WinInfo Daily UPDATE--January 6, 2004

WinInfo Daily UPDATE--January 6, 2004

This Issue Sponsored By

Free Download: Monitor Your Entire Infrastructure with ONE Solution

http://www.argent.com/products/download.cgi?product=monitor&&Source=WNT

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

1. In the News - Microsoft: Get the Facts About Linux 2. Announcements - The Windows & .NET Magazine Network VIP Web Site/Super CD Has It All! 3. Event - New--Microsoft Security Strategies Roadshow! 4. Contact Us - See this section for a list of ways to contact us. ==== Sponsor: Argent Software ==== Free Download: Monitor Your Entire Infrastructure with ONE Solution The Argent Guardian monitors servers, applications, any and all SNMP-compliant devices as well as the overall health of the entire network at a fraction of the cost of "framework" solutions. Network Testing Labs states that "The Argent Guardian will cost far less than MOM and yet provide significantly more functionality." Using a patented Agent-Optional architecture, the Argent Guardian is easily installed and monitoring your infrastructure in a matter of hours. Download a fully-functioning copy of the Argent Guardian at: http://www.argent.com/products/download.cgi?product=monitor&&Source=WNT ==== 1. In the News ==== by Paul Thurrott, [email protected] Microsoft: Get the Facts About Linux If there was ever any doubt that Linux had made it to the software big leagues, consider the following: Microsoft, the industry's 800-pound gorilla, has just launched an advertising campaign aimed directly at the open-source software (OSS) solution. Dubbed "Get the Facts," the campaign directly attacks technical, security, and cost assumptions people make about Linux, which has been something of a media darling in the years since Microsoft's US antitrust trial. The campaign will run for 6 months, according to the software giant. Print ads in major IT publications will target administrators and IT decision makers who might have questions about the Linux alternative. "Over the past year, software cost and value has been a common issue raised by IT customers," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "The 'Get the Facts' advertising campaign aims to bring some of this information to companies who are making decisions about their IT solutions." Responding to criticism that any Microsoft-sponsored campaign is sure to be one-sided, the company notes that a new Web site (see the URL below) it has set up contains third-party "evidence" about the relative merits of Linux and Windows. Regardless, the new campaign is sure to stir a hornet's nest of opposition from the vocal Linux community, which doesn't respond well to criticism of its prized product. The ad campaign couldn't happen fast enough. Following high-profile announcements, several governments are migrating to Linux. The most recent is Israel, and that government's decision to stop purchasing Microsoft software is emblematic of the problem Microsoft faces. Israel doesn't want to stop buying Microsoft software, but it's concerned about the company's licensing practices and would like to be able to mix and match software installations according to its users' needs rather than Microsoft's accounting needs. If Microsoft wants to argue that Windows is less costly than Linux, it's going to have to adjust its pricing model, which rewards customers who buy massive amounts of Microsoft software. For more information about the Get the Facts campaign and Microsoft's efforts to compare Windows with Linux, visit the following Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/facts ==== 2. Announcement ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners) The Windows & .NET Magazine Network VIP Web Site/Super CD Has It All! With a VIP Web site/Super CD subscription, you'll get online access to all of our publications, a print subscription to Windows & .NET Magazine, and a subscription to our VIP Web site, a banner-free resource loaded with articles you can't find anywhere else. Click here to find out how you can get it all at 25% off! http://www.winnetmag.com/rd.cfm?code=edep273lup ==== 3. Event ==== (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine) New--Microsoft Security Strategies Roadshow! We've teamed with Microsoft, Avanade, and Network Associates to bring you a full day of training to help you get your organization secure and keep it secure. You'll learn how to implement a patch-management strategy; lock down servers, workstations, and network infrastructure; and implement security policy management. Register now for this free, 20-city tour. http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/computersecurity2004 ==== Sponsored Link ==== Microsoft(R) Security Readiness Kit Get your free kit for creating an enhanced risk-management plan. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6600432;8214395;e?http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6576037;8608804;t?http://www.microsoftsecuritysolutions.com/Default.asp?id=ros

=========

==== 4. Contact Us ==== About the newsletter -- [email protected] About technical questions -- http://www.winnetmag.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 & .NET Magazine, the leading publication for IT professionals deploying Windows and related technologies. Subscribe today.

http://www.winnetmag.com/sub.cfm?code=wswi201x1z

Copyright 2004, Penton Media, Inc.