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.

Download links coming in a bit.

Update: Please, if you’re going to copy my images, don’t delete the watermark. I went through effort to get these pictures, and having them torn off (as is the case with ArsTechnica’s recent linkback)just means that I’ll have to present unsightly watermarks over the entire picture next time as opposed to keeping the images presentable by leaving the watermark in the corner. Update 2: ArsTechnica corrected their image accordingly. Thanks!

Just about everyone has seen the shots of the new Windows 7 retail packaging, but pictures of the new Anytime Upgrade packaging are much harder to come by. Impossible to find are any current examples of the packaging besides press shots and renders, so having said that, here are a few good hands-on shots I managed to take. For those wondering, yes, this means the boxes themselves are real, and that yes, Microsoft will indeed be pushing Anytime Upgrade through retail channels.

If you want some context as to how Microsoft arrived to this new box design, go ahead and check out Brandon LeBlanc’s post over at the Windows Team Blog. As for a physical size comparison: the full version boxes carry the same dimensions as the current Vista boxes.

(There’s nothing relevant inside the boxes themselves; just a fake key and a CD of Visio inside the retail box of which I was also taking some pictures.)

Have at it:

On an unrelated note, we (the staff of AeroXperience) would like to wish our condolences to the Jackson family with regards to the recent, sudden, and highly tragic passing of Michael Jackson

Thanks for stopping by, and welcome to AeroXperience. ~Bryant

Thanks exclusively and entirely to efforts between Chris Holmes and me, we discovered that Internet Explorer 8 can be removed from at least Windows 7 build 7048, which is a good sign for regulatory overlords in the EU and in the States. Given that this change doesn’t exist in Beta 1, the odds that this change will persist through to RC are quite high. Don’t believe this can be done? Well, how about a Windows Features dialog below for proof?

There is a catch: For now, this only seems to wipe the actual executable running Internet Explorer 8 (iexplore.exe), but given that many of the most vocal proponents of choice were just looking for an option to functionally remove IE8, this might’ve been the only way to do it without killing the rest of Windows. In addition, this actually takes two reboots and a configuration step to complete, so there’s definitely something going on behind the scenes (likely a remapping of where IE-related functions can be found for other elements in Windows so that Windows doesn’t complain about IE’s nonexistence).

You can catch the steps, as well as final screenshots of the somewhat-obliterated product, after the break.

Here are some kindly-supplied screens (courtesy of Chris) and steps while we worked through to make sure this is doable:

1. Enter the Control Panel and look at “All Control Panel Options”
2. Click “Programs and Features”
3. In the left sidebar, click “Turn Windows Features On or Off” (you will be thrown a UAC prompt if you elevated UAC)
4. Wait for the list to load.
5. Look for Internet Explorer 8 in the list and uncheck it.
6. Click OK. You will see a prompt notifying you of a reboot.
7. The machine will reboot once, configure things, and reboot again.

Upon completing the second reboot, you will notice that Internet Explorer 8’s components are actually still in Windows. The major changes will be that IE8 will be missing from “Set Program Defaults,” Windows won’t complain about IE8 being missing, and iexplore.exe will no longer exist underneath the Internet Explorer directory even though the directory and every IE8 dependency therein will still exist. Feel free to examine the shots below, provided by Chris.

Update: image links fixed.

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.

Who are you and what do you do with Microsoft?

Amitabh: My name is Amitabh Srivastava and I am the Corporate Vice President at Microsoft with responsibility for major components of the company’s next-generation services platform. I joined Microsoft in 1997 as a Senior Researcher and led the Advanced Development Tools group in Microsoft Research that investigated new techniques to build innovative tools and technologies to improve performance and quality of Microsoft software.

I assisted in the creation of the Programmer Productivity Research Center (PPRC), now known as the Center for Software Excellence (CSE), and I am one of a select few to be named a Distinguished Engineer, now known as Technical Fellow.

In 2003 I had the opportunity to join the Windows team as Corporate Vice President to redefine the engineering process for Windows Vista. Then in November, 2006 my focus shifted and I began working on the company’s services platform with Dave Cutler. This is when we started ‘project Red Dog’ to build the operating system for the cloud. Project Red Dog was announced as ‘Windows Azure’ on October 27 at PDC 2008.

For more information, visit http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/srivastava/default.aspx
 

How would you summarize/define “Cloud Computing?”

Amitabh: Microsoft believes the cloud is fundamentally about enabling the developer eco-system to reduce complexity of delivering software. Today, as an industry, we have made some strides, but most of that innovation has come around removing the complexity of installing, maintaining and optimizing hardware. We think that there is a huge opportunity to move beyond hardware, and remove the complexity of the application platform itself; letting customers focus on their applications and end user experiences.
 

What kind of customers are you targeting with the release of Windows Azure?

Amitabh: Windows Azure was designed with developers in mind. This is about enabling developers within ISVs, System Integrators and businesses to quickly and easily create, deploy, manage, and distribute web applications and services. As an example ISVs can give their customers a range of choices in user experience over the Web or on connected PCs, servers, and mobile devices. However, the common thread among all of our audiences is their ability to choose from their existing on-premise or new virtual offerings; the opportunity to save operationally, and access to the vast scalability only offered by the internet.
 

What are some examples of corporate scenarios which the Windows Azure platform aims to resolve?

Amitabh: The Windows Azure platform will help corporate IT departments to run more efficiently and cost-effectively with Windows Azure’s scalability, reliability, and security they need to grow or enhance their productivity. Some of the advantages include:

• Availability of optional single sign-on, authentication, and identity services
• Communication services between on-premises and off, and between business partners and customers on any device via the use of the optional connectivity services
• Use of database services to share information on a global basis via the additional SQL data services

We’re providing an easy on-ramp to the cloud by providing the tools and building blocks to combine existing on-premises systems with the cloud offerings. Corporate developers have new options in writing internet-connected applications, adding new functionality to a company’s existing software solutions, and the ability to connect with partners and customers in new ways via the web or a multitude of connected devices.
 

What regulatory compliance issues might companies face, if any at all? (Also, how did Microsoft make sure that Windows Azure would not generate any regulatory compliance issues with state and national governments?)

Amitabh: Our user agreement calls out some specific issues with respect to privacy that subscribers will need to manage. Because every subscriber will have unique circumstances, we cannot provide a blanket statement that all potential uses of Windows Azure will comply with the laws of each jurisdiction that is applicable to that subscriber’s use. But we have looked at some common scenarios and believe that subscribers should be able to comply with all relevant legal requirements when making use of Windows Azure in most cases. This is a topic that we have spent a significant amount of time working on, and that work is continuing.

As we draw closer to commercial launch and obtain feedback from users during the technology preview period, we will ensure that we take all the necessary steps to help our subscribers to be compliant with various regulatory requirements.
 

What data privacy and security measures are in place to protect, for example, the trade secrets of client companies as well as the personal information of those companies’ employees and customers?

Amitabh: Microsoft has a single standard worldwide approach to privacy compliance that is based on the requirements of global privacy laws. A single high standard of privacy is more than an efficient business model; we feel it is important to treat all of our customers around the world with the same level of privacy protection. We take the security of personal information very seriously. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect personal information hosted on the Azure Services Platform from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

For Windows Azure, Microsoft will have a contractual relationship with its subscribers. We will only use the data stored by subscribers in Windows Azure to provide the service and will not make any use of the data beyond that which is permitted in our contractual agreement.

For detailed information of our terms of use during the CTP period please refer here
http://www.microsoft.com/azure/termswindowsazure.mspx

For detailed information on our privacy statement during the CTP period, please refer here
http://www.microsoft.com/azure/termsazureservices.mspx

On a related note, are there any content restrictions for packages published to Windows Azure? What kind of filtering is performed, if any? (e.g. malicious binaries, scripts)

Amitabh: Microsoft provides a computing infrastructure on which developers can build applications. It is the responsibility of the developer to ensure that their applications, content and services comply with applicable laws and do not engage in malicious conduct. For more information refer to http://www.microsoft.com/azure/termswindowsazure.mspx
 

Will Windows Azure have a free-of-charge or discounted counterpart for non-profit and/or home developers and if so, will there be any such premium features as extended hosting services? (Perhaps an Express version with limited hosting capabilities for hobbyist developers and students?)

Amitabh: We are still working on our pricing structure, but I can say that we are considering a variety of scenarios to address the varying needs of our customers and partners. We will announce specifics on the business model and overall commercial availability at a later date.
 

What was Windows “Strata?”

Amitabh: Microsoft often uses code names for products during their early developmental phases. Strata was the code name for “Azure™”
 

Are any Microsoft/Windows Live services already taking advantage of the Azure platform?

Amitabh: Currently Live Mesh and parts of Live Meeting are running on Windows Azure. Over time, all of our services will run on Windows Azure, and we are currently in the process of moving those over.

Beyond simply the looks, however, there’s also gesture and touch support. These two will have a significant role in Windows 7, as can be seen already via features such as Aero Shake and gesture functionality in common controls (such as scrolling) via the the tablet framework.

Finally, Windows 7 will be much more context-aware than any other operating system thanks to a new sensor framework debuting in Windows 7.

Despite all of thiis, there are still some Windows Vista features which have not been expanded upon during PDC; SideShow, for example, was curiously absent. Will SideShow see more enhancements which will increase adoption? Here’s the quick list:

• Touch support with SideShow displays
• TCP/IP support via the updated .net micro framework
• 100% Backwards Compatibility with all Windows Vista SideShow gadgets

You can hear the full answer in an audio interview I magically recorded with the SideShow lead while at WinHEC (!) after the jump.

Play:

[audio:http://mirror.longhornlive.net/pdc2008/AeroXperience_WinHEC2008_Sideshow_1ch128kb.mp3|titles=Interview with Dan Polivy: SideShow|artists=Bryant Zadegan]

Download:

• Mono: 128kbps 320kbps
• Stereo: 128kbps 320kbps

Given that this is an interview, mono might be preferable for most listeners as positioned vocals tend to strain the brain when on the move (say, while driving). However, if you want to still want to hear the interview with the voices coming relative to microphone positioning, feel free to grab the stereo version. Both are the same side since mono still has two duplicate channels total.

If you like what you hear, keep in mind that we produce all content on the site without the assistance of advertisements. Your help is much appreciated!

Update: added 128kbps links thanks to an opening in free time.

During my time at PDC, I managed to speak with many people knowledgeable about various aspects of Windows 7. One of these people was Dan Polivy, a lead on the team behind the new Windows 7 sensors framework which was mentioned a number of times during the old days when Windows 7 speculation was rampant. Dan and I carried an informative interview regarding a number of functions of the Windows 7 sensors framework, including topics such as how easy it might be for a user to receive sensor data from sensors which are plugged into the framework as well as what one could do with various forms of sensor data, such as locational input from WiFi triangulation and GPS signals.

If you’re a developer, watching this video would be a wise decision; we’re doing something special for those who watch, so stay tuned.

You can catch 720p and 1080p download links as well as an embedded version (via Vimeo) after the break. All videos are x264/MP3 in AVI containers.

Update (Sunday, Nov. 8, 2008): If you have yet to see the interview, a… “reasonably good incentive” embedded within the video is now live.

If you like what you see, please donate through our subscriber portal. You can see the list of benefits, as well as how to subscribe, over here.

• 720p: Download
• 1080p: Download

Feel free to watch the Vimeo version (it would be nice to our bandwidth if you did!):