Government & Regulation

Microsoft has concluded that last week's story about batteries failing due to a Windows 7 bug is bunkum. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have satisfied the users, who are complaining louder than ever. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers try to figure out why. Not to mention GNILLEY: gaming by yelling...
(MSFT)

In the curious case of PayPal blocking and reversing payments to and from India, facts have been remarkably thin on the ground. The eBay subsidiary just says it's "really sorry," but just doesn't give any insight into what's going on. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers crowdsource the explanation: read on...
(EBAY)

In today's podcast: DOJ opposes revised Google book deal; National Science Foundation signs computing deal with Microsoft; and Intel rolls out new vPro platform for Core chips.

Sometimes, there's more going on than will fit into one post. Here are a few more links that caught my eye over the past 24 hours. In IT Blogwatch, Facebook un-munges email addresses, Fraunhofer lets you sign contracts on the phone, Symbian goes free, and Jonathan Schwartz tweets his final goodbyes.

Windows 7 users are up in arms over a long-standing battery charge problem. Their batteries are dying prematurely, and they're blaming Windows 7, which is popping up the message, "Consider replacing your battery. There is a problem with your battery, so your computer might shut down suddenly." In IT Blogwatch, bloggers consider replacing their operating systems. Not to mention iPad reality distortion...
(MSFT)

President Barack Obama's administration is cutting NASA's moon mission funding. His budget plan for reducing the deficit kills the Constellation, Ares, and Orion programs, but opens the door to private enterprise. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers wonder what it all means. Not to mention Facebook (you're doing it wrong)...

Missing software engineers have joined iGDP economy

In today's podcast: Lawmakers want investigation into attacks on House Web sites; Windows 7 lifts Microsoft's financial results; and Apple's A4 chip could make its way into iPhone.

A charismatic leader stands up and addresses the expectant faithful in the San Francisco Bay Area. No, not Steve Jobs' Apple iPad announcement, but Larry Ellison's unveiling of the Oracle/Sun strategy. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers discover what it means for Solaris, Java, SPARC, etc... Not to mention iPad: Steve Jobs's downfall?...
(ORCL) (JAVA)

So goodbye then, Scott McNealy. Your company, Sun Microsystems, broke the mold and made more than $200B over 28 years. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers pay tribute to a departing leader. Not to mention a Haiti charity infographic...
(ORCL) (JAVA)

I saw an interesting article in New Scientist this morning: "To beat spam, turn its own weapons against it". I thought I'd talk a little about it in this week's Security Levity...

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Either open-source software is open, or it's not. But a popular Arab blog charges that SourceForge has blocked all access from Syria, Sudan, Iran, North Korea and Cuba.

Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates today told ABC's Good Morning America that Chinese censorship is "very limited" and "easy to go around." He appeared to take a veiled swipe at Google as well. Gates may be the world's greatest philanthropist, but when it comes to China, he's simply wrong.

In today's podcast: Motorola files ITC complaint against RIM; China says it wasn't involved in Google attack; and HP to bundle music service with PCs in Europe.

We're told Linux is the only desktop OS with a growing market share: Windows and Mac OS X actually shrank. The Net Applications report also shows Windows 7 already dwarfing all versions of Mac OS combined. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers review the data. Not to mention People In Order...
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