Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Observations from CC
SKS is good under pressure and quick on his feet.
He is sandbagging like a three-legged sprinter in terms of TPM deployment. He basically stated as much when he admitted 10K is probably 50% low. I think minimum revenues this year will be $10-20 million.
He does not wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to investors because he sincerely believes we will all be rewarded for our investment. Whether this is treatable with medication or a fat, juicy PR is debatable.
Revenue generation is number one priority which fits with this board's goal very nicely.
When you train "thousands" of Dell salespeople, you are not selling fruit cakes.
First meanningful ETS/KTM deployment needs to be subject of a PR so we all can get a glimpse of the starting line.
This company's designs and products are winning over Intel & Dell and other unnamed customers. This is the heart of why WAVX is optimistic. Why aren't we?
Looking forward to June. Thanks, Unclever for the transcript. Could not listen at work.
Pickle
OT: Dell Founder Invests $99.5M in Red Hat
05.10.2005, 04:34 PM
The investment firm that manages the private fortune of Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell invested $99.5 million in Red Hat Inc., the world's largest distributor of the Linux computer operating system, according to regulatory filings.
The investment by MSD Capital was the largest by any single company from a $600 million bond issue in January 2004. Raleigh-based Red Hat disclosed Dell's investment in an April 27 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
MSD Capital manages more than $10 billion exclusively for Dell and his family.
Red Hat spokeswoman Leigh Day and MSD spokesman Todd Fogarty declined to comment Tuesday on Dell's investment.
Shares of Red Hat fell 13 cents to close at $11.24 Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, near their 52-week low of $10.37.
New Identiphi brochure is out.
http://www.identiphi.net/identiphibrochure.pdf
orda,
Read the white papers Doma has posted. It is already a requirement if you want anything regarding security in Longhorn.
I just do not understand. Is this not what we all thought was going happen. MSFT puts 1.2 TPM into play by Secure Start-Up, Intel ramps up, Dell ramps up and selects Wave as it sole TPM choice to sell to 80% of its customers (enterprise, government). Wouldn't you rather have Dell selling Wave ETS & server-side products than SKS?
Is the share price really below it was when Dell was announced and delisting was on the front burner? Did SKS just announce a minimum $1 million deal and another OEM? This is called ramp up. I know most of you are colored by this company's forgettable past, but this is the corner and we are turning it.
Do we know how much traction TPM will ultimately have? No, but all the industry players seem to think it is a keeper and this is not the BETA crowd. Do I wish everybody would tout TPMs other than SKS. You bet, but the 1.2 TPM is the real starting place and SKS was a nice fill-in until Dell and Intel starting talking in June.
If you believe Dell and Intel, then you must believe TPMs are the future and, consequently, Wave has a large role to play. If not, then you need to look elsewhere for instant maturation of an emerging market. Good luck.
Pickle
Excellent find, CC. EOM.
OT: Intel platform migration and AMD K8 price cuts have Taiwan chipset vendors bullish on 2Q
Charles Chou, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DigiTimes.com [Friday 6 May 2005]
Taiwan’s major system chipset makers – VIA Technologies, Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) and ULi Electronics – are all positive about the second quarter, as Intel’s aggressive move to phase out its 845 platform and price cuts for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) K8 CPU should stimulate demand, the companies stated.
Intel’s more aggressive migration to the 915 platform starting this quarter should benefit the three chipset vendors, as they can pick up additional business in the entry-level market, the companies indicated. In addition, price cuts for AMD K8 processors has resulted in increased demand for the platform, which a key market segment for the three Taiwan vendors.
In April, Chipset shipments from VIA grew about 4% sequentially, with the K8 platform accounting for about 70% of its total shipments, the company said. Despite seasonality affecting second quarter results, the vendor anticipates its sales in the second quarter will remain flat on the first quarter, when VIA recorded NT$3.9 billion in revenues and NT$63 million in pretax profits.
This month, VIA intends to begin volume producing its new PCI Express (PCIe) chipsets for the Intel Pentium 4 platform, according to the company. The lineup includes the PT880 Pro and PT894 chipsets for the mainstream segment and the PT894 Pro for the workstation and power-user segments. In addition, VIA will introduce its new integrated chipsets, the PM890 and P4M800 Pro, around the same time, said the company.
SiS reported that its April revenues were up 19% from last year, on rising demand for its SiS661 chipset that has led to short supply for the Pentium 4-supporting chipset. The maker already placed urgent orders with United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) in order to fulfill demand this quarter, the company noted.
Alex Kuo, president of ULi, stated that ULi enjoyed sequential shipment growth approaching 30% in April. As first-tier motherboard makers are raising the proportion of K8-enabled PCs, demand for ULi’s M1689 single-chip solution will remain high through this quarter, according to Kuo. In the latter half of this quarter, ULi is also scheduled to volume ship its first PCIe-enabled northbridge chip, the M1695, which will also support the K8 platform, said Kuo.
In addition, demand for ULi’s PCIe-enabled M1573 southbridge, which is currently used with ATI Technologies’ Radeon Xpress 200 series PCIe northbridge, continues to heat up, especially in the distribution channel, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times today.
Apple's ipod business would fit nicely. It is also located in Cupertino, California and has found this music downloading business over the internet to be kinda cool.
Apple's Corporate Headquarters, located in the heart of Silicon Valley in Cupertino, California, bring together the best and the brightest people in an attractive location. All major functions are represented at our Cupertino headquarters, including Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Legal, Human Resources, AppleCare, and more.
While we have many buildings in the area, most employees work on our main campus at 1 Infinite Loop. Comprised of six buildings, the main campus is the center of activity with offices, labs, a full conference center with a theater for presentations and meetings, our executive briefing center, a full-service cafeteria, our own Apple Company Store, and our health and fitness center located nearby.
Some of the best schools in the country are within a short drive of Apple's main campus, including Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, and Santa Clara University. With so many schools nearby, we enjoy plenty of cultural and educational opportunities. The Bay Area also brings people together through its many fun outdoor activities. The ocean is just 30 minutes from Apple's main campus, and the Sierra Mountains are home to hundreds of bike and running trails in the summer, and excellent skiing and snowboarding in the winter.
Wave has a few job opportunities in California. Looks like digital commerce is alive and well.
Engineering - Software
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Software Engineer- Cupertino, CA
Analyze, develop, and implement web-based multi-tier server framework, which will provide licensing services, back-end and software maintained services for Wave Embassy security applications. Develop products and systems for large-scale, configurable, commercial software. Coordinate testing to ensure successful implementation. Analysis and problem solving skills, knowledge of business processes and production environment support needs. Knowledge of PKI, X.509 and TCG a plus. Required skills: object oriented design, SQL database design and management, C/C++, COM+, SOAP, ADO, MS SQL Server, Web Servers, MS .Net Framework,
Requires Masters or the equivalent* in Computer Science, Computer Applications or the foreign academic equivalent plus three years experience in the job offered or the related occupation of Software Engineer, Systems Analyst, Programmer Analyst, or Systems Architect. *(Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Computer Applications or the foreign academic equivalent degree and five years of progressive experience will substitute for Masters degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering and three years of such experience).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Quality Assurance Engineer - Cupertino, CA
Responsible for designing, coding, testing and implementing software technology for an advanced online purchasing system that empowers users to secure, distribute and sell digital information. Develop testing strategies and lead testing efforts of software projects; actively participate in the review of software development documents; implement and execute test plans to ensure software product quality; analyze and document detected defects and other test results; and assist the QA Manager to recruit and mentor junior QA engineers. Contribute as part of team with the goal of providing the best technology for our companys online sales and distribution.
Requires Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Electronics or the equivalent* and 2 years experience in the job offered or a related position in software engineering, software QA engineering, programming or software consulting .*(in lieu of bachelors degree plus 2 years related experience will accept 4 years of experience in software engineering, software QA engineering, programming or software consulting).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software Engineer - Cupertino, CA
Designs and programs multi-tier software for the company's EMBASSY Trust Assurance Server Applications. Develops software using object-oriented techniques, cryptography, and web-based applications and services. Designs and implements business logic by using C++ and ATL COM components. Develops service-to-service communication using XML, SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI technologies. Develops certificate revocation list generation component and certificate status checking, using CRL and OCSP mechanisms. Responsible for comprehensive server performance measurement and data analysis. Provides ongoing technical problem solving assistance and support for customer service, product line management, and field application engineering.
Requires MS in Computer Science, Engineering, Materials Science or the foreign equivalent degree plus 2 years experience in the job offered or a related position in software engineering.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software Engineer - Cupertino, CA
Responsible for designing, coding, testing and implementing advanced embedded secure electronic commerce systems, which enable users to secure, distribute and sell digital information. Key member of team developing various core modules such as cryptographic libraries, application developer toolkits, embedded operating systems and debuggers using the languages (C/C++/ARM Assembly) and tools (Microsoft Visual Studio, ARM SDT, CVS, NuMega DriverStudio). Designs, implements and analyzes cryptographic algorithms. Develop software applications for smart cards and other secure tokens. Software design using advanced object-oriented techniques, languages (UML) and tools (Rational Rose, Artisan Real Time Studio).
Requires BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Electronics and Communications or the foreign equivalent degree plus 1 year experience in the job offered or a related position in software engineering or software development engineering.
Thanks, Awk. All clear now. EOM
Doma, wouldn't Dell want interoperability to enable it to go after conquest accounts where say, HP, is the sole provider. Enterprises typically cannot replace an OEM in year one due to budget constraints. Usually it takes a few years. Would this be a valid example?
snackman, a few hours?/EOM
rachelelise, Good questions. Sometimes I feel like I can see the forest from the trees, and other times I feel like I am 3 feet tall and standing in the midst of Redwoods.
C2, I liked that part. It was a nice contrast after some the bellyhoo after WinHec.
Doma, good thinking. I was unsure of the cost of the seat license, but strange my initial blunder was the same number.
Oneputt, I just used my mulligan. EOM
Dell Breaks Into Top Tier Of Government IT Suppliers
By TechWeb News
11:49 AM EDT Thu. Apr. 28, 2005
Dell Inc. has muscled its way into the top 10 federal IT contractors, the sole hardware supplier in a market dominated by IT services suppliers, according to a report released Thursday.
Government market research firm Input placed Dell in eighth position in a market that reached $17 billion in 2004 for the top 10 suppliers combined. Dell garnered $957,066, Input said. The top position was nailed down by Northrop Grumman Corp., which racked up $3,198,547.
Input released the figures from its ranking of the top 150 federal IT suppliers to the federal government. Input said federal IT suppliers received more than $36 billion of the estimated $50 billion spent by the federal government in the 2004 fiscal year.
"Big contract wins, strategic acquisitions, homeland defense programs, and wartime spending were all key factors in determining placement on the Input Federal IT 150 list," said Kevin Plexico, Input's executive vice president of information services, in a statement. "Homeland defense and wartime spending provided an economic boost for many companies outside of just the very large, established defense players."
The complete top 10 list, in order: Northrop Grumman Corp., Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Lockheed Martin Corp., General Dynamics Corp., EDS, Computer Sciences Corp., Raytheon Co., Dell, Booze Allen Hamilton, and IBM.
sorry if posted Broadcom Controllers Integrate TPM 1.2, Enabling OEMs to Offer Hardware-Based Security as a Standard Feature on All PCs
Wireless/Networking / Just Announced
Tue 26 Apr 2005
SEATTLE, WinHEC 2005, April 25 -- Broadcom Corporation announced that its latest NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) controllers will include integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 functionality. With today's corporations increasingly exposed to data theft and unauthorized access, standards-based TPM security has become a cornerstone solution for the IT community. Integrating TPM security into NetXtreme GbE controller chips enables PC OEMs to offer this high level of security as a standard feature on all enterprise client personal computers.
The Trusted Platform Module 1.2 is a security standard created by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) for a hardware-based secure computing environment. Compared to software-only based security, which is inherently vulnerable, the TCG's TPM-based approach provides a more secure environment based on a trusted root protected in hardware. As the sophistication of information theft grows and the value of information increases, the need for TPM security has become evident. The TPM 1.2 standard, with several new security and usability features, is the latest specification to date and is expected to be fully ratified by the TCG in 2005.
With Broadcom NetXtreme network interface controllers included as a standard component on almost all enterprise PCs, integration of TPM enables this level of PC security to be placed on motherboards at negligible incremental costs. As a result, the last barrier to the widespread adoption of TPM security on desktop and mobile PC platforms has now been removed.
In 2004 Broadcom launched its first NetXtreme GbE controller with integrated TPM, supporting TCG's 1.1b specification. This chip changed the way that PC OEMs viewed TPM -- a high cost technology suddenly became cost-effective enough to add as a standard feature on certain motherboards. Broadcom is now shipping millions of these TPM 1.1b devices per quarter and is a leader in this market. With the new NetXtreme GbE controllers integrating TPM 1.2 functionality, the company has extended its market leadership position and is driving TPM price points even lower.
"Customers have told us that they need the advanced level of data protection that will be provided by the Secure Startup feature in Longhorn," said Dan Schiappa, General Manager, Microsoft Security Business and Technology Unit. "Broadcom's integration of the TPM 1.2 security module into the NetXtreme GbE controller chip represents a key milestone in helping to provide the secure computing benefits of Secure Startup for Longhorn customers."
Broadcom's TPM controller-based implementation includes both hardware and software and is driven by comprehensive security software based on technology from Infineon Corporation. The TPM software includes many usability features that IT managers need to deploy TPM security easily such as key migration and key backup.
Announced today are the BCM5752 and BCM5752M NetXtreme GbE controller chips designed for enterprise desktop and mobile PCs, respectively. Both controllers are based on the industry's most widely deployed media access controller (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) device architectures. As a result, IT managers can rely on field proven technology that offers more uptime and lower support costs than other less proven network controller solutions. The BCM5752M mobile PC version includes additional power modes that adapt to the user's actions and automatically scale the power usage accordingly.
"By leveraging Broadcom's extensive IP portfolio and advanced integration capabilities, we were able to integrate crucial functionality into our successful NetXtreme line of GbE controllers," said Greg Young, Senior Director and General Manager of Broadcom's High-Speed Controller Line of Business. "As a result, PCs shipping with Microsoft's next-generation OS (code name Longhorn) will be able to take full advantage of the advanced TPM 1.2 security features right out of the box."
"HP believes that TPM 1.2 could be a key factor in keeping PCs and corporate data secure from malicious attacks, and that together with Broadcom, we can use this important technology to help meet the evolving security needs of our customers," said Jeff Groudan, Vice President of Marketing, Business Desktops, Personal Systems Group, HP. "By integrating Broadcom's BCM5752 into our business desktops, such as the newly released HP dc7600 Business Desktop, we give customers the next-generation security features needed to protect their business information from current and future threats."
Broadcom's new BCM5752 and BCM5752M NetXtreme GbE controllers with integrated TPM security, will be demonstrated this week at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2005 in Booth #203.
Pricing and Availability
The BCM5752 and BCM5752M NetXtreme GbE controllers are currently in production. Pricing is available upon request.
About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a global leader in wired and wireless broadband communications semiconductors. Our products enable the convergence of high-speed data, high definition video, voice and audio at home, in the office and on the go. Broadcom provides manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices with the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything.
Broadcom is one of the world's largest fabless semiconductor companies, with annual revenue of more than $2 billion. The company is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at 1-949-450-8700 or at www.broadcom.com.
Sorry, bad math. Long day. $570k in revenue for Wave if Dell ETS is sold to Honeywell x 57,000.
Snack, so could that be a $5.7 million deal for Wave with one ETS sold per unit?
Secure Startup - Full Volume Encryption: Technical Overview
Updated: April 25, 2005
Download
Secure Startup - Full Volume Encryption: Technical Overview
secure-start_tech.doc
187 KB
Microsoft Word file
Updated: Apr 25, 2005
Get Office File Viewers
Microsoft is committed to simplifying and improving the security of the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. With the upcoming client version release of Windows codenamed "Longhorn," Microsoft will continue this commitment by delivering security innovations that include the Secure Startup feature.
Secure Startup is a hardware-based security feature that addresses the growing concern for better data protection. The feature uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) to protect user data and to ensure that a PC running Windows Longhorn has not been tampered with while the system was offline. Secure Startup provides both mobile and office enterprise information workers with more data protection when their systems are lost or stolen.
The TPM is a microcontroller that stores keys, passwords, and digital certificates. It typically is affixed to the motherboard of a PC. The nature of this silicon ensures that the information stored there is more secure from external software attacks and physical theft.
Secure Startup protects data by preventing unauthorized users from breaking Windows file and system protection on lost or stolen computers. This protection is achieved by encrypting the entire Windows volume. With full volume encryption, all user and system files are encrypted.
Secure Startup is transparent to the user and is easy to deploy and manage. When a system is compromised, Secure Startup has a simple and efficient recovery process.
This paper provides information about the Secure Startup feature in Windows Longhorn. It provides insight into the feature for enterprise business decision-makers who want to learn what Secure Startup does to address the growing data security issue.
This paper assumes the reader understands Trusted Platform Model (TPM) technology.
Included in this white paper:
• The Current Situation
• The Solution: Secure Startup
• Secure Startup Protection
• System Description
• Benefits
• Deployment Considerations
As always, an enjoyable post helpful. I would like to write for a living or at least I think I would. How did you come up with the helpfulbacteria handle? I have only been here a few months so please forgive me. I am sure you have answered this several times.
Pickle
Maybe today was overreaction Tuesday. Doma, thanks for setting the board straight with 1.2 TPM not losing any momentum with Longhorn still in need of it for Secure Startup and other security features. Microsoft has to be pro-security big-time because it's been their glaring weakness. Looking for value buyers tomorrow.
Pickle
Why can't they get a PR out on the Seagate DriveTrust? Dell and Intel will push security because it sells, but MSFT could have been a little more helpful. So is WAVX not going play role in enhancing Longhorn security?
Microsoft: 'Trusted Windows' still coming, trust us
Published: April 25, 2005, 4:00 AM PDT
TrackBack Print E-mail TalkBack
(continued from previous page)
hardware requirements involved have forced the company to again alter its plans.
The question now is when, or if, Microsoft's broader vision will see the light of day.
The chips that support the Trusted Platform Module standard have already reached the market, though a new version, TPM 1.2, will be the basis for Longhorn. HP, for example, plans to start shipping later this summer a new business desktop with a TPM 1.2 chip from Broadcom.
"As the first systems to feature an integrated TPM 1.2 security module, these new PCs will help to enable the recently announced Secure Startup feature in Longhorn," Microsoft Senior Vice President Will Poole said in a statement. "The delivery of these new systems represents a major milestone in achieving the vision of next-generation hardware-rooted security capabilities in the Microsoft Windows platform."
But Wilson would offer no road map for how Microsoft gets from its fairly narrow secure boot-up feature to its broad concept of a more secure way to run sensitive code within Windows.
"We are continuing to work on other aspects of the vision," Wilson said. "The timing schedule is still being worked out."
HP Introduces Advanced Security Capabilities and Support for Latest Microsoft Operating Systems
HP (NYSE:HPQ) (Nasdaq:HPQ) today introduced the first business desktop system to meet future Microsoft security requirements and support for Microsoft Windows(R) x64 Editions across platforms for business users.
The new business desktop PCs and workstations with advanced security features are specifically designed to take advantage of enhancements planned for Microsoft's upcoming "Longhorn" operating system. HP also is enhancing system performance with support for the new Microsoft Windows x64 Edition operating systems across the HP ProLiant server line and on new business desktops and workstations.
The products, announced at Microsoft's WinHEC conference, build on the company's history of collaboration with industry-leading partners such as Microsoft, Intel and AMD to deliver innovative technology solutions that help prepare business customers for the performance and security demands of today and tomorrow.
"Twenty years ago, HP was among the first technology companies to adopt Microsoft's original operating system, and we continue that tradition of sharing industry 'firsts' by joining with Microsoft in the release of its Windows x64 Edition operating systems and delivering next-generation client security features," said Mike Winkler, executive vice president, Customer Solutions Group, and chief marketing officer, HP. "Our legacy of innovation and collaboration with industry leaders also includes being the first to ship an AMD processor-based business desktop, an alliance HP continues today with the expansion of our product lineup."
Will Poole, senior vice president of Windows Client Division at Microsoft, said, "HP's early support for Microsoft innovations throughout the years has allowed us to jointly deliver value to our customers. HP's introduction of systems that easily run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications and feature next-generation, hardware-based security enables customers to preserve their current investments and prepare to take full advantage of future innovations in Windows Longhorn."
HP desktop PC helps prepare businesses for security and environmental concerns
Designed to help protect customers' business systems, the new HP Compaq dc7600 Business Desktop will be the first to ship standard with the HP ProtectTools embedded security chip. Developed by Broadcom, the chip provides customers with hardware-based encryption, enhanced data protection and system access.
"Broadcom and HP are helping drive the widespread adoption of hardware-based security by making Trusted Platform Module features available in an array of innovative business systems," said Greg Young, senior director and general manager, High-Speed Controller Line of Business, Broadcom. "The new HP dc7600 desktop with the embedded Broadcom(R) NetXtreme(R) Gigabit Ethernet Controller provides customers the next generation of desktop security features to help protect their important information from threats."
Designed to meet the Trusted Computing Group's Trusted Platform Module 1.2 standard, the new chip allows HP to deliver the first business desktop compatible with the future security features expected in Microsoft "Longhorn" operating systems.
In addition to enhanced security, the dc7600 will deliver better performance with the new Intel(R) 945G chipset featuring improved integrated graphics, dual-channel DDR2 memory, SATA II hard drives and support for dual-core processors. These new industry features provide customers increased protection for their desktop investment and an improved user experience.
The dc7600's customized thermal design also helps enhance productivity and minimizes system downtime by providing customers more reliable systems. The airflow design is structured to help cool all components of the desktop as increasing demands for power are required. Also, HP's thermal design helps reduce system noise, which can often be distracting to business customers and may reduce productivity. The dc7600 has the same thermal and acoustic benefits of the BTX motherboard designs, but maintains the small size and expandability business customers have come to expect from HP.
In addition, the dc7600 series is the first desktop PC from HP to fully meet the European Union's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances directive. All PCs sold in EMEA must meet these requirements by July 2006 and HP is moving quickly to make it easy for customers to plan their desktop deployments. Additional specifications and pricing for the dc7600, which is expected to be available later this summer, will be released in the coming weeks.
HP provides customers with increased performance, scalability and reliability via 64-bit
HP is supporting Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on a new AMD processor-based business desktop and across its entire lineup of professional workstations, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions on HP ProLiant servers.
The HP dx5150 Business Desktop is the newest addition to the 5000 series of business desktops, designed with the latest high-performance AMD processors ranging from the AMD Sempron(TM) processor 3000+ to the AMD Athlon(TM) 64 processor 4000+. Coupled with support for the new Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition operating system, dual-channel DDR400 memory, high-performance serial ATA hard drives and an x16 PCI-Express slot, the dx5150 is ready to handle some of the most challenging business applications.
"Through continued collaboration, HP and AMD are helping drive the computing market forward by delivering desktops and workstations that reach new performance, price and security levels," said Marty Seyer, corporate vice president and general manager, Microprocessor Business Unit, Computation Products Group, AMD. "With this new desktop, AMD is providing HP the technology to deliver a wide portfolio of high-quality systems that integrate the latest technology innovations and give customers the power of choice."
For security-conscious customers, the dx5150 features the latest AMD Enhanced Virus Protection which, when used with Microsoft Windows XP SP2, can prevent certain malicious viruses from executing. The system also includes AMD's Cool'n'Quiet(TM) technology, which helps reduce processor power consumption and fan noise. Additionally, the ATI RADEON(R) XPRESS200 chipset with built-in graphics offers features, including standard dual-display support, which help customers be more productive. The HP dx5150 Business Desktop is available today at prices starting at $470.(1)
HP adds more power and expandability to entry-level workstation
HP also announced an affordable entry-level workstation that offers customers greater performance and expandability with support for Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64-bit Edition, as well as the new Intel 955X Express Chipset and new dual-core processor technology. Support of Intel's dual-core Pentium(R) D processor is expected to provide customers with significant performance improvements when running multi-threaded applications or in multi-tasking environments.
The new HP xw4300 Workstation gives budget-conscious customers working with large models the ability to maneuver and edit images simultaneously and in real time via eight gigabytes of total system memory. This first combination of 64-bit processors and operating system with greater than four gigabytes of system memory is what enables this breakthrough performance.
As the next generation in the family of HP xw4000 series workstations, the xw4300 offers many of the same key features, including a tool-less chassis, PCI-Express graphics and HP's Performance Tuning Framework that guides the system setup, allowing a custom configuration that best matches the workstation to user requirements. The HP xw4300 Workstation, which replaces the HP xw4200, is expected to ship to customers early this summer, with additional specification and pricing detail available at that time.
HP is offering Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions across its portfolio of 64-bit HP ProLiant servers based on AMD Opteron(TM) and Intel Xeon(TM) MP processors. HP offers a broad 64-bit server portfolio, including HP ProLiant servers and HP Integrity servers based on Intel Itanium(R) 2 processors. For their most demanding workloads, customers choose HP Integrity servers running Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based systems for the highest levels of performance, scalability and reliability.
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $81.8 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
Who can you trust? Tuesday 26 April 2005
Trusted Computing initiatives from the big IT suppliers could lessen the need for organisations to rely on the vigilance of users to protect access to corporate data
Trusted Computing is an initiative subscribed to by technology suppliers such as Intel, AMD, Microsoft and IBM to build affordable security into PCs and servers at the processor level. The aim is to make computers more secure by, for example, only allowing authorised programs to be run, or encrypting data in hardware so that it cannot be read or altered by unauthorised people.
Trusted Computing uses hardware components (the chip and chipsets) and software components (the operating system and applications) to secure computing activities. It has four main features:
Attestation lets other computers know that the computer is the machine it claims to be, and is running the software it claims to be running
Sealed storage allows the user to encrypt information so it can only be accessed by a "trustworthy" application
Process isolation prevents one application from affecting another
Secure input and output allows keystrokes to be encrypted and decrypted. This ensures that no malicious software can record, steal or modify keystrokes.
Microsoft's security software technology, formerly code-named Palladium, is possibly the best-known Trusted Computing initiative. It was renamed Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) in January 2003, but the concept remains the same. It is being developed by Microsoft's programmers for inclusion in the forthcoming Longhorn version of the Windows operating system.
NGSCB is a set of software features in the operating system that combine with specific secure hardware and applications to give users greater data security, privacy, system integrity, network security and content protection, says Microsoft.
NGSCB comes under the umbrella of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, outlined by company chairman Bill Gates at the start of 2002. Microsoft saw that internet-based transactions were on the increase, and wanted to offer a system that would encourage users to trust their computers, as well as the internet, with their personal data, and also with financial, legal and other transactions.
Peter Biddle, product unit manager in Microsoft's security business unit, says, "NGSCB enables you to be sure that there are no viruses or spyware running on your computer and that the computer you are communicating with cannot interfere with your communications. It opens the door to all kinds of secure transactions that are not possible today."
According to Bryan Willman, a Microsoft Windows architect working on NGSCB, the technology has many uses. "Suppose you run a pharmacy company. When you test a new drug, of course it is bad if someone has an adverse reaction to the drug, but it is much worse if someone tampers with that data so that your results are skewed.
"That means it is critical that all test data is entered accurately and no one tampers with it. NGSCB ensures that those files cannot be breached or modified in any way," he says.
Another example of how Trusted Computing could be used is where a patient, doctor and pharmacist are communicating about the patient's medical condition and they want to be sure that the information they exchange is confidential and true, says Willman.
"Today you probably would not want to do that online from your home computer because there is no way to know for sure how safe your information is. With NGSCB you use [one secure partition], and no matter what is happening [in another partition], you can be sure that the data passed between you and your doctor and your pharmacist has not been tampered with."
Biddle says Microsoft expects its first customers to be enterprises, for which the protection of intellectual property is vitally important. "A lot of companies have information they need to keep secret: medical data, personnel and legal records, drug formulas, business plans. Worrying about protecting these types of information keeps people awake at night," he says.
Another use of the technology is to protect customers, says Willman. Using the trusted system, with its secure hardware and application elements, the customer can securely transmit personal data to a company, such as banking information. The company can be sure it has been sent legitimate information, and the customer can be sure the information will only be used for the purpose it was sent for, because the software will specify that, says Willman.
Bruce Schneier, founder and chief technology officer of Counterpane Internet Security, says NGSCB technology provides protection against two broad classes of attacks: automatic software attacks such as viruses, Trojans and network-mounted exploits; and local software-based attacks such as using debuggers to open the system up.
Despite this, Palladium/NGSCB received plenty of bad press concerning privacy in 2002. This was based on documents obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which described Palladium's applications for digital rights management (DRM). The technology embeds "unique machine identifiers," and therefore raises the risk that user behaviour could be subject to traffic analysis. The other function of DRM was to potentially give commercial software and content suppliers control over a user's PC to retain control of licences and prevent piracy.
"The technology lends itself to digital rights control, and people thought that was the primary function of Palladium, so it got a lot of bad press. But it did a lot more than DRM," says Stuart Okin, associate partner at professional services company Accenture and former Microsoft UK security chief.
Schneier says, "There are security features that tie programs and data to the CPU and to the user, and encrypt them for privacy. Palladium is inexorably tied up with DRM. Your computer will have several partitions, each of which will be able to read and write its own data.
"There is nothing in Palladium that prevents someone else from setting up a partition on your computer and putting stuff there that you cannot get at. Microsoft has repeatedly said that it is not going to mandate DRM, or try to control DRM systems, but clearly Palladium was designed with DRM in mind."
Microsoft declined to comment on whether the technology still retains a focus on DRM, but a spokesman said, "NGSCB is evolving, but at this point we do not have an update on NGSCB to share. We intend to maintain our focus on security while delivering a broader set of benefits in terms of utility and flexibility. Microsoft continues to actively work through many of the technical details and we expect to be able to provide more details in the near future."
In November 2003, at the European RSA Conference, Microsoft demonstrated an early prototype of NGSCB, running on a prototype of Intel's chip-level LaGrande technology (LT), and showed features to help protect data against a series of sophisticated software attacks. NGSCB is scheduled to be included as part of Windows Longhorn, which is expected mid-2006.
On the hardware side, NGSCB is believed to work with both Intel's LT, as well as the Trusted Computing Group's Trusted Platform Module specification for chip-level security products.
Intel has been developing LT for years as part of its Safer Computing Initiative, but says it is not expected to be available in business desktops and mobiles for another two or three years.
Intel chief executive Paul Otellini says LT is designed to deliver "protected execution, protected memory and protected storage" using hardware. It protects against software-based attacks, and supports the creation of the parallel protected environments supported by Microsoft's NGSCB technology.
Whereas LT protects the environment within the computer system, the Trusted Computing Group's Trusted Platform Module authenticates the system to the outside world, and is available now.
The TCG is a group of 95 organisations, and is promoted by AMD, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Sony and Sun Microsystems. It was formed in 2003 to develop and support open industry standards for trusted computing across multiple platforms.
IBM has been shipping laptops with the Trusted Platform Module in it since 2003, and last October IBM introduced a Thinkpad notebook with an embedded chip security system and a fingerprint reader. The reader is built into the wrist-rest of some Thinkpad T42 models, so users can swipe their finger across a horizontal sensor to log on to systems, applications, databases and even websites. Passwords and log-ins are encrypted with the security chip.
Since 2003, open standards organisation the Trusted Computing Group has developed several technology building blocks and common interfaces for manufacturers to use in their products. The Trusted Platform Module is one of these building blocks: a microcontroller that stores digital security keys, passwords and digital certificates, and is typically fixed to the motherboard of a PC.
Using open standards, it can potentially be used in any computing device that requires these functions. It can ensure that information stored within hardware is secure from external software attack and physical theft. According to the Trusted Computing Group, critical applications and capabilities such as secure e-mail, secure web access, and local protection of data can be made more secure using its platform.
The Trusted Platform Module's security works by using public and private key encryption on the chip to enable highly secure storage of files and other digital secrets. It is currently at version 1.2.
Fred Cohen, principal analyst at Burton Group, says chip-based encryption and security is good for firms that want to encrypt or secure their data at the hardware level. "The Trusted Computing Group has shipped more than 20 million computer systems with these capabilities. It is a standards-based approach that has the support of most of the larger players in the computing industry."
Okin says IBM and other manufacturers have produced computers that use Trusted Platform Module version 1.1, but that these are limited in their functions by a lack of operating system support.
"The problem is that beyond the basic hardware and Rom protection the operating systems do not use it at the moment. Where it will become exciting is with the next generation, where the operating systems and applications become more aware, and use these new security standards. But it depends on operating systems such as Longhorn, and whether Unix and Linux are taking on the standard."
orda,
Who is squelching? There is NO information flowing unless you include Gilder's 25,000 share purchase. I think most of us are tired of talking about what might happen and wait to see what does happen. I will admit my expectations are higher for this coming week than most weeks.
Pickle
Government Technology World
27/Apr/2005 – 28/Apr/2005
National Convention Center, Canberra, Australia
The Government Technology World conference is the only significant conference and exhibition in Australia that addresses all the strategic issues of sourcing and implementing ICT into all tiers of Government. It is a forum where ideas are shared, the latest technology is demonstrated, and partnerships are formed to further the provision of better government services to the people.
Giesecke & Devrient Australasia will participate in the Government Technology World (stand no. 110). The emphasis will be on Identity Management solutions, specifically corporate IDs, biometrics, and secure PC logon. G&D will be showcasing biometrics with a specific demonstration of secure PC logon using on card matching. There will be also an ID card demonstration.
Additional information on the Government Technology World can be found at http://www.intelligentgovernmentworld.com/2005/gtw_AU/index.stm
Sinosun chips from website. Look at SSX35.
Payment password special-purpose security chip SSX10-A/B
* The electronic payment password system uses in the bank check payment settlement process, its technical principle is applies the computer, the micro electron harmonious code technology, through has the password to the check face value essential factor complex operation, takes the judgement check valid together with the traditional stamp copy of a seal used for verification purposes basis
* May effectively prevent the modification forge check the criminality, reduces the bank payment risk, the safeguard silver business fund security
* Used the hardware technology high speed effectively to realize by the national password management committee office authorization electronic payment password encryption algorithm and the complete security agreement
* The independent design unique command system, the logical organization and the domain layout, effectively enhance the electronic payment password anti- attack, the anti- duplication and the counter- track capacity
* Already densely managed the organization through the country the technical appraisal, took the payment password nation unification algorithm chip promotion use
The tax controls cash register special-purpose algorithm chip SSX12-A/B
* And the national business dense research and development center jointly designs the tax which and realizes to control guards against the false algorithm chip
* The Beijing place tax bureau and machine hits the receipt in August 1, 2002 in the Beijing 11 areas counties official promotion fixed quantity receipt, cancels the handwritten form receipt
* This chip already densely managed the organization through the country the technical appraisal, has received the field and user communities' high praise.
SSX35 solution
SINOSUN SSX35 is conforms to the TCG1.2 standard safe solution, constitutes by the below four parts:
* SSX35 credible computation security chip (TPM);
* SSX35 equipment driver and program library;
* SINOSUN TSS;
* TPM application and tool;
SSX35 credible computation security chip (TPM) take trillion date company independent development 8 CPU Core as the core, uses the hardware accelerator fast to realize 2,048 RSA, AES and SHA-1 disperses a row function, simultaneously integrated data FLASH, procedure FLASH, RAM and covers the membrane ROM memory, module and so on hardware random number generator, completely conforms to TCG the TPM1.2 standard request, fundamentally has guaranteed the credible computation platform security.
Vacation, I think it was revised. That one yopu posted earlier looked like it was missing something, particularly with the disclaimer at the bottom.
Vacation, the WAVX mention bodes well for next week. Now they are an entity demonstrating their own product with their newest best customer. Before, always talking about TCG. Now, talking about WAVX's role within TCG.
Nice
Pickle
Mobile safety at your fingertips
By Mark Ward
Technology Correspondent, BBC News website
Phone users have to do a lot wrong to be hit by a virus
The number of viruses infecting mobiles rose last month, according to research.
A total of eight viruses, both new strains and variants, emerged and one malicious program, called Cabir, was found in a 17th country.
The trend continued in the first two weeks of April with the discovery of the Mabir, Fontal and Hobbes viruses.
But industry experts are playing down the threat from the malicious programs saying that users have to do a lot of things wrong to fall victim to them.
Growing threat
Most of the mobile viruses, worms and trojans are aimed at Symbian's operating system, particularly its Series 60 version, largely because it is used on a majority of smartphones.
"The more handsets we see with a common open operating system, the more skill the virus developers have and the more damage they can do," said Tiago Alves, spokesman for mobile chip designer Arm.
SYMBIAN VIRUSES
Lasco
Skulls
Cabir
CommWarrior
Drever
Locknut
Dampig
Mabir
Fontal
Hobbes
Some of the viruses will stop a phone working if they are installed, others try to spread from one phone to another via the Bluetooth short-range radio service.
Getting infected with any of them could mean that users lose phone numbers and contact information that they do not store in any other place than their handset.
"Most people do not take back-ups of the data and software they have on their phones," said Marit Doving, spokeswoman for Symbian.
Ms Doving said that Symbian had been expecting viruses written to attack its software for some time.
She said the company had been working on ways to combat the malicious programs for years so that the phone industry did not suffer the same problems viruses have caused the PC industry.
Doving: Users need to be responsible with handsets
Many computer anti-virus firms now produce software that can run on handsets.
Educating users to be responsible was a key part of this, she said.
"What's important now is to make the normal consumer more aware of how he and she can use their telephone in a way that they do not get these problems," she said.
Becoming infected by a mobile virus was still quite difficult, said Ms Doving.
For instance, to fall victim to the Cabir worm users must agree twice to install it and ignore at least one warning message.
Although Cabir can only spread very slowly via Bluetooth it has now been found in 17 countries. Newspaper reports say that mobile phones used by some cab drivers in Sydney are infected with it.
Ms Doving said users needed to be careful about what they installed on their handset.
"It's a little bit like someone ringing your doorbell," she said. "You wouldn't let that person across the door step without identification."
Hardware-based systems to protect phones are on the way
The same caution should be exercised with the add-ons people put on their phones.
Clever chips
Mr Alves said the desire to put security software on phones was not going to be driven solely by the growing number of mobile viruses.
But, he said, the growing use of phones to play music and movies which needed to be protected with digital certificates and rights management systems and the growing use of phones as payment mechanisms was kindling interest in security software for handsets.
To this end he said Arm had been working on a hardware-based system called Trustzone that acts as an overseer for everything that software is doing on a phone.
Mr Alves said Trustzone only lets certain privileged programs make big changes to a phone. Software arriving via Bluetooth would be severely restricted in what it could do to a phone, said Mr Alves, which should help tackle virus problems.
"It'll help protect the really sensitive user data from a virus," said Mr Alves.
The Trustzone technology has already been included in Arm processor designs and is expected to start appearing in handsets in the next few years.
Awk, I think I just stopped breathing. And, by the way, that is a good thing.
Awk, Thanks. That post goes into the vault. EOM
Had to translate TCG news from French so here it is.
The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) will hold a seminary technological in the framework of the parlor Infosecurity Europe, to London (United Kingdom). CPN - 18/04/05 10:00
OBJECT: The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) will hold an entitled seminary « To Have confidence in his computer: why, how » in the framework of the parlor Infosecurity Europe devoted to the security of the information systems and of communication. Advisory/trusted Computing Group Hosting Technology Seminar at Infosecurity Europe, London, England WHAT: The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) will be hosting has seminar titled, "Putting Trust into Computing -How and Why" at Infosecurity Europe TCG announcers include Shab Madina, product marketing to manage, security solutions, hewlett-packard; Thorsten Stremlau, EMEA PCD security , IBM; William Whyte, director of products and services, NTRU; Alexander Koehler, business intelligence, device security, Utimaco; and Bruno Leconte, vice President EMEA, Wave Systems Corp. These security experts will address how to develop truly secure systems and networks, and talk about trusted computing in action Specific company examples will be presented showing authentication, data encryption, password management, digital signatures and other applications enabled by Trusted Computing will be also presented Representatives from TCG and information will be available throughout the Infosecurity exhibit at the HP Stand #450 WHEN: Wednesday, 27 April 2005, 11:00 - 13:00 WHERE: Big Lobby, Olympia, London, England, in the London Room WEB SITE: To
register for the TCG seminar, visit www.infosec.co.uk. RESPOND: To schedule year interview, please contact press@trustedcomputinggroup.org now territhorson@cox.net in advance now stop by HP Stand #450 TCG i's year industry standard body formed to develop, define and promote open standard for trusted computing and security technologies, including hardware building blocks and software interfaces, multiple across platforms, peripherals and devices. Moorish information and the organization's specifications are available at the Trusted Computing Group's Web site, www.trustedcomputinggroup.org Brands and trademarks are the property of their respective owners CONTACT: For Trusted Computing Group
Anne Price, +602-840-6495 now +602-330-6495 (cell) press@trustedcomputinggroup.org © CompanynewsGroup
Security initiative bears fruit as Microsoft emphasises need for greater collaboration
Microsoft's vice-president of Trusted Computing talks goals and progress
Three years ago Microsoft chairman Bill Gates sent an internal memo announcing a new focus for Microsoft. Security, privacy and reliability were to become the watchwords of the organisation.
The birth of Microsoft's Trusted Computing initiative was at first greeted with scepticism by IT departments and analysts. In their minds, Microsoft was responsible for the vulnerabilities that were leaving systems open to attack, and for the awkward patching regime that IT departments had no choice but to follow.
Three years on, the Trusted Computing initiative looks to be substantially more than a publicity exercise. Scott Charney, vice-president for the programme, said security, reliability and privacy are now firmly embedded into the fabric of the organisation. The initiative has changed the way Microsoft designs and develops its code, he added.
The most fundamental change is the creation of what Microsoft calls its 'security development lifecycle'. This means that security is considered in all new code development, from the initial concept through to final testing.
'We now build documented threat models, and as we architect the code, we test against the threat models,' said Charney.
Fewer critical vulnerabilities
The programme is making a demonstrable difference. Recent products, including Windows Server 2002 and the latest Exchange 2000 and SQL 2000 service packs, have seen a fall of 67% in the number of publicly reported serious or critical vulnerabilities, said Charney.
Microsoft is also developing ways to make it easier for IT departments to upgrade from less secure legacy systems. One answer is virtualisation, the technology that allows organisations to run legacy applications on the same hardware as recent versions of the software.
Virtualisation will give organisations the time to migrate their business applications to more secure operating systems, said Charney.
Patching is another area where users are beginning to see results. Microsoft has integrated its business units, reducing the number of patch installers that customers need from eight to two.
When combined with Microsoft's decision to release patches on the same day each month, these changes are making life easier for IT departments.
Patch sizes have been reduced by about 70%, said Charney, and patches are now reversible. This means that IT departments no longer have to worry that installing a patch may have unpredictable consequences that cannot be stopped, he said.
Each patch also registers with the operating system in a different way, making it possible for organisations to use scanning tools to check which patches they have in place.
These developments will make it easier for organisations to deploy patches quickly before hackers exploit vulnerabilities.
Growing urgency
This is urgently required. In 2001 it took 331 days from the release of the patch to the appearance of the Nimda worm. In January 2003 Slammer appeared 180 days after the patch. In August the same year, the delay between patch and virus was down to 25 days. And most recently, the Whitty worm appeared only 48 hours after the patch.
In the longer term, Microsoft is working on tools that will help organisations focus their patch testing on the applications and functions that are most likely to be affected.
'The default state today is to test the patch but to be reluctant to deploy it just in case. The default state in the future will be to test the patch with an effective testing model and then deploy the patch. And if the unexpected happens, we can just roll it back and keep the business functioning while we are looking what the issue may be,' said Charney.
Microsoft's next priority will be to do for privacy what it is doing for security. This means incorporating features into products that will help organisations ensure that the personal data of their customers is not only kept secure from external hackers, but can only be accessed by those people within the organisation that are entitled to see it.
The next version of the SQL database, for instance, will contain built-in encryption. Combined with Microsoft's Active Directory, this will enable IT departments to segregate data, making it accessible only to those who have the right to view it.
Identity management
Identity management is another priority, said Charney. Microsoft is working on ways to incorporate two-factor authentication into its products, while at the same time trying to ensure that the log-on process is kept as simple as possible for end-users.
If the Trusted Computing initiative is to work, it cannot remain solely a Microsoft initiative. It needs to involve other suppliers, from hardware manufactures to application developers.
Microsoft is already working in partnership with AMD, Intel, Dell and other software suppliers to agree standards for the hardware and software needed for the next generation of secure PCs, which will incorporate digital rights management technology.
But, said Charney, governments also need to be involved, particularly to give backing to long-term security research that the suppliers cannot fund.
'One of the gaps that governments could practically fill is doing the basic long-term R&D in security and how to build survivable distributed systems,' he said.
Longhorn will be strategy's key test >>
Microsoft's goals
Trusted Computing will be the basis for a user's decision to trust a system
Users can expect that systems are resilient to attack, and that the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and its data are protected
A user is able to control data about themselves, and those using such data adhere to fair information principles
Users can depend on the product to fulfil its functions when required to do so
The supplier of a product behaves in a responsive and responsible manner.
Sorry this posted.
Sorry if posted.
Technology - TechWeb
Q&A: Allchin Talks Turkey About Longhorn
Fri Apr 15, 1:00 AM ET Technology - TechWeb
Jim Allchin, group vice president of platforms at Microsoft, spearheads the software giant's much-ballyhooed -- and delayed -- push for Longhorn, the code name for the next generation of Windows. Allchin sat down this week in Boston with CRN Industry Editor Barbara Darrow and Senior Writer Paula Rooney to talk about Longhorn plans. Allchin and Neil Charney, director of the Platform Strategy and Partner Group, also demonstrated Longhorn's upcoming "Visualize and Organize" search capability.
• More On Storage
• More On Security & Privacy
• More On Servers
• More On Small Biz
• More On Mobile & Wireless
• More On Data Center Mgmt
Play Well With Others
Everything you need to know about multiplayer, network gaming, including etiquette tips and a LAN party gear checklist.
Allchin said to expect another preview of Longhorn code at WinHEC later this month, a beta release of both client and server this summer, with a developer beta to follow in the fall. The long-awaited client operating system is due by the holiday season and the server in 2007.
CRN: Microsoft plans to release a beta of Longhorn this summer. Will you make first half or second half of 2005?
ALLCHIN: It'll be early summer. We're on track for the first half as I sit here today.
CRN: How will you try to integrate laptops and desktops with SmartPhones?
ALLCHIN: We'll have a sync manager in Longhorn to simplify that sync process for phones and other machines. It's [not ActiveSync 4] but a new version of synchronization, a brand new system being done for Longhorn and will have a whole set of wireless support so it can run more seamlessly between work and home and understands the environment.
CRN: Should developers be using APIs in the next Longhorn build [due at WinHEC 2005] or the formal developers' edition preview to be distributed at PDC 2005?
ALLCHIN: At WinHEC we'll give a build out of Longhorn, help developers through the transition of writing graphics drivers. You can call it a preview, it's not a beta. But it's dramatically different from the first preview. Nothing we have today has our new user interface on it. But we have some things to show you. There are a large number of people trying to get a jump using new technology already; we've been giving them that. After PDC 2005, we'll have a beta and we'll decide the [shipping] date. We're still on track for shipping by holiday 2006, so we'll be done before then.
CRN: When we talked to partners at PDC 2003, where you showed off all this Longhorn stuff, there was a lot of excitement. But now that everything has slip-slided, even die-hard Microsoft partners seem disappointed with all the delays and incremental releases. What's your message to them?
ALLCHIN: That's what I'm trying to tell you. It isn't. It's not incremental. The world, in my opinion, thinks this is perhaps the next version of a Service Pack. I think the world generally thinks that. It's not. It's a very big deal.
CRN: [Regarding the demo of Longhorn's Visual Folders search and visualize feature.] Is it based on WinFS? MSN Search?
ALLCHIN: No. It's much more about indexing. It's a much richer view capability built into Longhorn. Visualize and organize goes back to Cairo [an old Windows NT project]. The indexing technology that's in XP and in Windows 2000 is a follow-on of Cairo technology. We have continued working on that technology and it's used by MSN search but it's been in the operating system for awhile. [With Longhorn] it is dramatically improved.
CRN: What about workflow? Will WinOE technology be in Longhorn?
ALLCHIN: WinOE Workflow won't be in the Longhorn client and the current path is it will be available on the server. Nothing here is tied to WinOE on the client.
CRN: There have been published reports of seven different versions of the Windows Longhorn client, including a starter edition, home, premium/media, professional, small business, mobility/tablet PC and some "uber" or developer edition.
ALLCHIN: I don't think we've said anything about that yet.
CRN: It seems you're trying to make the common code base more customizable for roles and yet you're expanding the number of editions.
ALLCHIN: The roles are on the server side. A [discussion of the client SKUs] is not on tap for me today.
CRN: One of the things ISVs and others at PDC 2003 loved about what you showed then, which shocked me, was VisiCalc running in it. You were running old, unmodified apps in a Window. Is that still part of the plan?
ALLCHIN: [Longhorn] will be even more compatible than what we showed there. I can take VisiCalc and run it here. No problem.
CRN: You mention that security is a huge part of Longhorn's design criteria.
ALLCHIN: It will be safe and secure. I use safe along with security because with security you think of whether the operating system code was done in a secure manner. Safety means you help users to protect themselves. Parental controls, as an example, are not something that has to do with an OS vulnerability or bad coding. It has to do with facilities that help keep someone safe. Deciding who you can talk to and what time, etc. Being able to browse the Internet in a protected window. Those are all areas we're focusing on.
CRN: What is the role of the user ID card?
ALLCHIN: Are you talking about Infocard? That's a project we talked about in 2003, and it's on going. It is not one of the core capabilities we're using for any of this right now. Will we make it available for people to use? On the current path, probably. It's still early.
CRN: Is this mostly a server technology?
ALLCHIN: It is a scheme, or a whole set of infrastructure basically to enable IDs. It involves some client code and some server code. [It is] a particular design that now uses Indigo for its communications but it's still too early to talk about that.
CRN: How about the secure start-up feature?
ALLCHIN: : You can tell by using the [Trusted Platform Module] 1.2, what the software is that should be run on the machine and being able to protect all your data. The end-user value we're trying to achieve is that if you lose your laptop in a taxi, for example, if they load another OS on it, they will not be able to get at your data. That is the end-user value and that is part of Longhorn and one of the steps along the way that is part of the Next Generation Secure Computing Base [NGSCB] that we've talked about for some time.
NGSB is the vision. The specific feature we're talking about is from that vision and is part of Longhorn.
CRN: And TPM is new technology just coming out?
ALLCHIN: That's correct. We expected it first on laptops, which is why we're targeting this particular feature.
ALLCHIN: [Another pillar of Longhorn will be easy deployment and management.] It must be easy to deploy at home, either adding a new machine to an environment at home or replacing a machine and migrating information from one machine to another or at work where an IT professional is trying to deploy images or to manage systems that are in place.
CRN: Is that SMS or System Center?
ALLCHIN: No, I'm talking about what's in the operating system. We're having it so MOM, SMS and System Center can all use this but I'm talking specifically about aspects in Longhorn.
[Microsoft's message will be that Longhorn is the operating system platform for the next 10 years.] In 2003, we talked about a set of developer technologies, things like Indigo and Avalon and we also want to make the point that there's a set of technologies we felt we had to get in the product now like IP V6, so it'll be native IP V6 for customers and be ready when they're ready. They don't' have to deploy it, but you could.
[For Longhorn] there will be massive marketing. The point here is this is a big deal. XP 2 was a big deal, but this is a really big deal. We will put a lot of money and marketing emphasis behind this and work with our partners to make sure there's a lot of opportunity for them.
CRN: Will we see IE 7 before Longhorn?
ALLCHIN: Perhaps. I would not make a commitment right now.
CHARNEY: Beta [will be] this summer.
CRN: But it will be part of the Longhorn release?
ALLCHIN: Actually, it'll be beyond. What we're putting in Longhorn is beyond what we have thought about doing in IE 7. There are things that cannot be done unless you have the new system.
CRN: Such as?
ALLCHIN: Parental controls. Such as the ability to do isolation of IE in a window. But I don't' think we've made any statements about when IE 7 will be out and it's way too early to make any statements about that.
[On other security matters] Longhorn will run as standard users, instead of admin [users]. Today in most installs, a large majority run as admin, so everything on the machine has full rights. Longhorn will run as a standard user, with limited user rights that can't impact the operating system or the user.
For example, if you would try to access something, you'd be prompted to elevate your privileges. Beyond that we have work going on to isolate even the new standard-use level so Internet browsing can run in a more isolated environment and, as necessary, switch from intranet to Internet in a seamless way. The probability of contamination from working on the Internet and having it contaminate the intranet is dramatically dropped.
CRN: Will antivirus and antispyware be in the box?
ALLCHIN: The current plan is to have no A/V. And we have said we do plan on putting in anti-malware protection. This IE isolation is a classic example of what we're doing here. A/V would come as part of an enterprise offering or as part of A-1.
One topic for WinHec 2005: "Pre-OS Firmware for the Windows Longhorn Boot Environment"