Yep – pretty much sums it up 😉
Saw it here.
Microsoft VDI Licensing changes
Microsoft have made some changes to their licensing, specifically aimed at making VDI adoption easier and more cost effective.
VDI with Microsoft is done via VECD (Virtual Enterprise Centralised Desktop) and there are 2 types of VECD licence available, one for machines without Software Assurance and one for machines with SA, priced at:
So, although greatly reduced, there is still an extra cost on top of a customer’s investment in Software Assurance.
However, from July 1st 2010, Software Assurance for Windows Client will include the VECD licence at no extra charge; simultaneously reducing the barriers to VDI adoption and increasing the amazing benefits and ROI that Software Assurance offers…good work Redmond!
Also from that date, machines without SA will be covered by a Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) licence, priced at $100.
July 1st also gives customers licensed with the above the rights to access their virtual desktop from secondary, non-corporate machines such as home PC’s, hotel machines etc.
Microsoft & Citrix “Rescue for VMWare VDI” Promotion
Alongside the new RDP/VDI enhancement, there is a new promo being kicked off called:
Rescue for VMWare VDI
For customers currently using VMWare view:
“eligible customers can trade-in their VMware View licenses with same number of Microsoft VDI Standard Suite subscription and Citrix XenDesktop VDI Edition annual licenses, up to a maximum of 500, at no cost”
At no cost!!! There are of course caveats and restrictions:
“Customers with existing VMware View licenses for desktops covered by Microsoft Core CAL or Enterprise CAL suites with Software Assurance through Select, Enterprise & CASA (Campus & Schools Agreements) family of agreements can take advantage of this offer. Determination of eligibility will be done by Citrix and Microsoft sales representatives”
*(bold mine)
So:
Customers on:
- Open
- Open Value Perpetual
- Open Value Subscription
cannot take part in this promotion…which seems a little odd to me. I’d be interested to hear the reasoning behind this…
Also, even if you are on one of the chosen licensing schemes but have chosen to purchase CALs individually, you are unable to take part.
For those who are eligible, this promo is available until December 31 2010.
You can see more on this, and other joint efforts, over at:
Windows Server 2008 R2 & Windows 7 Service Pack 1
Windows Server 2008 R2 introduced many new features over and above Server 2008, and now we hear that Service Pack 1 (SP1) will extend that even further.
Memory Over Commit:
This feature, or rather the lack of it, caused quite a few comments from the VMWare side of the virtualization world as they had it and Hyper-V didn’t.
Basically it allows you to assign more RAM to your Virtual Machines than you physically have available for example:
A physical host with 4GB RAM
4 VM’s each allocated 2 GB RAM
So a total of 8GB assigned with only 4GB available…what the what?! How can this work?!
Although machines will crash if the physical memory isn’t available, it reality it’s very rare for machines to use anywhere near the amount of RAM they have. It does still carry risks though so it isn’t for everyone!
Remote FX
Do you remember when Microsoft bought Calista around the start of 2008? They were a startup who:
“set out to create technology that allows remote workers to enjoy the same rich user experience over a network as with a locally executing desktop”
This includes:
- Full Fidelity Video
- Silverlight Support
- 3D Graphics
- Windows Aero
Based on this technology, Microsoft are introducing “RemoteFX” with Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, although there are keen to point out that this is:
“not a new standalone product from Microsoft. Rather, it describes a set of RDP technologies – most prominently graphics virtualization and the use of advanced codes – that are being added”
This will allow remote users/VDI users to have an experience much closer to that of a full desktop PC.
One thing to note is that:
If you want to use RemoteFX with a Windows 7 VM, it must be running on Hyper-V…so no VMWare!
Microsoft have always very closely with Citrix and now it’s been announced that Citrix will be integrating RemoteFX into their XenDesktop and HDX products.
Windows XP Mode: No more hardware virtualization
Microsoft introduced XP Mode with Windows 7 and it was great; a way to run XP only applications inside the new Operating System. However, there was one big caveat…it only worked on machines with processors that supported “Hardware Assisted Virtualization” (HAV) AKA Intel-VT/AMD-V…and these CPU’s aren’t all that prevalent (something my post here looked at). Many end users found it tricky to work out if their machine supported this technology and a huge number of people, both home users and small businesses, found they were unable to take advantage of this new innovation.
Well not any more!!!
Microsoft have re-written the XP Mode engine, allowing the need for HAV to be removed 🙂 This means that anyone running a genuine copy of Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise or Ultimate can now use XP Mode regardless of their hardware, opening it up to countless (probably 1000’s) more people.
This is a great move by Microsoft, extending the great work they’ve done with XP Mode to the masses and surely furthering Windows 7 adoption among home users and small businesses too.
You can download the update to remove the requirements below:
Windows 7 Cram Live Meeting
If you saw the Windows 7 Exam Cram session that was running on March 11th but missed the actual event (like me), the recording is now available online here:
https://www112.livemeeting.com/cc/microsoft/view?id=DC031110&pw=webcast
So if you’re working towards some Windows 7 exams (at least 70-680 & 70-685) or would like to but not sure where to start, head over there and get started…I will be ASAP!
Internet Explorer 9
Internet Explorer 9 is here! Well, a Developer preview build has been released at MIX 10 and it looks pretty freakin’ awesome!
- Full HTML 5 Support…even video!
- Rounded Corners
- Background Compiled Javascript
- Much improved (although not perfect) ACID 3 score
- IE9 is the first browser to provide fully hardware-accelerated SVG support
These, and more, are already part of IE9 🙂
Head over to:
http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/
to find out more and download the current build of IE9, although it’s not a complete browser. There is no address bar and no back button (!), it’s a very early way of letting us all have a look at the goodness that is on it’s way.
An important point I’ve just seen in the FAQ is that:
“One of the best features of Platform Preview is that it installs side-by-side with earlier versions of Internet Explorer and any other browser(s) on your computer”
which means it should be completely safe to install it on your machine. I’ve got it on mine and it works great…
Look-Rounded Borders!
Asteroids in the browser?
Yes!
Acid Test:
“Acid3 is a test page from the Web Standards Project that checks how well a web browser follows certain selected elements from web standards, especially relating to the Document Object Model (DOM) and JavaScript.” (from Wikipedia)
Current browsers that pass Acid 3 are:
Google Chrome
Apple Safari
Opera
while Internet Explorer 8 gets:
Internet Explorer 9 currently gets:
So much better…but still a way to go. I assume that Microsoft will get it to 100 by the time it ships?
Windows XP
Can I haz IE9 on XP?
No.
What the What?
“Internet Explorer 9’s GPU-powered graphics take advantage of new technologies available in Windows 7 and back-ported only to Windows Vista. These technologies depend on advancements in the display driver model introduced first in Windows Vista”
Oh…ok…can I haz Windows 7 pleez?!
This is another reason for people to move from the creaking, aging and frankly not very good anymore platform of Windows XP. IE9 is going to be faster, flashier, sexier and better and will seriously enhance and improve people’s interactions with the web…both in terms of enjoyment and enhanced productivity…maybe this will be the thing that pushes people to take the leap onto Windows 7? Here’s hoping!
HTML 5 Video
Although Microsoft showed HTML 5 video working during the MIX 10 keynote, it’s not currently available in the Platform Preview. However, it is coming and, as MS are updating the build every 8 weeks, it won’t be too long until we see it.
Javascript Rendering
On the Webkit SunSpider Javascript Performance test, IE9 posts better results that Firefox 3.6:
and is getting very close to the super speeds of Opera. With many months until shipping we should see IE9 rise even further up the ranks.
Dean Hachamovitch (General Manager, Internet Explorer) has got a great blog post all about IE 9 here:
Thoughts:
From what I’ve heard from MIX and via Twitter, what I’ve seen using the Platform Preview and what I’ve read on the MSDN blogs…this is going to fit in really well with Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 Series…it’s going to be brilliant and put MS back at the top.
So go and download the preview, check it out and keep tuned 🙂
Windows Phone Developer Training Kits
Windows Phone 7 Series is a little bit closer after today’s MIX 10 keynote and Microsoft are doing a great job of making sure that WP7 developers have got everything they need to get started putting the iPhone to shame making great apps 🙂
They have put together a training kit for developers which includes 4 Hands On Labs:
Hello Phone:
As with the classic “Hello World” app, this is a way to introduce you to the tools needed to build Silverlight apps for Windows Phones.
Building Your First Windows Phone Application:
This teaches you to create a simple puzzle game using the basic building blocks, and includes some phone-specific features.
Windows Phone Navigation & Controls:
This focuses on on Windows Phone’s layout and switching between different screens.
Game Development with XNA Framework:
This lab helps you build a simple XMA game using Visual Studio Express for Windows Phone.
You can see the online kit here or download a local copy here.
To download the Windows Phone Developer Tools, hit this link:
Windows Phone 7 Series Development Tools
Today saw the start of MIX 10, Microsoft’s 3 day conference for web designers and developers, and it was all about Windows Phone 7 Series aka WP7 (or Windows Mobile 7 as you might call it).
They announced the availability of a comprehensive set of free tools to support developing Silverlight apps on WP7. This can be download from:
and includes previews of:
· Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone
· Windows Phone 7 Series add-in to use with Visual Studio 2010 RC1
· XNA Game Studio 4.0
· Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator for application testing
· Expression Blend for Windows Phone CTP (available as a separate download).
I’m not a developer, although I often wish I was, and this is one of those times! Go get it and make some brilliant apps that will bring me, and countless others, back to the WinMo fold 🙂
An alternative download link is:
BPOS Exchange Online Extra Storage discontinued
Just a quick post to cover the fact that the Exchange Online Extra Storage SKU (TRA-00018 ) for BPOS is being discontinued.
The default mailbox size is being increased from 5GB to 25GB and, as this is the maximum storage a user can have, there’s simply no need to have the extra storage SKU.
Cloudy with a chance of Licensing 