Google is going to start letting webmasters know when the software they run on their site is outdated. Through Webmater Tools, Google will begin alerting users of new versions of software when they are released.
Update 3: Skype and eBay may be close to resolving their issues. Om Malik reports:
The expected growth rate for IT employment of 3 percent per year is more than three times the rate of growth of total employment and a solid indicator that investing in IT will contribute to economic recovery and growth, according to a new study by Microsoft and IDC.
Microsoft has launched Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 today. Silverlight is a browser plug-in that enables companies to design, develop, and deliver web apps. Expression is a set of design tools and technologies.
The new Silverlight release in particular is big news. Over 1/3 of Internet devices have installed version 2 since its launch less than nine months ago.
Microsoft also announced that MGM and NBC Sports are using Silverlight for different forthcoming video efforts.
As you may know, Google's Matt Cutts frequently answers questions from Google users on the Google Webmaster Central YouTube channel. There are a couple recent ones in which he addresses questions about directories and how they contribute to a site's rankings.
The first question is:
Will Google consider Yahoo! Directory and BOTW (Best of the Web) as sources of paid links? If no, why is this different from another site that sells links?
Intel has announced today that it is acquiring software-maker Wind River Systems for $884 million. Wind River makes embedded devices.
Embedded systems and mobile devices include smart phones, mobile Internet devices, other consumer electronics (CE) devices, in-car "info-tainment" systems and other automotive areas, networking equipment, aerospace and defense, energy and thousands of other devices.
Microsoft has filed a patent for a "Metered Pay-As-You-Go Computing Experience." The exact words of the filing's abstract are as follows:
Reports have been surfacing since last night's election that while overall, India seems to have embraced the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States, there have been some worries among the country's people due to Obama's position on outsourcing.
IBM has opened a social software research center dedicated to helping customers and partners better collaborate on a global scale. The center is headquartered at Cambridge, and staff will work closely with university faculty and students, as well as corporate partners.
Quebec's open source organization Facil is suing the province's government for spending millions of dollars on Microsoft software, and never entertaining the idea of using anything open source. The problem here is that there is no room for competition because the government automatically goes to Microsoft.