Slashdot Mirror
Windows Longhorn Screenshots Available Online
The Fred writes "I found this website that seems to have screenshots for the next version of windows. Everything from a new start button, extended task bar, display options, .NET capability, and a bigger clock." Fair number of UI changes, some good, mostly irrelevant, but it's interesting. Wonder if it's real.
TechCritic
...will be useful to those trying to keep track of their .NET fees and licensing renewals.
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
Is it just me, or is the screen just as cluttered as CNN at any given moment? I keep expecting the MS stock quote to slide accross the screen...
As a computer scientist, that is an interesting aspect of longhorn I'd like to investigate for it's technically stimulating intrinsic value.
Who mediates your information?
I wonder what's fastest in removing content from the internet, the Slashdot effect or Microsoft.
Did anyone notice that in one of the screenshots Bjork is holding a camera. If she's in it, it must be a stable and secure operating system.
"... .NET capability, and a bigger cock"
Err, I read that WAY wrong. "Yeah, Windows Longhorn sports a bigger cock, to fuck its users harder..."
the real at&t mix
JWZ's Law Of Software Envelopment states that all programs expand until they can read mail.
I posit a corollary, the Law Of GUI Envelopment: all windows will eventually be round.
Aqua has rounded corners. Now XP does. What, do they think they sharp edges might hurt someone?
ZOMG I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS ON MACINTOSH VERSUS WINDOWS, VI VERSUS EMACS, AND HOW YOU'RE NOT A DORK
XBetas has some.
Microsoft Lawyer #2 Just post their URLs to Slashdot, that will take care of 'em!
Microsoft Lawyer #1 Sweeeeet!
Why isn't it important? Because you think it's inefficient?
Anyhow, I think it's amazing how much _more_ like Mac OS X this looks than XP. And it's even more impressive that even though it looks _more_ like Mac OS X, it has more of the awful aspects that are further evidence that MS just doesn't get what it is that makes people like Mac OS X. At least that's how I see it.
All of these god-awful directories as web pages, wizards, and other strange abstractions to keep the user away from his computer will only serve to confuse him all the more when it comes time to fix something or take action that isn't already anticipated by the software designer. It should be easy to use the computer, not easy to use the interface abstraction. That's what MS just doesn't get, and it's why Windows will always be frustrating and always work in unexpected ways.
A few things that are clearly out of whack here - some of the screenshots have inconsistent antialiasing of text for one, which often happens when screenshots are photoshopped. The artwork is hilarious, some of the title bars have gradients but the minimize/close/restore boxes don't, making them stick out like a sore thumb.
Why are the hard disk sizes measured in KB when everything else in Windows is megabytes? Why does some of the text overlap the borders of the containing window (an api impossibility). The last screenshot is just taking the piss totally, this version of Windows won't install on that version of DOS? That's not even trying to be real.
Look, guys, if you want screenshots of cool new features that you know are genuine, look at the stuff the Linux teams post - if they're real you can get them soon, if they're faked they always tell you. This kind of slobbering over crude mockups gives Microsoft a bad name.
The actual images are at
...where the n before the .JPG are integers from 1 to 10.
http://home.attbi.com/~mrwatchdawg_01/n.JPG
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The screenshots are fake for the following reasons (this is XP with a custom theme and then some hacking around in an image editor)...
:-D
:-D
For the Setup screen...
a) In the window, horizontal bar at the top doesn't meet the right hand side.
b) Alpha plane gone on setup icon (definitely would NOT happen to one icon and not others).
c) This is a BIG giveaway all over the place... The current user settings have font smoothing set to anti-alias, not cleartype or none. Anti-alias text does not come into play for small fonts including 8pt (as can be seen on dektop icons, start bar, etc). However, the new bar on the right IS anti-aliasing these fonts and not only that, but it's not using font hinting (aligning the text to the nearest pixel) which is standard for cleartype or anti-aliasing... it's fake text drawn in a graphics package.
The sidebar as startmenu screen...
d) Looks nice, but examine the desktop images... no windows in the first one... later on they have images of the windows!
Sidebar on the right...
e) Where did the windows in the desktop image come from in this one ?
f) Aren't those icons on the bar a bit big compared with the later bars?
Display Properties screen (oh my god)...
g) Nice text antialiasing again (hmm)
h) 'You can change the image that appears on your windo...' ooops. Clipped that text a bit. Note this can't happen with the windows API when you have a multi-line text field (using TextOut, etc). Hmm... minor cockup
i) Ah my windows are back in the desktop images (on the sidebar), but now the current window is bigger with a black splodge at the bottom.
My Computer screen...
j) Love the antialiasing on the left, but not in the middle... nice.
k) How fake are the section buttons on the left hand side? Come on guys... you can't flip images horizontally... MS insist on a top left light source. Oh, and your button with the shadow should either have an alpha plane or not... don't do half a job... it really doens't look real.
My Documents...
l) Oooh, Oooh, an anti-aliased dropdown. Fake Fake Fake.
My Pictures..
m) Nice... what happened to Burn CD though? Have MS dropped it now they support DVD burning?
n) Oops, you should have removed the LH.bmp from your My Pictures. Remember you only used it to create the backgroud.
DOS Setup
o) Love it... now your just taking the piss. How did you get the screenshot??? and the 'install Windows Longhorn 2004 using DOS 1985' is excelent. Very funny
p) The URL is superb. ROTFLMAO.
So...
Nice theming... love the sidebar, good use of blending in your graphics package, but FAKE FAKE FAKE.
Great for a laugh though.
When I try to buy a laptop, and find out there is no "unbundled" option for that laptop.
Imagine if you tried to buy a portable CD player. Rather than buying just the CD player for 100$ or so, you have to pay 115$ for it and 2 Backstreet boys CDs (a savings of 15$!). You try and tell them that you don't want the Backstreet boys CDs, because you have a collection of your own music to listen.
"We can't, sir. It's bundled. It represents a savings to you anyways, so you are getting a good value. Since every player is sold with CDs, only people who are commiting music piracy would have music separate from the players anyways."
But the thing is, I'm paying for something I don't want and won't use. If I disagree with the licence and try to return Windows for the money I paid for it as a bundle price, I end up having to deal with the retailer, OEM, and Microsoft all pointing fingers at each other. "Talk to them, they're the ones who should give you your money."
Microsoft gets my money without my consent. This is robery -- they are stealing from me.
--
Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.