As part of its effort to assuage European authorities, Microsoft has made changes to its Windows XP N--the slimmed-down version of the operating system it was ordered to offer last year.
This extensive whitepaper, authored by Microsoft, introduces the many new features of Windows Mobile 5.0 from a developer's perspective, and provides an overview of the tools used by developers to create applications based on the new mobile device software platform. Read it here.
Microsoft Corp. plans to announce as early as next week that it is ready to ship a Windows 2000 Update Rollup, the final security patch for the 5-year-old operating system. Microsoft has drawn some criticism after confirming that it will not make the next version of Internet Explorer available to users of its Windows 2000 operating system.
German Computer magazine C'T (Heise) is describing in its current print issue how to change Windows XP Home to a Windows XP Professional version before install.
Microsoft's Dr. Watson error-reporting tool will undergo a significant makeover in Longhorn, but changes in the way program crash data is collected and transmitted have raised eyebrows among privacy rights advocates. Also, the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, will feature support for RAW uncompressed digital camera images--which could change the way people view and edit photos.
"Every year or so I like to see how Microsoft is doing in its attempt to make a desktop operating system as usable as Linux. Microsoft Windows XP, Home Edition, with Service Pack 2, is a tremendous improvement over previous Windows versions when it comes to stability and appearance, but it still has many glitches that..."Read more at NewsForge.
Developers say there's a
dirty little secret about Longhorn that few Softies are discussing publicly: Longhorn won't be based on the .Net Framework . . . Instead, the .Net Framework will be the core for a small subset of Longhorn, specifically the Windows API Platform (WAP), which consists primarily of the "Avalon" Windows presentation system and the "Indigo" Windows communications system
Computers running Windows XP SP2 are 15 times less likely than those running XP or XP SP1 to be infected by some of the most dangerous forms of malware, according to a Microsoft security guru.
Windows Server 2003 R2 makes it easier and more cost effective to extend connectivity and control to identities, locations, data, and applications throughout and beyond your organization. Experience the difference yourself by downloading the Windows Server 2003 R2 trial software.
Microsoft is getting ready to provide an early peek at new Windows software that aims to help consumers deal with the plethora of Internet logins. Also, more on Windows XP "Eiger", the lean Windows client.
Microsoft's next game console - the Xbox 360 - will integrate with the companies Windows XP Media Center 2005 operating system. This feature will allow consumers to view HD video and utilize the new Xbox's power for local processing. Microsoft has stated that this integration will have much higher performance than the original Media Center Extender that was offered last year for the first-gen Xbox. You can read the story here.
The last time Microsoft made a major change to its operating systems architecture with the 32-bit release of Windows 95, it staged massive launches around the globe. For its most recent evolution, to 64-bit computing, the software giant adopted a more restrained approach.
Microsoft's desktop search toolbar has moved out of beta and is available for download. The competition for the desktop search market is heating up. Google and Yahoo already have a head start, but Microsoft has offering some interesting features. You can read the story here.
As reported by C|Net Windows XP Starter Edition will only work on "Intel's Celeron chips, AMD's Duron or Geode chips, or processors from Via Technologies." If one tries to run it on a processor such as the Intel Pentium 4, the operating system will read the processor ID and stop functioning. This was done to prevent "Starter Edition from supplanting standard versions of Windows XP."
Every Windows Mobile–based device implements a set of security policies that determine whether an application is allowed to run and, if allowed, with what level of trust. To develop an application for a Windows Mobile–based device, you need to know what the security configuration of your device is. You also need to know how to sign your application with the appropriate certificate to allow the application to run (and to run with the needed level of trust).
Bill Gates doesn't think his company has been slow to crack the cell phone market. He just thinks the little devices have yet to catch up to the power of his company's software. Windows Mobile 5 was announced today, image gallery, webcast and Bluetooth tools PR. Dell and HP announced upgrades for their PDA models to the latest version of the Windows Mobile OS.
When Microsoft chairman Bill Gates touts his company's next Windows operating system, code-named Longhorn, he can barely contain his enthusiasm, adding "it will be super to get that out in the hands of our customers." The big question is whether customers will share Gates' enthusiasm more than a year from now.
A trial version of Windows Server 2003 R2 is now available for download: "Windows Server 2003 R2 trial software is available to download for evaluation in both x64 and x86 versions. Both trial software versions require Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Installing the trial software for Windows Server 2003 R2 does not extend the time that you can use the trial version of Windows Server 2003 SP1."
Longhorn build 5048 is hugely disappointing from an end user perspective because it shows how far behind Microsoft is in delivering the next client version of Windows. Also, expectations were high that Microsoft would hit a home run with this build, because it was the first public Longhorn release in a year, says Paul Thurrot.
