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Microsoft Demands Removal Of Longhorn Images
bonch writes "After the previously reported release of the Longhorn beta at this year's WinHEC, Neowin and other Windows sites are reporting that Microsoft is going around sending legal letters demanding removal of Longhorn Build 5048 screenshots. Paul Thurrott discusses it on his site, stating that Microsoft never told anyone beforehand not to post screenshots of the publicly available beta, and links to the new galleries he has up now. 'Enjoy it while it lasts.'"
The screen shots I've seen so far have been UTTERLY unimpressive. Essentially XP with a different color scheme. IE 6, Media Player 10, etc, etc, etc.
It's hard to hype a product when there is so much evidence showing the opposite.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
Look at the screen shop showing "My Music".
Now look at the top left explorer bar and see the link that says "Purchase Music".
Could this be why? Where does the link go? Isn't that illegal in the settlement with the justice dept/EU.
Just curious,
Enjoy
It's just the normal noises in here.
So in Longhorn, can I drag documents onto a button on the taskbar to open it, rather than holding the mouse down waiting for the app to appear?
"I don't think it's selfish, to eat defenseless shellfish." -NOFX
Interesting, BTW, how all those car magazines get away with pictures of pre-production prototytpes snapped during their road-tests. Somehow, car manufacturers don't see a problem there.
Having said that, if he agreed not to do it he shouldn't. Period.
Instead of spinning it as beta
I think the problem here comes from just how not beta Microsoft considers the overall GUI shown in those screenshots...
They promised to "wow" us all with a whole new Windows experience, and gave us exactly what most of us expected all along - XP with a makeover, which itself amounted to nothing more than Win95 with a makeover.
And right about now, we have a whole lot of people at MS updating their resumes as a result of the massively underwhelmed response from not just "those Linux freaks" who would damn Billy G even if he found a cure for AIDS, cancer, and the flu all in the same day, but from fairly pro-Windows media who paid just to fly to see a demo of a beta of MS's Next Big Thing (tm)
Granted, it isn't a radical departure from XP. It almost looks like Luna running a different theme.
But I like it.
It's about time someone had the gumption to put forth a clean and understated UI. Lord knows we have more than enough in-your-face real-estate-hogging themes floating around out there to satisfy even the most testoterone-laden adolescent.
I haven't been truly satisfied with any minimal UI appearance since the early-nineties heyday of NeXTstep and IRIX. I never thought I'd say it, but thank god for Microsoft. I hope, in spite of the underwhelming public feedback, that they continue down this more mature and elegant route.
But all that R&D for "look and feel"!!
I dont feel sorry for them as they copy linux' look.............
That isn't a translation.. That's a reference to a piece of writing that perhaps references the verse. If you read the context of Cor. 1:8, Paul is writing of the different gifts of the spirit.
Microsoft has told attendees of WinHEC that the UI in the betas right now is only temporary, and that they don't expect the new one to show up until 2006.
And right about now, we have a whole lot of people at MS updating their resumes
Proof? Or did you pull that out of your ass?
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/Index.cfm?Art icleID=46188
Is this enforceable? I seem to recall that journalists where permitted to include works that are copyrighted (including screenshots and things of that nature) for the purpose of a review.
IANAL, but it seems to me that if Microsoft was so worried about people posting screenshots they should have had everyone sign non-disclosure agreements instead of sticking it in the EULA.
-sp-
Not to be an Apple fanboy (I don't even own a mac), but OSX's GUI seems to have function as well as slickness
I am an apple fanboy, after a fashion. (I hated macs until OS X came out, now I like it so much I don't even bother handing out Knoppix CDs to people, I just tell them to get a mac)
I recall, however that mac OS 10.0 was panned as far as the GUI "look and feel" goes. Most reviewers had the opinion: "the program dock? WTF?" Now I think most agree with you--slick and functional.
To be fair, windows 3.x interface was horrible (I went through a bunch of replacement desktops to try to find a good one. I think I settled on MoonComet, whoever wrote that one, thanks). Windows 95/98/NT4/2000 was a decent interface, and they screwed it up with the win Me/XP GUI--many people reset it to "classic theme". This sample is even worse than XP.
The win 2000 gui I find reasonably functional and easy to use, since I'm used to it. The start button master menu paradigm might need an overhaul (seeing the "shut do" button in longhorn, I believe the start button began life as the "start here" button). I hope they fix it--this ugly gui, not necessarily the master menu paradigm--before release.
Then again, I don't really care 'cause I'm a mac guy now.
More music, fewer hits
OK, is it just me, or has Microsoft taken the Apple idea of barely-distinguishable icons for minimize/maximize/close, and made it even worse by making two of them the same color AND made them butt ugly.
The Motif/Windows Classic version may be butt ugly, but at least they're easily distinguishable and big enough to click easily.
B.S. If they have not filed a patent on a "feature" which would otherwise be patentable, then they have the full one year from publication protection afforded to all inventors who publish before filing. So, it looks like Microsoft's "correct" answer is full of shit. And they fully expect the general public's ignorance of IP law to shield them from being caught for their deception.
It's plain and simple folks. The reason they don't want the pictures to be seen any more widely is because everyone is in agreement. Longhorn sucks.
That Microsoft would lie to the buying public is SOP.
Can we quote you when people criticize Linux for not having good drivers? After all, the hardware manufacturers are much friendlier to Microsoft.