Integration with Visual Studio is one change that makes SharePoint much easier to develop collaboration apps, developers say. But other things need some work
Microsoft Corp. is integrating the .Net framework into its new Silverlight browser technology for running multimedia applications on the Web, the company revealed Monday. The move is part of an expanded effort to build a significant developer base so Microsoft can catch up to Adobe Systems Inc. in providing a revenue-generating business in the rich Internet applications (RIAs) market.
Microsoft has rolled out its monthly security updates for December, patching critical flaws in Internet Explorer, Windows Media Format and the Visual Studio 2005 development software. However, no fixes were provided for two Microsoft Word flaws that have been used in a small number of attacks over the past week.
Microsoft earlier this month unveiled its official Atlas technology branding for AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) programming on ASP.Net, and will make the software available earlier than planned. The company hopes to ship its Atlas technologies around the year-end, as opposed to next year.
Microsoft's Web Platform for developing and deploying Web applications is being bolstered by the imminent shipment of Windows Server 2003 R2, a company official said. Through the new OS and other recent products such as Visual Studio 2005, the Web Platform supports high-volume Web sites, increases developer productivity and improves security, according to Brian Goldfarb, lead product manager for Web Platform and Tools at Microsoft.