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The article reports on the negative reactions of corporate customers to U.S.-based Microsoft Corp.'s license checks. In 2005, the company visited about 1,200 corporate users it suspects may be not licensed properly. Microsoft is also trying to persuade corporate customers to participate in its Software Assessment Management program which it claims is not a license compliance audit. Under the program, Microsoft pays for its consulting partners to educate customers on the merit of asset management, help inventory installed software and make recommendations on policies and procedures.

The article presents the author's views on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Vista version of Windows operating system. Microsoft has added the User Account Control (UAC) feature that will be of immense help to average users. Under UAC, both administrators and standard users will be able to operate with the standard user security token.

The article presents an interview with Corey Thomas, group product manager for SQL Server for Microsoft Corp., about the rationale behind the decision why the company did not pursue the separate delivery of WinFS or the second beta for the product. The announcement during the TechEd conference about the release of the products was made in good faith, however changes in the shipment were made just recently after a series of discussions made. One of the things considered for the changes was the data platform and the couple of pillars behind it.

The article focuses on the cancellation of the delivery of the WinFS file system by Microsoft Corp. The company first announced that it is no longer pursuing the separate delivery of WinFS, as well as the second release of the product, which it had long been promising. Peter O'Kelly, an analyst at Burton Group PLC said that the decision was necessary and pragmatic. Microsoft cut WinFS out of both operating systems, Vista and Longhorn, releases so it could ship them in a more timely fashion. Microsoft officials said WinFS would be made available as a stand-alone technology after Vista and Longhorn Server shipped.

The article examines the new operating system, Vista, developed by Microsoft Corp. The computer software company is set to deliver a broad-scale build of Vista to 2 million testers. It is also projected that in concurrence with the launch of the Vista builds shall be the introduction of the Office 2007. As recalled, the two Vista builds, including two interim community technology previews released in the past couple of months to beta testers known as technology adoption program. It was found out that the new operating system has suffered as variety of performance and compatibility problems. INSET: Vista: What you need to know.

The article features the Systems Management Server Beta 1 developed by Microsoft Corp. The product has enhanced configuration monitoring, operating system deployment and endpoint security management capabilities. It will be released in the first half of 2007 bearing its new name, System Center Configuration Manager 2007. The results of the test of SMS v4 Beta 1, indicated a renewed focus on Windows system configuration, user access and compliance reporting. New users of the software will need significant amount of time development policies to regulate how operating systems, applications, and policies are maintained throughout the enterprise.

The article presents a discussion on Windows' GPMC or Group Policy Management Console. Windows Vista will provide more power to Microsoft's Group Policy. Some changes are obvious, but all are significant and could cause some refocusing among third-party vendors that have sprouted up in the Microsoft ecosystem to deal with various deficiencies in previous iterations of Windows and Group Policy. Unlike previous Microsoft Group Policy management tools, the GPMC coalesces all GPO (Group Policy Objects) into a single interface and allows administrators to easily link the objects to Domains, Sites or OU (Organizational Units) in Active Directory.

The article discusses Microsoft Corp.'s competitions in the computer software market. The first competition comes from the open-source operating system Linux. Some organizations are pushing the use of Linux in personal computers of their employees. One reason is that licensing costs are low. Another is the ability of Linux to run on old hardware that would spurn Microsoft Windows. Also, Linux is more convenient than Windows for managing a large number of computers from a remote location. The second challenge to Microsoft comes in the form of a 15-centimeter box called the Mac Mini developed by Apple Computer Inc. The third competition comes from the open-source browser, Firefox developed by Mozilla Foundation.

The article reports on U.S.-based Microsoft Corp.'s launch of Titan, a true software-as-a-service product. This is the company's first attempt at a multitenant architecture, where customers access a single instance of the application while their data is partitioned into a secure environment. It is also Microsoft's attempt to roll over Salesforce.com.

The article reports that Microsoft Corp. has trained 110,000 partners on the Windows Vista operating system and the Office 2007 software package. Microsoft's Upgrade the Desktop marketing campaign offers sales and marketing tools for cross selling from the desktop to server. The demonstration showcase provides partners with role-based selling tools and other tools for assisting in marketing messaging. The launch sale tool kit assists in demonstrating the customer benefits of the Exchange 2007, Office 2007, and Vista software. Microsoft is planning a series of events to coincide with the January 29, 2007 launch of Vista.

The article reviews the SharePoint Server 2007 from Microsoft Inc.

The article suggests ways for Microsoft Corp. to become a full-on Web 2.0 company. The author cites SharePoint software as the company's best asset in the Web 2.0 world. SharePoint is a good portal and collaboration platform, however, one needs to leverage all its integration with the current generation Office clients. This is obviously not good knowing that not everyone who needs to collaborate on project is on the latest version of the Microsoft productivity suite. The author suggests that if Microsoft really want to be big player in the Web 2.0 world, then it has to change and enhance collaboration technology.

The article reports developments related to the computer industry in the U.S. Microsoft Corp. has been working for its Office Open XML file and interoperatibility with the OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications alternative. Any development about the XML translator project will be posted on SourceForge, the open-source software development Web site. Security Software maker McAfee confirms that malware threats are growing at a significantly faster pace. The growth represents a 60 percent decrease in the number of time necessary to generate the second 100,000 threats.

The article reports that Microsoft Corp., is all set for a host of new collaboration-specific software and service offerings which will enter the market in a couple of years. This information is based on reports that Microsoft has shared selectively with certain partners a blue print of collaborations. Microsoft's shortlist includes a host of new Office Live Server, a slew of Antigen anti-virus services and a souped-up anti-spam package. Meanwhile Microsoft announced the creation of a single internal Unified Communications Group which comprises, productivity applications, the formerly separate ExchangeVOIP (voice over IP) and Web conferencing for business users. Microsoft is expected to come out with details on some of these offerings during two June events.

The article focuses on the great potential of SharePoint software products to become the primary booster of Microsoft Corp. in the computer software industry. Included in the line of SharePoint products are the SharePoint Server 2007 as well as the Windows SharePoint Services Version 3 technologies. At present, the software company has already sold 75 million SharePoint Portal Server 2003 licenses and more than 180 Microsoft partners are building SharePoint solutions. SharePoint Server 2007 includes an integrated set of technologies that span collaboration.

The article focuses on the efforts of Microsoft Corp. to gain dominance and strong position in the competitive server virtualization market. This is evidently manifested by the release of Virtual Server 2005 R2 and describing its first hypervisor technology. The initiative which is server virtualization will be the key theme for Microsoft during the WinHex conference in Seattle on May 22, 2006. Nevertheless, some critics believe that the company is running far behind in the race. Others also has observed that the virtualization technology by Microsoft is lagging behind compared to other partners, particularly VMware and vendors like Virtual Iron and SWsoft.

The article examines the hardware specifications required by the Vista, the new operating system released by Microsoft Corp. On May 18, 2006, the company released the PC hardware guidelines for Vista Capable personal computers. As stated therein, taking advantage of all Vista features would require that the computers meet the following specifications: 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of random access memory, and 128 MB of dedicated graphics memory. It is inferred that the computers configured to meet the Vista Premium Ready requirements will generally serve the needs of the businesses.

The article provides an overview on the articles published in the May 22, 2006 issue of the journal "eWeek." The new operating system called Vista, released by Microsoft Corp. will have more system requirements than XP. It needs 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of memory and 128 MB of graphics memory for the user to fully experience the maximum potential of Vista. The author comments on the delay of release of Vista and projects the probable reason that may have caused it. One of the reasons maybe is the existing bureaucracy in the corporation.

The article reports that Microsoft Corp.'s MS06-15 security update to Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer are causing system hangs, Windows crashes, and the appearance of strange dialog boxes. The update includes a binary called verclsid.exe, which validates shell extensions before they are instantiated by the Windows Shell or by the Windows Explorer. The security update is causing Microsoft Office applications to stop responding when Office files are saved or opened in the My Documents folder and lockups when typing a web page address into the Internet Explorer. It also reports that the MS06-13 update, which changes the way Internet Explorer renders certain ActiveX controls, is also causing workflow issues for its enterprise clients.

The article reports on the anticipated launch of Microsoft Corp.'s Build 5365, a test build of its Vista operating system. Some web sites speculate that Build 5365 will include sidebar fixes, support for more gadgets, welcome center changes, installation and driver support improvements. Microsoft is increasingly relying on community technology preview processes in developing its products including the Vista. It also reports that Microsoft is committing to provide extensible firmware interface (EFI), the successor of PC BIOS, support for 64-bit Windows first in Longhorn Server. The EFI has been touted as an operating system independent interface that could aid in driver portability.

The article reports on the admission of Microsoft Corp. that it is silently fixing software vulnerabilities, which are discovered internally. Microsoft Security Response Center operations manager Mike Reavey says the company is documenting internally discovered software vulnerabilities, but is withholding full disclosure of every security-related product changes. It describes how withholding fix details affected Trend Micro, when it used a vulnerable code in its products. It advises businesses to use Microsoft's severity rating system to help with patch deployment timetables.

The article reports on a software-as-a-service offering of Microsoft Corp. for business applications in the U.S. Microsoft is working to lay the foundation for service-enabled applications with its Dynamics application architecture. The company also offers a Web services integration layer that will be delivered across its range of Dynamics enterprises resource planning suites to enable composite application development and integration. It offers information about the availability of Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management with a Web services layer.

The article discloses the research of Microsoft Corp. on the use of steps user interfaces (SUIs) in using the computer. This SUIs allows the user to operate the computer using one's feet. Its most beneficial use is that it allows disabled individuals to use the computer and also relieves repetitive stress. The initiative could somehow be considered as an indirect way of doing aerobic exercise, a dance, and a serious athletic because it is undeniably physically exertive.

The article reports developments relative to the computer industry in the U.S. in March 2006. The patent litigation suit between Research In Motion Ltd. and patent holding company NTP Inc. was settled for 612.5 million dollars on March 3. Microsoft Corp. plans to make a technical refresh of its Microsoft Office 2007 Beta 1 program available for software testing on March 13. SAP AG introduced its popular CRM strategy, and announced an upgraded supply management suit that builds in more functionality for collaboration with partners and adds process support geared toward specific vertical industries on March 8.

The article presents two blog messages, which presents the views and insights of the people on some issues pertinent to the computer industry. The two blogs discuss two different topic. The first topic focuses on web business, specifically one which deals on customer service. The sender suggests that anyone who has spent time speaking to a customer service in India knows that cutting costs means worse service. The second matter raised pertains to the release of Web 2.0 computer software to the market and the response of Microsoft Corp. on the wide acceptance of the software by the people.

Reviews the Virtual PC 7 emulation software from Microsoft.

Evaluates the MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player from Microsoft. Features; Pros and cons; Cost.

Reports on the status of Microsoft Corp.'s software security updates. Flaws; August security bulletins.

Focuses on the discovery of a bug in the Microsoft Excel 2003 computer software, which involves the random number generation (RAND) function. Effect of the repeated use of RAND; Response of the company to the problem.

Reviews the computer software Windows XP from Microsoft Corp.

Provides information on the Microsoft Office versions released by Microsoft in 2003. Office applications contained in the Office version X Student and Teacher Edition; Target market of the software products; Price change made by Microsoft to its Office version X Standard Edition.

Evaluates three disk defragmentation products referring to PerfectDisk 7 from Raxco Software Inc., Diskeeper 9 from Diskeeper Corp., and Windows XP's defragmentation utility from Microsoft Corp.

The article reports that Microsoft Corp. plans to unveil new licensing policies that will apply to Windows Server and related products installed in virtual machine environments. One change will let users who buy SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and other Microsoft server software under a per-processor model license the products according to the number of virtualized processors they actually use, instead of the number of physical processors in their boxes. And the modified licensing might provide a way to reduce hardware costs on small and nontransactional database servers.

The article introduces the integrated computer software suite developed by Novell Inc. as part of the initiative to compete with its rival Microsoft Corp. The company announced the latest software during the BrainShare conference. The software package that can run in Linux OS includes security and identity software, management tools, and desktop applications such as the OpenOffice 2.0, which is cheaper and easier-to-use Windows tools. The new open Workbook Suite of Novell includes the Linux version of Open Enterprise Server, GroupWise massaging software, Zenworks, SUSE Linux AG Enterprise Desktop, and OpenOffice.

The article provides information about the Expression suite developed by Microsoft Corp. The Expression software will let the user manipulate in a drag and drop environments. It produces an underlying code in the Extensive Markup Language. The software, which is designed to compete with Adobe Systems Inc.'s application software, has potentials of being a graphic designer, interactive designer, web designer, and WPF everywhere. Expression suite offers features similar to the Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for graphics, Dreamweaver for Web site development, and Flash technology for interactive motion picture creation.

The author of this article presents four problems that he would like to be remedied in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista software. One of the author's long-standing gripes is the way Windows decides what window or application is active. He therefore suggests to the company never to change focus from the window he is working on until he explicitly command Windows to do so. Another problem occurs when a ton of files need to be deleted from a directory. Windows indicates that a file is in use and cannot be deleted. It does not give the specific application that has locked the file, and it does not ask if the user wants to delete it anyway or allow to continue deleting the next file.

This article reports that Microsoft Corp.'s (MC) Business Solutions group plans to release the first iteration of its much-touted retooled and rebranded set of enterprise resource planning applications, the Dynamics GP 9.0. The application is the successor to the company's flagship Great Plains suite. The software has been tweaked to better utilize the desktop, portal, business intelligence, and development technologies of MC. And this Dynamics GP software is part of the so-called Project Green of MC, which will ultimately create a unified set of application software with a common code base and interface.

This article reports that Microsoft Corp. released a total of nine security updates with fixes for 14 separate vulnerabilities, four of which were given critical severity ratings by the software vendor. Among the critical flaws, the ones that evoked the most concern among security analysts were the vulnerability in MSDTC, which is used by Windows to manage database, messaging and file-system transactions, and a hole in the COM+ service that is built into the operating system to handle resource management tasks.

This article reports that Microsoft Corp. (MC) plans to deliver a new server software infrastructure package for midsize companies, plus role-based business applications that will be tailored to meet the needs of businesses with 50 to 1,000 employees. But the midmarket includes a wide variety of industries with different requirements. Illustrating the challenges that MC faces in trying to package software for such as broad customer base, some users expressed keen interest in the new and upcoming offerings, while others voiced doubts that the products will meet their specific needs.

Reports on the effort of Microsoft Corp. to add reporting capabilities to its SQL Server 2000 business intelligence software, as of February 2004. Companies that tested the upgraded product; Information on the software; Remarks from industry analysts.

Reviews the DevPartner Studio Professional Edition 7.1 computer software from Microsoft Corp.

Reports that Microsoft Corp. has launched its Content Management Server 2002, part of the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family. Vision for the connected business, which includes a project code-named 'Jupiter,' as well as plans to deliver in 2003 a version of the Microsoft Office family application, code-named 'XDocs.'