SQL Server 2005 At Last
I always get nervous when Microsoft attaches a year to a product name before
the product ever ships. So when the oft-delayed Yukon was named SQL Server 2005,
I reckoned the software would actually ship in 2006. I was wrong: The database
is now in manufacturing.
In typically strange fashion, Microsoft will launch
the product next Monday, more than a week after it was finished. I guess
what you do is have 10 to 12 formal preannouncements, the announcement about
the upcoming announcement, and then the post-product announcement. What’s
next, a one-month anniversary announcement?
Just as strangely, the formal announcement of BizTalk Server 2006 will take
place the same day, well before the product ships. It’s true, there is
absolutely no rhyme or reason to Microsoft announcements!
Mo’ Money
Carl Sagan had his billions and billions of stars, and Microsoft has its billions
and billions of dollars in profit. In its most recent quarter, Redmond socked
away more
than $3 billion in pure profit. To keep things in perspective, Google, the
big Redmond threat, had revenues roughly equivalent to Microsoft’s profits.
Eric Schmidt has a lot of catching up to do.
Microsoft Booking Books
While Google upsets authors by digitizing copyrighted content, Microsoft is
taking the higher ground, scanning some
150,000 books and distributing them electronically. Unlike Google, Microsoft
is asking everyone for permission.
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About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.