[The articles below were posted between Jan. 28, 2001 and Feb. 18, 2002 and appear in the March 2002 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Server Applications

Commerce Server 2002 Showcases .NET

Commerce Server 2002 supports ASP.NET and the Visual Studio .NET development environment and offers other incremental improvements

Bundle Supports Business Web Sites

The Microsoft Solution for Internet Business (MSIB) bundles Microsoft server applications into a solution for high-end business Web sites

Operating Systems

Security Coding Halt, New Hires

The Windows Division has implemented security training and a code review, and Microsoft has announced new executives for security policy and products

New Security Package, Tool

Microsoft released its first cumulative security hotfix package for Windows 2000 and updated a tool that helps administrators determine which hotfixes have been applied on a computer

Development Tools & Programs

XML to Glue Applications Together

XML will play a leading role in Microsoft's strategy to stir up server business and tie together its diverse and constantly growing product line

Visual Studio .NET Launched

Microsoft has released Visual Studio .NET, the largest and most significant tool upgrade in the company's history

Beta Tool Converts Java to C#

Microsoft has released a beta version of the Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA), a developer tool that translates source code written in Java to C#

Tools Back Office as .NET Client

The Office XP Web Services Toolkit makes it easier for developers to access XML Web Services using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

Desktop Applications

Recent Consumer Product Shipments

Table of consumer desktop applications and hardware released between July 2001 and Jan. 2002

Appliances & Emerging Networks

TV Division Changes Signal New Realism About Market

Microsoft is downsizing UltimateTV and reorganizing the TV Division to focus exclusively on the Microsoft TV platform

SQL Server CE Updated

The first service pack for the SQL Server 2000 Windows CE Edition database engine fixes bugs and makes the engine compatible with development tools for the Pocket PC 2002 platform

Commercial & Consumer Services

Slate Founder Steps Down

Michael Kinsley has stepped down as editor of Slate, Microsoft's general interest online magazine, and will assume a lower profile

Sales & Support

Lower Prices for Application Hosting

Lower prices for service providers who offer Microsoft apps for rent will bolster Microsoft’s hosting partners and maintain an important delivery channel for Web services based on .NET

Certified Partner Program Updates

The program—which offers inexpensive software, customer referrals, and other benefits—is now open to hardware vendors and has added additional software for members

Corporate News

AOL Suit Reopens Browser Monopoly, Tying Claims

AOL's lawsuit over Netscape presents the most significant legal threat to Microsoft since a judge's breakup order in June 2000

Changes to Vice Presidents

Microsoft promoted some new vice presidents and changed the duties of others between Oct. 2001 and Jan. 2002