Latest news with #ActiveX
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
When Microsoft former CEO Steve Ballmer got ‘frustrated' with Microsoft's culture and shouted….
Recalling his early days as Microsoft CEO , Steve Ballmer recently revealed that he shouted his now-iconic 'Developers! Developers! Developers!' chant out of frustration with the company's internal structure. Speaking on the 'Acquired' podcast, Ballmer said that the moment wasn't just for show, but a call-to-action to change Microsoft's internal mindset in the early 2000s. Ballmer recalled that during his early years as CEO, Microsoft teams were too focused on infrastructure like Windows, Windows Server, and ActiveX, while neglecting efforts to attract third-party developers. 'I was just frustrated with myself and my inability to get people out of, 'We're just a platform company,'' Ballmer said. In an effort to jolt the company into action, Ballmer took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference and repeatedly shouted the word 'developers.' The dramatic display, he explained, was a deliberate move to emphasize the importance of external developer support. 'I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft,' he stated. 'You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own,' Ballmer said. 'We just had to tell people, 'We want you, we want you, we want you.'' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Steve Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft's growth At that time, Microsoft was facing growing pressure from rivals like IBM and Linux. The company needed to galvanize support for Windows and its emerging server products, including the then-nascent .NET framework. Ballmer believed third-party developers were key to Microsoft's survival and growth. The chant, he said, was part of his personal approach to leadership and communication"I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said. "How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added. iQoo Z10 Review: 7300mAh battery packed in a slim design AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Steve Ballmer explains his viral, sweaty 'Developers!' chant from the early 2000s
Steve Ballmer said on a recent podcast that his "Developers!" chant years ago was a "call to action." The former Microsoft CEO was frustrated with how the company viewed itself in the early 2000s. "I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said. More than two decades after Steve Ballmer's frenzied "Developers! Developers! Developers!" chant became a viral sensation, the former Microsoft CEO said it wasn't just for show. Ballmer broke down the iconic moment — sweat, shouting, and all — on an episode of the "Acquired" podcast published Monday. He said it was a strategic "call to action" for Microsoft then. Ballmer was frustrated with how Microsoft's culture in the early 2000s still saw itself as "just a platform company," he said. Internally, teams were focused on building the infrastructure — Windows, Windows Server, ActiveX — but weren't doing enough to engage external developers to build on top of those platforms. "I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft," Ballmer said. "I was just frustrated with myself and my inability to get people out of, 'We're just a platform company,'" he added. So when he took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference in the early 2000s, Ballmer shouted the word "developers" over and over, hoping to drive home a simple message: Microsoft needed third-party developers to survive. "You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own," he said. "We just had to tell people, 'We want you, we want you, we want you.'" At the time, Microsoft was battling competitors including IBM and Linux. Microsoft needed developers to back Windows and its fledgling server products — and eventually, .NET. "I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said. "How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added. Ballmer was well known for his playful and energetic personality and would often shout, scream, and run around at Microsoft events, to great cheers from the crowd. His unfiltered public personality stands at odds with more conventional and controlled business leaders. The owner of the LA Clippers basketball team is a longtime associate of Bill Gates. Ballmer joined Microsoft as an assistant to the president in 1980 and, 20 years later, climbed his way to the top as CEO. He stepped down in 2014. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Steve Ballmer explains his viral, sweaty 'Developers!' chant from the early 2000s
More than two decades after Steve Ballmer's frenzied "Developers! Developers! Developers!" chant became a viral sensation, the former Microsoft CEO said it wasn't just for show. Ballmer broke down the iconic moment — sweat, shouting, and all — on an episode of the "Acquired" podcast published Monday. He said it was a strategic "call to action" for Microsoft then. Ballmer was frustrated with how Microsoft's culture in the early 2000s still saw itself as "just a platform company," he said. Internally, teams were focused on building the infrastructure — Windows, Windows Server, ActiveX — but weren't doing enough to engage external developers to build on top of those platforms. "I'm trying to tell people at that time that third parties really mattered, and you got different opinions inside Microsoft," Ballmer said. "I was just frustrated with myself and my inability to get people out of, 'We're just a platform company,'" he added. So when he took the stage at a Microsoft developer conference in the early 2000s, Ballmer shouted the word "developers" over and over, hoping to drive home a simple message: Microsoft needed third-party developers to survive. "You have to be able to communicate that you really care about developers who are not your own," he said. "We just had to tell people, 'We want you, we want you, we want you.'" At the time, Microsoft was battling competitors including IBM and Linux. Microsoft needed developers to back Windows and its fledgling server products — and eventually, .NET. "I have my own kind of wild style," Ballmer said. "How do you end a speech? You tell people you love them, that you want them. That's sort of the call to action," he added. Ballmer was well known for his playful and energetic personality and would often shout, scream, and run around at Microsoft events, to great cheers from the crowd. His unfiltered public personality stands at odds with more conventional and controlled business leaders. The owner of the LA Clippers basketball team is a longtime associate of Bill Gates. Ballmer joined Microsoft as an assistant to the president in 1980 and, 20 years later, climbed his way to the top as CEO. He stepped down in 2014.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Microsoft 365 Will Turn Off ActiveX, Because Hackers Keep Using It
Microsoft Office has supported ActiveX for years as an option for extending and automating documents, but it has also been a significant security vulnerability. Microsoft is finally starting to turn off ActiveX in the Microsoft 365 apps, following a similar move in last year's Office 2024 package. Starting this month, the Windows versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio in Microsoft 365 will disable all ActiveX content by default without showing a notification. The Mac and web-based versions of the Office apps never supported ActiveX content in the first place. Microsoft said in a blog post, 'The previous default setting, 'Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions,' allowed you to enable potentially dangerous ActiveX controls, which could be exploited by attackers through social engineering or malicious files. The new default setting is more secure because it blocks these controls entirely, reducing the risk of malware or unauthorized code execution.' This change was already implemented in Microsoft Office 2024, but now it's coming to the subscription-based Microsoft 365 apps as well. It's available now in the Beta Channel for Version 2504 (Build 18730.20030) or later of the apps, and the change should roll out to everyone on Windows soon. Importantly, ActiveX is not being completely removed from the Office apps. Some organizations might still enable the feature, and personal accounts can toggle by navigating to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > ActiveX Settings > Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions. Microsoft released the first version of ActiveX in 1996, allowing websites in Internet Explorer and documents in Microsoft Office to embed complex code and interactive content. For example, ActiveX controls be used to create buttons and checklists in Office documents, which could modify the document or perform external actions when clicked. ActiveX did have some legitimate uses, but it is far more popular for phishing and malware. There have been many security exploits in ActiveX that allowed a seemingly-safe Word or PowerPoint document to modify Windows settings and files. It was also a frequent security and privacy risk in Internet Explorer, and it was never ported to its replacement, Microsoft Edge. Microsoft eventually updated the Office apps to not run ActiveX content automatically, but some malicious files can successfully trick people into clicking the 'Enable Content' button. Microsoft removing that option by default will help reduce those attacks, while still allowing ActiveX content to run if absolutely necessary. This change seems like the last step before removing ActiveX from Office apps entirely, but it's not clear when (or if) that will happen. Some documents only work properly with ActiveX, and Microsoft's newer Add-ins platform isn't a complete replacement. This is about as secure as ActiveX can get. Microsoft started automatically blocking Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros in Office documents back in 2022, which were also frequently used for malware distribution. That change was rolled out across all editions of Office apps that were supported at the time, including Office LTSC, Office 2021, Office 2019, Office 2016, and Office 2013. Source: Microsoft 365 Insider Blog
