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MICROSOFT
 
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  • Microsoft Executive Circle ...
    • "A publication for business leaders: Executive Circle Magazine will keep you up to date on how technology is being utilized to meet the challenges of today's digital economy. It provides real examples of how enterprises across the globe have used Microsoft technology, solutions, and services successfully to solve their IT issues. Articles include links to resources that can aid in the technology decision-making process."
    • Managing the Complexities of Outsourced Product Design
       
  • Build an airtight business case for new IT investments - the Microsoft Rapid Economic Justification (REJ) Guide can help you sell senior management on the enterprise technology projects you want to pursue
     
  • Calculate your net worth - "Have you ever tried to figure out your net worth? This downloadable template - a net worth calculator for Microsoft Excel - makes it easy."
     
  • Microsoft Advisor - an online resource for mid-sized businesses with 50 to 1000 employees that "brings together all the information you need to make smarter, more profitable decisions about Microsoft technology." 
     
  • Microsoft Architecture Journal - "Software architecture is a tough thing - a vast, interesting and largely unexplored subject area. As an art, it requires intuition and understanding of well-established architectural disciplines. As an engineering practice, it leads to formation of system models consisting of parts; with descriptions of their shape and form in terms of properties, relationships, and constraints. The rationale for their existence often derives from the system requirements. And of course, everyone has or wants to say something about it!"
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  • Microsoft Architecture Journal - alternative web site
     
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  • Microsoft - Patterns & Practices home - "Proven practices for predictable results"
  • Microsoft Patterns and Practices Enterprise Library - "The cheapest piece of code is a piece of code you don't have to write yourself"
  • Understanding Service-Oriented Architecture - a concise explanation of service-oriented architecture, what it is, and how it affects what architects, CIOs, project managers, business analysts, and lead developers do.
  • Microsoft Architecture Overview - understand Microsoft's approach to enterprise, application, and technology architectures.
  • Microsoft UK Architecture Centre >> Architect Forums (many resources)
     
  • Microsoft Office System for Architects - Microsoft Office has evolved beyond a productivity suite into a unified solutions platform that makes enterprise data and processes more accessible and relevant to users. Composed of clients, servers, services, and tools, it provides a single infrastructure for communication and collaboration, business intelligence, and content management solutions. This site brings together relevant ideas, concepts, and best practices to aid architects in designing and building applications using the Microsoft Office System.
     
  • Microsoft Architect Webcasts ...
  • The Blueprints to Web Services Architecture - An Introduction to the Web Services Architecture and Its Specifications - describes the design principles underlying the architecture and foundational technologies for Web services. Plus it covers all the essentials - from protocol requirements, to code infrastructure and security requirements.
  • What is Microsoft doing with Web Services? (video)
     
  • Confessions of a Used Programming Language Salesman (Getting the Masses Hooked on Haskell) - Erik Meijer writes: "After a long journey through theoretical computer science, database theory, functional programming, and scripting, abstract concepts such a monoids, lambda-expression, and comprehensions have finally reached the day-to-day world of ordinary programmers. The LINQ framework effectively introduces monads, monad comprehensions, and lambda expressions into the upcoming versions of C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9. ... This paper is a personal account of my journey to democratize the three-tier distributed programming problem. It starts with my attempt to use Haskell as the language to write threetier distributed data intensive applications, then continues with my brief flirtation with the Internet Scripting Language Mondrian, the C! language, the LINQ framework and C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9, and ultimately comes to a happy end with my devotion to Visual Basic."
     
  • Integrating .NET & J2EE with Web Services - Concepts, challenges, and solutions
  • Managing J2EE and .NET Interoperating Applications - Managing application resources is too important to be an afterthought. This Dr. Dobbs article examines strategies for managing applications requiring interoperability between J2EE and .NET resources.
  • Webcast - Heterogeneous and MS .NET development with IBM Rational Software Development Platform
  • JNBridge - interoperability between Java and .NET ... Access Java objects and classes from .NET and access .NET objects and classes from Java

  • Are you doomed if your office computer tech quits? - It's the nightmare that most small businesses aren't prepared to face: What would happen if you suddenly lost your office computer expert? Would you be in big trouble? ... The answer usually is "Yes!" But just how much anguish, time and money would an unanticipated departure cause your company's operations? Ask yourself these six questions to find out.
     
  • Windows Update Services (WUS) is the next version of Software Update Services (SUS) and can help simplify and automate the deployment of patches and updates in your organization. Available as a free add-on, WUS is the update management component of Windows Server. It benefits IT organizations by helping to automate the update management process and by reducing the amount of time, effort, cost, and risk associated with the process. WUS will support updating Windows operating systems as well as all Microsoft corporate software (more than just Windows) over time. WUS addresses simple update management scenarios, while Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 supports advanced update management needs. Microsoft Update will be the new web-hosted update service that will deliver updates for additional Microsoft software, and will be launched in conjunction with the release of WUS. (Windows Update will continue to be available for legacy reasons.)
  • What You Need to Know About Windows Rights Management Services - Windows RMS lets enterprises protect sensitive email messages and other documents with manageable rights technologies that limit whether others can read, print, forward, edit, or perform other tasks on these documents.
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  • Code Name Longhorn - A First Look at Writing and Deploying Apps in the Next Generation of Windows - The next version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, code-named "Longhorn," marks a significant change not only in terms of how the operating system works, but also in the way in which applications are built. The Longhorn version of Windows includes a new storage system, natural search technology, and an increased emphasis on security and trustworthy computing. This overview of Longhorn focuses on the build-once, deploy n-times application model, discusses the new language, code-named "XAML," that's used to create UI elements, and presents some working samples.
     
  • Windows XP and NetBEUI (not officially supported) ...
    • How to Install the NetBEUI Protocol on a Windows XP-Based Computer - "This article describes how to install the NetBEUI protocol on a Windows XP-based computer. This may be useful because the NetBEUI protocol is not included in the list of installable protocols in Windows XP even though the files that are needed to install the protocol are included with the installation CD-ROM. It is important to note that the NetBEUI protocol is not supported on Windows XP."

    • How to: Install NetBEUI on Windows XP (Q301041) - "Microsoft has discontinued support for the NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) network protocol in Windows XP. However, it is understandable that migration to another network protocol, such as TCP/IP could involve significant time ..."

    • A non-Microsoft comment

       
  • Preview the Future of Microsoft Developer Tools - Find out about groundbreaking innovations in the programming languages, development environment, and Microsoft .NET Framework class libraries that will support major product releases such as Office System 2003, and the next SQL Server and Windows operating systems.
  • Building Interoperable Web Services: WS-I Basic Profile 1.0 - With the recent release of the WS-I Basic Profile, Microsoft has put together a definitive guide on how to design and code interoperable Web services using the WS-I Basic Profile with Visual Studio .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework.
  • Designing and Evaluating a Web-Based Collaboration Application - A Case Study (using SharePoint Team Services from Microsoft)
     
  • Microsoft’s new database modeling tool for .NET - using Microsoft Visio for Enterprise Architects ...
    A series of articles (by Dr Terry Halpin) - seethe June 2001 and later issues of the Journal of Conceptual Modeling and the ORM - Object Role Modeling site.
     
  • The Economies of Online Cooperation: - Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace - "The Internet is filled with junk and jerks. It is commonplace for inhabitant of the Internet to complain bitterly about the lack of cooperation, decorum, and useful information. The signal-to-noise ratio, it is said, is bad and getting worse. Even a casual trip through cyberspace will turn up evidence of hostility, selfishness, and simple nonsense. Yet the wonder of the Internet is not that there is so much noise, but that there is any significant cooperation at all ..."
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Migration from Lotus Notes/Domino to Microsoft Exchange & from UNIX or Linux to Windows

MICROSOFT-RELATED USER GROUPS & COMMUNITIES

JAVA TECHNOLOGY FOR WINDOWS


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REVIEWS - ARTICLES

THE TECHNOLOGY BATTLE:   .NET VERSUS JAVA VERSUS LINUX

 

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  • InfoWorld's Save Windows XP campaign - They say: "Microsoft plans to end most sales of Windows XP on June 30, despite a deep reluctance by many business and individuals about moving to Vista. InfoWorld believes such an expensive, time-consuming shift with problematic benefits should not be forced on Windows users, so we have decided to rally XP users to demand that XP be kept available."

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  • Longhorn could be tough sell for Microsoft - "the toughest test for Microsoft's next release of Windows is still to come: Will anyone buy it? ... With past updates, users had clamored for more stability and security, but analysts say people are pretty happy with Windows XP. ... Microsoft for the very first time is going to be faced with the challenge of being the player whose (operating system) is 'good enough' as is."
     
  • Momentum favors Microsoft, and the snowball is growing - ComputerUser  on the Dynamics of Monopoly: "This is not another Microsoft-bashing column, however. It's a reality check.  ... This is what we're in for with the Microsoft monopoly: an endless stream of expensive new products that taxes companies and their users to the breaking point. Are you ready for it?"
  • Five years of Ballmer - the effect on Microsoft - "While CEO Steve Ballmer has clearly retooled some parts of Microsoft to more closely mesh with his hard-driving style, the world's largest software maker still faces many of the same challenges: open source, legal skirmishes, and slowing growth in some of its core businesses."

  • Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)
    • .NET Questions
    • The Business of Software
    • The Design of Software
    • Technical Interviews
    • Our .NET Strategy "Here are my current thoughts on the gradual migration to .NET development tools at Fog Creek. ... ... ... The status quo: Most of CityDesk is written in Visual Basic 6.0, with parts written in Visual C++ 6.0. Most of FogBUGZ is written in VBScript for ASP, with parts written in C++. Almost all of our internal tools and our web presence (Fog Shop, Discussions, etc) are written in VBScript for ASP. ... ... ... Why bother moving to .NET at all? Simply put, it's because .NET appears so far to be one of the most brilliant and productive development environments ever created. ASP.NET really makes it incredibly easy to create useful web applications; over the last couple of days I've been creating some applications we use internally at incredible speed. All the grungy stuff that takes 75% of the time creating web applications with ASP (such as form validation and error reporting) becomes trivial. ASP.NET is as big a jump in productivity over ASP as Java is to C. Wow. ... ... ..."
     
  • Screencast demonstrating the desktop search capability in Windows - Why doesn't Microsoft make it plain and easy to use this lightning-fast search capability? See how, even when the Windows Indexer is enabled, the usual Windows search won't use it unless you prefix the search term with an exclamation point. (Also see the ancient and obscure Windows indexing administration tool in use.)
     
  • Microsoft Outlook horror stories - "Microsoft Outlook is the Jekyll and Hyde of the Microsoft Office suite. When Outlook is good, it's very good. But when it's bad, it's a horror show. Yes, we love Outlook when it's reminding us of appointments, helping us schedule meetings, alerting us of e-mail from the big boss, and keeping us honest with our deadlines. But then with no warning our adorable little pal goes all psycho on us. Searches crash the system. We find ourselves buried alive in an Inbox that's out of room. And then there are those pernicious, pervasive, flesh-eating e-mail viruses. All too soon, our Outlook dream is a nightmare. And we can't wake up. Each weekday this week." (CNET tackles a scary Outlook nightmare, with expert tips and downloads will help you chase away the Outlook gremlins hiding in your closet.)
     
  • The $100 PC?  No Chance in Hell Without L - "It's quite hypocritical of Microsoft to call for a $100 PC, when what we really need is $10 software. ... When the world sees a $100 PC, it will be running Linux, not Windows XP, just as the first ready-to-use $200 PC was running Linux."
     
  • Does Excel Open a Security and Compliance Hole in Your IT Environment? - There's not much question about the fact that Excel is used extensively around the world. It is, in fact, "the 'data' tool of choice for the non-database professional" ... With such widespread use of Excel, it's certainly reasonable to question the security of the environment. ... Excel is used so frequently "because it is so easy to implement compared to programmatic solutions. It is also one of the most simple ways to model data. ... The challenge with Excel is that it originated as a standalone, desktop spreadsheet and quickly became the world's most popular financial reporting and analysis software. Many companies rely on it to produce their most critical financial reports ..."
     
  • Migration from the IBM iSeries to Microsoft Windows ...
    • Microsoft aims at Big Blue bull's-eye (the iSeries) - The Midrange Alliance Program, or MAP, will see Microsoft join up with Fujitsu, Electronic Data Systems and a half-dozen other companies to try to convince businesses to look at Windows-based alternatives to IBM's iSeries servers, the latest in the AS/400 family. "We look at the iSeries as having this well-deserved reputation as superintegrated and ultrareliable," a senior product manager at Microsoft said. But "the road map that got it there has taken kind of this left turn."
    • California Software and  Microsoft target the IBM iSeries - they are offering the former's INFINITE iSERIES product to migrate IBM AS/400 and iSeries applications to Windows.
       
  • Network Computing
    • Enterprise Groupware Products - an evaluation of products from the top players in the groupware arena. See how Network Computing tested IBM Lotus Domino 6.5, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Novell GroupWise 6.5 and how they decided which one toppled its rivals with its extensive application-development functionality, smooth install and management capabilities.
     
  • Two survey-based reports tackle 2004 Messaging Usage - "The makeup of the enterprise messaging server landscape has continued to change in favor of Microsoft, which now appears to hold 53 percent of all enterprise messaging server deployments. Lotus Domino deployments among US companies have declined slightly, holding roughly 24 percent of the U.S. market."
     
  • How Microsoft Lost the API War - "Although there is some truth to the fact that Linux is a huge threat to Microsoft, predictions of the Redmond company's demise are, to say the least, premature. ... Mainframes are still with us,  nothing happened on January 1, 2000, and IBM reinvented itself as a big ol' technology consulting company ... So extrapolating from a few data points to the theory that Microsoft is finished is really quite a severe exaggeration. ... However, there is a less understood phenomenon which is going largely unnoticed: Microsoft's crown strategic jewel, the Windows API, is lost."
     
  • Do you need Citrix, or is Terminal Server enough? - Is Citrix Presentation Server “worth” the extra US$300-400 on top of Terminal Server? What about one of the server-based products that costs less? Is ICA better than RDP? With more users do you need Citrix? What is the real value for Citrix? And what about the new features of Terminal Server in Microsoft's "Longhorn"?
     
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  • Microsoft: Can we check your software license? - Microsoft is trying to get to know its pirates a little better. The software maker has launched a pilot program in which some visitors to the main Windows download page are being asked to let the software maker check to see whether their copy of the operating system is licensed
     
  • Lotus, Microsoft IM strategies offer mixed messages - Microsoft's Live Communication Server 2005 debuts this fall [2004]. It will be the first enterprise product to allow users to exchange instant messages with users of public clients, namely AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. IBM's Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing ( formerly known as Sametime) allows presence-based communication between employees on a company's own network, but it does not connect with outside consumer services: "We have our finger on the pulse of what enterprises use IM for, and this is not important."  "The Microsoft announcement has turned IM into a serious business tool," said a senior analyst with Forrester Research Inc. "It's the first time that businesses have been able to look at [IM] as something that can translate business needs out to a huge network of consumers." ... "It is a strange move on IBM's part," Root said. "IBM needs to realize that buyers want interoperability. They need to have a response to Microsoft." (Read the entire article here.)
     
  • Office, Beware -- Here Comes Workplace - IBM's new Web-based software package aims to let corporations use as much or as little of Microsoft's software as they want -- or none at all.
  • An introduction to Eclipse for Visual Studio users - for Microsoft Visual Studio developers, getting started with Eclipse can be confusing. New concepts, such as plug-in architecture, workspace-centric project structure, and automatic build can seem counterintuitive at first. Learn about these and other differences between the two environments, so that you can begin to feel at home with Eclipse.
     
  • Microsoft woos Asia in Asia - In Southeast Asia, the software giant is offering unprecedented bargain prices on its Windows operating system and Office suite.
  • Users tire of Microsoft’s product lifecycle treadmill
     
  • Weighing the costs of open source MySQL database - Figuring the costs of MySQL open source software is more complicated than you might think, especially because it's free. ... While MySQL passed performance tests, the IT staff at a credit card processing company became concerned that MySQL didn't have enough formal support backing it up. "The cost of ownership isn't just the cost of acquisition or maintenance; it's also the vendor responsiveness when you've got a critical issue and downtime. The cost of dollars to a company that has a database down can be staggering. ... The up-front cost savings for open source products didn't even out the long-running support costs. Implementing the open source binaries is a little cheaper on the initial purchase, but now you have to engage support contracts at levels that seem quite high. ... In the end, the managers were not prepared to jump to the unknown, who praised Microsoft's support and overall vision for its [SQL Server] DBMS."
     
  • The Myth of Self-Describing XML - "The strange perception that XML is the panacea for system interoperability, or even information representation, is seriously affecting how systems are being designed and specified. ... the hype surrounding XML will exact its toll on us over the years - a toll the information industry can ill-afford."
     
  • Mozilla, Gnome mull united front against Longhorn - "As Microsoft focuses on merging its Web browser and operating system software, open-source competitors are mulling a proposal to join forces and beat the software giant to the punch. ... Competitors fret that when Longhorn launches, standalone browser and desktop applications may find themselves consigned to the computing paradigm scrapheap. ... What makes Longhorn dangerous for the viability of Linux on the desktop is that the combination of Microsoft deployment power, XAML, Avalon and .Net is killer."
TaskTracker™ - Keep Your Files at Your Fingertips™ "TaskTracker takes the Windows Explorer and turns it inside out. Say goodbye to tedious searches for files in Windows' convoluted file system. Now you can get to the files you want to work with - and open, copy, rename, or move them - right away without having to remember where you left them. TaskTracker automatically tracks all kinds of Office documents; jpg, gif, and other image formats; mp3, wma, and other music files - and many, many other documents types you work with on a daily basis. You can sort file types alphabetically, by frequency of use, or by most recent use - and you can sort the files of each type by dates, names, containing folders, or folder paths. The files you last worked with will already be at the top of the list, if that is what you want. Or you can filter files according to time periods of your choosing, like yesterday, last week, or a month ago."

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THIRD-PARTY  MICROSOFT-RELATED  SITES & TOPICS
 See also: Programming - Technical Support
 
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