=========================================================
------- THE COURSEY REPORT --------
=========================================================
November 12, 2004
=========================================================
Sponsored by HP
Free White Papers from HP
* Small Business Puts Data Migration Tools to Work
* Tips and Tricks for Optimizing Microsoft Windows Server
2003 on ProLiant Servers
* Implementing Microsoft Windows Server 2003 on ProLiant
Servers
* Migrating to Windows 2000 or Windows XP with Altiris(R)
Migration Suite(TM)
Download Today!
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152166-1
=========================================================
=========================================================
In This Edition
=========================================================
David Coursey:
1. Give the Users What They Want
2. Life With My Treo 600
3. Microsoft: Linux's Biggest Patron
4. Microsoft's Low-End CRM Solution
=========================================================
David Coursey
=========================================================
1. Give the Users What They Want
This was a good week for getting caught up on Microsoft's
future plans, including reports on what's up with Office 12
--yes, they are going back to version numbers--and the next
version of Windows Server, code-named R2. I'm still studying
Windows Server issues, which include Microsoft's vision for
corporate digital rights management, but I am pretty clear
on Office 12.
Windows Server 'R2' Details Begin to Leak
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152169-1
MS Office 12's Secrets Begin to Trickle Out
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152172-1
MS Office 12's Competition: Its Older Versions and Linux
Suites
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152175-1
My best idea is for Microsoft to trash Office as we know it
and come up with something that breaks the boundaries
between today's applications (Word, Excel, Access, etc.) and
dramatically improves ease-of-use. I'd do that by
simplifying Office and giving people just the features that
everyone is likely to use.
Give the Users What They Want
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152178-1
I'd also use a single document interface that changes based
on what you are doing, allowing a single page to combine
text, graphics, tables and data much more fluidly than we
can in the current Office.
There would still be a place for the traditional apps when
people need less common features, and perhaps my new
Office could be shipped along with them, giving users
day-to-day happiness without sacrificing the features we all
use sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Life With My Treo 600
I wrote a blog entry about the compromises, joys and pain of
using a Treo 600 combo PDA/phone that generated some reader
comments. Bottom line: I like the Treo tremendously, but may
yet go back to a separate cellular handset.
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152181-1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Microsoft: Linux's Biggest Patron
Microsoft and Novell settled some of their long-running
litigation this week, with Redmond sending $536 million to
the company once known as "Big Red." Novell is likely to use
Microsoft's money to propel its entry into the Linux
business. In fact, that's what Sun is likely to do with a
chunk of its $1.9 billion settlement with Microsoft as well.
Who says Microsoft isn't spending money on Linux?
All this settling is part of Microsoft's apparent goal of
ending 2004 with far fewer legal challenges than it faced
on January 1. Is this Microsoft going soft or just a crafty
way of ending lawsuits once the offending competitors are
crippled?
Microsoft Settles with Novell, CCIA Trade Group
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152184-1
Microsoft: Linux's Biggest Patron
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152187-1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Microsoft's Low-End CRM Solution
Last Friday, Microsoft announced its strategy for entering
the small business accounting market. I must tell you that
I'm an interested party--I have been a paid advisor to
Microsoft on this product--so I won't be writing much about
it. But one of the things that I'm really excited about is
the multi-user version of Microsoft's Business Contact
Manager that's part of the package.
Multi-user BCM meets a real need for small business and
workgroup customer relationship management without the
overhead or expense of a traditional CRM system. Is it the
match of a Siebel installation or Salesforce.com? No, it
isn't. But it will be very useful to everyone who wanted to
make ACT! or Goldmine work and never quite managed.
Microsoft to Ship New Office Small-Biz Release in 2005
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152190-1
Can Microsoft Beat Intuit This Time?
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152193-1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it from my part of the world this week. See you next
Friday!
Contributing Editor David Coursey has been writing about
software, hardware and related topics for nearly two
decades. And some mornings he really feels it. Drop him an
e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
=========================================================
Tech Jobs
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152196-1
=========================================================
Ziff Davis Channel Zone
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152199-1
=========================================================
DevSource
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152202-1
=========================================================
eNewsletter Information
=========================================================
You are subscribed to this newsletter with the e-mail
address [EMAIL PROTECTED]
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, click here:
http://www.eweek.com/unsubscribe_newsletter/0,4223,,00.asp?n=86&type=u&[EMAIL
PROTECTED]
To change your HTML/text preferences, change your e-mail
address or subscribe to other eNewsletters from Ziff Davis
Media, click here:
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152205-1
Questions about your newsletter subscriptions? To read our
FAQ, click here:
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152208-1
=========================================================
eWEEK Magazine Information
=========================================================
To apply for a free subscription to eWEEK, please go to
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152211-1
For help with your print subscription to eWEEK, click here:
http://eletters.eweek.com/zd1/cts?d=79-1382-20-37-22237-152214-1
Copyright (c) 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York, NY 10016
