"So, what do I think of Windows 2003 Server? Well, I feel that Microsoft has hit a home run. During my corporation’s evaluation of Windows 2003 Server, we have found that the benefits are extremely enticing. We will not be suggesting this to all of our customers for a few months, but we will start to roll it out immediately." Read the review at ActiveWin.

An NEC server with 32 of Intel's Itanium 2 6M processors and running the Windows Server 2003 takes the top spot in a widely watched performance measurement by displacing a Unix server. NEC is top of the heap right now, but HP has aggressive plans for Itanium. It will release 64-processor Superdome systems initially, then through a technology code-named Hondo that plugs two Itanium processors into a single socket, will sell 128-processor Itanium systems. HP supports three operating systems on its Itanium systems today--Windows, Linux and HP-UX Unix--and will add support for OpenVMS next year.

Microsoft says that the release of Windows Server 2003 and a 64-bit SQL Server proves it can compete with Unix vendors in datacentre computing. But analysts say that the products will appeal mainly to NT4 users looking to move to newer versions. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer today launches software that the company says builds on three years experience with its first datacentre product, Windows Server 2000.

Very few IT-companies get as much fanatic anticipation from their customers as Apple does. Lots of words have been written about that, including cheers, rants and advice as to what Apple should do next to make the Macintosh experience even nicer for its fans. Whether it's about product pricing, quality or all in all product range, Apple polarizes its users and those who wish they were. It would be foolish for me to take the same approach as anybody else and give Apple some piece of advice. So that's actually what I'm going to do now.

More than 60 partners participate in early Development Program helping to propel Windows Embedded to No. 1 industry position, Microsoft said. Also, Windows Server 2003 by the numbers: One of the biggest product launches in Microsoft History.

In 2001, less than 20% of new AD involved Web Service application programming models such as .NET and Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). By 2005, however, Web services will be the predominant programming model, used for at least two-thirds, and perhaps as much as 80%, of new applications -- Gartner, Inc., Web Services are the next evolution of the Web and are almost guaranteed to be the future of distributed applications worldwide. The following reference collection represents the "editor's choice" of the 100 most representive and popular articles selected from a list of more than 300 from the Web Services Zone.