This month, Microsoft updated its Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), a suite of desktop management tools that are currently offered only to the company’s Software Assurance (SA) customers. As with earlier versions of MDOP, this suite is a must-have collection of valuable utilities–many of which originated at startups since purchased by Microsoft–and an obvious and tangible benefit of Microsoft’s subscription-based enterprise licensing program. If you’re not taking advantage of MDOP, it’s time to take a look.

MDOP is typically used with Windows Vista Enterprise- or XP-based clients, though certain features are available only in Vista. In its latest incarnation, it offers five essential capabilities. These capabilities are:

Full Article – http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_mdop.asp

Consolas is intended for use in programming environments and other circumstances where a monospaced font is specified. All characters have the same width, like old typewriters, making it a good choice for personal and business correspondence. Optimizing the font specifically for ClearType allowed a design with proportions closer to normal text than traditional monospaced fonts like Courier. This allows for more comfortable reading of extended text on-screen.

Full Article – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=22e69ae4-7e40-4807-8a86-b3d36fab68d3&DisplayLang=en

Last week, there was talk that Microsoft was considering broadening the way it makes Microsoft Office available over the Web using streaming technology.

On April 30, Microsoft shared a bit more about its future plans for streaming, using its SoftGrid technology. But officials wouldn’t talk — except in the most general terms — about how and when the company is planning to expand its use of streaming technologies around Office and other Microsoft apps.

Full Article – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1371

Last week, there was talk that Microsoft was considering broadening the way it makes Microsoft Office available over the Web using streaming technology.

On April 30, Microsoft shared a bit more about its future plans for streaming, using its SoftGrid technology. But officials wouldn’t talk — except in the most general terms — about how and when the company is planning to expand its use of streaming technologies around Office and other Microsoft apps.

Full Article – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1371

At the SQL Connections conference in April of 2008 I gave a presentation on some of the new Manageability Improvements for SQL Server 2008. In this blog post I’ll talk about one of those new improvements – our new PowerShell provider for SQL Server.

For a couple of days now I’ve posted about the basics of PowerShell. I mentioned that it has a few advantages that I think the DBA will find essential:

1. It’s like a batch-file based system (all of your old logic will still work)

2. It lets variables stand for objects (see the post yesterday for this)

3. It has piping (the | symbol)

Full Article – http://blogs.msdn.com/buckwoody/archive/2008/04/30/sql-server-2008-management-improvements-sql-server-provider-for-powershell-part-3.aspx

At the SQL Connections conference in April of 2008 I gave a presentation on some of the new Manageability Improvements for SQL Server 2008. In this blog post I’ll talk about one of those new improvements – our new PowerShell provider for SQL Server.

For a couple of days now I’ve posted about the basics of PowerShell. I mentioned that it has a few advantages that I think the DBA will find essential:

1. It’s like a batch-file based system (all of your old logic will still work)

2. It lets variables stand for objects (see the post yesterday for this)

3. It has piping (the | symbol)

Full Article – http://blogs.msdn.com/buckwoody/archive/2008/04/30/sql-server-2008-management-improvements-sql-server-provider-for-powershell-part-3.aspx

What’s Microsoft want with Adobe Photoshop guru Mark Hamburg, who recently joined the Redmond juggernaut?

Hamburg a programmer who has been part of the Adobe Photoshop team since version 2.0 and helped lead the Photoshop Lightroom one, is now a Softie, as News.com’s Stephen Shankland reported on April 28.

The official word from Microsoft is Hamburg will be working on unnamed “user experience” efforts. My bet is Hamburg will be instrumental in helping Microsoft bring to market its Photoshop Lightroom competitor, which is codenamed “SmartFlow.”

Full Article – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1367

What’s Microsoft want with Adobe Photoshop guru Mark Hamburg, who recently joined the Redmond juggernaut?

Hamburg a programmer who has been part of the Adobe Photoshop team since version 2.0 and helped lead the Photoshop Lightroom one, is now a Softie, as News.com’s Stephen Shankland reported on April 28.

The official word from Microsoft is Hamburg will be working on unnamed “user experience” efforts. My bet is Hamburg will be instrumental in helping Microsoft bring to market its Photoshop Lightroom competitor, which is codenamed “SmartFlow.”

Full Article – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1367

Microsoft has decided not to release Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 to Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center as planned on April 29. The reason? A last-minute compatibility issue with a Microsoft application — Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS).

Here’s the latest from a company spokesperson:

Full Article – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1368

MSDN Library provides access to essential programming information, including technical reference documentations, white papers, software development kits and code samples necessary to develop web services and applications. This is an updated version of the MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2005. Major updates in this library version include Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 documentation and Windows Vista™ Developer documentation.
Updated content sets in this April 2007 Edition include:

• Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 documentation

• Visual Studio 2005 general documentation updates

• Windows Vista Developer documentation

• Windows® Driver Kit (WDK) documentation

• SQL Server™ 2005 Books Online product documentation

• SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Books Online

• Microsoft Knowledge Base

• And More…

Download Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b8704100-0127-4d88-9b5d-896b9b388313&DisplayLang=en

MSDN Library provides access to essential programming information, including technical reference documentations, white papers, software development kits and code samples necessary to develop web services and applications. This is an updated version of the MSDN Library for Visual Studio 2005. Major updates in this library version include Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 documentation and Windows Vistaâ„¢ Developer documentation.
Updated content sets in this April 2007 Edition include:

• Visual Studio 2005 Service Pack 1 documentation

• Visual Studio 2005 general documentation updates

• Windows Vista Developer documentation

• Windows® Driver Kit (WDK) documentation

• SQL Serverâ„¢ 2005 Books Online product documentation

• SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition Books Online

• Microsoft Knowledge Base

• And More…

Download Link – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b8704100-0127-4d88-9b5d-896b9b388313&DisplayLang=en

Microsoft Office Labs, probably best known for their concept video of the future of personal health which was shown at MIX08 (video), have just launched their public website today at www.officelabs.com. Similarly to Microsoft’s other product-development group Live Labs, Office Labs aims to test ideas for Office by building prototypes and collect usage data from the people who risk testing them. It’s win-win for everyone.

Full Article – http://www.istartedsomething.com/20080428/search-commands-available-office-labs/

Readers of my blogs know how much I dislike the use of the command line, no matter how adept I am at it, hence my affection for VistaBootPRO (Windows Vista BCD Editor), FullArmor Workflow Studio (PowerShell GUI), and now….tada….CoreConfigurator!

This tool puts a (very basic) GUI on top of Server Core to allow for a graphical configuration of Server Core. While that seems like a contradiction, I feel it is a very welcome tool, since it makes configuring server core faster.

CoreConfigurator has the following features:

• Product Activation
• Configuration of display resolution
• Clock and time zone configuration
• Remote Desktop configuration
• Management of local user accounts (creation, deletion, group membership, passwords)
• Firewall configuration
• WinRM configuration
• IP configuration
• Computer name and domain/workgroup membership
• Installation of Server Core features/roles

Full Article + Download – http://absolutevista.com/blogs/absolutevista/archive/2008/04/02/coreconfigurator.aspx

The death of Windows XP may have been greatly exaggerated.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company could re-evaluate its plans to phase out Windows XP by June 30, if customers demand that it stick around. So far, they have not.

“XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” Ballmer said during a Thursday news conference in Belgium, according to Reuters.

Full Article – http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9927721-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

The death of Windows XP may have been greatly exaggerated.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company could re-evaluate its plans to phase out Windows XP by June 30, if customers demand that it stick around. So far, they have not.

“XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” Ballmer said during a Thursday news conference in Belgium, according to Reuters.

Full Article – http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9927721-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5