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The Internet Explorer 8 Language Pack installs language specific resource files, allowing users to view the user interface (UI) of Internet Explorer 8 in a different supported language. Individual language packs are available for the following languages: Arabic, Bosnian (Cyrillic), Bosnian (Latin), Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Hong Kong), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic), Serbian (Latin), Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese. To use these language packs, you must install the matching OS language pack on Windows before proceeding.

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PRESENTER: Nelson Ruest, Windows expert and co-author of The Definitive Guide to Vista Migration

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Channel 9 has posted a very good video concerning “Windows 2000 to Windows Vista: Road to Compatibility”. This is especially targeted for developers who should make changes to their applications to run smoothly on Windows Vista. A conceptual knowledge of User Account Control is also explained which seems to impact software not following Windows Logo Program for XP and Vista.

Video Link

Microsoft says:

In an effort to provide customers with more secure products, Microsoft Windows Server “Longhorn” and Microsoft Windows Vista will only support SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or later when it becomes available. Earlier versions of SQL Server, including SQL Server 2000 (all editions including Desktop Engine edition, a.k.a MSDE), SQL Server 7.0, and SQL Server 6.5, will not be supported on Windows Server “Longhorn” or Windows Vista. Customers running applications with these earlier versions of SQL Server should consider evaluating and upgrading to SQL Server 2005, which was designed to take advantage of the upcoming security and performance enhancements in the operating environment.

That means, applicaiton developers are to be aware that running an older version of SQL as stated above, the application has higher chances of “incompability” on the soon to be RTM’ed Vista and Longhorn thereafter. Setup Engineers and Application Packagers must inform or follow-up with the application programmers/developers OR vendors to have this information relayed for application stability in Vista & Longhorn.

Microsoft has outlined some necessary information how to upgrade to current supported version along the earlier message release. Read more here.

Previously, DevInstall had posted an Event relating to Webcast from MSDN: Designing Application Installations for User Account Control with Windows Installer 4.0 in Windows Vista. If you missed the live Webcast which was on October 18, MSDN has now made that available on-demand.

What does the Webcast talk about? Some highlights?

1. User Account Control (UAC) in Vista and Windows Installer 4.0 Integration
2. Signing Your Package – some new dialogs
3. Credential Prompt-Free Patching
4. Adding the "Shield" to your User Interface
5. When does elevation happen?
6. Precautions when using AdminUser
7. A word about Custom Actions (CAs)
8. ALLUSERS Property Under UAC
9. Creating a True "Per-User" Package
10. Using a Setup.exe Bootstrapper
11. Testing your Package

In addition, the on-going Q/A session during the presentation was highly informational. Some highlights from the session:

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Question: We don’t want to make the customer go through the UI and then abort in the Execute sequence if Privileged is False. What can we check in the UI sequence to abort?

Answer: The UAC credential prompt is a one way door. There is no way to tell in advance whether the user will approve the credential prompt. Once the credential prompt is approved you are running as administrator. This is a constraint of UAC.

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Question: On Vista, is there a way to run an elevated install silentley? i.e: When using /qb Vista do shows the elevation dailog request – but also shows the progress bar. When using /qn – nothing happens … Is’nt a way of metigation between the two switches ??

Answer: The UAC functionality does not allow elevate silently. The recommendation from the UAC team is to 1) run from a managability tool such as SMS, Altiris, Tivoli, etc 2) run from an elevated command line 3) (for automated testing in development only) write a service that elevates a command line when passed.

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Question: There’s some confusion about whether the "no impersonate" bit can be used in the UI sequence. Docs imply it only applies to deferred custom actions.

Answer: NoImpersonate can not be used in the UI Sequence or in the InstallExecuteSequence outside of the script. To have a custom action run inside the script, one needs to mark their custom action deferred.

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Question: So where does ALLUSERS=2 bounce to?
Answer: ALLUSERS==1.

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And many more?This is a strong recommendation to Application Developers, Installation Developers and also for Application Packagers.

Presenter: Tyler Robinson, Lead Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation
Session Q/A: Robert Flaming, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Watch this on-demand Webcast ||| Read the Full Session Chat Transcript

Windows Installer Team has also scheduled next similar webcast for October 30, 2006 Designing Software Installations for Windows Vista Using Windows Installer 4.0.

Additional Resources:
If you are more interested to learn about UAC in Vista and Windows Installer 4.0, Robert Flaming published a series of articles earlier: Understanding UAC in Vista and Windows Installer. Uday Shivaswamy’s earlier webcast about Modifying Your Applications to Run on Windows Vista is an additional support to understand in the sequence. There is also an upcoming event about 10 More Commandments for Software Packaging: Focus on Vista Migration, you may find it more helpful in the context.

Previously, DevInstall had posted an Event relating to Webcast from MSDN: Modifying Your Applications to Run on Windows Vista. If you missed the live Webcast which was on October 06, MSDN has now made that available on-demand.

What does the Webcast talk about? Some highlights…

1. Innovation and Compatibility of applications for Vista
2. What is Microsoft doing about application compatibility?
3. Typical Compatibility Failures
4. User Account Control: Why might application break?
5. Windows Resource Protection: What’s changed? Include it in your application package?
6. Mitigation: What is Redirection? Is it per user or per machine? How can you avoid redirection?
7. Application Updates: Who has the privileges?
8. Service Isolation
9. Networking, Version Checking, Microsoft GINA, Graphics Device Interface (GDI) and Dots per Inch (DPI)…
10. Removed Components while going to Vista

And many more…This is a strong recommendation to Application Developers, Installation Developers and also for Application Packagers. 

Presenter: Uday Shivaswamy, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Watch the on-demand Webcast

Channel9.msdn.com sits down with Director of Development for Windows Shell at Microsoft, Ales Holecek, for an interview about Windows Vista Shell. Ales spends most of the time answering a single, broad question: What is the Windows Vista Shell?

Channel9 references, “of course, you can’t talk about Windows Vista shell without talking about UAC (User Account Control), Windows Explorer, Aero, Desktop Search, and, for developers, the improved Shell APIs”.

Ales begins with general Windows Shell definition as an application that runs on top of the kernel and gets started once the user logs on. It controls everything…from user’s desktop to windows management!

Sounds something of interest to you? Click-Watch-Geek!

Visit the Video Interview