Windows Archive

When Netcraft first reported on Windows Server 2003 they gave an indication on the numbers of sites that had been put up prior to the official launch. In the three months since the launch the number of active sites has increased by over 300% and now stands at 88,400. Microsoft will take some considerable encouragement at the number of sites that have switched from Linux (8,000).

This guide provides a prescriptive migration path with step-by-step instructions for small and medium-sized organizations planning a migration from Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 to Windows Server 2003. Elsewhere, this set of code samples show how to work with the most essential components of the .NET Framework and accomplish the most common coding tasks in C#.

Microsoft has killed off Windows NT 4, but it should now release its source code to the open-source community in order to fight off the challenge from Linux, Munir Kotadia claims. My Take: Sorry, but the suggestion doesn't hold business-wise. Read more for my short commentary on the subject.

Microsoft will announce the release candidate for its Windows Small Business Server 2003, the latest product in the Windows Server 2003 server family headed for release.

For those still using Windows NT 4.0, the time is near for Microsoft to bury the hatchet. Late June marks the end for telephone support for the 7 year old operating system. Microsoft has kept NT on tap by releasing several patches and fixes, but after Microsoft drops support for NT, customer's only option is to help themselves using the online KnowledgeBase.

Microsoft will roll out the final release of the first service pack for Windows Server 2003 in December, according to the user Web site WinInfo, and include a new security wizard that lets administrators lock down unnecessary processes and ports.

"Microsoft may not be ready to announce its own Linux distribution, but it does sell a product with appeal for POSIX fans: Windows Services for Unix 3.0. Designed as a migration tool to assist organizations moving from Unix to Windows, SFU is also useful for organizations that need to live with both Unix and Windows." Read the review at NewsForge. OSNews' review is here.

Today was a big day for Microsoft's mobile devices software strategy. The company: (1) rolled out Pocket PC 2003 (and renamed it); (2) unveiled a new "Windows Mobile" branding strategy; and (3) launched a collaboration with three leading high-speed wireless service providers to provide easier access to more than 3,500 Wi-Fi wireless "hot spots" by Windows-powered PDAs throughout the US. All this (and more) is covered in this "special report" at WindowsForDevices.com (including a detailed list of enhancements in Pocket PC 2003).

Everyone knows what Microsoft does by now. What some people do not know is that Microsoft releases a system integration software named Windows services for UNIX.

Microsoft's embedded group announced a new "kitting program" today which enables its embedded hardware partners to bundle free Windows CE .NET or Windows XP Embedded toolkits and runtime images with up to 1,000 of their hardware evaluation or development platforms. More details are here.

Microsoft will debut Pocket PC 2003--code-named Ozone--on June 23, according to sources close to the company. The operating system is not expected to be a major revision of Pocket PC 2002, but it will include new features such as built-in support for wireless technologies Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The OS overhaul will occur in the next version of the operating system, code-named 'Magneto', due out next year. Get more mobile computing news on our sister site, NewMobileComputing.com.

"Easy to manage, Windows Server 2003 is a strong performer" ComputerWorld says in their review. OSNews featured a guide of "Win2k3 as a workstation" a few days ago.

Windows Media Center or MCE for short is a little shell that sits basically on top of Windows that has a few shortcuts and stuff like for T.V. Word has it that Bill Gates started funding for his personal use back in 1990's to actually integrate his PC with Entertainment System. Check the screenshots. Free alternatives are FreeVO and MythTV and the best commercial seems to be ShowShifter.

Secret software interfaces hidden in Windows and previously only available to Microsoft's own developers have been exposed to the wider developer community. Using NSELib Namespace Extension Library, created by software engineering firm Whirling Dervishes, developers can create applications that reside in Windows Explorer.