Here’s our rare (and very brief) account of Windows-related development. We just thought the Mac crowd might want to know where they stand in the Operating System (OS) Wars.
The successor to Windows XP was code named ‘Longhorn’ several years back and rumour has it Microsoft had a big party in anticipation of the launch of their new OS but that came to an embarrassing halt rather quickly. Longhorn is still in the making even though Apple has already released several incarnations of Mac OS X.
Finally, on 22 July 2005, Microsoft has now released its latest build of Longhorn and changed its code name to ‘Vista’. Scheduled for a full release in late 2006, Windows users can only hold their breath.
From the screenshot Longhorn, not surprisingly, doesn’t appear drastically different from the current Windows XP. The minimalist desktop ala Mac OS X has Mac users everywhere gloating:
Otherwise, Microsoft seems to have followed Apple’s lead, changing its regular Documents Folder to UNIX style User Folders and incorporating features that are already hallmarks of Apple’s Mac OS X legacy.
For more information:
- Microsoft Windows Vista Developer Centre
- Paul Thurrot’s Supersite For Windows
- Threedy Forums – Windows Vista
- Wikipedia – Windows Vista