SharePoint Team Launches New Site… In SharePoint

SharePoint has proudly announced the launch of a new site http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/Pages/Default.aspx) built (or rather re-built) in collaboration with Advaiya, Inc. on the SharePoint platform. The primary goal in creating the new look’n’feel of the website is naturally showcasing SharePoint as an independent Internet-based entity. The major foci of the now completed project are easy to follow. First of all, the primary aim of the site is to illustrate creating a team site within tight temporal and budgetary frameworks (that is mainly relying on out-of-the-box SharePoint components to cover all the necessary functionality features); moreover, distinctly traceable is Microsoft’s effort in forwarding Silverlight with a special emphasis on productively fusing it with SharePoint (the samples on the site include the hero bar and the main menu navigation control). Another clear message delivered in the announcement reads as follows: with a SharePoint site, content is easy to manage and no coding expertise is required (that includes such aspects as the content appearing on the hero bar, as well as SEO issues).
At the moment, the site can be accessed anonymously, with Passport/LiveID integration yet to follow. Detailed description, as usual, is to be found at the SharePoint Team’s official blog.

Does Google Wave have SharePoint Envy?

The web is abuzz. Although this is supposed to be the normal mode of web activity, what we are seeing right now is not just plain buzz, but something that on closer inspection reveals a pattern – one that is potentially doing to convert the web as we know it into something that we will have to get used to, one consisting in a challenge retour between the big G (for Google) and the big M (for Microsoft). The latest event falling into the pattern referred to is a developer preview of Google Wave at the Google I/O conference.
The app, which wraps e-mail, instant messaging, blogs’n’wikis, document sharing, and more neatly together, is to be released to the public later this year. Google Wave’s being defined as “a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web” has spurred a tide (connotation not intended) of SharePoint parallels, especially with the app being open-source and thus extendable. As seen by some, Wave poses an immediate threat to SharePoint the collaboration platform. This assumption stumbles upon at least two counterarguments: first, Wave is primarily web-, not enterprise-oriented; second, in enterprise environments, Office is not in the least likely to be phased out anytime soon, although Google apps are developing in their due course with a share of smaller businesses try to optimize their work by moving it to the cloud. Other important concerns include security and regulation. Therefore I find it safe to believe for now that speculations on SharePoint being withered by the new Google thing are somewhat premature.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that the innovation retour is going to escalate as time passes and solutions get tested out, with rivals enhancing and complementing each other’s achievements.

SharePoint 2007 development service

iTechArt started offering of a new development service - Windows SharePoint (MOSS) 2007 services software development. Our development team of SharePoint developers helps to configure, customize and develop intranet and internet portals based on Microsoft SharePoint 2007. We use Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) as an application development

framework for a document collaboration platform, MOSS 2007 can be used for corporate intranet portals, business and reporting applications.

Service Pack 2 Bug Unveiled

Microsoft’s SharePoint team is working on fixing a bug recently discovered in Service Pack 2 for SharePoint Server 2007. The bug converts a licensed version into a trial one, expiring after 180 days upon installation. In case the expiration date gets activated, no data, code or configuration will be affected, but the server will be rendered inaccessible to end users. The bug does not otherwise interfere with the proper functioning of MOSS 2007. In should be noted that no similar glitch was revealed with SP2 for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
A hot fix by Microsoft is to be released sometime soon, but the issue can be resolved right now by re-entering the product key, which can be retrieved via the Volume Licensing Service Center.
Let me remind you that the release of Service Pack 2 to Microsoft’s download center was announced on April 28, 2009 and includes a number of fixes and enhancements, including improved interoperability and performance. Additionally, SP2 includes a preupgradecheck operation necessary to ensure that the server farm is ready to be upgraded to SharePoint Products and Technologies 2010.
For detailed information and updates on the bug you can go to Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog.