release

Thanks to an accidental blog post, Microsoft officials may have tipped their hand that the Windows 8 Release Preview -- the final public test build of Windows 8 -- may hit a bit earlier than many expected.

Microsoft officials have been promising for weeks that Windows 8 Release Preview would be available for download during the first week of June. But a post today -- now pulled -- on a new Windows Hardware and Driver Developer blog -- outlined plans for availability for the Release Preview with a "download here" link that slated to go live on tomorrow. … Read more

With a June unveiling fast approaching, Microsoft continues to refine its Release Preview for Windows 8.

The latest tidbit to emerge about the early version of the forthcoming Windows interface is the apparent inclusion of Metro-style apps for news, sports, and travel, according to The Verge, which cites a screenshot posted to WinUnleaked.tk (registration required). For those of you keeping track, this is from Windows 8 Release Preview with Media Center Build 8400.0.x86fre.winmain_win8rc.120518-1423, according to WinUnleaked.

Last week, we learned of other tweaks and changes in recent internal builds of Windows 8, including the removal … Read more

Microsoft is tweaking its core Metro apps for the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview.

Already showing up in the newest internal builds of Windows 8, the updated apps offer new features, changes to the user interface, and the removal of the "app preview" title, says The Verge. Included in the revamp are the Windows 8 Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging app; the Photos App, the Music app, and the Microsoft Reader.

Some of the updates are floating about internally at Microsoft but are not available for the Windows 8 beta, aka Consumer Preview. Instead, Microsoft will unveil them … Read more

Microsoft will unleash a "release preview" version of Windows 8 in the first week of June, the company announced this evening.

Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky made the announcement during an on-stage appearance at Japan's Windows 8 Dev Days and more broadly on the Build Windows 8 Twitter feed.

The release preview follows a beta and is the last stage before a product's final version. The beta, or consumer preview, of Windows 8, came out on February 29. A recent report suggests that the final version of Windows 8 will launch this October.

Windows 8 will be … Read more

Mozilla has announced that after more than two years of support, Firefox 3.6 will no longer receive updates as of April 24. The legacy version of the browser is notable for being the final version before the company embarked on a radically different production path in 2011 with Firefox 4.

Barring any last-minute security patches, last month's Firefox 3.6.28 will be the final update that the 3.6-branch receives. Organizations like businesses and universities are being encouraged by Mozilla to switch to the Firefox Extended Support Release, which will allow them to update annually. The current … Read more

Well, that didn't take long.

Less than four weeks after Adobe Systems released Lightroom 4, the company has issued a release candidate for Lightroom 4.1 to squash bugs and add support for one of the hottest cameras going right now, the Canon 5D Mark III.

The 22-megapixel, full-frame SLR brings new low-light sensitivity, faster performance, overhauled autofocus, and other improvements over its 3-year-old predecessor. But until now, Lightroom fans who have the coveted $3,500 camera could only see its raw files by converting them into the Digital Negative format with Adobe's DNG Converter software.

Other improvements … Read more

Could Microsoft unveil the Windows 8 Release Candidate as soon as early June? At least one report says yes.

Blogging site WinUnleaked.tk seems certain of that, spilling the beans over the weekend that "we know the Release Candidate of Windows 8 will be shared with the public between the end of May to the beginning of June." Apparently receiving the intel from an unnamed source, the site notes that the RC will sport at least a few changes from the current beta.

Modifications are in store for the Charms bar, the desktop version of Internet Explorer 10, … Read more

Mozilla has embarked on its plan to build its Extended Support Release (ESR) version of Firefox, an edition that stands comparatively still while the ordinary version of the browser changes every six weeks.

Mozilla proposed the ESR version of Firefox last year after encountering serious resistance to its rapid-release development cycle.

The fast releases let Mozilla bring new Firefox features to the world sooner, and Mozilla remains committed to the approach. But it doesn't work so well for companies or other organizations that need to test their software carefully or make sure custom add-ons don't break frequently.

The … Read more

Russ Frushtick is back in The 404 studio this morning for his first appearance of 2012, and he's arrived just in time to spill the beans about his new gig at Vox Media's new gaming site.

With CES 2012 just days away, we'll look ahead at the big show and what we can expect in the world of gaming. While it's not usually regarded as a gaming-focused event, Nintendo and Sony will all be showing off their latest hardware.

Gamers of all kinds will love today's show, so tune in below!… Read more