Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion , what’s going next?

After months of speculation about who would buy it, Skype finally has a new home. Microsoft swooped in at the last minute and nabbed Skype for $8.5 billion in cash, the largest acquisition Microsoft has ever done.

A lot of people are concerned about the future of Skype at this point since Skype has always embodied the grassroots ethos of the Internet by allowing users to do free voice and video calls to anyone on the planet using its peer-to-peer protocol and software. Now, Skype is owned by one of the world’s largest corporations, which we’d think would want to use it to draw more money out of the half billion Skype users around the world.

While Microsoft has rocky history with acquisitions, I don’t think we should be too concerned about the company destroying Skype or changing it from a free service to a paid service, and I’ll explain why.

First and foremost, Microsoft knows that it bought a consumer service that is loved by the public, and a most of Skype’s value is based on the huge number of users it has. Turning Skype into a paid service would immediately shrink the user base and decrease the value of the property. That’s the business reality of the situation.

Second, Microsoft plans to make Skype an independent business unit within the company, with Skype CEO Tony Bates as the head of the division. That’s a good sign that Microsoft plans to invest in Skype, do a lot more with it than just the stuff we’ve seen so far, and turn it into a larger platform rather than just a voice and video service. For more on that, let’s take a quick look at what the chiefs had to say about the deal:

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, “Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world. Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world.”

Skype CEO Bates said, “Microsoft and Skype share the vision of bringing software innovation and products to our customers. Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s plans to extend our global community and introduce new ways for everyone to communicate and collaborate.”

That definitely sounds like there are already plans for growing and expanding Skype, which has been languishing for years with minimal new features and product development. With Microsoft’s resources behind it, there’s the potential that Skype could be unleashed to start innovating again.

In terms of Skype remaining free, remember that Microsoft has been running its Messenger for years (under various names such as Windows Live Messenger and MSN Messenger) as a free service. The big question there will be whether Microsoft converts Messenger to Skype to turn it into an even larger pool of users to compete more effectively against Yahoo Messenger and GoogleTalk.

The other big question is about Skype’s multiplatform support. Skype has traditionally released the newest features and updates for Windows first, but has also maintained versions of its client for Mac and Linux, which eventually get the latest features after a few months lag time. In its official release about the acquisition, the company stated, “Microsoft will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.” However, I’d expect Microsoft to continue the Windows-first tradition and not unify the development of the three clients (which we might have gotten if Google had bought Skype).

Bottom line
Microsoft is likely to keep the status quo with Skype’s current consumer service, with only minimal changes. Meanwhile, on the high end, Microsoft will work on building a business communications platform with Skype by making it a corporate unified communications platform that is tightly integrated across Microsoft’s business software, servers, and services.

At the Skype press conference, Ballmer said, “We dream about experiences that are not limited by distance or device.”

Think of being able to securely IM a document directly from Microsoft Office to a Skype user on the other side of the world on a smartphone, or being able to use your Skype client to dial into a corporate telepresence system when you’re on the road. Those are types of things Skype has been capable of for years but hasn’t delivered on, and I expect we’ll see Microsoft focus on those opportunities.

Src: Techrepublic

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Lotus Notes: Look for a database when open mailbox

When you open a mailbox in lotus notes , it pop up a small windows saying that a <database> is not found and gives you a list of servers to look for.  Click on OK or Cancel is ok.

To avoid this annoying message , open your workspace and remove some database shortcut that is no longer valid.

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How to Install a Driver Using Its INF File

Sometimes, driver manufacturers do not provide an executable file (.EXE) to install their drivers. Instead, they provide an INF file in a zip or rar file.
The first thing you need to do is unzip this file , remember where it is .

An INF file is short for INFormation file. This is a document that Windows “reads” to know how to install a driver. Following are the instructions to install a driver via its INF file.

Note: The steps below assume that you have already downloaded the new driver recommended by DriverIDentifier and unzipped its contents. (This is important. If the file is not unzipped and it’s contents extracted, Windows will not be able to detect the INF file.)

1. From the Windows menu, click Start.
2. Click System, choose Hardware, and then click Device Manager.
3. Click the device whose driver you want to update.
4. Right-click the device and then click Update Driver. This will open the Hardware Update Wizard.
5. Click No, not this time and then click Next.
6. Click Install from a list or specific location (advanced) and then click Next.
7. Click Search for the best driver in these locations.
8. Click Include this location in the search.
9. Click Browse and go to your driver file location (inf file – the location that you unzip the driver download file)

Tip: If the wizard finds the INF file, the OK button should be clickable (not grayed out).

10. Click Next.
11. Finish the Hardware Update Wizard.
12. Reboot your computer.

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10 email tips for preventing problems and avoiding aggravation

1: Address the email only when it is ready to send
Have you ever sent an email prematurely? The best way to avoid such a mistake is to leave the addressee field blank until you are positive the note is ready for sending. That way, even if you accidentally click the Send button, nothing will happen because the software won’t know where to send it. In fact, the Send button probably will be grayed out.

If you are replying to an email, follow the same procedure. In this case, however, before starting your message, cut the recipient’s name from the addressee field (this person was the original sender) and paste it into the body of your note. Then, when are ready to send, cut that address from the body and re-paste it into the addressee field.

2: Attach any files before composing your note
How many times have you gotten an email that referenced files that you never received because the sender failed to attach them? How many times have you meant to attach a file, but forgot? Avoid this embarrassment and annoyance by attaching these files first, before you even start composing your note.

3: Tell the other person which email you used when sending
Is someone saying your email was never received? Don’t answer by simply saying, “I did send you an email.” Be specific and spell out the user name and the domain name of the address. Even if you typed the address correctly, that address might not be the main one the other person uses. In addition, of course, you could have mistyped the address or used the wrong syntax, such as typing an underscore instead of a period between first name and last name.

Likewise, if you are planning to send someone an email in the future, tell that person which address you will use.

4: Reply to a new person from the same address that received that person’s note
Let’s say you get an email from someone for the first time, but you expect to exchange more in the future. When you reply to that person, do so from the same address to which your sender addressed his or her note.

Your sender probably is using a spam filter. Such filters often will assume that any recipient of outgoing mail from that sender is good and will whitelist that recipient address. Therefore, when you reply from that address, your sender’s spam filter will allow your reply to get through.

Suppose, however, that you reply to that sender from a different email address, perhaps because the one that received the message is your less commonly used one. The sender’s spam filter might not recognize this other address, and your note could be trapped in the spam filter’s junk/spam mailbox. For this reason, the best approach is to reply from the same address that originally received that note.

5: If you want the other person to use a different address for you, say so first
What if you really would like that person to send to an alternate email address? In this case, simply say so. However, do so via phone, or via a note from the “old” address, i.e., the one your sender originally used. If you tell the sender via an email from that new address, you run into the same potential spam filter problem.

6: Send a test message first
You may get an email address from a new client or associate who dictates the address to you verbally or you might type it in by hand from a business card. To be safe, especially if you will be sending sensitive information, send a test message first to make sure you didn’t mistype while entering the address. If the person replies with a confirmation, you know that you entered the address correctly.

7: Copy and paste the address instead of manual typing
Copying and pasting an address instead of manually typing will eliminate potential mistakes. Just be aware that the address to be copied still might be wrong, so sending a test message even in such cases still is desirable.

8: Be careful with addressee auto-complete
A friend once told me of an experience she had one summer. She had written an actual hard-copy letter to her then-boyfriend. She also had written a letter to one of her girlfriends, in which she talked about some new guy she had just met. She mailed the letters, then a few days later got a call from the girlfriend telling her she had gotten the boyfriend’s letter.

Your email program might predict the name of an addressee and complete that field for you. While convenient, this feature carries with it the risk that you will send an email to the wrong person. If you can live with the risk of what happened to my friend, at least verify the addressee name before clicking Send. If you’d prefer to eliminate the risk, go into your email program’s options menu and disable the auto-complete feature.

9: Point recipient to “subject line messages”
Some guides on email advise you put a short message solely in the subject line to save time for the recipient. Be aware, though, that doing so may cause your message to be missed. Just this morning, I emailed a client with a request that he send me a check to cover mailing expenses. I put the dollar amount right in the subject line. Twenty minutes later, he emailed me back and asked for the amount. Now, this client is a good person, and I am not criticizing him. However, like many of us, he might be conditioned to click on the inbox entry and look for information in Putting the message in the subject line is still is a good idea. However, to be safe, I would put a short line in the body that says “see subject line for message.” I know it partially defeats the purpose of using the subject line this way, but it lessens the chances of missed information.

10: Be careful about too-large attachments
Network speeds and bandwidth have increased dramatically over time. Maybe these days a 1MB attachment would not cause the problems it would have 10 years ago. Nonetheless, be sensitive to sending attachments that are too large. You still could cause problems for your co-workers and anger the network administrator, both on your side and your recipient’s side.

Ask your help desk about any limits on file sizes. Also, make sure you have to send an actual file. For example, could you merely send a Web page address instead? If you really do need to send large files, consider an FTP service such as http://www.send6.com

Bonus tip: Check and verify Web links you send
After I typed the above Web page address, I copied it and pasted it into my Web browser to make sure I got to the right page. The same principle applies here as for email addresses: You want to make sure you didn’t mistype or use the wrong domain name extension in Web addresses. If you are giving information about the White House Web site, for example, be aware that it is www.whitehouse.gov. Use of any other extension might lead to embarrassing results for your recipient and hence problems for you.

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New version release: Driver Identifier 3.3

The newest version (DriverIdentifier 3.3) has been released and is available for download.
http://www.driveridentifier.com/files/driveridentifier_setup.exe

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Program scans your computer for outdated drivers. If something is not OK, it corrects.

The DriverIdentifier is a software that analyzes the drivers installed on your computer and indicates whether there are new versions available for download. Working seamlessly with the preferred browser installed on the machine, the program still provides the link to download the latest versions of device drivers installed.

Keep updated drivers for your computer is important not only for performance but also to keep the machine safe. After all, an updated device not only has better performance and has fewer security flaws that could be exploited by malicious code to undermine the operation of the computer.

Using DriverIdentifier to keep your computer updated is easy: just run the program and click on “Scan Drivers” (Analyse Drivers). After a few minutes of waiting, automatically opens a new browser window with the list of devices present on the machine, indicating whether or not they are updated.

Update the drivers for your machine

In most cases where computer devices are outdated, the DriveIrdentifier automatically provides the link to download the latest version of the driver. However, if you can not identify them, there is the option “Google” – when clicked on, opens a new browser tab to a survey done by the device name on the site.

If the update is not required, the program simply displays the message “Good” (Good), without any link to download. Who likes to know all the details of the computer will be satisfied with the level of information available, including the full name of each device, the original manufacturer and the date it was released the driver installed.

Before installing the new drivers on your machine, make sure to create a system restore point. Thus, if there are performance issues, you can return your computer to a previous state without working to find the old version of the driver that caused the problem. Click here to find out how to perform the procedure in Windows 7 (with links to guides for Microsoft’s XP and Vista).

 

Src: http://www.baixaki.com.br/download/driveridentifier.htm

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PlayStation Network credit cards protected by encryption

All credit card information stored on Sony’s PlayStation Network was encrypted, the company said one day after warning users their user names, passwords, birth dates and home addresses were stolen in a security breach.

“The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken,” Sony representatives wrote in the update, which was posted late on Wednesday. “The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack.”

The update clarifies statements Sony made on Tuesday that the stolen information may have included payment-card data, purchase history, billing addresses, and security answers used to change passwords. It didn’t provide details about the encryption used to protect card data, but assuming it followed standard industry practices, it was likely enough to prevent the information from being used by the hackers behind the break in.

Wednesday’s update follows multiple news reports that recounted PSN users who reported credit card fraud that seemed to coincide with the breach.

Noticeably absent from Sony’s update was the status of passwords used to log in to the PlayStation Network. Industry practices dictate they should never be stored in clear text, but rather should be run through a one-way cryptographic hash algorithm, which converts each string in plaintext to a unique set of characters that can never be reversed.

As we’ve learned from last year’s mammoth website hack at Gawker and numerous other security breaches, users frequently employ the same credentials for numerous accounts, making all of them vulnerable when a single one is compromised. Sony’s update strongly urged PlayStation Network users who use the same account name and password for unrelated services to change them.

The update said that Sony has sent the majority of its 77 million users an email informing them of the breach and the steps they should take to protect themselves in its aftermath. The company also said it is working to track down the perpetrators.

“We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation and are working closely with a recognized technology security firm and law enforcement in order to find those responsible for this criminal act no matter where in the world they might be located,” Sony representatives wrote.

They said they expect some online PlayStation services to resume this Tuesday. The network has been inaccessible since April 20, when Sony took it offline. ®

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You are welcome to DriverIdentifier Blog,

We hope this is a good channel for better communication between you and all the team members in DriverIdentifier group.

All the best

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