'PlaysForSure' logo being replaced with 'Certified for Vista'
Without much explanation, Microsoft's PlaysForSure Web page, which had once been the meeting ground for its portable media tech partners, now bears a statement to users that the logo is being dropped.
"The PlaysForSure logo is getting a new look," the statement reads. "All the testing requirements for devices are the same, but instead of looking for the PlaysForSure logo to ensure compatibility, look for the Certified for Windows Vista logo."
Vista SP1 release candidate goes live
This morning, BetaNews FileForum was alerted to the availability of the latest release candidate for Windows Vista Service Pack 1, just released from Microsoft.
FileForum posted a live link immediately. In an indication that this may be the only RC release prior to SP1's final endorsement, no number has been attached. Microsoft is only describing the file as an "RC," not an "RC1."
Office 2007 SP1 goes live, Windows XP SP3 RC1 follows along
As anticipated and without much fanfare, Microsoft this morning made active links for downloads of Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 1, as well as the complete Office 2007 Service Pack 1.
A Knowledgebase article detailing the contents of O2K7 SP1 had also been made available this morning, though BetaNews noticed that just before noon today, Microsoft removed that article, perhaps for editing purposes. The link to the download itself however remained active. The Office service pack is not a beta; it is a complete release.
Improved startup repair tool, media throttling among Vista SP1 changes
To reassure customers that it really has been addressing consumers' concerns about Vista, Microsoft has made its change log to Windows Vista SP1 publicly available early.
Microsoft has released early its final change log for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 -- an indication that the release of the software itself could be imminent. Among the changes and additions which the company has confirmed are several that directly address customer complaints, including one of the big ones: system slowdowns while running multimedia files.
Yahoo Messenger previews a new Vista-centric version
Last night, Yahoo opened the pre-beta preview version of Yahoo Messenger for Vista, with graphic features that appear to be more at home in the Vista environment than with XP.
Yahoo's newest version of its Messenger client has been designed from the ground up for Vista, with an interface different from all prior incarnations, built upon the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
Windows XP lives: Testing begins on new version for OLPC
Copies of Microsoft's former flagship operating system will be placed on XO laptops as part of a limited field trial. As a result, for the first time in a long while, it finds itself in the role of PC hardware tester.
Microsoft says it's testing Windows XP one more time, for deployment in a new environment: the OLPC system for emerging markets.
Vista SP1 to replace 'Reduced Functionality' with nagware
A service originally designed to compel unpaid Vista users to obtain genuine licenses is apparently being scrapped in Service Pack 1, to be replaced with a more "in-your-face" approach.
In a prepared Q&A released by Microsoft this morning, corporate vice president for Windows product marketing Mike Sievert divulged that Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM) -- a service that disables certain features of Windows Vista until the user activates the system, assuming she can -- will be scrapped in Service Pack 1. In its place will be something that reduces the user's experience instead.
XP SP3 speed lead over Vista SP1 narrows under similar workloads
A heavily promoted performance test by an evaluation software firm appeared to situate Windows Vista SP1 performance against Windows XP SP3. But the initial workloads were actually different due to the Office software used, testers admitted to BetaNews today.
Devil Mountain Software's test results comparing similar workloads on systems with varying editions of XP and Vista -- including the latest service packs or their equivalents -- show the Vista system performing astonishingly more poorly, by a staggering 144%.
Windows XP SP3 moves closer to completion
Beta testers have received access to a release candidate of Windows XP Service Pack 3, but general consumers still have a long wait until they'll see SP3 available for download. Microsoft has scheduled the last major update to its six-year-old OS for the first half of 2008 - likely after Windows Vista SP1.
Around 15,000 testers now have access to XP SP3, and Microsoft says it plans one last public beta release before releasing the final bits next year. The same individuals are testing Vista SP1 RC Preview, although Microsoft has also promised a public SP1 build. Although XP SP3 is more of a roll-up of existing hotfixes and should be completed before Vista's first upgrade, Microsoft will likely delay its release and use SP1 to encourage holdout XP users to upgrade to Vista.
Microsoft refreshes Vista's value proposition
Vista's Software Assurance customers need more value from Vista more often, and now the company has a plan for addressing their needs come next spring.
A growing number of Microsoft's business customers for Windows Vista are subscribers - customers who've signed onto the company's Software Assurance program. As such, they want their money's worth, which means Microsoft finds itself in the position of having to deploy noticeable improvements to the operating system at least every eight to ten months...as opposed to every five years.
Microsoft expands its Vista SP1 beta
Microsoft has released yet another build of its first planned service pack for Windows Vista on Wednesday, opening up the patch to a broader base of testers. While the first public beta of SP1 was shipped to 12,000 testers, this latest build opened up the test to 3,000 additional people. Smaller groups have been receiving private builds since the spring of this year.
The targeted release date still seems to remain as the first quarter of 2008, although the Redmond company is so far staying silent on any word when wider public betas will be available. Details on exactly what will be included are somewhat scarce, although Microsoft is promising to include all fixes issued since the release of Vista last fall plus several new features.
Microsoft Releasing Several Vista Patches This Week
Microsoft isn't waiting for Vista Service Pack 1 to push some important operating system updates to users.
Several updates will make their way to users this week through Windows Update, Windows Vista team member Nick White wrote to the official Vista blog on Monday. If users decide to pass on the updates, they will be included in SP1.
Can Vista Be Credited With Microsoft's Stellar Q1 Gains?
It was indeed an astounding quarter for Microsoft, with operating income having grown last quarter at an annual rate of 32%. A big part of that growth is attributable to Windows Vista. But does the fact that customers are adopting it truly signal that customers are embracing it? Yesterday, the company's chief financial executives offered some very revealing data.
What recession? Since Chris Liddell's arrival as Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer, the company's timing and execution have been impeccable. He has five business divisions whose books he manages, but the weight of capital expenditures in the revenue of at least two divisions have been more than offset by gains in the other three that help Microsoft to cruise right along.
Can Microsoft Make Vista More Compelling?
Although Windows Vista has been on sale for nearly nine months, Microsoft has yet to seriously market the operating system, letting a certain rival control public mind share on a number of fronts. That's all about to change, as the Redmond company attempts to make Vista more compelling to consumers.
At an event in New York City this week timed to coincide with Apple's launch of Leopard, Microsoft executives invited members of the consumer press from all over the world to see why they should pay attention to -- and write about -- Vista this holiday season.
New Features Discovered in Windows XP SP3: Is It Better Than Vista?
The principal reason given for the tremendous under-the-hood changes to Windows unveiled early this year in Vista was the need to overhaul the security model. Indeed, Vista has proven to be a generally more secure operating system, though some vulnerabilities that apply to ordinary software impact Vista users just as much as any other.
But now, software analysts testing the latest build 3205 of the beta for Windows XP Service Pack 3 are discovering a wealth of genuinely new features - not just patches and security updates (although there are literally over a thousand of those), but services that could substantially improve system security without overhauling the kernel like in Vista.
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