The next version of Windows is still several years away, but PC Magazine offers a sneak peek. Take a guided tour of the 4072 build of Longhorn from the disc handed to WinHEC attendees in Seattle. PCMag has a preview too. Also, Microsoft plans to release versions of Longhorn, for Itanium and 64-bit extended systems as well as a 32-bit edition, a company spokesman said Wednesday.
Up Close with the Latest Longhorn Build
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
The PC mag and eWeek reviews are the same text. You can see screenshots of the releast at winsupersite here http://winsupersite.com/showcase/longhorn_4074_02.asp
Winsupersite seems to keep pretty good coverage on MS betas.
I bet we will have very regular updates on what’s happening on the longhorn front. If MS innovates in any way, then it has to be on marketing and PR. Most companies give as little information as possible about their future releases, enhancing the announce effect against the competition.
Errr… Ah, I forgot, Windows doesn’t have competition. that’s why. Silly me 😉
That honestly looks like the worst use of screen realestate I have ever seen in my life.
Yeah, that wouldn’t resist browsing my photo collection. I think they probably are anticipating much larger screens in the future. This would explain that.
I’d like a 25″ screen
I’d like to see the uninstall wizard
I bet we will have very regular updates on what’s happening on the longhorn front. If MS innovates in any way, then it has to be on marketing and PR. Most companies give as little information as possible about their future releases, enhancing the announce effect against the competition.
A lot of it simply comes from developer/hardware manufacturer events (such as WinHEC, which is where this build came from). Of course the press is going to cover the information, but the data and early builds are released primarily for the benefit of the developers and manufacturers.
At the same time, MS does have to balance this information sharing, which is beneficial for 3rd parties producing hardware and software for Windows, with some holding back not only for competition (though in theory, if the technology you’re working on is good enough, you’ve got enough of a lead when you announce it to keep ahead of the pack, and most of this stuff is technology they’ve been talking about since Win95 or 98), but to keep something to announce near the release so customers will be excited about the new product.
If you release too much information early, your customers don’t care and won’t be in a rush to buy it. If you don’t release enough information early (or the right type of information), developers and manufacturers won’t care and customers will have fewer reasons to use your product.
Looking at the screens shots linked to above, well I prefer it to the kiddie toy look of XP, but it still wastes more screen space than any OS I have ever seen. The icons and buttons very nice looking, but they are just too large. Hopefully they will scale down nicely, if this is indeed the interface that we will be seeing in two years time when this is released.
bot requiring dual 6 ghz processors and 2 gb of ram to boot
What is this whole thing about dual 6 ghz processors? At first I thought he was just trolling, but this is not the first time I’ve heard it.
You don’t have to care. No one is forcing you to. If you don’t like the look and feel of Longhorn then don’t use it. I don’t mind the way it looks and could probably use it.
“Errr… Ah, I forgot, Windows doesn’t have competition. that’s why. Silly me ;-)”
haha. love it.
Read more details on 4-6GHz Dual Core CPUs here:
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1581842,00.asp
A piece from there:
“Microsoft is expected to recommend that the “average” Longhorn PC feature a dual-core CPU running at 4 to 6GHz; a minimum of 2 gigs of RAM; up to a terabyte of storage; a 1 Gbit, built-in, Ethernet-wired port and an 802.11g wireless link; and a graphics processor that runs three times faster than those on the market today.”
Ouch! :p
Microsoft have supposedly stated that the system requirements for Longhorn will require a dual CPU set up between 4GHz to 6GHz and 2GB RAM to run the OS. No word on the drive space required or the type of graphics card needed. Though from the reviews posted it seems this years top of the line gaming cards used on the test systems ran extremely slow. To me this is an indication of bad coding by Microsoft R&D and possible due as well to the immense amount of eye candy used in Longhorn. I found the recent screen shots ugly and that stupid tool bar on the right takes up to much space. Also the Explorer/Browser menus are bulky. We shouldn’t require 20″ screens to just work with applications in the OS.
It almost appears like they are attempting to create an OS that can only run on a turnkey system that will lock the consumer in. Turnkey systems are when you want to purchase software but it’s only sold preinstalled on a workstation. Microsoft already has done this when WinXP 64-bit first came out it was only offered on HP turnkey systems that used the Itanium processor.
This OS is definately going to cost a lot more on the consumer not just for the new OS but also the hardware required to run it. Unless things change by making the OS more usable for consumers than Windows users will just stick with their current installation as long as possible or switch to another OS.
To me the reviews of Longhorn posted here and on other online newswires just make me realise where Microsoft plans to take Windows users in the next two years. It’s definately not a path to a better life. They have yet to prove any real security advancements and most comments from them are vaporware. The GUI is bulky and the system specs are insane even for an OS that is delayed 2 years away. Locking the consumer in even more will make not only consumers but governements reconsider Microsofts monopoly tactics. This will continue to cause consumers to consider other platforms such as LINUX.
Thanks for the quote as I couldn’t remember the actual details. You posted at the same time I did. Maybe Eugenia can create some way for use to edit our own posts.
Winsupersite seems to keep pretty good coverage on MS betas.
Too bad it is operated by a true Microsoft zealot. In Paul Thurrott’s eyes, Microsoft can do no wrong and everything they do is the second coming of Christ.
His editorials during the anti-trust trials a few years ago were awful. He would have Microsoft’s child if he could. Too bad, too. The site could be a lot better if he wasn’t absolutely one-sided.
Talk about wasted screen realistate! I’ve never seen so much in my life. Is MS expecting everyone to have a 32″ lcd running at 2046×1536?
Oh well, it’s not like I will be using longhorn anyways..
/me goes back to his BeBox
The system specs seem heavy, but that’s kinda cool really – remember back in the old days when buying top-of-the-line hardware used to mean something? Now days, I can hardly tell the difference between a 2.8ghz P4 (what I have) and a $300 eMachine when it comes to every day use, except when I’m running iTunes
lol
Wow thats an ugly desktop. The most advanced new feature: “watch your windows ‘float’ above other winddws” What a waste and already possible with other systems.
I can’t stand the MS way of wasting your entire screen to run any app. Even the contact manager looked huge, is their target audience the grossly myopic??
Anyhow, is this seriously supposed to be out with two years with those spec requirements. I just updated my system for the first time in five years to a 2.2 athlon xp+, it will be another five before i do this again!!!
This is what happens when there is no real competition!!!
is anyone else annoyed by windows thinking that it is a good idea to take over your desktop space and use it for two clocks? Doesn’t this seem a little rediculous to anyone else. In a desktop who wants to see the OS, wouldn’t it make more sense to be able to do things more productively without a large bar on the right that you can make out the gradient lines… yuck. Microsoft needs to realize that we do not like large annoying things blocking our view from real applications and that we simply want elegance and speed. This is why MacOS X will always be superior because after all it trully is the BMW of Operating Systems. It is not only sleek but fast
Even a company as stupid as Microsoft is going to learn some lessons after a while and it looks like a lot of that will come to fruition in Longhorn.
Its key that Microsoft deal with system integrity and security. I am not sure if a spyware/adware sanitizer is being integrated into the Os but I suspect it will be part of the OS release.
Like OSX, Longhorn doesn’t seem to have much room for third party consumer apps, most useful stuff seems built-in. Microsoft and Apple are becoming their own ISVs…while this would otherwise seem troubling, most legit ISVs seemed to have gone “vertical” long ago (i.e. Adobe focusing on design professionals).
Unless Apple can seriously ramp up new Mac/OSX shipments, Longhorn will probably nail the coffin shut on Apple’s desktop designs. Longhorn won’t stop open source though, and going forward, cost is going to continue to be a serious issue for Microsoft. What will be interesting is to see how far the linux desktops can come between now and Longhorn release day.
Microsoft needs to realize that we do not like large annoying things blocking our view from real applications and that we simply want elegance and speed. This is why MacOS X will always be superior ..
You mean, large annoying things like the OSX dock???
As for the Longhorn sidebar, you gotta remember that we’re still two years away, at which time widescreen LCD monitors will probably be the norm, and not like you can’t turn the damn thing off if you don’t like.
BTW: It’s not really favorable to compare OSX with BMWs, since I heard a report recently that BMW’s are one of the most high-maintenance cars around
The 4GHz to 6GHz and 2GB RAM crap is not the min. system requirements for Longhorn. Don’t listen to slashdot. Someone at MS said that when LH ships computers will have 2GHz of ram 300 Meg HDD’s and dual core CPU’s. Nobody said those were the system specs and to be honest many people are running betas on todays low end machines.
LH has 3 UI’s to choose from, Avalon glass (high), Avalon (mid), and windows 2000 (low).
I don’t have a source to site but that is pretty close.
I don’t know if I would compare OS X to a BMW, at least in terms of ease of use.
Has anyone tried their iDrive system? It’s a chore to change radio stations. Ugh.
..are obviously not final.
Re:Todd is right .. they have 3 UIs tied to Longhorn, and they’re not going to show Avalon Glass till they last last second.
Me, I’ll stick to Linux.
Re:Todd is right .. they have 3 UIs tied to Longhorn, and they’re not going to show Avalon Glass till they last last second.
Nothing like those good old fashioned Glass Windows.
Damn. I Really just said that…
You know, you can scale down the side taskbar if it’s too big. You can even remove the friggin thing if that doesn’t suit you. Switching to classic windows taskbar layout is made available too, and that was in the 4051 build.
Screen real estate should not be a concern in Longhorn. Looks good to me.