Microsoft unveils Windows Live

On Tuesday Microsoft made its Windows Live Suite available for download off the Internet for the first time.

The product consists of a group of internet applications which includes photo sharing, instant messenger, a family web-browsing application, email and so forth. Windows Live also has a range of built-in security features, according to Microsoft, that will protect users surfing the internet.

Sumeet Khanna, director of Windows Live, MSN Canada, said: "With these enhancements to Windows Live, we're integrating cool, new experiences with digital photos, event planning and sharing and web publishing with our popular services like Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, and Windows Live Spaces." Now users will be able to bundle their online networks together and have a single user name and password, Mr Khanna added.

Microsoft's overall goal is to make its Windows Live product so advanced that users can perform all their desired internet-related tasks through it.

Microsoft to release four patches

In its monthly security update, Microsoft is to release four patches later today, the company has announced.

Only one of the patches has been labeled "critical", the highest security rating for a Microsoft patch. Three other patches have been deemed "important" by Microsoft. One of these is designed to remedy a privilege escalation bug for Unix applications.

The other two patches are for Visual Studio and MSN Messenger, to fix weaknesses that could possibly allow remote code execution. Microsoft has not been specific about what the fourth, critical patch pertains to, though it is a part of Windows 2000 SP 4. Neither Windows or Vista are affected however, Microsoft has claimed. The company was to have released five patches today, but will now only release four.

Eric Schultze, a security architect at Shavlik, told SCMagazineUS.com: "[The revision] means it hasn't passed their testing. There is a beta patch test group that will do all of the testing of the security patches about five weeks before they're to be released." September's release will contain the fewest patches of those in the last several months.