This is a package containing 130 icons from Metro, the interface of Windows Phone 7 series. A preview of Windows Phone 7 has been shown at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona; it is not 100% sure whether these icons will appear in the final version of Windows Phone 7, but probably they will.

You are free to use and modify these icons for your website, your applications or whatever else you want.

Download at: metro.windowswiki.info

Windows Server code name “Vail” is the name for the upcoming version of Windows Home Server. It will be based on top of Windows Server 2008 R2 and feature a complete new server console (now called Dashboard). A preview version of “Vail” (ctp4, community technology preview 4) with the buildtag 6.1.7360.0 (hsbs_ids.091210-1540) leaked to the internet in late January.
For an in-depth overview of the leaked Vail build, check this post by Rafael Rivera.
As you can see on the graphic below, private testing of Vail begun in 2009 and a public beta should be around soon. Microsoft has not announced a released date for Vail yet, but probably it should be available together with “Aurora” in the first half of 2011.

Windows Server code name “Aurora”

Windows Server code name “Aurora” is the name for the next version of Windows Small Business Server. Aurora will also be based on Windows Server 2008 R2. Not much is know about it yet, but there seems to be a build with the tag 6.1.7408.0 (hsbs_main.091216-2300). Aurora should also be available in the first half of 2011.

Update (4. Feb, 2010): I asked the owner of the server (wanderingkiwi.com) on which I have found the first Aurora bits about a possible date of a public beta and got this answer:

Unfortunately you have stumbled across one of my test servers at home.  I work in Windows Server at Microsoft. I wish I could tell you more, but at this time we are not ready to discuss future products but will certainly let you know as soon as more details become available.

Here is another answer I got from a Microsoft employee regarding Aurora:

We are not ready to discuss future products, but will certainly let you know as soon as more details become available.

Windows code name “Colorado”

“Colorado” is the code name of the new Client Computer Connector of Vail and Aurora. Since both, WHS and SBS are developed by the same team now (hence the hsbs in the build tag, hsbs stands for Windows Home and Small Business Server Team) the Client Connector is the same (also the remote interface of both looks pretty much the same at this point).

Update 2 (10 Feb. 2010): Recently a new version of the Client Computer Connector leaked (build tag is 6.1.7447.0 (hsbs_main.100207-2200)). It does not show the “Colorado” in system properties anymore.

Update 3 (17 Feb. 2010): A few more Client Computer Connectors leaked. Here is a list of all currently known Vail/Aurora builds:

6.1.1224.0 (wssg_common.090723-0400)
6.1.1308.0
6.1.1326.0 (wssg_common.091105-0400)
6.1.1329.0 (wssg_common.091110-0400)
6.1.1335.0
6.1.1336.0 (wssg_common.091119-0400)
6.1.1340.0 (wssg_common.091125-1800)
6.1.1345.0 (wssg_common.091203-0400)
6.1.1346.0 (wssg_common.091204-0400)
6.1.7360.0 (hsbs_ids.091210-1540)
6.1.7408.0 (hsbs_main.091216-2300)
6.1.7434.0 (hsbs_main.100125-2200)
6.1.7444.0 (hsbs_main.100204-2200)
6.1.7447.0 (hsbs_main.100207-2200)
6.1.7451.0 (hsbs_main.100211-2200)

(those in italic have been found in the leaked Vail CTP, it’s not clear whether these are Vail builds or not)

Windows Home Server / Small Business Server Support Lifecycle

Windows Product Roadmap

Finally, here are some wallpapers I made:

"Aurora" wallpaper

"Vail" wallpaper

"Aurora" / "Vail" bliss

This is where Parser comes into play: It reads the setup information file and sorts the files for you.

How does it work?

Microsofts setup information files usually look like this (excerpt):

tutor = “wintutor.exe ”
NetSetup = FALSE
MouseDrv = TRUE
Version = “3.1.040″

; This is data needed by the MS-DOS half of setup so that it can copy the
; proper kernel and start Windows for the GUI portion of setup.
;
; ** MS-DOS documentation says that first byte of command line for 4a call
; ** should be space. ==> in execcmd RHS leave first space as it is now
[winexec]
execstd = “dosx.exe ”
execcmd = ” krnl286.exe /b /q:”
exechimem = “xmsmmgr.exe”
himemcmd = “”
Krnl386 = 2:krnl386.exe
Krnl286 = 2:krnl286.exe
dosx = 2:dosx.exe

; Names of the disks Setup can prompt for.
[disks]
1 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #1″,disk1
2 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #2″,disk2
3 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #3″,disk3
4 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #4″,disk4
5 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #5″,disk5
6 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #6″,disk6
7 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #7″,disk7
8 =. ,”Microsoft Windows 3.1 disk #8″,disk8

[oemdisks]
Z =. ,”HP DeskJet Series v2.0 disk (z krabice s tiskárnou, nebo od HP)”,diskz

[user]
4:setup.ini, noupdate

[windows]
1:setup.hlp
1:install.com
1:setup.txt
1:win.src, Net
1:system.src, Net
1:winhelp.exe
2:control.hlp
2:GLOSSARY.HLP
3:WINHELP.HLP

[windows.system]
1:gdi.exe
2:user.exe
1:win.cnf
1:lzexpand.dll
2:ver.dll

Using regular expressions, Parser looks for every line in the file with matches with that pattern N:FILENAME.EXT (N is the number of the floppy disk on which the file has to be put to).
After scanning the setup.inf file, Parser creates folders for each floppy disk and moves the respective setup files into them. All you have to do after that process is putting the contents from each folder onto a disk image or floppy disk.

PARSER 1.1

Version history

v1.1 – 26/07/2009 – Minor bug fixes
v1.0 – 27/04/2009 – Initital release of Parser

Known issues

• Parser does not support chars as floppy disk identifiers fixed in version 1.1
• Parser does not support paths containig spaces at this point