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Essential Guide: An NDS-to-Active Directory Migration
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1. Commentary
- Visual Studio Express Editions: Fuel for the Inner Nerd?

2. Hot Off the Press
- AMD Files Antitrust Suit Against Intel

3. Peer to Peer
- Featured Blog: Firefox 1.0.5 Just Around the Corner
- FAQ: How can I control which authentication methods my Active Directory (AD) domain supports?

4. New and Improved
- Recover Password-Protected Documents

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==== 1. Commentary: Visual Studio Express Editions: Fuel for the Inner Nerd? ====
by Paul Thurrott, News Editor, thurrott@windowsitpro.com

Aside from my ongoing Web-development work, I left behind the software-development world several years ago, after having participated in a few software-development projects and written several books, including titles on Visual Basic (VB) 3.0 through VB 6.0 and Borland Delphi. I still keep tabs on the software-development world, however, and this year things are going to get interesting with the long-awaited release of Visual Studio 2005 the week of November 7, 2005.

These days, I pity the Windows software developer. As I noted in "It's All About the Developers" (see the first URL below), the number of Windows and Windows-related development technologies is legion and continually growing. Today, it's difficult to select the correct technologies for your projects. Your decision depends not just on which technologies are right for the job but also on which will be around and improved in a few years and not simply orphaned.

With Visual Studio 2005, Microsoft has succumbed to what I call "editionitis," whereby the company has taken a previously small and easily understood group of products and expanded it into a much wider range of products, often with overlapping capabilities but always targeting select niche markets. The Microsoft Office team has honed this strategy to perfection, and, apparently, Microsoft feels it can use the strategy with the rest of its products. The idea is to maximize the revenue potential for a given generation of software.

With Visual Studio .NET 2003, life was simple. Visual Studio .NET 2003 provided standalone versions of VB, Visual C#, Visual C++, and Visual J# (and a related single-user version of Microsoft SQL Server called Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine--MSDE), and professional, enterprise, and enterprise architect editions of the Visual Studio suite. These products built off each other, and Visual Studio Enterprise Edition was a true superset of Visual Studio Professional Edition. Simple.

With Visual Studio 2005, you have more choices to make. On the high-end, there are three new Visual Studio Team System editions (Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Architects, Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Developers, and Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers) and Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, which all focus on enterprise developers, testers, architects, and team collaboration. There are professional and standard editions of Visual Studio 2005 as well as the new Visual Studio Express editions, which include inexpensive single-user versions of VB 2005, Visual C# 2005, Visual C++ 2005, Visual J# 2005, Visual Web Developer 2005 (an update, of sorts, to the previously orphaned Visual InterDev products), and SQL Server 2005 (the latter of which replaces MSDE and will be free).

Yikes. To better understand what Microsoft is doing with Visual Studio 2005, I recently attended a Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 reviewers workshop at the Microsoft campus, along with several other Windows IT Pro magazine representatives. Although much of what was discussed is still covered by a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), this week I examine the Visual Studio 2005 Express editions, which are publicly available in beta form from the Microsoft Web site (See the second URL below). And I promise not to divulge which staff member sat through the same Microsoft BizTalk Server session twice in a row. For a small fee.

Although Microsoft somewhat deridingly describes the Visual Studio Express editions as targeting the "my-first-program" crowd, I'm more interested in its low-end machinations than its high-end power grab with the Visual Studio Team System editions. When Microsoft moved to .NET with the initial version of Visual Studio .NET, it consciously left behind a large part of the market that had made its development tools successful--enthusiasts, students, and other individual developers. Key among these users were VB 6.0 users, who bristled at the thought of leaving behind their comfortable (if aged) BASIC language syntax to move into the more complicated but more capable world of .NET.

So although VB 2005 Express Edition won't fully heal the wounds of VB 6.0 users (indeed, you need Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition to get any VB 6.0 upgrade help), it does address the cost concerns of the low end of the market. (And for what its worth, REAL Software's REALbasic is likely a better upgrade for most VB 6.0 users anyway. See the "Transitions" URL below).

For the record, Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition is awesome. I've switched from the editor in Microsoft FrontPage 2005 to this product for my own Web-development projects and am happy to once again be ensconced in the warm and capable hands of Microsoft's best code editor. Visual Web Developer 2005 Express has two huge improvements over FrontPage: First, you can expand and contract code segments, leaving open only the parts of the code you need to work on. Second, you don't need a Microsoft IIS Web server to create a Web site. Yes, Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition works with IIS, FTP, and Windows SharePoint Services sites, but it can also create a full-featured Web site from an empty Web folder. Finally.

The express editions include virtually all the language and productivity improvements that Microsoft has made to the various Visual Studio 2005 products, and they include tremendous starter kits, which are full-featured application projects you can build yourself. The big deal here, from what I can see, is that the express products could rejuvenate Visual Studio excitement in educational institutions, where the allure of free software-development tools is most palpable.

So what's missing in the express editions? You can't access remote data; these versions use only a locally installed data source (including the free SQL Server 2005 Express Edition). There are no mobile-device-development features in VB Express, Visual C# Express, or Visual C++ Express; you must upgrade to Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition to get those features. All the high-end features from the Visual Studio Team System editions are missing, of course, including application and code modeling, unit testing, static code analysis, and the like.

As for the full-blown versions of Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, which Microsoft will release simultaneously with the express editions in November, I can say this: Microsoft is pushing the fact that it codeveloped these products and therefore they'll work better together (much like Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 were codeveloped). This integrated approach is laudable but could prove costly for adopters. But then editionitis is all part of Microsoft's strategy to maximize the earning potential of its products. It makes sense for Microsoft. Whether it makes sense for customers remains to be seen.

Notebook Reviews: The Readers Have Spoken
Regarding my note last week about moving notebook reviews to the SuperSite for Windows, I did receive a lot of responses (thanks for that), which were overwhelmingly in favor of me continuing the reviews, but moving them to the SuperSite, where I can include photos and more in-depth information. I'll start work on that immediately and will notify readers here in Windows IT Pro UPDATE when I post new reviews. Thanks!

It's All About the Developers
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/articleid/45365/45365.html

Visual Studio Express Editions (Microsoft)
http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express

Transitions
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/articleid/46727/46727.html

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==== 2. Hot Off the Press ====
by Paul Thurrott, thurrott@windowsitpro.com

AMD Files Antitrust Suit Against Intel
Microprocessor maker AMD has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Intel, accusing the chip giant of forcing customers into exclusive deals that prevent them from buying AMD chips. According to the suit, Intel bullied 38 companies in its bid to maintain dominance in the lucrative microprocessor market. Read the entire article at the following URL:
http://www.winnetmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=46849

==== Events and Resources ====
( A complete Web and live events directory brought to you by Windows IT Pro: http://www.windowsitpro.com/events )

The Essential Guide to Exchange Preventative Maintenance
Database health is the weakest link in most Microsoft Exchange Server environments. Download this Essential Guide now and find out how the ideal solution is an automated, end-to-end maintenance and management tool that provides a centralized view of the entire managed infrastructure. Get your free copy now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/essential/index.cfm?code=0629emailannc

It Just Got Easier to Network With Your IT Peers!
Windows IT Pro forums are easier to use, searchable, and complete with RSS feeds so that you'll always receive the latest discussion topics instantly! Check out the new and improved Windows IT Pro forums today.
http://forums.windowsitpro.com

Show Us How You've Used Windows Technology in Innovative Ways
If you've used Windows technology in creative ways to devise specific, beneficial solutions to problems your business has faced, we want you! Now's your chance to get the recognition you deserve. Enter the 2005 Windows IT Pro Innovators Contest now! You could win a complimentary conference pass to Exchange and Windows Connections in San Diego in late October 2005.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/AWARDS/innovators_2005.cfm

Simplify, Automate and Reduce the Cost of Demonstrating Regulatory Compliance
The need to comply with regulations has increased as legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, GLBA, and Basel II take effect. The growth of these mandates has caused an increase in manually intensive, compliance-related tasks that reduce IT efficiency. In this free Web seminar, learn how you can simplify, automate, and reduce the cost of achieving IT security and regulatory compliance. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/seminars/regulatorycompliance/index.cfm?code=0629emailannc

Back By Popular Demand--SQL Server 2005 Roadshow in a City Near You
Get the facts about migrating to SQL Server 2005. SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you implement a best-practices migration to SQL Server 2005 and improve your database computing environment. Attend and receive a 1-year membership to PASS and 1-year subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now!
http://www.windowsitpro.com/roadshows/sqlserverusa/index.cfm?code=0629emailannc

==== Featured White Paper ====

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==== Instant Poll ====

Results of Previous Poll:
The voting has closed in Windows IT Pro's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "What's your company's primary desktop OS?" Here are the results from the 284 votes:
- 67% Windows XP
- 25% Windows 2000
- 2% Windows NT
- 4% Windows Me or Windows 9x
- 1% Other

New Instant Poll:
The next Instant Poll question is, "Does your company allow peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs on networked computers?" Go to the Windows IT Pro home page and submit your vote for a) Yes, b) No, or c) I don't know.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/magazine

==== 3. Peer to Peer ====

Featured Blog: Firefox 1.0.5 Just Around the Corner

Check out Mark Edwards' latest posting on the Security Matters blog:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/46801/46801.html

FAQ: How can I control which authentication methods my Active Directory (AD) domain supports?
by John Savill, http://www.windows2000faq.com

You'll find the answer at the following URL: http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=46818

==== Announcements ====
(from Windows IT Pro and its partners)

Why Do You Need the Windows IT Pro Master CD?
There are three good reasons to order our latest Windows IT Pro Master CD. One, because it's lightning-fast, portable tool that let you search for solutions by topic, author, or issue. Two, because it includes our Top 100 Windows IT Pro Tips. Three, because you'll also receive exclusive, subscriber-only access to our entire online article database. Click here to discover even more reasons:
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Monthly Online Pass = Quick Windows Answers!
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http://www.windowsitpro.com/rd.cfm?code=mteu2056wu

==== 4. New and Improved ====
by Angie Brew, products@windowsitpro.com

Recover Password-Protected Documents
LastBit Software released Office Password 7.0, a utility that recovers password-protected Microsoft Office documents. Office Password features Express Recovery technology, which can recover a password in minutes. Office Password can recover documents in Microsoft Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, and more. You can customize the software package and choose which recovery tools you want. Pricing starts at $59. Contact LastBit Software through its Web site.
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Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!
Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Tell us about the product, and we'll send you a T-shirt if we write about the product in a future Windows IT Pro What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions with information about how the product has helped you to mailto:whatshot@windowsitpro.com.

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