Microsoft Goes With Standards

Microsoft set the technology blogosphere buzzing March 5-7 in Las Vegas when it announced at its MIX08 developers conference that Internet Explorer 8 would be completely based on open standards. In addition, the company said that its new Silverlight 2, a competitive offering to Adobe Flash technology, will provide a “richer, more interactive” customer experience on the Web. DoubleClick, now part of Google, previewed its Silverlight 2 software development kit for in-stream advertising.

Ray Ozzie, chief architect for Microsoft Corp., the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant, told the audience, “The Web is at the center of everything Microsoft is doing. The investments we’re making will enable developers and designers to deliver a range of seamless, connected experiences across the continuum of Web applications, rich clients, mobile and other devices.”

Internet Explorer 8 is the next version of Microsoft’s Web browser, and in beta 1, it delivers “significantly improved standards support and developer platform investments with enhanced user experiences,” according to the company’s press release. Internet Explorer 8 beta 1 delivers increased interoperability, offers developers better predictability when designing sites, and will feature full support for cascading style sheet (CSS) 2.1 at release to manufacturing. Two new features, Activities and WebSlices, will enable developers to reach beyond the page and introduce news ways for users to stay connected to the content and services of their choice.

深度变焦

Silverlight 2 beta includes new features such as Deep Zoom, more than 40 new controls and a rich .Net base class library of functionality. In addition to the beta release, Microsoft announced plans to deliver Silverlight for Windows Mobile and to work with Nokia on support for S60 on Symbian OS, the world’s leading smartphone software, as well as for Series 40 devices and Nokia Internet tablets. AOL, Aston Martin, Cirque du Soleil, Hard Rock and NBCOlympics.com on MSN have selected Silverlight for their Web applications due to its performance capabilities, integration with the .Net Framework and customizable advertising opportunities.

在企业方面，微软还宣布了一项名为Microsoft SQL Server数据服务的建筑块软件服务。该服务是为开发人员设计的，构建基于Web的应用程序，这些应用程序需要可扩展，易于编程且基于公用事业的数据存储。

战略资产

Microsoft’s announced upcoming launch of the “Dynamic IT” initiative that includes Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 208 and SQL Server 2008 is designed to “help customers optimize their people, processes and technology, and in turn, position IT as a strategic asset for their business.”

Microsoft通过宣布TPC-E和SAP销售和分销（SD）标准应用程序3层基准在四台行业标准的刀片服务器上宣布世界记录的性能结果，从而通过新产品增强了性能改进的想法。它还为客户场景发布了绩效基准，其中包括制造公司感兴趣的公司 - Siemens PLM Teamcenter和Camstar Manufacturing执行系统。

Microsoft Corp.
www.microsoft.com