Kurt Shintaku's Blog

This spreadsheet lists the policy settings for computer and user configurations included in the administrative template files (admx/adml) delivered with Windows Internet Explorer 9.

The policy settings included in this spreadsheet cover Internet Explorer 5, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9. These files are used to expose policy settings when you edit Group Policy objects (GPOs) using Group Policy Object Editor (also known as GPEdit).

• DOWNLOAD:  Group Policy Settings Reference Windows Internet Explorer 9
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=21e84c24-b967-4d6d-850a-5eb554d18447

Here is a list we’ve posted of known Tracking Protection Lists that you can download and engage into Internet Explorer 9.0 with it’s new “Tracking Protection”.

Currently there are 4 providers and 5 lists.  (PrivacyChoice delivers 2 different lists, one for less restrictive restrictions, the other more.)

• INFO: Summary of Internet Explorer 9.0 Tracking Protection Lists
  http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/Browser/TrackingProtectionLists/Default.html

I’ve seen an interesting comments about TRUSTe however so caveat user:

• ED BOTT:  Privacy Protection & IE9:  Who can you trust?
  http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/privacy-protection-and-ie9-who-can-you-trust/3014
• DOWNLOAD SQUAD:  Internet Explorer 9 Tracking Protection Lists not all created equal
  http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/15/internet-explorer-9-tracking-protection-lists-not-all-created-equal/

A competitor to CCleaner, BleachBit is a tool that cleans out workstation storage while eliminating cookies and other tracking objects in the system.  Architecturally, BleachBit is unique in the sense that it actually has very specific ‘plug ins’ for clearing out the temp directories for specific applications or cleansing systems of particular targeted threats or concerns. 

One of the unique capabilities of BleachBit is its ability to clear Evercookie, a NASTY tracking cookie implementation that is exceptionally persistent.  It’s not so much an individual cookie as much as it is MANY “markers” (including cookies) that are stored in various locations on a machine.  The markers tell a remote web site if the Evercookie has been placed, and it will “repair” or “rebuild” Evercookies even if you’ve deleted them, by looking for Evercookie backups in various locations.

According to Windows Club, Evercookie stores “markers” in the following locations:

• Standard HTTP Cookies
• Local Shared Objects (Flash Cookies)
• Silverlight Isolated Storage
• Storing cookies in RGB values of auto-generated, force-cached PNGs using HTML5 Canvas tag to read pixels (cookies) back out
• Storing cookies in Web History
• Storing cookies in HTTP ETags
• Storing cookies in Web cache
• window.name caching
• Internet Explorer userData storage
• HTML5 Session Storage
• HTML5 Local Storage
• HTML5 Global Storage
• HTML5 Database Storage via SQLite

From the BleachBit web site:

BleachBit 0.8.1 deletes DOM Storage (HTML 5 cookies) in five major browsers; deletes evercookie tracking; cleans Silverlight cookies, .ini configuration files, and VLC.

BleachBit quickly frees disk space and tirelessly guards your privacy. Free cache, delete cookies, clear Internet history, shred temporary files, delete logs, and discard junk you didn’t know was there. Designed for Linux and Windows systems, it wipes clean 90 applications including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Adobe Flash, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari,and more.

Beyond simply deleting files, BleachBit includes advanced features such as shredding files to prevent recovery, wiping free disk space to hide traces of files deleted by other applications, and vacuuming Firefox to make it faster. Better than free, BleachBit is open source.

DOWNLOAD: BleachBit – Privacy Protection & Disk Cleaner Tool (v.81BETA)
http://bleachbit.sourceforge.net/

Here’s another free tool for Windows 7’s taskbar that will show how much memory, CPU, or hard drive storage is being used.  This one uses taskbar real estate in comparison to “RAM CPU Taskbar” but if you prefer

It’s similar to a Windows Desktop Gadget except that it’s integrated into the system taskbar.  Frequency of update is configurable using the meter configuration panel and there’s quick links to Task Manager and Resource Manager.

• TOOL:  Taskbar Meters for Windows 7 (3rd party)
  http://taskbarmeters.codeplex.com/

Today, we announced that Microsoft’s Hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Services for Exchange Online will be free moving forward. 

In other words, if you want to use Microsoft’s Exchange Server 2010 implementation in our datacenters for your company’s email services, and you have BlackBerries, you can anticipate being able to hook them up to your “Exchange Online” subscription at no additional charge from Microsoft.

Quote from Office 365 blog:

We have exciting news for Microsoft Online Services customers. We are in the process of updating pricing for Hosted BlackBerry Service for Exchange Online to make this service available free of charge. Starting today, BlackBerry mobile e-mail for new Exchange Online customers is now free through our Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). For existing customers, we expect to be able to provide more information later this month on how you can take advantage of this change.

In addition, Hosted BlackBerry service will be available for free with Office 365 after it launches later this year.

BLOG:  BPOS & BlackBerry
http://blogs.technet.com/b/msonline/archive/2011/03/17/bpos-and-blackberry.aspx

BLOG: Office 365 and BlackBerry
http://community.office365.com/enus/office365/b/microsoft_office_365_blog/
archive/2011/03/16/office-365-and-blackberry.aspx

This is interesting – it takes your Window 7 taskbar and turns the entire bar into a dynamic visual monitor for RAM utilization & CPU utilization.

It essentially creates a color band on the taskbar in the background that updates regularly to tell you how much of your system resources are in use.  The colors themselves have meaning:  Green denotes Normal, followed by Orange for Warning, and then Red which stands for Critical or high RAM usage.

• DOWNLOAD: RAM CPU Taskbar for Windows 7 (3rd party)
  http://anonymous-thing.deviantart.com/art/RAM-Taskbar-for-Windows-7-200169785

Oops.  Forgot about this.  There’s also the Deployment Guide that released for Internet Explorer 9.0.  They went over it a bit on the Springboard Series Blog – the blog for Windows Desktop IT Professionals.

The Windows® Internet Explorer® 9 Deployment Guide documents the options and processes involved in deploying Internet Explorer 9 to users’ computers. This web browser can be deployed to computers that are running 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows Vista® with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows® 7, or Windows Server® 2008 with SP2. It can also be deployed to computers running Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit in a network environment.

• Explore: Learn about Internet Explorer 9.
  Exploring Internet Explorer 9
• Features in Internet Explorer 9 provides information about features for users, developers, and IT professionals.
• Tools for Internet Explorer 9 describes tools that are available to support maintaining Internet Explorer 9.
• Plan: Make plans for your deployment.
  Preparing for Deployment
• Plan your deployment details how to plan your deployment processes and strategies.
• Migration and Application Compatibility describes issues around migrating from a previous version of Internet Explorer to Internet Explorer 9. Changes from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 9 are also included.
• Security describes security features available in the browser.
• Customization and Administration describes how to plan for using IEAK 9 to create a custom browser package.
• Deploy: Deploying Internet Explorer 9.
  Deploying Internet Explorer 9
• Installing Internet Explorer 9
• Using Software Distribution Tools to Install Internet Explorer 9 explores methods for using electronic software distribution tools or operating system distribution tools to deploy Internet Explorer 9.
• Manage: Maintain Internet Explorer 9 in your environment.
  Maintaining and Supporting Internet Explorer 9
• Managing Browser Settings provides an overview of configuration features that make it possible to change many default browser settings globally—without having to change each user’s computer.
• Group Policy describes how to manage Internet Explorer 9, and administer system policies and restrictions in your Active Directory environment.
• Keeping Internet Explorer Updated reviews system management, automatic update, and other tools to deploy updated versions of Internet Explorer 9 to your users’ computers.
• Troubleshooting helps you troubleshoot your Internet Explorer 9 installation and browser features in your corporate environment.

LINK:  Internet Explorer 9.0 Deployment Guide
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg699432.aspx

BLOG:  Springboard Series Blog – Internet Explorer Deployment Guide
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2011/03/15/download-pilot-and-deploy-internet-explorer-9-today.aspx

Okay.  So it took us a few more days but the release of the Internet Explorer Administration Toolkit 9.0 is up and available for download.

The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 9 simplifies the creation, deployment and management of customized Internet Explorer 9 packages. IEAK 9 can be used to configure the out-of-box Internet Explorer 9 experience or to manage user settings after Internet Explorer 9 deployment.

Documentation is available on the IEAK9 web site and includes:

• Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 9
• What the Internet Explorer Administration Kit Can Do For You
• Getting Started with IEAK 9
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Release Documentation

DOWNLOAD: Internet Explorer Administration Toolkit 9.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=671b9cf6-546c-4889-8a6d-eeaa56c76deb

Our first batch of MIX sessions have been published, with another 100 yet to come! 

Below are some of the exciting sessions to look forward to!  Get signed up for MIX today.

• XNA Game Studio for Fun, Profit, Danger, Excitement and Windows Phone 7 Games with Rob Miles
  Ever wonder what it takes to create a top game for Windows Phone 7? Rob will show you how easy it is to get XNA programs running, whether you are a C# and Visual Studio newbie or a grizzled veteran of .NET. You will find out how to use the touch and accelerometer sensors and how to add a smattering of physics to your games. All the demos will be provided with full source so you can take them away and use them to begin creating your own games based on the abilities of this wonderful device. If you want to know how to take game ideas and give them life then this session is for you. And you might be in danger of winning the odd prize. Which should be exciting.
• Flickr API: Tap into Billions of Photos for Windows Phone 7 with Markus Spiering
  Do you want your app to integrate with one of the world’s leading photo sharing site? The Flickr for Windows Phone 7 app is a full featured mobile application that is pushing the boundaries of UX design and is 100% built on Flickr’s API methods that are available for developers. This talk will introduce the mobile app, highlight some of the complex design decisions, and provide insights into the Flickr API methods. Attendees will learn how to enrich their applications using Flickr’s rich content via the Flickr APIs.
• HTML5 Canvas Mastery with Lanny McNie and Shawn Blais
  In this boot camp we will take a comprehensive look at everything from simple shape and image drawing, to advanced techniques for building interactive experiences and games. We will also look at available tools to streamline development, and share some helpful tips on implementation, performance, and optimization. Lanny McNie and Shawn Blais are senior developers at gskinner.com, a leading interactive production shop focused on providing cutting-edge experiences in HTML5, Flash, iOS, and Android.
• Introducing Microsoft Media Platform with Alex Zambelli
  The Microsoft platform for delivery of video and rich media experiences has fundamentally changed and grown significantly since the introduction of Silverlight and IIS Media Services several years ago. Come learn about the encoding tools, digital rights management components, transcoding services, player development frameworks, analytics tools, content management systems and other tools and frameworks which comprise the Microsoft Media Platform (MMP).
• Good JavaScript Habits for C# Developers with Elijah Manor
  It seems that far too many people come to jQuery thinking that their previous knowledge with object-oriented languages like C# or Java will help them be successful at client-side scripting. In many cases, you can be successful with this approach, however, the more JavaScript you write you will inevitably find yourself uncovering strange bugs because you didn’t take time to learn JavaScript properly. This session is targeted for developers that use jQuery, but haven’t invested adequate time to learn some of the foundational JavaScript concepts that differ from C#. If you would like to avoid some of these common mistakes when bringing your existing expertise to JavaScript, then please join me as I try to explain some of the differences.
• Mono: State of the Union with Miguel de Icaza
  Come learn how Mono can help every one of your current projects: from our C# compiler as a service to running your .NET code on iPhone, Android and Mac. All demos will feature our amazing MonoDevelop cross platform IDE. Come to be energized and fall in love with .NET all over again. This is your second honeymoon. Do not miss it.
• Effective Validation Techniques with MVVM in Silverlight with Zoltan Arvai
  All input is evil! Protect your application and provide great user experience in your Silverlight application. Learn about the synchronous and asynchronous validation techniques Silverlight 4.0 offers and see how to implement these techniques in the most effective way with MVVM. Customize your validation feedback with Expression Blend for the maximum experience.
• Creating Windows Phone Applications Using Expression Blend with Unni Ravindranathan
  If you want to create applications for Windows Phone that stand out from the rest, you should be using Expression Blend. Come to this session to learn how to take full advantage of the rich platform features, efficient workflow and tools to showcase your unique design skills.
• JavaScript Panel with Luke Hoban, Doug Crockford, Allen Wirfs-Brock, and Tomasz Janczuk
  JavaScript is one of the most widely used general purpose functional, dynamic and prototype-based object-oriented programming languages on the web with considerable amounts of JS even running outside of the browser in other hosts. The language has matured and is currently in version 5 (officially, this is known as EcmaScript 5). Where did it come from? What problems was it initially designed to solve? How has it managed to scale to so many different usage scenarios? What are these scenarios, exactly? What does EC5 add to the language and what specific problems do these new additions solve? What’s missing from the language? How will it evolve? How general purpose is JavaScript, really? The folks who will be on stage can answer all of these questions, but most importantly, YOU will drive the panel with your own questions. What do you want to know? What’s the most burning question you have in your mind related to JavaScript? Answers await.
• Riding the Geolocation Wave with Tatham Oddie
  It’s pretty obvious by now that geolocation is a heavy player in the next wave of applications and APIs. Now is the time to learn how to take advantage of this information and add context to your own applications. In this session we’ll look at geolocation at every layer of the stack – from open protocols to operating system APIs, from the browser to Windows Phone 7. Building a compelling geo-enabled experience takes more than simple coordinates. In this session we will introduce the basics of determining a user’s location and then delve into how to make geo data a useful addition to your application instead of a bolt-on “me too”.
• Designing Infographics for Web Applications with Des Traynor
  The infographics bug has bitten, and now the web alive with tightly kerned upper-case Helvetica and scatter plots to showing us everything from what a billion dollars looks like all the way through to how hard it is for singer songwriters to make a living. In the midst of all the nonsense, there have been some significant changes in design trends that can make company dashboards or analysis tools more powerful. This session will: 1) Explain the goals of data visualization and the benefits for business, 2) Walk through some great examples of stunning, but most importantly, *useful* visualizations of data sets that will leave attendees better equipped to tackles mountains of data in their applications, and 3) Present case studies showing companies getting a real return on investing in their data. This session will be driven by real practical examples, and will be of interest to designers, application owners, and web developers. Also, it will be fun 🙂
• Facebook Development in .NET with Jim Zimmerman
  Over 500 million users! That is the universe for your app. So “learning Facebook” is critical. Come learn how to use the Facebook C# SDK built in cooperation with Microsoft and Thuzi, a Facebook Preferred Partner. Thuzi will also share lessons from creating Facebook promotions that have been architected to handle over 10,000 signups an hour. We will show how to build Facebook applications with .NET using ASP.NET MVC, Web Matrix, Web Forms, Silverlight and WP7 and how to host them on Windows Azure.

UPDATE 3/15/11:
This was too good not to post.  Geekwire wrote a great post/interview about/with Jason Weber, Lead Program Manager for Internet Explorer 9.0 Performance.

• POST:  Inside IE9:  How Microsoft rewrote it’s browser from scratch
  http://www.geekwire.com/2011/geeks-guide-to-ie9

Jason actually breaks down and explains in English all the major changes in performance.  It’s not anything that hasn’t been discussed before but it’s so concisely put together and well formatted that for anyone that hasn’t been following IE9’s development, this is a fantastic review of the dramatic changes that were made to make IE9 the browser performance champion that it is.

———————
ORIGINAL POST:
Three words: Faster.  Than.  Chrome.

http://www.microsoft.com:80/presspass/silverlightApps/videoplayer3/standalone.aspx?contentID=YearOfIE9&src=/presspass/presskits/internetexplorer/channel.xml

Yes. It’s finished! Microsoft’s greatest – and fastest – browser release… ever! And it’s available for download today!

THE LAUNCH
The launch of Internet Explorer 9 was recorded on video here:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/internetexplorer/videogallery.aspx?contentID=YearOfIE9

THE SURPRISE
We’ve released two new features not available in the original Release Candidate with the RTM of Internet Explorer 9.

1. ACTIVEX CONTROL TRACKING PROTECTION
   (a.k.a. Flash Cookie blocking)
   You read that right – this is HUGE.  If you have a Flash object that tries to store one of those infamous “flash cookies” that most find difficult to eradicate, unlike traditional Internet cookies, IE9 will first check it’s Tracking Protection Lists to see if the 3rd party site that the cookie is associated with should be black listed and if so … NO COOKIE FOR YOU!  This applies to all ActiveX controls including Java, Silverlight, .COM objects, etc.  No action other than “enabling TPL support” is necessary.
2. “DO NOT TRACK” HEADER SUPPORT
   The browser can now overtly state on behalf of the user that you do not wish to be tracked directly within the header of the browser identifier.  This is a complimentary solution to Tracking Protection Lists and can signal legitimate web sites that you are not interested in persistently being tracked and is automatically enabled when you enable Tracking Protection.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS
Here’s some things you may not have known about Internet Explorer 9.

1. IE9 is the fastest adopted beta in IE browser history.  With over 40M downloads and a usage share on Windows 7 well over 2% globally, IE9 adoption has more than surpassed expectations.
2. IE9 is enterprise ready.  IE9 has the highest LOB compatibility pass rate of any product in MSIT dogfood history –  99% – coupled with one of the lowest IE helpdesk contact rates (number of helpdesk calls/number of installs) to date.  And for our customers, IE9 is ready to go with their Windows 7 deployments.
3. IE9 has the fastest JavaScript engine in the industry.  Script is one of many factors in performance. On a commonly used micro-benchmark, IE9’s improved JavaScript performance now holds the top spot in the industry, an improvement of almost 18 times from IE8.
4. IE9 is the only fully hardware-accelerated browser.  All graphics, video and text in IE9 are hardware-accelerated.  We re-architected IE9 to take full advantage of the Windows PC.  IE9 was the first to introduce this concept and other browsers have been scrambling to catch-up.  See the difference for yourself.
5. IE9 treats your favorite sites like apps.  The site is the center of attention in IE9’s new frame.  When you pin a site to the taskbar, your experience is even better.  Over 250 of the world’s top sites have already taken advantage of Jump Lists, notifications, and thumbnail previews to make their sites more app-like.  Web site publishers are seeing close to a 50% increase in engagement from their IE9 customers through pinned sites. 
6. IE9 protects against 99% of socially-engineered malware.  Malware is the #1 threat on the internet today.  With Microsoft SmartScreen and the new SmartScreen application reputation feature in IE9, no other browser comes close in protecting consumers from these real-world threats.  IE9 is 33 times better than Chrome and over 5 times better than Firefox. 
7. IE9 is the only browser with integrated online tracking protection for consumers.   Microsoft changed the browser and industry landscape with the introduction of IE9’s Tracking Protection, providing the only built-in browser solution protecting consumers today.
8. IE9 is leading with site-ready HTML5 support.  IE9 is all in when it comes to delivering developers new standards-based capabilities with HTML5.   Microsoft co-chairs the W3C HTML5 working group and during the IE9 release has contributed almost 6000 test cases to the W3C and international standards bodies.  Currently, IE9 has the best conformance with W3C HTML5.
9. IE9 has had the strongest press in IE history:   Here is a small sample of what reviewers are saying:

• DOWNLOAD:  Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0
  http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/#/download
• DOCS:  Internet Explorer 9.0 Factsheet for RTM
  http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/internetexplorer/docs/IE9RTWFS.docx
• DOCS:  Internet Explorer 9.0 Product Guide for RTM (27.9MB)
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=d4a95d6a-5995-4078-a5cf-81fb207084bc
• LINK:  Springboard – Technical Guidance for IT Pros for Internet Explorer 9.0
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/gg252704
• LINK:  Keyboard Shortcuts for Internet Explorer 9
  http://blogs.msdn.com/b/thebeebs/archive/2011/03/14/ie9-shortcuts.aspx