Windows 7 Trial Period Extended

Windows 7 trial is being extended through the end of 2010. “Due to popular demand, the Windows Enterprise Trial program has been extended,” Microsoft’s Stephen Rose wrote in a blog posting this week. “This means you now have till December 31, 2010 to download and evaluate the trial version.”

Interested in the 90-day trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise then you should visit the Microsoft Springboard web site.

I have tried out the Ubuntu 10.04 beta and found it looks really good. Will load up the latest RC version when it launches this week. This is going to be one heack of a horse race, free Ubuntu vs costly Windows 7 with it seems no big differences but price.

Times Up …

Windows 7 RC set to prompt upgrades

Windows 7 RC Availability to Stop on Thursday

If you’ve been putting off downloading the release candidate for Windows 7, consider yourself warned. The media will no longer be available to download from Microsoft after 8/20, though you can still get keys and register the product.

Remember that to move from the release candidate to the final version requires a clean installation of the operating system, meaning backing up one’s data, reinstalling Windows 7, and then restoring the data and reinstalling any applications.

Windows 7 Without IE

How cool is this Europe, now you get Windows 7 in Europe, without any browser. So customers have to find their own. I am sure a short download script will pop-up somewhere where you can type in the incantation. The EUs “carry all browsers” and subsidize the marketing costs for them, is under consideration by the pinheads at the EU.

Microsoft, instead, will offer Internet Explorer separately, Dave Heiner, Microsoft’s deputy general counsel said in a statement on the company’s Web site.

“This means that computer manufacturers and users will be free to install Internet Explorer on Windows 7, or not, as they prefer,” Heiner said.

Windows 7 tentatively is scheduled for release in October.

Well this stops that, or does it? Now the moochers will have to pay their own way, other browser manufacturers, and all customers will have to figure out how to get a browser on their new system. I am sure systems builders will install one, but the person that buys a retail copy may find things a little hard since ” the network is the computer” and no browser sort of stops that part of the action for most. Carry a USB drive with portable Firefox to get you going.

Who wouldn’t know how to get and install their favorite browser, if they even knew what that was? Now they are going to find out.

But, according to Ars Technica, the EU is still set on pursuing their anti-trust case with the Redmond company, despite them going out of their way to create a new SKU just for the region.

You kow, why doesn’t government just get off it. People can figure it our for themselves without governments trying to run around and protect their favorite donors and supporters.

Windows 7 June 26 ?

Best Buy memo explains that Vista doesn’t work, details Windows 7 upgrade plans … A leaked memo says Windows 7 will go on sale June 26 – July 11 Here is Egadget’s picture of the memo:

It’s being called a ‘pre-sell’ option. So it’s not clear what you will actually get, the memo only talks upgrades. But it will aparently be a free upgrade to the final. Best Buy will begin “pre-selling” the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade ($49.99) and the Windows 7 Professional Upgrade ($99.99). Not clear if full copies will be available ‘pre-sell’.

Apple’s Snow Leopard did it — Retailing as a $29 upgrade for Leopard users, compared with Leopard’s $129 price tag at launch in 2007, or $49 for a family pack that’s good for five installs, it probably won’t be a major revenue driver for Apple.

Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program Confirmed

Details, like cost, are still to come. I have been actively testing Windows 7 for sometime now, and it still has a few hick-ups, but is a huge improvement over Vista.

But now — The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program has been officially confirmed by Microsoft, although the only certain aspect of the initiative is the label, at this point in time. The incentive program that the Redmond-based company will run together with OEM partners was previously referred to as the Windows 7 Technical Guarantee Program.

The software giant started sharing details with its partners as early as November/December 2008, but it was only when Microsoft announced that Windows 7 would RTM in mid-July and would be available on October 22, 2009 that the software giant also referenced the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program.

While I normally use Ubuntu(9.04 Jaunty Jackolope is my current favorite), there are some peripherals that companies like Canon, refuse to support. And I like Canon laser printers and cameras … sigh. Then there are some software companies, like Intuit with their Quicken products, that refuse to support Linux. The monopoly does have it’s supporters.

Windows 7 RC Goes Public

Downloaded and installed the RC-64 version last week. Today marks the public availabilioty of the RC release.. And first few hours is going good. It seems all that was advertised. Of great interest is the No Execute(NX) protection. Over the years, it’s been well known that the NX bit is very important to virus writters, or should I say not haviuing the NX bit. What this is all about is the long existing propensity for Windows to mix code and data, giving rise to the very obvious side effect the ‘buffer overflow’ virus. That in fact leads to the auditorium of viruses. While the NX bit set won’t eleiminate every virus, nothing can do that, it will take down as much as 99% from the start. The rest has to be taken up by system hygen, keeping your system secure.

The bad news — Won’t last quite as long as suggested