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RC2 posts

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Mozilla, Beta

Firefox 3 to get at least one more release candidate

Firefox 3 RC1If you've been holding your breath waiting for Mozilla to release the final build of Firefox 3, you might want to take a break before you pass out. It looks like we're going to have at least one more release candidate before Firefox 3 final is released.

Firefox 3 RC2 will likely be released sometime in June. The update will address several dozen bugs found in Firefox 3 RC1, including one widely reported bug that can cause Firefox to essentially render some Linux systems temporarily unusable.

We won't know whether there will be a Firefox 3 RC3 until some time after RC2 is released and beta testers have had a chance to kick the tires a bit. For the most part, Firefox 3 RC1 perfectly usable. It renders many pages faster than Firefox 2, has vastly improved bookmark and add-on managers, and has a multi-purpose location bar. But if you're not the sort of person who likes to rely on beta software (or release candidate software as the case may be) for day to day usage, you may want to wait another month or two or more until Firefox 3 final is released.

[via Mozilla Links]

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft releases Windows XP SP3 RC2

Windows XP SP3 RC2
Microsoft has released Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 to the general public. For the last few weeks the latest pre-release version of SP3 was only available to about 15,000 beta testers. But now you can download the update from Microsoft's servers using Windows Update.

You'll need to run a script that will add a key to your Windows registry allowing you to download SP3 RC2. This is still pre-release software, so Microsoft isn't going to be pushing it on all Windows XP users just yet.

Microsoft has also posted the release notes for RC2, so you can read the long and mostly boring list of changes. There are a few new features under the hood, like "better black hole router detection," and "more descriptive text to explain the settings," but for the most part there's nothing to write home about. If you like to have the latest and greatest installed on your system at all times, you might want to check out XP SP3 RC2. If you'd rather have a stable system running software that's been well tested over the last few years, you might want to hold off for a while.

[via WinBeta]

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Microsoft

10 tips and tweaks for Windows Vista

Vista tips and tweaksAre you rocking Windows Vista RC2? Ready to start tweaking it (or tweak it a little more, as they case may be)? Take a look at these 10 expert tips and tweaks for Windows Vista from ZDNet's Ed Bott. Bott shows us how to add an extended shortcut menu, take quick screenshots with the Snipping Tool, get a quick system checkup, ditch Security Center nagging, and more. These are tips for power users, but if you weren't a power user you wouldn't be using Vista RC2 anyway, would you?

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Windows Vista RC2 now available for public consumption

Windows VistaWindows Vista RC2 has been released and is available for download. Turns out we were wrong when we reported that RC2 would be available only to Microsoft beta testers. However, Microsoft is saying it will be available "for a limited time only" and "may not have the same level of support" as RC1 (whatever that means). The RC2 download is an ISO file that must be burned to a DVD, so if your computer doesn't have that capability, don't bother. Otherwise, go ahead and grab RC2 while it's hot, and have a look at some of those 1,400+ remaining bugs!

(Thanks, Bryan!)

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Microsoft to release Vista RC2 on Friday

Windows VistaDespite its previous statements to the contrary, on Friday Microsoft will be putting out a second release candidate of Windows Vista, sort of. According to Paul Thurrott, what Microsoft is calling "RC2" is the last pre-release build that will be seen before Vista's official release to manufacturers, but isn't anything more than an ordinary interim build. Unlike RC1, RC2 won't be a public release and will only be made available to Microsoft beta testers, and MSND and TechNet subscribers. According to Thurrott, there are currently 1,400 open bugs in Vista, but they're being closed fast, and Microsoft hopes to "finalize the product" between October 25 and November 8. By my calendar that's three to five until Vista is--dare I say it--finished.

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

View more Time Wasters

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