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Longhorn Beta Begins

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the bang-a-gong dept.

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."

5 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. Everything Enabled? by opello · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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)?

    1. Re:Everything Enabled? by toddestan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Note to mods: this joke doesn't work if you don't mod this up funny ;-)

      I love these games! I'll take a +5 Interesting please.

  2. let me explain something about longhorn... by C0vardeAn0nim0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    here in brasil (and maybe other latin countries like italy too) is said that a man cheated by his wife or girlfriend has "horns". so what makes microsoft think that i'll want "long horns" ???

    --
    What ? Me, worry ?
    1. Re:let me explain something about longhorn... by Jester99 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's named after a bar.

      XP was code-named "Whistler," a large ski mountain north of Redmond. The next version of Windows was therefore suposed to be codenamed "Blackcomb" -- the other mountain in the ski area. Except that Blackcomb's feature list got so long, they realized it'd take them five or more years to pull it all off, so they decided to split the more neccessary features into a release that'd come out sooner than Blackcomb. The obvious choice of name for this release is called Longhorn -- the bar that sits between the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. :)

      So when you think Windows, think beer!

  3. Re:A very incomplete list off the top of my head by Wade+Tregaskis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "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."

    MacOS X 10.2, August 23, 2002.

    http://www.atzenbeck.de/research/wildWindows/
    http://homepage.cs.latrobe.edu.au/wjtregaskis/Rota ted%20Windows.sitx