New virtualized sandbox, Vista SP2 and other PDC-week leftovers
With so much attention on Windows 7 and Windows Azure last week, a few Microsoft announcements slipped through the cracks during the week-long Professional Developer Conference (PDC) onslaught.
A few noteworthy announcements:
* A more broadly available beta build of Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Windows Server 2008 SP2 went to testers on October 29, as Microsoft promised the week before. Only pre-selected testers who were granted access to the SP2 test builds via Microsoft Connect got the bits. The final SP2 releases for both operating systems are expected in the first half of 2009.
* Microsoft slashed prices of Windows Home Server by 30 percent, starting November 1, for its system-builder partners. Company officials made sure to highlight claims that the price cuts were not due to poor reception. "After a successful year on the market, Microsoft is reducing the price of the System Builder version of Windows Home Server to provide additional value to the system builder community and further promote the home server category," according to a statement on the Home Server Team blog.
* The long-awaited Live Mesh clients for Windows Mobile and Mac OS X are now available to testers. After a false start, with some non-working installer code, the Live Mesh team made test versions of the two new Live Mesh clients available for download last week.
* A Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build of a new Live Labs project, known as the "Web Sandbox," is now available. Described as "a solution for securing Web content through isolation," the Web Sandbox makes use of virtualization to allow developers to test Web attacks they might be concerned about. From the Web Sandbox site:
"Maybe your Web site includes maps, visit counters, affiliate programs that run scripts on your page, gadgets, or scripts from other sites. What happens if one of those elements tries running malicious code, redirecting users, installing rogue ActiveX controls or even reading users information? IFrames might help, but do they really protect the user or their machine?
"The Web Sandbox addresses this problem through virtualization. We provide an opportunity to test the Sandbox and find out whether it prevents the attacks you’re concerned about."
* Microsoft released the fall update for its adCenter platform last week. Both the user interface and campaign-management features got a facelift.
* Microsoft's Surface Software Development Kit (SDK) is now available to selected testers. In order to obtain the Surface SDK, developers need an e-mail invitation from Microsoft. (Microsoft is providing developers with Surface tabletops at a "special rate" as part of its developer-outreach for the platform.)