Hi @ All

The following lines represent an excerpt from a presentation I did
in October 2004....

The desktops in the year 2006 will look something different than today. There will
no be any Windows XP anymore… there will be the future of Microsoft’s OS...
codename Windows Longhorn. Last year during the “Microsoft Professional
Developers Conference”, employees of Microsoft presented a preview of what we
can expect in the next version of Windows.


I will deliver a small insight to the most significant new features.
By the way… In case you were wondering, Microsoft named Longhorn after a
saloon near Whistler Mountain in British Columbia in Canada.


The biggest change is the introduction of the WinFS file system. Today we all … or
the majority of the Win XP users… use the NTFS file system. WinFS doesn't replace
NTFS but it sits on top of it, integrating rich new search options into Windows as
well as introducing a new programming model for data supply.

It is an open or public secret, that Microsoft will involve the next generation
software development platform .NET Framework to the new version of Windows.
The .NET Framework will support every .NET applications… a plus for developers
and companies.

Avalon. Avalon is the code name for Longhorn's new graphical architecture.
Microsoft has completely rewritten the graphic stuff from Windows XP from the
ground up. Avalon replaces the old user32.dll file and graphics device interface
that provided the graphics support for all previous versions of Windows. Like
DirectX, Avalon addresses the hardware directly to improve performance and 3-D
graphics. Avalon also provides a screen resolution of 120dpi, up from the current
standard of 96dpi.

Indigo. A new communications subsystem that is implemented into Longhorn,
Indigo basically integrates Web services into the OS. Of course it is build with the .NET Framework, which allows you to build service-oriented applications.
Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP will also support Indigo.

Aero… is the code name for the Longhorn user experience. It is a set of
employees that developers should follow to make the most of Longhorn's new
graphical environment. The Aero interface in Longhorn include transparent
windows, a built-in buddy lists, a dock able task pane, and so on.

Security at first... that’s the main idea of Microsoft. So they include “Palladium” in
the new system. Palladium is a controversial security standard, a technology that
works with Digital Rights Management (DRM) to control which types of applications
and documents the system can work with. Microsoft pushes Palladium as a
security tool to protect users from viruses and other dangerous code, but
unofficially it is the big brother… for the system and the user.

Contacts - With Longhorn, your list of contacts is basically integrated into the
Operating System. There are no longer any separated buddy lists from separated
applications (like in Outlook, ICQ, and so on). Longhorn provides the elements
and controls you need to manage your list of contacts. To reach highest comfort
the contact feature uses the new WinFS file system.

The last thing I want to mention is the new way how Windows will handle
notifications and warnings. The new OS offers an interface for sending notifications
to users. The new model allows the user to control how notifications are displayed
on the screen. Users can specify when notifications may or may not be delivered
and which type of applications a notification can interrupt.


So.. these were the facts from end 2004. What has changed? Is something
different in Windows Longhorn... ährm.. Windows Vista today? Which things
really will exist in the future verion of the Microsoft OS?

Greetings
Harry