Microsoft next week will distribute a pre-beta of Windows Server 2008 R2 to a select group of testers and highlighted the software’s virtualization capabilities, integration with Windows 7 and other features.
Motorola has completed its first over-the-air data transmission using Long-Term Evolution technology over 700MHz spectrum.
Microsoft and Google, OpenID and CardSpace - and even a bit of SAML - featured prominently in last week’s identity-related announcements. Microsoft made a couple of brilliant moves while Google appeared to stub its toe by irritating the OpenID community even as it was trying to ingratiate itself with them.
Like so many tech companies, Microsoft uses codenames to refer to ongoing development projects. Unfortunately for those of us on the outside, codenames tend to get confusing when you don’t have a codebook. And while that may be by design, we still want to figure out what the company is working on and what its future strategy might be.
To that end, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley has created a free downloadable CodeTracker chart to keep track of Microsoft’s various development projects. Each month, we’ll feature an updated, downloadable version of Mary Jo’s CodeTracker chart so we can all keep up with what is going on with Microsoft. See below for an example.
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If you’ve ever used Linux, then you know how effective having multiple desktops can be. Not only does it aid in keeping down desktop clutter, it allows you to organize your desktop into various work environments (such as networking desktop, writing desktop, graphics desktop, programming desktop, etc). I have always been a big fan of this metaphor and have taken full advantage of its usage.
Microsoft Windows does not have the inherent ability to take advantage of multiple desktops. But, thanks to Sysinternals and the utility Desktops, Windows can enjoy a Linux-like multiple desktop configuration. There is no pager, like with Linux, but with Sysinternal’s Desktops you have the ability to switch from one desktop to another. It’s safe, it’s simple to install, and it’s simple to use. And, best of all, it’s free (but not open source).
With Desktops you are limited to up to four virtual desktops, but as a general rule, you do not need any more than four. Unlike the Linux virtual desktops, you cannot do edge-flipping or have a 3D cube (as in Compiz). With Desktops, you are limited to hot-key switching. But anything to help organize your work is improvement enough.
This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.
As with any Windows application installation, all you need to do is download the Desktops download file, unzip it, and place the executable in a convenient location. However, Desktops isn’t an application that will run at boot without a little help. When you first run Desktops, you will be greeted with the main configuration window (Figure A).
In order to have Desktops run at logon, simply click the check box at the bottom left of the configuration window. Of course, startup is not the only configuration you can take care of. You can also set the hot-key combination of your preference.
With Desktops, you have your choice of Hot Key combinations. There are two columns in the configuration windows: one column for the primary key (Alt, Control, Shift, Windows) and one for the secondary key (1, 2, 3, 4 or F1, F2, F3, F4). This is very much a case of user preference. The only issue with this configuration is if your particular hardware already uses a particular key combination. Also note that when you have the configuration window open you cannot switch desktops.
The key combinations option is not the only way to switch desktops. With Desktops running, there will be a small icon in the system tray. If you right-click the Desktops icon in the system tray, you will see a Select Desktop option (Figure B).
Once you select that option, a pop-up window will open showing thumbnails of all your configured desktops (Figure C).
There is one small annoyance with Desktops. When you switch to a new desktop (one that you haven’t been on yet), it’s almost as if the desktop has to fully load. This is actually just the panel starting up. After you have moved to a desktop once, the next time you switch to it will be instantaneous.
Unfortunately, as you can with Linux, you cannot move a window from one desktop to another. So once you have an application running on one desktop, you have to close that application and reopen it on the desktop you want to work with it on. It would be nice if Sysinternals would create an option that would allow users to drag windows from one desktop to another.
I have long thought Windows needed virtual desktops. The virtual desktop is one of the features that make working on the Linux desktop so much easier. Virtual desktops have far too many pros and zero cons. I was thrilled to finally come across an application that allows adding virtual desktops to Windows. With the help of Desktops, Windows becomes a fraction more useful and a lot less cluttered.
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Do you leave your Microsoft Windows Vista system running 24/7? Have you ever wondered how long your system has been running since the last reboot? In other words, do you want to find the system’s uptime?
In Windows XP, you could very easily find the exact uptime measured in days, hours, minutes, and seconds by using the command-line version of Windows XP’s System Information. Unfortunately, Microsoft changed the way uptime is reported in Vista. It’s still there, but just not in the same format.
In this edition of the Windows Vista Report, I’ll examine how uptime is measured in Windows Vista.
This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.
Let me begin by showing you how uptime information is reported in Windows XP. If you open a Command Prompt and run the command-line version of Windows XP’s System Information, you’ll discover a very detailed list of configuration information about a Windows XP system. This listing includes an item titled System Up Time, which lists how long your system has been running in days, hours, minutes, and seconds, as shown in Figure A.
If you open a Command Prompt and run the command-line version of Windows Vista’s System Information, you’ll also discover a very detailed list of configuration information about a Vista system. This listing includes an item titled System Boot Time, which simply shows the date and time that the system booted up, as shown in Figure B.
Vista does display an Up Time value in the Windows Task Manager window, as shown in Figure C. As you can see in this display, the Up Time value is shown in hours, minutes, and seconds.
While using either of these methods in Vista will allow you to easily figure out how long your Vista system has been up and running, neither of them is as convenient as the display in Windows XP.
If you would like to be able to see an uptime display in Vista that is similar to the one in Windows XP, you can download an ancient command-line utility called uptime.exe from the Microsoft Downloads Page.
While the uptime.exe utility was designed for Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later, it runs fine in Vista. As you can see in Figure D, the uptime.exe command-line utility provides you with information on how long your system has been running in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
In addition to the old uptime.exe utility, I’ve discovered several Sidebar Gadgets, such as the SysInfo Vista Gadget shown in Figure E, that display uptime information.
Is system uptime important to you? Are you satisfied with the way Vista reports uptime information? Do you use a different tool/method to view uptime information in Vista? If you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the Discussion Area and let us hear you.
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Qosmio X305: three GPUs in one laptop.
(Credit: Toshiba)
Since absolutely nothing significant took place on the national stage this week, we know you had plenty of free time to pore over Crave posts. On the remote chance that you didn’t, here’s a quick rundown to keep you …
The Parisian indie duo brings Lekman levels of twee joy to bear on galloping, Mexicali-touched ditties. So what does it mean to fall between, say, Belle & Sebastian and ’50s hero Richie Valens? We’re not quite sure, but we think it means these are true pop purists.
Originally posted at Crossfade
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)It’s great to be able to log in your computer remotely. It’s convenient, it saves gas, hassle, and most importantly, time. Personally I’ve used Logmein for a long time and loved it.
The company has actually been cooking up an application for …
What a week: a historic American election, driven by the Internet! Holograms–make that “holograms“–on TV. Three GPUs in a single laptop.
OK, so not all headlines are created equal. But many folks (in the United States, at least) seem to still be catching up on non-election news. If that …
