From: mike 


http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=288

===
March 11, the new date on which Daylight Saving Time (DST) will take effect
in the U.S. and a growing number of other countries, is fast approaching.
And Microsoft is working overtime to get the message out that users need to
patch a bunch of their Microsoft products, from Exchange Server, to Windows
Mobile, in order to head off date-change headaches.

There's one bit of DST fine print that Microsoft isn't sharing quite so
readily, however. (I discovered it by wading through a slide deck that
Microsoft is providing to analysts to get them up-to-speed on the company's
DST guidance.)

Page 20 of the deck mentions that Microsoft has decided, due to the number
of customers and products affected by the DST 2007 changes, to "amend
the regular Extended Hotfix support program." If you need to patch
older Microsoft products that already have moved from
"Mainstream" to "Extended" support phase, Microsoft
will give you a chance to buy the hotfixes you need — for $4,000.

Microsoft explains:

>
"For products that have entered into the Extended Support phase,
Microsoft will provide customers with the opportunity to purchase the DST
20007 hotfix at a reduced price of Four Thousand Dollars (US
$4,000). Customers will only be charged a single fee of $4,000 to obtain
all hotfixes, for products in Extended Support phase, needed to update
their systems for DST 2007.

"For customers who have previously purchased DST 2007 hotfixes for
products in Extended Support, Microsoft will reimburse the difference to
them under the new pricing category."
>


A Microsoft spokesman said that the $4,000 price represents a substantial discount.

"Originally, all the out-of-support patches were $40,000 each.
However, we realized this hardship and lowered the price to $4,000 for ALL
THE DST PATCHES for our customers best interest. The $4,000 is to just
cover costs," he said.

Windows Server 2000, Exchange Server 2000, Outlook 2000 and a number of
other Microsoft products are currently in the Extended Support phase. The
full list of Microsoft products affected by DST 2007 changes is here.
===



 /m

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