From which tab in the DNS Properties window can DNS root servers and their IP addresses be viewed? Root Hints
Which command is used from the command prompt to view the DNS cache? ipconfig /displaydns
What is the reason for an IP address beginning with 169.254 appearing on boot up of a computer?A DHCP server cannot be found
What common language is used by all directories using directory-based networks? LDAP
Which type of database is used by Novell NetWare v3? Bindery
Microsoft prepares 'Albany' to compete with Google
It wants to get into market for low-priced hosted services
March 27, 2008 (IDG News Service) Facing pressure from hosted productivity suites such as Google Docs and Google Apps, Microsoft Corp. is developing a new package of low-end productivity software and hosted services through a secretive project code-named Albany.
Project Albany includes a combination of Office, Office Live Workspaces, Windows Live OneCare and the Windows Live suite of services in one package. It is expected to be available in retail outlets such as Best Buy, sources familiar with the company's plans said yesterday.
The sources, who asked not to be named, said Microsoft is asking select testers to try out the Project Albany beta, but it is requiring them to sign a nondisclosure agreement in order to participate in the trial. The main focus of the initial beta is to test the unified installer for the package, they said.
Office is Microsoft's enormously successful productivity suite, and it's unclear how much of that product will make it into Albany. Because of its price range and functionality, Office Home and Student 2007, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint, is the most likely candidate for inclusion in the new suite, which is expected to be fairly inexpensive. Office Home and Student 2007 retails for $149.95, about $250 less than Office Standard 2007, which lists for $399.95 and includes Outlook in addition to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Other products that are expected to be a part of Project Albany are hosted services Microsoft has developed over the past few years. Office Live Workspaces is Microsoft's hosted service for storing and sharing documents online, and Windows Live OneCare is a security service that includes firewall and antivirus protection. Windows Live services include hosted e-mail, search, photo-sharing and other services. It also uncertain at this time which of these services will be a part of Albany. However, one source said that the Windows Live products included in Albany will be client-side applications such as the desktop version of OneCare, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Writer, not hosted services.
Through its public relations firm, Microsoft confirmed that it sent out beta invitations for a product code-named Albany, but it declined to share additional details.
Because of its history of selling packaged software, Microsoft is adopting a software-plus-services approach to providing applications online to compete with free and low-cost hosted services from Google Inc., such as Google Docs and Apps, which are beginning to encroach on Microsoft's packaged-software turf. Other companies such as IBM also offer free productivity applications, although IBM's Symphony suite is not a hosted service.
Microsoft executives have said that the company eventually will offer a hosted version of Office, even as the various packaged versions of the suite continue to be successful in the consumer and business markets. With Albany, the company could be trying to create a hybrid product that wouldn't cannibalize its software business even as it moves Microsoft's services strategy forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment