The verdict of THX Chief Scientist Laurie Fincham :
- Do we really need another spinning format? By the time Blu-ray really finds a mass market, we will have 128GB flash memory cards
- When DVD dies, broadband speeds will be turbo charged, making downloading films a more attractive option
Friday, March 28, 2008
HD-DVD lost ... but will Blu-ray win ?
Windows Search 4.0 Preview download
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Microsoft Partners with Top Social Networks - invite2messenger
Microsoft have announced invite2messenger.netThis a tool that lets users invite their friends from partner social networks (Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Tagged and LinkedIn) to WindowsLive Messenger.
It uses the Windows Live Contacts API that was announced at MIX08.
Announcement
Update: From Angus - Flickr implements the Windows Live Contacts API in their Friend Finder
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Windows Vista SP1 available
Friday, March 14, 2008
How to Protect SharePoint with DPM 2007
SharePoint administrators are looking for a better way to protect and recover their collaboration infrastructures. Microsoft has listened to its customers and has delivered a complete solution with System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007.- Datasheet: How to protect SharePoint Products and Technologies with System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 If your company relies on Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007 or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 to manage and deliver information, see how System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 can help you protect your business-critical data.
- Jason Buffington Podcast: How to protect SharePoint with DPM 2007 This 20-minute podcast provides not only an overview of DPM 2007 as it relates to SharePoint, but also showcases demonstrations on protecting and recovering SharePoint data.
- TechNet Webcast: Protecting Microsoft SharePoint with Data Protection Manager This webcast focuses on how DPM 2007 can provide continuous data protection for the latest generation of collaboration services, including Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
AKS v2 - Accessibility Kit for SharePoint ; Accessible Rich Text Editor
The Accessibility Kit for SharePoint version 2.0 was announced at the SharePoint conference and will include:
Update: The Accessible Rich Text Editor (XHTML / HTML) was also announced. This will be developed by HiSoftware and licensed by Microsoft for 'free' use by SharePoint customers and partners. It is outside of the AKS shared source initiative and the source code will not be available.
Update: To create accessible webpart zones today - WebPartZone Adapter
- Smart Adapters - Automation of control adapters through install settings
- Additional adapters and remediation
- Web part zone control
- XHTML 1.0 Strict Validation
- Validating page against a DTD or a schema
- Additional requirements under Canadian Common Look and Feel guidelines (CLF 2.0)
- Improvements to accessibility and usability of Web based access to document libraries through the creation of additional control adapters as practicable
- Compliance for WCAG 2.0 AA Candidate Recommendation
- French language version of AKS 1.0 Scenarios for Web Content Management (other languages pending)
Update: The Accessible Rich Text Editor (XHTML / HTML) was also announced. This will be developed by HiSoftware and licensed by Microsoft for 'free' use by SharePoint customers and partners. It is outside of the AKS shared source initiative and the source code will not be available.
Update: To create accessible webpart zones today - WebPartZone Adapter
Friday, March 07, 2008
SharePoint Internal Buzz Kit
SharePoint Internal Buzz Kit
Set of resources to help you generate demand for your newly deployed SharePoint Server 2007 sites, increasing your Return on Investment.
You may need to revise some of the pieces in the Kit, depending upon your particular deployment environment and company policies.
Set of resources to help you generate demand for your newly deployed SharePoint Server 2007 sites, increasing your Return on Investment.
You may need to revise some of the pieces in the Kit, depending upon your particular deployment environment and company policies.
Expression Studio 2
From Somasegar's WebLog ...
Today we released the beta version of Expression Studio 2 which includes Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, Expression Media and Expression Encoder. This release continues to enable building rich client applications with WPF and also helps designers target Silverlight for delivering stunning web applications.
More
Expression Blend 2.5 March 2008 Preview
Download the Expression Studio 2 Beta
Expression Community
Today we released the beta version of Expression Studio 2 which includes Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, Expression Media and Expression Encoder. This release continues to enable building rich client applications with WPF and also helps designers target Silverlight for delivering stunning web applications.
More
Expression Blend 2.5 March 2008 Preview
Download the Expression Studio 2 Beta
Expression Community
MIX 2008 session recordings
http://sessions.visitmix.com/
"We are placing the internet at the centre of our strategy"
Ray Ozzie, chief technology officer of Microsoft
BBC - Microsoft puts net at its heart
Asset Inventory Tool - Solution Accelerators for SharePoint
Asset Inventory Tool
Allows IT professionals to inventory all of the computers in the network and identify servers that have SharePoint installed on them. The information gathered by the tool is used to generate reports that give IT the information it needs to bring the servers under its control. This allows the resources of the ever-changing SharePoint environment to be optimized and adjusted as needed.
Get the Asset Inventory Tool (Beta)
Allows IT professionals to inventory all of the computers in the network and identify servers that have SharePoint installed on them. The information gathered by the tool is used to generate reports that give IT the information it needs to bring the servers under its control. This allows the resources of the ever-changing SharePoint environment to be optimized and adjusted as needed.
Get the Asset Inventory Tool (Beta)
SharePoint Capacity Planning Tool - Solution Accelerators for SharePoint
SharePoint Capacity Planning Tool
Performance models for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 that use the analysis and simulation features of Microsoft System Center Capacity Planner 2007 to help you plan your SharePoint topology.
Download
Performance models for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 that use the analysis and simulation features of Microsoft System Center Capacity Planner 2007 to help you plan your SharePoint topology.
Download
SharePoint Monitoring Toolkit - Solution Accelerators for SharePoint
SharePoint Monitoring Toolkit
Provides a set of management packs for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (including SP1) to monitor and manage Microsoft SharePoint environments. These management packs are supported by both System Center Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Essentials.
Download
Provides a set of management packs for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (including SP1) to monitor and manage Microsoft SharePoint environments. These management packs are supported by both System Center Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Essentials.
Download
External Collaboration Toolkit - Solution Accelerators for SharePoint
External Collaboration Toolkit
Software and guidance that will help you to deploy a customizable solution built on Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 that teams can use to collaborate securely with partners outside the firewall. The toolkit's familiar SharePoint interface makes the solution easy for project team members to understand and use.
Download
Software and guidance that will help you to deploy a customizable solution built on Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 that teams can use to collaborate securely with partners outside the firewall. The toolkit's familiar SharePoint interface makes the solution easy for project team members to understand and use.
Download
SharePoint Cross-site Configurator - Solution Accelerators for SharePoint
SharePoint Cross-site Configurator
Sample code that you can use to automate the deployment of configuration changes across SharePoint site collections as broadly as entire web applications or even entire farms.
Sample code that you can use to automate the deployment of configuration changes across SharePoint site collections as broadly as entire web applications or even entire farms.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Windows Server 2008 - Desktop Experience feature
Ive wasted a lot of time on this - so I hope it helps someone ...
On a Windows Server 2008 VM, I couldn't :
- save directly from Word into a SharePoint Document Library
- "View in Windows Explorer" the SharePoint Document Library
The normal solution is to start the "Web Client" service to enable WebDAV but the service was missing.
Solution was to install the "Desktop Experience" feature.
On a Windows Server 2008 VM, I couldn't :
- save directly from Word into a SharePoint Document Library
- "View in Windows Explorer" the SharePoint Document Library
The normal solution is to start the "Web Client" service to enable WebDAV but the service was missing.
Solution was to install the "Desktop Experience" feature.
iPhone connects to Microsoft Exchange
Apple have announced their plans to join the list of mobile device makers that offer built-in support for Exchange mobile e-mail, licensing Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for the iPhone.
More
More
STSDEV - SharePoint code generator
Ted Pattison has told me about a new SharePoint utility called STSDEV he (collaborating with John Holliday, Andrew Connell, and Scot Hillier) has written and shared on CodePlex at http://www.codeplex.com/stsdev.STSDEV is a proof-of-concept application that demonstrates a simple code generator for create SharePoint 2007 development projects targeting Visual Studio. The fact that the STSDEV utility generates project code in a repeatable fashion also makes it possible to build Visual Studio solutions for SharePoint development that adhere to best practices.
Written documentation is to follow but Ted has posted the first 3 screencast tutorials which will help you get up and running on the v1.1 release page at http://www.codeplex.com/stsdev/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=10119.
One important aspect of STSDEV is that it is extensible. You can add your own custom solution providers that create solutions for things such as MOSS WCM, ECM or vertical solutions (e.g. Customer Tracker). STSDEV creates the basic project structure and you just need to add the extra code to generate the items (e.g. Features, WebParts, Application Pages, etc) that are specific to your project type.
Update:
Sample code from Ted to illustrate STSDEV SPC_Deployment.zip as used at the SharePoint Conference in the session "Best Practices in SharePoint Deployment".
Microsoft Silverlight Tools Beta 1 for Visual Studio 2008
This package is an add-on to the RTM release of Visual Studio 2008 to provide tooling for Microsoft Silverlight 2 Beta 1. It provides a Silverlight project system for developing Silverlight applications using C# or Visual Basic.
Download
Download
IE 8 Readiness Toolkit and beta download
The Windows Internet Explorer 8 Readiness Toolkit ... the first place to look when you're ready to optimize web sites and applications for Internet Explorer 8.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Demonstrating the Business Data Catalog (BDC)
From Todd Baginski ...
This file contains the SharePoint Site Template Package that contains the site I used to present my Creating Solutions with the Business Data Catalog session at the Microsoft SharePoint Conference in Seattle, in March of 2008. All the code and resources I showed in my demo (with the exception of the Excel Services KPIs in the Report Center) as well as step by step instructions to set it up in your own environment are included in the SharePoint site.
More / Download
This file contains the SharePoint Site Template Package that contains the site I used to present my Creating Solutions with the Business Data Catalog session at the Microsoft SharePoint Conference in Seattle, in March of 2008. All the code and resources I showed in my demo (with the exception of the Excel Services KPIs in the Report Center) as well as step by step instructions to set it up in your own environment are included in the SharePoint site.
More / Download
Microsoft Search Server 2008 Download
Microsoft Search Server 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express (MSS Express) are available for download.
Download
Download
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Microsoft Online Services - Business Productivity Online Suite
Steve Ballmer has announced Microsoft Online Services - Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) at CeBIT in Germany, followed shortly by the Bill Gates keynote at the SharePoint Conference in Seattle.
Microsoft Online Services is delivered as an Internet-based subscription service hosted by Microsoft.
More
Microsoft Online Services is delivered as an Internet-based subscription service hosted by Microsoft.
More
Silverlight Blueprint for SharePoint
At the Sharepoint Conference 2008, Bill Gates announced the Silverlight Blueprint for SharePoint
Software-plus-Services Blueprints are a series of open source frameworks and workflow-based guidance packages designed to provide an architectural bridge and reduce the friction you experience building real-world Software-plus-Services applications. As a starting point for both architects and developers who are building real solutions, each Software-plus-Services Blueprint includes source code and/or utilities, guidance, structured step-by-step workflow-based guidance and tools delivered within Visual Studio 2008.
Codeplex Download
Channel 9 ... Michael Lehman talks with Rob Barker the Technical Evangelist who has been driving this cool functionality and see some cool demos of what you can do with this code!
Update: Getting this to work isnt trivial - there is a number of configuration steps that need to be done. Patrick and Ian explain what you need to do:
Software-plus-Services Blueprints are a series of open source frameworks and workflow-based guidance packages designed to provide an architectural bridge and reduce the friction you experience building real-world Software-plus-Services applications. As a starting point for both architects and developers who are building real solutions, each Software-plus-Services Blueprint includes source code and/or utilities, guidance, structured step-by-step workflow-based guidance and tools delivered within Visual Studio 2008.
Codeplex DownloadChannel 9 ... Michael Lehman talks with Rob Barker the Technical Evangelist who has been driving this cool functionality and see some cool demos of what you can do with this code!
Update: Getting this to work isnt trivial - there is a number of configuration steps that need to be done. Patrick and Ian explain what you need to do:
Monday, March 03, 2008
UK SharePoint Community - US Conference 2008
We have created a Groove workspace for the UK SharePoint Community attending the US SharePoint Conference 2008. This will enable us to connect before/during/after the event.
If you are part of the UK SharePoint Community (or friend of) and attending the conference - then ping me for an invite. email: blog 'AT' markharrison.co.uk
Update: SharePoint Conference 2008 is now FULLY SOLD OUT!
Update2: UK Party details - Garage Billiards Monday 3rd March - 6pm until midnight.
Update3:
On March 3rd, the first day of the sold out SharePoint Conference in Seattle, Bill Gates will announce, during his keynote session at 9AM PST, Microsoft's Exchange Online and SharePoint Online services being available on a per user subscription basis to organizations of all sizes. Bill will also announce the Silverlight Blueprint for SharePoint and the general availability of Microsoft Search Server 2008.
If you're not attending the conference, you can still experience Bill's keynote via one of the following live webcast channels:
To stay up to date with many other announcements that will be made by Microsoft and SharePoint partners during the conference, visit the SharePoint Conference Virtual Press Room at www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/sharepointconference.
If you are part of the UK SharePoint Community (or friend of) and attending the conference - then ping me for an invite. email: blog 'AT' markharrison.co.uk
Update: SharePoint Conference 2008 is now FULLY SOLD OUT!
Update2: UK Party details - Garage Billiards Monday 3rd March - 6pm until midnight.
Update3:
On March 3rd, the first day of the sold out SharePoint Conference in Seattle, Bill Gates will announce, during his keynote session at 9AM PST, Microsoft's Exchange Online and SharePoint Online services being available on a per user subscription basis to organizations of all sizes. Bill will also announce the Silverlight Blueprint for SharePoint and the general availability of Microsoft Search Server 2008.
If you're not attending the conference, you can still experience Bill's keynote via one of the following live webcast channels:
To stay up to date with many other announcements that will be made by Microsoft and SharePoint partners during the conference, visit the SharePoint Conference Virtual Press Room at www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/sharepointconference.
Accessibility Kit for SharePoint v1.1
This week at the SharePoint Conference, Microsoft and HiSoftware will be releasing AKS V1.1 to provide a more accessible solution to the SharePoint collaborative environments.
Additionally, HiSoftware will announce the release of Compliance Sheriff for SharePoint for end-to-end accessibility compliance for content validation, workflow and on-going auditing of SharePoint sites.
HiSoftware announcement
Additionally, HiSoftware will announce the release of Compliance Sheriff for SharePoint for end-to-end accessibility compliance for content validation, workflow and on-going auditing of SharePoint sites.
HiSoftware announcement
Ascentium SharePoint Search tools
Ascentium UK have have contributed two new search tools to the Search Community Toolkit
- Search Center Branding Removal ... replaces the out of the box search centre SharePoint look and feel with a blank unbranded page layout for search results and advanced search
- ASP.NET Search Controls ... provides ASP.NET developers with simple to use set of search control (Search input and results) which interface with the search web service on MOSS 2007 and MSS 2008
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Microsoft Research MySong
The MySong software records your singing (preferably in tune) through a microphone, and it systematically generates an instrumental accompaniment for your song. The quality is even comparable with a professional accompanist, not to mention the cost and time involved.
More
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