Microsoft

Microsoft releases its second iPhone app: Microsoft Tag

Microsoft Subnet — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:39:24 -0500

Microsoft Tag has been ported to the iPhone which makes it the second iPhone app that Microsoft offers (the first being Seadragon). With Microsoft Tag, the whole world can become a barcode with the cell phone acting as the bar code scanner. Users aim their camera phone at a tagged object and the app shows them data associated with the object/tag.

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Why XP users will switch to Windows 7

Ron Barrett — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:08:56 -0500

In this second part of my Windows 7 series I will address why XP users who fought so hard to protect Windows XP will finally let it go and move to Windows 7. As I had said yesterday, the resistance to move to Vista came from two very prominent components: the enhanced security (or security that actually works as some people have expressed) and the new user interface.

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Windows 7 public beta arrives, Zune phone does not

Microsoft Subnet — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:14:38 -0500

After all the countless rumors of what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer planned to announce during his CES keynote speech in Las Vegas last night, the speech itself might have been a bit of a letdown. On the one hand, he announced a publicly available version of a Windows 7 beta -- which is what the enterprise is most curious to investigate.

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Google loses two key search deals to Microsoft

Google Subnet — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:43:42 -0500

Maybe Microsoft's Steve Ballmer was really serious when he said Microsoft intended to truly compete with Google in the search arena. As the Wall St.

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Why the Microsoft Solutions Framework is a good tool for System Center

Kerrie Meyler — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:58:46 -0500

The Microsoft Solutions Framework is a valuable yet often overlooked tool when working with System Center products. The MSF process model can be used as a roadmap for an Operations Manager or Configuration Manager project.

As Microsoft states at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785993.aspx,
the MSF process model divides the process of creating and deploying a solution into five distinct phases. These phases are:

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Ballmer/Microsoft CES Keynote

NWW Staff — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:57:45 -0500

You can get a live stream of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote speech at CES here. Right now they're talking mostly about Windows 7 features. PC World has more on Windows 7 here.

UPDATE If you'd like more details on tonight's Microsoft keynote, you can check out my colleague John Fontana's Twitter account of the speech.

Database Mirror issues – Sweden saves the day!

Brian Egler — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:16:15 -0500

I have been testing out Database Mirroring in SQL Server 2008. There are numerous enhancements in 2008, mainly under the hood in the name of performance and reliability but still worth testing out. I had done this before using Windows Server 2003 SP2 but this was the first time I had tested using Windows Server 2008. It was an educational experience, I can tell you…

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Will Windows 7 be free to consumers in July?

Microsoft Subnet — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:48:37 -0500

Windows watchdog site, Tech Arp, is reporting that Microsoft may give Vista users a free upgrade to Windows 7 by as early as mid 2009. The blog site says it obtained a copy of a memo issued by Redmond to its OEM partners that outlines something called the "Windows 7 Upgrade Program."

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Microsoft-Verizon mobile search deal to be announced at CES

Microsoft Subnet — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:18:16 -0500

Microsoft won a nice coup over rival Google by scoring a mobile search deal with Verizon. Microsoft will become the default provider of Internet search for Verizon Wireless customers, reports the Wall Street Journal. A Verizon executive spilled the beans on the agreement Wednesday at the annual Citigroup entertainment, media and telecommunications conference, the WSJ said.

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Now here's a first: Microsoft campus called "neutral environment"

Alpha Doggs — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:37:39 -0500

From the MIT Kerberos Consortium:

Friends,

The MIT Kerberos Consortium will hold its first Interoperability Testing event March 30th - April 3rd, 2009. This event will be hosted by Microsoft Corporation on their Campus in Redmond, Washington.

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Microsoft Research: Phishing, like other crime, doesn't pay

Alpha Doggs — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:14:19 -0500

Microsoft Research claims that you're better off flipping burgers than concocting phishing schemes if your sole goal is to make money, according to this Tech Herald report.

Why IT will adopt Windows 7

Ron Barrett — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:41:38 -0500

In the next few days, I want to take some time to address the coming release of Windows 7. As a person who was named a Windows Vista Master, I want to look at three areas where Windows 7 will make a difference when Windows Vista did not seem to make a dent, so to speak. Starting today, I will discuss the following topics: 1. Why IT will adopt Windows 7 2. Why XP users will switch to Windows 7 3. Why Windows 7 will crush Linux (that’s right -- I said CRUSH)

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Top 8 Microsoft Research projects to improve our lives

Mitchell Ashley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:42:53 -0500

I'm always fascinated by the ideas folks come up with for research projects when it comes to how we use computers and technologies in our daily lives. Microsoft Research has a Web site covering its socio-digital systems research projects. Much of the work is about unlocking the personal photos and information in our Documents folders to better connect with family members. Other projects are about how technologies and user interfaces can improve how we preceive and interact with our digital lives.

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Cloud-based e-mail is cheap, but Google is cheapest

Google Subnet — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:11:33 -0500

A new Forrester report detailed by ReadWriteWeb contains some interesting data for enterprises considering cloud-based applications. The first finding, that cloud-based e-mail is always cheaper than on-premises solutions for smaller companies with fewer than 15,000 users, may not be that much of a head-turner.

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More free PowerShell scripts and using/not using SCVMM for VMware

Microsoft Subnet — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:46:09 -0500

Here's a cool resource for PowerShell newbies (and who these days isn't at least dabbling with Microsoft's young scripting language?): the Get-Scripting podcast. The podcast is up to Episode 6 in its ongoing series on How to Learn PowerShell. Episode 6 features Ben Pearce, a premier field engineer at Microsoft whose job is to help enterprise customers make their systems more efficient.

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A boycott of IE Mobile in the works?

Microsoft Subnet — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:16:41 -0500

"Until the Windows Mobile team gets their act together and at the very least makes IE6 Mobile a downloadable upgrade for all existing WM6 phones, I’m switching browsers to Opera Mobile. IE has been banished from my phone," so declared Microsoft mostly fanboy and blogger Robert McLaws on his Windows Now blog today.

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Microsoft's Bob Muglia grows more powerful

Microsoft Subnet — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:48:07 -0500

In an interesting move, Microsoft has made a president out of Bob Muglia, the head of the company's Server and Tools Business (STB) group, reports Computerworld. The promotion makes Muglia, who joined Microsoft in 1988, only the fourth president at the company. Microsoft is more found of senior vice president titles.

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Muglia Promotion Secures Windows Azure Future

Mitchell Ashley — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:14:53 -0500

We all think of the Windows desktop OS and Office apps when we think of the power houses at Microsoft, but there's a new sheriff in town ready to paint the place Windows Azure blue. Bob Muglia received the Microsoft exec equivalent of an at-a-boy, being promoted to president of the servers and tools division.

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I think also Microsoft provides a lot of services to Cloud like SQL, ...

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:20:05 -0500

I think also Microsoft provides a lot of services to Cloud like SQL, .NET, Live, etc.. But I've a clue what the difference between Cloud, SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS? or Cloud == SaaS + PaaS + IaaS?

Chinese pirates of Microsoft software get prison time

Microsoft Subnet — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:59:37 -0500

Chinese courts dealt out a harsh punishment to the ringleaders of what is believed to be one of the world's largest software scams. Eleven alleged ringleaders were sent to prison, the AP reports. Counterfeit software from the ring was found in 36 countries and 11 languages. It was valued at over $2 billion. Eleven defendants were given prison terms from 1 1/2 to 6 1/2 years, Microsoft announced last week.

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