Microsoft has released a test version of a new professional graphics tool code-named Acrylic. The software is based on Expression, the graphics application Microsoft acquired with its 2003 purchase of Hong Kong company Creature House, the software giant said on its Web site. Microsoft describes the software–currently available as a 77MB free download–as bringing together pixel-based painting and vector graphics features. These capabilities will put the product squarely in the market currently dominated by software maker Adobe Systems with its pixel-focused Photoshop and vector-driven Illustrator products.

The "low-rights" security feature being planned for Microsoft’s upcoming Internet Explorer 7.0 makeover will be available only in Longhorn. "Low-rights IE" is a "defense-in-depth feature" meant to back up and support several security-related browser enhancements, but because it piggybacks on the "least privilege" feature being introduced in Longhorn, it won’t be available for any other operating system, said Rob Franco, lead program manager for IE security at Microsoft.

Microsoft will release a version of its Windows operating system without the Media Player application on June 15 to comply with European Union anti-monopoly rules, the company said on Wednesday. The Commission found in March 2004 that Microsoft had violated antitrust laws by competing unfairly. It fined the world’s largest software company a record 497 million euros ($613.1 million) and also ordered it to share information with rival makers of servers used to run printers and retrieve files, an issue known as interoperability.

Hong Kong plans to enact an anti-spam law next year to crack down on companies that send unsolicited e-mails or make automated telemarketing calls to consumers, an official has said. The government has consulted with industry groups to craft a law that would combat junk faxes, e-mails, text messages and telemarketing calls.

Microsoft late Wednesday rolled out an updated version of its MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search, complete with tabbed browsing, designed to add another level of simplification while browsing the Web via Internet Explorer. Tab browsing has already been proved popular in Mozilla’s Firefox browser.

A configuration mistake in the new Debian Linux distribution has forced a fix less than 24 hours after the software was released. "New installations (of Debian 3.1 from CD and DVD) will not get security updates by default," Debian developer Colin Watson wrote in an email warning. Installations from floppy disks or network servers were not affected.

A British man suspected of hacking into 53 U.S. government computers is facing extradition, according to Scotland Yard. Gary McKinnon, 39, an unemployed man from north London, was arrested Tuesday night, the agency said. McKinnon, known as "Solo" in the hacking world, was set to appear before the Bow Street Magistrates Court on an extradition warrant from the U.S. government.

A new study has found that 63 percent of corporations with 1,000 or more employees either employ or plan to employ staff to read or otherwise analyze outbound email. The report, released Monday by email security specialist Proofpoint, said 36.1 percent of companies employ staff to monitor email today, with another 26.5 percent saying they intend to employ such staff in the future.

Computer users, beware. The head of the world’s largest software company worries that consumers who make Internet purchases have become too complacent about the risks of financial fraud and stolen identity. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with The Associated Press that a calm period without significant Internet attacks has lulled computer users, even older Web surfers who traditionally have been more anxious than teenagers about their online safety.

As part of its monthly patching cycle, Microsoft plans to release on Tuesday 10 security alerts for flaws in Windows and other programs. Seven security bulletins and fixes apply to the Windows operating system, and at least one of those is deemed "critical," Microsoft’s highest risk rating, the company said in a notice posted to its Web site on Thursday. The Exchange e-mail server will get one bulletin, rated "important," the company said.