Pirated copies of Vista will have a reduced functionality mode that is enhanced, Microsoft said on its Web site on Wednesday.This feature is already at play in the current Windows XP, displaying a persistent statement in the lower right hand corner of the desktop that reads: “This copy of Windows is not genuine.”

Windows Vista, five years in the making, has been postponed by Microsoft several times.

Microsoft Windows sits on more than 90 percent of the world’s personal computers and the Windows business accounts for about 30 percent of the company’s $44 billion in revenue.

All i know is someone out there will learn how to manipulate this, i am however not advocating piracy.
source

I sincerely think it was just a matter of time before people could create their own video games, as the advances of Technology makes the “hard to understand” sound and look simple.

Microsoft has stepped in and is set to release the consumer version of their professional software tools used to create video games for its Xbox 360 console.

The XNA Game Studio Express program, an offshoot of the company’s more robust XNA Framework, will be available August 30 for a $99 annual subscription, the company announced Monday.

“It’s our first step of creating a YouTube for video games,” Moore said, referring to the wildly popular free online video sharing Web site. “It will give you everything you need to bring your game to life on Xbox 360.”

The program would be a first for consoles, which traditionally have been the exclusive domain of skilled programmers, artists and designers.

Moore said the program is basic compared to the pro tools, which cost tens of thousands of dollars.

……..and did i mention that it will only work with Windows PC’s?

more via CNN

ZuneLive.com follows in the vein of previous Microsoft domain – Live.com.

Looks like Microsoft’s stance is to add the word “live” in their products as Apple adds “i” to it’s range of products eg. “iPod”.

Some technical people decided to do a whois on the domain and found that the owner of ZuneLive.com was a certain man named Jack Spurr from Nova Scotia,that prompted many to disregard it from Microsoft because they never did register a domain under a person’s name instead they would always register a domain name under the Microsoft Inc banner.

But ZuneNation did a little research and found out that at least two other previous Microsoft domains were under the name Jack Spurr (Live.com and MicrosoftGadgets.com).

Full Article

Microsoft Inc’s Founder, Chairman and the world’s richest man – Bill Gates,says he will from July 2008 onwards devote more time to charitable works,mainly working with his wife,Melinda Gates,through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,which focuses on global health and education..

In almost a “spiderman” theme quote,Gates said:

“I believe with great wealth comes great responsibility - the responsibility to give back to society and make sure those resources are given back in the best possible way, to those in need,” he said. Gates added, “It’s not a retirement, it’s a reordering of my priorities.”

This,of course, wasn’t thhe first time Gates has come up with some witty quotes,he did it many times in the past,among them are:

1983:

“There’s really a lot of dirty software on the market now; we’ll have to educate the developers about how to write better software.”

1999

“The digital world can do better… We have got to make [technology] simpler, we’ve got to make it cheaper, and we’ve got to make it relevant.”

more quotes via PCWorld

Source & More :Money @ CNN