Neowin.net

Thanks to Riccardo for posting this

Although the Windows Update 4 beta is still in progress, Microsoft is preparing for the beta of its next generation Windows Update, version 5. The vision for Windows Update V5 is to provide an efficient and effective means to keep all Microsoft products secure and up to date with the latest patches, starting with Windows, Office, SQL, and Exchange.

Testers of the current Windows Update 4 beta should be automatically accepted onto the Windows Update 5 beta due to start before the end of the year. Those who test Windows Update 5 will also be testing the Service Pack 2 of Windows XP. Windows XP SP2 is set to include Windows Update 5 as part of ensuring systems are kept up to date and secure. There is no specific date for Windows XP SP2 Beta but it's expected to debut sometime in december.

News source: In-House

Lighttek has released Talisman Desktop 2.7, a program that allows users to completely replace the boring Windows desktop by creating their own unique interface or using one of the hundreds professionally designed desktops created for Talisman.
Talisman works on all Windows systems from Windows 95 to Windows XP. Even the users of old Win95 and NT4 systems can use all newest features on their desktops: high resolution icons, wide spectrum of graphical styles and effects some of that were available only on WindowsXP.
The quantity and variety of desktop elements in Talisman are not limited: from simple icons, graphical buttons and zoomers "like in MacOS" to complex scripts, plugins, java games, "Longhorn sidebars" and other objects.
Talisman was initially created as a Home desktop system. But now it is used as a corporate interface in different companies, it is used as an interface for Hotels, Schools, Universities, Libraries and other organizations. Talisman works as a FrontEnd interface for cars computers, Home Theater PCs, Home Multimedia systems, different touchscreen computers, kiosks.

The main features of Talisman:


- Multilevel user defined desktops and desktop panels.

- Opportunity to completely replace the default shell of Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP.

- Using of any number of icons, pictures, buttons or other objects of any type and dimension.

- Place, free-moving and imposing of objects in the Talisman workspace.

- All objects can run external programs or internal shell commands or open websites by one click of the mouse.

- Changeable interfaces (themes).

- The Built-in Object Editor allows the creation, modification and removal of any element in a theme.

- Large number of basic elements (forms, pictures, shapes,icons, buttons of different types, text blocks, inputboxes, clocks, calendars, HTML-documents, Flash and VRML documents).

- Customizable taskbar, system tray, clock.

- Sound support for all events.

- Startmenu, foldermenu, taskmenu, controlmenu, custom menu objects.

- Script language.

- Password protected interfaces.

- Plugins.

- HotKeys.