Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Microsoft to Launch Windows Azure Cloud Computing Service With Windows 7
The news is coming in thick and fast from PDC08. Microsoft have just announced that Windows Azure, a new cloud computing service, will be launched at the same time as Windows 7. Windows Azure will allow data and applications to exist online in the ‘Cloud’, rather than locally on a PC.Moving Microsoft’s cash cows, Windows and Office, onto the internet is a big move for Microsoft and will allow it to enter an arena already occupied by companies like Google. By tying it to the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft clearly intend to use Windows 7 to try and entice customers to use Microsoft’s other products and services, rather than those of their customers.
One of the touted benefits of Azure is zero downtime for applications, as applications can be patched without shutting down other running applications. I hope this will lead to new functionality being added to Windows applications more frequently, rather than the current 2 year product cycle. It will also do away with the need to constantly run Windows Update and reboot local machines, as more updates will be done automatically.
Key components of the Azure Services Platform include the following:
* Windows Azure for service hosting and management, low-level scalable storage, computation and networking * Microsoft SQL Services for a wide range of database services and reporting * Microsoft .NET Services which are service-based implementations of familiar .NET Framework concepts such as workflow and access control * Live Services for a consistent way for users to store, share and synchronize documents, photos, files and information across their PCs, phones, PC applications and Web sites * Microsoft SharePoint Services and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services for business content, collaboration and rapid solution development in the cloud
Windows 7 Reviewer’s Guide
Microsoft has released a first draft version of the Windows 7 Reviewer’s Guide which is basically a first look type of guide that has been divided into three main categories that addresses certain user groups; The categories are Windows 7 for end users, Windows 7 for professionals and Windows 7 for the ecosystem. The guide does contain quite a few screenshots of a current build of Windows 7 which might make it interesting for users who just want to see how the upcoming operating system looks in this stage of development.
The new features, like the Windows 7 Taskbar, that have been introduced at the PDC 08 are already included in the guide which makes the guide a great read for everyone who missed the conference and wants to know what has changed since the last week.
The new features, like the Windows 7 Taskbar, that have been introduced at the PDC 08 are already included in the guide which makes the guide a great read for everyone who missed the conference and wants to know what has changed since the last week.
Windows 7 Extends Run As Options
Windows Vista users had the option to run an application as the system administrator instead of the currently logged in user. There was however no option in the context menu to run the application as a different user. The current build of Windows 7 has this feature which should come in handy for several users who need the functionality. The context menu entry “Run As Different User” is only visible when pressing the SHIFT key before right-clicking the file icon.
Windows 7 Aero Snap For Windows XP Or Windows Vista
Aero Snap was one of the new features of Windows 7 that got quite a bit of coverage lately. It is actually a pretty basic feature that makes it possible to move windows to the left, right or top screen to display them on half the screen (left or right) or maximize (top) them. Several third party software programs are available that can do that on Windows Vista or Windows XP but it is always nice if the exact same feature is provided by an application.
Aero Snap Beta (via Ask VG) is that software program. It is available for Windows XP or Windows Vista and requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0. The software developer has created a demonstration video to visualize the concept. The functionality is immediately available after installation. Do you know of other Windows 7 features that are available for previous versions of Windows? Let us know.
Aero Snap Beta (via Ask VG) is that software program. It is available for Windows XP or Windows Vista and requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0. The software developer has created a demonstration video to visualize the concept. The functionality is immediately available after installation. Do you know of other Windows 7 features that are available for previous versions of Windows? Let us know.
Windows 7 Boot Speed Benchmark
Lifehacker tested the boot speed of Windows 7, Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 and Windows XP Professional SP3 on a triple-boot system. All tested operating systems were 32-bit versions. Test 1 measured the boot time from boot choice to a fully loaded desktop while test 2 measured the time from boot choice to user logon screen. No additional software was installed on the operating systems, the autostart folders were empty and all settings were left on their default values.
Windows 7 Ultimate needed 32 seconds in test 1 from boot choice to a fully loaded desktop while Windows Vista Ultimate used 33 seconds and Windows XP SP3 40 seconds. The test from boot choice to login screen saw similar results with Windows 7 Ultimate leading the field with 23 seconds, Windows Vista Ultimate following suite with 24 seconds and Windows XP SP3 in third place and 29 seconds.
The results are interesting: Windows 7 is already leading the field even though the tests were conducted on a pre-beta build of the upcoming operating system. More surprising for some users, especially the die hard faction that does not like Windows Vista, is the excellent result for Windows Vista which was way faster than Windows XP SP3 in both tests.
It would be interesting to see how the operating systems would fare with a basic set of software, like anti-virus scanners, email clients, web browser or a photo editing program, installed. Would the results be similar except that the boot time would surely increase?
The result looks very promising for Windows 7. It is safe to assume that Microsoft will further optimize the operating system. It remains to be seen if this will make a huge difference in the end. Currently it does not for Windows Vista users but surely for Windows XP users.
Windows 7 Ultimate needed 32 seconds in test 1 from boot choice to a fully loaded desktop while Windows Vista Ultimate used 33 seconds and Windows XP SP3 40 seconds. The test from boot choice to login screen saw similar results with Windows 7 Ultimate leading the field with 23 seconds, Windows Vista Ultimate following suite with 24 seconds and Windows XP SP3 in third place and 29 seconds.
The results are interesting: Windows 7 is already leading the field even though the tests were conducted on a pre-beta build of the upcoming operating system. More surprising for some users, especially the die hard faction that does not like Windows Vista, is the excellent result for Windows Vista which was way faster than Windows XP SP3 in both tests.
It would be interesting to see how the operating systems would fare with a basic set of software, like anti-virus scanners, email clients, web browser or a photo editing program, installed. Would the results be similar except that the boot time would surely increase?
The result looks very promising for Windows 7. It is safe to assume that Microsoft will further optimize the operating system. It remains to be seen if this will make a huge difference in the end. Currently it does not for Windows Vista users but surely for Windows XP users.
Unlock Locked Features in Windows 7 M3
Microsoft has locked some of the upcoming features in the Windows 7 release that they distributed among attendees of the Professional Developers Conference 08 in Los Angeles. The build has made its way on various P2P sites shortly thereafter and is now in the hands of thousands of additional users who downloaded it from there. Features came to light shortly after the end of the conference that had been locked by Microsoft. Unlocking those features involved fiddling around with the command line which is not to everyone’s liking.
The Blue Badge tool changes and simplifies the process. Rafael Rivera created the tool over at Within Windows. The 32-bit edition of the software program is already available while the 64-bit edition is expected to be released tomorrow. A total of nine files will be patched by the tool. Please note that the files will not be backed up before applying the patches.
The Blue Badge tool changes and simplifies the process. Rafael Rivera created the tool over at Within Windows. The 32-bit edition of the software program is already available while the 64-bit edition is expected to be released tomorrow. A total of nine files will be patched by the tool. Please note that the files will not be backed up before applying the patches.
Windows 7 Tech Guarantee Program
Microsoft is planning a Windows 7 Tech Guarantee Program which will make it possible for Windows Vista owners to upgrade their operating system to Windows 7. They have not released many information yet about the program but some have been published at Neowin today.
Not all editions of Windows Vista will be eligible for the upgrade. Only Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate owners will have the chance and only if they have bought it in one of the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Turkish.
Some languages (like Swedish) might be missing and could be included at a later point. It is also very likely that the upgrade will only be eligible for a comparable edition of Windows 7. Windows Vista Home Premium users for example should not have high hopes to be able to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate without costs. Microsoft is said to release additional information later this month.
Not all editions of Windows Vista will be eligible for the upgrade. Only Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate owners will have the chance and only if they have bought it in one of the following languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Turkish.
Some languages (like Swedish) might be missing and could be included at a later point. It is also very likely that the upgrade will only be eligible for a comparable edition of Windows 7. Windows Vista Home Premium users for example should not have high hopes to be able to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate without costs. Microsoft is said to release additional information later this month.
Windows 7 Language Waves
Microsoft has released information about the so called language waves of Windows 7. Windows 7 will be released in a total of eight language waves which basically define when a localized edition of Windows 7 will be released to manufacturing. Please take a look at the table below for information about the eight language waves and any language in particular that you might be interested in. Each language wave is released about 14 days after the previous wave. The time between the first and last release makes up 101 days.Windows 7 Screen Docking
New Windows 7 features are revealed every day. This one is actually a bit older but has not been mentioned yet here at Windows 7. Screen docking is popular feature that is currently only available by installed third party software to previous versions of the Windows operating system.
The feature basically docks and displays a window in a certain way depending on the side of the screen that it is moved to. A window will be displayed on half of the screen if the user moves it to the left or right side of it. That’s comfortable for viewing two windows that use the same amount of screen estate next to each other and should be a good option for users with large computer monitors. Moving the window to the top will turn it into a full sized window taking up all screen estate. Moving it to the bottom has no effect currently.
The feature basically docks and displays a window in a certain way depending on the side of the screen that it is moved to. A window will be displayed on half of the screen if the user moves it to the left or right side of it. That’s comfortable for viewing two windows that use the same amount of screen estate next to each other and should be a good option for users with large computer monitors. Moving the window to the top will turn it into a full sized window taking up all screen estate. Moving it to the bottom has no effect currently.
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