Backtalk

The MSDN Answer Team

The MSDN Answer Team has been deluged with mail lately on every subject imaginable. We love hearing from you and helping resolve your queries, so keep the mail coming. One request, though—please keep it to MSDN issues!

The MSDN Team has created the most convenient way yet to use the MSDN Library: the October MSDN Library is available on DVD-ROM! This new format combines all three CD-ROMs onto one DVD-ROM and eliminates the need to swap CDs while using the MSDN Library. The October MSDN Library on DVD-ROM is available free of charge to active subscribers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan who are eligible to receive the October Quarterly shipment. Call your local Customer Service Center to request this offer (1-800-759-5474 for subscribers in the U.S. and Canada). The October MSDN Library on DVD-ROM will be sent in addition to and after the October quarterly shipment. Limit one per subscriber. For updates regarding availability of this offer in other countries, refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/services/subscription/dvdrom.htm.

The question: What about those times when the CDs haven't been delivered yet and you need something right now?

The answer: MSDN Subscriber Downloads. We built MSDN Subscriber Downloads based on feedback developers have been giving us for a long time. To find the new download area, go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/downloads/ and look for the MSDN Subscriber Download link.

What if you're interrupted in the middle of a big download or just don't want to tie up your machine for the full length of time needed? No problem. We've included technology that allows you to stop and start the download as often as you like.

Many of you may have experienced some site performance issues over in June and July. We've been working 'round the clock and think we have the problems fixed.  Thanks to all who were patient with us!

We mentioned this on our Web version of Backtalk, but thought it bore repeating here. Apparently there is some confusion about the International Pack Splits. If you're unsure about the pack split you should be receiving, read the "Subscribers in Europe Note" from the MSDN Services Index page at http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/services/msdncs.htm. This information is also included in the cover letter that comes with your CDs.

Based on subscriber feedback, we are introducing new pack splits for subscribers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The pack splits available are as follows:

U.S. Pack (new): Includes only English discs.

INTL Core Pack (new): Includes only French, German, Italian, and Spanish discs.

INTL Pack: Includes all non-English discs (including French, German, Italian, and Spanish).

The country in which you reside determines which pack split you will receive:

• Subscribers in the U.K. and Ireland automatically receive only the U.S. Pack.
  
  
• Subscribers in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland automatically receive both the U.S. Pack and the INTL Core Pack.
  
  
• Subscribers in any other European country, the Middle East, or Africa will automatically receive the U.S. Pack and the INTL Pack. (In other words, you will not see a change in what you receive.)

If you have any queries about these new pack splits, please call your local MSDN Information Centre (the list of telephone numbers can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/services/msdncs.htm).

What if you live in a country that doesn't receive one of the pack splits that you need? If the information above indicates that you will no longer automatically receive the language packs that you need, you can contact Subscription Customer Service to change which ones you receive. Please contact the Subscription Customer Service Centre for your country, as listed on at http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/services/msdncs.htm.

Everyone's been looking for Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition for some time now. Universal Subscribers received it in the July release, but Professional Subscribers don't have it on CD yet.

Terminal Server is a server product and, although most server products are only available in Universal level subscriptions, we realize that developers will need to test Windows NT applications with it. We are including it in the Professional level in a September interim release. Both Professional and Universal Subscribers can download it now from the Subscriber Downloads site (see http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/downloads/).

Kirk L. wrote to ask: "I was wondering when MDAC 2.0 is going to be available for download. After having read quite a few papers on the advantages and gains, I would like to get hold of it. Please let me know."

Well Kirk, and all the others who wrote in, we thought you'd like to know that the Data Access Software Development Kit (DASDK) 2.0 and the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.0 are now both available for download from www.microsoft.com/data/mdac2.htm.

Additionally, the DASDK 2.0 will be included in the next version of the Platform SDK, which will be in the October Quarterly Release of the MSDN CDs.

The Duwamish Books sample application on MSDN Online examines, in four phases, the issues involved with migrating an application from a classical desktop model to a Web-based, n-tier enterprise system.

We have received lots of comments and questions about our sample. Here are some of our favorites:

"Once again I must reiterate that this series on Duwamish Books is one that has enriched technically the most because of the depth of its scope. Thanks."

"This is a great idea!!! Microsoft is constantly releasing new layers of abstract technologies. As a professional developer, I need real life examples of how to take advantage of them. I rarely have enough time to research and discover how this new technology can solve my existing and future problems. This can provide a sample for a developer to take to a customer and show how the technology can be utilized.

Don't stop with this sample, please provide more."

Check it out! Phase 3 of this sample (featuring the new releases of the visual development tools) is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/developer/.