14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has made available fresh DirectX downloads for Windows Vista and Windows XP. The Redmond company offered since earlier this week the DirectX End-User Runtimes (August 2007) delivering the updated package of the DirectX end-user redistributable addressed at developers for direct implementation into their own software in order to leverage the graphics technology of the Windows platform. In addition to Vista and XP, Microsoft also supports Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.
"This download provides the DirectX end-user multi-languaged redistributable that developers can include with their product. This package is localized into Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Swedish, and English. The DirectX redist installation includes all the latest and previous released DirectX runtime. This includes the bi-monthly D3DX, XInput, and Managed DirectX components," Microsoft revealed.
As of the end of July, Microsoft has changed in tune when it comes down to offering the DirectX Software Development Kit. Until mid 2007 the Redmond company was making available a new version of the SDK on a monthly basis. This is no longer the case. The tools, utilities, samples, documentation and runtime debug files associated by default with the DirectX SDK for the 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems will from now on be delivered four times per year.
The upcoming DirectX SDK will be up for grabs in November 2007 and will also be the last release of this year. In the meantime you will have to do with the DirectX Software Development Kit August 2007 available via this link. The Redmond company provided a timetable for future releases, pointing to March, June and August in 2008.
Microsoft is currently focusing on evolving DirectX from version 10.0 to 10.1 with the first service pack for Windows Vista. Currently Vista SP1 Beta is planned for release to MSDN and TechNet subscribers by the end of this week.