Server Applications

Competing Microsoft Products Cause Collaboration Confusion

SharePoint Team Services, SharePoint Portal Server, and Exchange 2000 offer different strengths and routes for developing collaborative solutions

First Exchange 2000 Service Packs Ship

Although they stop short of full version releases, the first Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange 2000 Conferencing Server service packs come loaded with new features

BizTalk Service Pack 1 Released

SP1 for BizTalk Server 2000 fixes approximately sixty bugs and adds several new product enhancements

SQL Server 2000 SP1 Available

The Service Pack includes enhancements to multi-processor scalability, analysis services, and replication services

MEC 2001 Begins Sept. 30

Microsoft Exchange Conference to take place Sep. 30–Oct. 4 2001 in Orlando, FL.; conferences in Japan & France to follow

Operating Systems

Linux Becoming Greater Threat to Microsoft

Linux is causing a great deal of concern among Microsoft’s senior executives, especially with respect to the embedded and server markets

Windows Messenger Moves IM, Conferencing in New Direction

The Windows Messenger client in Windows XP has important strategic implications for firms interested in setting up virtual meetings, and could help Microsoft compete against AOL

Secure Windows Initiative to Tackle Security Vulnerabilities

Planned changes to Microsoft's development practices could help reduce security vulnerabilities that discredit Windows as an enterprise platform

Microsoft Drops Smart Tags from Internet Explorer

Controversy surrounding Smart Tags, which add hyperlinks to a Web page without a page owner’s knowledge or permission, cause Microsoft to remove the feature from IE 6.0

Development Tools & Programs

Office XP Becomes a Stronger Development Platform

Office XP user features such as Smart Tags have received the most publicity, but beneath the hood are a host of improvements for developers

.NET Mobile SDK Morphs into Mobile Internet Toolkit

.NET wireless controls originally released as the .NET Mobile SDK Beta 1 have been enhanced and re-released as the Mobile Internet Toolkit Beta 2

ASP.NET Beta 2 Release Goes Live

Beta 2 versions of the .NET Framework and Visual Studio.NET ship; Microsoft gives permission for others to run public Web sites on ASP.NET beta

PDC October in Los Angeles

Professional Developers Conference scheduled for Oct. 22–26, 2001

Desktop Applications

Office Becoming Client for .NET

Microsoft is repositioning Office to deal with dual threats: users who see no need to upgrade to the latest version, and the increasing use of browsers to access server applications

Visio 2002: Out of Office

The first major upgrade of Visio since its acquisition improves design templates and the user interface and supports large-scale deployment technology borrowed from Office

New Client To Extend OLAP Reach

Adding a new charting and reporting product called the Microsoft Data Analyzer to the Office family should help drive sales of SQL Server as a business intelligence platform

Office XP Updates Help Files, Small Business Tools

Minor updates posted for Office XP deliver new help files for the products and migration tools for Office 2000 users

Commercial & Consumer Services

AOL and Microsoft: Nothing to Talk About

AOL Time Warner and Microsoft have different stories about why talks broke down, but it's clear that neither company had a compelling reason to reach a new agreement

MSN to Offer Major-Label Music Service

Called Pressplay, the fee-based service will allow users to download and perhaps swap high-quality streaming audio files from well-known artists

Expedia Stake Sold to USA Networks

The sale of the Expedia online travel service continues Microsoft's movement away from maintaining its own Web content and e-commerce properties

MSN Messenger Suffers Outage

Many users of Microsoft's MSN Messenger instant messaging service were without service for seven days, and 300,000 users were forced to rebuild their contact lists

ListBot Shutting Down

Microsoft is shutting down ListBot, a free bCentral service for sending e-mail newsletters and managing subscriber lists

Sales & Support

Licensing Deadline Extended

Volume licensing customers will have a few months longer to become compliant with Microsoft’s new product upgrade policies

Corporate News

What the Appeals Court Said

A detailed summary of the recent appeals court verdict, a decision that will affect Microsoft's behavior as well as have significant implications for the entire technology industry

Verdict Will Affect Partnerships, Agreements

Although the appeals court's verdict will affect Microsoft's business dealings, it will not put a stop to the company's practice of integrating application-like features into Windows

Strong Q4 Sales Tempered by Investment Loss

A one-time write-off from bad cable and telecom investments ate up most of this quarter's profits, but the overall financial picture remains strong