Focus On: Microsoft

If you sensed something might be slightly askew when Microsoft switched from allowing anonymous public comments about Internet Explorer 7 to requiring sign-ups in order to see Internet Explorer Feedback... you sensed right. The reviews of Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 are in. After toting them up, Email Battles has Good News and Bad News. The good news is for Firefox. The rest of it belongs to Internet Explorer.

It's Groupware Armageddon as IBM unveils a rebate program designed to prevent Microsoft Exchange with Outlook from steamrolling IBM's Domino 7 with Lotus Notes. IBM's rebating properly-certified dealers, while Microsoft's discounting to anybody who shows up with cash. IBM's spending hundreds of millions to get the word out, while Redmond's dropping a half-billion. Beyond that, Email Battles says, conclusions get pretty easy.

Samba allows UNIX, Linux, IBM System 390, or OpenVMS hosts to interact with Microsoft Windows clients and servers as if they were Windows file and print servers... Unless the remote client or server is running Windows Vista. At that point, client directory queries are returned with all but the first 100 files truncated. Microsofties say it's all Samba's fault. Email Battles begs to differ.

Windows partisans often rant that Linux aficionados are the driving force behind Firefox's rapid ascent. Although the concept offers a certain amount of solace to Internet Explorer fans, the truth may be more ominous for Microsoft. Email Battles analyzes its web traffic and concludes that the biggest block of Firefox adopters come from the Windows camp. Looks like Redmond has its work cut out for it.

After all the criticism Microsoft has endured over Outlook through the years, the Redmond team can take some solace as the complaints pile up about the upgrade to Thunderbird's calendar extension, Lightning 0.1. In general, user requests fall into two categories: Make it more like Outlook with Exchange, and Everything Else.