10/01/2005
October 2005 - Inside Microsoft Research
Rick Rashid heads the team this "advancing the state of the art"; Internet Explorer: The ultimate admin's guide and a look at the alternatives, plus Beta Man checks out Spotlight on AD and much more.
In-Depth
These alternatives to Microsoft's Internet Explorer can add Web-browsing
muscle, but they're not
without potential problems.
Internet Explorer is one of the most used products in nearly every environment, but most administrators know little
about how to tune it for best
performance and safety.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a concept touted by Microsoft and various Linux vendors as proof that their products are cheapest to run. But TCO claims aren't what they're cracked up to be, and most IT shops never use TCO, or just plain do it wrong.
For synchronizing data on PocketPCs and Smartphones, ActiveSync 3.8 is easy enough to use, but many users say OS and phone service issues can knock it off balance.
As head of Microsoft Research, Rick Rashid leads a team that remains largely anonymous, but whose work finds its way into nearly every product Redmond ships.
News
From the business wires this week: a change auditing solution for Active Directory, an embedded SQL database engine and a simple file sharing program.
MCTS exams 70-431, 70-431 and MCPD exam 70-441 to head to beta in November-December time frame, with live release in 1Q 2006.
Microsoft says new-gen program's aim is to simplify the cert process and reduce costs and training time.
From the business wires this week: grid computing software, NAC solutions, SATA RAID storage systems and a Windows XP Media Center.
Two groups to become more closely aligned; new "blended training" tools also being added.
From the business wires this week: a patch management system, a software licensing solution and remote access software for help desk technicians.
One other change: MCTs with tenure excused from meeting minimum training delivery requirements.
From the business wires this week: software for documenting your network’s assets and vulnerabilities, a solution for joining heterogeneous systems to Active Directory, and network time servers.
Microsoft cites priority developing SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 exams, as well as sim refinements based on testers' feedback.
Plan calls for support for Linux guest OSes and, eventually, use of hypervisor to incorporate virtualization into the OS.
New beta includes only a client version, but sheds light on new details.