From the feature well: It’s no secret that RFID is moving beyond the warehouse and into asset management. Writer Galen Gruman discovers that, particularly as RFID Generation 2 tags come into their own, RFID has benefits that reach far beyond inventory tracking. Naturally, though, there are some management pitfalls you ought to understand. The news beat: Microsoft said it is releasing to manufacturing (RTM) the next generation toolbox and database, Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, respectively. The products, which will be officially launched on November 7, have both been oft-delayed. Microsoft also made some personnel moves, appointing Bob Muglia vice president of the server and tools division, while Eric Rudder steps into a new role that focuses on advanced development and overall technical strategy. Best of the blogs: Dave Rosenberg proposes that Microsoft buy either Novell, JBoss, or even both. “Not only would this give Microsoft an instant place in the open source market but it would also allow them to cut marketing expenses geared toward killing Linux,” Rosenberg writes. To help get Microsoft started on the acquisitions he even calculates the enterprise value of Novell and JBoss, as well as Sun and Red Hat. Web services: It being conference season and all, Dave Linthicum has been flying all over the country, booking flights left and right, mostly on the Web. Something happened that “drove home the notion of quality when delivering Web services.” Indeed, it’s a typical frustration-fraught airline story. Security: The bird flu is now nesting in PCs. That’s right, e-mail messages containing attachments with information about the avian flu are also bearing a Trojan horse. Technology Industry