Compaq is again pushing Windows 2000 into new scalability territory, on benchmarks at least. This time it's the TPC-H decision support benchmark.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/13/2002
Microsoft formally launches its much-anticipated Visual Studio .NET integrated development environment today, making slightly more tangible the Web services concept many predict will soon become a lingua franca in enterprise computing circles. But Microsoft and longtime rival Sun remain at odds, which means developers will likely still struggle to find ways to build for both .NET and J2EE.
- By Matt Migliore
- 02/13/2002
IBM this week began shipping an enhanced version of its rack-dense xSeries 330 server with a new technology that Big Blue claims makes the system perform as if it had twice the amount of memory it actually has installed. IBM plans to extend the technology to other xSeries servers.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/13/2002
Storage giant EMC opens a Windows Competency Center for demonstrating storage networking best practices for the Windows platform and simulating customers' environments prior to production installations.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/13/2002
After a slow start in 2002, Microsoft's security apparatus has been busy, issuing one security bulletin in late January and four more bulletins over a six-day period in February.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/12/2002
Microsoft released a cumulative patch fixing three critical vulnerabilities for Internet Explorer Monday night.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/12/2002
MCP Magazine's writers and editors turn their attention to solving your problems -- technical and professional.
Windows 2000 turns two years old in February 2002. The operating system continues to enjoy a reputation for reliability and stability, and Windows 2000 made significant scalability strides in 2001.
<p>Still, migrations to the operating system continue to drag and serious doubts have emerged about Microsoft's ability to secure its products. Considerable confusion also exists about the direction Microsoft is taking with the next versions of Windows.</p>
The days when IT managers viewed the Active Directory as complex and mysterious may be fading.
"They no longer see this as being dark magic," IDC analyst Al Gillen says.
While IT infrastructures remains a long way away from comprehensive Active Directory deployments, the learning curve may be behind many administrators.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- 02/11/2002
Every new technology needs the proverbial killer app to get moving.
Exchange 2000 Server is supposed to be the killer app for the Active Directory. The complexity inherent in both products, as well as Active Directory's slower-than-Microsoft-hoped-for uptake, has prevented Exchange 2000 from exploding onto the market.
Some users are reaping benefits from the Exchange 2000/Active Directory combination, but many others don't believe any irrefutable business case has been presented for making the leap.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- 02/11/2002
Windows 2000 turns two years old this month. The operating system continues to enjoy a reputation for reliability and stability, and Windows 2000 made significant scalability strides in 2001. Still migrations to the operating system continue to drag, and serious doubts have emerged about Microsoft's ability to secure its products. Considerable confusion also exists about the direction Microsoft is taking with the next versions of Windows.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/11/2002
Microsoft Corp. has tremendous power to push technological change on IT, but even Microsoft's industry-shaping power is subject to the gale-force winds of economic change.
This is evident in a sampling of Windows end-user companies, contacted by ENT as a follow-up to a Windows 2000 rollout survey conducted at the end of 2000. In every case, companies that had ambitious plans for a Windows 2000 rollout during 2001 have had to scale back because of shrinking IT budgets.
"I was anticipating a number of deals for deploying Windows 2000 last spring, but only one of them came to fruition," says Austin Miller, a consultant and system integrator. "So when I say died, it died."
- By Joe McKendrick
- 02/11/2002
It took Microsoft Corp. more than four years to deliver Windows 2000. Since then, the software giant seems to have set a much snappier pace for operating system releases.
In late 2001 we had Windows XP. This year is supposed to bring Windows .NET Server, with Longhorn coming in 2003.
Now some analysts – and more than a few users – are saying that Microsoft could do itself and its customers a favor by reining-in its aggressive product development and marketing timetables.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- 02/11/2002
As developers shift their focus from the desktop to the Web, Microsoft is <i>opening</i> a new bag of tricks with Visual Studio .NET to ensure its .NET Framework enjoys as much success as Windows did. Visual Studio .NET launches next Wednesday.
- By Matt Migliore
- 02/07/2002
Oracle suffered a security embarrassment this week when a U.K.-based security firm documented several serious vulnerabilities in the midst of Oracle's long-running "Unbreakable" marketing and advertising campaign.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- 02/07/2002
Microsoft and IBM jointly announced a new organization designed to ensure the interoperability of Web services. The group, which will monitor the consistency of emerging standards and protocols, has received the backing of more than 40 vendors. Sun is notably absent but hasn't ruled out joining.
- By Matt Migliore
- 02/07/2002
IBM is consolidating Unix and Windows-based workstations under the IntelliStation line, and adding Linux support to the mix.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/06/2002
Microsoft is leaning more heavily on its ISV partner SpeechWorks as Microsoft works to create the speech hooks that will encourage developers to use Microsoft's platforms for speech-enabled applications.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/06/2002
Few topics have commanded as much of Windows server administrators' attention in recent months as the issue of staying on top of Microsoft security vulnerabilities and hotfixes. Shavlik is among the vendors releasing tools to help administrators manage those patches across the enterprise. ENT reviewer Stephen Swoyer takes a look at the latest version of Shavlik's HFNetChk Pro, and finds a lot to like.
- By Stephen Swoyer
- 02/06/2002
Microsoft released a beta version of a tool that partially addresses a hole in the cross-platform claims of its .NET Framework -- lack of Java support.
- By Scott Bekker
- 02/05/2002