Todays keynote focussed on Microsoft vision for combining PC, Web and Phone using Windows 7,  WIndows Live and WIndows Live Services.

The morning was characterised by some very impressive demos, and alot of crowd appreciation from the assembled developers.

Here are some key features of each:

WIndows 7

  • Lots of UI usability enhancements including an improved start menu, taskbar and windows management.
  • New hardwares innovation – e.g. built in support for multi touch
  • The same kernel as Vista and Server 2008, so no breaking changes
  • Seamless software and services integration between windows 7 and windows live
  • Ribbon UI now in all windows apps
  • Jump lists – task bar or start menu right click for e.g. MRU
  • Libraries – unify data across locations
  • DirectX now not just for games – can use for 2d, animation and high performance text
  • Decrease in resources used
  • Increase in performance – boot speed, 256 processor support,  Task bar and start responsiveness
  • Built in bitlocker encryption on memory sticks, includes policy tools for managing
  • Natively mount and manage virtual hard drives – create a VHD natively from within windows; attach a VHD.
  • Boot from Windows 7 VHD, mount, boot and reset to help development
  • Can now easilty set iDPI and multi monitors
  • Improved magnifier
  • Single key select of monitors, dual monitor demo
  • Remote desktop connections can also be multi screen
  • Customise shutdown button
  • Better control of taskbar and icon positioning
  • Control over system messages e.g. firewall, malware
  • UAC – can now control how much of UAC you see on your machine
  • Seamless transition between work domain and home network, maintain security of domain join

Windows 7 Releases:

There will be 4dev builds m1,m2,m3m and beta.

The Pre-beta issued today is 1st stable build – M3.

It’s not feature complete until beta which will be early in 2009

Windows Live

There were some very impressive demos illustrating collaboration using standard office clients, live office, and Live Mesh to automatically sync documents and data whether users were on the web, mobile or pc. This combined with illustrations of using Live services to extend regular desktop aplications into the web illustrated very well the reality of Microsoft Software plus Services vision – its a very convincing model that Microsoft have executed very elegantly.

Windows Live Essentiais – for Rich applications

WIndows Live Services – mail, messenger, photos, blogging – to expand the PC experience to the web

Together, complete communications and web experience

Live Services

Key principles:

  • Access a users social graph
  • Easy integration and interoprability
  • Leverage familiar services

Services:

  • Identity
  • Directory
  • Communication and presence
  • Search and Geospatial

Live Mesh

This  bridges islands of data, apps and devices through synchronisation of Users – Devices – Applications – Data

Developers access live services through the live framework which is built-in to Visual Studio

Office Web Applications

Lightweight version of office apps in the browser – Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote in Office 14

You can download windows live beta @ download.live.com

More tomorrow.

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