New Version of Windows Coming in '06

July 23, 2005

New Version of Windows Coming in '06

By LAURIE J. FLYNN

Microsoft said yesterday that the new version of its Windows operating
system would be named Vista and available for commercial release in late
2006.

The first of two test versions of the program will be made available to
corporate technology managers on Aug. 3, the company said. The new
version has been known as Longhorn since development began more than
four years ago.

The name was chosen after eight months of research and focus groups
because it "captures the idea of clarity," the company said.

Windows Vista will be the first major upgrade to Microsoft's flagship
product since the release of Windows XP in 2001. Windows runs on more
than 90 percent of the world's computers and accounts for about a third
of the company's revenue.

The naming of Vista, which was announced to Microsoft sales and
marketing employees gathered at an annual sales conference in Atlanta,
is significant because it means the program is entering the final stages
of internal development and beginning the sometimes long, arduous
process of external testing. It also signals the beginning of what will
certainly be an expensive marketing campaign.

Charles DiBona, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein, said the arrival of
the test version of Vista in August would give software developers
confidence that the final product was on schedule. A new version of
Windows, he said, "will help the whole Microsoft and Windows ecosystem."

Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect
to other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent
files will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter,
for example - rather than a generic graphic.

The company has also put a particular focus on search capability. "We're
looking to go beyond search," said Brad Goldberg, Microsoft's general
manager for Windows development, in an interview. "It will be much more
intuitive for people to organize their data." Mr. Goldberg said the
program would also include better protection against viruses and spyware.

Microsoft officials did not say when the company would ship the second
test version to a broader audience, but said the final version was
scheduled to reach consumers in the last half of 2006. Many industry
analysts expect Microsoft to release the product in time for the holiday
season, but not before.

The company said a version of the program for server computers would
follow in 2007. Mr. Goldberg said the company would release more details
on Vista at a software developer's conference in September.

Microsoft first began demonstrating some of the new features in 2003; at
that time the company said the program would be released in 2004.

But development was delayed when nearly the entire Longhorn programming
team was diverted to repairing security problems in Windows XP. In the
process, the company learned it needed to focus acutely on the growing
problem of viruses and spyware. At the same time, the company also
changed some of the program's features, most notably scaling back plans
to create an entirely new file system for the version to be released
next year.

On Thursday, Microsoft reported that revenue grew only 8 percent in
fiscal 2005, which ended on June 30, compared with the company's
double-digit growth rate in past years. But Microsoft executives said
Thursday that the company was entering a period of accelerating growth
because of the release of several new products, including the next
version of Windows.

* Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

"Sparky Spartacus" <> wrote in message
news:AroEe.3998$...
> July 23, 2005
>
> Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect to
> other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent files
> will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter, for
> example - rather than a generic graphic.
>


Five years and the only feature they could think to highlight is prettier
icons????

"Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
news:rYoEe.14623$ ...
>
> "Sparky Spartacus" <> wrote in message
> news:AroEe.3998$...
> > July 23, 2005
> >
> > Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect
to
> > other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent files
> > will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter, for
> > example - rather than a generic graphic.
> >
>
>
> Five years and the only feature they could think to highlight is prettier
> icons????

I want to know what's in it that they DON'T want to tell us about!
Not that I don't fully trust Billy Boy... ;-)

"phloppy" <> wrote in message
news:ubqEe.2966$...
>
>
> I want to know what's in it that they DON'T want to tell us about!
> Not that I don't fully trust Billy Boy... ;-)
>

http://www.****microsoft.com/content...en-files.shtml

is quite dated now but makes for an entertaining hour's reading

How much of the system resources be needed to create these icons?
"Anton Gusev" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:hVqEe.20077$. uk...
>
> "phloppy" <> wrote in message
> news:ubqEe.2966$...
>>
>>
>> I want to know what's in it that they DON'T want to tell us about!
>> Not that I don't fully trust Billy Boy... ;-)
>>
>
> http://www.****microsoft.com/content...en-files.shtml
>
> is quite dated now but makes for an entertaining hour's reading
>

Whoopee! Now the hype begins as we are now all supposed to wait for Vista
(Longhorn), which will solve all the world's problems, cure cancer, innoculate
everyone against AIDS, find Osama bin Laden, and cause peace to break out
between Arabs and Israelis, who will then all intermarry and live happily ever
after in true peace and harmony. And then we all have to line up just before
midnight at our local computer stores to buy a copy (quick!) to install on our
computers, which will immediately blue screen and tell us we need faster
computers with more memory and larger hard drive to install it.

Oops! I forgot. This is the same Longhorn that was supposed to ship last year,
isn't it?

I am underwhelmed, as usual, by the Microsoft announcements. Prepare yourself
for sneak peaks in the Microsoft-lackey magazines, so we can see the Alpha,
Beta, late Beta, and Release Candidates trotted out to add to the hype.

Seems like deja vu of yet another bad movie... Ben Myers

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 05:52:32 -0400, Sparky Spartacus
<> wrote:

>July 23, 2005
>
>New Version of Windows Coming in '06
>
>By LAURIE J. FLYNN
>
>Microsoft said yesterday that the new version of its Windows operating
>system would be named Vista and available for commercial release in late
>2006.
>
>The first of two test versions of the program will be made available to
>corporate technology managers on Aug. 3, the company said. The new
>version has been known as Longhorn since development began more than
>four years ago.
>
>The name was chosen after eight months of research and focus groups
>because it "captures the idea of clarity," the company said.
>
>Windows Vista will be the first major upgrade to Microsoft's flagship
>product since the release of Windows XP in 2001. Windows runs on more
>than 90 percent of the world's computers and accounts for about a third
>of the company's revenue.
>
>The naming of Vista, which was announced to Microsoft sales and
>marketing employees gathered at an annual sales conference in Atlanta,
>is significant because it means the program is entering the final stages
>of internal development and beginning the sometimes long, arduous
>process of external testing. It also signals the beginning of what will
>certainly be an expensive marketing campaign.
>
>Charles DiBona, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein, said the arrival of
>the test version of Vista in August would give software developers
>confidence that the final product was on schedule. A new version of
>Windows, he said, "will help the whole Microsoft and Windows ecosystem."
>
>Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect
>to other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent
>files will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter,
>for example - rather than a generic graphic.
>
>The company has also put a particular focus on search capability. "We're
>looking to go beyond search," said Brad Goldberg, Microsoft's general
>manager for Windows development, in an interview. "It will be much more
>intuitive for people to organize their data." Mr. Goldberg said the
>program would also include better protection against viruses and spyware.
>
>Microsoft officials did not say when the company would ship the second
>test version to a broader audience, but said the final version was
>scheduled to reach consumers in the last half of 2006. Many industry
>analysts expect Microsoft to release the product in time for the holiday
>season, but not before.
>
>The company said a version of the program for server computers would
>follow in 2007. Mr. Goldberg said the company would release more details
>on Vista at a software developer's conference in September.
>
>Microsoft first began demonstrating some of the new features in 2003; at
>that time the company said the program would be released in 2004.
>
>But development was delayed when nearly the entire Longhorn programming
>team was diverted to repairing security problems in Windows XP. In the
>process, the company learned it needed to focus acutely on the growing
>problem of viruses and spyware. At the same time, the company also
>changed some of the program's features, most notably scaling back plans
>to create an entirely new file system for the version to be released
>next year.
>
>On Thursday, Microsoft reported that revenue grew only 8 percent in
>fiscal 2005, which ended on June 30, compared with the company's
>double-digit growth rate in past years. But Microsoft executives said
>Thursday that the company was entering a period of accelerating growth
>because of the release of several new products, including the next
>version of Windows.
>
> * Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

"Sparky Spartacus" <> wrote in message
news:AroEe.3998$...
> July 23, 2005
>
> New Version of Windows Coming in '06
> On Thursday, Microsoft reported that revenue grew only 8 percent in fiscal
> 2005, which ended on June 30, compared with the company's double-digit
> growth rate in past years. But Microsoft executives said Thursday that the
> company was entering a period of accelerating growth because of the
> release of several new products, including the next version of Windows.
>
> * Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

Is this going to be for the benefit of the consumer or MS?
Do I smell another WinME in the works?

Bob

Guess! I'm so excited, I might pee my pants... Ben Myers

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 18:21:05 GMT, "Leanin' Cedar" <> wrote:

>
>"Sparky Spartacus" <> wrote in message
>news:AroEe.3998$...
>> July 23, 2005
>>
>> New Version of Windows Coming in '06
>> On Thursday, Microsoft reported that revenue grew only 8 percent in fiscal
>> 2005, which ended on June 30, compared with the company's double-digit
>> growth rate in past years. But Microsoft executives said Thursday that the
>> company was entering a period of accelerating growth because of the
>> release of several new products, including the next version of Windows.
>>
>> * Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
>
>Is this going to be for the benefit of the consumer or MS?
>Do I smell another WinME in the works?
>
>Bob
>
>

In article <AroEe.3998$>,
says...

> July 23, 2005
>
> New Version of Windows Coming in '06
>
> By LAURIE J. FLYNN
>
> Microsoft said yesterday that the new version of its Windows operating
> system would be named Vista and available for commercial release in late
> 2006.

<snippety>

With a nod to David Letterman, the creator of the Original Top Ten
List, it is with great pleasure that I present...

TOP TEN NEW FEATURES IN WINDOWS VISTA

(10) Minimum system requirements include 8GB of RAM and 1 Terabyte
of disk space. You'll have about 100MB of disk, and 640K of RAM, left
for apps and data. After all, "640K should be enough for anyone..."

(9) Won't let you copy a DVD or CD until you feed your credit card
to the permanently-attached, and RIAA/MPAA-sealed, card reader (optional
cash-collection unit available, armored-car pickups provided at no
additional charge).

(8) Special back door lets any official of Homeland Security or
the NSA capture or erase your hard drive contents at will (including
pr0n).

(7) During initial installation, it offers you a special deal to
save 10% off the total cost of the first five "service packs."

(6) Will install on laptops, but requires an 'External Storage
Unit' to accomodate the necessary disk space. A medium-size backpack
should do the trick...

(5) Airport X-ray of laptop with Vista installed will show the
Windows logo on the monitor, superimposed over the system's guts.

(4) When you try and visit a web site based on open-source
software, displays instead an unremovable message saying "I Am The
Light, The Life, and The Way. No One Cometh Unto The Glory of Ballmer
and Bill But Buy Me."

(3) IE finally given its proper name, officially: "Internet
Exploiter."

(2) Clippy and 'Bob' are both back. In camo. With AR-15's. Try
turning them off THIS time, and see what happens!

And the #1 new feature (insert kazoo fanfare)...

(1) Three words: Monthly Subscription Fee.

> The name was chosen after eight months of research and focus groups
> because it "captures the idea of clarity," the company said.

Oh, I have perfect clarity about this. I know, beyond any doubt,
that I'm going to be sticking with 2000 Pro on my workstations, NetBSD
for my Internet servers, and NT 4.0 for my two (and only) Windows-based
servers.

> ...Windows runs on more than 90 percent of the world's computers...

You know, they're absolutely right. Windows is capable of running
on 90%-plus of the world's computers.

Now, whether that same figure applies to people ACTUALLY running
it is another question... ;-)

> process of external testing. It also signals the beginning of what will
> certainly be an expensive marketing campaign.

One that I will have to capture a video of, make a few
"modifications," and show it to some of my fellow *nix and open-source
folk.

> Windows, he said, "will help the whole Microsoft and Windows ecosystem."

I worry when people start declaring that Microsoft and Windows
make up an "ecosystem..."

> Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect
> to other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent
> files will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter,
> for example - rather than a generic graphic.

Whoop-dee-flippety-doo... And current OS's can't do all of this?
Come on!

> intuitive for people to organize their data." Mr. Goldberg said the
> program would also include better protection against viruses and spyware.

Except for Claria, of course, and any other spyware/adware firms
that 'Uncle Fester' Ballmer and Cousin Bill decide to buy up.

> scheduled to reach consumers in the last half of 2006. Many industry
> analysts expect Microsoft to release the product in time for the holiday

Uh oh... Heard that before! Wonder if they'll miss... again!

Keep the peace(es).


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"

Tom Scales wrote:
> "Sparky Spartacus" <> wrote in message
> news:AroEe.3998$...
>
>>July 23, 2005
>>
>>Among Vista's features are new ways to organize information and connect to
>>other devices. In Vista, for example, the icons used to represent files
>>will be tiny snapshots of the actual files - a photo or a letter, for
>>example - rather than a generic graphic.
>
> Five years and the only feature they could think to highlight is prettier
> icons????

M$ is definitely bereft of new ideas!