Kurt Shintaku's Blog

The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.6 contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Windows 7®, Windows Vista®, a Windows Update, or a new version of Windows Internet Explorer® in your environment.

Overview
The Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.6 helps customers understand their application compatibility situation by identifying which applications are compatible with the Windows 7® and Windows Vista® operating system and which require further testing. ACT helps customers lower their costs for application compatibility testing, prioritize their applications, and deploy Windows more quickly.

You can use the ACT features to:

• Verify an application’s compatibility with a new version of the Windows operating system, or a Windows Update, including determining your risk assessment.
• Become involved in the ACT Community, including sharing your risk assessment with other ACT users.
• Test your Web applications and Web sites for compatibility with new releases and security updates to the Windows Internet Explorer® Internet browser.

DOWNLOAD:  Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=24da89e9-b581-47b0-b45e-492dd6da2971

Additional Resources

• Application Compatibility, Windows 7, Vista  Toolkit  TechNet
• ACT 5 Step by Step Guides
• Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Application Quality Cookbook
• Windows 7 Compatibility Software Programs and Hardware Devices Find Updates, Drivers, and Downloads

God, I love this tool.  MetroTwit is soooooo frickin’ cool that I just had to write a post about it.

MetroTwit is a Windows-based Twitter client that depends on .NET Framework 4.0 and Windows Presentation Foundation.  It’s most notable claim to fame is it’s usage of Microsoft’s “Metro” look-and-feel user interface that is clean, organized, and rich in readability and utility.  It’s being built by Long Zheng, David Golden, & Winston Pang and it’s being tabbed by it’s authors as “the Windows Twitter client you’ll love to use”.

And indeed, I do.  This is the first client I’ve truly liked using since Twitter Explorer, the easy to use, convenient desktop gadget that I use to adhoc Tweet.  It has 5 key & fundamental advantages as a Twitter client that set it apart from other clients out there:

• Infinite scrolling
  If you ever want to read more tweets, just scroll down and more will appear almost instantly. Be careful though, it’s addictive and you could be scrolling for hours.

• Windows 7 taskbar integration
  You don’t have to switch away from what you’re doing to keep tabs on new tweets. A counter in the taskbar will tell you exactly how many unread messages there are.

• Autocomplete for usernames & hashtags
  The people and topics you care about, at your fingertips. Simply start typing any part of a username or hashtag and we’ll find them for you.

• Quick-glance notifications
  Read excerpts from new tweet updates as they cycle through in the notifications. If you run out of time, hover over the notifications to stop the countdown to read even more.

• Resizable and reorderable columns
  Not all columns must be created equal. You have the choice and flexibility to control exactly how your columns should look.

• Flawless high DPI support
  The vector-based user interface powered by Windows Presentation Foundation works and looks even better in high DPI.

Here’s a snapshot:

HEY!  THAT’S THE ZUNE CLIENT!
For anyone that uses Zune, this is a carbon copy, in many ways to the look and feel of the Zune Desktop software client.  Here’s a snapshot of Zune’s Windows software:

It’s intuitive, easy to use and configure, and the basis of so many of Microsoft’s products moving forward.  A version of this is on the Xbox 360’s dashboard.  It’s the interface basis for the Zune Device interface.  It’s the UI for the new Windows Phone 7 coming.  It’s the UI for Windows Media Center. 

Additionally, it installs as a single click-once .NET application so every time you run it, it checks to see that you’re running the most recent version over the net and if not, it will automatically update itself to the most recent binaries.  AWESOME!

The interface is so rich, it’s amazing how long I’ve gone without a client this awesome.  And I’ve tried so many tools:

• INFO: Other Free Twitter clients designed for Windows Desktops (XP/Vista/7)
  http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!5523.entry

Also there was Seesmic which I never wrote about but it was in contention to be my tool of choice until MetroTwit arrived and became my favorite.  You can get it for free from the site below.  Trust me:  It’s worth the download.

• DOWNLOAD:  MetroTwit – The Windows Twitter client you’ll love to use
  http://www.metrotwit.com

BMW went looking for an Application Virtualization solution.  Their requirements?

• 80,000 PCs with 3000 64-bit PCs, deployed across 24 production sites in 13 countries with 250 global branch locations
• Over a 1000 applications to deploy, including Office 2010, Visio 2007, Project 2007, etc.
• Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7
• 4 week-long packaging & compatibility testing cycles per application

The result?  BMW chose Microsoft App-V.  Here’s the money quote:

"We found App-V streaming to be better than the comparable [VMware] ThinApp capability," says Dr. Martin Rudolph, Product Manager, Office Applications, BMW Group. "Packaging, testing, and delivering applications is so much faster, and by enabling zero-touch deployment, App-V helps us realize significant monetary savings."

Read more about why BMW chose Microsoft’s App-V technology over VMware’s ThinApp:

• CIO Magzine:  BMW Takes a Sharp Turn Toward App Virtualization
  http://www.cio.com/article/594401/BMW_Takes_a_Sharp_Turn_Toward_App_Virtualization

Microsoft brought Tag out of beta today. I’ve written several posts about Microsoft Tag in the past for any explanation of what it is.

• NEWS: General Mills leveraging Microsoft Tag as part of their Brand Marketing Strategy
  http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/Blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!5124.entry
• BETA: Microsoft Tag – Using camera-readable barcodes
  http://kurtsh.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DA410C7F7E038D!4534.entry

One journalist noted that, “The fact that you can use custom images makes it leaps and bounds ahead of QR-style codes.”

Here’s a few examples of it’s use:

• Retail Store Product Tagging & Newspaper Ads
  Microsoft Tag works in black & white as well as in color, while still maintaining that great durability.  For example, take a look at the in-store tagging for Halo Wars to the right.
• Billboards, Posters, & Magazines
  Tag is extremely useful for allowing consumers to grab information close up or from a distance and letting their phone do all the work.  No memorization… no clarity needed.  Just a phone with Tag software.  This is a production example of using Tags on billboards, magazines, and promotional materials like posters.

• Custom Imagery
  Tag doesn’t have to be triangles.  As long as the right locations contain the right colors, Tag can take on any image.  Powerpoint can be used to modify Tags to conform to images and there’s even a tutorial on how to make that happen.

Here’s the details on the release:

Due to significantly increased adoption of Microsoft Tag, we are pleased to announce the official V1 release of Microsoft Tag on May 27th, 2010. Several new features and updates have been made to the product, including improvements to the Tag Reader, a new Heat Map report, and availability of the Tag Reader in Italian, French, Spanish, Turkish and Simplified Chinese. Also, Tag’s basic services will now be offered free of charge. Tag’s ending of the "Beta" program requires an update to the Microsoft Tag Terms of Use that you initially accepted when establishing your web service account and/or completing the Microsoft Tag API application.

Microsoft Tag Web Service customers will be prompted to review the new Microsoft Tag Terms Of Use when next signing into the Tag Manager to create or manage their Tags.  By clicking accept at login, you agree that any new Tags created after the "Beta" program ended on May 27th, 2010, will be governed by the new Microsoft Tag Terms Of Use. At your option, Tags created during the Microsoft Tag "Beta" program can continue to be governed under the Microsoft Tag Beta Terms of Use or these new Microsoft Tag Terms of Use. You will still have access to Tags and their related reports that were created during the "Beta" program, even if you decide not to create new Tags using the new Microsoft Tag Terms of Use. 

Users of the Microsoft Tag API will not need to reapply for a new API key due to these updates. By your creation of Tags using the Microsoft Tag API after May 27th, 2010, you agree that your use will be governed under the new Microsoft Tag Terms of Use. Any Tags created prior to this date can continue to be governed under the Microsoft Tag API Beta Terms of Use or the new Microsoft Tag Terms of Use at your discretion.

For more information, visit:

http://tag.microsoft.com/consumer/index.aspx

Microsoft App-V is a solution available to Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack subscribers on Software Assurance or Terminal Services Client licensees on Software Assurance.  App-V enables desktop administrators to:

• Package applications (sequence them, actually) and deploy them to desktops as a SINGLE file
• Applications remain as a SINGLE file on desktops when deployed and are executed as SINGLE files
• Applications are run using the App-V client which requires no overhead at all to use
• Sequenced packages (apps) are checked for byte-level differences between the network source and the local copy to check for corruption or modifications/patches in the source; automatic updates are done at run-time.
• Applications are 100% virtualized between the OS and other applications; when run in an App-V sandbox, no other application is aware that that app is running in App-V; eliminating compatibility issues
• Applications requiring integration (Outlook & Word, for example) can be virtualized “together” as a suite to guarantee proper exchange of data
• Packages may be delivered whole or ‘streamed down’ to a desktop in chunks to enable a remote client to get up and running in little to no time in the event the application is not installed locally and needs to be delivered.  As little as 10% of the application needs to be ‘streamed’ down the client locally to enable the app to begin running with a user interface.

The Application Virtualization (App-V) Dashboard helps customers monitor virtualized software applications with a graphical display that makes it easy to stay on top of application usage, health, and compliance. Using the Dashboard’s built-in charts, gauges, and tables, customers can track any APP-V dataset in near-real time.  App-V Dashboard provides a variety of benefits to App-V users:

• Actionable information out of the box. The dashboard comes with a wide range of valuable, built-in reports like top 5 applications used, top 5 users, applications never used, application usage for a specific user, system utilization, and many more.
• Near-real-time access to key information. The graphical dashboard lets customers view any App-V dataset in near-real time.
• Easy to build and configure. The dashboard’s wizard-based tools let customers easily create new dashboards in minutes.
• Easy to customize. The dashboard can easily be customized to meet the needs of different departments and other groups. Any data set in the Microsoft Application Virtualization database can be presented on the dashboard, in chart, gauge, and table formats.
• Flexible & interactive. Users can easily filter data and create ad hoc, custom views. Filters allow users to quickly drill down from high-level to more specific data

It’s free!  So if you run Microsoft App-V in your environment, be sure to download the dashboard.

• DOWNLOAD: App-V Dashboard
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=45a90ae8-6d09-4f9a-947b-a2d7fc80ba48

A new partnership was announced yesterday between Microsoft and United Airlines. 

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–United Airlines today announced that customers have more choices of free music with the introduction of Zune inflight audio on all United aircraft. United now offers customers a broader selection of music to enjoy during their onboard experience, with up to 21 separate playlists programmed by Zune, Microsoft’s premium digital entertainment service.

In addition to familiar channels such as Classic Rock, Contemporary Pop, and Classical, United now features distinctive options such as Soundtracks, Electronic Dance, Opera and Piano Jazz. Customers may continue to enjoy live communication between the flight deck and air traffic control through United’s popular “From the Flight Deck” audio on Channel 9, a feature that’s unique to United.

“United is committed to providing our customers with innovative onboard entertainment options, and we look forward to working with Zune and Microsoft to create new onboard experiences,” said Tom O’Toole, United’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

“We are excited about this collaboration, which will allow millions of United customers to experience Zune and discover new music through select Zune custom playlists from top artists,” says Dave McLauchlan, senior business development manager at Microsoft.

Full channel line-ups can be found in United’s in-flight magazine, Hemispheres.

To see what’s playing, click on the following United link:

• LINK:  Audio Programming for Zune on United
  http://www.united.com/page/article/1,,51600,00.html

Azure – the cool parts.
Want to know what makes Azure different?  Learn how to deploy your own application to Azure in this free developer’s training and you could win a Zune HD! 

This event will have a heavy technical focus, so make sure you don’t leave your web development skills at home!

Light breakfast, lunch and parking included.

Schedule for the day:

• 8-8:30AM Registration & continental breakfast
• 8:30-10:15AM Azure Presentations & Demos
• 10:15AM-10:30AM Break
• 10:30AM-12PM Azure Presentations & Demos, cont’d.
• 12PM-1PM Lunch
• 1PM-4:45PM Azure walkthrough followed by a “hackathon”
• 4:45PM-5PM Zune HD Giveaway

DATE/TIME/LOCATION:
Friday, June 04, 2010 from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM (PT)
Los Angeles, CA

• Microsoft Downtown Los Angeles
  333 South Grand Ave, Suite 3300
  Los Angeles, CA 90071

REGISTRATION;
http://bizsparkcampla.eventbrite.com/

Come See Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V in Action

• I know I need to virtualize. Can I do it without spending a lot of money on VMware?

Virtualization can save your company a lot of money. So, naturally, it’s getting higher on your priority list. But Windows Server® 2008 R2 has Hyper-V™ built in, so there’s no need to purchase expensive virtualization software.

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the most advanced Windows Server operating system yet. Here’s our short list of reasons to upgrade:

• Consume up to 18 percent less power. Windows Server 2008 R2 lets you lower the power states of processors, and even turn off individual cores when the server is at low utilization.
• Reduce branch-office-network bandwidth up to 40 percent. BranchCache lets you cache huge, bandwidth-hogging files locally.
• Help improve uptime and productivity. Live migration lets you move virtual machines among servers with no downtime, and clustering wizards help you set up a cluster in about three steps.
• VMware can cost up to six times more than the Microsoft virtualization solution. Why pay that? Get virtualization built in. Try consolidation ratios of 10 to 1 or better.
• Cut back on additional software costs. Besides the built-in hypervisor, Windows Server 2008 R2 includes DirectAccess, which lets you eliminate virtual private networks and manage remote computers as if they’re in the office.

Join us for Hands On Labs of:

• Hyper-V Installation and Deployment
• Failover Clustering & Live Migration
• Virtual Machine Management using System Center Virtual Machine Manager
• and more…

LOCATION/DATE/TIME:
Los Angeles, CA | June 10th, 2010 | 9:00am-4:00pm

REGISTRATION:
Please contact me if you are a customer of mine to register for this invitation only class.

Catching up with product announcements.  Gotta stop screwing around on Facebook & Twitter. 😉

BizTalk Server 2010 offers significant enhancements to help integrate heterogeneous Line-of-business systems with Windows .NET and SharePoint based applications to optimize user productivity, gain business efficiency and increase agility .

BizTalk Server 2010 allows .Net developers to take advantage of BizTalk services right out of the box to rapidly build solutions that need to integrate transactions and data from applications like SAP, Mainframes, MS Dynamics and Oracle. Similarly SharePoint developers can seamlessly use BizTalk services directly through the new Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint 2010. BizTalk Server 2010 includes new data mapping & transformation tool to dramatically reduce the development time to mediate data exchange between disparate systems. It also provide a new single dashboard to manage performance parameters and streamline deployments from development to test to production.

BizTalk 2010 includes new, scalable Trading Partner Management (TPM) model with a graphical interface for flexible management of business partner relationships and efficient on-boarding process. BizTalk Server 2010 also provides extended connectivity to IBM systems with Host Integration Server.

For more information about the Beta, visit:

• BETA:  BizTalk Server 2010 Beta
  http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/en/us/2010beta.aspx

Did you know that Software Assurance has some very special benefits for customers that virtualize their IT environment? Come to this webcast and find out the details of how to make sure you take advantage of these licensing benefits to save your organization money.

EVENT OVERVIEW:

• SESSION 1:
  Software Assurance Overview
  (9am Pacific, 10am Mountain, 11am Central, 12pm Eastern) – 60 minutes

  This session will cover the basics of SA benefits available; how to activate and consume the benefits to meet the planning, deployment, and training needs of your organization.

• SESSION 2:
  The Virtues of Virtualization with Software Assurance
  (10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, 12pm Central, 1pm Eastern) – 60 minutes

  Virtualization! Virtualization can be defined as “the abstraction of computer resources”, but what does that mean to you? How does Software Assurance help? Join this session to learn about important recent announcements that can help your organization leverage Virtualization as part of your Software Assurance agreement.

WHEN:
Friday, June 04, 2010 9:00 AM – Friday, June 04, 2010 11:00 AM

REGISTRATION:
Please contact me for registration details if you are a customer of mine.