SAN MATEO (04/10/2000) - America Online Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp. unveiled a beta version of the Netscape 6 browser, built on Netscape's Gecko engine, that is intended to be faster, easier-to-use, and a lighter download than previous versions. Netscape 6 includes support for multiple World Wide Web Consortium standards, including XML and JavaScript. It runs on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms. Netscape 6 is being ported to OSes such as Solaris and Unix through Netscape's Mozilla.org. Features include My Sidebar, a minibrowser to keep track of information while surfing other sites; an integrated e-mail and instant messaging suite; and the capability of searching from the Web address field.
Active Directory bug found
Microsoft has acknowledged the presence of a bug in Windows 2000 that could render Active Directory inoperable. The bug, which was first detected by BugNet, manifests itself on Windows 2000 servers that are being used as domain controllers hosting more than 51 IP addresses, a Microsoft spokesperson said.
If the IP addresses on the server's NIC (network interface card) reach or exceed that limit, all components in Active Directory will vanish, leaving the user with no access or manageability functions. The server will also return an error message saying it is not operational during attempts to access users, computers, domains, trusts, sites, and services maintained in the directory.
Microsoft dubs the problem as "arcane," saying the occurrences of only one machine being used as a single domain controller are rare. The software company said it is working on a bug fix. A patch has not yet been made available. In other news, Microsoft scored a legal victory last week when a judge ruled against Sun Microsystem's interpretation of a contract it had with Microsoft concerning updated versions of Java.
Lotus releases Domino.Doc 3.0 beta
Lotus Development this week will take the wraps off a beta version of Domino.Doc 3.0, Lotus' enterprise document management solution. Domino.Doc 3.0 features a new user interface and Windows Explorer integration, as well as a "library homepage," which serves as a drag-and-drop repository for often-referenced documents. The final version of Domino.Doc 3.0, expected this summer, will be integrated with Lotus' Sametime instant messaging client to add collaboration and presence-awareness capabilities into the document management environment.
Apple evolves with open-source Darwin
Apple Computer furthered its open-source strategy with the release of Darwin 1.0, the foundation technology for the Mac OS X operating system. Developers will be able to tailor the OS X code to specific applications and system requirements after downloading Darwin from Apple's Web site. An updated version of Darwin Streaming Server, an open-source version of the QuickTime Streaming Server software, will add support for Windows NT and ships in May.