Articles about Windows

While Windows XP won't natively boot on Apple's new Intel based Macs due to lack of EFI support and Microsoft has no plans to change that in Vista, one hacker has found a way around the limitation and snagged a $13,854 prize in the process. But the approach requires heavy editing of an XP install disc.

Colin Nederkoorn launched a contest to encourage the technically savvy to get Windows XP installed on an Intel iMac, Mac mini or MacBook Pro. Donations were collected from a number of companies and individuals, with the sum going to the first person that discovered a reproducible method for booting Windows on a Mac.

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Despite claims that it has "paused" development on the product, Microsoft delivered an updated CTP of Expression Graphic Designer -- formerly known as Acrylic -- over the weekend, along with a refreshed build of its Interactive Designer tool.

Expression Graphic Designer has been hyped as a rival to Adobe's Photoshop, but Microsoft has designed the product to specifically take advantage of the new display capabilities in Windows Vista. Graphic Designer outputs into the XAML file format that is natively supported by Vista's Presentation Foundation.

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Microsoft confirmed reports that at least the initial Intel Macs from Apple would not support Windows Vista, telling BetaNews Friday that its next generation operating system would not support the EFI boot process being used by the new systems.

Apple decided to use Intel's new Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) over the older Basic Input Output System (BIOS). As previously reported by BetaNews, Windows XP cannot run on the Macs due to its lack of EFI support, however Windows Vista was expected to change that.

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Microsoft late last week began to publicly deny reports that it was building a backdoor into Windows Vista in order for governments to gain access to private files. Calling it "simply not acceptable," Microsoft System Integrity Team developer and cryptographer Niels Ferguson said the official line is that the company does not, and would not, create backdoors.

Reports of such an issue within the next generation Windows release surfaced in mid-February following a report by BBC News. The story claimed the British government feared that new encryption technologies, specifically BitLocker in Vista, could set back terrorism investigations.

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Echoing the information that leaked out last week, Microsoft early Monday confirmed it will ship six different editions of Windows Vista. Two versions will be designed for businesses, three for consumers, and one for emerging markets. But will consumers welcome choice or simply be intimidated by the number of options?

As previously reported, 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 as it is designed purely as a low-cost option in specific countries.

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Microsoft has announced the arrival of the February Windows Vista CTP, which was renamed to "Enterprise CTP" as the company moves from monthly to audience specific naming. The release means Windows Vista is now "feature complete," offering the first glimpse at the Windows Sidebar.

In a conference call Wednesday, General Manager of Windows Client Product Management Brad Goldberg heralded the Enterprise CTP -- numbered build 5308 -- as a "call to action for businesses." Microsoft is encouraging enterprises to begin testing out new features starting today.

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Microsoft on Wednesday is expected to make available the third CTP, or Community Technology Preview, of Windows Vista. The February release has been scheduled to be the first feature-complete build of Microsoft's next-generation operating system and will showcase for the first time the Windows Sidebar.

Redmond officials are hosting a conference call early Wednesday to discuss the status of Vista development. Microsoft has held two previous calls: one if November to announce that no public CTP would be release, and another before Christmas to herald the arrival of the December CTP. A broader Beta 2 release of Windows Vista is still expected in the first half of 2006.

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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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According to an update on Microsoft's support lifecycle Web site, the next service pack for Windows XP isn't due out until the second half of 2007 -- one full year after Windows Vista launches.

XP SP3 will likely serve as a cumulative update for what will soon become Microsoft's legacy operating system.

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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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