wannabegeek site syndication http://wannabegeek.org Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:37:12 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://wannabegeek.org/images/M_images/emailButton.png http://wannabegeek.org wannabegeek site syndication http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/159893/72/ Windows XP gets another lifeline Bowing to continued demand, Microsoft has again extended the life of Windows XP. Although the largest PC makers can't sell XP anymore (except for ultra-low-cost machines), they can sell Vista Ultimate and Vista Business machines with XP discs in the box, or even Vista machines that are factory downgraded to Windows XP. That option was supposed to go away early next year, as Microsoft was going to stop supplying Windows XP media after January 31. However, the company now says it will offer the discs through July 31, giving the option a six-month extension. (Update: PC makers will also be able to sell the factory downgraded machines online as well.) In a statement provided to CNET News, Microsoft tried to put the best face on the move. As more customers make the move to Windows Vista, we want to make sure that they are making that transition with confidence and that it is as smooth as possible, Microsoft said. Providing downgrade media for a few more months is part of that commitment, as is the Windows Vista Small Business Assurance program, which provides one-on-one, customized support for our small-business customers. CEO Steve Ballmer said on Thursday in France that 180 million copies of Vista have been sold, but he noted that businesses continue to move at their own pace. When asked about whether companies should move to Vista or wait for Windows 7, even Ballmer said it depends on the business. So, my point isn't to encourage you to do it immediately; of course, we'd love you to do it immediately, Ballmer said. My real advice is to do it in the natural rhythm of your PC upgrade cycle...Most of you will not upgrade the software on existing hardware. Some will. Most of you will actually choose to buy new machines when you move forward, and so we should work with you in that context. The less major computer makers, known as system builders in Microsoft parlance, are still able to sell XP machines without having to do the Vista downgrade thing. That option is set to end Jan. 31 and Microsoft says that date isn't being extended. Microsoft stopped selling Windows XP on June 30, though it continues to be available as retail supplies last. It has been a top seller on Amazon for some time, and several versions of XP are still among the retailer's top 25 best-selling software titles. The six-month extension for XP discs was noted earlier by The Register, a tech news site. Source CNET News Windows - Windows News Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:42:44 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/158952/277/ A Taste of Windows 7 Details With the availability of Windows 7 pre-Beta confirmed for late October 2008, Microsoft has also delivered additional details related to the agenda of the Professional Developer Conference 2008 in Las Vegas. Between October 27-30, the Los Angeles Convention Center will host no less than 22 sessions focused on the next iteration of the Windows Client. This week, Microsoft has added 17 new information sessions to the existing five. But at the same time, the Redmond giant is still failing to reveal all that much about what it will discuss quasi-publicly in just one month. In this context, there are a variety of items on the PDC2008 agenda on which no details have been made public. Windows 7: Building Great Communications Applications by Larry Osterman is one of them. Larry Osterman, who is a Principal Software Development Engineer, revealed that “the primary target for my talk is developers who are building an application that in any way communicates between users (voice mail, instant messaging, voice over ip, etc). In addition, if you’re a games developer or a media player developer, you should also attend, there’s stuff in the talk for you too. There are also some other cool talks included in the list that I’m absolutely planning on attending”. At the same time, Microsoft was shy about revealing anything related to the “New Shell User Experience APIs”, “New APIs to Find, Visualize, and Organize”, “New Text and Graphics APIs and “New APIs for Building Context-Aware Applications”. Details on all these application programing interfaces for Windows 7 will be published at a later date. Here are the additional 14 sessions which do feature abstracts, courtesy of Microsoft: “1. Windows 7: Developing Multi-touch Applications (Reed Townsend) In Windows 7, innovative touch and gesture support will enable more direct and natural interaction in your applications. This session highlights the new multi-touch gesture APIs and explains how you can leverage them in your applications. 2. Writing Your Application to Shine on Modern Graphics Hardware (Anantha Kancherla) Windows - Windows7 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:20:34 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/157583/137/ Microsoft releases new Ultimate Extras - Microsoft Tinker Microsoft has silently released 3 updates for Windows Ultimate users today. Microsoft Tinker, Ultimate Extra sounds from Microsoft Tinker and Windows DreamScene Content Pack #4 are all available on Windows Update now. Microsoft Tinker is a puzzle based game where players get a set amount of moves to move a robot around a puzzle and solve the level. The DreamScene content pack adds some new high definition videos for use on the desktop and the sound pack allows you to set your sound scheme to that of Microsoft Tinker. Previously, Microsoft released a set of extras back in April and promised more offerings in the future. Like the update in April there has been no official announcement that these extras have been released on UltimatePC.com or Microsoft's main site. source: microsoft.com Windows - Vista Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:02:34 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/157059/277/ The Early Previews of Windows 7 Continues This looks like the weekend for Windows 7 and the screenshots are out there to prove it. The first blog to present us with screenshots of Windows 7 M1 build earlier this year, THINKNEXT updates us with new AERO enabled previews showing the improved bundled applications in Windows 7 WordPad and Paint. I personally want to share my thoughts based on the screenshots I have seen so far. Windows 7 looks a whole lot like Windows Vista, I can understand this looking at the fact that its probably not going to be a major upgrade as Vista or 2000 was. Building on the foundation of Vista it will provide a smooth transition for application/hardware developers and end users who have invested in Vista since its release in January 2007. Windows 7 M3 looks promising, why? Because of a cleaner approach I believe to the present experiences in Vista, AERO looks slicker, the Start menu is cleaner almost with a glossy look and feel that I am sure will please those who want a lighter Windows since most of today's built in Windows apps will become a part of the Windows Live Wave 3 of services. The interface, is identical in many ways, Explorers feature a lighter more silver/bluish look that is similar to Windows Live Wave 3 set of apps. So, consistency seems to be an ongoing theme that will resonate throughout this release. If you look at the All Programs listing in Windows 7, you will now see a limited or cut down set of programs, some programs still exist like Windows DVD Maker. 7 does incorporate a few new applications that are more like essential utilities, for instance, you will now see a XPS Viewer, which once was only available through the Internet Explorer web browser. Notable is the inclusion of Accelerators for Windows, which first debuted in the soon to be released IE 8 later this year. The significance of this is not known, but I suspect an ala-Automator type experience in automating common task throughout the Windows interface without the need for any background in scripting. Apart from that is the inclusion of the Windows PowerShell version 2 which is a next generation command line interface, I personally don't know if the intention is to replace CMD but its now a part of Windows 7. Visual Changes Of course, Microsoft is updating the interface, and this early glimpse gives us an idea of what Microsoft is thinking. Its about cleaing up and streamlining what we have now in Vista. The first notable change I see is the glossiness of menus like Start Menu, and the Explorer windows, which evoke a more polished look and feel. Its not significantly different, but is attractive, but I hope it will be able to tone down, since its a bit too shine in my opinion and might turn out distracting for many users. Bundled applications like Calculator, WordPad and Paint have been extremely updated. Source adacosta.spaces.live.com Windows - Windows7 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:41:07 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/156476/78/ Should Microsoft do an IE 8 ‘Lite’? Would Microsoft be smart to try to head off Google’s Chrome before it can gain a foothold by rolling out a smaller, faster, lighter version of Internet Explorer? I’ve been dabbling with both Internet Explorer (IE) 8 Beta 2 and the Google Chrome beta over the past couple of weeks. I’ve fallen into the following usage pattern: IE 8 is my go-to browser for everyday use. But when I need to get to check a Web site quickly, I use Chrome. I realize there’s been a lot of back-and-forth over whether Chrome is really substantially faster than IE 8. I’ve seen folks weigh in on all sides. But on my old trusty ThinkPad X60 running XP SP2, Chrome is noticeably faster — in both loading and taking me to sites. The IE 8 team is marching toward a November release-to-Web date, based on the latest info I have. I wondered whether the surprise introduction of Chrome by Google might have derailed the schedule. At the very least, I thought Chrome’s speed, size and simpler/faster installation experience might have given the IE 8 team pause. So I asked the IE folks whether Chrome had them thinking about making changes, if not some kind of “IE Lite.” The answer, delivered back to me by a Microsoft spokeswoman, was a definite no. Here’s the word: “There are several aspects to performance. We have made investments in rendering performance in Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 including optimizing the Javascript engine and removing issues that can cause pages to ‘block’ while loading. We’re certainly moving in the right direction with respect to this ‘millisecond’ performance, but we are also helping users get tasks completed more quickly by, for example, reducing the number of clicks and steps to lookup a map based on an address from 8 to 2. For our customers, we believe it’s less important to be light and more important to be right. “Microsoft will continue to gather feedback from both developers and customers throughout Beta 2. Additional releases will be based on the feedback received during the process.” What do you think of Microsoft’s claim that its customers prefer “right” to “light”? Do the two really have to be mutually exclusive? News - Beta Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:40:21 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/155610/277/ Windows 7 hits Milestone 3 I have seen the future — specifically Windows 7 Milestone 3 (Build 6780). I got a gander at the latest test build of Windows 7 briefly (courtesy of a source of mine) and was not allowed to take any screenshots. But it is real, it does exist and it is, indeed, in certain testers’ hands inside and outside the company. From the quick glimpse I got of Milestone 3, it sounds like Bryant of AeroXperience was right on the money with his hypotheses about what’s changed in the latest internal test builds. The latest build seems quite stable. The Ribbon user interface from Office 2007 is now part of WordPad and Paint. Home Groups — the functionality formerly known in “Longhorn”/Vista as “Castle” — is part of the new Windows 7 build. I also noticed that the “Graphical Console,” a k a PowerShell Version 2, seems to be part of the latest pre-release Windows 7 build. (Looks like Stephen Chapman over at the UX Evangelist site got to see Build 6780, too, and has a lot more to say on Windows 7’s Paint and WordPad.) From what admittedly little I had a chance to see, Windows 7 does not look or feel like a major departure from Windows Vista. Sources say there isn’t an “M4? currently on Microsoft’s Windows 7 schedule. Next up is likely some kind of preview build (which may or may not be distributed to those attending the Professional Developers Conference and/or Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in October and November, respectively.) After that, a broadscale Beta 1, which should be feature-complete and pretty much set in stone, is expected for mid-December. Like my ZDNet blogging colleague Ed Bott said, it’s not impossible for Microsoft to hit a 2009 release for Windows 7 if the first true beta doesn’t go out until December. Such a move would not be unprecedented. Do you think the Softies are going to get Windows 7 out the door in 2009, as they are hoping — and maybe even early enough to make it onto new machines in time for Holiday 2009 sales? source: blogs.zdnet.com Windows - Windows7 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:36:27 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/154802/277/ Windows 7 Beta 1 Available December 2008Mid-December to be more exact The constant wave of Windows 7 Beta chatter from Redmond, even without an official confirmation from Microsoft, is a clear indication that the company is gearing up to move the next iteration of the Windows client beyond the development milestone (M) stages. With the Windows 7 roadshow approaching at a fast pace, as Microsoft is getting closer and closer to events such as the Professional Developer Conference 2008 (October), Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2008 (November) and TechEd 2008 EMEA (November), the first Beta build of the operating system is starting to take contour. Still, Windows 7 Beta 1 will not make it to the October and November conferences, as it is planned for availability in mid-December 2008. Microsoft has failed to either confirm or deny this piece of information at this point in time, but according to Mary Jo Foley, citing unnamed sources, Windows 7 beta 1 will drop just ahead of Christmas 2008. On Vista WinHEC 2008 homepage, Microsoft is claiming that Windows 7 “is coming soon” but doesn't give any indication of the actual deadline, although it is rushing hardware manufacturers to get ready for the operating system. The Redmond giant released the first taste of Windows 7 back in December 2007. At that time, Milestone 1 was virtually indistinguishable from Windows Vista. Moving forward into the development process, the Redmond company has also produced a Milestone 2 Build of Windows 7, which was kept tight under wraps and wasn't leaked like M1. The next move as far as the evolution of Windows 7 is concerned is a Milestone 3 release, which in its turn will be followed by the first Beta build of the platform. One thing is for sure, under the leadership of Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, Windows 7 will have a short Beta life, approximately a year. Microsoft is reportedly not preparing a wide release of Windows 7 Beta until the client is either feature-complete or very close to the final version. source: news.softpedia.com Windows - Windows7 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:54:50 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/154273/74/ Google Presently Redesigned The three applications included in Google Docs have never been properly integrated and there's always an interesting feature that is only available in Google Spreadsheets or in the word processor. Google redesigned Presently and added the old-fashioned menu already included in the word processor. The interface have been streamlined and there's more room for editing slides. A notable new feature that can be found in the Slide menu is zooming in/out, but the keyboard shortcuts aren't very intuitive: Ctrl+Shift+left/right arrow. Newsflashes - software newsflash Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:26:36 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/153146/72/ Microsoft Kicks off new Windows Campaign with Star Power Microsoft debuted a new ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates to kick off a campaign that is part of a larger effort to connect with consumers and tell the Windows story. Watch the ad. REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 4, 2008 — “This is the Conquistador,” explains Jerry Seinfeld, showing a befuddled Bill Gates a brown loafer. “They run very tight.” After seeing the new ad from Microsoft, which debuted today, some may wonder what Jerry Seinfeld helping Bill Gates pick out a new pair of shoes has to do with software. The answer, in the classic Seinfeld sense of the word, is nothing. Nevertheless, the spot is the first and most visible sign of an ambitious effort by Microsoft’s Windows business to reconnect with consumers around the globe. The new campaign will highlight how Windows has become an indispensible part of the lives of a billion people around the globe -- not only on PCs but also now online and via mobile devices. It will illustrate how Windows integrates consumer experiences across PCs, online and on mobile phones through Windows Vista, Windows Live and Windows Mobile. Microsoft is working with retail partners and PC manufacturers to enhance the experience consumers have with Windows at every touch-point: Major retailers, such as Circuit City and Best Buy, will begin rolling out Windows-branded sales environments and store-within-a-store concepts; Major PC manufactures including HP, Dell, Sony and Lenovo are working with Microsoft to enhance key areas of the PC experience, including speeding up startup and shut-down time and sleep and resume speeds; Windows.com has been revamped and will point consumer to specific Windows products and experiences that deliver. These initial ads are the first in a creative campaign by the award-winning advertising agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, designed to spark a conversation about the Windows brand – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humor and humanity. Windows - Windows News Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:41:13 +0100 http://wannabegeek.org/content/view/152492/78/ Unless there's a Beta 3, IE8 may be set for November release Last week, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 in English, German, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. While it was already known that IE8 would be going final before the end of the year it still wasn't clear whether there would be a Beta 3 and when exactly IE8 would be released. It's time to try to answer those two questions. According to the IE8 Beta 2 support page, prereleased versions will no longer be supported come November: Free unlimited installation and usage support is available for Internet Explorer 8 pre-released versions, but only for North America English customers. This support for Internet Explorer 8 pre-released versions is valid until November 1, 2008. That doesn't set anything in stone, but it does show what timeframe Microsoft is aiming for. On the other hand, when I asked Microsoft about whether a Beta 3 would be in the works, I got the usual response: Whether or not there will be any future Betas of IE8 is dependent on product quality. That being said, we are committed to releasing Internet Explorer 8 within two years of generally availability of Windows Vista. If Microsoft concludes that it can fix all the problems in IE8 Beta 2, the final release will come in November, and a Beta 3 won't see the light of day. On the other hand, Beta 2 feedback may lead to Beta 3 and the final version not being released before January 30, 2009. I'm betting that IE8 will RTM sooner and not later, meaning closer to November rather than January. source One Microsoft Way (http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/09/03/unless-theres-a-beta-3-ie8-may-be-set-for-november-release) News - Beta Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:37:32 +0100