15 Must Have Free Microsoft Downloads
Microsoft offers a plethora of software that users can download and install without paying a single cent to the company. However, the software giant hasn’t centralized all its free offerings into a single location, a move which would streamline access to the resources it is delivering. That’s why I included below a list with a consistent collection of free software products which can be grabbed free of charge, with the vast majority available through the Microsoft Download Center.
As far as I’m concerned the list needed to start with Windows client and server operating systems. In one way or another, packaged as ISO or VHD images, Microsoft is offering customers the chance to test drive, and even use, feature-complete versions of its platforms, again, completely free. In some cases, Microsoft is making it easier for customers to test drive a Windows release before buying, while in others it is actually offering the OS on top of an existing license.
However, the list doesn’t stop with Microsoft’s operating systems. The Redmond company is also providing free downloads of its “other” cash cow, the Office productivity suite, along with its development platform and tools, security solutions and additional offerings. Users will be able to find on the list both finalized products, as well as software that is still in development. As far as pre-release products are concerned, while the overall quality of the products is extremely high, customers should keep in mind that they might still run into issues. Read more
Internet Explorer 8
Following the availability of Internet Explorer 7 in October 2006 for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003, and together with Vista in November 2006 and January 2007, Microsoft debuted work on the next version of its proprietary browser. But at the same time, the Redmond company remained almost completely mute regarding the future of Internet Explorer. In early 2007, due to the scarce details from Microsoft, speculations pointed to both a 7.5 version and a 8.0. version, this is in fact being one of the issues that have been clarified at this point. The Redmond company will evolve Internet Explorer directly to version 8, and there will be no major interim updates. Early builds of IE8 are being dogfooded, but outside of Redmond, the browser version is as well as inexistent. Dean Hachamovitch, IE General Manager, confirmed that Internet Explorer 8 would succeed IE7 and that the browser was in the works, after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates mentioned it first. Read more
