ArcGIS Online is now ArcGIS.com. Although the name has changed you can still do everything you did before, and more.

ArcGIS.com changes the way users engage with online content. The website allows a user to search and browse for maps, services and applications provided by both ESRI and the User Community. The ESRI content includes everything that was previously available and more. Users can upload and share content and have the choice of whether their own content is publically available or only available to groups of invited users.

ArcGIS.com also allows users to create online Web Maps allowing them to bring together any map services available through ArcGIS.com or from their own ArcGIS Server map services. These web maps can be saved and shared with other users. Furthermore, there is now an online version of ArcGIS Explorer. This provides an online mapping application where users can not only bring together data content including previously created online web maps, but also enhance these by using the annotation tools and even create interactive presentation slides.

ESRI have been working on this release for more than three years, and it’s a very large release. Feedback from beta testers indicated that this is much bigger than a dot release and that it should be called ArcGIS 10. For ArcGIS 10, ESRI have integrated not only the work that has been performed in the base software but also initiatives in cloud computing and the Web.

No. Virtual Machines are the solutions for running the two different installs on the same machine.

Search with ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Online is based on a small collection of metadata stored with the GIS resources (title, user tags, etc). Keep in mind that this new search capability is not designed to handle indexing and searching of formal metadata documents and that spatial search against GIS resources is not supported at this time.

• ArcGIS Desktop search - Desktop search allows every ArcGIS Desktop user to very quickly search across accessible network folders (shared folders) and databases.
• ArcGIS Server search - ArcGIS Server introduces a new search service that allows you to index and search GIS resources within your Enterprise in a centralised manner. The search service is designed to be used by ArcGIS Desktop users within an organization's intranet.
• ArcGIS Online search - ArcGIS Online provides a hosted catalog of information in which users can upload their own resources and create their own groups. The ArcGIS Online search is intended for organizations who want to share their data with the general public or within the organisation via a group.

In addition, the GeoPortal Extension for ArcGIS Server allows users to quickly search GIS resources within the organization, via ArcGIS Online, or across other metadata catalogs.

Search with ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS Online is based on a small collection of metadata stored with the GIS resources (title, user tags, etc). Keep in mind that this new search capability is not designed to handle indexing and searching of formal metadata documents and that spatial search against GIS resources is not supported at this time.

• ArcGIS Desktop search—Desktop search allows every ArcGIS Desktop user to very quickly search across accessible network folders (shared folders) and databases.
• ArcGIS Server search—ArcGIS Server introduces a new search service that allows you to index and search GIS resources within your in a centralised manner. The search service is designed to be used by ArcGIS Desktop users within an organisation's intranet.
• ArcGIS Online search—ArcGIS Online provides a hosted catalog of information in which users can upload their own resources and create their own groups. The ArcGIS Online search is intended for organisations who want to share their data with the general public or within the organization via a group.

In addition, the GeoPortal Extension for ArcGIS Server allows users to quickly search GIS resources within the organization, via ArcGIS Online, or across other metadata catalogs.

• Desktop FAQs
• Server FAQs
• Mobile FAQs
• Developer FAQs