Microsoft on Tuesday announced that its 2005 Professional Developers Conference, which begins September 13 in Los Angeles, has completely sold out. The four day event will give developers a long-awaited taste of Windows Vista and a look at the next release of Microsoft Office, code-named Office 12.

Bill Gates will kick off PDC05 with a keynote address, and other Microsoft executives will also speak at the event. The last PDC was held in 2003 and focused on the fundamentals of Longhorn. However, much has changed in the operating system since that time and PDC05 will be crucial for any developers looking to prepare for Vista's late 2006 debut.

Continue reading →

UPDATED A public interest lawyer who is also intending to run as a Republican in the 2006 Illinois gubernatorial race is taking his fight to Microsoft in hopes of preventing the company from releasing what he calls "bad code."

Andy Martin of The Committee to Fight Microsoft on Tuesday announced his intentions to block Microsoft from releasing Windows Vista. Martin intends to ask Microsoft for an unconditional warranty that the operating system is free of bugs that could result in security vulnerabilities.

Continue reading →

Microsoft on Monday signed off on the Windows Vista SDK, or software development kit, which will enable developers to create applications for the next-generation Windows release. The SDK, complete with code samples, tools and documentation will be available via MSDN and distributed at next month's PDC conference in LA.

The kit will simply be dubbed "Windows SDK" upon release, as it includes both WinFX and Vista-specific documentation. Microsoft will also post an online version of the docs, which can be browsed by any developer. It's not clear if the Windows SDK will replace the company's current Platform SDK.

Continue reading →

Several news sources reported late Thursday that the first virus for the next generation operating system Windows Vista had been discovered. However the virus is written for Monad, a Unix-like command shell replacement for DOS, which may not even ship with the operating system and may not be part of any Microsoft OS until at least 2009.

The "proof of concept" viruses, named Danom, have five variants and will infect and either edit or overwrite .msh, .bat, and .cmd files. Security software firm F-Secure first reported the "Vista Virus" emergence, but admitted it "will never became a real-world problem."

Continue reading →

UPDATED Less than 24 hours after Microsoft announced the release of Windows Vista Beta 1 and Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 to testers and MSDN subscribers, both betas have leaked to Internet sites and newsgroups along with a crack for Windows Product Activation, according to BetaNews sources.

The Vista download weighs in at close to 2.5GB, but the operating system's heft did not keep the pirates away. The next-generation Windows beta likely uses the same activation technology found in Windows XP, which was compromised long ago.

Continue reading →

Following what many viewed as an unimpressive first showing of the then "Longhorn" OS at this year's WinHEC, Wednesday's release of Windows Vista Beta 1 began to show hints of the Aero interface that will play a large role in the new operating system.

Microsoft also confirmed Wednesday that a feature complete version of the interface will not be included until Beta 2, not due until early 2006.

Continue reading →

Microsoft officially released the first beta of Windows Vista on Wednesday as expected, ending what seemed like a never-ending series of delays and moving the Redmond company closer to the release of its long awaited next generation operating system.

Over 10,000 testers will get first dibs at the OS, with thousands more gaining access to the beta through the MSDN program and Microsoft TechNet.

Continue reading →

Sources are reporting that Microsoft will beat its August 3 deadline for delivering Beta 1 of Longhorn, now known as Windows Vista, with a release to testers on Wednesday. Beta 1 is not expected to include the operating system's new name, which will likely be added for a beta refresh due in September for Microsoft's PDC 2005 conference.

Windows Vista Beta 1 will initially be available to a small group of testers via Microsoft's new Connect beta portal. MSDN subscribers will receive access to the first beta bits on August 3. Build 5112 will carry the official Beta 1 label, according to Windows Enthusiast site WinBeta.

Continue reading →

The Seattle Times reported over the weekend that Microsoft might need to jump through some legal hurdles in order to keep the new name for its next generation operating system. The paper uncovered Saturday that a fellow Redmond-based company, Vista, Inc., owns the trademark to the name "Vista."

Vista specializes in e-business infrastructure applications for the small-to-medium enterprise market, and its CEO John Wall is not happy with Microsoft. Wall told the paper that his company is currently investigating whether or not the name violates trademark laws.

Continue reading →

With the announcement of Longhorn's official name, Microsoft has left many users asking: Why Windows Vista? Company representatives told BetaNews that Microsoft felt the new version of Windows "deserved a name that was more representative of what it specifically brings to customers."

"Today, we live in a world of 'more' -- more information, more ways to communicate, more things to do, more opportunities -- and at the same time, more responsibilities. Increasingly, we all turn to our PCs to help us with that," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "At the end of the day, what you're after is a way to break through all the clutter to focus on what you want to focus on, what you need to do. What you're trying to get to is your own personal Vista -- whether that is trying to organize photos, or trying to find a file or trying to connect and collaborate with a number of people electronically."

Continue reading →

Microsoft on Friday told BetaNews it had no plans to use the "Vista" moniker for its next generation Windows Server product line, despite choosing the name for its Longhorn client. For now, Microsoft will continue using Longhorn Server for a Beta 1 release, which is due in the coming weeks.

"While we are not announcing the name for Longhorn Server at this time, we can tell you that the current plan is to follow the existing naming convention of Windows Server 2003," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews. Windows Vista was announced Friday, alongside a video promoting the name.

Continue reading →

The folks at Redmond have long pointed to the user interface of the next generation Windows release as one of its major selling points. Now, Microsoft has chosen an official name for Longhorn with just that in mind. Enter: Windows Vista.

Word of the new name leaked out late Thursday after Microsoft tipped off journalists and enthusiast sites of an impending Longhorn-related announcement due Friday morning. "Windows Vista" was first mentioned at a Microsoft sales conference in Atlanta, according to reports.

Continue reading →

Although many are eagerly awaiting Microsoft next version of Windows, known as Longhorn, a recent study by AssetMetrix shows that many companies have not even upgraded to Windows XP, a full four years after its release.

The study reports that Windows 2000 is installed on 48 percent of all corporate PCs as of the first quarter of this year, only falling four percent since the last quarter of 2003. In comparison, usage of Windows XP rose from 6.6 to 38 percent during the same period.

Continue reading →

Microsoft announced on Wednesday the release timetable for its version of Windows XP without Windows Media Player, simply branded with the additional moniker: N. The slimmed down OS will be available to European computer makers on June 15, with a retail launch slated for July 1.

It's not clear, however, if computer manufacturers will even be interested in the N editions, which carry the same price tag as versions with Windows Media Player.

Continue reading →

The April 12, 2005 deadline passed Tuesday and Microsoft has followed through with its pledge to revoke the grace period that provided enterprise customers the option to postpone the adoption of Windows XP Service Pack 2. The update, which fortifies Windows with a variety of new security enhancements, will now be pushed to customers and has become a requirement to receive future upgrades.

In response to a chorus of widespread customer feedback insisting that SP2 could prove disruptive to mission critical applications, Microsoft made several support tools available that temporarily blocked the delivery of SP2 via Automatic Updates and forestalled Windows Update installations.

Continue reading →