MS Desktop Optimization Pack to include some GP stuff
Microsoft has announced their Vista Desktop Optimization Pack--an add-on product that will include technology from recent acquisitions, Softricity, Winternals and DesktopStandard. From the descriptions, it looks like they'll be including DesktopStandard's GPOVault product into the pack, which was a GP version control and change management product integrated into GPMC. That's a good thing, since GP change control is something everyone should be practicing. The unfortunate side-effect of this is that the free version of GPOVault, I'm told, is no longer available from DesktopStandard. On the Winternals side, from the description it appears that they'll be including the excellent Recovery Manager product into the Pack. This is a great product for recovering dead or unbootable systems. It has saved my bacon on a couple of occasions.
It will be interesting to see what MS does with DesktopStandard's other GP products.