Microsoft Suffers Leaks, Lagging Sales Numbers As They Look Forward To Windows 8 386
nandemoari writes "With only a few weeks until Microsoft's Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is released, Microsoft is already looking for people to help with Windows 8. An April 14th job ad posted by Microsoft says the upcoming version of Windows will have new features like cluster support and support for one way replication. Apparently the Windows 8 kernel is being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. Windows 8 will also include innovative features that, according to Microsoft, will revolutionize file access in branch offices." Relatedly, several users tell us that both 32 and 64-bit versions of the Windows 7 release candidate have been leaked into the wild via p2p networks. The current leaked version shows little change beyond bug fixes, so it would seem what you see is what you get. This all comes as Microsoft posts quarterly sales that have fallen for the first time in the company's 23-year history. Seeing a 6% drop in revenue and a 32% drop in earnings, some within the Redmond giant expect the downward trend to continue.
point of reference (Score:5, Informative)
Windows XP Mode (Score:5, Informative)
basically Virtual PC running Windows XP client seamlessly on the desktop. Most
likely it will gain interest in enterprises planning to upgrade XP installations.
http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2009/04/24/secret-no-more-revealing-virtual-windows-xp-for-windows-7.aspx [winsupersite.com]
Ummm.... (Score:1, Informative)
Umm..from the 'Job Details [microsoft.com]':
"For the upcoming version of Windows, new critical features are being worked on including cluster support and support for one way replication. The core engine is also being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8 where we will be including innovative features which will revolutionize file access in branch offices."
The core engine they are talking about (dramatic performance improvements), IMHO, is not Windows kernel itself, but the storage layer core engine.
Stop confusing people, pls.
Re:point of reference (Score:5, Informative)
Despite MS sales dropping 6% and profits dropping ~30%, they're still somehow the 3rd most profitable company in the world according to Fortune. They're ahead of even GE! So who's ahead of them? Exxon and Chevron.
Re:Windows 2000 (Score:5, Informative)
2003 dude, all the way. Switch to windows classic (start menu, taskbar, window decoration, folder views) and disable the 'themes' service which seems to intercept graphics calls and the result is snappier than 2000, esp with boot/shutdown times taken into consideration (with concurrent service start/stopping that came in 2001's XP).
Throw a couple of UI enhancements on (launchy [sourceforge.net], freelaunchbar [freelaunchbar.com]) and you're away. Nothin beats it. One of my problems with 7ista is that you can't create a second bar on the screen (eg, add quicklaunch toolbar, and try drag it to the top or side of the screen. You now have a new bar, great for adding an address toolbar, a freelaunchbar, website bookmarks etc). I don't understand the mentality behind removing functionality.
Re:Fuck yeah. (Score:5, Informative)
They don't have large actual cash reserves. That is just slang for liquid accounts. They have a whole team of people who sit around forecast the exact amount of cash necessary to do things like make payroll and A/P at certain times. Then, they manage a whole slew of really low risk investments that come due around the time they need the cash. The rate on really low risk investments investments is by defintion the expected rate of inflation for that period + the time value of money. It's not hard to find investments like TIPS (Treasury Inflation protected securities) that guarantee the proper rate of return.
Re:Buh? (Score:3, Informative)
WinFS is likely dead and buried.
The branch thing is their method of caching files on a machine on the local network.
Apparently 7 does it very well, so I don't know what 8 is hyping it up for.
Re:Buh? (Score:5, Informative)
And is "revolutionize file access in branch offices" the filesystem MS promised for Vista
Microsoft never promised a new filesystem. WinFS was an abstraction layer running atop NTFS.
Re:Dear Microsoft.. please listen to your users (Score:4, Informative)
Send me message if you want me to continue my licensing rant in detail.
Ok... I'll bite...what did they say?
Next rant: Windows Vista.. Stop telling me it is better than Windows XP.
But it is.
Next rant: Why are you forcing Vista on everyone that buys a computer in the store?!
Because Vista is the current version. And people who buy computers in a store should get the current version.
XP is essentially discontinued except for businesses that REALLY need it, and netbooks. Personally I can't wait for it to be all dead.
Next rant: DRM. Fucking stop it. Start enabling people - not disabling them. Stop listening to media companies that are trying to force you to handicap your operating system. People pay for stuff that's convenient. Make it convenient as possible. Stop installing WGA spyware on everyones' computers.
DRM is virtually a non-issue in Vista. Go ahead, install some non-MPAA signed video drivers. The worst that will happen is your bluray player won't work. It sucks that its there, but Microsoft is actually doing a pretty good job of balancing things.
Next rant: Stop changing interfaces for the hell of changing interfaces. Give me a 'compatibility mode' interface.... I want my fucking classic startmenu.
1995 was not the pinacle of GUI design. Just because you are used to it doesn't mean it was ever good. Suck it up and roll with progress. Sometimes it takes a step backwards, but its mostly forwards.
Next rant: Stop adding more steps in the process to get anything done!!! In Windows 95, Startmenu > Programs displayed everything..
Yep, and having more start menu items than fit on the screen sucks. Even after the panel expands itself horizontally.
Then.. Windows 98/ME/XP started scrolling and hiding shit by default.. How the fuck is that more convenient?
Yes it was annoying, but it solved the problem of so much stuff installed that never gets used preventing you from conveniently accessing what you do use. It wasn't the best solution, but it was a start. Vista's and OSx's solution -- using search is far better. Try it. I never look at the all programs list anymore... i just type the first few letters of the name of the program... and the really common stuff I pinned.
How about changing an IP address? It is easier and quicker in XP than Vista.. How about changing resolution? so much easier in XP than Vista.. or Windows 7..
Are these things really you do all that often that its worth a rant? And XP's UI for setting up multiple monitors wasn't great. (better than linux tho.)
Next rant: Stop choosing the dumbass options for everyone by default.. give a 'poweruser' setting during setup so Windows explorer doesn't try to hide exensions, hide details, hide operating system files..
If you are such a power user build a short .reg file stick it on a usb key for storage and double click it after you install to apply all these settings. I'm not happy with a lot of the defaults of my Linux and OSX installs either.
Next rant: No puppy dogs.
Really? You liked that little brown search dog? I never did; little bugger never seemed to find anything.
Next rant: Build disk-imaging into the OS. Let me install a drive, go to disk manager, and copy my old drive.. It's easy as hell to program.. And it's easy as hell to do in linux.. make it easy to do in Windows.
But... but... Norton will sue them for cutting them out of that market...kidding... that would be a nice feature.
Next rant: Stop wasting GUI space.. How is a thicker window border any more convenient?
Oh come now, its not like you're running 800x600 anymore... are you? are you? I pity you. Me, I don't really relish trying to pick at 2pixel wide widgets on a 24" screen. That said, your comments about scalable windows is the direction I'd like to see things go too.
[...]
Most of those I cut I agreed with.
Re:Buh? (Score:5, Informative)
Mod Parent Up.
This lovely little tidbit of information is completely correct and it always gets iterated every single time someone bashes Microsoft over WinFS. It's not a file system. It never was. And it's not dead, it's now part of SQL server under a different name.
But somehow, people don't get this. It's been years since it's been "dropped" from Vista (presumably because it's not actually all that useful after all) yet people still harp on about it.
I don't know why the message isn't getting through: It's not a file system. It's not abandoned. It's not a big deal.
Until it gets through, all we can really do is mod up the people that constantly point this out =\
Re:Microsoft Suffers Leaks, Lagging Sales Numbers (Score:5, Informative)
The joint technology optimisation is targeted for the ARMv6 and ARMv7architectures used in the ARM11â family and the Cortexâ-A series of processors and is expected to be available in the second half of 2009. announcement here [adobe.com]
Re:Yet another new version (Score:3, Informative)
Make sure the taskbar is unlocked (in right click menu), and add a new toolbar such as the Address or Quick Launch (if you don't have one). The left hand side of this bar has a drag bar, which you can move it around, or pull it out of the taskbar and dock it to the top or sides of the screen, creating a new dock bar which you can populate.
1)Create new folder.
2)Drag folder to edge of screen.
3)Add links to folder.
4)Right click "Toolbars -> Whatever You want"
5)Right click "Auto hide"... etc.
Re:Buh? (Score:5, Informative)
Well that depends on how long you have been listening to msft hype. A database file system has been promised from msft sine roughly 1994. Back then it was a full FS. The latest version is a database layer on top of NTFS. Something they have been promising since 2002. They still can't get it to work. It has led to improvements in windows. However apple and gnome had those features without false promises of winFS.
MPEG-4 AVC on iPod Touch: YouTube sans Flash (Score:3, Informative)
Has anybody managed to get flash video to play on ARM yet? last I had heard that was a big nope. Folks won't be happy if they can't go to Youtube
Why do you need Adobe Flash Player just to play YouTube on ARM? The iPod Touch has an ARM CPU and no Flash Player, yet YouTube works on it because it supports MPEG-4 AVC.
XP is SO much faster. I just uninstalled Windows 7 (Score:3, Informative)
I actually just uninstalled the public beta release of Windows 7 on my older computer (AMD 3500+ 4GB Ram, ATI x1550).
I'm amazed at how much better XP runs. Its much faster and smoother.
Its faster at file copying, screen redraw, multitasking... EVERYTHING. I'm even running MS desktop search, Nod32, comodo firewall in XP and its still faster than Vista and windows 7.
I will say that I do like the windows 7 taskbar though.
Microsoft is really screwing up these days. As much as everyone complained about XP security wise.... Its a fast os.
I'm now thinking of installing xp64 on my newer quadcore system and dumping Vista.
Re:XP is SO much faster. I just uninstalled Window (Score:3, Informative)
For fun, i just turned Aero off in Vista, and set the theme to windows classic. The redraw in vista is so BAD compared to XP. I can litterally see every icon redraw in Vista but in XP... its so smooth.
Why is Vista so fundementally flawed? Even with Aero off, its gui performs worse than XP.
I just dont get it and apparently neither does Microsoft.
Vista really is the new Windows ME. ... and Windows 7 is Vista :(
I'm probably going to install XP 64 on my quadcore next time Vista takes a shit on the computer.
Re:Yet another new version (Score:1, Informative)
Re:a dead Microsoft? (Score:3, Informative)
No, actually, we just tell people to use Ubuntu, if they don't want to deal with choice.