Microsoft's new challenger: Moore's Law
Now that entire PCs can be had for less than the cost of Microsoft Office software, will Microsoft be priced out of the party? Source: CNNfn.com

Why You Need Exchange 2000 SP3
Exchange 2000 Service Pack 3 fixes bugs and increases security on your Exchange 2000 Server. Here's what you need to know if you plan to install it. Source: .NET Magazine

Scheduling Command-Line Win2K Backups
Automate your backups and discover the differences between the Win2K and NT 4.0 versions of NTBackup. Source: Windows & .NET Magazine

Buh-Bye to Geekspeak
Has your career hit a brick wall? Maybe it's because few people outside the IT department have a clue about what you're saying. Maryfran Johnson advises that you drop the geekspeak to communicate your ideas more clearly. Source: ComputerWorld

Fight Spam with Haiku
A California attorney this week launched a new business that she hopes will deliver poetic justice to people who send junk e-mail messages. It will seek to stamp out spam with a combination of Japanese poetry and copyright law. It's an offbeat idea that's already found at least one major supporter, Microsoft Corp. Source: Boston Globe

Windows ICF: Can't Live With it, Can't Live Without it
Windows ICF (Internet Connection Firewall) is the built-in firewall in Windows XP. For this article, SecuirtyFocus.com put ICF into the lab and set their security penetration testers loose at it to see how good it is. In this article, they'll will give an overview of ICF, see how ICF performs under a simulated attack, and discuss the pros and cons of ICF. Source: SecurityFocus.com

Data Protection and Recovery in Windows XP (revised)
Microsoft© Windows? XP provides many enhancements in the area of data protection©especially Encrypting File System (EFS). This article provides a technical walkthrough that illustrates how to use important data recovery and protection features in Windows XP. Also included are best practices and the steps you need to take to build an effective data recovery and protection strategy. Source: Microsoft.com

Office XP SP2 Available
Microsoft officially released Service Pack 2 for Office XP yesterday. SP-2 contains significant security enhancements and improvements in stability and performance. Some of the fixes that are included with Office XP SP-2 were released earlier as separate updates. This service pack combines the updates into one integrated package and includes a number of other changes that are designed to improve the reliability and performance of your Office XP programs. 

Microsoft's Controversial New EULA Terms
Recently, Microsoft has quietly changed the wording in it's end license user agreement (EULA) granting itself the ability to snoop inside your PC and kill off software it doesn't like. Fred Langa takes a look at the new EULA, and outlines ways you can protect yourself against unwanted software updates. Source: InformationWeek

Critical Characteristics of Effective IT Training Programs
Need some guidance when choosing an IT training provider? Read this. Source: Certification Magazine

Media Player Software License Chicanery
When Microsoft sold you a copy of Windows XP, the bundle included WMP, which has defects that the company judges to be severe enough that everyone should fix them as soon as possible. Microsoft has repaired the defect, but you can't have the fix unless you give the company the right to control the software you use on your computer. Mark Minasi discusses some interesting text he discovered in a software license. Source: Windows & .NET Magazine

A Roadblock in Exchange's Migration Path
While some users wonder if enhancements to Titanium, the next-generation of Exchange, will be enticing enough for them to upgrade, folks in Redmond, Wash., pull support for its predecessor. Source: EarthWeb

Windows 2000 Network Administration (70-216) Practice Exam
If you're working towards your MCSE certification, the 70-216 exam is a required "core exam" that tests your knowledge of networking, including DNS, DHCP, NAT, WINS, IP routing, Certificate services and troubleshooting. When you think you're ready for the live exam, make sure you try out this free online practice exam first. It may save you $125.00! Source: InformIT

Active Directory: prepare to pay more for Windows 2000 management
Running costs for Windows 2000 Active Directory installation are set to increase as users experience management issues with the technology. Source: CW360.com

Caught in .Net confusion
Confused about .NET? You're not the only one. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has said that building the company's .Net software architecture is more difficult than "getting to the moon or designing the 747." But the company's massive initiative apparently faces an even tougher problem that has nothing to do with the technology itself: explaining the meaning of .Net to consumers, corporate executives and investors. Source: CNET

Shatter Attacks - How to break Windows
This paper presents a new generation of attacks against Microsoft Windows, and possibly other message-based windowing systems. The flaws presented in this paper are, at the time of writing, unfixable. The only reliable solution to these attacks requires functionality that is not present in Windows, as well as efforts on the part of every single Windows software vendor. Source: tombom.co.uk 

The Best & Worst Places to Buy on the Web
Choosing where to buy stuff online can be a baffling experience. You want a great price, but not if it means crummy service or shady deals. From big names to cheap no-names, PCWorld rates today's PC gear sites for price, selection, and service. 

Under the Hood of Advanced Server Limited Edition
ENT contributing editor Stephen Swoyer drills into the specifics of the 1.2 release of Microsoft's Windows 2000 Advanced Server Limited Edition 1.2. ASLE 1.2 is the version of Microsoft's 64-bit operating system tuned for Intel's new Itanium 2 processor. Source: ENTOnline

Do not taunt Service Pack 3
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 was officially released today, and the bug list is already rolling in on Microsoft's Knowledge Base. The most notable issue so far is that SP3 doesn't play well with the a long list of pre SP 3 hotfixes and there are even issues with post Sp3 hotfixes! Test this one carefully before deploying it on production servers. If the bug list grows, we may wind up waiting for SP3a...

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