New features including a new Gadget mode are available in the latest beta of 7APL. I’ve created a dedicated projects page for 7APL which you can access here or by going to the projects section of this site. In addition to this new version, I’ve made a new YouTube video demonstrating some of the new features in 7APL:

Enjoy the download!

According to an email sent to Microsoft Connect users today. myself included, the final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. Here is the email that was sent out:

Dear Beta User,

Thank you for participating in the Microsoft® Security Essentials Beta. Your participation has been instrumental to ensuring the best possible product release quality.
The final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. If you are running the older version of the beta (1.0.1407.0), we encourage you to upgrade to a newer version of the beta (1.0.1500.0). To ensure a smoothest possible experience, please follow one of these options:

• Click on the ‘Upgrade Now’ button on the Microsoft Security Essentials Home tab. OR
• Select ‘Upgrade Microsoft Security Essentials’ under the Help drop-down menu

Thank you again for your participation in the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta!

Best regards,

Microsoft Security Essentials Team

It seems that Microsoft has really put forth an effort to release a quality and free, yet effective anti-virus, for those who’s computers might not be protected with any kind of anti-virus. The great thing about Microsoft Security Essentials is that it is low on memory resources and doesn’t seem to slow things down like other anti-virus programs are known for.

Microsoft Security Essentials

The above is a screen shot of Microsoft Security Essentials, courtesy of softsailor.com. It’s simple to use interface and lack of “extra” features make it one of the best and lightest (in terms of memory footprint) anti-virus software available combined with Windows Vista/7 and Windows Defender. It’ll be interesting to see how both Windows 7 and Microsoft Security Essentials do once Windows 7 hits store shelves.

The latest build (build 09202009-1533) of 7APL is now available to forum members. To get the latest build now you should click here. I’ve provided the change log here as well as screenshots:

7APL Main Interface

Build 09202009-1533
————————————-
NEW: Support for launch arguments (eg. “C:\app_path\app.exe” /silent)
NEW: Drag & drop support included. Drag shortcuts and apps into the list box for quick/easy profile creation. Dragging pictures over the profile picture works as well.
NEW: Increased maximum JumpList tasks to 14.
NEW: Introduction of Profile “Categories”. Categories enable you to organize and launch individual apps with JumpLists. These categories are listed as a task with a red arrow next to them. Clicking them will update the JumpList and list each individual app of that profile (which you can launch).

Known Issues:
– Haven’t found a way to increase the number of items in the JumpList. If you have a lot of apps only the first 14 in the list will be displayed.
– Profiles with corrupt data (including links that don’t exist) may cause the application to crash. This will be addressed soon.

Additional Notes: Several bug fixes have been made but are not documented.

The new Categories option

7APL JumpList

7APL Category Demonstration

7APL Category Demonstration

7APL Thumbnail view

People interested in trying or are currently using beta builds of 7APL – a robust Windows 7 application launcher will be interested to know they can get exclusive builds via our forums. Here is a quick screen shot of what’s in store:

Latest Features Include:

• Added application launch arguments support.
• Fixed several minor bugs.
• Updated UI interface.
• Added alt-hide menu functionality.
• Updated max jump-list tasks to 25.

For more in-depth information on 7APL you should visit this post. A dedicated projects page for 7APL is planned for the near future so that all this information will be accessible in one place.

Thanks for reading.

Note: Please visit the 7APL projects page for further updates and newer versions of 7APL. The latest versions feature a new Gadget mode and several other improvements you’ll want to get.

I’ve recently been working on an app that is specifically made for Windows 7. I’ve decided to release a beta which you can download here (latest build). Of course you’ll want to know exactly what it does so here is the feature list:

• Profiles – Group applications into profiles to launch them simultaneously.
• Profile pictures – Associate pictures with profiles to easily identify between them.
• Hotkeys – Specify hotkeys on a per-profile basis to launch your applications
• Interactive thumbnail – Launch profiles directly from the taskbar
• JumpList support – Launch profiles or tasks directly using jumplists
• Toggle Mode – Toggle mode allows you to close the apps you launched (on a per-profile basis)
• Exceptions – Pesky applications that won’t close can be added as an exception
• Pinning – The application pins just fine for those who want it constantly running
• Options – Run 7APL at system boot, minimize on startup, and minimize on close ensures you can keep the launcher running at all times if desired

Changelog

Build 08172009-2000 Download here
NEW: When a profile’s associated picture has not changed from default and you add an application to that profile, that application’s icon will be set as the default profile picture.
NEW: Added the ability to launch tasks from 7APL’s JumpList without keeping the application running.
NEW: Application settings are now stored internally instead of in a .dat file. Exceptions are an exception (no pun intended).
BUG FIX: Fixed bug which prevented JumpList tasks from working when application is not running.
BUG FIX: Deleting a profile would will not unbind the profile’s hot key.
BUG FIX: Fixed bug where updating a profile would reset a hot key when the hot key was not changed.
BUG FIX: Fixed bug where JumpList tasks wouldn’t update after a profile had been renamed.

Build 08152009-1905
BUG FIX: Fixed bug where hot keys would be incorrectly assigned when you delete a profile.
BUG FIX: Fixed bug where specifying a hot key, the control would not properly handle the result.
BUG FIX: Added error handling for when UAC prevents an application from being launched.

Build 08152009-1548
Notes: Initial beta release

And some screenshots:

7APL Profile Interface

7APL JumpList Support

7APL Thumbnail Support

Toggle mode will activate these icon states

Other screenshots:

• 7APL Welcome tab
• 7APL Exceptions tab

If you’ve got any feedback, bug reports, etc.. just shoot me an email, leave a comment on the blog, or post on the forums. Alternatively I’ve posted a bug report/feature suggestions on Neowin.net.

Developers thrive on the feedback of the community, and as a budding web developer or programmer you may find yourself thinking, “How can I get myself recognized?”. So how does one get recognized in the web development or programming field? Here are a few ways to do just that.

• Open source your work. This may be difficult for you if you’ve never done it before. You may feel like it’s your code and you don’t want anyone to have it. I thought that way at one time too. But once you let others see what you can do, not only will you be contributing to the community, you’ll also get extremely useful feedback from the community that you can use to improve your code.
• Develop some extensions/plugins. A huge way to bolster your reputation is to write some extensions or plugins for existing software. Two prime examples of software to develop extensions/plugins for is WordPress (blogging software) and PunBB (forum software). It’ll be harder to get recognized in a huge community like WordPress, but once you do, you’ll have a ton of people following your work. In a smaller community like PunBB, there is a lot less competition. It is a lot easier to find things that haven’t been written yet in a smaller community. As such, developing extensions/plugins for a smaller community can net some great rewards — especially if that community grows larger.
• Write some articles. There are plenty of sites that will allow you to write/submit articles (this one included). If you’ve got the knowledge, why not share it with others? Writing informative articles is a pretty big display of your knowledge and people will come flocking to you once they see how much you know.
• Join a community and help people. There are always people who need help. Find a community and become known for your contributions. Once people see you’ve helped others, you’ll become the guy they depend on.
• Build a website. This is pretty obvious but I’ve added it anyway. Building your own site will give you the ability to do all of the things I’ve stated above in one place. The site can be the central hub for your works, it’ll showcase your skills and allow people to easily get in touch with you. You can even build up your own community in which you all share a common goal.

Know any other ways to improve your visibility online and get recognition? Leave a comment!

A nine-year-old programmer in Singapore has hit the Top 10 selling list on the iTunes store with a paint application called ‘Doodle Kids’ , used on the Apple iPhone. His father is a Chief Technology Officer for a local firm in Singapore, so it’s not extremely surprising to see his son follow in his footsteps.

Whether or not you’re jealous (I am), you have to be amazed at how young kids are learning and mastering computers these days. Things like this should be inspiration for others. If a kid can learn to program, so can you!

PS. I also started a discussion about this on the forums.

Neowin.net reports that a trusted source within Microsoft informed them that the RC will not be ready by the end of this month, but instead, the RC is being tested internally and the official release date is set for April 10, 2009. It is likely that once the RC build is ready for the masses, TechNet and MSDN subscribers will be the first to get their hands on the build, though that won’t stop many people from downloading it off torrent sites once it has been leaked.

Sinofsky mentioned that, “recently we’ve seen people talk about ‘RC Builds’ and the like. First, all builds since the beta are RC builds since by definition that is the next milestone. But by far the most humorous element has been that the build numbers blogged about are higher than our current build. Today’s build is 7046, but it hasn’t completed yet .”

Source.

It also seems that the RC build will be widely available to the public for testing once it’s released, with ArsTechnica.com stating: “When I asked Sinofsky if Microsoft Connect testers as well as MSDN and TechNet subscribers will get the RC before the public, Sinofsky told me no: “The build will be available broadly.”"

Also, it seems Microsoft is listening to feedback. Sinofsky reports that MS has received over 500,000 suggestions using the ‘Send Feedback’ button. This amazing wealth of feedback will surely keep Windows 7 on the road to success. It looks now as if there is nothing stopping Microsoft from releasing Windows 7 this year (and most likely doing a damn good job at it).

I’ll keep readers informed on any new information.

According to TechArp.com, which has accurately predicted past moves by Microsoft, IE8 will be ready for RTM this coming March. According to the source, they say it will most likely be released sometime during the last two weeks. Microsoft, however, has declined to comment.

“Our timeline is driven by the quality of the product,” said a spokeswoman today in an e-mail reply to a request for comment. “Microsoft is deliberate in our approach to releasing new products, and we feel a strong obligation to our customers to do so in a responsible manner that ensures they are getting the safest, most reliable product possible.”

Source: ComputerWorld.com

If you want an early taste of IE8, you can learn more or download the release candidate here. The RC build is pretty stable so you shouldn’t have any concerns.

Bespin is a project directly from Mozilla labs that proposes an open, extensible web-based framework for code editing in hopes of increasing developer productivity and promoting open standards. See the video to see what the guys at Mozilla have to say:

I think what Mozilla is doing is great. Once this project better evolves it could be extremely useful. My main caveat with Bespin is that aside from being incomplete, it lacks FTP support (which I would totally love if they had it).

As of now, you can only use the demo by first signing up. You are able to edit existing files, save, and preview them, but you are not yet able to create documents. It is possible to download the source code though, which you can grab here.

Should be interesting to see how this project progresses.