Windows Anti-Piracy Program Gets Stronger, Weaker with Vista SP1
by Alex Woodie

The forthcoming release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) will bring changes to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), the anti-piracy measures instituted by Microsoft in 2005. While Microsoft will close least two loopholes that have enabled pirates to continue distributing fake copies of Vista, Microsoft will get rid of the 'reduced functionality' mode that was introduced with Vista due to an excess of negative customer feedback. READ MORE >

Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Goes RTM
by Alex Woodie

Microsoft last week announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), signaling its immediate availability to existing Exchange 2007 customers. The new release includes enhancements that will appeal to customers planning deployments of Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or Office Communication Server 2007, while other features should make the release interesting for additional customers, including those with large mail stores or users of Outlook Web Access (OWA). READ MORE >

SAP-Microsoft Mega-Merger Rumor Surfaces, Then Dies
by Alex Woodie

Could software giants Microsoft and SAP be preparing for a mega-merger, like the one they considered and decided not to do four years ago? They are, according to a rumor that circulated early this week. But the rumor was quickly quashed by SAP's CEO. READ MORE >

Be My Guest
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Like most people who have been following the server racket for a long time, I have been singing the praises of server virtualization as a means to make servers more efficient and thereby help companies not only get more for their money, but hopefully--if not now, then in future years--to actually save some money that they can spend on other things. While virtualization is a great advancement in server technology, it is breaking down a lot of barriers even as it erects virtual ones inside servers of all stripes and sizes. READ MORE >