Windows

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.

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.

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.

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."

Touting the success of it's new Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) process, Microsoft late Wednesday said Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP SP2 Professional and Embedded have secured the highest Common Criteria security certification from the United States government's National Information Assurance Partnership.

Four versions of Windows Server 2003 were certified, including Standard Edition, Enterprise Edition, Datacenter Edition and Windows Server 2003 Certificate Server. Both Windows 2000 Professional and Server editions previously achieved the same security rating, dubbed Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4.

McDonalds and Microsoft on Wednesday announced a deal to utilize Windows XP Embedded across the fast food giant's stores. Microsoft's componentized version of Windows will take orders and enable Mickey D's to accept new forms of payment such as gift cards, and train employees faster.

Windows XP Embedded has already been deployed across "several thousand" stores in Europe and Asia. Now, McDonalds will roll out the platform worldwide. Microsoft lauded the partnership for bringing an "open technology platform" to the restaurant chain and ensuring "the next generation of customer service innovations."

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Microsoft issued to PDC 2005 attendees this week the first of its monthly CTP builds of Windows Vista, which includes a number of improvements over Beta 1. The version distributed to attendees does not include the new Windows Sidebar, but Microsoft did highlight the feature at PDC.

To take full advantage of Vista's new capabilities quite a bit of computing and graphics power is required. Click the image on the right to view Vista in its full glory.