Flash memory maker and it pays KRW400bn ($351m) each year in royalties to SanDisk. The Asus Eee PC and the Apple iPhone, for example, use Samsung flash chips. SanDisk owns Flash memory patents and makes Flash-based MP3 players, memory cards and solid-state drives (SSDs). It posted poor results at the end of July, with an unexpected Q2 loss of $68m compared to a $28m profit in the year-ago quarter.

View: The full story @ The Reg

Computer-maker Dell is attempting to off-load its computer manufacturing plants around the world, The Wall Street Journal reported in its Friday edition. The company has approached contract manufacturers over the last few months offering to sell the plants, the newspaper reported quoting "people familiar with the matter."

Contract manufacturers are companies that specialize in making electronics products to-order and are a vital part of the world's electronics industry. A large percentage of the computer, networking and consumer electronics goods on sale from famous brand-names are made by such companies, many of which are based in Taiwan or China.

View: The full story @ PCWorld

Vista, thy name is bloat! The latest Windows packs a lot of code -- more than any version of Windows ever -- and some of it is just plain unnecessary. All of that excess code has a way of slowing down an operating system. You can regain some PC performance by removing unneeded features.

InfoWorld have identified a dozen Vista features that you can turn off right now. Some are shiny baubles that slow down graphics performance, while others are optional utilities that hog memory when they shouldn't. A few can actually be quite useful, though they play a major role in bogging down your PC.

View: The full story @ InfoWorld

Controversial Silicon Valley advertising startup NebuAd drops its plan to sell deep packet inspection technology to ISPs after Congress and public interest groups slam the privacy implications of deep packet inspection. NebuAd suffered through a summer of losing customers and congressional hearing before bailing on the plan that promised ISPs additional revenue sources through DPI.

The year began promisingly enough for NebuAd, a Silicon Valley advertising startup promising a new source of revenue for ISPs through the use of deep packet inspection. DPI allows ISPs to track the behavior of Internet users without their consent in order to more accurately target advertising. Charter Communications, the nation's fourth-largest broadband provider, signed up for the service, as did several other ISPs.

View: The full story @ eWeek

AMD is planning to launch two low-power desktop CPUs – Athlon 2650e and Athlon X2 3250e – under its UVC (Ultra-Value Client) product line targeting OEMs in November, according to sources at motherboard makers.

The Athlon 2650e will have a core frequency of 1.6GHz and TDP f 15W, while the Athlon X2 3250e will have a core frequency of 1.5GHz and TDP of 22W. The two CPUs will be fabbed on a 65nm process and will only be provided to OEM customers (initially), mainly for use in 2-3 liter desktop PCs.

View: The full story @ DigiTimes

Comcast filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission Thursday after the federal agency determined to impose penalties on the cable giant for unlawfully blocking user Web traffic. "We filed this appeal in order to protect our legal rights and to challenge the basis on which the Commission found that Comcast violated federal policy in the absence of pre-existing legally enforceable standards or rules," said David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast, in a statement. "We are compelled to appeal because we strongly believe that, in this particular case, the Commission's action was legally inappropriate and its findings were not justified by the record."

Comcast's lawsuit followed in response to an FCC 3-2 vote last month to sanction Comcast for what it deemed were arbitrary restrictions against Web users who share video, music and other media, which violated regulations regarding its open Internet policies. The FCC's "net neutrality" laws, which were established by the federal agency in August 2005, require that all Internet traffic be treated equally and establish consumer rights to freely access the Web.

View: The full story @ CRN

Sony is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide because of wiring faults that could cause overheating.

The recall concerns 19 Vaio models in the TZ series manufactured between May 2007 and July 2008 - but does not include models sold in the UK.

Sony said wires have been put in the wrong position near the hinge, while a flaw in the circuit board that controls the screen also may cause overheating.

The company said that a number of people had been burnt by the fault.

According to the company 373,000 of the Vaio laptops were sold worldwide in some 48 countries, with 67,000 sold in Japan.

Sony said that anyone who believed their machine was part of the recall should contact the firm to organise an inspection and rework of the wiring where needed.

View: BBC News

As we mentioned earlier, Google's Chrome browser, though much hailed for its speed, does have its fair share of rust stains, including a EULA which originally gave Google complete control over all content submitted through the browser. In this case, slightly worrying would be an understatement.

Fortunately, the search engine has been quick to rectify this issue, attributing the whole issue to accidental copy and paste. Under Section 11 of Google's Universal Terms of Service, Google retains a license to transmit or display content through its services, as per US copyright law. However, the section in Chrome was not updated. Mike Yang, Senior Product Counsel at Google, writes: "[Our] license is limited to providing the service. In Gmail, for example, the terms specifically disclaim our ownership right to Gmail content. So for Google Chrome, only the first sentence of Section 11 should have applied. We're sorry we overlooked this, but we've fixed it now..."

The updated EULA now reads: "You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services." And, yes, these terms are retroactive.

Thanks for the tip, CaptainSlow!

Lawyers for a Briton accused of hacking into secret military and Nasa computers are asking the home secretary to ensure he is not jailed in the US. Glasgow-born Gary McKinnon, 42, who last month lost his appeal against extradition, could face life in jail if convicted of accessing 97 computers. His lawyer Karen Todner said his human rights would be breached if he did not return to the UK after a trial.

The Home Office said his case was "receiving consideration". A spokesman said: "Further representations have been received today from solicitors against Mr. McKinnon's surrender to the USA which are receiving consideration." Mr. McKinnon, from Wood Green, north London, was said to be "distraught" after losing his extradition appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. He has admitted breaking into the computers, but says he sought information on UFOs and only got in because of lax security.

View: Full Story at the BBC