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Windows Live Messenger 9.0 will feature SPIM, a new security feature that reports users who send unsolicited messages

Microsoft’s next version of its instant messenger application will have a new security feature to report users who send unsolicited messages, known as SPIM (spam over IM). That’s one of several new features in Windows Live Messenger 9.0, which was released to some private beta testers on Tuesday.

The problem with SPIM is that it’s annoying and, at worst, dangerous. The tricky part is that the hacker may have obtained someone’s IM account details, so it appears that a genuine contact is sending the messages. After compiling a list of IM contacts, hackers try to trick users into clicking links. Those links can often launch an unwanted installation of spyware or other malware via a browser vulnerability or other security hole.

Other new features might be in version 9.0 include:

• Animated .GIF files can be used in the display photo area.
• Allows users to associate a specific sound with an action performed by one of their contacts.
• URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) can be clicked on in the status area

Click for more on Live Messenger 9.0 will feature SPIM »

Test shows significant improvement over old version

Before I go any further, a few disclaimers and notes.  First off, I’ve carried out this test on a single system running Windows Vista Home Premium on which Firefox had not been previously installed.  The system has 2GB of RAM.  Both Firefox 2.0.0.9 and Firefox 3.0 b 1 were installed fresh using a standard install.  For each test I visited the same web pages and did my best to make the browsing the same on both versions.

OK, with that out of the way, on with the tests.  I simulated three different browsing scenarios:

• Loading a five pages into the browser
• Loading a single page and leaving the browser for 10 minutes
• Loading 12 pages into the browser and wait 5 minutes

Click for more on Memory test - Firefox 2.0.0.9 vs Firefox 3.0 b 1 »

Microsoft sends out Windows Live Messenger 9.0 beta invites

No sooner has the Windows Live Wave 2 suite been released than the first Wave 3 beta begins - Windows Live Messenger v9. Unlike the betas that have just finished, the Messenger v9 beta is being run from Microsoft Connect as a private beta, meaning that, for the moment at least, unless you receive an invite, you won’t be able to participate.

For the moment it looks like most previous Windows Live testers are getting invites, so stay tuned to your inbox. With such a popular beta like this, you better sign up quick.

So what’s new? While the goodies aren’t yet available, we’ve heard about Multiple Points Of Presence (MPOP) support, which allows you to sign in from multiple devices, ie be online at two places at once.

More than three dozen major improvements and more than two million lines of changed program code that promise more features, more security and performance.

A few months later than had been planned, Mozilla released on Monday night the first beta version of an overhauled Firefox, the widely used open-source Web browser.

Firefox 3 beta 1 includes a number of significant features that Mozilla said should improve security, ease of use, rendering of Web pages, and location of previously visited Web pages. And for the new era of rich Internet applications, the browser can run Web-based applications even when the computer is disconnected from a network.

Click for more on Mozilla releases first public beta of Firefox 3.0 »

Grab it before it gone

You know this better than me….

Build 3244

Part1  Part2 Part3 Part4

The Wait for Visual Studio 2008 is Over

On Monday, Nov. 19, Microsoft announced that Visual Studio 2008 and the .NET Framework 3.5 were released to manufacturing (RTM). With more than 250 new features,Visual Studio 2008 includes significant enhancements in every edition, including Visual Studio Express and Visual Studio Team System. Developers of all levels – from hobbyists to enterprise development teams – now have a consistent, secure and reliable solution for developing applications for the latest platforms: the Web, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, the 2007 Office system, and beyond.

MSDN Subscribers: Get Visual Studio 2008 Now

For a good startup, get the Free Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions

Or get the free 90 days trial for VS2008 Team Suite Edition, which can be converted to full version with a key.

Don’t forget the MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2008.

AMD is expected to launch the successor to its ATI Radeon HD 2600 in January, and now the two new parts’ speed details have emerged.

Graphics card maker sources cited by DigiTimes point two versions of the ‘RV635′ GPU one an XT model, the other a Pro. The former will be clocked at 800MHz, the latter at 600MHz. The chips support DirectX 10.1 - due to be released with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 early next year.

Click for more on AMD preps DirectX 10.1 ‘Radeon HD 3600′ GPU pair »

14 vulnerabilities in the FLAC file format that affect a huge range of media players on every supported operating system (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Unix, BSD, Solaris, and even some hardware players are vulnerable).

A number of vulnerable apps that use the open source libavcodec audio codec library, which in turn relies on the flawed libFLAC library. These vulnerabilities could allow a person of ill will to trojanize FLAC files that could compromise your computer if they are played on a vulnerable media player. eEye worked with US-CERT to notify vulnerable vendors.

Click for more on Multiple FLAC Vulnerabilities Affect Every OS »

See what sort of tone a company’s acquisitions set

The LibraryHouse blog has a nice summary of recent acquisitions (July 2006 through June 2007) by Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo!, roughly color coded by category:

Click for more on Microsoft, Google and Yahoo Acquisitions Compared »

High-quality YouTube videos will be available to everyone within three months

YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, speaking at the NewTeeVee Live conference today, confirmed that high-quality YouTube video streams are coming soon. Although YouTube’s goal, he said, is to make the site’s vast library of content available to everyone, and that requires a fairly low-bitrate stream, the service is testing a player that detects the speed of the viewer’s Net connection and serves up higher-quality video if viewers want it.

Click for more on YouTube to Introduce High-Resolution Videos »