XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Are in the Clear, Word Is Still Out on Windows 7
While Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista are in the clear, word is still out on Windows 7, when it comes down to antitrust issues.
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13.3.2008 Do you understand MS EULA?
Surprises in the Windows 7 EULA
Over the weekend, I had a chance to spend some quality time with the leaked Windows 7 build that’s zipping around the Internet.
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30.12.2008 Word for blondes
A word with you, please, Microsoft
If Microsoft's 1976 was all about "hobbyists" and "Altair," then its buzzwords for 2006 were things such as "connected entertainment," "interoperability," "Zune," and "Windows Vista."
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2.1.2007 New Report of A Word Zero Day
We are investigating reports of another new vulnerability in Microsoft Word – initial investigation has shown that this is a different issue to that reported in Microsoft Security Advisory 929433.
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11.12.2006 Why is Microsoft afraid to use the L word?
In discussing the motivation behind its newly launched Windows Server 2008 Foudation product, there’s one word the folks from Microsoft were loathe to mention: Linux.
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1.4.2009 MS investigates Word zero-day
Microsoft has issued a Security Advisory that warns of exploits for a previously unknown (zero day) hole in various versions of Microsoft Word.
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6.12.2006 Firefox 3.0 goes Alpha but little word yet on IE8
Firefox 2 only launched six weeks ago, but there appear to be no plans for a Firefox 2.5 with the alpha, developer version of Firefox 3.0 just made available on Friday.
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10.12.2006 Microsoft warns of new Word attacks
Microsoft has issued yet another security advisory in the wake of new attacks targeting Word.
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10.7.2008 Word 2007 to Feature Built-in Blogging
Joe Friend has posted a rather interesting entry on his site, covering Microsoft's Office 12 Blog feature:
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13.5.2006 Experts Warn of Critical Word Vulnerability
Security experts are warning of a critical vulnerability affecting users of Microsoft Word XP and Word 2003.
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22.5.2006 Google Opens Online Word Processor
Google late Thursday re-opened its Writely beta online word processing application, which the search engine acquired in March. Because the service was being transitioned to Google's servers, it was not accepting new accounts until today.
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19.8.2006 Microsoft to release ODF translator for Word
A Microsoft-sponsored open-source project is expected on Friday to release a translator that will convert file formats between Microsoft Office and rival standard OpenDocument, or ODF.
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3.2.2007 Attackers seize on new zero-day flaw in Word
Just hours after a Microsoft security manager said that the week's updates had patched all in-the-wild threats against Office applications, the company late yesterday acknowledged that another bug in Word is being used by hackers to commandeer computers.
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16.2.2007 Microsoft confirms Windows-Word attacks
Microsoft Corp. yesterday warned of a critical vulnerability that affects users of Word running on Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003 SP1 -- several weeks after one security company first reported an exploit and a day after a second vendor confirmed ongoing attacks.
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24.3.2008 Microsoft permitted to continue Word sales for now
Microsoft Word fans across the world can rejoice and breathe a sigh of relief today as Microsoft has won a temporary stay, allowing Word sales to continue.
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4.9.2009 Microsoft Confirms Windows 7 for 2010 – No Word on Windows 7 M2
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 is right on track for release in 2010. Concomitantly with the leaked details associated with Windows 7 Milestone 1 dropped by the Redmond company to select partners in January 2008, a potential timetable for the availability of the successor of Windows Vista was also made public.
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12.3.2008 It's Time to Face the Ugly Truth, SP3 or No SP3, the Clock Is Ticking for Windows XP
As 2008 has kicked in, it's now time to face the ugly truth. The clock is ticking for Windows XP. And while Microsoft may view this as a natural stage in the evolution of a product introduced all the way in 2001, a healthy proportion of end-users and businesses will fail to see eye to eye with the company on this one.
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5.1.2008 The Only Way for Windows XP SP3 Is Down
SP3 will do nothing for XP, but still more than what SP1 will do for Vista - The third and final service pack for Windows XP will do little to nothing for the operating system, but will manage to deliver a superior boost to the platform's momentum in comparison to Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista.
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12.4.2008 Office XP SP3 Info
Office XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) provides the latest updates to Microsoft Office XP. SP3 contains significant security enhancements, in addition to stability and performance improvements. This service pack applies to any level of Office XP.
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Sneak Preview of XP SP3?
An unofficial preview pack containing what purports to be Windows XP Service Pack 3 has been uploaded to The Hotfix web site. The Hotfix is an independently-run site that specializes in downloads and discussions of Windows patches and bug fixes.
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Microsoft Delays XP SP3
Bink has an interesting article up on his site concerning Windows XP SP3. Microsoft has apparently pushed back the scheduled release date of SP3 to the second half of 2007.
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16.1.2006 Windows XP SP3 Preview No. 5
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11.2.2006 Windows XP SP3 On The Horizon
According to Microsoft press release about Unified Access Control and Network Access Protection, Windows XP service pack 3 (SP3) is in development and will be released later this year.
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24.5.2007 Windows XP SP3 Available for Download!
In two weeks too :) Microsoft confirmed officially that Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be made available for download in the next couple of weeks.
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29.8.2007 Windows XP Closes In on SP3
Microsoft's most successful operating system, ever, has inched closer to Service Pack 3. Release Candidate 1 is now available from MSDN and—so I hear—from TechNet. I can only personally confirm MSDN availability.
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4.12.2007 Deploying Windows XP SP3
With a pre-Release Candidate build of Windows XP Service Pack 3 available for download, the imminence of the final version of the refresh is starting to take contour.
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13.12.2007 Should You Upgrade from Vista to XP SP3?
Windows Vista was released to manufacturing and to businesses in November 2006, and the operating system hit the shelves only at the end of January 2007.
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27.12.2007 Will SP3 Save Windows XP?
Will the third and final service pack for Windows XP manage to breath new life into the operating system? Will users and original equipment manufacturers be able to apply enough pressure on Microsoft to keep Windows XP alive?
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15.1.2008XP SP3 Build 5503 Clarification
As some of you may have noticed, there was some confusion/concern regarding the validity of the unusual Build 5503 of XP SP3 that made the news a few
days ago. Fortunately, Mary Jo Foley
received the following update from
Microsoft last night:
The XP SP3 5503 build was a minor interim build released to address one specific issue for a subset of private
beta testers. This build was not intended for public release and anyone who has that build and is not part of the private beta is working with bits
that Microsoft cant verify the integrity¦. The final version of XP SP3 is still on target to be released the first half of calendar year
2008.
Also worth noting is that the build contains an EULA for "Pre-Release" software so it most definitely will not be the final
SP3 build.
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19.03.2008Blogger gets $200 check from HP for declining Vista's EULA
Blogger
uncle_benji went over to Best Buy and purchased an HP dv6815nr for $599.99
plus tax. When he saw the Windows Vista EULA and the HP EULA, he decided he wanted to move to Linux. He wasn't happy that there wasn't an option to
decline the EULA, but didn't take his revenge on Microsoft by just grabbing one of the many Linux distro install discs. Nope, first things first:
this user decided to call HP and demand a refund for Microsoft's latest operating system. After all, Microsoft's EULA does say to contact the
manufacturer if the user does not agree with it. This user simply took it a step further and made sure that he was not paying for something he wasn't
going to use.
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22.07.2008Microsoft warns of new Word attacks
Microsoft has issued yet another security advisory in the wake of attacks targeting Word. The company said in the advisory that it has received
reports of attackers targeting a flaw in the handling of .doc files. The attacks are not currently believed to be widespread, and the initial exploit
attempts have been in specially targeted attacks.
The vulnerability lies in the way Word 2002 Service Pack 3 handles .doc files. An
attacker could use a specially-crafted document to cause a memory overflow error and application crash. The error would then leave the system
vulnerable and allow the attacker to remotely execute code on the target system. Microsoft said that the vulnerability only appears to exist in Office
Word 2002 Service Pack 3. No other versions of Word or Office appear to be at risk for attack.
In addition to basic security practices such
as enabling a firewall and antivirus software, Microsoft recommends that users exercise caution in loading mail attachments and avoid suspicious .doc
files.
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10.07.2008Microsoft Confirms Another Word Zero-Day Flaw
The latest flaw comes just
days after the software maker
issued a security advisory to
warn customers against opening
Word documents from untrusted
sources. The two
vulnerabilities are entirely
unrelated.
Microsoft has not yet issued
a formal prepatch advisory
but, in a blog entry, Security
Program Manager Scott Deacon
listed affected software
versions as Word 2000, Word
2002, Word 2003 and the Word
Viewer 2003. Microsoft Word
2007 is not affected by the
second vulnerability.
Microsoft suggests that
users "do not open or save
Word files," even those that
arrive unexpectedly from
trusted sources.
"From the initial reports
and investigation we can
confirm that the vulnerability
is being exploited on a very,
very limited and targeted
basis," Deacon added.
According to a US-CERT
advisory, the latest bug is a
memory corruption issue that
occurs when a Word file is
rigged with malformed data
structures.
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13.12.2006Windows 7 EULA: watch this space
You have to hand it to those lawyers, always trying so hard to protect their mumbo jumbos. The placeholder page for the
Windows 7 End User License Agreement is now live (and has been for
at least 2 weeks).
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06.08.2008Despite rumors, Windows XP SP3 still not quite ready
With Windows Vista Service Pack 1 out the door, Microsoft was largely expected to release Windows XP SP3 last week or this week. It didn't, instead
making public a refresh build of SP3 Release Candidate 2...
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26.03.2008MS investigates Word zero-day
Microsoft has issued a Security
Advisory that warns of
exploits for a previously
unknown (zero day) hole in
various versions of Microsoft
Word.
According to
an e-mail statement from the
company's public relations
firm, Microsoft has knowledge
of "limited 'zero-day'
attacks using a vulnerability
in Microsoft Word 2000,
Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft
Office Word 2003, Microsoft
Word Viewer 2003, Microsoft
Word 2004 for Mac, and
Microsoft Word 2004 v. X for
Mac, as well as Microsoft
Works 2004, 2005, and 2006.
The company's
published advisory doesn't
have much more information
than that, except to say that
victims would have to open a
malicious Word file with "a
malformed string," that could
then "corrupt system memory
in such a way that an attacker
could execute arbitrary
code."
neowin.net - 06.12.2006
Microsoft Security Advisory (950627)
Microsoft is investigating new public reports of very limited, targeted attacks using a vulnerability in the Microsoft Jet Database Engine that can be
exploited through Microsoft Word.
Customers running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, and Windows Vista Service
Pack 1 are not vulnerable to the buffer overrun being attacked, as they include a version of the Microsoft Jet Database Engine that is not vulnerable
to this issue.
Customers using Microsoft Word 2000 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Word 2002 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Word 2003
Service Pack 2, Microsoft Word 2003 Service Pack 3, Microsoft Word 2007, and Microsoft Word 2007 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP,
or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 are vulnerable to these attacks.
winbeta.org - 22.03.2008
Vulnerability in Microsoft Word Could Allow Remote Code Execution
Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a possible vulnerability in Microsoft Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3. Our initial investigation
indicates that customers who use all other supported versions of Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Microsoft Office Compatibility
Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats, and Microsoft Office for Mac are not affected.
At this time, Microsoft is
aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to use this vulnerability. While Microsoft Office Word 2000 does not appear vulnerable to this issue,
Word 2000 may unexpectedly exit when opening a specially crafted .doc file that the attacker is using in an attempt to exploit the vulnerability.
Microsoft is investigating the public reports and customer impact. Upon completion of this investigation, Microsoft will take the
appropriate action to help protect our customers. This may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an
out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs.
winbeta.org - 09.07.2008
Windows XP SP3 Testing Continues
Windows Vista Service Pack SP1 is done, but Microsoft's other major
Windows service pack, Windows XP SP3, continues to wind its way through the testing process.
On February 7, Microsoft delivered a new
test build of XP SP3 to its inner circle of 15,000 pre-selected testers, company officials said. The newest test build is labeled as XP SP3 Release
Candidate RC2.
Microsoft's statement (sent to me via e-mail on February 8):
"Yesterday, we released Windows XP SP3 RC
2 to private beta testers. This release catches the build up on previously released hotfixes and responds to critical feedback from previous betas. We
are targeting 1H 2008 for the release of XP SP3 RTM, though our timing will always be based on customer feedback as a first priority."
The RC2 build of XP SP3 follows the XP SP3 RC1 Refresh 2 build Microsoft provided to the same 15,000 testers in late January.
I
asked Microsoft this week if there was any truth to a post circulating that claimed the company has decided to release the final XP SP3 bits in mid-March. A spokeswoman said the
company's official word on XP SP3 availability, as some time in the first half of 2008, is all that will be said on the planned release date.
jcxp.net - 09.02.2008
Microsoft continues to warn of IE8 lock-in for XP SP3 users
Last year when Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, Jane Maliouta announced that consumers using Windows XP SP3 would be locked-in with the
IE8 if they had installed the IE8 beta prior to upgrading to SP3. Microsoft again yesterday issued that same warning to it's consumers. If you are
still one of the millions of users on Windows XP with SP3 installed, Microsoft has provided crucial steps to follow if you're ready to upgrade to
IE8 RC1. You can obtain IE8 RC1 from the links on this page. To see if you're one of the people who will have IE8 locked in, follow these steps.
Is your computer running Windows XP SP3?
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 27.01.2009
Hackers Attack Using Second Microsoft Word Flaw
With its monthly security
updates due out tomorrow,
Microsoft has a new problem to
worry about: Word flaws.
The software vendor
yesterday confirmed a report
that criminals are e-mailing
maliciously crafted Word
attachments to victims. While
these attacks are not
widespread, they are dangerous
because the attacker could run
unauthorized software on the
victim's computer if the
attachment is opened.
This is the second such
Word attack to be confirmed by
Microsoft in the past week.
Last Tuesday, Microsoft warned
of a similar Word flaw, saying
that it was aware of "limited
attacks attempting to use the
vulnerability."
jcxp.net - 12.12.2006
Windows XP SP3 moves closer to completion
Beta testers have received access to a release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 3, but general consumers still have a long wait until they'll see
SP3 available for download...
betanews.com - 20.11.2007
Web 2.0 is the millionth English word, word 999,998 is n00b
It seems like the world should have passed this mark a long time ago but as of June 10th 2009, "Web 2.0", became the official 1 millionth word to
enter the English language. It is defined as "he next generation of web products and services, coming soon to a browser near you". Other words
that almost made the claim as the one millionth word were 999,999, "Jai Ho!", which was made popular from the movie Slum Dog millionaire. Also
another notable word that is infamous in the gaming world, n00b, is officially word number 999,998. It's also the only mainstream English word
that contains two numerals.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 11.06.2009
Surprises in the Windows 7 license agreement
Over the weekend, many Windows 7 lovers have been busy looking into the wild and Ed Bott, ZDNet blogger, was not an exception. Bott has found some
interesting information in the Windows 7 license agreement(EULA). Bott reports that the EULA ends with an revision ID -
EULAID:Win7_B.1_PRO_NRL_en-US which confirms that this leaked build is indeed beta 1. But no one from Microsoft is ready to confirm whether this build
is indeed the beta 1 which is going to be released at CES.
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 30.12.2008
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2
In its continued commitment to interoperability, Microsoft has released a new Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver with SQL Server 2005. The SQL
Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2 download is available to all SQL Server users at no additional charge, and provides access to SQL Server 2000 and SQL
Server 2005 from any Java application, application server, or Java-enabled applet. This is a Type 4 JDBC driver that provides database connectivity
through the standard JDBC application program interfaces (APIs) available in J2EE (Java2 Enterprise Edition).
This release of the
JDBC Driver is JDBC 3.0 compliant and runs on the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.4 and higher. It has been tested against all major application
servers including BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, JBoss, and Sun.
Note: In order to download the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2,
you must agree to the End-User License Agreement (EULA). Start by clicking the Download button at the top of this page and the EULA will appear. Read
the EULA and click the Accept link to download the package. Please print a copy of the EULA for your records.
winbeta.org - 11.10.2007
New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?
The principal reason given for the tremendous under-the-hood changes to Windows unveiled early this year in Vista was the need to overhaul the
security model. Now it seems many of those changes are also coming to XP in SP3...
betanews.com - 10.10.2007
Google Updates Chrome EULA
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: " 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!
Read full story.....
neowin.net - 05.09.2008
Office 2003 SP3: Are new formats more secure?
Blocking old file formats in the Office 2003 Service Pack 3 (SP3) release was meant to bolster security for Microsoft customers, but whether the new
formats are any more secure than older ones is debatable.
Few within IT feel compelled to side with Microsoft when debates over
file formats, backward compatibility and security emerge, yet the Redmond software giant's decision to block a swathe of old formats such as pre-97
PowerPoint, Excel, Word and Corel Draw formats has been met with sympathy from analysts.
Microsoft said it was attempting to
address security concerns by blocking the older file formats. "By default, these file types are blocked because the parsing code that Office 2003
uses to open and save the file types is less secure. Therefore, opening and saving these file types may pose a risk to you," it said in its advisory.
winbeta.org - 08.01.2008
Psystar to Challenge Mac OS X EULA?
InformationWeek spoke to an employee
of Psystar, the company responsible for the previously reported $399 Mac Clone. The employee
known as "Robert" claims that they will challenge Apple's Mac OS X End User License Agreement (EULA) which specifically prohibits the installation
of Mac OS X on non Apple-branded machines.
winbeta.org - 15.04.2008
