[The articles below were posted between November 29, 2004 and December 22, 2004 and appear in the January 2005 hardcopy edition of Update.]

Server Platforms

Vintela Investment for Unix Integration

By making a sizeable equity investment and signing a broad agreement, Microsoft has singled out Vintela as its prime software partner for solutions that integrate Unix and Linux with Windows

LCS 2005 Takes Corporate IM Beyond the Firewall

The new version of Live Communications Server extends instant messaging (IM) and presence services beyond the firewall to roaming users and other organizations, and it is now available in an Enterprise Edition

Exchange Edge Product Cancelled

The Exchange Edge Services e-mail gateway product has been cancelled and its features will be rolled into the next major Exchange release

Windows and Mobile

SP4 Last Service Pack for Windows 2000

Monthly security updates and a maturing product means Microsoft will only issue an update rollup before Windows 2000 leaves Mainstream support--making SP4 the baseline for ongoing support

NT 4.0 Custom Support Gets Minor Changes

Windows NT 4.0 will get some additional custom security vulnerability support, but the changes will not extend the product's life past Extended support

Windows XP Embedded SP2 Released

Manufacturers using Windows XP Embedded can now incorporate the improvements in Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 in their specialized devices

Software Giant Acquires Giant Software

The Security Business Unit is acquiring antispyware firm Giant Company Software and will be releasing a Microsoft antispyware program

IE Patch Precedes Year-End Updates

Microsoft released a critical update to fix an HTML vulnerability in Internet Explorer, without waiting for the normal monthly release

Business Applications and Services

Live Meeting Updates Aid Corporate Web Conferences

The Live Meeting Web conferencing service has been updated to help corporations manage usage and simplify access by corporate users

New Office Solution Strategy

While still promoting Office System products as building blocks for solution development, Microsoft is dropping its own solution development efforts in favor of partners

New UI and Analytics for Navision

Navision 4.0 gets improved usability courtesy of an Outlook-style user interface and stronger business analytics via integration with SQL Server; a number of other updates refine the product's existing feature set

Axapta Releases Life Sciences Edition

Axapta for Life Sciences will help companies such as drug manufacturers meet industry-specific regulations; however, it is not an out-of-box solution and must be implemented by specially certified Microsoft partners

Development Tools & Programs

ASP.NET 2.0 Features Cut

Minor features planned for ASP.NET 2.0 and included in the first beta will be removed in future betas and the final product

Developers Conference to Define Windows Future

The next Windows client, code-named Longhorn, will be the main subject of a Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Sept. 2005

Consumer Products and Services

MSN Launches Search Tools

MSN's new desktop search tool leapfrogs Google's similar offering but is not suitable for corporate use, and MSN still has work to do to catch Google in Web search

MSN Update Focuses on Free Services

In contrast to past years, the MSN update in late 2004 focused exclusively on advertising-supported services, including a new personal Web page service called MSN Spaces

Sales & Support

Global ISV Strategy Focuses Microsoft Resources

Microsoft's relationships with ISV partners are designed to focus resources efficiently and reward loyalty to the Microsoft platform

Partner Program Absorbs Certified Support

The Gold Certified for Support Services partner program will be phased out and integrated into Microsoft's regular partner program