Windows Now

Raymond Chen has the answer.

This is a performance optimization.

For a not much longer version, read his post.

Read this article once for good measure. Then, replace every instance of the phrase “hive mind” with “Borg Collective”. Then replace every instance of the word “Google” with the word “Microsoft”. Then see if the general concept of the article seems familiar.

The phrase “history repeats itself” comes to mind.

Two newsworthy items in the world of HP MediaSmart Products.

First, Ed Bott reports that upgrading your RAM on the HP MediaSmart Server is no longer a crime of warranty. What should be a crime is the fact that they packed the chassis tighter than my jeans the day after Thanksgiving, and don’t give directions on how to do the upgrade. So you’re on your own, and you’re still responsible for damage done in the process. I agree with Ed, they should pay Donavon West for his troubles and make his guide the official one.

And the MediaSmart Connect extender now has x64 support for their add-on software. I personally don’t use it with mine, as Windows Media Center is about all that I need, but if you want it, here it is.

You know, sometimes I really don’t understand Microsoft’s decision-making process, especially on the Windows Live side of the house. The new Windows Live Wave 3 betas are out, and I went to install them today on my main laptop, which is running Windows Server 2008. But after downloading the installer, I was greeted with a message that said it could only be installed on Windows XP or Vista. Now, there is *zero* technical reason why it can’t be installed on Windows Server, as the bits are practically identical to Vista SP1. Yet, here is this pointless artificial roadblock in my path to trying out great software. Which really irritates me. It took the Live team forever just to support 64-bit, and now, once again, I have to wait.

But then I remembered ProcessMonitor from Sysinternals. I whipped out my other laptop, which is still running Vista, fired up ProcessMonitor, and started the installer from there. About 5 minutes into the process, I was able to see where the MSI files were being copied to, and 25 minutes later, I am writing this post from the new Windows Live Writer, on Windows Server 2008 x64. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Install the Wave 3 beta on another machine: Unfortunately, I can’t work around this. You’ll first have to do just what I did, and fire up the process on another computer.
2. Select the products you want, and wait until the process is over 50% complete. Don’t worry, the install will take plenty of time.
3. Navigate to the “C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Windows Live\” folder.
4. Take control of the folder and its subfolders. Right click on the folder in Windows Explorer, select “Properties”, move to the “Security” Tab. Click “Edit”, and then add your user, giving it “Full Control” over the folder. Click OK, then click “Advanced”, click “Edit”, then check “Replace all existing inheritable permissions…” and click OK all the way out of those dialogs.
5. Navigate to the “C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Windows Live\.cache\” folder (the dot is not a typo). You will see a bunch of random-named folders. Zip up the entire directory (will be 30-100MB of data) and copy it to your other machines.
6. Extract and install. Copy the files from the archive to a working folder. Then sort the window by date, with the newest folder on the bottom. Then, start with the first folder, running the single MSI file (or Windows Patch file) in each one, until you are done. Some will have Installer UI, most won’t.
7. Enjoy some Wave 3 goodness.

An interesting tidbit, courtesy of ProcessMonitor: It takes 8.3 million file and registry operations to install the Windows Live suite (not including Movie Maker, I’m waiting for that to be more polished before I try it). That is a lot of operations.

Anyways, I’m going to hound my contacts on the Live team until they take out that installer flag. Have fun with the betas!

CEDIA has come and gone, and while Microsoft has put out a press release talking about all of the new Windows Media Center HTPCs coming out, I have not heard Word One about the WMC TV Pack. Not a feature list, nothing. But, since the last communication I had from Microsoft is that my NDA expired three days ago, I’m free to open my big fat mouth.

The lack of information “straight from the horse’s mouth” leaves one big question in my mind: Why? CEDIA was supposed to be the big coming out party. I think I speak for all beta testers when I say that we were expecting Microsoft to beat the drums pretty heavily on this one, even with all of the heavy backlash that they *rightfully* received over the decision.

Well, dear readers, I don’t have any “insider information” on what is going on in the WMC team at this particular second, because the radio silence extends to us beta testers as well. But, I do know that beta testers have been experiencing several moderate to serious issues with the RTM builds (myself included). I know that the WMC team is working on fixing these issues, but what I don’t know is what their release mechanism for those fixes will be.

Could these things have delayed the *actual* RTM beyond the announced RTM? I don’t know. Either way, since my NDA has expired by default, I’ll have my review of the WMC TV Pack online shortly.

Rumor has it that Microsoft has bought 5 hours of airtime on G4TV on September 25th. According to Kombo, Microsoft will be announcing:

• Free DLC for Halo 3, and paid DLC for Mass Effect and GTAIV
• Six free Xbox Originals for download
• A partnership with Sirius XM Satellite Radio
• 12 new exclusive titles, including 2 Halo games (supposedly the Peter Jackson Halo project, and the game Bungie was supposed to show off at E3)
• A new music download service

The last point is the one I find most intriguing. I don't think it's a coincidence that Zune's new infrastructure is rolling out the week before this mega-relaunch. The new XNA Game Studio can target both the Xbox 360 and the Zune, meaning that the two will share a lot in common under the hood. Since Microsoft already has a game download service, it makes sense that the Zune would leverage it for the new Zune Games. It would make sense that the supposed Xbox Live Music Marketplace would use Zune's software as well. It would be really awesome if you could sync your Zune content with your Xbox 360... or even sync videos from Xbox Live Marketplace with your Zune by plugging it directly into the 360.

UPDATE: Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore confirms that the Zune Video Marketplace and the Xbox Live Marketplace are one and the same, so with the launch dates so close together, could the future Joe speaks of be closer than we think?

[via Xbox360Fanboy]

In a move that is unlikely to silence those who ignore Microsoft products until their third revision, the software giant will launch their third-generation Zune on Tuesday, Sept 16th. This release, available through new Zune models from 120GB down to 8GB, as well as through firmware updates available to all previous-gen Zunes, has more (long-awaited) features than you can shake a stick at. They include:

• Zune Wireless Marketplace: You will be able to access the entire Zune Marketplace without having to plug into your computer. As long as you are near a WiFi hotspot, you can get your tunes.
• Buy from FM: Using your built-in FM receiver, you can tag songs you like off the radio, and the Zune will automatically download the track for you later. (Looks like someone from the Zune team overheard Marc Canter on the CES bus in January.)
• Zune Games: In the works for months, this is a part of XNA Studio 3.0 that will probably RTM at the same time. Hexic and Texas Hold-em will be included for free.
• Sync from WMC: Improved support for syncing your Recorded TV from Windows Media Center
• Audible.com: FINALLY! Audiobook support lets you sync your Zune with Audible.com.

...And lots more! I'm really looking forward to this release, and I think that for the first time, Microsoft has a better feature-set that the iPod. This is all supposed to go down the day before Apple's iPod event, so next week ought to be very interesting indeed. And hey Zune guys, I'd love to get a sneak peek to put up a launch-day review!

Today, Valleywag tried to string two separate events and some made-up facts together to spin the yarn that NBC was not happy with the performance of Silverlight on NBCOlympics.com, and dumped the technology for Flash for their new NFL streaming site. At first blush, the reasoning sees logical… but take more than 2 seconds to think about it, and the specious reasoning just doesn’t add up.

1. NBC *NEVER* said that using Silverlight for the Olympics meant they were dumping Flash altogether. MSNBC.com’s video player still heavily uses Flash, and will probably continue to do so for a while.
2. Nowhere in the article was a quote, directly attributable to NBC or otherwise, stating that poor performance on the Olympics site lead to the technological choice to use Flash on this separate project.
3. The article in context proposes the scenario that three weeks ago, NBC developers analyzed data from the Olympics, didn’t like the data they gathered. So they completely changed course and built the Flash-based NFL site in approx. two weeks. There is no way the NFL site was built in that timeframe, so it is highly unlikely that one had a single thing to do with the other. The decisions were probably made months beforehand, and built using two completely different teams.

Without a direct quote from NBC developers explaining the platform choice, this is nothing but speculation. Too bad the know-it-alls over at Valleywag and Silicon Alley Insider don’t know enough about journalism to be able to differentiate between speculation and fact before they hit the "publish" button.

So last night, Microsoft aired the first in a series of ads in that $300M campaign that you’ve heard so much about. Most of the web pundits out there are lambasting the ad, saying that it wasn’t going to sell Vista, or whatever. I had a lot to say about this topic, but CNET’s Don Reisenger said just about everything I wanted to say about it.

Everywhere I turn today, I find a story by colleagues or comments by readers saying that the new Microsoft ad with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates fails on almost every level. Some complain that it doesn't mention Vista at all, which makes it useless, while others say that watching Gates' derriere waggle at the end of the commercial was just a bit too much.

Either way, Microsoft is getting killed from all sides by people that think the ad was nothing more than a waste of time and money. "Apple's ads are so much better!" they say until their hearts are content. "Who would want to buy Vista after watching that ad?" they exclaim.

Do me a favor: sit down, put your MacBook Pro away, and be quiet.

Judging a $300M advertising campaign by its first $50K ad is, to say the least, ridiculous. No one ever said it was a Vista marketing campaign… Windows is about more than just Vista. The “Get a Mac” ads targeted Windows long before they made it cool to flat out lie about Vista. It’s not targeted at techies… we all have our allegiances, and one ad campaign isn’t going to change them (religion is usually like that). It was targeted at everyday people, who think that campaigns like Subserviant Chicken and The King are cool. It took you to a world where the richest man in the world shops at the Shoe Circus in your local mall, and worked ridiculousness, Bill Gates’ mug shot, and hairy legs wearing shoes in the shower, all in one 90 second spot.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Microsoft thinks “Your World Through Windows” looks like. And BTW, congrats on the new site. Good to see you guys using Silverlight. Maybe UltimatePC.com will get the hint.

The amazing Long Zheng has dug up yet another Microsoft Job offering that once again reveals much about Microsoft’s future direction. This time two job openings reveal that Microsoft will be releasing a sentralized application marketplace, a la Windows Marketplace, Xbox Live Marketplace and Zune Marketplace, for Windows Mobile. The codename is “Skymarket”, but if their previous names say anything about the final name, it will probably be called Windows Mobile Marketplace.

I hope that Microsoft really learns from the existing App Stores out there (Sidekick, Handango, iTunes App Store) and build a much better (and sexier) one. Personally, Handango came bundled with my Samsung i760, and it is a bloated piece of garbage that is practically useless. You can’t download demos anymore, you cant see decent screenshots without having to wait for them to download, it doesn’t remember your login, etc. Plus they added all this other stuff to it (like weather and news) to try to make it something you’d keep open all the time, but it doesn’t do weather or news any better than the dozens of other programs out there that do weather and news. Hopefully MS keeps this one simple, and makes it more useful than Windows Update on Windows Mobile.

Congrats to Long who found this one first.

Much to my surprise, I woke up this morning with a personal e-mail from the Windows man himself, Steven Sinofsky, informing me about the “Engineering Windows 7” blog that just launched. With PDC 2008 just a few months away, I’m excited to see the wheels start spinning up on the Windows Futures communication machine.

We strongly believe that success for Windows 7 includes an open and honest, and two-way, discussion about how we balance all of these interests and deliver software on the scale of Windows. We promise and will deliver such a dialog with this blog.

…

Related to disclosure is the idea of how we make sure not to set expectations around the release that end up disappointing you—features that don’t make it, claims that don’t stick, or support we don’t provide. Starting from the first days of developing Windows 7, we have committed as a team to “promise and deliver”. That’s our goal—share with you what we’re going to get done, why we’re doing it, and deliver it with high quality and on time.

I really like the idea of “promising and delivering”… hopefully someone soon will address the “delivering” part of Ultimate Extras, too.

Over the last few days, Microsoft has released a whole slew of new developer-related bits for the world to enjoy:

• Three months after its official “launch”, SQL Server 2008 is finally soup. You can find out more about it here.
• .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 has also been released. Much more than a Service Pack, this release has a whole slew of new features, and also contains serious performance improvements, due to the work they've been doing with Silverlight.
• Adding one more flavor to the .NET Runtime soup is the .NET 3.5 Client Profile, which is a subset of the standard .NET Framework that doesn't have any of the server-related features (like ASP.NET, etc). Expect this to replace the standard .NET Framework Runtime in future iterations that come built into Windows Client releases (like Windows Vista).
• Visual Studio 2008 SP1 was also released. As MJ noted, it has enough new features to qualify as a full-fledged release, but don't let Microsoft catch you calling it one.
• TFS 2008 SP1 is out as well, with dozens of bug fixes and performance improvements.
• Finally, if you have the beta versions of any of the above, this tool will help clean them off of your system.

Also, I've come across some interesting developer tools in the last few days:

• Mirosoft partnered with Axialis Software to give all Visual Studio 2008 customers "IconWorkshop Lite", a stripped-down version of their flagship IconWorkshop application that integrates right with VS. Seeing as how the bitmap editor in VS is terrible, this is a great addition for building solid icons. [via Visual C++ blog]
• Snipp Dogg is a stand-alone utility that helps you create and manage Visual Studio code snippets. Not enough component vendors are taking advantage of Snippets, but hopefully that will change soon.

Microsoft’s Eric Charran has a great tutorial for getting Integration Components to install if you get a Code 10 after moving a VM to Hyper-V. I’ve had to do this a few times now, and it’s been a big help. Thanks Eric!

I started working on the rant I posted last night almost two weeks ago, when Microsoft released the bits and made an internal announcement about distribution plans. Since then, lots of things have happened, so just so that I’m 100% clear, that post was not directed at anyone on the WMC team, as they did a fantastic job shipping a great release which tackles a lot of issues that people have been having. It was targeted at the morons at the top echelons of the eHome division that make the “strategic” decisions.

Since Microsoft posted on the forum over at TheGreenButton (which was just acquired by Microsoft, so congrats guys!) on Friday, there have been nearly 200 replies. Some of those replies come from Microsoft employees, most prominently by Jeff Tucker. From his posts, I’ve been able to glean the following information:

1. My assertion that the WMC team is under-resourced is spot-on. WMC is a small team with few resources, even though they arguably own one of the most compelling features of Vista.
2. The WMC team considers this a full-fledged release, and is just as pissed about this decision as we are.
3. Someone posted the final bits to TheGreenButton. (Won’t link to them, but you can find them on your own)
4. Microsoft, in its desire not to completely alienate the community they just acquired, are not pulling the bits, or censoring the posts in any way.
5. There is a possibility that some of the Guide improvements delivered in the TV Pack will make their way into a future Vista SP1 update.
6. The next release of Windows Media Center will ship inside Windows 7.

If I were you, I’d grab the bits while I can… before the people with higher pay grades than Jeff override him.

And a word to Windows Product Management: Whomever is prioritizing the resource allocation of the WMC team in the eHome division is now officially making you guys look bad. Someone needs to walk over to Building 10 and tell Robbie Bach that you’re perfectly capable of making yourselves look bad, you don’t need other management trying to “lend a hand”. Then you need to do whatever it takes to make sure that team gets the resources it needs to continue be a full-fledged part of your product. Don’t make excuses, or “him and haw” over the fact that you “don’t have the money”, just do it. You were gonna blow $40B on a has-been company, you can cough up the dough. And then make sure it gets officially released to all Ultimate customers, or give us our hundred dollars back.

Introduction
Before I go into this post, I have to explain my intentions. I respect NDAs very much, and I always have. I’ve built my career as a Microsoft commentator on acquiring as much access as possible, through playing by the “rules”. When someone asks me not to talk about something, or tells me something in confidence, most of the time I don’t blog about it.

The rule of thumb with Windows Featured Communities is, if it’s NDA, we can talk about it until Microsoft talks about it. I’m a Digital Cable Tuner (OCUR) beta tester, and as such I’ve been testing "Fiji" over the past few months. As MJ so accurately reported, Microsoft has gagged all of the (generally angry) beta testers from speaking about anything until the CEDIA conference on September 3rd. However, Microsoft released a statement on Friday about the contents of the TV Pack, as well as its distribution model, which means I can put forth my opinion on the matter without disclosing any new information. Microsoft may very well sanction me for this post (they tried to have my MVP taken away once because I *speculated* on the Diamond release, even though I had no direct knowledge about it and was not a beta tester at the time), but IMO they are about to make what could be the last mistake for the Media Center platform, and there is still time to stop it.

Please Note: This passionate rant is not directed at any of the awesome beta coordinators, PMs, or developers on WMC. They are awesome, and have done a great job with the resources they have been given. It is directed at the decision makers at the highest level who have let this mess come to pass. It's directed at the "Marketers" who think its customers are stupid. We are not.

Calling a Spade a Spade..., or "When Marketers Deceive"
The powers that be over at the eHome Product Management (that's "Marketing" for the uninitiated) are calling this the "Windows Media Center TV Pack". Calling it this would be fine if it added-on functionality to the RTM bits. But it doesn't, it completely replaces core WMC binaries. That means it's not an add-on, it is a version upgrade. But Microsoft doesn't want you to feel entitled to this upgrade, so they think by calling it something else, you'll fall for their cop-out.

But when Robbie Bach’s eHome team aligned the post-Diamond release with the next Windows release, they committed to providing regular updates to every single user, in a manner consistent with the rest of the Windows stack, ie: through upgrades via Windows Update. Whether they realized it or not, that’s the commitment they made to their customers.

When It Comes To Broadcast Media, You Are the Consumer, Not the Customer
That’s right, Microsoft… I’m talking about your *real* customers. Not OEMs who turn around and resell your product (just like end users are not DVR manufacturers' customers either). I’m talking about END USERS. You know, the people that Apple seems to have such an easy time pleasing, and the people form whom you have seen to forgotten about. Because Microsoft has decided that the “cone of silence” is the best thing for consumers, as MJ has spent so much time reporting on. The surprising part is, this cover-up isn’t coming from the Windows division, who wouldn’t even talk about Windows Vista SP1 until it was practically in the general population’s hands. Nope, this is coming from the same division that just spent a week wowing people at E3; the same people who are so eager to please with the Xbox 360 and the Zune.

If Microsoft listened to it's true customers about WMC development, this release would have:

• DivX/XviD Support
• A better DVD library
• DVD-streaming support (for watching DVDs through Extenders)
• Software-based Extenders (aka "Softsled")
• The ability to stream OCUR recordings and other DRMed content to other PCs or Windows Mobile through WebGuide

To be fair, consumers HAVE been asking to be able to use Analog and Digital tuners together (called "heterogeneous tuning"), which is a feature that is purported to be in Fiji... (though I can't confirm or deny it), so it's not completely without input from consumers. But if you happen to own an existing HTPC with Digital Cable Tuners, and want to add an analog tuner to your rig, you're SOL

And so Microsoft has decided to go back on their word yet again, and is returning to the strategy they used with Windows XP Media Center by releasing this WMC 3.5 upgrade only for purchase on new computers. As they conveyed in their release, they think that the only people that buy new computers will be in a position to take advantage of the new features in Fiji. They’ll try to tell you that it’s all about supporting TV standards, but that is a load of garbage. It has new features and bug fixes in it, just like any other release. It has better tuner support, more options for HD users (can't talk specifics, sorry), and plenty more that the entire Windows user base should have the opportunity to take advantage of.

IMHO, The Real Reason You're Not Getting "Fiji"
AFAIK, the Windows Media Center team is the only team in the history of Microsoft NOT to have a clear upgrade path between versions, and I personally think that is ludicrous. It's not because OEMs "are best positioned to provide the testing and hardware configurations for a great customer experience", much as they would like you to believe it. The real reason you're not getting this upgrade is because WMC is the red-headed stepchild of the eHome division, and the Xbox team is the only one over there allowed to blow through piles of cash to fix every mistake or solve any problem.

Microsoft, in it's infinite wisdom and seemingly endless piles of cash, is not willing to commit the money necessary to hire enough developers, internal testers, and beta coordinating resources to write the code necessary to be able to do an in-place upgrade supportable on the millions of Vista systems out there. That's why Vista was on the market for 18 months before compatible Media Center Extenders were widely available (WTF was up with THAT??!?!), and that's why 60M+ Home Premium and Ultimate users are about to be given the proverbial shaft.

The Overlooked Incompatibility
In all the discussions that have taken place so far, no one has yet mentioned the inevitable 'customer experience": A family with an existing Vista Media Center RTM system decides to buy a new computer with a Vista Media Center "TV Pack". Because it's Windows Vista, the average consumer would expect that they would be able to watch non-DRMed content on any Media Center PC in the house. Not so with this "TV Pack", because the format for WMC-recorded content has changed from DVR-MS to WTV, meaning that older Media Centers will not be able to view the content *at all*. Not in Windows Media Player, not at all. If you don't have an Extender, you're screwed. Which leaves me to wonder, Is this the "great customer experience" Microsoft was referring to, cause it sounds pretty stupid if you ask me.

And by the way, how are add-on developers supposed to get their hands on bits to fix compatibility issues that the file format change has caused? Does Microsoft just expect them to buy new PCs? Give me a break.

My Bottom Line
Microsoft, I kept relatively quiet about the Ultimate Extras nonsense, even though I thought it was bullsh!t that Sinofsky could just go in there and cancel a feature that was supposed to deliver value to Microsoft's best customers. But now you have gone too far. If you are not going to *at the very least* provide this so-called "TV Pack" to your Ultimate customers as a function of Ultimate Extras, then maybe it's time that we, as Microsoft's true customers, should start looking at our other options for Microsoft's failure to deliver what Ultimate customers paid for. Because I have yet to see an Ultimate Extra that is worth the extra $100 I paid. Personally, I would think that committing the resources to be able to let everyone upgrade to WMC 3.5 would be a lot cheaper than the write-down involved in refunding every Ultimate user $100 (plus the legal fees of obtaining such a refund). But then again, I was never very good at math.

Oh yeah, Microsoft should also move the Media Center team out of eHome and into the Windows division. The risk of even more radio silence FAR outweighs the access to resources and test-system coverage that the Windows team has access to. And anyone who had a hand in green-lighting this completely asinine decision should be fired for gross incompetence.

So, I've ranted long enough. What, dear reader, do YOU think? I'm sure Microsoft will be paying attention to this post, so feel free to leave your comments... no registration required.