Posts Tagged ‘Windows’

Here’s a little demo video I cooked up for all those Windows Longhorn fans that are still floating around out there. Commonly referred to as the, “Longhorn Days” demo, I decided to make a video using components from the actual demo and spice it up with a little bit of Incubus. =) This one’s for the old Longhorn fans – you know who you are!

HD Download (30 MB): Longhorn Days Video 01

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

I tweeted… twittered… twitted… whatever the heck you call it; anyway, I basically posted on Twitter the other day my loathing of the stupid, “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” commercials. That day (about 3 or 4 days ago, actually) I saw TWO of those commercials that I had never seen before and I couldn’t help but shake my head and think to myself one thing:

Just how the hell would Apple market their OS if it weren’t for Windows!?

Yeah, now THERE’S a novel concept! I mean, just how big of a niche is Apple appealing to with the whole, “ohhh, every PC has bad viruses and they’re going to eat all your datas?” It can’t possibly be THAT many! Oops… maybe I’ve just stumbled onto something there.

It seems that for all of their, “Mac users are, “up here” and everyone else is just, “down there”,” they don’t really give a good reason to use their product. Not once does one (or do I, at least) get the impression from those commercials to get a Mac other than for the purpose of, “not getting millions of viruses.” You know, if I’m going to buy something, I don’t want FUD marketing techniques to sell it to me. Granted, if someone wanted to, they could go pull up Apple’s website to see what a Mac is really supposed to be about but doesn’t that defeat the purpose? How is someone going to look it up if they don’t have a computer to begin with? Oh, that’s right… chances are, everyone already has a computer with Windows on it. Once again, just where would Steve Jobs’ OS be without good ol’ Bill G’s already dominating the market?

Okay, so let’s say I don’t have a computer at home, so all I have to go by are Apple’s commercials. Okay, I want to go check out a Mac. Is there an Apple store close by? Let’s have a look in the phone book to call and see. Oh, well looky there! There’s only ONE in my state and it’s 3 frickin’ hours away! That’s alright, let me see if any other retailers near by sell Macs. (Once again, back to the phone book) Okay, there are. Let’s go to the store and check them out!

*Microsoft’s commercials kick in here* and I do indeed find something more powerful and just as good-looking and usable in a PC… and for considerably less, to boot! It’s really simple in my head: You walk into a store where you can compare the two and a PC sells itself! If it works great in the store, it’s going to work great at home unless you’re like Rafael Rivera and visit naughty sites all the time (he’s exemplary of what, “InPrivate” mode was built into IE8 for, har har!).

Anyway, maybe Apple’s OS is great and beats the pants off of Windows… but I’m not going to go and actively seek it out when I have absolutely no reason to due to the problems I DO NOT have with, “millions of viruses” and the gazillion random crashes I DO NOT have! No, Apple’s going to have to sell their product to me directly… or at least give me SOME reason to look into it! Until then, I’m pretty sure that most users like me will remain quite content with their status of being a PC. Yes, all of us low-life PC users will sit down here and look up the nostrils of the snooty Mac users (not all of them, because I know some good people who use a Mac because they like it and not just to be cool) and laugh at them because we can’t figure out just why the heck they think they’re all so cool.

Oh, and I’m not ditching Apple’s OS by any means. I’m a huge fan of people using what they like and what works for them, but as a content Windows user, it baffles me that I’ve been watching these stupid Apple commercials attempt to beat the same message over and over and over and over into peoples’ heads for, what… 2 years now? Something like that? *Pssst!* Hey, Apple! Try appealing to those willing to give your product a try, should they find it to be discernible enough from what they currently use to do as such! Oh, what’s that? There’s really nothing that’s that much greater about your OS? Shame. I guess one of these days, I’ll get even so much as ONE of those, “millions of viruses” that plague Windows and I’ll go running to adopt your invincible OS!

And just to drive the point home, Apple did a FINE job selling their iPod Touch to me via their commercials. I couldn’t keep watching that Crash Bandikoot racing game much longer without having it for myself… along with all the MP3′s I frequently listen to and all the other awesome apps! So, Apple knows how to do it… they just can’t if the product doesn’t sell itself via its own means. To me, this is even more proof that Apple’s OS just couldn’t stand on its own two feet if it weren’t relying on bashing Windows at every turn.

But who am I kidding? I’m just preaching to the choir here. Oh well. Thanks for reading my rant anyway (if you made it this far). =)

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

It’s no secret that I love Windows 7. As I’ve been thinking about exactly why I love it so much more than Windows Vista, I’ve come to the conclusion that Windows Vista needed to happen for Windows 7 to be what it is and what it will be: The perfect step up from Windows XP.

I’ve been able to sell Windows 7 to many of my friends and followers by painting it in a light which seems befitting enough to grab their attention and pique their interests: Windows 7 is the encompassment of the performance of Windows XP combined with the aesthetics of Windows Vista. After all, at this point, Windows Vista has – for the most part – ended up being a solid OS. Not that it wasn’t before, but it’s in this where I find that Windows Vista just had to happen.

Between the version checking issues, the driver issues, the new user experience (not just the user interface, but how one goes about using the OS) learning curve, the continuation of ironing out the kinks of migrating to 64-bit client, UAC, and the overall headaches and hatred for Vista that ensued – yes, the OS to follow XP was destined for damnation. It makes me think that even IF Microsoft had completed Windows Longhorn as it was pre-reset, many of the issues that plagued Vista would have plagued Longhorn just the same. After all, most of what Microsoft was aiming to achieve in Longhorn did find its way into Vista in some form or fashion (those of us on the forefront of hacking those builds to death know just about more than anyone else all the things that didn’t, though), so even IF the Longhorn vision had been carried through to completion, it would have more than likely met the same fate as that which it gave birth to in Windows Vista.

Even being a Microsoft enthusiast, it still took me until early this year to switch to Vista because I just didn’t like the new user experience. I didn’t feel like it flowed, many of the little ways I used XP that I, personally, found the most productive had been removed, and I honestly read more into the anti-Vista hype than I should have. Once I finally received a copy to review for another website, I took the leap and was pleasantly surprised! Sure, there were some small issues I needed to figure out and get past, but those didn’t last long. Regardless, I entered the Vista game at a point well-past the majority of the issues Windows haters and Windows enthusiasts alike were experiencing with drivers, etc., so my shift to Windows 7 wasn’t too bad where usability was concerned.

I don’t know about you, but there’s been a driver for damn-near everything I’ve thrown at Windows 7 so far and whatever I *have* had to install driver-wise, it has either just worked or using compatibility mode just works. It just works. That’s one thing I did have an issue with in Vista – compatibility mode. Oh, and UAC? Brilliant now. It never gets in the way (most importantly, when I’ve told it not to… and it didn’t take an act of congress to make it happen). Although there are some minor gripes that I do have with Windows 7, I think it’s exactly what *should* have followed XP, but would have never been due to the lessons that still would have needed to be learned.

Now, this isn’t to say that Windows Vista was just an all-out horrible OS, because it wasn’t! There was plenty of innovation that went under the hood into Windows Vista and it all went into Windows 7. Of course, Windows 7 got the best of it and improved upon it, but there is PLENTY of Windows Vista in Windows 7… and that’s a good thing. Leave it to Apple, though, and they’ll tell you that Windows 7, “is just another Windows Vista” simply because it utilizes much of the same code… annnnd because Apple apparently doesn’t have enough going for its OS to market it properly, so instead, they take cheap shots at Windows to sell their product (hehe).

Taking all of the aforementioned into consideration, I posit that Windows Vista HAD to happen to ensure what will be the success of Windows 7 and everything that actually makes Vista a good OS. Yes, I’m going to step out on that limb and be so brave as to call Windows 7 a success a little over a month prior to its official launch date. For all of the businesses who decided they would wait until Windows 7 to upgrade from XP, well… Windows 7 is here and it’s exactly what you wanted Vista to be (and so much more). While XP users will still have a bit of a learning curve with Windows 7′s usability, it’s filled with the performance from XP and the looks of Vista to make it an enjoyable experience; not an arduous one.

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

Yes, another roadmap for you. This one comes from a recent Italian Windows Server presentation. If nothing else, this just verifies the obvious: The codename for the next revision of Windows is indeed, “Windows 8,” and there’s a 3-year gap between the current server release (minor) and the upcoming server release (major). The kicker here, though, is the ever-so-slight, non-committal tilda you see before the 2012, thus leaving them breathing room to maybe spill into 2013 if necessary. That tilda keeps things nice ‘n loose for Microsoft’s public deadline, but if Windows 7′s development is exemplary of how future versions of Windows are to be developed, (2nd half of) 2012 could be considered a worst-case scenario for the delivery of Windows 8 Server.

Also, another observation I’ve made is a comparison with a Windows Server roadmap from November 2007 that I posted last year (5th image down). It shows, “Windows Server ’8′” with a release year of 2013. We’re all familiar with Microsoft extending deadlines, but with the timely delivery of Windows 7 and this latest roadmap implying a 2012 release, it looks like they may have very well learned from the Longhorn/Vista development SNAFU.

UPDATE: MJ Foley made a much more obvious observation regarding the older roadmap: “I read your map differently. I think it said 2013 originally cause they still were pretending WS2008R2 was 2010 a year ago…”

Touche, MJ… Touche.

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

UPDATE: Apparently, I’ve jumped the gun a bit and Bill didn’t say, “morning,” but, rather, “month.” Thanks to Ilia Jerebtsov for the closer observation. So, RTM could very well be any day now but it’s not *quite* here just yet. In the mean time, there is a build of 7600 floating around out there which was recently leaked. Check your local torrent hub to find it if you haven’t already and get to downloadin’! Anyway, I’ll leave the rest of this post as-is even if simply for just having egg on my face for apparently jumping the gun.

Well, the time has finally arrived. In less than 3 years of development, Windows 7 is (almost) officially FINISHED! Yesterday morning, Bill Veghte, Senior Vice President for the Windows Business, announced that they would be releasing Windows 7 to manufacturers, but according to friends of mine with good sources, it hasn’t quite RTM’d just yet. According to WZor, though, the final build string could very likely be the following:

6.1.7600.16385.win7_rtm.090713-1255

Hats off to Microsoft for undoing the negative stigma that was created through the development of Longhorn, i.e. falling well short of market delivery time frames. Likewise, Windows 7 has many of us champing at the bit to escape any of the minor/major annoyances/inconveniences we experience in Windows Vista. For me, that major annoyance is the fact that Windows Vista doesn’t remember my folder view preferences (I can’t even begin to tell you how much that aggrivates the HELL out of me. It’s like, Microsoft peddles an interface that’s to be as productive as possible, yet when I want to see file information via the details view, I have to manually select it 7 out of 10 times. Grrr). But I digress…

With this announcement, you can expect a leak of the RTM build to follow shortly hereafter, so stay tuned! And as is always the case, it’s on to the next with, “the next” being Windows 8. If you’re interested, you can check out a few Windows 8 articles I’ve previously posted:

- Windows 8 to Contain New Networking Features
- Windows 8: Tracking Work Internally with WorkTrack
- Windows 8 and Windows 9: Various Tidbits
- Windows Server 7, 8, and 9 on a Roadmap

As you might expect, you will find unique Windows 8 content on my site whenever I get a hold of such! Having said that, don’t hold your breath as this is typically a fairly slow point in the Windows news department, with the completion of a new version and planning taking place for the next, but rest assured that I’ll be on the case to bring you the very latest when possible.

Once again, congrats, Microsoft, for wrapping up a damn fine OS!

-Stephen

Well, today is the 26th; the day Neowin’s source told them Windows 7 would RTM. There’s still a chance that it might have, but if so, then Microsoft really cranked out some bug-fixing as WZor has posted a new RTM candidate build string:

6.1.7265.0.win7_rtm.090624-1905

I’m definitely getting impatient myself, but I’m glad to see they’re continuing to iron out the bugs. I would much rather continue to see these builds and know that I’m going to end up with a stable OS than land a build with a slew of caveats and noted upgrades I need to immediately download. Anywho…

More as it comes in…

Source: WZor

-Stephen

WZor has just posted an update regarding the signing-off of Windows 7 RTM! Here is the roadmap to RTM:

Basically, between now and July 10, 2009, Microsoft will be preparing the build containing all of the SKU’s which will be sent out to partners first, possibly Connect and MSDN/Technet subscribers next, and finally customers when it hits the store shelves! Then, on July 13, 2009, Windows 7 will officially be COMPLETED! This is bittersweet for me as I was hoping to have an RTM build to install soon, but I suppose a couple more weeks isn’t too long to wait.

WZor also noted that employees will have access to the RTM build on July 10th, so be on the lookout for the RTM build shortly thereafter. Likewise, in regards to what the RTM build number will be, WZor says their sources report it will most likely be rounded to 7300.

So, the RTM build that leaks may look something like be:

6.1.7300.0.winmain.??????-????

More as it comes in!

Source: WZor

WinFuture.de is reporting today that sources close to them say Windows 7 will RTM on June 29, 2009. As far as who is right and who is wrong, both of these sources are credible, so they’re both hearing information from people out of Microsoft; it’s not as if one of these sites are lying to everyone. And just to add to the mix, Neowin.net reported on June 16, 2009 that their sources indicated an RTM date of June 26, 2009! Again, all credible sites, so the difference probably lies in which of their sources has the most recent information. Both WZor and WinFuture have posted their RTM dates today, so I guess we’ll see what happens. Just to recap, here are the RTM dates as they’ve been reported by 3 credible sites:

Neowin.net: June 26, 2009
WinFuture.de: June 29, 2009
WZor.net: July 13, 2009

Place your bets, everyone!

-Stephen

With that said, I just ran across the LinkedIn profile of a Microsoft PM intern who has the following responsibilities written in his profile:

Evaluating and collating technical and business requirements for developing new networking features in Windows 8.

Designing features, functional specification and prototype for Windows 8.

Perhaps the most notable networking feature in Windows 7 is the addition of HomeGroup. If you’re unfamiliar with the HomeGroup feature, you can read an extensive article about it on the official Engineering Windows 7 blog here. I can only imagine that Microsoft will be looking to follow suit and make home networking even easier in Windows 8. Along with the specifications they’re currently writing, I’m sure feedback of the current networking features in Windows 7 will play an integral role in exactly what goes into Windows 8′s networking features.

Personally, I have no need for anything networking-wise from my OS, so perhaps those of you whose focus tends to be networking-centric can shed some light on what you would personally like to see changed/added to/removed from Windows 8.

Reference: Aditya Malhotra’s LinkedIn Profile

-Stephen

PS – As obvious as it may seem for a feature to come down the proverbial Windows pike, I assume nothing. This post is a direct result of that observance.

WZor has written a pretty lengthy article that I can’t translate at the moment (I’m over at my mom’s house for dinner… blogging, lol), but the header says that Microsoft engineers are signing off on the RTM build! Apparently, the new build to be signed off on (but currently just an RTM candidate) is:

6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900

So far, it’s the 20th and WZor noted that the RTM build would leak after the 19th… but just how long after is the question. Will 7263 be THE RTM build? According to WZor, it’s likely… well, more than likely, but we’ll see what happens. The next 24 hours should be interesting! Maybe we’ll have an RTM build of Windows 7 to install on our machines before the end of the weekend. =) What do you think?

UPDATE: Thank you a great deal to Ilia Jerebtsov, the first commenter of this post, for providing a summarized translation of what all is written on the WZor page regarding this build. This is what Ilia has translated for us:

“The post says that Microsoft had lengthy voting and discussions about which build to make RTM (7260, 61 or 62), but in the end neither build got the required votes to pass. So they decided to take the 7263 build as a new candidate for RTM. A lot of the post after that is a Angels and Demons parody.

They say not to get any fantasies of it coming out on CONNECT or MSDN earlier at least another 2-3 weeks after the build is decided.”

Thanks again, Ilia! I really appreciate you taking the time to write all of that. =)

-Stephen

As with 7260, it now appears that build 7261 also failed to make the cut! WZoR has just today listed the following build as being compiled 2 days ago, June 17th:

6.1.7262.0.win7_rtm.090617-1900

The difference with this build, however, is WZor has written that he seems to think this is going to be THE FINAL RTM build. Why, you ask? Well, he’s had a banner scrolling across the top of his site for a number of days now saying that the final RTM build will leak shortly after the 19th. Well, it’s the 19th, so now he and those who believe it will indeed RTM shortly are now champing at the bit. Me? I’ll still wait patiently and continue to update you folks on the latest. =)

Also of note is if 7262 is indeed to become the RTM build, it will be recompiled in winmain. If that somehow happens prior to 7262 being announced as the final RTM build, then it will be a sure sign that the process is indeed over. I supposed we’ll see what happens here soon…

Source: WZor

-Stephen