After a slow start in 2002, Microsoft's security apparatus has been busy, issuing one security bulletin in late January and four more bulletins over a six-day period in February.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 12, 2002
Windows 2000 turns two years old this month. The operating system continues to enjoy a reputation for reliability and stability, and Windows 2000 made significant scalability strides in 2001. Still migrations to the operating system continue to drag, and serious doubts have emerged about Microsoft's ability to secure its products. Considerable confusion also exists about the direction Microsoft is taking with the next versions of Windows.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 11, 2002
Microsoft Corp. has tremendous power to push technological change on IT, but even Microsoft's industry-shaping power is subject to the gale-force winds of economic change.
This is evident in a sampling of Windows end-user companies, contacted by ENT as a follow-up to a Windows 2000 rollout survey conducted at the end of 2000. In every case, companies that had ambitious plans for a Windows 2000 rollout during 2001 have had to scale back because of shrinking IT budgets.
"I was anticipating a number of deals for deploying Windows 2000 last spring, but only one of them came to fruition," says Austin Miller, a consultant and system integrator. "So when I say died, it died."
- By Joe McKendrick
- February 11, 2002
Every new technology needs the proverbial killer app to get moving.
Exchange 2000 Server is supposed to be the killer app for the Active Directory. The complexity inherent in both products, as well as Active Directory's slower-than-Microsoft-hoped-for uptake, has prevented Exchange 2000 from exploding onto the market.
Some users are reaping benefits from the Exchange 2000/Active Directory combination, but many others don't believe any irrefutable business case has been presented for making the leap.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 11, 2002
It took Microsoft Corp. more than four years to deliver Windows 2000. Since then, the software giant seems to have set a much snappier pace for operating system releases.
In late 2001 we had Windows XP. This year is supposed to bring Windows .NET Server, with Longhorn coming in 2003.
Now some analysts – and more than a few users – are saying that Microsoft could do itself and its customers a favor by reining-in its aggressive product development and marketing timetables.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 11, 2002
The days when IT managers viewed the Active Directory as complex and mysterious may be fading.
"They no longer see this as being dark magic," IDC analyst Al Gillen says.
While IT infrastructures remains a long way away from comprehensive Active Directory deployments, the learning curve may be behind many administrators.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 11, 2002
Oracle suffered a security embarrassment this week when a U.K.-based security firm documented several serious vulnerabilities in the midst of Oracle's long-running "Unbreakable" marketing and advertising campaign.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 07, 2002
As developers shift their focus from the desktop to the Web, Microsoft is <i>opening</i> a new bag of tricks with Visual Studio .NET to ensure its .NET Framework enjoys as much success as Windows did. Visual Studio .NET launches next Wednesday.
- By Matt Migliore
- February 07, 2002
Microsoft and IBM jointly announced a new organization designed to ensure the interoperability of Web services. The group, which will monitor the consistency of emerging standards and protocols, has received the backing of more than 40 vendors. Sun is notably absent but hasn't ruled out joining.
- By Matt Migliore
- February 07, 2002
Few topics have commanded as much of Windows server administrators' attention in recent months as the issue of staying on top of Microsoft security vulnerabilities and hotfixes. Shavlik is among the vendors releasing tools to help administrators manage those patches across the enterprise. ENT reviewer Stephen Swoyer takes a look at the latest version of Shavlik's HFNetChk Pro, and finds a lot to like.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- February 06, 2002
Microsoft is leaning more heavily on its ISV partner SpeechWorks as Microsoft works to create the speech hooks that will encourage developers to use Microsoft's platforms for speech-enabled applications.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 06, 2002
IBM is consolidating Unix and Windows-based workstations under the IntelliStation line, and adding Linux support to the mix.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 06, 2002
Microsoft released a beta version of a tool that partially addresses a hole in the cross-platform claims of its .NET Framework -- lack of Java support.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 05, 2002
Dell this week publicly claimed the performance lead over IBM on the Transaction Processing Performance Council's TPC-W benchmark for transactional Web e-commerce.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 05, 2002
BizTalk Server 2002, an incremental improvement to Microsoft's integration server, shipped on Monday with new technology for quickly distributing trading infrastructure to partners and tight integration with Visual Studio .NET.
- By Scott Bekker
- February 05, 2002
Remember the wave of dot-bomb failures? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
- By Em C. Pea
- February 01, 2002
Like it or not, .NET is changing the face of development with Microsoft tools. Let us sort out the pros and cons of being an early adopter to this new technology.
- By Mike Gunderloy
- February 01, 2002
Application Center 2000 isn’t the best known of Microsoft’s .NET servers, but if you run a Web or server farm, it can be indispensable.
- By Chris Wolf
- February 01, 2002
Although Mobile Information Server works well, it’s too hobbled by limited interoperability with other Non-WAP devices and application support.
- By David W. Tschanz
- February 01, 2002
The Microsoft Answer for finding a needle in a haystack.
- By Jeremy Moskowitz
- February 01, 2002