Revolution Newsletter

"We... can't believe some of the speed improvements we are seeing... speed improvements on PPC and XP... but the speed changes on the Intel Mac are the most impressive." -- beta tester

Windows Vista is now everywhere you look. It's not only bursting from software shelves, but almost all new PCs are being sold with one of the six versions of this new operating system from Microsoft. Along with new security and architectural changes, Vista sports an entirely revamped user experience with changes large and small that create a more modern look.

Some software developers are having to rewrite their applications from scratch to run well and look great on this new operating system. All you need to do is start using Revolution 2.8, which just went into "open beta" test this week.

The most important aspect of Revolution 2.8 is that it lets you deploy software to every version of Windows released in the last decade. You write it once, and the application you create automatically acquires the correct look-and-feel whether it's running on Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista. You don't have to do anything special for this; it just works.

No matter what platform you use to develop your software, it automatically looks great and works well on Windows Vista, when you use Revolution 2.8

Software written with Revolution 2.8 conforms to the subtle changes in user interface in Windows Vista without modification. Your buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, progress bars, scroll bars, popup menus and other controls take on "native" appearance. The upshot of this is that your software looks fresh and integrates better with the latest systems.

Not only that but "under the hood" changes have been made to the installer to ensure that the product installs smoothly and otherwise is aware of the elevated security considerations of the Vista environment.

Users of your software will feel more confident knowing it's optimized for their Vista-based systems.

In addition to Vista support, Revolution engineers have been busy responding to user feedback and fixing bugs. More than 50 bug fixes are included with this release, enhancing reliability and stability for all platforms.

"We also can't believe some of the speed improvements we are seeing on the Intel Mac in terms of display functions and quickness of the startup of our product," one beta tester wrote. "We are also seeing some speed improvements on PPC and XP also; but the speed changes on the Intel Mac are the most impressive."

As regular readers know, Revolution announced version 2.7.5 of the software in November 2006. That version is still under development. But to correct the logjam of version numbers (2.7.4 and a half, anyone?) the labels have been moved around a little bit. The 2.7.5 release has been renamed to Revolution 2.9. The features, beta program and upgrade policies for that release otherwise have not changed.

If you buy any Revolution license (except Media), including new Studio or Enterprise licenses, update packs and upgrades between versions, before the final version of Revolution 2.8 for Vista officially ships, you will receive a whole 3 months of extra update entitlement on your license FREE! But hurry, this offer expires as soon as 2.8 ships, the clock is ticking...

Just use the coupon code VST3FREE in the box at the foot of the checkout screen of the online store to receive your three months free with order

Work on the new Linux version of Revolution continues at full throttle. Substantial work on the engine is required to support all the features introduced in the 2.7 series properly, not to mention a more attractive "look and feel" on Linux platforms.

Rather than hold off releasing the many bug fixes that have been ready for a while, or delay availability of Vista support to coincide with the Linux release, Revolution decided to get these improvements into customer hands sooner rather than later.

If you'd like to take Revolution 2.8 for a spin, sign up now to join our "open beta" list. You'll receive pre-release versions of the software and an activationcode that enables you to use it for 60 days. The shipping version of Revolution 2.8 will be available to customers according to the usual licensing terms.