It seems like Microsoft is accepting the outcome of the appeal case yesterday. The company has released an update for OEMs in the United States that strips the infringing feature from the ubiquitous word processor. "The following patch is required for the United States."   The patch removes the ability to edit custom XML elements. "After this patch is installed, Word will no longer read the Custom XML elements contained within DOCX, DOCM, or XML files," Microsoft said on its website, "These fi

Do you know how much money your company could save moving to Windows 7?   Thinking about deploying Windows 7? Need to crunch the numbers to show your boss the reduced TCO and quick ROI that Windows 7 will have for you’re company?   The Windows 7 Return on Investment (ROI) Tool, powered by Alinean, can help you evaluate your current PC total cost of ownership (TCO) and identify the potential benefits of deploying the Windows 7 operating system to help lower costs, improve service levels, and

Windows 7 is seeing success in the marketplace which I am very happy about from a security perspective. The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report has shown us again and again that the more up-to-date a PC is, the less likely it is to be infected by malware and other potentially dangerous software. So Windows 7 making strides is helpful to the ecosystem overall from a security standpoint. Success comes at a price though, through greater scrutiny and misinterpretation of some of the technologies.

Channel 9’s Larry Larsen pinged me earlier today to let me know of a video they just posted to Channel 9 on the default background in Windows 7. Larry was able to talk to Denise Trabona who is a Senior UX (User Experience) Lead on the Windows Design and Research Team. Denise shares insight into how we went about designing the default background see on Windows 7 desktops (the default) and also the logon screen. If you’re someone interested in UI and the thought processes behind how and why we mak

Among the factors to consider, as companies ponder Windows 7 migrations, is whether to run a 32 bit or 64 bit version of the operating system. We look at the reasons why and what companies are saying.   Cost isn’t the biggest consideration for Compassionate Care Hospice CIO Jeffrey Bolden when it comes to upgrading his 1,650 employees to Windows 7. Rather, in a “recession-proof business,” Bolden is focused on moving toward a 64-bit environment.   Compassionate Care, the nation’s fourth large

Office 2010 beta reaches 1 million downloads, grab your free beta today   http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/default.aspx     via twitter

Reports of Issues with November Security Updates   We’ve received questions about public reports that customers might be experiencing system issues with the November Security Updates (which some are referring to “Black Screen” issues). We’ve investigated these reports and found that our November Security Updates are not making changes to the system that these reports say are responsible for these issues.   While these reports weren’t brought to us directly, from our research into them, it ap

Computerworld - Microsoft's Windows ran to stay in place last month as Window 7's market share gains made up for the largest-ever declines in Windows XP and Vista, data released today by Web metrics firm Net Applications showed.   By Net Applications' numbers, Windows 7's gains were primarily at the expense of Windows XP. For each copy of Vista replaced by Windows 7 during November, more than six copies of XP were swapped for the new OS.   Meanwhile, Apple's Mac OS X lost share during Novemb