Microsoft 2008 Products are here...

February 2008 is shaping up to be Microsoft's largest launch month - ever - with RTMs of Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008 all on tap.

Windows Server 2008 will make another history by producing Windows Server 2008, which will be the "Last 32-Bit Operating System". The Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 is already with a huge Tester's community. A similar change (16-bit to 32-bit OS) took place earlier when Microsoft released Windows 95 and slowly phased-out its 16-bit Windows 3.x.

This may be a big threat to Consumers (like me) who are already using Win XP/2003 64 bit and finding it difficult to get a 64-bit Windows Certified Drivers and Applications.

Related Links:

Bill Laing (General Manager - Windows Server Division) on What’s to Come for Windows Server 2008

Visual Studio 2008 (formerly known as Visual Studio code name "Orcas") delivers on Microsoft's vision of enabling developers and development teams to rapidly create connected applications with compelling user experiences for Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, mobile devices and the Web. Visit Visual Studio 2008 Home Page.

SQL Server 2008, the next release of Microsoft SQL Server, provides a comprehensive data platform that is more secure, reliable, manageable and scalable for your mission critical applications, while enabling developers to create new applications that can store and consume any type of data on any device, and enabling all your users to make informed decisions with relevant insights. Visit SQL 2008 Home Page.

Blackle - Black Google saves energy

How is Blackle saving energy?

Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen.

In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.

We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.

Office Website: http://www.blackle.com/

More Details: http://www.blackle.com/about/