Windows Archive

Avalon and the Future of the Longhorn UI

Submitted by The Big Bananna 2004-05-12 Windows 41 Comments

Take a look at these new screenshots on Paul Thurott's site and also at the new .Net Show video, mainly the section between 00:52:24 and 01:19:50. This is a discussion of how XAML is being used to develop the presentation of the UI, separating it from the development of programming code and making it possible for designers to be more integral to the development of the UI itself.

Analysts: Tablet PC Could Quietly Vanish

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-12 Windows 13 Comments

The ballyhooed "slate" version of the Tablet PC platform pioneered by Microsoft looks to be a victim of a desire to fold "electronic ink" technologies into ordinary notebook PCs.

Automating Windows Patch Management (Part I, II and III)

Submitted by TTF 2004-05-11 Windows 7 Comments

Patch management could easily be called the bane of every administrator's existence, the pain in the rear of system management, or that never ceasing headache that pounds at CIOs everywhere. Here are three articles on the topic, Part 1, 2 and 3.

Allchin Syncs Longhorn

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-10 Windows 4 Comments

Microsoft Corp. is driving toward its goal of shipping the next client and server versions of Windows in tandem. But the effort will come at the expense of a few wish-list server features, according to high-ranking company officials.

Windows Media Center Continues Overseas March

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-10 Windows 13 Comments

Microsoft plans to announce on Monday that its Media Center OS is moving into new countries, even as the software maker works to make the entertainment software more ready for prime time.

Microsoft will Allow Pirated Copies of Windows Download SP2

Submitted by Tony 2004-05-09 Windows 67 Comments

According to Computer Times, Microsoft will allow SP2 to be installed on any copy of Windows XP including copies with invalid license keys. Microsoft decided "that even if someone has pirated copy of Windows, it is more important to keep him safe than it is to be concerned about the revenue issue." There is no news of whether or not pirated copies will be allowed access to the Windows Update site afterwards or just allowed to install SP2.

Microsoft Details Windows Server Futures

Submitted by Tudy Parghel 2004-05-08 Windows 33 Comments

At WinHEC, Microsoft talked up the potential of 64-bit for forthcoming Windows Server products. And developers filled in the blanks regarding what Microsoft wouldn't say. Elsewhere, we are informed about the future of Tablet PC and the modifications Palladium is receiving.

ExtremeTech: Longhorn In-Depth

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-08 Windows 78 Comments

"This build did feel more solid overall and was a lot of fun to play with. But users will be looking for value beyond fun factor. If Microsoft can address some of the performance issues we've seen, then we'll feel much more bullish about Longhorn" writes ExtremeTech in their preview of Longhron.

Longhorn to Mozilla: Can’t We All Get Along?

Submitted by JediMoz 2004-05-07 Windows 75 Comments

From internetnews.com: "Microsoft's technology evangelist is offering "friendly" suggestions to Mozilla open source browser groups and calling for more discussion about how the two sides can benefit from upcoming enhancements in Longhorn, the next version of Windows." Read more at internetnews.com. Here's a really interesting excerpt from Robert Scoble's blog.

Up Close with the Latest Longhorn Build

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-07 Windows 25 Comments

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.

Not all will see Longhorn in 3D

Submitted by Tudy Parghel 2004-05-06 Windows 33 Comments

The next version of Windows will sport some fancy, three-dimensional graphics, but for those with an older video card (as in the case of Mac OS X on non-QuartzExtreme capable gfx cards), Longhorn will look a lot like Windows 2000. Elsewhere, Microsoft seeks to merge Flash & hard drive storage.

Gartner: Worms Jack Up the Total Cost of Windows

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-06 Windows 72 Comments

Dealing with widespread worms like Sasser raises the cost of using Windows, a research analyst said Wednesday. Mark Nicolett, research director at Gartner, recommended that enterprises boost spending on patch management and intrusion prevention software to keep ahead of worms, which are appearing ever sooner after vulnerabilities in Windows are disclosed.

Some Legacy Subsystems Won’t Get Windows 64-Bit Support

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-06 Windows 33 Comments

The portable operating-system interface for Unix, 16-bit computing and the OS/2 subsystem will 'be lost' along with some legacy transport protocols, product manager for the Windows 64-bit client says.

Microsoft Plans Laptop Tune-up with Longhorn

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-06 Windows 24 Comments

With the next version of Windows, Microsoft is looking to add a number of laptop-specific features designed to make portable machines both more powerful and at the same time as easy to use as consumer devices such as portable DVD players.

DWM Enabled in Longhorn; Exploring Windows Longhorn 4074

Submitted by Gsurface 2004-05-05 Windows 34 Comments

It would appear that a little tinkering with Longhorn's DLL files allows users to enable a few DWM effects. These include fancy drop shadows on windows, and nice longhorn style icons are noticable on the left of the title bars. Also, animation is visible when opening windows. Also, this review takes a look at what is new in the recently released Longhorn build which was given to WinHEC attendees. Update: Screenshots of Longhorn Build 4074. MSDN subscribers can now download an ISO of the build.

Gates Promises Longhorn Beta In 2005; Speech Transcripts

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-05 Windows 29 Comments

Microsoft has recommitted to releasing Longhorn, its next-generation Windows client and server, into beta testing in 2005 even though its chairman acknowledged that security concerns threaten his dream of enabling seamless connectivity and Web services. Here is the transcript of Gates' speech yesterday and here is Jim Allchin's. Also, Microsoft combined the Windows CE, Windows Mobile departments.

Longhorn, Whidbey, Media Center Snag Prime Billing at WinHEC

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-04 Windows 12 Comments

In their keynotes at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, Jim Allchin and Bill Gates plan to stress the value of melding hardware and software innovation, as well as demonstrating what some of Microsoft's new technologies can do. In the meantime, Bill Gates confirms that there will be no AMD Windows 64 until Q4, but he calls for 64-bit software support.

Microsoft Sells 210 mln Copies of Windows XP

Eugenia Loli 2004-05-03 Windows 50 Comments

Microsoft Corp. said on Monday that retail and new PC sales of Windows XP, its flagship operating system, have grown to more than 210 million copies since the product was launched two and a half years ago. The world's largest software maker also unveiled on Monday the latest version of its anti-piracy software for digital files, music and movies, which it said would work with a wider class of online services and devices. In the meantime, a new generation of PCs based on Microsoft's next operating system won't arrive until perhaps 2006, but engineers at a conference in Seattle this week will learn how to build the new machines.

A virtual tour of Microsoft’s embedded “Device Alley”

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-29 Windows 2 Comments

In case you missed the recent Embedded Systems Conference in San Francisco, WindowsForDevices presents a virtual tour down Microsoft's embedded "Device Alley," showcasing a wide range of next-generation cool gadgets and smart, connected devices that incorporate the company's embedded software platforms including Windows CE .NET and Windows XP Embedded. The slide show includes over 80 devices ranging from PDAs to set-top boxes, robots, and even a sewing machine.

Critical Update for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

Eugenia Loli 2004-04-28 Windows 4 Comments

This critical update for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 enhances the stability and performance of Media Center Edition 2004 and resolves these issues.