News


SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 Gets Close

SAN DIEGO -- Microsoft began taking sign ups for participation in the SQL Server 2005 Beta 2 program this week at its Microsoft TechEd show here as the long-awaited test version of the product gets close to availability.

Microsoft Details Features of 'R2'

SAN DIEGO -- Microsoft used its TechEd conference to lay out some of the features planned for the next version of Windows Server 2003, code-named "R2."

Database Platforms: Windows Grows, Linux Grows Faster

Microsoft consolidated its leading share of the Windows database market, but growth of Windows as a database platform trails growth of Linux as a database platform both in raw dollars and in percentage terms, according to new Gartner research for 2003.

Business Objects Reaches Out to Office

At Microsoft’s TechEd user conference this week, Business Objects SA unveiled an add-on for its Crystal Enterprise reporting environment which boasts tighter integration with the Office productivity suite.

Microsoft Previews Tool for Connecting Apps to Office with Web Services

Microsoft is previewing Web services features that should allow developers to more easily integrate their applications with Office.

Microsoft Moves to 10-Year Lifecycle for Product Support

Decision extends support of business software by at least three years.

Dell, EMC, HP Ship Windows-based NAS Devices

Microsoft is using its TechEd 2004 conference this week to trumpet releases of network-attached storage (NAS) devices from tier-one hardware vendors featuring its OEM-only Windows Storage Server 2003 with a new Exchange Server 2003 feature pack.

Ballmer Unveils Visual Studio 2005 Team System

SAN DIEGO -- Microsoft will deliver products around Visual Studio next year designed to tie the roles of developers and IT administrators more closely together to make the writing, deploying and maintaining of applications a more efficient and secure process.

AMD Expands Opteron Processor Family

AMD broadened its family of Opteron processors this week with the addition of three models, including one version for four-processor systems.

Microsoft Licensing Expanded for Disaster Recovery, Online Services

Microsoft previewed two benefits coming next month to its volume licensing programs.

Office 2004 for Mac Hits the Street

Microsoft announced the general availability of Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac.

Symantec to Buy Anti-Spam Vendor

Security giant Symantec Corp. on Wednesday said it will buy Brightmail, a six-year-old anti-spam company, for $370 million in a cash deal expected to close by early July.

Quest Reveals Which Products Survive Aelita Acquisition

Quest Software this week unveiled the inevitable aftermath of its acquisition of Aelita Software -- which products from the two companies' similar portfolios of Windows software have a future and which didn't make the cut.

Commerce Server Rises From the Ashes of Jupiter

Despite Internet rumors that Microsoft Commerce Server was dead, and despite the crash and burn of the "Jupiter" mega-server project that would have included Commerce Server, Microsoft affirmed this week that Commerce Server has a future.

TryIIS.com Campaign Launched to Bolster IIS 6.0 Adoption

More than a year after launching Windows Server 2003, Microsoft is starting a marketing campaign to single out the Internet Information Services 6.0 Web server component as a strong reason to upgrade to the server OS.

NetIQ Integrates Security Offerings

NetIQ took a step toward integrating its security products so they can be used more seamlessly to address a broader swath of security issues facing the enterprise.

SAP Aims for Tighter Integration with Microsoft Technologies

Enterprise application giant SAP is working to hook its wares more tightly with Microsoft's ubiquitous Office desktop productivity software and Microsoft's widely used Visual Studio development platform.

Windows Longhorn Server Set for 2007

While Jim Allchin said this month that the Windows Longhorn client and server projects are back in synch from a development perspective, another senior Microsoft officials clarified this week that the server version won't be ready as soon as the client version.

Remote Code Execution Flaw Fixed in Windows

After burdening IT with patches for 20 vulnerabilities in its April Patch Tuesday, Microsoft offered a fix for just one vulnerability in this month's patch event.

Mono Brings .NET to Open Systems

Thanks to Mono 1.0, .NET is for Linux, Unix and even MacOS.