http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/rss en-us Mozilla and Google have complained that Microsoft is competing unfairly with its decision to block their desktop browsers in Windows RT. But this isn’t 1998, and Microsoft can make a strong case in its own defense based on its own weak market share.

]]> In 2002, after a series of widespread, high-profile, and highly embarrassing Windows-related security incidents, Bill Gates wrote his now famous “Trustworthy Computing” memo. So what’s happened in the intervening 10 years? Plenty. Take a trip with me down bad memory lane…

]]> This week Apple rolled out a new version of Safari and announced that the update will “disable out-of-date versions of Adobe Flash Player.” Too bad the actual update doesn’t do what it promises.

]]> Discussions of malware have their own equivalent to Godwin’s Law: As the conversation grows longer, the probability that someone will derail the discussion by arguing over the meaning of ‘virus’ approaches near-certainty.

]]> Microsoft will restrict third-party browsers like Firefox and Chrome to the Metro sandbox in Windows 8 for ARM devices, while treating Internet Explorer 10 as an “intrinsic feature” of Windows. Mozilla and its primary backer, Google, say that’s not fair.

]]> Microsoft just released seven security updates to fix 23 vulnerabilities in Windows and other products. In February, Apple released a massive update that covered 51 vulnerabilities and also introduced an embarrassing security flaw. The contrast is striking.

]]> The amounts required to license digital media decoders on Windows PCs seem like chump change. But multiply those pennies times hundreds of millions of PCs, and the bill for Microsoft and its PC OEM partners could be as much as $800 million per year. Who pays, and who gets paid?

]]> Microsoft’s decision to remove support for playing DVD movies in Windows 8 has caused some confusion. If the VLC media player can provide DVD support for free, why can’t Microsoft? For starters, Microsoft isn’t French.

]]> New details have emerged in a massive lawsuit by Microsoft and the banking industry to take down a global botnet based on the Zeus Trojan. Ironically, the leak occurred when Google exercised its privacy policy to notify the suspects.

]]> A new blog post from Microsoft fills in details about how Media Center will fit in Windows 8, as an extra-cost option. And it’s pretty clear that Media Center is not part of “the future of entertainment in Windows.”

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