“After months of keeping its prized cow in the barn, Microsoft is beginning to let Longhorn out of the corral for public viewing,” Ina Fried reports for ZDNet India. “Beginning with brief demonstrations to reporters this week, the software maker is starting to shed light on just what the next version of Windows will offer when it hits the market next year. High on the list of features are security enhancements, improved desktop searching and organizing, and better methods for laptops to roam from one network to another. ‘This is going to be a big deal,’ Jim Allchin, Microsoft group vice president, said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh yeah, a “big deal,” unless you bought a Mac five years ago.
“In a brief demonstration, Allchin showed off several key features that make the new OS stand out from prior versions. A ‘quick search pane,’ for example, allows users to type queries and instantly see matching files,” Fried reports. “In both look and form, the search mechanism is similar to the Spotlight feature in Apple Computer’s Mac OS X Tiger, which goes on sale later this month. Search results can be saved as virtual folders that are automatically updated to include all items that fit a particular query… Documents, pictures, music and even applications can also be given a rating or keywords to add further criteria for searching. But while the OS bears plenty of similarities to Tiger, Allchin stressed that Microsoft has broken new ground in Longhorn. For example, document icons are no longer a hint of the type of file, but rather a small picture of the file itself.”
MacDailyNews Take: No wonder Microsoft keeps the MacBU around. Prerelease copies of Mac OS X! Yaaay, Pepto for everyone!
“The company is still shooting for an initial beta around midyear, though it could be July, as the new official schedule is “early summer.” A second beta is planned, though no final date has been given, with the goal of having the OS broadly available on PCs by next year’s holiday season,” Fried reports. “Microsoft talked fairly early about Longhorn, with company Chairman Bill Gates first demonstrating it at a developer conference in October 2003. At the time, the company focused largely on the ‘under the hood’ features of the OS–in particular, a new file system, Web services architecture and the presentation system. Since then, Microsoft has significantly reshaped the OS. Last year, the company announced that it would pull out the new file system and that the Web services and presentation pieces would also be made available for Windows XP.”
MacDailyNews Take: “Significantly reshaped?” Stripped down is more like it. Hey, if parts of this thing can be bolted onto Windows XP, how innovative can it really be? We’re sure it’ll all work fine for the user.
“Allchin said his priority is making sure Longhorn meets quality standards, followed by getting the product out on schedule. Packing it full of features is a third priority, and the one most likely to give. As a result, Microsoft would delay Longhorn over quality concerns, but is unlikely to let individual features hold up its release. That could mean some further trimming around the edges if things fall behind,” Fried reports.
MacDailyNews Take: It must be easy to meet quality standards when you have none. While crediting the late Johnny Cochran, or not, Microsoft’s mantra these days is simple: “If it doesn’t ship, we must strip.”
“With Longhorn, Microsoft isn’t focusing as much on building in antivirus software as it is changing the behaviors that leave computer systems vulnerable to attack. For example, most computers today are run in administrator mode, making it easy to add new programs and make other changes, but also allowing major fundamental changes to a computer to be made by malicious software,” Fried reports. “With Longhorn, Microsoft is trying to change that so a computer runs with the least possible permission level.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hmmm, now where the heck have we seen that before?
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If people can’t figure it out what’s going on this time, they never will. You can see Windows ‘Longhorn’ today in Apple Mac OS X Beta, released September 2000, or just keep waiting and waiting and waiting for the unreal thing. Moo.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Analyst: ‘Microsoft’s Longhorn is going to have hard time upstaging Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger’ – April 13, 2005
Analyst: Apple in ‘position to exploit Microsoft missteps, claim leadership’ with Mac OS X Tiger – April 13, 2005
Apple’s Schiller: Mac OS X Tiger ‘has created even more distance between us and Microsoft’ – April 13, 2005
Will Mac OS X Tiger add fuel to Apple’s recent momentum in the computer business? – April 13, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
Analyst: Tiger proves ‘Apple is light years ahead of Microsoft in developing PC operating systems’ – April 12, 2005
Apple to ship Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ on Friday, April 29; pre-orders start today – April 12, 2005
Apple Announces Mac OS X Server ‘Tiger’ to ship Friday, April 29 with 64-bit application support – April 12, 2005
Analysts: Apple’s new Tiger operating system could really impact Mac sales – April 12, 2005
Piper Jaffray raises Apple estimates on Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ release news – April 12, 2005
Apple’s Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ vs. Microsoft’s Windows ‘Longhorn’ – March 31, 2005
New Microsoft Longhorn chief was former Pepto-Bismol brand manager – March 18, 2005
Microsoft’s Longhorn fantasy vs. Apple’s Mac OS X reality – September 14, 2004
Is Microsoft’s stripped-down ‘Longhorn’ worth waiting for? – September 10, 2004
Silicon Valley: Apple CEO Steve Jobs previews ‘Longhorn’ – June 29, 2004
PC Magazine: Microsoft ‘Longhorn’ preview shows ‘an Apple look’ – May 06, 2004
Microsoft concerned that Longhorn’s look and feel will be copied if revealed too soon – August 25, 2003
Windows ‘Longhorn’ to add translucent windows that ripple and shrink by 2005 – May 19, 2003
“While crediting the late Johnny Cochran, or not, Microsoft’s mantra these days is simple: “If it doesn’t ship, we must strip.””
Oh man! THIS is why I love MDN so much! It’s gonna take me an hour to clean the coffee I just spit on my 23″ Cinema Screen, but it was worth it!
And, to “It’s no wonder”, obviously you’re full of crap. You say a G5 with 30″ screen and software costs $15,000 but that you can get an AMD Athlon FX Dual Core with 30″ monitor and software for $8,000. The G5 (I assume you mean the dual 2.5ghz) and 30″ Cinema Screen will run you $6,000 so apparently the “software” you mention costs $9,000, more than the entire cost of the AMD you site in your comparison, so, obviously, you’re not comparing Apples to Apples. Come back if you have a real argument.
“BMW’s ARE made using Windows..And so are about 75 % of ALL cars made. I guess windows is worth SOMETHING then. Hmm Most Homes are built using Windows, Most factories use windows for production, most Retail Co’s use Windows for CRM.”
Sigh…think how much better the world COULD be if these industries would use a superior platform. Ah well, dare to dream.
Yeah, and think about how much better the world would be if everyone had a brain.
Think Different…LOL
“For example, document icons are no longer a hint of the type of file, but rather a small picture of the file itself.”
Ah yes.. okay.. let me add that to the long list of reasons why Mac OS improvements are EYE CANDY and Longhorn’s AREN’T
A miniaturized file?! USELESS!! Only a MSoftie would think we’re going to squint at the screen to see if that’s the file we’re looking for rather than.. CHECK THE FILENAME!!
Ever heard of focus groups?! There’s gotta be someway to screen these lame ideas out..
Its no wonder — “Yeah, and think about how much better the world would be if everyone had a brain.”
Heyyyy — are you really the Scarecrow?
Yeh-hehessssssss.
“Yeah, and think about how much better the world would be if everyone had a brain.”
Funny, that thought occurred to me when I read your first post!
SolarFlare-
Apple ALWAYS delivers? Are you drunk or stupid?
True, I do love my dual 3 GHz G5.
BTW, Copeland was a great OS. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting for its release. Actually I’m still waiting.
I do agree that M$ hardly ever meets it first timetable for releases, or the second, or third. But let’s not run away potential switchers with ridiculous claims that “everyone” knows isn’t true.
Never say Never, or always…
MW- “until”. As in I can’t wait until the 3 GHz G5 gets here last year…oops.
it’s no wonder,
Yeah, BMW used a stripped-down Windows in their 7 series car a year or so ago. And when it first came out, it would spit CDs at the passengers (I do not exaggerate) and it would completely shut down the motor while at full speed on the freeway.
The San Jose Mercury News headline was “BMW Introduces BSOD in Cars.”
As for the rest of your rant, you are so far over the top that you have no credibility whatsoever. That’s why nobody believes a word you say.
Next time try the truth. It’s much more believable.
Im not talking about the software “in” the cars. Im talking about the software that makes the cars. IE: Assembly is driven by robots driven by Windows XP.
Heh. Nothing like an article like this to bring the Windows bitches out of the woodwork. What’s the matter guys? Feel like you have something to defend?
Windows stinks. I know because I have to use this piece of crap every day at work. I know because I owned three Microsoft-OS PCs before switching to Mac in 2001. Get rid of the @#$%ing registry file, then you can tell me how great Windows is. Let me “install” software by copying a single folder to my hard drive, as with the lion’s share of Mac apps, rather than using an arcane installation program which throws files all the hell over the place. Let me uninstall an app by just DELETING the damn thing, instead of having to trust an uninstaller to find all the myriad pieces.
Will Longhorn fix this? No? Then it’s the same piece of crap with a new coat of paint.
I wonder how much it is gonna cost….
it’s no wonder
thx now @ least we know why most german car companies are having quality issues problems!
Al
compare the price of a new Windows-equipped PC against the price of a new OSX-equipped Macintosh. The comparable PC will be HUNDREDS of dollars less. If you don’t think MS has a huge hand in the pricing of Wintel boxes, maybe you should speak to someone at the DOJ.
Lotus Smartsuite currently runs for $209, while a comparable version of MSOffice runs for around $174.
Netscape Navigator used to retail for around $50.00. Internet Explorer came bundled with Windows95, free of charge.
See the trend?
Robots driven by Windows XP… that’s funny!
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Still would buy Longhorn over buying OS-X.
Windows is a better OS.
but only for images, because that’s when it makes sense, and it’s optional. That’s the “Show Item Preview” option in Finder.
Apple stinks. I know because we had several at work and had to use this piece of crap every day at work. We had several OS-X machines, all which ran very slow. When we brought it to the apple store they said it would cost $200 a piece to look at it not including the price to fix the problem. THAT IS BULL SHIT.
We moved to Windows XP and have not needed any service on it. We were able to replace 20 macs with 20 pcs for $300 a piece. The max machines cost $1500 a piece. Saved more money the windows way. Any mac person that says anything different IS FULL OF IT!!!
Longhorn, if it ships, will probably be really great. XP was great too, as was Windows 2000, NT and 95.
Thing is, they’re all really great (for their time) until you see and use a Mac. Yes, the Mac isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot closer than anything from MS ever was.
I thought with XP that Microsoft might have ironed the shit out, but unfortunately they didn’t. By shit, I mean the fact that you have to know too much about the computer and software to use it – why is that? Is it too hard to make logical assumptions about what users might want? I know it’s harder to code reasonable assumptions, or make options clear and simple, but hey, they’ve got the cash to buy the smartest programmers.
Why is it that it takes longer to set things up on a Windows XP machine? For example, getting my wife’s work notebook computer on our wireless network was relatively painful – the Mac (a TiPB 550) was up and running on the network almost straight away (like, “we selected the network name, entered the password and it was on” straight-away), yet the XP notebook required a special keypress to enable the wireless (this wasn’t enabled by software), and then kept dropping off the network every 2 minutes… support calls to the wireless router vendor turned up nothing. Then my wife recalled that there was some relatively unassuming and hidden network setting which we changed and presto – it was on. This was two x 5 hour evenings worth of time later. (don’t ask me for the setting – I don’t remember, it was pretty strange tho.)
This is not an isolated incident. And btw, we’re both I.T. people, and whilst Windows admin isn’t our forté, it shouldn’t have to be either – not for something so simple as getting a computer on a network!! This is basic stuff for the Mac, and yet on a windows box, it’s very difficult. I guess there’s a huge support industry built – helpdesks, training books, MCSE’s and so on. Wouldn’t want to make it too easy, or all these people would be out of a job. It’s like, “If it’s complex, it must be good” seems to be the mantra at Microsoft.
Longhorn will be no different. It’ll look the part, but when you get under the bonnet and use it you’ll see that you have, once again, been jibbed.
I for one enjoy using the Mac b/c even tho i’m a software developer and know heaps about computers (Unix, Windows, PC’s, Mac mainly), I choose Mac b/c it lets me get what I want to do done.
If Longhorn does the same, I might consider it as a second machine (as training for just in case I get some job requiring me to use it.)
(ok, just seen a few posts above concerning costs – how much does 10 hours out of my life cost??? How much does all of the other hours spent mucking about with inane issues like the networking one mentioned above cost? This is what Mac people are talking about – you don’t have pick up “Windows XP Unleashed” to learn how to use the thing, you just use it. Mind you, “Mac OS X Unleashed” was very informative, and quite helpful, not that the average user needs it.)
These are my opinions.
Given I was proudly told by some windows IT techie today (who otherwise seems well educated) that he has to reboot 15 x a day (WTF does he do?) I am really peed off when he subsequently went on a rant about the boot time of a Mac (Uptime 7 days + & counting) and dissing the whole widget on out of date crap.
What price education?
I haven’t gotten laid in 10 years. Man.
Does Palmela Handerson count? I can always count on her.
re:: Its no wonder
SO YOU HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDOWS VIRUS EH??
THAT IS TOTAL CRAP!
THAT STATEMENT IS A JOKE.
THERE ARE OVER 95,000 WINDOWS VIRUS’S – NONE FOR MAC OS X.
You must have been using Macs to NOT to get a windows virus or your windows box has never connected to the internet.
Just as I said before, Your pathetic, all you can do to defend yourself is to lower to crap like, I havent gotten laid..Please…LMAO.
Does anyone know if the Autofill will be improved in Tiger?. It sucks in Panther.
And no. I havent had a virus in 10 yrs, my company of 3000+ windows boxes has had one outbreak 3 yrs ago…You know what you can eat. Do you classify MDN as the internet Flare, Because it seems that MDN is your only news source..95,000 Viruses? Where did that # come from?
<dumbass>
Send you comments to /ext3/dev/null
Please stop feeding the troll.