excel

Microsoft on Tuesday released its October 2008 security bulletin. The four critical bulletins concern Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Host Integration Server, and Microsoft Excel. The patch for Internet Explorer is cumulative.

Microsoft is now sharing the technical details of new vulnerabilities in advance of so-called Patch Tuesday to give software developers a chance to update affected products before the public announcement.

Microsoft is also including within each bulletin this month an "exploitability index" to help system administrators prioritize the patches--1 is for consistently functioning exploits (of most concern), 2 is for inconsistently functioning exploits (of moderate concern), and … Read more

Demand for OpenOffice.org 3 has been so high on its first day of out of beta that the official Web site crashed.

In the meantime, users can also download it for Windows and Mac from Download.com, and there are a couple of torrents being shared as well on the usual big-name trackers.

After using OpenOffice's MS Word analog, Writer, all day, I can confirm that this update is worth it for the improvement in response and load times, if nothing else. The installation is still enormous, with an installer about 130MB for Windows users and 160MB for … Read more

If you go to OpenOffice's Web site right now, you will be greeted with this:

Apologies - our website is struggling to cope with the unprecedented demand for the new release 3.0 of OpenOffice.org. The technical teams are trying to come up with a solution.

Fortunately, however, you will also find links to download the latest version of the well-known, well-loved, and open-source OpenOffice.org suite, the alternative to the notoriously overpriced Microsoft Office.

After a lengthy development time, the company finally released its new 3.0 version of the software suite on Monday, and the download … Read more

On Thursday, Microsoft announced four security bulletins for next week. The announcement is intended as a heads-up for IT departments before Patch Tuesday. Four fixes are considered critical, six important, and one is moderate as ranked by the software giant.

Starting this month, Microsoft is sharing the technical details of new vulnerabilities to give software developers a catch to update affected products before the public announcement. And on Tuesday, Microsoft is expected to provide with each bulletin an "exploitability index" to help system administrators prioritize the patches.

Among the critical patches one each affects Windows, Internet Explorer, Microsoft … Read more

Article updated 11/4/08.

There's much to admire in RIM's native software set for BlackBerry phones, but for many, the built-in document viewer isn't one of them. Word documents on most models open in a plain text monotone; serviceable, but without the benefit of formatting or the capability to edit the text.

On Monday, Quickoffice released an updated solution for business users and prosumers angling for a more familiar desktop read and the capability to edit attached documents. In addition to support for the usual Microsoft documents--Word, Excel, PowerPoint--eOffice 4.5 ($29.95 after a … Read more

Any time I hear a company reference their product as a "YouTube for _____," I cringe a little. Newcomer iCharts said the same thing about its charts product at its presentation at the TechCrunch50 conference this morning. The service takes your data from spreadsheets and turns it into charts that are both hosted on the site and can be embedded elsewhere, including things like PowerPoints, message boards, and PDFs.

What makes iCharts less worthy of the YouTube cringe is that it's a solid business model. As billionaire panelist Mark Cuban pointed out, you can leverage out this … Read more

In today's episode, I discuss what I just don't like about Microsoft Excel..

And as always, drop me a line or follow me on Twitter!

Microsoft on Tuesday released its August 2008 security bulletin. Bulletins rated "critical" concern Microsoft Access 2003 and earlier; Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003; Microsoft Excel; and Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003. A cumulative patch for Internet Explorer also is rated critical.

"Important" bulletins affect Windows Internet Protocol Security (IPsec); Outlook Express and Windows Mail; Microsoft Windows Event System; Windows Messenger; and Microsoft PowerPoint. All Microsoft security patches for both Windows and Office software are available via Microsoft Update or via the individual bulletins detailed below.

MS08-041: Critical

Titled "Vulnerability in … Read more

What do a MacBook Air and a submersible rolling pin have in common--besides both being made on planet Earth? Both are winners in this year's International Design Excellence Awards. The competition, run by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine, invites businesses and students the world over to submit their best inventions or design concepts.

Out of 205 IDEA awards this year, some, like the iPhone, are no-brainers, while many conceptual designs do much to stretch the imagination. Though the list is brimming with interesting gadgets, a few caught our eye.

Samsung's Design Touch concept, which won a gold medal, … Read more