Microsoft Corporation announced it will keep selling Windows XP operating system until the end of June 2008, delaying plan to phase out its sales by January 30th 2008. The software maker decided to extend XP sales in response to feedback from computer manufacturers who said there were customers who still wanted to buy the older operating system, instead of newer Windows Vista, Reuters reports.
“Some customers have voiced displeasure with Vista due to a lack of compatibility with existing software programs and devices. The hardware requirements needed to run Vista also are a significant upgrade from many older computers. The company downplayed any dissatisfaction with Vista, saying it is the fastest-selling operating system in the history of Microsoft,” the report says.
As of the end of June, Microsoft had sold more than 60 million Windows Vista licenses reportedly.
After a week of pretending that there were no real problems, Microsoft has finally admitted that playing music in Vista throttle’s network performance significantly.
Writing in his blog, Microsoft’s Mark Russinovich acknowledged a bug with Vista’s network programming that can noticeably slow down file transfers on a local network if you play music at the same time.
Russinovich said that the bug in the NDIS throttling code magnifies if you have multiple NICs.
A system with both wireless and wired adapters will process at most 8000 packets per second, and with three adapters it will process a maximum of 6000 packets per second. 6000 packets per second equals 9MB/s, a limit that’s visible even on 100Mb networks.
According to an online survey by Valve Software, only one in fifty players who access download service Steam has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and Windows Vista installed. In an interview with heise online, Gabe Newell, president of Valve Software, said that Microsoft made a terrible mistake releasing DirectX 10 for Vista only and excluding Windows XP. He said this decision affected the whole industry as so far only a very small percentage of
players can use DirectX 10.
When developing cross-platform games which are also released fo Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, developers look for the smallest common denominator. And since neither Microsoft’s nor Sony’s new consoles support Shader Model 4.0 for DirectX 10, only few games use it, he said.
In addition, Newell bemoaned the increasing lack of input device diversity in PC gaming culture. He would like to see controllers like the Wiimote or the Guitar Hero guitar, but since DirectX support for devices like these had increasingly been reduced over the last few years, developers didn’t dare implement these expensive innovations.
The Half-Life 2 Orange Box, which will be released for PC and Xbox 360 on 12. October, uses DirectX 10 functionality only for accelerating some mimics. Visually, however, it was virtually impossible to differentiate between the versions. The PS3 edition is being developed by an EA studio and is scheduled for release two to three weeks later.
The game will already be available from download service Steam on 10. October. Newell said the later release date for the retail editions was requested by the retailers. Retailers also didn’t want different versions, resulting in the release of a complete package containing Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress. Even before the release date, Valve will announce additional bundles for Steam so that existing Half-Life 2 users don’t have to buy a second copy of the game.
The source engine was expanded for Episode 2. A special alpha blend mode generates smoother anti-aliasing edges. In addition, the demo version exhibits new distortion effects and soft shadows. The Orange Box console versions will also apply the new engine features, including high dynamic range rendering and multi core support, to the main game. The PC main game was not revised. Half-Life 2 runs at a resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Source: http://www.guru3d.com/newsitem.php?id=5809
Poor Vista, you really can’t buy a break. First you’ve got legions of users angrily awaiting a decent update for a whole slew of problems, then there’s the CEOs taking pot-shots at you, and now, Lenovo, supplier of the 2008 Olympic Games’ computer systems says it’s sticking with XP. Word on the street is that all vital computing tasks for the Games will be handled on XP-enabled PCs, while some internet lounges used by athletes will be equipped with Vista systems. According to Yang Yuanqing, chairman of Lenovo, “the Olympic Games require mature, stable technologies and it’s not a place to try new technologies.” Yang, we’re pretty sure a legion of Vista users feel similarly about their desktops. You can almost hear Microsoft’s sharp intake of breath from here.
Source: www.engadget.com
PURVEYOR OF SOFTWARE, Microsoft has released a new version of Windows XP to manufacturing for shipment to OEMs next month, says Technet.
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2c resolves a shortage of product keys caused by the longevity of Windows XP Professional, says the company. In order to allow OEMs to ship XP right up to its end-of-life on January 31, 2009. There are no other features or fixes included in the new version.
January 31, 2008 marks the EoL for Windows XP for all channels except System Builders, who have a further 12 months before having to find an alternative OS. More here
Source: www.theinquirer.net
One of the biggest Austrian retailers/etailers has confirmed that they sell more notebooks with XP than with Vista. The price of a machine with XP and Vista is the same and the end users still wants the one with a five year old operating system.
The answer is rather simple, besides the fact that Vista looks really handsome, it drains more battery and you can lose 30 minutes from you precious two an a half hours by getting Vista on the machine.
This is definitely not a good sign for Microsoft, but then again they already sold 60 million copies and we are sure that the majority of notebooks that companies plan to sell in Q4 will have Vista and Vista only, on them.
Source: http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2349
Microsoft has released version the August 2007 version of its DirectX SDK. As part of the new version, the company provides a Direct3D 10.1 tech preview, which includes a range of new features.
Apparently, the big news is in audio. A new technology dubbed XAudio 2 is going to replace DirectSound, and the first look is in here. This is the same technology as is used in Xbox 360, and will enable easier cross-platform development when it comes to audio. The main components of the technology includes sophisticated multi-channel and audio spatialisation support. 5.1 sound has been used well on Xbox and 360 titles, and MS is hoping that it can push PC games in the same direction. Also included is better support for multi-core processors, enabling a sufficiently sophisticated CPU to do a bit of the audio processing legwork.
Also on the cards for DX10.1 is a new revision to the graphics subsystem, which will move to Shader Model 4.1. This adds thrilling features such as a dynamically selective sample pattern for MSAA, better resource handling and TextureCube Arrays.
While the software is available as a free download, Microsoft said that the Direct3D 10.1 preview will require Vista SP1 Beta, which will be available to MSDN subscribers ‘once it is publicly released’. The new DSK also comes with XAudio2 Beta, a new cross-platform audio API, supporting cross-platform DSP effects, per-voice filtering, arbitrary submixing, and multi-rate processing. Microsoft said that it will be releasing DirectX updates four times per year. The next updates are planned for November 2007, March 2008, June 2008 and August 2008.
Source: http://www.guru3d.com/newsitem.php?id=5700
The tip, incredible. The source, ironclad. Microsoft has apparently told executives at one of the world’s largest PC makers not to expect a formal release of Windows Vista SP1 — the first major set of upgrades and bug fixes to its Vista operating system — until 2009 at the earliest. That explains why Microsoft was so desperate to correct erroneous reports, spread by a careless team of developers at Microsoft, that a beta version of SP1 would be out last week. Microsoft now says it “currently anticipates” a beta of SP1 later this year. Anticipations, of course, are not always met. Especially if you’re a sluggish beast like Microsoft, with thousands of developers to keep in train on a release. And this delay would have wide aftershocks.
The rumored delay in SP1, of course, means that it would be impossible for Microsoft to deliver its next version of Windows by 2010, as Windows watcher Mary Jo Foley believes. At ZDNet, David Berlind asks the smart question: Will any future version of Windows matter, as developers and users shift to the Web? Any delays in SP1, of course, make subsequent releases less and less relevant.
The delays in Vista, and its lack of must-have features, have already infuriated Microsoft’s most important partners, the PC makers who preinstall most copies of Windows sold. Gianfranco Lanci, CEO of Acer, the fourth-largest PC maker, has broken the code of silence, telling the FT Deutschland newspaper that “the entire industry is disappointed by Vista.” Historically, new releases of Windows have provided a boost to PC sales. Not so with Vista, Lanci contends.
And if PC makers have to wait two years for SP1, and more than that for the next version of Windows? Apple’s marketers will have a field day. And the notion of a mass-market Linux PC, once ludicrous, will look more and more plausible.
Source: www.guru3d.com
Microsoft is planning to ship its next major version of Windows–known internally as version “7″–within roughly three years, CNET News.com has learned.
The company discussed Windows 7 on Thursday at a conference for its field sales force in Orlando, Fla., according to sources close to the company.
While the company provided few details, Windows 7, the next client version of the operating system, will be among the steps taken by Microsoft to establish a more predictable release schedule, according to sources. The company plans a more “iterative” process of information disclosure to business customers and partners, sources said.
Windows Vista, the oft-delayed most recent release of Windows, shipped to businesses in November and to consumers in January after more than five years of development. Vista’s gestation period was marked by shifting product details as internal priorities changed and problems arose with development.
Like Vista, Windows 7 will ship in consumer and business versions, and in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame.
Next up on Microsoft’s agenda is Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, which is expected before year’s end.
The discussion of Windows’ future isn’t surprising, given that Microsoft has been criticized by business customers for delays related to Vista. Many business customers pay for Microsoft’s software under a license agreement called Software Assurance.
Windows 7 was previously known by the code name Vienna. A Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 7 is the internal code name for the next client release of Windows. The details were released “as part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how they will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future…Software Assurance customers in particular,” a representative said in a statement via e-mail.
“Microsoft is scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar,” according to the representative.
Source: http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-6197943.html
