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Office
14: Alpha testing to begin before year-end
20/08/2008
While
Microsoft has made a few public and well-calculated moves to prepare the way
for Windows 7, the company has said almost nothing (at least intentionally)
about Office 14.
On August 15, however, there was mention of an Office 14 alpha release on
one of the Microsoft blogs that I read skim regularly. That post, about PerformancePoint
Server, mentioned the Office 14 (O14) alpha TAP
(Technical Adoption Program) release. The monitoring and analytics component
of PerformancePoint
Server (Microsoft’s business-scorecarding server) will be part of
the O14 TAP, the posting said. And the alpha
process for that O14 TAP is slated for November/December 2008. From the
post (which since I blogged this has disappeared): “The Alpha process
will begin in the November/December timeframe this year. When you submit,
please identify as a PPS M&A candidate. The deadline for submissions is
August 28th.”
Microsoft opened up its Office 14 TAP nomination program in mid-May 2008,
sending out internal invites to Microsoft employees.
In case you want the official response from Microsoft on all things Office
14-related, here it is again, delivered via a company spokesperson on August
18: "At this point we don’t have anything further to share on O14
build/timing - it is too early to discuss specific features, capabilities
or timing for the next release.”
It still sounds like the final Office 14 is on track for 2009 — though
probably not in the first half.
Windows
Server '7' aka "Windows Server 2008 R2
20/08/2008
With
Windows Server 2008 being released only 6 months ago, i'm sure it’s
natural for people to wonder “what’s next?” As I have been
combing through various blogs this weekend, I found it exciting to see so
much interest and speculation over the next version of Windows Server. While
I’m bound by company NDA to not talk about features or functionality
for the next version yet, I would like to take a moment to clear up a little
confusion about the name and cadence of the next version of Windows Server.
Throughout the launch of Windows Server 2008 we said we would be keeping with
a 2/4 year major/minor release cadence with the next version of Windows Server.
So it is appropriate that the name of the next version reflect that - Windows
Server 2008 R2. (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/roadmap.aspx)
That release cadence is indeed still the plan for the Server team. I believe
a lot of the fuel for speculation comes from the internal development codename:
"Windows Server '7' or Windows '7' Server" and what we will be calling
it publically: "Windows Server 2008 R2."
It is important
to note that Windows Vista shipped a year earlier than Windows Server 2008,
so the client version of Windows 7 will have an extra year of development.
The client in fact will be a major release, but, as we’ve said before,
compatibility with previous versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
is a design goal.
Windows
Live Messenger 9.0 features & screenshots revealed!
12/08/2008
As
previously revealed, Windows Live Messenger 9.0 ("version 2009")
is to have WPF effects. Along with that, Mess.be have managed to get their
hands on the latest installer and have complied a list of changes and screenshots.
The most
noticeable is of course the new look, with colors and headers resembling the
new Windows Live header. On top of that, it looks like all the various dialogs
are now also properly styled like Windows Live Messenger, rather than having
the "old" Windows look.
Feature-wise,
quite a few things have been added and changed as well. The biggest of which
is the new Groups feature (while the old groups are renamed to Categories).
A Group is a special chat room to which you can invite your buddies, and which
stays on your contact list until you delete it (making it an instant multi-party
conversation). The group will appear to be online when a another buddy in
the group is also online. With a group, you can share files, photos, chat
history, etc. Aside from groups, there's another new entry in the contact
list: the Favorites category. This category is always shown at the top, and
when contacts are added to them their full details are shown in your contact
list (similar to the "Show all contact details" feature in v8.5).
The favorites category is also shown on older clients, where it will display
as a regular category.
Along with the new UI of the conversation window (most noticeably the display pictures appearing at the left side of the conversation), a new feature has also been added: photo sharing. You can add or remove photos from the current session, and browse through them while you and your buddy discuss the currently displayed photo.
The build in question is the first milestone after the questionable BETA period which was closed at the end of June, with a new second milestone already coming up. We can't wait to see what turns up in the next few months... Seeing as the most-requested features haven't been added yet (Messenger Team, we're looking at you!). We will keep you posted.
Windows
7 EULA page appears
07/08/2008
You
have to hand it to those lawyers, always trying so hard to protect their mumbo
jumbos. The placeholder page for the Windows 7 End User License Agreement
(EULA) is now live (and has been for at least 2 weeks).
There’s
not much on the page yet, but all you privacy enthusiasts like myself should
keep a close on this page to make sure no personal information is transmitted
anywhere through previously unannounced functionality which may interest some
technology enthusiasts who like that sort of stuff but not us because our
privacy is priority Roman numeral I. Don’t you just hate it when all
of your personal information just spills out on to the internets.
View: Windows
7 EULA page
WPF
effects in Windows Live Messenger 9
07/08/2008
You
may have already heard that, along with the rest of Windows Live wave 3, the
next version of Windows Live Messenger (version 9.0) will have a new user
interface.
After being
tipped off by an unaffiliated yet trustworthy source who – naturally
– doesn't want to be identified, Messenger Stuff can now reveal that
the new interface will use the graphics effects available through WPF
[Windows Presentation Foundation], where supported.
To put
it simply, this finally means that we will see transparency effects in the
various windows of the program, possibly similar to those already seen in
Yahoo! Messenger for Vista. We are led to believe that the actual design has
not changed much but the WPF effects have been integrated well in what is
bound to be a popular new addition.
Net
address bug worse than feared
07/08/2008
A
recently found flaw in the internet's addressing system is worse than first
feared, says the man who found it.
Dan Kaminsky made his comments when speaking publicly for the first time about
his discovery at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.
He said fixes for the flaw in the net's Domain Name System (DNS) had focused
on web browsers but it could be abused by hackers in many other ways. "Every
network is at risk," he said. "That's what this flaw has shown."
The DNS acts as the internet's address books and helps computers translate
the website names people prefer (such as bbc.co.uk) into the numbers computers
use (212.58.224.131).
Mr Kaminsky discovered a way for malicious hackers to hijack DNS and re-direct
people to fake pages even if they typed in the correct address for a website.
Mr Silva at VeriSign said even though patches have been put in place, this
doesn't mean users can sit back and relax.
More
information on Windows Live Wave 3
27/07/2008
Mary
Jo Foley recently reported on her blog that Windows Live Wave 3 have completed
the M1 (Milestone 1) stage. Our friend Picturepan2 over at LiveSino was lucky
enough to be given the opportunity to interview a manager for Windows Live
chatting about the progress of Windows Live Wave 3. Although there were many
interesting details that he wasn't allowed to disclose, here's a quick summary
of what's currently going on in Microsoft with Windows Live:
- New Unified
Header - as we've reported previously, all online Windows Live services upon
release will have the brand new header that allows users to change the background
and colour themes of their pages. This is aimed to reduce the branding confusion
that we've had with Windows Live previously.
- Windows
Live Hotmail - this has recently completed its M2 (Milestone 2) stage. The
new version concentrates on extra integration with other Windows Live services
such as SkyDrive and Home, as well as a new service People (will this replace
Contacts? or perhaps has something to do with the C2 project at Microsoft
Research?)
- Windows Live Messenger - M1 build is now complete, and is currently in development
for the M2 stage. Messenger 9 will feature a new look as well as additional
new features (that we're not allowed to disclose yet)
- Windows Live Mail - some minor improvements and interface changes in the
M1 build. With the recent release of Outlook Connector 12.1 with Windows Live
Calendar support, the new Windows Live Mail will also feature Calendar syncing.
- Windows Live Photo Gallery - the main new feature in the current M1 build
is facial recognition. Photo Gallery will automatically recognise people's
faces in your photos, and users will be able to add tags to each person (similar
to how Facebook photos works by tagging each person). However, these added
people tags will only be viewable in Photo Gallery.
Windows
Home Server Power Pack 1 Released (RTM)
23/07/2008
"The
Public Beta of Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server (WHS) has been available
for just over 6 weeks and we've had a fantastic response. Thanks again to
those who of you who have downloaded, installed and tested the update package
or full ISO installs. The feedback items, requests for additional information
and individual follow ups have all gone into making Power Pack 1 the best
release it can be." said the latest e-mail sent out to testers from the
WHS Team.
And now.The team is pleased to announce that Windows Home Server Power Pack
1 has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and is now available on the Microsoft
Download Center!
Click Read More for more information on how to download and install
Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server.
Microsoft
to push XP SP3 via Auto Update from July 10th
10/07/2008
Microsoft
is going to release Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 via its Automatic Update
(AU) service on Thursday July 10, company officials confirmed this week.
The client team has been vague about when it planned to push the latest version
of XP to users. “Early summer” and “sometime soon”
were favorite comebacks when officials were asked for an AU timeframe for
SP3.
Customers
who have automatic updates turned on but who don’t want XP SP3 to be
downloaded to user desktops this week, for whatever reasons, need to deploy
the Microsoft
Service Pack blocker toolkit to delay pushed-delivery of SP3.
While Microsoft
will begin pushing SP3 tomorrow, not all users will receive it immediately,
as the company will be staggering the rollout. Microsoft has postponed and
temporarily halted the distribution of SP3 a couple of times this year because
of compatibility and performance problems.
Microsoft
offers free Vista-to-XP downgrade help
10/07/2008
Microsoft
has said it would offer free technical support to small businesses that buy
new PCs with Windows Vista in the next three months, its latest attempt to
convince users that moving to Vista is a good idea. And if those efforts are
for naught, Microsoft will help those users downgrade from Vista to Windows
XP, the same maneuver several large computer makers, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard,
have used in recent months to continue offering the older operating system
to buyers.
The offer,
dubbed Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, is available to businesses
with fewer than 50 employees or 25 PCs, and it provides free telephone support
through the end of October to companies that buy new PCs with Vista Business
or Vista Ultimate between now and Sept. 30, according to details posted on
the Microsoft Web site. Only businesses buying new hardware can take advantage
of the free support; companies upgrading existing computers from, say, Windows
XP, don't qualify.
Microsoft
to deliver SQL Server 2008 in August
10/07/2008
Microsoft
released the near-final Release Candidate (RC) 0 test build of SQL Server
2008 in early June.
Microsoft officially “launched” SQL Server 2008 in February, alongside
Visual Studio 2008 and Windows Server 2008. Earlier this year, Microsoft officials
said they were planning to deliver SQL Server 2008 by mid-2008. Company officials
changed their guidance a couple of months ago, noting that Microsoft was planning
to deliver the final SQL Server 2008 release in the third calendar quarter
of 2008.
Kelly also announced that Microsoft has released the near-final Release Candidate
(RC) 1 test builds of its Windows Essential Business Server 2008 mid-market
server bundle, as well as its Windows Small Business Server 2008 product.
Microsoft will make the RC1 builds available for download from the Microsoft
Connect site, officials said. The
company is planning the
official launch of these two servers for November 12; the actual final
code will likely hit before that date.
New
'Microsoft Certified Master' Program
10/07/2008
We
are pleased to announce Microsoft
Certified Master - a new certification series for individuals deeply focused
on designing, building, and troubleshooting solutions based on a single product.
The Microsoft Certified Master program incorporates advanced, experience-based
training and testing on Microsoft technologies that go beyond any product
training offered outside of Microsoft today
Unofficial
release of Apple iPhone 2.0 update
10/07/2008
Despite
Apple's official Web page continuing to state its iPhone 2.0 firmware is "coming
soon," iPhone users everywhere have already discovered its existence,
thanks in large part to MacRumors.com. Build
5A347 is directly available from this link, as an unofficial release.
With Apple's
new iPhone App Store launching today, users need the iPhone 2.0 firmware to
be able to take advantage of it. And how can they do that unless it's available?
thus, the unofficial release of the firmware.