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FAQ: Getting a handle on Windows Vista
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Longhorn will run on some older PCs too
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Can Longhorn improve laptops?
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Photos: A look at Longhorn
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Going long on Longhorn
April 22, 2005
The advertising tagline for Vista is "Clear, Confident, Connected: Bringing clarity to your world," according to a video of the announcement posted by Microsoft.
The company also said Friday that the first beta, or test release, of Vista is slated for release by Aug. 3. That release will be targeted at developers and IT professionals, said Brad Goldberg, general manager of Windows product development.
Eye on Windows Vista
A second, broader test release aimed at consumers will likely debut ahead of Vista's final release in the second half of next year, the company said.
Microsoft is also planning to begin testing a server version of the operating system by Aug. 3, with final shipment slated for 2007. The company said that version will not bear the Vista name. Instead, its name will "follow existing naming convention" for Windows Server. The current version is called Windows Server 2003.
The software giant spent roughly eight months researching potential names for the upcoming version of Windows.
The Windows Vista logo
The new name debuted Thursday before roughly 10,000 attendees of a Microsoft sales conference in Atlanta, Goldberg said.
The Vista moniker breaks with the company's tradition of using version numbers or acronyms for new Windows releases. The current version of the operating system, Windows XP--short for "experience," according to Microsoft--debuted in October 2001.
Ah, but what's in a name?
Vista's three design goals include better security, new ways to organize information, and seamless connectivity to external devices, the company said. Microsoft will provide more detail on Vista features Aug. 3, Goldberg said.
News.com Poll
The company first announced plans for Longhorn in 2001. It was originally expected to debut in 2004. The company has since revamped the feature list and launch date several times.
Longhorn has changed significantly since Microsoft first demonstrated an early version in 2003. The company has dropped plans to include its all-new WinFS file system and has also changed the way it's implementing a new Web services architecture, known as Indigo, and a new graphics engine, dubbed Avalon.
Goldberg said Microsoft will provide more information on WinFS, Indigo and Avalon in September at the company's Professional Developer's Conference in Los Angeles. "That's where we will unveil our entire development picture," he said.
Among the key features of Vista are a new searching mechanism, lots of new laptop features, parental controls and better home networking. There will also be visual changes, thanks to Avalon, ranging from shiny translucent windows to icons that are tiny representations of a document itself.
On the business side, Microsoft said Longhorn will be easier for businesses to deploy on multiple PCs and will also cut costs by reducing the number of times computers will have to be rebooted.
News.com's Ina Fried contributed to this report.
See more CNET content tagged:
Microsoft Longhorn, WinFS, Microsoft Indigo, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Server
sleepless for many weeks to accomplish such a brilliant name
choice.
But then, maybe Longhorn/shorthorn/foghorn/airhorn deserves
nothing better.
Even 'Pearly Gates' would have been a more descriptive choice.
coming up with this jewel. Now that's competence, isn't it? Even Bib
could have done it faster.... well, maybe............
and many PC owners will be pleased. The nitpicking will continue,
with no significant effect, nor should there be. And the world will
go on......
?Microsoft announces support for [blah] in Longshot?
?Microsoft announces new type of hard drive to be supported in Longshot?
?Microsoft announces new boot screen in Longshot?
"Microsoft announces the use of 1's and Q's in its compiled OS. (0's are soooo last year.)
Whatever. Wake me when they have a beta with Aero enabled on it.
Jim
Certainly I think the name is a good one and I am looking very forward to the new OS. I do have to admit it has been hard sitting here while the competition rolls out some nice looking operating systems. I'll be happy to join the party.
Let's face it. XP is certainly very functional, but is dated. Most Windows users were jealous of OSX even if the interface is a little clumsy at times because it just looks great.
"Vistacruiser" is free.
Nice features! KDE already has transparency.
GNOME/KDE can already show icons which are tiny
representations of documents.
Searching mechanism? I have read it can search like Spotlight, but I will be doubtful of its performance. How about a feature by feature comparison say with Spotlight/Beagle?
From the "key features" link...
"Allchin stressed that Microsoft has broken new ground in Longhorn. For example, document icons are no longer a hint of the type of file, but rather a small picture of the file itself."
Wow! what an innovation... Allchin, did you know that GNOME/KDE can already do this with a number of file types? Breaking new ground or copying existing ones?
Regarding "laptop features", Microsoft has not
committed on adding any features. I can read only statements like "looking into this", "looking into that" and "possible enhancements" etc. Isn't many of these touted "new" features already part of Mac OS X tiger?
"On the business side, Microsoft said Longhorn will be easier for businesses to deploy on multiple PCs and will also save costs by reducing the number of times computers will have to be rebooted."
Heh heh... I am not surprised Microsoft considers
that as a new feature! It shows the sad state of Windoze that something that reduces the number of times a system is booted is touted as a new feature!
"Microsoft spent roughly eight months researching potential names for the upcoming version of Windows."
ROTFL... :-D . I am sure a lot of the supposed
innovation time has gone into finding a name!
Contrast it with this...
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox
"According to Ben Goodger, "Deer Park is not Deer Park, Victoria, but just a symbolic name. I was riding LIRR a few weeks ago and saw the name go by and I thought it sounded nice."
If it is so great why isn't it all over the world on millions of home computers? Firefox proves that a good product CAN overcome near monopolies. Make a product that is worthy and people will adapt it.
The "features" you mention are watered down features that were copied from real operating system designers like Sun, Apple, and Microsoft. If those companies kept a lid on their new ideas, KDE developers would have nothing to copy or try to emulate until it actually came out.
KDE does nothing original. They only attempt to copy other people's concepts. And they do that poorly.
As someone who has used it (and finally wiped it off my drive) I strongly advise people to not waste time with it.
I can fully support people making logical desicions like switching to Apple, but KDE is way behind real operating systems in every aspect and not nearly ready for prime time.
"New features" indeed... .
Adding a comment to your's, so far as I can see, all that's new about it, are:
1) Buy MSN Search! :) [not Google :(]
2) Somethings which the firm wishes to remain precisely imprecise re mobile computing.
3) + 4) Buy MSN services to protect your kids +
employees from illicit internet surfing! :) [as
if :(]
And this is what they're rushing to market (in another year and a half) "for improved security?"
One is forced to wonder whose security - precisely - is being protected.
P.S. Me? I wanna know: will it have Media Player Version 12 included? :)
Wow! what an innovation... Allchin, did you know that GNOME/KDE can already do this with a number of file types? Breaking new ground or copying existing ones?)
adding to this i should mention that KDE/GNOME can also play music files just by hovering the mouse above them. fantastic feature. i also use JuK to play music from the tray without taking up valuable space on the taskbar. the UI in linux is far superior to windows and it doesn't bring down the whole system if it crashes. beat that allchin :p
or American Exprests
or Discovetr
Oh, wait, if they did, then no one would buy a the newer OS. Because who wants to buy Windows 5.1 (XP) when they have version 5.0? (2000)? Oohh, a .1 in change, in which all they did was change the default interface and included patches, drivers, etc. Right, so they must disguise it and hype it like it was the latest and greatest change in Windows so people will forget what version numbers are.
Windows Vista: They could have done better.
Mac OSXXV: They could have done better.
stints set in the 70's... it's Backward Bill and the Redmond Retards
still stuck in a monpolistic timewarp up there. I wonder if Vista will
be as leaky as the Titanic?
With all the "innovative" features (which we already have in the alternatives to Windows), and all the "new ground" being broken, I'm starting to think that they should call the next release "Brontosaurus". After all, Microsoft is showing itself to be the lumbering dinosaur of a prior age of technology, so let's name it appropriately.
Maybe they should have gone with animals as well?
Maybe Windows Lion?
Then the animals could fight. Tiger VS Lion.
:D
Definition: landscape
Synonyms: mural, outlook, painting, panorama, photograph, prospect, scene, scenery, sketch, view, Vista.
The very fact they named it "Vista" shows that
the focus is more on the outloook, scene, view or whatever. Basically, it is just the eye-candy.
With the name "Vista", Microsoft is officially telling that to the world.
There is another meaning to Vista ;-)
Definition: perspective
Synonyms: angle, bearing, direction, facet, feature, *gimmick*, hand, outlook, perspective, phase, position, prospect, regard, scene, side, situation, slant, switch, twist, view, Vista.
I have a strong feeling that they meant Windows "gimmick"! ;-)
stuff you can't actually reach...
SOB.Anada BSTRD.Anada
SOB.Anada
BSTRD.Anada
I'll stick with Loooooonnnnngggg Horn;-)
confusion wasn't them at all - it was Windows inconsistancy.
So now in the year 2005-6 Microsoft has finally figured out how to
make thier OS "clear". Wow!
Sheesh.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.html
Users really care more about reliability, stability, security, and intuitive ease of use rather than fancy themes, animations, etc. The last thing we need is another ?millennium? O/S. With the deletion of WinFS, and some other yet to be seen features, I?m not sure what the selling would be. The only thing helping push O/S sales is the fact that as an appliance (which PCs have yet to become), companies like Dell with core manufacturing in places like India and China, have made much lower cost PCs a disposable commodity. Way back when a high end desktop cost almost $2000.00, consumers were a lot more insistent that the software worked as advertised.
$400 for the system; then you'll have to sign-up for MSN, then
anti-malware services, then...
Just get a Mac.
But from that I can tell, a lot of people have a weird emotional attachment to an OS or company. It's like political parties, as long as they're "your boys" they can do no wrong.
I mean check out "Bob Dillanony". Whoever that is has 1000 posts on this story. Must be a troll.
- Vista - It's out there somewhere!
- by smellcoffee July 22, 2005 12:53 PM PDT
- ??
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