Skype having login and call problems
Skype is having sign-in and communication issues, the company said on Thursday. According to Skype's Heartbeat status page, some Skype users "may have problems signing in to Skype and making calls". "We're investigating and hope to have more details to share soon," the brief post added.
Microsoft SQL Server Replication Overview
Replication is a set of technologies for copying and distributing data and database objects from one database to another and then synchronizing between databases to maintain consistency. Using replication, you can distribute data to different locations and to remote or mobile users over local and wide area networks, dial-up connections, wireless connections and the Internet. This SQL Server Replication Overview will explain the terms and functions available through Microsoft SQL Server. Read more...
Skype kills integration with open source PBX Asterisk
Skype has decided not to renew an agreement that allows open-source telephony system Asterisk to be integrated with the service using software developed with Digium.
The decision is more about a change in strategy, rather than the company closing the door on third-party integration after the Microsoft acquisition of Skype, according a Gartner analyst.
Skype for Asterisk is based on proprietary software that allows the open-source telephony system to join Skype as a native client, according to Digium, which has put out a product notice detailing the change. Digium drives the development of Asterisk and sells commercial products based on it. Read more...
It’s hip to be a geek — but it can hurt your career
Image by thinkgeek.com
Geeks of the world, rejoice on this fine Geek Pride Day! Society has come to value your smarts to the point that most people consider the label a compliment and equate geekiness with success, according to a survey conducted by Modis. But if there's any cause for concern, it's that nongeeks tend to view you as socially awkward, which could translate to a barrier in your professional life (and beyond).
The rapid proliferation of technology and social media in mainstream society over the past 15 years is the likely catalyst driving geek acceptance, Modis notes. Millennials (people between the ages of 18 and 34) are more than twice as likely as any other age group to consider themselves geeks, and 66 percent of that age group consider "geek" to be a compliment. By contrast, baby boomers (folks aged 65 and up) still consider "geek" an insult. Read more...
Citrix overhauls virtual desktop products for ‘personal cloud’
Citrix's annual Synergy conference is opening with a bang this week, with Citrix previewing overhauls to nearly every component of its virtual desktop product lines, reaching from the data center to the iPad.
Citrix's goal is to make all data and applications available to users on any device, without threatening IT security. The PC era, which replaced the mainframe era, is now being replaced by the cloud era, and each user will have a "personal cloud," said Wes Wasson, Citrix senior vice president of marketing.
"A personal cloud is something that is much bigger than just a Windows desktop," Wasson said. "It's the way people want to work, from any location, at any time, on any device, with everything they need to be successful." Read more...
Codie awards dominated by familiar names
The Software and Information Industry Association's (SIIA) Codie 2011 award winners for software, announced Wednesday afternoon, include some familiar names, such as Salesforce.com, Red Hat, and Adobe, all of whom have been recognized by SIIA before.
Codie awards, which are peer-reviewed, were given out for products and services in the business software industry. Companies self-nominate their products for Codie award contention. Winners were announced at an SIIA event in San Francisco. Read more...
Newest MacDefender scareware installs without a password
Hours after Apple owned up to a fake security software scam campaign, the "scareware" gang released a new variant, with a new name and a streamlined installation process that doesn't prompt victims for their password, a French antivirus firm said today.
"Given the timing, and the new name, it does seem like this was their reaction to Apple's support document," said Peter James, a spokesman for Intego, a maker of Mac-specific security software.
On Tuesday, Apple acknowledged the threat posed by what security experts call "scareware" or "rogueware." bogus security software that claims a computer is heavily infected with worms, viruses and other malware. Once installed, such software nags users with pervasive pop-ups and fake alerts until they fork over a fee to purchase the worthless program. Read more...
Microsoft’s mobile software gets HTC, ZTE lift
Microsoft's new Windows Phone platform won instant support from major manufacturers on Wednesday when China's ZTE and Taiwan's HTC Corp pledged to launch smartphones running the software.
The software giant had stepped up its push into the cellphone market a day earlier with the launch of the new Windows Phone software, code-named Mango. It hopes a host of new features will help it close the gap on smartphone leaders Google Inc and Apple Inc.
Microsoft has struggled for years to gain support from mobile phone manufacturers. All vendors in total sold just 1.6 million Windows Phones last quarter, giving it a market share of below 2 percent. Google and Apple together control more than 50 percent of the smartphone market. Read more...
Twitter buys TweetDeck, terms undisclosed
Twitter confirmed on Wednesday that it has bought TweetDeck, a popular third-party software application that organizes tweets, the short messages delivered through the online social network.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed in a statement but a source told Reuters earlier this month that a deal for up to $50 million was imminent.
Twitter's Jodi Olson said that Twitter plans to invest in TweetDeck. Read more...
Apple fights fake anti-virus software vendors
Apple Inc is fighting what security experts say may be the most pernicious types of computer virus to ever target its line of Mac computers.
The company has issued a security advisory warning to customers about a recent scam that infects Macs with malicious software that wrongly tells them their computer is infected with a virus. The ultimate goal is to get credit card numbers and other valuable personal information.
It is one of the first major campaigns that cyber crooks have launched against Mac users. To date, criminals have focused on writing malicious software for machines running Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system, which inhabits more than nine of every 10 personal computers. Read more...
Hedge fund star calls for Microsoft CEO to go
Influential hedge fund manager David Einhorn has called for Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to step down, saying the world's largest software company's leader is stuck in the past.
"His continued presence is the biggest overhang on Microsoft's stock," Einhorn said in reference to Ballmer.
The comments by outspoken Einhorn, who made his name warning about Lehman Brothers' financial health before the investment bank's collapse, are the most pointed yet from a high-profile investor against Microsoft's leadership.
Microsoft shares, which have been static for over a decade, gained 0.87 percent in after-hours trading after Einhorn's comments, the most of any Dow Jones industrial average component. Read more...