MS Windows Articles, Reviews and Videos » Windows http://windowspalace.com All about Windows. Drivers, reviews, tutorials and videos Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:38:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 en Chrome Extensions On the Way, Adblock Imminent http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/chrome-extensions-on-the-way-adblock-imminent.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/chrome-extensions-on-the-way-adblock-imminent.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:38:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-1616088431168588264 Google has published its plan to build into Chrome what is arguably its most requested feature: the ability to accept extensions that can customize how the open-source Web browser operates.

And guess what? Google's dependence on advertising notwithstanding, one of the extension examples the company points to is the ability to block advertisements.

The Chrome extensions document, spotlighted Saturday by Google programmer Aaron Boodman, doesn't include a timeline, but it does shed light on why the project is a priority for Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome.

"Chromium can't be everything to all people," according to the document. "User-created extensions have been proposed to solve these problems: the addition of features that have specific or limited appeal; users coming from other browsers who are used to certain extensions that they can't live without; bundling partners who would like to add features to Chromium specific to their bundle."

When Google launched Chrome three months ago, it promised a Chrome extensions framework. Extensions are a popular feature of Chrome's most likely rival, Mozilla's Firefox, and one very popular extension is AdBlock Plus.

And AdBlock makes a specific appearance on the list of extension uses that Google said it would like to support eventually:

• Bookmarking/navigation tools: Delicious Toolbar, StumbleUpon, Web-based history, new tab page clipboard accelerators.

• Content enhancements: Skype extension (clickable phone numbers), RealPlayer extension (save video), Autolink (generic microformat data--addresses, phone numbers, etc.)

• Content filtering: AdBlock, Flashblock, privacy control, parental control

• Download helpers: video helpers, download accelerators, DownThemAll, FlashGot

• Features: ForecastFox, FoxyTunes, Web Of Trust, GooglePreview, BugMeNot

Demand for extensions is real.

In an unscientific CNET News poll about why people don't use Chrome, about 19 percent pointed to the lack of an extensions feature. And on Google's issue tracking site for Chromium, a Chrome extensions feature is the top-requested item.

"Of all the Firefox plug-ins, this is the one essential one," said Firefox user Ole Eichhorn. "Chrome is faster until you factor in all the cruft that gets downloaded as ads, then it isn't faster anymore. When Chrome supports AdBlock, it will be the winner, but until it does, Firefox is the only choice."

In its document, Google described some of its goals for Chrome extensions. The extensions should silently update, just like Chrome does. They should be isolated for security reasons and only get access to resources it's entitled to use. Installation should be easy, taking only two clicks.

They should permit rich user interface options--rich enough to implement some parts of Chrome as extensions, Google said. Among the interface options should be "toolbars, sidebars, content scripts (for Greasemonkey-like functionality), and content filtering (for parental filters, malware filters, or AdBlock-like functionality)," Google said. Some interfaces will require the user to grant specific permissions, such as "access to the history database" or "access to mail.google.com," Google said.

Google will play a major role in extensions, providing a central service that can be used to issue updates and to blacklist "malicious or harmful extensions" so the browser won't use them.

"It's likely in the future we may want to provide a consumer front-end which would allow users to more easily find the most popular, highest quality and trustworthy extensions," Google also said.

via cnet.com

]]> Google has published its plan to build into Chrome what is arguably its most requested feature: the ability to accept extensions that can customize how the open-source Web browser operates.

And guess what? Google's dependence on advertising notwithstanding, one of the extension examples the company points to is the ability to block advertisements.

The Chrome extensions document, spotlighted Saturday by Google programmer Aaron Boodman, doesn't include a timeline, but it does shed light on why the project is a priority for Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome.

"Chromium can't be everything to all people," according to the document. "User-created extensions have been proposed to solve these problems: the addition of features that have specific or limited appeal; users coming from other browsers who are used to certain extensions that they can't live without; bundling partners who would like to add features to Chromium specific to their bundle."

When Google launched Chrome three months ago, it promised a Chrome extensions framework. Extensions are a popular feature of Chrome's most likely rival, Mozilla's Firefox, and one very popular extension is AdBlock Plus.

And AdBlock makes a specific appearance on the list of extension uses that Google said it would like to support eventually:

• Bookmarking/navigation tools: Delicious Toolbar, StumbleUpon, Web-based history, new tab page clipboard accelerators.

• Content enhancements: Skype extension (clickable phone numbers), RealPlayer extension (save video), Autolink (generic microformat data--addresses, phone numbers, etc.)

• Content filtering: AdBlock, Flashblock, privacy control, parental control

• Download helpers: video helpers, download accelerators, DownThemAll, FlashGot

• Features: ForecastFox, FoxyTunes, Web Of Trust, GooglePreview, BugMeNot

Demand for extensions is real.

In an unscientific CNET News poll about why people don't use Chrome, about 19 percent pointed to the lack of an extensions feature. And on Google's issue tracking site for Chromium, a Chrome extensions feature is the top-requested item.

"Of all the Firefox plug-ins, this is the one essential one," said Firefox user Ole Eichhorn. "Chrome is faster until you factor in all the cruft that gets downloaded as ads, then it isn't faster anymore. When Chrome supports AdBlock, it will be the winner, but until it does, Firefox is the only choice."

In its document, Google described some of its goals for Chrome extensions. The extensions should silently update, just like Chrome does. They should be isolated for security reasons and only get access to resources it's entitled to use. Installation should be easy, taking only two clicks.

They should permit rich user interface options--rich enough to implement some parts of Chrome as extensions, Google said. Among the interface options should be "toolbars, sidebars, content scripts (for Greasemonkey-like functionality), and content filtering (for parental filters, malware filters, or AdBlock-like functionality)," Google said. Some interfaces will require the user to grant specific permissions, such as "access to the history database" or "access to mail.google.com," Google said.

Google will play a major role in extensions, providing a central service that can be used to issue updates and to blacklist "malicious or harmful extensions" so the browser won't use them.

"It's likely in the future we may want to provide a consumer front-end which would allow users to more easily find the most popular, highest quality and trustworthy extensions," Google also said.

via cnet.com

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/chrome-extensions-on-the-way-adblock-imminent.html/feed istartedsomething HP Magic Giveaway contest http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/istartedsomething-hp-magic-giveaway-contest.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/istartedsomething-hp-magic-giveaway-contest.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:30:51 +0000 Long Zheng http://www.istartedsomething.com/?p=3328 Today, the HP Magic Giveaway is coming to this very corner of the web. Your chance to win $6000 of the best (sealed and unsmudged) geek toys for this holiday seasons from HP and Microsoft in just a couple of keystrokes and mouse clicks away. For Tablet PC users it’s just a few pen strokes and taps away.

Head over to the <a href="http://www.istartedsomething.com/hpmagicgiveaway/"istartedsomething.com HP Magic Giveaway contest minisite for the prize package and entry information.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, where no one really has time or effort to do anything, it can’t get any easier than a simple sweepstake. Just register your name and email. But there’s a twist. Users of the Windows Vista (and newer) operating system are given the opportunity to claim a bonus entry. If you don’t use Vista (or tried Vista), might be a good time to head over to a friend’s house and check it out.

The competition runs for 7 days until Tuesday, 9th of December 2008. If the technology works, a winner will be drawn later that day. Good luck.

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/istartedsomething-hp-magic-giveaway-contest.html/feed Windows7: Glass aero, with simple graphic card! http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows7-glass-aero-with-simple-graphic-card.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows7-glass-aero-with-simple-graphic-card.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:02:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-4508823338501809883 Windows 7’s new WARP system can run Direct3D 10 and 10.1 on the CPU, doing away with the need for a hardware 3D accelerator in some circumstances

DirectX CPU

It turns out that Intel isn’t the only company that’s looking at performing Direct3D in software; Microsoft has just announced that it’s also planning to introduce a new feature called WARP in Windows 7 that allows you to run Direct3D 10 and 10.1 on the CPU.
In what could be seen as an easy answer to the Vista-capable debacle, where there was some confusion as to what 3D graphics hardware you specifically needed to run Windows Vista’s Aero interface, Microsoft has introduced what it calls a ‘fully conformant software rasterizer’ called WARP (Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform) 10, which does away with the need for a dedicated hardware 3D accelerator altogether.
Microsoft details the new feature in this document on MSDN, in which the company says that WARP 10 will support all the features and precision requirements of Direct3D 10 and 10.1. The feature also supports up to 8x multi-sampled anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering and all optional texture formats. The minimum CPU spec needed is just a simple 800MHz CPU, and it doesn’t even need MMX or SSE, although Microsoft says that WARP 10 will work much quicker on multi-core CPUs with SSE 4.1.
Of course, software rendering on a single desktop CPU isn’t going to be able to compete with decent dedicated 3D graphics cards when it comes to high-end games, but Microsoft has released some interesting benchmarks that show the system to be quicker than Intel’s current integrated DirectX 10 graphics. Running Crysis at 800 x 600 with the lowest quality settings, an eight-core Core i7 system managed an average frame rate of 7.36fps, compared with 5.17fps from Intel’s DirectX 10 integrated graphics.
Of course, this low level of performance isn’t going to threaten ATI and Nvidia in the world of PC gaming, but it could mean that Windows 7’s 3D desktop interface will now be accessible to everyone, whatever graphics card they own.
Microsoft says that the technology is also targeted at casual games, explaining that ‘the majority of the best selling game titles for Windows are either simulations or casual games, neither of which requires high performance graphics, but both styles of games greatly benefit from modern shader based graphics and the ability to scale on hardware if present.’ Microsoft also points out that the technology could be useful for ‘emulators and virtual environments that are attempting to display advanced 3D graphics.’

Via http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/605271/windows-7-allows-directx-10-acceleration-on-the-cpu.html

]]> Windows 7’s new WARP system can run Direct3D 10 and 10.1 on the CPU, doing away with the need for a hardware 3D accelerator in some circumstances

DirectX CPU

It turns out that Intel isn’t the only company that’s looking at performing Direct3D in software; Microsoft has just announced that it’s also planning to introduce a new feature called WARP in Windows 7 that allows you to run Direct3D 10 and 10.1 on the CPU.
In what could be seen as an easy answer to the Vista-capable debacle, where there was some confusion as to what 3D graphics hardware you specifically needed to run Windows Vista’s Aero interface, Microsoft has introduced what it calls a ‘fully conformant software rasterizer’ called WARP (Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform) 10, which does away with the need for a dedicated hardware 3D accelerator altogether.
Microsoft details the new feature in this document on MSDN, in which the company says that WARP 10 will support all the features and precision requirements of Direct3D 10 and 10.1. The feature also supports up to 8x multi-sampled anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering and all optional texture formats. The minimum CPU spec needed is just a simple 800MHz CPU, and it doesn’t even need MMX or SSE, although Microsoft says that WARP 10 will work much quicker on multi-core CPUs with SSE 4.1.
Of course, software rendering on a single desktop CPU isn’t going to be able to compete with decent dedicated 3D graphics cards when it comes to high-end games, but Microsoft has released some interesting benchmarks that show the system to be quicker than Intel’s current integrated DirectX 10 graphics. Running Crysis at 800 x 600 with the lowest quality settings, an eight-core Core i7 system managed an average frame rate of 7.36fps, compared with 5.17fps from Intel’s DirectX 10 integrated graphics.
Of course, this low level of performance isn’t going to threaten ATI and Nvidia in the world of PC gaming, but it could mean that Windows 7’s 3D desktop interface will now be accessible to everyone, whatever graphics card they own.
Microsoft says that the technology is also targeted at casual games, explaining that ‘the majority of the best selling game titles for Windows are either simulations or casual games, neither of which requires high performance graphics, but both styles of games greatly benefit from modern shader based graphics and the ability to scale on hardware if present.’ Microsoft also points out that the technology could be useful for ‘emulators and virtual environments that are attempting to display advanced 3D graphics.’

Via http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/605271/windows-7-allows-directx-10-acceleration-on-the-cpu.html

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows7-glass-aero-with-simple-graphic-card.html/feed SOFTWARE: USB Safely Remove http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/software-usb-safely-remove.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/software-usb-safely-remove.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:52:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-7540517141390189317  

USB Safely Remove is a convenient and safe replacement for the standard "Safely Remove Hardware" tool. The program has many features designed for effortless working with hotplug devices (USB, SATA and FireWire).

Safely remove in one click

The program is an original and convenient tool for safe removing a device. It also detects all connected devices and can be used to view their drive contents. Just move the mouse pointer over the tray icon of the program and you will see a multi-featured 'quick stop' menu with a list of devices

Stopping devices menu

One mouse click on the device and it is safely removed!

Get rid of unnecessary devices!

Are you afraid of accidentally stopping the card reader built into your laptop or dongle? Annoyed by a SATA hard drive or ADSL modem in the device list? Now you can hide any device from the stop menu in one simple step.

Hide a device from the menu

Global keyboard shortcuts

Do you like to do everything using the keyboard? Now you can stop and view devices by using just ONE hotkey! No need to remember keyboard shortcuts for each device. If you are in any application, press the key combination (Win+S by default) and you will see the stop menu. Use the Up\Down arrow keys to select the device you need and either press 'Enter' to stop it or 'Ctrl+B' to view the contents of any storage device.

One stop hotkey

Correct and clear device names

With USB Safely Remove, you will easily find the device you need to stop because the program detects the actual names of devices - the names the manufacturer gave them. If you wish, you can assign your own custom name and image for a device or choose from one of the pre-installed images.
Compare the following and you will see what solution will allow you to safely remove a flash disk without wasting your time.

... standard Windows menu...

Native stopping menu

... convenient USB Safely Remove stop menu.
Stopping menu

The device cannot be stopped right now. Why?

Ever encountered the situation when Windows does not allow you to remove a device? Now this problem is solved once and for all. USB Safely Remove will show you what programs are not allowing you to stop the device and you can stop or disable them in one step.

The device cannot be stopped

Unique technology: "Guaranteed device stop"

Sometimes Windows does not allow you to remove a device even if you close all suspicious programs. This is a problem in the Windows kernel which most often occurs in Windows XP. In most cases USB Safely Remove will allow you to safely stop the device without losing any data. This means that now you can absolutely rest assured about the safety of your data.

Notifications about connected and removed devices

Many people feel uncomfortable when they get no response to their actions. USB Safely Remove is completely devoid of this problem. The program shows a notification bubble containing the drive letter assigned to the device not only after the device is disconnected, but also after it is connected. Thus you will always know whether Windows has successfully recognized the device and it can be used.

Balloon has been loaded

Starting programs after connecting and before removing a device

Another USB Safely Remove feature that distinguishes it from similar software is its ability to not only start an application after connecting a device, but also before removing it. This feature allows you to back up data before disconnecting a removable hard drive, to run 'Total Commander' with the contents of the drive on the connected flash disk, automatically unmount an encrypted TrueCrypt drive before disconnecting the USB media, etc.

Automatically running programs

Automating work with devices

USB Safely Remove has a powerful and convenient command line: 'usr.exe' which allows you to automate tasks with your devices. For example, you can automatically stop devices according to a schedule or in response to any other event.

Command line

Working with any hotplug devices - USB, SATA, FireWire

Another important difference between the program and the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon is the possibility to see and disconnect all hotplug devices. If USB Safely Remove does not show the device immediately you need to select the "Display all storage devices" checkbox in the USB Safely Remove settings.

Displaying volume labels instead of device names

If you have several devices of the same type (like flash disks and removable hard drives) it will be much more convenient to see volume labels instead of device names. To do this just select the "Show volume names instead of device names" checkbox.

Switching to volume names

Customizable icon in the system tray

Many people complain that the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon sometimes disappears at the most inappropriate moment. USB Safely Remove completely replaces the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon with its own icon. By default, the USB Safely Remove icon is always displayed in the system tray, which gives you quick access to the features of the program and makes using USB more clear and predictable. However, you can change this behavior and the icon will disappear when there are no devices connected to the computer. To do so, select the "Hide icon when there are no devices to be stopped" checkbox in the "Look And Feel" section of the settings.
Interested?

Download USB Safely Remove and see how it works.

 

via http://safelyremove.com/fullFeaturesList.htm

]]>  

USB Safely Remove is a convenient and safe replacement for the standard "Safely Remove Hardware" tool. The program has many features designed for effortless working with hotplug devices (USB, SATA and FireWire).

Safely remove in one click

The program is an original and convenient tool for safe removing a device. It also detects all connected devices and can be used to view their drive contents. Just move the mouse pointer over the tray icon of the program and you will see a multi-featured 'quick stop' menu with a list of devices

Stopping devices menu

One mouse click on the device and it is safely removed!

Get rid of unnecessary devices!

Are you afraid of accidentally stopping the card reader built into your laptop or dongle? Annoyed by a SATA hard drive or ADSL modem in the device list? Now you can hide any device from the stop menu in one simple step.

Hide a device from the menu

Global keyboard shortcuts

Do you like to do everything using the keyboard? Now you can stop and view devices by using just ONE hotkey! No need to remember keyboard shortcuts for each device. If you are in any application, press the key combination (Win+S by default) and you will see the stop menu. Use the Up\Down arrow keys to select the device you need and either press 'Enter' to stop it or 'Ctrl+B' to view the contents of any storage device.

One stop hotkey

Correct and clear device names

With USB Safely Remove, you will easily find the device you need to stop because the program detects the actual names of devices - the names the manufacturer gave them. If you wish, you can assign your own custom name and image for a device or choose from one of the pre-installed images.
Compare the following and you will see what solution will allow you to safely remove a flash disk without wasting your time.

... standard Windows menu...

Native stopping menu

... convenient USB Safely Remove stop menu.
Stopping menu

The device cannot be stopped right now. Why?

Ever encountered the situation when Windows does not allow you to remove a device? Now this problem is solved once and for all. USB Safely Remove will show you what programs are not allowing you to stop the device and you can stop or disable them in one step.

The device cannot be stopped

Unique technology: "Guaranteed device stop"

Sometimes Windows does not allow you to remove a device even if you close all suspicious programs. This is a problem in the Windows kernel which most often occurs in Windows XP. In most cases USB Safely Remove will allow you to safely stop the device without losing any data. This means that now you can absolutely rest assured about the safety of your data.

Notifications about connected and removed devices

Many people feel uncomfortable when they get no response to their actions. USB Safely Remove is completely devoid of this problem. The program shows a notification bubble containing the drive letter assigned to the device not only after the device is disconnected, but also after it is connected. Thus you will always know whether Windows has successfully recognized the device and it can be used.

Balloon has been loaded

Starting programs after connecting and before removing a device

Another USB Safely Remove feature that distinguishes it from similar software is its ability to not only start an application after connecting a device, but also before removing it. This feature allows you to back up data before disconnecting a removable hard drive, to run 'Total Commander' with the contents of the drive on the connected flash disk, automatically unmount an encrypted TrueCrypt drive before disconnecting the USB media, etc.

Automatically running programs

Automating work with devices

USB Safely Remove has a powerful and convenient command line: 'usr.exe' which allows you to automate tasks with your devices. For example, you can automatically stop devices according to a schedule or in response to any other event.

Command line

Working with any hotplug devices - USB, SATA, FireWire

Another important difference between the program and the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon is the possibility to see and disconnect all hotplug devices. If USB Safely Remove does not show the device immediately you need to select the "Display all storage devices" checkbox in the USB Safely Remove settings.

Displaying volume labels instead of device names

If you have several devices of the same type (like flash disks and removable hard drives) it will be much more convenient to see volume labels instead of device names. To do this just select the "Show volume names instead of device names" checkbox.

Switching to volume names

Customizable icon in the system tray

Many people complain that the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon sometimes disappears at the most inappropriate moment. USB Safely Remove completely replaces the standard 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon with its own icon. By default, the USB Safely Remove icon is always displayed in the system tray, which gives you quick access to the features of the program and makes using USB more clear and predictable. However, you can change this behavior and the icon will disappear when there are no devices connected to the computer. To do so, select the "Hide icon when there are no devices to be stopped" checkbox in the "Look And Feel" section of the settings.
Interested?

Download USB Safely Remove and see how it works.

 

via http://safelyremove.com/fullFeaturesList.htm

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/software-usb-safely-remove.html/feed Tech ARP - ED#107 : Latest Details On Windows Vista Service Pack 2 http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed107-latest-details-on-windows-vista-service-pack-2.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed107-latest-details-on-windows-vista-service-pack-2.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:29:47 +0000 Joe http://itsvista.com/2008/12/tech-arp-ed107-latest-details-on-windows-vista-service-pack-2/

Vista SP2 will include Windows Search 4, Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack, ability to record to Blu-Ray, Windows Connect Now, and a fix for exFAT discs.

ITsVISTA

Tech ARP - ED#107 : Latest Details On Windows Vista Service Pack 2

Related posts

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed107-latest-details-on-windows-vista-service-pack-2.html/feed Tech ARP - ED#106 : Windows Vista Service Pack 2’s Latest Release Schedule http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed106-windows-vista-service-pack-2%e2%80%99s-latest-release-schedule.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed106-windows-vista-service-pack-2%e2%80%99s-latest-release-schedule.html#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:28:10 +0000 Joe http://itsvista.com/2008/12/tech-arp-ed106-windows-vista-service-pack-2s-latest-release-schedule/

Expect a Vista SP2 release candidate in February 2009, and RTM in April 2009, with release to web some time after that.

ITsVISTA

Tech ARP - ED#106 : Windows Vista Service Pack 2’s Latest Release Schedule

Related posts

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/tech-arp-ed106-windows-vista-service-pack-2%e2%80%99s-latest-release-schedule.html/feed Announcing Hands On Lab Sessions by ELITE - An overview of Hyper-V & SCVMM http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/announcing-hands-on-lab-sessions-by-elite-an-overview-of-hyper-v-scvmm.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/announcing-hands-on-lab-sessions-by-elite-an-overview-of-hyper-v-scvmm.html#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:36:30 +0000 Jabez Gan [MVP] http://www.msblog.org/?p=1591 ELITE is proud to present you with Hands On Lab sessions on Microsoft technologies! The focus of doing hands on labs are to educate participants of various Microsoft technologies out there, and giving them hands on sessions to familiarize them with the technologies and features.

Our first session of Hands On Lab is listed as below:

Topic: Overview of Hyper-V & System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM)
Date: 20th December, 2008
Time: 9AM - 1PM
Location: APIIT, Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil
Fee: FREE

Objectives

Virtualization is the future of IT world. In this seminar will briefly describe the overview for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V technology and the power of System Center virtual machine manager 2008. After this seminar, the participants should have more basic understanding on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V technology and as well as System Center Virtual machine manager 2008.

Source: http://elite.net.my/blogs/announcements/archive/2008/11/26/Announcing-Hands-On-Lab-Sessions-by-ELITE-_2D00_-An-overview-of-Hyper_2D00_V-_2600_-SCVMM.aspx

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/announcing-hands-on-lab-sessions-by-elite-an-overview-of-hyper-v-scvmm.html/feed scoop Syncs Google Reader to Your Desktop http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/scoop-syncs-google-reader-to-your-desktop.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/scoop-syncs-google-reader-to-your-desktop.html#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:16:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-2506080648467452991  

 


Adobe Air: Sure you can export your RSS feeds from Google Reader and import the feed file into desktop RSS reader for offline browsing. Scoop takes offline browsing a step further by allowing you to not only read your feeds but have them remain synced to your Google Reader account. Removing and tagging items in Scoop modifies the feeds in your Reader account as well. The interface is easy to use and includes most of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts from Google Reader. On the downside images are not currently downloaded for offline browsing, so if you've synced and now no longer have internet access you're out of luck until you're jacked back in. Scoop can be used independently of Google Reader, with manually added feeds, but it's Google integration is where it shines. For an alternate method of accessing your Google Reader feeds offline, check out Google Gears and RSS Bandit. Scoop is freeware, cross platform, and requires Adobe Air to run.

via lifehacker

]]>  

 


Adobe Air: Sure you can export your RSS feeds from Google Reader and import the feed file into desktop RSS reader for offline browsing. Scoop takes offline browsing a step further by allowing you to not only read your feeds but have them remain synced to your Google Reader account. Removing and tagging items in Scoop modifies the feeds in your Reader account as well. The interface is easy to use and includes most of the commonly used keyboard shortcuts from Google Reader. On the downside images are not currently downloaded for offline browsing, so if you've synced and now no longer have internet access you're out of luck until you're jacked back in. Scoop can be used independently of Google Reader, with manually added feeds, but it's Google integration is where it shines. For an alternate method of accessing your Google Reader feeds offline, check out Google Gears and RSS Bandit. Scoop is freeware, cross platform, and requires Adobe Air to run.

via lifehacker

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/scoop-syncs-google-reader-to-your-desktop.html/feed Windows 7 vs. Windows Vista Startup time comparison video http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows-7-vs-windows-vista-startup-time-comparison-video.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows-7-vs-windows-vista-startup-time-comparison-video.html#comments Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:18:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-2733830708055755220 Although Microsoft failed to support in any way past comparisons between development milestones of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, arguing that pre-gold builds are not fit for any sort of OS measuring contest, it failed to hesitate in the least when it came down to throwing the pre-beta build of Windows 7 against its precursor. On the opening day of the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft delivered a boot time drag race between Windows Vista and Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3.
The video embedded at the bottom of this article features a real-time comparison between the startups of Windows 7 and Windows Vista side-by-side. Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President, Windows Core Operating System Division, revealed, “You're going to see that Windows 7 is going to startup several seconds faster than the Vista machine, and there are several things that we have done in Windows 7 to make sure that this comes true. A few examples are: loading device drivers in parallel, and another important one is that we created a mechanism to start services truly on demand, because by lowing the number of services that start during this scenario we can lower the memory pressure, we can lower the I/O pressure and we can deliver a superior experience”.
Microsoft, through the voice of Michael Fortin, Microsoft distinguished engineer and lead of the Fundamentals feature team in the Core Operating System group, indicated in the past that it was committed to the evolution of Windows 7 past Vista in terms of the startup time. In the testing lab, the Redmond giant is looking for 15 second boot times for Windows 7, which is of course a mark that will not be achieved in real life booting scenarios.

 

via softpedia

]]> Although Microsoft failed to support in any way past comparisons between development milestones of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3, arguing that pre-gold builds are not fit for any sort of OS measuring contest, it failed to hesitate in the least when it came down to throwing the pre-beta build of Windows 7 against its precursor. On the opening day of the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft delivered a boot time drag race between Windows Vista and Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3.
The video embedded at the bottom of this article features a real-time comparison between the startups of Windows 7 and Windows Vista side-by-side. Jon DeVaan, Senior Vice President, Windows Core Operating System Division, revealed, “You're going to see that Windows 7 is going to startup several seconds faster than the Vista machine, and there are several things that we have done in Windows 7 to make sure that this comes true. A few examples are: loading device drivers in parallel, and another important one is that we created a mechanism to start services truly on demand, because by lowing the number of services that start during this scenario we can lower the memory pressure, we can lower the I/O pressure and we can deliver a superior experience”.
Microsoft, through the voice of Michael Fortin, Microsoft distinguished engineer and lead of the Fundamentals feature team in the Core Operating System group, indicated in the past that it was committed to the evolution of Windows 7 past Vista in terms of the startup time. In the testing lab, the Redmond giant is looking for 15 second boot times for Windows 7, which is of course a mark that will not be achieved in real life booting scenarios.

 

via softpedia

]]> http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows-7-vs-windows-vista-startup-time-comparison-video.html/feed Windows 7 Performance, Explained http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows-7-performance-explained.html http://windowspalace.com/uncategorized/windows-7-performance-explained.html#comments Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:02:00 +0000 computerboom tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2656920030101944421.post-292062046302241532 Windows-7-Performance-Explained-2From startup to the way it handles hardware resources available, power consumption and applications, Windows 7 has been applauded as delivering a level of performance superior to that of Windows Vista, even as early as pre-Beta Build 6801. As far as performance goes, the RTM of Windows Vista left much to be desired, just to use an euphemism, but following the implementation of Service Pack 1, the operating system is at least offering a glimpse promised with the gold release of the client. For Window 7, the promise is that the operating system will maintain a high level of performance despite Microsoft's tweaks designed to optimize hardware  energy efficiency and scalability.

“Energy efficiency is improved through reduced background activity and new support for the trigger starting of system services. Windows 7 also offers improvements in the Windows kernel that enable applications and services to scale efficiently between platforms. Performance of many features and APIs is improved in Windows 7 versus Windows Vista. For example, driver performance on servers is optimized by new user-mode and kernel-mode topology APIs. Graphics rendering is considerably smoother and faster. Accessibility performance is also significantly faster than before,” Microsoft explained.
According to the Redmond company, the power management technologies of the next iteration of the Windows client have been kicked up a notch. At the same time, there is only so much that Microsoft can do in the absence of support from software developers building solutions designed to run on top of the operating system. The software giant revealed that ultimately the responsibility of ensuring that Windows 7 and the underlying hardware meet their respective energy-efficiency potential lies with software developers. In this context, Microsoft pointed out that developers had the necessary infrastructure and tools in the client to tone down as much as possible the energy impact of their applications.
“Windows 7 greatly reduces the number of activities that the operating system performs that prevent use of power-saving modes. It also supports the trigger-starting of system services to enable processors to become idle more often and stay idle longer, which decreases power consumption. In addition, Windows 7 takes advantage of the latest energy-efficient hardware, including network adapters, storage devices, and graphics cards,” the company added.
Among the enhancements coming with Windows 7 are trigger-start capabilities. With a great impact on reducing startup times, trigger-start capabilities ensure that services needn't start automatically as the computer will boot. In this regard, Microsoft has made it possible for developers to start a service on a certain trigger. Windows 7 is optimized with a range of preconfigured services which are just waiting for developers to take advantage of them. This is done via the Windows 7 Service Control Manager.
“Common trigger events for services include: Device-class interface arrival: Start a service only when a certain type of device is present or attached on the system; Domain join: Start a service only if the system is joined to a Windows domain; Group policy change: Start a service automatically when group policies are refreshed on the system; and IP address arrival: Start a service only when the system is connected to the network,” the company stated.

source :softpedia.com

]]> Windows-7-Performance-Explained-2From startup to the way it handles hardware resources available, power consumption and applications, Windows 7 has been applauded as delivering a level of performance superior to that of Windows Vista, even as early as pre-Beta Build 6801. As far as performance goes, the RTM of Windows Vista left much to be desired, just to use an euphemism, but following the implementation of Service Pack 1, the operating system is at least offering a glimpse promised with the gold release of the client. For Window 7, the promise is that the operating system will maintain a high level of performance despite Microsoft's tweaks designed to optimize hardware  energy efficiency and scalability.

“Energy efficiency is improved through reduced background activity and new support for the trigger starting of system services. Windows 7 also offers improvements in the Windows kernel that enable applications and services to scale efficiently between platforms. Performance of many features and APIs is improved in Windows 7 versus Windows Vista. For example, driver performance on servers is optimized by new user-mode and kernel-mode topology APIs. Graphics rendering is considerably smoother and faster. Accessibility performance is also significantly faster than before,” Microsoft explained.
According to the Redmond company, the power management technologies of the next iteration of the Windows client have been kicked up a notch. At the same time, there is only so much that Microsoft can do in the absence of support from software developers building solutions designed to run on top of the operating system. The software giant revealed that ultimately the responsibility of ensuring that Windows 7 and the underlying hardware meet their respective energy-efficiency potential lies with software developers. In this context, Microsoft pointed out that developers had the necessary infrastructure and tools in the client to tone down as much as possible the energy impact of their applications.
“Windows 7 greatly reduces the number of activities that the operating system performs that prevent use of power-saving modes. It also supports the trigger-starting of system services to enable processors to become idle more often and stay idle longer, which decreases power consumption. In addition, Windows 7 takes advantage of the latest energy-efficient hardware, including network adapters, storage devices, and graphics cards,” the company added.
Among the enhancements coming with Windows 7 are trigger-start capabilities. With a great impact on reducing startup times, trigger-start capabilities ensure that services needn't start automatically as the computer will boot. In this regard, Microsoft has made it possible for developers to start a service on a certain trigger. Windows 7 is optimized with a range of preconfigured services which are just waiting for developers to take advantage of them. This is done via the Windows 7 Service Control Manager.
“Common trigger events for services include: Device-class interface arrival: Start a service only when a certain type of device is present or attached on the system; Domain join: Start a service only if the system is joined to a Windows domain; Group policy change: Start a service automatically when group policies are refreshed on the system; and IP address arrival: Start a service only when the system is connected to the network,” the company stated.

source :softpedia.com

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