Windows LongHorn (Vista)
News Page
The official name for Longhorn: Windows Vista.
Today's Vista Longhorn News!
New Windows Vista Test Build Expected Next Week
Windows testers will get a new beta version of Windows Vista, dubbed the December Community Technology Preview beta build, just before next week's holidays, according to tester scuttlebutt.
New to the December release, testers say, will be a number of features and user-interface tweaks. A new defrag module; tight integration of Windows Defender (the product formerly known as Windows Antispyware); and a functional parental-controls filter are all rumored to be in the December Vista build. More Here!
Windows Vista ScreenShots; Virtual Pressroom: Vista Virtual Pressroom. Tech News!
Microsoft releases trial version of Windows Vista: Tech News!
Longhorn to Be Christened 'Windows Vista': Microsoft has decided on an official name for Longhorn: Windows Vista.
Comment: Other suggested names, "Bill Gates money tree" and "another billion in the bank".
That's according to sources close to the company who requested anonymity. They said that Microsoft unveiled the name in Atlanta on Thursday at the company's internal sales event, known as the Microsoft Global Sales Briefing, or MGB.
Word of Longhorn's new name began leaking to the Web on Thursday evening. One Windows site discovered that Microsoft registered the WindowsVista.US domain name. Microsoft is expected to make the official announcement of the new name on Friday morning.
Microsoft has relied primarily on date-oriented names for many of its products, although it has shied away from those on occasion.
The last major version of Windows, code-named "Whistler," eventually was christened Windows XP.
Microsoft officials declined to comment on the specifics of a "Longhorn-related" news announcement slated for Friday morning. (Microsoft Watch)
Updated:
Microsoft names new software 'Windows Vista': Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it named the next version of its operating system "Windows Vista"
Windows Vista, formerly known by its code-name Longhorn, is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2006, five years after Windows XP, the longest time lag between releases of its Windows operating system.
Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, has promised numerous enhancements, including better security, graphics and computing over the Web.
Brad Goldberg, general manager of Windows product development at Microsoft, said the new name was aimed at "communicating the idea of clarity."
"That lets users focus on the things they need to focus on," Goldberg said.
More details on Vista will be released at a developer's conference in September, Goldberg said.
A beta, or test version, will be released by Aug. 3, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said in a statement. (AP)
Longhorn Outruns XP, Threatens Tiger: In the operating system race thus far, Apple's incremental approach to system releases has paid off compared to Microsoft's strategy of giant leaps at long intervals.
Since Windows XP shipped in 2001, Apple has shipped five major versions of Mac OS X. Apple's Unix-based operating system started out far behind Windows XP, but is now out in front in terms of features, functionality and user interface.
Microsoft's Longhorn, scheduled for release at the end of 2006, catches up to Tiger in some areas and surpasses it in others. But if Longhorn slips into 2007, Apple could have the next big cat version released or at least waiting to spring out.
Security
Security is one area where Longhorn is more sophisticated than Tiger. For instance, Internet Explorer will run in a "containment area" that will attempt to keep worms and spyware out of Windows.
Longhorn will support laptops with Trusted Platform Module chips, which create a secure boot that protects hardware and applications from being run by unauthorized users or by malicious software.
Longhorn and Tiger both have the ability to automatically encrypt all data on the hard disk, a feature missing from Windows XP. (eWEEK)
Microsoft Drops 'My' Prefix for Longhorn: But, you can still refer to Bill Gates as "My Bill Gates!" TechNewsWorld is reporting that Microsoft will be dropping the "My" prefix from its user folders in Windows Longhorn:
The "My" prefix was apparently an attempt to create a personal connection between people and their computers at a time when the idea of using a computer might have been forbidding.
Dr. Watson's Longhorn Makeover Raises Eyebrows: Microsoft's Dr. Watson error-reporting tool will undergo a significant makeover in Longhorn, but changes in the way program crash data is collected and transmitted have raised eyebrows among privacy rights advocates.
The Dr. Watson program error debugger, aka Windows error reporting, will be revamped to collect more than just the dump of the memory image when an application crashes.
Although Microsoft Corp. will set up a strict "opt-in" process to determine how data will be collected, security experts believe end users will find it difficult to sort through the sheer volume of information.
Russ Cooper, founder and editor of the NTBugtraq security mailing list, was among the first to raise privacy concerns.
Read the full story:
Dr. Watson's Longhorn Makeover Raises Eyebrows
. Source: PcMag.com
Longhorn photo support comes into focus: The next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, will feature support for uncompressed digital camera images--which could change the way people view and edit photos.
The company on Wednesday announced deals with camera companies Nikon and Canon, as well as Fuji Photo Film and Adobe Systems, to let Windows users view, print and eventually edit uncompressed digital camera images--which are stored in what's commonly known as a "raw" format.
Sometimes called a digital negative, raw files are pre-pixelized data that comes directly off of a camera's charge-coupled device, or CCD--one of two main image sensors in digital cameras. Eventually, raw files get converted to more common file formats, like JPEG, GIF and TIFF.
Most professional photographers prefer using raw image capture because it offers the highest quality and the greatest creative control. For example, raw data contains more tonal information, and exposure and color can be tweaked after the image has been captured. Microsoft's internal research found that 15 percent of all digital photography users surveyed have tapped into raw files.
But the problem, according to Microsoft, is that most camera manufacturers use proprietary file formats to store the raw data from their digital cameras, and every new camera that comes on the market introduces changes to raw image files.
Josh Weisberg, a group product manager with Windows Digital Media, says users are then cornered into either using the camera maker's editing software or off-the-shelf conversion software like Adobe's Photoshop.
Source & Full story: http://news.zdnet.com
LongHorn Screenshot: The site Flexbeta have posted a slew of screenshots from the 5048 build of Windows Longhorn. Warring these screenshots may put you to sleep! ZZZZZ!
Longhorn to support touch screens: Microsoft plans to include touch screen functionality as a feature of the operating system in the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, the company.
Support for touch screens will come in addition to support for pen-based input that Microsoft (Profile, Products, Articles) currently offers in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Microsoft hopes the support in the operating system will move PC vendors to add touch screens to their mobile PCs, especially Tablet PCs, said Susan Cameron, group product manager at Microsoft.
"We believe that the dual-mode input option on [Tablet PCs] will appeal to users," Cameron said.
On stage at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) on Tuesday in Seattle, Microsoft demonstrated a Fujitsu (Profile, Products, Articles) Tablet PC running Longhorn with added touch screen support.
Microsoft is working with component manufacturers to lower the cost of the required hardware so PC makers will seriously consider adding touch screens to their Tablet PCs, she said. "If you can have dual-mode input for a comparable price, why not do both?" Cameron said.
Longhorn is due out late next year. Microsoft has not yet disclosed packaging plans for the operating system. The touch screen support may be limited to a Tablet PC version of the operating system, if such a special edition is released, but could also be part of all editions of Longhorn, according to Microsoft representatives. (IDG News Service)
These videos show how Longhorn can be used in different industries while more Concept Videos will be coming soon.
View: Longhorn Concept Videos (require WMP 9+)
Microsoft to
Keep Longhorn Development In-House: 7/29/04 Microsoft
Corp., the world's largest software maker, on Thursday
denied reports that it was outsourcing development of
the next version of its flagship Windows operating system
to contractors in India.
WashTech, a local organization trying to unionize workers
at Microsoft, said earlier this week, citing documents
it had obtained, that Microsoft had doubled the number
of people working for the company in India to 2,000, of
which 900 are Microsoft employees while the rest are contract
workers.
"The documents suggest that the contractors and
employees are involved in high-level development projects
and not just low-level work such as call center customer
service," WashTech said in a report on its Web site.
Stacy Drake, a Microsoft spokeswoman, denied that development
work on Longhorn was being outsourced to India, saying
that only some testing work related to the next generation
Windows operating system was being contracted to outside
partners in India.
Other tasks, such as tools for migrating computer systems
from the current version of Windows to Longhorn were also
being outsourced to partners in India, but core Windows
development work would remain in-house, Drake said.
"The development work for Longhorn will be done
only by Microsoft employees," she said.
Microsoft, as well as other U.S. high-tech companies,
are increasingly tapping into India's growing pool of
English-speaking software engineers to keep costs under
control.
A year ago, Microsoft started to shift technical support
and development tasks to India and is also building a
new facility in Hyderabad, in addition to offices that
it operates in Bangalore, a major technology center in
India.
The reports of increased Microsoft hiring in India come
as the company seeks to cut $1 billion in costs, according
to memo sent to employees from Chief Executive Steve Ballmer
earlier this month.
WashTech has also seized upon recent cuts in benefits
at Microsoft to try and gather support for its union efforts.
In May, Microsoft made minor cuts in employee stock purchase
discounts, prescription drug payments and parental leave
policies.
Microsoft Says Longhorn to
Be HD DVD Compatible: 7/27/04 The Japanese unit
of Microsoft Corp. said the company's next-generation
operating system, Longhorn, would be compatible with HD
DVD, an advanced form of DVD technology.
The show of support from Microsoft is considered a boost
for the next-generation, blue-laser DVD technology, which
is promoted by Japanese conglomerates NEC Corp. and Toshiba
Corp.
Blue light, with a shorter wavelength than the red laser
used in conventional DVD recorders, can read and store
data at the higher densities needed for high-definition
recordings.
An executive at Microsoft's Japanese unit said at a briefing
on HD DVD technology that it was not yet decided whether
Longhorn, the next version of Windows, would support the
rival Blu-ray technology from a consortium of companies,
including Sony Corp. and Philips Electronics.
The HD DVD camp is far behind the Blu-ray group when
it comes to actual product offerings.
Sony last year launched the world's first DVD recorder
using blue laser light, while Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co. Ltd., the maker of Panasonic products, plans to start
offering a DVD recorder based on Blu-ray technology this
week.
DVD recorders based on the HD DVD format have yet to
hit store shelves, but Toshiba Corporate Senior Vice President
Yoshihide Fujii said the company planned to launch them
sometime in calendar 2005. He would not comment on expected
retail prices.
At the briefing, Pony Canyon Inc, a music, video and
game software unit of radio station Nippon Broadcasting
System Inc., said it planned to launch a series of movies
in the HD DVD format next year, becoming the first content
creator to commit itself to offering HD DVD-based content.
Justice Monitors New Microsoft Software:
7/20/04 The Justice Department has begun looking closely
at the next generation of Microsoft's Windows operating
system to ensure that it meets the terms of an antitrust
settlement reached with the company more than two years
ago.
Renata Hesse, the Justice Department lawyer in charge
of monitoring Microsoft's compliance with the agreement,
told a federal judge yesterday that the government wants
to look at the software, code-named Longhorn, early enough
in its development so that it is not presented as a "fait
accompli" that would be difficult to change.
Microsoft, which has delayed Longhorn's rollout, has
not said when it will be released as the successor to
Windows XP the current version of the personal-computer
operating system. Several industry analysts have predicted
introduction of Longhorn in 2006 or possibly 2007, which
is when the antitrust settlement is scheduled to expire.
The new operating system probably will showcase an aggressive
push by Microsoft on several fronts, including technology
for Internet searching, managing multiple home-entertainment
devices, and virus scanning and other security measures.
The company also has been expanding its efforts to become
an industry standard-setter in how digital entertainment
is protected from illegal copying.
Some of these moves will pit the company against competitors
with similar products -- such as major search-engine firm
Google, for example -- and will again shine a spotlight
on Microsoft's well-honed strategy of bundling more and
more programs into its operating system. With Windows
powering roughly 95 percent of the world's personal computers,
it has an automatic distribution system for its programs
that others cannot match.
It was the bundling strategy that led to Microsoft's
antitrust troubles. Bundling its Internet Explorer Web
browser into Windows all but squashed competition from
Netscape Communications Inc.'s Navigator browser, which
was the market leader but often had to be downloaded separately.
Microsoft
Aims to Bridge Windows 5-Yr Release Gap: Microsoft
Corp. will make a renewed effort to promote and update
Windows XP before the arrival of the next major update
to its flagship operating system, code-named Longhorn,
it said.
Called "Windows XP Reloaded" inside the headquarters
of the world's largest software maker, the effort would
bridge the gap between Windows XP, which launched in 2001,
and Longhorn's expected debut in 2006.
"There a bunch of work being done on Windows XP,"
said Greg Sullivan, lead Windows product manager, adding
that Windows XP Reloaded was a marketing effort as well
as a plan to enhance Windows XP software.
"We're looking at how to deliver that, but calling
it an interim release is overstating it," Sullivan
said.
Several technology publications reported on Thursday
that Windows Reloaded would be an interim release of Windows
XP.
Microsoft had repeatedly brushed off speculation that
it would issue an update to Windows XP, but the operating
system that dominates the personal computer market with
a 90-plus percent share is facing increasing competition
from Linux the freely available operating system that
can be copied and modified freely, unlike Windows.
Microsoft is planning to release a minor update to Windows
XP, called a service pack with enhancements to fix software
bugs, later this year.
Service pack 2, scheduled for release around the middle
of the year, is aimed at enhancing the security of the
operating system, a major priority for the company under
its two year-old Trustworthy computing initiative to make
its software more secure and reliable.
RELOADED ROLL OUT - Windows XP Reloaded is scheduled
to roll out toward the end of 2004, Sullivan said.
Analysts have said that the long gap between Windows
XP and Longhorn would make it more difficult for Microsoft
to defend itself against Linux, and Microsoft is also
faced with the challenge of getting more users of previous
versions of Windows to upgrade to Windows XP.
Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox said that Windows
Reloaded was "more evangelism program than anything
else."
"They recognize it's a long time between Windows
XP and Longhorn and you can't just go five years without
doing a marketing promotion," Wilcox said.
"That doesn't mean there won't be an interim release
.... Windows Reloaded could be a marketing effort, or
they could bundle up a bunch of add-ons and release those
either for free or charge for them."
Microsoft's Sullivan did not disclose whether customers
would have to pay for any software shipped as part of
Windows XP Reloaded, or how it would be delivered for
customers.
Service packs are provided by Microsoft for free, or
bundled into the latest shipments of software. (AP)
Windows XP ... Reloaded release! -
Despite Microsoft's repeated denials, the company will
indeed release an interim version of Windows XP that will
bridge the gap between the initial XP release and Windows
Longhorn, which is currently due in late 2005 at the earliest.
The interim XP version will ship as a new retail product
that replaces existing retail boxed copies of XP and as
a set of updates, called XP Reloaded, that existing XP
users can install separately.
According to sources I contacted this morning, XP Reloaded
will include all the features from XP Service Pack 2 (SP2),
which is due by midyear, as well as a host of other unique
features, including Windows Media Player (WMP) 10. Source:
Windows Mag, full
story here!
Microsoft announces NGSCB
be built in the next generation of CPU's: (Source:
The Register) Bill Gates has announced that Microsoft's
Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) will be
built into the next generation of CPU's. The unusual name
NGSCB has been chosen to replace the controversial name
Palladium. Microsoft is talking to chip and PC/motherboard
companies about this and the introduction of the Hardware
ID. They would like to have NGSCB compliant CPUs well
ahead of the release of Longhorn.
Microsoft talk about NGSCB as a security enhancement
such as to prevent the current problems of viruses, Trojans,
hackers, exploits, leaked documents, password and data
stealing and even reducing anonymous spam E-mail. While
existing Windows applications will be able to run on a
NGSCB based Windows OS, they will not be able to directly
communicate with NGSCB compliant applications and hardware
without a trust relationship. Windows XP Service pack
2 will also see many security improvements including better
firewall which is set to 'on' by default as well as improved
browser and E-mail software.
While Microsoft claim NGSCB is not DRM, DRM products
can be based on NGSCB to improve DRM protected content
against piracy in the next generation of audio and video
products as well as optical discs. The major drawback
of NGSCB is that much control is being taken away from
the end user and given to Bill and the content and software
providers.
Microsoft's Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB,
aka Palladium) will be built into the next generation
of CPUs, Bill Gates claimed yesterday, effectively making
security via hardware ID an integral part of the Windows
PC platform. And Microsoft is talking to the chip and
PC companies about the introduction of hardware ID, so
we will likely be seeing some decidedly NGSCB-like features
well ahead of Longhorn.
Bill has a talent for what Lady Mary Archer has described
as "imaginative precis", so we can never take
his presentation material as absolute gospel. It is however
extremely valuable in determining where it is that Microsoft
wants us to go tomorrow, and how Microsoft proposes to
get us to go there. This time around, the security imperative
figures high in the company's drive to wrest what remains
of your control of your computer from you. Over to Bill,
and we'll unpick as we go:
"Another enhancement that hasn't been talked about
very broadly is the fact that the next generation of processors
will build in a new security capability called, kind of
obscurely [remind us who it was who renamed Palladium,
Bill], Next Generation Secure Computing Base, or NGSCB
is the acronym for that. What that does is it allows you
to still run arbitrary third-party software to be able
to make security guarantees, that the decryption keys
and some software is running in such a way that third-party
software is isolated from it."
As is so often the case with Bill, you just about know
what he means, as opposed to what he said. What he means
here is that NGSCB machines will still run standard software,
ringfenced off from the secure components, but its point
is that it uses the secure components and software to
establish trust relationships. Check here for a longer
explanation of what NGSCB is, and how it will operate.
Note also that although it is not DRM, it is a very useful
base for DRM systems, while the S-word is a very useful
cover for such systems.
If the particular next generation of processors Bill
is talking about makes it to market before Longhorn, then
it's perfectly feasible that at least some of NGSCB can
be catered for before Longhorn. Microsoft has never specifically
said that NGSCB is a Longhorn product, just that it's
a long-range product. The hardware ID component of NGSCB
was initially intended to use a TCPA-compliant chip on
the motherboard, and this can still happen to enable more
immediate secure systems, while getting it onto the CPU
itself will allow Microsoft to make NGSCB into a standard.
Call it DRM, people will run, call it security, then maybe
not.
We shouldn't read too much into that, because Bill isn't
being specific either about what these new hardware features
are, or how Microsoft is going to use them. It does however
signal that security-driven changes in hardware are being
introduced now, as part of an ongoing ramp, rather than
being something that won't happen until 2005-6. Speaking
about NGSCB in his own presentation, which followed Gates',
Jim Allchin said "we're working with the hardware
vendors to be able to create a system so that we can boot
and ensure that we're booting securely and that we can
create shadowed memory where code can execute but you
can't debug it." Note that he says hardware vendors,
not CPU vendors, so we have Microsoft, the chip companies
and the PC companies all talking about the introduction
of hardware security.
Gates himself had a couple more nuggets. In his speeches
lately he's taken to complaining that one of today's big
problems is anonymous email, so we don't know who's really
sending it. Yesterday was no exception:
"We have a number of things that are weak links
in the security picture. Passwords over time will not
be adequate to deal with critical information. The fact
that e-mail, you don't really know if it came from the
person it appears to come from, and even the fact that
Internet packets can be spoofed, so at many levels of
the standards that we have we need to add security capabilities."
From Microsoft's perspective the solution here is clearly
hardware ID, supported by Microsoft software. This clearly
has implications for the rest of us, and it would possibly
be useful to consider the implications of the elimination
of anonymity, which seems to be what is being proposed,
now, and for Microsoft to start sharing with us its security-driven
plans for amendments to Internet standards. But don't
hold your breath.
Microsoft's intentions to switch on the XP firewall by
default, and to upgrade it to deal with outgoing as well
as inbound traffic, are fairly well known. But it also
has rather more wide-ranging plans; what about this, for
example:
"And when I say firewall, I mean that in a very
broad sense. I mean scanning files that come through e-mail
or FTP, I mean being able to look at a machine that's
been connected up to the Internet and, when that machine
VPNs in, being able easily to scan it to make sure it
doesn't have a problem and that software is up to date,
or perhaps taking that same machine and carrying it in
to the corporation and connecting it up, then it's behind
the firewall again that needs to be scanned."
Bill clearly means firewall in a very broad sense indeed
- compulsory but easy to conduct full body searches on
machines connecting to the network are obviously going
to be attractive to the corporate market, but if the technology
can do it there (probably with the aid of hardware ID,
again), then it surely won't stop there. You could envisage
submitting to the body search and taking your nice patches
as being the entry tab for all sorts of connections, and
you could see Windows as becoming pretty much compulsory
for such scenarios, considering it's such a tricky call
for what rivals there are.
These will be faced with the question of whether to agree
with, and follow, Microsoft or to stay out and risk having
the security can tied to their tails. Or to join forces
and invent a rival "open" hardware-linked rights-denial
system. Ah, you say, but haven't previous attempts in
this kind of area been stymied by indignant consumers?
Has not Intel already had to climb down over unique IDs?
Hasn't Microsoft? Well, yes indeed, but that was then
and this is now.
This looks to be one of the main reasons why Longhorn
will not be launched for next few years. At the moment,
PCs have gone so fast that Microsoft will also need to
provide good reasons on why users should replace their
existing PC's they are happy with to NGSCB enabled system's.
While they may eliminate or even just reduce the current
problems with viruses, hackers, exploits and so on, they
will also be giving more control over the consumer’s
PCs to themselves as well as software and content providers.
This would be great news to the software, movie and music
industries, but could rule out fair use such as the ability
to backup future products.
Microsoft To Unwrap Longhorn
Code: For anyone who develops software for Windows
PCs--and that includes nearly everyone who manages business
applications--next week will be an important one. Microsoft
will take the wraps off the first publicly available code
for its next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn.
It's due in 2006, if all goes according to plan.
Billed as the biggest release of Microsoft's flagship
product since Windows 95 nearly a decade ago, Longhorn
will include technology for building a new generation
of "smart client" software that combines the
look and feel of PC apps like Word or Excel with immediate
access to information off the Web.
"Instead of this disconnected state between your
applications, you're counting on connectivity," says
Don Cosseboom, director of R&D at Molecular Inc.,
a developer of business software. Though Longhorn apps
won't debut for at least another three years, Microsoft
at its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles
next week will disclose the first technical information
developers need to know about writing to a new set of
technologies that could radically change how Windows PCs
find, organize, present, and share information across
networks. source:
InformationWeek
Longhorn
Will support All DVD-W Formats
Longhorn Will support All DVD-W
Formats: 5/12/03 Microsoft plans to support all
major writable DVD formats in future versions of its Windows
operating system, the software maker has said. Native
support for DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/-R and DVD+RW/+R will start
with Windows Longhorn, the successor to Windows XP slated
for launch in 2005, according to a Microsoft spokesperson.
The technology, called Mount Rainier, is
intended to provide a simple, consistent way to transfer
files through Windows Explorer, or to save a file to a
disc with assurance that other new drives can read the
disc. Once an operating system supports Mount Rainier
(also called EasyWrite), users won't need a packet-writing
program, but will be able to simply drag and drop files
to disc. (Source PCWorld.com)
Microsoft
expects that NGSCB will be part of Longhorn
Longhorn: 5/8/03 the successor
to Windows XP, currently known as Longhorn and on display
this week at the 12th annual Windows Hardware Engineering
Conference, is intended to run on compatible hardware.
Microsoft claims to have redesigned Longhorn's interface
in accordance with a long list of studies on how people
like to work, play and interact with their computers.
In theory, the operating system Longhorn
and hardware will, work together to secure a computer
and all its contents from any external tampering or maybe,
even the owner of the computer. Deep inside Longhorn lurks
the next part of Microsoft's new Next Generation Secure
Computing Base system, which is intended to provide a
tamper-resistant, private container for data users would
rather not share with the outside world.
Microsoft expects that NGSCB will be part of Longhorn,
according to the product unit manager at Microsoft's security
business unit, Peter Biddle.
NGSCB is essentially an encryption and permission management
system. It can encrypt keyboard strokes or data being
sent from a computer, as well as incoming streaming video
or audio. Applications created with NGSCB-compliant code
are intended to be tamper-proof. If the code is changed,
the system alerts other applications and stops them from
working with the altered code, which could be problematic
for people who opt to run unapproved code on their PCs.
NGSCB also allows the owner or creator of a document,
file or application to determine what can be done with
it. Users won't be able to modify application code or
alter the contents of documents if the owner has opted
to block such activities. Users will be prevented from
making copies of digital media if the owner so chooses.
And users might not be able to forward or print e-mail
or files without permission.
Gates became noticeably touchy when quizzed
by reporters on NGSCB's potential to be used as a personal
copyright cop.
"We're building a security system that people can
use or not use as they please," he said. "We
are not telling anyone what they have to do or not do
with their computers or with their content."
Some developers assumed, from Gates' comments, that NGSCB
would be a user-enabled option. But currently there doesn't
appear to be any way to disable NGSCB, as it will be built
into both a computer's hardware and its operating system.
It's also possible that its protections would not work
correctly or would prevent content from being viewed on
non-NGSCB systems.
Microsoft hasn't made it clear whether NGSCB will work
on a computer that does not contain the hardware part
of the NGSCB equation the Security Support Component chip,
being built by Intel, which handles many of the encryption
processes. Intel has not finished work on the chip set.
NGSCB ready computers probably will be released sometime
in mid 2004. Longhorn will be released sometime in 2005,
according to Microsoft.
Microsoft's
Windows Longhorn Alpha Leaks to the Web
Longhorn Alpha Leaks -
Microsoft's Windows Longhorn Alpha Leaks to the Web: 12/03/02
- Microsoft's next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn,
made its way onto Internet sites (available on mIRC) in
early November. Microsoft Windows XP experienced a similar
leak during the alpha stages.
The news of a leaked Microsoft's Longhorn build pop-up
sometime last month when screen shots posted to Windows
hack sites purported to showcase pictures of the next-generation
operating system. The leak provides a small glimpse into
Microsoft's future plans.
Some of the rumored changes are, the sidebar can be enabled
via Taskbar settings and uses XML to display customizable
tiles such as a clock, virtual desktop manager and Internet
search.
Microsoft has replaced the standard Display Properties
dialog with an incomplete XML-based configuration panel.
The rumored release date for Microsoft Longhorn is late
2004 to early 2005 but, has not yet been set by Microsoft.
It's Official: No Longhorn Server
On Tap: 11/09/02 - Microsoft has decided to skip
a Windows server release to coincide with the Longhorn
client and instead jump directly to Blackcomb, company
officials confirmed Friday.
Until recently, Microsoft has been talking up plans to
synchronize its Windows server and client releases, starting
with the next major version of Windows, code-named Longhorn.
But with Windows delivery dates slipping and customers
delaying Windows implementation plans due to the sluggish
economy, Microsoft is redrawing its roadmap.
According to Microsoft's new plan, Longhorn is now a
client Windows release only. It will be the successor
to Windows XP.
It's unclear when Microsoft will make Longhorn client
commercially available, but given its Software Assurance
licensing promises, Longhorn client could hit as early
as next year.
"Customers have asked that we map our server releases
more closely to how they can consume and implement advances
and innovations we deliver," said a spokeswoman,
when asked whether Microsoft was still planning to release
a server version of Windows to coincide with Longhorn
the client.
"Given the deployment cycles and budgeting that
customers work through and given the significant customer
interest in our upcoming release of Windows .NET Server
2003, we have determined that another major release of
Windows Server in the Longhorn client timeframe does not
meet the needs of most of our customers," the spokeswoman
added. "Microsoft is planning a major release of
Windows Server to follow Windows .NET Server 2003—code-named
Blackcomb.
Longhorn originally was slated to be a 2003 release.
But now it looks as if Microsoft's Windows .Net Server
2003 won't hit until the late first quarter or some time
during the second quarter of 2003, sources say. Release
Candidate 2 of Windows .Net Server 2003 has yet to ship.
Blackcomb has been on Microsoft's books for at least
two years as the successor to Longhorn. One customer said
Blackcomb server—the new follow-on to Windows .Net
Server 2003—is due out in 2006.
Earlier this year, when Longhorn looked like a 2005 technology,
developers said that Microsoft was contemplating releasing
some kind of interim update to Windows XP before the company
shipped Longhorn. With the new timetable, such an update
may be unnecessary, however. (Source: eWeek)
LongHorn
screenshot leaked to the web: Yes someone has
leaked a LongHorn screenshot build 3683 to the web for
you all to see. Is it real ? I think so but it could be
a hoax.
Windows LongHorn Summary New Features
Announced: New hot patching technology, hot swapping
technology, new 3D graphics architecture, and new storage
system.
This is a new desktop OS, planned for release
in 2003 or 2004.
New File System
In addition to security enhancements, Windows "Longhorn"
will also include a SQL Server file system. This new file
system, which Microsoft has been wanting to implement
in Windows for over a decade, will allow users to more
efficiently locate and work with information regardless
of format or location.
The User Interface
Windows "Longhorn" will include an improved
interface which will extend on the task-based design first
introduced in Windows XP. The start menu in Windows "Longhorn"
will most likely become a task pane which will occupy
the right or left side portion of the screen.
The user interface in "Longhorn" will also
make full use of 3D rendering technology, which will deliver
a much better visual appearance of Windows.
While not much more is known about "Longhorn"
at this time, here are some other new features slated
for the release:
DVD Burning Building on the CD burning capabilities
in Windows XP, "Longhorn" will allows users
to burn DVDs as well. Microsoft plans on supporting the
DVD+RW format.
Windows Movie Maker 2 Windows Movie Maker will be rebuilt
in "Longhorn" and include a variety of new features.
This new version of Windows Movie Maker will be based
upon Microsoft Producer, a PowerPoint 2002 add-on.
Improved Windows Powered Smart Display Support Windows
Longhorn will improve upon the Windows Powered Smart Display
technology introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 1. Specifically,
Windows "Longhorn" will allow for two people
to be logged on to the same system, one using the primary
display and the other with a smart display. Improvements
in speed can also be expected.
Windows Longhorn megaproject:
Longhorn, once upon a time the intermediate point release
on the way from Windows XP to Blackcomb, the real big
one, is now not-a-point-release, but is instead "a
radically new version of Windows, code-named Longhorn,
which, if all goes well, will come out sometime after
2005."
The big Microsoft OS projects that take a long time and
overrun have been heavily influenced by Bill he wants
them to be great, keeps coming up with stuff that has
to go in, they get bigger and bigger and take longer and
longer. Bill is now chief software architect, driving
Longhorn development, and from what he has to say about
what Longhorn has to be and do, it's clear that the OS
as currently envisaged falls into the 'lots of stuff,
major project' category. Actually, according to Bill,
it's the equivalent of "many moon shots."
Bill and his teams are starting with a clean sheet of
paper, rethinking what a computer operating system actually
is, from the way documents and other data are stored and
shared to the way people interact with the machine. Gates'
geeks are completely overhauling the OS and they'll also
have to redesign most of the company's other software
products and services to take full advantage, including
the MSN online service, its server applications, and especially
Microsoft Office."
Microsoft's plans to put a database at the core of the
OS file system, originally in Blackcomb but then in Longhorn
instead, mean that in this case it has to be true. Now
the applications line has to be rebuilt, and yes, MSN
morphs once more.
The decision to go with all of the major stuff in Longhorn
was taken last August, at the prompting of Steve Ballmer,
according to Gates. Prior to this the plan had been to
make changes incrementally, but Ballmer apparently voted
for a big bang, with all of the components synchronized,
instead.
Gates's list of what's planned for Longhorn is largely
user's eye view, classic eye-candy of the sort that gets
bolted on to the company's interim releases, but given
that we're currently talking about a major overhaul, these
ought to be more integral to the finished product than
has often been the case in the past. Gates alludes to
the database angle by asking of current operating systems:
"Why are my document files stored one way, my contacts
another way, and my e-mail and instant-messaging buddy
list still another, and why aren't they related to my
calendar or to one another and easy to search en masse?"
Gates also suggests using the computer for screening
phone calls and emails, getting in touch with you when
you're out of the your office, letting you pick up your
data from anywhere, with any device, arranging meetings
for you, making it easy to set up web sites that can do
group scheduling, finding and reading documents, etc etc.
Gates has had a list of "ten key Longhorn scenarios"
he has had devised, and regrettably only six of them,
People, Annotation, Real Time Communications, Storage,
Authentication and Security, and New Look. Each of these
categories has however had a developer team assigned to
it, which could be bad news, depending on how good or
bad the coordination is. Further detail on what Microsoft
actually means by each of these scenarios will also be
necessary before one can judge their validity.
