14 DAY TRIAL // On Monday, the company released a new version for Microsoft Max, a photo-handling application, saying that the product will be included in the Live services family. "With this release, we're excited to give you the ability to add RSS and ATOM feeds to Max for viewing in our attractive newspaper layouts. We've also updated Max to support the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 RC1, meaning you can run the latest version with Max. To make your Max experience even better, we've fixed quite a few issues and completed a ton of work under the hood! As an example, you can now add as many items to a list as your machine can store.
It's important to note that - by upgrading to the latest version of Max - you will lose any lists you might have created or received in previous versions of Max. We apologize for the inconvenience. You can still access the pictures from those lists in your My Pictures folder. *Update*: Unfortunately, due to the timing of our release, the latest version of Max does not install on Windows Vista RC1," it is mentioned in a MSN blog.
On Tuesday, Microsoft released a downloadable "Save as PDF" add-on for Microsoft Office 2007 after reaching an impasse in negotiations with Adobe Systems in June.
"Back in June, it was announced that Microsoft would no longer be including the ability to save to PDF from within the 2007 Microsoft Office System, which was a shame, because many users out there, as Steve Marsh mentions, would find it incredibly useful," was posted on a TechNet Blog.
"This download allows you to export and save to the PDF and XPS formats in eight 2007 Microsoft Office programs. It also allows you to send as e-mail attachment in the PDF and XPS formats in a subset of these programs. Specific features vary by program. This Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for 2007 Microsoft Office programs supplements and is subject to the license terms for the Microsoft 2007 Office system beta software. You may not use this supplement if you do not have a license for the software," it is also mentioned on the download page. Great victory, Microsoft! No, really, this is the first good announcement after some bad weeks for the company. This add-on is an important option for many Microsoft Office users.
On Wednesday, Microsoft posted some updates to fix patches included in the August 2006 security pack.
"This morning we re-released three versions of our August 2006 cumulative security update (MS06-042). As I have mentioned before, the original release of MS06-042 introduced a new security vulnerability for IE 6.0 SP1 users, which we addressed in a subsequent re-release. However, with the increased scrutiny this release received, a security researcher responsibly disclosed to us that a similar vulnerability was also discovered in IE5.01 on Windows 2000, IE 6.0 SP1 (in a different location), and the original release of Windows Server 2003 (not SP1). This re-release fixes that vulnerability.
This update is available through all of our normal release channels, including Windows Update, Automatic Update, Download Center and deployment our tools such as WSUS. We recommend all affected customers install the update immediately. Users running Windows XP SP2, Server 2003 SP1 or any of the IE7 betas, IE7 Release Candidate 1, or Windows Vista are not affected and do not need to take action. This release and the need for subsequent re-releases have certainly been a learning experience for us. This update cycle has not been an example of our best work, but as I mentioned earlier we have used this experience to improve our processes and increase transparency to ensure all of our releases are of the quality we expect and our customers deserve," said Tony Chor, Group Program Manager at Microsoft.
It seems like this nightmare is finally over. After many weeks, Microsoft released the patch for MS06-042, but we must wait for the upcoming days to see the results.
"Windows Vista RC1 is now publicly available. This means that 32- and 64-bit downloads for all three languages (English, German, and Japanese) are live. If you did not receive and email in the previous wave, you can now both download the ISO image and request a product key (PID)," was posted in a TechNet blog on Thursday. "The final major pre-release of Windows Vista-Release Candidate 1 (RC1)-is now available through the Customer Preview Program (CPP). Customer participation and feedback are integral parts of our development process. If you decide to install and test RC1, thank you for being part of the Windows Vista team!," it is also mentioned on the giant's website.
On Friday, Microsoft decided to unveil some details about the first product distributed under the Zune brand.
"Marking the next big milestone for its Connected Entertainment vision, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled details of the first products to be released under its Zune? brand. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery and community, Zune will create new ways for consumers to connect and share entertainment experiences. The Zune experience centers around connection - connection to your library, connection to friends, connection to community and connection to other devices."
"The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning," said J. Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is leading the charge for building the family of Zune products. "With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections," it is written in the announcement. The entire article is available here.
Week's Conclusion: Finally, a nice one for the company. After a period with many problems for the giant, a smile was brought by the "Save as PDF" feature that is now available for download as an add-on. I hope the next week will bring smiles to our faces too!
