Well not quite, but the software company is loosening the grip on it’s proprietary protocols. These include Exchange/Outlook and SharePoint/Office. How loose you ask, how about a whooping 14,000 pages. These join the around staggering 30,000 pages of other various Windows Server and Client protocols. The additions to the MSDN can be found here. Microsoft said that it will be releasing the finished documentation in June.

The devil is in the details though, even though the documentation is public if Microsoft feels that the protocol is patented any commercial product wanting to implement the protocol will have to pay royalties. The bright side is that noncommercial open source software may implement the protocols without royalties. Many say this effort is from pressure from the EU but this is still a step in the right direction.

Source: Information Week

I just downloaded Safari 3.1 for Windows, yes downloaded not forced-updated, and my initial impressions are good. Apple has been catching crap over the way the have released Safari to Windows users through Apple Software Updater. While the name implies that it will only update software you’ve installed Apple decided to push out Safari with it as well, the kicker is that it is checked by default. Infoworld explains more.

Safari feels very fast opening pages. It’s got all the standard web browser features, tabbed browsing, rss feed reader, form auto-fill. I really like the built-in rss reader, it puts Firefox reader to shame. Screen shots will follow. Another big feature is the private browsing right out of the box in Firefox you need a plugin for that but Safari has this as a standard feature.

Update: It seems that Apple violates it’s on EULA with the new Safari for Windows. According to The Register Safari can only be installed on Apple hardware running Windows.
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Ubuntu has just released a beta for the new April release of “Hardy Heron” as it’s called. Lots of new features have been included.

• Linux kernel 2.6.24
• GNOME 2.22
• PolicyKit
• Firefox 3 Beta 4
• Virtualization
• ActiveDirectory integration
• Memory Protection
• Wubi

I think one of my favorites has to be Wubi, what this is an installer for Windows. What it does is allows a user to install/uninstall Ubuntu just like any other application, with no need to have another boot loader or separate partition. For those that prefer KDE to Gnome the Kubuntu beta is also out and can be found here. Kubuntu has is available with either KDE 3.5 or the shiny new KDE 4.

Robert Soloway from Seattle was once consider the eighth largest spammer in the world, now he’s the first biggest loser. He has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of mail and electronic fraud. He also charged with operating a bot-net used to send out spam to a database of 150 million email addresses. Soloway has been in legal trouble before, in fact an Oklahoma ISP sued under the CAN-SPAM act and after firing his lawyer and refusing to show up to court the ISP got the default $10 million dollar judgment. For his crimes he is facing up to 26 years in jail and up to a $625,000 in fines, but since he’s broke that doesn’t really matter. Just goes to show that crime doesn’t pay especially spamming.