Walt, briefly, on OnStar Now and Later

posted on January 6, 2010 by Bryant Zadegan

CES OnStar Walt Dorfstatter

After the Chevy Volt and OnStar mobile app demonstration by the guys of GM, I got some quick time with Walt Dorfstatter, president of GM’s remote assistance subsidiary OnStar. There were only three questions I had for Walt since the Chevy Volt, no matter how spectacular a vehicle it has shown itself to be thus far, isn’t actually a part of what winJade’s focus. The questions focused on possible future platforms for the app (Windows Mobile was not mentioned while the iPhone was), the inspiration for creating a mobile app for the sake of controlling OnStar in the first place. and whether applications such as these could boost subscriptions.

Check it out after the break!

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Julie Larson-Green on Windows, Office, Touch, and Mind Reading

posted on November 25, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

Julie Larson-Green

As the person who headed the Office user experience teams and the person who is now running the Windows experience teams in Microsoft, Julie drove the idea for the Ribbon user interface in Office 2007 and led the conceptualization and development efforts behind all of the new user interface elements in Windows 7. At PDC, I had a chance to speak with her about her efforts within the Windows and Office teams. During this interview, we discussed:

  • the inspiration and need for a new interface for Office
  • the circumstances which led to the superbar and the multi-touch-oriented user interface in Windows 7
  • how the PDC laptops came into existence
  • the decision to use various new technologies such as gaze tracking, heat maps, among others.

Highlights:

Office 2007’s Ribbon: “A lot of the things they would ask for would already be in [Office], and so we felt we could come up with a better way to expose capabilities that were in Office and help people create better, more powerful documents”

The Windows 7 superbar, jumplists, etc.: “We wanted to simplify the whole experience and take away the differences between launching applications and switching applications and making it easier to get back to documents you did the day before. That was kinda the inspiration: to put the customer more in control of everything they’re trying to do on their PC”

Multi-touch in Windows 7: “There were a lot of cool things going on both inside Microsoft and outside Microsoft with touch, things like the iPhone which has the touch interface as well as Microsoft Surface, and so we felt that your PC experience could be very much enhanced by having direct manipulation [of objects on the screen], and you’d work much more naturally with it.”

The PDC laptops and how they happened: “We worked together with Acer to spec-out a PC and we kinda had the idea that ‘what would the ultimate developer machine look like?’ and ‘what can we do to put all the things in it that would be the things we want developers to do with Windows?’ So we had location awareness, the touch screen, all of the virtualization capabilities in it, 64 bit, etc.”

The direction of the Windows 7 beta program: “We used a lot of the beta feedback from Vista to help inform the plan for what we were going to do with Windows 7, as well as things on the blogs, the customer research that we did”

How the Office 2007 UI itself was researched: “We always try to apply new technologies to learn about how people use [our software]. We even talked about trying to figure out if we could put electrodes on [people’s heads] and measuring brain waves to see how they responded to one interface over another, but we didn’t get to that point.”
(You can catch the Ribbon presentation where the gaze tracking and heat mapping bits were discussed on Jensen Harris’ blog. ~Bryant)

Catch the full video interview with full answers to these topics after the jump.

Update: I made the video public prior to posting this, but within the last ten minutes (as of 6:54 PM GMT-5), something happened to revert the video back to private again. Video has been re-established as public.

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Seesmic for Windows: a rundown with Loic (Updated)

posted on November 18, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

Update: Part 2 has been added after the jump.
Update 2: added the link to last year’s Sensor Platform interview with Dan Polivy (as noted in part 2).
This interview was recorded on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

As the first of my interviews from PDC, I noticed that Loic Le Muer was quick to familiarize himself with me as a part of the interview. This fact coupled with his persistent praise for the Seesmic devs who worked on Seesmic for Windows have led me to believe that Seesmic might actually be one of the better small software companies in existence.

Loic demonstrated Seesmic for Windows at PDC 2009 during Tuesday’s keynote. The obvious difference between Seesmic for Windows and Seesmic Desktop (the AIR version) is that the Windows client is native and written on top of the .net CLR. The plus sides to this include far better performance figures, a more Windows-integrated UI, and a lower tendency to leak handles (and fill my ram). The only downside to this is that it’s Windows-only… well, until you realize that moving .net code from a Windows native environment to Silverlight is actually not nearly as bad as writing another app from scratch.

My interview with Loic takes a browse through Seesmic for Windows v. Seesmic Desktop. I also decided to run through Silverlight Seesmic with Loic during our quick block of time, and while the Silverlight version still requires some polish before going live, the Windows preview version is solid enough for everyone to take a look.

Both parts of the interview can be found below the read link. Blame YouTube for forcing me to split a 13 minute video.
My thanks goes to Andrew Lyle from neowin for manning the camera.

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Welcome to winJade

posted on November 17, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

aeroxperience to winJade

For those of you visiting from AeroXperience, you guys are likely well aware of how AeroXperience was started. We began as a set of forums in March of 2004 dedicated to Windows Code Name Longhorn, which later became Windows Vista. We’ve prided ourselves with breaking news about some of the most coveted features in Vista during the Vista development process as well as with breaking the initial reports of the direction of Windows 7. AeroXperience has been one of the most accurate (and most opinionated, in some cases) sources of Windows coverage and news; amongst our bloggers, we’ve had the pleasure of having both Stephen Chapman and Rafael Rivera posting on behalf of AeroXperience during our run, and as I sit here next to them now in the PDC press room, I want to shift the attention to what winJade is and how we plan on rolling this out.

winJade is, in some senses, a new direction for us while allowing us to persist in our current mission of delivering relevant and informative Microsoft coverage. During this initial blog roll-out (planned for PDC), the purpose of the blog will still be to deliver the informative material and solid commentary on the world of Windows which you’ve come to expect. However, the purpose of the forums will shift from merely being a place to discuss Windows to becoming more of a home for novice Windows users, experienced users, and Windows experts to come together and not only talk about Windows and help each other but to also work on individual and group projects. winJade will be a home for people with ideas to implement those ideas, gather feedback, and gain an audience for the next great Windows program, tool, or concept. Stan and I have a few ideas we will be revealing on winJade when the time comes in addition to the innovative ideas which continue to find development time on the forums.

My utmost thanks go to Sam Johnson for implementing my vision for the new winJade blog, to Frank with Contrast Hosting for helping us in this transition, and to the many members on the forums who kept track of our progress and offered the many suggestions we’ve read.

From AeroXperience’s start as a home for discovery in Windows Longhorn to winJade’s mission for information and innovation, we’re looking forward to being your home not only for Microsoft news but for some of the most promising Windows-related projects.

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Windows 7 Launch Coverage

posted on October 24, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

For a week or two after the official Windows 7 launch, I’ll be posting all sorts of videos, interviews, and other content. Stay tuned and either bookmark this post (and check repeatedly) or simply check AeroXperience for more updates. These will be the last major posts prior to the rollout of winJade, of which I’m intentionally withholding details because I’m mean and simultaneously awesome.

  1. The day after 7: perspective… and Brad Brooks (October 23, 2009) (Update: video brightened)
  2. The Windows 7 tweet-up in New York City, Winners, etc. (October 24, 2009)
  3. The Effects of Leaks: A Candid Interview (October 25, 2009)
  4. Unfortunately, the Windows 7 Keynote Interview with  Thorsten Ganz cannot be published due to technical issues.

That’s it. Keep an eye on us for PDC!

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The Windows 7 Party in New York City, Winners, etc.

posted on by Bryant Zadegan

Update: Paul wished to clarify that this wasn’t actually a tweet-up; it was nothing more than a party.

Thursday evening, I attended and taped the tweet-up which occurred in the Antarctica Bar. Other pressies besides @conhopper (me) who attended include @withinrafael, @thurrott (who organized the event), @tom_warren, @edbott, @maryjofoley, and @inafried. The event can be described in the following concise bullets:

  • It was very packed.
  • We gave a lot of stuff away. The (almost) complete list of items is in the video.
  • A lot of people walked away happy regardless of whether or not they actually won anything.
  • Antarctica may have had their best business in a while. You’re welcome, guys!
  • A few Microsofties came and contributed to the giving away of items. My thanks in particular goes to Chris Flores, but others were also involved when it came to securing some of the prizes.
  • Everyone was generally stunned at how awesome this whole thing was.

In all honesty, this is the first time I’ve seen the power of twitter when it comes to organizing group attendances like this. The enthusiasm here was fantastic, and I met some truly wonderful people as a result (and signed a Kindle. That thing better see some good use).

It didn’t even matter that this was a group of Windows enthusiasts. The discussions ranged anywhere from tech to politics to economics and even to women (I didn’t pay attention to what the women were talking about). One geek even managed to score a girl’s number, and to him I issue a hearty salute for successfully debunking the butt of all jokes in geekdom, at least in his own world.

Anyway, this video here is a tribute to everyone who came even though the people you’ll see here are people who won a giveaway item at the tweet-up. I recorded other video from inside the event, though the question of practicality (do you guys want to see it? What is there to see besides people talking and Ed&Paul giving things away?) still lingers.

The video can be caught after the break.

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The day after 7: perspective… and Brad Brooks

posted on October 23, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

When a product garners so much positive attention that the press are cheering after demonstrations, it’s generally considered a rather outstanding feat. I don’t remember the same kind of positive attention during the late January 2007 launch of Windows Vista (php str_replace("ch", "j", "cheering") would be a more accurate description of what happened after the Windows Vista launch event), but the crowd at the Windows 7 launch was far more enthusiastic and festive. That having been said, a few things put this launch into perspective for me and might give a sense of just how important and gamechanging Windows 7 might be.

  1. Microsoft is fully shifting focus to Windows 7. Windows Vista, of which the sheer length of the development cycle was inversely related to the level of approval and favor it garnered as time passed, has turned into something of an elephant in the room for Microsoft employees. Using the same metaphor and finding an excuse to quote an anonymous Microsoft employee I overheard yesterday afternoon, Windows 7 is the equivalent of a reputational wrecking ball designed for the sole purpose of “getting that elephant the f*** out”; it was the first Windows consumer OS born almost entirely from what the user wanted (read: what the average user hated about Vista). Now that it’s out and it starts replacing what was a good OS blighted by pre-SP1 bugs with what is a good OS right from the get-go, Microsoft has switched into what’s essentially a massive damage control mode.
  2. Adoption rates and momentum are high, at least according to an analysis by Rob Enderle. Based on his analysis of a study done independently from Microsoft by Laura DiDio and Sunbelt Software, he believes that Windows 7 adoption rates are “unmatched since Windows 2000” adoption rates almost a decade ago. Consumer adoption rates are also up there, with PCMag using the line “Windows 7 More Popular Than Harry Potter” to carry their point. Given that Windows 7 beat Harry Potter on Potter’s home turf, I’m going with the notion that PCMag and Amazon UK are right.
  3. Apple created more ads specifically for launch day. Yes, that depressing and uninspired ad campaign which Apple has continued for the last 4 years saw three new additions to the lineup. That’s three new ads released on the same day, which makes sense given the massive dearth of negative press against Windows 7. When a competitor simultaneously launches three attack ads specifically for your product launch, it’s a sign of desperation and a good enough reason for you to pull out your grill and refill that propane tank.

Hey, it wasn’t just me. The vast majority of Engadget’s commentators happen to agree.

Despite the recession and the subdued projections stemming as a result, it’s fair to say that all of the excitement is actually making jobs easier. Microsoft’s PR teams have an easier time when products don’t suck, and the press can move on to fuming at something more important, like the name of the next celebrity’s adopted baby.

The benefit to you? Better apps, higher developer morale, a solid OS, a higher willingness to publicly be a fan of Windows 7, and enough free time for a quick and awesome interview with a certain keynoting executive and perhaps the new face of Windows client by the name of Brad Brooks (Brandon LeBlanc would wisely and accurately like to remind me that there is no single face to Windows).

You can catch the video after the break. This interview happened near the end of our day, so the detailed questions were reserved for others who were around the event. You’ll see all (but one) of them over the coming week.

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Expression Studio 3 and DreamSpark: when?

posted on July 24, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

expression3dreamsparkDreamSpark is one of those relatively-awesome-yet-equally-as-known initiatives from Microsoft. Yeah, plenty of people know about it, especially many up-and-coming developers who happen to be the intended audience, but there are also others who could easily benefit. I always manage to run into an IT or CS student who has no idea about DreamSpark until I tell the person, and once they see it, it’s like this treasure trove of lightbulbs turns on in the person’s mind.

For those who don’t know, DreamSpark throws free software at students (after verifying their student-hood, of course). I previously wrote about using DreamSpark to get and use a free OS in place of Vista over here.

Now, keeping the awesomeness of DreamSpark in mind, Expression 3 was only very recently released. A number of threads have popped up on the internet, with the most notable first result for me being this thread on Channel 8. Coupled with requests from other students I personally know as well as faculty from schools near the DC area (thanks for reading, guys!), I figured I’d look into it.

There’s good news, and there’s the news which isn’t exactly bad. I’ll spill the news which isn’t exactly bad first.

There’s no official target date on getting Expression Studio 3 up on DreamSpark, nor will it be available in July, nor is the target timeframe a certainty or guarantee. There; that’s the news which isn’t exactly bad.

The good news: the target timeframe is still before the point when classes start for many of you. The word, as given by a Microsoft spokesperson, is that a “target timeframe would be [the] end of August.”

If you can’t wait ‘til then, go grab Expression Studio 2 from DreamSpark right now. Otherwise, show some patience, be awesome, and grab Expression Studio 3 once it drops for you guys for free in a month. Cheers to dreamers at Channel 8 for holding out, and I’ll have an update for people once a specific date has been settled upon.

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The Ultimate Steal (no, really)

posted on April 20, 2009 by Bryant Zadegan

The Ultimate Steal

Microsoft has an obsession with providing awesome deals for students. They also have a slight tendency to shoot themselves in the feet. This is a good amount of both, and thankfully (if you’re a student), it’s in your favor.

Microsoft created the DreamSpark program to give such awesome tools as Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 Professional Edition free to budding Computer Science and Information Technology students with a Windows Live ID. Now, here’s where the fun begins:

Sometime last year, Microsoft added Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition R2 licenses to the DreamSpark program. Even later, they added Windows Server 2008 x86 Standard Edition licenses. Coupled with Vijayshinva Karnure’s step-by-step guide to converting Windows Server 2008 into the ultimate desktop OS published in February of ‘08 on his MSDN blog, the non-technical masses now have themselves a fully functional, relatively-easy-to-configure OS that’s more powerful and more advanced than Windows Vista. Granted, “easy to configure” doesn’t mean “easier to configure than Windows Vista,” nor do you get to have the Windows Media Center, but there’s sadly always a price to pay for FREE. Given a choice between Windows Vista SP1 upgrade for ~65 dollars and Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition for free, which would you choose?

As for the steps provided, I’m not sure if the academic license of Windows Server 2008 allows for Hyper-V, so if you don’t care for Hyper-V support (as instructed in Vijayshinva’s post) or for running any virtual PCs, you can skip steps 1 and 10 on the guide.

The next question: Does Microsoft even support converting the server OS into a workstation/desktop OS? Yep, and not just because of Vijayshinva’s post, but that alone would be a justification for the following reason:

All opinions posted here are those of the author and are in no way intended to represent those of his employer. All posts are provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

-Every MSDN, Technet, and other individual Microsoft employee blog.

Microsoft doesn’t endorse the opinions of its employees, but Microsoft does fully endorse any factual matters being discussed regarding its products, including step-by-step guides, support… anything of a non-opinionated nature which doesn’t involve compromising its products (like hex edits). Is this a technical loophole? Sure, but there’s a second, much better reason for Microsoft to support converting Windows Server 2008 into a desktop operating system: The “Desktop Experience” feature.

The Desktop Experience feature was added to Windows Server 2008 in part because of the absurdly high number of requests Microsoft received from small businesses running a server as someone’s desktop machine (plausible in smaller networks where extra server hardware would be cost-prohibitive). The process for turning Windows Server 2003 into a more desktop-worthy operating system was a bit of a pain, so the desktop experience feature was simply intended to make it a bit easier to implement this usage scenario. It’s fully supported by Microsoft.

Now here’s where the DreamSpark deal beats The Ultimate Steal: unlike The Ultimate Steal (which is limited to university students), high school students can also take advantage of DreamSpark. So, if you’re a student at just about any university or high school, go ahead and nab yourself a copy and save 65 dollars. This is probably the only thing available on DreamSpark which is highly relevant to people who aren’t developers.

 

(If Microsoft decides to take down the steps, which I highly doubt, you can catch the full instructions on converting Windows Server 2008 from a barebones server operating system to a desktop operating system after the break.)

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Q & A with Amitabh Srivastava

posted on December 23, 2008 by Bryant Zadegan

WinAzure_h_rgb640

At first, many expected the opening keynote at PDC to be about Windows 7. However, PDC’s first major keynote was dedicated to the announcement of Windows Azure, a platform which (until PDC) was completely concealed by Microsoft from the public (except through occasional, highly dramatic blurbs from Steve Ballmer). The platform’s announcement also came as a surprise to many developers, IT professionals, and pundits who saw Azure as an attempt at matching Amazon’s offerings through Amazon Web Services.

With this in mind, a number of questions regarding Windows Azure remained unanswered. Who exactly was this platform targeting? Was it after IT professionals looking to offload some of their services to Microsoft’s servers? Was it for developers looking to create interactive, deep web 2.0 applications? What would Microsoft do with the data? What about security?

Amitabh Srivastava, corporate vice president and head of Windows Azure within Microsoft, took some time to answer the most common questions about Windows Azure. You can read his responses and comment below the fold.

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