Microsoft updated its Tablet PC operating system for the first time since 2002 by including Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2.
Microsoft began the final stage of its online rollout of Windows XP SP2 on Wednesday by allowing Windows XP Professional clients to start receiving the bits via Automatic Update.
The free upgrade for Tablet PC users offers several usability and integration enhancements, as well as a new developer platform.
Microsoft is expected to enter the online song store market this week, which should put the software giant head-to-head with Apple Computer in the music business at last. The launch of Microsoft's iTunes rival will be timed along with the beta release of Microsoft's new Windows Media Player 10, expected on Thursday, sources say. The store will also be in beta mode, lacking some of the features that will be added later, sources said.
Still feeling the pressure from Linux and other open-source software competitors, Microsoft is reaching out further to the open-source community with offers of joint development and testing. But it's not yet clear if anyone is ready to listen.
In addition to forming new initiatives to deal with Linux growth, including an upfront and official dialogue with members of the open-source community, Microsoft may also be considering releasing new sections of code as open source.
California is trying to make Microsoft pay...again.
Five state counties and two cities have filed a class-action lawsuit against the software giant for using its monopoly power to deny government agencies free choice in software products and charge high prices. The legal action, filed by the city and county of San Francisco, said that Microsoft's tactics caused harm to government users of its Windows operating system and Word and Excel software.
Developers had mixed reactions to Microsoft's revamped Longhorn plans Friday, with some unhappy to see the Windows update split into pieces but others pleased with what they see as a more pragmatic approach.
That gradual delivery process could make it harder for programmers to know what Windows infrastructure they should target their work toward. "The thing to be afraid of is that it will be confusing for users to know whether they have the software to run an application, because there will be so many parts," Sax said.
The decision to scale back Longhorn was spurred by developers and computer makers who valued on-time delivery over advanced data-management features, according to Windows chief Jim Allchin.
"My goal is to have Longhorn the highest quality OS we've ever shipped," said Allchin, the software giant's group vice president for platforms. "At one level you could say, I've had enough, and so we're on a path to drive up the quality level."
Specifically, Allchin said that when the company was finalizing Windows XP Service Pack 2 and updates to Media Center and Tablet software, he turned his attention to Longhorn and realized that the project's ambitions and timetables were not in sync.
Microsoft on Friday set late 2006 as the deadline when it will ship Longhorn, the next major version of Windows. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates spoke exclusively with CNET News.com on Friday about how Microsoft handles deadlines and new opportunities.
Q: Can you give us a summary of what happened with Longhorn?
A: Windows is the most widely used piece of software in the world, and therefore, the diversity of things people do with it and the benefits to improving it are greater than certainly any piece of software that's ever been done. And we reflect that by having huge R&D investment in Windows.
Now that Windows XP SP2 is finally out the door, Microsoft is turning its attention to its next OS releases, which include a minor Windows 2000 service pack, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Server 2003 R2, the next interim Windows Server release. But The next big client release, of course, is Longhorn, and this week Microsoft dispelled (or at least quelled) any rumors that the company may issue a Windows XP "Second Edition" release by stating publicly that its going to "revisit the priorities" in Longhorn and see what it can do to get that oft-delayed release out the door.
After the cuts, Longhorn won't look much like the early builds that Microsoft has been distributing to date. But it should run existing applications. According to developer sources, Microsoft is cutting back Longhorn client's planned feature set so as to be able to make its current delivery targets: Beta 1 by next year and final release some time in 2006.
Microsoft is expected to announce officially later on Friday its future roadmap for the desktop version of Longhorn. And while developers and customers who expected they'd be required to rewrite their applications to take advantage of Longhorn may be happy with Microsoft's roadmap changes, others who were banking on promised Longhorn features, such as the next-gen Windows File System, will be far less so.
It's not yet time for Beta 2, but the "Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 Refresh with the Team System" will include the beta bits for Microsoft's Team Foundation Server. Microsoft will begin rolling out to testers next week an interim beta of its Visual Studio 2005 release, which will include for the first time the bits for its Team Foundation Server product.
Microsoft has said it plans to make Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2005 available this fall. The final release is due out by mid-2005.