Windows Archive

Flexbeta.net has got a few screenshots showing off the new Longhorn build.

Long-awaited versions of the operating system geared for speed finally see the light of day. Order it here for free to replace your 32bit version, or download a trial. A review is here.

Microsoft's Jim Allchin says that the number one design goal for Longhorn has been: "it just works." In other words, a lot of the fiddly, annoying tasks that computer users have become accustomed to (or never quite got the hang of) such as searching for files, defragmenting, changing network configurations, and tweaking security settings, will happen automatically.

Redmond moves ahead with its next version of Windows Server, which is still due to ship before the end of this year. Also, Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer has unveiled the beta version of Virtual Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1) at this week’s Microsoft management summit in Las Vegas. In the meantime, Microsoft is to ship 32-bit & 64-bit versions of Longhorn server.

Longhorn will be easier to use, more secure, and less costly to manage, execs insist. Also, Microsoft previews Longhorn search: Virtual folders, stacking and a List Pane.

Microsoft is readying two stripped-down versions of Windows for thin client computers. The idea is that people will use the new versions to resurrect older PCs, according to reports.

A federal court is blocking Microsoft from using a networking feature planned for the company's future operating system code-named Longhorn and a service pack for Windows Server 2003 that had been scheduled to come out last year, according to a company that's suing Microsoft over the technology.

Windows 2000 Professional, while not considered a home user operating system, fits my bill for an OS that is stable and has a good combination of performance and compatibility with previous Windows versions, says Brian Bruns.

Microsoft is expected to provide the first public details of the embedded operating system to developers in May at its Microsoft Mobility and Embedded DevCon in Las Vegas.

Channel 9 has Dave Probert (who used to be a UNIX head but is now an architect for Windows) giving a four part video presentation of the Windows NT kernel. He does a very good job of comparing the Windows kernel to UNIX-style kernels and how they tackle the same problems differently.Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

After a faltering start, Microsoft is stepping up its commitment to Intel's Itanium processor.

TopDesk is an Exposé Clone for Windows XP.Features include support for minimized windows and multiple monitors, live window updates while in Exposé mode, display of window titles while in Exposé mode, customizable mouse and keyboard shortcuts, and mouse hotspots. New features in TopDesk 1.3 include multi-monitor support, improved performance and spatial window tiling, and unicode font support. To try it out, download the trial version. For more information, visit the TopDesk website.

Microsoft will provide a variety of patches; some of which are described as critical. The patches are part of Microsoft’s monthly security updates. Read more.

Software engineers who attend Microsoft's annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference later this month could get their first taste of a new Windows user permissions model that could change the way thousands of programs are developed and run. But as the company prepares for the final Longhorn development push, questions remain about its plans for a new user privileges model called Least-Privilege User Account, or LUA.