There will be lots of the great sessions at the the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference (PDC) in October and the Windows Live Platform crew will be there in force to share all the latest goodness we have been working on during the last few months.

You can expect some very interesting announcements at PDC that will be of great interest to anyone developing cloud applications....

Jorgen Thelin will be there this year presenting a session about the wealth of Windows Live ID Identity Services functionality that developers can use to enable Windows Live / Live ID services to be integrated into their web sites and applications.

Session BB22 - Live Platform: Identity Services

The Live Platform enables developers on any platform to choose the identity integration model that best enables their scenarios, including: web or client authentication, delegated authentication, or federated authentication. Learn how to build seamless, co-branded, and customized sign-up and sign-in experiences.

The other session from the Live ID Team is being presented by Tore Sundelin, and is one you won't want to miss either.

Session BB29 - Connecting Active Directory to Microsoft Cloud Services

Learn how to augment your existing IT infrastructure with Microsoft Services. Manage and secure end user access to cloud services using your existing investment in Active Directory. Enable end users to access cloud services through existing Active Directory accounts, the same way they access your intranet-hosted software today. Hear how to enable existing software to use new service capabilities without re-writes, and do it all through the use of open and standard protocols.

The PDC is designed for leading-edge developers and software architects. If you are interested in the future of the Microsoft platform, you are responsible for the technical strategy in your organization, or you are a highly skilled developer who likes to delve deep into the heart of the platform, then the PDC is for you!

Check the full agenda here, then make your registration online. Hope you can join us in Los Angeles!

Whew, what a busy couple of weeks it’s been. We launched our new home page back at the end of July with the goal of using a new picture each week. Then we decided to get a little crazy for the Olympics and rotate the images twice a day. About three days into the Olympics, we realized we just could not go back to one picture a week!

So a few days ago we shifted gears again. We’re now giving you a new image every day, with hotspots to help spur your imagination. Sometimes we’ll just show great pictures that we like; sometimes the images will be related to topical events, like the upcoming Labor Day holiday or NFL season kickoff.

We’ll occasionally have images from the elections, but rest assured we’ll be giving both parties equal time.

And if you don’t like the picture you see today, don’t worry – there will be a new one tomorrow!

– the Live Search Homepage team

I finally got around to reading this juicy, albeit lengthy, Tweakguide.com article, Vista Annoyances Resolved, last night in which Koroush Ghazi takes an objective view of Windows Vista from inception to its current state. You see, like a lot of us, Koroush is tired of reading, in his (assuming he's a he) words, "what can only be described as a plethora of articles on Windows Vista, almost all of them repetitive, one-sided and of little practical use." The main driver of this type of FUD is the hunger for traffic. If sex sells on TV and in advertising, bashing Windows Vista sells on the internet. As the article points out this has resulted in what the  New York times coined as "blog stress" to refer to the never ending need to break company news and expose corporate blunders, mostly unsubstantiated.

So what I find refreshing about this article is, it attempts to provide a blow by blow of reviews and articles that reveal the good, the bad ... and the ugly. All of his claims and opinions are backed up by articles, reports, and data readily available to anyone with some time on their hands and is familiar with this thing called the Internet. For the conspiracy theorists out there, Microsoft has no relationship with Koroush beyond that fact that he uses our products. He includes a full disclaimer on page 3.

Some of the "neat" stuff Koroush points out are things we are pretty proud of, especially the security enhancements in Windows Vista. There's been an ongoing debate whether or not it's actually better than XP. Koroush unearths some numbers:

In a comparison of Vista and XP security advisories issued by Microsoft between November 2006 and July 2008, Windows XP had 64 advisories rated Critical or Important, whereas Vista had 33 of the same type. Similarly, comparing the advisories issued by Secunia in 2008 Windows XP had 35% of its advisories rated Highly Critical or above, compared with Windows Vista's 29%. In fact as of late August 2008 XP still shows 30 unpatched security advisories, the highest one rated Moderately Critical; Vista shows 2 unpatched security advisories, the highest one rated Less Critical.

There's also been some speculation that XP's adoption curve and reception was much faster and more favorable than Windows Vista.  We understand that people get tired of Microsoft constantly saying "Vista is great! Vista is selling like hot cakes!" (it is, by the way!), which is why it's great to see Koroush point out that there is evidence out there to demonstrate that Windows Vista is on the right track. It's also refreshing to see that Koroush kept an open mind and took the time to understand what normal adoption rates look like.  

The above information is provided simply to demonstrate that Windows XP was subject to the exact same types of criticisms and concerns as Windows Vista, many of them totally baseless or sensationalist as we now know. It took roughly three years or more for XP to reach the point (SP2) where users began to start trusting it, and started blaming their errors and problems on things other than the OS itself.

He also outlines some very creative solutions to common issues he's noticed users may be hitting up against like slower than desired performance or driver support. While we appreciate his efforts, we don't recommend or endorse the tweaks included in the article.

Like I said, the article is long, but it's full of interesting information, tips and tricks for the PC users. And again, it's great to see that there is a cure for blog stress...

I'm posting this on behalf of my colleague David Webster:

I'm David Webster --the guy "deep in the ranks" who dreamed up the Mojave Experiment. Today we updated the website with a few new videos, including sharing with you the fiercely debated demos that the participants were shown.  We encourage everyone to take a look at the videos, ask questions or air concerns (or even compliments). First I wanted to provide some context and clarify a few things.

It's been a couple weeks since we launched the Mojave Experiment, and the reaction in the blogosphere has been fascinating to watch. You should see my inbox - some of you really liked how the experiment helped you say "I told you so" to haters who'd just jumped on the bandwagon without trying for themselves. Others thought it was interesting but were skeptical about the validity of the project's methodology, and others still questioned our sanity (not the first time) for doing the experiment in the first place. There were lots of questions - some wondered if we rigged the results, cherry picked videos or even brought in actors to pose as consumers.  Fair enough. You should be skeptical. After all, the basic message of the Mojave Experiment is decide for yourself.  In that spirit, don't take my word for it either.  Go ahead and check out the new site for answers to the most frequent questions we got over the last few weeks.

We've also heard from supporters loud and clear that we needed to do more marketing around Windows Vista to regular users, and that is exactly what we are doing with the Mojave Experiment. As we have discussed, we're working to get the Mojave message out to consumers through website updates, retail activities and ads on cable stations. However, I do want to stress that while the Mojave Experiment is part of Microsoft's broader effort to talk about the value of Windows Vista, it is separate from the Crispin, Porter & Bogusky campaign you may have heard about in recent weeks. Stay tuned for more details on that one...for now I'm just here to discuss Mojave.

Well, here's why we went ahead with Mojave in the first place.

It should surprise no one that we believe Windows Vista today is a great product; it may surprise some that most current Windows Vista customers agree. In fact, we researched satisfaction levels among existing Windows Vista customers - the survey found that nearly 9 of 10 (i.e. 89%) of customers are either satisfied or very satisfied with their Windows Vista experience. And, satisfaction is increasing over time - customer sat level is 92% satisfied/very satisfied among those who bought Windows Vista during the last 6 months. More than 180 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold (as of June 30, 2008), and, as analysts have reported, corporate adoption rates are consistent with Windows XP rates in similar timeframes. So looking strictly at customer satisfaction and sales data, things are going very well for Windows Vista.

At the same time, we recognize that noise in the market created by a vocal minority can discourage regular people from trying the product for themselves. We're confident these people would find a lot to like about Windows Vista if they spent even 5-10 minutes taking a closer look. We wanted to confirm that hypothesis and see what happens when people get a second chance to make a first impression.

This led to the idea that led to the test that turned into the Mojave Experiment. And the hypothesis was confirmed when across the board, participants concluded that they needed to take another look before simply accepting what they'd heard. In fact, we had plans for a fun section of the site that highlighted any test subjects who didn't change their minds about Windows Vista. But we didn't get any.

The Windows Vista operating system delivered big changes in security, performance and graphics capabilities. These were long-term changes designed to bring customers forward and they are paying off, but it's true they also created near-term pain for customers immediately following launch - notably, some applications and devices didn't work (or work well) on Windows Vista. The product has come a long way since then. We and our partners have worked extremely hard to fix incompatibilities and optimize drivers for increased performance and stability. We shipped SP1 and countless other Windows Updates that have significantly improved Windows Vista over the last 18 months.

Again, we know from lots of user and non-user data that the closer they look the more they will like it. We just needed to give them a reason to take another look.

For a breakdown of the mechanics and results or just to see what's new, visit: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/

I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas!! Blog World Expo is my favorite time of year. We’re all about getting involved in the blogging community and meeting up with everyone. We’ve got a bunch of our Bloggers and hard working Channel Editors coming out this year. With everyone working remotely, meeting up once a year at a place like Vegas is really awesome.

Out of the bloggers that are coming, I’m personally excited to hook up with my old pal Jon Rochetti from The DC Traveller. He really knows my style and we are going out on the town. Shea Sylvia from MTV Reality World is going to be there too. After all the time we spent together at SXSW in March, she’s gotta be missing me by now. Lara Kulpa from Dating Dames is meeting up with us. Hopefully she can offer me some advice on my love life (my blue complexion gets a lot of attention, but sometimes I think it’s all just superficial). Even Jason Bean from Microsoft Weblog is coming out! Like Shea, he probably misses all the fun times we shared at SXSW! And Kevin Palmer is coming. Big deal.

The Channel Editors that are making it out include Kelly from the Business Channel. Hopefully she’s not all business!! Of course Mary Jo from the travel channel is coming…she’d go to anything that she could travel to. And Arieanna from Entertainment is coming out…hopefully she can entertain us down there. I know she certainly did at SXSW!! b5’s new Training Manager, and Channel Editor for the Music Channel, Jeanne Dupuis,  is coming out. I wonder if she does music training? We’ll have to find out.

Should be a good time all around…can’t wait to see everyone!! We got some good stuff planned for the weekend we are there, so let us know if you are going to be around so we can include you!!!

There's been a steady amount of buzz around the ‘net recently about Windows Vista adoption, sparked by a blog post last week questioning Windows Vista adoption rates and most recently by some great number crunching by Computerworld. In light of the various claims, I thought I would offer up some perspective on Windows Vista deployment numbers ... and what experienced industry watchers, like Forrester and CDW, are saying about Windows Vista.

First, you've heard us say before that we've sold more than 180 million Windows Vista licenses (40 million of those in the last quarter alone) and that major enterprises like Continental Airlines, the United States Air Force, Virgin Megastores, Charter, Avanade, Eastman Chemical and PPG are deploying seats by the thousands (and in some cases by the tens of thousands).  That's still true. You can read about these and other Windows Vista deployments at Microsoft.com/casestudies.

Consistent with findings from other reputable sources, Forrester Research just published a new report on enterprise OS adoption. According to the abstract: "Forrester's month-on-month study of more than 50,000 of our clients' OS preferences confirmed that users are on track with enterprises' initial Windows Vista deployment plans. IT operations folks are at a critical inflection point and should deploy Windows Vista to: 1) stay current with Microsoft's and independent software vendors' (ISVs') support life cycles; 2) help minimize today's security, management, and productivity challenges; and 3) better position your business to eventually embrace "Windows 7," because Windows Vista investments will ultimately pay off with better compatibility for this next release." Even the Wall Street Journal is picking up on this and in his blog post over the weekend, Ben Worthen includes some nuggets from the report like: "between October 2007 and June 2008 the percentage of visitors running Vista climbed from 5% to 8.8%." Ben also says that "it's pretty safe to assume that the operating system's image problems with the general public will soon be a thing of the past."

What about the guys on the ground who are selling, installing and implementing Windows Vista? Not surprisingly, they're seeing growing demand too. For example, CDW, one of the nation's largest technology resellers and system integrators, found in their third Windows Vista Tracking Poll that Windows Vista is "gaining traction" in the business market, with 48 percent of respondents saying their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista. That compares with 29 percent in CDW's February 2007 poll. You can check the Seattle Times commentary on this.

The chorus of industry commentators, analysts, partners and real enterprise users confirm what we already knew - businesses are buying, using and liking Windows Vista. If you haven't already, try it and decide for yourself.  

Interesting article in USA Today from Matt Krantz, the publication's financial markets reporter and an expert on online investing. Matt offers up an unbiased answer to a reader's question: What's a better computer for online investing, a PC or a Mac?

Not surprisingly, Krantz advises that Windows Vista PCs  win "hands-down" over Macs for things like better software compatibility, better community support, IE and greater user productivity. And his fundamental point on cost should hit home for anyone (not just online investors) in the market for a new computer:

...For less than $500, you can buy a Compaq Presario CQ50Z laptop. It comes with a 1.9 GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 120 gigabyte harddrive and wireless networking. A capable machine by today's standards and more than adequate for an online investor, for less than $500.

Now, let's see what's available from Apple. You'll need to spend at least $1,099 for a MacBook, which comes with the same memory and hard drive. The MacBook has a slightly faster microprocessor, 2.1 GHz, but you won't notice the difference if you're just Web surfing.

In this case, you save $600 that could be invested in stocks instead of sent to Cupertino...

For most people, a 156% price mark-up is too steep for admission to the club (and most people don't buy computers to join clubs anyway). Picking a Windows Vista PC over a Mac is no-brainer for business customers in particular - it's a smarter use of resources, offers hardware choice (something sorely lacking with Macs), and flexibility to use whichever applications make the most sense.

A quick note about my upcoming keynote at the Search Engine Strategies conference, Tuesday, August 19^th at 9:00 am in San Jose. Kevin Ryan and the entire SES organization put on one of the best search conferences around. This year I have the privilege to present to more than 4,000 of you down in the Valley. Our large presence around the show will let us hear from all of you about our products and services and help us better understand the perspective that you bring to the show.

During my keynote on day two, I’ll share with you our perspectives on how the search landscape has changed and how it will continue to evolve, based on key trends and our ability as an industry to react to them. I’ll take you back in time a bit to talk about our early days of search marketing and look forward to the industry’s recent moves into semantic search. It’s an exciting time for us all as we begin to usher in a new phase of search that looks at how we can deliver a more intuitive user experience and a better ROI for advertisers. With these changes, I’ll talk about how Microsoft is addressing and embracing this evolution. Specifically, I’ll highlight some of the new product features, including Live Search cashback, which we unveiled at Advance08. I’ll also focus on how we think about building more open and sophisticated tools for advertisers and publishers, and show a few demos like our recently released Webmaster tools.

All of this, coupled with a Q&A session with Kevin Ryan, should make for a great opportunity to talk about how search is evolving and where Microsoft is headed.

I look forward to meeting many of you at another great SES San Jose conference. And please stop by our booth #309.

Satya Nadella, Senior Vice President, Search, Portal, and Advertising

Where you can find us

Monday, August 18

• 9:45am-11:00am: Universal & Blended Search Todd Schwartz, Group Product Manager, Live Search


• 11:15am-12:30pm: Semantic Search: How Will It Change Our Lives? Scott Prevost, General Manager and Director of Product, Powerset


• 2:45pm-4:00pm: Everything but Google: Alternative Search Advertising Options Mary Berk, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft

Tuesday, August 19

• 9:00am-10:00am: Morning Keynote Satya Nadella, SVP, Search, Portal & Advertising Platform Group, Microsoft


• 4:00pm-5:15pm: Identify, Analyze, Act: SEM by the Numbers Brian Cosgrove, Site-Side Analytics Engineer, AvenueA / Razorfish

We’re also hosting a sponsored session, Diagnose SEO Issues Using Live Search Webmaster Tools, on Tuesday from 2:45pm-3:45pm. Speakers are:

• Nathan Buggia, Program Manager Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft


• Andy Woods, Development Lead, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft


• Ani Babaian, Senior Product Manager, Webmaster Tools, Microsoft

Wednesday, August 20

• 10:30am-11:45am: Building a Search Friendly Site William Flaiz, VP, Search Engine Optimization & Web Analytics, AvenueA / Razorfish


• 1:00pm-2:15pm: Searcher Behavior Research Update Pavan Lee, Research Manager, Microsoft


• 1:00pm-2:15pm: Auditing Paid Listings & Click Fraud Matthew Gretzer, VP & Global Discipline Lead of Search Marketing, AvenueA / Razorfish


• 2:45pm-4:00pm: Keywords & Content: Search Marketing Foundations Jorie Waterman, Lead Program Manager, adCenter Keyword Research Platform

Thursday, August 21

• 10:15am-11:15am: Effective Contextual Search Management Dennis Buchheim, Sr. Director - Product Management, APS Networks, Microsoft


• 1:30pm-2:30pm: Organic Listings Forum Nathan Buggia, Program Manager Lead, Webmaster Center, Live Search


• 2:45pm-3:45pm: Site Clinic Jeremiah Andrick, Program Manager, Webmaster Center, Live Search


• 2:45pm-3:45pm: In House SEO: Lessons learned & Victories Won Derrick Wheeler, Senior SEO Architect, Microsoft

Find out more about Microsoft’s presence at SES in the Webmaster blog and the adCenter blog.

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Whether you are planning to deploy Windows Vista or already did, it is important that you keep security high on your list and make sure that all of your desktops are secured.  So, how do you know if your desktops have Windows Firewall settings turned off?  What if some desktops do not have Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software installed?

To quickly get an answer, please check out the new Security Center assessment feature that we have added to the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 3.1 released in June.  It auto-generates a security assessment report on your existing desktops as part of the "Windows Vista hardware assessment" migration report.

 

What's Next?

Start identifying these security vulnerabilities today with a free download of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit.  You may also view the new MAP Toolkit demo video and learn how to get the Security Center assessment report as well as the hardware compatibility assessment report for Windows Vista migration.

Cheers,

Baldwin Ng

Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team

 

 

 

Once again b5 is planning it’s sponsorship at Blog World Expo in Vegas (Sept 20th and 21st). This is my favorite time of the year and probably my favorite conference. They’ve got great speakers (some b5ers in there), great panels, great industry folk, great parties, great times.

Like last year, b5 is doing a blogger day the day before the full conference starts. It’s open to the public, but we’re really hoping to get a lot of b5 bloggers out this year. Being in the head office is cool, but we LOVE meeting the men and women who really make it happen for us….we realized this at SXSW in March when we got to meet Shea Sylvia, Jason Bean and Joe Ruiz.

We’ve got tons of fun b5 stuff planned for while we’re down there and a lot of the team is coming. (Finally, I get to meet some of the Channel Editors!) We’ll keep you posted on the fun stuff that’s planned…come out and meet us!