Well after going through the ALPHA versions I have to say that this 1`st Beta looks and feels much better.

Despite the fact of "it's Windows" or it's a Microsoft product or the usuall gripes about "oh theres nothing new", this is a massive improvement on Windows XP I personally think that the adding of IE 7 is a great touch.

All in all Longhorn will (as always) get critisism just like Microsoft will. personally speaking all I can say is this is a vast improvement on 98, 98SE and XP so I look forward to more.

sigh!!! well I think that the Windows looks like a toy place...!!!

I'll wait the last version so I'd judge them. if they made or not a great job. (there're other things more important than just a beautiful interface. for example. The performance and the stability.

bah...!!! the story says us that they only care about money...!!! "making $ $ $" Bah!!

I have test other builds of longhorn. Although, what the screenshots show are nothing to impressive, what Microsoft has done "under the hood" is what should be looking at. Beta 1 does not have all of the features. If I' am correct Microsoft is missing the new UI that will not be seen until beta 2 and there are still missing other changes. Still, don't judge a book by it's cover, but what it is inside.

To bad there are not more people like you.

I seldom engage in OS bashing with a few exceptions (ME comes to mind) and I do understand the early phase Longhorn is in however I too am questioning Redmonds attitude of scrapping much anticipated features in exchange for a earlier release date even though it has been delay after delay. At this point and yes it could change for the better or get worse, Longhorn doesnt appear (note thje word appear)to offer much of anything over XP. Now to be fair I am only going by the tidbits of info read here and other sites and word of mouth. It almost seems that MS knows it has a large percentage of consumer users and whatever they release will be bought by folks who will be exposed to a Madison Avenue ad blitz. This may be less then exciting

OMG, can you say XP look and feel? Maybe they are trying to stay what people know bur can't you make it look more like a new system? what are the new things that i can see and feel are different, if there is non im sticking to XP. Prove that you have a point in making a new product Microsoft (other than making $$).

kindly send me the latest development regarding longhorn and next technology if you can

I just got done playing with Longhorn for the past 6 hours and I have to say I'm mostly happy with it so far. I have a few cosmetic concerns mostly with the new layout for Explorer (The file amanger not IE) but it's still looking good. I hope XP includes options to set Explorer back to the old style.

It's rather buggy as I expected at this stage so I didn't put much effort into checking it out much past the cosmetic level. For all you people b****ing about the looks you can always switch back to the Luna, Windows Classic, and if you have it, the Royale theme ya know.

I was part of the Alpha builds, and it was fairly stable for an Alpha. I agree with you so far.

You guys are so busy b****ing about how bad it looks, or why you don't need extras etc you don't realize what you really want. What do you want to see improved? Instead of posting here complaining about how much of a copy of XP it is, why don't you go send a nice email to Microsoft telling them what you want. Me, personally unless Longhorn has some revolutionary features that improve my day-to-day usage then I'll get it. I'm probally not gonna to buy it right now if the beta1 was called final and sold, but if a new computer comes with it and it isnt any worse than XP now then I'll happily adopt it.

Talk about a 'souped-up' version of WindowsXP. I hope this doesn't turn out to be another Windows ME. *laughs* Well, we'll just have to act like that never happened.

Well if I remember correctly this was the original plan for longhorn. And Blackcomb was supposed to be the "revolution".

I my self have played with Longhorn my self, and i don't see any reson at this time for the making of it that there is any kind of bad flaws going on... So all i am saying is that you sould try it out first and then come back here and say "Sorry"...

I've been a beta tester for MS products for years. Each product is unique as far as how excitement is built up (or not), and how they run the beta program. I have to say in all honesty, I'm not pumped on this one. I *was* back when WinFS and the rest of chopped features were being touted. Not now. They still don't get it: FEATURES, not self-imposed deadlines, are what sell products.

MS has long ago become stodgy and bureaucratic. No more risk-taking and innovation. Playing it "safe" from a marketing view. I agree with Indoguys' comments on Apple, they had a chance and blew it, but the iPod and iShuffle show they still have a desire to innovate and find a new angle. MS needs to find that in themselves again or they become GM.

Agreed, Longhorn used to have alot of appeal, and it did really look like the NextGen OS, but as all the decent features like WinFS have fallen by the wayside, it turned into a very belated WinXP revamp. Is this going to be another WindowsME? It's looking that way...

ME? No, there shouldn't be any massive OS memory leaks in Longhorn...

You should have to write windowsME like this...

Is this going to be another Wind*****? It's looking that way...

Oh well everybody knows it better so do I. Apple great, but why is it not the number 1 OS, tell me. Linux same story. And both camps have enough resourches (read money) to have the same marketing facilities as MS. We, the customers, are the ones who are choosing and it happened that we all have choosen for the MS product line and made MS big with that.
I have to say I like the way how Apple did put together such a clean OS. I'm not happy with the pricing of software or hardware for the Apple family. It is just expensive and probl. one of the reasons why people stay away from it.
And if I want to run a Apple OS I switch to my emulator to have the same as any other other Apple user.

Man that looks like ass! I hope they do the same as with whistler and introduce the real skin when they go gold.

I dont get it. What are they spending all their time on? This is the big OS they have spent years on??? Where is the innovation? OOOh yeah, your right no more third party developers to steal ideas from. Ever notice how old Billy just inverts the graphics on sopmething and calls it his own? Why do we put up with this $@$*!

NOTE: link to continue w/ article and/or return to BetaNews home is needed after viewing slide show...

This is Linux's one/only/last golden opportunity..

Apple blew its chance to go mainstream in this decade at least-- the dual core PowerPc, which runs circles around AMD, which beats Intel-- would've allowed true windows emulation(in just its first iteration it already has a 1mb cache for EACH core!).

Longhorn = no significant new features. If Microsoft, with a budget of billions and billions of dollars and a time scale of 5+ years can't make any real improvement on their o/s, I'm declaring "o/s innovation" dead. We have reached the final destination. (Don't bother mentioning Mac, they'll never break 20% market share.) I guess instead of artificially intelligent computers, Star Trek would have been more accurate if they just showed people mousing around with Win XP hundreds of years from now.

So, can Microsoft keep making the big bucks even though they aren't improving their product? Maybe they can. Most of my machines have OEM Win XP on them, so I won't be able to reuse it when I get new machines, so they'll be getting more money even from me, and I have no interest in their new products at all.

Maybe there is hope. Hitting a moving target is hard for open source. But, now that the target isn't moving, it may take a long time, but there may eventually be an open source clone that runs the needed apps and games.

All you guys bashing MS which OS are you running just curious?

*cough* lame rhetorical question

>> "Most of my machines have OEM Win XP on them"

I do have 2 XP boxes running but my main computers are running SUSE 9.3 and will run SUSE 10.0 in October. Every 6 Months i get a new smooth and up to date OS which is stable (NO BLUE). I do miss some of the programs that run on windows (Speedfan, Photoshop, and games). But I'm not going back to Windows at home (but if it wasn't for M$ i would not have a I.T. job).

MS DOS 5.0

Attn Microsoft. Re - All your "Helper Apps" and groovy new interfaces that seem to get more prolific and annoying with every release.
Not everyone is as retarded as you might think. We want speed and usability, not some animated freakin' "helper" dog so we can all go, "Aww, that's so cute."

You know you can change your help charector at anytime by right clicking it then choosing option 1 (Choose a different person)

Duh! Really? How about not having it in the first place? I know how you can tweak all this crap off the system, my point is I don't think it's neccessary in the first place. Do you really need animated cartoon figures to help you figure out stuff, or are you that retarded?

Well The Final Release is well over 1 year from now . So we Can Hope that The UI will Improve significantly from what it look like in Beta Version .

Never Lose Hope

For all those oohing and ahhing over the interface, get StarDock's Object Desktop package.

For those complaining about the longhorn Interface, get StarDock's Object Desktop package.

Most of the core updates to Longhorn (most of which have bee shelved until after it's release) will be made available to Windows XP users. IE7 will give you all the pretty folder-tasks, and the rest of the longhorn GUI can be simulated via Stardock's OD.

Why waste the money or time?

I don't think people will need to waist their money on StarDock's Object Desktop package because with the public preview of Avalon the people who enjoy skinning will be able to start creating themes.

Microsoft should have a web site dedicated to the skinners to show off avalons abilities and to get the ball rolling a contest should be held with the winners creations shipped with longhorn and some cash of course.

Its basicly free

Although I'm not a Mac user and find Windows way easier to use (obviously since I'm most comfortable with it), the Longhorn interface - while an improvement over the Fisher Price toy themed Windows XP, still doesn't look nearly as clean and sophisticated at MacOS X.

Honestly, I have looked at the Beta screenshots and I am not impressed with "longhorn". It looks like a glorified XP with the folder settings changed, and a annoying panel on the right that will get in the way. Most system settings will probably be based off of XP SP2 which in most instances just adds more trouble to my computing experience with faulty Windows security notifications and updates (that you can not stop) the clog up your connection.

I would like a beta to see what this thing is all about, but it still seams like an XP to me.

Personally I can't wait. It looks very interesting.

That annoying panel is long gone...and even when it was there, it was easily disabled.

I would like an invite please. I want to download and install Longhorn.

Someone set us up the bomb!

Hahahahahahhahaha

Err why? Looks like Windows XP with a Object Desktop theme applied.

Agreed.

The best parts of longhorn aren't the way it looks like...yea the graphics look like a glorified XP but the way the file system and command prompt works...

Well, duh, ofcourse it's looks like crap right now.
From 8 to 10 months before final release and you expect it to look good...

Won't be the least bit different from XP.

File System - WinFS...pulled from longhorn release

Command line - Monad....pulled from longhorn release

Just waiting for them to pull Avalon.

Very very true. I find that rediculous. I was really looking forward to WinFS. This OS has become nothing but a garbage release.

Sort of ends up being nothing more than expensive "eye candy."

Agree

Sounds like MacOS...

What's new? WOW! Desktop Search!!! Try Google or MSN Desktop Search! And guess what!? No Upgrade cost! It's Free!!!!

n00bs -_-