News


Microsoft, Citrix Extend Source Code Sharing Deal

Citrix Systems and Microsoft announced this week a new technology cross-licensing deal meant to assure the continued enhancement of Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite for Microsoft Windows Terminal Services.

Microsoft Drops Ball on Patch Notification

Microsoft released six new security patches in December, but only five official Security Bulletins. For some strange reason a patch released on the same day as the normal monthly patches -- for Windows XP SP2 only -- didn't rate a full Security Bulletin.

Microsoft Schedules Office Developer Conference

Developers for Microsoft Office are getting their first dedicated conference from Microsoft early next year.

Oracle, VMware Team to Support Virtualized Database Environments

Oracle and VMware announced this week that they will work together to market solutions that combine the two companies’ products. Under the agreement, Oracle will develop, test and support its 10g database and applications products to run on VMware’s operating environment virtualization products.

The Bill Gates FAQ

In a Q&A on the Microsoft Web site, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates tackled a handful of questions that Microsoft says are the ones he is most commonly asked.

Unisys Teams with Oracle and Microsoft in Plan to Outflank RISC Boxes in the Data Center

Despite the long-standing animosity between Oracle and Microsoft, the database giant clearly demonstrated its understanding of the need to more strongly support Windows at last week’s Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco.

Microsoft Issues 5 Important Security Bulletins

For its "Patch Tuesday" this month, Microsoft delivered five security bulletins for what it called "important" security flaws, including one publicly known flaw in the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS).

Vintela’s Upgraded SMS Snap-in Offers Improved Non-Windows Client Support

Vintela just shipped version 1.0 of its Vintela Management Extensions in August, but the Lindon, Utah company is on a roll – it shipped version 1.1 this week. The new release expands on version 1.0’s ability to enable Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 to manage non-Windows environments.

UltraBac 8.0 Set to Ship in Mid-January

UltraBac Software said this week that it will in ship version 8.0 of its UltraBac backup and disaster recovery software in mid-January. Back in this release after a hiatus is UltraCopy, the Bellevue, Wash.-based company’s file copying utility for creating duplicate backups for storage offsite.

Microsoft to Release 5 Non-Critical Bulletins Tuesday

Microsoft's Security Response Center is working on five non-critical security bulletins for release next Tuesday, the company said late Thursday as part of its newly public Security Bulletin Advance Notification program.

PDC 2005 Set for September

Microsoft this week announced that it would hold a 2005 Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles in September. PDC 2003, also in Los Angeles, was a major event where Microsoft publicly introduced the Windows "Longhorn" operating system and laid out the fundamental components, called pillars, of that next-generation operating system.

Muglia Updates Windows Server Roadmap

In a press tour on Friday, Microsoft senior vice president for Windows Server Bob Muglia updated the Windows Server release schedule for next year.

Windows Server 2003 R2 Enters Beta

Windows Server 2003 "R2" formally entered the private beta testing stage this week, Microsoft senior vice president for the Windows Server Division Bob Muglia said on Friday.

Cassatt to Ship Major Collage Update

Data center automation startup Cassatt says it will ship Version 3.0 of its Collage management product in the first quarter of 2005. The upcoming release will enable Collage to manage multiple tiered applications and will add support for Windows servers.

Improved Windows Group Policy Suite to Ship

AutoProf is set to release this month Policy Maker Professional 2.0, a significant update of the company’s suite of user management extensions that plug in to Microsoft’s Group Policy Object Editor in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.

IBM Sells PC Division to Chinese Lenovo Group Limited

IBM, the company that transformed personal computers from a hobby to an industry with the introduction of its PC line in 1981, will bow out of the increasingly low-margin market through a partnership with the Chinese firm, Lenovo Group Limited.

Business Drives IT – Literally – Says HP of OpenView Automation Manager Debut

HP will ship this month a new addition to the company’s lineup of OpenView Server Change and Management products.

Microsoft Posts Release Candidate of Windows Server 2003 SP1

Microsoft posted the release candidate version of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 to its Download Center on Monday.

The Microsoft Management Roadmap

Microsoft shipped a lot of management tools in 2004. A few minor pieces are on the calendar for delivery in 2005, but most of Microsoft's development work these days when it comes to administration and management is focused on the plumbing that connects Microsoft products.

Microsoft to Offer NT 4 Custom Contracts Through 2006

Less than a month from Windows NT 4.0 Server's official end of life, Microsoft on Friday announced that it will offer custom support contracts for large customers running the aging operating system through the end of 2006.