Windows IT Pro UPDATE-- Outlook 12 Pushes Productivity--January 3, 2006

Subscribe to Windows IT Pro: https://store.pentontech.com/index.cfm?s=1&promocode=eu205xwL

============================

Make sure your copy of Windows IT Pro UPDATE doesn't get mistakenly blocked by antispam software! Be sure to add [email protected] to your list of allowed senders and contacts. This email newsletter comes to you free and is supported by the following advertisers, which offer products and services in which you might be interested. Please take a moment to visit these advertiser's Web sites and show your support for Windows IT Pro UPDATE. Scalable
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/scalable/compliance?code=ITProTop103 Shavlik
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/shavlik/spyware?code=ITProMid103

==========

1. Commentary
- Outlook 12 Pushes Productivity 2. Hot Off the Press
- CES 2006 Offers Nerdvana to Largest Crowd Ever 3. Peer to Peer
- Featured Blog: Start 2006 with a Temporary Patch?
- Tip: How do I install Windows Server 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) server? 4. New and Improved
- Build and Repackage Installations ==== Sponsor: Scalable ==== How much are you spending on IT compliance? Streamline and automate the compliance life cycle with this FREE white paper, and reduce your costs today!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/scalable/compliance?code=ITProTop103

==========

==== 1. Commentary: Outlook 12 Pushes Productivity ====
by Paul Thurrott, News Editor, [email protected] I've made a big deal about the new UI that Microsoft is prepping for its upcoming Microsoft Office 12 suite of productivity applications. And now that I've had the chance to play with Office 12 Beta 1 for a few weeks, I'm even more sold on the changes, which present the most commonly needed commands up front and center in each Office 12 application. Internally, Microsoft refers to this UI as a "results-oriented" UI, one that dispenses with the traditional menus and toolbars that dominated (and, one might argue, overran) earlier Office versions. But I'm equally charged about the changes Microsoft is making to Office Outlook 12, an application many would describe as the center of their professional and personal lives. As it likely is for you, Outlook is my front end to the workday--the place where I correspond with coworkers, readers, and others; plot my schedule; organize my contacts; and perform other related activities. In the current version, Outlook 2003, Microsoft made major changes, adding a new three-column view that I've found to be uniquely productive, especially on the widescreen displays I prefer. Outlook 12 will offer an even bigger improvement. In Beta 1, the results-oriented UI is only partially implemented. That is, the shell of the main Outlook window still resembles that of Outlook 2003, with basically the same menus and toolbars that Outlook users are familiar with. Secondary Outlook 12 windows, such as those for new email messages, contacts, or calendar items, take on the new Outlook 12 look and feel, with UI constructs such as tabs and ribbons. In the new email message window, for example, you see a Write tab, with ribbon segments (called categories) for fonts, paragraphs, and message options; the Clipboard and similar commands; and an Insert tab for inserting such items as pictures, charts, attachments, signatures, business cards, and so on. Expanding on the work done in Outlook 2003, Microsoft is offering a default four-column view for Outlook 12. The first three columns are similar to what you see in Outlook 12: a navigation pane with email folders and links to the various Outlook modules, a mailbox list (typically displaying Inbox), and the Reading Pane, which previews the currently selected message using the full height of the window. The fourth (i.e., rightmost) column, which is new, is called the To-Do bar. It includes three sections: the Date Navigator (which shows one or more months in miniature); Appointments (which lists your most recent upcoming appointments, by date); and the Task List. This last item includes a new Task Input Panel, which lets you input new tasks on the fly as they come up, and a traditional list of tasks, typically sorted by due date. The To-Do bar isn't revolutionary per se, but it basically provides the traditional Outlook display with all the functionality of the Outlook Today front end that's present in earlier versions of Office, albeit in a more interactive context. Now, from a single view, you can interact with virtually all your email and personal information management (PIM) data without needing to delve into Outlook deeply to find specific items. More important, perhaps, Microsoft is essentially making Tasks the center of the Outlook universe. Now, you can trigger new To-Do items (i.e., tasks) based on new email, new schedules, or other sources, and start tracking your progress. The four-column view has one problem: Although Outlook 2003's three-column view arguably works fine on a standard 4:3 display, Outlook 12 will essentially require a widescreen display to work in four-column mode. Fortunately, my desktop and notebook computers both feature widescreen displays, and Outlook 12 looks gorgeous on them in full-screen mode. Microsoft is also adding support for Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds directly in Outlook. By default, RSS feeds are managed directly from within a new folder called RSS Subscriptions, which is found in Personal Folders. You add new RSS feeds to Outlook in much the same way as you add new email accounts, and you can set various options for each feed, including the name that will identify it from within Outlook, where the local version of the feed will be stored. Each feed is presented as a subfolder under RSS Subscriptions, and each displays a subset of the full feed directly from within Outlook, in a display that resembles the display for email messages. Full-feed text is available via an HTML attachment, and you can configure Outlook to download the full feed for offline viewing, though they open in external browser windows. Also, Outlook 12, like other Office 12 applications, features an integrated instant search feature that's based on the work Microsoft is doing with MSN Desktop Search and Windows Vista. The new instant search bar is prominently displayed in each Outlook module, giving a way to quickly find email, calendar items, tasks, contacts, and other data on the fly. And the search functionality is truly on the fly: Search results begin appearing as you type the search query. And the search query text appears highlighted in each item that appears in the results list. I'll need more time to test this feature, but it appears to be a huge improvement over the brain-dead searching feature that drags down earlier Outlook versions. There's nothing like searching for an email that you know is there only to have Outlook search tell you it isn't. This week, I'll be taking Outlook 12 on the road for the first time, and I'll admit I'm a little nervous. But even in this early beta version, Outlook 12 is clearly a big leap over earlier Outlook versions. I'll let you know how it shapes up.

==========

==== Sponsor: Shavlik ==== Maximizing Network Security Against Spyware and Other Threats
Spyware installation usually exploits an underlying security vulnerability in the OS. You can remove spyware, but if you don't also patch the underlying vulnerability, you don't solve the real problem. By leaving your systems open to reinfestation, you risk surging bandwidth consumption, system instability, overwhelmed Help desks, lost user productivity, and other consequences. Unauthorized applications can even result in noncompliance with regulatory requirements. This free white paper addresses the need to manage both the threats and vulnerabilities from one console as a comprehensive security solution.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/shavlik/spyware?code=ITProMid103

==========

==== 2. Hot Off the Press ====
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected] CES 2006 Offers Nerdvana to Largest Crowd Ever
This week, North America's largest trade show, 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), kicks off in Las Vegas with more than 200,000 attendees. Yes, CES is a mess, and it's getting busier every year. And once again, I'll be there, covering the show live each day, Wednesday through Friday. I'm not sure whether to be excited or scared.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/48935/48935.html ==== Events and Resources ====
(A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events ) SQL Server 2005: Up & Running Roadshows Coming to Europe!
SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you put SQL Server 2005 into practice and learn how to use its new capabilities. Includes one-year PASS membership and subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now for London and Stockholm, Sweden:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqlservereurope/index.cfm?code=0104emailannc Enabling Secure Collaboration in the Workplace
Join Microsoft and Sybari experts and learn how to help foster collaboration among employees and partners while reducing security risks and enforcing corporate compliance policies. http://www.windowsitpro.com/microsoftexchangeoutlook/securemessaging WEB SEMINAR: Identify and troubleshoot common SMTP problems and learn about each component of Exchange that touches inbound and outbound messages. Live seminar: February 14, 2006.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/seminars/smtp/?partnerref=0104emailannc ONLY AD & MIIS CONFERENCE OF '06 HEADS TO VEGAS
NetPro and Microsoft take AD and MIIS education and networking to a new level at the 2006 Directory Experts Conference (DEC) in Las Vegas. Join hundreds of the world's top experts for advanced training in both AD and MIIS and interact face-to-face with leading Microsoft product managers. Learn more at http://www.dec2006.com WEB SEMINAR: Validate your disaster recovery data and learn if your backup and restore data is worth staking your career on.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/seminars/disasterrecovery/?partnerref=0104emailannc ==== Featured White Paper ==== WHITE PAPER: Optimize your existing Windows Server infrastructure with the addition of server and storage consolidation software and techniques.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/polyserve/serverconsolidation/?code=0104emailannc ~~~~ Hot Spot: ~~~~ Provide Secure Remote Access
It may be tempting to deploy a WiFi wireless access point or offer PDAs or laptops to your roaming employees so they can work from virtually anywhere. In this free white paper you'll get the important security implications you should consider before you do so.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/whitepapers/panda/mobileandwireless?code=ITProHot103 ==== Instant Poll ==== Results of Previous Poll:
The voting has closed in Windows IT Pro's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "How satisfied are you with your current IT job?" Here are the results from the 140 votes:
- 3% Very unsatisfied--I quit
- 28% Unsatisfied--I'm actively searching for a new job
- 46% Satisfied, but will consider offers
- 24% Very satisfied--I'm staying put (Deviations from 100 percent are due to rounding error.) New Instant Poll
The next Instant Poll question is, "How long have you worked in IT?" Go to the Windows IT Pro home page and submit your vote for a) Less than 5 years, b) 6-10 years, c) 11-20 years, d) 21-30 years, or e) More than 30 years.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/magazine ==== 3. Peer to Peer ==== Featured Blog: Start 2006 with a Temporary Patch? Read Mark Edwards' most recent post to the Security Matters blog at the following URL:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/48928/48928.html Tip: How do I install Windows Server 2003 R2 on an existing Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) server?
by John Savill, http://www.windows2000faq.com Find the answer here:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=48807 ==== Announcements ====
(A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events ) Get Full Online Access to Windows IT Pro
Order a Monthly Online Pass now and get INSTANT access to all articles, tools, and helpful resources published on WindowsITPro.com, including exclusive Web content. You'll have 24/7 access to the Windows IT Pro article database (includes more than 9000 articles) and get the latest digital issue of Windows IT Pro delivered to your inbox. Order now for just $5.95 per month:
https://store.pentontech.com/index.cfm?s=1&promocode=eu2061um Celebrate the New Year with Windows IT Pro Magazine
You won't want to miss any of Windows IT Pro's upcoming 2006 issues! Subscribe now and discover the best ways to plan for Longhorn, the need-to-knows of VBScript, ways to make sense of SQL Server 2005, the 10 Security Tools You Can't Live Without, Vista launch essentials, and much more. You'll save $40 off the full cover price and gain exclusive access to the entire Windows IT Pro online article database FREE. Subscribe today:
https://store.pentontech.com/index.cfm?s=1&promocode=eu2061uw ==== 4. New and Improved ====
by Blake Eno, [email protected] Build and Repackage Installations InstallAware Software announced InstallAware 5 for Windows Installer, software for building and repackaging installations on Windows, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft IIS, and Microsoft SQL Server platforms. One benefit of using InstallAware is compression, which lets you create packages in smaller sizes. InstallAware also features partial Web deployment by separating different sections of the install process. Application runtimes and other features that are rarely used can be stored in a separate media block whereas the main setup can work by itself, without commanding an Internet connection. Other features include new scripting enhancements and support for installing Windows .NET Framework 2.0. Pricing for InstallAware 5 starts at $199.
http://www.installaware.com Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!
Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to mailto:[email protected]. ==== Sponsored Links ==== ==== Contact Us ==== About the newsletter -- [email protected] About technical questions -- http://www.windowsitpro.com/forums About product news -- [email protected] About your subscription -- [email protected] About sponsoring UPDATE -- [email protected]

===============

This email newsletter is brought to you by Windows IT Pro, the leading publication for IT professionals deploying Windows and related technologies. Subscribe today!
https://store.pentontech.com/index.cfm?s=1&promocode=eu205xwb

Manage Your Account You are subscribed as %%$email%%

You are receiving this email message because you subscribed to this newsletter on our Web site. To unsubscribe, click the unsubscribe link:

http://list.windowsitpro.com/u?id=%%SUBSCRIBER_ID_TAG%%

View the Windows IT Pro Privacy policy at
http://www.windowsitpro.com/aboutus/index.cfm?action=privacy Windows IT Pro is a division of Penton Media, Inc. 221 East 29th Street, Loveland, CO 80538, Attention: Customer Service Department Copyright 2006, Penton Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.