Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’

Now known as Windows Server 2008 R2, WZor has posted hash information and screen shots from the build soon to be leaked. Below is the info and, as always, keep your eyes on your favorite torrent hub if you’re interested in obtaining this build. It’s sure to leak within the next 12-24 hours from now:

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.SERVER.2008.R2.BUILD.7260.WIN7_RTM.X64.VHD.ENGLISH
7260.0.amd64fre.win7_rtm.090612-2110.serverenterprise_en-us_vl.serverenterprise.vhd
SIZE: 6,834,271,744 byte
CRC: 874173BD
MD5: A3E6DAC35799D2AF816CA39158B6EBAB
SHA1: F194757D85F0ABAD6255CD471CC69179FCB3F483

Source: WZor

-Stephen

Well, it looks like Microsoft is finally filtering down information about Office 2010 via some presentations. Take a look at the following screen shots to glean any information you may not already be aware of at this point regarding Office 2010, such as Office Online, milestones through the development phase (including planned Beta and RTM time frames), Office Professional Plus 2010 information, and what the SharePoint Workspace (formerly known as, “Groove”) homepage looks like:

-Stephen

If you haven’t checked up on it in a while, go watch the latest clip on Office 2010: The Movie. It’s fairly cheesy but definitely managed to get a few, “lol’s” out of me. I’m all for a humor-based campaign to sell a product, but hopefully this won’t flop… wherever it’s going. The massive Bing marketing campaign seems to be paying off for the company, so perhaps this, too, will be another step in the right direction for Microsoft’s recent marketing ventures. Anyway, enough chat.

Office 2010: A Virus all Over my Face

-Stephen

My friend, Rafael, over at WithinWindows has posted an interesting article regarding the feature lock in Windows 7 Starter Edition which restricts users from changing the wallpaper. Apparently, OEMs and Microsoft’s Partners must abide by the same restrictions! He quotes via Microsoft:

“In Windows Starter Edition, OEMs must not modify or replace the Windows-provided background for Windows Welcome, the logon screen, or the desktop.”

Wow, so it’s not only the wallpaper on the desktop, but everywhere else a user or OEM could customize backgrounds! Chatting with Rafael, he also made a good point that this restriction makes little sense in lieu of keeping the 3-application limitation which was canned. Strange, indeed. I guess Microsoft figures that background customization is bound to drive a person crazy in ways the 3-application limit has yet to. At that rate, I wonder just how much the next SKU up from Starter Edition will cost, considering they obviously want users to upgrade.

How much are you willing to pay just to be able to change your wallpaper? lol.

Anyway, definitely make sure to catch the rest of his article here.

Source: WithinWindows.com

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Pardon the rant that is to come, but I must indulge a bit here. Apple’s WWDC keynote managed to get under my skin a tremendous amount when they compared Windows 7 to Vista by saying, “Windows 7 is just another Windows Vista.” Sure, that may not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but to anyone who knows how much of an uphill battle Microsoft has had with Vista due to the FUD being spread, Apple’s really pulling a cheap shot by trying to revisit something that’s long outdated: Vista-bashing.

I couldn’t help but sit there and think to myself, “wow, Apple… are your products really so cheap now that they can’t stand on their own; you have to use FUD marketing?” Oh, and for those of you who do not know what FUD marketing is, it stands for, “Fear, Undertainty, Doubt” and it’s basically when someone makes their product look good by making other products look bad. Now that you know what it is, you know it’s all that Apple uses to try to sell its products. I mean, it has managed to get to the point where I can’t even THINK of Apple or Mac without taking into consideration that they’re the most cynical in the lot. Hell, even Linux users in much of their intolerance holds at least SOME merit when advanced users make good cases, but Apple? No. If they’ve mastered anything, it’s talk so much trash about PC that you actually have no idea what the Mac can do.

For instance, right now, walk into a store and look at a Macbook sitting beside a PC. Thinking back to all of the stupid, tired commercials of, “hi, I’m a PC and I’m a Mac,” just what does the Mac do? I mean, without messing with it and just looking at it, the only thing you know about a Mac isn’t what it DOES but what it DOESN’T do, e.g. “crash” or “come to a creeping hault constantly.” This, my friends, is bulls#!7 and I’ve finally become sick and tired of being ridiculed by these snide, cynical commercials. You know, I don’t care about any bad blood that may exist between Apple and Microsoft (which, there can’t be TOO much, because Microsoft allows Apple a bit of their action by developing Exchange and Office for Mac, amongst other things you’ll never hear about), nor do I care about how much you’re fueled to hate Microsoft due to how many times you’ve watched, “Pirates of Silicon Valley.”

I mean, people give Microsoft guff for how they’ve chosen to market products and go about statistics in the past, HAH! Have you seen the latest, “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” commercial? It’s the most outlandish thing I’ve ever seen as a computer enthusiast in general. It’s all about, “let’s play on the stupidity and ignorance of people and capitalize on it by selling over-priced hardware that makes people feel like they’re different, even though they’re all the same, even if just by numerous people owning the same product.” Don’t believe me that their products are over-priced and that they’re taking advantage of the customer? Try checking out this latest comparison and observation noted by Bryant of AeroXP:

Why the WWDC sullied Apple’s image (MacBook Pro)

Now, I have absolutely nothing against people who use a Mac because that’s what they love to use and that’s what works for them. My gripe is not with intelligible Mac users; I know people who have switched and they love the Mac. They say it does everything they need and then some, without headaches they personally had with Windows. There’s nothing wrong with that and that’s why other products exist. My problem is solely with Apple and their tired FUD campaign. With that being said, HEY, APPLE: YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THAT THE PEOPLE YOU’RE ALIENATING ARE THE DEMOGRAPHIC YOU SHOULD BE APPEALING TO!

Anyway… I’m done for now. I just wanted to get that off my chest. Thanks for reading. lol.

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

(An edit with a link to the slide has been included at the bottom of this post)

Last month, a presentation was given somewhere in Danmark regarding Windows Mobile. It’s Danish, so I had to hit up Google translate just to see what it was all about. The only thing that is really of interest is the last slide concerning Windows Mobile 7, which essentially serves to reinforce details previously noted by MJ Foley back in February:

WM7 Software Release: November 2009
WM7 Device Release: April 2010

Below the slide, there were a couple of intriguing notes regarding Windows 7 containing FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) and the future of Windows Mobile possibly containing, “location-based services” (whatever that refers to; it would’ve been nice to have actually attended the presentation). Here’s a screenshot of the slide:

Speaking of FOTA, it appears there was a job posting on Microsoft’s site last month hinting at its inclusion in WM7. So, overall, nothing really groundbreaking here; just a bit of confirmation to add to the speculation. =)

-Stephen

EDIT: The validity of this slide has been contested by a number of people, so here’s the link to the presentation: PROVE IT, STEPHEN!

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Windows. Windows? Windows! Speaking of Windows, guess who’s talking about Windows? Why, Talking About Windows, of course! More important than who, is what is Talking About Windows? Well, while we’re talking about Windows, Talking About Windows is a new venture by Microsoft which allows us common folks to speak directly with Microsoft employees (and not just the coders with computer monitor tans that Microsoft tucks away into dark corners for the rest of their lives, either… I’m talkin’ the likes of Mark Russinovich and Jon Devaan) about Windows 7!

Professionally put: “Talking About Windows offers IT professionals a candid look into the product decisions made behind Windows 7, as well as genuine insight from the engineers themselves. The site will serve as an entirely new forum for Microsoft to interact with the community and actively join the conversation surrounding Windows 7. They’re looking to hear any opinions, talk candidly, and get real insight from their users on how to make Windows 7 the best experience possible.” -Nicole Dawley, M80

Video Time!

So, the next time you find yourself talking about Windows, why not check out Talking About Windows!? And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to start talking about Windows at Talking About Windows…

Link 01 (just in case you haven’t clicked on any of them above yet): Talking About Windows
Link 02: Talking About Windows on YouTube

-Stephen

PS – Apologies for the corny post; I’m feeling extra cheesy this evening for some reason. lol. And thanks to Nicole from M80 for informing me of this new venture of Microsoft’s.

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

First of all, thanks to all involved at Neowin and D.Konieczny at AeroXP as they’re the two places I’m referencing to provide this summary. I wanted to write a post to provide a central location containing the information you need to obtain the beta and the public licenses Microsoft is using for them. Feel free to leave a comment if the download links are down for you and I’ll try to find new, active links to replace them with.

Windows 7 Client Beta 1 Build 7000 32-Bit: Download

Windows 7 Client Beta 1 Build 7000 x64: Download

Windows 7 Client Keys:

32-Bit:
6JKV2-QPB8H-RQ893-FW7TM-PBJ73
TQ32R-WFBDM-GFHD2-QGVMH-3P9GC
GG4MQ-MGK72-HVXFW-KHCRF-KW6KY
4HJRK-X6Q28-HWRFY-WDYHJ-K8HDH
QXV7B-K78W2-QGPR6-9FWH9-KGMM7

64-Bit:
7XRCQ-RPY28-YY9P8-R6HD8-84GH3
RFFTV-J6K7W-MHBQJ-XYMMJ-Q8DCH
482XP-6J9WR-4JXT3-VBPP6-FQF4M
JYDV8-H8VXG-74RPT-6BJPB-X42V4
D9RHV-JG8XC-C77H2-3YF6D-RYRJ9

Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta 1 Build 7000 x64 Standard/Enterprise/Datacenter: Download

Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta 1 Build 7000 x64 Web: Download

Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta 1 Build 7000 ia64: Download

Windows Server 2008 R2 Keys:

Standard: 2T88R-MBH2C-M7V97-9HVDW-VXTGF
Enterprise: TFGPQ-J9267-T3R9G-99P7B-HXG47
Datacenter: GQJJW-4RPC9-VGW22-6VTKV-7MCC6
Web: GT8BY-FRKHB-7PB8W-GQ7YF-3DXJ6
IA64 Enterprise: CQ936-9K2T8-6GPRX-3JR9T-JF4CJ

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Surfing around the web, I ran across a few screenshots of newer builds; namely, builds 7015 and 7016. The build string from 7015 is as follows: 7015.fbl_multimedia_media.090104-1750 You can see it in the following two screenshots:

From what can be made out of the build string in this next image: 7016.fbl_multimedia_me(dia):

The date in the screenshot above is 1/12/2009, so we can gather from this that as of at least January 12, 2009, Microsoft is up to build 7016; 16 builds ahead of the official Beta 1 build 7000.

-Stephen

Update: My good friend deeper2k from the popular Russian Microsoft site, thevista.ru, has posted the build information for the winmain compile of 7016: 7016.0.090105-1500 If builds are being compiled daily within that build range, then Microsoft will compile build 7026 on January 15, 2009.

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Article: Windows Users Are Whiners

Man, I’m really having a field day with this Beez guy! He has really opened my eyes to why people like him help Linux stay under 1% of the market share. I want to translate what his article says:

“Linux is hard to install”
You probably bought a computer with Windows preinstalled and bought a new one when it came to a grinding halt. Next time try reinstalling it from scratch, drivers and applications included.

Translation: Yes, I would say the same thing to my mother because I’m unhappy with my life.

“Linux doesn’t support as much hardware”
Don’t worry. The occasional digital camera, memory stick and USB harddisk will probably work. Check the Internet, select the proper components and buy a custom computer. It is probably cheaper than a computer off the shelf with Windows preinstalled. If you want a laptop, try a Dell or consult the Internet.

Translation: Because my blog is epic enough for you to actually see this without the help of being linked to by a Windows evangelist site.

“I can’t run my programs on Linux”
True, if you want to run Linux programs on Windows you have probably more luck to find a native Windows version. But there are more ways to get the job done. If you want to burn a CD, you don’t need Nero. If you want to write a document, you don’t need MS-Word. If you want to manipulate an image, you don’t need Photoshop. If you want to develop a program, you don’t need MS-Visual Studio. K3B, OpenOffice, GIMP and Kdevelop work just as well. And yes, we do have Firefox.

Translation: Repeat after me: “WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE FREEWARE! WINDOWS DOESN’T HAVE BUILT-IN SUPPORT TO BURN A CD! WORDPAD AND NOTEPAD AREN’T SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO WRITE A DOCUMENT! MS PAINT OR FREEWARE APPLICATION PAINT.NET WON’T ALLOW YOU TO MANIPULATE AN IMAGE! FREE PROGRAMS LIKE DEVC++ AND MICROSOFT’S .NET 2008 EXPRESS EDITIONS DON’T EXIST TO HELP YOU DEVELOP PROGRAMS FOR FREE! FIREFOX IS ONLY FOR LINUX!”

“I can’t play my games on Linux”
Computers aren’t there to play games. Try a console, buy an xBox and scratch your disks, I don’t care. If you want to do something serious, try Linux.

Translation: What’s that? Crysis is PC-only? Don’t tell ME what a computer is to be used for, damn it! I’ll tell YOU, YOU GOT THAT MR.!?!?!?!?!?! NOW GO INSTALL LINUX AND GIVE ME 100 PUSH UPS WHILE IT INSTALLS! DO IT!

“I don’t want to work on the command line”
My girlfriend uses Linux all the time. She doesn’t even know what a command line is. Get real. A good Linux distribution allows you to do all the essential stuff from the GUI. Don’t tell me editing the registry is easy.

Translation: Because your girlfriend will have to know how to edit the registry to use Windows! My girlfriend, though? She doesn’t even know what a command line is. Ha. Get real.

“Windows is just as secure as Linux”
Yeah, and my grandmother is world champion polka dancing. On Linux, there a no real threats where viruses, spyware or trojans are concerned. All the programs you have to install on Windows to get the thing remotely secure eat up CPU seconds and make your computer less stable and responsive.

Translation: People don’t particularly care to focus on developing malware for an OS that consumes a massive >1% of market share, so go Linux because no one else does!

“Windows is just as expensive”
Don’t think because it came preinstalled that you didn’t pay for Windows. Believe me, you did. And all these nice programs like Nero, Photoshop, MS-Office don’t come for free as well. You’re probably using pirated versions. Wait ’till your next WGA check.

Translation: I am God.

“I’m lame”
You’re probably right. You want it the easy way. You want to come home, plug in your computer and play some lame game right away. You don’t want to spend an hour installing an OS and think before you click a ‘continue’ button. And because you’ve been doing that for the last ten years, you don’t want to study some manual and learn a new program. You’re so lame, that you are even prepared to fork out your hard earned cash from your wallet in order to stay lame. You’re the kind of person that admits that carbondioxide emissions are a problem, but you’re too lame to take the bike to go to work. Instead, you bought yourself a Hummer because you thought it was cool. You’re the kind of person that prefers to write endless blogs full of excuses instead of making a change. Face it, it’s not Linux that is the problem, it is you.

Translation: My milkshake is better than yours.

Wow, what revealing translations we have! I’m starting to like this Beez character! He’s really showing me why Linux is so much better than Windows. Amazing!

-Stephen