Rants Tagged with “Microsoft”
<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > >> (Total Pages: 6/Total Results: 57)
After fighting everyone else to download the Beta 2, I got Vista Beta 2 installed on my tablet pc last night. My impressions so far:
- Installation was as easy as XP, and possibly faster.
- Most of my devices were detected and drivers installed by default (unlike the MSNBC writer's bad experience with this). Of note, my audio driver, tablet screen (e.g. Pen) and modem drivers didn't install. But the audio and modem drivers installed soon after the system contacted Windows Update. Gateway doesn't yet have a certified digitizer driver so its not Vista fault in my opinion.
- It seems at least as fast as XP, though I have it on an underpowered video card, so I don't have aero glass working.
On the whole I am very happy with the experience so far (and will probaby make it my main OS in the coming weeks). In addition I have some cheers and jeers so far:
Cheers
- The sidebar is definitely faster than in previous versions. I turned it off, but I like it nonetheless.
- The lack of flyout menus on the start-bar is great. I love the new menu.
Jeers
- Changing the size/location of desktop icons isn't working like i'd like it to.
- The new IE7 Save dialog is confusing on how to make some folder the default.
I will give a more in-depth review after I have used it for a week or so (I have a WinFX article coming up so I'll have to use it as my main machine for a few days).
According to this MSNBC article,
"Microsoft Corp. has told about 1,000 technology contract workers to take seven days off the job, without Microsoft pay, in a cost-saving move that came as the company unveiled a series of new perks for its internal staff."
Cost-cutting move? Huh? I wonder what the real story is. Also, I wonder why they have so many contractors to begin with. Maybe to fill in while they try and hire on (since they always seem to be hiring tons of programmers). Anyone have any information on this?
I am attempting to install Team Foundation Server (Workgroup Edition) on a server of mine. I've been simply amazed at the exact instructions that are required to get it installed (including what order to install SQL Server 2005, IIS, WSS, etc.) The last time it was so difficult to install something was the notorious "NT Option Pack" with Site Server and other IIS additions.
Its been pretty frustrating. Anyone know of a non-MS installation guide that includes some of the caveats that the MS guide doesn't have?
Here is a video on Google Video of what MS would do to the iPod packaging. Funny thing, it was confirmed today that the video was created *inside* MS! Hopefully as a lesson on what *not* to do ;)
Shawn
Not really, but this is my favorite from the list:
"Vista Boot Straight Into World of Warcraft and Never Be Seen Again Edition"
I just saw this new Microsoft viral site. Not confident about the content yet, but I love some of the look and feel and I am apt to steal some of the ideas (I love the collapsable topics, inline commenting, and popup log in).
Here's a Channel 9 (yeah its related) story on how they made it with ASP.NET 2.0!
http://channel9.msdn.com/showpost.aspx?postid=171265
I submitted a bug to Microsoft's ASP.NET team that objects added to the Component Surface (right-click and pick "View Component Designer") aren't visibile to controls thereby breaking 1.1 data binding. Here's the response I got: They closed it with:
Thank you for submitting this issue. At this stage in the Whidbey product cycle, we're taking very few changes into the product. We have evaluated this issue and will not be able to investigate it before release but we’ll reconsider it for the next version of the product at a future date. To help us better evaluate this issue, we would appreciate if you would send email to webntppb@microsoft.com with the FDBK ID of this issue in the subject line so we can contact you later, if necessary. For more information, please refer to the announcement on the MSDN Product Feedback center at http://lab.msdn.com/productfeedback.
Rich Ersek
The Web Platform & Tools Team
I resorted 1.x Binding because the DataSource data binding does not work much with legacy controls, so this just breaks 1.1 sites. That is just unacceptable. It is unaccepable to not even try to reproduce the problem, especially since it is a real problem for people migrating 1.x projects.
I would guess that means they want us to just stop putting in bug reports. I am disappointed...
I was worried that they had stopped working on natural keyboards. I am really a fanboy of the Natural keyboard, but in the last five or so years, they've been trying to modify the cursor keys, or the Ins/Del block too much. I actually bought a few ancient natural keyboards on E-Bay a year or so ago so I'd have a stock of them in case MS gave up the ghost.
Well, after looking at this review...I am convinced. Bought!
For all of you who have wanted to use DB mirroring in
SQL Server 2005, you'll have to wait a bit more. This letter from the product team might help you understand why, it didn't for me ;)
As many of you might not know, I am not at the PDC, but am interestingly watching to see what comes out from it. Usually at the event times, everyone blogs too much about what they like and don't like. Everyone wants to be the first out the door with some news from a keynote. So I am layng low and letting all that happen without me. On the plus side, I can now talk about some things that I've had the opportunity to play with for some time (now that they are public knowledge and I am not hurting any NDA's):
- I've been playing with the WinFX PDC bits for a couple of weeks now and I think it is coming together nicely.
- The Expression designer is cool, though still a bit wonky for extended use.
- I like the ideas behind LINQ and C# 3.0, but like the C# 2.0, I think it will change a lot between what we see now and what will be used in production.
