{Microsoft} Windows 7 RC Technet Download page

Today, Microsoft has launched the Windows 7 Technet page for the Release Candidate of Windows 7. While the links to download the RC are inoperable, Technet subscribers are expected have access soon. 

The page states that the release will be available throughout at least June 2009 and will expire in June 2010. Microsoft states that the final version of Windows 7 should be released prior to that date. They encourage for all users upgrading to back up their data and do not recommend the OS for use on a main/primary computer. 

The Windows 7 RC will be available in 5 languages: English, German, Japanese, French, and Spanish. Hindi/Arabic support will not be available until Windows 7 RTM's. 

The Windows 7 RC is expected to be available for download in May or earlier.

Technet Page 

Office 14 to come in 32 and 64-bit Editions

According to Ed Bott at zdnet.com Office 14 will come in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Earlier today, as I was scanning through the file to assemble an updated list of applications that can be migrated to Windows 7, this heading caught my eye:





Under this code, a list of programs that are to be detected is there. It is the same list of nine programs found under the Office 2003 and Office 2007 headings, except that the Office 14 section includes an extra "_x64" entry for each one.



Here, see for yourself:


Ed also realized that you can use the Office 14 install wizard to upgrade from Office 2007 to Office 14.

AIM gets updated to 6.9.7.4

AOL Instant Messenger has not been updated since October 20, 2008 and some users were beginning to think development has ceased. That was until earlier this week when AOL put out an update to get it up to version 6.9.7.4.

A changelog can be found after the break, but some of the major enhancements are new graphics for everything in the client including a new skin, new icons, new logo and more. AOL has also been working with Bebo to deliver new profiles that are now more built into the AIM client to help users update their profile more.

In addition to all the new goodies, AIM Ad Hack has been updated to reflect the changes. An exclusive download link of the new ad hack program can be downloaded below:

Download: AIM v6.9.7.4 Beta
Download: AIM Ad Hack 5.58 - Exclusive

What's New in Silverlight 3?

Yesterday at the first day of MIX09, Microsoft released the long-anticipated Silverlight 3 SDK and Runtime for developers. Upwards of 40 major updates and hundreds of smaller ones have been demoed and discovered by developers around the world. Supported by both Visual Studio (2008 and 2010 versions) and Expression Blend 3, Silverlight 3 is definitely a major release. In most aspects, it blows Flash Player out of the water. Let's jump right into some of the details, and explore some of the newly-opened doors within the Silverlight platform.

In the Audio/Video sector, full HD video support has been added, with audio codecs like H.264/ACC to match. By utilizing the GPU and analyzing bandwidth and local GPU/CPU capabilities, it can adapt to the environment and adjust media quality accordingly.

Graphics and animation have always been a part of Silverlight, but they've taken it to a new level with this release. With the addition of a 3D object plane, Bitmap caching for faster loading times, Bitmap pixel writing to allow in-place image editing, new animations and effects such as 'Spring' and 'Bounce,' custom animations through mathematical functions, and text-rendering improvements, Silverlight 3 is just about comparable to a video editor. If you can make a video with the graphical power that Silverlight 3 offers, imagine the natural, extremely interactive experiences that can be offered in web applications!

Perhaps the most noticeable addition, are the "Out of Browser Capabilities." Users can download a web application to their desktop, and use it online or offline. If used offline, the application will synchronize and send any collected data to the server. Without any coding on the developer's part, the application will update automatically when the web version is updated. This is very useful for people who are "on the go."

Silverlight 3 is packed with even more than could ever be imagined before this release. It's gone from a simply vector graphics, animation, and simple web application platform, to a scalable and powerful framework that, with every release, is coming closer and closer to attaining the powerful functionalities that we've come to expect from desktop applications.

Windows Silverlight 3 Runtime: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=143433

OS X Silverlight 3 Runtime: http://http//go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=143434

Microsoft Announces Availability of Internet Explorer 8 RTM

Today Microsoft 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 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.

"Customers have made clear what they want in a Web browser - safety, speed and greater ease of use," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match."

In response to extensive customer research and input from tens of millions of customer sessions, Microsoft developed Internet Explorer 8 to focus on what matters most to people. The security enhancements offer protection against existing and emerging security threats online. It blocks two to four times more malware attacks than other browsers; cuts down on the time it takes to complete common tasks on the Web such as searching, mapping and sharing, including navigating 15 of the 20 top worldwide sites; and blurs the lines between the services they use daily and the browser used to access the Internet.


Download: http://www.microsoft.com/ie8

{Apple} OS X 10.5.7 9J30 στους Developers

In what has become an almost-weekly event, Apple has seeded a new version of Mac OS X 10.5.7, known as Build 9J30, to developers. World of Apple publishes the seed notes, which reveal that the lack of Safari 4 beta support is the only remaining issue Apple has chosen to highlight.

One week after the previous seed of Mac OS X 10.5.7 Apple has given developers another build this time in the form of 9J30. The rapid development of Mac OS X 10.5.7 suggests a public release before the end of March.

Developers testing build 9J30 have been asked to focus on new areas such as Flash Player, USB and Flash Drives, iCal and Widgets.

Apple seeded Build 9J22 on February 25th and Build 9J27 on March 7th. The declining list of known issues, brief time intervals between seeds, and decreasing intervals of build numbers between those seeds suggest that Apple is wrapping up development on OS X 10.5.7 and should see a release in the near future.