Windows successor to be developed in India

Giving birth to a new era of computing and software development, the

Microsoft India Development Center (MIDC) is going to work very closely with its

Redmond headquarters to develop ´Longhorn´–the Windows next release.

"We have all what it takes to come out with world class products and

services, we have already shown this with the release of Services For Unix (SFU)

and yes, we are looking forward for the development of the next version of

Windows ´Longhorn´," informs, Srini Koppolu, MD at MIDC, Hyderabad on the

occasion of Bill Gates’ visit here.

Longhorn is the next major desktop Windows release, which would follow

Windows XP and XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). Originally expected to be a fairly minor

upgrade, Longhorn would now include a number of new features including a revised

task-based user interface, an extensible dock-like Start panel and a SQL Server

2003-based file system. "I will not be able to give details about the

Windows next release but yes, we are working and would be doing a lot of work in

this direction," he added.

"Longhorn"

took an all-new importance in early 2002 when Microsoft decided to reach for the

brass ring and make the new Windows release an all-encompassing major upgrade

with a new security architecture called Palladium, a 3D-enabled user interface

and a database-based file system with new features.

Though speculation on Longhorn continues, very little is known so far.

Sources and industry analysts say that Longhorn is likely to feature a

task-based (or "iterative") interface that goes far beyond the

task-based interface found today in Windows XP. Microsoft has been working to

move beyond the dated desktop metaphor still used by Mac OS X and Linux for many

years.

Being developed under the direct command of Gates himself, it is reliably

learnt that Longhorn would take full advantage of 3D-video hardware to render

special effects that would make the screen more photo realistic and deep. This

doesn’t mean that the basic Windows and mouse interface is being replaced,

just that it would look a lot better.

Longhorn would include a database-like file system called Windows Future

Storage (WinFS), which is based on technology from SQL Server 2003 (code-named

Yukon). This file system would abstract physical file locations from the user

and allow for the sorts of complex data searching that are impossible today. For

example, today email messages, contacts, Word documents and music files are all

completely separate. That won’t be the case in Longhorn.

One of the most exciting aspects of Longhorn is its integration with

Palladium, Microsoft’s technology for realizing its Trustworthy Computing

vision. Palladium is basically a secure run-time environment for Windows and

other operating systems that allows a coming generation of software applications

and services to protect the end-user from privacy invasion, outside hacking,

spam and other electronic attacks. Palladium requires special hardware security

chips and microprocessors (which would be made by Intel and AMD) and doesn’t

interfere with the normal operation of the PC.

That is, Palladium-based PCs would still operate normally, working with

legacy operating systems and applications. But specially made Palladium

applications and services would offer a range of features of functionality not

found in the non-Palladium world and if the initiative is successful, there

would be only Palladium-based software everywhere.

Microsoft originally said that Longhorn could be released in late 2002 or

early 2003, but the release was recently pushed back until 2005. This suggests

that a XP refresh, possibly called Windows XP Second Edition (XP2E) would ship

first, in late 2003. Microsoft will never let four years lapse between desktop

Windows releases, contrary to their public stance on the issue.

ZIA ASKARI



(CNS)