Microsoft dreams of Vista's successor

WITH VISTA not even remotely close to being in the shops yet, the software outfit Microsoft is talking about what will replace it. Speaking to The Venture Forum conference, Bryan Barnett, a manager for external research programmes in the Microsoft Research group, said that one of the areas being looked at was how to better use multicore processors.

He said that it was important to take full advantage of the processing power that those multicore architectures potentially make available. He said that this requires operating systems and development tools that don't exist today. While VoleWare does run on multicore processors, it is not fully optimised for them, he admitted.

News source: The Inq

Microsoft shuffles more executives

Microsoft on Wednesday shuffled around several more executives as part of its ongoing restructuring of the company. In the most significant of the shifts, senior vice president Orlando Ayala will move from his role overseeing sales to small and midsize companies into a new position overseeing emerging market efforts, reporting to Chief Operating Office Kevin Turner. Eduardo Rosini, who headed Microsoft's Asia-Pacific unit, will take over Ayala's role as head of the small and midsize unit, which also oversees Microsoft's partner network.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is moving development of its Dynamics CRM product from its Microsoft Business Solutions unit into the Office Business Platform group headed by Kurt DelBene. Also, marketing for Microsoft's unified communications effort, which was announced earlier this week, will be headed by Chris Capossela, who heads product marketing for Office.

View: The full story

Microsoft looks to academia for talent

Although Bill Gates' massive philanthropic foundation tends to get the most attention for its efforts to transform education, the company he co-founded also is paying close attention to the world of academia.

Microsoft sponsors technology contests, partners with academics, runs extensive research centers around the world and donates products to educators.

While many of its competitors have similar programs, academics and analysts say the Redmond company's extensive involvement, especially through its Microsoft Research centers, seems to go further than most.

"Microsoft certainly pays a lot of attention to the education space," said Jeffrey Young, a senior editor with the trade publication The Chronicle of Higher Education.

But it's not a purely altruistic endeavor. Through academia, Microsoft hopes to convince young minds to become loyal to Microsoft products, help influence university and government research — and perhaps ensure it doesn't miss out on the next big technological wave.

"As a whole, it's an investment for us, but it pays off in a pretty big way," Gates said in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press. Continue At Source

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Another Microsoft exec jumps to Google

One more Microsoft executive looks at the Google threat - and concludes, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

It hasn't been a good month for Microsoft's Google-fighters. So bad that one left abruptly last week, and another decided this week to switch teams.

Vic Gundotra, a general manager for platform evangelism at Microsoft and a 15-year employee, has agreed to join Google after first spending a year working on charitable endeavors, Business 2.0 has learned.

"Mr. Gundotra has resigned from Microsoft and entered into an agreement with Google," Google spokesman Steve Langdon wrote in an emailed statement. "He will not be a Google employee for one year and intends to spend that time on philanthropic pursuits. We are uncertain what precise role he will play when he begins working for Google, but he has a broad range of skills and experience which we believe will be valuable to Google."

Microsoft spokesman Tom Pilla confirmed Gundotra's departure and says that the executive has a noncompete agreement with Microsoft preventing him from working for a competitor for one year after leaving the company.

Gundotra had been charged with getting developers to write programs that build on top of Microsoft's desktop software and online services. Most recently he had been working out a strategy to compete with the draw of Google's newer, Web-based software applications.

His departure comes shortly after the abrupt departure of Martin Taylor, a corporate vice president charged countering Google by marketing Microsoft's Windows Live and MSN services.

Developers, developers, developers

Taylor ranked higher than Gundotra, but Gundotra's role at Microsoft may have been more critical than Taylor's marketing work. In technology, "evangelism" - which was Gundotra's main duty - is the process of reaching out to independent developers and persuading them to use that company's products as a platform upon which to write software programs.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gained infamy when a video clip of him chanting "Developers, developers, developers," at a company event spread around the Internet. But although Ballmer may have looked foolish, the courting of developers is a deadly serious matter for Microsoft.

"Evangelism is a significant part of Microsoft's success, and Vic has been a key part of that," says Greg DeMichillie, a senior analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft.

Continue At Source



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Microsoft Community Bar

The Community bar adds context-dependent content to the web browsing experience. The Community Bar is actually an entire platform for applications whose content depends on the page that the user is currently viewing. It is very easy for anyone to create new Community Bar panels.



 

More info and download at source

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Microsoft Windows Theme Ontario

Customizing your Windows desktop is now more fun than ever with the Microsoft Windows Theme Ontario. Delight your friends and family with this fun, new way to customize Windows XP. Download At Source

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Microsoft Windows Theme Nunavut

Customizing your Windows desktop is now more fun than ever with the Microsoft Windows Theme Nunavut. Delight your friends and family with this fun, new way to customize Windows XP. Download At Source

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First hand on Windows Live Mail Desktop (Beta)

First hand on Windows Live Mail Desktop (Beta)

Microsoft acquires iView Multimedia

Microsoft has purchased iView Multimedia, the companies announced on Monday. Notes on the iView Web site indicate that support for its Iiew’s flagship product is MediaPro, a Digital Asset Management application that is available for Mac OS X and Windows. iView said on its Web site that Microsoft has many plans for iView’s technologies and product line, but those plans would not be announced right away.

iView made a point of noting that its Macintosh versions will continue to be made available and supported.

“Microsoft will fully support the existing Mac products, will continue to sell Mac versions of the current iView product line and will offer upgrade pricing to all Mac users of future products that may be available based on the iView products,” said notes on the iView Web site.

A full FAQ has been posted on iView Multimedia’s Web site

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Microsoft Network Diagnostic Tool.

Microsoft’s new Network Diagnostics for Windows XP tool (xpnetdiag) analyzes information about your network connectivity to help troubleshoot some of the most common connection problems encountered in a home networking environment. (Support Document: KB914440)
The Network Diagnostics for Windows XP tool analyzes the following tests:
• IP Configuration Test
• Default Gateway Test
• Winsock Test
• DNS Test
• Firewall Test
• Internet Connectivity Validation Test

its pretty good…esp to diagnose pesky network errors.
Grab it here

Microsoft's Unified Messaging Logo

         

[*-)] [8-)] [^o)]

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A Bill Gates photo retrospective

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Project Glidepath Public Beta has Launched

Project Glidepath Public Beta has Launched

 

Visit www.projectglidepath.net to participate in the Microsoft MicroISV Evangelism program that delivers an in-Visual-Studio experience providing the workflow-based guidance, sample code and technology to create applications for Windows Vista.

Project Glidepath delivers workflow-based guidance, code, templates and other content via a software factory, a Visual Studio add-in, consisting of tools for building a product which is a member of a product family.

Project Glidepath’s product family is defined as “applications for Windows Vista including applications that use .Net Framework 3.0 technology on down-level operating systems”.

Applications built with Project Glidepath focus on making their core application logic reusable so that the user experience can be delivered on many platforms (desktop, mobile, web).

SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.1 CTP June 2006

Download the Community Technology Preview (CTP) version of the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.1, a Type 4 JDBC driver that provides database connectivity through the standard JDBC application program interfaces (APIs) available in J2EE (Java2 Enterprise Edition).

In its continued commitment to interoperability, Microsoft has released a new Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver with SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.1 CTP June 2006 download is available to all SQL Server users at no additional charge, and provides access to SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 from any Java application, application server, or Java-enabled applet. This is a Type 4 JDBC driver that provides database connectivity through the standard JDBC application program interfaces (APIs) available in J2EE (Java2 Enterprise Edition).

This release of the JDBC Driver is JDBC 3.0 compliant and runs on the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.4 and higher. It has been tested against all major application servers including BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, JBoss, and Sun.

Note: In order to download the SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.1 CTP June 2006, you must agree to the End-User License Agreement (EULA). Start by clicking the Download button at the top of this page and the EULA will appear. Read the EULA and click the Accept link to download the package. Please print a copy of the EULA for your records.

Download At Source

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Buffett, Gates unite on $60 billion foundation

Warren Buffett on Monday signed over much of his $44 billion fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, uniting the world's two richest people in a bid to fight disease, reduce poverty and improve education.

The roughly $30.7 billion donation doubles the Gates Foundation's size to $60 billion, five times larger than any other U.S. charitable group and bigger than the gross domestic product of Kuwait.

Bill Gates, the world's richest person, co-founded and remains chairman of software company Microsoft Corp..

His friend and bridge partner Buffett, 75, became known as the Sage of Omaha as he built the world's second biggest personal fortune running Berkshire Hathaway Inc., an insurance and investment company.

"I am not an enthusiast for dynastic wealth, particularly when the alternative is 6 billion people having much poorer hands in life than we have," Buffett said at a signing ceremony with the Gateses at the New York Public Library.

Gates, 50, this month said he plans in July 2008 to step down from his day-to-day Microsoft role to focus on his foundation, one of the goals of which is to improve access to technology in U.S. public libraries. It also focuses on fighting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Buffett pledged 10 million Berkshire Class B shares to the Gates Foundation. He also pledged 2.05 million Class B shares to foundations in the name of his late wife, Susan, who died in 2004, and for his three children, Susie, Howard and Peter.

The total donations of about $37.1 billion amount to 85 percent of Buffett's net worth and constitute the largest single act of U.S. charitable giving ever.

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The People Behind DirectX 10—Part 1

The People Behind DirectX 10—Part 1

ExtremeTech: Maybe each of you could quickly go over what your role is in the development and implementation of DirectX 10.

David Blythe: My job is basically to spend a lot of time talking to game developers and to hardware developers and to talk about what problems we're trying to solve and what's practical to do in hardware, and then hammer out an architecture or design that encompasses as many of those things as we can in a coherent way. Then it turns into a much more detailed discussion about every little itty-bitty detail and writing specifications and then working with Microsoft's development team that builds the run-time that interfaces with the driver the IHVs write. And working with our SDK team to build samples and demos that show off how to use the system.

Chris Donahue: David mentioned working with the IHVs and ISVs…there's a graphics advisory board that's made up of the big graphics brains around the industry. David and a lot of the guys on the DirectX team and the Graphics Platform Unit group spend time talking to, to find out, you know, five years from now, where are things going to be? And that stuff they take and turn into actual API code and ends up not only in the API but also in hardware. It's a really collaborate effort between Microsoft, the ISVs that actually consume the API and make applications, and the hardware guys.

ExtremeTech: DirectX is of course more than just graphics. There's DirectSound, DirectInput, and so on. Will DirectX 10 change any of those things to a significant degree?

Donahue: Not to DirectSound or DirectInput really. We actually have done a few things. If you look at some of the recent things we've talked about, for example the common controller. The Xbox 360 controller and all the peripherals work on Windows. To enable that, we've taken XInput, which is the API they use for Xbox, and converted that, or modded that to make it work on Windows. So now XInput is actually the preferred API if you wanted to take advantage of all the controls and components involved in the peripherals. As far as DSound, yeah, we're updating it to keep it sort of on track, but it's not continuing to invest in. There's other audio components and low-level and high-level stuff that's in the works, but it's not anything that we have an announcement about.

ExtremeTech: What are the big bullet points—the main, big changes in DirectX 10 graphics over what we have in DX9? Continue At Source

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Windows CE 6.0

Microsoft to launch Windows CE 6.0 by end of 2006

Microsoft will officially launch its Windows CE 6.0 OS for embedded and mobile devices in the first half of its fiscal year 2007 (July 2006-June 2007), a move which is likely to bring Windows CE 6.0-powered handheld devices to the market early next year, according to Eddie Wu, Microsoft's senior director of device solutions sales, Asia and worldwide ODM ecosystems.

Wu made the remark yesterday in Taipei as the software giant launched a beta version of its Windows CE 6.0 in the Taiwan market.

According to Wu, Microsoft's Windows CE embedded system currently accounted for 30% of the world's handheld device market, with the percentage points climbing to 50% in the PDA segment. Overall, about 10 million handheld devices (excluding GPS devices) used globally are powered by Windows Mobile 5.0, Wu added.

In addition, revenues of Microsoft's embedded system business unit in Asia are expected to exceed US$100 million in fiscal 2006, which ends June 30 this year, Wu noted.

 View: Full Article @ DigiTimes

Office Online (Running on R2!!)

Microsoft have just launched a new site allowing users to use Office 2007 (office 12) in a real life sandbox environment. Every thing is pre-installed, you just have to try/test out the next version of office for Windows’s.
I was very surprised by the speed and stability of the remote system despite the hundreds of people pummelling it trying to get a taste of Office 07 (which explains the waiting queue before load).

The setup requires the user to download the citrix plug-in that allows you to remotely connect to the server through your browser window. However that’s all well and good but what OS is it running on? Windows Server 2003 R2 of course (with the Luna theme enabled I might add) Boy its good to see it running in a “hardcore” environment like this.

 

 

nLite v1.0 Final

Have you ever wanted to remove Windows components like Media Player, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, MSN Explorer, Messenger...How about not even to install them with Windows ?

nLite is a tool for permanent Windows components removal and pre-installation Windows setup. After removal there is an option to make bootable image ready for burning on cd or testing in virtual machines. With nLite you will be able to have Windows installation which on install doesn't include, or even contain on cd, unwanted components.

Download: nLite 1.0 | 1.55 MB (Freeware)

Watercolour Reloaded

Watercolour Reloaded - the first Aero enhancement for Vista

Back in the days of the Windows XP beta (codename “Whistler”), the first theme available before the Luna theme came out (the standard blue theme) was the Watercolour theme. This wasn’t around for long, but Bryant has come up with a great idea - a mix between Watercolour in “Whistler” and Aero in Vista. He’s done it, and still working on it, but the results are spectacular.

I spoke to Bryant yesterday; he says this, “I actually came up with the idea a long time ago; I thought it would be interesting to see some adaptation of the old Watercolour theme from the “Whistler” beta in the form of translucent Glass. I began putting it through testing with Beta 1 but I made the decision to postpone the project for the public Beta 2 release of Windows Vista, simply because more people would have had the opportunity to try it out.” 

Watercolour Reloaded won’t be available to use yet as it’s still in development, but from the looks and the speed it runs at, I think it’s an amazing theme - if not the first custom made Aero enhancement for Windows Vista! Check out the screenshots below - simply click to open them up in a new window.

 

Give Office 2007 A Test Drive Today!

If you aren't part of the 2.5 million people who have already downloaded Office 2007 Microsoft has made a "Try-it-before-you-buy-it" site available to those who don't have a spare machine...

Source -> Give Office 2007 A Test Drive Today!

Another Reason to Avoid Adobe Software

If the recent news of Adobe making Microsoft remove PDF support from Office 2007 wasn’t enough to convince you that Adobe isn’t a company that you want to give your business they added to it today....

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Microsoft to publish its privacy rules

Microsoft to publish its privacy rules

Microsoft plans in August to publicly release the privacy rules its employees have to follow when developing products.

The move, which offers a look behind the scenes at Microsoft, is meant to give the industry an example of what the software giant sees as best practices in customer privacy, said Peter Cullen, the chief privacy strategist at Microsoft.

"We think that this is information that partners and others could benefit from. Lots of people build and develop applications," Cullen said in an interview Thursday. "The privacy development standards will not only be made public, but we will actively be promoting their use so that others can benefit from what we've learned."

The privacy rules offer guidelines on providing people with proper notification and options in certain situations--for example, when a software application is about to send information via the Internet to its maker, Cullen said. Microsoft believes it is the first major software company to publish these guidelines.

"This is designed for an IT pro or a developer, in terms of: 'If you're building an application that does X, this is what we think should be built,'" he said. "The public document will use a lot of 'shoulds.' Inside Microsoft, those are 'musts.'"

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Microsoft statistics about Windows Mobile

Some interesting Microsoft statistics about Windows Mobile

Here's something interesting that you might find useful about the Windows Mobile business and momentum.

1. Phones are available from 115 mobile operators in 55 countries 
   • These MOs represent 1 billion+ subscribers, roughly 65% of WW subscribers
2. 47 Windows Mobile device maker partners
3. 50+ converged phone designs; 100+ phones shipping worldwide
4. 100 Windows Mobile multimedia content partners
5. 18,000+ commercial Windows Mobile applications; 1,440+ certified Mobile2Market applications
   • Line-of-business applications from leading companies such as: SAP, Siebel, PeopleSoft/Oracle, Salesforce.com, Onyx, Microsoft, Sybase/iAnywhere, Dexterra, Mobitor, Field Centrix
6. 1.5 million+ downloads of Windows Mobile SDKs since January 2002
7. More than 5 million Windows Mobile ‘connected’ devices shipped worldwide in FY05

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Microsoft to WinFS for Windows: Drop Dead

Microsoft to WinFS for Windows: Drop Dead

Microsoft has scrapped plans for a WinFS Beta 2. Instead, elements of WinFS are being rolled into other products.

Going back to the early days in the development of what is now known as Windows Vista, there has been the concept of a new file system known as WinFS, which was to be an integral element in the new operating system. Last year, with great fanfare and a lot of bad press reaction, Microsoft "dropped" the WinFS filing system from what was Windows Longhorn at the time.

The notion of the new file system being an integral part of the new platform was replaced by a new plan: develop the new Windows independently, and then ship WinFS as a standalone product in conjunction with the release of Windows Vista. Since WinFS was initially referred to as one of the "pillars" of Longhorn/Vista, once it was pulled out there naturally had to be a bit of damage control on Microsoft's part to convince the public that this "pillar" was not, in fact, that much of a "pillar" after all.

It has taken some time, but they have succeeded in this, to some extent, and we haven't heard much about the "loss of WinFS" recently. Meanwhile, the WinFS Team has been toiling away at what was to be the separate delivery of the new technology. Now comes word that this will not happen after all. WinFS is, for all intents and purposes, dead.

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Ex-Microsoft exec killed in plane crash

Ex-Microsoft exec killed in plane crash

A venture capitalist who was a former Microsoft executive and his pilot died when their single-engine plane crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from the airport here, a coroner said Sunday.

Killed in the Saturday afternoon crash were Jeffrey M. Harbers, 54, who had homes in Big Timber and Medina, and pilot Jason Barton, 31, of Yukon, Okla.

Harbers, an engineering graduate of the University of Washington, led engineering and development work on the Office software program. Friend and former Microsoft co-worker Jeff Raikes said Harbers was considered the leader who shaped the Office development team during the 1980s.

"He had an incredibly important role in creating the (Office) product line that's used by 450 million people today," Raikes said. Harbers also served as director of Microsoft applications development and as general manager of the data access business unit.

Messenger Plus! Live debuts publically

MSBLOG Exclusive: Messenger Plus! Live debuts publically

MSN Messenger for a long time has been expanded and enhanced by Messenger Plus! for some time now, a good few years. Now, seeing as MSN Messenger has died and gone to rest in an urn on Leah’s shelf for the rest of eternity, Windows Live Messenger has blossomed out of the beta cupboard kick starting the Windows Live wave of products, and as usual Messenger Plus! Live is never far behind.

But now it’s here! That’s right, the world’s most used Messenger add-in has finally arrived and is back on the scene. It’s got a much cleaner, newer interface and has a whole load of new features that are even said to be in the next version of Messenger itself. So, what are you waiting for? It’s 4.25mb in size, and already the download servers are being pushed, but check it out anyway!

Messenger Plus! Live - Version 4.00.234
Messenger Plus! Live Website
Messenger Plus! Live Download

Click to open the images in a new window (more screenies coming soon!)

 

Windows Vista 5456

Windows Vista 5456 released to testers

OK covering a bit of old news now (it’s been a crazy day…) but yesterday, Microsoft released the latest build of Windows Vista (x86 and x64) to testers. It currently contains the versions, Ultimate, Home Basic, Home Premium and Business, and obviously the actual version install depends on which key you enter in on the Setup screens.

You can still use the same key that you used for build 5342 and above without a problem, so you shouldn’t need to generate new keys. Not sure if MSDN subscribers will get this - it’s doubtful as it’s only another interim release.

Windows Vista x86 (32-bit): ISO format - 2,572.91MB (2.57GB)
Windows Vista x64 (64-bit): ISO format - 3,356.90MB (3.35GB)

Note: there are also localised builds for German, Japanese and Arabic, so your best bet is to download your localised build instead of the English one (unless you’re English of course!)

Microsoft Connect users, go and download now!

Sneak Peek at Windows Live Spaces

Sneak Peek at Windows Live Spaces

Microsoft will soon relaunch MSN Spaces as Windows Live Spaces - they’ll also add a bunch of new features. The redesigned site will allow you to reposition your Space’s title and tagline using a module - you’ll also be able to display your Windows Live Messenger buddy list on your page and add gadgets to your blog sidebar. To make it easier to navigate the Spaces, the team is adding an optional Navigation Module and a breadcrumbing feature (this is a common way to retrace your steps, and will likely be something like Live Spaces >> John’s Space >> Blog Entry).

The existing text ads will be replaced with banner ads, but paid subscribers will be able to turn these off. The paid account costs $20 per year and also increases the amount of storage in your Live Mail account. Finally, the URL structure will change - presumably the new site will be found at spaces.live.com (which isn’t live yet, ironically).

MSN Spaces claims to be the world’s most popular blogging platform, with 100 million unique visitors per month. This popularity is most likely due to heavy integration with MSN Messenger - it’ll be interesting to see whether AOL can pull of the same trick with their new AIMPages network.

NO price cut planned for the XBOX 360

NO price cut planned for the XBOX 360

So much for the rumors. XBOX PR guy John Porcaro of GamerScoreBlog says "people who know" have told him there will be no price cut for the Xbox 360 this fall.

AutoPatcher June Releases

AutoPatcher June Releases

AutoPatcher is a comprehensive collection of patches, addons and registry tweaks that give you peace of mind in the knowledge that your Windows system is up to date, even before you connect it to the Internet. It's designed to quickly patch a system with the most current updates and tweaks available, and requires no user interaction once you have selected what to install.

June 2006 releases available:

AutoPatcher XP (32-bit) | AutoPatcher 2000 | AutoPatcher 2003 (32-bit) | AutoPatcher 64-bit (BETA)
AutoPatcher forum

Device Security Manager

Microsoft has released a power toy ,called Device Security Manager, for windows mobile 5.Device Security Manager helps developers test various security policies for Windows Mobile devices. It is designed as a desktop application.It's a pretty nifty tool for the developers who get bitten once too often by the security policy on windows mobile..:-) This tool can be used either on an emulator or an unlocked Windows Mobile device.It can be downloaded from here.

Microsoft Office Creative Commons Add-in

Download of the Day: Microsoft Office Creative Commons Add-in

Windows only: The Creative Commons Add-in for Microsoft Office assigns a CC license to your office documents.Once it's installed, from the File menu choose "Creative Commons" to specify that your...

Gates Gives $13M To U.K. University

Microsoft's Gates Gives $13M To U.K. University

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is as good as his word.

The billionaire made an ex cathedra pronouncement last week that he would transition out of his C-level role beginning in July 2008, and work full time for his charitable organization and part time for the software leviathan.

Gates, who has an estimated $50 billion fortune, has given scientists in Yorkshire, U.K., more than 7 million pounds ($13.6 million) to fund the fight against malaria. A U.K. newspaper reports that the University of York--a historic institution often ranked within the top ten universities in Britain--has received the windfall from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to pay for research on a plant, which could help alleviate the global shortage of effective treatments for the infectious disease.

Malaria is an infection caused by a parasite and carried from person to person by mosquitoes. It is preventable and treatable but kills more than one million people--most of them young children living in Africa--each year. The vast majority of malaria deaths occur south of the Sahara, where the disease also presents major obstacles to social and economic development. Malaria has been estimated by the World Health Organization to cost Africa more than $12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum.

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Messenger Plus Live 4.0

Messenger Plus Live 4.0 to be released this Saturday...

For those of you that love Patchou's MSG Plus addon for MS's Messenger client, he's releasing the newest 4.0 version this Saturday.  Called Messenger Plus Live!


Stay tuned at the MSG Plus site for details and download availability.

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Remote Desktop Gadget

Remote Desktop Gadget

I’m sorry if this is not really techy but I wanted to post about it anyway .
Testers are for ever remoting into other computers to try “repo” bugs etc and often its hard enough to get the bugs let alone navigating to the remote desktop icon or typing “mstsc /v:(address) in run.

Introducing the new Remote Desktop Gadget for Vista by Frameworkx allowing you to quickly and easily connect to a remote machine in full screen or console mode. This is out-standing

 

 

Get it from HERE (x64 & 86)

 

Windows Sidebar

I want more Windows Sidebar Gadgets!!!

There are few Windows Sidebar Gadget comes with Windows Vista. However, have you try to find more gadgets? You may reach http://www.microsoftgadgets.com/ , and browse to the Gallery tab and find the gadgets which fits your want. However, they are live.com gadgets if you look carefully.

I found a new site, there are really many gadgets for Windows Sidebar. You may be try to browse there and download any one of them. There are 10 gadgets now, but it may be more when day is passing. If you are sidebar gadget developer, you may also submit your gadget and Microsoft may publish it on that webpage too.

URL: http://gallery.microsoft.com/

Lights Out!	“Today Is” Calendar	Sudoku Assistant	Seattle Traffic (Beta)	Jamometer!
Echo (Beta)	Poker (Beta)	Memory	Sudoku (Beta)	Scribble (Beta)

 

I want more Windows Sidebar Gadgets!!!

I want more Windows Sidebar Gadgets!!!

There are few Windows Sidebar Gadget comes with Windows Vista. However, have you try to find more gadgets? You may reach http://www.microsoftgadgets.com/ , and browse to the Gallery tab and find the gadgets which fits your want. However, they are live.com gadgets if you look carefully.

I found a new site, there are really many gadgets for Windows Sidebar. You may be try to browse there and download any one of them. There are 10 gadgets now, but it may be more when day is passing. If you are sidebar gadget developer, you may also submit your gadget and Microsoft may publish it on that webpage too.

URL: http://gallery.microsoft.com/

Lights Out!	“Today Is” Calendar	Sudoku Assistant	Seattle Traffic (Beta)	Jamometer!
Echo (Beta)	Poker (Beta)	Memory	Sudoku (Beta)	Scribble (Beta)

 

AutoReply Add-In

AutoReply Add-In for Windows Live™ Messenger

This application fulfills a very simple concept. When I'm logged in to Messenger but my status is other than Online, you can enable this add-in to auto-reply to messages sent you with very simple verbiage, like: “I'm currently away from my computer but I will get back to you as soon as possible”.

I found this to be a great way to be courteous with the people, and also a time saver since you can customize the messages to say whatever you want.

Ex. When I'm Set to be right back, I can auto-reply saying: “I'll be right back but if this is an emergency you can call me on my mobile phone (555) 123- 4567.”

This version will allow you to customize auto-reply messages for the following status:

• Away
• Busy
• Be Right Back
• In a Call
• Out To lunch

Continue and download at source

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Microsoft Declares Quarterly Dividend

Microsoft Declares Quarterly Dividend

Dividend of $0.09 per share payable in September.

Corp. today announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share. The dividend is payable September 14, 2006 to shareholders of record on August 17, 2006. The ex-dividend date will be August 15, 2006.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft^® Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Shareholder and financial information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/msft.

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Microsoft Adcenter

Microsoft AdCenter Update on June 22

Microsoft adCenter Community Team: We've got a scheduled adCenter update planned for tomorrow, Thursday, June 22 from 4 P.M. until sometime between 8 P.M. and 10 P.M. Pacific Time. During this period, your current keywords and ads will continue to run; however, you will not be able to access adCenter. Please make any needed changes to your account beforehand if possible.
   

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.NET Framework Compact

.NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP1 Released

Microsoft .NET Compact Framework version 2.0 SP1 release has been completed and is in the process of being released.  This service pack was driven customer feedback including improvements in stability, adds new debugging features, extended platform support, and new developer functionality.

Download link, and more details at source.

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Forza 2 Interview

Forza 2 Interview

Xboxworld.au recently had in interview with Dan Greenawalt from Microsoft Game Studios about Forza 2.

Creative Commons Comes to Microsoft Office

Creative Commons Comes to Microsoft Office

Microsoft and the Creative Commons on Wednesday plan to release a free tool that will let people attach a Creative Commons copyright license to Microsoft Office documents.

Microsoft Sees Life Stirring in Robots

Microsoft Sees Life Stirring in Robots

The company on June 20 released a community technical preview or beta of its Microsoft Robotics Studio. The company's robotics software development suite, previewed here at the Robo Business 2006 Conference, is designed to grant robot designers a framework for creating the code that serves as the brains behind the various sensors and servos that operate their bots. But it also shows the Redmond, Wash., company's interest in the space.

The new suite, due by the end of the year, is designed to apply to a wide range of robots, allowing users to program the most basic bots on up to more complex machines for industry, military or even private use.


News source: eWeek

Microsoft to embed Live services in Windows

Microsoft to embed Live services in Windows

Microsoft's Live-branded online services don't end at the Web browser. They extend deep into Windows. The company last week quietly showed off software for embedding its Web-based Windows Live ID authentication services within Windows applications. Windows Live ID is the successor to Microsoft Passport, a hosted service for verifying a person's name and password for logging onto Web servers.

Later this year, Microsoft will release a beta version of a software developer's kit (SDK) for making the Windows Live ID service function within a Windows application, said Lynn Ayres, program manager on the Windows Live ID team. Right now, Windows Live ID authentication services are designed to work with Microsoft's Web-based applications such as Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger. With the developer's kit, called Windows Live ID Client SDK, Microsoft is seeking to create closer integration between its Web-based hosted services and "rich client" Windows applications, Ayres said.

News source: ZDNet

Commerce Server 2007 has shipped!

Commerce Server 2007 has shipped!

Today, after years and years of work Microsoft have shipped Commerce server.

This was a public/open beta available to everyone on connect (i think i mentioned it before on MSBLOG)
Allan Faulkne had this to say oh his blog:-”This is truly an extraordinary release, given the size of our team and the amount of design/work involved.” 

If you have not tried it out I urge you to download the trial from HERE.
Congrats to everyone that helped out on the beta etc…it certainly is a major milestone

Windows Live Messenger - well and truly live!

Windows Live Messenger - well and truly live!

Today, get.live.com was launched, the new site which is the new site which anyone can download a released beta version of a Windows Live product, or a full released-to-manufacturing product such as Windows Live Messenger, which has been released this evening.

Get Live (http://get.live.com/) is different from Live Ideas (http://ideas.live.com/) because Get Live is a purely download orientated website, whilst Live Ideas is an ‘’everything” site, showing what is coming, what is new and gives links to their team blogs, forums or other information sources.

Check out for further reading:

• Windows Live Messenger blog on MSN Spaces (Messenger Says) - Announcement
• Microsoft PressPass: Windows Live Messenger released/Get Live!

Note: the Get Live site is still being slowly integrated out and won’t be available fully until June 20th, midday (Pacific Standard Time) - until then, you can use the links below.

As Dennis says: Minutes ago, Microsoft has launched the Windows Live Messenger! Live Messenger is one of over 20 new Live services. Live Messenger is providing PC-to-PC, PC-to-Worldwide calls and of course videocalling. Check out all the latest details about it at the download location.

 Get Live! (beta)
 Download Windows Live Messenger (build 8.0.0787) (final released product)
 Windows Live Messenger (Get Live)
 Windows Live Spaces (pre-Live beta)
 Windows Live OneCare (final released product)
 Windows Live Mail (beta) 

Well, to wet your appetite even more, we’ve got some screenshots of the new Windows Live Messenger, as the final product. Mainly, some slight user interface tweaks, such as the top right hand corner of each window has a more advanced “refraction” look. Check them out below - just click on an image to open it in it’s own window.  

Bug in IE6, but fixed in IE7

Bug in IE6, but fixed in IE7, And please use GIF over PNG in your Gadgets

Update news from Live.com Team, they found a new bug in IE6 when IE doing the Image Filtering.
Details here,

————————————————————————————————

We have recently released a workaround for a bug in IE6 where image filters for PNG can cause a hang on the Live.com site. This IE bug is already fixed in IE7, but we still needed to workaround it to make sure the site works properly for IE6.

To understand the problem, here is an explanation from the IE team (thanks Peter Gurevich!):

• Each IE 6 window is a UI thread. 
• The HTML page and any script you written for the page run in the UI thread.  Therefore filters in your page or in script will download on the UI thread
• IE’s implementation of the AlphaImageLoader filter downloads images synchronously 
• Synchronous loading of an image or successive images on the UI thread has the potential to hang the browser and adversely affect the user experience.

Our workaround is to stop applying transparent image filters to PNG. As a result, your transparent PNG will not look as great as it used to. I would encourage you to change to using transparent GIF moving forward.Sorry for the inconvenience - the SDK will be updated with this new info in our next release.

Thanks!
James Lau
Program Manager
Live.com Team

Windows Live Messenger speeds out of beta

Windows Live Messenger speeds out of beta

The first Windows Live product to leave beta status globally will be released tonight by Microsoft. Windows Live Messenger spent just six weeks in public beta. We reviewed most of the features available now when the beta launched.

Most notable are the inclusion of voice calls through the interface and dedicated hardware, offline messaging and an easy system for file sharing.

After years of ridicule by people awaiting the release of Vista and Microsoft’s general reputation for painfully slow development, the release from beta status of Live Messenger may be the first sign of a serious shift in operations in this new, post-Gates era. When it was announced on Thursday that Gates would be giving up his position as Chief Technology Architect to former CTO Ray Ozzie, Live was discussed as the major direction for the company in the future.

The company says that more than 20 new Windows Live services will launch globally over the next year.

Windows Live

Commerce Server 2007 RTMs

Commerce Server 2007 RTMs

After almost three years Microsoft has released the next version of Commerce Server. With full support for ASP.NET 2.0 (albeit a few older COM components still exist) this release brings Commerce Server into line with other offerings by Microsoft by offering up:

• Unified class hierarchy
• Extensible order classes
• More flexible catalog management
• Smart client applications for management of Catalog, Orders and User Profiling
• Enhanced reporting leveraging SQL Reporting Services
• Web Service interfaces and Biztalk adapters for Catalog, Orders, and User Profile management
• Support for 64-bit Windows Server deployments
• Management Pack for MOM
• Multi-environemnt deployment services
• And the usual bevy of performance improvements

The evaluation edition will be available shortly on the product page. In the mean time you can check out the release candidate code also posted on that page. An update sample site (known as the Starter Site) and documentation refresh are expected for the August timeframe when Commerce Server 2007 becomes generally available through the normal channels.

View: Product Page | Product Documentation on MSDN
Link: Installation Guide | Readme
News source: Ryan Donovan's Blog

Microsoft Takes Aim at ITunes

Microsoft Takes Aim at ITunes

Microsoft is said to be planning a rival to Apple's phenomenally successful iPod music player and iTunes music service. Sources close to the discussions claimed that Microsoft has already demonstrated a device that plays music and video, and has held licensing talks with the music industry to form its own music service, according to a report from Reuters.

Microsoft is remaining tight-lipped about the developments, and has not mentioned a possible launch date. The software giant already provides the copyright framework for some worldwide subscription music services, none of which has been able to shake Apple's domination of the market.

News Source: VNU.NET

Vista Premium Requirements Detailed

Vista Premium Requirements Detailed

Microsoft has detailed specifications related to Vista Basic and Premium this week, stating that in order for a PC to be "Vista Ready", all requirements must be met.

"To qualify for a basic system logo, the devices of a basic system that includes embedded or add-in devices must comply with the basic requirements (if a logo program exists for the device categories)," Microsoft explained.

"Likewise, to qualify for a premium system logo, the devices of a premium system that includes embedded or add-in devices must comply with the premium requirements for the device category."

Those wishing to qualify now for the program must meet the following standards effective immediately: high-definition audio and DirectX 3D 9 support, one or more digital outputs for video adapters, Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi support, USB 2.0 support, and system resume times of two seconds or less from the "standby" state.

View: Full Article @ Betanews

Microsoft battles slavery in Asia

Microsoft battles slavery in Asia

Microsoft is donating $1m (around £540,000) to several groups in Asia battling the modern human slave trade, which mainly targets women and children, to curb the trade and highlight the issue.

The company plans to use IT training to give people skills to find jobs. The funds, distributed in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, are aimed at the people most vulnerable to human trafficking: women and children in poor nations.

The project won't necessarily gain from the recent announcement by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates that he plans to play a larger day-to-day role at the charity organisation he runs with his wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"It's great that this company is run by a person that has that kind of spirit," said Lori Forman, regional director of community affairs at Microsoft, but the foundation operates separately from the company's own philanthropy work.

Microsoft is no stranger to projects involving human trafficking or sexual exploitation. The company has also worked with law enforcement agencies in several nations to develop a software system called Cets, short for Child Exploitation Tracking System, which allows police agencies to share and analyse information about peadophiles and other people who prey on children.

Globally, the modern slave trade is huge. Over a million people are forced into unwanted sexual, hard labour or other work each year, according to HumanTrafficking.org, a website dedicated to the issue. The site is full of reports on women lured to Japan and other wealthy countries with the promise of good paying jobs in restaurants or factories, only to find themselves in brothels working against their will.
Continue At Source

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Bill Gates' e-mail to employees

Bill Gates' e-mail to employees

From: MSBILLG
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 1:41 PM
To: Microsoft and Subsidiaries: All FTE
Subject: My Transition Plans

I wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts, as well.

As Steve's mail indicates, I've decided that two years from now, in July 2008, I want to devote more time to the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Right now and for the next two years, my full-time job is here at Microsoft, and my part-time job remains the Foundation. Beginning in July 2008, I will switch that, to be full-time at the Foundation, while remaining involved with Microsoft as Chairman and an advisor on key development projects on a part-time basis.

To prepare for this change, we have a well-thought-out transition process. Again, I will continue at Microsoft full-time for the next two years, but over the course of those two years, my day-to-day responsibilities will shift to a team of incredible technical leaders who are already doing amazing things at the company.

I feel very lucky that we've got extraordinary technical leaders at the company, like Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie, who can step up to assume the roles that I've played. I've known Ray for the last 20 years, and he has created some of the most important developments in the industry. Craig and I have worked together for nearly 14 years, and he's been a technical visionary and a leader on policy throughout his career. With Ray and Craig stepping up, I feel very confident that the technical stewardship of Microsoft is in very capable hands.

And I feel the same way about our business leadership. Our core businesses are strong and we have a clear vision for how we will meet new challenges and opportunities. We just had our first $12 billion quarter, and we continue to generate almost a billion dollars in profit every month. We are about to launch breakthrough versions of Windows, Office and Exchange, which are already generating a lot of excitement.

Six years ago, Steve and I made a major transition when he stepped up to be CEO. He's done a fantastic job by every measure, whether it's the people he's brought in, the new ways he's running the company, or just the objective results - like doubling our revenue in six years. Steve has driven us to make bold bets on things like Xbox, Real Time Communications, business applications, IPTV, and many others including the Live platform. Steve is the best CEO I could imagine for Microsoft - he is changing the company in ways it needs to be changed. He is bringing in new leadership at all levels. And, he is focused on the long-term - making Microsoft a great company not just today but for decades to come.

With Steve's organization of the company into three divisions led by our incredible presidents - Jeff Raikes, Robbie Bach, and Kevin Johnson - we've laid a solid foundation for greater autonomy, agility and entrepreneurial spirit in our product groups. And with the great addition of Kevin Turner as our COO, our leadership team has never been stronger.

Our deep technical strength is one of the key reasons I believe Microsoft is well-positioned for great success in the years ahead. I'm very pleased that in addition to Ray, Craig, David and Rick, Steve has asked J Allard, Bob Muglia, and Steven Sinofsky to play an expanded role in shaping the company's business and technology strategy. And when you consider all of our remarkable Technical Fellows, Distinguished Engineers, all of the brilliant researchers working at our MSR labs around the world, and all the technical people in the business groups, I can safely say that our technical talent has never been stronger or deeper.

Obviously, this has been a very hard decision for me. Microsoft will always be a huge part of my life, and I'm lucky to have two callings that are so important and so challenging.

On a personal note, I know that my work on global health and education issues at the Foundation would never have been possible without the enormous success of Microsoft, so I want to thank you and all of the employees past and present who have contributed so much to this company.

For these last 31 years, I've had the best job in the world. I've worked with some of the brightest and most passionate people in the world. Together, we've built a great company whose products have empowered people around the world.

We're only at the beginning of what software can do, and I'm excited about the impact that Microsoft can have. I'm going to take an extended vacation this summer with my family, but I'll be back in late August and I look forward to working with all of you for the next two years and beyond, to make those dreams a reality.

Thanks.

Bill

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Windows Live Messenger Launches Today

Windows Live Messenger Launches Today

Windows Live Messenger Launches Today 19th / early 20th, after a short delay.It will be published at http://get.live.com.

Getting to Know Ray Ozzie

Getting to Know Ray Ozzie : Microsofts New Chief Software Architect

On June 15, 2006, Ozzie assumed the title of Microsoft chief software architect previously held by Chairman Bill Gates, and is working side by side with Gates on all technical architecture and product oversight responsibilities in anticipation of Gates’ departure from a day-to-day role in Microsoft in July 2008.

DirectX 10

Direct X 10 to be Vista ONLY

Some sad news for fans of PC gaming with word that Direct X 10 will only work for the next release of Microsoft’s wonderful operating system, Vista.

Live.com Updated

Live.com Updated

Microsoft has updated Live.com, featuring an updated UI to match Windows Live Messenger.  The Windows Live team has posted on their blog some of the new changes:

With tonight’s release, we have made some improvements driving towards each of the above goals: 

• We have simplified our first run experience to provide a fast and straight-forward experience for users that are interested in a search-focused page, as well as the option for users to personalize their homepage or learn more about Windows Live services.  (note: existing live.com users can’t see this page unless you click ‘start over’ while signed in or if you sign out – we’re working on making this more accessible to everyone)
• We have heard that users want a personalized homepage that is easier to set up, so we are also introducing a new customization step to help users personalize their Live.com homepage. Users can now choose from 5 templates to quickly get started with a few interesting pages right away (including a world cup template!)

Bill Gates Is Leaving Microsoft

Bill Gates Is Leaving Microsoft

In a press announcement today Bill Gates and Microsoft announced that he is going to leave the company in two years time (July 2008) to focus more on the Gates foundation.  This deliberately long transition period is designed to give Microsoft plenty of time to transition the roles that Bill currently plays at the company. They plan to distribute his work across several individual, but a large part of this burden will fall on the newest member of Microsoft executive staff Ray Ozzie.  Ray will become, starting immediately, the newest Chief Software Architect to Microsoft corporation.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jun06/06-15CorpNewsPR.mspx

Microsoft Gets Chatty With New Webcams

MSN to Exclusively Webcast the Dixie Chicks’ First Concert in Two Years

REDMOND, Wash. — June 13, 2006 — MSN^® Video will broadcast the Dixie Chicks’ first concert appearance in over two years — in London on Thursday, June 15 — to a worldwide audience at http://dixiechicks.msn.com. The sold-out concert at Shepherds Bush Empire, the same location of lead singer Natalie Maines’ now infamous words, will be the group’s first concert webcast and is part of their partnership with MSN Video for delivering content and a more detailed, intimate glimpse into their world. The performance, which will be captured by numerous digital film cameras, will be broadcast at 10 p.m. EDT on June 15 and adjusted globally in different time zones to better accommodate viewers from around the world.

“We are thrilled with the early success of our partnership with the Dixie Chicks, and with the opportunity to bring their kickoff concert to our global audience,” said Rob Bennett, general manager of Entertainment and Video Services for MSN. “Our steady stream of unique, engaging content experiences is what makes MSN the best destination for online entertainment.”

The concert and webcast come amid a week of promotional activities surrounding the June 12 European release of the Dixie Chicks’ new CD, “Taking the Long Way.” It will give fans a sneak peek into what they can expect when the trio officially starts their worldwide “Accidents & Accusations” tour, which kicks off in North America on July 21 in Detroit.

“Taking the Long Way” was released in North America and Australia on May 23. In the U.S., the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and remains in the top spot for a second week, with almost 800,000 copies sold in the U.S. to date. The album debuted at No. 2 in Australia and Canada.

This past May, the Dixie Chicks signed a two-year agreement with MSN to connect fans worldwide with the most comprehensive information on the band’s new album and tour. MSN also gave fans the opportunity to stream tracks from “Taking the Long Way,” before retail availability and hosted a premiere of the entire album on May 22, a day before its North American release. In addition, MSN has hired a writer to follow the band 24x7 for one year with an all-access pass. The writer will document his experiences with the band and post behind-the-scenes interviews, articles and video footage on the site.

Fans who visit http://dixiechicks.msn.com can still stream the Chicks’ new album and download their favorite songs via MSN Music.

More Xbox games playable on 360

More Xbox games playable on 360

Early this month, Microsoft VP Peter Moore stated that "nobody is concerned anymore about backward compatibility", prompting the company's PR department into action. Moore has since retracted the statement, saying he was taken out of context.

Regardless of what was said before, it's apparent that people do still care about backward compatibility on the Xbox 360. Microsoft has announced the latest additions to its list of Xbox games run on the company's next-gen console.

Answering the prayers of many gamers, Doom 3 is now one of the 200-plus Xbox games that can be played on an Xbox 360. Also on the list are horror titles Fatal Frame and Silent Hill 4: The Room, as well as a few from a galaxy far, far away--Lego Star Wars and the original Star Wars Battlefront.

A list of all 21 games added to the list is available from source...

Bug in Microsoft Notepad

Bug in Microsoft Notepad

1. Open Notepad
2. Type 'AAAA BBB CCC DDDDD' (or any other 4-3-3-5 letter combination)
3. Save the document, and close notepad
4. Open the saved file

The resulting text has been turned into Unicode - hopefully Microsoft will issue a Critical Security Bulletin for this soon [;)]

UntitleMicrosoft puts a cap on Vista beta downloads

Microsoft puts a cap on Vista beta downloads

Microsoft has defended its decision to cut back on the amount of users who can download the beta version of Windows Vista. The software giant claimed that the pre-release versions of Vista are not appropriate for use by a broad, non-technical audience. "As such, we want to limit the availability of the code to a technical audience, while also keeping the program manageable from a logistical standpoint," said Microsoft spokesman Richard Saunders.

According to an official Microsoft blog post, the Windows Vista beta was originally restricted because of fears that the huge downloads could cripple the internet. However, the company now claims that the cap on the number of downloads is designed to help it manage the beta test. "Our goal, especially at this point in the development process, is to make the feedback process as efficient as possible, and we are confident that we will get a high level of quality feedback regardless of the cap," said Saunders.

News Source: VNU.net

Read full story...

Naming Longhorn

Longhorn Server Follows Earlier Windows Server 200x Naming

Naming a baby is always difficult, let alone a new operating system. Many of us have heard the litany of names which were bandied about for Windows Longhorn, and most guessed something along the lines of previous Windows: 95, 98, Me, XP, nice and simple. Just a two letter/number combination, or the year. Many had guessed Windows 2006 (or 7). Alas, this was not to be, as Windows 'Codename' Longhorn became what is now lovingly known as Windows Vista.

Aye, matey, but that's just the "client" -- the operating system most users know. There is also the server edition, which until now has still been called Longhorn Server. Conventional wisdom said that Microsoft would simply keep this name, thereby keeping the "Longhorn" bloodline alive. But alas, there will be no "Longhorn" heir to the throne.

It was announced today at TechED 2006 that Longhorn Server would retain the year naming convention, that is, Windows Server 200x. This would place it in the footsteps of Windows Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003. Depending on when it makes its way out the door, that would be Windows Server 2007 or Windows Server 2008.

Longhorn Server Beta 2 was released to WinHEC attendees in May, concurrent with Windows Vista Beta 2. But although Windows Vista Beta 2 has now been released to the public through the CPP (Customer Preview Program), Longhorn Server Beta 2 is still only available to the tester community. However, sometime early next year a Beta 3 will be distributed to the public.

News source: Pro-Networks

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Microsoft's new Driver Quality Rating system

Inside Microsoft's new Driver Quality Rating system

It has long been said that one of Microsoft's greatest challenges has been to support the wild and unpredictable PC hardware market, stemming from the fact that unlike Apple, Microsoft has little control over the hardware that its OS comes to reside upon. True or not, one thing is certain: a bad driver can turn an otherwise stable system into a nightmare. To help put an end to this, Microsoft is turning to a Driver Quality Rating (DQR) system that it hopes will motivate both OEMs and device manufacturers to increase their commitments to driver quality.

The DQR system relies on scores to indicate a driver's quality level, and it derives those scores from user-submitted crash reports. Microsoft's Online Crash Analysis Team will analyze crash reports to determine the ratio of crashing systems to non-crashing systems. Drivers that rarely cause crashes will be rated "Green," while moderately problematic drivers will be rated "Yellow." The horrid stuff gets a big, fat "Red" rating. (Microsoft has not revealed the exact methodology for determining these scores, only that "Green" maps to 7-9 points, "Yellow" 4-6, and "Red" 1-3.)

View: Full Article @ ArsTechnica

Read full story...

UntitledWindows, Mac OS to run side-by-side

Windows, Mac OS to run side-by-side

Parallels, a start-up whose software enables Macs to run Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS at the same time, says it is ready with a final version of its product.

Apple Computer made headlines back in April when it said it would offer its own software--Boot Camp--for loading Windows onto Macs. However, Boot Camp permits people to run only one operating system at a time, meaning either Windows or the Mac OS can be in use, but not both at once.

Around the same time, Parallels started testing for its Parallels Desktop program, which uses virtualization technology to have Windows programs operate alongside Mac applications. The Windows programs open in a separate window within the Mac OS.

Unlike past software that allowed Windows programs to run on a Mac, Parallels Desktop does not need to emulate the hardware that's inside a PC. That's because Macs and PCs now use the same Intel-based chips. As a result, the speed of Parallels is far better than past efforts at bringing together the two operating systems, the software start-up said. In fact, Parallels says Windows programs can run nearly as fast through its virtualization as running natively on a Windows PC.

News source: C|Net for Full Article

Read full story...

Windows Vista Screencasts

Windows Vista Screencasts

Several Windows Vista screencasts focusing on various important new features: Aero, file management, guided help, tablet PC functionality, sidebar, improved search indexing and Media Center.

Microsoft IPTV in France

Microsoft IPTV to Debut in France

"Microsoft's IPTV platform will make its debut first in Europe, with Club Internet selling the company's services in France. The technology will allow for a user to watch high-definition TV, two programs at the same time, and record up to 50 hours of video."

Sudoku by WinFX(WPF)

Sudoku by WinFX(WPF)

• Code4Fun about WinFX, http://msdn.microsoft.com/coding4fun/gamedevelopment/sudoku1/default.aspx 

Yesterday, I read about an example on Code4Fun about WinFX, It is a sample on creating a sample Sudoku with WinFX. Althought it is saying that the sample code are based on Feb CTP, but I could make it work by using May Beta2. Before you could be able to do WinFX programming, you may need to follow the instruction and download the setup files from http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/downloads/products/getthebeta/. And I found that the installation is terrible. Finally, I created one but it is in Extensible Application Markup Language(XAML) which you will use to create a simple layout and a more complex layout.   

 

Oh? Not .NET language? Yap, as the tutorial are in XAML. Later on I will try to use VB2005 to see if I can make one. And I found out that building application, don’t have UI Designer. I heard from friends that there is a product with codename “Cider” and you may read and download from: http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Cider.HomePage. Later I will download it and have a try on it too. Come back later after the first hand on ”Cider”.
 

.

Microsoft Limits Windows Vista Beta2 Downloads

Microsoft Limits Windows Vista Beta2 Downloads

The demand for the Windows Vista Beta2 faced by the US giant has overcome the capabilities of the servers reserved for the online delivery of the recently released operating system by the sheer amount of the simultaneous downloads.

On its Vista dedicated site, Microsoft posted a recommendation that asked the participants in the Customer Preview Program to rather order the DVD than attempt to download the program.

“We are experiencing extremely high download demand at this time. The wait time to start the download is very long and many customers may be unable to access the download site. To guarantee participation in the Customer Preview Program (to receive both Beta 2 and RC1) we recommend you use the DVD kit order option above,” Microsoft notes on the Vista order and download page.

According to company sources, the Redmond company has anticipated the level of demand but is ceiling on the resources available; an eventual increase in bandwidth could result in an overall collapse of the Internet or degrade its quality for the user because of the networks becoming saturated with the downloaded files.

Presently both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista Beta 2 are available for download in ISO format, the files size reaching 3.5 GB, respectively 4.4 GB. According to Microsoft, the estimated download time for the 32-bit version ranges between 4.5 hours on a Fast Cable/DSL 3.0 mbps connection and 64 hours on a Cable/DSL 256 kbps connection.

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Microsoft gets into the webcam business

Microsoft gets into the webcam business

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled a pair of Web cameras as the newest additions to its hardware line that, until now, has kept to keyboards and mice.

Untitled Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2

Microsoft Readies Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2

Microsoft recognizes that today’s businesses are depending on the ability to seamlessly and instantly connect with colleagues, customers and partners, to gather and analyze information and take action. Exchange Server 2007 will help meet this need enabling access to communications, calendar and contacts, any time, any place.

To learn more about Exchange Server 2007 and key areas in which Microsoft has invested in the product, PressPass spoke with Terry Myerson, general manager of the Exchange Server group at Microsoft.

Continued At Source

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2007 Microsoft Office Learning Portal

2007 Microsoft Office Learning Portal

The 2007 Office system is designed to increase individual impact, simplify collaboration, streamline business processes and content management, and improve business insight. Microsoft Learning can help you examine the new products by providing you, for a limited time, free training, e-learning, books, and skills assessments. Classroom training is also available for IT professionals and Home and Office workers.

Simplify the challenges of today’s workplace with the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Its enhanced intuitive design and improved features can help you get more out of the programs you use every day. With the training materials from Microsoft Learning, Office Workers can start taking advantage of the new functionality of Microsoft Office immediately.
Source: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/office2007/default.mspx

UntitledISV Microsoft Vista Touchdown Training

ISV Microsoft Vista Touchdown Training

. 

I was selected by my company to join the ISV Vista Touchdown Training from 14th to 16th of June. It is a 3 days session, and is a combination of presentations and hands on labs that focus on growing services opportunities for partners, and a series of new hands-on technical exercises that highlight some of the compelling new design enhancements in Windows Vista. I am so glad that I can attend this training after the Singapore Vista Training by Product Group last 2 weeks. And I hope that this Touchdown Training is really a hands-on Training.

.

AGENDA:
Day 1
Intro Session
Windows Vista User Experience, HOL
Consuming Search and Organize Services, HOL
Best Practices for User Account Control in Windows Vista
Consuming RSS Data from your Applications  

Day 2
WPF: 2D Graphics
WPF: Tools
WPF: Styles, Templates, and Resources, HOL
WPF: Databinding
WPF: Animation, HOL
WPF: Documents, Text, and File Formats
WPF: 3D Graphics
WPF: Interop and Migration

Day 3
Lap Around Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), HOL
Lap Around Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
C++ CLI
Establish a Feedback Loop
Windows Vista Software Logo Requirements
Windows Vista Application Compatibility Issues and Resolutions

You may found more detail in http://www.mstouchdown.com/apac/hk

 

WinFX=.Net 3.0!

WinFX=.Net 3.0!

When speaking to developers about WinFX one question that repeatedly comes up is, “WinFX sounds great, but what happens to .NET?” .NET Framework has becomes the most successful developer platform in the world.  Developers know and love .NET.

The .NET Framework has always been at the core of WinFX, but the WinFX brand didn’t convey this.  The WinFX brand helped us introduce the incredible innovations in terms of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and the newly christened Windows CardSpace (WCS) formerly known under the codename “InfoCard.”  The brand also created an unnatural discontinuity between previous versions of our framework and the current version.

With this in mind Microsoft have decided to rename WinFX to the .NET Framework 3.0.  .NET Framework 3.0 aptly identifies the technology for exactly what it is – the next version of our developer framework.

The change is in name only and will not affect the technologies being delivered as part of the product. The .NET Framework 3.0 is still comprised of the existing .NET Framework 2.0 components, including ASP.NET, WinForms, ADO.NET, additional base class libraries and the CLR, as well as new developer-focused innovative technologies in WPF, WCF, WF and WCS:

 

The .NET Framework 3.0 will still ship with Windows Vista, and will be available down-level for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 as planned.  This change doesn’t affect in any way the ship schedules of either Windows Vista or the .NET Framework 3.0 itself.

Microsoft are confident that this change will go a long way towards reducing confusion people may have about our developer platform and the technologies in which they should invest. 

Source staight from Somasegars MSDN blog

.NET Framework 3.0

.NET Framework 3.0 Website

Not sure if anyone has written about this yet, but the newly announced .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly WinFX) has gotta a really stunning website. 

Check it out, at http://www.netfx3.com/.

Security - Forefront

Microsoft Makes Security The 'ForeFront'

BOSTON -- Microsoft officials introduced a new brand of security software, called ForeFront, at the company's Tech Ed 2006 event here Sunday night.

Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the server and tools business at Microsoft, said ForeFront will include Forefront Client Security, and enhanced version of the company's Microsoft Client Protection software for protecting desktops, laptops and server operating systems from viruses and other threats.

Muglia, who indicated the software is an attempt to modernize the product and make it more proactive for protecting computers, said an early beta version has been made available to some customers, with a public beta planned for the fourth quarter.

ForeFront was the most notable unveiling to underscore the company's new "People Ready Business" plan for empowering developers and IT professionals through new software.

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Dynamics Ax 4.0

Announcing Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 General Availability

BOSTON — June 12, 2006 — At the Tech•Ed 2006 conference, Microsoft Corp. today announced the general availability of Microsoft Dynamics™ AX 4.0, an adaptable, global business-management solution that works like and with familiar Microsoft^® software and helps organizations gain a competitive advantage. Through the use of Web services and other enhancements, the highly anticipated new release delivers a complete enterprise resource planning (ERP) package to automate and streamline processes across a company’s financials, customer relationships, business services, human resources and the supply chain.

As highlighted by Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief technical officer, in last night’s keynote address, Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 is a composite application, using Web services to span the boundaries between structured and unstructured data from different sources and tying together formal processes with ad hoc workflows. This capability enables Microsoft Dynamics AX to work across multiple systems to show a complete view of a customer’s business processes, enabling more confident and informed decision-making by users.

The new features in Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0, including radio frequency identification (RFID) and Web services, allow users to create a seamless path from initial trading partner compliance to an RFID-enabled supply chain as well as to facilitate trading controls and automate subcontracting. A new service-management functionality automates manufacturing service processes, enabling efficient scheduling of servicing of complex machines and equipment on a periodic or call-initiated basis. Web services provide many new opportunities for customers and partners to customize the solution to meet individual business needs, including the ability to create RSS feeds that push time-sensitive information to decision-makers within an organization. In addition, new role-based features provide individuals with direct access to the most relevant, business-critical information, driving greater productivity and increasing the impact of employees on a company’s success.

“Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 helps businesses better manage the complexity within their organization and provides business insight so they can compete more effectively,” said Mark A. Jensen, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics AX. “No matter what industry, customer service is a key differentiator today, so businesses need a platform that provides visibility and quickly adapts to the changing needs of their industry. By delivering this flexibility, Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 is transforming business applications to fit the way businesses and users work.”

Over the past year, through the Technical Adoption Program (TAP) for early adopters, Microsoft has worked with customers and their partners to test and strengthen the solution so that all customers and partners can benefit from a high-performance solution on deployment. The customers, spanning the U.S., Europe and China, include Russell Athletic, Best Water Technology Group and Optiroc. Participating partners in the TAP include Avanade, Columbus IT Partner, ECOSOL Gmbh, Ignify, Iteration2, Tectura Corp. and XAPT Hungary.

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Microsoft to Create Its Own Webcams

Microsoft to Create Its Own Webcams

"Even Microsoft Corp.'s hardware division is getting in on this Internet thing. Microsoft says it will offer two models of the cameras, dubbed "LifeCams," for about $50 and $100. The cameras will include features designed to work with Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger program, such as a button on top for quickly starting a video chat."

Windows Genuine Advantage Not Spyware!

Thanks MrCobra for the heads up on this update in Back Page News on our forums.Microsoft defended its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) tool this week against charges that it acts like spyware because it constantly checks in with Microsoft when a user boots a PC with the tool installed.A Microsoft representative said that when the WGA Notifications checks in with Microsoft when a PC is booted, it is not providing any information to the vendor if a PC's copy of Windows has already been validated. Instead, it is checking with a "server-side configuration setting to determine if WGA should run or not." The check-in also gives Microsoft the ability to disable the WGA program, if necessary. View: Full Article @ InfoWorld Read full story...

Windows Vista Beta 2:Largest software download

In an instant message chat, Microsoft has told the Windows Featured Communities that the demand for Windows Vista Beta 2 has been overwhelming. It is, in fact, the largest downloaded software in history. Currently, they are serving product keys out ten times faster then the downloads can be served. In fact, they are pumping out bits as fast as they can - any faster and there would be a measurable impact on the internet. In fact, I quote a Microsoft representive: "So, we are literally saying that if we increased our bandwidth any further there's a possibilty of taking down the Internet - people might have problems with World Cup viewing, etc"People who have recieved Vista Beta 2 product keys, but are unable to download, may need to wait a few days, up to one week. Microsoft encoruages users who want to try out Windows Vista Beta 2 to order the DVD. When they recieve the DVD in 1-4 weeks, install it, and activate it, they will be automattically guaranteed an RC1 upgrade. Read full story...

Microsoft Tech-Ed 2006

Microsoft is about to kick off its annual customer conference for IT Pros and developers from around the world.More than 12,000 customers, partners, journalists, industry analysts,and Microsoft staff will converge on Boston for five days.This year, Tech·Ed attendees will enjoy 480 breakout sessions, 300chalk talks, 120 hands-on labs, hundreds of product demonstrations andcountless hours of networking and information sharing with Microsoftexperts as well as partners and industry peers.It's expected that Microsoft will reveal the Windows Live Dev portal which will act as a hub for developer-focused information. A lot of focus will be put on Microsoft Office 2007 and its advantages to developers and 3rd party software makers.Tune into the conference which is due to start 7PM EST (GMT -5). Video: Tech-Ed 2006 KeyNote - 56K 100K 300K View: Microsoft Tech-Ed 2006 Read full story...

Microsoft Recruits Testers for Windows Live Mobile

A select amount of testers have been invited to take part in an update to Windows Mobile 5.0 for smartphones. The program dubbed "Mobile 10.7 Beta" or Pocket MSN was made available late yesterday on the Connect website; the portal for Microsoft beta programs.Testers are required to fill in a survey and from that the selection process will be submitted to Connect, which usually takes anywhere between 24 and 48 hours.

From : Connect

Windows Vista Customer Preview Program

vista download

Windows Vista Beta 2 Download

Customer Preview Program Kicks Off The day that most Windows community enthusiasts who have been following the beta program for Windows Vista, but haven't been part of it has arrived in the form of Windows Vista Customer Preview Program.Microsoft has made available Beta 2, for download and shipping. Shipping includes RC1 when it becomes available later this year. Microsoft have put together a website that explains in detail how the program works, if your current system is capable of running Windows Vista and includes Community related websites as well as a full list of features we can expect when Vista ships.In our earlier announcement of Vista Beta 2 availability, there was no information on how to obtain a product key. This can be done by using the download link here. After you select your country you will be taken to a registration page, after which a key will be mailed to you.

View: Windows Vista Beta 2 Customer Preview Program

Windows Vista Beta 2 Download Available

MSBlog is reporting that Microsoft plans to release Windows Vista Beta 2 to the masses today. Although the downloads are not yet available, the access denied page is evident that indeed, the files will be up later on. The release is reportedly 5384.4, the same release given out at WinHEC 2006, to no ones surprise. Everyone can now download it Download: Windows Vista Beta 2 x86 or x64 Direct Link (x86) 3.12 GB Download: Windows Vista Beta 2 German x86 or x64 Japanese x86 or x64 News source: MSBlog View: How to get your Vista Beta 2 key

Microsoft Expand Business Intelligence Product Line

REDMOND, Wash. — June 6, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft® Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, a complete performance management (PM) application including business scorecarding, analytics and planning functionality that enables companies to more effectively plan and manage their businesses. This new application expands Microsoft’s growing line of business intelligence (BI) products with a new focus on performance management solutions. Microsoft has established a unique position in expanding the delivery of BI to everyone by focusing on an easier-to-use experience while also delivering the high performance and outstanding price performance businesses require. News source: Microsoft Press

Xbox 360 gets 125 new features

As if your Xbox 360 wasn't feature-packed enough, Microsoft today unveiled a slew of new features. To be exact, 125 of them.

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7 Trial Versions of Microsoft's Antigen Software

Microsoft released 7 Antigen software for download. Antigen helps protect their email, IM & collaboration servers from viruses, worms, spam etc.

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Gates funds cervical cancer shots for poor

A nonprofit organization, with the help of cash from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, launched a five-year drive on Tuesday to get new cervical cancer vaccines to women in poor countries.

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MSN and Yahoo Messenger Service Integration

Microsoft and Yahoo are getting closer to having their two instant messaging services interoperate.

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MOM 2007: First Impressions

Today, Microsoft released beta 2 of System Center Operations Manager 2007. In this article I try to give some impressions on what's new in MOM 2007 (or should we say SCOM 2007?).

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Microsoft Launches Security Service for Windows

Microsoft Corp.has introduced an automatic and self-updating PC care service to help consumers more easily protect and maintain their PCs. Windows Live OneCare is now available at Best Buy and more than a dozen other major retail chains nationwide. In addition, users can download Windows Live OneCare from http://onecare.live.com.

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Microsoft Drops PDF Support in Office

Amid threats of a lawsuit from Adobe, Microsoft acknowledged Friday that it would remove support for saving files in PDF from Office 2007, as well as dropping its own rival format XPS from the productivity suite and Windows Vista.

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Python programming language for the .NET platform.

It supports an interactive interpreter with fully dynamic compilation. It is well integrated with the rest of the framework and makes all .NET libraries easily available to Python programmers.

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Microsoft to expand BI plan

Microsoft Corp. next week plans to unveil an updated business intelligence strategy that includes its first business process management (BPM) offerings. The BPM family will feature new dashboard tools and analytic applications for budgeting, planning and other financial tasks, analysts said.

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Safari, Firefox Market Share Slipped in May

Safari's market share dipped noticeably in May along with Firefox, while Microsoft's Internet Explorer reversed its steady decline...Apple's Safari (3.30% to 2.53%; Firefox 10.68% to 9.58%, IE 83.88% to 85.89%

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Vista plays hide-and-seek with hackers

"Windows Vista Beta 2, released last week, includes a new security feature designed to protect against buffer overrun exploits. Called Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), the feature loads key system files in different memory locations each time the PC starts, making it harder for malicious code to run, according to Microsoft."

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Microsoft Office 2007: no training required

One of the biggest concerns that people have expressed with Office 2007 is the cost of training. Thanks to a completely overhauled user interface, businesses could be concerned that they may need to shell out quite a bit of cash to get the entire office trained. Businesses need not worry; Office 2007 was designed with Erma from Processing in mind.

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