From ZDNET Social Business

Stephen Rose, senior community manager at Microsoft, has a big job. He’s responsible for managing a worldwide community of more than 22 million IT professionals who use Microsoft products. An even bigger job: He’s also responsible for creating community around Windows 7.

Rose primarily works with the Springboard group, an offshoot of Microsoft Technet, a central location that holds Microsoft info for IT pros on client operating systems. The Springboard site, according to Rose, is one of the most used sites on Technet. To help create community and awareness for Windows 7, Rose and his team in part created the Springboard Series Technical Expert Panel (STEP), a “by the community, for the community” program to spur advocacy within IT professionals and community influencers withinthe Microsoft, MVP, and MCT communities. Microsoft wanted to inspire influencers to host or speak at user groups, conferences, etc., or to write about their user experiences with Windows 7.

Read the entire article here

Microsoft has really engaged with its community of customers for a good while now. From the first steps that began with Robert Scoble in 2004, community resources such as Channel 9, 8 and 10, Windows and MSDN blogs has really given users such as myself a first point of contact to interact with the people who work on Windows. New social tools such as Facebook and Twitter have also greatly impacted the engagement experience, so I would say major kudos to Microsoft for listening!

Related resources:

Windows 7 Team Blog
Springboard Series Blog
Windows 7 Blog for Developers
Windows 7 Engineering

For the past few months I have looked at Microsoft’s Windows Live Essentials suite of free applications that integrates with online services such as Live Spaces, Photos and Mail. I would like to do a recap to get you up to speed.

With the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft has introduced some new scenarios and ways of working with your computer. Core operating system features like Windows Touch, Ink and Speech make up a really strong feature set. The new Scenic user interface in particular with its radically updated Taskbar has kept folks busy learning about its new functionality like Jump List, Aero Peek and Pinning Shortcuts to it plus more, but what about the ‘other’ Windows? Yes, the one that focuses on extending the experiences of the Windows OS to the web and personal activities such as email, photos, videos and expression. Windows Live Essentials is more than just applications though; it’s also a seamless, streamlined set of well integrated software plus services. Microsoft is focused on delivering value beyond the box and based on my experience with the suite since September 2008, I must say, I am highly impressed! Back in January of 2007, Microsoft introduced Windows Vista, which bundled new and improved applications such as Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Mail and Windows Movie Maker. Over time Microsoft updated Photo Gallery and Mail beyond the operating system christening them as ‘Live’ applications. This created a problem of duality, triggering a possibility of confusion between similar applications already built into the OS. So, Microsoft decided from then on that certain programs would be removed from Windows and be made available exclusively through Windows Live instead.

Here is a quote from Windows Live General Manager Brian Hall about the decision:

Removing programs such as Photo Gallery, Mail and Movie Maker from the core operating system will give Microsoft more time to focus on the core operating system experience in addition to improving the efficiency of things like Service Packs which could ultimately be fewer and smaller. Mr. Hall also said that a cleaner operating system eliminates potential confusion for customers faced with two different programs that are similar in function-one already in Windows and the other from Windows Live. He also said that Microsoft is working with OEMs are around Windows 7 so that they can place shortcuts that will link to a download page where you can choose just the programs you.

One thing users must note is that Windows Live Essentials is free! The only thing required is an Internet connection and going to the Windows Live Essential’s home page and download it.

- Installing Windows Live Essentials 
- Instant and Social Communication with Windows Live Messenger 9 
- Managing and Sharing Digital Memories using Windows Live Photo Gallery 2009
- A Look at Windows Live Mail 2009 
- Online Expression – Using Windows Live Writer 2009
- Movies on the Go with Windows Live Movie Maker BETA

Quick Looks

- A Quick Look at Windows Live Toolbar
- A Quick Look at Windows Live Sync
- Windows Live Essentials – Integration with Microsoft Office 2007
- A Quick Look at the Microsoft Outlook Connector

Windows Live Family Safety

Windows Vista introduced Parental Controls which made it easy to manage the time your children spend using the computer in addition what type of content they can view on the web and receive reports about their activities online. Windows Live Family Safety is pretty much the same; the difference is it’s more about managing the online activities. With Live Family Safety Filter, you can choose who they communicate with online and generate reports of their online activities other features include:

• Categorize and block unwanted web content for yourself and your family.
• Create your own list of allowed or blocked sites.
• Monitor Family Safety users' Internet activity.

If you are running any of the consumer editions of Windows Vista such as Home Basic, Premium or Ultimate, you probably don’t need it, but for Vista Business and Windows XP users it should be a welcome addition. To setup the service, you need to have a Windows Live ID (XBOX, Hotmail) that will be your primary account for Family Safety. The Family Safety interface features a Profile Center, with a toggle on or off button. The ‘Customize settings for your family’ area features a link to a dedicated website where Parents can add accounts and customize settings.

Final Conclusion

Windows Live Essentials is deep; it’s deep in features and value. The thing about the suite is the cohesive experience it delivers, focusing primarily on what users enjoy doing on the PC these days. Microsoft for years has provided a complete suite of knowledge worker experiences with Microsoft Office. Windows Live Essentials fills that gap for the consumer. The most exciting thing about Live Essentials is that all these applications and services are free and they make connecting up to family and friends seamless; providing a simplified process of sharing memories, interest and providing safety online. After using the suite since the early betas I am a solidified user and I know you will be too. So I say, go to http://download.live.com right now!

Pros:

• Its free
• Integrates well with Windows Live services
• Small in size, great performance in applications like Windows Live Photo Gallery
• Very complete feature set
• Makes sharing multimedia easier
• Synchronization and remote access features makes it easy to maintain data between multiple PC’s.
• Compliments Windows operating systems such as XP, and specific features such as Parental Controls built into Windows Vista and Windows 7 well.

Cons:

• Windows Live Movie Maker needs more work
• Windows Live Writer needs a more simplified setup process
  - Page Break option, posting a 22 page post is too long for blogging service like Live Spaces.
  - Ability to rename and merge categories.
• More integration with Windows 7 would be great, especially where Jump List is concerned.
• Downloading the suite needs to be more appropriate, Web Installer needs to be an option, not the default.

Rating:

• Installation: 88%
• Ease of Use: 95%
• Features: 95%
• Manual: N/A
• Price: N/A%
• Overall: 90%

So, have you been using Windows Live Essentials? If so, what are your thoughts and what tips do you have for improving the applications? I would definitely love to hear them!

Arstechnica reports about Microsoft’s decision to discontinue the popular electronic encyclopaedia which I have been a loyal user for many years.

“When I first saw this, I had to do a double take. I made sure it wasn't April 1 at least three times before I conceded. While looking around Encarta's homepage today, I stumbled on a message that Microsoft was getting rid of MSN Encarta completely: "On October 31, 2009, MSN Encarta Web sites worldwide will be discontinued, with the exception of Encarta Japan, which will be discontinued on December 31, 2009. Additionally, Microsoft will cease to sell Microsoft Student and Encarta Premium software products worldwide by June 2009." Looks like employees at Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica will be throwing parties tonight.”

Read the entire article here

First Microsoft Picture It!, then Microsoft Money, then Windows Live OneCare, now Encarta, Microsoft’s commercial consumer products are slowly dwindling. I can't say it wasn't inevitable, since there was no 2009 release. But Wikipedia has indeed contributed to this decision I believe. I personally use it more than ever. Its just that it lacks the multimedia aspect of Encarta which combines it well written articles. The Internet has changed a lot how we access and consume information, the instantaneous and wealth of resources vastly out numbers 1 DVD on which Encarta includes a thousands of articles by billions. Also, relevancy and constant updates make the Internet a superior choice. Although Wikipedia will now and then be vandalized, the accuracy of information written has been top notch and is a number one reference point for me.

Internet Explorer 8’s features a new tabbed Search on the fly option which allows you to quickly change Search engines based on your query. I use Wikipedia a lot, it’s very cumbersome having to type in the query through Google, search for it then open Wikipedia. With this feature, you are taken immediately to the source, which is sure to be a hit with those who want a more detailed browsing experience with better results. new tabbed search feature makes referencing information from Wikipedia and other sources a great asset.

Using Windows 7 an enthusiast website dedicated to all things Windows 7 reveals an improvement in the recently leaked Windows 7 build 7068. In particular, the Internet Explorer Team continues to further take advantage of UI innovations such as Jump List. Task options include starting a new Tab and InPrivate Mode browsing session.

Internet Explorer 8 Jump List task improvements in recent Windows 7 builds

Microsoft recently released a final version of Windows Internet Explorer 8 for previous versions of Windows, XP, 2003, Vista and Server 2008, you can download that here Microsoft’s Dean Hachamovitch explained that its decision not to offer IE8 RTW for Windows 7 was related to the enhancements that the next iteration of Windows brings to the table. The IE8 version included in Windows 7 is tailored on such functionality as Aero Peek, Aero Snap, Thumbnail Previews via the Superbar (the evolved Taskbar), Jump Lists, all available only in Windows 7.

“Our next steps start with listening. We’re going to listen for customer and security issues and respond appropriately. We’re going to engage with web sites and developers on compatibility. We’re going to finish Windows 7,”.

Related:

Windows Internet Explorer 8 RTM Review
New sound schemes in Windows 7 build 7048
What I like about Internet Explorer 8

Resources:

In depth look at the Windows 7 Taskbar and Start Menu

Yesterday I blogged about the preview of Windows 7 build 7068 by a Microsoft Employee Shinobu Takahashi, now someone’s dad who works at Microsoft according to a posting on the forum Facepunch forums via Arstechnica talks about the availability of the latest build in addition to many more with some being considered for Release Candidate.

“I just came back from Microsoft, since my Dad works there. He works for in the SQL server division and here are some screenshots I took about the new build 7070. I don't know if there is anything new to this build, but they installed it yesterday, so it probably will be leaked soon. They said it was a major update; maybe not to the user interface but more to the Kernel. Just letting you guys know :P"

Windows 7 build 7070 (click to enlarge)

This build doesn’t seem to introduce any new changes, except for reported improvements to the NT kernel. The screenshots seem to have been taken remotely from an employee PC, which is really a risky move by the individual considering that confidential data could have been exposed. Microsoft is expected to make the escrow build available to technical testers in April along with a speculated Release Candidate build to the public in late May.

I don’t know about you, but this is most times I have seen Windows builds in the products development! :-)

Resources

Arstechnica: First screenshots of build 7070 leak, RC-Escrow coming
Facepunch Forums

Previously:

Preview Screenshot of Windows 7 build 7068 shows new Desktop Gadgets?
Just a note: More Windows 7 build 7057 screenies surface
Windows 7 build 7048 screenshots hit the net
New sound schemes in Windows 7 build 7048
Beauty abundant in Windows 7 build 7048 Wallpapers

This is what I am seeing everyday when I log into Windows Live Messenger

I am imploring the Windows Live Team to do something about this obnoxious problem. Blocking and ignoring is counter productive. I cannot do this every time I log into Windows Live Messenger. Its frustrating sifting through good and spam. I am not denying that other Social Networks such as Facebook and My Space also face this issue, but not to this extent.

Previously

Windows Live Invitations – The Domain’s I block but keep getting invites from
To the Hotmail Team – your Junk Filter is not working
Windows Live: The Spam Issue – Its putting a damper on the Service
The Issue of Windows Live, Privacy and Spam
The Amount of Windows Live Invitation Spam is Unacceptable
CNET: Microsoft ranked fifth worst spam service ISP

Just saw this over at Arstechnica, a Microsoft employee Shinobu Takahashi, shows some features in one of the latest Windows 7 internal builds, 7068. I can’t tell exactly what's being said on the page, except for the fact that it has something to do with DPI scaling improvements in Windows 7. However, build 7068 shows that Microsoft is continuing to tweak the OS as it approaches Release Candidate (speculated to be coming in late May), in particular, Desktop Gadgets will be receiving a refresh.

Windows 7 build 7068 (click to enlarge)

As you can see, there is a new Date and Time Gadget, CPU/Memory Meter and Battery Meter Gadgets. The Windows 7 Beta (build 7000) released back in January, still features Gadgets introduced in Vista, along with a new Media Center Gadget. Windows 7 Gadgets support new features such as enlarging, ability to be placed anywhere on the desktop.

Previously:

Just a note: More Windows 7 build 7057 screenies surface
Windows 7 build 7048 screenshots hit the net
New sound schemes in Windows 7 build 7048
Beauty abundant in Windows 7 build 7048 Wallpapers

Resources

What’s coming for Windows 7 Release Candidate?

Ed Bott of ZDNET ‘Microsoft Report’, blogged about his finding’s in the latest leaked build of Windows 7, build 7057 and some interesting developments have surfaced concerning the next version of Microsoft’s productivity suite ‘Office 14’

You learn the most interesting things when you poke around in some of the arcane files that are included with Windows 7 beta releases. In the most recent build of Windows 7 that I’ve been able to examine, I’ve confirmed that Microsoft plans to release its next version of Office in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. That’s a detail that my colleague Mary Jo Foley didn’t discover in her December 2008 rundown of what we know about Office 14.

Read the entire article here

Is it surprising, not really? Welcome? Maybe. Considering that more machines are coming preloaded with 8 GB’s of RAM these days and post Windows 7 you will be seeing a lot more I can understand the reasoning behind making ‘Office 14’ include native 64 bit support. I see applications in the suite such as Excel, Access and Outlook gaining increased performance and speed from being native 64 bit. Ed, provides an XML source list showing all the applications that will be 64 bit, looks like a majority will be. Of course, a 64 bit version of Word is not going make you type or save a document any faster. But if you are working with complex/technical documents that contain a lot graphics and hundreds or even thousands pages, you will definitely see a boost to your productivity work flow. This will probably even open up Microsoft Word to competition in a market dominated by well known high end word processing programs such as Adobe FrameMaker and Corel’s Ventura Publisher which are designed specifically for technical document creation such as manuals. Microsoft recently confirmed that Office 14 will support Windows XP.

Previously

Office 14 – Finally! Anytime Upgrade, Portable Office?
Confirmed: Office 14 will support Windows XP
Ballmer: Office 14 not this year
Just a Note: A small change I noticed in Microsoft Word 14

I have added some performance results for Internet Explorer 8 vs Firefox 3.0.7 using a broad band connection, you can see them in the second table below. Thanks to Jeff Hatfield for the help with this test.

It has been in development for a long time now with the first beta released back in March of 2008. Microsoft is once again back on track with regular releases of the Internet Explorer. Version 7 released back in November of 2006 was what some would say a necessary release that infused the platform with new momentum and reinsured its trust in end users while keeping Mozilla Firefox at bay, who are also continuing their fight against IE with the Firefox 3.5 release which by the way offers some new nifty features. The fundamentals of this Internet Explorer release revolve around Microsoft’s security initiatives, improved compatibility and developer experience. Microsoft also took a different approach to beta testing this release of Internet Explorer, instead of the usual private testing phase then a public test, the Company started out the gate with a public release for the first beta which I consider to be a welcome change to how it engages with customers. It proves that the Company is interested in what we say and want us to help shape the future of the browser which should be a good opportunity.

Installing Windows Internet Explorer 8 RTM 64-bit

Setup:

Internet Explorer 8 is available for Windows XP x86, x64, Server 2003 x86, x64, Vista x86, x64, Server 2008 x86 and x64. Phew, that’s a lot; I wish the IE Team would just consolidate this down to just two executables, 32 and 64 bit. I focused on testing IE 8 on Vista 64 bit. Installation is a quick and easy 5 step process requiring one restart to complete setup. When you launch Internet Explorer 8 for the first time, you are presented with a configuration wizard; this basically enables features such as Suggested Sites for discovering similar sites of interest based sites you visit. Also, you can let IE gives you the option of choosing a whole sale of Windows Live branded services and tools for Internet task such as Search, Translation, Mapping, Email, Definition and Blogging along with search and compatibility.

Post setup

First Experience

It seems the toolbar area has taken a definite step back, especially where it concerns screen real estate. I respected IE 7’s focus on consolidating and simplifying the Interface. Now with IE 8 where there were only two toolbars, now there are three layers, not to mention the occasional pop-up banner and the fact that the Tab toolbar shares space with a set of browser controls such as Home, RSS, Email, Print, Page and Tools makes the Interface look like a total kludge. I will admit, I don’t own a 24 inch wide screen Dell LCD, but I do own a 17 inch Dell CRT which maxes out at 1024 by 768, so you basically get the idea that I am in a squeeze here. As for that additional toolbar, it’s called Favorites Bar, a place that host snippets of subscribed content from sites you regularly visit. Although you can remove it by right clicking the toolbar and uncheck the Favorites Bar option, it will return to its original state when the Web slices feature is invoked. What the IE Team could have done here was to make the IE 8 Add Favorites buttons be integrated to left of address bar similar to the Refresh and Stop buttons. It would seem like a logical idea that un-clutters the interface and streamline its look and feel, Firefox 3 already has a similar feature.

Checkout: What I like about Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 introduces a lot of ease of use comforts though; areas such as the Address Bar are now streamlined to make navigating the interface a sure pleasure for surfers. Auto Completion now suggest websites that you might want to go to, suggestions are based on your history of websites you like to visit, your personal web browsing history and Feeds that you have subscribed to. Typing in a URL offers some address bar tricks, if you click the arrow below the URL in the middle, it will reveal a number of commands:

• Go to – Enter

• Navigate to – Ctrl + Enter

• Open in a new tab – Alt + Enter

• Open in a background tab – Alt + Shift + Enter

Hands down, this beats Firefox in the Power User category, offering a faster, more intelligent browsing experience. It also lessens the repetitiveness of common takes that users often do in the browser. One thing would have made this feature even more friendly and powerful, an actual command key to reveal the commands, instead of shifting between the keyboard and mouse. Changes such as a single Favourites button, chrome based skin with a flatter appearance and removal of the Tools and Feeds menu (but changes back to Feeds when browsing), are now pushed under the chevron. Taking the spotlight are Web Slices, Read Mail and Safety. Internet Explorer 8’s Address bar also details information such as the type of application protocol along with the domain name and top level domain name. It might not seem readily useful but makes it easier to identify the security of a website along with the domain name.

The search box features new convenience improvements to its search facilities, providing more detailed options when text is typed in called Visual Search. For instance, based on your search history, a list of Search option links are listed by the Search Engine of choice. Type in ‘Mariah Carey’ for example and you will see a number of query filters, which could range from lyrics, songs, soundboard, news, jokes or popular topics. Search suggestions can also be populated based on your history. If you want to get the latest weather report without going to a weather site, Live Search provides results right there, simply enter your location. I also love the new tabbed Search on the fly option which allows you to quickly change Search engines based on your query. I use Wikipedia a lot, it’s very cumbersome having to type in the query through Google, search for it then open Wikipedia. With this feature, you are take immediacy to the source, which is sure to be a hit with those who want a more detailed browsing experience with better results.

Internet Explorer 8 also improves Tab management with Color coordinated tabs a fun, useful way to keep track of the many websites you might have open in the web browser. Whenever you open a link in a tab from within an existing tab, it creates a color set indicating the tab from which it was opened. Coordinated Tabs also works in ‘Quick Tabs’ view and ‘Tabs List’.

Accelerator and Web Slices

Integration with Windows Live would of course be a must. You can see this already through the Search Field, but version 8 takes it a little further by integrating it deep into other parts of the browser, such as the contextual menus called Accelerators. For instance, right clicking a link gives you a choice of options such as blogging with Windows Live Spaces, email with Live Mail or Translate through Windows Live. Highlighted text on a page adds additional options such as Searching through your Default search engine define with Encarta and even search through Live Maps. Users familiar with Smart Tags in Microsoft Office might also find the Accelerator menu share some distant similarities; it gives you additional options for finding and management of these extensions. It ultimately eliminates the mundane task of copying text back and forth between web pages. Internet Explorer 8 introduces Favorites Bar which includes the new Web Suggestions feature for finding similar sites of interest for a particular website you are browsing. Another unique addition in IE 8 is Web Slices which allow for sections of a web page to be subscribed, stored and monitored from the Favourites Bar without having to go to the actual site. The success of Web Slices will ultimately depend on how many web pages out there decide to support it, also It doesn’t work for me sometimes, for example, I tried to get the weather update from a web slice I created for ‘Kingston, Jamaica’ but IE refused to display the results, instead, displaying only a ‘page not available message’. It’s a neat idea though that promises to make information obtained from the Internet more personalized.

Developer and Compatibility

Microsoft has not forgotten about improved performance and compatibility. The browser definitely feels snappier, using IE 8 on a mobile phone connection web pages load respectably faster, it seems like some significant changes have been made to the caching engine itself. The IE 8 Team have noted that considerable improvements have been made to the HTML parse, CSS engine, Jscript runtime and the associated garbage collector. Version 8 offers a compatibility layer, so that sites designed for an older version of the browser will continue functioning as normal. Common problems you might see if a website is not updated to support the latest features in the browser include, out of place menus, images, or text. An integrated contextual compatibility button built into the address bar appears next to the Refresh and Stop button whenever compatibility issues are detected, when clicked it refreshes the website and presents it in its original state as if you were browsing in a supported version of the browser, nice! What I notice when you do enable Compatibility mode is, you lose access to some of the new features of the browser.

Performance

To really gauge its performance I believe I have the perfect setup, my Motorola 350 cellular phone which I use as a dial up modem. To be honest, you are not gonna notice any major difference between the browsers speed if you are running on a DSL connection since pages just load instantly. With the dial up configuration I was able to see some nuances and indicators that proved which browser and which version definitely is faster when it comes to surfing.

Dial up

NA – Website did not load in a reasonable amount of time to be considered acceptable.
My Blog – Live Spaces – http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
ZDNET Blog – http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft

Connection – GPRS
ISP – LIME (formerly Cable & Wireless)
Speed – 5 KBs per second

Broad band

Connection – Cable
ISP – Comcast
Speed – 1.5 MBs per second

As you can see in the above table, performance is negligible, this also indicates that results will always vary depending on your Internet Connection. Internet Explorer 8 has improved performance in some scenario’s especially with the proliferation of broadband these days. The majority of users won’t notice a difference in load time for pages, but if you are still using dial up, I will conclude though that Firefox remains faster compared to Internet Explorer 8.

The table features a list of some of the sites I visit daily. Well, given the above indications, IE 8 is not so fast and I have even tried comparing a Firefox 3.0.7 install where web pages are not cached and it still beats IE. What Microsoft does best though is fidelity. I notice when I was trying to load the new Facebook, Firefox loaded it quickly enough, but it would not load properly, while Internet Explorer 8 took its time, but loaded up the web page properly. It’s a weird performance test I know, but this how I prove which is faster. My personal satisfaction really depends on the web paging loading fast enough for me to interact with, not necessarily to load all features of the site immediately.

Security, Reliability and Add On Management

The new InPrivate mode allows users to clear any private information such as cookies, visited web pages and the entire session itself. There is also an improvement to Phishing Filter through Smart Screen which puts greater focus on web pages that try to collect personal information from users; it’s great for preventing scamming sites that utilize URLs such as PayPal or known banking merchants. This is done through a black list of known or suspected phishing sites so it’s an ongoing game of cat and mouse, users should still be cautious about how they enter personal information on the web. Internet Explorer 8 ActiveX permissions are more independent allowing users to define how they run depending on the site. Improved reliability (including automated crash recovery and tab restoration), and enhanced support for accessibility standards. IE 8 has a much cleaner, organized way to manage all your Internet Explorer add-ons in simplified categories. This is one area; I had hoped the IE Team would have also applied to the Internet Explorer 8 Options dialog.

Some things I would have liked:

• Download Manager - trust me, it needs it, I find it very handy in FireFox and Safari - Pause/Resume, Manage.
• Non-adjacent Selection of text on web pages.
• Customizable toolbar, I personally wouldn't mind if buttons such as Home, Feeds, Print, Page, Tools and Help were on a another toolbar group such as the Address bar group, I need more real estate for Tab's that's much cleaner. The new Favorites Bar in particular eats up a lot of space.
• List View layout for Options, similar to Office 2007 Options dialog. Also make the Advance settings a part of the list view Options, this includes: Accessibility, Browsing, International, Multimedia.
• Make Print Preview utilize a Tab instead of opening a separate window.
• Close button Tabs like Firefox.
• One unified 32-bit and one unified 64-bit installer.

Internet Explorer 8 is an excellent update, the focus on improving the browsing experience, relevancy and synergy with Windows Live services, developer productivity and easing compatibility in addition to the features that focus on making the browsing experience more secure, personal and not intrusive will surely give users reason to stick with the platform and might even bring some users over from Firefox which I personally have had problems with in the memory resource department.

Resources:

Download Windows Internet Explorer 8 RTM
Windows Internet Explorer 8 Compatibility View List
Internet Explorer Team Blog
Internet Explorer 8 Add-ons Gallery

Internet Explorer 8 RTM is now available for download:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/worldwide-sites.aspx

Its been a long journey to Internet Explorer 8, and now its here:

REDMOND, Wash. — March 18, 2009 — Today Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new Web browser that offers the best solution for how people use the Web today. It can be downloaded in 25 languages at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8 starting at noon EDT on March 19. Internet Explorer 8 is easier to use, faster and offers leading-edge security features in direct response to people’s increasing concerns about online safety. A new study commissioned by Microsoft and the National Cyber Security Alliance and conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. shows that 91 percent of adults in the U.S. are concerned about online threats in the current economic climate, and 78 percent are more likely to choose a Web browser with built-in security than they were two years ago.

Makes Common Online Tasks Faster and Easier

In addition to offering improved security and privacy protections, Internet Explorer 8 is one of the fastest browsers on the market today, beating other top browsers in page load time on almost 50 percent of the 25 top comScore Inc. Web sites.* It also helps people save time while using the Web with easy-to-use new features, including the following:

• Accelerators. Accelerators make it faster and easier to perform common tasks online by making Web-based services such as ESPN.com, Live Search and Sina available for use directly from the page people are viewing. Users can simply right-click a word or phrase and instantly map, e-mail, or share it.
• Web Slices. Web Slices in Internet Explorer 8 makes favorite information from sites such as Digg, Yahoo! Mail, OneRiot, and eBay instantly available wherever someone goes on the Web.
• Visual search suggestions. The Instant Search Box in Internet Explorer 8 enables rich, real-time search from sites such as The New York Times, Amazon.com and Wikipedia, as well as sites from people’s own Favorites and History, complete with visuals and detailed information that saves time.

Learn more here

Previously

What I like about Internet Explorer 8

So I have been using Windows Internet Explorer 8 since the first beta was released in March of 2008. As the development of this major update reaches the finishing line, I would like to take a look at some of the features I enjoy using and some things I wish had made it in:

1. A more informative address bar, as you can see in the above screenshot, Internet Explorer 8 details information such as the type of application protocol along with the domain name and top level domain name. It might not seem readily useful but makes it easier to identify the security of a website along with the domain name.

2. A more a manageable Address Bar history. Firefox had this for a while now, the ability to delete URL’s in the address bar history list, thank goodness, its in IE 8!

3. Address bar suggestions, Internet Explorer 8 provides an end to end experience when it comes to web browsing. You can also use this feature to search for recently browsed web sites, as you can see, keyboard tips are also presented when working the address bar area.

4. A Search box that’s more intelligent, providing not only a quick way to get results from your search engine, but actually deliver useful information. The above screenshot shows how Microsoft is really innovating when it comes to Search and synergies. This is a great way of saying there is more to Google than Search.

5. Color coordinated tabs is a fun, useful way to keep track your many websites you might have open in the web browser. When ever you open a link a in a tab from within an existing tab, it creates a color set indicating the tab from which it was opened. Coordinated Tabs also works in ‘Quick Tabs’ view and ‘Tabs List’.

6. InPrivate browsing - helps prevent Internet Explorer from storing data about your browsing session. This includes cookies, temporary Internet files, history, and other data. Toolbars and extensions are disabled by default.

7. You gotta love a feature like this, especially for persons who want to know more about the web find similar sites of interest about a certain topic, Web site suggestions does just that and results are surprisingly accurate!

8. There is always that little snippet of information you always go back to a website just get the latest info from. Now let that website bring the information you through Web slice. A great way to know whats going on by simply cropping portion of the website. It doesn’t work sometime for me, for example, I tried to get the weather update from a web slice I created, but IE refused to display the results, instead, displaying only a ‘page not available message’.

9. Accelerators provides useful contextual links for common activities with text that you select on a webpage to perform such tasks as opening a street address in a mapping website or looking up the dictionary definition for a word. You can also choose the web services or websites that Accelerators use to handle different types of tasks.

10. A cleaner, organized way to manage all your Internet Explorer add-ons in simplified categories. This is one area, I had hoped the IE Team would have also applied to the Internet Explorer 8 Options dialog.

So those are just some of the things I like about Internet Explorer 8, there are many more I didn’t even mention such as Smart Screen Filtering and Compatibility View, improved restrictions for ActiveX Controls, enhanced add-on management, improved reliability (including automated crash recovery
and tab restoration), and enhanced support for accessibility

. Here are some things I would have like to see in IE 8:

• Download Manager - trust me, it needs it, I find it very handy in FireFox and Safari - Pause/Resume, Manage.
• Non-adjacent Selection of text on web pages.
• Customizable toolbar, I personally wouldn't mind if buttons such as Home, Feeds, Print, Page, Tools and Help were on a another toolbar group such as the Address bar group, I need more real estate for Tab's that's much cleaner. The new Favorites Bar in particular eats up a lot of space.
• List View layout for Options, similar to Office 2007 Options dialog. Also make the Advance settings a part of the list view Options, this includes: Accessibility, Browsing, International, Multimedia.
• Make Print Preview utilize a Tab instead of opening a separate window.
• Close button Tabs like Firefox.
• One unified 32-bit and one unified 64-bit installer.

Overall Internet Explorer 8 is a major update. Its an innovative release that introduces features users can immediately take advantage of. I hope to have a more formal review when its released along with my own performance test against Firefox 3 which I regularly use. Internet Explorer 8 supports Windows Vista Server 2008 32 and 64 bit, Windows XP Professional 32 and 64 bit, Windows Server 2003 32 and 64 bit.

Resources:

Internet Explorer Blog

From AMD ATI

ATI Catalyst 9.3 is the industry’s first unified driver installation package to incorporate Windows 7 support, including Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.1 compliance, bringing with it a host of benefits for developers currently testing and updating applications using the widely available Windows 7 beta release.

“Thanks to the incredible expertise within our driver development team, we led the Windows Vista transition with a WHQL-certified unified driver that delivered industry-leading stability. The advanced state of our Windows 7 drivers this far ahead of the final Windows 7 release is yet another proof point of our graphics industry leadership.  We are ready for Windows 7,” said Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president of software engineering at AMD’s graphics products group.

“AMD’s expertise in visual computing shines through in the combined experience of Windows 7 and ATI Radeon graphics,” said Anantha Kancherla, group program manager responsible for Windows graphics, Microsoft.  “With today’s release of a Windows 7 unified driver, AMD once again demonstrates its ability to deliver performance and cutting-edge driver support.”

Download here

The spam invites keep pouring in! I have put together a list of some of the Top Level Domains I keep getting Windows Live invites from, regardless I have blocked these Domain’s using Hotmail’s Blocked Senders setting, but its just not working. Here are some of the notorious domains I have blocked but still keep on getting spam from: @163.com, @example.com, @wang.com, @yahoo.cn, @msn.cn, @live.com.cn, @sina.com. Thats just the tip of the ice berg.

Some of the well known senders of Windows Live Invitation spam

The spam issue issue getting very frustrating. I can’t be going to my inbox every morning just to be spending most of my time trying to clear out spam and trying to tell who is not a spammer. The Blocked senders is obviously not working. If you have any tips about how to control this increasing problem with Windows Live, please feel free to share.

Previously

To the Hotmail Team – your Junk Filter is not working
Windows Live: The Spam Issue – Its putting a damper on the Service
The Issue of Windows Live, Privacy and Spam
The Amount of Windows Live Invitation Spam is Unacceptable
CNET: Microsoft ranked fifth worst spam service ISP

If you were to look up the word sensationalism in the Oxford dictionary I am sure you would find John C. Dvoraks big head in all its glory. Here is the reason why:

I think it's a miracle that they are doing Windows 7 at all.

That said, everyone who is running the early release versions of Windows 7 beta, love it and this appears to bode well for the company. They all say that it is fast and rock solid and is just a lot better than Vista. It also seems to be more compatible with older programs and legacy hardware.

It has been proclaimed a winner by the users.

Well, not so fast. Microsoft may be pulling a fast one with the beta release because this is not the finished product. Let me explain.

As a beta program it probably does not have any of the security measures built into it the way a release product would. For one thing security is not too important with a beta product since hackers have not targeted it in any way, nor will they until the final product ships.

All that zippy performance that everyone is jacked up about will disappear once the burden of security precautions and patches begins.

For all we know the whole OS could turn into an incredible pig after this happens. We simply do not know the outcome.

Read the rest here

For someone whose primary OS of choice is Mac OS X or Ubuntu, he seems to think he knows more about the Windows platform than actual users and the developer team themselves. Microsoft has committed to making Windows 7 available 3 years after Vista’s General Availability. The Windows Team set a milestone and they are sticking to it. It could simply be a case of under promise, over deliver or simply setting realistic expectations. My fundamental understanding is Windows 7 is driven by quality and feedback, not lets try and get this out as quick as possible before the competition. The Windows 7 Team is listening to the people who will buy this product when its released, so they are trying make the experience based on what we want, not just what they think we will need. That's one of the major differences between Vista and Windows 7.

Microsoft has set a quality expectation with Alpha’s, Beta’s and Release Candidates. An Alpha must be near in quality as a Beta, while a Beta is a frozen feature set with the characteristics of a Release Candidate, while an RC must be at the same level as the final release which is also a reason a build of Windows is often designated RC because of its potential to become the final product. Microsoft is continually enhancing this release and they are engaging with their customers to inform us about the progress they are making towards the Release Candidate milestone.

Security is not too important with a beta product? Uh, Dvorak, I think you should go back to the 80’s and hang out on the Computer Chronicles, because this decade is just not for you. Windows 7 builds on the fundamentals of Windows Vista/Server 2008 SP1, Microsoft’s most secure releases of Windows to date. Features like BitLocker, Patch Guard, ASRL, Device Driver Signing, UAC, Internet Explorer with Protected Mode and AntiPhishing, Windows Defender are all part of the security investments included with Windows 7. Microsoft has also ensured that Windows 7 beta releases receive the same level of commitment as a commercially released product, see here and here

I have been running Windows Vista since November of 2006, same install and I have not experienced any degradation in performance on any of my systems. Microsoft that the bit rot issue that was common with past releases of Windows was resolved through enhancements such as a the new low priority Defragmentation Tool, see here Microsoft has also done some innovative work in Windows 7 to enhance the performance of system:

• The efficiency of core Windows code
• Only starting certain services when they are needed (demand-start services)
• The way device drivers are initialized
• Allowing multiple device drivers to start at the same time (parallelization)
• An overall reduction in the memory and CPU required to start and run the graphics system

But, John C. is throwing it to the wind that Windows 7 could become a pig is just because careless writing without any form of insight. Microsoft has even removed bundled programs from the core operating system to improve efficiency.

Here is a quote from Windows Live General Manager Brian Hall about the decision:

Removing programs such as Photo Gallery, Mail and Movie Maker from the core operating system will give Microsoft more time to focus on the core operating system experience in addition to improving the efficiency of things like Service Packs which could ultimately be fewer and smaller. Mr. Hall also said that a cleaner operating system eliminates potential confusion for customers faced with two different programs that are similar in function-one already in Windows and the other from Windows Live. He also said that Microsoft is working with OEMs are around Windows 7 so that they can place shortcuts that will link to a download page where you can choose just the programs you.

In addition to these decisions, Windows 7 is more customizable, users can further disable features they don’t use in Windows such as Internet Explorer, DVD Maker, Media Center, Windows Search, Gadgets, Handwriting Recognition, Fax and Scan and the XPS Viewer. So any question of bloat is silenced here. Microsoft is listening and they continue make this release of Windows very anticipated, from a features perspective to a performance envy. I hope John C. Dvorak will take some time out and leave Mac and Ubuntu systems, download the Windows 7 beta and actually give it a try instead of bad mouthing because it puts more food on the table.

Resources:

The Engineering Team makes Windows 7 even more Customizable
Windows 7 Uncertainty?
Enhanced Security features in Windows 7
Some Changes Since the Beta for the RC
A few more changes from Beta to RC…

Windows Community Manager Marcus ask:

I’ve heard different people give different reasons.  Is it the choice of applications and hardware?  Or is it the “bang for the buck” you get?  Or how about that it works in a familiar way?  I’d really like to hear your reason.  Please leave a comment below or do a blog post about it and comment with a link to your post.

Check out the following responses here

My reason:

This is a great question. I have been using PC's since the mid 90's, they are what I was first exposed to and continue to use to this day. Windows 95 is what we used in high school and learnt how to operate a computer on. Basically, I live in a country where society is mostly 'I'm A PC'. We get our work done using Windows, we connect with friends using Windows PC'S, we help friends with Windows PC's and they seem to do the job just fine.

Using a Windows PC for me personally goes beyond just the applications or the hardware. It's the way Windows works and functions. Its a very logical experience for me. You just get how it works and in turn you can share that knowledge with others who also use Windows based systems. A lot of other unique factors also contribute to my continued use of Windows PC's, the community, beta testing (the ability to help shape the products I use), using cool applications and services like Windows Live and Windows Live Essentials which are free.

The Mail Call blog added a new functionality to Windows Live Calendar, the ability to embed your Calendar on your blog or website:

Do you have a calendar you’d like to share with the world?  With Windows Live Calendar, you can create a calendar badge to post on your blog or website. That way, anyone can see your calendar from any browser.

You can move forward and backward in time by clicking either a date or the month arrows.  The event list shows events starting from the highlighted day. It will show as many as will fit within the badge’s height. (My next blog post will show you how to adjust the size of your badge.)

You can learn how to setup your own Calendar badge here

From Microsoft Technet via Security Garden

Security is still a top concern for IT professionals; now that Windows® 7 Beta is available, questions regarding what Microsoft has done with the Windows 7 operating system abound. There is a lot of ground to cover—more than we can in a brief article— but there are three primary topics that merit our focus here.

• Windows 7 is built upon the security foundations of the Windows Vista® operating system while improving auditing and the User Account Control (UAC) experience.
• Windows 7 helps IT control what software can run in their environment with AppLocker™.
• Windows 7 enhances the core features of BitLocker™ Drive Encryption with the introduction of BitLocker To Go™ for removable storage devices.

Learn more here

Jeff Alexander provides more detailed information about what's included in each of the Windows 7 editions, along with their target audience.

In February we announced the final list of the different editions of Windows 7 that will be available.  As I’ve been travelling around talking to IT Pro’s there has been a lot of discussion around this topic.  An din particular what version is right for me and what features will be in that version.  So first up there will be 6 editions of Windows 7.

• Starter
• Home Basic
• Home Premium
• Professional
• Enterprise
• Ultimate

So the obvious first question is what market are each of these targeted at?  The slide below gives you a quick overview.

Learn more here

Another slide on Jeff’s blog details feature by feature what you get in each SKU. Unfortunately Home Basic will not be receiving Aero Glass and the advanced window navigation features in higher tier SKUs such as Thumbnail Previews and Desktop Preview. Other features that will not be included included no Home Group support (how ironic), and no DVD Playback support. I also think Microsoft is making mistake by not including Windows Complete PC Backup in Home Basic and Home Premium.

Enthusiast are digging through the latest build of Windows 7 leaked to the web and are already displaying some of the recent changes that have been made. Here are a couple so far. The EULA currently states ‘Release Candidate 1’, could this also suggest that Microsoft is also holding a RC2 card close to the vest?

Windows 7 is reaching that special stage of development

Beautiful account pictures.

The latest build includes some beautiful account pictures that are just vibrant and stunning in detail, not to mention culturally aware. The Windows Team is focussing strongly on personality and connection, the new Welcome Screen reveals this, which some persons are already panning as too messy. One disappointment I have noticed is the lack in enhancing the Aero Basic theme. I hope this theme gets updated with a better looking Taskbar color, the bluish/silver appearance is a bit of a turn off.

Previously

Windows Build 7057 Leaked – New Welcome Screen?

According to Windows 7 Enthusiast site http://blog.win7.ws, another Windows 7 development build has found its way outside of Redmond. Carrying the build number 6.1.7057, the site displays screenshots of the Setup.exe along with digital signatures showing a time stamp of March 6th 2009.

In addition to that, a screenshot of the new Welcome Screen has appeared in the NeoWin.net forum:

New Welcome/End Session artwork

This new build features a more gentle human art work. I love it! What looks like grass straws or shrubs growing out of the right side of the screen while a tiny white humming bird extracts nectar. Coming from Jamaica and living in the country, I see a lot of humming birds daily and they often extract the nectar from a flower, so there needs to be some work there. Overall, its a welcome departure if this is actually real.

Previously:

Windows 7 build 7048 screenshots hit the net
Beauty abundant in Windows 7 build 7048 Wallpapers