Download Windows SDK RTM and .NET Framework 3.5 for Windows Vista SP1

Concomitantly with the releasing to manufacturing of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008, Microsoft also hit RTM with the Windows SDK. On February 7, 2008, the Redmond company announced that the bits for Windows SDK went gold, and as such the Software Development kit had been made available for download.
The Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 can be installed either as an ISO or Web Setup, and is designed to support Windows Server 2008, .NET Framework 3.5, and Windows Vista SP1. On top of this, Windows SDK is compatible with Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio 2005 SP1, including Visual Studio Express Editions.

Barry R. Butterklee, Release Product Manager Windows SDK, gave examples of what the Windows SDK brings to the table: "Support for Windows Server 2008 (x86, x64, and Itanium), .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista (including SP1), and Windows XP. Visual Studio 2008 C++ command line compiler toolset (with /analyze support) and matching CRT. The SDK headers, libs, and tools integrate with VS2008 when both the SDK and VS2008 are installed. New tools such as XPerf, SqlMetal, xsltc, gc, topoedit, aspnet_merge, and wsdcodegen. Documentation and samples (2200+ sample projects) to explain usage of new Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 features as well as previous platform features."

Via the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 developers will be able to access not only documentation, but also samples, header files, libraries, and even tools set up to streamline the building of Windows applications. Essentially, Microsoft provides the resource in an effort to support both native Win32 and managed .NET Framework technologies. "This release was very much a team effort. Many SDK team members went above and beyond the stadard call of duty to ensure that this was a great release. Members of the Dev, Test and Program Management teams pulled together to ensure that we would release a great product," added Jason Sacks, Microsoft Program Manager.

Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 can be downloaded from here.

Alienware Laptops Lose Appeal Over Missing Side Lights

Dell's high-end boutique Alienware has been cooking the Area-51 m15x l gaming notebook for some time now, and the enthusiasts have been more or less patiently waiting for its availability. The notebook
is quite an expensive piece and is exclusively dedicated to the laptop gamers. However, the investment will pay off, since the notebook is more of a piece of jewelery, with "six distinct lighting zones," as announced on its webpage.

Rumor has it that the first batch of notebooks have already reached their rightful owners already, but to their dismay, they figured out that the Alienware Area-51 m15x is no longer being shipped with the lights along the side of the LCD, as promised.

Moreover, it seems that Alienware has taken out all the pictures that detailed upon the notebook's lighting, and also performed changes on the documents that detailed upon the "six distinct lighting zones". If the notebook's lid was previously part of the lighting system, now it isn't anymore, and the start button is counted instead.

The new owners (who happened to pay pretty much on the units) started to complain about Dell's not sticking to the agreement. There are no side lights and Alienware states that an update will be released soon to enable the lighting for the units that came without lid-light support:

"The lighting is not currently working on the systems that are being sent out, but an update will be available in a couple of weeks either for download from our site or sent directly to the customer. So even if you do get a system without active lighting, a fix should be along soon after."

However, the situation is not so gloomy as it may seem for the users who already got their units. The led lights are there, only that they cannot be turned on for the moment, since they lack software support. The customers who have not ordered it yet will receive their m15x without any side lights, because the feature has been discontinued.

"Regarding your inquiry, currently, the Area 51 m15x is not being offered with the lighting around the LCD. Some of the models sold in Alienware US do have this feature. It was a limited option which is no longer available."