Abstract: A system for acquiring access to a web-based application includes one or more computer-readable storage media and an application (e.g., a web browser) for accessing and retrieving over a network a plurality of resources. The system also includes a program interface embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage media. The program interface is configured to present a common set of application program interfaces (APIs) that can be used by the application to demonstrate that a user of the application is entitled to access a first resource. The system also includes programming logic configured to determine if the user of the application is authorized to access the first resource. If it is determined that authorization has not been established to access the first resource, the application is directed to communicate with a marketplace to obtain authorization to access the first resource.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for facilitating discoverability of user interface elements associated with search engine homepages are provided. When users navigate to a search engine homepage having a background image associated therewith and perform a specified action with respect thereto (for instance, moving a mouse pointer over the image, clicking on the image, or tapping on the image), a plurality of user interface elements is surfaced. Each user interface element is associated with information with which the user may be presented upon interaction with the element. Upon the user ceasing to perform the specified action (or upon the expiration of a predefined period of time), the user interface elements cease to be presented and the user is able to view the search engine homepage without the embedded information.

Abstract: Compiling source code to provide an executable code build. The method includes configuring a pool of substantially identical virtual machines in a distributed cloud computing environment. Configuring may include configuring virtual machines to have generic code compiling functionality. The method further includes determining that source code for a particular user should be compiled. As a result, the method includes selecting a virtual machine from the pool of substantially identical virtual machines and configuring the selected virtual machine in a way that is specific to the user. Source code for the user is retrieved from a source control system deployed in the distributed computing environment. Using the virtual machine configured in the way specific to the user, the user's retrieved source code is compiled to compiled code. After compiling is completed, the configured virtual machine is restored to a generic form.

Abstract: An enhanced availability environment for facilitating a message service provided by a plurality of service elements is disclosed herein. The enhanced availability environment comprises a monitoring element and an enhanced availability element. The monitoring element monitors a first service element of the plurality of service elements for a monitored characteristic, generates monitoring information corresponding to the monitored characteristic, and communicates the monitoring information to the enhanced availability element. The enhanced availability element determines an availability of the first service element for the message service based at least in part on the monitoring information and an availability characteristic of the first service element, and communicates the availability to initiate an availability action.

Abstract: A delivery controller for use in an enterprise environment that communicates with a cloud computing environment that is providing a service for the enterprise. As the cloud service processing progresses, some cloud service data is transferred from the cloud computing environment to the enterprise environment, and vice versa. The cloud service data may be exchanged over any one of a number of different types of communication channels. The delivery controller selects which communication channel to use to transfer specific data, depending on enterprise policy. Such policy might consider any business goals of the enterprise, and may be applied at the application level.

Abstract: An existing primary data copy can be maintained on an existing primary front end server node. One or more existing secondary data copies can be maintained on one or more existing secondary front end server nodes to minor the existing primary data copy (such as by making synchronous changes to the secondary data copies). One or more existing backup data copies can be maintained on an existing backend server node to mirror the existing primary data copy (such as by making asynchronous changes to the one or more backup data copies). The existing backend server node can be accessible by one or more of the front end nodes. In response to detecting a failure of the existing primary data copy, one of the one or more secondary data copies can be designated as a new primary data copy in place of the existing primary data copy.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to using social activity data to personalize ranking of results returned by a computing operation for a user. For each of the results returned by the computing operation, a respective first affinity of the user to a corresponding result and a respective second affinity of the user to the corresponding result can be calculated and used for ranking the results. The respective first affinity of the user to the corresponding result can be calculated based on correlations between social activity data of the user and social activity data of a first group of historical users that clicked the corresponding result. Moreover, the respective second affinity of the user to the corresponding result can be calculated based on correlations between the social activity data of the user and social activity data of a second group of historical users that skipped the corresponding results.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a predecessor version of a client software application may execute a runtime handover to a successor version of the client software application. A client side device 110 may execute a predecessor version 112 of a client software application while installing a successor version 116 of the client software application. The client side device 110 may execute an update handshake between the successor version 116 and the predecessor version 112. The client side device 110 may execute a runtime validation of the successor version 116.

Abstract: Fast computer startup is provided by, upon receipt of a shutdown command, recording state information representing a target state. In this target state, the computing device may have closed all user sessions, such that no user state information is included in the target state. However, the operating system may still be executing. In response to a command to startup the computer, this target state may be quickly reestablished from the recorded target state information. Portions of a startup sequence may be performed to complete the startup process, including establishing user state. To protect user expectations despite changes in response to a shutdown command, creation and use of the file holding the recorded state information may be conditional on dynamically determined events. Also, user and programmatic interfaces may provide options to override creation or use of the recorded state information.

Abstract: The subject disclosure is directed towards establishing more direct access to a storage device from unprivileged code. Using a storage infrastructure mechanism to discover and enumerate storage architecture component(s), a user mode application requests at least one portion of the storage device to store application-related data. The storage infrastructure mechanism determines whether the application is authorized to access the storage device and if satisfied, the storage infrastructure mechanism configures at least one path for performing block-level input/output between the storage device and an unprivileged storage architecture component.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for providing users at remote access devices with conditional access to server-based applications. Requests for access to server-based applications (e.g., requests to launch or obtain data associated with the server-based applications) by remote access devices may be prevented or allowed based on device compliance with one or more policies including whether data-retention prevention code can be downloaded to and operational on the remote access devices. The data-retention prevention code may be used to both determine whether data can be automatically deleted from a cache or file directory at the remote access device and to delete potentially retention-sensitive data once the data is downloaded to the remote access device from the server-based application.

Abstract: Field programmable gate arrays can be used as a shared programmable co-processor resource in a general purpose computing system. Components of an FPGA are isolated to protect the FPGA and data transferred between the FPGA and other components of the computer system. Transferred data can be digitally signed by the FPGA or other component to provide authentication. Code for programming the FPGA can be encrypted and signed by the author, loaded into the FPGA in an encrypted state, and then decrypted and authenticated by the FPGA itself, before programming the FPGA with the code. This code can be used to change the cryptographic operations performed in the FPGA, including keys, or decryption and encryption algorithms, or both.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which a hierarchical tree structure is traverses at different stages in a graphics pipeline, in a coarse-to-fine fashion. In one aspect, each relevant coarser pipeline stage in the GPU pipeline traverses the tree until stopped by the “coarseness” of that pipeline stage, and passes the state of the traversal to the next (finer-grained) stage, for a finer traversal, and so on as needed. The technology links the hierarchical coarse-to-fine nature of the graphics pipeline to the hierarchical coarse-to-fine nature of the tree structure.

Abstract: A request to modify an object in storage that is associated with one or more computing devices may be obtained, the storage organized based on a latch-free B-tree structure. A storage address of the object may be determined, based on accessing a mapping table that includes map indicators mapping logical object identifiers to physical storage addresses. A prepending of a first delta record to a prior object state of the object may be initiated, the first delta record indicating an object modification associated with the obtained request. Installation of a first state change associated with the object modification may be initiated via a first atomic operation on a mapping table entry that indicates the prior object state of the object. For example, the latch-free B-tree structure may include a B-tree like index structure over records as the objects, and logical page identifiers as the logical object identifiers.

Abstract: Methods for optimizing battery use for a known future load are described. In an embodiment, one or more battery cells are selected from a set of battery cells to provide power to a computing-based device. The battery cells are selected based on discharge profile data for each battery cell and both the current power requirement and a known future power requirement of the computing-based device. The known future power requirement is calculated based on information available to the operating system running on the computing-based device. In some examples, one or more battery cells may also be selected for charging when a power source is available and these cells may be selected based on charge profile data and the known future power requirement. The selection of the battery cells may also be made in order to satisfy a battery optimization goal, which may be defined by a user.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which a link to content is visibly augmented to convey information related to a cached status of the linked-to content. In one aspect, a cached versus not cached indication may be provided to convey such cache-related information to a user. Staleness of cached content also may be indicated. Also described is pre-fetching and/or updating cache content, which may be conveyed to the user by the conveyed cache-related status information.

Abstract: A service allows client systems to register for push notifications from the service about changes to resources. The service monitors a resource for updates and then notifies the client system when the resource has an update. The client system registers a resource for monitoring and subscribes to receiving push notifications for resources that are monitored. The client system can provide a notification channel to the service over which the service can send push notifications. The service aggregates requests to monitor resources over multiple client systems. When the service detects a change to a monitored resource, the service broadcasts a push notification to the various client systems subscribed to receive notifications for that resource over their respective notification channels.

Abstract: An input method editor (IME) provides a distributed platform architecture that enables associating multiple applications with the IME to provide extended functionalities. The presentations of the applications, such as skins, may be different from each other and that of the IME. The applications may be represented in a manifest file that is human-readable and editable. The IME collects multiple parameters relating to a user input into a host application including a query input by the user and a scenario of the host application, and selects one or more applications to provide candidates based on a score or ranking of the applications under the collected multiple parameters. Machine-learning may be used to improve the score or ranking. The candidates may include text candidates, rich candidates, and informative candidates.

Abstract: Embodiments adjust device error radiuses associated with inferred device positions produced by positioning systems. Inferred beacon positions and associated beacon radiuses are accessed for beacons in a beacon fingerprint from an observing computing device. The beacon radiuses are associated with a pre-defined confidence level (e.g., an in-circle percentage). A Kalman filter is applied to at least one of the beacons using the inferred beacon positions and the beacon radiuses associated therewith to infer a device position for the computing device and to compute a device error radius for the inferred device position. The computed device error radius is adjusted as a function of the quantity of beacons input to the Kalman filter to achieve the pre-defined confidence level.

Abstract: A commercial frequency-modulated (FM) radio signal indoor localization system and method for finding a location of a mobile embedded device (such as a smartphone) within a building. Indoor localization is performed by receiving commercial FM radio signals on the device, analyzing the signals using signal quality metrics, and generating signal quality vectors for each signal and signal quality metric used for the signal. The signal quality metric can be any physical signal quality indicator. The signal quality vectors are added to obtain a current location fingerprint. The current location fingerprint is compared to fingerprints stored in a fingerprint database. The location associated with the stored fingerprint that is the closest match to the current fingerprint location is designated as the current location in the building of the mobile embedded device. Locally generated radio signals can be used in conjunction with the commercial FM radio signals to improve localization accuracy.