Show Report: Each summer, Microsoft holds a small confernce to discuss what the company is doing with Windows and DirectX to support game developers. We were on hand to gather some juicy new tidbits about Windows Vista and DirectX 10.
Less than 24 hours after Microsoft announced the release of Windows Vista Beta 1 and Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1 to testers and MSDN subscribers, both betas have leaked to Internet sites and newsgroups along with a crack for Windows Product Activation, according to BetaNews sources.
REDMOND, WASHINGTON - Windows Vista won't be available for shipment until the last quarter of 2006, a Microsoft executive let slip in a presentation on Microsoft's campus Thursday.
Windows Vista Beta 1 is now available for MSDN subscribers:
Windows Vista (formerly code-named Windows "Longhorn") is a substantial advance in Windows, with significant innovations in the developer platform. Windows Vista makes it easier than ever before to build applications that are more secure, reliable, and manageable. Windows Vista also enables developers and designers to create user-experience breakthroughs that improve usability and enable greater relevance to the work users do. Finally, Windows Vista makes it easy to connect to information, systems, people, and devices though a number of innovative integration technologies.
What are the hardware requirements for users interested in running Windows Vista? Vista PCs should be "a modern, Intel Pentium- or AMD Athlon-based" one with a dedicated graphics card featuring DirectX 9.0 support, and 512 MB or more of RAM, company officials reiterated on Wednesday.
It's not just the first beta of Windows client that is going to testers today. Microsoft also is delivering on Wednesday the first beta bits of its Longhorn Server product, due to ship in 2007.
The founder of a Redmond, Washington-based custom application and services provider is considering taking action to challenge Microsoft over the naming of the next version of the Windows operating system (OS).
Microsoft may have unveiled Vista as the official name for its next-generation Windows client operating system, but what about all those names it considered, and discarded?