Windows Vista Launches to Consumers

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
January 30, 2007, 4:00 PM

Monday night marked the public launch of Windows Vista, and both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were on hand in New York City to officiate the festivities. A number of stores held "midnight madness" events, but did consumers bite?

Not yet. Unlike the launches of Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, those interested in being the first to install Vista were few and far between. A handful of stores around the country reported late-night lines, but most customers said they showed up for the other discounts being offered alongside Vista. Low temperatures on the East coast likely didn't help either.

Still, the success of Windows Vista is almost a foregone conclusion at this point, and Gates himself said Microsoft didn't expect a mad rush by consumers. Retail outlets believe sales will ramp up slowly, especially as consumers begin to upgrade their PCs. Most computer manufacturers have fully transitioned to Vista at this point.

In addition, using Windows whether for work or play has practically become a necessity these days, which means the operating system doesn't hold the same intrigue it did back in 1995 or 1998. Instead, Microsoft focused on Vista's more useful features and mundane when showing off the upgrade: new parental controls, enhanced security, and better search functionality.

Windows Vista Launch But that doesn't mean Microsoft gave up on fanfare for the Vista launch Monday. The company rented out a theater at 1515 Broadway in Times Square and tapped Angels and Airwaves to provide the musical entertainment. Although the crowd of journalists, beta testers and other invitees largely ignored former Blink 182 front-man Tom DeLonge's new band, the vibe was positive (an open bar surely didn't hurt).

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer touted different advantages of Vista, covering the consumer-oriented features and offerings from the company's many hardware partners. Executives from Dell, Intel, AMD, Toshiba and HP were invited on stage to receive special Windows Vista plaques signed by the Microsoft co-founders.

"Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 will transform the way people work and play,” said Gates. “Personal computers have become a key part of the daily lives of almost a billion people worldwide. Millions of consumers had a hand in helping us design, test and create the most exciting versions of Windows and Office we’ve ever released. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 squarely address the needs and aspirations of people around the globe."

What was notably missing from the Vista Launch, however, was any discussion of the software available for the operating system from partners. While the Windows XP launch in 2001 largely centered around third party software, Microsoft only talked up Vista's built-in capabilities. The company once again mentioned the New York Times Reader it developed with the paper as if it were the only application that actually takes advantage of Vista's new capabilities.

While Vista was the center of attention Monday, Microsoft did make a number of references to Office 2007, which also went on sale today. Corporate Vice President Mike Sievert demonstrated the new Ribbon capabilities in Word, although most attendees were already quite familiar with the suite. Billboards around New York City rotated between images of Vista and Office 2007, noting, "The Wow Starts Now."

Perhaps most importantly Monday, Bill Gates thanked the over 5 million beta testers who helped the company make sure Windows Vista was up to snuff. He said that with the help of testers, Microsoft accomplished 60 years worth of performance testing. A number of those testers and MVPs were on hand at the event to receive the verbal pat on the back.

Windows Vista is available now in 70 countries and 19 languages, with 99 languages expected by the end of 2007. Microsoft says 1.5 million devices are on the market that currently work with Vista, and 2,500 of those are Vista Certified. But availability only means so much, and the rate of consumer adoption and enthusiasm for Vista remains to be seen.

Now that Windows Vista and Office 2007 are finally out, are you saying "Wow"?

µTorrent's WebUI is now released for public beta testing!

Installation:

1) Get and extract files http://download.utorrent.com/webui_v0.300_beta_1.zip

2) Copy webui.zip to %AppData%/utorrent (click on start->run then type that and click ok)

3) Startup the new utorrent.exe (make sure its build 475, the one you dnlded with the webui)

4) Hit Ctrl-P (NOTE: It HAS to be Ctrl-P, otherwise you won't see the option)

5) Navigate to Advanced->Web UI

6) Setup a username/password

7) Navigate to http://127.0.0.1:utorrentport/gui/index.html . Done!

Debian Etch - A minimal setup with X

As a not completely new Linux user I have been frustrated over and over again at all the extra bloat and apps that I will never use that gets loaded onto my system when I do an install. Debian was the second distro that I tried and have used many others since, but I keep coming back.

With Etch I finally decided to get my system MY WAY(tm). No excess junk and no excess apps. After I had played for a little while I came up with the way to do it, and since I had found very little in the way of easily human understandable documentation I thought I would share the process.

Now understand that what we are going to do is start from where I changed the installation.

1: netinst CD and an internet connection.

2: start the normal install process and proceed all the way to where it asks if you want to use a network mirror.

3: select NO for network mirror (we will change this in a minute)

4: reboot and log in root

5: edit the sources.list

nano /etc/apt/sources.list

add these lines

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian etch main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian etch main contrib non-free

Then make sure to comment out the line with the CD in it with a # otherwise it will drive you nuts asking for that blasted CD that has nothing of anymore use on it.

Close and save the file (double check your spelling and make sure you didnt fat finger any keys like I constantly do)

6: type in the command

apt-get update

7: type in

apt-get install xserver-xorg-core xorg

There will be a few questions at the end, for now just go with the defaults.

8: while apt is doing its thing we need to make a decision.
Which login manager do you want to use? Unless you want to run as root all the time ( #1 bad idea by the way) we need a login manager. Here are the 3 I have used and comments on them.

xdm:

smallest and works well to get you going on your way. Highly configurable.

gdm:

easily configurable and adds libraries you need if you want to use the synaptic package manager. (also contains alot of the extra functions of xdm)

kdm:

largest and bloated, I list it only because I know a few people who like it. (my opinion)

It honestly makes no differance to us which you pick. For ease of configuration I’d suggest gdm, if your just setting up a single user machine and will never change your desktop interface xdm might be the way to go. Your choice (thats what Linux is about right?)It doesnt matter which desktop environment you are going to use, any of them will fire up what ever you happen to have

So we

apt-get install xdm/gdm/kdm

9: Next decision, what desktop package to put in?

GNOME:

If you want Gnome you have just wasted time reading this, thats what you would have gotten if you had continued on with the installation normally.

KDE:

very much like the operating system that comes from redmond, and nearly as bloated with worthless junk. I have this installed only because my wife likes it.

Fluxbox:

This is the one I use. Very small, fast, and configurable. Its a low frills let our programs use system resources instead of having the desktop environment hog it approach. Nor will this one load your system up with oddbits like Gnome or KDE, however both are integrated with it. So if you install your favorite Gnome app or KDE app it automagicly appears in your menu in fluxbox.

There are others you can use as well, if you have one you like instead, use it.

So we

apt-get install fluxbox/gnome/kde

9A: If you went with fluxbox because like me you wanted to control what apps are on your system instead of letting someone else decide what is right for you. Remember this, fluxbox doesnt ship with proggies AT ALL. so at the very least you will want to add a web browser.

apt-get install firefox

(my choice, again use what you like)

10: reboot and poof you should be up and running.

For those who are wondering this worked equally well on my desktop as it did my laptop. I hope this helps someone else who like me is still learning all the wonderful things that can be done with Linux, but needs a few pointers because face it, we arent all programmers and everyone has to start the process of understanding somewhere.

Mozilla Delays Firefox 2.0 Until Oct.

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
August 16, 2006, 1:50 PM

Microsoft isn't the only one running into snags getting new releases out the door. Mozilla said this week it is pushing back the launch of Firefox 2.0 until mid-to-late October, with Beta 2 now slated to debut August 23.

New features in Firefox 2.0 include enhancements in security, tabbed browsing, performance, and extensions. The browser update also includes a built-in spell checking and an anti-phishing feature, much like Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7. JavaScript 1.7 and improved subscribing of RSS feeds are also among the additions.

Firefox 2.0 was originally slated to debut this month, but last-minute bugs and security issues have led to a variety of delays. Mozilla is currently working on resolving 40 bugs in preparation for Beta 2. The company then wants to take in about three weeks of feedback following that release.

Mozilla expects to issue three release candidates of Firefox 2.0 before it goes gold in October. Visual tweaks and new graphics will be introduced during that timeframe. In the meantime, Mozilla plans to release Firefox 1.5.0.7 around September 5.

Despite the delays, Firefox is making considerable strides competing against Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Firefox has passed 15 percent usage in the United States, and recently topped 200 million total downloads since the browser's 1.0 launch in November 2004.

New Google Talk update: File Transfer + Voicemail + Music Status

New Google Talk beta version (1.0.0.95) launched!
Download here!

with 3 new features in this great update:

File Transfer

With this top requested new feature, you can send unlimited files and folders to your friends through Google Talk. There is no restriction on the file type or size and the peer-to-peer transfer is fast and reliable.


Voicemail

If a friend isn't around to answer your call, now you can leave a voicemail. You can even leave voicemail messages for your friends who don't use Google Talk--they'll receive an email with the message attached as an audio file.


Music Status

Listening to music while on Google Talk? Now you can let your friends see what you're listening to by selecting "Show current music track" in your status menu. Your status message will change when your song does!

AMD, ATI Merge in $5.4 Billion Deal

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
July 24, 2006, 12:06 PM

AMD confirmed rumors Monday and said it was merging with graphics chipmaker ATI in a transaction worth $5.4 billion. The first computer systems that would take advantage of the strengths of the combined company will begin appearing in 2007, the company said.

The merger will allow AMD to offer integrated processor and graphics solutions to its customers. By 2008, AMD plans to introduce new processor configurations that would integrate the CPU and graphics processor into a single unit. The end result will be smaller, more powerful computers.

"ATI shares our passion and complements our strengths: technology leadership and customer centric innovation," AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz said. "Bringing these two great companies together will allow us to transcend what we have accomplished as individual businesses and reinvent our industry as the technology leader and partner of choice."

A combined company also gives AMD more ammunition in its continued battle with Intel for dominance in the processor industry. The company has made great strides in recent months in catching up with the No. 1 processor maker, however it still remains quite far behind in terms of overall volume.

The transaction also carries financial benefit: while positive impact would be limited next year, by 2008 AMD expects it to have a noticeable impact on its bottom line. Combining the two companies would save as much as $75 million in operating expenses.

ATI CEO Dave Orton will now serve as executive vice president of the ATI division. Two ATI directors would join AMD's board of directors after the merger closes.

Microsoft Buys Winternals, Sysinternals

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
July 18, 2006, 1:23 PM

Microsoft on Tuesday announced it had acquired Winternals Software and its Sysinternals Web site, appointing founder and Windows kernel expert Mark Russinovich as a Technical Fellow. Winternals has long had a close relationship with Microsoft, even presenting at the company's recent TechEd conference.

Founded by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell in 1996, Winternals has been a stalwart provider of systems recovery and data protection solutions, while Sysinternals has become known for its free Windows system utilities. Russinovich, a Windows kernel expert, used the site to expose and detail a rootkit discovered in Sony BMG CDs last year.

Cogswell will become a software architect in Microsoft's Windows Component Platform Team, while Russinovich will join the Microsoft Platforms & Services Division.

"I've had my eye on Mark for some time," said Jim Allchin, co-president of the Platforms & Services Division at Microsoft. "The work he and Bryce have completed in system recovery and data protection illustrates the depth of thinking and skill they will bring to future versions of Windows."

In a blog posting, Russinovich says he will remain committed to Sysinternals, but Microsoft is expected to integrate the site into its own offerings. "The site will remain for the time being while Microsoft determines the best way to integrate it into its own community efforts, and the tools will continue to be free to download," he said.

Microsoft is also looking into how it can leverage the technology solutions developed by Winternals with its own products, Russinovich says. "Some will find their ways into existing Microsoft products or Windows itself and others will continue on as Microsoft-branded products."

Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Microsoft to Support OpenDocument

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
July 6, 2006, 2:19 AM

In a surprise move, Microsoft is bending to pressure from governments and will sponsor an open source project to build tools that enable conversion between its Open XML formats in Office 2007 and OpenDocument (ODF). The forthcoming Office suite will also support an add-in for saving directly to ODF.

The Open XML Translator project will be hosted on SourceForge.net, and is available under the BSD open source license. Microsoft says anyone can submit bugs and contribute to the project. A beta of the Open XML translator for Word 2007 will be made available Thursday, which can convert .docx Word documents to .odf and vice versa.

That final Word 2007 translation tool will ship by the end of 2006, with converters for Excel and PowerPoint slated to follow early next year. Each will be made available free of charge. Microsoft is expected to ship Office 2007 sometime in the first quarter, after announcing a slight delay last week.

Microsoft has tapped France-based partner Clever Age to create the OpenDocument tools, along with independent software vendors Aztecsoft in India and Dialogika in Germany. The translation software will be made available to older versions of Microsoft Office as well through a compatibility pack that adds support for Open XML.

Although it was reported in May that the OpenDocument Foundation was working on a compatibility plug-in, Microsoft's decision to spearhead the effort is quite an about-face for the Redmond company. OpenDocument has become a thorn in Microsoft's side, with a number of governments looking to move to standardized document formats.

The release of OpenOffice.org 2.0 finally provided a viable and free alternative to Microsoft's ubiquitous Office suite, as well as bringing OpenDocument into the limelight. ODF is backed by the OASIS standards body and was certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The state of Massachusetts turned up the heat last September, announcing plans to switch to ODF and OpenOffice.org by January 1, 2007.

Microsoft responded to the public pressure by developing its own Open XML formats, which it has submitted to European standards body Ecma for certification. The company has long said it would not support OpenDocument, claiming a lack of interest from customers and noting the necessity for backwards compatibility with older Microsoft Office versions.

However, Microsoft is now acknowledging the importance of interoperability and says it wants to make choice an option for its customers.

"We believe that Open XML meets the needs of millions of organizations for a new approach to file formats, so we are sharing it with the industry by submitting it, with others, to become a worldwide standard," said Microsoft XML architect Jean Paoli. "Yet it is very important that customers have the freedom to choose from a range of technologies to meet their diverse needs."

By providing a downloadable add-in that enables customers to import OpenDocument files and export to the format, Microsoft is also making Office 2007 a possibility for businesses and governments like Massachusetts that do opt to switch to ODF. But the translation will not be seamless, the company concedes.

Microsoft notes that OpenDocument still has gaps that are being worked out by OASIS, such as spreadsheet formulas, macro support and support for accessibility options. Citing Open XML's accessibility features for disabled workers, file performance and support for integrating external XML data, Microsoft says ODF "focuses on more limited requirements."

OpenDocument won't be the only third party file format supported by Office 2007. The new suite will also support saving to Adobe's PDF format through a downloadable add-in. Menu options built into the software will direct customers to a page with the free add-ins.

Windows Live Messenger Launches

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
June 19, 2006, 5:05 PM

Microsoft on Monday rolled out the final version of Windows Live Messenger to 240 million users, marking the official launch of its Windows Live family of services. New features include built-in calling and shared folders.

Like many other instant messaging clients, Microsoft has made calling features a centerpiece of Windows Live Messenger. Users will be able to place free PC-to-PC calls, and even call traditional phone numbers for a small fee through a partnership with Verizon.

The Windows Live Call service will additionally integrate with telephone handsets from Uniden in the United States and Philips in Europe. Motorola also announced plans to offer a cordless handset with support for Windows Live services later this year.

Video calling is made possible through audio and video technology provided by Logitech. Microsoft says over 20 million video chats take place across its network each month, and the company has developed its own line of webcams dubbed LifeCams that are optimized for the service.

Other new functionality in Windows Live Messenger is Sharing Folders, which enables consumers to send a file to their contacts by simply dragging it into a folder. Contacts are kept up to date through Windows Live Contacts, a new Plaxo-like service that is also used by Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces. Microsoft says over 25 million individuals are already using Live Contacts.

“The launch of Windows Live Messenger represents a significant down payment on the Windows Live vision and an important milestone for the business," Martin Taylor, corporate vice president of Windows Live, said in a statement. "We’re proud and excited to release this product to consumers, who have helped shape the service during our beta process.”

Microsoft is readying more than 20 new Windows Live services to follow Messenger. "This evening marks the launch of Windows Live Messenger and the launch of Windows Live in general," Karin Muskopf, Windows Live product manager, told BetaNews. While Windows Live OneCare launched first, Messenger is the "first major Windows Live Service that customers are familiar with."

The final release of Windows Live Messenger will be a mandatory upgrade for all beta testers, but MSN Messenger users can choose to stay on the older client. Microsoft says it will notify MSN Messenger users of the available upgrade through a pop-up dialog box in the coming weeks. Users do not need to uninstall MSN Messenger before upgrading.

Windows Live Messenger -- available in 26 languages -- is specifically designed for Windows XP Service Pack 2, although the software should run on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista Beta 2. Microsoft will likely only officially support Vista when the next-generation operating system is released early next year.

To help promote the launch of the service, Microsoft has teamed up with Disney to offer exclusive access to an online game called "Dead Man's Tale." The game is based on the upcoming film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest," and will offer peeks into the sequel's storyline and clips from the movie.

"There are very few discernable differences between this version and the beta because, as I said, we’ve been doing clean up," the Windows Live Messenger team commented on its blog. "But if you’re upgrading from MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger, then you’ll be seeing A LOT of changes."

Microsoft did, however, have one piece of bad news for users. Muskopf told BetaNews that @live.com and @windowslive.com addresses will not be available for registration starting June 20 as initially planned. The company is working out some last minute tweaks and the new domains for Windows Live ID will debut at a later date.

Bill Gates to Leave Microsoft in 2 Years

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
June 15, 2006, 4:49 PM

Gates and BallmerMicrosoft chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced in a press conference Thursday afternoon that he would be shifting priorities, leaving his full-time position at Microsoft in two years to focus his efforts on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Microsoft CTO Ray Ozzie will take over Gates' role as Chief Software Architect starting immediately. "Over the next two years, Ray and I will work side by side to ensure a smooth transition," Gates said. "Over time, he'll take on the central role for architectual leadership at Microsoft.'

Gates reitered that he is not retiring from the software business, calling the change a re-ordering of priorities. "With greath wealth comes great responsibility," he said. "A responsibility to give back to society."

Gates will retain his position as company chairman, and plans to spend some of his time at Microsoft.

"I want to spend more time on foundation efforts in the future," Gates explained. "After careful consideration, Steve and I have agreed to announce a two year transition plan...We have a great team of people and I believe we can make this transition."

Microsoft's Craig Mundie will become Chief Research and Strategy Officer, and will assume Gates' role with Microsoft Research. "Craig will also manage Microsoft's intellectual property and policy issues," Gates said.

"Obviously this decision was very hard for me to make....Even as I prepare to shift my focus in July 2008, I know Microsoft is well positioned for success in the years ahead." Gates said that he will "miss working for Steve every day as I have over the past 26 years."

"Bill may reduce his time here but his imprint on the company will never diminish," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "We will continue his tradition of thinking big and executing even bigger."

In the near term, Gates will be taking a 7 week vacation -- the longest he says he has been away from Microsoft -- in Africa and "enjoying the Seattle summer." Ballmer noted the vacation was earned long ago, and is unrelated to the career transition announcement.

MS, NVidia Team on Mobile Graphics

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
June 7, 2006, 1:00 PM

NVidia released a development kit Wednesday that will allow handheld manufacturers to add support for various multimedia functions, including digital television and 3D graphics, to Windows Media 5.0 devices. Dubbed the MobileMedia platform, the kit includes both hardware and software components.

"Handheld phones today offer great promise as digital, media-rich devices, however the broad range of platforms and standards available to manufacturers has made the development of advanced handsets that deliver compelling content, a daunting and time-prohibitive task," said Philip Carmack, senior vice president of handheld GPUs at NVidia.

Both Microsoft and NVidia say this would speed the development time of advanced handsets using Windows Mobile 5.0.

Jason Lim, Microsoft's Asia Pacific and Japan regional director for Windows Mobile acknowledged that customers had been asking for more robust combinations of lifestyle and productivity applications. Lim said the partnership would help make those requests a reality.

Several devices based on the MobileMedia platform are already in the works, including devices from Samsung, HTC / Modeo, and ReignComm. NVidia is also working with Intel and Freescale on reference designs for devices to be announced later in the year.

"This new product represents a complete solution for device manufacturers, delivering an easy-to-integrate, high-performing multimedia platform for handhelds using the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system," Carmack said.

Google to Test Web-Based Spreadsheet

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
June 5, 2006, 11:20 PM

Google plans to release a Web-based spreadsheet application Tuesday, which, when combined with its recent purchase of online word processor Writely, seems to indicate the company is about to mount a challenge to Microsoft's Office productivity suite.

However, Google is playing down the idea that the new beta project -- first reported by the Wall Street Journal -- is somehow a threat to Office's dominance, saying the two applications would be "complementary."

The Web based spreadsheet will not require any application to be installed on the user's computer, and documents created would be saved on Google's servers. Thus, a user could access the document from any computer with a Web browser. Up to 50 spreadsheets could be saved at one time, Google says.

Additionally, the application would allow multiple people to edit the spreadsheet simultaneously. All users would see changes as they were made, with an area available to chat if needed.

When saving, the user would have the option of either saving to an Excel-compatible or comma separated value (CSV) file. While the initial beta release is said to be quite rudimentary and only a few select users would gain access initially, Google will both refine the product and invite more testers in the coming months.

Google Spreadsheet will be accessible through Google Labs.

Microsoft to Drop PDF Support in Office

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
June 2, 2006, 5:40 PM

Amid threats of a lawsuit from Adobe, Microsoft acknowledged Friday that it would remove support for saving files in PDF from Office 2007, as well as dropping its own rival format XPS from the productivity suite and Windows Vista.

The changes follow a breakdown of talks between the two technology giants after Microsoft announced last year it would include native PDF publishing with the release of Office 2007. The feature has long been a top request from customers, the company said at the time, and other office suites have the capability.

But Adobe was unhappy with the move and a dispute has been brewing for four months, Microsoft's lead counsel Brad Smith said Friday. Although PDF claims to be an open format and is integrated into OpenOffice and Apple's Mac OS X operating system, Adobe apparently sees Office 2007 as a real threat to its business.

Adobe wants Microsoft to charge for the feature, which the Redmond company has refused to do. Smith said Adobe threatened to file an antitrust suit in Europe, and his company was preparing for that eventuality. Now, however, Microsoft says it will make the feature available through a downloadable add-on.

"PDF is usually viewed as an open standard and there are other office suites out there that already support PDF output. I don't see us providing functionality that's any different from what others are doing," remarked Microsoft's Office Open XML format lead Brian Jones in a blog posting.

"This really is one of those cases where you just have to shake your head. Adobe got a lot of goodwill with customers, particularly in government circles, for making PDF available as an open standard. It’s amazing that they would go back on the openness pledge."

In addition, Microsoft will drop support for its own fixed-layout format known as XPS from Office and offer an XPS-free version of Windows Vista to OEMs that request it. Windows Vista includes XPS -- formerly code-named "Metro" -- as part of the Windows Presentation Foundation. The company will host a session on using Vista as a document platform at TechEd 2006 in Boston on June 12.

However, it is unlikely many computer makers will opt for the XPS-free option. European computer makers have balked at Windows XP N, a special version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that strips out Windows Media Player. When running a standard Vista install, Office 2007 will have the "Save as XPS" feature.

Some analysts have remained skeptical that Microsoft's side is the full story. Adobe has yet to comment on the matter, and may not publicly if it indeed intends to file a lawsuit.

"I had no idea that Adobe carried such swath it could force Microsoft to raise Office prices," chided Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox. He noted that Microsoft is clearly using the media to push its position that if it cannot use PDF freely, then Adobe's format must not be open.

"Whatever occurred in private between the two companies, Microsoft is aggressively taking a very public PR position. I see Microsoft as trying to make this a debate about formats and the openness of PDF. Microsoft claims new Office formats are open, but some governments--Massachusetts, for example--disagree."

Already, industry groups have come out in support of Microsoft, and customers have expressed their dismay at Adobe's actions.

“If recent reports are accurate, Adobe is turning PDF from an open standard into a double standard. It seems their new position is that the PDF standard is now open for some to implement, but not all,” commented Jonathan Zuck, President of the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT).

"The Commonwealth did pick PDF as an open standard. Microsoft could gain favorable position with Massachusetts or other governments by launching a FUD campaign that portrays Adobe as exacting a double standard with respect to PDF openness," added Jupiter's Wilcox.

Microsoft's Jones said he hopes Adobe realizes it has made a mistake and, "that they probably shouldn't try to sue people for using an open file format." Microsoft has pledged not to go after anyone that implements its Office Open XML formats, which are currently being certified as a standard by Ecma.

"If you're like me and think this is just a bad thing all around, you should let them know," Jones wrote. With no lawsuit filed just yet, Adobe could still give into the public pressure and forge an agreement with Microsoft.

"The worst thing Adobe could do is not respond," said Wilcox. "The company needs to tell its side of the story, before Microsoft's version is seared in the public consciousness."

Microsoft Unveils JPEG Alternative

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
May 25, 2006, 6:18 PM

Fresh off taking on PDF with its Metro specification at last year's WinHEC, Microsoft now has plans to take on JPEG with Windows Media Photo. Microsoft Watch reported from Seattle Thursday that the company is advertising the new format as a higher-quality alternative to the aging JPEG standard.

In half the size, a WMP file would produce higher quality images when printed and even when sent through e-mail, the company said in a Wednesday session at the WinHEC conference in Seattle. As a result, images saved in the format would require significantly less space to store.

On Wednesday, version 0.9 of the specification was shipped with the second beta of the Windows Vista and WinFX component. The Microsoft Web site listing the specification says that the format provides a multitude of benefits, including multiple color formats for display or print; lossless or high quality compression; efficient decoding, and minimal overhead when converting from other formats.

As of Thursday afternoon Microsoft had updated page, slapping a version number of 1.0 on it, possibly indicating the company was satisfied with the reliability of the code, as it was no longer referred to as a "draft specification."

Nathan Weinberg of the Inside Microsoft Web log had high praise for Microsoft's foray into digital imaging. "I'm delighted to see Microsoft do this," he wrote on Thursday. "Microsoft pushing a new format invites development and improvement, and hopefully everyone will win in the end."

Weinberg further recommended that Microsoft not attempt to make money off the format, and rather freely license it to its competitors. He also suggested such a plan could help adoption of other Windows Media-based multimedia formats in the end.

Early analysis from those in attendance indicated that the format could pose a threat to the dominance of JPEG. However, since WinHEC is a technical conference, the format was looked at from that standpoint, rather than looking at practical applications of the technology.

WMP will be integrated into Microsoft's XPS ("Metro") document standard, the company said. While the technology will be supported natively by WIndows Vista, Microsoft plans to release an add-on for Windows XP as well.

WinFS Beta 2 to Appear at TechEd

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
May 23, 2006, 3:51 PM

Microsoft has been busy working on its next-generation storage technology known as WinFS and will be showing off new features next month at TechEd 2006 in Boston. WinFS Beta 1 debuted last September and Beta 2 is slated for release later this year.

WinFS, or Windows File Store, is Microsoft's new SQL-based file system technology that will be released as an add-on shortly after Windows Vista. The idea of WinFS is to create a "sea of data" that abolishes the need for the standard file and folder hierarchy.

For example, no longer would documents need to be stored in My Documents or images in My Pictures; instead, Windows would simply display the files associated with a particular request on demand. In addition, WinFS could store structured data such as contacts, calendars and more.

Asked whether WinFS is an individual file system or simply an extension of NTFS, Microsoft previously explained to BetaNews: "It's both. It's built on NTFS and it is a file system."

Items can be standard file-backed objects such as images and documents, or objects not backed by tangle files including contacts and e-mail. For file-backed items, WinFS leverages NTFS to store the data and ensure compatibility with current Win32 applications. When a file is changed, the system re-syncs the necessary metadata with WinFS.

Associations play an important role in establishing relationships between different types of data and allow users to organize information based how it's used.

"Imagine a world where data storage and retrieval just work the way they should- no need to create clumsy mappings between objects, relational tables, and byte streams being stored in files," said WinFS program manager Shan Sinha. "We finally can realize a world that simplifies the persistence, manipulation and retrieval of data, giving us an opportunity to create unique new applications based on those new capabilities."

"Since we announced the availability of Beta 1 last September, we have been busy incorporating all of the feedback you gave to us and preparing Beta 2," Sinha added. "Well at Tech Ed, we will be demonstrating why we continue to be so excited about WinFS, showing off features from our Beta 2 release."

Microsoft Details Vista Requirements

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
May 18, 2006, 1:31 PM

With Windows Vista Beta 2 set to make its public debut at WinHEC next week, Microsoft on Thursday finally detailed the hardware specifications required to run the new operating system. The Redmond company also launched a "Get Ready" program to help consumers prepare for the upgrade.

Claiming that Windows Vista is the first operating system to scale based on the capabilities of the computer it's running on, Microsoft has broken down hardware requirements into two categories: Vista Capable PCs and Vista Premium Ready PCs.

"Capable" systems will largely cover current systems running Windows XP, and serve as the bare minimum for upgrading to Windows Vista. PCs that fall under this category must have an 800MHz or faster processor and 512MB of RAM. A DirectX 9 capable video card is also required, and a 20GB hard drive.

But consumers looking to take full advantage of Windows Vista, including its new advanced user interface called Aero, will need more powerful hardware. A 1GHz processor, 40GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM are required at the base level, as well as a modern DirectX 9 graphics card with at least 128MB of video RAM. 256MB of video memory is required for higher resolutions.

These "Premium Ready" PCs must also include a DVD drive, audio output and Internet access. Microsoft recommends that any user currently planning to purchase a new PC make sure it has the Premium Ready designation. Manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, Lenovo and Toshiba plan to add the Vista Ready branding to their systems.

“Customers have many options and choices to make when it comes to buying a PC today. A wide range of form factors, price points and new technologies figure into their decisions,” said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management and Marketing. “With that in mind, Microsoft and OEMs are making it easier to prepare for the arrival of Windows Vista."

Microsoft also rolled out a new "Get Ready" Web site to aid customers interested in running Windows Vista. There, users can download a beta of the Vista Upgrade Advisor that helps determine which edition of Vista is needed and whether any hardware upgrades will be required.

Microsoft plans to enhance the Upgrade Advisor tool with additional functionality before the official launch of Windows Vista in January.

Google Notebook launched

Google Notebook launched...

click this link to the browser extension that makes creating notes

Firefox Continues to Make Gains

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
May 15, 2006, 11:59 AM

Firefox continues to make slow gains globally, with the market share of Internet Explorer beginning to stabilize, Web analytics firm OneStat.com reported on Friday.

Worldwide, market share of Internet Explorer fell slightly to 85.17 percent from 85.82 percent in January, while usage of Firefox rose slightly from 11.23 percent to 11.79 percent in May. Apple's Safari browser also made modest gains, at 2.02 percent from 1.88 percent in January.

"It is interesting to see that global usage share of Mozilla is higher in the USA and Canada as in other countries in the world and that the global usage share of Apple's Safari is still growing," said Niels Brinkman, co-founder of OneStat.com.

In the US, Firefox has a 12.81 percent share, and in Canada, 16 percent. However, in both cases Internet Explorer registered about a 2 percent gain, and in the case of Canada, at Firefox's expense.

In all cases, Safari was the third most popular browser, followed by Opera and Netscape. Except for Canada, where Opera has a 2.15 percent share, both browsers accounted for less than one percent each of used browsers in the surveyed countries.

The browser race is expected to heat up again later this year. Both Mozilla and Microsoft hope to have new versions of their browsers released to the public by the end of 2006. In the past, Mozilla has been able to successfully use its new browser releases as opportunities to expand market share.