Beta to RC Changes – Turning Windows Features On or Off
Beta to RC Changes – Turning Windows Features On or Off
The theme of “choice and control” has been applied in many aspects of how we have designed Windows 7. We’ve certainly received lots of positive feedback about the theme and about the choices we’ve made in the design, and we’ve also received a few suggestions for how we might continue to implement this theme in the future. We’ve received feedback for features that should be even more customizable (such as Explorer or the logon screen) or features that should be added to Windows (such as a PDF format reader, security tools, or disk utilities). And we’ve received feedback that some users might prefer to run Windows without certain features. This post is about a point of choice and control in the Windows 7 control panel called “Windows Features” which is where you can choose to turn various features of Windows on or off. This continues our discussion of changes we have made based on feedback from the Beta as we progress to the Release Candidate. This post is by Jack Mayo who is the group program manager for our Documents and Printing team and also worked on Internet Explorer 8. --Steven
“Turning Windows Features On or Off” has a long history in Windows, going back to the earliest days of the 32-bit code base. We’ve received a lot of suggestions about features that you would like to turn on or off using your own criteria for choice. For Windows 7 we’ve engineered a more significant list of features and worked to balance that list in light of the needs of the broad Windows platform as well. We want to provide choice while also making sure we do not compromise on compatibility by removing APIs provided for developers. We also want to strike the right balance for consumers in providing choice and balancing compatibility with applications and providing a consistent Windows experience.
We know many have specific ideas of what constitutes a “feature” or a “program” in Windows and what constitutes an identifiable “part” of the operating system, and yet we also know different people can have different points of view, often strongly held. Some might take an end-user approach and identify a feature based on a window or start menu shortcut. Some might take an approach based on one perspective of architectural subsystems, such as storage or security. Some might take an approach based on what to some are alternate choices to some similar functionality. All of these are valid in some context, but would not result in consistently identifying “features” considering these varied points of view. As engineers we know that no software system can be decomposed into an arbitrary set of layers or parts and any decomposition is likely to change over time.
We don’t want the discussion about this feature or these choices to digress into a philosophical discussion about the definition of an operating system, which is ultimately a challenging exercise (judging by the revision history on the community page), but we do want to improve a feature centered on helping to meet the feedback expressed by some over the summer when this blog started.
In the Release Candidate for Windows 7 we have extended the control panel called “Windows Features” which is available from the standard “Programs and Features” control panel (we often call this ARP, for the original name of Add/Remove Programs). This location is unchanged from Vista and XP, though the wording has been clarified. In Windows 7 if you bring up the Windows Features control panel by clicking on “Turn Windows Features on or off” (or just typing “Windows features” in the start menu) you will see the following in the Release Candidate (by default the hierarchy is not fully expanded, but in this screen shot I’ve expanded some elements for additional information):
For those familiar with the Vista version or the Beta version of this dialog you will notice the list has grown. Let’s talk about what we’ve added and briefly how it works.
If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use. This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system (for security-conscious customers) and not available to users on the computer. These same files are staged so that the features can easily be added back to the running OS without additional media. This staging is important feedback we have received from customers who definitely do not like to dig up the installation DVD.
For any of the features listed you can change the state to enable it or disable it. The Vista and Windows 7 beta control panel lists a wide range of features. Some are targeted towards Developers working on a client workstation (IIS, MSMQ, etc.), others are utilities for network administrators and enthusiasts (RSM, SNMP, Telnet, etc.), and some are features customers have asked us to make optional (Games, Fax and Scan, Tablet PC components).
In Windows 7 we are expanding the number of features you have control over in this regard, giving customers more control, flexibility and choice in managing the features available in this version of Windows. In addition to the features that were already available to turn on or off in Windows Vista, we’ve added the following features to the list in Windows 7:
- Windows Media Player
- Windows Media Center
- Windows DVD Maker
- Internet Explorer 8
- Windows Search
- Handwriting Recognition (through the Tablet PC Components option)
- Windows Gadget Platform
- Fax and Scan
- XPS Viewer and Services (including the Virtual Print Driver)
It is worth describing the details of “remove” since this too is a place where there are engineering and customer decisions to be made. We’ve already seen one decision which is to make sure we keep the features staged for future use so that a DVD is not required. A second decision is that we also continue to support the APIs available for features where these APIs are necessary to the functionality of Windows or where there are APIs that are used by developers that can be viewed as independent of the component. As many of you know these are often referred to as “dependencies” and with Windows the dependencies can run both internal to Windows and external for ISVs.
It should be no surprise, but when we develop new features in Windows we tend to use the underlying infrastructure and associated APIs rather than duplicate code which would create extra working set, slow performance, and increase the surface area that needs to be secured, etc. We all know code reuse is a good engineering practice. As a platform, Windows tends to emphasize the creation of APIs for many systems, even when those subsystems are viewed as part of a larger system. When we have APIs that are used, we faced the choice of breaking software that just expected those APIs to be there or to continue to support the API. When we continued to support the API our approach was to remove a feature by making sure that an end-user could not invoke the feature via traditional end-user mechanisms. These are often difficult decisions as we work to balance the expectations of developers, the shared desire to deliver a robust release of Windows 7, and to maintain the goals set out by the feature “Turn Windows Features On or Off”. Because there are so many combinations of dependencies just represented in this list, selecting some options might provide you with some explanation as to the challenges in selecting a combination (for example Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center share a lot of code so turning one off might introduce a pretty complex situation for the average end-user).
Finally, we know some have suggested that this set of choices be a “setup option”. Some operating systems do provide this type of setup experience. As we balanced feedback, the vast majority of feedback we have received was to streamline setup and to reduce the amount of potential complexity in getting a PC running. We chose to focus this feature on the post-setup experience for Windows 7.
Posted in: General | Tags: window windows features windows 7 release candidate rcwhat is XMLRPC
XML RPC is a easiest way to kick start writing of Web Services, where applications "talk" across networks (intranets or internet) .
Creating an XML-RPC Web service with Perl is almost as easy as CGI scripting. This blog is a tutorial on using XML RPC with Perl. It uses Perl's Frontier::RPC library to create simple clients and servers.
WHAT IS RPC?Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a mechanism to call functions Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) are not a new concept they have been in Unix class oses for a long time and on Windows OS too. A client/server system, RPCs have traditionally been procedures called in a program on one machine that go over the network to some RPC server that actually implements the called procedure.
The RPC server bundles up the results of the procedure and sends those results back to the caller. The calling program then continues executing. While this system requires a lot of overhead and latency, it also allows less powerful machines to access high powered resourcesWHAT IS XML RPC? A RPC call earlier was to be sent in propritery formats that can be understood only by the specific client and the server. With the evolution of XML as a standard for information interchange.XML can be used to encode RPC Calls and use it in communication.an implementation of XML RPC would be as follows a client accessing a server encodes it's request into XML and uses simple HTTP protocol to transfer the XMLAt the server side the XML is parsed and procedure are called with parameters that came from the client.
The exciting part about XML-RPC is that it can cross programming language and operating system platforms, allowing clients and servers written in different languages to work together. Perl clients can talk to Java servers; Python listeners can service PHP requests; you can even write XML-RPC programs in bad, old C.
XML-RPC is extremely easy to work with because the details of the XML translations are hidden from the user, unless, of course, you are implementing your own XML-RPC library. There are two important aspects of this protocol that you should keep in mind when building your middleware. XML-RPC is built on HTTP and, like ordinary Web traffic, its stateless conversations are of the request and response variety.
There is no built-in support for transactions or encryption. The other important detail to remember is that XML-RPC has a finite set of datatypes. Client procedure arguments and listener return values are mapped in a non-extendable XML subset. In practice, though, XML-RPC's datatypes are often flexible enough to do complex tasks. The XML RPC Data Types:XML-RPC tag Description a sequence of characters signed or unsigned 32-bit integer values true(1) or false(0) signed double precision floating point numbers date and time (but no timezone) a base64 encoded string a container for a sequence of datatypes a container for key-value pairs XML RPC is a good mechanism to start writing Web Services, a more modern refined brother of XML RPC is SOAP.
Expression Web SuperPreview
To do compatibility testing of a web page I usually have to fire up a VPC and access the page from a browser instance inside that VPC (one VPC for IE6, another one for IE7, etc.)
How many times have you had to debug your web pages on virtual or multiple machines running different versions of Internet Explorer? Or had to wait for a slow web service to return renderings of your pages?
You don't have to do that anymore. Now you can debug your pages on multiple versions of IE on the same machine that you use for Web development.
Expression Web SuperPreview for Windows Internet Explorer is a stand-alone visual debugging tool that makes it faster and easier to migrate your sites from IE6 to IE7 or IE8. With SuperPreview, you can ensure that your Web sites work correctly in IE8 while also maintaining compatibility with earlier versions of IE.
SuperPreview shows your web pages rendered in IE6 and either IE7 or IE8, depending on which version you have installed on your machine. You can view the pages side by side or as an onion-skin overlay and use rulers, guides and zoom/pan tools to precisely identify differences in layout. You can even compare your page comp to how the targeted browsers render the page.
To help you quickly identify problem elements, DOM highlighting shows absolute positions of the rendered elements and HTML elements display CSS properties.
And perhaps what I think is the coolest feature, an overlay mode to compare exactly what’s different for pixel-perfect alignment. Or if you cross your eyes, the web in 3D.
Finally, how you can get your dirty web developer paws on this awesome tool, and it’s a little complicated to say the least. The beta of this software available right now is downloadable from Microsoft.com (250MB). The catch being it only supports renderings between IE6 and versions of IE installed on your computer already, but it should ease the pain of testing for IE6/7/8 compatibility for a lot of devs.
The full and final version of this product will be bundled together with Expression Web 3, sometime later this year and will run as a separate standalone application. Unfortunately for the many Mac web developers out there, because Expression Web is not an application part of the Expression Mac suite, SuperPreview will not be available.
Posted in: website seo General asp.net | Tags: expression web superpreview expression superpreview expression superpreviewWhat is an ISP (Internet Service Provider)
An ISP, or Internet Service Provider, is a company that offers internet access to individuals and businesses for a monthly or yearly fees. In addition to internet connection, ISPs may also provide related services like web site hosting and development, email hosting, domain name registration etc.
Different ISPs, and sometimes even the same one, offer different types of internet connections - dialup, cable and DSL broadband. Hardware such as dialup modem or a wireless modem and router are usually provided by the company. When you register with an ISP for its services, an account is created and you are provided with the login details –username and password. You connect to the internet via your account and this way the company keeps a watch on your online activities. All providers have strict terms of use and ensure you read these carefully before you sign up though, I believe, the casual web surfer would probably never be in breach of the contract. Any ISP, worth its salt, will also give you an email address, typically, based on your username – you can choose to use this email account or ignore it completely (not recommended).
ISPs can be both regional, confined to a geographic area, or national, servicing the entire country and they are connected with each other through Network Access Points (NAPs). ISPs are also referred to as Internet Access Providers.
Types of internet access
Most ISPs offer several types of internet access which essentially differ in connection speeds – the time taken for download and upload. Many also offer different plans or “packages” that vary in the download limit, number of email accounts on offer etc.
Dialup internet access is probably the slowest connection and requires you to connect to the internet via your phone line by dialling a number specified by the ISP. This means, dialup connections are not “always on”, unless you want to raise a huge phone bill, you would sever the connection when you finish work online.
Cable internet access can be obtained from the local cable TV operator. However, ask them for a demo first or check with your neighbours on the quality of service.
Internet access via DSL broadband is indeed very fast and ISPs can offer different download speeds – quicker the speed, higher will be the price. If you are planning for a DSL internet connection, ask the ISP if they would also install a wireless modem and router at your location. A wireless internet connection gives you freedom and flexibility – you need not be confined to one place (the work table, for instance) and can access the internet from any spot (even the bathroom) as long as your computer can catch the wireless signal. However, ensure that the provider secures the wireless connection with a password.
In many countries, especially those in which internet is still a kind of luxury, the ISPs may put a limit on the amount of data exchanged over a connection. For example, one may be allowed only a few GB (gigabytes) of download and upload each month. This is usually sufficient for routine users but if you plan to download movies and music or other large files, you have to keep a check on the amount of the data transfer.
Posted in: website seo General | Tags: isp internet service provider internet access differ internet dsl