Windows Web Solutions UPDATE, December 03, 2002

Windows Web Solutions UPDATE, brought to you by Windows Web Solutions, the Windows & .NET Magazine print newsletter with tools and solutions for managing your Web site.
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December 03, 2002—In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY

2. KEEPING UP WITH IIS

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS

4. RESOURCES

5. NEW AND IMPROVED

6. CONTACT US
See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

1. COMMENTARY

I've heard Bill Gates give his Digital Decade speech many times over the years, and I didn't really expect much new content when he took the stage at the COMDEX Fall 2002 conference. But his speculation about the future of home computing and his new product and technology announcements made the keynote very interesting. Here's an overview of some of the products that Gates talked about at COMDEX:

Xbox Live
To demonstrate Xbox Live, Gates brought out Keith White, senior director of the Microsoft E-Home division. Xbox Live combines Xbox with broadband networking and digital communications capability to "create a very powerful online gaming experience," said White. Microsoft and other companies will release numerous games that support online gaming for the Xbox in the coming months.

Smart Displays
Keith White also introduced Smart Displays—compact, slate-like display panels that receive a wireless signal so that you can work remotely away from the PC. A wireless 802.11 connection to a host computer provides the remote capability. White explained the differences between the Tablet PC and a Smart Display. As the next step in the evolution of the notebook computer, the Tablet PC is a full-blown Windows XP computer that features additional functionality specific to its pen-based interface. A Smart Display is the next step in the evolution of a monitor. The Smart Display simply "scrapes" screens from a "mother-ship" computer. White said, "We've added intelligence into the [Smart Display] monitor, and it's truly a display device, plain and simple. The power of the PC is still running on the PC device itself." White also explained that a Smart Display is similar to a wireless telephone handset in that it works only within a few hundred feet of its base, whereas the Tablet PC is more like a cell phone in that it gives you connectivity almost anywhere.

Windows XP Media Center Edition
XP Media Center Edition lets you have not only a complete PC experience on a device, but also a TV and entertainment experience. Windows XP Media Center Edition will have features that let you pause live TV and record TV for later viewing. Many companies will be shipping media center PCs in the coming months.

Microsoft OneNote
Gates also talked about Microsoft OneNote, a new Microsoft Office application that's designed to let you capture notes from various sources and locations, then organize them in one location and format them more effectively. OneNote lets you write down information quickly without worrying where it's saved or how you'll find it again. OneNote's tabbed interface lets you create and manage multiple notebooks to let you easily organize multiple pieces of information. Scheduled for release in mid-2003, OneNote will also let Tablet PC users capture handwritten notes, pictures, and diagrams.

Windows .NET Server 2003 and Visual Studio .NET 2003
Most significantly, Gates announced that Microsoft Windows .NET Server (Win.NET Server) 2003 is scheduled to be commercially available in April 2003, with Release Candidate 2 (RC2) shipping to customers in the next few weeks. I'm impressed by Win.NET Server's speed and reliability. Microsoft is perfectly positioning Win.NET Server to get thousands of smaller enterprises off of Windows NT.

Also scheduled to ship in April of 2003 is Visual Studio .NET. At COMDEX, Microsoft announced the availability of the final beta of the company's flagship development tool. Eric Rudder, senior vice president for the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft, said, "Microsoft is committed to enabling developers to build enterprise applications for computers of all sizes. Our 2003 wave of products provides a consistent programming model for applications from devices to datacenter servers, enabling developers to focus on solving their unique business problems." Formerly called Everett, Visual Studio .NET will facilitate building scalable enterprise applications on the Microsoft .NET Framework quickly and easily. Come April, the industry should be really exciting.

To read more about Bill Gates's Digital Decade speech at COMDEX, visit
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2002/nov02/11-17comdexkeynote.asp

Tim Huckaby, News Editor, [email protected]

SPONSOR: THE MICROSOFT MOBILITY TOUR IS COMING SOON TO A CITY NEAR YOU!

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http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/mobility

2. KEEPING UP WITH IIS

Is it beneficial to remove the default Web site from your Web server if you already follow best practices such as deleting unnecessary content and directories and setting custom permissions? Click the following link to learn the pros and cons about removing the default Web site:
http://www.windowswebsolutions.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=22968

The voting has closed in the Windows & .NET Magazine Windows Web Solutions channel's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "Do you think that Microsoft has improved product security over the past year?" Here are the results (+/-1 percent) from the 65 responses:

The next Instant Poll question is, "Does your organization standardize the Web browser and version used on client systems?" Go to the Windows & .NET Magazine Windows Web Solutions home page and submit your vote for a) Yes, b) No, or c) I have no idea.
http://www.windowswebsolutions.com

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Microsoft and SQL Server Magazine appreciate your support of Microsoft SQL Server on the Windows platform! We're running a 20-week quiz contest that will test your SQL Server knowledge, with biweekly drawings for cool prizes. The grand prize: a Microsoft Xbox video-game console! For details and to enter, go to
http://www.sqlmag.com/quiz

"The Insider's Guide to IT Certification" eBook is hot off the presses and contains everything you need to know to help you save time and money while preparing for certification exams from Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and CompTIA and have a successful career in IT. Get your copy of the Insider's Guide today!
http://winnet.bookaisle.com/ebookcover.asp?ebookid=13475

4. RESOURCES

One Day Seminar
Starting December 10
Various Cities (Check Web Site)

This seminar is designed for programmers who have experience with Visual Basic (VB) 6.0. You'll learn how to go from VB 6.0 to Visual Basic .NET. You'll also learn more about the .NET Framework architecture and the Common Language Runtime (CLR). The seminar covers concepts important to learning Visual Basic .NET, including parameterized constructors, method overloading, inheritance, delegates, and structured exception handling. You can register for $99.

For other upcoming events, check out the Windows & .NET Magazine Events Calendar.

Jenny wants to view the Index Server Manager pages in Internet Explorer (IE) in IIS 4.0 on a Windows NT server. When she chooses that option, she receives a 500 Internal Server error and can't view the pages. Her admin pages are on the C: drive, and her company runs the Web site on a different hard drive. To help Jenny solve this problem, click the following link:
http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=41&threadid=50086

5. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Sue Cooper, [email protected])

AirZip announced AirZip Website Secure, software that keeps your Web content from being copied, altered, or saved without your company's permission. AirZip Website Secure can supplement copyright law or simple watermarks to help you protect Web site information that's commercially valuable or restrictively licensed. The product works with all standards, leading Web servers, network assets, and OSs. Pricing is $6995 per CPU for a one-time software license with a standard 18 percent annual maintenance fee. Contact AirZip at 408-446-4111 and [email protected].
http://www.airzip.com

Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected].

6. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions: