The State of Microsoft Beta Programs
Before I kick off this editorial let me just state that I am no big-time tester and I haven’t even participated in a Windows beta (yet), but I do have some knowledge about such beta programs, I have people who may be considered “big-time” testers that I regularly talk to, and at the moment I’m participating in both the Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Beta and the Office 2010 Technical Preview, which is really the catalyst for me writing this article.
microsoft -
comments -
20.7.2009 Microsoft: Vista SP1 will break these programs
Microsoft has published a list of programs that will not work or that will suffer from reduced functionality after the installation of Vista Service Pack 1.
windows -
comments -
21.2.2008 Adding PowerToys-like programs to Windows Vista
Working with various versions of the Windows operating system over the years, I've always enjoyed discovering and using programs or utilities designed to provide the user with handy additional features.
windows -
comments -
20.8.2007 E-mail, photo programs stripped from Windows 7
Microsoft has decided that Windows 7 won't include built-in programs for e-mail, photo editing, and movie making, as was done with Windows Vista, CNET News.com has learned.
windows -
comments -
23.9.2008 Registry Tweaks to Enhance Your Windows XPerience - Part VIII: Add or Remove Programs
In part eight of the our tweaking series we’ll go through a few Control Panel optimizations for Windows XP power users that may not interest most people using their operating system for basic tasks.
windows -
comments -
26.12.2008 Enable RemoteApp in Windows XP or Vista To Publish Programs to Windows 7 Virtual PC Host with KB961741 or KB961742 RAIL QFE
Windows Virtual PC in Windows 7 features an unique and useful feature which allows virtual applications installed on guest operating system of Windows XP or Windows Vista in the virtual machine to be seamlessly accessed and launched from host Windows 7 desktop as if it’s running on the end user’s local computer.
download -
comments -
9.10.2009 Microsoft releases free ebook: Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005
Get a focused, first look at the features and capabilities in Microsoft Visual Basic 2005, Visual Studio 2005, and the .NET Framework 2.0. If you currently work with Visual Basic 6, these authors fully understand the adoption and code migration issues you'll encounter.
microsoft -
comments -
12.4.2006 Microsoft SQL Server Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005
The Microsoft SQL Server Management Pack provides both proactive and reactive monitoring of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2000 in an enterprise environment. Availability and configuration monitoring, performance data collection, and default thresholds are built for enterprise-level monitoring. Both local and remote connectivity checks help ensure database availability.
microsoft -
comments -
5.6.2006 Microsoft Pre-Release Software Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 - September CTP
The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly known as WinFX), is the new managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, and the ability to support a wide range of business processes.
download -
comments -
24.9.2006 Podcasts: Microsoft IT Showcase: How Microsoft IT Architects and Configures DFS Replication
Edit: Something close to my heart! I sure hope the R2 changes to DFS are as good as they sound in all the marketing documents!
microsoft -
comments -
25.2.2006 Microsoft Showcases Platform Advancements in the 2007 Microsoft Office System
Second annual Microsoft Office System Developers Conference highlights opportunity for custom solutions development utilizing innovations in the 2007 release.
microsoft -
comments -
23.3.2006 Microsoft set to beta Microsoft Security Essentials June 23
Microsoft confirmed today that they plan to release a public beta of Microsoft Security Essentials (formerly codenamed Morro) on June 23.
microsoft -
comments -
18.6.2009 Microsoft is 30 years old today! have a look at the Microsoft Timeline
It's hard to believe that Microsoft is already 30 years old. The company that made Redmond, Washington, a household name was actually founded in 1975 in another city by two young Seattle men, one of whom was a college dropout. From this inauspicious beginning came an equally improbable vision: A personal computer on every desk and in every home. Thirty years later, it seems so obvious. But at the time, when only a handful of people knew what a personal computer was, it was a great leap of faith and daring.
common -
comments -
Microsoft Windows Microsoft Application Verifier 3.2.0038
Application Verifier is a runtime verification tool for unmanaged code that assists in quickly finding subtle programming errors that can be extremely difficult to identify with normal application testing.
download -
comments -
26.7.2006 Microsoft executive: Pirating software? Choose Microsoft!
Microsoft doesn't want you to pirate their software, but if you must choose between illegally installing Windows or a competitor's operating system, Microsoft would prefer that you choose them.
microsoft -
comments -
15.3.2007 Microsoft releases new Ultimate Extras - Microsoft Tinker
Microsoft has silently released 3 updates for Windows Ultimate users today.
windows -
comments -
23.9.2008 Microsoft trademark reveals Microsoft Store logo
A fortnight ago, detailed plans of the long anticipated Microsoft Store were revealed in all its theoretical glory when Gizmodo published over 50 slides from a Powerpoint presentation prepared by the project’s consultancy firm.
microsoft -
comments -
5.8.2009 Microsoft Launches Microsoft TalentLab in The Netherlands
Demand for ICT specialists is growing; new portal site advertises job vacancies at Microsoft partners – with guaranteed training.
microsoft -
comments -
25.3.2007 Microsoft 4 Patas
Four different wallpapers with those that are considered men best friend. Besides that, icons and sounds give a special touch in this theme, that is already a success in those that love dogs.
Install it now! download -
comments -
5.1.2006 What Microsoft has that Linux
Microsoft has seven "Microsoft Across America" trucks cruising the country, visiting Microsoft Partners at their request to show off the latest Windows wonders. At last count, there were exactly zero (0) "Linux Across America" trucks.
microsoft -
comments -
15.8.2006 Microsoft isn't done with Vista yet
There is still more work to be done on Windows Vista, said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, on the day the company's highly-anticipated operating system is officially released to enterprise customers.
windows -
comments -
2.12.2006 Why Does Everyone Hate Microsoft?
I'm doing a short project on Microsoft and its impact on society.
microsoft -
comments -
15.12.2006 A word with you, please, Microsoft
If Microsoft's 1976 was all about "hobbyists" and "Altair," then its buzzwords for 2006 were things such as "connected entertainment," "interoperability," "Zune," and "Windows Vista."
microsoft -
comments -
2.1.2007 Microsoft’s IE 8.0: More than just vaporware
When I mentioned in a post yesterday that I had heard there was an alpha build of Internet Explorer (IE) 8.0 circulating inside Microsoft, some were skeptical.
microsoft -
comments -
15.1.2007 Microsoft Feeds Plus
Microsoft Feeds Plus is an
Internet Explorer 7 add-on for Windows XP/2003/Vista that makes your feed reading experience easy and efficient. You can read your feeds in a combined view (aggregate feeds) and get pop-up notifications when there are new items to read.
download -
comments -
27.1.2007 Microsoft Wants Yahoo
Stung by the loss of Internet advertising firm DoubleClick to Google last month, Microsoft has intensified its pursuit of a deal with Yahoo!, asking the company to re-enter formal negotiations, The Post has learned.
microsoft -
comments -
5.5.2007 Microsoft: Why the Silence about IE 8.0?
Two years ago, Microsoft used the Bill Gates keynote at its MIX conference as the launch pad for Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0, which shipped last year. However, this year at MIX07, news of the next IE version, which Microsoft has confirmed is in development, was not to be had.
microsoft -
comments -
6.5.2007 Microsoft Seadragon
Seadragon is an incubation project resulting from the acquisition of Seadragon Software in February. Its aim is nothing less than to change the way we use screens, from wall-sized displays to mobile devices, so that visual information can be smoothly browsed regardless of the amount of data involved or the bandwidth of the network.
microsoft -
comments -
6.6.2007 Microsoft Got Hacked!
The official Microsoft U.K. Domain was attacked and defaced by a hacker identified as rEmOtEr. Microsoft confirmed that the hack has been successful. rEmOtEr altered a webpage in the Microsoft.co.uk domain with two images and multiple references to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
microsoft -
comments -
1.7.2007 Microsoft Gives Up on Antitrust
Microsoft has long been a landmark of monopoly worldwide. But this detail is about to change as the Redmond company has evolved, following the various antitrust rulings against it both at home and abroad. In this context, Microsoft has suffered antitrust scrutinies not only in the U.S. but also in the European Union as well as in South Korea.
microsoft -
comments -
16.10.2007Is Microsoft working on software center for Windows?
Questions arise as to why Windows Vista and Windows 7 have renamed the "Add and Remove Programs" to "Programs and Features", alongside "Windows
Updates". It is possible that Microsoft is planning to release a software center that will be able to find updates for all your programs that are
deemed safe by Microsoft, right inside Windows Update. This type of software already exists in programs like FileHippo.com's Update Checker that
scans installed programs on your machine, and compares the updated version on FileHippo.com.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
22.01.2009Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs Comparison Chart
Microsoft Volume Licensing offers customized programs that help organizations purchase software licenses. The Volume Licensing Programs Comparison
Chart allows you to quickly compare the benefits and requirements of each program so you can find the one best suited to your organization.
winbeta.org -
26.08.2008Microsoft Early Adopters Programs - What's in it?
Many are familiar with the Microsoft Beta programs wherein users get access to pre-release products, such as Windows 7. But very little know the
different programs Microsoft adopts in testing these pre-release products. Through Microsoft Early Adopters Programs(EAP), Microsoft connects with
various customers and users, giving them access to their pre-release products and testing them. The EAP consists of three stages: Technical Adoption
Program(TAP) Ascend - Beta 1 Releases Touchdown - Beta 2 Releases Image Courtesy:MSDN Technical Adoption Program(TAP) The TAP is available to very
limited and select customers/partners by invitation only. The number of participants in the TAP would be very less and work closely with the Microsoft
employees. They have access to almost every pre-release product.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
02.01.2009New Microsoft Connect Update
Microsoft silently updated its
Connect site to its 2nd
version, 2.0. The actual
version was previously
available at
connectbeta.microsoft.com and
was a site in itself,
separated from the final
Connect interface. This beta
version was a mere
modification of version 1.0
and was mainly filled with
placeholders.
The new version mainly
offers the following
advantages over 1.0:
-Available Programs
and Selected ones have been
inverted, with ergonomy in
mind.
-Beta Programs
can now be grouped in
different categories (the
default ones are Connections
and Programs, though it'll
most likely expand)
-The Connect home page can
now contain "articles",
helping people stay tuned
about programs in Microsoft
Connect, or other
subjects.
-A preview of
the programs that will be
available in the near future
is available on the
homepage.
This
is the list of the few obvious
changes that are present in
the update. Some minor ones
are also present in it.
jcxp.net -
03.06.2006Microsoft: Vista SP1 will break these programs
Microsoft has published a list of programs that will not work or that will
suffer from reduced functionality after the installation of Vista Service Pack 1.
The list of programs consists mostly of security
applications, such as Trend Micro Internet Security 2008. However, programs such as The New York Times Reader application also feature on the list.
Users are advised to install updates from the application vendor to fix the problem.
"Windows Vista Service Pack 1 contains many
security, reliability, and feature updates for Windows Vista," the company said. "A program may experience a loss of functionality after you install
Windows Vista SP1. However, most programs will continue to work as expected after you install Windows Vista SP1."
neowin.net -
22.02.2008iTunes UK to Sell 28 TV Programs
After almost two years, Apple is finally expanding its video presence outside of the US by launching a store in Britain. 28 different programs will be
available from several providers including ABC Studios, Disney Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy...
betanews.com -
30.08.2007Join the ISA Server 2007 beta TAP
The Microsoft ISA Product Team
is working on the next version
of ISA. As part of the work,
the team is currently
recruiting customers for its
internal customer programs
namely TAP (Technology
Adoption Program) and the
Advisory Group.
Interested customers,
consultants, solution provides
and others can contact
ngtprcrt@microsoft.co
m to start the nomination
process.
Please
note: The information about
these specific programs is
Microsoft-confidential.
Therefore, nomination to these
programs requires the nominees
to already have or sign a
non-disclosure-agreement (NDA)
with Microsoft.
jcxp.net -
09.01.2007BBC to Offer TV Programs Online
British broadcasting giant BBC announced on Monday that it would offer viewers the opportunity to download its programs up to seven days after they had aired on television. The new offering is part of a plan to modernize the network. The player would also include live feeds of both BBC 1 and BBC 2...
betanews.com -
30.08.2005I.B.M. to Offer Office Software Free in Challenge to Microsofts Line
I.B.M. plans to mount its most ambitious challenge in years to Microsofts dominance of personal computer software, by offering free programs for word
processing, spreadsheets and presentations.
The company is announcing the desktop software, called I.B.M. Lotus Symphony, at an
event today in New York. The programs will be available as free downloads from the I.B.M. Web site.
I.B.M.s Lotus-branded
proprietary programs already compete with Microsoft products for e-mail, messaging and work group collaboration. But the Symphony software is a free
alternative to Microsofts mainstay Office programs Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The Office business is huge and lucrative for Microsoft, second only
to its Windows operating system as a profit maker.
winbeta.org -
18.09.2007Mozilla Releases Hacker Tools
Mozilla is beginning to give
away programs used by both the
good guys and the bad guys to
discover critical program
vulnerabilities.
The
programs, called fuzzers, have
so far been for internal use
only. Fuzzers poke at programs
in search of vulnerabilities
that can arise when an
application receives data it
doesn't expect.
Programmers and
security researchers use them
to identify vulnerabilities
that they can then fix, or
warn people about. Online
crooks use them to find holes
that they can attack.
At the BlackHat
conference today, Mike Shaver
of Mozilla said the
open-source tools are
primarily meant to help other
programmers discover holes in
their own software...
winbeta.org -
03.08.2007Vista Service Pack 1 Breaks Programs
Those of you that did not get a chance to update early to Service Pack 1 will be happy to know that you were saved the trouble of having programs stop
working for you.
"Windows Vista Service Pack 1 contains many security, reliability, and feature updates for Windows Vista," the
company said. "A program may experience a loss of functionality after you install Windows Vista SP1.
The list of programs that have
known issues can be found
HERE. jcxp.net -
23.02.20085 Programs for Tweaking Vista
Was TweakUI your favorite PowerToy? Have you been searching for something similar for Vista? Several different programs are available that may be what
you're looking for. Here's a quick list...
winbeta.org -
25.01.2008Microsoft Cleared of Violating Pact
Microsoft has been cleared of
allegations that it violated a
court agreement to help
software developers make their
programs compatible with
Microsoft software.
Microsoft - in a deal with
the Justice Department, 17
states and Washington, D.C. -
was ordered in 2002 to share
software hooks known as
application programming
interfaces, or APIs, which let
different programs work
together.
Des Moines
attorney Roxanne Conlin
alleged in January that
Microsoft has not disclosed
certain APIs to software
developers. She shared her
evidence - including expert
testimony - with the Iowa
attorney's office and the
Justice Department.
In court documents filed
Tuesday, the plaintiffs found
the allegations were not
supported...
winbeta.org -
21.06.2007Windows Easy Transfer Companion (Beta)
Windows Easy Transfer
Companion enables you to
automatically transfer your
most important programs from
your Windows XP-based PC to
your new Windows Vista-based
PC. The software will move
more than 100 of the most
popular programs, as well as
many others that you may have
installed.
You have complete control
over selecting which programs
to transfer, so only the
programs you care about will
move. The software will alert
you if some programs may not
be able to transfer, or may
not transfer with high
confidence. Most security
software is not able to
transfer due to technical
reasons.
Easy Transfer Companion is
designed to be used in
addition to Windows Easy
Transfer?which is part of
Windows Vista and
automatically transfers your
data and settings.
jcxp.net -
16.02.2007Microsoft Simplifies Its Volume Licensing Programs
Microsoft is trying to simplify its complex volume licensing programs and the customer agreements that fall under them as an unprecedented number of
volume license customers face renewal decisions this fall. As part of that initiative, the Redmond, Wash., software maker has slashed the number of
price points and product SKUs in the different programs, and updated the language and the content flow in each agreement to give consistency across
all volume licensing contracts.
Navigation has also been improved, with a new table of contents and summary titles, and a new signature
form is being introduced for a single signature event with the customer, said Stacie Sloane, Microsoft's director of marketing and communications for
worldwide licensing and pricing. Microsoft has also reduced the length of the agreements under its Enterprise, Select License and Open License
programs by as much as half, depending on the program.
neowin.net -
08.09.2007No apps left behind: A backup checklist before reinstalling
Whether you're upgrading or repairing your computer, at some point in time you'll be faced with the task of reinstalling your operating
system, especially in the Windows world. As I can personally attest, most of the frustration with starting fresh comes from losing your installed
programs and customized settings with them. Sure, you can create tweaked installation discs to automate the process and have all your drivers,
programs and settings already in place. The problem is that most people won't reinstall Windows more than once or twice a year. When the time
comes to use your customized OS disc, new versions of your programs and drivers will have been released.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
13.08.2009Adobe axes link to Kinkos in Acrobat, Reader
Adobe Systems will remove a
menu option in its Acrobat and
Reader programs that lets
users send documents over the
Internet to FedEx Kinkos for
printing, the company said on
Thursday.
The move comes after
complaints from other printing
companies, who view the
feature as steering business
to FedEx Kinkos, one of the
larger printing services
companies worldwide.
The menu option is
included in Reader 8.1 and
Acrobat 8.1, appearing in the
"file" menu. The programs
were released in June when the
deal was announced.
By October, Adobe
will release updated versions
of the programs without the
option. "We are implementing
these changes as quickly as we
can," Adobe said in a
statement. "However, we need
time to write and test the
software." ..
winbeta.org -
02.08.2007How to speed up Windows Vista: official and unofficial tips
Tim Anderson: Microsoft has published an article on
speeding up Vista,
aimed at general users.
It's not too bad. Here's the summary:
- Delete programs you never use
-
Limit how many programs load at startup
- Defragment your hard drive
- Clean up your hard disk
- Run fewer programs
at the same time
- Turn off visual effects
- Restart regularly
- Add more memory
- Check for viruses and
spyware
- Disable services you don't need
Still, it's a bit scattergun. I prefer a two-stage approach to improving
performance (same applies to a single application)...
winbeta.org -
31.01.2008Google Apps synch to Microsoft Outlook email
Google on Tuesday synched applications available online as services with Outlook email programs, continuing a push into workplaces historically
dominated by Microsoft software.
Google Apps Sync for Microft Outlook lets Web-based programs by the California Internet colossus
work with its rival's email, contacts, and calendars.
winbeta.org -
10.06.2009Analyst: Money will fuel mobile spying programs
Spying programs for mobile phones are likely to grow in sophistication and stealth as the business around selling the tools grows, according to a
mobile analyst at the Black Hat conference on Friday. Many of the spy programs on the market are powerful, but aren't very sophisticated code,
said Jarno Niemela, a senior antivirus researchers for Finnish security vendor F-Secure, which makes security products for PCs and mobile phones.
But there is increasing evidence that money from selling the tools will create a stronger incentive for more accomplished programmers to get
into the game, which could make the programs harder to detect, Niemela said. Niemela said his prediction follows what has happened with the malware
writers in the PC market. Many hackers are now in the business of selling easy-to-use tools to less technical hackers rather than hacking into PCs
themselves.
neowin.net -
28.03.2008
