The software company trotted out three new mouse models, two wireless and one wired, with new features and such unusual colors as "cobalt basin," "crimson fire" and "mood ring." The wired model, in more modest blue and orange options, was created by famed industrial designer Philippe Starck.

Developers at the open-source Mozilla Foundation have confirmed that the latest version of their Web browsers have a security flaw that could allow attackers to run existing programs on the Windows XP operating system. The flaw, known as the "shell" exploit, was publicized Wednesday on a security mailing list, along with a link to a fix for the problem. Updated versions of the affected software programs, which include the Mozilla, Firefox and Thunderbird browsers, have been released.

In the summer of 1994, with the threat of an antitrust charge looming, Microsoft agreed to settle charges that it was engaged in predatory business practices in its dealings with computer makers. Though much less well-known than the broader Sherman Act case later brought by the Department of Justice, this initial action established a legacy of treating Microsoft as a company whose monopoly power needed to be kept in check.

Nemx Software released a new version of its Power Tools antispam software designed for Exchange Server that is designed to reduce the number of quarantined e-mails that administrators need to examine on a day-to-day basis using a new function called "friendly domains."

The repeated warnings about Internet Explorer apparently haven’t been compelling enough to get IT managers to dump the browser mostly because of their reliance on IE-specific intranet applications and Web sites.

Microsoft has partnered with Digital China, the nation’s leading software vendor and systems integrator, to develop .NET-based enterprise and e-government packages for the Chinese market. The deal comes less than a week after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the software giant would not sell cut-rate versions of Windows in China.

A computer science researcher has highlighted the shortcomings of Microsoft’s latest patch for its Internet Explorer browser by identifying another way that online vandals could run malicious programs on a Web surfer’s computer.

ScriptLogic Corporation announced the availability of its new Server Manager Solution Pack. This Solution Pack, a suite of ScriptLogic server management solutions, includes Security Explorer, Enterprise Security Reporter, Secure Copy and Service Explorer. The Server Manager Solution Pack streamlines network administration processes, enabling network and security administrators to save valuable time and resources.

The author of mass-mailing worm Bagle began distributing its source code and two new variants on Sunday, which could trigger another summer of misery for Windows users. The Bagle worm first appeared in January as an e-mail attachment. Within months, there were more than 25 variants.

A federal appellate court said that a lower court erred in invalidating two patents for ergonomic computer keyboards, dealing a blow to Microsoft, which fought to have them voided after being sued by the holder of those patents. TypeRight Keyboard sued Microsoft in July 1998, claiming that Microsoft’s ergonomic keyboards, which split the keys into separate clusters for the left and right hands and have a large wrist-rest, violated TypeRight’s "’441" and "’484" patents.