Windows 7 Leaked

So the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) build (7100) has leaked to the torrents. People scramble. Downloading ensues.

Sadly, there's nothing new to see in this build. If you've been following along with my coverage of all the post-Beta builds over the past few months, you've already seen everything there is to see in the RC. That said, many haven't looked at Windows 7 since the Beta, and certainly the improvements since that milestone are tremendous. But this leaves me in a bit of a quandary: How do I cover something that hasn't changed?

Well.

Once I get the OK from Microsoft, I'll post the expected screenshots and review. My review will focus on what's changed since the beta, not what's changed since, say, build 7077, because, well, nothing's changed. Windows 7 RC is a very-close-to-final look at what Microsoft plans for the final release (barring any UI coming change, of course), so it's important and interesting regardless. But those, like myself, that have been plying over interim builds ... geesh. This thing is just done from what I can see.

Rafael and I do have some secrets to share, but again, we need to wait. There is more coming.

Regarding availability, I don't have any info that I can relay on when the RC build will be made available through official channels, but everyone who wants it should be able to get it in the coming weeks.

Guest Mode In Windows 7

I've documented a new Windows 7 feature called (Guest Mode) (originally it was called PC Safeguard) but my most trusted source close to Microsoft tells me now that this feature, sadly, has been permanently removed from Windows 7 and will not appear in the RC or RTM versions of the OS. (It had been missing in action from the previous several interim builds we've seen.)

Who Killed Encarta?

Encarta (Microsoft) released last month that they will be stopping the Encarta encyclopedia.

Here is what Micorsoft had to say

This is microsofts explanation of Encarta:

"Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past. As part of Microsoft's goal to deliver the most effective and engaging resources for today’s consumer, it has made the decision to exit the Encarta business"

So who killed it?

Needless to say i think it was WIKIPEDIA

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Release Candidate Set For Release In May

Relase Candidate will be the pre release of windows 7 and will be available to the public by the 5th May 2009.

If you have a subscription to TechNet I believe that you can now download this now or else if you are not you have to wait to May!

Tesco Mobile Doubles

Tesco today released that they will double their number of phone shops to about 100 this time next year.
They want to be in great competition with their competitor Carphone Warehouse.

Tesco also want to open bank branches in its stores by the end of this year.

Microsoft Office 2010

The truth is out there--sort of. While there are few firm details about Office 2010--the version of Office that will succeed Office 2007 in the first half of 2010--Microsoft has finally begun discussing the roadmap for this release and the general direction it is heading. Presumably, we'll see more ribbon-ized applications and a more customizable ribbon all around, but we'll have to wait and see.

Financial Figures

An interesting day for some of the big technology companies: while Google prepares to announce its latest financial results, it is apparently going to be joined by IBM, Nokia and Oracle as participants in the European Commission's antitrust case against Microsoft.

Ubuntu Says Microsoft's Netbook Claims are True

Chris Kenyon from Ubuntu sponsor Canonical has posted a rebuttal of sorts to Microsoft's netbook market share claims, which it calls "FUD." Most of it is an opinion piece, so let's just jump straight to the relevant bits. It requires a lot of cut and paste, because he intersperses little bits of data--data that is rarely backed up--with lots and lots of side discussion.

Yahoo Is Said to Plan More Layoffs

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo is planning a new round of layoffs, the first since Carol Bartz became chief executive in January, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.

The layoffs could affect several hundred employees and may be announced as early as Tuesday when Yahoo reports first-quarter financial results, said these people, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because the plan is confidential.

Microsoft: XP is supported through April 2014

Microsoft addresses recent reports about the pending expiration of free XP support. The basic message seems to be, "nothing to see here":

Recently, Microsoft customers have had questions about the availability of support for Windows XP. Microsoft will continue to provide support for Windows XP until April 2014. The ongoing support for Windows XP is a reflection of Microsoft’s commitment to provide the highest level of support for all XP customers.

The Microsoft Support Lifecycle policy outlines three levels of support: Mainstream Support for the first five years of a product’s life, Extended Support for the next five years of a product’s life and Custom Support for the final five years of a product’s life. On April 14, 2009, Windows XP will transition from the Mainstream Support phase to the Extended Support phase, as planned and previously announced. Extended Support for Windows XP will be available until April 8, 2014.

Skype Founders May Seek to Buy It Back

Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the founders of Skype, have approached several private equity firms and are pooling their own substantial resources to make a bid for the Internet calling service, say several people with knowledge of their plans.

Twitter Worm On The Loose

I love Twitter as much as the next person. However, a worm infected Twitter Saturday highlighting security concerns of using the popular micro-blogging site. The Twitter worm sent automatically generated tweets urging users to visit the site StalkDaily.com (do not visit the site).

Linux Integration Components for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

Looks like Microsoft has released an update for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V so that it can work more efficiently with Linux guest OSes.

Brief Description

A set of drivers that enable synthetic device support in supported Linux virtual machines under Hyper-V.

Overview

When installed in a supported Linux virtual machine running on Hyper-V, the Linux Integration Components provide.

Driver support for synthetic devices: The Linux integration components include support for both the synthetic network controller and synthetic storage controller that have been developed specifically for Hyper-V. These components take advantage of the new high-speed bus, VMBus, which was developed for Hyper-V.

Hypercall adapter: The Hypercall adapter is a thin layer of software that translates the Xen-specific virtualization function calls from a Xen-enabled Linux kernel to Microsoft Hyper-V hypercalls. This results in improved performance for the Linux virtual machine.

Fastpath Boot Support: Boot devices now take advantage of the storage VSC to provide enhanced performance.