Vista to come out in eight editions late this year
Microsoft is planning to release six core editions of Vista, in addition to two 'N' versions, which will not be bundled with Windows Media Player as ordered by the European Union (EU) anti-trust regulators.
The different versions are Windows Vista Enterprise; Windows Starter 2007; Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Basic N, Windows Vista Business N, Windows Vista ultimate, Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Business.
Windows Starter 2007 is a counterpart of Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition with limited features and is aimed at developing nations. The number of applications which can be run simultaneously is also limited. It also does not have the Vista branding as Aero graphics system is not included. It will be the only edition to ship in a 32-bit version. All the other will come in 64-bit versions.
Two editions are considered to be refurbished counterparts of Windows XP Home Edition and XP Pro. They are Home Basic Edition and Home Premium Edition respectively.
According to the company, Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate are unique. The former includes Media Center elements along with an extender functionality for Xbox 360 owners and the latter will incorporate everything that is present in all its other versions.
Meanwhile, Windows Vista Enterprise Edition is a version that will be available to Software Assurance customers only.
Some analysts say that notable omission is that of Small Business Edition of Vista. It was initially a part of Microsoft's Vista plans. Besides, no 64-bit specific Windows Vista version is also present in the list.
All of these Vista versions will include integrated games, as per information posted on Microsoft site.
Built-in support will be available for mobile devices in editions of the Vista Business, Home and Enterprise editions.
Microsoft has not announced a launch date for Vista, but they are expected to be launched at the end of November.
Internet Explorer 7 + Security Patches 1 & 2
Internet Explorer 7: Now in beta testing for developers
The first stage of the beta process for Internet Explorer 7 has begun—developer testing! The latest version of the world's most popular Web browser has been released for technical evaluation, feedback, and testing by software and Web site developers.
The Beta 1 release signals that Internet Explorer 7 has reached an important milestone, with a number of key new features and improvements, and is ready for website and application compatibility testing. This release is specifically intended for developers to confirm that existing applications and websites will work well with Internet Explorer 7, and provides an opportunity for developers to give feedback directly to the development team. There will be further refinement between Beta 1 and the final version.
Beta 1 is not intended for broad consumer trial and evaluation but it does offer a preview of some of the benefits that Internet Explorer 7 will offer customers including:
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Dynamic security protection through a simplified architecture that defends against malware, and new dynamic ways to protect against personal data theft from fraudulent Web sites (a practice known as "phishing").
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Improved design to make everyday tasks easier and faster, with better navigation through tabbed browsing; inline search right from the toolbar; shrink-to-fit Web page printing; and a streamlined, redesigned user interface (currently in its early stages in Beta 1).
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New tools to take you directly to the information you want through support for Web feeds (RSS) that includes automatic discovery of web feeds (RSS) on Web pages, basic Web Feed (RSS) reading capabilities, and basic support for saving Web feeds (RSS) as a new kind of favorite.
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Platform enhancements for developers to improve compatibility and manageability, including improved support for Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) as well as transparent PNG support.
Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 is available now in two versions: a standalone version for Windows XP Service Pack 2, and an enhanced version that is built into Beta 1 of Microsoft Windows Vista—formerly Windows code-named "Longhorn"—to take advantage of new features of the Windows Vista platform.
A Community Technology Preview (CTP) has also been released which includes many more of the features that you can expect in the final version. We are looking for testing and feedback by MSDN and Technet subscribers. It has been released as part of the Windows Vista CTP.
Download IE7 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N5BFKM9N (MegaUpLoad)
Download Security Patch 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FC8F3GVY
Download Security Patch 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7FEG31MD
End of Passwords From Vista!
Now, with Windows Vista, Gates feels he finally has the right weapons to supplant the password as a means of verifying who is who on computers and over the Internet.
The new operating system, due later this year, introduces a concept called InfoCards that gives users a better way to manage the plethora of Internet login names and passwords, as well as lets third parties help in the verification process. Vista will also make it easier to log on to PCs using something stronger than a password alone, such as a smart card.
"We're laying the foundation for what we need," Gates said in a speech at the RSA Conference 2006 here.
Even with the advancements, Gates said he wasn't naive enough to think the password would go away overnight.
"I don't pretend that we are going to move away from passwords overnight, but over three or four years, for corporate systems, this change can and should happen," he said.
Replacing passwords is part of Microsoft's endeavor to simplify security, which Gates said is dearly needed. "We have an overly complex system today," he said. Vista and Microsoft's upcoming security products, such as Windows OneCare Live and Microsoft Client Protection, will make life easier for consumers, he said.
Microsoft has described InfoCard as a technology that gives users a single place to manage various authentication and payment information, in the same way a wallet holds multiple credit cards.
InfoCard is Microsoft's second try at an authentication technology after its largely failed Passport single sign-on service, unveiled in 1999.
InfoCard attempts to address the complaint many critics had with Passport, which was that people's information was managed by Microsoft instead of by the users themselves and the businesses with which they dealt.
Although Microsoft has talked about InfoCard, and early versions of the InfoCard code were released to developers last year, Gates' speech marked one of the first times Microsoft has demonstrated publicly just how it might work.
In a presentation, Microsoft showed how a consumer could use a self-generated InfoCard to log in to a car rental site and then use a separate InfoCard from a membership group to get a discount on the rental.
Halo 2 announced for Windows Vista
Microsoft has announced plans to bring its hit Xbox video game Halo 2 to the PC — but the game will only run on Windows Vista, Microsoft’s long-awaited update to the Windows operating system also known by its codename “Longhorn.” The game’s Mac status is still up in the air.
Microsoft plans to use an internal game studio to do the conversion of the hit game created by Microsoft’s own Bungie Studios. Halo 2 is a first-person shooter sequel to a game first seen by Mac enthusiasts at 1999’s Macworld Expo in New York City — shortly thereafter, Microsoft acquired Bungie and made Halo an Xbox-exclusive title.
Halo would later re-emerge for the Mac and PC, in 2003 — two years after it debuted on the Xbox. MacSoft licensed and published the Macintosh version of Halo, which shipped within weeks of its PC counterpart. That PC version was developed by Gearbox Software and based on Bungie’s original code.
The futuristic sci-fi game series follows the story of Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human soldier who fights a war against The Covenant, a marauding collective of aliens bent on destroying humanity. Microsoft says the game has sold more than 14.5 million copies to date. It’s also spawned a movie, which is currently in pre-production and is due to be released in 2007.
The Windows Vista version of Halo 2 will combine the original game with its multiplayer map pack. Players will also have tools to build and customize their own multiplayer levels.
Microsoft did not state its reasons for making Halo 2’s PC debut exclusive to Windows Vista, but it’s thought that it may help drive adoption of the new operating system, which is due for release sometime in late 2006.
A MacSoft spokesman would not comment on his company’s plans for Halo 2.
News U can Use !
Halo 2 announced for Windows Vista
Microsoft has announced plans to bring its hit Xbox video game Halo 2 to the PC — but the game will only run on Windows Vista, Microsoft’s long-awaited update to the Windows operating system also known by its codename “Longhorn.” The game’s Mac status is still up in the air.
Microsoft plans to use an internal game studio to do the conversion of the hit game created by Microsoft’s own Bungie Studios. Halo 2 is a first-person shooter sequel to a game first seen by Mac enthusiasts at 1999’s Macworld Expo in New York City — shortly thereafter, Microsoft acquired Bungie and made Halo an Xbox-exclusive title.
Halo would later re-emerge for the Mac and PC, in 2003 — two years after it debuted on the Xbox. MacSoft licensed and published the Macintosh version of Halo, which shipped within weeks of its PC counterpart. That PC version was developed by Gearbox Software and based on Bungie’s original code.
The futuristic sci-fi game series follows the story of Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human soldier who fights a war against The Covenant, a marauding collective of aliens bent on destroying humanity. Microsoft says the game has sold more than 14.5 million copies to date. It’s also spawned a movie, which is currently in pre-production and is due to be released in 2007.
The Windows Vista version of Halo 2 will combine the original game with its multiplayer map pack. Players will also have tools to build and customize their own multiplayer levels.
Microsoft did not state its reasons for making Halo 2’s PC debut exclusive to Windows Vista, but it’s thought that it may help drive adoption of the new operating system, which is due for release sometime in late 2006.
A MacSoft spokesman would not comment on his company’s plans for Halo 2.
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End of Passwords from Vista!
Now, with Windows Vista, Gates feels he finally has the right weapons to supplant the password as a means of verifying who is who on computers and over the Internet.
The new operating system, due later this year, introduces a concept called InfoCards that gives users a better way to manage the plethora of Internet login names and passwords, as well as lets third parties help in the verification process. Vista will also make it easier to log on to PCs using something stronger than a password alone, such as a smart card.
"We're laying the foundation for what we need," Gates said in a speech at the RSA Conference 2006 here.
Even with the advancements, Gates said he wasn't naive enough to think the password would go away overnight.
"I don't pretend that we are going to move away from passwords overnight, but over three or four years, for corporate systems, this change can and should happen," he said.
Replacing passwords is part of Microsoft's endeavor to simplify security, which Gates said is dearly needed. "We have an overly complex system today," he said. Vista and Microsoft's upcoming security products, such as Windows OneCare Live and Microsoft Client Protection, will make life easier for consumers, he said.
Microsoft has described InfoCard as a technology that gives users a single place to manage various authentication and payment information, in the same way a wallet holds multiple credit cards.
InfoCard is Microsoft's second try at an authentication technology after its largely failed Passport single sign-on service, unveiled in 1999.
InfoCard attempts to address the complaint many critics had with Passport, which was that people's information was managed by Microsoft instead of by the users themselves and the businesses with which they dealt.
Although Microsoft has talked about InfoCard, and early versions of the InfoCard code were released to developers last year, Gates' speech marked one of the first times Microsoft has demonstrated publicly just how it might work.
In a presentation, Microsoft showed how a consumer could use a self-generated InfoCard to log in to a car rental site and then use a separate InfoCard from a membership group to get a discount on the rental.
