Mediaboss Marketing

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's forthcoming update to its personal computer operating system will be called Windows 8.1 and will be available later this year free to existing Windows 8 customers, the marketing chief for the Windows unit said on Tuesday.

The world's largest software company has been touting the update, previously code-named 'Blue,' as a series of improvements to the Windows 8 software, launched in October, which has not been as popular as it had hoped.

Microsoft has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launch, roughly in line with the previous version, but wants to combat sputtering interest in its flagship software with a substantial update to make it easier to use and compatible with smaller tablets.

"Windows 8.1 will be delivered as a free update to Windows 8 and to Windows RT and it will be easy to get right from the Windows start screen through the app store," said Tami Reller, head of finance and marketing at Microsoft's Windows unit.

A preview version of Windows 8.1 will be made available at the start of Microsoft's annual developer conference on June 26, Reller said, with the finished update released later this year.

(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Richard Chang)

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Microsoft unveils free Windows 8.1 update

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Security Development Conference --The Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code (SAFECode), a non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to increasing trust in information and communications technology products and services through the advancement of effective security assurance methods, today announced the launch of a new community resource for software security training and released its first set of free online security engineering training courses. The program aims to help address gaps in security engineering knowledge among the software engineering workforce, a key challenge facing organizations working to improve software security.

Security engineering training by SAFECode is a new online community resource offering free security training courses delivered via on-demand webcasts. Covering issues from preventing SQL injection to avoiding cross site request forgery, the courses are designed to be used as building blocks for those looking to create an in-house training program for their product development teams, as well as individuals interested in enhancing their skills. SAFECode intends to add additional courses and resources to the site, including training program implementation advice based on the real-world experiences of SAFECode members, with the goal of creating an accessible and practical industry resource to support and promote software security training.

The collective experience of SAFECode's member companies has shown that software security is most successful when it is treated as a process that reflects an individual company's culture and unique development needs. Supporting this process through software security training is essential. In fact, an analysis of software security programs of SAFECode members revealed that each successful effort included internally developed security engineering training directed at those responsible for the development of the software they produce, including product managers, project managers, architects/designers, developers, and testers. Building on this observation, SAFECode's new training program is designed to support the training framework outlined in its earlier paper, Security Engineering Training: A Framework for Corporate Training Programs on the Principles of Secure Software Development.

"Ensuring that everyone touching the product development lifecycle has the knowledge they need to support an organization's software security process is a fundamental challenge for any organization committed to software security success. While SAFECode's analysis has shown that security training is most effective when aligned to an organization's unique culture and security development process, we recognize that not every organization has the resources required to develop custom training," said Howard A. Schmidt, Executive Director of SAFECode. "This seemed an obvious area where SAFECode members could use their internal resources to make a positive industry impact. By providing free training courses in a modular fashion, we hope other organizations can pick and choose the ones most relevant to their needs to either supplement an existing program or build the foundation for a new one."

The initial set of courses released today covers introductory level topics and are based on training materials donated to SAFECode by Adobe after successful use in its software security program. A team of technical contributors from the SAFECode member companies reviewed and supplemented the course materials to ensure broad applicability across diverse development environments. Additional courses are already in the review process and will be added to the site on an ongoing basis. It is SAFECode's goal to create a diverse catalog of security engineering training courses for all expertise levels as a community resource. In that spirit, comments on the course materials are encouraged so that the program and its materials can be evolved over time to best meet the needs of the community it aims to serve.

"The lack of security engineering awareness and education among the software engineering workforce can be a significant obstacle to organizations working to implement software security programs," said Schmidt. "While not a replacement for formal security engineering education at the college and university level, nor a one-sized fits all curriculum, SAFECode hopes that this new program is a step forward in addressing that knowledge gap and promoting the broad application of secure development practices."

Visit https://training.safecode.org today to learn more about the program and participate in its free courses. To learn more about SAFECode and SAFECode membership, as well as additional training benefits available to SAFECode members, please visit http://www.safecode.org.

About SAFECodeThe Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code (SAFECode) is a non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to increasing trust in information and communications technology products and services through the advancement of effective software assurance methods. SAFECode is a global, industry-led effort to identify and promote best practices for developing and delivering more secure and reliable software, hardware and services. Its members include Adobe Systems Incorporated, CA Technologies, EMC Corporation, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corp., SAP AG, Siemens AG and Symantec Corp. For more information, please visit http://www.safecode.org.

Media Contact:Stacy Simpson SAFECode stacy@safecode.org 781-876-8833

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SAFECode Launches Software Security Training Program

Bernhard Kreuzer is a leather goods designer, applying his mechanical engineering skills to turn a hobby into a new business venture supported by MEDUSA4 Personal and the eSERVICES portal for commercial users.

Cambridge, UK and Pittsford, NY Bernard Kreuzer, former army captain and leather goods designer, studied mechanical engineering. He discovered CAD Schroer's free mechanical design software, MEDUSA4 Personal, about two years ago. Today he uses it to design unique leather goods, with patents pending.

When Bernhard Kreuzer attended a MEDUSA4 training course, supported by a government skills scheme, he was keen to share his story with CAD Schroer staff.

A mechanical engineer by trade, he started using MEDUSA4 Personal to design high quality, made-to-measure leather goods, including belts, handbags, custom sheaths for knives, mobile phone cases, and archery accessories. Initially sales came through word of mouth, but as orders increased, he needed to create more accurate designs to waste less material and work more efficiently.

Custom leather: http://www.bkreuzer.de Combining Engineering, Creativity and CAD

"It all started when I couldn't find a decent sheath for a specialty knife I made. So I ended up making one out of leather," he explains. "I started reading about leathercraft, learning as I went. The hobby developed into a small sideline. I wanted to approach the design from an engineer's perspective, and use CAD to perfect my ideas. I prefer Linux, so when I found out about MEDUSA4 on Wikipedia, I gave it a go. I'm really pleased about the opportunities the free CAD software affords me to improve my business without big costs."

MEDUSA4 Personal is free for individuals and businesses. A pay-per-use eSERVICES portal converts any final drawings for unlimited commercial use.

CAD Schroer's eSERVICES portal and free MEDUSA4 Personal 2D/3D CAD download: http://eservices.cad-schroer.com.

Intelligent Tools for Custom Products Mr Kreuzer uses MEDUSA4 Personal's intelligent 2D drafting tools to design the separate pieces. Printed custom drawings serve as templates for cutting the leather. He then uses a unique hand stitching method to create the final piece, often embossing the leather with special designs or initials. The resulting items are beautiful and much more hard-wearing than those produced conventionally by machine. Mr Kreuzer also uses MEDUSA4 Personal for designs in wood and metal, and the software is helping to document an invention, for which he is currently seeking a patent, hoping this will pave the road to independence.

Sharing a Love of Leathercraft and CAD Mr Kreuzer is keen to share his enthusiasm for leather design and MEDUSA4 with anyone who is interested, and regularly conducts basic leather design workshops in Austria: http://www.sattlermuseum.at/seminare/.

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Creativity in CAD: Free Software Supports Leather Venture

By Shira Ovide

Microsoft announced Tuesday the updated version of its Windows 8 operating systemwhich had been code-named Windows Bluewill be called Windows 8.1, and it will be available for free to encourage as many people as possible to take up the new software.

The software expected in coming months will effectively be a second launch of Windows 8, the operating system that debuted last October to great fanfare but fairly tepid sales. But the Windows 8.1 name underscores that Microsoft considers the revised software a relatively minor update and not a do-over, which would point to fundamental problems with the original product.

Tami Reller, chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of Microsofts Windows division, offered details about Windows 8.1 at a J.P. Morgan investor conference Tuesday morning. She earlier had discussed the plans in an interview on Monday.

It is an update, which is why its called Windows 8.1, Reller said at the Boston conference, which was available via a Webcast.The operating system just keeps getting better and better every day, she said Monday.

Executives at Microsoft, PC makers and other allies have said Windows 8 hasnt sparked a hoped-for sales surge for Windows-powered computers, tablets and new kinds of in-between devices called convertibles that could exploit its touch-based interface. Microsoft, PC makers and chip company Intel each is tinkering to make the software and Windows-powered hardware more appealing.

Microsoft executives have acknowledged missteps with Windows 8, and the company has said it is working hard to encourage hardware companies to offer more devices with touchscreens, which Microsoft and others say is a better experience than computers operated with a keyboard and mouse. Microsoft also is pushing changes to the retail-shopping experience, offering price breaks on software for smaller computer devices and pushing hard to convince more companies to write apps tailored for Windows 8.

Both Windows 8 and Windows RTa variant designed to run with ARM Holdings chip designs used on iPads and Android-powered tabletswill get the Windows 8.1 update, Reller said. She said its important that people feel confident buying Windows computing devices now knowing fresh software is coming soon, even as Microsoft and PC makers have promised a wave of improved and new types of Windows-powered PCs and tablets later this year.

We dont want customers to hesitate in any way, Reller said in the interivew.

Reller reiterated that a test version of Windows 8.1 will be released to the public in late June, as Microsoft hosts a major event for software developers. Windows 8.1 is slated to be rolled out before the holiday shopping seasonin time for a planned wave of new touchscreen Windows computers that Microsoft and its allies hope will be more appealing than the current offerings.

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Microsoft to Name New Software Windows 8.1, and It’s Free

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - May 14, 2013) - To help businesses use predictive analytics to improve decision-making across the enterprise, TIBCO Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TIBX) today announced the availability of free software and a rich community site. These resources are aimed at R developers tasked with expanding the use of predictive analytics within major enterprises. TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R Developers Edition is a free version of the TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R engine that makes its power available to the entire Open Source R community. The associated TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R (TERR) Community Site is an important resource that provides enterprise developers with community-based technical support and a peer forum to help them build and deploy best practice analytics for their organization.

Although commonly referred to as the default programming language of statistics, R has never achieved mainstream acceptance in the enterprise. R was not built for enterprise usage and integration, but began as an academic tool for research and teaching. Moreover, while the R language is known for its low cost of entry, it can be costly to maintain due to version incompatibilities and the lack of enterprise-level technical support. With TERR, TIBCO makes the R language enterprise-ready.

"The open-source R language provides great value for statisticians, but the enterprises in which they work have struggled to extend that value beyond those individual statisticians.At the same time, predictive analytics is gaining traction for business decision-making," said Lou Bajuk-Yorgan, senior director of product management for TIBCO Spotfire."Our TERR initiative is focused on bringing the value of R to enterprises, and helping all enterprise users interested in leveraging predictive analytics tools for better decision-making.Users will notice increased performance, scalability, enterprise support and system-wide integration never before seen for the R language."

Quickly Deploy Powerful, Consistent Analytics Across the Enterprise

TERR,announcedlast September as a part of TIBCO Spotfire Professional 5.0, combines scalability and stability with the agility of R, through a unique, enterprise-quality runtime for the R language. With the release of the free TERR Developer Edition, TIBCO aims to provide R statisticians with a powerful platform for the development and testing of their R analytics, which can then be deployed and integrated using commercial versions of TERR, without wasting time and effort re-implementing in a different language -- and enabling a far more agile response to emerging opportunities and threats.

"Increasingly, we hear from customers that the ground work and innovation of modern statistics is happening in the R language," said Bajuk-Yorgan. "Yet most statisticians are doubling or tripling their work by having to re-code and re-evaluate their work in other languages prior to moving it into production. What we've done is build a completely new R-compatible engine with a brand new architecture, creating a more scalable, stable and integrated experience that enables the rapid iteration of prototyping to production."

"The integration of Paragon's platform with the TERR engine will enable drug licensing decision makers to query internal and external data simultaneously, driving the right information into the decision process to rapidly determine whether or not to pursue or abandon an opportunity," said John D'Antonio, director life sciences advisory services, Paragon Pharmaceuticals. "This can reduce the time to market for successful drugs by months or even years, which is paramount to life sciences organizations."

Bringing the Agility of R to Enterprise Applications

TERR was developed by TIBCO from the ground up based on the company's history and expertise with S+. It allows programmers and data scientists writing R scripts to continue developing code in R, and then directly deploy the code on TERR. Researchers can then integrate their analytics into other TIBCO products such as Spotfire for advanced data visualization and predictive modeling, or TIBCO BusinessEvents for complex event processing. The result gives data scientists a rapidly iterated prototype that can be put into production without the need for recoding/retesting, effortlessly integrating predictive analytics consistently across the whole organization.

"Historically, many customers have been reticent to adopt open source solutions without enterprise-grade support. What TIBCO has done is bring R closer to enterprise acceptance by building a much more efficient, R-compatible engine, cutting out steps in the programming process by speaking a language that's already being spoken, but not leveraged," said Imran Hussain, managing consultant, Agilexi. "By incorporating the R language into the TIBCO family of products, TIBCO is making a major statement about the future of predictive analytics and R, for both the individual researcher and the enterprise user."

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TIBCO Delivers Cutting-Edge Predictive Analytics for All, With Complimentary Software and Powerful Online Resource