Kurt Shintaku's Blog

FREE Microsoft Application Virtualization – Hands-On Workshop

Looking to transform the way you manage your desktops? Using Microsoft Application Virtualization will enable applications to run without the need to visit a desktop, laptop, or terminal server. Since applications are no longer installed on the client there is minimal impact on the host operating system or other applications.

Join us for a half day as you’ll learn how to improve PC manageability, accelerate and simplify desktop deployments and migrations, and enhance change management.

Lab seats are limited! Register today!

Workshop topics include:

• Overview of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance
• System requirements for Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Microsoft Application Virtualization client overview
• Microsoft Application Virtualization management console overview
• License tracking and enforcement with Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Packaging and deploying applications with Microsoft Application Virtualization               
• Questions & Answers

Audience:
This hands-on lab is for IT Professionals in job roles such as infrastructure specialists, network administrators, directory administrators, management specialists, and client support. This hands-on workshop is limited to 15 attendees.

Date/Time:
November 13, 2008
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Registration begins at 8:30 AM
(breakfast and parking included)

Location: 
Microsoft Irvine
3 Park Plaza
Suite 1600
Irvine, CA 92614

Registration:
This event is “invitation only” meaning that it’s only available for my customers.  Please contact me for registration information if you would like to attend.

Okay first of all, if you need information on what the Professional Developers Conference 2008 is, check out http://www.microsoftpdc.com.

PDC2008 Dates and Location
WHEN:
October 27-30, 2008
Pre-cons October 26, 2008
WHERE:
Los Angeles Convention Center (http://www.lacclink.com/), Los Angeles, CA
REGISTER:
http://www.microsoftpdc.com/Registration/

Now, with that being said, the gig costs $2395 to register being that it’s one of the most information packed events we throw. 

So, it turns out that you can use your Premier Support hours to purchase registration passes to the PDC.  (It does not cover other parts of the conference such as pre-conference sessions or guest passes to the attendee party)

Your Premier Technical Account Manager will know how to convert hours to PDC passes.  Information was sent to all of them on this topic.  Naturally all conversions of hours to PDC registrations must be approved by your company’s manager of the Premier Support contract.  Contact them for more information on how to proceed. 

WARNING:  This must happen before October 24th, 2008 or the date thatthe PDC conference registers as full.  (And that usually happens way before October 24th)

We released the following content to the press and so I’m making it available here on the blog but basically, the two major elements made available were the Fact Sheet that summarizes all the “new benefits” of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 along with an “Evaluator’s Guide” that I’m posting to my SkyDrive storage for you to download.

——————

Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2
Fact Sheet
August 2008

Windows Internet Explorer 8 is the next version of the world’s most popular browser that optimizes developer and end-user experiences to provide a window to the Web of online services. Moreover, Internet Explorer 8 offers new features and functionality that enable customers to reach beyond the page in more secure, easier and faster ways than ever. Following are brief descriptions of the key new and enhanced features in Internet Explorer 8. Features that are new in beta 2 or have been significantly improved since beta 1 are noted with an asterisk (*).

Faster, Easier Web Browsing
Internet Explorer 8 makes great strides in both features and performance improvements that provide faster day-to-day browsing. Many ways in which Internet Explorer 8 makes browsing faster and easier include these:

• Smart Address Bar*. In addition to matching URLs in the user’s site history, the Smart Address Bar in Internet Explorer 8 matches what a user types in the Address Bar with titles in the history as well as content in their favorites and feeds, making it easier to locate sites the user wants to visit.
• Enhanced Find On Page. Find On Page functionality has been enhanced to improve how users search for text on Web pages.
  • Find On Page. Find On Page now appears as a toolbar activated by pressing Ctrl-F or choosing Find On Page from the Edit menu or Instant Search Box. The toolbar appears below the user’s tab so it doesn’t obscure any of the text on the page.
  • Result count. The enhanced Find On Page functionality shows the user how many places the search text appears on the page.
  • Result highlighting. The enhanced Find On Page functionality highlights all places on the page where the search text appears so users can locate them at a glance.
• Redesigned New Tab Page. The New Tab Page in Internet Explorer 8 has been redesigned to allow the user to perform common tasks by clicking links on the New Tab Page.
• Tab Groups*. When one tab is opened from another, the new tab is placed next to the originating tab, and both are marked with a colored tab, so users can quickly discern which tabs have related content.
• Reopen last browsing session*. Internet Explorer 8 enables users to reopen their last browsing session from the most recently closed instance of Internet Explorer, which is useful if the user accidentally closes the browser.

Faster, Easier Deployment and Manageability for IT Professionals
Internet Explorer 8 offers new features designed to benefit IT professionals. Some of the features that improve IT network management and deployment include these:

• Slipstream installation*. This enables the deployment of Internet Explorer 8 and customizations as part of the Windows Vista operating system image, eliminating the need to install the browser separately. When Internet Explorer 8 is deployed in this way, it will behave as part of Windows Vista and cannot be uninstalled by users, thereby improving desktop consistency and manageability.
• Simplified Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)*. The Internet Explorer Administration Kit has a new user interface that helps IT professionals more easily configure deployment settings for Internet Explorer. This feature will be available as a beta in English timed with Internet Explorer 8 beta 2. The IEAK will support Internet Explorer 8 as it expands into additional languages once it is released to the public.
• Group Policy enhancements*. More than 100 new Group Policy settings ease browser deployment, configuration and customization. Examples of settings that can be managed in this way include specifying the browser’s default rendering mode, configuring accelerators and search providers, controlling the behavior of the SmartScreen filter, or controlling access to the browser’s integrated developer tools.

Faster, Easier Development With Developer Platform Enhancements
In addition to significant advances in standards support, Internet Explorer 8 contains additional platform investments for developers. Internet Explorer 8 improves performance in many Internet Explorer subsystems, such as the HTML parser, cascading style sheet (CSS) rule processing, markup tree manipulation, the JScript parser, garbage collector runtime and memory management to help Web developers build compelling sites more easily. Additional developer investments include these:

• CSS 2.1. Upon final release, Internet Explorer 8 will have full support for the CSS 2.1 specification. With support for CSS 2.1, Web developers and designers can write their pages once and have them more easily render properly across different browsers.
• Document object model (DOM) and HTML 4.01 improvements. Internet Explorer 8 fixes many cross-browser inconsistencies such as get/set/remove Attribute, default attributes, Attribute object and the <Q> tag.
• Emerging standards. Internet Explorer 8 incorporates advancements for what will become the standards of tomorrow, such as W3C’s HTML 5 Draft DOM Storage standard and the Web API Working Group’s Selectors API.
• New navigation features for asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) applications. Developers can now update the browser back and forward navigation stack and Address Bar from their AJAX application so those browser features work correctly in an AJAX application.
• Acid2. Internet Explorer 8 renders the Acid2 browser test correctly.
• Compatibility. Internet Explorer 8 ships with a more standards-compatible layout engine that allows developers to build a single standards-based site for multiple browsers. To provide developers with the choice for when they migrate their sites to the new standards-compliant layout engine, Internet Explorer 8 enables Web developers to ask for the Internet Explorer 7 layout engine by inserting a simple <meta> tag into their code or by adding a single http header on their servers.
• Developer tools*. The tools formerly available via the Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar are built directly into Internet Explorer 8 with expanded functionality. These tools enable developers to quickly debug HTML, CSS and JScript in a visual environment. Developers can quickly identify and resolve issues because of the deep insight the tool provides into the DOM.

Reach Beyond the Page With New Features
Internet Explorer 8 allows users to reach beyond the page and bring the variety of online services to life. Several ways that Internet Explorer can bring online services to life include these:

• Accelerators. Accelerators, which were called Activities in beta 1, give users ready access to the online services they care about most from any page they visit, and developers gain an easy way to extend the reach of their online services. They allow users to browse faster by allowing them to launch online services without having to leave the current Web page.
• Web Slices*. Developers can mark parts of Web pages as Web Slices and enable users to monitor information they rely on as they move about the Web. With a click in the Favorites bar, users see rich Web Slice visuals and developers establish a valuable end-user connection.
• Enhanced Search Box*. The Search Box in Internet Explorer 8 is more helpful, making it easier for users to find content of interest and increasing the odds that search results will be relevant. As users type a search term, they can see real-time search suggestions, including images, from their chosen search provider. In addition, the Search Box now presents results from the user’s own Favorites and browsing history.

The Most Secure Version of Internet Explorer to Date
Today’s online threat attack vectors have evolved dramatically, but people still need to trust they can browse securely. Internet Explorer 8 enhances customers’ online confidence by providing an increased ability to control and protect their data. Internet Explorer 8 is delivering an end-to-end approach to security and privacy that is focused on social engineering, new defenses against Web server attacks and additional improvements to defend browser-based exploits. Several security and privacy investments found in Internet Explorer 8 include these:

• InPrivate Browsing*. When activated, InPrivate Browsing ensures that history, temporary Internet files and cookies are not recorded on a user’s PC after browsing.
• InPrivate Blocking*. InPrivate Blocking helps protect privacy by offering the user the ability to block content coming from third parties that are in a position to track and aggregate their online behavior. Users are provided with notice, choice and control of which third parties to allow and which ones to block.
• Compatibility View*. Some Web sites that are designed for older browsers may not display correctly in Internet Explorer 8, which, by default renders content in the most standards-compliant way possible. Internet Explorer 8 has a Compatibility View button that displays those pages as they were designed to be viewed, providing people with an easy way to fix display problems such as out-of-place menus, images and text.
• Crash recovery*. In Internet Explorer 8, if a tab does crash, it is automatically restored and reloaded, and any information the user may have already entered on the page (such as when writing an e-mail or filling out a form) is restored.
• Delete Browsing History. Internet Explorer 8 enhances the Delete Browsing History feature by providing users with the ability to delete some cookies, history and other data while preserving cookies, history and other data for their favorite sites.
• SmartScreen filter*. Built upon the Microsoft Phishing Filter, the SmartScreen filter helps protect against a broader set of phishing threats and helps protect from sites that attempt to download malicious software.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) filter*. XSS attacks have emerged as a leading exploit against Web servers and Web applications. Internet Explorer 8 has an XSS filter that is able to dynamically detect Type-1 XSS (reflection) attacks. This helps protect users and systems from attacks that can lead to information disclosure, cookie stealing, account/identity theft or otherwise masquerading as the user without permission.
• Data execution prevention (DEP). DEP, on by default in Internet Explorer 8 in Windows Vista Service Pack 1, is a security feature that can help prevent damage to your computer from viruses and other security threats by preventing certain types of code from writing to executable memory space.
• Cross-document messaging (XDM). XDM provides a highly secure method that allows different documents to communicate with each other given mutual consent. XDM is a simple, standards-based, high-performance mechanism for bidirectional cross-document communication.
• Cross-domain requests (XDR). Cross-domain communication is an integral part of AJAX development and mashup applications. Internet Explorer 8 includes support for XDomainRequest objects, which can be used to more securely request public resources from another domain’s server. Cross-domain data is available only when the server signals its explicit intent to share data across domains, helping protect legacy servers from attack.
• Domain highlighting. Internet Explorer 8 highlights the domain name of the URL string in the Address Bar in bold text, making it easier for users to tell which site they are on and aid them in identifying phishing sites and other deceptive sites. The domain name is in black, standing out from other characters in the URL, which are gray.
• Per-site ActiveX. Per-site ActiveX reduces attack surface by providing an implicit SiteLock (a tool for restricting access to a specific domain) so that controls may only run from their point of installation by default. This enables users and administrators to manage where a given ActiveX Control is allowed to run.
• Per-user ActiveX. Per-user ActiveX allows developers to write their ActiveX Controls so that when a user installs them, they are only installed for that user and not for all users on the system, providing a level of protection for other users against malicious or badly written controls.

DOWNLOADS:

http://cid-00da410c7f7e038d.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/ProductMaterial/InternetExplorer8.0/IE8Evaluators|4Guide-August08.ziphttp://cid-00da410c7f7e038d.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/ProductMaterial/InternetExplorer8.0/IE8Beta2FactSheet|_FINAL|_8.26.zip

Microsoft® Office Accounting Express is an easy to use accounting package that works with other Office applications you already know.
——————

• Save time on everyday tasks

  • Get started in minutes with a step by step interview wizard
  • Create invoices, track time and expenses and bank online
  • Enter data once and share it seamlessly with other Microsoft Office system programs
  • Manage payroll and accept credit cards with affordable add-on services that save you time and money

• Get a complete view of your business

  • See customer, vendor, employee and financial data in one place
  • Get business insights with customizable reports
  • Easily share your books with your accountant through Office Live

• Grow your business online

• List items on eBay, manage sales and download transactions
• Email invoices and get paid faster with PayPal
• Process credit card payments directly in Office Accounting

DOWNLOAD:  http://www.ideawins.com/Express.aspx

Simple Life… spoof… rules.

"Whoa. Two of the most accomplished guys in their respective fields on Earth.  $39.75 dudes."  "I got nothing."  "Here’s a greek coin."

On Monday, the Microsoft Virtualization Launch Wave kicked off in Bellevue to a packed house of customers, partners, and press.

Bob Muglia, Microsoft Senior Vice President, Server & Tools Business, demonstrated the role virtualization will play in the next stage of IT innovation. In addition, Scott Woodgate, Director, Windows Enterprise Product Management and Edwin Yuen, Technical Product Manager, Virtualization, demonstrated Microsoft’s latest virtualization technologies – from the datacenter to the desktop – including the first live demo of Live Migration, a feature in WS2008 R2.

At the end of his talk, surrounded by a holographic cloud, Bob Muglia talked about the role virtualization will play in the future where customers will employ a mix of on-premises and cloud services.

(For a good article outlining this section of the talk, read:
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/web_services_browser/
microsofts_services_platform_takes_shape.html)

Customers had the option of attending 3 breakout sessions throughout the day. With 9 total sessions designed for both IT professionals and IT decision makers, customers were encouraged to choose the sessions that applied to their role within their organizations.

1. Centralized Desktop: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and Terminal Services
2. Hyper-V Deployment and Best Practices
3. Security and Virtualization
4. Virtualization and Green IT
5. High-Availability and Disaster Recovery
6. Next Generation Rich Client with Application and User State Virtualization
7. Infrastructure Optimization with Virtualization
8. Client-Hosted Virtualization with Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
9. Physical and Virtual Server Management

There are some notable quotes from the press after the event, particularly the article Existing Customers Gravitate to Microsoft Hyper-V from IDG, Hyper-V is positioned to do well with both existing Microsoft customers and even some current VMware customers. As Eric Lai states in his Computerworld article, “even customers who embraced VMware have gone back to Microsoft for desktop application virtualization.”

LINKS:

• The web site for Microsoft’s Virtualization technologies has been updated to reflect our most recent announcements at:
  http://www.microsoft.com/virtualization
• The keynote addresses from the launch event can be viewed on demand at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/virtualization/default.mspx

I don’t think this needs much explaining other than it’s a logo for a t-shirt available from Split Reason.

Big surprise:  It’s the #1 best selling t-shirt.  And they have “other gamer” wear that might be entertaining for those of you with an Xbox 360.

LINK:  http://www.splitreason.com/product/622

Okay, so it’s not entirely the Microsoft Hardware division… some of it is the Zune & Entertainment division but nonetheless, anytime you start seeing a lot of stuff get released from Microsoft about HARDWARE, y’know it’s time to wake up and pay attention.  For those of you scoffing at that, bear in mind that it wouldn’t be a stretch to claim that most innovations in keyboards, mice, joysticks, multimedia I/O, and other PC peripherals in the human interface genre, came from Microsoft Hardware:

• Camera-based optical mice?  Check.
• Laser mice?  Check.
• Natural keyboards?  Check.
• USB audio?  Check.
• Wireless joysticks?  Check.
• Mouse scroll wheel?  Check.
• etc.

So anyway, what’d we announce?

1. Microsoft Unveils World’s Most Advanced Tracking Technology
   Microsoft’s proprietary BlueTrack Technology sets new industry standard, surpasses optical and laser to track on virtually any surface.
   a) http://www.microsoft.com/
   hardware/mouseandkeyboard/tracklanding.mspx
   b) http://www.microsoft.com/
   presspass/press/2008/sep08/09-09BlueTrackPR.mspx 
   
2. Microsoft’s Latest LifeCams Bring Life to Video Calls With Versatile New Designs
   LifeCam Show and LifeCam VX-5500 debut fun new video effects and Video Messages.
   a) http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/
   press/2008/sep08/09-09VideoMessagesPR.mspx 
   b) http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/
   press/2008/sep08/09-09VideoMessagesPR.mspx
   
3. Microsoft Arc Mouse: Where Fashion and Technology Collide
   New Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 offers fun design and colorful hues.
   http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/
   press/2008/sep08/09-09ArcWMMPR.mspx
   
4. Zune Takes Music Discovery to the Next Level With New Ways to Find and Access Digital Music
   Software update will enable Zune users to tag songs and buy music directly from FM radio and download and stream music on the go beginning Sept. 16.
   http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/
   press/2008/sep08/09-08ZuneFallUpdatePR.mspx
   
5. Hardware Group Extends Comfort Design, Sleek Finishes and Top Productivity Features Down Desktop Line
   Two new mouse-and-keyboard combinations provide more options for consumers to personalize and experience comfort at their workspace.
   http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/sep08/09-09WLDWMDPR.mspx

Put virtualization in your hands, and your plans.
Attend the event that lets you touch, talk about, and experience Microsoft® virtualization solutions in a setting that’s focused on you.

Find out all about server virtualization.
For $149, you’ll get a day of intensive experience with a well-designed virtualization strategy—one that can help you control costs, improve service levels, and drive agility. You’ll see solutions built on the Windows Server® 2008 operating system with Hyper-V™ technology, Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and Microsoft Desktop and Application Virtualization. And you’ll learn how you can run multiple operating systems on a single machine for benefits from the data center to the desktop.
Start with Microsoft virtualization experts.
Begin your day with 300-level technical seminars:

Session I: Server Virtualization and Management
Session II: How Microsoft Builds Dynamic Data Centers
Session III: Understanding Virtualization at the Desktop Level

Then dive into hands-on labs and learning opportunities.
Spend the afternoon with experts and technology partners in our Solutions Pavilion. See an end-to-end virtualization solution built from start to finish. And take virtualization home with a free* one-year evaluation software copy of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, a free* copy of Understand Microsoft Virtualization from the Desktop to the Data Center, by Mitch Tulloch, vouchers for certification courses and exams, and a free* T-shirt!

For information on other hands-on virtualization events around the United States, visit www.getvirtualnow.com/usevents.

Date/Location:
Oct 10, 2008
Hyatt Regency Anaheim, CA
11999 Harbor Blvd.
Garden Grove, California, USA 92840
Tel: +1 714 750 1234    Fax: +1 714 740 0465
Maps & Directions
http://orangecounty.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

• Doors open at 8:00 A.M.
• Seminars start at 9:00 A.M.
• Solutions Pavilion open until 3:45 P.M.

Palm has released an upgrade to WM6 (not 6.1) for the Treo 700wx for Verizon Wireless users.

DOWNLOAD:  http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/treo700wxupdate6/verizon.html

Windows Mobile® 6 Professional

• Calendar functionality – See the big picture at a glance. A Topline bar in the agenda view shows when you’re free or busy, and when you have scheduling conflicts. Drill down to view meeting attendees, contact information, acceptance status, and reply-to or forward meeting requests.
• Email support- Send and receive HTML emails with tables, bullets, and colored text intact1,2,The "smart filter" for contact search is available so you can search for emails stored on your company’s Exchange Server2. Send an automated "out-of-office" message from your device2.
• Office 2007 support – Open and edit Microsoft Office Word and Microsoft Office Excel® documents, and view Microsoft Office PowerPoint® documents. Backward compatible with Office 2003.
• Windows Vista® compatibility – Easily sync your smartphone to your Windows Vista PC, via the Windows Mobile Device Centre (WMDC).
• Powerful security and IT policies2 – Remotely wipe devices and SD cards clean in case of loss or theft. Plus, IT can create and enforce tougher security policies, such as password protection to better manage the entire device fleet.
• Email hot keys – Work in the fast lane with single-key access to your most frequently used email functions. Press "r" to reply, "a" to reply all, or "m" to move to one of your folders.
• Email Inbox search – Find that important document or email. Automatically search for attachments, senders, or keywords by simply typing a few letters while you’re in your email inbox.
• Access Sharepoint – Get what you need then get going. Access documents stored on your company’s SharePoint servers via links in HTML emails1,2.
• Voice Command via Bluetooth® wireless technology – Get more done while you stay hands-free3, Dial by voice, or hear your upcoming appointments with your Bluetooth headset.