Shareholder activist targets Microsoft; Top 10 SQL Server 2008 features

Microsoft Alert NetworkWorld.com | Software Research Center | Update Your Profile Sponsored by Infoblox Take Control of Network TCO by Automating IPAM Growing networks are in a vicious circle of rising costs, increasing downtime, and rising staff stress. Join Enterprise Strategy Group's Jon Oltsik, for this information-packed webinar on how enterprises can reduce stress and operational expenses by automating IPAM, listen today. Spotlight Story This is Network World's Microsoft Subnet news alert in which we focus on the top items from Microsoft Subnet, your daily source for Microsoft news, blogs, discussion items, security alerts, giveaways and more. Top pick of the week Shareholder activist targets Microsoft Craig Montgomery of The Crandrea Group has created a grassroots shareholder activism movement in the hopes of boosting Microsoft's stock price. We'll get into the details of what the Crandrea Group is gunning for in later posts, but to summarize, he wants: 1) Microsoft to make a major acquisition of a telecommunications company, giving it instant dominance in the game-changing mobile market. 2) the company to stop squandering billions of dollars in R&D and buybacks that are having no affect on its stock price or its future business prospects. 3) heads to roll in Microsoft top leadership. Related News: More top picks from the week: Microsoft kills off its BPM software PerformancePoint U.S. government may explore standardizing on open source Windows 7 will not sway XP users Three reasons IE 8 won't close the door on Firefox or Chrome VLDBs and partitioning features in SQL Server 2008 From our bloggers: Brian Egler: SQL Server Strategies Top 10 SQL Server 2008 features From SQL Auditing to Transparent Database Encryption, I list my favorite features of Katmai. Mitchell Ashley: Converging on Microsoft Windows 7: will it usher in 64-bit? One of the questions all of us face when considering deployment of Windows 7 is whether to go 32- or 64-bit. Vista's support for 64-bit didn't turn the tide from 32- to 64-bit but Windows 7 might. Ron Barrett: A Better Windows World Windows 7 vs. Linux: who will crush who? My post claiming Windows 7 will crush Linux started a firestorm. Readers have posted more than 250 comments, some of them emotional, some of them insightful and many of them humorous. Join the debate. Tyson Kopczynski: Hidden Microsoft I hate regional lockout of products and services As you may know, I recently moved to Japan. Unfortunately, many of the largest sites on the Web can't seem to recognize me because of my new address. Glenn Weadock: On Windows Server 2008 Will Windows 7 be a box office failure like Vista? I think Windows 7 will be popular. Microsoft seems to be taking good steps such as making User Account Control more palatable and far easier to manage. Ken Buck: Chasing the Nines Do you communicate effectively? Microsoft is launching Office Communications Server 2007 R2 during a worldwide online event on Feb. 3. I challenge you to take a harder look at how you communicate in 2009 and how UC may help. Randy Muller: All About Microsoft Certifications A nifty fact about Office Communication Server 2007 R2 If you are studying for your OCS exam, no need to worry about R2. The current exam actually covers the new features included with R2. Susan Hanley: Essential SharePoint Making lemonade from a lemon: My (eventually) excellent adventure in Dell customer service-land My experiences with Dell’s offshore customer support have been, for the most part, dreadful. When I went public with my stories on a blog read by Dell people, I got results, but not satisfaction. Hot discussions among Microsoft Subnet readers Windows 7 will not sway XP users IE8: Achilles heel of Windows 7 beta Blackberry Storm – a huge disappointment Sky not actually falling at Microsoft Why I think PowerShell modules may lead to chaos Top 5 features missing from Windows 7 Giveaways and goodies Deadline is February 28 for these goodies up for grabs: 1) One Microsoft training course from Global Knowledge worth up to $2,995. 2) Fifteen copies of Exchange Server 2007 How-To: Real Solutions for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Administrators by J. Peter Bruzzese and published December 22, 2008, by Sams. See the Microsoft Subnet home page for details on all giveaways. Check out Microsoft Subnet’s library for more free chapters and special discounts on best-selling books. Check out the giveaways for books and free Cisco training from our sister site, Cisco Subnet. Visit the Microsoft Subnet page for daily news, bloggers, opinions, hot topics. Betting on SuperNAP In Las Vegas, data center takes power and cooling to the limit. Hot spot safety tips How to protect laptop data at your local Wi-Fi hot spot. Sponsored by Infoblox Take Control of Network TCO by Automating IPAM Growing networks are in a vicious circle of rising costs, increasing downtime, and rising staff stress. Join Enterprise Strategy Group's Jon Oltsik, for this information-packed webinar on how enterprises can reduce stress and operational expenses by automating IPAM, listen today. Network World's IT Resource Library Whether you're looking to gear up on one specific topic or you're trying to stay current on several areas, Network World's resource library has what you're looking for. Our comprehensive collection of resources will make your job easier. Visit Now Preparing for the Next Cyber Attack. Ensure you are up-to-speed on the latest security technologies available to keep your network safe. Get a thorough assessment of the corporate security threat landscape. Protect your network with data leakage protection, NAC and other technologies. Download this Executive Guide now.   02/03/09 Today's most-read stories: Wi-Fi hot spot horrors NFL's IT chief gears up for his 25th Super Bowl Windows 7 will not sway XP users Top 10 worst uses for Windows Human error caused Google search bug Ex-Fannie Mae employee accused of planting computer time bomb Satyam claims 15 contracts signed in January Wi-Fi vs. prepaid 3G data dongles Verizon clips VoiceWing, releases wireline VoIP service Don't fear the penguin: A newbie's guide to Linux Everybody says "Do more with less!" But no one tells you how. We will and it costs nothing to find out at IT Roadmap Conference and Expo. Coming to 10 cities in 09 including New York in February, Denver in March, Chicago in April. Register now, attend free Compare products, get advice, and check out tests and reviews from the experts at Network World. 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