Check out the first strip in the Server vs Client series

The second strip is up at the TechNet Windows Server 2008 Portal

To help you get started with Windows Server 2008 we have just launched the Windows Server 2008 TechNet Portal.


We have also got the first strip of Server vs Client up there. These strips were created by a local animation design house Nectarine. Huge thanks to Minty and James for creating the comics! Get to the portal to check out the first strip.

Michael Scherotter is a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft US and he met with Ice Cube and his team to talk about their online TV experience UVNTV.com which is using Silverlight The following is a Silverlight Streaming HD version of the video.

We recently received our latest round of survey results back. This information was provided by some of you out there in the Australian IT Pro community, so thank you for taking the time to fill in the survey. The feedback that you have provided is being used by our corporate teams in Redmond plus I am sharing the feedback you provided with the Microsoft team here locally so they know how you feel!

Here are some of the comments:

“Make Licensing easier to manage including rollups of versions and downgrade rights. Work through resellers or Microsoft account managers to work with the customer. Provide more holistic information which then leads into details - providing a way to see what software and tools fit where and how they could be applied.”

“Microsoft has some great people but they are hard to get to. Most of the time I'm pushed to partners and people that do not have the passion nor loyalty of the few Microsoft people I have corresponded with.”

“You asked does MS amaze and inspire me? The answer should have been so much more in MS favour but to be honest, it doesn't to the extent that I'd like it to. At an operating/convergence/impact level a more revolutionary step is required to achieve this."

Above are just some of the comments that were in the survey.  There was even one which just said "I want a new Microsoft Account Manager".

So Licensing, Security and Vista came through consistently in the comments.  What would you like to see done here locally at Microsoft Australia to help you in these areas?

Check out the November issue of TechNet Magazine. Its got some good articles around using BDD 2007 and SQL Server around desktop deployments, how to create a secure messaging environment with Exchange Edge Transport Servers plus more.

Windows Administration
Changes to Offline Files in Windows Vista
It's a common problem—how do you let users work with files stored on the network, when they have unreliable or no connectivity, and still avoid versioning issues? Such continuity is essential to providing a seamless experience. Discover how improvements in Windows Vista provide a better approach to working with offline files.

Desktop Deployment
Simple, Scalable Deployment with BDD 2007
Don't have SMS 2003? Don't worry, there's another solution for creating simple desktop deployments. Here's an in-depth guide to using BDD 2007 and SQL Server to create scalable deployments that require little or no manual input.

Communications
Exchange Edge Transport Servers at Microsoft: Part 2
Exchange Edge Transport servers can help you create a more reliable and secure messaging environment. We showed you how to configure these servers in Part 1, now we'll take you through some detailed examples of how key features help improve your messaging environment.

Networking
Configure VPN Remote Access with ISA Server 2006
A virtual private network can provide improved connectivity and increased productivity—and it doesn't need to be difficult to implement and manage. Find out how you can use ISA Server 2006 to address two common VPN scenarios.

SQL Server
Optimizing SQL Server Query Performance
When you optimize database performance, tuning individual queries is as important as tuning server hardware and software configurations. Even one runaway query can bring a database to its knees. Here's a guide to generating, analyzing, and tweaking execution plans to optimize the performance of your SQL Server queries.