As with most of the recent Windows updates, the easiest way to get Longhorn will be on a new PC, and by late 2006 most PCs will be 64-bit.But it doesnt yet exhibit any breakthroughs in productivity, or promised features such as security improvements and smarter connections to handheld devices.
Windows Longhorn Build 5048 Code Released ToWe tested the 64-bit version of the latest code released to developers (Longhorn build 5048) and have also viewed demonstrations of a subsequent build. The first beta version of the operating system is due for release this summer. But when faced with a self-imposed release deadline of late 2006, Microsoft decided last year to pull WinFS out of Longhorn, promising to release that component as an add-on at a later date. Seeing through windows: Longhorns Avalon graphics engine supports the Aero desktop themes semitransparent window frames. So what of the two remaining Longhorn design pillars A new desktop theme called Aero is about the only sign of Avalon graphics in our pre-beta. Turning mundane buttons, window frames, title bars, and icons into animated, 3D-rendered, and sometimes transparent objects, Aero brings the Windows interface to life. Indigo, which supports enhanced Web services, wont be visible to end users. Pick your properties: Longhorn lets you customize file attributes that you can then use to index documents. But even though WinFS is now out of the mix, Microsoft has taken advantage of file attributes in the NTFS file system already available in Windows XP to make Explorer better at ferreting out documents according to author, camera model (for photographs), or genre or album title (for music files). The operating system lets you create virtual lists based on these attributes so that, for example, you can see every photo on your system or all Microsoft Word files, regardless of where they are stored and without having to explicitly search for them. ![]() Still notably absent from the Longhorn builds weve looked at are new versions of the Internet Explorer browser (even though Microsoft has said it is close to releasing a beta of IE 7) or any other bundled utilities. And in spite of announced planned enhancements such as monitoring of outbound data (Windows XPs firewall watches inbound traffic only), protection against malware, a new type of restricted user account, and a secure startup scheme to ensure that a PC hasnt been tampered with, Longhorn so far has the same minimal security toolbox as Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Though security remains an unresolved issue, build 5048 brings Longhorns graphical user interface into sharper focus. Catch-Up Eye Candy The new Avalon graphics engine includes a programming interface that permits Microsoft and third-party software makers alike to write applications that put the latest and greatest graphics cards to work rotating, texturing, and fading windows, as well as making menus, title bars, and other elements translucent--finally enabling Windows to catch up to Apples OS X, several years after the fact. We managed to activate a subset of these features in our copy of Longhorn build 5048, and theyre certainly welcome refinements (see top screen). Nevertheless, the integration of accelerated graphics effects into Windows is a luxury upgrade, not a must-have productivity enhancer. And although the effects in Avalon wont necessarily require bleeding-edge hardware, they will call for a graphics board compatible with the new Longhorn Display Driver Model, likely ruling out many legacy systems. Microsoft has yet to announce minimum Longhorn system requirements, but for PC buyers seeking insurance that a new system will run Longhorn, the company advises getting 512MB of RAM and a modern CPU--more than Windows XP needs.
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