11-05-2003 10:59									#1
	Windows Longhorn (3D interface, etc) Full PM-box? Change here!

A ton more information is out on it now thanks to WinHEC:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2...,1072787,00.asp

There will basically be 3 settings for the GUI:
Windows 2000 compatibility mode (standard, 2D GDI)
Tier 1: DirectX 7 minimum, hardware accelerated but Windows XP-style effects
Tier 2: DirectX 9 minimum (AGP 8x minimum, 64MB video RAM min, 128MB recommended)

Tier 2 looks frickin' awesome. You can do everything with it.

They've got some samples of what can be done with it on this pre-Alpha milestone.

3 short videos from ExtremeTech: ftp://ftp.extremetech.com/pub/extre.../WaveWindows.rm
ftp://ftp.extremetech.com/pub/extre...hec/StarWars.rm
ftp://ftp.extremetech.com/pub/extre...winhec/Dizzy.rm

Longhorn will also have the new Database-based filesystem, a "My Games" subsystem to simplify game installs/reinstalls/uninstalls, the new SideBar, far faster installs (~20 mins), etc.

Massive preview is here of build 4015: http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/longhorn_4015.asp

It's due out at the end of 2004, or most likely early 2005.

Aiiiii!

Trivia: Windows XP (WinNT 5.1) was codenamed "Whistler", after the BC ski resort.
Windows Longhorn (WinNT 6.0) is codenamed "Longhorn", after the name of a club/bar that skiiers frequent between Whistler and Blackcomb (another BC ski resort).
Windows Blackcomb is the version after Longhorn.

Last edited by Asher on 11-05-2003 at 11:07

	11-05-2003 11:34									#2
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

a "My Games" subsystem to simplify game installs/reinstalls/uninstalls,

I use "app" and "games" instead of Program Files and "leo" instead of "My Documents". There is no chance in hell of me using "My Games" instead of "games" as long as installers let me specify a custom directory while installing.

What is it with Microsoft and giving directories mixed-cap names that are a pain to cd to in Command Prompt?

	11-05-2003 11:37									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

You can always rename them with TweakUI

BTW, they're also completely redoing the CLI either in Longhorn or Blackcomb, supposedly it's far more powerful and closer to *nix than anything else.

	11-05-2003 11:40									#4
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I wonder how much code they are going to life from *nix this time around. IIRC, the entire WinXP TCP/IP stack is lifted from BSD Unix.

	11-05-2003 11:41									#5
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

quote: Originally posted by St Leo IIRC, the entire WinXP TCP/IP stack is lifted from BSD Unix.

NT BSD sockets are (surprise!) from BSD.
NT sockets are not from BSD.

Yes, there are two types. You can pick and choose!

IIRC, the only reason BSD are in there was so MS could claim POSIX compliance. But I'm not sure on that one.

	11-05-2003 11:43									#6
	Inflate your Upload Space

RealMedia?

	11-05-2003 11:49									#7
	Inflate your Upload Space

dude like Winblows sux get Linux but not Redhat they are sellouts

	11-05-2003 11:54									#9
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Hey Asher do you remember a movie about sexual harassment starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore? They were using an interface that looked kinda like that!

	11-05-2003 11:55									#10
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

Disclosure.

	11-05-2003 11:56									#11
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

That's the one thanks JohnT

	11-05-2003 11:56									#12
	Support Apolyton

ummm...yes, longhorn looks nice. I have "seen" it in action, and it looks like it is going to be pretty cool. The version that is out now though is still heavily reliant on XP

	11-05-2003 11:56									#13
	Inflate your Upload Space

screenshots, please?

	11-05-2003 11:57									#14
	Remove this text

quote: Originally posted by Kaak ummm...yes, longhorn looks nice. I have "seen" it in action, and it looks like it is going to be pretty cool. The version that is out now though is still heavily reliant on XP

Yeah, these builds have been leaked publically and are available on stuff like eDonkey.

	11-05-2003 12:00									#15
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Azazel screenshots, please?

Screenshots wouldn't do it justice, the main part is how fluid everything is on the screen.

In the first video, the windows kinda "wave" as they're dragged.
The second video is playing a Star Wars DVD, show on ~5 different parts of the screen with various effects applied, and all of the screens are moving fluidly like tiles.
The last video just shows that all of the Windows components and windows truly are in 3D, and they're all slowly flying around the screen in a random fashion.

It's all possible because the screen literally becomes a 3D scene. You can push back windows, pull them closer, flip them around, animate them in virtually any way, etc. It's all done with DX9 pixel shaders in real-time.

	11-05-2003 12:14									#16
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

I don't have a realplayer, since they started asking money for it.

	11-05-2003 12:15									#17
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

It's still free too...

You only need to pay for RealPlayer Plus

Free one is here

	11-05-2003 12:55									#18
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

If Microsoft spent half the effort stabilizing Windows and cutting down the pork, they'd have a spectacular OS...

	11-05-2003 12:56									#19
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I dunno, I found XP quite stable...

Seeing as Windows Server 2003's kernel is even more stable than WinXP's, and Longhorn's is being based off that and intends to be even more stable...and considering that Explorer.exe is now Managed .NET Code, and the planned 1-year exhaustive beta test, I'd say the chances of Longhorn being extraordinarily stable are high.

	11-05-2003 13:55									#20
	Got spare money?

Wow, that sure looks great.

And there I was worried I will have trouble utilizing all of that processing power on my 500Mhz P3.

	11-05-2003 14:00									#21
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Actually, the GUI on Longhorn Tier 2 will likely use less CPU than even Windows XP's GUI since it's entirely offloaded onto a multi-threaded GPU rather than doing it all on the CPU like before.

	11-05-2003 14:03									#22
	Increase Your PM Length

So, what you're basically saying is that the chances of getting it to run on my P333 with 2Mb graphics card (shortly to be upgraded to a 8Mb model) are pretty slim?

	11-05-2003 14:10									#23
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Timexwatch If Microsoft spent half the effort stabilizing Windows and cutting down the pork, they'd have a spectacular OS...

Sounds like you haven't tried WinXP yet...

	11-05-2003 14:11									#24
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Actually, the GUI on Longhorn Tier 2 will likely use less CPU than even Windows XP's GUI since it's entirely offloaded onto a multi-threaded GPU rather than doing it all on the CPU like before.

And there I was all starting to worry.

seriously, I think I sort of understood what you just said. The problem is, I don't have one of those graphics cards.
( It wouldn't consume that Graphics power when running in the background for computer games, right?

	11-05-2003 14:19									#25
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Ooooh... very, very nice. Just need to get a new computer before then... one with a 64 MB VRam card .

	11-05-2003 14:19									#26
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by Paul Hanson So, what you're basically saying is that the chances of getting it to run on my P333 with 2Mb graphics card (shortly to be upgraded to a 8Mb model) are pretty slim?

No problem, but donīt try to run anything else then...

	11-05-2003 14:55									#27
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by ADG Sounds like you haven't tried WinXP yet...

I have it. It's a leap beyond Me, but I still have stability and other problems with it. A fresh reformat usually cures the problem for a month or three, though...

	11-05-2003 15:05									#28
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by BeBro No problem, but donīt try to run anything else then...

I figured as much, seeing as I sometimes get the feeling that I shouldn't be running XP Pro on my machine.

	11-05-2003 16:38									#29
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Been reading on Longhorn forever. I remember that two years ago they said that it will not be a big improvement, but rather something minor over XP. Currently, doesn't sem to be a huge leap forward in any kind of technology, but WinFS and some stuff is promising. And damn, this thing will want some resources!

And I know many peopl who have it already .

	11-05-2003 18:10									#30
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

--"In the first video, the windows kinda "wave" as they're dragged."

More pointless resource-devouring eye-candy is not what this OS needs.

At least the file system sounds interesting. I'm just wondering how much DRM stuff will be integrated with it.

Wraith
"Drink up Socrates - it's all natural!"