Microsoft Partnering 101


Version 2 Posted of Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 SP4

Microsoft on Tuesday posted version 2 of the Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 less than three months after originally releasing the security-focused update. The new version addresses four serious problems with the original Update Rollup but does not fix several issues with prominent third-party software.

Partners Step Up for Katrina Relief Effort

Microsoft has been pushing the idea of partners helping other partners for some time now, as has the IAMCP.

Windows Sidebar Makes a Comeback

Microsoft's on-again, off-again Windows Sidebar feature, a prominent new interface element that could make it into the Windows Vista desktop, is definitely on again.

'Monad' Beta Widely Available

Microsoft posted a second beta of its "Monad" shell, the interactive command-line and task-based scripting technology that appears to be on a separate timetable from the Windows Vista release.

Sun to Ship New x86 Servers

Sun Microsystems introduced three new AMD Opteron x64-based servers this week – servers it says begin a new generation of 64-bit x86, multi-core systems. To round out the offering, the company announced four new storage products as well.

Microsoft Cancels Only Security Patch Planned for September

Due to quality concerns, Microsoft cancelled the release of a critical security bulletin for Windows that was supposed to be posted on Tuesday.

Microsoft Handing Out Vista CTP at PDC, More CTPs on the Way

Microsoft is distributing a Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista to attendees at its Professional Developers Conference 2005 in Los Angeles this week. The September Vista CTP, loaded with new features, comes fast on the heels of Windows Vista Beta 1.

Office 12 to Sport a New UI

Microsoft showed off Office 12 publicly for the first time on Tuesday, featuring user interface changes that the company describes as the "biggest, most visible change to the way the core Office applications work since the introduction of the toolbar in 1997."

Microsoft Storage: WinFS, R2 and DPM

Microsoft has been busy when it comes to storage. One of Microsoft's highest-profile technologies in development aims to change the way storage is handled in the operating system --WinFS. In the near-term, Microsoft will roll out a new backup and recovery server later this month and also has storage improvements coming to Windows Server 2003 R2 later this year.

WinFS Fleshed Out

Microsoft's WinFS, or Windows Future Storage, is the descendent of several abandoned projects dating back to Cairo to overhaul the way Windows handles storage. With the delivery of a beta release of WinFS last month, Microsoft brought chairman Bill Gates' long-standing dream of unified storage one large step closer to reality.