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Techworld OS and Servers Newsletter
Thursday 1 September 2005
>The latest OS and Servers news, views and reviews<
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>TOP OS AND SERVERS NEWS<
Microsoft releases Windows file system beta
WinFS test version appears well ahead of schedule.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4296&email
Microsoft to support Linux with next Virtual Server
And Solaris. But virtually of course.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4279&email
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>MORE OS AND SERVERS NEWS<
XP-Lite travels to Philippines
Worldwide cut-down Windows tour continues
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4322&email
Linux 40 percent cheaper than Windows, exclaims IBM
Latest salvo fired in OS war.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4321&email
Windows smashed by unpatched critical Explorer hole
Affects fully patched systems. Microsoft investigating.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4312&email
Zotob author could be virus mastermind
Arrested teenager part of larger group.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4311&email
Microsoft buys VoIP company Teleo
Rival to Skype and Google Talk in the wings.
http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4305&email
Malware may hide in Windows registry
Long names provide cover for hacked boxes.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4302&email
Fujitsu Siemens loads 64-bit Opterons in workstations
New technology also means lower power consumption.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4301&email
IBM produces continuous data protection
For workstations, laptops and file servers.
http://www.techworld.com/storage/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4293&email
Intel demos worm cut-off technology
System automatically kills infected PC connection.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4291&email
Chinese president to pop in to see Bill Gates
Friends in high places.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4289&email
Novell buys out Indian partner
Takes full ownership of sub-continent subsidiary.
http://www.techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4286&email
Linux/Unix e-mail flaw leaves system wide open
Old hand Elm suffers critical hole. And new boy Mplayer also in trouble.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4283&email
Full Cell chip specs released
IBM, Toshiba and Sony looking for bigger market for biggest processor.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4282&email
Elpida completes its first DDR3 chip
Next-gen memory race heats up.
http://www.techworld.com/storage/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4280&email
IBM releases new four-way server
XSeries 260 created for big backups.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4278&email
W3C objects to US govt browser bias
Copyright Office support only given to Explorer and Netscape.
http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4276&email
Some XP machines vulnerable to Zotob worm
If you have Simple File Sharing enabled, be careful.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4275&email
Cisco warns of sensor flaw
Could be used to spoof intrusion detection and prevention system.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4274&email
CA struck dumb by yet another security hole
Apps from BrightStor to Unicenter affected by critical flaw.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4270&email
StorageTek doubles mainframe array capacity
But it lags well behind the Sun 9990.
http://www.techworld.com/storage/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4269&email
Sarbanes-Oxley will be 2005's biggest time waster
Poll of US companies reveals irritation with compliance laws.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4266&email
AMD adds two to Turion mobile chip range
The MT-37 and the MT-40.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4265&email
BEA plucks Plumtree for $200 million
An act of survival for both companies.
http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4264&email
BEA drops pricing premium for dual-core
Chips now treated as single unit, in line with industry trend.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4263&email
Google updates desktop search
Extends search and indexing.
http://www.techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4262&email
PHP hit by another critical flaw
Patches already on their way.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4259&email
IAnywhere releases details of Jasper upgrade
SQL Anywhere beta out soon.
http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4257&email
Apple re-releases critical security patch
Previous update broke 64-bit applications.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4252&email
Explorer flaw affects Office
And Visual Studio.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4251&email
Germany launches national IT security plan
Calls for emergency response centre, greater co-ordination.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4250&email
Sun creates new open source co-ordination job
And hires Simon Phipps to fill it.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4249&email
Google, MSN, Flickr... struck by security hole
Tens of thousands of Web applications affected.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4245&email
Sysadmins taking brunt of blame for Windows worm attack
Fifth of businessmen blame IT staff for not fixing hole fast enough.
http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?NewsID=4244&email
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>FEATURES<
Microsoft puts price on virtual server upgrade
Says it warrants product release; users without Software Assurance have to pay
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1721&email
Linux is harder to live with, reckons poll
But it does seem to be less hardware-hungry
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1720&email
How to move your company to open source
...Or maybe not....
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1713&email
Tuning Systems for NFS
Suggestions for ways to avoid some or all of the issues associated with
NFS
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1704&email
It's raining code!
You owe it to your company to take a closer look at open source
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1702&email
Debian consortium takes on Novell, Red Hat
A new standardisation effort aims to make Debian a first-class
enterprise Linux contender
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1694&email
FUD-busting the grid debate
Is grid technology relevant for the enterprise?
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1689&email
Companies take divergent paths with mainframe
Some are moving to mainframes, otehrs to virtual servers
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1688&email
The Linux v Windows debate is growing up
MS advocates move towards acceptance of the open source idea
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?FeatureID=1686&email
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>REVIEWS<
Windows Server Update Services
Scalable WSUS tops its SUS predecessor
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/reviews/index.cfm?productid=336&reviewID=323&email
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3 x E w wydaniu Microsoft

Embrace, Extend, Extinguish unix. Samm DiStasio, a director in the Windows Server unit stwierdził, że SFU (services for Unix - bezpłatny dodatek do Windows) będzie od wersji W2K3 R2 włączony do systemu operacyjnego. Nie wyklucza się jednak swtorzenie z tego samodzielnego produktu w przyszłosci. Ma to ułatwić tworzenie srodowisk heterogenicznych Unix-Windows.

Ciekawe linki

Biblioteki:

1. Berkeley
2. California
3. Internet Classic Archive
4. Gutenberg
5. Perseus

Adresy b. ciekawe:

• Tablica układu pierwiastków wykonana w technologii AJAX
• Wszystko na temat naprawy Windows XP
• Zen informacje
• Generator pomysłów i strona główna
• Historia rozwoju kultury arabskiej na płw. Iberyjskim
• Dokument precyzujący wymagania i politykę odnosnie systemów informatycznych dla stanu Mass. ("Information Domain - Enterprise Technical Reference Model v.3.5"). Artykuł na ten temat z serwisu betanews. Wynika z niego, że dokumenty muszą być w formie otwartej jak to zdefiniował OASIS (OpenOffice, SUN StarOffice i IBM WorkPlace spełniają te wymagania, Adobe Acrobat też jeżeli wybrano format XML). Pominęto natomiast MS Office 2003. Walka trwa, być może Office 12 będzie bardziej otwarty lub nawet będzie wspierał format OpenDocument. Wynik do wrzesnia 2007. Opozycja:

1. Massachusetts - chief information officer, Peter Quinn oraz
2. sława w swiatku XML - chief XML Architect, Jean Paoli
3. mediator - Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance Eric Kriss który mówi: "made representations to us recently they are planning to modify that license, and we believe, if they do so in the way that we understand that they have spoken about...the next iteration of the Open Format standard will include some Microsoft proprietary formats."

Uwaga na MS

Po co firma MS kupiła Teleo? Aby MSN Messenger (ich instant messager) mógł prowadzić rozmowy VoIP. Podobny ruch wykonał Google ze swoim Google Talk ale on bazuje na XML i Jabber (G. przewiduje dodanie takiej opcji poprzez wewnętrzne projekty np. http://www.gizmoproject.com/). Natomiast zakup Teleo udostępnia natychmiast MS natychmiast możliwosć PC-to-PSTN (intergracja komputera z Public Switched Telephone Network ) czyli prowadzenia tradycyjnych rozmów telefonicznych z PC-ta.

Sybase jak Fenix

Sybase jak Fenix
Po roku testów przewiduje się 12 września premierę nowego produktu Sybase - ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) 15. Wiele zmian optymalizacyjnych i bezpieczeństwa. Wersja okrojona Express (bezpłatna ale z ograniczeniami) będzie za 90 dni. Rola firmy Sybase na rynku baz danych jest znikoma ok. 2-3% (IBM i Oracle mają po ok. 30%, MS też dwucyfrowy wskaźnik). Jedynie co wyróżnia firmę Sybase to jej prymat na rynkach finansowych i bankowych (Kondor) – połowa akcji na Wall Street przetwarzana jest w bazie Sybase.

Zapis do blog z MS W

Zapis do blog z MS Word

VB 9.0 jak Fenix

Na wrzesniowym PDC oczekuje się ogłoszenia szczegółów na temat:

1. pojawienia się produktu dla nieprofesjonalnych użytkowników (bussiness-orinted programmers) w postaci nowej wersji VB 9.0 (będzie on włączony do nowego systemu Vista).
2. Dodatkowo oczekuje się w nowej wersji Visual Studio (nazwa Orcas) narzędzi .Net Language Integrated Query Framework, przeznaczonego do zniwelowania różnicy w operowaniu na dzanych o różnych formatach przez aplikacji (czyli ramy wspierającej zintergrowane możliwosci przeszukiwania danych i tworzenia zapytań do danych przechowywanych w różnych formatach).
3. Nową wersję ASP.Net wspierającą technologię Atlas, ułatwiającą tworzenie aplikacji webowych typu rich client. Atlas korzysta z takich technologii jak DHTML (Dynamic HTML) and XMLHTTP. Jest to także JScript rama niezależna od rodzaju przeglądarki służąca do budowania aplikacji w przeglądarce wspierającej rich UI i wykorzystującej Web services.

Tu mówi google

Decyzja o promocji własnego IM jako Google Talk jest ważne z wielu względów:

1. Stanowi on poważne zagrożenie dla innych twórców komunikatorów Yahoo, MSN, AOL (stworzyły one zamknięte rozwiązania)
2. bazuje on na otwartej technologii Yabber objetej standardem
3. wymusi wspolprace miedzy komunikatorami

Kilka lat temu kiedy instant messenging rozpoczynało się rozwijać pojawił się problem wyboru standardu protokołu. Wybrano SIMPLE (bazujący na SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) protokole telefonicznym (do tej pory nie jest on jeszcze ustalony do końca przez IETF). Za nim stanely firmy IBM i Microsoft. Inni np. HP, Apple i France Telecom opowiedzialy sie za XMPP, opartym o XML. Rozwiazanie Google opiera sie o XMPP i pozwala korzystac z innych komunikatorow jak Adium, iChat, GAIM, and Trillian Pro. Pewnym ograniczeniem jest korzystanie z komunikacji glosowej w ktorej prym widzie SIP. Google planuje dla niego wsparcie w przyszlosci. Jak narazie GTalk przeznaczony jest dla GMail i uzytkwonikow korzystajacych z konkurencyjnych komunikatorow. Wiadomosci z ostatniej chwili : Apple Tiger OS wspiera XMPP, podobnie SUN wprowadzil XMPP do swego produktu - Sun Java System Instant Messaging.

Historia lubi się powtarzać

Andrew 'Tridge' Tridgell twórca narzędzia do synchronizacji plików w systemach rozproszonych rsync, może się usmiechnąć poniewać w nowej wersji W2K3 R2 będzie włączony mechanizm DFSR (Distributed File System Replication)zmniejszenia wykorzystywanego pasm do komunikacji między serwerami(site-ami) lokalnymi a centralą w celu optymalizacji ruchu. DFSR jest analogią oprogramowanie rsync (przesylania zmian w pliku między jego dwoma kopiami) dostępnego jako GPL od 1996 r (zaprezentowany na konferencji w Redmond jako dodatek optymalizujący do CIFS (Common Internet File System)) .

Spadek popularnosci PHP

Is the web's love affair with PHP over? * http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/08/04/php_evans/
If Evans Data Corp (EDC) is to believed, then some big names in enterprise systems have been rash in their support for open source scripting language PHP.

This last eight months saw Intel, SAP, Oracle and IBM all support PHP, with investments or product backing through partnerships with PHP king Zend Technologies.

However, EDC's survey has found PHP, along with scripting cousins Perl and Python, is seeing drastically reduced adoption among developers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Use of PHP has dropped by a quarter in EMEA during the last 12 months to just under 28 per cent while 40 per cent of developers said they have no plans to evaluate or use PHP.

The EMEA numbers are a microcosm of a global trend, according to EDC. Adoption of PHP is slowing in North America and slamming to a stop in Asia Pacific.

EDC believes PHP's recent glorious past is over, as customers spend money on "more important" technologies to build mission critical systems and vendors like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems make more of a concerted marketing push around alternatives such as ASP.NET and JavaServer Pages (JSP).

EDC chief operating officer John Andrew told The Register: "There are some alternatives that are better promoted and packaged, and people are turning to those."

Zend disputes EDC's figures with its own pro-PHP figures and dismisses the view that Intel, SAP, Oracle and IBM placed bets on what is turning into an ephemeral developer strategy. Zend claims the number of monthly downloads of its Zend integrated development environment (IDE) today number 20,000, up from 5,000 in September 2004, with an accompanying 150% growth in the privately held company's revenue. Furthermore, Zend is opening offices worldwide.

As for stats, Zend points to Netcraft who claims 22m internet domains use PHP, making it the internet's most popular scripting language.

"Microsoft is interested in PHP - the next version of IIS is going to support PHP. If there was no interest, or we were seeing a decline of interest in PHP, why would they get their product to support PHP?" asked Zend vice president of marketing Michel Gerin.

Furthermore, while EDC maintains PHP is not seeing "serious" deployment, Zend claims changes to the language like the addition of Object Orientation (OO) in PHP 5.0 mean the language is going beyond pure web site development and into the enterprise as an alternative to Java and C++.

There-in, though, could lay a problem. If Java developers are indeed picking-up PHP because - like almost anything else it seems - it is simpler to use than Java, then it will hit the marketing wall of Sun, BEA Systems, Borland, IBM and Oracle who either deliver serious Java development tools or application servers. On C++, PHP must largely contend with Microsoft's Goliath-like Visual Studio.

Idle curiosity could have accounted for the PHP spike EDC identified two years ago as large numbers of developers planned to evaluate or adopt PHP. When it came to using PHP, though, that's where developers probably turned to their familiar tools.

While adoption may be slowing, PHP is not going away. With an estimated 2.5m PHP developers and web sites going up on a daily basis that have been built using PHP, the language is firmly ensconced in computing's landscape. The only question seems to be: how deep can PHP go in business computing?

The decision by IBM and Oracle to provide native support for PHP in their databases proves they have recognized PHP's ability to harm their core businesses, and their desire to avert any problems by winning over PHP developers. According to Gerin, IBM and Oracle want to ensure PHP developers develop applications and web sites that use their databases and not "PHP-optimized" databases like MySQL. "They want to be part of the game," Gerin said.

Andrew agrees that the big vendors are just keeping their options open. "I don't think PHP is going to go away fast - they have a large share of the market. Most of those suppliers have to remain open to multiple ways to be friendly," he said.

If EDC is right, then the real problem is not for the tier one vendors who have deep pockets and multi-platform support to ride out any tactical snafu, but an emerging class of start-ups betting their business on LAMP. Companies like SpikeSource and SourceLabs plan to provide certification and testing for business software in the Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl/Python/PHP (LAMP) stack. But, what happens if the "P" part of the stack is losing developers and evaporates?

Andrew is confidant LAMP will adapt, and other open source languages will take the place of PHP. "[LAMP] was intended to be interchangeable - that's the beauty of it. That's the beauty of open standards and open source," he said.®

* Grassroots computing languages hit the big time = http://news.com.com/Grassroots+computing+languages+hit+the+big+time/2100-1007_3-5705448.html?tag=st.num
* Have scripting languages peaked? = http://news.com.com/2061-10795_3-5820051.html

Spadek zainteresowania j. skryptowymi

August 5, 2005 6:26 AM PDT
Have scripting languages peaked?

A recent study from Evans Data Corp. casts doubt on enterprise software vendors' moves to warm up to scripting development languages.

The study, published on Thursday, found that the number of people using PHP for development in Europe, Middle East and Africa fell by over 25% last year and that the number of developers who would not evaluate PHP for future product grew by almost 40 percent. Similarly, Perl and Python also saw significant drop-offs in usage and planned usage.

"PHP, Perl and Python use on a global basis peaked one to two years ago and has started to decline based on a number of factors. This decline is more exaggerated in EMEA and APAC than in North America," said John Andrews, Evans Data's Chief Operating Officer, in a release. "One of the key factors to this loss of developer mindshare has been the inability of these languages to penetrate the enterprise space."

Yet judging from many vendors' plans, scripting is down-right trendy compared to, say, Java. Long-time Java devotees IBM and Oracle have both partnered with Zend Technologies to make a PHP work better with their respective databases. Microsoft and BEA Systems are also reaching out to scripting developers

Indeed, for many people, choosing a scripting language over Java, for example, is a no-brainer.

"Why should you try to build a Web site with other languages when it's much more appropriate to use PHP, Perl or Python?" said Anne Thomas Manes, an analyst at the Burton Group. Java Enterprise Edition, by contrast, should be used for complex algorithms and other back-end programs, she said.

Phil Wainewright, too, in his Loosely Coupled blog argues that light-weight development techniques other than Java Enterprise Edition are "a sign of things to come.

Not surprisingly, executives at Zend technologies took issue with the Evans Data study, according to an article and The Register.

Błąd IBM

Wg. najnowszych źródeł IBM popełnił straszny błąd zmieniając status swego produktu (oprogramowania narzędziowego)z "open source" na "proprietary". Podważa to zaufanie społecznosci "open source" co do prawdziwych intencji tej firmy (mimo niepodważalnego wkładu finansowego w popularyzację technologii związanej z Liniux'em. Taka decyzcja IBM prawdopodobnie spowodowana jest chęcią przyciągnięcia użytkowników do WebSphere, co nie zawsze jest celowe w przypadku małych firm.
Więcej informacji: http://search400.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid3_gci1110709,00.html

Kto tu gra czysto?

To, że IBM przeznacza 1 mld USD na promocje technologii Linux swiadczy, że chce nie tylko wykołować z nowych rynków (kraje takie jak Rosja, Chiny, Indie i Brazylia reprezentują około 25 % twórców oprogramowania a w roku 2008 będzie to 28%, dużo dojrzalszy rynek ameryki płn. i europy jest trudniejszy do zdobycia - paradoksalnie IBM chce zarobić na ubogich państawch) firmę MS, ale również oferować własne też zamknięte rozwiązania (oparte o Javę i technologie związane z Linux-em) tam gdzie to jest możliwe. Dzieje się to w czasach trudnych dla IBM (po raz drugi kwartał dochód IBM spadł o 4%). Jedyną trudnoscią jest szeroko zakrojone piractwo oprogramowaniem MS (być może to uratuje Microsoft). Z drugiej strony mamy do czynienia z sabotażem IBM, która swymi praktykami podkopuje gospodarkę amerykańską utrudniając ekspansję na rynki zewnętrzne najcenniejszą firmę gospodarki USA - Microsoft.
Raport z morningstar.

Co z SSL?

Serwis NetCraft podaje, że coraz mniej banków stosuje SSL w czasie CAŁEJ sesji z klientem, oznacza to przesyłanie poczatkowych wymian informacji (login/passwd) bez szyfrowania. Wynika to z próby uniknięcia dużego narzutu obliczeniowego, który opóźnia czas reakcji na żądania internetowe (uniknięcie tego wąskiego gardła jest możliwe poprzez akcelerator sprzętowy, ale to kosztowne rozwiązanie). Sytuacja ta stwarza poważne zagrożenia na atak typu "man-in-the-middle" (MTM) co może zagrozić zaufaniu w e-commerce. MS blogger wypowiedział się przeciw tym praktykom w swoim bloggu. NetCraft też krytykuje próbę wykręcenia się z kosztów.

PDC

Tematy poruszone na PDC 13-16 wrzesnia:

• Windows Vista: The next release of Windows formerly known as Longhorn, which is due in 2006. Vista is expected to introduce a number of new features, including a revamped security model to better protect end-users, a new graphics subsystem, reliability improvements to keep applications from crashing, integrated RSS, along with overhauled mobile capabilities.
• WinFX: One of the "Fundamentals" of Vista, WinFX is the new application programming interface (API) that lays the framework for the new Windows release. WinFX is composed of the .NET Framework, Avalon and Indigo.
• Windows Presentation Foundation (Avalon): Avalon is the new graphics subsystem in Vista. It will utilize Direct3D, which will enable advanced graphical capabilities that tap into a system's hardware. Developers can take advantage of Avalon to create completely custom designed applications, along with effects such as transparency and shading.
  WPF also introduces a new programming language called XAML, which is based upon XML. XAML was created to streamline and speed up application development by separating the interface from program code.
• Windows Communication Foundation (Indigo): Built around a Web services architecture, Indigo is the next-generation communications platform within Vista. Developers can create applications without having to worry about network complexities by simply calling Indigo functions. Indigo will include native support for IPv6, WS-* and RSS. It will also introduce a new Peer Channel that will serve as the foundation for peer-to-peer communications.
• WinFS: Windows Future Storage was slated to be the next-generation file system to debut with Windows Vista. But the technology was shelved in August 2004 due to concerns that too many changes would push Vista beyond its 2006 release timeframe. However, Microsoft has now resurrected WinFS and is also back-porting the technology to Windows XP.
• WinFS sits atop NTFS and tracks metadata for all files on a system to improve organizing, searching and sharing of information. Applications may also store data directly in WinFS, which is based on Microsoft's SQL Server 2005 technology.
• Internet Explorer 7: One major focus of solving Windows' security woes is plugging the holes in Internet Explorer. Although Microsoft originally planned to drop standalone IE development altogether, the company reversed course following a spate of high-profile vulnerabilities and external pressure from the likes of Firefox and Opera.
  IE7 has been rewritten to ensure Web surfers stay protected from the latest dangerous code - be it trojan, worm or phishing scam. The browser will also include a new protected mode to keep the core of Windows inaccessible to Web sites. Microsoft has also endowed IE7 with a number of functional improvements including tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking and a built-in RSS feed reader.
• Monad: Although it is expected to be the new command line shell in Vista, Monad's future is not set in stone. Because Monad's capabilities are so vast, some security experts have expressed concerns. For example, while Monad can be used to manage Exchange 12 via the command line, malicious scripts could easily take control of an entire system.
• Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey): The oft-delayed new Visual Studio release will finally launch on November 7. The programming suite will draw on Microsoft's latest technologies to enable developers to create next-generation applications atop Windows Vista and more.
  SQL Server 2005 (Yukon): Aside from powering WinFS, Yukon will finally replacing the aging SQL Server 2000 with a modern database. Along with native support for XML, Yukon will feature built-in reporting services, improved debugging, cross-domain queries and data mirroring functionality.
• Exchange 12: The newest Exchange Server release brings to the table a number of improvements over Exchange 2003. At the top of the list is a new universal message store designed for IM, e-mail, faxes, and voicemail. Microsoft has also notably upgraded the Web access feature, which will let users view and send messages using a Web browser in an environment that mirrors Outlook.
• Office 12: Although Microsoft hasn't said much about the next release of Office, PDC 2005 will likely offer further clues. One major change will be the introduction of completely new file formats, dubbed Microsoft Office Open XML. The formats will utilize ZIP compression and prevent data corruption.
  As a consequence of being XML-based, the interoperability capabilities of Office have risen dramatically. Applications and systems such as databases can access the content of documents and spreadsheets for queries or data entry, making those processes autonomous and virtually hands free.
• XPS (Metro): The XML Paper Specification is seen by many as Microsoft's shot across Adobe's bow. A key feature of the specification is the XPS Document Format, previously known as Metro Reach. It uses XML to describe the layout of documents and how they should be rendered.
• XPS will be tightly integrated into Windows Vista and directly leverage the WinFX programming model and Avalon graphics subsystem. Because XPS support is built into the system, Windows can display XPS documents using Avalon without launching an external application

Ocena Gartnera rozwoju Linuxa w biurze

Mimo pewnych postępów rozwój zastosowań L w biurze jest opoźniony i nie przedstawia zagrożenia dla Microsoft. Wiele firm idzie na L z uwagi na mniejszy koszt wykorzystania tej technologii (głównie) oraz z powodu chęci kontroli kodu źródłowgo aplikacji z której korzysta (mniej). Powody opóźnień: ogromna lista aplikacji W. nie mających odpowiedników na L., brak standardu srodowiska graficznego (KED czy GNOME). Firma widzi L głównie w szkolnictwie.
Niestety nie uzwględnia obsesji państw skandynawskich i biednej ameryki południowej oraz zacięcia EU do otwartych standardów. Cóż zobaczymy...