In a roundabout way, and just assuming here, Spring might be the time when Windows 8 is formally announced and a beta is unleashed. In an interview with Softpedia, Mr. Ondřej Vlček – Avast CTO, said that he has something scheduled with Microsoft this Spring. Let’s home Microsoft can get the OS into developers hands well before the launch so we don’t have another Vista moment with dev’s not having enough time to fix their applications… Or so they said.

Softpedia: Have you had any contact with Microsoft regarding Windows 8? Have you seen any technology preview?
Ondřej Vlček: Not yet. We have something scheduled for this spring. Hopefully we will get our hands on an early build and find out what changes break things, so we can modify the code to be ready when the product ships.

What started as an April fools joke is still going. Internet Explorer 6 is an old, insecure internet browser. I am sure some thought this to be serious, but even Microsoft can’t joke about this thing.

These days we are inundated with bloated web browsers that overcomplicate our lives. However, there is one eminent exception: IE6. It has been around since 2001 and is still one of the most powerful and versatile browsers available.

This is why we want to achieve the following:

• Get everyone to use IE6
• Get IE6 ported to more platforms
• Get the W3C standard changed to fit IE6

The Guinness Book of World Records, a series my 10 year old really enjoys, has crowned the Kinect the fastest selling consumer gadget of all time. My family has recently purchased a Kinect and we really like it. Skynet Jr. as I like to call it.

As if selling over 8 million Kinects in its first 60 days wasn’t already impressive enough, Microsoft’s camera motion sensor for the Xbox 360 is now officially the "fastest-selling consumer device" in history, according to Guinness World Records. It’s even hotter than the iPad when it claimed the fastest-selling gadget record back in October.

Andrew Tait has released a new video of the evolution of software, this time using Internet Explorer at the request of Tom Warren of WinRumors. I always enjoy the nostalgia of these types of videos.

In this video, I install every version of IE to compare them and to test various websites on them.

A new application is being developed, called UniBrows, that allows users to run applications designed for Internet Explorer 6 while using a newer version of the browser. Using IE6 for the sake of an old application is a huge security risk, among other reasons. I wonder how many of these businesses still run DOS applications because making Windows applications cost more to develop.

Microsoft has not been helpful by telling users to rewrite IE6 apps as it did in this letter to customers: “Update and remediate your applications to IE8 as soon as possible." While this remediation process can take time and effort, it is the preferred and best solution.” One Browsium customer told Schare that rewriting just one IE6-configured app to run in IE8 could cost his company $5 million. In a typical enterprise running thousands of apps, there may be only 10 or 20 that run only in IE6, but 10 or 20 times $5 million is an expense that can be hard to justify. And besides, in some situations, the developer who wrote the original app for IE6 may no longer be with the company.

Microsoft has created a site to gauge the declining market share for Internet Explorer 6.0. With Internet Explorer still holding 12% of market share, it is time to give this aged, unsecure web browser the kick. If you or your IT manager are still insisting on Internet Explorer 6, it’s time to upgrade. Even the developer is telling you it’s time to put it down. In the words of the 80’s hair band Europe: It’s the final countdown!

10 years ago a
browser was born.

Its name was Internet Explorer 6. Now that we’re in 2011, in an era of modern web standards, it’s time to say goodbye.

This website is dedicated to watching Internet Explorer 6 usage drop to less than 1% worldwide, so more websites can choose to drop support for Internet Explorer 6, saving hours of work for web developers.

A few screenshots of a build of Windows 8 UI have been released by Win7China. Apparently, Microsoft knows that these leaks happen and have a wallpaper with the saying “shhh… let’s not leak our hard work”. Great advice, but like most advice is wasn’t taken. The site WinRumors have confirmed that these screenshots are in fact the real deal.

Microsoft appears to be planning Windows Live integration straight into the Windows shell for its next-generation of Windows. The software giant has also provided several wallpapers with a “ssh…lets’ not leak our hard work” written on them. WinRumors has independently confirmed that the screenshots are genuine. The shots come from an early Milestone 2 build of Windows 8, tagged 7910.0.winmain_win8m2.110111.

Bing has launched a new way to search for deals in your area: Bing Deals. Challenging Groupon and other deal sites, Bing has launched the mobile (m.bing.com) and the desktop version of Bing Deals. If you are looking for a great deal in your area, check this out.

Instead of creating our own program, we’ve partnered with The Dealmap, to launch Bing deals. Bing’s mission is to help you cut through the clutter of the Web to make decisions more quickly – whether that’s through our own innovations or by teaming up with industry experts. The Dealmap is a leading source for people to find and share the best local deals, so naturally it made sense for us to team up with them to bring you the best experience.