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Vienna, once labeled Blackcomb, is the new code name for the successor to Vista. It is not clear when Vienna might ship or what features it might contain. Microsoft confirmed the name change on Friday, but declined to comment on Vienna's stage of development.
"The 'Blackcomb' code name has been changed to 'Vienna,' but we do not have any other details to share on timing or focus," Microsoft said in a statement to CNET News.com. "This does not reflect a big change for us; we have used city code names in the past, which are derived from cities/locations in the world known for great 'vistas'--the kinds of places we all want to see, experience and that capture the imagination. Vienna fits with this concept."
The code name for Windows XP was Whistler, a Canadian ski resort. Blackcomb was also a ski resort, while Longhorn (Vista's code name) came from the Longhorn Saloon, which was about halfway between Whistler and Blackcomb.
Microsoft evangelist Robert Scoble first confirmed the new code name in a posting to the company's Channel 9 developer site.
Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry said that Microsoft is looking to speed up the frequency of its Windows releases, but cautioned not to read too much into the name change.
"It's just a morale thing," Cherry said. "The other names have been kicking around so long. It's much more about trying to keep focused and keep some excitement around where they are going."
As for Vista, Microsoft is slated to ship it in the second half of this year, roughly five years after it shipped Windows XP. The Vista update promises to have better search, a new graphics engine and other improved features.
However, there are several features that were pulled out of Vista that could conceivably become part of Vienna, most notably a new file storing mechanism known as WinFS.
See more CNET content tagged:
Vienna, codename, Microsoft Longhorn, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp.
I know us Canadians are but a blip on most technology radars, but come on. Give us credit for more than just the Blackberry - Whistler is purely Canadian.
- A concerned Vancouver citizen
I know us Canadians are but a blip on most technology radars, but come on. Give us credit for more than just the Blackberry - Whistler is purely Canadian.
- A concerned Vancouver citizen
software will be dealt with in the next release.... but not right now.
That's the whole point: instead of fixing bugs, Microsoft actually
uses these flaws as an excuse for an aggressive update policy.
Microsoft doesn't fix bugs, but continuously releases new versions.
They call this "innovation", but in truth the only purpose of this
strategy is to inflate Microsoft's already obscene profits even
further."
In OS X, support to connect to a Windows domain was horrible. If they focused their resources on this, it would've been fixed in 10.1. It wasn't -- it still sucked. 10.2 sucked. 10.3 sucked. Finally in 10.4 they got it right.
These companies do what they have with the time they're given. MS is no different than any other company in that respect. Every new Mac OS release, Linux distro, etc. prioritizes certain things and leaves the others on the wayside. Windows is no different.
software will be dealt with in the next release.... but not right now.
That's the whole point: instead of fixing bugs, Microsoft actually
uses these flaws as an excuse for an aggressive update policy.
Microsoft doesn't fix bugs, but continuously releases new versions.
They call this "innovation", but in truth the only purpose of this
strategy is to inflate Microsoft's already obscene profits even
further."
In OS X, support to connect to a Windows domain was horrible. If they focused their resources on this, it would've been fixed in 10.1. It wasn't -- it still sucked. 10.2 sucked. 10.3 sucked. Finally in 10.4 they got it right.
These companies do what they have with the time they're given. MS is no different than any other company in that respect. Every new Mac OS release, Linux distro, etc. prioritizes certain things and leaves the others on the wayside. Windows is no different.
concentrate all it's energies on getting Vista right. Yeah fat chance
of that happening. Oh well Vista might be a good product after the
230th service pack.
enough on their plates at the moment, like an major upgrade that
is already way, way overdue?
On the other hand, given the track record, maybe its a good idea to
start now so that it will be ready five years after the release of
Vista.
concentrate all it's energies on getting Vista right. Yeah fat chance
of that happening. Oh well Vista might be a good product after the
230th service pack.
enough on their plates at the moment, like an major upgrade that
is already way, way overdue?
On the other hand, given the track record, maybe its a good idea to
start now so that it will be ready five years after the release of
Vista.
RSS client for Mac OS X, which I happened to find the story with.
RSS client for Mac OS X, which I happened to find the story with.
For example go and look at the roadmap for the excellent Firefox browser and you'll see that they've got several future releases on the map and an idea of what features they want to add in each of those releases.
It would be more worrisome if a software producer didn't have an idea about where they'd be going next with their product.
So please try to stick with real issues and not get all hyped up over such a total non-issue, it only makes you sound ridiculous.
It's called vaporware.
For example go and look at the roadmap for the excellent Firefox browser and you'll see that they've got several future releases on the map and an idea of what features they want to add in each of those releases.
It would be more worrisome if a software producer didn't have an idea about where they'd be going next with their product.
So please try to stick with real issues and not get all hyped up over such a total non-issue, it only makes you sound ridiculous.
It's called vaporware.
Windows XP SP3?
Based on the latest news, Vista is just as vulnerable as XP, and
will basically be a GUI upgrade with much greater hardware
requirement.
If you are a Windows fan, great. But what you've got, is all you
get.
;-)
Wrong, absolutely wrong. If you are talking about a specific, single and isolated vulnerability like the WMF flaw (which you'll agree is a ridiculous metric for judgng an operating's system security) that precise issue shows some of the biggest security improvements in Vista. LUA in Vista lowers the impact of an issue such as the WMF vulnerability significantly, and what is an absolutely devastating attack on an XP machine is a much more serious threat on Vista. Also, improvements on AntiPhishing, Firewall and download manager technologies in Vista greatly reduce the impact of such a bug.
Don't get me wrong, a vulnerabiolity such as the WMF one is still a serious issue, but the key in Vista is reducing the impact of such vulnerabilities even if they are still there (and Microsoft is not Naive enough to imagine Vista, or any other piece of software, will ever be bug free). That's precisely something that has been criticized about previous Windows versions, and it's something that's specifically and effectively being handled in Vista.
Windows XP SP3?
Based on the latest news, Vista is just as vulnerable as XP, and
will basically be a GUI upgrade with much greater hardware
requirement.
If you are a Windows fan, great. But what you've got, is all you
get.
;-)
Wrong, absolutely wrong. If you are talking about a specific, single and isolated vulnerability like the WMF flaw (which you'll agree is a ridiculous metric for judgng an operating's system security) that precise issue shows some of the biggest security improvements in Vista. LUA in Vista lowers the impact of an issue such as the WMF vulnerability significantly, and what is an absolutely devastating attack on an XP machine is a much more serious threat on Vista. Also, improvements on AntiPhishing, Firewall and download manager technologies in Vista greatly reduce the impact of such a bug.
Don't get me wrong, a vulnerabiolity such as the WMF one is still a serious issue, but the key in Vista is reducing the impact of such vulnerabilities even if they are still there (and Microsoft is not Naive enough to imagine Vista, or any other piece of software, will ever be bug free). That's precisely something that has been criticized about previous Windows versions, and it's something that's specifically and effectively being handled in Vista.
Longhorn: "One of a breed of long-horned cattle formerly bred in the southwestern United States." The Texas Longhorn mascot "Bevo" is one of these types of cattle.
Memphis.
Memphis, by the way, is a city in both Tennesee and Egypt. So is
Cairo, though the U.S. version is pronounced Kay-ro.
Longhorn: "One of a breed of long-horned cattle formerly bred in the southwestern United States." The Texas Longhorn mascot "Bevo" is one of these types of cattle.
Memphis.
Memphis, by the way, is a city in both Tennesee and Egypt. So is
Cairo, though the U.S. version is pronounced Kay-ro.
When One Thinks of Microsoft Vienna:
Microsoft has plenty of history to offer, but lacks sophistication and elegance when it comes to making operating systems gracefully dance. It is like the BIGFOOT of the dance floor in Vienna's Ballroom.
Mac OS X is white, and can be no other colour. Windows Vista is black, and can be white, purple, blue, anything you want, gracefully mixed into your desktop background.
Not that I like the Vienna Codename; Vienna is sinking, I thought that with the AMD Viennas. I have no doubt however Microsoft will finally give Vienna-codenamed projects a victory.
- When One Thinks of Vienna, Austria...
- by Michael G. January 20, 2006 9:59 PM PST
- One thinks of (nostalgic) elegance. Johann Strauss waltzes in the moonlight with one's chosen partner. Gilded halls and structures in white and gold. Museums and Art Galleries. The best old-style Europe has to offer, in terms of culture.
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- Have you seen Vista?
- by LordKalthorn January 21, 2006 4:58 PM PST
- If you can find me an operating system with more sophisticated tools, and more graceful elegance, I'll give you a cookie. Windows has to be Big Foot, if it wasn't it would be impossible to sustain itself in marketshare its less sophisticated and graceful competitors could not imagine let alone put up with. Although I am sure Tux does ponder it in his wildest fantasies after some fun with the Misses, the BSD Devil.
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (192 Comments)When One Thinks of Microsoft Vienna:
Microsoft has plenty of history to offer, but lacks sophistication and elegance when it comes to making operating systems gracefully dance. It is like the BIGFOOT of the dance floor in Vienna's Ballroom.
Mac OS X is white, and can be no other colour. Windows Vista is black, and can be white, purple, blue, anything you want, gracefully mixed into your desktop background.
Not that I like the Vienna Codename; Vienna is sinking, I thought that with the AMD Viennas. I have no doubt however Microsoft will finally give Vienna-codenamed projects a victory.