Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Windows 'Longhorn' Kicks Off (On Paper)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the feature-envy-can-be-healthy dept.

gdeciantis writes: "NeoWin.net posted an article which outlines some of the new features that are currently planned for the the next version of Windows (codenamed Longhorn). With new features like seamless content transfer across devices, it looks like Longhorn will not just be Windows XP SE."

16 of 432 comments (clear)

  1. As a University of Texas Graduate by Deacon+Jones · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I really, really hate that they are using that name.

    --
    I pulled a jack move to cop this sig
  2. Using 3D API's for 2D? by bravehamster · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Following the links led me to Microsofts Longhorn website and another document entitled "Windows "Longhorn" Graphics Bandwidth Requirements". The part I found most interesting is:
    Windows Longhorn will expose new APIs for accelerated 2D drawing. These new APIs will not use existing GDI acceleration but will instead use the Microsoft Direct3D® DDI. New applications, therefore, will make use of the 3D pipeline of the graphics adapter for their 2D / productivity graphics requirements.
    So does this mean that in 2005 my new Geforce8MX will speed up my porn-browsing? Bring it on, Microsoft!

    --
    ---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
  3. Re:FYI: Windows "Longhorn" Platform Goals by SnAzBaZ · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This also includes advancing "quiet PC' goals for targeted markets. what has 'longhorn' got todo with how quiet we, or computer manufacturers, decide to build our PC's?

  4. "New" features? by sphealey · · Score: 3, Interesting
    New features, eh? The only thing that saves Microsoft here is how short everyone's memory is in the tech industry. "Seamless file transfer across devices" sounds very similar to the "object oriented files system", which was first promised for the version of Windows that was going to follow NT 3.5 and was announced in 1991 or so. Of course the follow on to NT 3.5 was NT 4, which was released in 1996 and contained few to none of the promised wizz-bangs.

    But now it will be XP 2.0 (dare we call it 3.11?) that will have the good stuff. I am holding my breath, I am.

    sPh

    1. Re:"New" features? by swordboy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But now it will be XP 2.0 (dare we call it 3.11?) that will have the good stuff. I am holding my breath, I am.

      Somewhat unrelated but along the same thought:

      Will Intel create a 4.77Ghz "Pentium XT" to celebrate the 1000 fold increase in operating speed over the 4.77Mhz 8086 XT processor?

      I'm actually serious. I think it would be appropriate considering AMD's use of the XP trademark...

      --

      Life is the leading cause of death in America.
  5. no analog output ? by tandr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Removal of the analog signal path for CD audio.

    wth?

  6. Re:The much anticipated... by ArsonSmith · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sometimes I see this as a downfall of Linux. The software for Linux seems to always try to be everything to everyone. There is no supper basic notepad for Linux, ok gedit and i am sure that kde has one too, but windows always seems to have kind of a 3 teir application base. sort of a notepad->wordpad->msword or paint->image editor->photopaint depending on how many features you may want.

    Linux seems to do well on the full featured version stuff but not so well on the very basic straight forward applications. (except for the command line. There they do it right.)

    --
    Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  7. Re:The much anticipated... by Arandir · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Do you know what Notepad is? It's essentially the multiline edit control of MFC with a frame around it. Do you know what KEdit is? It's essentially the multiline edit widget of Qt with a frame around it. The example Visual Studio editor and the sample Qt editor are virtually indistinguishable from Notepad and KEdit but for a bit of polish.

    Why doesn't KEdit qualify as a super basic text editor? You can't get much simpler than that.

    --
    A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
  8. What the... by shades66 · · Score: 3, Interesting


    Just read through the requirements and the following caught my eye..

    1) USB always full power. It looks like they must have shares in battery spares!?!?.. Why should they dictate how power management works. Shouldn't they be working around the hardware instead of expecting to dictate how the hardware works...

    2) Memory requirements.. Why are they asking this? They should make a system that can run in 64Mb MAX so that we can use the rest of the memory for the applications. It annoys me that with every new version of windows it takes up all the base level memory (ie when XP was released 256Mb was starting to become the norm. But XP needed that as a base just to load smoothly..)

    3) Win32 Flashable BIOS .. This worries me A LOT!!. With the past realiability of Microsoft products the last thing I want them doing is playing with the BIOS. I can imagine now all the queue's in PCWORLD at the service desk because they tried installing Windows X and now their computer won't even switch on..

    oh well. got to laugh at Microsoft trying once more to try and take over the world (They may get the hint one day that they can't)..

    I do wonder how many people will want this version of windows with all its anti-theft rubbish. Personally when I use my computer I want to use it the way I want not they way Billy Gates want's me to. That is why I use Linux. It is fairly simple to use, The applications I need are as good (if not better) than their windows counterparts. It allows me to experiment and learn without annoying restrictions. I know what is running on my machine, I can use what I want to access my machine, I know what the machine is logging behind the scenes, I can customise what I want without voiding my licence, I don't have to pay for bug-fixes (The patches from 95 to 98 to ME to 2k to XP cost a fortune...).

    Anyway rant over...

    Mark.

    --
    ---- There are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don't
  9. Competition by papasui · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Say what you want about Microsoft but the fact is that each time they release a new operating system. They are encouraging growth in the market. Open source groups have more reasons to make something thats a free equal (or better than) to Windows, while they are also imposing higher system requirements forcing hardware companies to sell more hardware and make faster parts. The fast parts yield more complex applications do to the fact that since Windows has higher minimum requirements the software users will already have faster systems that can run the software quicker. I don't know about you guys but I can do a lot more with my PC now than I could back when it was a 486dx2 with 8 megs of ram.

  10. Re:as the husband of a UT Grad by ThePlague · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Yes, only a 1/89 = 1.8% catastrophic fail rate. That's not bad at all. They teach engineering there?

  11. No Analog path for CDs by jparker · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the doc:

    Proposed requirements for advancing audio capabilities include:
    Removal of the analog signal path for CD audio.

  12. Ensure that file associations are appropriate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    "Windows Desktop Guidelines
    Ensure that file associations are appropriate"

    ALL Audio/Video formats = Windows Media Player
    ALL Web = Internet Explorer
    ALL Database = MS SQL Server

    So, in summary...
    ALL YOUR FILE ASSOCIATIONS ARE BELONG TO US!

  13. I can just see it now.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Push the power button and it says... Invalid Boot Sector:The OS you are trying to load is not Longhorn... Please call microsoft.

    Or better yet:
    Scandisk-Please wait while we verify that you own all of your digital media content...Deleting Illegal Files...

  14. Re:FYI: Windows "Longhorn" Platform Goals by scot4875 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And what does this mean for those who still can't program their VCR? Good one MS!

    They'll still be able to 'play their tapes' and 'record their shows.' People who want to set up to automatically 'record on a sechedule' will have to RTFM.

    As opposed to (long) past OSes where they couldn't figure out how to 'insert the tape.'

    Remove obvious VCR analogies and replace with something PC related.

    --Jeremy

    --
    Jesus was a liberal
  15. Not Quite by XScB · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually I believe Longhorn is named after this bar in Canada at the foot of Whistler. Whistler having been the codename for Windows XP.

    So instead of a cowboy, think of Ballmer dressed as a Mountie or Moose.

    Kinda scarier I think.