Google lauches Chrome OS

Few days ago, Google launches Chrome OS at its official blog, and it quotes:

"Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks."

There's more from John O'Conner's Blog:

"Google Chrome OS will be a slightly more beefy Android OS ..."

And from the FAQ session of the main site, there's a screenshot of this OS (this image does not belong to me):

It's not weird Google target on netbooks, since netbooks has stronger sales recently.
Personally I think it's still too early to judge the impact of it towards Windows OS on desktop.

MSSQL 2008 System View release!

Are you a DBA? Want to know how the overall architecture of MSSQL? Ever wonder how you can manage the databases easily? How you can create a version of simple MSSQL Management Console better than mine? Yes, now you can see how it works through the entity-relationship model (ERM) at here.

Start from sys.objects, sys.columns, ..., you can easily manipulate your T-SQL scripts within the following categories of component:

• Objects, Types and Indexes
• Trace and Eventing
• Linked Servers
• Common Language Runtime
• Partitioning
• Database Mirroring
• EndPoints
• Database and Storage
• Execution Environment
• Service Broker
• Security
• Transaction Information
• Resource Governor
• Server-Wide Information
• Full Text Search
• Extended Events

p/s: During last year PDC 2008, .NET FX team has released a selection of new types and namespaces introduce in FX4 at Brad Abrams's blog. From there, you can download 2 versions:

1. PDF version
2. DeepZoom version

Running Windows 7 Beta in Virtual PC 2007

After taking more than 12 hours (yes, I subscribed a low cost package from ISP) to download the Windows 7 Beta ISO (see my previous post), finally i can play around with it. Installing it on my existing OS will be too risky, thus Virtual PC comes to my mind.

As rumour says, I tried it using a guest OS as Windows Vista and it works. Say not more and let's see some steps and screenshots.

1) After creating a new vmc & vhc files, capture the ISO downloaded. You can follow tutorial here. The setup will be started. When it asks for guest OS, choose Windows Vista.

2) You might need to adjust the RAM for installation to run smoothly.

3) Now, you see it is loading files and starting Windows.


4) Choose the language to install, ..., etc.

5) And Windows 7 Beta is installed successfully.

6) ScreenSaver cannot be loaded for Virtual PC with standard VGA virtualized.

7) Some basic themes for customization. I see it as a competition with wincustomize.

8) MS Paint get a Ribbon-look.

9) Our "Show Desktop" now resides on bottom-right.

10) And we can try the Internet Explorer 8 Beta as well.

Mixed fortune for Mobile OSes

This week is a week with full emotion, for OS developers. For UIQ lover, they saw UIQ finally filed bankruptcy. While Palm OS lovers, Palm makes a comeback at CES.

UIQ:
Quoted from theregister:

"Motorola had 11 UIQ phones (or variants) planned for release next year, and now all have been cancelled in the most recent company reorganisation."

Sure Nokia purchase of Symbian was not a simple business move.
I wonder what will happen to MotoDev Studio for UIQ, an integrated development environment based on the Eclipse IDE, and Sony Ecrisson's Symbian OS Docs & Tools. They could be phased out soon and extinct anytime. Will Sony Ericsson & Motorola embrace Windows Mobile OS fully since the only Symbian OS is now totally owns by another competitor (a.k.a. Nokia), like Samsung?

Palm:

With new OS("WebOS"), new handset ("Palm pre") introduction at CES, it revives the hope of Palm Inc. to gain the market once they dominant, and it tries to woo more developer to it:

"It was built with developers in mind,"

and:

"The entire UI is based on a "desktop + cards" paradigm, where "cards" replace "windows" or even "apps." You start with a display area that contains a blank desktop and an iPhone-style dock at the bottom."

And more news of Palm at CES is covered by engadget:

1) Live from Palm's CES press conference

2) Palm Pre: First Look and Details

3) Palm announces webOS platform

Windows 7 Beta is out

So fast, Microsoft released Windows Vista 2 years ago, now we have another new Windows OS release, a.k.a Windows 7, in beta form to public. You can get it here:

a) Windows 7 Beta 32-bit (downloading)

b) Windows 7 Beta 64-bit (not yet tested)

For more information, you can visit this site.

This site have offered various tips to let you play around with it.

1) How to Dual Boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista

2) Windows 7 Product Keys Available--for Some

#p/s: For Windows developer, the Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1: BETA, or the so called Platform SDK v7.0, is released as well.