Released : Windows 7 Code Pack V. 1.0

The Windows® API Code Pack for Microsoft® .NET Framework provides support for various features of Windows 7 and previous releases of that operating system. The Code Pack has  reached version 1.0 and has been published on Code Gallery.

Here are some of the features you can from managed code using the Code Pack:

• Windows 7 Taskbar Jump Lists, Icon Overlay, Progress Bar, Tabbed Thumbnails, and Thumbnail Toolbars.
• Windows 7 Libraries, Known Folders, non-file system containers.
• Windows Shell Search API support, a hierarchy of Shell Namespace entities, and Drag and Drop functionality for Shell Objects.
• Explorer Browser Control.
• Shell property system.
• Windows Vista and Windows 7 Common File Dialogs, including custom controls.
• Windows Vista and Windows 7 Task Dialogs.
• Direct3D 11.0, Direct3D 10.1/10.0, DXGI 1.0/1.1, Direct2D 1.0, DirectWrite, Windows Imaging Component (WIC) APIs. (DirectWrite and WIC have partial support)
• Sensor Platform APIs
• Extended Linguistic Services APIs
• Power Management APIs
• Application Restart and Recovery APIs
• Network List Manager APIs
• Command Link control and System defined Shell icons.

Download : Windows 7 API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework

From : blogs.msdn.com

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Code Pack,Download,.NET Framework

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Download Namoroka : Firefox 3.6 Alpha 1

The first developer milestone of the next release of Firefox – code named Namoroka Alpha 1 – is now available for download. Namoroka is built on pre-release version of the Gecko 1.9.2 platform, which forms the core of rich internet applications such as Firefox. Please note that this release is intended for developers and testers only.

This Alpha of Namoroka / Gecko 1.9.2 introduces several new features:

Compositor (Phase 1), which moves Gecko to using one native widget per top-level content document. See this blog post or bug 374980 for more details.
A new focus model, described here and tracked in bug 178324
The chromedir attribute has been replaced with a pseudoclass
Several new CSS3 properties including background size and gradients for background images

Speed improvements to the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine
Startup and responsiveness improvements throughout the application

Anyone interested in Namoroka should read the article about Firefox 3.6 for developers on the Mozilla Developer Center. For a full list of changes, see this list (it’s big).

Please use the following links to download Namoroka:

Windows: Namoroka 3.6 Alpha 1 Setup.exe
Mac OS X: Namoroka 3.6 Alpha 1.dmg
Linux: namoroka-3.6a1.tar.bz2

From : developer.mozilla.org

Technorati Tags: Firefox,Namoroka,Download,Browser

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Download Now : Windows 7 Virtual PC And Windows XP Mode

As you may know, Windows XP Mode is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses to help ease the migration process to Windows 7 by providing additional compatibility for their older productivity applications. The newly updated Windows XP Mode now works with the RC and RTM versions of the Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise SKUs.

New Features in Windows XP Mode RC

Based on feedback from the Windows XP Mode beta, we’ve made several improvements to the usability of Windows XP Mode for small and medium-sized business users:

- You can now attach USB devices to Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows 7 task-bar. This means your USB devices, such as printers and flash drives, are available to applications running in Windows XP Mode, without the need to go into full screen mode.
- You can now access Windows XP Mode applications with a “jump-list”. Right click on the Windows XP Mode applications from the Windows 7 task bar to select and open most recently used files.
- You now have the flexibility of customizing where Windows XP Mode differencing disk files are stored.
- You can now disable drive sharing between Windows XP Mode and Windows 7 if you do not need that feature.
- The initial setup now includes a new user tutorial about how to use Windows XP Mode.

Download Windows Virtual PC RC (VPC version 6.1.7234.0)

32-bit (x86): Windows6.1-KB958559-x86.msu
64-bit (x64): Windows6.1-KB958559-x64.msu

From : windowsteamblog.com

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,RC,XP Mode,Download

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Microsoft makes a u-turn, Windows 7 testers to get free copy

In a surprise turn around, Microsoft announced today that Windows 7 technical testers will be receiving a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. In recent weeks Microsoft has faced angry reactions from bloggers and beta testers when they originally announced the testers 'thanks' was the discounted pre-order offer.

Blogger Paul Thurrot claimed: "the painful thing here, for beta testers, is that they've been screwed" which demonstrated the reaction to the previous announcements.
In a blog posting at Microsoft's Windows Team Blog, Brandon LeBlanc confirmed: "to show our appreciation, members of the invitation-only Windows 7 Technical Beta Program will be eligible for a free, final copy of Windows 7 Ultimate." All current members of the English technical and international mini-beta programs are eligible for a full non-upgrade copy of Windows 7 Ultimate Edition. Testers can get access to their copy in one of two ways:
* Download a copy and product key via Microsoft connect, English downloads will be available August 6th and other languages will follow as they become available.
* Boxed retail copies are available in a limited amount and are being offered on a first come, first served basis. These copies will not be ready until October 22nd or later.
ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley recently highlighted the testing process and how the focus has been taken away from Microsoft's beta testers. Testers are no longer held in such high esteem it seems as Microsoft only supplied the same 2 public beta builds this time around. However, it's good to see Microsoft making a u-turn and admitting they were wrong to not provide a thank you to beta testers. Hopefully with Windows 8 Microsoft will focus on beta testers once again.

source: neowin.net

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Free Copy,Microsoft

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Studios Sue to Stop Pirate Bay

Pirate Bay makes it easy for users to download copies of shows like "Desperate Housewives" and movies like "Gran Torino."

Millions of users have already taken advantage of Pirate Bay's directory of titles, and there is little that the service's operators could to do prevent those people from continuing to share illegally downloaded content.

However, legal action could force the operators to take technical steps to make it harder to share new files in the future, says Monique Wadsted, a Stockholm-based lawyer representing the Motion Picture Association. "What we want is to make them stop," she said.The major Hollywood studios requested that a Swedish civil court impose an injunction against the operators of file-sharing service Pirate Bay.

The studios are seeking to stop Pirate Bay's operators and its Internet-service provider from making copyrighted movies and TV shows easily available on the Internet. The studios are also asking for an unspecified fine.

Earlier this year, the studios won a victory in criminal court against Pirate Bay's operators for aiding copyright infringement. The litigation highlights the rapidly changing future of the service, which was sold last month to Global Gaming Factory X AB, the Swedish software company. The purchase is pending Global Gaming stockholder approval late next month.

More : wsj.com

Technorati Tags: Pirate Bay,Sues,Hollywood,Torrent

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China Puts Online Games That Glorify Mafia on Its Hit List

Whether it is religion, environmentalism or nonprofit charities, the Chinese government has always been wary of any organized activity it cannot directly control. 

Now there is an addition to the list: simulated organized crime.

On Monday, the Ministry of Culture issued a notice banning online games that feature Mafioso kingpins, marauding street gangs or any sort of hooliganism predisposed to organization.

The decree, which promises “severe punishment” for violators but fails to specify the penalties, also prohibits Web sites from including links to Internet games that glorify organized crime.

Such games, the ministry said, “embody antisocial behavior like killing, beating, looting and raping,” and their availability “gravely threatens and distorts the social order and moral standards, easily putting young people under harmful influence.”

By Tuesday, a number of popular games, including “Godfather,” “Gangster” and “Mafioso Hitman,” had been excised from the ether, although scores of other violence-laden games were still available.

The ruling is not entirely surprising, given the government’s war against Internet pornography and other sites that can be construed as “socially disruptive.”

This year more than a thousand Web sites have been shut down for “vulgar” content, although some critics complain that academic or public service sites that deal with sexually transmitted diseases have also been swept up in the juggernaut.

More : nytimes.com

Technorati Tags: China,Game,Online,Mafia

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ATI to launch DirectX 11 GPUs in seven weeks

For the past week and a half, we've been hearing rumors citing various dates for the launch of AMD's DirectX 11 graphics cards… ranging from GDC in China to newly invented delays that would push the launch window in to November.

However, all of these rumors are false, given that AMD has firmed its "Cinema 3.0/DirectX 11" launch. As tradition goes, the North American launch will happen in seven weeks in San Francisco on a very special place indeed - but we're not at liberty to say where the event will take place. All we can say is that it will be someplace that neither Intel nor nVidia would even remember.

ATI will catapult not one, but rather a complete DirectX 11 line-up into the orbit, ranging from $50 to the high end parts in their respective three-figure pricing brackets. Just like the Radeon 4000 series, consisting out of 4400, 4500, 4600, 4700 and 4800 parts, the new Radeon series will consist out of entry-level [Hemlock], mainstream [Cedar, Redwood], performance [Juniper] and high-end part [Cypress]. When it comes to codenames, you'll notice that all of these parts have codenames from plants, with some belonging into the same family [Cedar, Juniper, Redwood] Note that not all of these parts will be launched on the same day. Some parts might have to wait until Holiday season to get them in OEM-level numbers, but all in all - this is the strongest line-up ATI had in years. We might even dare to say strongest line-up ever from any GPU manufacturer.

According to information we have at hand, initial rumors about the names and specs proved true - these parts bring DirectX 11 compliancy from top to the bottom, and if you want to play upcoming DirectX 11 games [so far, there are six confirmed DX11 titles launching this year] in a budget less than $500, you have no other choice but to go ATI.

From : brightsideofnews.com

Technorati Tags: Ati,GPU,DirectX 11

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