Microsoft finally recognises that web authoring needs a standards-compliant tool, albeit on its own terms.

One day Microsoft might realise that forcing its customers to have a Bill Gates issued 'passport' to use services on the internet sticks in people's gullets like a jagged fishbone. In the case of Microsoft Money you need a passport if you want to take advantage of its online banking services, but once you do sign up you find that it is the one area of an otherwise excellent program that does not work properly.

PreviewA good attempt at all-in-one system security, fully integrated into the OS.

The arrival of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (ES2K3) is a significant event in the history of this product. First, it brings to a close the second era of the codebase. Released back in 1996 on the NT 4 wave, ES4 (there was no 1, 2 or 3) brought enterprise-level email, contact management, diary management and so forth to the Windows Server platform in a new and comprehensive BackOffice application.

Microsoft has four key 'visions' for Pocket PC 2003 (PPC 2003): make it easier for manufacturers to innovate, improve the 'wireless experience', bring easy instant messaging to the PDA, and expand the 'media experience'.

It has been over two years since we previewed Office XP, but Microsoft has finally given us a glimpse of Office 2003. The finished version should be on the shelves by the end of July, but will it be worth the upgrade? The answer could be an emphatic 'yes' if you're a Tablet PC user, as Microsoft has just launched OneNote (see page 59), making full use of electronic ink. The company is also introducing InfoPath (see page 59) for designing electronic forms, with the flexibility of XML. The classic apps have also had their seen refurbishment, with Outlook (page 56) getting the most attention, and FrontPage and Publisher (page 58) a bit of a revamp.

Stacks of potential, but current hardware is underwhelming and the client software a mess.

A marvel of programming, art and science.

There is little doubt that digital photography will take over from film, and it will happen sooner rather than later. As more people buy and start to use digital cameras there is an ever increasing demand for simple-to-use photo editing software that will allow them to get the best out of their photographs.

The big test for any interactive encyclopaedia is how well it deals with local information. Microsoft quickly learned that Australian students are not interested in an American view of the world and for the past few editions of its Encarta it has been putting a lot of effort into the Australian content.

It might seem like there's not that much to a keyboard or mouse. On the contrary, given that just about every interaction you have with your PC is through one of these devices, it's critically important to choose something that is comfortable and efficient.

Don't confuse Microsoft Works with a slimmed-down version of Office, because Works is for the home productivity market.

Microsoft has been producing its Encarta Encyclopedia and World Atlas since the early 1990s, but despite several attempts it has never produced anything that could rightfully claim to be an Australian edition...

Efficient photo management and sharing, but let down by some surprisingly underpowered editing.

A disappointingly modest number of improvements, although they’re well integrated into the complete suite.

Now pitched at less experienced database users, this refresh is a mixed blessing.

Encarta Premium Suite claims a base of 130,000+ articles, along with 25,300+ photos and illustrations and 1.8 million map locations. That's more than a bit of bedtime reading, although of course there are really only two reasons why people buy digital encyclopedias these days -- either they've got kids to educate, or they're after some verifiable and quotable facts for a research project. For almost anyone else, of course, there's Google.

This version sees a new maturity, with more server integration and easier-to-use controls online forms.

Improvements all round keep PowerPoint well ahead of the competition.

Much improved, but IE still lags behind Firefox 2 in terms of innovation, features and security.