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Longhorn Beta Begins
gcnaddict writes "Microsoft has officially sent invitations to their best beta testers and to WinHEC participants for their Windows Code Name Longhorn beta program. They also unveiled a new Beta Client which promises to be better than the current beta management systems, and will replace other means of beta distribution, including WindowsBeta and BetaPlace all in one fell swoop. While the new, highly anticipated operating system is not up for download, Beta 1 is expected to be up for grabs later this month. Unfortunately, it seems that the preliminary invitation codes are unique per user. Microsoft is expected to allow the public to apply for the beta program later this summer, and as usual, Longhorn will be a part of the Community Technology Preview program."
http://www.jackpearce.com/stuff/longhorn/ http://anyweb.kicks-ass.net/computers/os/windows/l onghorn/lh5203/post/index.html
http://anyweb.kicks-ass.net/computers/os/windows/l onghorn/lh5203/install/index.html
It's starting to look very nice!
Have they disabled a lot of stuff like they have in the 'rc' releases of longhorn? Or is all the 'glits' tossed in (visual effects and the like)?
If previous betas (of Whistler/XP) are any indication, this beta should have about 70-80% of the features in the final product, including the interface. But considering the interface is the easiest thing to change, I wouldn't count on the 'glits' being the one found in the final product.
from the page footer:
"This Web site describes current aspirations, scenarios, and advancements being considered for the family of future Microsoft Windows client operating system offerings, code-named Longhorn. There is no guarantee, implied or otherwise, concerning final Longhorn release features or attributes. This statement of the Longhorn aspirations was last updated April 25, 2005."
It has levels of Screen of Death: RedSOD for really bad BlueSOD for bad things GreenSOD for just plain crashing :-)
(Okay, the green might not be real, but I'm not kidding for the first two)
God's in his heaven-All's right with the world. Karma=Bad ? F*ck that
You CAN upgrade from Windows 2000 to Windows XP professional. You cannot upgrade from Windows 2000 to Windows XP Home. See the following chart for complete upgrade options: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/m atrix.mspx
Offtopic, but how exactly can it be possible for a question to be moderated informative?
The SMP code in Windows 2000 code was written under the assumption (valid, back in 1999) that any SMP machine would have two physical discrete CPUs. The code in XP's kernel has been tweaked to work better with the HyperThreaded CPU's, tweaks that 2000 didn't get (I believe it has something to do with a no-op or a wait or something.)
If you have a HT capable computer, it is worth upgrading to XP.
The remote desktop functionality built into the desktop is pretty cool too, but not worth upgrading for unless you absolutely needed it or wanted it (for example if you had one of the new iPaq's with a 640x480 screen and TermServer, wanted to remote control the computer over wifi.)
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
* Replacement of Win32 with.NET, even explorer.exe is running as managed code in the leaked betas. I can't even begin to list the advantages of this..NET is great, and with Mono making great strides in the language specification, any language will be able to compile intermediate.NET code, and code from different languages will operate together without a care. * Avalon--presentation system that is completely hardware-accelerated and vector-based. One video showed two Notepads rotating around while still completely usable at the same time a video played in Media Player. Old apps will be compatible. * XAML and other technologies--I've said it before, but it was just such a cool example. During an MSDN video (freely available at the site), the dev used Win32 Emacs to write a 10-15 XAML app that let him update his blog, complete with resized vector graphics and a video of moving clouds looping on the background of the window, all using the command-line.NET compiler. * WinFS will still exist. They're just cutting a few features that will probably be re-introduced in a service pack anyway. WinFS is incredibly exciting--one WinFS dev went to the command line and did a query for certain employees within the last week, and it came up in less than a second. No more brute-force searching. Also, no file drives. And yet, they're retaining folder and drive structures in case you want to operate that way. * Aero--this is their top-secret interface yet to be unvieled. See, Longhorn has multiple tiers of visual operation. If you can't handle the effects, it scales back to a lesser tier, going all the way down to an unaccelerated 2D inteface like that of Windows 2000. Aero is the top tier and is supposed to be, according to them, "photorealistic" and will be a new interface for Windows taking advantage of 3D acceleration. They said they don't want to reveal any of it until release because they fear it will be ripped off by competitors (a fair judgment considering all the ripped-off Start menus and taskbars on standard Linux desktops...).
Dear Microsoft Beta Tester,
l onghorn/lh5203/install/index.html
l onghorn/lh5203/post/index.html
0 3_screenshots.php
E 47E029C881677C8CE15B56|h=5UIG4BNLHRXSATG6CZWF5WZV5 QR2Y3M2|/
We are pleased to offer you an early preview of Windows, Code-Name "Longhorn," by extending this invitation to join the Longhorn beta program. Your participation is completely voluntary. Longhorn Beta Program participants will preview software for the next generation of Windows as well as Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. If you choose to participate you will have the opportunity to provide Microsoft with feedback as we continue work on these exciting new releases.
What is Windows Code-Name "Longhorn"?
The next version of Windows, Code-Name "Longhorn," promises to be the most secure and intuitive Windows release to date. It delivers on the promise of allowing people to use their computers more effectively and confidently to achieve their goals and pursue their passions. It offers new tools to help protect the integrity of your system and your information, easier ways to find, visualize and organize your information, and provides better integration across applications, devices and systems.
Longhorn will provide advancements in the following key areas:
- A strong focus on the fundamentals of the operating system, including advancements in reliability, performance, deployment, and ease of use.
- Major improvements to help PC users to work smarter and provide exciting new experiences for home users.
- The next-generation developer platform to make it easier for developers to create breakthrough applications.
What you can expect if you choose to participate:
You will be notified by email this summer when the software becomes available to test. The beta software will be available via download. If you elect to receive mailed releases, only major milestone releases (Beta1, Beta 2, etc) will be sent to you.
Participants can expect access to Windows, Windows Server, the Windows Driver Kit the Platform Software Development Kit as well as Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. We may make other software available as well, and it's important to note that some of the above software may not be available immediately after the program gets underway.
http://anyweb.kicks-ass.net/computers/os/windows/
http://anyweb.kicks-ass.net/computers/os/windows/
http://xerocool.innereyes.com/general/longhorn_52
ed2k://|file|lh5203screens.rar|12596567|016AAB080
No, the only difference is not one registry key. This is an old myth that only sloppy computer people propagate.
5 should explain it more clearly for you.
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=88756
http://thepiratebay.org/search.php?q=longhorn
Yet how ironic is it to see your own question get modded insightful as well! It doesn't make any more sense this time now, does it?
;)
Now let's see if this gets modded informative too
For one, if you use SCSI, Windows 2000 has a bug where it ignores the write_through flag. Windows XP correctly honors this flag. Some people complain that XP has "poor SCSI performance" because of this, but it is just doing what it is supposed to have done all along -- Namely write the data directly to disk rather than cache(usually to prevent possible data loss or corruption) when the applications ask it not to use the cache. This obviously results in a performance hit, but it is DOING THE RIGHT THING. Sure, in most cases for most users this doesn't matter and most users don't even have SCSI, but this is an important feature for some applications that is BROKEN in Windows 2000.