July 24, 2009 at 8:42 am | Windows
- Posted by admin |
Microsoft overnight blessed the latest build of Windows 7 for ‘release to manufacture’, reaching a milestone in its efforts to push the memory of Vista far behind.
Yesterday we outlined Microsoft’s timetable for distributing the finalised ‘gold code edition of Windows 7 and observed that the OS was therefore due to reach RTM status sometime within the next two weeks.
As it turns out, Microsoft hit that milestone overnight. CEO Steve Ballmer announced at the company’s staff-only Microsoft Global Exchange sales conference in Atlanta, Georgia that Windows 7 was, at last, ready to roll. Windows exec Steven Sinofsky decreed that the fresh-baked release candidate 7600.16385 was “signed off … and declared as RTM”.
It’s been a long journey since the first external release of Windows 7’s Milestone 1 build 6519 in January 2008, but nowhere near the arduous five year trek of Vista.
Nor has the road been anywhere near as rough. With exceptional focus and under Steven Sinofky’s exceptional stewardship, the next-gen Windows has enjoyed widespread praise with almost no stumbles.
So what happens now? A set of DVDs containing the 32-bit and 64-vit RTM builds of Windows 7, along with scads of supplementary tools and gumpf, is being distributed to the PC builders of the world.
Most will receive their prized FedEx parcel by Friday, US time, so that they can begin the process of turning the raw code into their own bespoke versions of the OS with branding, customised help screens, vendor-specific software and assorted crapware.
The next official date of note in the Windows 7 distribution calendar is August 6th, when the code will be posted for download on Microsoft’s members-only MSDN, TechNet and Microsoft Connect online services. Unless it lands on the BitTorrent networks sometime in the coming fortnight (and we’re taking bets that it will).
Source : APCMag.com
July 11, 2009 at 12:58 am | Windows
- Posted by admin |
While the consumer market seems keen on jumping on the Windows 7 bandwagon, the people with the big money are sticking to XP.
We’ve covered how Windows 7 is making all the right noises when it comes to the typical home user, but where Microsoft earns its big money, in the IT departments of companies and corporations around the world, it seems to have run into a rather big stumbling block.
Research by TechRepublic reveals that most IT departments are quite happy with Windows XP and have little or no plans to upgrade to Windows Vista, in the few months it has left to live, yet alone Windows 7. Impressively, from over 12,000 respondents, the research reveals that 96% of them are still using XP. 43% of them have no plans to upgrade while 45% will upgrade to Windows 7 eventually. Eventually means “only when they absolutely have to” according to 52% of respondents.
Unfortunately, only 6% of them are seriously planning to switch to Linux or OS X, so the revolution certainly won’t be happening this time around. Which suggests that, for all the hope and hype, both Mac and Linux seriously failed to move in the for kill when Windows was at its weakest in the Vista era. The inquest into how that happened really should be worth turning up for.
Naturally, a lot of these figures could be reflecting the current state of the global economy. As soon as the cash starts flowing into the IT budget once again, there could be a splurge on upgrades. But, the real deal seems to be that Microsoft finally got Windows XP in the right place (by Service Pack 2) and most corporate users are happy there and have no need to move on. Perhaps when Windows 7 reaches SP2 status, in around 3013, the computing heartland of industry will be able to move on.
Source : APCMag.com
July 11, 2009 at 12:54 am | OS, Windows
- Posted by admin |
Some “casually” left text in a post-release candidate beta of Windows 7 suggest a family pack is on the way.
In part of the end-user agreement in a recently leaked beta, a keen-eyed tester has noticed mention of a “Family Pack” version of Windows 7. The concept will be familiar to Apple users who have had such a thing for around seven years now, allowing users in the same household to install the same copy of the OS, to keep all their machines in sync.
It appears Microsoft will limit the pack to three machines, which isn’t bad – the main family desktop and mummy’s and daddy’s laptops is an obvious permutation – but somewhat down on Apple’s limit of five. Clearly Apple users have big families, or just rows and rows of Macs, carefully polished by a daddy who doesn’t get out much.
According to the Ars Technica story, the text in the Home Premium edition EULA says:
“b. Family Pack. If you are a “Qualified Family Pack User,” you may install one copy of the software marked as “Family Pack” on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there. Those computers are the “licensed computers” and are subject to these license terms. If you do not know whether you are a Qualified Family Pack User, visit go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 or contact the Microsoft affiliate serving your country.”
The link is not yet live, but that’s a pretty firm confirmation of what a lot of users had been hoping. Microsoft isn’t saying anything, yet, but will probably be waiting a week or two to let the pricing announcements sink in. Plus, it will want to get the Fourth of July holidays out of the way, when Americans have other things on their minds. Ultimate moral of this story, you really can’t keep a secret in the tech world any more.
Source : APCMag.com