Microsoft Support & Discussions

By Thurrott, Paul Like many other little-used but high-quality Microsoft solutions, Windows Home Server will always have a special place in my personal stable of technology memories, because it has always worked so well and addressed a very real need. I’m still blown away that more people don’t use this software. It’s fantastic and it just works. Source: Win Super Site

Microsoft’s Bing search engine is one of the Microsoft products that Redmond’s shareholders — not to mention many Wall Streeters who watch Microsoft — love to hate. But Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is bullish on Bing. Here’s why. Source: All About Microsoft

By Thurrott, Paul In the latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast, Leo and I are joined by special guest Mary Jo Foley and discuss the Windows 8 schedule, Microsoft’s pursuit of Android patent licensees, Facebook and Skype, PCs and simplicity, Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, new improvements to Hotmail, Word Web App co-authoring, Xbox brand consolidation, the death of Zune Originals, and Verizon Wireless move to tiered data plans. Source: Win Super Site

By Thurrott, Paul This first of two Zune retrospectives covers the first half of Zune’s lifecycle, from late 2006 to mid-2008, a period during which Zune matured from a sad, me-too product into a full-fledged, innovative product line of its own. I went from Zune critic to Zune user and advocate during this period, and my growing excitement over the Zune platform explains the sheer amount of time and effort I devoted to it. Source: Win Super Site

By Thurrott, Paul Before there was Windows Live, Microsoft’s Internet services brand was MSN, which was originally shorthand for "The Microsoft Network" and was marketed as a CompuServe-like dial-up Internet access service that was bundled in Windows 95. Since then, MSN has gone through a number of phases, and the brand is still alive and well today, though much has changed over the years. Source: Win Super Site

By Thurrott, Paul Unlike with some of my trendier contemporaries, Mac OS X isn’t a recent phenomenon for me: I’ve been using and writing about Macs for over a decade, and I’ve probably owned more Apple hardware and software than most hardcore Apple fanatics. Here’s the proof: A look back at over 10 years of Mac OS X reviews and other articles. Source: Win Super Site

By Thurrott, Paul It wasn’t until Office 2000, in 1999, that I started adding regular Office coverage to the SuperSite for Windows. That’s because the site itself didn’t exist until August 1998, and didn’t really expand into non-Windows topics until that year. The Office reviews and articles here are from this early era for the most part. Source: Win Super Site

Microsoft officials have publicly prided themselves on dabbling in lots of different areas that might some day become Microsoft’s next billion-dollar business. But it seems there’s a new modus operandi in place these days. And I’m curious what Ballmer & Co. now consider to be worthy big bets. Source: All About Microsoft

By Thurrott, Paul I’m coincidentally working on the first of a series of articles on SharePoint 2010 and SharePoint Online that I hope to post today, but Microsoft wrote in to note that a related announcement today about some nice changes to the product’s data storage limits. Source: Win Super Site

By Thurrott, Paul Available in both on-premise and hosted forms, SharePoint is a jack-of-all-trades solution which, like an old SNL skit, is both a dessert topping and a floor wax, a product so versatile and useful that it defies you to describe it quickly and simply. So I’m going to explore SharePoint over a series of several articles, starting today with this mile-high overview of the product. Source: Win Super Site

Microsoft’s hybrid cloud/on-premises server for small business is available as of this week. But the Office 365 cloud component won’t really be usable until this fall. Source: All About Microsoft

By Thurrott, Paul An often irreverent look at some of this week’s other news, including Steve Ballmer at CES, Microsoft making money from Android, that little joke about native HTML, Surface 2.0 coming to a wall near you, Apple’s App Store legal defeat, Google’s desire for Facebook integration, Facebook’s coming music service, Apple rumors, and a short work week... Source: Win Super Site

Microsoft is planning to make the software development kit (SDK) for the new version of the touch-centric Surface 2.0 system available for download on July 12. Source: All About Microsoft

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By Thurrott, Paul Microsoft announces today that Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is now available through all channels. This means that customers can purchase a copy of the server through Volume Licensing, at retail, and from most of its hardware maker partners, with more offers and partner products coming over the next few months. Source: Win Super Site

Microsoft is rolling out in two phases starting this week an update to its Windows Live Essentials 2011 bundle of Windows add-on software and services. Source: All About Microsoft

Microsoft is ready to take the wraps off a beta of the next release of its Windows Intune PC management service, according to some of my tipsters. Source: All About Microsoft

Microsoft has added a new capability to its Word Web app to enable document co-authoring for consumers accessing the app via SkyDrive. Source: All About Microsoft

By Paul Thurrott Now that Apple has played its hand with the iCloud service, online retailing giant Amazon.com has raised the stakes in the looming battle for cloud-based music services and is offering unlimited storage of music files for a low yearly fee. Source: Win Super Site

By Paul Thurrott At a press conference yesterday, social networking giant Facebook announced a new video chat service that is powered by Skype, the online communications provider that’s about to be purchased by Microsoft. Source: Win Super Site