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(Via Tom Archer) The much anticipated December Community Technical Preview of Windows Vista has been released. It’s build 5270, available in x86 and x64 versions, and the downloads are listed here. They include:
WinFX Runtime Components (RTC) – WinFX redistributables (runtime binaries) for executing WinFX applications
Windows SDK – Includes the header files, libraries and help documentation for developing the next generation of Windows applications. Note that this release (and all future releases of the Windows SDK includes the WinFX SDK).
Visual Studio Code Name “Orcas” CTP WinFX Development Tools – provides developers with support for building WinFX applications using the final released version of Visual Studio 2005. This support includes XAML Intellisense support through schema extensions for the editor, project templates for the Windows Presentation Foundation and the Windows Communication Foundation, and WinFX SDK documentation integration. New to this CTP is a preview of the Visual Designer for Windows Presentation Foundation (code name “Cider”).
Windows Vista – substantial advance in Windows with significant innovations in the developer platform. Combining Windows Vista and the Windows SDK makes it easier than ever before to build applications that are more secure, reliable, and manageable.
There’s more by following the link, but note that all of the above except Windows Vista itself are publicly downloadable. Vista is only available to MSDN Universal subscribers and official beta testers. Robert McLaws reports that it may be a couple of days before it actually appears on MSDN. ActiveWin has some screenshots and a detailed list of new features.
Update: Nate Mook has a good overview of new features at BetaNews.
December 19th, 2005 at 6:05 PM
[...] Unexpectedly, Microsoft provided a CTP of Windows Longhorn Server (due in 2007) along with the December CTP of Windows Vista released today. Paul Mooney has the details including that both the Vista and Longhorn CTPs are build 5270 and information on the downloads for the MSDN subscribers and official beta testers: – Both Vista and Longhorn Server are available in the same image you only need a separate image if you wish to test Longhorn Server Core. [...]
December 20th, 2005 at 7:29 PM
[...] The December Community Technical Preview of Windows Vista released yesterday is now available for download by MSDN Universal subscribers, but the official beta testers got it yesterday and some first looks are coming in. Predictably, Paul Thurrott has launched on a comprehensive review and the first installment, Part 1: Setup and User Interface, is now online. Lead-in: I think people are going to be surprised by how good the Windows Vista December 2005 Community Technical Preview (CTP, or build 5270) really is. After years of painful delays and an uncertain couple of months since the last CTP, Microsoft shipped a near-feature-complete Vista build to testers this week, and the prognosis is extremely positive. From what I can see, Vista has turned the corner. The December CTP is an exciting release, stable and full of new features. [...]
December 21st, 2005 at 11:27 AM
[...] With the release of the December CTP of Windows Vista, Microsoft has made available some “Step by Step Guides” which provide details on some of the new Vista features for a professional IT audience that will have to evaluate and deal with them. Currently available at the link in Microsoft Word format are: [...]