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Windows 7 beta is now available on Microsoft Connect, MSDN, and on TechNet. At the same time, Microsoft has given Windows Server 2008 R2 beta to its MSDN and TechNet subscribers as well. I'm not currently in the Windows Server 2008 R2 beta program on Microsoft Connect, but if you are, post in the comments below if the beta is available for download there as well.
As with any Microsoft client operating system release, piracy got the upper hand: the 32-bit version of Windows 7 beta (build 7000) arrived almost two weeks ago, and the 64-bit version arrived a couple of hours before the keynote. There is a flip side, however. Users discovered a serious MP3 corruption problem in the leaked build, and Microsoft promised it was working on a patch. That patch (KB96137) is available with the beta downloads on Microsoft Connect, MSDN, and TechNet.
 Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by No one
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Almost two weeks after Windows 7 build 7000 32-bit was leaked, the 64-bit version (7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO) has hit torrent sites. The first 7xxx build marks the entrance of Windows 7 into beta phase (6xxx builds were pre-beta builds) and so when the 32-bit version leaked, it was pirated by tens of thousands of users. Build 7000 was compiled on December 12, 2008, at 2:00PM, and many believe this is the build that Microsoft will be giving its testers. A public beta is also expected to be announced at the CES 2009 preshow tonight, though it's not clear when the actual download will be available (but it should arrive before or on Friday).
Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by enuffsaid
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Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced it has acquired Q-layer, a cloud computing company that automates the deployment and management of both public and private clouds. The Q-layer organization, based in Belgium, will become part of Sun's Cloud Computing business unit which develops and integrates cloud computing technologies, architectures and services.
The Q-layer technology simplifies cloud management and allows users to quickly provision and deploy applications, a key component in Sun's strategy to enable building public and private clouds. As businesses continue to rely more on technology to drive mission-critical processes, the agility of the datacenter determines the flexibility of the entire company. The Q-layer software supports instant provisioning of services such as servers, storage, bandwidth and applications, enabling users to scale their own environments to meet their specific requirements.
Full story: Sun
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W hen esthetician Crystal Bell was fired via Facebook, she spawned a debate over"cyber sacking" and what employers owe their employees in times when electronic communication has become the norm.
"I think it's going to be the way of the future, but for me it's not the human way to go," said Bell, a single mother from Kelowna, B. C. who found out she was canned when she checked her Facebook e-mail one morning in late November as she was getting ready for work. "I think using any kind of texting or e-mailing to let people go is the coward's way out."
Full story: Canada.com
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Information that Tech ARP has gathered about the Windows 7 Upgrade Program seems to be inline with a previous rumor about three upgrade scenarios for Vista to Windows 7: Home Premium to Home Premium, Business to Professional, and Ultimate to Ultimate. While Microsoft has not revealed any final dates for the upgrade program yet, rumor has it that the program eligibility will begin on July 1, 2009.
In other words, if you purchase a computer with Vista preloaded on it, on or after July 1, up to some undecided date (OEMs can choose to have an even shorter timeframe within the one Microsoft will give), you will have the option to upgrade to Windows 7 for free when it becomes available.
Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by suryad
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Normally, I would frown upon testing beta software against final code that has been updated frequently, but the results this time around are very interesting. Instead of using benchmarking programs, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes from ZDNet put together 23 real-world scenarios to see which operating system would be the quickest to complete all of the tasks.
He tested the 32-bit versions of Windows 7 build 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows XP SP3. Two separate test machines were used:
An AMD Phenom 9700 2.4GHz system fitted with an ATI Radeon 3850 and 4GB of RAM
An Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 2.2GHz fitted with an NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS and 1GB of RAM
Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by enuffsaid
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Can a language stay relevant if it isn't used to send text messages on a cellphone? Language advocates worry that the answer is no, and they are pushing to make more written languages available on cellphones. Texting is the cheapest and most popular mode of cellphone communication in most of the world, and last year text messages topped voice calls even in the U.S. The world's three billion cellphones far surpass the Internet as a universal communications medium, and they are vital to business development in less-developed economies.
Full story: WSJ
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| Last comment was by noonereallycares
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The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the immensely popular Wikipedia online encyclopedia, just announced that it has reached its fundraising goal for 2008, which will allow the foundation to cover its operating expenses for the current fiscal year, ending June 30, 2009. Overall, a total of 125,000 donors gave over $6.2 million during 2008, though in December alone, after a personal appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, 50,000 individuals contributed more than $2 million.
According to Jimmy Wales, these donations will be used to pay for the day-to-day operations of the Wikimedia Foundation, including the costs of hosting and bandwidth, as well as the salary of its small staff of only 23 people. The Wikimedia foundation will also use these funds to support outreach events like the Wikipedia Academies and to help its volunteer community.
Full story: VentureBeat
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Power.com is a start-up based in Brazil that aims to be the portal through which people access all of their favorite social networking sites. Facebook would prefer that its members access it directly, thank you very much. On Wednesday, Facebook filed a complaint against Power.com in United States District Court in San Jose, Calif., for copyright and trademark infringement, unlawful competition and violation of the computer fraud and abuse act, among other charges. “Facebook has suffered irreparable and incalculable harm,” the complaint reads (here’s a PDF). Power.com has removed access to Facebook from its site.
Full story: Bits
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This past weekend, Windows 7 build 7000 leaked to torrent sites. It's not the first build of Windows 7 to leak, but it definitely is the most important one so far. You see, the first 7xxx build marks the entrance of Windows 7 into beta phase (6xxx builds were pre-beta builds). Microsoft planned to release this build to a select number of beta testers, as well as to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Unfortunately for Microsoft, and fortunately for everyone who couldn't, but wanted to, get access to the beta, this led to a leaked build.
The company pulled the release off of MSDN and TechNet, and also removed the "Windows 7 Beta" entry from the next quarterly update kit for those part of the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS), which is slated to be sent out to subscribers on January 5, 2009. Thanks to Google's cache, you can see that Microsoft also referred to build 7000 as "Windows 7 Beta" on MSDN.
Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by No one
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Elements of Google's most secretive product--its unique PC server design--is beginning to ripple throughout the rest of the industry. Like many companies with giant Internet data centers, Google uses big clusters of commodity x86 servers. But unlike its competitors such as Yahoo and Microsoft, it has created a motherboard design tailored for big data centers.
Google has not disclosed details of its motherboard design, but it did release a white paper calling for designs built on 12V-only power supplies. Besides such supplies, Google's design is said to use at least two full servers per board and remove many of the unneeded parts found in many mainstream server motherboards in an effort to shave cost, reduce power consumption and increase reliability. Google has designed and procured the boards solely for its own use to date. But now companies such as Rackable Systems Inc. (Fremont, Calif.) and others say they expect to be shipping similar boards soon.
Full story: EE Times
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| Last comment was by crahak
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A generation after the launch of MTV, major record labels are hoping to revive the music video business online by creating a single digital destination for their artists’ output.
Plans under discussion include: a partnership with Hulu, the online television and film joint venture between News Corp and NBC Universal; the creation of a premium service on YouTube, Google’s video sharing site; or, a standalone venture between some or all of the four largest recorded music groups.
Full story: FT
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| Last comment was by No one
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Your plumber would like to take you dancing. Cisco Systems, the dominant provider of the digital pipes that run the Internet, is making a big play in digital entertainment. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas, it plans to introduce a new line of products, including a digital stereo system that is meant to move music wirelessly around a house.
That is the first small move in a long-term strategy to take on Apple, Sony and the other giants of consumer electronics. Cisco is working on other gadgets that will let people watch Internet video on their televisions more easily. And its biggest bet is that people will want to use a version of its corporate videoconferencing system called Telepresence to chat with their friends over their high-definition televisions.
Full story: New York Times
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| Last comment was by No one
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Back in November, I explored the number of editions of Windows 7 that Microsoft was working on. While the company has not officially given a list yet, it was clear that Windows 7 Enterprise Edition and Windows 7 Ultimate Edition were definitely coming. Furthermore, there was an obvious avoidance of naming a Windows 7 Business Edition, though there was a mention of a Windows 7 Small Business Edition. While doing a little more digging, I stumbled on the following upgrade paths for Windows Vista to Windows 7. These are not confirmed, but I am told they are what Microsoft is currently considering:
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition => Windows 7 Home Premium Edition
Windows Vista Business Edition => Windows 7 Professional Edition
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition => Windows 7 Ultimate Edition
Full story: One Microsoft Way
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| Last comment was by crahak
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