A Windows Vista help page has provided some insight into Microsoft's packaging plans for the next-generation Windows release due out later this year. While the company has yet to make any official announcement, Microsoft is ostensibly preparing six different editions of Windows Vista.

At the bottom of the list is Windows Starter 2007, which will likely replace the current Windows XP Starter Edition SKU. This slimmed down version of Windows does not carry the Vista branding because it will not feature the new Aero Glass interface, and is designed purely as a low-cost option for emerging markets.

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British officials are concerned about encryption in Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista release, saying the technology could prevent law enforcement from reading suspects' computer files. They claim certain new features within Vista, while intended to do good, may actually set back terrorism investigations.

The comments came as part of a larger House of Commons home affairs select committee meeting on holding terrorism suspects. Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, said, "from later this year, the encryption landscape is going to change with the release of Microsoft Vista."

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Sun Microsystems on Wednesday issued a beta release of Java Platform Standard Edition 6, the company's next-generation development language targeted at so-called Web 2.0 programmers. Perhaps most enticing for those new to Java, the update adds a framework for supporting popular scripting languages such as PHP.

Java SE 6 -- previously known by the code-name "Mustang" -- also leverages JavaScript and includes a full "Web services client stack," along with support for recent Web services specifications like JAX-WS 2.0 and JAXB 2.0. In addition, the release will bring support for Windows Vista.

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Microsoft has made available prerelease versions of the Windows Communication Foundation and Windows Workflow Foundation, which comprise two of the core building blocks within Windows Vista. The company has also issued a Go-Live license for each, signifying the products' state of readiness.

The idea of the releases is to enable developers to build applications and solutions on the new technology and be ready by the time Vista reaches store shelves. The two foundations are part of the new WinFX programming model, which Microsoft has backported to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

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Think you can guess the date Windows Vista will officially debut next year? If so, you can win an all-expenses-paid trip to the launch event, or one of nine Xbox 360 consoles. The contest is being held as part of Microsoft Europe's new Beta Experience program, which is designed to keep users up to date with Vista and Office 12 news.

"As a member of the Beta Experience, you are one of the first to be informed of the new product features, long before the final version is released to the market," Microsoft says. Those 18 years of age and residing in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom may enter.

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Testers and developers looking forward to playing with Vista's most prominent new feature over the holidays will have to wait a bit longer. Microsoft officials confirmed to BetaNews late Monday that the Windows Sidebar won't be delivered in a public build until Beta 2.

Microsoft on Monday released the December CTP of Windows Vista, which includes a number of changes mostly centered on the areas of performance, security and mobility. Build 5270 also includes the new Windows Defender anti-spyware application, and a feature called BitLocker, which encrypts a full hard drive.

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In a conference call Monday afternoon, Shanen Boettcher of the Windows Client group announced the availability of the December Windows Vista CTP, numbered build 5270. The CTP focuses on improving security, performance and mobility aspects of Microsoft's next Windows release, but still lacks the Sidebar.

The test build is available now to Vista technical beta testers and will show up later today on MSDN and TechNet. Around 500,000 people will be testing the December CTP, which according to Boettcher is, "intended for use by developers and IT pros."

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Microsoft announced in a conference call on Tuesday that no Windows Vista CTP would be released for November, with the development focus shifting to a "quality based schedule, rather than a calendar date one." Instead, a December CTP will be issued before the Christmas holidays.

Amitabh Srivastava, who heads up Microsoft's Windows engineering efforts, explained that the company was endeavoring to finish the code for all Windows Vista features by the end of December, with a feature-complete build of Vista shipping "early next year."

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One of the most anticipated features in Windows Vista is its redesigned user interface that features glass-like title bars and alpha blended windows. But with the upgrade a year away, Stardock has released WindowBlinds 5 to offer Windows XP users the same capabilities right now.

Version 5 of Stardock's flagship Windows customization software has been in the works for over a year, according to company CEO Brad Wardell. Initially, Wardell's team was dubious that such features could be added without severe performance lag to Windows XP, which lacks Vista's new advanced graphics subsystem.

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With the release of a new user interface in Windows Vista and Office 12, Microsoft will also update the font that both products use for the first time in eight years. The company says the new font is designed to take advantage of ClearType, and is more modern than its predecessors.

Dubbed "Segoe UI," the font is more humanistic and less computer-like than it's predecessor, Tahoma. Microsoft also relied on a decade of research from its Typography unit on making fonts easier to read and scan on screen.

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Research firm Gartner made waves Friday by telling clients in a note that there was no compelling reason for most businesses to upgrade to Windows Vista until 2008 -- or even later. However, Microsoft's response to the scathing analysis may shock many: it called the report "balanced."

The research note, entitled "Ten reasons you should and shouldn't care about Microsoft's Windows Vista client," highlighted the problems with Microsoft's strategy for the next-generation operating system.

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As expected, Microsoft has shipped the October Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista, embarking on what the company hopes will be monthly test releases of the operating system. Build 5231 first surfaced last week and brings changes to Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and Vista's networking.

Internet Explorer 7 has received a minor facelift, with its tabs moved below the address bar to match the interface style used by the likes of Firefox and Opera. Microsoft has additionally added a "Favorites Center" for managing links and a "QuickTabs" overview of all open Web sites.

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Weeks before Microsoft is expected to release the October Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista, build 5231 has found its way onto the Internet. The pre-Beta 2 release incorporates minor updates over the September CTP that debuted at PDC 2005, including an early build of Windows Media Player 11.

Internet Explorer 7 has also received a minor facelift, with its tabs moved below the address bar to match the interface style used by the likes of Firefox and Opera. The Windows Sidebar has re-emerged in Vista build 5231, but it's not clear if the October CTP will include the feature.

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A representative of Microsoft's French division told ZDNet France on Friday that the company plans to release a third service pack for the Windows XP operating system. According to Bernard Ourghanlian, technical and security director at Microsoft France, the update is significant and a priority for Microsoft's developers.

Microsoft last updated Windows XP in August 2004, focusing on security issues. The changes came after the company received widespread criticism over the operating system's apparent lax security. No details have been received on the contents of the update, although it may include a version of WinFX being fine-tuned for the now four year-old version of Windows.

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On Wednesday, Microsoft introduced Windows Workflow Foundation, a new way for developers to quickly build workflow-enabled applications on Windows Vista. The purpose of the technology is to support business processes and make programs adapt to the day-to-day needs of people who use them.

In an interview with BetaNews, Scott Woodgate, Microsoft's group product manager for the Connected Systems Division, tried to explain the announcement's significance more clearly.

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