Windows & Mobile
- Free! Longhorn to Bring New Printing Path
- Longhorn will include a new print path, offering better performance and print quality, but requiring change to applications as well as new printers and drivers
- New 64-bit Options Aid Performance, Security
- Although new 64-bit processors run most existing 32-bit applications, the lack of device drivers may prove to be an interim roadblock to widespread adoption
- New Content Protection Technology in Longhorn
- Longhorn will support new copy-protection schemes—including the ability to copy-protect or disable video outputs—in an effort to convince content owners to trust the PC with high-definition video
- June 2005 Security Updates
- The June 2005 security updates, including three critical and four important patches, are available through the unified Microsoft Update Web site and can be deployed with Windows Server Update Services
Business Applications & Services
- Free! Office Document Processing Platform Emerging
- Upcoming Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office shows how Microsoft's Information Worker group could outflank Adobe in digital document processing
- Office 12: New File Format
- The next version of Office will use new XML file formats for several of its applications, simplifying access to Office data from other applications but possibly posing challenges to migration
- New Point-of-Sale Software for Small Retailers
- A new point-of-sale application will challenge Intuit's QuickBooks Point of Sale; however, the product does not work with Microsoft's main accounting products, such as Great Plains
- Microsoft Business Network Cancelled
- The Microsoft Business Network—services and software that helped companies build electronic trading networks—is being retired; Microsoft will incorporate its features into products such as Great Plains
Server Platforms
- Reporting Services Updated for SQL Server 2005
- Updates to Reporting Services and a new end-user reporting feature could encourage upgrades to SQL Server 2005; however, the new feature works only with SQL Server data sources
- Updated Patching Tools Cover OSs, Applications
- Two new tools are available to help users and organizations keep Microsoft OSs and applications current with the latest patches and service packs
- Security, Management Focus at TechEd
- TechEd 2005 keynote addresses focused on security and management, offered some insight into upcoming SQL Server and Visual Studio releases, and hinted at future products
- Small Business Server 2003 SP1
- The first service packs for Small Business Server 2003 are now available, and Premium customers get a free upgrade to Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004
Development Tools & Programs
- Acrylic Targets Graphics Professionals
- A new program marks Microsoft's entry into the professional graphics market and increased competition with Adobe, but its limited feature set and the popularity of Adobe products pose major obstacles
- Avalon Takes on Flash and Applets
- Avalon, the graphics system to be included in Longhorn, will provide a .NET alternative to Java applets by allowing 'Express' applications to run within Internet Explorer and with limited security privileges
Consumer Products & Services
- New Guidelines, Tools in Spam War
- New MSN guidelines help ensure that legitimate messages, such as newsletters, aren't stopped by Hotmail's spam filters; a new tool helps ISPs stop spam from originating from their domains
- Free Mapping Site to Be Overhauled
- MSN Virtual Earth, the successor to the MSN Maps site, will include satellite and aerial photographs, better search, and user annotations
Corporate News
- EU Concessions; Patent Setbacks
- To avoid further fines from European regulators, Microsoft offers to change some licensing terms for communications protocols
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