The Microsoft ADO.NET provider for Oracle will be deprecated in the upcoming .NET Framework 4, which means that Microsoft advises against it for new development and could remove it in subsequent versions.

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Executive briefings are available to a broader set of enterprise customers and partners in 2009 than in prior years.

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In an attempt to avoid being forced to ship third-party browsers with Windows, as well as to minimize possible fines or other sanctions from European antitrust regulators, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 without Internet Explorer (IE) in Europe.

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Software Licensing and Protection (SLP) Services, a service used by ISVs to prevent unauthorized application use and protect intellectual property, is being relaunched by the start-up company InishTech.

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Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) 2010, available in public beta now and expected to ship in the first half of 2010, includes a new version of the Team Foundation Server (TFS) software development collaboration server.

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Microsoft continues to evolve the Windows 7 licensing rules. Some of the most recent changes will save customers money, others will increase costs.

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Windows 7 PCs will play better with other digital media devices in a networked home, thanks to improved support for the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standards and built-in support for non-Microsoft digital media formats. With these changes, Microsoft completes a strategic shift that began with Vista.

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A prototype control system for the Xbox 360 uses a camera and motion sensors to let players control games with body movements rather than with a traditional hardware controller.

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The latest version of Microsoft's Internet search engine, Bing, is not a major new initiative but rather represents a continuation of Microsoft's search strategy of improving core algorithmic results while innovating in particular areas, such as product and travel searches.

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Tellme upgraded its voice platform in Apr. 2009 and announced an upcoming search application for Windows Mobile devices.

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To remove application compatibility as a barrier to migration, high-end editions of Windows 7 will use a new Virtual PC feature to run older Windows XP-compatible business applications in a virtual machine (VM).

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When Windows Server 2008 R2 is released in late 2009, it will include the second version of Hyper-V, Microsoft's hypervisor-based virtualization server role that makes it possible for multiple, different OS and application instances to coexist on a single physical computer by putting each instance in a virtual machine (VM).

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