Windows Vista Beta

[Lagu]

Hi

This is from PC for alla:

Windows Vista för gratis nedladdning
(2006-05-05) Är du sugen på att testa Windows Vista? Boka då in den 22 maj i kalendern. Då är det nämligen dags att börja spana efter den första publika versionen av Microsofts nästa operativsystem

Translated fom Swedish to English:

Windows Vista for free downloads

If you feel peckish to test Widows Vista? Book in May 22 in your calender. From this datum it is time to begin to search for the first publiced version of Microsoft next OS.

A guys comments: No vista for me. I´m not thinking to buy a 5000 SEK graphic card only for to se a few transparented old mans on the screen :!:

Lagu :)

[dAVE]

Lagu, who are you calling a transparent old man? Dave :cry:

[Lagu]

dAVe

I is difficult to explain but the guy mean light excessively a few figures as is transparent. He mean of cource all icons. He was little ironic when he said this.

Lagu ;)

[gamer007]

Love to try this out. But I don't have a test computer. :)

[Majestic-12]

I think it is possible to switch off that fancy but useless Vistas AERO graphics and revert back to old simple and fast gfx scheme - thats the first thing I do after installing Win XP - select classical Win 2000 graphics that is faster and nicer to my eye.

[gamer007]

Ya, you can do that. I think there's 3 versions of the UI you can choose. Aero, Aero Basic, Classic .

[Nflight]

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service Friday May 19, 9:00 AM ET

Microsoft has launched a Web site outlining the minimum hardware requirements for the next version of the Windows OS, Windows Vista.

The move comes less than a week before the company will host its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) in Seattle. At the show, which kicks off Tuesday, Microsoft and hardware manufacturers are expected to show how Vista will run on a variety of machines, as well as showcase add-on technology built to enhance the OS.

On the Microsoft "Get Ready" Web site, the company has outlined the requirements for running both low-end versions of Vista or higher-end versions that take advantage of the OS's new Aero graphical user interface capabilities.

The company differentiates between the two by calling the former a "Windows Vista Capable PC" and the latter a "Windows Vista Premium Ready PC."

System Specs

Hardware requirements for a Vista Capable PC are a modern processor with a speed of at least 800 MHz, 512MB of system memory, and a graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC has a good deal more requirements. It must have at least a 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, 1GB of system memory, 128MB of graphics memory, 40GB of hard drive capacity with 15GB free space, a DVD-ROM drive, audio output capabilities, and Internet access capability.

It also needs a graphics processor that runs Windows Aero, which Microsoft defines as a DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a Windows Display Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per pixel.

The graphics processor for Aero also must meet the following requirements for graphics memory: 64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels; or 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels.

Getting Ready

Microsoft began working with hardware partners several months ago to prepare customers for Vista's release. In April, PCs with stickers saying "Windows Vista Capable" became available in stores, letting customers know what hardware can be upgraded to Vista once it is available. Microsoft does not plan to do the same with the Windows Vista Premium Ready designation, recommending customers ask a retailer or manufacturer about PCs that meet those requirements.

On the Get Ready Web site, Microsoft stressed that purchasing a Windows Vista Capable PC does not mean customers will get discount vouchers for Windows Vista. They still must purchase an edition of the OS for full price when Vista is available.

In March, Microsoft said the consumer release of Vista would be delayed until January 2007, though business customers will have access through Microsoft volume licensing to the OS before the end of the year. Since Microsoft is missing the busy Christmas holiday shopping season with Vista's general release--which had been an important target for selling the new OS--analysts are predicting that the company may release Vista even later than January.

[Nflight]

Symantec Sues Microsoft, Seeks To Block Distribution Of Windows Vista

By Aaron Ricadela
InformationWeek Thursday May 18, 7:37 PM EST

Symantec on Thursday sued Microsoft for what it said was improper inclusion of its intellectual property in Windows Vista, and asked a federal court in Seattle to block distribution of Vista until Microsoft changes the software.

Microsoft said the claim was without merit and that its actions are "proper and fully consistent" with a contract it signed with Veritas Software, which Symantec acquired last year.

The dispute centers on software technology that allows an operating system to store and manipulate large amounts of data, and recreate files after a disk storage failure. Symantec claims that Microsoft violated terms of a 2004 contract under which Microsoft licensed this type of software from Veritas, by using it to develop competing products. Symantec said technology in Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system, due next year, misappropriates trade secrets found in its Volume Manager product, which it gained when it bought Veritas. Symantec went to court to stop Microsoft from developing or distributing Vista until Microsoft removes the intellectual property.

Microsoft in its statement said it had "worked hard" to resolve the dispute with Symantec, and has "gone to great lengths" to ensure that its volume management technology works "side by side" with Symantec's.

Symantec and Microsoft have become sharper competitors of late, as Microsoft acquires and builds more network security functions into its products.

The lawsuit comes amid a charged atmosphere for intellectual property litigation. A Supreme Court ruling this week in favor of online auction company eBay in a patent infringement case could make it more difficult for litigants in intellectual property cases in the technology industry to gain injunctions to block distribution of other companies' competing products. And a New Zealand actor moved the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to reconsider the patent it granted to Amazon.com for its one-click shopping feature.

[dAVE]

I read somewhere that the Aero graphics were not going to be included in the Beta2 due out this month.
Of more interest to AMD users, does anyone know if the 64bit version will be out as a beta at the same time?
Dave.