• ASP.NET MVC 3 (now with Razor support, amongst other new features)
• NuGet (free, open source package manager for .NET, see also the NuGet Gallery)
• IIS Express 7.5
• SQL Server Compact Edition 4 (free embedded embedded, database engine that does not require running database server setup)
• Web Deploy and Web Farm Framework 2.0 
• Orchard 1.0
• WebMatrix 1.0

Learn more: continue directly to the announcement blog post by Scott Guthrie: Announcing release of ASP.NET MVC 3, IIS Express, SQL CE 4, Web Farm Framework, Orchard, WebMatrix

When your friend sends you a link to download a file containing “some awesome pictures,” your first thought isn’t to question whether this link may contain something bad like a virus that can shut your computer down or steal your identity. Why would someone you trust send you something harmful? Unfortunately, this good-natured instinct is exactly the behavior that malware creators like to exploit. Attackers are looking to take advantage of contacts and personal relationships – relying on user actions rather than software vulnerabilities to harm people. These attacks are known as socially-engineered malware attacks and have been increasing in number.

NSS Labs research shows that Internet Explorer 9 is able to either block or warn against 99% of socially-engineered malware. According to NSS Labs, “With a unique URL blocking score of 94% and over-time protection rating of 99%, Internet Explorer 9 was by far the best at protecting users against socially-engineered malware.” The graph below compares the protection offered by various browsers against socially-engineered malware attacks. You can see from the report that Internet Explorer 9 leads all browsers with the highest block rate – and best protection against malware.

[Soure: NSS Labs, October 2010 – based on latest browser versions as of date of testing]

The award-winning Internet Explorer leads the industry in providing protection from socially-engineered attacks. Jason Miller of Shavlik Technologies, a global leader in simplifying the complexity of IT management, notes that with the recent NSS findings, “Microsoft is showing, with their current browser technologies, that security for end user browsing is important to them.” Through its SmartScreen technology, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Beta help protect customers by detecting and blocking websites that distribute socially-engineered malware and phishing attacks. The difference in performance between IE8 and IE9 above comes from the addition of innovative features such as SmartScreen Application Reputation. This new feature for Internet Explorer 9 adds an additional layer of protection by warning users when they attempt to download a higher risk application.

If you haven’t yet done so, download Internet Explorer 9 Beta to see how you can enjoy a more beautiful – and trusted web – experience.

Over the next few weeks, Microsoft will begin offering a “Web browser choice screen” to Internet Explorer users in Europe, as required by the European Commission. (see the resolution the Commission and Microsoft agreed to). Limited testing of the choice screen is underway now. We’ll begin a limited roll-out next week, and expect that a full scale roll-out will begin around March 1, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. If you are an Internet Explorer user in Europe, here is what to expect.

External testing of the choice screen begins this week in three countries: the United Kingdom, Belgium and France. Anyone in those countries who wishes to test it can download the browser choice screen software update from Windows Update. We plan to begin a phased roll-out of the update across Europe the week of March 1.

The browser choice screen software update will be offered as an automatic download through Windows Update for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The software update will be installed automatically, or will prompt you to download or install it, depending on which operating system you are running and your settings for Windows Update. If you do not have automatic updating enabled, you can get the choice screen by going to Windows Update and clicking on “Check for Updates.”

More details and screenshots are here:

For the ones that haven’t heard about it, SkyDrive is 25 Gb (yes Gb) of FREE storage in the cloud from Microsoft.

SkyDrive Explorer is a free application that integrates your SkyDrive directly into the Windows file structure, making it easier to navigate and a lot more useful.

Did a re-styling and got a photo shoot to capture the results.

This is one of the best pictures, if not THE best.

And I really am a poor model, so all kudos to the photographer Frederik Herregods.

PS: There was no fixing the eyes, they’re all mine

 

Windows 7 will….

 

Sharon’s voice is great.
And it fits, people fall in & out of love with Windows

People rise from the ashes, so do products, …only for people it seems easier, they look like heroes when they rise from the ashes.

Products..it’s a different story, it’s less “personal”…it’s more difficult to get redemption. A bad perception last forever.

On the other hand, the future isn’t fixed. People, teams, companies …they all can change direction.

There’s nothing written in stone, everything is possible.

You just need to want it badly enough. It means changing habits, changing behavior, changing mentality…nobody can change the past. The future is unwritten, the present is a gift.

Do we want it badly enough?

Just see……