WinSuperSite has obtained information and screenshots of the upcoming “Aero” UI for Windows Longhorn.
Longhorn Aero User Interface Revealed
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Idiot. Adobe owns the patents to font hinting. For f*ck sake, it is right there IN THE SOURCE CODE! How about BUYING a clue instead of trying to create an anti-Mac thread.
the OSNEWS review of MorphOS recently shows
screenshots that blow the pants off Longhorns.
Time to move on to something else for me.
Did you even read the link wrawrat gave? Daryl was right. Apple does own some patents on Bytecode Interpreting. Thats why it doesnt come turned on by default in FreeType.
It does make things look damn good though.
Microsoft is making an incredible set of capabilities available to everyone via Longhorn.
The Desktop Compositing Engine will enable all sorts of cool apps that cannot be written easily on any other OS today.
It is clear that with Microsoft’s flexible targeting of the Longhorn technology, the main user interface will be highly customizable.
All in all, for 2003, it looks darn good. You’ve got to bet on Microsoft making it all way excellent by 2005. Microsoft really knows how to do it right. To think all this power and flexibiity will be available on cheap machines. I’m certainly sticking with Windows for a long time.
We know you love to talk out of your ass, but follow the link provided please.
This is what we are discussing:
http://freetype.sourceforge.net/patents.html
Thank you.
Maybe if you weren’t such as asshole, you wouldn’t look so silly when you’re wrong.
Or do the things at the bottom of this ( http://www.winsupersite.com/images/showcase/lh-proto.png ) look a bit like the ‘cards’ that ‘Slicker’ uses?
The attack of the AT&T broadband trolls.
Yep. Just ignore the fact that you are completely wrong, and change the subject. And who is the troll?
Idiot. Adobe owns the patents to font hinting. For f*ck sake, it is right there IN THE SOURCE CODE! How about BUYING a clue instead of trying to create an anti-Mac thread.
Uh huh. Go back to bashing folks who play video games and read comic books, and living in the sixties.
~KTHXBI
Nice, so if ONE device driver isnt “digitally signed” then you’re going back to the tier one experience? Do you have any idea how much MS gouges developers to digitally sign their drivers? Say goodbye to cheap hardware, Windows users.
Don’t flame each other to a crisp. It won’t lead anywhere. I’m sure CooCooCaChoo realised his mistake. Yes, he did a bit of trolling, but don’t fight trolling with trolling…
A bit of trolling? That’s all he does.
http://www.google.com/search?&q=site%3Aosnews.com+CooCooCaChoo
There’s no reason to get so worked up CooCooCaChoo over something like this. No one insulted you personally (well of course insults follow insults- you initiated a flamewar). I just don’t understand how you can get so upset over what folks say in a forum. You act as if people have come to your house, and spit on your food. Get over it, please! You’re just as bad as the trolls. I’m saying this in the most straight forward way I can, because I believe you do have some interesting views to share, but everyone is going to disregard you as “just another troll” if you keep flaming and acting irrationally.
I dont think Apple has patents on ByteCode Font hinting. You can enable in in Freetype and XFree86. You just have to enable it at compile time, since its not built in by default. I did, and my fonts look AMAZING.
Except they don’t. As, I said, Linux doesn’t render quality fonts like tahoma and trebuchet correctly even with the secret hinting enabled. Verdana looks quite good but it’s not an ui font. Vera and several other fonts fonts look awful. AMAZING isn’t it?
Poole [said] during his keynote address. “Longhorn is the big goal for us from an operating system perspective that we are putting all of our effort behind. This is a huge, big, bet-the-company move, …
What’s the bet they get it wrong?
Am I the only one with the impression that MS also copied the name?
Apple: aqua = water
MS: aero = air
Hmmmmm…..
Yeah I said it. So let me gut this straight, Microsoft “dumbing down” their user interface so that anyone can use it is a bad thing right?
Where do you people get off telling others they shouldn’t be able to use a computer?
And what is this “dumbing down” anyway? Lets see, on my dumbed down Windows XP I’m running Visual Studio .Net, Visual Studio .Net 2003, Sql Server 2000, Eclipse, the latest JVM, Outlook, Firebird, Open Office, Office XP, WinGIMP…
Gee how did all that software get onto such a dumbed down piece of shit OS? Christ, how was I able to develop software on it? My God, you mean I can even run Emacs on this thing?
If you don’t like the user interface, here’s a clue…DOWNLOAD A THEME YOU LIKE YOU IMBECILE!!! Oh and there are plenty of free operating systems you might prefer. Try those and leave satisfied people alone while you’re at it.
Yup. Its called FUD. Its a technique pioneered, innovated, and created by the Open Source crowd. I suppose that’s possibly too harsh. Its probable, and even more likely, that they are actually unhappy with their current desktops. They tire of “mount”-ing their flash cards every time they want to use them, and editing inane config files to add support for a second monitor, and a non-responsive GUI that spits bizarre meaningless messages to the console for no apparent reason (apparently XF96t: Init : Module: load: Drm : KSGM() means things went A-OK), and instead lash out others they feel who are blessed with a superior, more productive work environment. The anger builds, and builds, (Why the fuck isn’t my hardware acceleration working? I re-compiled the drivers, I adjusted my XF86Config, I checked my boot logs, and ho come no one will help me on efnet,#linux?) until finally they just snap. They come to these forums and just troll and troll, until they feel they have gotten their revenge on Micro$oft (hahahahahahah! get it? the $ signifies microsoft – i mean Micro$oft’s obsession with money) for producing such an operating system and daring to charge for it. And releasing it under a properietary money-making license. Bastards.
Actually when I first heard the name, I thought of Aerodynamic.. And that makes me think leaner, smoother. I was hoping things would be a nice blend of simple and intuitive, but I was disappointed to see things just look overly complicated. Oh well, it’s alpha I suppose.
Yup. Its called FUD. Its a technique pioneered, innovated, and created by the Open Source crowd.
Wrong. You lie, you feces-slurping maggot. The technique was actually `pioneered, innovated and created’ by IBM. Next time you have an itch up your a** to open your festering gob and start spewing lies all over this site, make sure nobody’s gonna catch you lying.
Oh, and spare me your possible whining in response to my post. Since you insist on being treated like a low-life lying scumbag, I am treating you as demanded. Thank me and go to bed, scatmuncher.
I am sure that there are those who like the Aero interface, but it just seems to be loaded-down. IMHO it seems like there is too many options shoved into a single dialog or window. I think it would be nice if MS would streamline the OS or at least create options for more simplified modes of accessing features. Throwing everything in one spot can be annoying for some when there are so many options. Seems like Aero might have a GUI overload issue. Hopefully it will be cleaner in the final release.
This is the same problem I have with KDE…sure it is useful…sure it is powerful…sure it has lots of options…but they are times that it seems to be too much. I like using Gnome for that reason…it is simple and clean. Same goes for OS X…simple and clean. If I need to get to a more advanced option that I don’t need 99% of the time there is a button that lets me access the extra features for the 1% of the time I do need it.
As far as colors go…I think it could use some work…but that is just me. Hopefully there is a way to change the color choices easily (like the volume fader color set…ick).
As far as the sidebar goes, I have heard arguments that it is a rip-off of the OS X dock. I don’t think so. I think it looks like a glorified quick launch that has been around since Win95 with IE4.I don’t like how it looks like it will eat screen real-estate…but I will reserve final judgement for when they actually realease it.
The thing to keep in mind is that it is not yet finished. There is little point in saying things to the effect of “Aero is crap and Aqua is better.” Nobody knows what Aero will be like since we wont see it for a couple of years and OS X will likely have another upgrade after 10.3 which will make more UI changes. You just can’t make a comparison on an unreleased UI that nobody has really experienced yet.
Go ahead and comment that you don’t like what you are seeing right now, but realize it is unfinished.
YHBT. FOAD.
Scatmuncher? Who knows what kind of sick porn your look at on your GNU/Linux operating system.
The ‘font hinting’ topic is tapped out, folks.
Give it a rest. It’s been worked over. That’s enough.
Find a new topic and let the pummeling begin.
## DURDEN ##
This ( http://www.winsupersite.com/images/showcase/lh-winhec-05.png ) screen shows an amazing work bring the windows gui to a new level without modifing the ideas that the windows followed in recent years…
The content has more attention than toolbar and buttons, everything’s very clear and also easy! The influence of the web-like design in windows gui finally get a lot more polished, very good!
About the sidebar… it finally looks usefull, besides taking space and looking very ugly (also because it’s fitting very well with the start bar now)…
I could comment more about it, with real details… but I still have a lot of work to do… Looking foward about aero future, it’s progressing very well from the original roughs…
“Aero” sounds like an arabic work which translates to “his dick.”
So basically, Bill Gates is showing us “Aero” ?
Wow, these folks getting paid and still they produce a crappy interface. KDE has already beaten M$ on functionality and theme-ability.
These ‘leaks’ are marketing, pure and simple.
I would hazard a guess that Longhorn will bear little resemblence to these shots. Although that huge sidebar that takes up a huge amount of screen real estate does seem to be the most consistent thing in all the ‘leaks’ so far.
IMO the current look of Longhorn vs (for example) Gnome, then Gnome wins.
Microsoft need to bite the bullet and forget backwards compatibility for once if they want to truly innovate. Now they have acquired Connectix VPC.
Microsoft is truly a consumer’s OS
fortunately I still hark from the days when I was referred to as a customer. I would rather be an Apple customer than a Microsoft consumer.
Business knows what consumers want, but they also know that a customer is always right.
I absolutely hate it when Open Source guys take credit for something propreitary companies created, especially when it is a marketing technique! I mean, IBM first used FUD in the tech market, and countless other companies did too before computers were even dreamt of.
Forgive my bad transliteration, but dick, at least in the Egyptian slang, is arh-yir, that doesn’t sound like Aero (arrow). There is also zubrak, meekyad, zaburah, zibbih, as well as the most famous (at least in non-Arabic speaking Malaysia), zib.
And then again, like Apple which markets the brand name Aqua, if Microsoft takes the same road as Windows XP, say Aero to the regular user and they wouldn’t think of Microsoft (like now with Luna).
…with all the hype. Doesn’t half as sexy as KDE3.1.* and by the time Aero comes out KDE will probably be at 4.1.*
but those pioneer screens ROCK!
man I wish i had one
Take a look at how many editions there are of windows lol :p
I hope longhorn unifies all of them so you can buy windows and isntall it on a tablet PC, on your desktop or media-center PC
http://www.winsupersite.com/images/showcase/lh-winhec-04.png
There’s a BeOS icon there. Can you spot it? Be Inc. might be defunct,but I don’t think M$ would risk another lawsuit for the sake of an icon…
But I must admit, whoever made the pics did a nice job… This reminds me of the fake BeOS R6 pics that crawled on the web a year (two years) ago…
Okay, it’s nice, colored, fun and whatever you want.
But What for ? To do badly and basically exactly the same things Windoze 9x did in the Past ???
Microsoft had never created something new in the field of GUI. Never created nothing in the field of functionnality or programs. If I was naughty I will say : they steal and reuse all the good ideas of everybody.
For their new Flavor of Win XX, You’ll just need more powerfull desktop to Run their “huge” mess.
Those who used NeXTSTEP can give their testominies, XP don’t do nothing more than the first version of NeXTSTEP for I486. But it was 10 years ago mister Gates ….
Come on!!! What is wrong with Windows, let’s look at this another way!!!
Firstly Apple Macintosh!!
Apple Macintosh use Open Source software such as a BSD Kernel, they use things such KHTML in Safari and then they patent everything they create so that no-one else can use it, how greedy and self-centred is that, and besides that they charge horrendous prices for their hardware with IMHO is just an expensive short-lived toy which you would get bored of quickly and pay of for a life-time. I would be straight back to my Windows machine when I needed to play games and using an application which was freely available. Who would want to pay $2000 for an OS with a pretty interface?
Don’t get me wrong I love Linux and use it a lot, but for unexperienced users it is definitely a no go, e.g. Imagine a person who has barely used a computer before trying to get a modem to work or configure X (ROFL), it ain’t gonna happen. Linux should and hopefully will remain a Power User’s OS (For that’s where its strengths lie), for people who love to tinker and customize everything. The only thing I hate are companies like Lindows who again charge for an Open-Source product and then try and rip of Windows, Die!! Lindows!! Die.
and finally Windows..
Windows has been round for years, it works for people, it is easy to learn and without Windows computers would not be what they are today. Windows PC’s are inexpensive and so what if you have to activate it, who can blame Microsoft, there are that many thieving c**ts out there who refuse to pay for software. The New UI will work wonders for people who are intimidated by computers, how hard is it to click on I want to increase the volume or I would like to go on the Internet. If you don’t like it switch if off, because MS aren’t doing anything wrong and I know from working in the IT industry for years that (yes!! administrators will hate it) but the users will love it and it will make life easier on them. So well done Microsoft for a great user OS and well done Linux for a great Power User OS
Well I think that windows is a user OS, and linux is a great power user OS. But this is why I think OS X is so great, because it combines the best of both worlds. OS X being based on UNIX gives the power users something to pacify there power user needs, but along with it you get the best user interface that exists in the computer world. Many others, including myself, have bitched about the price of Macintosh computers, but I truely believe that you get what you pay for there. I don’t have the money to buy a Macintosh, so I’m stuck complaining about how Windows is too easy and boring, and how linux doesn’t have the apps I need and is sometimes a pain to configure. I think that for people like me, a Mac is the way to go. This may not be the case for die hard windows or die hard linux users, but for those like me that are somewhat dissatisfied with both, I believe OS X would definitely quench our OS thirst.
everyone is “whining” because your points are half-truths or just crap.
“…charge horrendous prices for their hardware with IMHO…”
exactly. in your humble opinion. humble opinions aren’t forced onto readers to serve as the basis for your argument. i use a mac and i am much more productive on it than any other os i’ve used. thats me. watch how i don’t force this down your throat and proceed to make poorly-worded claims.
“Imagine a person who has barely used a computer before trying to get a modem to work or configure X…”
the solutions: red hat, suse, mandrake. the bulk of users would never have to touch hardware or x configuring.
“The only thing I hate are companies like Lindows who again charge for an Open-Source product and then try and rip of Windows, Die!! Lindows!! Die. ”
i’ve got news for you. thats how software works. people use other people’s software to write their own. no one has sealed up open-source stuff. you are free to write your own software with it if you like. you can then seal up your software (minus the oss) and sell it if you’d like. it’s called making a living.
“it (Windows) works for people”
you aren’t a sys admin.
” without Windows computers would not be what they are today”
because the gui & mouse where obviously their idea. spare me. you obviously have no idea of history. they “stole” their ideas as well. isn’t that something you hate -> “…many thieving c**ts out there…”
” know from working in the IT industry for years”
all that professional experience and no objective opinions. its a shame.
one more thing. do you actually use linux or just throw in that comment about your love to keep the linux dogs at bay?
Yep I agree that OS X combines the best of both worlds, but at what expense. They are taking credit for something that isn’t their work but the work of many talented open-source developers. The interface is gorgeous and the people who developed it are very talented, but again the Power User applications for it are all open-source apps. e.g. I believe that in OS X Panther they will be including all the Linux API so that GNU/Linux applications can run natively, again profiting from other people’s work. I can and probably will only hope that one day Gnome or KDE knock OS X down, but then again they would probably start using Gnome with an Aqua frontend and then patent gnome so no one can use it. The only reason OS X works so well is that Apple only make it for their hardware, meaning you are forced to pay for a machine for its looks rather than its performance. I mean Apple go round threating people who try to make something that resembles an Apple, e.g. Y’Z dock which was an OS X for Windows, but does FreeBSD (or whatever the kernel is ripped from) threaten to sue them.
How can you say I don’t know what I am talking about when you don’t even know me, I am a qualified MCSE and also a qualified Linux Certified Administrator. We have used both Linux and Windows on desktops and for compatibily and ease of use, and Windows (I am afraid to say, not to hurt your feelings) wins. For servers I would go with Linux everytime, that I agree with.
Again!!! Yes I personally use Linux at home, but that is because I like to tinker, everyone else I knows refuses to use it. Yes there is RedHat, Mandrake, SuSE, but does stuff work first time, NO!!!! (Not unless you buy computer where every bit of hardware is compatible!!!). I personally can install Linux, get everything working, recompile the kernel to get my 3d card to work (Linux simply is not a basic user OS).
And yes everything is a rip of from everything and I can’t help getting annoyed by greedy people who make profit from other people’s work, and MS does do this, so does Apple and so does everyone else. I can guarantee that probably 90% of people accessing this site are using Windows and slagging it of saying they use Linux (all to probably be different).
P.S. I work for Bill Gates
I am a qualified MCSE
hehe, that explains allot 🙂
I have just spoken to a new student doing the MCSE and he can’t believe that people using Linux get off on the fact they can manage to run solitaire and wordpad when you can run high end graphics applications at the touch of a button on Windows. Need I say more?, lol
Yep I agree that OS X combines the best of both worlds, but at what expense. They are taking credit for something that isn’t their work but the work of many talented open-source developers
Well, as we all know, Microsoft does this a lot too. But if you ask me, Apple definitely did a good job of doing so this time around. I’m sure that the open source developers aren’t upset with Apple’s choice to use their code in their software. What about Lindows? Lycoris? These are all linux open-source distros and companies are making money off of them. Making money off of open source software is nothing new, and there’s certainly nothing illegal about it as long as it stays open source.
I believe that in OS X Panther they will be including all the Linux API so that GNU/Linux applications can run natively, again profiting from other people’s work.
If that were true, then I think Apple would definitely be making a good move. The macintosh would then attract all the power users who are hardcore linux fans. And it would make me drool over a Mac even more.
I mean Apple go round threating people who try to make something that resembles an Apple, e.g. Y’Z dock which was an OS X for Windows, but does FreeBSD (or whatever the kernel is ripped from) threaten to sue them.
I believe this is fair. Nobody in their right might would want someone immitating and making money off something they created. This happens a lot in the computer world, and Apple, not being the monopoly that Microsoft is, has to protect their assets. They need to make as much money as possible from their products. If more software was protected like this, I think we would see much more dynamic OSes than the ones that are in existence today.
Yep, That’s a good point.
I remember reading somewhere on this site about Apple using some of the Linux API, I believe there is something called “Fink” that also does this. Any wrong forum!!!! Lol, “This is the “Aero forum”
The only thing I can add is Windows Longhorn is over two years way so let’s come back and argue about it then.
They are a incompetents, fools and losers.
This Windows isn’t a real O.S it’s a great bug in the system. It consume full of CPU time. It needs a 3’08 Ghz loser’s P4 for less.
A real operating system should be friendly however it must be optimized.
I think that a real operating system should run in a 68000 , Why not? Do you know the extreme velocity that is 1, 12, 66 or 233 Mhz???!!!!
Good bye
I’ve weighed my options a lot more than most of you think; Apple just seems to be the best buy for the moment.
I’ll go to pricewatch.com to get the needed extra ram,etc., but I no longer have the time (to waste) nor the patience to spend hours ripping out the mobo, fixing bugs, updating bios, wondering why some things may not work as advertised etc. I REALLY DON’T WANT UNWANTED SPYWARE, or the daily/weekly patching, and virus updates (Who knows, maybe this 4yr OS break is what MS needs, but I bet they’ll continue copying the looks/functionality of Mac’s OSX)
I’d rather use that time being productive, and doing things I like to do.
Last I heard Microsoft is busily stealing the ideas of the Mac OSX’s “genie effect”.
I do feel much better buying innovation right from its source.
Hideous, truly Hideous. Microsoft, you have outdone yourselves!
Give me Windows 2000 back…
I know its prob old news but for people who like the OS X look check out these sites. http://www.aquaxp.com and http://www.aqua-soft.org they have some cool stuff on there, look at the desktop of the month that is unbelievable that guy must have had some patience or that he seriously wants a Mac
This screenshot was found on http://www.aquaxp.com
http://www.aquaxp.com/desktops/0803dotm.jpg
Is this actually Windows XP? How did they get the window shadows in there? This looks exactly like OS X. I’m sure Apple wouldn’t like this…
Wow!!! that is nuts, that is a Mac lol, Apple would trully kick ass if they saw that,, I wonder if there are any Mac users who try to imitate Windows XP, (Hmmmmmm!, let me think!!! Anybody))
Including linux libraries in panther, doesn’t mean that panther will be binary compatible with linux. x86 + ELF instead of PPC + MachO. It does mean that it will be easier to port applications that rely on some linuxisms to run on panther.
Fink does something else completely. They make it easy to automatically download source code, download its dependencies, compile and install it all. Panther including those linux apis at most mean that there will be less dependencies to be installed.
Apple works together with the open source community. They use open source in their product. (an open source license is for anyone, including Apple). They contribute their changes back to the community. The KDE community is thrilled for example with the contributions Apple makes to KHTML. They open-sourced rendez-vous, open directory,.. They are switching from their mac os 9 proprietary protocols to standards. Native PDF support for every application, a big push for MPEG-4, OpenGL for 3D, documented xml file format for keynote, implementation of IETF standards like zeroconf,… Making it easier for linux and macosx to communicate with each other, and helping to push back the Proprietary Protocols from Microsoft.
I stand corrected about Apple
I mean Apple go round threating people who try to make something that resembles an Apple, e.g. Y’Z dock which was an OS X for Windows, but does FreeBSD (or whatever the kernel is ripped from) threaten to sue them.
I believe this is fair. Nobody in their right might would want someone immitating and making money off something they created…
Mr. Yamaguchi did *not* charge money for his dock, Y’z Dock, it was freeware.
I’m still amazed that Apple threatend to sue him when there are *three* other dock clones out there.
@other who commented about AquaXP
That screenshot of XP skinned to look like OS X was actually done by an associate of mine. I know him well. He owns both XP and Apple computers.
I personally do a bit of OS X cloning on my own pc. It doesn’t take much really. SOme icon sets, some OS X like visual styles, one of those freeware docks and it can look pretty damn close to OS X.
I do it for fun and also because I like the OS X look. So much so, that I may actually go purchase a new G5 based Power Mac at the end of the year.
As for MS ripping off Apple, they do it to each other all the time. One OS gets a feature that everyone loves, so the rival company clones and refines it. The Japanese do it all the time with their products. That’s business and competetition.
I started to look at the article, then I thought I don’t care a fsck in hell about it. I will never install it at home, I wouldn’t sully my computer with it. As for work, I hope that by the time it comes out my company will be switching to something like Sun Mad Hatter, IBM ODW Portal on Linux, Novell Ximian on Linux or something else like that that will appeal to our corporate bigwigs.
Yet you still feel the need to burden the world with your “insightful” comment. “Uhh, I don’t like Windowze.”
I don’t want to flame anyone… but looks like some don’t get that mostly of this screens of Aero are just roughs! It’s all in photoshop right now! =P
Take a close look on the screens and you’ll note the evolution between each other… looks very good imho!