News

Microsoft open-sources server-side .Net, launches Visual Studio 2015 preview

In a dramatic shift, Microsoft takes a big step into open source, with the aim of spreading Microsoft development across iOS, Android, OS X, and Linux

Groupon admits defeat in war over GNOME trademark

In today's open source roundup: Groupon backs off claims to the GNOME trademark. Plus: Nine of the best Linux distributions, and a proprietary Linux would have cost more than one trillion dollars

Microsoft open-sources .Net server-side cloud stack

The company is embarking on a broad-based strategy for mobile and cloud development, including major upgrades to Visual Studio

Microsoft unveils de-cluttering option for Office 365 mailboxes

Business users of Outlook get 'Clutter,' spam filter-like broom that sweeps aside unimportant messages

Seagate preps for 30TB laser-assisted hard drives

Seagate is also working on 2D magnetic recording

Microsoft details how to deploy, manage Windows 10

Windows guru Michael Neihaus reveals nuts-and-bolts details about Windows 10's beefy deployment and management features

Adobe fixes 18 vulnerabilities in Flash Player

Fifteen of the vulnerabilities addressed in the updates are critical and can result in remote code execution

Yahoo acquires video ad platform BrightRoll for $640 million

The deal is one of Yahoo's largest acquisitions since it bought Tumblr last year, and will make Yahoo's video ad platform the largest in the U.S.

Mozilla offers browser tailor-made for developers

Firefox Developer Edition replaces the Aurora channel and provides access to tools and platform features months before general release

RHEL takes up Docker management with Atomic Host

RHEL 7 Atomic Host provides management for both legacy RHEL infrastructure and new container-based applications

Okta focuses MDM on users, not devices

Identity-management outfit Okta is prepping a mobile device management solution that puts users first in both its design and licensing

Box updates storage app with iOS 8 widget and more

Box shows off its commitment to design with a new version of its iPhone and iPad app and a simplified Web experience

Brummel bails: Another member of the Microsoft old guard to leave

Lisa Brummel, dubbed the 'most universally hated exec' at Microsoft for enforcing the hated stack ranking system, is set to retire

Intel doubles capacity of its data center SSD

Intel's SSD DC S3500 Series jumps to 1.6TB, and the M.2 form factor flash expansion card is no longer just a boot drive

GitHub Enterprise offers Amazon-hosted option for software delivery

GitHub Enterprise is now available in an Amazon-hosted version for companies moving more infrastructure to the cloud

Say goodbye to Microsoft Lync, hello to Skype for Business

Lync customers will get to use the client interface familiar from the consumer version of Skype

GNOME Foundation forced to defend its trademark against Groupon

In today's open source roundup: Groupon has launched a tablet product that violates the GNOME Foundation's registered trademark. Plus: Reviews of OpenMandriva 2014.1. And the successes, failures and new challenges of Mozilla's Firefox

Bill Gates sells $925M in Microsoft stock, still owns $13.6B worth

Sells another 20M shares, but his reduced holdings are worth more now than three months ago

Drastic price cuts may damage PC industry, jeopardize Microsoft’s hopes for Windows 10

Microsoft's strategy to kill Chromebooks could come back to haunt it in 2015, says analyst

Microsoft courts non-Windows Web developers with RemoteIE

Azure-based RemoteIE lets developers test with Internet Explorer from Windows PCs, Macs, and iOS and Android devices — for 10 minutes at a time

Vulnerability leaves iPhones and iPads open to fake app attack

Attackers can replace legitimate apps with fake ones that access and steal personal information

Big data sparks interest in statistical programming languages

Statistical languages are a great fit for big data but may be too specialized for general programming

More systemd drama as a long-time Debian developer quits

In today's open source roundup: Debian developer Joey Hess leaves the project after eighteen years. Plus: Is Linux gaming performance lagging behind Windows? And reviews of Ubuntu 14.10 seem to indicate that it's a mixed bag

Big data sparks interest in statistical programming languages

Statistical languages offer a great fit for big data, but due to their specific use cases, they're unlikely to catch to up to generalized stalwarts like Java and C

Apple issues iMessage purgatory escape tool

People who abandon iOS for Android or Windows Phone will now receive texts from iPhone owners

IT jobs jumped in October, extending year-long hot streak

Obama: Broadband should be regulated as a utility

The president also calls on the FCC to stop broadband providers from charging content companies to prioritize their traffic

Tor Project mulls over how law enforcement took down hidden websites

The project doesn't have funding as yet to improve the security of hidden websites

Wearable graphics could get a boost with Imagination’s Series7 GPUs

Imagination claims its Series7 GPUs will boost object recognition and augmented reality

HP’s cloud-based service protects BYOD mobile devices and PCs

HP Touchpoint Manager is geared for small businesses, with plans starting at $2 per month

NEC smartphone tech can spot counterfeit goods

Metal and plastic objects have unique 'fingerprints' that can reveal their origins

Device loss, not hacking, poses greatest risk to health care data

California DOJ report on data breaches shows most losses in health care revolve around stolen devices, due to weak use of encryption

BlackEnergy crimeware tool threatens Linux as well as Windows

In today's open source roundup: BlackEnergy malware plug-ins affect Linux and Windows systems alike, but Windows still has more of them

Shields up: Microsoft adds antimalware protection for Azure VMs

Microsoft integrates antimalware services into Azure virtual machines, but only Windows hosts will benefit

Net neutrality advocates: Hybrid approach won’t work

A proposal to reclassify only part of broadband service as a regulated utility wouldn't protect consumers, groups say

Nadella gives away the store with new ‘Microsoft everywhere’ strategy

Microsoft dangles free, improved Office apps for iPhone/iPad, previews an Android version, and leaves Windows flapping in the wind

Home Depot says 53 million email addresses compromised during breach

In addition to 56 million payment cards, 53 million email addresses are added to the list of compromised data

Microsoft slates Windows’ touch Office for mid-2015

The long-awaited touch-centric Office will ship alongside Windows 10

The IT freelance economy is growing, but not at large firms

Full-time IT hiring appears to be rising at bigger companies as the economy strengthens

Microsoft plans monster security update for next week

'Whopping … overwhelming' slate with 16 security updates is the biggest in more than three years

Functional languages rack up best scores for software quality

A study of GitHub projects and the languages used to build them finds that certain language characteristics are more likely to result in better software

Verizon could soon regret its Net neutrality lawsuit

When faced with possible 'hybrid' approach to Net neutrality, Verizon looks back with fondness on the rules its own lawsuit overturned

Facebook snubs Apache, Nginx for homegrown Proxygen framework

Facebook open-sources Proxygen, it custom-built HTTP stack written in C++, but those already on Apache or Nginx probably won't swap yet

Joyent open-sources its core technology

Cloud pioneer Joyent throws down the gauntlet to the bloated world of OpenStack with fresh open source releases

Microsoft beefs up Office on iPhone with standalone apps

The company is also letting non-Office 365 subscribers do more with the Office apps on iOS and Android devices

New Windows Enterprise licensing helps — but beware the fine print

Per-user subscription option finally moves Microsoft into sensible cloud licensing and makes many enterprise tasks easier and cheaper

Apple unveils new enterprise support plan

AppleCare for Enterprise part of the Apple-IBM partnership announced in July

U.S. Net neutrality advocates plan day of protests

The protesters are taking a cue from recent successful protests in Hungary against Internet taxes

jQuery 3.0: More interoperability, less Internet Explorer

The upcoming edition of the JavaScript library will come in two versions: one that supports IE8, and one that does not

Docker container or VM? Canonical’s LXD splits the difference

With LXD, Docker containers can emulate virtual machines while maintaining close-to-the-metal speed and high security