Mark Harrison

Serge announces the release of MacawSharePointSkinner ... it is a tool designed to enable non-intrusive modifications to the visual and functional design of SharePoint. The tool can be used for both Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and for Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003. Actually, it can be used for any web site utilizing the ASP.NET technology.

The approach that MacawSharePointSkinner takes is that it lets SharePoint render the final HTML, and just before this HTML is sent to the browser MacawSharePointSkinner makes the needed modifications to this HTML. This is done in such a way that no modifications are needed to the internal files of SharePoint, so it is non-intrusive. Another advantage is that it will survive service packs (although the output HTML may change in a service pack!) and template modifications.

I only have one days hosting left on my current host account and will be transfering the blog to a machine located in the Domino Systems data center. No doubt I will be offline for a day or so as the DNS servers get updated and replicate the new addresses.

The domain name at europe.webmatrixhosting.net will no longer work and so please find me again at either:

• http://blog.markharrison.co.uk

The RSS feed will be:

• http://blog.markharrison.co.uk/rss.htm

Please update your RSS aggregators in a couple of days - i hope to see you the other side !

Microsoft today announced the general availability and pricing of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.

Available in both Standard and Enterprise editions, Virtual Server 2005 helps customers reduce hardware costs and increase operational efficiency in three key scenarios: automation of software test and development environments; rehosting of legacy applications; and consolidation of production server workloads such as networking, directory infrastructure or departmental applications.

As a key deliverable of the Dynamic Systems Initiative, Microsoft's vision for simplifying and automating the way customers design, deploy and operate distributed systems, Virtual Server 2005 provides customers with more flexibility and control in the provisioning of data center resources.

SV Technology have announced the planned release of LawPort for SharePoint, which brings to the Microsoft SharePoint environment value-added functionality from LawPort, the leading law firm portal and knowledge management suite. This new release will provide a comprehensive technology framework for the legal industry, a legal object model, and a collection of proven Web parts for Windows SharePoint Services. This new product effectively 'jump starts' SharePoint-related implementations for law firms, reducing implementation time and costs.

LawPort for SharePoint includes the following features and functionality:

• Provides a framework and context for Windows SharePoint Services.
• Includes a rich set of legally focused Web parts for integration with major law firm systems such as Interwoven, Hummingbird, Solution 6, InterAction, and more.
• Includes a suite of legal-oriented applications such as proposal generation, biography management, financial modeling, experience tracking, law firm directory, and taxonomy.
• Provides sophisticated and contextual content management for news feeds, form documents, and client/matters.
• Provides automatic creation of SharePoint workspaces for clients, matters, legal topics and groups.
• Includes system spanning legal taxonomy and search capabilities.

Some superb news for the w/e ... IOKO and CSCAPE have today announced that they are donating the MSIB plus pack to the CMS community and will make it available from today free of charge.

In addition, at a later date, the source code will be freely available under an open source license agreement.

Super soldier Master Chief is back in action in Halo 2 and you now have the chance to get him on your desktop!

Downloading your very own desktop Master Chief will give you access to all kinds of news and special features to help prepare you for the release of one of the most anticipated titles of the year.

Here are some screenshots showing a where I currently am.

click on them to get a large version

If you want to know more about what MLS is and how it works, check the marketing website http://www.microsoft.com/mappoint/mls or the technical overview at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/mls/mlsov.mspx.

If you want to build MLS functionality into your own applications check the SDK and other developer info at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnanchor/html/anch_mappointloc.asp.

Perhaps one day I will get some time to use MapPoint web services to get maps with my current location displayed in this blog.

I had a great demo yesterday by Stef @ IOKO of the CMS Accelerator for LAWS.

Not immediately obvious from the name (unless you work for a UK local authority) - but if you want your CMS site to have RSS support, fast navigation via access keys and meta data selection from hierarchical lists - then check it out. Its distributed freely / under open source.

Microsoft is introducing three new products that conveniently replace user names and passwords with easy-to-use fingerprint recognition technology. Now, a touch of a finger enables people to quickly and easily log on to the PC, switch between users and access favorite online sites.

The fingerprint reader, designed specifically to be intuitive and reliable, is available in three products: Optical Desktop with Fingerprint Reader, Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with Fingerprint Reader and the stand-alone Microsoft Fingerprint Reader.

Demo

Just got my classic SPV smartphone replaced with the new C500 - very nice!

In addition its just been provisioned for MapPoint Locator Server - so perhaps soon I'll put a link on my blog so you can see where I am at any moment in time.

New SharePoint sample code ... learn how to add a custom search box to SharePoint Portal Server sites by using sample code for the site context search box

Creating a Site Context Search Box that Uses Portal Search Results

Sagestone Consulting's AdServer 2002 for CMS enables users to quickly and cost-effectively deploy and manage powerful advertising campaigns across multiple Internet, Intranet, and Extranet web sites.

Brian Anderson is asking for feedback re making AdServer an open source project.

Paint.NET is a senior design project aided by a mentor at Microsoft. It is a paint program designed entirely by students and written using Microsoft's .NET Framework. The program makes it easier to create and edit photos. It maintains some of the best features of the original MS-Paint application and includes new, powerful tools.

Download / more info

(its much like a version of PaintShop Pro from a couple of years ago)

Just a few places are left for the Architects Forum event covering "Modelling & Architecture".

More info

Security Improvements in Windows XP Service Pack 2

Original release date: August 30, 2004
Last revised: --
Source: US-CERT

Systems Affected
Microsoft Windows XP

Overview
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) significantly improves your computer's defenses against attacks and vulnerabilities.

Recommendation
To help protect your Windows XP computer from attacks and vulnerabilities, install Service Pack 2 using Windows Update or Automatic Updates.

Note: Service Pack 2 makes significant changes to improve the security of Windows XP, and these changes may have negative effects on some programs and Windows functionality. Before you install Service Pack 2, back up your important data and consult your computer manufacturer's web site for information about Service Pack 2.

Description
Windows XP Service Pack 2 is a major operating system update that contains a number of new security updates and features. Like other Microsoft Service Packs, Windows XP Service Pack 2 also includes previously released security fixes and other operating system updates. Following is a summary of the new security updates and features in Service Pack 2:

• Windows Firewall
  Windows Firewall is enabled in almost all configurations, blocking network traffic coming into your computer. Blocking this traffic helps to protect you from worms and other malicious code that spread via the Internet.
  
• Internet Explorer Local Machine Zone Lockdown
  New settings for Internet Explorer disable the execution of ActiveX controls and Active scripting in the Local Machine Zone. This protects you from attacks and vulnerabilties such as Download.Ject.
  
• Additional Internet Explorer Security Changes
  Internet Explorer now includes a pop-up blocker, additional window restrictions, and changes in MIME type handling that better defend against social engineering and "phishing" attacks. A browser add-on management interface provides a way to identify and disable programs that run as part of Internet Explorer. Enhanced protection against security zone elevation and object caching vulnerabilities helps defend against malicious web scripts.
  
• Email Handling Technologies
  Outlook Express now supports the ability to read and compose messages in plain text and to block external HTML content such as "web bugs." Security checks are now performed in a more consistent way to help prevent the execution of malicious attachments.
  
• Security Center
  The Security Center "...provides a central location for changing security settings, learning more about security, and ensuring that [your] computer is up to date, with the essential security settings that are recommended by Microsoft."
  
• Automatic Updates
  The update services and automatic update feature of Windows XP have been improved. US-CERT highly recommends that you enable Automatic Updates.
  
• Data Execution Prevention
  Memory protection helps prevent attackers from executing code on your computer.

References
Windows XP Service Pack 2 - <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/>
What to Know Before You Download and Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 - <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/sp2_whattoknow.mspx>
Get the Latest Updates and Information from Your PC Manufacturer Before Installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 - <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/oemlinks.mspx>
Backing up your computer files - <http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/backup.mspx>
Programs that are known to experience a loss of functionality when they run on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer - <http://support.microsoft.com/?id=884130>

Authors: Art Manion and Mindi McDowell. Feedback can be directed to the US-CERT Technical Staff.

Copyright 2004 Carnegie Mellon University. Terms of use

Revision History August 30, 2004: Initial release

Just recently posted to GotDotNet.com, version 2.0 of the Plumtree Portal Server and Microsoft Content Management Server Integration Pack .... more (via Kirk Allen).

• documents
• code

Q: Steve Jobs has said consumers aren't going to watch video on tiny screens. Is he wrong?
A: (Gates) Yes. Ask kids in the back of a car on a two-hour trip, "Hey, would you like to have your videos there?" My kids would. I guess Steve's kids just listen to Bach and Mozart. But mine, they want to watch Finding Nemo. I don't know who made that, but it's really a neat movie.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2004/tc2004092_2455.htm

( who made it )

Domino Systems and Microsoft will present - New Generation Intranet Platforms: Increasing Productivity - to be held at Prodrive in Banbury, the Headquarters of the Subaru World Rally Team. The seminar will finish with a guided tour of the Prodrive facility.

Nick Mayhew, Domino Systems Managing Director, will draw on his experience gained deploying their own Microsoft Sharepoint Portal Server 2003 based intranet to demonstrate the impressive return on investment to be gained implementing this technology when faced with common operational pain points:

• Badly managed documents stored on network - no version control
• Web Developers and IT a bottleneck when making changes to intranet
• Email overuse: Information lost in inboxes
• Bewildering array of services (CRM, ERP and DMS) without single access point or sign on
• Content providers not sufficiently empowered
• Security and access to information difficult to manage
• Team & project working slowed by difficulty accessing and collaborating on essential information

The seminar will deliver practical information aimed at business users to help them identify the pain points in their organisation that can be addressed by implementing Microsoft Sharepoint Portal Server 2003. It will give delegates practical tools to evaluate their own organisations and produce compelling proposals to adopt the technology.

registration

Today, customers using Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies began applying two new Service Pack 1 releases, which provide performance improvements for Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. Available separately, the two SP1 downloads enable customers to build powerful and reliable collaborative work spaces for intranet and extranet communities.

In addition to improved stability and security, customers can take advantage of the following enhancements in the Windows SharePoint Services SP1:

• Support for larger files. With Windows SharePoint Services SP1, customers and partners can save and share documents as large as 2 GB.
• Easy updates. Windows SharePoint Services SP1 greatly eases the patching process by enabling customers and partners to apply patches and hot fixes.

SharePoint Portal Server 2003 customers and partners will need to apply the Windows SharePoint Services SP1 to download and apply the SharePoint Portal Server 2003 SP1, which features improvements in the following specific areas:

• Improved search results. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 SP1 improves search functionality in a number of areas, including propagation, crawling reliability, keyword or best-bet search results, alert conditions, more robust XML filtering, and linguistic accuracy.
• Content Watson functionality. This enables improved product quality for customers through streamlined issue reporting between a customer's networked computer and the Microsoft development team.

Now with Windows SharePoint Services SP1, customers and partners will be able to access language templates for 11 additional languages, including Croatian, Latvian and Slovenian. Windows SharePoint Services, currently offered in 25 languages, is a feature of the Windows Server 2003 platform.

Availability

Customers and partners can access the free SP1 downloads by visiting the following Microsoft Web sites:

For Windows SharePoint Services SP1: click here
For SharePoint Portal Server SP1: click here

Carelink from IOKO can offer Web hosting, application development and system management in both NHSnet and Internet environments. It currently hosts Web sites for over 200 NHS Trusts and other NHS organisations. These range from simple, static Web sites, to Web-hosted applications, to complete managed solutions for NHS regions.

To meet growing demand within the NHS for increasingly sophisticated, dynamic and well managed Internet, intranet and extranet sites, ioko has worked with Microsoft to launch a shared hosted Microsoft Content Management Server (CMS) solution for the NHS.

In addition, IOKO have announced the launch of a new service which provides Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services, to NHS organsations, as a hosted solution.

Carelink from ioko is sponsoring eHealth at the London West Convention Centre, 29th September - 1st October, 2004. Click here to find out more.

Tuesday 5th October 2004, Central London
Presentations run from 8am-10am, with one-to-one demonstrations afterwards

How to register:
Telephone 0870 166 6671 and quote reference 118748433
or Click here to register online

This event will provide delegates with an understanding of how many retail challenges can be met using Microsoft technologies including Commerce Server, Biztalk Server, Content Management Server and Sharepoint Portal Server:

• Delivery of a consistent customer experience across all channels - internet, contact centre, in-store
• Identify customer retention opportunities through clickstream and usage analysis tools
• Efficient integration with diverse in-house and external systems
• Collaboration with suppliers
• Deployment and operation of secure, highly scalable and reliable infrastructure

Using Toys 'R' Us UK as an example, delegates will be given practical information on best practice in the development and operation of complex e-commerce solutions.

Delegates will also be given an update on Microsoft's latest releases, such as the new Commerce Server Feature Pack, SQL Server Reporting and MS CRM.

Business Web Software introduces a tight integration between their electronic forms solution AchieveForms and Microsoft Content Management Server 2002. Users of Content Management Server 2002 can now create powerful electronic forms using AchieveForms from within Content Management Server 2002.

By integrating AchieveForms into Content Management Server (MCMS) 2002, Business Web Software has made the benefits of electronic forms available to users of MCMS 2002. Users of VisualStudio.NET have access to an AchieveForms custom control that can be used to create MCMS 2002 templates. MCMS editors can use that template to create new pages containing electronic forms from inside MCMS. Form submission and processing is managed by AchieveForms, but the end user is presented with one seamless experience based on MCMS 2002.

More info

MSDN and TechNet have joined together to deliver a comprehensive Technical Briefing focusing on security. The day will incorporate:

• One full technical information based day at Wembley Conference Centre, London
• Choice of IT Professional or Developer technical tracks
• Keynote by Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer

This is great opportunity to learn more about Microsoft's current and future plans on security. We'll also provide in-depth technical and practical information to aid your business' development, infrastructure and operational security requirements.

Briefing is free of charge.

Register

Steve Walker has shared a sample provides the minimum set of files required to create a Content Management Server site without using Visual Studio.

Im back from hols

New whitepaper from Barracuda explains the potential problems that can occur when you use Front Page 2003 to customize SharePoint sites. It can be found under the members tab after log-in.

Chatango is a new way to make contact with people online. It's the first tool for real-time, private, disposable, one-to-one communication. It works just like one of those IM products, but doesn't require a download, and is accessible from any computer! It works like this:

My status: Green = online / Red = offline

From Aug 27, the XBOX price will be reduced to (GBP) 99.99 / (euros) 149.99.

ISA 2004 Training ... 100% subsidised !

http://www.microsoft.co.uk/Events/net/EventDetail.htm?eventid=8081

New Technet article ...
Using the Topic Assistant in SharePoint Portal Server 2003

Abstract: The Topic Assistant in Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 can be used to automatically associate content on the portal site with areas on the portal site. The Topic Assistant uses areas associated with a training set of documents to suggest areas for content when the content index is crawled.

This FrontPage add-in makes it easy to create ICRA content labels for your sites.

ICRA labels allow users to block access to Web sites with content they may find objectionable. By labeling your site, you can prevent users who don't want to see your site from accidentally finding it. In addition, labeling your site will enable users who restrict their browsing to only sites with content labels to see the contents of your site.

PortalWorX (based on SharePoint technology) allows users to easily create and manage custom manufacturing and business portals and visualization dashboards that provide single sign-on collaboration for optimization of key performance indicators. PortalWorX provides everything you need to create a portal for your real-time, historical plant and business information.

Whilst I was away on hols, we announced some important web parts / toolkits and set up associated GDN Workspaces:

• WSRP Consumer Web Part Toolkit
  A Web Part for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server capable of consuming and rendering output from Web services conforming to the OASIS standard for Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP).
• WSRP Producer Web Service Toolkit
  An example ASP.NET Web service that accesses and renders the contents of SharePoint sites in a format conformant to the OASIS standard for Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP).
• SAP iView Web Part Toolkit
  A Web Part for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 that can call and display the contents of specific SAP NetWeaver iViews.

The Domino CMS team are blogging.

Their first article is about CMS Revision History.

Further to my entry ... there is now a download area that currently hosts a Sell Sheet and a Powerpoint presentation. I understand a demo version will be available soon.

The Local Authority Websites National Project (LAWs) is an initiative to provide a transactional website framework for UK local authorities. It aims to develop a set of assets that can be easily implemented on a modular basis.

The Microsoft Content Management Server Accelerator for LAWS is now available for download. This was developed by ioko365 Limited in association with Microsoft.

The LAWS Accelerator is a suite of components to allow you low cost and effort approach to making your Local Authority Website compliant with the LAWS guidelines. It also contains detailed installation guides, a best practice guide for web authors and a best practice guide for template developers.

LAWS Accelerator is provided free of charge - however, it is dependent on the MSIB Plus Pack.

The source code to the LAWS Accelerator is also available. In order to obtain the source code, please send an email to lawsaccelerator@ioko.com - note that this will need to come from a UK Local Authority website address (that is one that ends in .gov.uk).

Industry case studies, business analysts' reports, and test lab results provide insight into the advantages of the Microsoft Windows platform:

• http://microsoft.com/getthefacts ... here are the facts you need to make the choice between Windows and Linux.
• http://msgetthefacts.com/kit ... get the free Windows v LINUX evaluation kit.

Harbar.Net's CMS site has moved to www.mcmsfaq.com . Here you will find news, technical articles, documentation and samples related to Microsoft's enterprise content management solution.

Three useful articles on Web Development with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition ...

• Part 1 ... creating Web applications with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server Express covers setting up a project and creating a SQL Server Express database, and explores the use of the ASP.NET Web Site Administration tool to set up roles, users, and providers. It also covers utilizing security controls such as Login, LoginStatus, LoginView, CreateUserWizard, PasswordRecovery, and ChangePassword.
• Part 2 ... creating Web applications with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition covers database basics, SQL Server Express features, setting up Data Explorer to view SQL Server Express databases, and working with data sources. It also addresses building an n-tier architecture using data components.
• Part 3 ... creating Web applications with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. It will cover creating master pages and content pages, utilizing navigation controls like SiteMapDataSource, TreeView, and SiteMapPath, and using the ObjectDataSource component to bridge data component and Web interface. It will also address working with GridView and DetailsView controls.

Also - overview.

Waging the war against spyware:

• Spyware Warrior blog
• Spyware Warrior forums
• Free Anti-virus

Connectable Web Parts in SharePoint Portal Server 2003 by Gayan Peiris

Discusses how the SharePoint architecture supports standard Connection Interfaces for passing information among Web Parts at runtime. The connectable Web Part will act as a provider Web Part by providing information to another Web Part or as a consumer Web Part by consuming information from a provider Web Part. Two Web Parts supported by a connection interface can be connected by an end user with either Microsoft Office Front Page or an Internet browser.

Jim Hugunin has just released his IronPython port of the Python scripting language for .NET.

His original plan was to do a little work and then write a short pithy article called 'Why .NET is a terrible platform for dynamic languages' ... the plan changed when IronPython running on the CLR turned out to be up to 1.7x faster than Python-2.3 on the standard pystone benchmark.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Unleashed fills the void readers have been looking for in previous books on the topic with a complete reference written by experts with valuable experience with enterprise-level solution design and implementation.

Its been a good week for the Microsoft Solution for Internet Business - four projects i've been very close to have gone live in the last week:

• http://www.transportdirect.info
  ... built by AtosOrigin
• http://shop.ministryofsound.com
  ... built by Domino
• http://www.londonstockexchange.com
  ... built by HP
• http://www.harrods.com

Office 2003 Service Pack 1 has been released ... just go to the Office Update site and use the 'Check for Updates' link or go here for the file downloads. What's been fixed is at KB842532.

Microsoft Content Management Server Search Controls (from Stephen Huen) are a set of user controls that gives CMS web sites search capability using SPS as the search engine. It uses the SPS Search web service to provide a simple key word search. The search results are displayed in a customizable DataGrid.

Also check here for several articles on the topic.

Cubik's KwikCMS technology enables the rapid deployment of Microsoft's Content Management Server 2002. By implementing the most frequently requested functionality, KwikCMS reduces the cost and complexity of a Microsoft CMS deployment.

(thx to Spence for reminding me of Cubik - I spoke to them sometime ago when they were in an early stage of planning their range of solutions)

In 1965 Gordon Moore, co-founder of chip giant Intel, stated that the number of transistors on a chip will continue to double every 18-24 months ... in the next 40 years, transistor counts went from 2,300 to 55 million, as Moore's Law continued to hold true ... it is estimated that sometime in the next decade, Moore's Law will reach its final, impenetrable barrier - you cannot make a wire thinner than an atom ... there are the hazy beginnings of a very different type of computer - a quantum computer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3920311.stm

Trend Micro PortalProtect provides comprehensive virus protection and content security for enterprise information portal (EIP) systems and their users. Designed for specific use with EIP systems built using Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server, PortalProtect offers tight integration with the Microsoft Virus Scanning API and other Microsoft technologies.

• Overview
• Features
• System Requirements
• Datasheet
• Evaluation Guide
• White Papers
• Download Evaluation Copy
• Press release re support for SharePoint 2003

Last week Microsoft acquired Lookout - the lightning-fast search for your email, files, and desktop integrated with Microsoft Outlook. You can use Lookout to search your:

• Email messages
• Contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, etc.
• Data from exchange, POP, IMAP, PST files, Public Folders
• Files on your computer or other computers

[updated 24 July] The download for Lookout had reappeared on the Microsoft downloads center on Friday but then just as quickly dissappeared to resurface at http://sandbox.msn.com/

The new teaser trailer for the most anticipated game release of the year ... Halo2.

A little background for those not in the "Halo" know: The sequel picks up the story of Master Chief, a masked and armored marine who wages heavy-artillery war against alien invaders known as The Covenant, which look like humanoid scorpions.

In "Halo" the Chief destroyed a ring-shaped planet and wiped out a fleet of the alien baddies. This time, the villains have decimated most of the galaxy's human colonies and have landed on Earth in the year 2552 to exact revenge.

Microsoft Producer 2003 for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 is now available for download.  Producer can be used to capture and synchronize audio, video, slides, and images, then preview and publish a rich media presentation virtually anywhere for viewing in a Web browser.

August MSDN magazine: Use Windows SharePoint Services as a Platform for Building Collaborative Apps, Part 2

This article discusses:

• The WSS and SPS object models
• Web Part Page anatomy
• Creating and deploying Web Parts
• Web Part security

Also Part 1 can be found here

Great solution for developing multilingual sites with CMS 2002.

The Smart Language Connector integrates seamlessly into CMS 2002. By creating Templates with the new Multilingual Placeholders (which are based on the standard CMS Placeholders so that you don't lose a single feature of the standard Placeholder objects) and adding the SLC Management Console to the standard CMS management console, multilingual authoring and management are immediately available to you and your content authors.

MSDN Article: Personalization with ASP.NET 2.0

Abstract:

The variety of business solutions that can now be serviced by Web based applications is continually increasing. With added functionality and faster network connectivity, the infrastructure of the Internet now supports increasing numbers and types of users. These users access the Internet for varying reasons through many different devices, making the traditional 'anonymous' single user Web architecture insufficient.

To keep pace with the new demands for more flexible, user-oriented Web applications, Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 includes an extensive personalization framework. The ASP.NET 2.0 personalization features include new mechanisms for identifying and registering users, tailoring a Web site to a specific user, and storing user information automatically and transparently. Web Parts empower the user to include the information they deem most valuable. Through layout control and inclusion of relevant tools, users can create a site that streamlines their experience. These customizations can be persisted and made available to those users on subsequent visits to the site.

This white paper provides a technical overview of new features, including Web Parts, authentication controls, and personalization providers.

In case you missed it ...

• Migrating documents into SharePoint - tools and tips to improve performance (Graham Tyler)
• SmartPart for SharePoint 0.2.0.1 Released (Jan Tielen)
• SharePoint Portal Server Usage Details (Westin)
• VS 2005 .NET 2.0 framework and SharePoint settings trouble + solution (Serge)
• Microsoft Adding RFID Support To Windows Server Software (Information Week)

Is .Net Stealing Java's Thunder? ... Forrester report states that 56% of enterprises in North America are choosing .NET as opposed to only 44% choosing J2EE.

I'm currently in Atlanta at the Microsoft Global Briefing and I met Ted Pattison from Barracuda who gave a very impressive session on SharePoint and was able to explain very clearly some of the more complicated topics. I can certainly recommend them for training.

One of the interesting topics discussed was using ASP.NET server controls as Web Parts - Teds recommended approach is covered on Barry Koudas (!) blog . (Alternative to SmartParts).

I also recommend Barracuda's comprehensive sample applications for browsing SharePoint sites :

• SharepointSiteBrowser (WSS & SPS) ... the application displays information about the local SharePoint deployment including extended virtual servers, site collections, top-level sites and child sites.
• PortalBrowser (SPS) ... tthe application displays information about the Areas, Subareas, Listings and Sites.

Checkout the Microsoft innovation website. (broadband connection is highly recommended)

At this site you can experience the empowering impact of innovation in action, discover new technologies and take a sneak peek into the future with Microsoft Research.

Microsoft IT Forum is Microsoft's premier European conference for IT professionals. Four days, plus optional pre-event seminars, that offer you a rich, intensive briefing on virtually every aspect of planning, deploying and managing your Microsoft-enabled infrastructure.

• Who Should Attend?
• Why Attend?
• Online registration

Partner web seminar ... "Announcing ProClarity for Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server". Thursday, July 29, 2004.

ProClarity for Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server is a new product from ProClarity that helps you easily create web parts to display ProClarity views in a SharePoint Portal. You will learn what ProClarity for SharePoint Portal Server is and how it helps you:

• Reduce the time and effort it takes to publish analytic views into your portal environment with zero code
• Easily deliver tailored analytics with as much or as little horse power as you need into your portal
• Deliver one version of the truth within your portal

Register
More info

Back in April I mentioned the CMS case study for the Rugby World Cup.

This version of the case study mentions that the ClickStream analytics solution crunched 400 Million Web hits, as they were happening and made them available for continuous querying and reporting. The analytics solution used was ThinSlicer ...

• Thinslicer 'IIS log analyser' demo
• Thinslicer documents
• Thinslicer download

Get the definitive reference for deploying, maintaining, and supporting Microsoft Office 2003 Editions.

The official Microsoft Office 2003 Resource Kit provides in-depth technical guidance plus must-have tools direct from the Microsoft Office product team. IT professionals get in-depth details on hardware requirements; application and operating system compatibility; licensing; key deployment scenarios, from installing individual applications to implementing a worldwide, multilingual deployment; customizing Office features; executing and troubleshooting an installation; managing macro security, digital rights management, and encryption; installing or upgrading to Microsoft Outlook; customizing security settings and features for e-mail messaging; and more.

The CD includes tools, wizards, templates, and other on-the-job resources to help simplify and automate administrative tasks. Together, the book and CD provide everything you need to save time and reduce ownership and support costs.

Note that some content is available online here.

MSDN Article: New Security Features in ASP.NET 2.0

Abstract:

ASP.NET 2.0 builds on ASP.NET 1.x to enable you to more easily create and manage users, and to password-protect pages in a Web application. The new framework includes new features for working with authentication and authorization, which were designed to appeal to both Web site administrators and developers.

Web site administrators can take advantage of the new Web Site Administration Tool to create new users and roles, and to control access to pages in a Web application. The Web Site Administration Tool is a set of prewritten ASP.NET pages that can be used by individuals with no programming skills to configure a Web application.

Developers can take advantage of the new Login controls in order to quickly build security related pages in a Web application. For example, a developer can create a login page simply by dragging a Login control onto an .htm page. By taking advantage of the Login controls, a developer can build a login page, a registration page, or a password recovery page without writing any code.

Finally, the ASP.NET 2.0 framework contains new security related features which will appeal to advanced developers. The new Membership API is a set of classes that contains methods for creating and retrieving information about application users. In addition, the new framework contains classes that make it easier to work with custom user roles.

RSA Security Inc. have announced plans to provide web single sign-on through the integration of RSA ClearTrust web access management software with Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies. This integration will be available later this quarter.

The planned integration of RSA ClearTrust software with these Microsoft solutions is designed to allow customers to move seamlessly and efficiently between numerous online applications and domains, and provide enhanced security, including role-based privileges for secure web access, as well as integration with RSA SecurID two-factor authentication solution for access from any terminal or workstation.

press release

The Telerik CMS Editor version 1.2 has been released and is available free to download for registered users.

The new features and fixes are here.

Peer discussion group for this control is here.

New Technet article: International Features in SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

This paper introduces users of Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 to the international features of SharePoint Portal Server. Topics covered include the level of Unicode and localization support, setup and upgrade, server farm deployments, locale-based formatting, and multilingual portal environments, as well as discussion of search behaviors.

During this UK MSDN Technical Briefing we'll be looking at:

• Language enhancements and new IDE features
• MSBuild and ClickOnce: technologies for building and deploying applications
• Windows forms and Smart Client development
• ADO.NET 2.0 and SQL Server 2005 ('Yukon')
• Web development with ASP.NET 2.0
• Team Development with Visual Studio Team System

09:30 - 16:30, 11 August 2004
Reading, UK.