Question & Answer Session: Microsoft Office 2003 System Team (Feb 20)
ActiveWin.com: What was the development time of Microsoft Office 2003?
Office 2003 Team: While we don’t have specific dates around when development first started, what we can outline for you is the major milestones leading to launch of Microsoft Office 2003 Editions:
Microsoft “Office 11” Beta 1 release: Oct 22, 2002
Microsoft Office 2003 Beta 2 release: March 10, 2003
Microsoft Office 2003 Editions RTM: August 15, 2003
Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Retail Availability (Launch): Oct. 21, 2003
View full article: Question & Answer Session: Microsoft Office 2003 System Team
Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas (Feb 20)
This download contains the Microsoft Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas and related documentation and now includes:
Overview articles on WordprocessingML (the XML file format for Microsoft Office Word 2003), SpreadsheetML (Microsoft Office Excel 2003) and FormTemplate XML schemas (Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003).
Reference documentation on the Microsoft Office 2003 schemas, detailing every element and types.
Download: Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas
Access 2000 Sample: Database of Sample Forms (Feb 20)
The Access 2000 Database of Sample Forms provides sample user forms that demonstrate how to perform a wide variety of tasks such as bringing a subtotal from a sub form to a form, and how to disable command bar items.
Download: Access 2000 Sample: Database of Sample Forms
New Virus! W32.Netsky.B@mm (Feb 18)
W32.Netsky.B is a mass-mailing worm that uses its own SMTP engine to send itself to the email addresses it finds when scanning the hard drives and mapped drives. This worm also searches drives C through Z for folder names containing “Share” or “Sharing,” and then copies itself to those folders.
The Subject, Body, and email attachment vary.
View: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.netsky.b@mm.html
Majority of Older Americans Prefer to Send E-Mail Instead of Handwritten Letters or Postcards (Feb 18)
E-mail is replacing handwritten letters and postcards for the majority of older Americans with Internet access, according to a recent survey conducted by E-Poll for Microsoft Corp.’s MSN® TV service. Seventy-nine percent of Internet users over the age of 55 who responded to the survey said that they type an e-mail message instead of handwriting a letter or postcard when they write to a family member.
Sixty-three percent of survey respondents said that communication with their family has increased since going online. Of the respondents, 71 percent receive e-mail from family members at least once a week, and 14.5 percent said they receive e-mail daily. The survey also found that 30 percent of older Americans receive digital photographs from family members at least once a month.
“These numbers demonstrate that older Americans with Internet access have adopted e-mail as a preferred way to keep in touch with family members,” said Sam Klepper, general manager of MSN TV at Microsoft. “Alternatives like MSN TV that provide e-mail and Internet access from a television are helping older Americans cross the digital divide by allowing them to communicate with their children and grandchildren, who may be more advanced technology users.”
The MSN TV/E-Poll survey of 500 respondents was conducted in October 2003, with a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percent. The E-Poll report surveyed a representative group of adults over the age of 55 who were randomly selected from the E-Poll online panel. Statistics based on subsamples of the respondents are more sensitive to sampling error.
View: Majority of Older Americans Prefer to Send E-Mail Instead of Handwritten Letters or Postcards
Order the Windows Security Update CD (Feb 18)
The Windows Security Update CD will be shipped to you free of charge. This CD includes Microsoft critical updates released through October 2003 and information to help you protect your PC. In addition, you will also receive free antivirus and firewall trial software.
This CD is only available for Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).
View: Order the Windows Security Update CD
Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Beta 2 Documentation (Feb 18)
This download includes the following four documents containing Beta 2 information about Microsoft® Office SharePoint™ Portal Server 2003:
- Upgrading from Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001
- Enabling Secure Sockets Layer on SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Beta
- Deleting a Portal Site That Provides Shared Services
- Capacity Planning Guide for SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Beta
Download: Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Beta 2 Documentation
Office 2003 Language Interface Pack (Feb 18)
Only use it if you can read the lipread.htm file included 
Download: Office 2003 Language Interface Pack
Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Resource Kit Tools (Feb 17)
Tools to support deployment of Microsoft Office Visio 2003
Download: Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Resource Kit Tools
Added Content: Creating a Classic View in Outlook 2003 (Feb 17)
Since a lot of people are “hooked” on the classic view of Outlook or simply don’t like the initial Outlook 2003 view I made an overview of settings to change so it looks more like previous versions of Outlook.
View: Creating a Classic View in Outlook 2003
New Virus! W32.Alua@mm / W32/Bagle.b@MM (Feb 17)
The risk assessment of this threat has been raised to Medium due to increased prevalence.
This is a mass-mailing worm with the following characteristics:
contains its own SMTP engine to construct outgoing messages
harvests email addresses from the victim machine
the From: address of messages is spoofed
contains a remote access component (notification is sent to hacker)
Users are reminded that the scanning of compressed files (default option) is required for detection.
As for its predecessor , this worm checks the system date. If it is the 25th February 2004 or later, the worm simply exits and does not propagate.
View: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.alua@mm.html
View: http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_101030.htm
Code for MSBlast variant posted online (Feb 17)
Users who haven’t deployed the critical security patch released by Microsoft last week are in imminent danger, after exploit code was posted online.
A piece of code that exploits the critical vulnerability for which Microsoft issued a patch only last week has been posted online, raising fears of an imminent MSBlast-style attack.
On 10 February, Microsoft released a patch that fixes a networking flaw affecting all Windows XP, NT, 2000 and Windows Server 2003 systems. The company warned users to patch their systems because the vulnerability could be exploited by virus and worm writers. Four days after the patch was released, a piece of code was published on a French Web site that allows anyone to exploit the vulnerability, which means unpatched users can expect to be hit with another MSBlast-type worm.
Richard Starnes, director of incident response at Cable & Wireless, told ZDNet UK that the code appears to work: “We ran [the compiled code] against an unpatched XP and Windows 2000 SP3 system and it took both systems down. It does a buffer overflow and immediately sends the PC into a reboot phase that you can’t get out of,” he said.
View full article: Code for MSBlast variant posted online
Microsoft Insider: Office System Preview (Feb 17)
In this edition of Insider, hosts Ari Bixhorn and Chris Flores give you an in-depth preview of the new Microsoft® Office System.
Learn how the new Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 can save you time and help you work more productively. Watch demonstrations of new and revamped Office technologies, plus see the new Microsoft Office Word 2003 and Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003 in action. Listen to Robert Rounthwaite as he discusses how Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 can help you combat junk e-mail, then watch a demo of the program so you can see for yourself.
Preview one of the best parts of the new Office: Microsoft Office OneNote™ 2003. See how it will completely change the way you take notes. Then watch how it works with a Tablet PC to make your standard notepad and pen virtually obsolete.
Download: Microsoft Insider: Office System Preview
Server Consolidation Using Exchange Server 2003 (Feb 17)
As e-mail messaging continues to grow in both volume and business importance, organizations are looking for new options to manage future demand in a reliable and cost-effective way. One option is to build a messaging strategy based on advanced technologies available in Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. This article discusses strategies for server consolidation using Exchange 2003.
Download: Server Consolidation Using Exchange Server 2003
Updated: Statement from Microsoft Regarding Illegal Posting of Windows Source Code (Feb 17)
On Thursday, February 12, Microsoft became aware that portions of the Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 source code were illegally made available on the Internet. Subsequent investigation has shown this was not the result of any breach of Microsoft’s corporate network or internal security, nor is it related to Microsoft’s Shared Source Initiative or its Government Security Program, which enable our customers and partners, as well as governments, to legally access Microsoft source code.
Microsoft continues to work closely with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement authorities on this matter. Microsoft source code is both copyrighted and protected as a trade secret. As such, it is illegal to post it, make it available to others, download it or use it. Microsoft will take all appropriate legal actions to protect its intellectual property. Questions about the investigation should be referred to the FBI.
On Monday, February 16, Microsoft began investigating a reported exploit on versions of Internet Explorer allegedly discovered by an individual studying the leaked source code. This exploit is a known issue that Microsoft had discovered internally and addressed with the latest release of Internet Explorer — Internet Explorer 6.0 Service Pack 1.
View Press Release: Statement from Microsoft Regarding Illegal Posting of Windows Source Code
