Reading the New York Times, with Vista

From The Guardian

 

The New York Times Reader using Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation display technology.

Quote:

"Microsoft Windows provides a free Reader program for electronic books and newspapers and, not surprisingly, there is a new version that uses the new graphics facilities in Windows Vista. The New York Times plans to exploit this new Reader by offering a version of the paper that reproduces the appearance of the printed version, but also exploits the ability to have Web links, add notes, search and so on.

According to Arthur Sulzberger Jr, publisher of The New York Times, it’s blending "the accessibility and the portability of print … with the immediacy and interactivity of the Web," according to a report in The Seattle Times."

Read the rest here

Was reading about this on Longhorn Blogs and I must say its definitely awesome, seeing the text flow flawlessly no matter how the window is resized. I just hope it gets embraced and encouraged by more news paper companies as a new exciting way consume information and there definitely is big advantage for the reader to do so. The content is more alive through new technologies made possible by the Internet such as RSS, Broadband, so you can always have up to date information.

Resources:

The New York Times

Microsoft Press Pass Release

Plan now for Windows Vista

From USA Today

 

Quote:

"Before you know it, January 2007 will be here. That’s when Microsoft says its new operating system, Windows Vista, will be released to consumers. (It is expected to be ready for businesses this November). If you’re thinking of buying a new computer before then, you will want to consider what you’ll need to upgrade, if that’s your plan.

Microsoft promises Vista will be much more secure than Windows XP and will give you a three-dimensional view.

TIPS: Ask Kim

These and other new features are going to require lots of horsepower. Problem is, it’s not entirely clear what "lots of horsepower" means. Microsoft has not yet issued its formal system requirements for Vista.

So, what’s a new computer buyer to do? You can get around this issue by shopping carefully, but you’re probably best off by waiting. If you buy a computer in January, it likely will come with Vista.

Unfortunately, not everyone can wait. Dribs and drabs of information have leaked out about system requirements. Keeping in mind that things could change, here’s what we think we know so far:

Processing: Microsoft says you need a "modern CPU." It does not define that but links to the AMD and Intel websites. Given the information on those two sites, it appears that practically all of their chips are acceptable. So, essentially, the microprocessor is not an issue. Buy a computer with an Intel or AMD microprocessor, and you should be fine.

Read the rest here

I would like to provide more emphasis on the processing power. Go for an AMD Athlon X2 or Intel Pentium D, both available in dual core. Choosing a Celeron or Sempron to run Vista efficiently with all of its bells and whitsles is just selling yourself short.

Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition: Year in Review

From ActiveWin | Extended64

 

Qoute:

"Windows XP Professional x64 was released to market April 25^th, 2005. It has been one year since its release, how is it faring so far?

 

Adoption is a bit difficult to determine, but based on the strong newsgroup activity from persons in the Windows 64-bit General newsgroups, I would say it’s healthy. A majority of persons though will encounter issues when it comes to application and device driver compatibility. This continues to be ironed out as developers have gradually released updated drivers and workarounds to support existing applications and hardware devices.

A few enthusiast and help sites have popped up on the net also, catering to this release of Windows XP, all have been playing an important role in helping users with issues that they may encounter transitioning to or using the operating system.

 

The question posed by many about Windows XP x64, is it ready for the mainstream yet? My answer of course would be no. The release is probably a defining transition in Microsoft’s history, proving the Company’s agility and the ability to move with the times and conform to changes in the Computer industry. What some users must realize is, with those moves come a certain responsibility and sacrifice that needs to be made while transitioning to a new platform and developing to take advantage of a new architecture.

 

Read the rest here

Vista firewall shackled due to customer demand: Microsoft

From ZDNet

 

Quote:

"The firewall in Windows Vista will, by default, have half its protection turned off because that is what enterprise customers have requested, according to the software giant.

When Windows Vista is released early next year its firewall will be set to only block incoming traffic even though it will be capable of blocking outgoing traffic. According to a statement from Microsoft, the firewall’s protection will be curbed in order to make life easier for the company’s enterprise customers.

"Because the nature of an outbound firewall is to restrict the traffic sent to specific ports, the outgoing access in the Windows Vista firewall is open by default," a Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet Australia. "The reason for this is Microsoft has received strong feedback from its customers, especially from large organisations and government departments, saying that they would like to manage this feature from an administrator level."

Read the rest here

Current builds of Windows Vista do include a 2 way Firewall. But its not for the faint of heart, its actually a Microsoft Management Console Snapin, known as the Advance Security Configuration Console, that must be manually added and configured. I am not sure this will be in the final product.

Microsoft To Ship Longhorn Server In Second Half Of 2007

From CRN

 

Quote:

"The next Longhorn server beta is due "shortly" but the final product won’t ship until the second half of 2007.

During his keynote at the Microsoft Management Summit 2006, Bob Muglia, senior vice president of servers and tools at Microsoft, told the audience that the next major Windows server upgrade, code named Longhorn and informally referred to as the Vista server, will likely ship during the second half of 2007.

The company has said it would ship in 2007 but did not provide this guidance in the past.

The company is expected to release the next "near feature complete" beta in the very near future, Muglia said, and will release the next major server beta that incorporates all necessary Vista client changes this fall."

Read the rest here

I noticed when I launched Windows Longhorn Server build 5308 setup from within Windows XP Professional, a notification on the setup dialog said, upgrading from Vista Enterprise Server is not supported.

Microsoft Details Vista’s Media Features

From BETANews

 

Quote:

"Microsoft on Monday detailed innovations coming in Windows Vista that the company believes makes the operating system superior in the delivery of multimedia. This would include several enhancements to Windows Media itself as well as expanded functionality within Windows Media Center, now standard in Vista.

The company is promoting the new features of its upcoming operating system at the National Association of Broadcasters convention being held this week in Las Vegas. With online multimedia becoming more prevalent, traditional broadcasters are increasingly interesting in utilizing the Internet as a method for delivery.

Read the rest here

I am on Windows Vista Build 5365 and I must say the interface is all about multimedia, I am surfing the web, part of Office Live Meeting, watching Spiderman 1 and its just amazing. the performance, good, still a bit jerky, I think I might need to upgrade this video card system since Vista’s system rating gave me a 2.5 rating interms of performance and quality.

But trust me, Vista is looking to be an absolute magnet for multimedia, I just used the new Sound Recorder to record my voice, the output was just amazing, clear and sharp. I wish the Windows Vista Team could put a POD Casting feature into Vista, so I could upload them to my MSN Space and let you listen to them. I can also use the Volume Per-App to control, notification sounds from apps such as Messenger, so I would have any interference in my recordings. Just having this power built into Windows is really gonna get people excited. I just hope Microsoft markets it well showing both opportunities for consumers, developers and other partners in the Industry.

The Vista Plunge, Considered

From PC Magazine

 

Quote:

"A Ferris wheel and Jay Leno. That’s what I remember most from Microsoft’s gala launch of Windows 95. That operating system—a great improvement over its predecessor, Windows 3.11—debuted at a big party in a field on Microsoft’s Redmond campus. But Microsoft didn’t need the carnival or the comic; Windows 95 stood on its own.

 

Eleven years later, it’s déjà vu all over again. Despite a recently announced delay, the long, slow slog to Windows Vista is drawing to a close. Just as Windows 95 delivered a radically improved experience compared with Windows 3.11, Vista promises a similar leap over XP.

Although it won’t ship until early next year, you can actually start using it within a few weeks, if not already. Microsoft plans to offer a beta copy of Vista to anyone with a few bucks."

Read the rest here

Rising RAM Prices May Make Vista More Expensive

From Information Week

 

Quote:

"Tight supplies of DRAM and predictions of higher prices mean PCs capable of running Vista may be even more expensive when the operating system is unveiled than if it released today.

Several memory makers and chip industry analysts have recently projected continued price increases for DRAM (Dynamic RAM), particularly the widely-used 512MB DDR2 (Double Data Rate) chips.

Last week, for example, U.S. memory manufacturer Micron said during its quarterly financials Webcast that DRAM demand will jump 50 to 60 percent this year over 2005. Spot prices of 512MB 533MHz DDR2 chips, meanwhile, continue to climb, said research firm Gartner last week. DDR2 memory has posted price gains of as much as 5.9 percent in the past week, with memory across the board showing an upswing of 3.7 percent from the previous week, Gartner said."

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Well, my desktop and laptop machines have enough to run Vista just fine, the desktop is installed with 2.6GBs of DDR2 RAM and the laptop with 768 MBs of RAM. Vista is still not optimized for performance, so I hope to see the OS get more reponsive as it approaches BETA 2 then RTM.  

Microsoft makes minor tweaks to Vista beta

From CNET Blogs

 

Quote:

"Although a major update to the Vista test version is still some time away, Microsoft has been making some minor enhancements to the current test version.

The next big release is the consumer test version of Vista, which Microsoft is shooting to get out this quarter and make available to about 2 million testers.

Before that release, though, Microsoft is considering a smaller update that would be made available only to those Technology Adoption Program (TAP) customers and other testers who are already using the latest test version.

"We are considering releasing updated Windows Vista code to Windows Vista Technical Beta program participants, as well as select TAP customers," Microsoft said in a statement."

Read the rest here 

Vista Gets New App Compatibility Tool

From BetaNews

 

Quote:

"With any major new Windows release such as Vista, application compatibility becomes a critical concern for businesses and individuals considering an upgrade. No matter how much Microsoft promotes the new version, users aren’t going to make the switch unless their applications continue to function seamlessly.

In turn, Microsoft has long offered an Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT), which checks what programs are installed on a system and detects any potential conflicts. The Redmond company is preparing version 5 of the software to be ready by the time Windows Vista ships later this year, and has included a number of new features."

Read the rest here

Resources:

Windows Vista – Application Compatibility