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Windows 7 for XP ProfessionalsUpdating Support Skills from XP to Windows 7by Bink.nu's Raymond Comvalius
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Jump into Xbox LIVE with the Xbox 360 60GB LIVE Starter Pack. Everything you need to get up and running is included: a spacious 60 GB Hard Drive, Headset, 3-month LIVE Gold subscription, and Ethernet cable. Save your games and profiles, along with a host of downloadable content: Xbox LIVE Arcade and Xbox Original titles, demos, game content, and HD videos.
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Just a few hours ago, Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President for Windows and Windows Live Engineering, did his keynote here at PDC2008 unveiling Windows 7 to the world for the first time. Steven asked Julie Larson-Green, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Experience, to come up on stage and demo specific Windows 7 features that I think you’ll find very exciting. I’d like to take a moment and share some notes I took live here from PDC from his keynote about those features that they demoed.
It’s important to note that many of these features that were demoed during the Keynote were from more recent Windows 7 build and didn’t make it into the Windows 7 build being handed out to attendees here at PDC – but we wanted to show them off to you anyway
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If you're looking for information about Windows 7, you've come to the right place. And as we make new information available, we'll make sure you can find it all from here. If you want day-by-day news about Windows 7, sign up for the RSS feeds of the Windows team blogs.
It's the next version of Windows for PCs, and it's the result of working hand-in-hand with our partners and with people who use Windows in the real world every day. We're paying particular attention to the things they're telling us are important to them and will make their PCs work the way they want them to—things like enhanced reliability, responsiveness, and faster boot and shut-down. We're also trying to make their everyday tasks easier, like connecting and syncing devices, browsing the web, and managing a home network.
Of course, we're also working on new capabilities, so people will be able to do things with Windows 7 that were difficult (or perhaps impossible) to do with PCs before. Finally, we're working hard to ensure that Windows 7 will run on any PC and work with any program that works today with Windows Vista, so upgrading from Windows Vista will be easy.
We hope this helps you find what you're looking for. Please check back soon.
Driving Connected Experiences With the Richest Set of Solutions
“Windows Embedded ‘Quebec’ will provide OEMs with the ability to further differentiate their devices by taking rich user experiences to the next level with exciting new input capabilities through multitouch, gesture support and user interface enhancements,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of the Windows Embedded Business Unit at Microsoft. “It also will feature a rich set of componentized operating system technologies and specific features that let developers optimally size the operating system on their devices with only the drivers, services and applications they need.”
Built on Windows 7, Windows Embedded “Quebec” will offer developers a powerful, familiar and reliable experience that will include the following benefits:
Windows Server 2008 R2 showed its pretty face at the Professional Developers Conference today, here in Los Angeles. Hi there, my name’s Oliver Rist and I’m a new technical product manager on the Windows Server team. I’m down here in La-La Land heaving great sighs of satisfaction as we unveil the first sneak peeks of pre-beta Windows Server 2008 R2. Though this release is right in line with our announced roadmap strategy for future Server releases, there are several items of note with R2:
First and foremost, 32-bit is done. History. Archives. Windows Server 2008 R2 is the first Windows OS platform to go 64-bit only, and frankly it was high time. Customers have been unable to purchase a 32-bit server CPU for over two years now, and the advancements in CPU architectures really dictated that we squeeze as much performance out of customers’ hardware purchases as possible. The move to 64-bit is a first step.
You’ll also find that we’ve aligned R2 development around four core technology pillars:
First, there’s virtualization. R2 represents our most pervasive move into virtualization yet, including R2’s undisputed marquee feature, Live Migration. Think physical host migrations of running VMs happening in milliseconds—no service or user connection interruptions. With Live Migration, data centers can truly go virtual and largely divorce management considerations between software and hardware, and all managed from inside a single OS frame.
R2’s virtualization also extends to a new Hyper-V for Windows Server 2008 R2 (think mucho better management, beefier resources for VMs and more). And potentially more exciting, Terminal Services is updating its remote applications feature to include a true Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Think desktops and applications wrapped in virtualized packages, managed centrally and deployed to Windows 7 desktop with such tight integration most users will be unable to tell the difference between centrally hosted apps and those installed locally. (And don’t worry, a Web Access feature will let Windows XP and Windows Vista users in on the fun, too.)
Our second area of core concentration is streamlined management. R2 contains a host of new server role-specific management UIs. Even better, these are all built on PowerShell 2.0, which hosts a bunch of improvements of its own. For one, you’ll find over 240 new cmdlets inside the R2 box with more coming from other Microsoft platform products. There’s also a new Graphical PowerShell UI that adds developer-oriented features so you can more easily create your own cmdlets, including syntax coloring and better debugging tools. Add to that a new Active Directory Domain Services management console, enhanced Group Policy functions and a remote-capable Server Manager, and IT administrators have a lot to look forward to with R2.
Microsoft also demonstrated, for the first time, its new Web applications for Office, which are lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard Web browsers. The company showed how anyone can use all of the Web, phone, and PC versions of Office to edit the same rich document, switching among them seamlessly with lossless file compatibility.
“We are bringing the best of the Web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the Web,” said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. “From PC to the Web to the phone, and from the server to cloud, we are focused on enabling the creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the way we live, work and play.”
Windows 7 Preview
Windows 7 is designed to make everyday tasks faster and easier, and make new things possible for end users. Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering that incorporates customer and partner feedback more closely into the development process. It will deliver innovative new features while focusing on application and device compatibility. With Windows 7, Microsoft is working to establish a more consistent and predictable release schedule so partners across the Windows ecosystem can easily and quickly build on the new capabilities Windows has to offer.
At the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, where the announcement was made, PressPass spoke with Chris Capossela, Senior Vice President, Microsoft Business Division. We asked him how Office Web applications complement Office, and what this will mean for people who use Office applications.
PressPass: What are you announcing today?
Capossela: As part of the next release of Office, we’re announcing that Microsoft will deliver Office Web applications - lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote - through a browser. With these new applications, people can use a browser to create, edit, and collaborate on Office documents. What’s great is that this provides a consistent Office experience when and where our customers want it, regardless of whether they are accessing their Office documents through the PC, phone, or browser.
PressPass: What does this announcement mean for Microsoft?
Capossela: We are on a path to deliver all our technology as “software plus services,” and today is an important milestone in this journey. For more than 10 years, millions of workers have benefited from Microsoft cloud-based services, including Hosted Exchange, Outlook Web Access and Live Meeting. Earlier this year, we announced Microsoft Online, which businesses such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, Blockbuster, and Energizer are using to access Exchange and SharePoint over the Web. Last month, more than 1 million people turned to Office Live Workspace for sharing and collaborating over the Internet.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=90&p=&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=26996ced-888d-4892-b1be-5141da8272bd&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f9%2fc%2f8%2f9c8c2900-588c-4d22-bc0d-cdffce70ded8%2fPartnerVersion02.wmv
Video by Mike Nash
Today, during a keynote speech at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008 (PDC2008), Ray Ozzie, Microsoft Corp.’s chief software architect, announced Windows Azure, the cloud-based service foundation underlying its Azure Services Platform, and highlighted this platform’s role in delivering a software plus services approach to computing. The Azure Services Platform is an industry-leading move by Microsoft to help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise datacenter and deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone.
Ozzie described how this platform combines cloud-based developer capabilities with storage, computational and networking infrastructure services, all hosted on servers operating within Microsoft’s global datacenter network. This provides developers with the ability to deploy applications in the cloud or on-premises and enables experiences across a broad range of business and consumer scenarios..................................Continue At Source
Azure Services Platform Web site
Introducing Windows Azure
This week at PDC 2008 in LA and next week at WinHEC 2008 Microsoft will announce details about the next release of Windows codename Windows Seven. In this article I will inform you about what is coming to Windows Seven Server, which will be released as Windows Server 2008 R2, this is the same release schedule as first used with Window Server 2003 (Major release, Minor Release). For this reason I still find it strange that Microsoft used "Seven" as a codename (for client even releasename). For both client and server this is a minor release or point release, the kernel version is 6.x and not 7.0. Ah well, marketing is not my thing I guess.
As stated by Bink.nu few years back already, this Windows release will be a 64 bit only version, a logical decision, since all server hardware for a few years now is 64 capable. (Maybe Windows Seven Client Starter Edition will still be 32 bit)
With the release of Windows Seven it is the second time that Microsoft will release both client and server at the same time, just like it happened when Windows 2000 was launched in January 2000.
2008 R2 will include Hyper-V R2, it promises to deliver the final pieces for enterprise level OS virtualization (together with SCVMM2008) and to really compete with VMware at that level.
The most anticipated is of course Live Migration: moving running VM's from one host to another without interruption of services running inside the VM's
To accomplisch this technique a new shared filesytem is needed and so will also be introduced in Hyper-V 2.0: Clustered Shared Volumes.
The Live migration works best together with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, it can provide additional Live Migration management and orchestration scenarios such as Live Migration via policy.
Cool thing is you only need to update to Hyper-V 2.0, none of the rest of the infractructere needs updating.
Benefits
Second Level Translation (SLAT)
Overview
How
!!NOTE:The Dynamic Memory feature, will not be available as a part of the Beta for WS08 R2. Microsoft is still evaluating options to make this feature available as a part of RC/RTM of WS08 R2. So let's hope this won't be killed before release.
Allows any VHD to work on physical hardware, this is very interesting! Boot an OS VHD on your physical hardware
Terminal Services
Terminal services will get whole new Platform Improvements like a New API, Connection Broker Extensibility, Dynamic CPU Allocation, IP address virtualization, Best Practices Analyzer! and Full MSI support.
I will get more in to this at WinHEC.
PowerShell 2.0
PowerShell 2.0 includes the ability to extend PowerShell scripts functionality by using the following features:
New commandlets
A UI for powershell J
Create advanced functions. Advanced functions allow you to write wrappers around existing cmdlets. PowerShell 2.0 searches for functions first and then cmdlets. This allows advanced functions to take precedence over cmdlets.
Call .NET application programming interfaces (APIs). This feature allows you to extend your PowerShell with the features provided by any .NET API.
Improved script debugging. PowerShell 2.0 allows you to set breakpoints on lines, columns, functions, variables, and commands. You can also specify actions to run when the breakpoint is hit. The debugging environment supports stepping into, over, or out of functions. You can also get the call stack information (breakpoints)
Subscription-based interface to Windows Event System. This feature allows your PowerShell scripts to respond to specific events in event logs.
Write cmdlets in PowerShell script. This feature allows you to write cmdlets in PowerShell instead of compiled C# or VB.NET.
Script Internationalization. This new feature allows PowerShell script authors to write scripts that can be translated to any language supported by Windows.
Improved Portability of PowerShell Scripts and Cmdlets
Another area of improvement for PowerShell 2.0 is in the area of portability. The improved portability in PowerShell 2.0 allows you to easily move PowerShell scripts and cmdlets between computers.
The features that help improve the portability of PowerShell scripts and cmdlets include:
New module architecture. This architecture allows the packaging of cmdlets, which includes the definition and packaging of scripts. You can send these packaged modules to other administrators.
New method of storing configuration information. PowerShell version 1.0 some of the configuration was put in the registry. In PowerShell version 2.0 the configuration is stored in an .xml file . The .xml file allows the configuration information to be more easily moved from one computer to another.
Note: Although you must uninstall PowerShell 1.0 before installing PowerShell 2.0, the registry settings are automatically migrated to the .xml file.
Direct Access
Direct Access allows access to resources on Corporate network without the need to establish a VPN connection, invisible to end users.
This feature was originally announced as part of R2 of Server 2003, implemented the same way as Outlook Anywhere does (RPC over HTTPS), but now it is implemented using the latest technologies: SSTP, IPSec and IPv6.
Branchoffice Cache
Branchoffice Cache, caches http & SMB downloaded by users in the branch, users can quickly open files stored in the cache which frees up network bandwidth for other uses.
.NET for Core installation! Yes Microsoft componentized .NET framework the same way as they did with VISTA/2008 OS components. So now it is possible to install .NET Framework on Core with all the benefits that come with it, like asp.net websites! And PowerShell 2.0 J!!
More to come this week on Bink.nu.
Microsoft just published the Windows Seven Software Logo Program Requirements Document on MS download center, which states that it is confidential and under NDA, that is weird practice
Microsoft gave .NET a new logo. Stephan van Stekelenburg is reporting:
"Yay! After only 8 years of the old .NET logo, today is actually the day Microsoft announces a new logo for the best technology until the day of today, and I like it."
What can we expect to see of Windows 7 at the upcoming Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (or PDC) next week? We take a sneak peak at some of the features or improvements leaked, discussed or presented the last couple of weeks. This list isn’t accurate as Microsoft has deliberately been quiet about Windows 7 and its main features. Expect to hear about most of the following article next week when Windows 7 is officially uncovered to developers, IT pros, the press and the rest of the public at Microsoft PDC 2008!
Will Windows 7 get a cool new user-interface in terms of graphical overhaul?
Nope. Microsoft did officially state they won’t be changing the UI allot (like they did when moving from Windows XP to Windows Vista) as, although very cool, most people get scared when seeing a new UI. The average user or users with less computer experience had some trouble with adapting to the (rather minor, in my opinion) changes Windows Vista brought. So be prepared to be let down when it comes to the graphical appearance of the system itself if you were expected something better / newer / nicer. There are however putting some effort into making the experience more uniform across the system
Will Windows 7 have a completely new and rewritten kernel powering the OS giving us more power?
Nope. Microsoft stated on their official Windows 7 blog they won’t be brining a brand new kernel to the system as it’s simply not needed. The current NT kernel is just fine and, although people like to think otherwise, is fairly fast. They did say they are brining improvements to the kernel as always. One should also consider the compatibility issues one could get when changing some as fundamental as the Windows kernel itself.
I hate User Account Control (UAC) in Vista! Are they going to change that at all?
Nope. UAC as designed is a basic security and permissions/access design that should be implemented in every modern day operating system. Linux and Mac OS X have had this design for ages now, separating users from admins and raising privileges on the spot when needed. In some of the latest leaked screenshots, it showed Microsoft is however working on refining the user experience when using User Account Control. It showed a configuration panel allowing the user to set when and how the user should be notified of UAC notifications. Also note that Microsoft is very much paying attention to the general public on this issue. Based upon user input when Vista launched, Microsoft refined UAC in the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 release.
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The bug concerns the Server service found in all NT-based Windows OS responsible for communication between computers in a Windows based Network allowing for remote execution of code.
Bink first reported the issue along with a link to the rather small KB article. Since then Microsoft updated the article (several times?) to provide more information to the public. Questions are raised after seeing this additional information.
Hopefully when the systems are patched, we could get a glimpse on how this bug works and how it could be there has been a flaw in a modern and secure system for over 8 years now. More information will be posted as it comes available.
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Server service. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an affected system received a specially crafted RPC request. On Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability without authentication to run arbitrary code. It is possible that this vulnerability could be used in the crafting of a wormable exploit. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect network resources from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter.
This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and rated Important for all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 ( also Core) and Windows Seven.