Download Safari 4 Beta for Windows

Forget about Safari 3, Safari 4 is here. Well, at least the first Beta version. Microsoft, Opera, Mozilla and Google are not the only companies cooking the next versions of their respective browsers, namely Internet Explorer 8, Opera 10, Firefox 3.1 and Google Chrome 2.0. Apple is also moving its Safari browser forward, on both Mac OS X and on Windows. In this context, Apple has made available for download the first Beta version of Safari 4, the successor of Safari 3, on February 24, 2009.

Labeled as “the world's best browser,” by Apple and only Apple, Safari 4 Beta is available for download in two variants, bundled with iTunes and plain vanilla. According to the company's official download page, Safari 4 Beta is designed to integrate seamlessly with “any PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista. [with at least] 500-MHz Pentium-class processor or better and 256MB of RAM.”

However, in the notification of the availability of Safari 4 Beta, Apple indicates that the browser is set up to play nice with “Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista.” There is no word at this point in time of the integration of Safari 4 Beta with Windows 7 Beta.

On the launch of the Beta, Apple trumpeted Safari 4 as the “world’s fastest & most innovative browser,” revealing that the underlying Nitro engine achieved performances 4.2 times faster than Safari 3 when it came down to rendering JavaScript. In addition to advances in terms of performance, Safari 4 Beta also comes to the table with strong support for modern web standards, including HTML 5 and CSS 3.

“Safari 4 is built on the world’s most advanced browser technologies including the new Nitro JavaScript engine that executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari quickly loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3,” Apple stated.

Download from here.

Parted Magic 3.7 Is Here

Just ten days after the Valentine's Day release, Patrick Verner announced today the immediate availability of his Parted Magic 3.7 Linux distribution. This new version fixes several bugs, adds some new features and updates a few software packages.

The developers fixed a scripting error in the package installer that wouldn't allow multi-package installs. The G4L was fixed by adding /mnt/local and several fixes and features were added to the wipe and mount scripts.
The code used for booting ISOs directly through GRUB4DOS was remerged after the last round of changes. Another remerged code is the one used to force devices at boot with uuid= and label=. A bug that prevented launching web links embedded in GTK applications' about dialogs was fixed. XFCE files were added to make the help in screenshooter work. Also, the "unnamed window" was fixed in conky.

The updated packages for Parted Magic 3.7 are:
· hdparm-9.11, a command line utility for setting and viewing HDD parameters;
· util-linux-ng-2.14.2, a random collection of Linux utilities;
· Linux kernel 2.6.28.7;
· coreutils-7.1 (only dd, cp, shred, split, stty);
· Ddrescue 1.10, a data recovery tool;
· Firefox 3.0.6 is the default web browser;
· FireFTP 1.0.4, the latest Mozilla Firefox FTP client;
· lshw-B.02.14, a tool that extracts detailed hardware information;
· di-4.13.

Download from here.

Expression Media 2 Service Pack 2 (SP2)

At the start of February 2009, Microsoft announced that by the end of the month it would provide Service Pack 2 for Expression Media 2. Well, the Redmond company has indeed managed to live up to its promise, as SP3 for Expression Media 2 is here. According to the software giant the service pack bits are available in the following languages: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean on Windows as well as Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish on Mac.

At the time of this article, the knowledge base article accompanying the service pack was not yet live. When it will be published, users will be able to access extensive information on Expression Media 2 SP2 – just look for Microsoft KB article 962902. Anita Oakley, a support escalation engineer for Expression Media, indicated that, although the download could not be live yet either, Microsoft was hard at work laboring to make the bits available via Microsoft Update and Windows Update. SP2 for Expression Media 2 will be accessible through MU and WU.

Microsoft is recommending its Expression Media 2 as a “professional asset management tool.” The solution is essentially designed to permit users to build what Microsoft referred to as visual databases of media. A single catalog of content can contain as much as 128,000 files stored in various locations from hard drives to network shares, to DVDs.

Oakley also provided a comprehensive list of changes that the second service pack for Expression Media 2 brings to the table on both Windows and Mac OS X:

Issues that this service pack fixes in Macintosh and in Windows

- Importing a number of large images is very slow
- XML export and import may scramble custom fields
- Catalogs that are saved from a Macintosh lose paths to original media if the catalogs are opened from a server on a Windows-based computer
- Original file paths are used instead of new file paths when you are copying items to a new catalog
- Silverlight 2.0 is not detected correctly by Mozilla Firefox browsers when you are viewing Silverlight HTML galleries
- Thumbnails cannot honor file's embedded color profile
- Note: Thumbnails should be rebuilt after you install this service pack for colors to be correct.

Issues that this service pack fixes in Windows

- User preference for rendering engine is not used
- Right-clicking to open a file in the default application opens wrong file after you sort the files in list view
- Moving hierarchical keywords may incorrectly apply flat keywords to images
- Scripting annotations garbles text with Unicode characters
- File paths are broken if the imported folder contains more than 1024 subfolders
- You cannot reset paths when you set a path to the root of a drive
- Expression Media 2 may crash when you import a file from a folder that was removed from the organize panel
- Expression Media 2 may crash when an import is canceled and then files are imported from the root of a drive
- Renaming a folder on a network share may fail and the folder may disappear from organize panel
- Files whose names have more than 64 characters are always imported again when you update folders in organize panel
- Additional folders are not added in organize panel for saved catalogs when the disk volume name is the system default. Typically, the system default is a "Local Disk"
- TIFF RAW files from Phase One Digital Backs consume several megabytes in catalog space
- Random numbers may display on catalog folders if the disk does not have a volume name
- HTML gallery links show question marks when the gallery is viewed in Mozilla Firefox browsers

Issues that this service pack fixes in Macintosh

- You cannot import PPT and XLS files
- "Contact sheet out of range" errors are improved and the experience for making contact sheets is improved
- Batch Rename feature changes Cyrillic characters into question mark characters when you are using the "Strip Diacriticals" function
- When you use the "Update Folders Now" function, duplicate folders may be shown and file links may be broken

Sneak Peek: Visual Studio 2010 Graphical User Interface

Microsoft is not only cooking the next iteration of Windows client and server operating systems, but also the next version of development solutions tailored to the Windows platforms. The Redmond company already announced that the successor of Visual Studio 2008 would be Visual Studio 2010, and the VSLive! Conference in San Francisco acted as the stage for the software giant to give a sneak preview at the new graphical user interface it has implemented for Visual Studio 2010, a new UI that Microsoft claims is more than just a face lift and the resulting pretty face.

“The new UI for Visual Studio 2010 aims to help developers work smarter with streamlined features and increased control of the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), but without creating a new learning curve for existing Visual Studio users. As developers, we spend a lot of time in our IDE. So it’s all about how to make your experience with the IDE most successful. Visual Studio 2010 now features a reorganized layout with file menus and commands on a “shelf” at the top of the IDE,” stated Jason Zander, general manager of Visual Studio, Developer Division, Microsoft.
Increasing efficiency and introducing simplification in terms of developer workflow are Microsoft's targets with the VS2010 new UI. The Redmond company has even turned to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) for the evolution of toolbars and menu bars, as you can see in the screenshot provided on the left. A new addition that is bound to stand out is a text editor that supports rich integration of advanced graphics and on-screen hints, with collapse code capabilities.

“One of the things you will be able to do with the new editor is use it to better visualize other types of data in the system, like profiling data or cyclomatic complexity. In addition, you will be able to add action areas into your text file to create new kinds of functionality,” Zander added. “Say you want to be able to look up historical information, such as who wrote a particular piece of code. The previous editor would have required a lot of graphics code. You can now do it in a much more efficient way, which ultimately leads to more informed, data-driven development.”

With Visual Studio 2010's new UI developers will be able to enjoy additional real estate space because of multi-monitor support. Zander indicated that the next version of VS would permit devs to simply drag source code windows to a secondary monitor, with the new UI allowing them to make use of multiple screens.

Google Chrome 2.0.160.0 Gets “Obama”

Having launched its own breed of open source browser in late 2008, Google is already hard at work cooking version 2.0, as it has already signed off and made Chrome 1.0 available to the general public. Moving onward with the development of Chrome, the Mountain View search giant is taking a variety of aspects of the browser to the next level, including the spell check dictionary. In this context, one of the terms added to Google Chrome 2.0.160.0 is “Obama,” for the current president of the United States.

“The spellchecker built into Chromium can be a big help in keeping your blog, email, documents, and forum postings spelled correctly and easy to read. Chromium integrates the popular open source library Hunspell with WebKit's built-in spellchecking infrastructure to check words and to provide suggestions in 27 different languages,” revealed Brett Wilson and Siddhartha Chattopadhyay, Google Software Engineers.

Wilson and Chattopadhyay indicated that Google, with its massive, some may say even monopolist, reach over the Internet is best positioned to catalyze the addition of new terms to resources such as Hunspell. In this regard, the Google translation team landed a helping hand by identifying collections of words in different languages with a high level of popularity. Google subsequently identified no less than 1,000 words which were not featured in the dictionary. The Mountain View search giant indicated that the linguistic work it had done was available to anyone interested under GPL/LGPL/MPL tri-license agreements.

“The recent dev-channel release of Google Chrome (2.0.160.0) has the additional words we generated for 19 of the languages. Hopefully, you'll see fewer common words marked as misspelled. For example, the English dictionary now includes 'antivirus,' 'anime,' 'screensaver,' and 'webcam,' and commonly used names such as 'BibTeX,' 'Mozilla,' 'Obama,' and 'Wikipedia.' For our scientific users, we even have 'gastroenterology,' 'oligonucleotide,' and 'Saccharomyces',” Wilson and Chattopadhyay added.

Google Chrome 2.0 is available for download here.

Windows 7 Build 7048, RC1 Escrow, Full RC by the End of February 2009

The next iteration of Windows is evolving at fast pace through the development milestones, now that it is past the Beta stage and making its way to Release Candidate. Having wrapped up Windows 7 beta Build 7000 in December 2008, with downloads made available to the general public on January 10, 2009, Microsoft is making headway with the development process, having already started building the first and only Release Candidate for the operating system. At this point in time, the Redmond company has reached number 7048 with Windows 7, the first Build labeled as RC. At the same time, leaving behind the Beta tag entirely and adopting RC instead is a move synonymous with Microsoft reportedly initiating the Release Candidate Escrow phase for Windows 7.

In mid-February 2008, at just over a month since the public availability of Windows 7 Beta Build 7000, the software giant moved the next version of the Windows client in RC Escrow, according to WinFuture, a development phase in which the focus was placed entirely on identifying show-stopping issues that could prevent the operating system from going full Release Candidate. The Escrow bug hunt was designed to identify and resolve regression problems generated by the changes made as Builds advanced in the development process.

Although Build 6.1.7048.winmain_win7rc1.090211-1625 features the label scheme designed to designate Release Candidate branch builds, fact is that Microsoft has offered no confirmation that the milestone version number will be that of the fully-fledged Windows 7 RC. At this point in time, reports indicate that the Redmond company is gearing up to make Windows 7 RC available at the end of this month, more specifically on February 27, 2008. It is unclear whether such a move would involve Windows 7 RC Escrow or the full Windows 7RC, but the software giant's closest partners as well as a limited pool of testers will be the first to get a taste of the Release Candidate builds.

The Redmond company will follow the same testing strategy as it did so far, working first off with partners, Technology Adoption Program members, then it will make Windows 7 RC available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers and subsequently via Connect to the Technical Beta participants. Eventually, Microsoft will also serve Windows 7 to the public through the Customer Preview Program.

Given the availability date of the Windows 7 Beta Build 7000, Microsoft is nothing short of rushing the development of the operating system, with the haste being indicative of the platform's quality, and not only in the Redmond company's perspective. Considering that Beta Build 7000 was actually signed off in December 2008, at which time Microsoft had already started working on Build 7004 and later from the RC-branch, the Windows 7 Release Candidate has had at least a couple of months of cooking. Still, it is important to emphasize that Microsoft has confirmed nothing on Windows 7 RC as of yet, and that all leaked information available in the wild should be taken with a grain of salt. There is nothing at this point in time indicating beyond any doubt that the end of February 2009 is also the end of the baking time for Windows 7 Release Candidate.

Download Deep Zoom Composer Technology Preview for Silverlight 2

In parallel with the development of its alternative for Adobe Flash, Microsoft is also catalyzing the evolution of a tool intimately connected with Silverlight. The Deep Zoom Composer is a solution designed to take the traditional digital photo viewing experience via the web to the next level with the help of Silverlight. On February 17, 2009, Microsoft released the latest update to Deep Zoom Composer, with the February Technology Preview up for grabs, and weighing in at just 4.1 MB. The tool is set up to permit users to tailor images for Silverlight 2's Deep Zoom feature.

“The application itself contains only fixes to issues that you have reported (slightly better memory utilization, a fix for PNG transparency), but the DeepZoomTools.dll library has gone through some significant improvements. In a nutshell, if you had images that did not work properly in the earlier version of Deep Zoom Composer, you should find that most of those images should work now,” revealed Microsoft's Kirupa Chinnathambi.

In this context the February Technology Preview of the Deep Zoom Composer is nothing more than a minor release of the solution. Microsoft made available Silverlight 2 on October 13, 2008, at which time the software giant was applauding the high rate of adoption with the technology already running on one in four machines worldwide. At this point in time the Redmond company is focusing on the development of Silverlight 3, on which more details will be released in March 2009 at Microsoft's web-centric MIX09 conference.

“We are pleased to present a technology preview of Deep Zoom Composer, a tool to allow the preparation of images for use with the Deep Zoom feature currently being previewed in Silverlight 2. The new Deep Zoom technology in Silverlight allows users to see images on the Web like they never have before. The smooth in-place zooming and panning that Deep Zoom allows is a true advancement and raises the bar on what image viewing should be. High resolution images need to be prepared for use with Deep Zoom and this tool allows the user to create Deep Zoom composition files that control the zooming experience and then export all the necessary files for deployment with Silverlight 2,” Microsoft explained.

Deep Zoom Composer February 2009 Technology Preview is available for download here

Mozilla Fennec

Fennec is the code name of the effort to build a mobile version of Firefox. Fennec is part of the Mozilla effort to enable all mobile phones with a Mozilla application.

The overall goals for Mobile Firefox are:
· provide Mozilla’s standards-based open-source browser engine, optimized for mobile, that can be embedded by device manufacturers and others;
· a full-featured mobile browser including support for XUL-based add-ons, delivering on Firefox’s key principles of ease-of-use, security and accessibility;
· grow the Mozilla community in the mobile space;
· provide tools and documentation to help developers develop, debug and deploy web applications;
· do all of this work in the shared Mozilla source repositories so all platforms, desktop and mobile, benefit each other

Here are some key features of "Mozilla Fennec":
UI modes:
· full screen
· portrait/landscape
· mouse pointer for non-touch screen devices
zoom:
· zoom to relevant section
· zoom to width
· zoom to height
· zoom to fit page
scrolling/panning:
· kinetic
· normal (through keys)
· accelerated
· security (e.g. how does the user know the site is secure?)
· tabbed browsing
· spatial navigation - keyboard shortcuts
layout:
· ssr (single column display)
· fit to width
· fit to height
· scrollbar-free layout
· viewport meta tag
· breakpad for ARM
· virtual keyboard
· text input - password/input manager + native integration
· low memory handlers
· start page
· basic navigation/UI design
· localization
· text layout
· send page/URL
· device integration through Javascript
· determine build profile (simple, basic) and what needs to be removed/added
· radical new UI

Download from here.

Windows 7 Fonts – the Evolution

As an integral part of taking the graphics capabilities of Windows 7 to the next level, Microsoft has also catalyzed the evolution of text, both in relation to typography and text rendering, in the next iteration of the Windows client. According to Microsoft, over 80% of the time spent in front of a computer is related to either reading or writing text. This is why the Redmond company has poured resources into improving the quality of text in Windows 7, quality which is synonymous with typography. “As a platform, the role of Windows is to deliver great presentation of text and offering software developers great tools for creating the best presentation possible in the context of the software they develop,” revealed Worachai Chaoweeraprasit, a development lead on the Graphics feature team.

First off, Windows 7 is designed to kick ClearType up a notch. Taking advantage of the LCD pixel architecture and leveraging the human visual system, ClearType manages to spread the energy associated with a single pixel to the neighboring sub-pixels in, making text appear sharper. In Windows 7, ClearType comes with increased clarity, allowing end users to opt from a wider variety of granular choices via the ClearType Text Tuner.

“One of the graphics improvements we made in Windows 7, therefore, is to move from the physical pixel model of the past, and instead creating a new design around what we call the “device independent pixel” unit (or “DIP”), a “virtual pixel” that is one-ninety-sixth an inch in floating-point data type,” Chaoweeraprasit added. “In this model, a glyph (or any other geometric primitive for that matter) can size to fractional pixels, and be positioned anywhere in between the two pixels. The new ClearType improvement allows sizing and placement of glyph to the screen’s sub-pixel nearest to its ideal condition, creating a more natural looking word shape and making text on screen look a lot closer to print quality.”

Users will be happy to know that in Windows 7 they will be able to enjoy an estimated 40% more fonts than in Windows Vista, which in its turn also delivered 40% more fronts over XP. Microsoft currently plans to ship no less than 235 fronts with Windows 7, having offered just 191 in Vista and 133 in XP. “The default common controls’ font dialog and the font chunk in Windows 7 Ribbon are also updated to be more intelligently selective of what fonts to be present to the user of the current user’s profile. Depending on a number of settings including the current UI language, the user locale, and the current set of keyboard input locales, the font list hides fonts of languages not typically used by the user of different culture and locale,” Chaoweeraprasit said.

At the same time, the evolution of the Windows 7’s new font system now allows the operating system to group fonts. In Vista's successor, collections will dictate how fonts are organized, based on the stylistic root of fonts. Chaoweeraprasit explained that “the notion of “font collection” allows partitioning of fonts sharing the same usage into a separate namespace. The system collection is similar to what exists today and is created and managed by the system whereas custom collection can be created and managed, as many as needed, entirely by the application program.”

In Windows 7, users will notice that Microsoft has added a new font, namely “Gabriola,” developed by John Hudson. The addition is just an accessory to the new level of OpenType support introduced in the next version of Windows. An offshoot of the TrueType Open technology Microsoft, OpenType controls the interaction and transformation of glyphs in stages.

“Windows 7 new text system not only uses available OpenType features internally but also allows access to any feature made available in the font in the high level programming interface, making it easier for application developer to discover and exercise the font feature in mainstream scenario,” Chaoweeraprasit said. “Gabriola makes heavy use of contextual letterforms and offers an unprecedented number of stylistic sets for different usages of the font in different occasions.”

According to Microsoft, Windows 7's new text system has been assembled into what the company referred to as the DirectWrite self-sufficient system. This because, even in the early stages of development the company labored to resolve the shortcomings of non-homogeneous text processing.

“The [DirectWrite] API is provided in four layers – the interfaces for font data, rendering support, language processing, and typesetting, each built upon the others with the lower layer makes no requirement to the upper one, and none depends on a specific graphics model. To illustrate the latter point, the figure below shows a sample application that uses the new typesetting interface and language processor while the final rendering happens as an extruded filled 3D geometry from the 2D graphics environment also new to Windows 7 called Direct2D,” Chaoweeraprasit said.

 Source: softpedia.com

Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) Upgrade Available for Download

At the start of January, Microsoft shipped the RTW (Release To Web) of the latest iteration of its instant messaging client. A month later, the Redmond company is offering an upgrade, having made available for download Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) version 14.0.8064.0206. For the time being, the update is being offered exclusively as an integral part of the Windows Live Essentials package. Users that wish to manually install Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) version 14.0.8064.0206 will have to turn to the latest release of the Windows Live Essentials installer (direct download link now available). At the same time, the Redmond company plans to offer automatic updates for the RTW build of Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009).

“We’ve made improvements to the latest release, so even if you have downloaded Windows Live Messenger 2009 in the past month, you will still receive the upgrade prompt. To check if you have the most recent version, go to the Help menu and click ‘About Messenger.' The latest release is Version 2009 (Build 14.0.8064.0206). If you are running a different version, you will soon be asked to upgrade, or you can go, download and install the latest version on your own,” a member of the Windows Live Messenger team revealed.

Up to this point in time, Microsoft has failed to detail the evolution of the instant messaging client between versions 14.0.8064.0206 and 14.0.8050.1202. However, reports indicate that the Redmond company has softened some of the rough corners of Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009), which has managed to survive even after the RTW stage.

Because Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) version 14.0.8064.0206 is not available as a standalone download, but only as a component delivered through the Windows Live Essentials package, “while Messenger is installing, you’ll be given the option to install other new applications that are part of our suite of Windows Live Essentials. You can click each program to get more info about it before you decide which ones you want, but they’re all great additions to your Windows PC, and they are all free,” the Windows Live Messenger team representative added.

Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) version 14.0.8064.0206 is available for download via this link.

PowerDVD 8.0.2217aD

PowerDVD allows you to playback DVDs on your computer. CyberLink's second-generation dynamic video technology (CLEV-2) delivers DVD movies with greater luminance and more natural colors. Intelligent frame-by-frame analysis produces ultra-smooth DVD playback by eliminating ghosting, feathering, and other elements.

• Experience the best in video and audio entertainment
• Feel the vibes with true home theater DTS and Dolby audio
• Maximize your Notebook's on-the-road performance
• Get the smartest movie playback features available
• Connect to your UPnP Network and playback media files 

Download from here.

AVG Free Edition 8.0.234

AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).
Highlights include:

• Automatic update functionality
• The AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run
• The AVG E-mail Scanner, which protects your e-mail
• The AVG On-Demand Scanner, which allows the user to perform scheduled and manual tests
• Free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product
• AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files 

Download from here.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 4.62

K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs, DirectShow filters and tools. Codecs and DirectShow filters are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video formats. The K-Lite Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your movie files. With the K-Lite Codec Pack you should be able to play all the popular audio and video formats and even some rare formats.
This download is for the Mega package and is aimed at pro video users.
The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared to other codec packs:

• It it always very up-to-date with the newest (and/or best) versions of the components.
• It is very user-friendly.
• The installation is fully customizable, meaning that you are able install exactly those components that you really want.
• Uninstallation removes all files and registry entries created by the pack.
• It is extremely easy to make a fully customized unattended installation.
• It has been very well tested, so that the package doesn't contain any conflicting or buggy codecs.
• It tries to avoid potential problems with existing codecs and even fixes some problems. The pack is able to detect broken codecs and filters on your system, and remove them for you.
• It is a very complete package, containing everything you need to play your movies.
• There are different packages. From small to extra-large.
• Suitable for both novice and expert users. 

Download from here.

How to Activate Leaked Windows 7 Build 7022 (RC-Branch)

The leaked versions of Windows 7 have now evolved well past the official releases of the next iteration of the Windows client from Microsoft. While the Redmond company managed to serve only Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 to end users, the actual bits for Windows 7 Build 7022 from the Release Candidate branch are already available for download in the wild from various third-party sources, including top torrent websites, after the development milestone was leaked by testers. At the same time, information on Windows 7 Build 7032, a version superseding 7022, but also from the RC-branch, was also leaked, although this time around, the Enterprise SKU bits have not left the select pool of testers Microsoft released the edition to.

With pre-Beta variants of Windows 7, the largest impediment in deploying the operating system was the fact that Microsoft had offered activation keys only to participants to its official events, including the Professional Developers Conference 2009 and the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2009, along with a limited number of close partners also test-driving early milestones of the platform. There was no legitimate way to activate Windows 7 pre-Beta, until a simple workaround emerged. Users reported at that time that product keys designed to activate pre-release versions of Windows Vista also worked on the pre-Beta builds of Windows 7. The activation workaround did not survive for long, as Microsoft blacklisted the keys.

Users of pre-Beta releases of Windows 7 were left with the option to prolong the trial period of the operating system via the slmgr command, but un-activated Win 7 copies have the disadvantage of not allowing users to send feedback to Microsoft in the same manner as activated copies. The same is not valid for Windows 7 Build 70XX releases from the RC-branch.

As you will be able to see from the screenshots included at the bottom of this article, Windows 7 Build 7022 can be activated with the same product keys available for Windows 7 Beta Build 7000. Although, at this point in time, Microsoft discontinued completely all downloads of Windows 7 client Beta, the company continues to offer product keys, and to keep the activation process live for both Build 7000 Beta and later, including Build 7022 from the RC-branch. This scenario points to the possibility that Microsoft will continue to use the Windows 7 beta product keys going forward even for the Release Candidate build of the operating system.

Users can activate the 32-bit flavor of Windows 7 Build 7022, the only one that was leaked, with the following product keys: 6JKV2-QPB8H-RQ893-FW7TM-PBJ73; TQ32R-WFBDM-GFHD2-QGVMH-3P9GC; GG4MQ-MGK72-HVXFW-KHCRF-KW6KY; 4HJRK-X6Q28-HWRFY-WDYHJ-K8HDH; and QXV7B-K78W2-QGPR6-9FWH9-KGMM7.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6

All of us might be waiting for the newest version of Mozilla Firefox to be released, however it still does not beat the current stable (official) version of Firefox 3.0.6. The main reason is that there are still plugins that are currently not supported by the latest version of Firefox 3.1.x.

Firefox is one of the most popular web browsers, commonly used by computer users in the world. I guess it needs no introduction. Generally, the following are the changes in this version:

* # Fixed several security issues.
* # Fixed several stability issues.
* # In previous versions of Firefox, some users experienced a problem where parts of the screen were not properly displaying after Firefox was open for long periods of time.
* # Improved the ability for scripted commands (including those included in popular extensions like Adblock Plus) to work properly with plugins.
* # Removed the client user ID from crash reports.
* # Fixed issues with the display of some Indic scripts.

Download From Here!

WordPress 2.7.1 Now Released

Within a short period of time, WordPress 2.7.1 RC 1 has matured and officially released. Between version 2.7 and 2.7.1, 68 tickets have been fixed.

2.7.1, the first 2.7 maintenance release, is now available. 2.7.1 fixes 68 tickets. You can automatically upgrade from 2.7 to 2.7.1 via the Tools->Upgrade menu, or you can download the package and upgrade manually. Consult the list of fixed tickets and the full set of changes between 2.7 and 2.7.1 for details.

Download From Here!

Process Explorer 11.33

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you'll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down DLL-version problems or handle leaks, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

Process Explorer works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 processors, and Windows Vista.

Download from here.

ACDSee 11.0.108

ACDSee - the most powerful photo manager around is now even faster. Way faster. No other photo software saves you so much time. Enjoy the freedom to find, organize and edit your photos faster, easier and with better results than ever before. Instantly share your pictures online or on your cell phone. Create quality prints or Flash and PDF slideshows.

It's hard to believe that managing digital images can be so quick and easy, but with ACDSee, it is. As a media browser for your Windows® folder system, ACDSee's superfast navigation pane lets you browse and view your picture collections right away. Compare multiple images side-by-side. Save time and select photo files by criteria. Or see all your images at once. ACDSee digital photo software supports over 50 popular photo and multimedia formats.

Download from here.

This download is for a 30 day trial.

Windows 7 Build 7022 (RC Branch) Leaked and Available for Download

Windows 7 Beta Build 7000 continues to be available for download via Microsoft's official channels until the discontinuation deadline on February 10, 2009, but the next iteration of the Windows client has already evolved past the Beta stage. In parallel with the legitimate downloads of Windows 7 Beta Build 7000, superseding builds of the operating system are also up for grabs, albeit not from Microsoft. In this regard, Windows 7 Build 7022 has been leaked to torrent websites with the bits now accessible to all users with a BitTorrent client.

Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, already confirmed that Windows 7 would move straight from Beta to Release Candidate, then to RTM (release to manufacturing) and subsequently to GA (general availability). Make no mistake about it, Build 7022 belongs to the Release Candidate branch of Windows 7, with Microsoft having, as early as January evolved even further in the development process of the platform.

Build 7022.0.x86fre.winmain.090115-1850 is a clear indication that the Redmond giant is making headway with the development of Windows 7. The release contains a number of changes over Windows 7 Beta. Most important, users of Windows 7 will now be able to run the Release Candidate of the Internet Explorer 8 shipping as a default component with the operating system. In addition, there are also tweaks to the former Windows Sidebar, now the Desktop Gadget Gallery with a new icon, new animation effects for Windows Explorer, a new icon for Home Group, but also changes to Paint, to the way search is performed via the Start Menu and to the general stability of the platform.

Compiled on January 15, 2009, Windows 7 Pre-RC Build 7022 is not available for download from Microsoft, but only from third-party websites, including top torrent trackers. Microsoft has already produced Windows 7 Builds 7025 and even 7034 according to reports, but the company has offered no confirmation in this regard. The leaked copy of Win 7 Build 7022 is packaged as an ISO image and is only offered in the 32-bit flavor.

Download from here.

SystemRescueCd 1.1.5 Is Out

Just a little over one month after the last release, François Dupoux announced today the 1.1.5 version of his popular Gentoo-based Linux distribution, SystemRescueCd. Coming with an updated Linux kernel, now at version 2.6.27.14, SystemRescueCd has better support for reiser4 and ext4 filesystems.

The latest version of GParted, 0.4.2, was included in the release, bringing ext4 and LVM pv detection. Also, for speedier file searching and help, the whatis/locate databases were created.

Highlights of SystemRescueCd 1.1.5:
· an updated filesystem backup and development tool - sys-fs/fsarchiver 0.4.1
· the sys-boot/grub is now at version 0.95 -r9 being able to boot from ext4 partitions
· the kernel module and utils for brtfs filesystem reached version 0.18
· sys-fs/ntfs3g (that brings ntfs full read-write support) was updated to version 2009.1.1
· the issue with autorun scripts copied in the root of the cdrom not being executed was fixed
· important ext4 fixes come in the form of an updated sys-fs/e2fsprogs to version 1.41.4
· the recent updates for the ext4 kernel were backported from linux-2.6.29-rc
· app-arch/tar was patched in order to bring support for xattr/acl/selinux
· the sysresccd-cleansys package, broken on portage-2.2, was repaired

SystemRescueCd, a Linux LiveCD, is a quick and easy way to repair systems and recover data after serious crashes. With tools ranging from partition managers and disk diagnostic mechanisms to basic day-to-day applications (text editors, midnight commander etc.), as well as support for all important filesystems, SystemRescueCd is a solution that anyone who is experiencing data loss or other system related problems should consider.

Download  from here.

uTorrent 1.8.2 Build 14458

uTorrent is an efficient and feature rich BitTorrent client for Windows sporting a very small footprint. It was designed to use as little cpu, memory and space as possible while offering all the functionality expected from advanced clients.

• Multiple simultaneous downloads
• Configurable bandwidth scheduler
• Global and per-torrent speed limiting
• Quick-resumes interrupted transfers
• RSS Downloader
• Trackerless support (Mainline DHT) 

Download from here.

Fedora 11 Alpha

The Fedora Project announced, a few minutes ago, the release of Fedora 11 (Leonidas) Alpha. The team invites everybody to download the ISO and start contributing with feedback, bug reports and new ideas (see below for links). The Alpha should be able to boot on any system and it offers a peek into the features that will be included in the final release. Of those, worth mentioning are the experimental support for the Btrfs filesystem, stable support for the breathtaking EXT4 filesystem, KDE 4.2, GNOME 2.26, Python 2.6, a new volume control, an exciting multi-seat support (multiple peripherals can be connected at the same time on a single machine) and a cross-compiler,
allowing developers to build and test Windows applications right from their Fedora box, without requiring a Windows OS installation.

Highlights of Fedora 11 Alpha:
· Windows Cross Compiler
· Ext4 File System
· Btrfs File System
· New Volume Control
· PackageKit Firmware Support
· GNOME 2.26
· KDE 4.2 RC2
· Xfce 4.6 Beta
· NetBeans 6.5
· Python 2.6
· Git 1.6.1.1

The Fedora 11 (codename Leonidas) development will continue with a beta release at the end of March, a Preview version at the end of April, and it will conclude with the final release at the end of June or probably at the beginning of July, 2009. Fedora 11 will be available for download as GNOME and KDE Live CD editions for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms, and the usual installable DVD editions.

Fedora 11 Release Schedule:
· February 5th, 2009 - Fedora 11 Alpha Release
· March 24th, 2009 - Fedora 11 Beta Release
· April 24th, 2009 - Fedora 11 Preview Release
· June 26th, 2009 - Fedora 11 Final Release

Download for all archictures from here.

RealPlayer 11.0.0.544

RealPlayer (renamed from RealOne) allows your system to play Real Media files (.ra .ram)
This new version also allows you to buy and download music that plays on more than 100 portable devices, including the iPod.
RealPlayer is a digital-media player for finding and downloading new music, playing and managing audio and video clips, and taking your digital entertainment with you. RealPlayer offers a streamlined interface that allows you to keep your media library close at hand. Keep all your digital-media clips organized in one place; save CD tracks with one click; pause and rewind live streams; transfer music to CDs and portable devices; and enjoy clear, smooth video playback and multichannel, surround-sound support.

Download from here.

Google Earth 5.0.11337 Beta

ant to know more about a specific location? Dive right in -- Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips.

• Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom right in.
• Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions.
• Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
• Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own annotations. 

Download from here.

Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0.12

 

Java software allows you to run applications called "applets" that are written in the Java programming language. These applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D.
Many cross platform applications also require this to run.

Download from here.

Mandriva Announces Pulse 2 v1.2

Mandriva announced the immediate availability of version 1.2 of their Pulse 2, an Open Source tool for managing workstations, mobile computers and servers. Mandriva Pulse 2's purpose is to make managing of information systems much easier for those who choose to use it.

Mandriva Pulse 2 keeps a software and hardware inventory for each computer in its database, deploying and updating applications. Other features include diagnostic and remote control modules. This set of tools automates the management of workstations, servers or even mobile computers and, at the same time, reduces management and information system administration costs, regardless of the operating system.

Pulse 2 identifies instability risks and security errors in time to prevent further problems, and it is able to detect differences between current features and security policies that are pre-established.
Mandriva Pulse 2 increases the overall security and reliability of user environments by automating roll-outs, maintenance and update processes. It can also observe and record user's choices, making migration a faster process. Having a modular architecture and bandwidth management mechanisms, Mandriva Pulse 2 is a great solution for large, wide-spread IT infrastructures.

Highlights of Madndriva Pulse 2 v1.2:

· automatic management
· available for a wide range of operating systems
· identifies risks in time
· reduces costs
· modular architecture

Download from here.

Slamd64 12.2 Released

Image credits: John Friar

Fred Emmott announced yesterday the release of version 12.2 of his Linux distribution, Slamd64, a system compatible with both 32- and 64-bit hardware. Its multilib capability enables this distro to have an increased support for both 32-bit software and 64-bit binaries, but without the cluttering of the root directory. The nspluginwrapper viewer is still included in the distribution, making it easy to install and use 32-bit plugins on 64-bit versions of Firefox and Konqueror, which are included in this release.

"Like previous releases of Slamd64, 12.2 provides seamless FHS-compliant 32-bit compatibility, via a multilib system (/lib for 32-bit libraries and /lib64 for 64-bit libraries). [...] nspluginwrapper is still included in c/, allowing you to easily use 32-bit browser plugins (such as Adobe Flash) in the included 64-bit browsers, such as Firefox and Konqueror - given the availability of prerelease 64-bit versions of Adobe Flash Player and Sun's Java Plugin, this will hopefully vanish soon." – said Fred Emmott in the official release announcement.

Highlights of Slamd64 12.2:

· Linux kernel 2.6.27.7
· GCC 4.2.4
· Apache HTTPD 2.2.10 server, with SSL support and PHP 5.2.8
· Updated development tools
· KDE (K Desktop Environment) 3.5.10
· XFCE 4.4.3
· The latest Mozilla Firefox 3.0.5
· Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.19
· Sun's Microsystem Java (JRE and JDK) 6 update 11

Fred Emmott also reminded that the support for Slamd64 11.0 would soon be dropped.

Slamd64 first appeared in 2004 as an unofficial port to the 64-bit architecture of Slackware Linux. Because of this, almost all packages created for the x86 version of Slackware can be run by Slamd64. The minimum system requirements are: 128 MB of RAM, 100 MB disk space for the text-only install or 3 GB for the full version and a VGA card. 3D graphics are also supported with a recommendation to use NVidia or Intel cards.

Download from here.