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Windows 7 for XP ProfessionalsUpdating Support Skills from XP to Windows 7by Bink.nu's Raymond Comvalius
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Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 delivers new features including an MMC-based user interface with advanced filtering and reporting, improved performance and operational reliability, flexible deployment options to improve branch office support, and more content access through the Microsoft Update Catalog site.
• Release Notes for WSUS 3.0• Step-by-Step: Getting Started with WSUS 3.0• WSUS 3.0 Overview
• Deploying WSUS 3.0• WSUS 3.0 Operations Guide• Script Center
• SDK• API Samples Readme • API Samples and Tools
On the Microsoft .NET platform, you have several types of managed Windows applications that you can create with Microsoft Visual Studio.NET:
Microsoft may be a desktop software powerhouse, but when it comes to security tools it is still bulking up.
The Redmond, Wash., software giant announced this week that it is setting up security response and research operations in Ireland and Japan and launched a preview of a new online Malware Protection Center. The efforts are meant to make Microsoft, a security industry newcomer, more competitive.
"This is significant. It is part of the globalization of our research and response effort," Mark Miller, director of communications for security response at Microsoft, said on Wednesday.
Microsoft is taking on incumbents such as Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro, the world's top three antivirus companies, to conquer part of the multibillion dollar security market. Industry watchers say Microsoft has done an impressive job building its security organization, though the scaffolding has yet to come off.
"Microsoft is entering a very competitive market and one that is new to them," said Andreas Marx, an antivirus software specialist at the University of Magdeburg in Germany. "It will take several more months until Microsoft's products can be directly compared with those offered by Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro."
Others think it will take much longer.
"It will take some years, perhaps five, for Microsoft to be up to par," Continue At Source
Robust demand for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system drives 72% growth in earnings per share
Microsoft Corp. today announced revenue of $14.40 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2007, a 32% increase over the same period of the prior year. This revenue drove record profits with operating income of $6.59 billion and net income of $4.93 billion. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter grew 72% to $0.50, and included $0.02 in tax benefits and $0.01 in legal charges.
These results reflect $1.67 billion of revenue and operating income, $1.14 billion of net income and $0.12 of diluted earnings per share that were previously deferred primarily related to the technology guarantee programs for Windows Vista™ and the 2007 Microsoft® Office release.
“I am extremely pleased that we delivered a quarter of strong double-digit growth for revenue, operating income and EPS,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at Microsoft. “And I am looking forward to a very good finish to this fiscal year with strength continuing into fiscal 2008.”
Net cash flow from operations was $7.29 billion and Microsoft returned $7.72 billion in cash to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends this quarter.
“This quarter marked the consumer launches of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and we are delighted with the positive customer response these products have received,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. “We continue to deliver on our compelling product cycle and build upon strong field sales and marketing execution in order to drive revenue and profit growth for the company.”
Business Outlook
Microsoft management offers the following guidance for the quarter ending June 30, 2007:
Revenue is expected to be in the range of $13.1 billion to $13.4 billion.
Operating income is expected to be in the range of $5.0 billion to $5.2 billion.
Diluted earnings per share are expected to be $0.37 to $0.39.
Management offers the following preliminary guidance for the full fiscal year ending June 30, 2008:
Revenue is expected to be in the range of $56.5 billion to $57.5 billion.
Operating income is expected to be in the range of $22.0 billion to $22.5 billion.
Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $1.68 to $1.72.
Additional details on fiscal year 2008 guidance will be provided in the fourth quarter earnings announcement and during the company’s Financial Analyst Meeting on the 26th of July.
Webcast Details
Microsoft will hold an audio webcast at 2:30 p.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. EDT) today with Chris Liddell, senior vice president and chief financial officer, Frank Brod, corporate vice president and chief accounting officer, and Colleen Healy, general manager of Investor Relations, to discuss details of the company’s performance for the quarter and certain forward-looking information. The session may be accessed at http://www.microsoft.com/msft. The webcast will be available for replay through the close of business on April 26, 2008.
Microsoft plans to make some of the security improvements and features it built into Office 2007 available for Office 2003, a company representative said Thursday.
Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 will be focused on security, said Joshua Edwards, a technical product manager for Office at Microsoft. "We're trying to take what we learned from building Office 2007 and bring as much as we can to Office 2003," Edwards said in an interview with CNET News.com.
Microsoft hasn't yet set a release date for the Office 2003 update, which like other service packs will be available as a free upgrade. Also, there are no details of what will be in the update, other than that Microsoft is "backporting" work it did for Office 2007.
"We're not going to take everything, but we will take as much as we can," said Edwards, discussing what might be in the update.
Many of the changes will be invisible to users, hardening the applications and file parsers against attacks, Edwards said. Such changes under the hood could help protect against attacks that exploit security vulnerabilities in Office applications. Such attacks appear to be on the rise, in particular where specific organizations are targeted.
However, some user features may also make it to the older version, including the ability to select a preferred encryption mechanism. For example, in Office 2007 it is possible to replace the standard AES encryption with another, such as Suite B, which is a feature the U.S. government requested, Edwards said.
Google has overtaken Microsoft for the second time in a week, this time claiming the bragging rights as the world's most visited website.
According to US-based internet traffic monitor comScore Network, Google's combined network of sites - which includes the video-sharing site YouTube.com - had 528 million unique visitors in March, a rise of 5 per cent over the previous month.
Microsoft stable of sites collectively attracted 527 million visitors during the same month, up 3.7 per cent.
This marks the first time since comScore began tracking the rankings 16 months ago that Google has taken the top spot.
Earlier this week, Google knocked Microsoft off as the world's top-ranked brand - no mean feat for a company that barely spends a cent on advertising.
Windows Server "Longhorn" Standard Edition Windows Server "Longhorn" Standard 32-bit Edition
These editions of Windows Server "Longhorn" provide key server functionality across most server roles and features. They includes both full and Server Core installation options.Windows Server "Longhorn" Enterprise Edition Windows Server "Longhorn" Enterprise 32-bit EditionThese editions build on Windows Server "Longhorn" Standard Edition to provide greater scalability and availability, and adds enterprise technologies such as Failover Clustering and Active Directory Federation Services.Windows Server "Longhorn" Datacenter Edition Windows Server "Longhorn" Datacenter 32-bit Edition
These editions offers the same functionality as Windows Server "Longhorn" Enterprise Edition with support for additional memory and processors, and unlimited virtual image use rights.
Windows Web Server "Longhorn" Windows Web Server "Longhorn" 32-bit These editions are designed specifically for use as a web and applications server. Other server roles and the Server Core installation option are not available.Windows Server "Longhorn" for Itanium-based SystemsThis edition is designed for use with Intel Itanium 64-bit processors to provide web and applications server functionality on that platform. Other server roles and features may not be available.
Wndows Server Code Name Longhorn is schedueled for release to beta testers sometime later today, with some of the most important changes coming to Longhorn Server Core. Core will support a grand total of 8 roles, double the 4 roles it had back in mid 2005. The grand total of roles available to Server Core includes:
PowerShell is also included in the 3rd beta release of Longhorn Server, as well as the Windows Firewall being enabled by default.
Longhorn will have Load Balancing! Notice that I'm not talking about Network Load Balancing. Load Balancing in Longhorn will actually be usable Load Balancing. It is build into the new Session Directory renamed to the Session Broker (I wonder if they picked this VDI-like name on purpose...). This Load Balancing will of course not be total solution. It fits nicely into the whole "you can suffice with just Longhorn Terminal Server in low complexity environments". The limitations are: • You can not Load Balance Remote Programs.... just Published Desktops • The load balancing is based on sessions only. So, no advanced load evaluators.