SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1(SP1) is now available for download. SQL Server 2008 R2 service packs are cumulative updates and upgrade all service levels of SQL Server 2008 R2 to SP1. This service pack contains the cumulative updates of SQL Server 2008 R2 cumulative update packages 1 thru 6. You can use these packages to upgrade any of the following SQL Server 2008 R2 editions:
Link – http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26727
Microsoft is planning to make the software development kit (SDK) for the new version of the touch-centric Surface 2.0 system available for download on July 12.
The Surface 2.0, which is being manufactured and distributed via Samsung (and is officially known as the SUR40), is expected to be priced at around $7,600 when it debuts later this year. The Surface 2.0 is expected to be thinner, cheaper and more versatile (able to be used horizontally or vertically) than the Surface 1.0 tabletop computer.
This week, we will release an update to Windows Live Essentials 2011. In addition to changes that improve performance and quality of service, the update also includes full support for SSL in Windows Live Mail, and the latest Bing bar. Here are a few of things we think you’ll find the most interesting:
We’re excited to announce that later this year we’ll be adding a new tool to our already rich portfolio of planning and deployment tools. This new tool, PST Capture, will be downloadable and free, and will enable you to discover .pst files on your network and then import them into both Exchange Online (in Office 365) and Exchange Server 2010 on-premises.
Link – http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2011/07/05/coming-soon-pst-capture-tool.aspx
Microsoft Security Essentials 2.1
Download – Virus, Spyware & Malware Protection Microsoft Security Essentials
Office 2010 Service Pack 1 released today and it available for downloading from the following links:
Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB2460049) 64-bit Edition
Service Pack 1 for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB2460049) 32-bit Edition
Microsoft is launching a cloud-based version of its Office software suite.
Called Office 365 the service puts the familiar e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet and collaboration programs on the web.
Microsoft said the programs will be accessible via desktops, laptops and tablets plus Microsoft, RIM, Apple and Android smartphones.
Web Standards Update provides the much wanted HTML5 & CSS3 support to Visual Studio 2010 SP1. It brings VS 2010 intellisense & validation as close to W3C specification as we could get via means of an extension.
Link – http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/a15c3ce9-f58f-42b7-8668-53f6cdc2cd83
Tip of the day based on the recent SkyDrive update.
Reports began surfacing about a new Microsoft cloud outage on June 22 — less than a week before the company is slated to turn on its Office 365 hosted service platform.
Users of Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) — its Google Apps competitor that will be superseded by Office 365 — are having e-mail issues. They’re also reporting that they cannot tell what is going on, as the Health Dashboard they rely on for updates also is not working.
Earlier today the Exchange CXP team released Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 SP1 to the Download Center.
This update contains a number of customer-reported and internally found issues since the release of RU1. See ‘KB 2509910: Description of Update Rollup 4 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1’ for more details. In particular we would like to specifically call out the following fixes which are included in this release:
Download – http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=26554
As officials have been hinting in recent weeks, Microsoft has relaunched and updated its Windows Live SkyDrive cloud storage service.
Microsoft is altering the SkyDrive user interface so that it is easier and quicker for users to see exactly what they’ve stored and how to access their files, photos and documents.
A year ago, when I blogged about possible plans by Microsoft to include a hypervisor in its Windows 8 client — and not just the server — I was told a lot of things. I heard it was impossible, that I was off-base, that it was nothing but a pipe dream.
Cut to June 20, 2011 — a few days after a new Windows 8 Milestone 3 (M3) build, No. 7989, leaked to the Web. While dissecting the latest bits, WindowsNow.com blogger Robert McLaws discovered that there is, indeed, a Hyper-V 3.0 in the Windows 8 client code base.
System Center Orchestrator 2012 Beta empowers IT Pros to easily develop Runbooks for the System Center suite that interoperate with 3rd party systems to automate data center workloads.
Over the past month, I received a couple of tips claiming that Apple was a Windows Azure customer.
At first, I just dismissed the tips as nothing but a crazy rumor. Then I got more serious and started asking around, to no avail.
But once Apple launched the beta of its iCloud iMessage service, the Infinite Apple site, along with a few other blogs, analyzed the traffic patterns and found that Apple appeared to be using both Azure and Amazon Web Services for hosting.
Link – http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/is-apple-really-using-windows-azure-to-power-icloud/9687
