Archive for March, 2008

How We Test Software at Microsoft

It’s always fun to browse through random sections of the Microsoft web site. And it’s even more fun when you stumble across something that is rather funny.

I took a stroll through the Microsoft Learning site today, and I found the following book which is set to be released in August this year: “How We Test Software at Microsoft

Being a tester for Microsoft software on various levels myself and having a fair bit of background knowledge on the testing process, it will be interesting to see what Microsoft has so say about the testing process and just how far (or *GASP* close) to the truth this book really will be.

I know I’ll be ordering a copy!

*Awaits comments regarding the quality of Microsoft software and how thin this book will be*

Fairwell, Sweet MacBook

After three months with my MacBook, I have decided to part ways with it. Last week, I posted the system up for sale on Craigslist after deciding that it just wasn’t powerful enough as my main computer and couldn’t satisfy my gaming needs. Luckily, after roughly a week, I received an offer and last night, it officially switched hands.

Didn’t think I’d be blogging without my own computer now, did you? I’ve taken the opportunity to build my self a new gaming system. I placed the order last night on the following components:

  • Intel Xeon E3110 3.0Ghz 45nm CPU (A re-branded Core 2 Duo E8400 with a slightly lower voltage)
  • DFI LanParty DK P35-T2RS Motherboard
  • EVGA GeForce 9600GT Superclocked Video Card
  • 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800Mhz Memory
  • 250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Drive
  • Antec Truepower Trio 650W Power Supply
  • Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
  • Coolermaster CM690 Mid-Tower Case
  • Acer 20″ Widescreen LCD Display

A pretty sweet system she shall be which should run Crysis and Call of Duty 4 nicely. The boxes should be on my doorstep within six days :D Expect pictures and benchmarks.

So fairwell, sweet MacBook. How I will miss your soft glowing white LED light which kept me awake at night.

Now Running on WordPress 2.5

Just popping in for a small update, I’ve now updated Geek’s Anatomy to the latest WordPress 2.5 Release Candidate 1.

What does this mean for you? Well, besides the shiny new “2.5″ in the footer, not all that much. Most of the changes are on the back end of the site, sorry :( On that note however, I have enabled user registrations! :D Registering will make the commenting process easier by saving your email address, user name and web site (if you have one); you’ll also have a public profile where you can share a bit of information about yourself. On top of that, eventually (once I figure out how to get it working) you’ll be able to upload an avatar which will be seen next to all of your comments. [Pause for "oooh's" and "aaah's"]

Seeing as how most blogs that require you to register tend to tick me off (I prefer getting to know the community before joining), registration is not mandatory for commenting.

If you’ve registered but never received the email, be sure to check your junk email folder as Gmail and Windows Live Hotmail seem to dislike mail sent by WordPress blogs.

Voila, Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1

Yes, the links to download IE8 Beta 1 are now live and luckily I was quick to download it before the flood of users frantically trying to get their hands on it began.

So, without further ado, I present to you, Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1:
ie8-1.PNG ie8-2.PNG ie8-3.PNG ie8-4.PNG ie8-5.PNG ie8-6.PNG ie8-7.PNG ie8-8.PNG ie8-9.PNG ie8-10.PNG ie8-11.PNG ie8-12.PNG ie8-13.PNG ie8-14.PNG ie8-15.PNG ie8-16.PNG ie8-17.png ie8-18.png ie8-19.jpg ie8-20.png
ie8-21.jpg

If you haven’t gotten a hold of the Beta yet, you can download it right over here. If you have any questions about any of the shots above or would like any additional screenshots, leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do :)

Digg It!

IE8 Download Page Goes Live - Features Revealed

In preparation for MIX08 (or so it seems), Microsoft has taken the wraps off of the public download page for the first beta of Internet Explorer 8. Unfortunately, the download links them selves are not yet live. Owel, the new features page will have to do for now… I guess.

So, what new features can we expect? Well, there’s Activities, Web slices, Favorites Bar, Automatic Crash Recovery and an Improved phishing filter, to name a few. But what does it all mean, Basil? I’ll start with Web Slices, as this feature seems to be ringing some bells. With Web Slices, the user can crop out a preferred section of a web page and add that small section of the site to a link within the new Favorite Bar. Click on the link, and that section of the page will open in a small pop-up window right in the toolbar. Yep, sounds familiar alright… Ah, yes; Safari Web Clip! Owel, it’s a convenient feature and I’m glad to see it implemented in IE8.

Continue reading ‘IE8 Download Page Goes Live - Features Revealed’

Catch MIX08 Live, 21st Century Style

MIX08 VectorballAh, live streams, whether we couldn’t snatch a ticket to an event or just couldn’t risk detrimentally affecting our title as mouse potatos, you’ve always been there for us. If you’re one of the unfortunate few many who are not attending this year’s MIX conference in Las Vegas; no worries, Microsoft’s got you covered.

MIX08 will be streamed live for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. If you’re interested, just keep an eye on The Official MIX08 website for updates. The live stream should be up just in time for the keynote which kicks off at 9:30AM PST, so set your alarm clock and grease up that F5 key!

For those who are a tad behind, Dean Hachamovitch (it took me a few times too, don’t worry), General Manager of the IE team, will be among the keynote speakers this year. And of course, he won’t be on stage empty-handed. Dean is expected to be providing us with a first second look at Internet Explorer 8!

Update: The streams are up and available in three different flavors as usual :)