http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=2469714

Microsoft Gears Up for Server Software Launch
Fri March 28, 2003 08:04 PM ET
By Reed Stevenson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O , the world's largest software maker, said on Friday it completed work on its flagship server software for managing computer networks, which will ship next month after a series of delays.

Microsoft is turning its attention to corporate software as it lays the groundwork for its .NET strategy, which aims to deliver software and services over the Internet.

The new server software is also being launched at a time when Microsoft faces stepped-up competition from Linux, the free operating system that is being adopted by an increasing number of businesses for their network computing needs.

Microsoft said that Windows Server 2003, previously known as Windows .NET Server, was released to manufacturing on Friday, which means that computer makers will start loading it onto machines ready to ship and that Microsoft will start making boxed CD-ROM copies.

More than 5,000 software engineers worked over three years to develop the new software, Microsoft said.

Similar to its strategy for bundling features into each new product upgrade, the new Windows server software will be able to handle file, printing, e-mail, Web pages and applications on top of basic networking functions.

Other features, such as messaging and the ability for groups to work on a single file or document, will be available as add-on features while the specialized database storage server, SQL, will remain separate.

"Windows Server is the foundation for our overall server business," Bill Veghte, Microsoft's vice president in charge of the servers group, said in an earlier interview.

Veghte said the new server would offer twice the performance of its predecessor and require a third less administrative staff.

Although some customers have described the new server software as "version 3.0" referring to Microsoft's pattern of getting its software right on the third try, one analyst hailed the software a comprehensive upgrade.

"The improvements in performance all across the board are substantial," said Peter Pawlak, lead analyst for server applications at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research company in Kirkland, Washington.

BIG PUSH ON COST AND SECURITY

Microsoft is marketing the software on the basis of its potential to lower network costs for businesses at a time when corporate information technology budgets are being squeezed.

Microsoft and Linux, which both work on Intel Corp.'s INTC.O microprocessors, have both been chipping away at Sun Microsystems Inc.'s SUNW.O share of the Unix server hardware and software market for the past few years.

Other features of the new server software include the ability to handle a larger array of multiple processors, greater memory as well as advanced 64-bit processors -- areas where Linux has been gaining ground.

Microsoft has had to push back the launch of the Windows Server software several times, most recently last year when it opted to beef up the security of the product. That delay came after Microsoft adopted a company-wide crusade of "Trustworthy Computing" to make its products more reliable and secure.

Microsoft's server software has been a frequent target of hacker attacks and malicious programs, most recently in January with the 'SQL Slammer" worm that slowed Internet traffic worldwide.

Veghte said that Microsoft had spent more than $200 million to make its flagship server software more secure.

"This is really the first product that has been through the whole trustworthy computing security review," Pawlak said, "That's one thing that corporate customers are going to value."

I like these bits:


Microsoft is turning its attention to corporate software as it lays the groundwork for its .NET strategy, which aims to deliver software and services over the Internet.


Microsoft said that Windows Server 2003, previously known as Windows .NET Server, was released to manufacturing on Friday, which means that computer makers will start loading it onto machines ready to ship and that Microsoft will start making boxed CD-ROM copies.

Other features, such as messaging and the ability for groups to work on a single file or document, will be available as add-on features

So Microsoft doesn't need TAD technology then - that's how I read it......

"Microsoft is turning its attention to corporate software as it lays the groundwork for its .NET strategy, which aims to deliver software and services over the Internet."


F

From our Web page



Endeavors Technology Partners With Microsoft To Bring Its Streaming
Applications On-Demand Solution To The .NET Platform



Microsoft's .NET technology to play key role in client level development of Endeavors' Magi
Application Express Solution, the leading On Demand Application Delivery Solution (ODADS),
with management, tracking, security and integration tools for applications, data and Web Services

Microsoft will assist Endeavors Technology in addressing software design and development issues involving Web-enablement of applications so they can be distributed to the desktop for use both on and off line. The focus of the effort will be around three main areas: a) managing, tracking usage in real time and deploying applications anywhere to any Web connected point, b) securely authenticating and identifying users and devices, and c) replacing disparate, complex and costly unconnected services with a single web services environment. Endeavors will have access to Microsoft's laboratory facilities for prototyping, testing, and migration initiatives.

Fugitive
If you understood the technology, you would realise its exactly the opposite of your post, thats what tads do enable companies toy deliver applications over the internet securely.
You may be able to read but you lack understanding.
Guru

well said guru

i wonder if gravy only has one arm?

AGM today.

Who is going from this board?

M

guru,

few understand the technology least of all ainsey. The "news" is all looking a bit tired now - we have heard nothing. Plenty of other companies developing the same software and MS interfaces.

F

Whether I understand th etechnology or not has no bearing on what guru said to you Fugitive and proves his point ..... 'you lack understanding albeit you can read a little'

ainsey,

if I was holding a million based on wonder-deals with MS I would be getting a bit worried by now. There is no tech discussion on the TAD boards here. A great shame.

F

But you don't actually hold ANY shares and you are a FUGitive ..... If I were you - I would wonder how I can hold lots of shares ...... and you cannot

Anyone holding TAD now, after all the warnings is a little silly.

Some of the technology offerings sound good but I feel at this time it is a case of too little too late to save this little unprofitable cash burning software firm that has very little in the way of sales.

Yes of course the 'true' believers will hang in there in the vain hope that it'll come good and they make a fortune out of it but people should not ignore the history of this company and other similar plays out there.

You only have to look at some of the other pie in the sky stories and then the failures to get a feel for what could become of this one.

No advice is intended but this is too high risk for my trading and long term trading habits. Still interested in following this little co though.

jesus wepped



some of us spent 8/9 hours yesterday talking to the directors - the management and other shareholders .... some of us trade tads - hold tads and do a lot of research into the company.

snappy does not appear to trade anything - has no position in tads - at best read a two line announcement this morning to say all resolutions were passed.

He knows virtually nothing about the company or their current sales/prospects ....... he has demonstrated his complete lack of trading experience and knowledge on numerous occasions and yet he feels out of all the 2000 shares in the market - he is best qualified to give us the benefit of his advice on Tads


roflol

Snappy
You don't actually know what you are talking about.
Tadpole have a short term cashlow problem which the GEM money is taking care of.
They are getting a tranche of h/w money this month and some more in september, by that time the need for GEM will no longer exist as Cartesia will be cashflow positive.
A strategic partner is in Talks with Tad regarding a stake in Endeavors because of the future potential.
All in all looks quite promising.
Guru

I think snappy must be by far the best informed on the company, he has no shares in it, which makes him 100% more trading intelligent than we lot, that`s a cert.
well it was a cert. before moneylender used it for his evil purposes.

Just a passing thought.

Also a veteran tadder, I have been trying to warn the eternal optimists that there are problems here. Have been in the business too long to see it any differently.

F

What evil purposes??

What have I done now, have I upset someone, again!

M

guru 1 1/4

You mention that a strategic partner is in talks with Tad regarding a stake in Endeavors. Is this just a rumour or based on more substantial information?
I got the idea from reading the various agm reports that there was no knight in shining armour on the horizon, but would welcome one with open arms!

ikeja

Irvine (CA) and Cambridge (UK), April 2, 2003 - Endeavors Technology,
developer of Web-enabling solutions for enterprise network infrastructures,
today announces a new contract win from Autodesk, the world's leading design
software and digital content company. Its streaming applications on-demand,
software is enabling the rapid, cost-effective, and piracy-free deployment
and management of AutoCAD 2004 to a large pool of prospects. AutoCAD 2004
is a 2D drafting and detailing and 3D design tool used by more designers
worldwide than any other CAD software.

Offering software on a trial basis is a common practice in the technology
industry, and typically involves prospects either downloading a stripped
version for concept evaluation or receiving a 30-day full product trial CD
in the mail. Costs and follow-up tasks related to those trial methods can
be substantial. Autodesk looked to Magi AppExpress technology to reduce
trialware costs without compromising the quality of the user's experience.
As a result, Autodesk is able to deliver more product, discover more
customer opportunities and add more security to the AutoCAD 2004 trial
process. The AutoCAD 2004 trialware being delivered using Magi AppExpress
technology is not a demonstration product, but a completely functional
version that includes the ability to create, view, save and plot files.

Endeavors Technology is a leader in developing Web-based products for
transferring and sharing digital information. With its trialware delivery
solution, Endeavors has provided Autodesk with a new efficient way to get to
market while lowering costs of trialware projects.

The streaming technology of Magi AppExpress downloads AutoCAD 2004
components from trial site server to a PC on an "as needed" basis. The trial
site automatically first checks that a PC satisfies the minimum requirements
needed to install and run the streaming trial software. If it encounters any
problems, it flags these errors and suggests how to correct them and
proceed. When all the requirements are met, the streaming trial client and
AutoCAD 2004 cache are downloaded to a virtual drive on the PC. Icons to
access the AutoCAD 2004 trial and the accompanying Express Tools are placed
on the desktop.

The AutoCAD 2004 streaming trial runs behind the scenes with a server system
managed for Autodesk by Endeavors. In this system, the server's primary role
is to deliver the initial software download, and secondarily to control and
monitor the clients connected to the server. Because this type of
architecture takes advantage of each client's resources, product speed and
performance are nearly identical to those of a stand-alone PC with
application software that has been locally installed from a CD.

The full AutoCAD 2004 application is about 500 MB. Using App Express to
trial a full-version software like AutoCAD ensures that trial users get
"instant gratification." Users register, receive an email with their
password and link, log on to the trial site, download and install the
software, all in just a matter of minutes. In comparison, it could take
days to process a trial request and ship out a CD.

"No one has seen this kind of performance in CAD trial software," said
Robert Ng, Director, New Business Planning and Analysis at Autodesk.
"Streaming the AutoCAD software program using Endeavors' technology allows
users to be up and running in just 5-10 minutes. During the pilot phase,
we found that a higher percentage than normal of trial users were influenced
to buy our product sooner than they originally planned and many bought more
product than planned."

"Magi AppExpress provides a client-centric approach to trialware that offers
dramatic improvements in scalability and allows Autodesk to reach more users
at a lower cost per trial," said Kapi Attawar, VP marketing of Endeavors
Technology. "Nothing else on the market compares to the speed, convenience
and cost-effectiveness of Endeavors' trialware solution."

The trial is currently available for users in the United States and Canada
only.