No Job Too Big for SQL Server 2005, Ballmer Boasts
by Alex Woodie

It took more time than it should have, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admitted, but SQL Server 2005 is finally available for purchase. The new database, along with the new Visual Studio 2005 development tools, were formally unveiled during a gala event Monday in San Francisco, where Ballmer scolded his development crew for being tardy, while at the same time touting the enormity of the release and how it will erase any doubts that the Microsoft platform can run mission critical applications. READ MORE >

Visual Studio 2005 Is So Ready to Rock
by Alex Woodie

Programmers don't have a lot in common with rock stars, but it didn't matter Monday, as Microsoft tried its best to make it cool to be a .NET programmer. With the rock band "Cheap Trick" cranking out the chords during the "Ready, Set, Launch" event at San Francisco's Moscone Center, Microsoft finally unveiled its latest set of tools for making tech gods out of geeks. READ MORE >

Fabric7 Creates Flexible Opteron Server for Linux, Windows
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

After years and years of consolidation in the server industry, where a cornucopia of vendors selling a wide variety of server architectures has been crunched down by market forces into a relative handful of server makers selling only a few different server architectures and only supporting a number of operating system platforms, it is refreshing to see a new vendor like Fabric7 Systems enter the market with an interesting new architecture on the Opteron processor from AMD. READ MORE >

Atempo Adds Multi-Layer Security to Backup and Recovery Software
by Alex Woodie

You undoubtedly heard about the rash of high-profile security exposures made public earlier this year, when sensitive information about millions of people were put in jeopardy when Bank of America, Time Warner, and Ameritrade lost their backup tapes. Such events universally strike fear into the hearts of systems administrators and their bosses, but salvation may be found in the form of Atempo, a backup and recovery software developer that unveiled a new product this week designed to simplify the process of protecting backups. READ MORE >

   But Wait, There's More

Microsoft Patches Critical Flaws in Windows Graphics, Metafile Systems . . . New Windows Defender Gets More Deeply Integrated into OS . . . Microsoft Furthers P2P File Sharing, VoIP Strategies with Acquisitions . . . Microsoft Great Plains Integrated with Food Service App . . . Sun, Microsoft Work on Java-.NET Interoperability . . . IBM Launches New Tape Drive and Tape Library . . . READ MORE >

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