Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Plans WinXP "Reloaded"
An anonymous reader writes "Looks like Microsoft changed their minds and are planning a new OS release before Longhorn. They are calling it XP Reloaded."
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
I Googled "XP Reloaded" just for kicks.
Based on the results page, I think they really do need another release -- nearly every single query result was a question about how to reload the operating system because a bunch of shit just stopped working!
Once XP Reloaded comes out, I can't wait to query for "XP Reloaded Reloaded" and see if the number of results returned decreases at all, or if the MS tards just add more bugs with every "bug fix". Hahahaha!
Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate. Ex-O'Reilly/MIT employee, now a full-time Google employee.
Is this a fortelling of things to come? Did the Oracle prophetize these events? Is it fate that the next two versions of windows are doomed to be over hyped and inferior to the original in nearly every way shape and form?
Warner Bros takes Billy to court over using the name Reloaded.
Actually what I'm thrilled about (even if others say its horribly inefficient) is the 3D accelerated desktop that is supposed to be in Longhorn, and doing away with 2D acceleration. The Mac has it, why can't we?
Though I doubt Reloaded will have it as it would take away the Longhorn hype
Candle burns its brightest in the dark
XP Rebooted?
Or can it?
Everyone that disagrees with me is a paid shill
This reminds me of a phrase posted here on slashdot about the movie " How about I give you the finger and you give me my 10 dollars back!"
how long until
...followed in 2006 by Longhorn, aka "Microsoft XP Revolutions"
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
Somehow, this seems like a sequel nobody wants to see...
Remember what happened when XP missed its deadline... Microsoft ended up shipping WindowsMe which in most circles stands for "Mistake Edition".
We know the real reason they're putting this out. It's not for the innovation value, but that sales of the XP Update have started to tail off, and this will convince some people who already have XP to buy the upgrade...
Why do I get the feeling that the lead programmer on this project is called Neo?
Do they know how many times I've "reloaded" XP for friends and family members? Seriously.
Not much difference from what they did with 98SE or 95B (or 95C).
Says the latest virus to XP.
Windows RG
They better not release it under that title because it sounds a lot more like infringement to me than "Lindows" does. Well, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it's something to think about nonetheless.
Jesus. That's so lame.
That's like in high school when you'd be hanging out at your friend's house and his dad would be one of those guys who thought he was cool but he was actually terribly out of touch. You know, the kind of guy who would come downstairs in like 1998 and say something like, "What are you guys doing? Listening to Nirvana?" in a desperate attempt to seem cool and "with it."
-- atomly
Today, while I was browsing Slashdot, Windows XP for no particular reason brought up its BSOD and demanded a reboot.
While that was happening, I realized it had been about two and a half years since XP came out. It seems like MS operating systems aways start to wear out after 2-3 years, just in time for the new release to claim it fixes all of those bugs...
if this OS will have full 64bit compatiablity? As if it doesn't it could seriously slow down 64bit sales, as I for one was waiting for Longhorn to upgrade to 64bit, and I know a lot of my friends were.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
It WILL boot up, but the boot-up sequence will be 150 copies of Clippy fighting the Windows logo.
I've got more mod points and GMail invi
...the bomb. No, I mean: ...for jokes galore. Consider:
"Like the original, except everyone's disappointed with it."
"Reloaded? More like reBOOTed! BURN!"
"Here comes Desktop Agent Clippy Smith! 'It looks like you're trying to type a letter, Mister Anderson...'"
"XP has you!"
And so on.
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
Heck, I can reload XP for free . . . but at least even Microsoft is now acknowledging that is one of the only way to fix their buggy software.
I hope it's not another Windows ME style dead-end branch of the Windows tree. US customers need to get the rumored stripped-down Windows that the EU may be getting. Windows, without all the unwanted crap, would be interesting to see. BN
...with Duke Nukem: Forever will be particularly popular.
AC comments get piped to
Gives new meaning to "a glitch in the matrix", doesn't it?
*crickets*
sorry.
I've got more mod points and GMail invi
"Hm... upgrades."
"We are exploring ways to add value to Windows XP."
Sounds more like they are Exploring (TM) ways to add value to Microsoft.
Belloc
I got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mangoes.
Does this mean it will have lots of pretty graphics and effects with little actually substance and meaning behind it? Like other things titled "Reloaded"?
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
I do not think that word means what you think it means.
And delayed. Point is, to me this indicates that Longhorn's release date just became slightly more tentative than it was before. Which is a good thing for alternative operating systems like the growing and ever-improving GNU/Linux.
And in the short term it's a good thing for Microsoft, as some people are likely to fork over the $100 (or whatever) upgrade.
You misspelled "blue screen".
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
How about XP Unplugged? Now that I'd pay money for.
Yeah it already came with XP Preloaded.
Microsoft will be announcing further products in their "Reloaded" range which will include Office Reloaded, Visual Studio Reloaded, Outlook Reloaded and The Browser, Reloaded.
... I guess
My guess is that the Longhorn will not be out soon enough for those who bought XP under software assurance program. By having a forced update out, MS can claim that the software assurance program is indeed a good buy.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
tell Microsoft that their calenders are all fucked up.
April 1st is a ways away yet.
Or is this more from the new Microsoft Time Travel Engine (TM)?
God, you'd think that after their latest public gaff that they'd just hunker down for a while and rethink their strategy, but NO...
I'm over the line from disgusted to sheer pity. Must be some good crack they're smoking over at 1 MS Way.
Fer crying out loud
Vulnerabilities aren't exploited until we release a patch for the "hackers" to reverse engineer, and NOW THEY'RE GOING TO PATCH IN A MAJOR WAY THE WHOLE OS.
gaaarrrgghhhhhhh *choke*
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
Look, everyone knows (or should, by now) that the only part of XP that really NEEDS overhauling is IE. After the new stuff coming up in SP2 (security fixes, software firewall, built-in antivirus, etc.), that'll _still_ be the only thing that needs an overhaul. A popup blocker in IE with SP2 isn't going to cure the REAL ills of IE, namely, horrid CSS & PNG support. Merely fixing those two things would get me to buy an XP upgrade. As a web designer/developer, that is my number one, EVERY DAY biggest obstacle to computing happiness. Where do I want to go today, Microsoft asks. I want to go to that happy land where IE properly & fully supports CSS 1 & 2 & PNG. Is that so much to ask? Hell, just properly implementing what you started in the original IE 6 would be enough!
Screw Fermat's Last Theorem. MS spending time adding a _popup blocker_ to IE when the PNG & CSS issues remain is the biggest mystery of our time. If they add tabs and _still_ don't fix CSS & PNG, I'm gonna totally lose it.
Yet another OS we have to stick in our testing matrix. Sigh...
Anyway, I read the article, and I loved this quote from Window's lead project manager:
"We are exploring ways to add value to Windows XP."
To me, that sounds like newspeak for "We are exploring ways to get existing XP users to pony up extra cash."
What's funny about all this is the article talks all about the prospect for this new XP release, without mentioning even one feature Reloaded would contain. Go figure.
Here's some wild speculation: Longhorn development is running into problems that are further delaying development, so Microsoft is responding with a stopgap operating system. Maybe they should call it OS9 instead of Reloaded.
Anyway, from a Linux advocate's perspective, anything that pushes back Longhorn has to be considered a good thing. Longhorn will no doubt come with some compelling features that will make Linux a harder sell. So the longer it takes to be released, the more time Linux has to establish its foothold.
Note that I'm not saying that Longhorn will be a product I'd want to have. Every new release of Windows seems to be more restrictive than the last, and what little I understand about .NET terrifies me. Still, there's no denying that some users will view Longhorn as sort of the OSX release of Windows.
I'm generally "Interesting," "Insightful," and even "Funny" here. What the hell happens to me at parties?
You mean Hippocrates as in the Hippocratic oath? Part of which reads:
I will follow that system or regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.
I don't think Microsoft could ever be credibly accused of being a bunch of hippocrites.
In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they're not.
Of course, what Microsoft is trying to do is to have their cake and eat it too. They want the ubiquitous distribution of their Operating System by making deals with OEMs and retailers. They also want people to pay the ridiculous off-the-shelf upgrade prices. These people that upgrade to Pro end up paying twice.
I personally do not pay the MS tax, I just borrow a CD. I own XP home, but I install XP Pro on my computer. Don't use it regularly, only for games and stuff.
Please tell me the Longhorn desktop is NOT going to be 3D only, with no 2D acceleration. I mean, I have no problem with a desktop having lots of 3D effects for people who like them, but at least give us the chance to TURN THE DAMN CHROME OFF!
...And so on...
It seems like every time a new class of CPUs come out that can keep up with bloated GUIs, Windows blows up the CPU power needed to drive its GUI exponentially.
Remember when a DX2-66 was all you needed to make Win3.1 draw fast? Along came 95
Remember when a P5-166 was all you needed to make Win95 draw fast? Along came Win98
Remember when a PIII was all you needed to make Win2K draw fast?
I hope I speak for others when I say, I don't need fancy-schmancy glowing texture-wrapped widgets, window transparancy, or realtime updated iconified windows. I need to use my computer to get stuff done!
... that Longhorn will be even more delayed. As others in the thread have noted, this is exactly what happened with 95 (B and C) and 98SE and ME's entire reason for existance.
Today we have learned that "new intermediate version" means "omigod, I am up to my eyeballs in delays, and I don't want to look like an ass to my users^W customers"
The previous sig has been removed due to
Which would you prefer? "WinXP 2: Electric Boogaloo?"
sulli
RTFJ.
Remember Windows ME, filling the gap between 98/NT4 and Windows 2000?
The most unstable OS I've (n)ever used.
Just like Windows 98SE, MS probably said "hey, this up and coming service pack is pretty nice....... lets charge for it!"
As per the article, this is its "internally referred to name", probably a nickname given to it by the developers. I would bet real money that this has never been intended to be used outside the developers group, much less MS itself. Watch out for something like WinXP SE.
Note that the only MS person quoted in the article is never quoted as calling it XP Reloaded, its only implied ("Sullivan said that the possible release of XP Reloaded does not indicate a delay for Longhorn." is not a quote, but sounds more like something Cnet bodged together out of the info it had to hand), but an external analysist did, clear indication that this is a pet name for the project and not its official title.
All it takes is a glance at the imdb.
I think "you got served" is a pretty good candidate myself.
One you missed.
It's really quite funny.
Actually, it was Butt Head Astronomer (BHA).
Does "Windows XP" sound like "Matrix"?
Does "Windows XP Reloaded", found in the computer section of a store, in a box matching that of computer software, sound like something that could be confused with a movie found in the movie section of a store?
When you're renting a movie will you become confused with your choices?
"I thought the kids said... MATRIX Reloaded... but this says.... WINDOWS XP Reloaded.... I am so senile."
Eventually after six months, and Windows slows down or goes belly up,
everyone runs Windows, reloaded. (Probably more than once).
According to the article, the Reloaded name is an internal name they are using, like a codename, not the actual product name the public will see. Besides, you're comparing apples to oranges. One is an OS that sounds like another OS, the other is an OS that sounds like a movie. Which one do you think may cause confusion?
I on the other hand believe it is just an attempt by M$ to get more money. Hence a better name would be XP 2: The Search For More Money. Rather than fixing the bugs in the OS, they will now sell 'updates' which will do the exact same thing - fix the bugs by introducing more serious ones so the old ones don't look quite so bad anymore.
There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
most of us won't be able to afford it.
-- Lemmy
a patched up version to keep the income stream happening. Which doesn't mean it won't have some interesting stuff, but the MS history is that it will wind up as another dead end.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
There is no service pack
AT&ROFLMAO
Had to say it
Intel givith and Microsoft taketh away
Well, it's better than Windows XP: A New Hope.
Or, as someone else said, Windows XP: Return of the King.
Maybe a better name would be Windows XP: The Phantom Menace.
Or Windows XP 2: 2 Farked 2 Frivolous.
Mr. Balmer,
I am not an idiot. The company that I work for is not populated by idiots, either.
It has become increasingly apparent in the past few years that Microsoft is clearly more interested in Microsoft's business and less and less interested in ours. Your penchant for adding meaningless and often useless features to your software while ratcheting up the "Draconian" knob on your license amplifier is blatent, obvious and conveys a serious lack of respect for your customers.
Now go away before I taunt you a second time.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
Maybe it's time to stop adding value and start subtracting crappiness.
Love, Masque.
P.S. Please open the enclosed attachment.
want to charge you through the nose for it. I think we're going to see something like what happened with Windows ME...
...you insert your brand new copy of the much-awaited Windows XP Reloaded and it reboots your system and reinstalls XP?
-------
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell
The idea is behind pop-ups is that they get advertising to the consumer. Right now, this works for 95% of their intended audience. That 5%, those who use a better browser, get a surfing experience.
Once pop-ups cease to be effective for the advertiser, they'll disappear. Instead, they'll find new ways of getting to their audience, like flash movies in the middle of a page, that will affect everyone, regardless of browser (except lynx).
Right now, I'm happy with the unwashed masses dealing with advertisements so I don't have to.
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
Look at Quartz Extreme on any AGP equippen G4 or G5 Mac. It is heavily 3D accelerated and looks 2D. The built in scaling and other acceleration tools that the 3D hardware brings to bare makes the OS extremeley snappy and responsive.
And it's not wastefull at all. It is simply taking advantage of commonly existing hardware that didn't exist when the original 2D API was created.
The reality is that unless you buy a Matrox card, the 2D acceleration that your video card brings to the tape hasn't improved that much at all in the last five years. The 2D core is more than good enough to do what's required of it so most video card companies don't bother expending much energy improviing things. 3D acceleration, on the other hand, has improved at rates that throttle the imagination.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
Alright, I believe in a couple years we're going to start seeing some serious version hell. For example, in the future how will we know what is "newer" than the other when we have:
Windows XP
Windows XP Reloaded
Windows XP Revolutions
Windows Xtreme
Windows Xtreme Unleashed
Windows Opposing Force
Windows Blue Shift
Does that stuff mean anything? No. With letter versioning and now this word versioning, to know what is newer than the next the user is just required to know. 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, it all makes logical sense. Words, unless they come up with alphabetical names (which would be kinda cool, but still limiting) mean nothing other than "this one is kinda different".
Complie that with other pieces of software which will follow suit (Look at all the software using 2 letter naming convensions for their versioning already) and we'll have very little knowledge what version is actually what.
Additionally, a benefit to number versioning was it allowed us to say "ok, this is 1.0, this software is really new and hasn't undergone any revisons," or "alright, this is version 3.2, they've taken a couple cracks at it and added some fixes." What if I told you I just made Gigawhop Reloaded. What the heck is that? Unless you knew the name of the software already, is it called Gigawhop or Gigawhop Reloaded as a whole? Is Reloaded actually the version? What does that even mean to me? Is it my first release? Second? Third? Tenth?
You have been warned...
To make a pun demonstrates the highest understanding of a language
XP Forever, and it'll be released "when it's done".
Perhaps the name should be:
"Bank Account: Reloaded"
Oh wait -- I guess they already have $20 billion sitting around. How about:
"Analyst Estimates: Reloaded"
Since Microsoft feels that MikeRoweSoft.com is too similar to their name and gets the poor guy to rename his site, the W. bro's could (and really ought to) go after Microsoft for the obvious takeoff of their movie's title.
I've never seen so many Score: 5 Funnys.
Here's an exerpt from that page:
I'm still uncertain whether or not the "Classic experience" (Windows 2000 equivalent) will be available to ALL Longhorn users. Microsoft's slideshow at WinHEC (May 2003) seems to indicate that a "Windows 2000 compatability mode" will only be available to "enterprises that desire this option." Here's that slide describing the different desktop experiences: Longhorn User Experience
Microsoft was already planning on a 64-bit release of XP, and even has a beta you can download and test if you have an Opteron or Athlon64 machine. Thus, my question is: why were you planning on waiting for Longhorn? Was it a lack of interest in paying for a 64-bit version of an existing OS, or just a lack of knowle3dge that a 64-bit version was comming?
s /upgrade.asp
0 03/64bit/e xtended/default.mspx
Honestly though, anyone who is surprised by the anouncement of a XP2 needs to pay more attention: with the delays in Longhorn and the delays of sp2, with the added functiuonality of sp2, I've been expecting a XP second edition to be anounced for over 6 months. It's par for course after 98SE and ME. The release of 64-bit platforms just adds another excuse to the pile of reasons to push a new version out the door - I doubt we'll see commercial releases of regular XP for 64-bit now, regardless of the beta program. Oh, and the 64-bit version will be more secure, thanks to the support for non executable memory pages on AMD64 (and later, intel 'IA32e', which is the SAME THING).
64-bit XP download: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/download
Note: its a 'customer preview' (Beta), it may crash a lot, and you may have fun finding native 64 bit drivers for your hardware, so only install on a test partition, don't use it in production or while drinking, blah blah blah - if you shoot your dog in the head with it, I won't be held responsible - and neither will MS.
Windows Server 2003 is also available in a 64-bit preview:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2
Same warnings apply as above.
And no, this post was not spell checked.
man is machine
we got 1D and were THRILLED! The characters came out in one line, and it really forced you to improve your reading speed, because it didn't scroll up.
And we were LUCKY, and we knew it! There were two standards in the competing generation. One standard showed one letter at a time, and you had to build words and sentences in your head. The other standard was Morse code with dots and dashes in a 1D line.
And of course the generation before THAT was 0D. Though they did get the option for the light to blink in Morse, ASCII, or EBCDIC.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
They're on the site and from (e.g.) Belgium, so they need to click the link...but, if 'the choice has been taken away', how exactly did they get there?
IPv4 address geolocation works ... sometimes. Lindows.com visitors in BeNeLux that don't get redirected to Lin---s.com are legally obligated to click through that link.
Two weeks ago I participated in a Microsoft-sponsored focus group where we considered 20 or so new features that could be added to XP and then expressed our preferences for which of these should go in a new "Small Business" version of the OS. We were a pretty outspoken group and we all agreed on these points and then hammered them home to the Microsoft employees hidden behind the one-way mirror:
1. Splitting XP into different versions was a terrible idea, leading to even more of the dreaded "I'm sorry, you bought the wrong version" problems like when small business owners go buy cheap Compaq boxes with XP Home and then wonder why they can't connect to their domains.
2. The _minute_ a useful, stable version of Linux comes out for the desktop, we're all dumping Windows immediately.
3. Lastly, we all screamed at them that the last thing we wanted was additional "features" and that what we really desired was for them to take five years off and just fix bugs in XP!
They were paying for our opinions and they definitely got their money's worth.
Ever since I switched to Linux, I've called it -
Windows "Unloaded"
I can't afford a sig!
Microsoft SmithX Agent
A small utility which greatly speeds and simplifies implementation of dos copy command as well as FileCopy API function.
Microsoft Oracle SQL
A complete replacement for Oracle Oracle, Microsoft Oracle is a database engine with Stupid Query Language. Now, You can give simple questions as "Uh?" or "Eh?" to your OLAP data cube.
Microsoft Architect
New antivirus tool. In case of vrus or worm detection, it completely wipes out anything from your hard disk and keeps your computer clean and safe, reinstalling a pure initial version of XP reloaded without your intervention.
There you are, staring at me again.
From the article: "A company executive confirmed to CNET News.com on Thursday that Microsoft is now discussing a product internally referred to as "Windows XP Reloaded."
/. ppl spew forth with sad jokes about the lameness of MS' internal code name and the fact that they are a greedy corporate behemoth. 500 posts! All that time and energy taken away from making Linux's star shine even brighter! So if MS does come out with "XP Unloaded", by all means, DON'T UPGRADE. Use Linux, make it better. But PLEASE Slashdot editors: Stop seeding the site with these MS-related "stories". And Slashdot posters: Enough with the masterbatory carping over how STOOPID Microsoft is. We GET IT. NEXT!
So MS is DISCUSSING the POSSIBILITY of an XP re-release. Yup. If MS can add code and apps that they percieve will add value for a significant number of customers, they may package it up and sell it:
* Make software
* Package it
* Sell it
* Support it
* Profit
What a concept! That's what they do. Perhaps the extra revenue will come in handy since it looks like Longhorn will be delayed even longer. But look what happens when story is posted? 500+
Is this sig nificant?
Yeah, the word "Lindows" infringes on Microsoft's intellectual property, but "XP Reloaded" doesn't infringe on anybody else's ideas. It's a totally original concept. Right.
After a partial release of the source code. Honestly, I thought that this is all the discussion would be about and instead i found 85 "+5 Funny Matrix Reloaded Windows Rebooted" comments. Howabout the fact that the code windowsXP is based on was leaked to the internet last week. If you thought windows was full of holes two weeks ago that was just the beginning. Microsoft is in the position of never getting a liscencing fee again if their product starts to fail big corporations (many of whom are still running the "older" win2k that was released.
I view this as more of a sign that MS realizes that the source code leak was more of an incredible disaster than they are letting on....Even throwing in some absurd comment about never having a sploit in windows before a patch just to draw your attention away from the real news: "Microsoft admits winXP no longer secure by even their definitions, unscheduled major overhaul coming."
---- The real Slashdot is still here. You just have to browse at -1 to read the comments.
A couple thoughts --
I've gotten used to using ALT-TAB to switch between apps, as in browser to word processor, so for me, tabs are great. Sure, I can bundle like app windows under Windows or Linux, but that just doesn't fit my personal style. Go figure.
On the other hand, by using tabbed browsing, you lose about 50% of your screen to tabs for all the windows you have open, right? I value my real estate more than most people then.
I hear you about screen real estate. But then you have me confused; what browser do you use that takes up half the screen just for the tabs? Does Opera do that? I haven't messed with it in a while, as Opera had problems rendering Japanese. Firefox uses barely a pinky's-width, about as much as the URL bar. Maybe as much as 1/8 of the screen for the app bar, menu bar, URL bar, tab bar, and status bar together.
If you rely on your web browser for window management then your operating system is lacking or you are not using it correctly. Which is why tabbed browsing is abhorrent.
I smell a stylistic issue here. Your response nicely showed that my points were partly based on my ignorance of your experience. Forgive me for that. However, "you are not using (your OS) correctly" seems to carry things a bit too far -- part of any good system is the flexibility to use it in many different ways, no? If I choose to group my browser windows in the browser, I fail to see what sin lies in that.
Ahh and the inevitable personal attack,
Actually, a fine point, but I think I was attacking your comments to the effect that *nix systems don't manage windows well. Nothing ad hominem in that.
I use Redhat 9.0 when I'm not using Windows, but I've used several different distros and window managers in the past. The high level of fragmentation in Linux makes window management even more difficult, as one method for management will work fine on one desktop, but it won't on another without configuring it the same way first.
By "desktop" I assume you mean either "windows manager" or "linux distro", rather than the various virtual desktops provided in a single X session. If this is correct, your statement is quite similar to "window management doesn't work the same on several different OSes.
Um, yes. Windows and the Windows window manager are inseparable; the OS and the desktop are one and the same. Swapping desktop managers under linux is effectively similar to changing the complete userland OS under the Windows monolithic paradigm. To exaggerate a little, your comment is a little like "it doesn't work the same on Mac as it does on Windows". Or for the linux savvy, "Gnome and KDE are different." No surprises there.
I'll grant you that a greater level of standardization would be lovely, not just for the end user but for developers as well. I think that's what the Freedesktop.org project is all about, so this is in the works.
Windows tends to act very predictably no matter where you find it, however.
You bring up a good point here -- Windows, through its hegemony, offers a common user experience. There is something of value in this, and the OSS community would be unwise to sneer. Thankfully, many seem wise enough to save the baby from the bathwater, and are putting in the effort to find what works in Windows.
To hearken back to your earlier posting:
Everything in MS applications looks and feels the same, this is what has enabled MS to keep the desktop, and it's a key point of failure for linux on the desktop.
A good point -- the Principle of Least Surprise plays in here. Users expect a particular look and feel, in terms of where menu items are if not necessarily the specific widget set. Straying from this de facto standard of expectations will almost inevitably make a program less popular. Ask anyone who's used Adobe graphics products versus, say,
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
2) Windows Re-installed from scratch.
3) Windows Removed.
4) Windows Replaced (with an OS that works better...)
This is actually the scheme used, except the third number is the build number. This is a huge number that increments every day, but is exactly what you propose, in a sense: each day sees many small fixes and increments to the code base.
What Marketing calls "Windows XP" internally carries the product name "Windows" and the version number "5.1.2600".
One will note that this reveals that Windows XP is considered a minor release from Windows 2k, which was 5.0.2195.