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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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If Yahoo won't sell out to you, then just hire their people--or so Microsoft seems to be thinking. Below, a note received by a promising job candidate:
Hi [Talented Yahoo Employee],
I am a member of Microsoft's marketing staffing team. We’re seeking world class employees to help us create products that help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.
Your name was brought to my attention as someone who may be very knowledgeable in the online business space. I know a lot of people from Yahoo! have been reaching out to us lately because they are nervous about the pending layoffs. I wanted to give you an opportunity to explore Microsoft careers as well.
I would love the chance to speak with you confidentially about opportunities. It would give me an opportunity to better understand your experience and to discuss your career path and professional interests.
I found a little bit about you online and I'd appreciate an opportunity to fill in the blanks. You've read this far so you must be at least a bit intrigued by what we may have to offer so I would love to speak with you in more detail.
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My first reaction to Microsoft’s announcement of Windows Vista (RED) edition was “cool” and my second reaction was “where can I get those special (RED)-branded wallpapers?”. Unfortunately for me and many others who also shared the same ideas to promote and show support for the (RED) campaign on our computers, we couldn’t, or at least not without purchasing a computer we don’t really need. The reason I’ve been told they are so protected is because of special licensing deals between Microsoft, Dell and (RED). That to me is fairly reasonable and I didn’t look into it any further.
However thanks to a reader who shared a link to a collection of (what are believed to be) fan-created (RED)-inspired wallpapers, my enthusiasm has been restored. Just as a clarification, these are not copies of the exclusive wallpapers in the special (RED) PCs. In fact, these were created in 2007 - long before this deal was announced.
Check out this link: WindowsServer2008.com. You’d expect it to take you to Microsoft’s website for Windows Server 2008, but instead it forwards to apple.com’s page showing off the Macbook Air. Looks like some Apple fan, possibly working for Symmetry Technical Consultants Inc. in Florida, bought the domain in October 2006 and is now using it to embaress Microsoft. Wonder how they beat Microsoft to registering it?
I was turned onto this website by a Microsoftie, who remarked that (and I’m paraphrasing), “No Microsoft person does this when it comes to Apple products, and that says a lot about Apple users, if you ask me”. The word “immature” might have been in there, too.
A brand new daily web comic for IT developers and pros debuted today at www.heroeshappenhere.com/comic. Created by veteran comic book editor and writer Jordan B. Gorfinkel and produced by Avalanche Comics Entertainment, the web comic follows a cast of information technologists as they write code, fix bugs and solve problems around the globe, while simultaneously trying to maintain their personal lives.
"This new web comic celebrates the people who make the world run," says Gorfinkel, who goes by the moniker "Gorf." "IT pros and developers usually stay behind the scenes and keep a low profile, but in fact many of them are unsung heroes."
The comic will run from January 28 – June 28, 2008 and readers can subscribe to an RSS feed to receive the newest installation every day.Continue At Source
The February edition of TechNet Magazine is now available to read online or to downaload as a standalone HTML Help (.chm) file.
In this issue the main subject is Sharepoint, but there are other "Exchange related" articles, such as Unified Communications or PowerShell.
Here's a short list of some of the coolest articles:
Mid-market IT professionals interested in learning more about the upcoming Essential Business Server solution should tune into this show on BlogTalkRadio.
Microsoft's Steve VanRoekel and Arlin Sorensen of Heartland Technology Solutions talk about the product, how it will help IT pros, and what it will mean for VARs and system integrators.
Today, RCA Music Group and Microsoft Corp. announced that MSN has signed on as the exclusive online broadcaster and as a title sponsor of Clive Davis’ legendary Pre-Grammy Party, which will be held Feb. 9 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
MSN will be the exclusive online broadcaster of the evening’s historic musical performances. On Sunday, Feb. 10, music fans can log on to music.msn.com for access to performances and interviews straight from the red carpet. On Monday, Feb. 11, fans will also be able to access on demand performances from the star-studded event.
This annual event, which occurs on the eve of the Grammy Awards, long-ago established itself as the destination for A-list celebrities, Grammy winners, Hollywood stars, sports legends, authors and influential entertainment industry executives. The evening consists of cocktails, a sit-down dinner and performances from some of the biggest names in music.
“MSN’s exclusive webcast of Clive Davis’ legendary Pre-Grammy Party highlights our commitment to providing fans with a variety of extraordinary music and entertainment experiences,” said Rob Bennett, general manager of entertainment, video and sports, MSN. “We are proud to be a part of this renowned evening, which brings together the recording industry’s finest talent and biggest celebrity names for a night of unforgettable music.”
Tom Corson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, RCA Music Group said, “We are delighted to welcome MSN as a first-time sponsor of what is always one of the entertainment industry’s biggest nights. We are thrilled to have MSN present this exclusive star-studded show to a worldwide audience.”
In recent years, performers at Clive Davis’ legendary Pre-Grammy Party have included Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Akon, Mary J. Blige, Pink, Foo Fighters, Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox, Barry Manilow, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Nelly, Carlos Santana, Ludacris, Wyclef Jean, P. Diddy, Chris Brown, Patti LaBelle, Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart, and Justin Timberlake, among others.
Attendees have included Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Sidney Poitier, Chris Rock, Vice President Al Gore, Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, Courtney Love, Steven Tyler, Diana Ross, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi, Reese Witherspoon, Larry King, Sheryl Crow, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Antonio Banderas, Jackie Collins, Mariah Carey, Jerry Seinfeld, Magic Johnson, Lance Armstrong, Britney Spears, Nick Lachey, Martha Stewart, Quincy Jones, Howard Stern, Penny Marshall, Evander Holyfield, and many more.
The performance lineup for the event is kept secret until the night of the show. This year the event is being held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
365 days and 100 million licenses later, enthusiasm for a safe, reliable and engaging Windows Vista experience is high. In a roundtable Q&A, members of the Windows Vista team and others reflect on the past year and how Vista’s presence in the marketplace is maturing.Since the worldwide release of Windows Vista one year ago today, people are doing more and getting more out of their Windows experience. From pictures and videos, to games and family safety settings, users are finding out that they can do more with Windows Vista.
To get the full picture of what the past year has brought for Windows Vista customers, PressPass gathered a group of people representing many different viewpoints: Neil Charney, General Manager, Microsoft Windows Client; Robin Mason, a mom whose family participated in the “Life With Windows Vista”, program (in which 50 ordinary families gave feedback for the development of Windows Vista); Jeff Price, Senior Director in the Windows Group at Microsoft ; Richard Russell, Principal Development Manager in the Windows Client Performance Group; Austin Wilson, Director, Windows Client Security Product Management; Kevin Unangst, Senior Global Director of Games for Windows; and Chen Shaopeng, Lenovo's Senior Vice-President and President of Greater China Region.
PressPass: How have people responded to Windows Vista?
Neil Charney: The fact that we've passed the 100 million mark in licenses says something about people's response, but even more important has been people's increasing enthusiasm for using Windows Vista.
With any new operating system, there's a natural reluctance to upgrade because people have concerns about compatibility, they’re uneasy about learning something new or unsure about what the move to a new operating system will bring. But those who are using Windows Vista have generally been very pleased. We commissioned independent studies from IPSos and NPD to explore the attitudes of users about the operating system not only in the U.S., but also in China, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. According to NDP, 70 percent of these users say it's an improvement over their previous operating system.
Personally, I know that the test of anything new for me is: Would I go back to what I was using before? When it comes to Windows Vista, for me it’s emphatically no. I watch my kids use the Instant Search technology to find information on the PC or to start up applications like Microsoft Office by simply typing Word into the Start menu—those are experiences that we quickly got used to. It's just much, much easier to work with applications, get to them quickly and visualize the information with folders that display thumbnails of the actual content.
Robin Mason: That's been my experience, too. Around the time of the launch last year, I was asked how I'd compare Windows Vista to Windows XP. I gave Windows XP a rating of 75 and Windows Vista 80. After using Windows Vista this past year on two of the three computers I have at home, I'd give it a 90. Nothing's perfect.
I've been wanting to write this blog entry for some time now and just have never found the time to sit down and do it. Well today seem like as good a day as any to do it. I'm not focusing on the entire SQL server development process but rather give you some insight in to what we did in the manageability team. This is more philosophical for high-level process then meat and potatoes.
After we shipped SQL2K5 we sat down and brainstormed things we could do for the next release. As you can imagine the list was amazingly long. There was one major theme that we wanted to adhere to: make it easier to manage SQL Server. You can say this a number of different ways but they all mean the same thing. Honestly that was the easy part the hard part was deciding of all the things we could do what would have the biggest bang for the buck. We did some detailed customer analysis to come up with three big bets. Those turned out to be Policy-based Management, Data Collector, and Intellisense. There were also a number of smaller areas we knew we wanted to invest in. Finally, we knew there were several things with the tools that we wanted to fix.
As anyone developing software knows you can't do everything at once. So we had to choose where to start. There are a number of different software development methodologies and processes. One thing that is common among almost all of them is to start with the riskest areas first. This meant we had to start on the three big bets.
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Hi everyone, I thought it might be interesting to post an article on the integration System Center has developed with the Windows Server 2008 NAP team. As we head towards February 27th, and Los Angeles for the launch of Windows Server, I thought it might be interesting to detail how NAP works, and how System Center adds value to the core out of the box functionality NAP in Windows Server 2008 delivers.
Today’s increasingly mobile workforce and the need for inter-connectivity present an entirely new set of challenges for IT departments. In addition to ensuring that the desktop computers on the network are up-to-date and meet the company’s requirements for system health, network perimeters must also protect networks from roaming devices that may be vulnerable to security exploits.
Network Access Protection is designed to protect the network by validating System Health when the Client attempts to connect. This set of technologies allows an IT administrator to restrict non compliant devices from accessing network resources. The Network Access Control market is expected to pass the $4 Billion mark in 2008, and with the launch of Windows Server, NAP enters the market with a very strong product.
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday to extend the U.S. government's antitrust oversight of Microsoft Corp for two more years, but stopped short of granting a five-year extension sought by states accusing the company of continuing monopolistic behavior.
District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she will extend the government's oversight of Microsoft until November 12, 2009, two years after its original expiration date, due to delays by Microsoft in filing technical documents to software licensees.The consent decree settled the landmark U.S. antitrust case against Microsoft in 2002. The decree covers the company's ties to computer makers, how its software works with other types of software and enforcement to ensure it does not repeat past practices.
The consent decree's expiration had been temporarily pushed back until January 31 while Kollar-Kotelly considered the motion filed by 10 states to extend government oversight of Microsoft.
The states, which include California and New York, wanted the decree extended until 2012, arguing that Microsoft would again use its market dominance to crush competitors once the decree expired.
We've just released a very cool plug-in for Microsoft Office Outlook for Photographers called Microsoft Pro Photoshoot. This plug-in allows any photographer to create a list of their clients and equipment in Outlook and will help ensure that the right equipment arrives at the right shoot.
Some of us just are not detail people. I'm great at seeing the big picture, but I often forget the little things. So I make a lot of lists to keep track of stuff. Pro Photo Shoot is a Microsoft Office Outlook add-in that is designed to help photographers keep track of the little stuff. When you're first planning a photo shoot—perhaps while you're on the phone with your customer—you can bring up a dialog with a list of the equipment you own and then check off what you want to bring with you.
The list is stored in the body of the appointment so when you print the appointment record the list is right there with all the other details. That way you can have the list in hand as you're running out the door to make sure you've got everything you need. And you can have the list at the shoot to make sure you bring everything back with you (I told you I was bad on details).
Microsoft has made the latest version of its integrated tool suite available to volume licensees and retail customers as of January 29.
Microsoft released to manufacturing Visual Studio 2008 on November 19, 2007, and made it available at that time to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers. Today, Microsoft announced additional availability of Visual Studio 2008. It is now on the January 2008 volume licensing price list (via Open, Select, Enterprise Agreement and Full Packaged Product licenses) in a posting to the US ISV Developer Evangelism Team blog.
To understand in detail what each configuration item will be evaluating please review the properties of that configuration item in the context of the server role being addressed.
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Also:
Microsoft Windows Server 2000 Assessment Configuration Pack for Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
This configuration pack contains configuration items intended to help you establish and validate a desired configuration for your Windows 2000 servers in order to support your Federal Information Security Management Act compliance efforts.