Azure Services

Every IT-related blog I've visited the past week have a post on this. In order not to be left out, this is my part in it :)

Remember this post? Well Microsoft has announced it, in a big way now aka Azure Services. What is it all about? Well, it's cloud computing by Microsoft. More about it here.

My focus is definitely on Microsoft SharePoint Services, which unfortunately has been given the back-seat for the others. Fellow Perth SharePoint enthusiast Jeremy Thake did mention that Arpan Shah (Technical Product Management for SharePoint Products and Technologies) will be giving out first-hand knowledge regarding SharPoint and Azure, on the next SharePoint Pod Show. So stay tuned for all the goodies that SharePoint/Azure has to offer.

SharePoint PowerShell Warm-Up Script

Found a really good one by Kirk Hofer here. If you do get an error when you run it (see below)

The add this line (below), to the top of the script and run it, should have no problems.

Set-Alias -Name stsadm -Value $env:CommonProgramFiles”\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN\STSADM.EXE”

Adsense?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Google Adsense would actually display ads that are relevant to your blog, and your blog content.

I found it funny, when I found an ad for "Lipton Tea" today on my blog. What in the world going on? :)

SharePoint Branding/Design Slides

Very good beginner presentation slides available by Mike Ammerlaan on his blog. Being a rookie in the branding/design scene, I've found them to be very helpful. Totally going wild with my newfound knowledge, on my test environment. Thanks Mike.

Findability and SharePoint by Bill English

You don't want to be missing this series, stay tune to his blog for upcoming post.

In the meantime, if you're interested in getting a grip and understanding on Findability, then pay a visit to findability.org by Peter Morville.

Lawrence Liu has left SharePoint

.....and has joined a Microsoft Partner Telligent. Wishing Lawrence the very best.

SharePoint Bashing

Just finished reading an article by Alan Pelz-Sharpe on idm,net.au, titled "Putting a stop to SharePoint Sprawl". It never ceases to amaze me on how easily individuals jump on SharePoint without fully understanding the product and technology itself.

When exactly was SharePoint portrayed as an ECM system? For those truly curious, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) is a collaborative web platform. That's right, platform!!! A platform that has various built-in functionality, which can be extended upon with .NET if wished.

With the proper people resources (both knowledgeable and skilled in ECM), SharePoint can be extended upon appropriately and correctly, satisfying business requirements, and even exceeding expectations!!!

With the above point firmly rooted in mind, we can disregard everything else that Alan has mentioned in his article. And to compare Documentum with SharePoint is something I would NOT do at present. I've had many years with Documentum, and believe me it is not a complete technology. So why bash SharePoint as incomplete as an ECM solution?

Final note to all the SharePoint bashers out there, it is advisable to be fair when judgement is being passed. What SharePoint offers, is an opportunity to build and enhance solutions to match business vision. Believe me, many of us will benefit from it.

Mini Calender View

Found a really nice tutorial (with CSS code) that shrinks our monthly Calender into a nice snuggly fitting size (see pic below). 

Thanks to Christophe of Path to SharePoint. 

CSS Code (credit Christophe)