Author Archives: NeoSmart Technologies

Windows Vista Build 5728 Released

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3 weeks to the day after the Sep. 1st release of Windows Vista RC1, Microsoft has let another build out. Windows Vista Build 5728 is an IDX build (which technically has no meaning at this point – a certain level of stability has been reached) and the first in the RTM-branches. Generally speaking, this means nothing as far as stability, looks, or performance go; since most of these are supposed to be fixed/shut in RC1, but Microsoft has proven many times that it makes many changes to theh external appearance somewhere in between the final public build and RTM.

Windows Vista Build 5728 only indicates one thing: there will be no RC2. This is RTM-branches, and just like build 5536 was indicative of an RC1 down the line, this means we’ve come really close to the end of the line. The 3-week interval is reminiscent of Windows XP and Windows 2000 builds close to RTM: regular releases, tiny changes, and mass deployment.

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The Windows Vista Monster Review

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Windows Vista RC1 (screenshots!) was released this week with great fanfare. Coming after the highly-successful pre-RC1 build 5536, it had quite a lot of high expectations, and it certainly exceeded quite a few of them. In a word, Windows Vista RC1 is too good to be true. If it wasn’t for the pre-RC1 build, we wouldn’t be able to believe it. The last non-RC1 branches build we receive, build 5472, was a mess. It lacked a sense of completion, it crashed, it was buggy, and it was huge. RC1 couldn’t be further from that harsh reality.

Windows Vista Build 5600 is release candidate, and comes close to the meaning of that word. Generally speaking, an RC build is “ready for release” unless major bugs come up. With Vista or any other OS, there are bound to be quite a few major bugs left by RC1, and it’s the way the company handles them that matters more than anything else. And with Vista, we’re really impressed. We can finally present a honest look at what Vista will be. This isn’t just RC1 being reviewed, this is Vista.

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The Real Way to Look at Vista

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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First, no matter what way you look at it, Windows Vista isn’t just an upgrade to Windows XP! Everywhere you look, critics are looking at Windows and saying “Yep, it’s definitely a big improvement over XP. OMG! It has better security than its predecessor, and even a nicer GUI!”

In the history of computers, and “upgrade” has never been termed as a “version released later of a program or platform” but rather “an improved version following the original release of…” and that’s important. Windows Vista is supposed to be better than XP in every single way. That’s not a competition, it’s a given. Microsoft has Windows XP’s source code, and if they can’t figure out how to make it a better OS than the first one, then we’re in deep trouble.

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Mystery Internet Explorer 7 Icon – Hopefully Not For Real!

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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When we first saw Internet Explorer’s new icon, we were impressed. It’s nice, it’s slick, it’s cool. It sums up all of Vista in one icon, and it looks great.

That’s why we were surprised when we came across a new and previously unseen icon out of the middle of nowhere. It’s labeled IE7, but it looks too close the cursed IE6 logo for comfort. It has none of the grace and fluidity present in the current IE7 logo, and it exudes evil all over the place.. A bit dramatic maybe, but for this logo? Definitely deserving.

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A Long Way to Go

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
11

Vista is on the road to success, but don’t believe what they say, it’s a long, windy road; and the end is far from being near. Windows Vista RC1 (5600) is a very big improvement over the last public build (5384) and anything before the RC1 Branches (5536). But it’s far from ready, and here’s what really stands out (in order of importance) from making it as big of a success as it should be.

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Will Vista Ever Synchronize right?

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Windows Vista RC1 (build 5600, the one we didn’t get a chance to review..) is just great. It runs really fast, even faster than XP on this Centrino Duo with 2GB of memory. It’s stable (I haven’t restarted since installing it half a day ago, which for me is quite an accomplishment), and doesn’t require reboots even after installing core system drivers, such as the chipset, onboard SATA controllers, and audio devices, whether you use XP or Vista drivers, it just works.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way: Vista support for Pocket PC or Windows Mobile 5.0 devices is terrible. Very terrible. Some people were really happy back when Beta 2 got an update that fixed all aspects of Windows Mobile synchronization with Windows Vista, but guess what… it still doesn’t work.

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The NeoSmart Contributor's Hall of Fame

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NeoSmart Technologies is a non-profit organization and takes serious time, money, and effort to run. Don’t worry, this isn’t another “donate now or NeoSmart dies” kind of thing, and no, we’re not facing a crisis, but we just wanted to let you know that as of today you’re contributions won’t be going unnoticed.

Take a look at our miniature navbar up at the top; see that new link? From now on, for any contribution over 5 USD, donators will get their name and an optional link to their site put on the Contributors List. To get started, find your preferred method of donation, send NeoSmart Technologies a non-profit donation of any amount, and (if it is over 5 USD and you would like to be added to the Contributors Hall of Fame) send us an email at Donations@NeoSmart.net with your name, URI, the email address you used to donate, and the amount of the donation; and you’ll be on that list in no time.

The Law of the Jungle

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Copyright rules don’t apply online. Well, technically speaking, they apply just the same as anywhere else, but the way the internet is ‘organized’ and how information and content is not limited to a particular location or country has raised a lot of issues on international copyright violations and have more than their share of lawsuits. That’s not what this article is about though, we’re not lawyers, and nothing we say here will make any immediate difference. This is about the one thing you can do that will make it almost impossible for anyone to take any action against you, no matter what it is you did or who they are.

It’s the law of the jungle. It’s a wild beast that has been thus far never been truly stopped, and you can use it for your own advantage. It’s called fair use, and it’s near impossible to truly define. Simply put, if you see something online and you want to use it in an article or presentation or project, all you have to do is cite your sources, follow that up with a link, and you’re good to go.

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Internet Explorer 7 RC1 Review & Open Search

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Microsoft Corporation recently released Internet Explorer 7 Release Candidate 1, and despite what some people are claiming, it does have some major changes since Beta 3, you just have to know where to look. Microsoft flamers beware, IE7 RC1 brings to the table a major change that’ll certainly put a lot of the more common complaints/rantings to rest. We may be late in reviewing Internet Explorer 7, but all the details (and screenshots!) are here.

Don’t get us wrong, Internet Explorer 7 is not perfect, for instance the DIV rounding error is still there, and IE7 still doesn’t have input:focus CSS support, but it’s definitely shaping up great. Quick tabs still use the same dirty JPEG low-res captures, and we’re sorry to report that the nasty Windows 95 Import/Export wizard hasn’t changed, but besides that it’s shaping up.

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What Windows Live™ Needs to Make it Work

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Microsoft seems to have a winner on its hands with the Windows Live™ product/services series. Looking at a list of Windows Live services on MSBlog, it struck me that I use very few of them, though many of them would be guaranteed to save me time. So what is it?

The problem is that they are a whole new generation of products, and have no place in “yesterday’s programs” so to speak. What I’m talking about is Microsoft’s multi award-winning PIM, Outlook. Microsoft Office would be nowhere without Outlook, and without Outlook many successful people wouldn’t be where they are today. Without Outlook, NeoSmart Technologies would never have made it to the playing field. Ours is a world of crazy, mixed-up technology, and Outlook sorts it out.

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