Kurt Shintaku's Blog

Wow.  And to think I thought today was going to be “the other guys” day exclusively…

• Xbox 360 Exclusive:  Crackdown 2 will have 4-player coop with 16-players playing simultaneously online.
• Xbox Live Meetup @ E3! Gamers can chow down with the Major (Major Nelson a.k.a. Larry Hyrb) at the In-N-Out Burger on 7009 Sunset Blvd. on Wed, June 3rd at 7PM.
  http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/06/02/the-xbox-live-meetup-at-e3-2009.aspx

Wow.  The hits just keep coming… like aftershocks… from Microsoft’s E3 announcements:

1. Xbox Live users will be able to download full Xbox 360 games to their hard drive.  Games can be purchased via credit card or Microsoft Points.  Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, and Civilization Revolution announced.
2. Avatar Marketplace will allow you to download new apparel/items for your avatar on the Xbox 360.  There will also be purchasable apparel to make your avatar really unique. 
   And there will also be awardable apparel and items that you can get as a result of completing certain quests during certain Xbox 360 games.
3. Halo: ODST announces 4 player co-op gaming in a special mode called “Firefight”.  Featuring vehicles and ability modifying skulls that one can carry, Halo: ODST will make a team-tacular good time.
4. 1 vs 100 beta goes live tonight in US at 7:30PM.  Yep.  That’s right – the Primetime BETA finally gets released to you scurvy dogs.  It’s YOU vs THE MOB.  Or you get to be one of the MOB… and win real prizes like free Xbox Live Arcade games and stuff.  And you get to use your Avatars as representation as you play the game. (My wife and I have been playing in the evenings… and it’s good family fun!  Especially when they ask questions like, “What is the name given to the Washington DC area in the game ‘Fallout 3’?”  <—Actual game question!)
5. The Project Natal Sensor is far from being “just an add-on camera”.  The sensor is the world’s first to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone, and custom processor running proprietary software.
   Unlike 2D cameras and controllers, Project Natal tracks your FULL BODY movement in 3D while responding to commands, directions, and even differences of emotion in your voice.  When Project Natal is ready, it will work with every Xbox 360 so people who have never picked up a controller can finally join the fun.

   …and finally…

6. OMFG.  It’s Halo: Reach.
   For those of you who don’t know what the implication of that is, here’s 4 words:

                     MASTER CHIEF IS BACK!
   
   …in the prequel that started it all.  I realize that many of you haven’t read “Halo: The Fall of Reach”, but it was probably the best book about the Halo franchise I can remember.  The Fall of Reach was where you first heard of Master Chief and his origins… where the Spartan program came from… why Reach, a planetary outpost, was so important… and who Captain Keyes was and what was the Pillar of Autumn doing jumping to the location of the original “Halo” from Halo: Combat Evolved.

In case you missed it, the Peter Molyneux demonstration from Lionhead Studios of a human interacting with a computer generated character using Project Natal’s technology was outstanding and defined the word ‘visionary’.

But I guess, that’s why he’s Peter Molyneux.

VIDEO:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRCToXfef8

Introducing “Project Natal” – a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required.

See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.

VIDEO:  http://www.youtube.com/xboxe3

Simply amazing.  I knew some of this stuff but not nearly all of it!

1. Microsoft opened with having Olivia Harrison, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr in person  on stage announcing Rock Band Beatles.
   Xbox 360 Exclusive:   "All You Need Is Love" on Xbox 360 Rock Band Beatles… all proceeds go to "Doctors Without Borders".
2. Infinity Ward came out to demo Modern Warfare 2. 
   Xbox 360 Exclusive:  Two Modern Warfare 2 map packs to be released first on Xbox Live!
3. Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 demo! Live and on stage demonstrating the gameplay…
   Spring 2010 release for FFXIII announced on stage.
4. Xbox 360 Exclusive:  Epic Games, creator of Unreal & Gears of War franchises, announced "Shadow Complex" their first Xbox Live Arcade game exclusively for Xbox 360… looks a lot like "Another World", one of my favorite games of old!
5. Xbox 360 Exclusive: JoyRide by BigPark, leveraging Avatars. Looks like what HotWheels should have been. And it’ll be FREE this winter!
6. Xbox360 Exclusive: Crackdown 2! Orb-a-licious! Being handled by development group “Ruffian” instead of “Realtime Worlds” who created the first one.  Game engine doesn’t appear to be Renderware in trailers.
7. Xbox 360 Exclusive: AWYEAH! Valve’s Left for Dead 2! Only on Xbox 360 on Nov 17th!
8. Xbox 360 Exclusive: Ubisoft’s Sam Fisher is back and he’s gone rogue! We’re talkin’ Dirty Harry style! "Splinter Cell: Conviction"… Xbox 360 ONLY!
9. Xbox 360 Exclusive: Forza Motorsport 3 by Turn10… 60fps graphics engine! 400 cars from 50 manufacturers… more than anyone! Side and rear views… custom car painting, upload high def video, included video editor… shipping in October 2009.
10. Xbox 360 Exclusive:  Halo:ODST – Orbital Drop Shock Trooper… nightvision, silenced weapon, human pistol… Interesting… in memory flashbacks, you hop from your ODST, the Rookie, to other ODSTs… like a guy named Dutch who perished.  Sept 22nd… New cooperative mode…
11. Xbox 360 Exclusive: Previously unannounced Bungie title… HALO:REACH! Coming 2010… Special Halo:Reach Xbox Live Multiplayer BETA in each copy of Halo:ODST!!!
12. Xbox 360 exclusive: Alan Wake… Spring 2010.  Very immersive, beautiful, and dramatic! Kinda Silent Hill-ish.
13. Xbox 360 exclusive: Last.FM partnership! This popular service selects music that you’d like based on previous choices.  Instant access to all content for FREE later this year, through your home entertainment surround sound speakers!
14. Xbox 360 exclusive: Netflix on-demand… improved!  Add movies directly from Xbox… and immediately play without queuing!
15. Xbox 360 exclusive: SKY TV (European TV for soccer, sports) live streaming video for the first time to a console.  Sports and entertainment streaming live for the first time to a console!
16. Xbox 360 exclusive: Xbox Live Video Marketplace… Video On-Demand (TV, Movies, etc.) – Now "Instant On" for all content… all content now 1080p video… rebranded to ZuneTV!
    Xbox Live Party will allow same video to be played on you and your friends Xboxes simultaneously.
17. Xbox 360 exclusive… Facebook integration! Felicia Day producer, writer, star of “The Guild” is on stage announcing Facebook integration!  Facebook "Friend Linker" which pairs Xbox Live Friends with your Facebook Friends… view your friends and your photos.  Facebook CONNECT… post snapshots of your gameplaying directly to Facebook!
18. Xbox 360 exclusive… Twitter! View followed twitterers.  Update Twitter from console.  Coming this fall!
19. Xbox 360 exclusive… Metal Gear Solid’s creator… Hideo Kojima! Announcing Metal Gear Solid Rising for Xbox 360!  Featuring Raiden of the prior MGS release… not Solid Snake!
20. Xbox 360 exclusive… “NATAL” – controller-free motion-oriented control movies/entertainment! All under the breakthrough NATAL sensor!  Motion sensive camera… facial recognition… communicate with people face to face… voice recognition!  Project NATAL will work with every existing Xbox 360 today and every Xbox in the future. Steven Spielberg onstage with Don Mattrick for Xbox 360!  Talking about NATAL experience… being put into ‘movies’.  Precision control VERY important… natural movement and control VERY important.  Facial recognition immediately recognizes and LOGS YOU IN. Avatar moves with you automatically.  current menu control just with a wave of the hand. 
    1. "Ricochet" 3D Breakout… REALLY COOL. Keeps people moving around and exercising! "doesn’t have you sitting on some couch waggling a controller with some preset waggle commands" OHSNAP!  Reacts in 3D! Will work with multiple people for competitive/cooperative games on a single console! 
    2. “Milo”  Peter Molyneux using NATAL SDK: Emotion detection in face and voice… interaction with computer character.  Passage of picture from player to computer “Milo”

Watch G4TV’s coverage of Microsoft’s press conference at The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)… live and commercial free… starting at 10:00AM Pacific! 

Our actual conference starts at 10:30AM and is scheduled to continue until 11:30AM but they’re gonna do a bunch of introductory stuff before the Microsoft’s press conference.

Yes, you should DVR it.   Go program it in now.  And yes, you should probably clear out space on your DVR.

• http://e3.g4tv.com/e32009/index/

BUT I’M WORKING!
Then check out the broadcast on Justin.TV.  Apparently, G4TV has partnered up with Justin.TV to broadcast the entire thing.  Archives available at G4tv.com/E3.  Now that’s cool.

• http://justin.tv/g4tv_e3

Foxit PDF Security Suite beta program allows early evaluation and piloting by Windows Server and Sharepoint users.

Now available to beta customers, Foxit PDF Security Suite delivers cost effective PDF policy protection and PDF reader extensions capabilities to any business running Microsoft Windows Server® or Sharepoint® with Active Directory® Rights Management Services (AD RMS).

Enhancing the value of existing IT infrastructure investments by extending AD RMS to PDF documents is a big benefit to IT professionals. Foxit PDF Security Suite makes it easy to:

• Protect sensitive PDF documents to prevent loss of valuable company assets (Learn more)
• Manage AD RMS policy templates associated with PDF documents to insure regulatory compliance and corporate governance (Learn more)
• Reduce paper handling by adding PDF document rights to enable cost-effective digital workflows using existing PDF documents (Learn more)

Foxit PDF Security Suite provides seamless integration with Microsoft Windows Server and Sharepoint (MOSS 2007) environments. Foxit’s simple software toolkit is easily deployed across the enterprise. The Foxit PDF Secure Reader is a freely available download allowing for no hassle maintenance. And all Foxit PDF Security Suite customers receive 24/7 telephone support. Premium regional support is also available.

REGISTER:
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/rms/

DEMONSTRATION OF FOXIT RMS WORKFLOW:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVIQbEznrk

Microsoft owns the ‘smartest antivirus’ product on the market with Forefront Security for Clients/Servers.

LEADER IN ENTERPRISE MALWARE DETECTION
This is REALLY COOL.  Basically, my understanding has been that Microsoft’s approach to AntiMalware has historically been “protect against active, “in the wild” & off-radar, “zero-day” malware first and foremost to ensure that users are protected from the most potentially recent, frequent and popular viruses/ spyware/ trojans in use today. 

We also deemphasize old viruses like Code Red, Nimda, SQLSlammer, etc. because frankly, while they’re still technically viruses, they not threats because they can’t infect today’s modern or patched systems/software.  Nimda for example has no relevance in a modern IT environment since the vulnerability points by which it infected its hosts are no longer available. 

The bottom line is that there are hundreds of thousands of viruses that are no longer in circulation because they simply don’t work against today’s software, so there’s no point in testing for them and otherwise slowing down the protection process, taking up monstrous amounts of memory and creating larger, longer to download malware definition libraries. (And I think you know what 3rd party product I’m talking about… <ahem>)

BEST IN DETECTING NEW THREATS & FALSE POSITIVES
Apparently, the latest 3rd party tests prove out our strengths in this area.

Microsoft’s anti-virus technology came out on top in the vaunted “AV-Comparatives” Proactive/Restrospective test, which this month tested 22,685 malware threats, beating such heavyweights as Symantec, McAfee, F-Secure, TrendMicro, Sophos, Kaspersky, etc. particularly in the area of proactive detection, which is arguably the most important area of testing.

The important thing to know is THIS TEST IS NOT BASED ON SIGNATURE DETECTION.  Proactive detection is essentially the science of stopping malware that isn’t in a signature library & ‘isn’t on anyone’s radar’.  To quote the test’s parameters:

In this retrospective test, any “in the cloud” technologies that were implemented in the products under test were, of course, disabled.  The retrospective test is performed using passive scanning and demonstrates the ability of the products under test to detect new malware proactively without being executed.  Even if “in the cloud” technologies provide very fast updates, they are still using an essentially reactive detection method based on signature detection.

If a malicious program is already detected “in the cloud” (that is, it’s already in the database) it isn’t unknown/”new malware”.  To leave “in the cloud” signature detection enabled would be unfair to other products under test that are being prevented from receiving signature updates.

Nowadays, hardly any anti-virus products rely purely on “simple” signatures anymore.  They all use complex generic signatures and heuristics, etc. in order to catch new malware, without needing to download signatures or initiate manual analysis of new threats.

As it can be seen above, most products are already able to detect much completely new/unknown malware proactively.  Such products can do this even without executing the malware, using passive heuristics, while other protective mechanisms like HIPS, behavior analysis, and behavior blockers, etc. add an extra layer of protection.

Additionally, from an accuracy perspective, Microsoft’s Forefront technologies also came out as the #1 product, creating the fewest false alarms out of any of the tested anti-malware products

<taken from the Forefront blog>

AV-Comparatives.org published the May edition of its proactive/retrospective testing to measure 16 anti-virus vendors’ capability in detecting new threats.  Microsoft anti-virus received one of only 3 Advanced+ ratings. Our detection rate was 60%, the second best among the participants, and we had the fewest false positive samples. 

This result is consistent with some recent proactive tests conducted by other industry test organizations.  In the VB100 April edition, VB introduced a new metric, Reactive and Proactive (RAP), in their test criteria.  Vendors scored from 8.0% to 94.7%.  Both Forefront Client Security and OneCare score at 80% in the RAP test cases.  In addition, in the Wild List response time testing by AV-test.org in 2008, Microsoft was in the clear leading position on proactive detection.

For details, see AV-comparatives May edition, published here.

DOWNLOAD:   Proactive/Retrospective May Edition Report from AV-Comparatives
http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report22.pdf

This video represents the exciting future of virtualization… and Microsoft is the only company that’s doing this. 

The days of maintaining an operating system for each application service deployed will hopefully soon be behind us, and today’s paradigm of running Virtual Machines will be old news.  Why migrate entire virtual machines with operating systems & applications when you can just migrate an Application between physical servers?  Why sustain all the overhead of running 10 instances of the same Windows Server operating system on a single physical host when all you care about are the Application Services that they’re running?

The future is “Virtualized Server Operating Systems”… aka Application Virtualization for Servers.

Notice in the demo that they’re using a ‘special’ alpha version of Virtual Machine Manager complete with Application Services stored as first class citizens in the library, along side virtual machines and operating systems.  Pairing application services (in this case, the FAST Search/Indexing Engine) with Virtual Machines is now a piece of cake since there’s virtually no ‘friction’ or ties between the running Operating System and the Application Service.  And most importantly, the entire Application Service state can be lifted off of a running OS and placed on an upgraded OS making system upgrades a snap, along with Application Service migration.

MMS 2009: Application Virtualization for Servers

As you’ll see, Bill’s demo was setup by talk about administering the compute fabric and managing deployment of a tightly bound OS can create challenges. By applying application virtualization to this challenge, we can separate apps from the server. This should mean a more simplified, and accelerated, approach to deploying those virtualized apps and patching. Bill pointed out that this leads to reduce image libraries, and accelerated migration.

Check out the demo – it’s less than 6 minutes.

http://images.video.msn.com/flash/soapbox1_1.swf

A very important paper got released at the beginning of the month that I thought you’d want to know about if you didn’t already.

When you’re moving from the older File Replication Service to Distributed File System Replication to propagate the contents of the SYSVOL which contains your logon scripts and your group policy object ADMX files, you’ll want something to guide you in the migration process and this document is just what the doctor ordered.

Here’s the announcement:

Ned here. It’s done, it’s out, come get it, stop yelling at me! 🙂

• SYSVOL Replication Migration Guide: FRS to DFS Replication (TechNet Version) 
• SYSVOL Replication Migration Guide: FRS to DFS Replication (Word Doc Version)

Be sure to also run through some of these (possibly) useful accompanying pieces:

• Verifying File Replication during the Windows Server 2008 DFSR SYSVOL Migration – Down and Dirty Style 
• DFSR SYSVOL Migration FAQ: Useful trivia that may save your follicles 
• KB968733 (hotfix for migration under certain RODC scenarios) 
• KB967326 (hotfix for migration under disjoint name space scenarios) 

– Ned ‘Yes, my middle name is DFSR’ Pyle