News


Cost Could Become a Factor with Enterprise Linux

As commercial versions of Linux climb the enterprise ladder, cost will become more of an issue with the open source operating system, according to a Gartner analyst.

Microsoft Reporting to Ship in a Visual Studio Control

Microsoft will make part of its new enterprise reporting technology available as a Visual Studio control that can be embedded in applications.

Gartner Still Expects Interim Windows Before Longhorn

SAN DIEGO -- Although Bill Gates pointedly avoided confirming it here, Microsoft is more likely than not to ship an interim client operating system before the release of Longhorn, a Gartner analyst predicted.

Gates Makes Case for Progress by Microsoft on Security

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates sent an e-mail to make the case to customers and partners that the company is showing progress on security.

Microsoft Claims Strong Sales for Small Business Server 2003

Windows Small Business Server 2003 is being adopted at a much faster rate than the Windows 2000-based version of the product, Microsoft officials say.

HP Announces Preloaded Linux on Enterprise Desktops

Move could significantly build momentum for the open-source operating system; IBM also announced that SuSE Linux will be a pre-loaded option across all of its eServer systems.

Gates Addresses R&D, EU Decision, Outsourcing

In a far-ranging question-and-answer session, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates discussed his company’s R&D spending, last week’s mammoth European Commission fine, outsourcing at Microsoft -- and how he views his philanthropic spending.

Report: Microsoft Leads OLAP Market

Microsoft consolidated its leadership position in the OLAP marketplace in 2003, but the software giant does not hold a dominant position and may slip slightly in 2004 due to continuing delays of "Yukon" and Microsoft's weak OLAP client technology, according to the OLAP Report.

Fired Security Researcher Resurfaces

Security expert fired over controversial report that accused Microsoft of contributing to global insecurity now at Verdasys.

NetSky.P Mass-Mailer Makes the Rounds

Anti-virus firms are warning users about a dangerous new variant of the NetSky mass-mailing worm that is flooding inboxes worldwide.

Windows XP SP2 RC1 Adds Features

Microsoft made a lot of changes to Windows XP Service Pack 2 between the beta stage in December and the Release Candidate 1 version that became widely available for download last week.

Corporate Error Reporting's Public Debut

Microsoft demonstrated software to help in-house enterprise developers use Microsoft's Watson technology to improve ongoing quality and maintenance of in-house applications.

Quotes on the European Commission Ruling

A sampling of commentary from participants and observers on the European Commission's ruling Wednesday on Microsoft. Includes commentary from Sun Microsystems, the Software & Information Industry Association, RealNetworks, the Cato Institute and others.

European Commission Fines Microsoft $613 Million

The European Commission on Wednesday ordered Microsoft to pay a record $613 million fine, offer a version of Windows that does not include the Windows Media Player and disclose to competitors the interfaces required to communicate with Windows. Microsoft will appeal.

Is Somebody Watching Me?

Technology similar to the gizmos featured in the high-tech thriller "Enemy of the State" entered the everyday business application world this week when Microsoft released a new server for building location-based services into applications.

IDC: Big Changes on the Way for Software Licensing

More than half of enterprise software vendors are likely to change their licensing models in the next year, according to a new study by IT researchers at IDC.

So What's Windows Storage Server for Anyway?

Microsoft made its first overt move into the dedicated storage server space in September with the release of Windows Storage Server 2003. In a field of Windows Server operating system versions that seems to be growing by the month, the company is still struggling to define what distinguishes its Storage Server SKU from all the other versions of Windows Server 2003. The company recently embarked on an education campaign to clarify its intentions for the product.

Dell Releases NAS Device

Dell on Monday began shipping a rack-optimized Network Attached Storage (NAS) server that runs Microsoft's Windows Storage Server 2003.

Muglia Promises Low Price for Virtual Server 2005

While Microsoft isn't saying how much it will charge for Virtual Server 2005, the company is promising the price will be low.

System Center Coming This Year

Microsoft is forging ahead with plans to offer its two flagship management products, Systems Management Server and Microsoft Operations Manager, in a package called Microsoft System Center later this year.