All Vista World

Vista: Start++

Supercharge your start menu with this cool Vista add-on. Features shortcuts and lets your run scripts etc - eg. You can search wikipedia with the command “w searchitem”

Download

28.Feb.07 Downloads Read more Comments (0)

Test Drive Vista

Windows Vista Testdrive from Microsoft allows you to try out the business version of Vista from within your browser.

The site provides a guided tour and allows you to view videos of each section and try out the new apps like sidebar and windows meeting space. Internet explorer 6 only though Im afraid.

10.Jan.07 General Read more Comments (0)

Vista delay could add up to Mac sales

If there’s one company that stands to benefit from the delay of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, it’s Apple Computer, analysts said.

Vista delay could add up to Mac sales | CNET News.com

24.Mar.06 General Read more Comment (1)

Microsoft delays Windows Vista until 07

Microsoft delays Windows Vista until 2007 - vnunet.com

Microsoft has delayed the release of its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system until January 2007.

22.Mar.06 General Read more Comments (0)

Vista Pre-Beta 2.0 Release Registration

Microsoft have released a website which enables you to sign up to either: Beta 2 of Windows Vista, Beta 2 of 2007 Microsoft Office System, and Beta 2 of Microsoft Exchange “12″. These will be out from April onwards, and exact dates are not confirmed.

Register Here

20.Mar.06 General Read more Comments (0)

Internet Explorer 7 Beta Preview

Pre release of ie 7 is available for download at the microsoft site.
To install it alongside your current ie6 :

Once the IE7 installer file is downloaded, extract the files via WinRAR, or any other archiving software that can extract an exe file.

1. Open the folder where you extracted the IE7 files, and delete the file SHLWAPI.DLL and the folder Update.
2. Open a text editor, like Notepad, and save a blank file as ‘IEXPLORE.exe.local’ to the IE7 folder.
3. Click iexplore.exe from the IE7 folder

However, it looks like you can’t run the browser as a limited user on a PC, even if its not under a protected folder.

01.Feb.06 Downloads Read more Comment (1)

Microsoft Windows Vista CTP Build 5270 Review

Cool Tech Zone has an indepth look at Microsoft Windows Vista CTP Build 5270 :

A while back, when Microsoft announced its decision to no longer release a monthly CTP for Vista, we were a bit worried, since we wanted to follow-up on the latest developments of Microsoft’s next-gen. operating system (though Microsoft promised to update current versions via critical updates). To Microsoft’s credit, it has kept its word and has released an update sooner than we had anticipated, and needless to say, the changes in this release are substantial.

25.Jan.06 Reviews Read more Comments (0)

Microsoft hardens Vista against Kernel-Mode Malware

Microsoft have announced another security policy in regards to Vista :

With the threat from kernel-mode rootkits on the rise, Microsoft plans to make a significant policy change to block uncertified drivers from loading on x64 versions of Windows Vista.

Starting with Windows Vista and Windows Server (Longhorn), kernel-mode software must have a digital signature to load on x64-based computer systems.

The decision to block unsigned drivers from loading is a direct attempt to restrict the spread of powerful rootkits that intercept the native API in kernel-mode and directly manipulate Windows data structures.

Source : Eweek

25.Jan.06 General Read more Comments (0)

New document fonts for Office 12

Office 12 will be shipping with 6 brand new Microsoft-designed fonts;

• Consolas
• Calibri
• Cambria
• Constantia
• Corbel
• Candara

I wonder who’s bright idea it was to name them so similar ? surely not as good idea.
Images and description are courtesy of Jensen Harris: An Office User Interface Blog :

Consolas
Is aimed for use in programming environments and other circumstances where a monospaced font is specified. All characters have the same width, like old typewriters, making it a good choice for personal and business correspondence. The improved Windows font display allowed a design with proportions closer to normal text than traditional monospaced fonts like Courier. This allows for more comfortably reading of extended text on screen. OpenType features include hanging or lining numerals; slashed, dotted and normal zeros; and alternative shapes for a number of lowercase letters. The look of text can be tuned to personal taste by varying the number of bars and waves.

Calibri
Is a modern sans serif family with subtle roundings on stems and corners. It features real italics, small caps, and multiple numeral sets. Its proportions allow high impact in tightly set lines of big and small text alike. Calibri’s many curves and the new rasteriser team up in bigger sizes to reveal a warm and soft character.

Cambria
Has been designed for on-screen reading and to look good when printed at small sizes. It has very even spacing and proportions. Diagonal and vertical hairlines and serifs are relatively strong, while horizontal serifs are small and intend to emphasize stroke endings rather than stand out themselves. This principle is most noticeable in the italics where the lowercase characters are subdued in style to be at their best as elements of word-images. When Cambria is used for captions at sizes over 20 point, the inter-character spacing should be slightly reduced for best results. The design isn’t just intended for business documents: The regular weight has been extended with a large set of math and science symbols. The Greek and Cyrillic has been designed under close supervision of an international team of experts, who aimed to set a historical new standard in multi-script type design.

Constantia
Is a modulated wedge-serif typeface designed primarily for continuous text in both electronic and paper publishing. The design responds to the recent narrowing of the gap between screen readability and traditional print media, exploiting specific aspects of the most recent advances in ClearType rendering, such as sub-pixel positioning. The classic proportions of relatively small x-height and long extenders make Constantia ideal for book and journal publishing, while the slight squareness and open counters ensure that it remains legible even at small sizes.

Corbel
Is designed to give an uncluttered and clean appearance on screen. The letter forms are open with soft, flowing curves. It is legible, clear and functional at small sizes. At larger sizes the detailing and style of the shapes is more apparent resulting in a modern sans serif type with a wide range of possible uses.

Candara
Is a casual humanist sans with verticals showing a graceful entasis on stems, high-branching arcades in the lowercase, large apertures in all open forms, and unique ogee curves on diagonals. The resultant texture is lively but not intrusive, and makes for a friendly and readable text.

24.Jan.06 Screenshots Read more Comments (0)

Mac OS X Vs Vista from a designers point of view

For years the mac interface has been lauded over PC users, especially within the design community and its true that that Macs did look better - they intoduced gel style icons, transparency and overall the user experience was a lot sleeker and better to look at than boring old windows.

I think this is about to change with the introduction of Vista, Microsoft really seems to have placed a great importance on the overal look and feel of it.

The transparency effects look nicer, the icons have been improved and overall I think it shades it in the ‘looks stakes’ over OS X, not forgetting that Vista is still in Beta.

OSX :

Vista :

What do you think ?

24.Jan.06 Screenshots Read more Comments (8)