[The articles below were posted between April 26, 2004 and May 24, 2004 and appear in the June 2004 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Server Platforms

Human Workflow in BizTalk Server 2004

BizTalk Server 2004 could help organizations build applications that automate components of human-based business processes, called workflow; however, creating workflow applications requires considerable developer skill and documentation is incomplete

Live Communications Server 2005 Taking Shape

A new release of Live Communications Server in 2004 will support multiple organizations and Internet users

Self-Service Reporting Technology Acquired

The acquisition of software vendor ActiveViews could help Microsoft offer self-service reporting capabilities in SQL Server Reporting Services

Windows and Mobile

New Server Release on Windows Roadmap

A Windows Server update in 2005 has been added to Microsoft's operating system product roadmap, but Longhorn is still the only significant client release beyond 2004

Windows Server 2003 Drives Consolidation

Improvements in hardware and software, combined with the need to reduce operating costs while improving management, are driving server consolidation on Windows Server 2003

Windows Driver Foundation Aims to Make Drivers More Reliable

To alleviate problems created by unreliable device drivers, Microsoft has announced a set of long-term goals, along with an interim set of steps in Longhorn, to transform the way Windows interacts with device drivers

WinHEC Forecasts Windows Future

Improved design and support for smoother connections between devices were the key themes at the 2004 Windows Hardware Engineering Conference

Windows Networked Storage Enhanced

Five enhancements to Microsoft's networked storage support should increase the utility and lower the cost of SANs and Windows-based NAS devices

Risk Assessment Help Available

New services and tools from Microsoft and partners help customers conduct risk assessments to improve their overall security

Business Applications and Services

Encore Acquired for Public Sector Accounting

Acquisition of software from business management solutions provider Encore Business Solutions Systems adds public sector accounting features to Great Plains

Updated Outlook Connector for Domino

The Outlook Connector for Domino has been updated to make it compatible with Outlook 2003 and Domino R6

Careful Testing for Office XP SP3

Office XP Service Pack 3 delivers many fixes for bugs and security vulnerabilities, but also introduces problems with add-ins and Word mail merge

Visio 2003 XML Schema Available

The schema used by Visio 2003 to save drawings in XML format will be available royalty-free from Microsoft's Web site

Development Tools & Programs

Indigo to Aid Web Services Development

Microsoft hopes that Indigo, its implementation of key Web services standards, will take service-oriented architectures from the bleeding edge to the mainstream

Free C++ Compiler Available

In a move to blunt the appeal of Linux, which in addition to providing a free OS includes free development tools, Microsoft is making its optimizing C++ compiler available for free

Consumer Products and Services

DRM to Support Subscription, Rental Services

The latest iteration of Windows Media Digital Rights Management, code-named 'Janus,' supports new business models for digital media services

ContentGuard Stake Could Help DRM Strategy

Microsoft and Time Warner could use their control of digital rights management (DRM) pioneer ContentGuard to work toward interoperability among different DRM systems

EA to Support Xbox Live

Video game giant Electronic Arts (EA) will for the first time support Xbox Live, in an important vindication for Microsoft's online gaming service

Home Net Hardware Cancelled

Less than two years after entering the home-networking market, Microsoft is discontinuing all home-networking products except for its Xbox Wireless Adapter

TV Platform Updated

Changes in Microsoft's TV platform to better support digital video recording (DVR) and video-on-demand (VOD) services were likely made with Comcast in mind

MSN Messenger Adds Subscription Games

Microsoft hopes to convince some of MSN Messenger's 110 million registered users to pay up to US$15 per year for games

Sales & Support

Surplus PC Programs Aid Nonprofits

Special licensing rules for PC refurbishers and software donations assist organizations that donate and use surplus PCs

Promotions Mark Sales, Marketing Push

An unusual number of special promotions and rebates suggests that Microsoft is responding to issues such as longer product cycles, competition, and the need to increase its small business presence

Hosting Deal Signed with BT

A marketing deal with BT will gauge support for subscription pricing for Office and hosted Exchange e-mail

Corporate News

Spring Reorganization Redesigns MSN, Servers

The spring 2004 reorganization brought significant changes to MSN and important shifts in enterprise sales and servers

Legal Expenses Cut Into Strong Q3'04

With IT spending staging a recovery, Q3'04 saw strong growth across Microsoft's core business lines, although legal charges of more than US$2.5 billion cut into profits

Europe Research Center Opens

The new European Microsoft Innovation Center (EMIC) will foster public-private research partnerships in technology areas that the European Union (EU) has deemed important