Stuart J. Johnston

Microsoft management was left red-faced again after its second accusation of code theft in recent weeks. This time, the company was accused of stealing code as well as the UI elements of a tiny startup. So where did the problem pop up this time? Datamation finds out. For the second time in recent weeks, Microsoft […]

Few can argue that the success of the iPhone hasn’t had a sweeping impact on the mobile landscape. After all, how many devices out today now offer downloadable applications, touchscreens and app stores? As the power behind Windows Mobile, Microsoft has been in Apple’s crosshairs since the iPhone debuted. But at long last, one company […]

CodeGuru takes a look at Microsoft’s approach to dealing with an unexpected glitch that impacted users of Office 2003: On Friday, the company revealed that due to a rights management-related issue, users wouldn’t be able to access certain older files. But just hours after that announcement, it offers a fix. Microsoft has good news for […]

A small social networking and microblogging site is accusing Microsoft of not only leeching its Web site design, but of stealing much of its site code verbatim. And Plurk, the accuser, says it’s got the code to prove it. Datamation has the story. Plurk, a fledgling microblogging service that has a growing audience in Asia, […]

Microsoft quietly announced Friday that it has purchased privately-held Opalis Software and will integrate its IT process automation products into the Microsoft System Center management suite. Rumors have been circulating for several weeks that Opalis has been in Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) sights. Under the terms of the deal, Toronto-based Opalis will become a wholly-owned subsidiary […]

A significant vulnerability surfaced in a very old video codec, but rather than fix it, Microsoft chose to just block use of it. Its argument? Hardly anyone uses it any more. Given the code is almost of voting age, they might be right. Buried within Microsoft’s latest batch of bug patches this week was a […]

Microsoft raised eyebrows last month when it released a Windows 7 download tool that included improperly licensed open source code. But now, the software giant is making amends. CodeGuru has the story. After first pulling a Windows 7 download tool that inadvertently contained improperly licensed open-source code from its online store a few weeks ago, […]

In a move aimed at supporting future large memory capacity flash devices, Microsoft has started licensing its follow-up to the FAT file system to third parties, the company said Thursday. Dubbed “exFAT” for “Extended File Allocation Table,” the technology is designed to enable flash memory devices to handle orders of magnitude more memory than the […]

Microsoft is usually thought of as the Windows and Office software company, but it has many vertical businesses as well that don’t get as much spotlight, but none the less quite a bit of effort from the software giant. Medical support software is one of them. The company has acquired several firms in that space […]

As part of its antitrust settlement with U.S. states and the federal government, Microsoft promised to provide adequate documentation on key communications protocols to its competitors. Now, however, the software giant may be close to fulfilling its obligations, which could mean it could resume charging licensing fees to other companies using the protocols. CodeGuru has […]

Got the urge to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 but are still afraid to jump in? Those who got Windows 7 pre-installed on a new PC are likely to have little or no trouble with the new system. However, smooth sailing is not a given for every upgrade attempt. Tech support […]

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie announced last month that the company is readying its Windows Azure cloud development platform for release with the start of the new year. Now, in a move to bring the Azure organization closer to the software giant’s other server and tools efforts, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced it’s merging […]