WindowsXP SP3 - Service Pack 3 Fixes and Features Preview, IE7, Windows Media Center Update Emerald, Vista - http://www.windowsvista.webz.cz/

God thanks the Mac OS exists.

Where the hell do you want Microsoft to gain inspiration?

After all , they're bad at copying too!

As soon as Mac offers anything whatsoever to the developer's community I'll consider comments like your's actually grounded in intelligence. A pretty interface is about the only thing that Mac OS has going for it and I'd just as soon not waste my processor power on such frivilous, superficial crap. That seems to be the motto at Apple though: Form Over Function. They seem content to just bombard people with advertisements for shiny little computers that can't do anything. But, I'm sure you're right, I'm sure Microsoft is deeply concerned about Apple's approximate 2% marketshare. Concerned enough, in fact, to outrightly rip off the entire Mac OS.

Lest we forget that, while the original Windows OS was a rip off of the original Mac OS, the original Mac OS was a rip off too. It's a business of thieves, so you'd better get used to it.

Most of the world's top institutes like NASA depend on Mac OS X . Though Mac OS X has a small share currently in todays market ... the system is excellent ... it is like a BMW among cars ... while Windows is just about any regular cars like Honda / Ford ... Mac OS X definately is a superior operating system .. unlike Windows XP or the forthcoming Vista which is cheap OS with copied stuff .. late in the game .. able to load on any PC is a poor excuse for making an Operating system ... let Microsoft make thier own Hardware and computers to load their Windows on then we shall see the difference ... Linux Mandriva is excellent for that matter .. is a freeware and loads on any regular PC is very good and Linux OS seems to be the Operating systems of the future .... Windows just have to be erased ... The only good thing about Microsoft is that the MS office ....

IBM 's PC technology has benn sold to Lenovo - China ... Microsoft has several Software devlopers including open source progammers in China ... looks like all the PC and Microsoft technology is going down the Yantze river !!! well at least the Macintosh is still mostly inside the USA ... I feel more Americans should trust Macintosh as difficult times ahead and other foriegn companies are buying American companies out ... leaving nothing for the future generations in the USA ... I still look forward to Windows Vista ... hopefully the cheap copies Windows OS pirated in China has to come to an end ... No deals with a communist Nation ...

I like microsoft's Vista b/c it brings change. I think for a while it will be good and bad for MSFT. It may generate more money for them (b/c you and all of china won't be able to pirate it), but at the same time they will probably lose market share b/c too many people like to steal music, movies, and apps. But i think after all those PC's with their "pirated partitions" stop working b/c of virus' and as most applications start to become written in "Trusted" code, and stop running w/out being verified, people will eventually move to the "Trusted platform" and the days of file sharing will become a moderate underground hobbie. Unless those creating the files and applications like having thier information stolen, or they believe in an ideological internet socialist society, where their IP should be shared by all,(I think money will speak louder than progress), then people may someday still "file share". If you wonder what i'm talking about, you should take a harder look at the PC industry. With Vista i am talking about full-volume encryption, with all the apps and file types i'm talking about something bigger, and a little deeper.

It all starts in the pre-boot process. Once initialized in the factory, or by you the first time, your PC will create ownership and keys for all components of the PC, e.g. CPU, graphics, USB, Ram, ect. Then they will verify all apps associated with components. Creating more keys, or something like that. Anyway, if there is anychange to apps or components different things may happen, anywhere to notification to rendering useless. Also the file types running will be verified and either work or not work. Its more complicated but that is the breakdown.
Oh, there are a couple ways to beat it. One, don't conform to future applications or files (ha, you'll be like the caveman right when he got fire). Two, find a collision in SHA-1, (then you can hang out with those three chinese geeks) and write a program to utilize it. Three, get a clean room and the technology to intercept info packets being sent across the southbridge, you might have a chance then.

any questions do some research

Microsoft picked vista to best describe the new OS by telling you the biggest 5 problems in the name

Viruses
Infections
Spyware
Trojans
Adware

LMAO Right On "Dahms" ! Thats sure the truth about the Viruses-Infections-Spyware-Trojans-Adware.

Acefire...is that the only thing you mac users say???? is that the best you can do? remember, in the day, apples had their chance.....what happened, everyone went to windows....why, because they work, macs are with out a doubt the worst i mean, when it crashes, not if, but when it does, you data is gone, zero, windows, hey at least in DOS anything can be recovered....jeeesh, you still listening to disco too?
NOW, about vista, the name needed further thought, but still hasn't impressed me all that much, XP is good enough for now, m$ is notorious for rushing products out before they have proper time to analyze the outcome, other then IE7, which i can get on any of my XP w/SP2 box's anyway, there is no need to rush into it.

Hi Katch 22 .... no hard feelings here ... Mac OS X Tiger is far advanced than Windows at the moment ... I use Windows sometimes too as I started first with Windows in earlier days ... As I work is software designing it exposed me to various OS .... Mac OS X Tiger is extraordinary .... Windows XP is for is okay but I still feel that Microsoft can do better ... Windows Vista has many features like Pallidum security and 3D setup ..also spotlight finder features which Mac OS X Tiger already has .... Also the Internet explorer in Windows is poor ... not recomended by PC Mags .... a lot of worms like Windows ... Back in the days Windows 95 was good .. times change .. so do the perfrmance of Mac OS has improved tremendrously .. .. Mac OS X is user friendly ... Safari RSS browser is excellent with bulit in Google search ...Microsoft Windows Vista is coming up now with a similar feature on Internet explorer RSS due next year .... I browse any site now without fearing viruses ... also I download lots of music which makes the life easier on a Mac OS X . My Windows PC is still vulnerable to these worms .... Also I always keep and external harddrive to my Mac OS X ... helps me keep my stuff safer and eay to recover ... it has not crashed on me as yet ... but my Windows crashes often ... so I recomend Mac OS X Tiger over Windows .... Linux is a good alternative less problems on it and Mandriva Linux is a freeware and is COOL .... I have partitioned the hard drive of another computer at work with three OS on it ... guess ?? it has Windows 2000 / Linux Kernell / Mac OS 9 on it !!!

Brain washed... that what all you Window users are. It's not your fault, you just don't know any better. I have been working in the computer world for about 12 years now using both PC and Mac hand in hand. I ONLY have a PC at home because they are cheap and goodm for games (But the XBox 360 will put an end to that). Mac's have had their crap together since day 1 and Microsoft has been playin cath up since day 1. Mac crash, yea sure but not half as much as PC's! And at least when a Mac crashes it tells you why, PCs crash and give you a blue screen with a description for IT pros. And talk about user friendly, Macs have been that way since they were born. PCs...finally have come around since XP, wow that's about 10 years in the waiting! The ONLY reason people went to PCs instead of Macs was MONEY. Apple knew they had a good reliable (Friendly) computer that would satisfy everyone, so they charged for it. Microsoft said look these are crap lets sell them for a dime a dozen and then get our money back for service calls (lmao). So don't talk (****) if you have no clue!

It's official...Microsoft is taking over. I can't wait to recive the beta!

Damn people have no lives here at betanews :p

ya .... it should be good.

let it come guys.........????????

Chinese and Brazilian progammers have already started to code worms and spyware for Windows Vista [ Longhorn ] ... the security feature Pallidium has some holes in it ... the programmers are waiting for the first release of Windows Vista ... I hope Microsoft releases a service pack for it soon after the release of Longhorn - Windows Vista .

Linux is the Holy grail of all the OS ... Check out Linux Mandrake .. it is a freeware to download ... all your worries is gone .. Windows is a modest operating system ... lots of faults ... also viruses ... spyware ... Beware using Windows Vista .... PC magazine had also advised people not to use Internet Explorer to browse the internet ... Firefox is a better way to browse the internet with inbulit google search engine and popup blockers with other rich features including xtra security ... check it out today ...

STOP stealing features out of Mac OS X ... PEOPLE are losing faith in Windows ... too many problems with poor performance in Windows ... If you want to see the original OS then check out at www.apple.com Mac OS X is the World's most advanced OS .

I tried Mac OSX, 10.3 and Tiger... for 4 Months. And all I can say, I am happy i sold the crap and bought some power machine with windows! Mac OSX is a way toooo slooowww! sorry, nice GUI but crappy performance. I tried to work with more than 2 bigger apps (photoshop / illustrator) in the same time, forget it! - Windows is the king here. And what about picture browsing? jesus! on a mac I need to wait and wait and wait to view a little pic. on a windows pc some picview app will start asap. And, there is nothing like "Picasa" for the Mac, if yes, it is too slow. sorry mac, i tried you, you are not for me. you are a computer for womans... it true. we folks need power, (oh i know.. mac osx is based on unix.. but its to slow..) if you need linux, install it on a intel machine, no ppc.

Windows has had many chances before .. Windows95 .. Windows 98 ... Windows 2000... Windows ME .... Windows XP ... Windows promises but fails to deliver ... most importantly ... Windows is just another name for Viruses ... Spyware ... poor operating capability ... Still Microsoft due to its worlwide marketing able to sell its poor software for high prices !!! People who want to go ahead with Microsoft are free to do so .... but I feel that many are turning to other OS like Linux - Mandrake ... and Mac OSX as they are far advanced and reliable than Windows ... even if Windows brings out a few more operating systems shortly they still lag behind Linux and Mac OS X .

The only reason Windows has Virus's and MAC OSX doesn't is because of this very important thing...Everyone uses Windows! 80% of the US is on Windows...Why would hackers only want to AIM at the 14% MAC Users? or the few Linux users? They're gonna target the Majiority...Windows is a much better operating system all around. I currently use Windows XP Pro. SP2. I have no problems with Virus's...Spyware or anything. Why? because I'm a smart user. I've been using windows ever since 3.1 and there is 2 Window's OS's that were absolutly horrible...Windows 97 (alot of you never saw it) and Windows ME. As far as Windows overall stability? Don't mess with system files. and watch what you do on the net. STOP DOWNLOADING PORNO! 90% OF MOST TROJANS RIDE IN ON PORNO LIKE A PONY! Windows VS Mac in performance? Unless your a Graphics designer....don't touch a mac!

Also, the only reason Windows Virus are of any threat is because of the multitudes of windows users out there who are either ignorant of pc security or won't learn. I mean if the security holes weren't there this wouldn't be a factor but the simple fact is that it is a factor because they do exist. So if some one ends up wit a virus, worm, trojan, adware or any variation of these it's their fault because they haven't properly prepared themselves to deal with the threat.

I agree that you can get by with out Windows. They have the market cornered for gaming and having tons of software to pick from.

On any day Mac OS X is a far advanced and reliable Operating system than the Windows XP or the Windows Vista [ Longhorn ] ... it is not just the Security issues but the overall operating system of Windows is poor .. that is why people have called it Windows eXtemely Poor . .... Most people who use Mac OS X today are those that have been frustrated with Windows XP before ...no matter what C- DOS Windows is a poor operating system ... Linux OS and Mac OS are better OS ... more reliable and safer ... user friendly .. less problems ... the future belongs to Linux OS nad Mac OS X ....

Windows Vista ???? never never ever ever ... outdated technology and features .... stolen from Mac OS X ....shame shame ... Why can't Micrsoft make it's own genuine OS ? ... it is a copyright violation ... Those who are diehard Windows users would still use the Windows vista after it is released but belive me it is a few years behind Mac OS X Tiger ... it is only playing catchup when all the other OS have the features that Longhorn or Vista is going to have ..

Microsoft does need to hold on releasing the Windows Vista OS ....... security is a big issue with Windows XP now ... also the operating system is too out dated compared to Mac OS X Tiger ..... although Microsoft has a very high market share it is not the best ... you can check it yourself with Mac OS X Tiger or Linux [ Mandrake ] OS . Google is the search engine on Safari RSS browser In Mac OS X ... Also the Windows XP is not stable when you have about 10 or more windows open at the same time .. which I have too at work ... Mac OS X is pretty stable and reliable ...

Its just a Name
As long as the OS works properly, they can call it "dangadoodle eat my poo poo" as far as I care. Just give me a Good working, user friendly OS. If they give me that, I could careless what the name is.

All other windows are useless.Windows VISTA is new give chance.VISTA means no more computer crashes,viruses,spyware,adware,no more drivers installaton and more inovatve.WINDOWS VISTA IS HERE TO STAY SO GET USE TO IT!

Wow, they were really creative with the name there... I cant believe they wasted millions looking for a name that crappy when they could be using it to create a better system. Anyways i believe, sure microsoft has a better user interface, but it is still a much more ineficient system. Linux, or Mac , are much better systems with quite good user interfaces and theyre much better at processing. So im sticking with Linux. Because Microsoft is only good at selling systems made for dummies, theyre easy to use thats the only good part. But for any coputing they really just are plain slow. Also the system is very insecure. 99.9 percent of the viriuses and spyware out there are for windows. Do you ever see any for mac or linux? No, you hardly ever see any for them. And its not because windows is the most common, because linux is used for servers which would hold a lot more valuable information than a home computer so why not break into that instead? well its simple.. its because u cant!! linux and mac are such secure systems that it is much harder to exploit security faults because there arent any.,
so i say forget microsoft, im going for performance and security.. but hey dont let my opinion change yours, just do some research and choose for yourself.. LATER!!!

VISTA is the worst name I have ever heard of for an OS. Thats the best you can come up with Microsoft? That is so pathetic.

Vista is an acronym - Viruses, Infections, Spyware, Trojans and Adware

hey keypad you must work for microsoft. because you hit the nail right on the head

Any name that given by Microsoft should be smart eligible for the OS.

I think that the name Longhorn is much better than Vista! Whatever the name of new Windows version, I still wiat for it...

haha I don't know about you guys but I much rather the name "Longhorn" than "Vista." and haha i like aminochaos post; i do believe it means more of Viruses, Infections, Spyware, Trojans and Adware.

VISTA??? rofl.
i say hasta la vista to that name.
seriously, couldn't they think of anything better?

Microsoft Longhorn Renamed to Windows Vista? :D
www.nethostspace.com

Not renamed, named. Longhorn was never the name. :)

That post had no relavance, it was just a guy advertising that company, notice the name could be seen as spamthawebnet

Well I have used every possible Windows OS and I have also used Linux and Mac OS. I agree that Mac OS X Tiger is pretty cool, but I think I will place my bet On Windows Longhorn a.k.a Vista, after all if Mac is the crouching Tiger, Windows is the hidden Dragon. You can always count on them to give you something unexpected.

Asta la vista, baby :D
Too much Terminator i think ;)

I had faithfully followed Windows 95 to Windows XP .... I must say that they are easy to operate ..... however for the past couple years my Windows XP frequently got infected and with viruses and spyware ... from emails to Kaaza music ... I had to take it for servicing more than 6 times in 12 months ... my wife always prefers Windows XP and is eager to try out the forthcoming Windows vista .... I had discovered the World's Most Advanced Operating System when I purchased Apple's Macintosh Laptop G4 computer . This Mac OS X Panther is extremely good ... Mac OS X Tiger released two months ago is unbeliveably good .... never have I felt this good ... this Mac OS X Tiger has iTunes /iLife/ iChat /iMovie /Safari RSS brower /Automator /Spotlight search / iCal / with lots of bundled software . Also I do not worry about viruses or spyware anymore ... Infact the performane and reliability is excellent ... I am a web designer and programmer ... I definately recommend anyone who has used Windows Operating system before to try the Mac OS X Tiger or Panther ... if they feel the same way as me let me know ... All I want to say for Microsoft Windows Operating system is " AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS WINDOWS AWAY !!!" Mac OS X is the best ... people who use Windows will only dream about matching its reliability and advanced features . Microsoft may be the most used operating system now but it does not mean that they are the best ...

Mac OS might be worth looking into, once a
port to x86 platforms is released. Till then, it seems kinda useless, what with Apple's 4% of the hardware market share......

I've been on XP for two years without one virus infection. It's all about how you look after your box; if you frequently get infected you need to look at how to keep it cleaner.

I am sorry dude, but you are a moron.
If your system gets infected with viruses and spyware it is YOUR FAULT, dont blame the operating system. What you really should do is educate yourself how to use a computer and how not to be a brain dead moron. Mac OS is great and so are most flavors of Linux...but dont use the spyware and virus excuse to support your statements, it just cheapens your intelligence.

Tired of Viruses ... spyware ... Microsoft is giving everybody a headache ... Is Windows Vista mean more viruses? I have switched to Mac OS X Tiger .... less worries now ... greater reliabilty and performance ... I would'nt even think Microsft Windows XP of as an Operating system ... it is that bad ... no end to it's bugs or worms / viruses . Try Mac OS X and see for yourself ...I would never ever use Windows XP or Vista ... forever ever ever ever .....

Mac's....the nifty tool for those who dont want to learn how to use a computer!

Mac has a small percent of the market share....but a large percent of the moron share.

Are we going to have to pay to just look at it?

I bought a new puter about two or so years ago with WinnersXP pre-loaded on one of its two HD's. XP is on hda and linux is on hdb. I've not downloaded either of the service packs and using ZoneAlarm I deny internet access to all applications except the ones I choose, particularly explorer.exe. Why does windows explorer need to access the internet? In short it doesn't. So it doesn't. And I don't use WinnersXP unless I absolutely have to. Nuff said.

If I were any of you I'd think long and hard before purchasing Langhorny soon to be aka WinnersVista. WinnersVista is nothing but a "tarbaby", hoo-boy, sho-nuff is. Once you plunge an ill-suspecting digit into that ball o' yucky black goo, the rest of you will eventually get sucked in too. Extracting yourself will be quite costly and the cost will only grow the longer you wait, sho-nuff do tell!

With Langhorny aka WinnersVista you will no longer have control over your computer. Everyone who sends content to it will be in control. Initially content provider control will be limited to DVDs and high definiton streams. Soon to follow will be pay per view website like news sites or game sites. Eventually most web sites will want control over your computer. Copyright protection from you scum, you know. They will put their deal on your computer and charge you for it. They will improve your viewing expierence for fun-n-profit, sho-nuff, hooo-eeee! Of-coursin they's gonna need what amounts to a "closed box" to "protect" their deal from you...er, a...to make sure your able to have a full viewing experience. Being a tight-butt might degrade your experience.

The PC became popular because of its openness. You could pull stuff out and put other stuff in with wanton abandon. Now you will only be able to put "approved" stuff in your box. If the stuff you install is not approved your puter will not work so good. It will become more and more useless unless of coursre you pull the unapproved stuff out and install that-thar apporved stuff.

One bright spot in this whole tragic nightmare is that if Langhorny aka WinnersVista thinks the premium content provider has done tol-it that they's is no need-ta rouse hisself up, sho-nuff content can be played without incident. Hoo-Boy! Sho-nuff said.

Anyone want to translate this from racist to english?

I dunno how you did it, hahahaha

As for Windows Vista it is a good not to be one of the first to have it. wait a little and let the hackers poke and prod at it. For a few ways to keep your PC running smooth and bug and virus free visit http://safewebbrowsing.blogspot.com/ or
http://www.sclaradyspchelpspot.blogspot.com Don't forget to check out the Archives

Does Windows "Vista" mean more Viruses, Infections, Spyware, Trojans and Adware?

I think it does...

Well its good to see that we already have closed minded freaks leaving their uninformed opinions on the net about an OS they have never seen or used by the public.

Well-done aminochaos...

So long as they do a Vista Pro Corp i dont really care.

windows vista sounds funny windows LongHorn should have been the official name

Yes, because naming an OS after cattle would have made much more sense. Yes, I know the name was taken from some obscure little bar at some ski resort but your average consumer is going to be wondering what Texas steers have to do with software. Longhorn would have been a stupid name; it's just that everyone is used to after so many years that it doesn't sound as stupid anymore. Trust me though, it's still just as stupid.

Hmm, I don't know. I think the name will stick pretty good LOL. Hey, who wants to make a new song?

"Vista, it's everywhere you want to be (just like a virus)".

What is wrong with Longhorn codename? i think it will be much better to use Longhorn, and Microsoft can try to give Windows Vista to there next OS after Longhorn, will could be much better, i guess ;)

How many people outside of the tech/geek community have heard of Longhorn or even know there is a new version of Windows coming. It has nothing to do with the name being "tarnished". It was a code name, nothing more. There was never any intention of using it as the retail name.

Because Longhorns name is already tarnished. If they name it something else then maybe no one will know how screwed up it's been. Just like announcing "Longhorn" for the first time all over again.

I think they should just call it SP3 (Service Pack 3) and be done with it.

where will the beta 1 be available from?

Funny Google News: By naming the next version of Windows "Vista," Microsoft may have stepped on the toes of another software company just down the road in Redmond.

That would be Vista, a business software and services company founded in 1999 by John Wall. He was not amused when Microsoft announced its choice yesterday, setting the stage for a massive rollout when its flagship operating system goes on sale in fall 2006.

Just dropped on this forum by chance.
What's in a name?
Why is it called Vista?
Only MS knows, and they say:-

http://www.betanews.com/...s_Vista_Name/1122056208

Didn't Microsoft just release Windows XP. I just got a Dell with windows XP, and now I will have to update it all ready! I think this is stupid! Microsoft needs to work on security, because frankly Microsoft has no security!

Hi bryanke89, if you bought a pc in 2001, you would have used Windows Xp for serverl year.

I'm all for Microsoft to release this OS so soon after XP. WinFS, or code named "Avolon" will revolutionize the file system format by intelligently grouping common programs together on the hard drive for unbelievably fast access time. For all those who are skeptical about Windows Vista embrace the biggest change in the computing world this decade.

XP sp2 microsoft antispyware and now onecare (or whatever it's called) being tested no they aren't working on security at all.

If your going to whine about updating your OS already maybe you should have waited till LATE NEXT YEAR to buy your computer When hopefully Vista if finaly out.

WTF are you talking about! XP has been out since 2002. And Longhorn was postponed for a whole year while MS worked on security features. XP is plenty secure now, stop downloading porn spyware moron

Um, "Avalon" is the codename for the new UI API. "Indigo" is the messaging API, and "WinFS" is the file system. Although all are part of Longhorn/Vista, they aren't interchangeable.

LOL - superb reply :D

Actually the file system is NTFS. WinFS is just a service that will run on top of it. :)

um, DELL? i wouldn't put money into a DELL if i were you. you never get what you want... unless you want to blow cash just to get pretty standard "upgrades".

PhotoVista who remembers that one? www.photovista.com still a domain name not taken by MS LOL. I remeber this name all to well so nothing new actually.

vista.com is taken to.

http://seattletimes.nwso...97450_microvista23.html

vista is an actual companies name.

LOL looks like another lawsuit for Microsoft. Why can't Microsoft name something with my name in it? I want some money too!

Come on guys i'm in a age that I can tell you about the first pc look a like things out there on the morkaet, the whole DOS generation and so on... Now nothing changed through the years, Windows is still number one, Linux never will make it this scale not even Apple. I see here a generation of young people not knowing how the market was back then and still is. Linux is very good, Apple as OS maybe even better. Still Windows is a good OS and I think you have to be a dummy if you can;t manage to get your PC stable without blue screens. Go back and do some training on yourself. I see for example big luxury yachts out there build by Feadship the Rolls Royce under the Yachts and running on Windows OS withour errors 24/7, I see factories running, big offices and networks without error. Why? Because some good tech guys are around to make sure how to use the OS in the right way and not downloading or intsalling all kind of consumer grap.

Who knows guys? Let's see the next generation OS from Microsoft! Who knows???

GO Linux. I think Windows Vista is XP on roids. They should of named it Windows 2006. I am a huge Linux man, altough Windows is better than it used to be, I still think all Vista is going to be is more of a memory killer (Fisher Price Graphics) I have been selected to beta test Longhorn\Vista I will let you all know

If they had named it Windows 2006, it would have sounded pretty old and sucky to all the computer illiterate consumers when 2008 rolled around.

Fisher Price Graphics... I am actually 100% sure in that one. Microsoft doesn't have the best designers working in dah house they are far to educated at a University level which kills the look.... Still not understanding to step away from the rainbow butterfly as it is so touching to the brain... Indeed it is touching in Kindergarten.

I think Windows Vista is a name with a lot of meaning for this new version of Windows. As donkeko said, Vista, in Spanish and Portuguese languages means sight.
As many know, Windows Vista will bring many changes, not only on security, file systems, etc., but also on the user interface that this O.S. presents to you. AS you may see on the introductory video, they mainly focus (the true is they can't focus much more on a 1 minute video) on the user interface, that, for me, looks really pleasant. I think this name is due to all those changes in the user interface, that pretend to make it a "vista agradável" (English, "pleasant sight").
It's sad to see people here saying "Linux sucks!", "Linux rules!" and the same stuff for Windows. All O.S. have their advantages and disadvantages. This is not a Linux vs. Windows topic!
I'm ansious to see the final version of this Windows!

Unfortunately, WinFS has been dropped from the initial release; this was one of the components I was most looking forward to. However, since it is sure to be made available in a service pack, I guess I can wait, but I certainly won't be buying Vista until it is available.

Stick with Longhorn and add some balls to it as well.

Got a thing for well-hung bulls?

Ksbhaskar, You are absolutely right! I worked at the VA for many years and they have stolen once again I might add a name that has been in use for their EMR's for years. Let the lawsuits again. Careful Microsoft the Government has more money than you.

It just sounds weird right now, but people will get used to it. I mean look how many people like the name Longhorn, and when it was first announced everyone thought that was the stupidest name ever. Now they think it's great because they've heard it so much, but it's still a stupid name for a piece of software. An operating system named after cows? Yes I know it's named after an obscure bar that nobody has ever heard of but to the general public Longhorn brings to mind cattle, which doesn't make much sense for an OS name. At least Vista means something in relation to Windows. I honestly don't care much for the name Vista right now but like I say, everyone will get used to it.

I've been reading some about new "security" features of this OS, like *hardware* related, and I'm thinking XP Professional is where I end my dance with Microsoft.
I'm getting the drift that the OS will *own* the machine what with the new buzz words like "lock down". Actual details have been very few but if the writers of the articles I've read have any understanding at all of what is coming up I'm gonna pass. Anybody care to guess what Microsoft is gonna want for Vista? I'm thinking nothing less than $400 US, which is another good reason to say with XP or go back to 98 or ME for that matter. Which brings up another issue, some MS bigwig was saying that Vista will boot 50% faster than XP, and that about puts it with 98 and Windows ME on my machine.

OPM - If your Monitor, for instance, does not have a special chip in it (very few sold to date do), certain video content, played in Longhorn (Er...Vista) will either not display, ordisplay at a lower resolution than intended.

MS helps hardware vendors squeeze out more money from consumers for upgrades in the name of anti-piracy.

I will not be buying Vista, even preloaded, if this occurs and cannot be easily defeated.

Fortunately, there are many bright coders out there more than willing to spend hours/days/weeks breaking the latest and greatest attempts by large corporations to pick my wallet.

Why the hell should I have to buy a new HD monitor to watch HD content in longhorn when I have a perfectly good HD monitor I bought 2 weeks ago??

If this does actually happen and there is no easy way around it, it could very well make Windows XP the very last OS from Microsoft many, many people ever buy into.

Personally, I hope they go through with it and I hope they do it so well it cannot be defeated. If every single person out there who has purchased an HD monitor in the last year or two forgoes Vitsa, MS might just get a nasty wake-up call.

The security features you mentioned is probably this http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000143050582/ and http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23548 stuff. And the 50% speed increase is problably caused by the new steep hardware requirements.

Are you a moron? How could you even suggest going back to 98 or even the worse OS ever (ME)? you are pathetic

What is pathetic, that he liked Win98 or you don't have the brains to run it without crashing? Nothing wrong with liking a certain OS.

Many bash MS, but MS has come a long way since 9x. And I do not see you making anything better, maybe you should give them credit for making something you cannot yourself.

Then the peeps crying on Linux is the best blah blah..

Yeah, I use Linux as well, I love the OS for the fact that it is not like Windows and over priced. Free for many flavors of Linux and open source everywhere make it a great alternative.

But I still like my Windows XP Pro.

eeh I like it. btw, screw Linux. ;-)

I can't say it's the best name I've heard. Windows VA, Windows Vista? We need something to put in 2 letters, like 98, 95, NT, XP, 2K.. vista just spoils the list, and the Virginian's might be annoyed if they chose VA, I dunno. But still.. it's a nice name, just not for Windows. I wouldn't be suprised if this was a joke or another codename, rather than the actual name to be honest.

Like it or not, Vista it is. I doubt they will change it now after the big announcement thing they had and all the new logos.

Wow, you have a very short memory. They ALWAYS have code names for their products, Windows NT 4.0 was called "Cairo", Windows 95 was called "Chicago", Windows 98 was called "Memphis", Windows NT 3.51 was called "Daytona"..

Its the trend. When the product is released, it will get an official title, like Windows 2006 or whatever, but they won't keep the name "Vista".. so don't get used to it.

Get your facts straight. "Longhorn" was/is the codename for the now named Windows Vista.

Windows Vista is NOT the code name, Longhorn was. Have you been living under a rock the last few years?

Also, Windows 2000 did not have a code name so they don't always use one.

Look, all you people complaing about the new name need to give it a rest... I have been keeping track of Longhorn for a good while now, and everyone knew the name would change as is what a Codename is used for... I didn't like the name at first either, but does the name really matter? Having another name isn't going to make the software better or worse... After seeing the definition of Vista, I think it is rather whitty, and can be a good marketing strategy... The general public didn't even know about old name, so they have no clue of the new features and looks, so I think the name Vista will better help them understand it all... (also, for you retards that want to turn this into a war of Windows vs Mac vs Linux... you need to find another place to "battle", you are supposed to be talking about the new name... not which OS is better...) (And for the idiots out there that want to make fun of me, I know I use a lot of "...")

That's where your wrong, Windows 2000 did have a codename, it was:

NT5

Not a really a name though!

That wasn't a code name, that was the actual name (like NT 4). They just decided to change it later on to Windows 2000 because at the time they "thought" there was going to be a consumer version as well (Neptune). That was scrapped though and caused much confusion for people thinking 2000 was the follow on to 98. Windows NT 5.0/2000 did not have a code name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_codenames

Oh... I know... how about VI, as in VIsta, also happens to be the roman numeral for 6... which also happens to coincidentally be the version number of Windows Vista (WinXP was ver 5.1)... only problem is think MS already thought of that. VI. Pretty damn clever actually!

Do you think with Vista, the "Blue screen of death" would be purple?

No, it will be en vogue. C'mon man, get with the program, it will be a rainbow of colors to cover all the errors.. haha

Apparently the BSOD is now a RSOD.
http://www.bestpricecomp...umour/windows-vista.htm

Windows Vista is lame!! Go LINUX!!

This windows will be so expensive that if you have XP, it will not be worth buying. I'm not spending $200 for faster searches and a new interface color scheme.

I'm just going download it.. its free

I myself dont like some aspects of XP, Microsoft and IE. But come on guys, if we whine about everything Microsoft does, will our voice ever be taken credible enough? If we critisize something, its got to be constructive criticism. Lets criticize about the important things like security and other issues, and forget about minor things like name of OS, packaging, etc. I think its the best for all of us.

very well said

Interesting... not sure what I think of the name.

Cool. Now where are the RCs? :)

Windows will always be windows... I must admit that they made some improvement with XP, but I still prefer my Linux box...

Microsoft takes on Uncle Sam! VistA (capitalized that way) is the name of the popular health care information system with an electronic medical record that is in the public domain from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and a version for physician offices, called VistA Office EHR, will shortly be made available by the US Department of Health and Human Resources. (See http://worldvista.org http://www.va.gov/vista and http://www.cms.hhs.gov/quality/pfqi.asp).

I love how everyone on this forum b****es about Microsoft and the gayness of the name Vista, etc. Everyone on this forum will use this OS when it comes out and don't even say you won't because you will be lying. XP is a very good OS and with Vista it can only get better.

"Everyone on this forum will use this OS when it comes out and don't even say you won't because you will be lying."

Nope, I'll be using OS X, and I am *not* lying.

> everyone on this forum b****es about Microsoft

Wrong. Generalizations are the fallback for trolls and flamers. Wake up.

> Everyone on this forum will use this OS when it comes out and don't even say you won't because you will be lying.

Seriously, if you work in the IT industry, do we have a choice?

> XP is a very good OS and with Vista it can only get better.

Compared to what? The OS sucks. The only reason you like it is because it will run all your games thanks to it's massive market-share.

> "Compared to what? The OS sucks. The only reason you like it is because it will run all your games thanks to it's massive market-share."

Haha, I don't know about you but I choose my os based on the apps I use. And oh yeah... things actually WORK when I use them on windows. That's all I care about... PERIOD.

Vista isn't gay, look at Windows NT. Know what it stood for? Windows New Technology, and yes, NTFS is New Technology File System. THAT was pretty bad...

I'm not making Generalizations either, everyone on betanews hates microsoft, read other other forums...

I do work in the IT industry and XP has been rock solid for our company and we have over 10,000 users.

Plus, I like the OS for its stability and reliabliltiy. I don't even play games on computers. Now whose making generalizations, dumba$$.

"Know what it stood for? Windows New Technology"

That's arguable, but I guess we'll never know. It originally referred to a type of processor, and in some versions of Windows it says right on the boot screen "based on NT Technology". New Technology Technology? I don't think that is what the name means. Anyway, NOBODY calls it that so it does not matter; the name is NT.

> everyone on betanews hates microsoft, read other other forums...

Yet another generalization. Words like Everyone, never, always, etc., will, 99% of the time, make you a flat out liar. Not *everyone* on betanews hates Windows. Trust me on this.

> I do work in the IT industry and XP has been rock solid for our company and we have over 10,000 users.

Yes, with Draconian IT practices such as complete hardware and software control such a thing can be accomplished, rare as it may be.

> Plus, I like the OS for its stability and reliabliltiy.

Stability depends on your personal experiences as does reliability. For instance, my homebuild AMD won't run XP for more than a month without breaking, but my Dell purchased at the same time has yet to break.

> I don't even play games on computers.

My mistake. Must have been your eloquent posting style that threw me off. ;)

> Now whose making generalizations, dumba$$.

That'd be you...again. (By the way, replacing the S with a $ is not cool or hip, just generally lame. Just a heads-up.)

>Haha, I don't know about you but I *choose my os based on the apps I use*. (emphasis added)

My point exactly. You chose your OS because you didn't have a choice. Nice catch 22, eh? Your apps are written for the reigning OS, *regardless of it's quality*, simply because it's the OS with the most market-share.

You run Windows because that's what your apps are written for. If they were written for Mac, you'd be using a Mac.

Don't even bother arguing about it. If all the games were written for Linux, every hardcore PC gamer would be running linux. Plain and simple.

Market drives production. If the OS market is Windows, Software production houses will generate Windows products. Duh.

No its not, its officially what NT stands for. "New Technology". Call MS and ask them, its even in the Manual, back when they were still shipping manuals..

so don't ASSUME you know that its incorrect, just because YOU are not sure. He is correct. NT = "New Technology"

from the wikipedia

""NT" designation

It is popularly believed that Dave Cutler intended the initialism "WNT" as a pun on VMS, incrementing each letter by one; while this would have suited Cutler's sense of humor, the project's earlier name of NT OS/2 belies this theory. Another of the original OS/2 3.0 developers, Mark Lucovsky, states that the name was taken from the Intel i860 processor—code-named "N-Ten"—which served as the original target hardware. Various Microsoft publications, including a 1998 question-and-answer session with Bill Gates[2], reveal that the letters were expanded to "New Technology" for marketing purposes but no longer carry any specific meaning.

The letters were dropped from the name of Windows 2000. This action ostensibly reflected Microsoft's intent to unify its home and business lines, then represented by Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0, but this goal would not be achieved until the introduction of Windows XP. Some believe this to be the result of a trademark dispute between Microsoft and Nortel."

I wasn't trying to be hip, I just wanted everyone in the forums to know that I think you're a dumba$$.

f#*kwits!

GO apple

I hate all this bashing ona thread devoted to the new name "vista" but I cant help retailate to you fools. Microsoft gets the MOST problems RELEASED by the public because it has the MOST eyes watching it, its got what 90% publicity, if linux was watched like MS it too would have this problem, same with apple. Linux has security leaks, it crashes. You download a program and " oooh no, I dont like that" XP says, "WHATS IT DOING!?" so it locks. Same with ANY other OS. Vista has some huge leaps over any OS to date, just grow up.

Well if YOU had BOTHERED to do a little RESEARCH on the matter maybe YOU would have LEARNED that the New Technology moniker was added LATER on as nothing more than a MARKETING gimmick, but THANKS for setting me STRAIGHT without acting like a total D*CK about it.

Thanks marcos :)

I don't dislike Microsoft, but it'd be nice to have competition in the client x86 OS market.

No, Linux is not competition, and it won't be until it adopts a *superior* business model to Microsoft. See, for Microsoft, support is a *loss*; whereas, for Linux, support is a *gain* (free software, charge for support==only business model that appears to be working now). It's in Microsoft's best interest to make simpler, more intuitive software that avoids profit-threatening support costs. Linux is just the opposite. It's best for Linux devs to turn out obscure programs with poor usability to drive up support costs (witness the black arts of Oracle and IBM system maintenance). Yeah, Oracle might be built on zero cost Linux and Mozilla and whatever other OSS-fad-du-jour-- maybe even eventually Oracle DB itself--but it's STILL going to cost ya 3 Grand a frickin day to have an Oracle guru come in to install their DB.

hasta la windows vista, baby!

I guess the term winvista is going to be used alot from now then?
Check this ;)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/e...RK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

www.winvista.net for those who whant a really cool domain close to the new OS check this link!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/e...RK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Here is the microsoft anouncement:
http://www.microsoft.com.../25234/Win_Name_MBR.asx

where I come from (Latvia), Vista means Chicken :)) This will be a lot of fun.

I like longhorn name better but look forward to tying beta - live in Russia so it will likely be on DVD in a week or so if it is not yet here

What part of Russia do you hail from?

Oh great, now we get to see all the illegaly stolen tech from Tiger. From what I understand, Microsoft STILL doesn't have window shading down pat yet. I wonder how much easier it will let you install spyware than XP already does? I hope this is the one that buries Mickey$oft. How long will it be before Microsoft actually CATCHES UP to current technology? 10 years? 15 years? Ive been waiting that long for them to put themselves under... but stupid consumers keep buying their old marketed crap. EVERY YEAR microsoft steals the technology from Apple, Linux, and BSD, then they wait 2 years, then make a release, and make it seem like its new, when its really 3-4 years outdated. If you have used Tiger, or Panther, you know what I mean. I have a 5 year old G4 Sawtooth AGP that has just been upped to a 1ghz G4 w/2gb ram, and turned it into a modern Machine. Do that with a PC. You can't, not without replacing the board.

You are talking like Microsoft is so far behind but you offer no examples...if you are trying to say Microsoft 'stole' something could you please be specific as it's rather hard to root out those who don't know anything and those who have real complaints.

For the record you can upgrade a PC just like a Mac. In most cases it would be easier to upgrade a PC than a Mac as Apple has this policy that it should be easier to just buy a new one.

Oh yeah, and spyware is installed by the user too and is by no means an automated process. You just have to be more careful out there.

This artice has nothing to do with Mac vs. PC, dude.... Get a grip.

But...

Just for grins, what'd that little upgrade cost you? It'll cost me $400 to upgrade my PC from a 1GHz Thunderbird w/ 512MB ram to a Athlon 64 3500+ with 1GB of RAM and a 256MB PCIe video card.

easier...and far cheaper...Commodity parts vs. closed architecture. Gets ya every time.

With Apple you have a handful of sources your parts will come from because they all have to conform to Apple's 'standard'. PC has a far wider market of hardware to choose from with prices for people wanting to upgrade or someone who really wants a beef machine. Mac got nothing on a PC, need I bring up the fact you only get games 2+ years after it was released on the PC :P

> With Apple you have a handful of sources your parts will come from because they all have to conform to Apple's 'standard'.

= closed architecture(sp? it's early)

> PC has a far wider market of hardware to choose from with prices for people wanting to upgrade or someone who really wants a beef machine

= Commodity Parts

> Mac got nothing on a PC, need I bring up the fact you only get games 2+ years after it was released on the PC :P

= Why i'd not be able to kick his arse in HL2.

I think your response covered everything the parent did...almost to the letter.

Can I (Mod -1: Redundant)?

-Vista's new, faster search tool is based on Apple's Spotlight

-Microsoft didn't think of tabbed browsing for internet explorer themselves. firefox and mozilla had that first, as did KDE's Konquerer. Microsoft picked this one up pretty late in the game, actually.

-Vista's IE will have a search bar to the right of the adress bar like firefox and other browsers.

You said you wanted some specifics, so here they are. there's certainly more, but I dont' feel like writing *everything* now.

Actually Netcaptor, then Opera then Mozilla had tabbed browsing before IE7 ;)

What? Too may people dis-illusioned with Longhorn so they decided to confuse the market by throwing out new names?

Another 'Brilliant Idea(tm)' from Microsoft. While their at it, why don;t they just change the name of the company.

I can see it now...

"Today, Horizon Software announced it's upcoming release of Windows Vista. Said to be 100% compatible with Microsoft's Windows Longhorn, but without all the negative press associated with it."

Longhorn is a code name, Vista is the product name. Stop being such a hater.

Nah... It's my bliss. Hating is what I live for, man. How dare you suggest taking that away from me, you insensitive clod!

Seriously: Widnows Vista = VI = 6 = WinNT 6

Not that bad, they wanted a six and nothing else good went with VI in the name. I like it better than that eXPerience crap.

Widnows?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Never liked the name XP, won't like Vista. When they swictheed from version to year, that was okay, but this other crap (XP/Vista) is meaningless.

But then again, who cares, right?

Heh...why not use Windows "VI" Much more functionality than Linux vi, right?

In my experience Linux vi is userfriendly, but only to people it likes. It's not even 10am yet and I can't even spell Windows correctly. It's Friday or Monday :P

Vi doesn't like me...but the feeling is mutual, so no big loss. Maybe they should change the editor's name to longhorn. :P

Ha! That would be a great flame war. Would have to take pictures ;)

Can't copyright Longhorn though... Damn name of a Mountain. Would be amusing, but...

I'm sure they have better things to do, eh?

What? Too may people dis-illusioned with Longhorn so they decided to confuse the market by throwing out new names?

They do this with most releases, work with a codename and name it later. XP was codenamed Whistler until the beta stage. Now Longhorn is Vista. A post-Vista Windows OS (2007 sever maybe?) is codenamed Blackcomb - this naming practice is fairly common.

Windows NT was actually a horrible name...maybe we should call it Windows OT now since it is "Old Technology"

My favorite code name story (and I've never tried to substantiate it) is for Apple. They were apparently calling OSX "Sagan" internally in honor of Carl Sagan. When this "paragon" (God rest his soul) of graciousness heard about it, he quickly had a lawyer send a letter to them to cease and desist on using his name.

So they changed the code name of the project to "butt-head astronomer". I would love to have seen him argue over that one. ;-)

Dude, it wasnt OSX. It was one of the first generation PPC machines, the 7100, back in 1994. I think Carl Sagan was already dead by the coming of OS X.

I can just picture myself breaking up with or refusing to date someone just because I hate their name, lol. "Sorry, you're gorgeous and all, but your name... it's so... awful."

Get over it, seriously... I didn't particularly *like* XP (eXPerience) but I use the product anyway. Bottom line though, I don't think Microsoft will rename it just because ArabianNights and Aires (or anyone else) thinks it "sucks", lol.

Well I don't know about a name but I did finish with someone because I couldn't stand their accent.

But I don't want to go out with Windows anyway. :?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; so Longhorn would, were it not Vista call'd, retain that dear perfection which it owes without that title. Microsoft, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee take all myself."

Okay, I probably shouldn't read these things before my morning coffee...

Those would be some expensive dates.

I thought XP stood for eXtremely Poor; what you'll be after paying for all the upgrades you'll need to get something with enough oomph to run it.

Seriously, the environment I'm in will resist it until Win2k is EOLed. They were still using NT until it was EOLed.

They have to update about 15k machines to do it. That and all of the QA costs a great deal of money. The shareholders love a stable operating system. It should do something and just keep on doing it, reliably. The last thing they need is to put on 'fluff' for the workers to 'play' with.

There are NO running copies of IE running on any of the machines except extremely tightly firewalled ones that are alowed to link to intranet sites.

There are NO running copies of Express. All email is handled by Lotus Notes and software to limit the email addresses to internal ones.

As far as we're concerned, we either need or want XP.

With company policy like those in place who would want to work there? I hate gestapo IT departments.

People who actually want to get work done. IT departments exist because of the business, not the reverse. If there's no tangible justification for upgrading desktops... why spend the money? Think of the licesensing costs saved. Employess probably got nice bonuses.

XP was clearly targeted at the home market. If I were the IT decision-maker, I see staying on 2000 a perfectly rational decision, especially if none of it's "components" like IE are being used for business purposes.

What's in a name?

Well, it depends on the name I suppose. If someone refuses to use it because it's called Windows Vista then yeah that's a little sad. But say if they called it Windows for Twats, I don't think I'd use it either :)

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

That'd be the joke flying over your head. No need to duck, missed ya by a mile.

I'd want my money back. In fact I'm suing!

Gestapo IT departments? That sounds like exactly the type of thing I would expect someone to say when they have no experience of actually trying to keep a whole bunch of windows machines alive and kicking long enough for their users to get something productive done.

Seriously, any sysadmin worth their salt does what they can to (1) prevent the machines from dying (2) prevent the machines from being overrun with spyware/adware/virii (3) prevent the users from wasting company time messing about at goatse.cx or any of the other places that provide a way to mooch off of their work. COmputers in a work environment are tools for the job, not entertainment centers.

Also, and sysadmin worth talking to knows that m$ products are not ready for stable, solid use until at least sp2 is available for it, and will also be trying to save the company money by not wasting it on providing bells and whistles to a gui interface which will require better hardware to run, will most likely confuse users (if at least not adding to their productivity), and will open all manner of new problems (stability, usability, solidness in the face of nasty h4xx0rs).

You know what kinds of people want to work in those places? The people who don't want to be bugging tech support every 5 minutes so they can work with their spreadsheets and do a little printing. The people who are committed to doing what they are paid for in the office environment -- work, not play. The people who value a tool for what it does, not how flashy it is.

If you only need to dig a little hole, why upgrade your spade to a caterpillar? It makes no sense. A corporate environment is *nothing* like the home environment of the geek, and never should be.

Why can't they just call it Windows 2006? I have all these names changes. The year it was released in is fine and it also works well with the people who HAVE to have the latest and greatest because if Windows 2006 is out then Windows 2002 is too old for them whereas Windows XP or Windows Vista, which is newer?

Please just stick with either the year or a version, Windows 6.0 would be fine also. It seems to work for OS X just fine.

They do it for exactly the reason you pointed out. Its no secret that it'll have been several years from XP to Vista, but they just don't want it in everybody's face. As for the version numbers, us geeks can remember them but no everyone else. Everytime I ask our users here what version of a certain program (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc) they have they're not sure. Even OS X they get confused about because every year its been a new cat, and we started with Cheetah.

Then of course there's marketing. Marketing doesn't want to sell a version number, they want something they can visualize. Even XP they could say was "experience". They'll still keep the build numbers internally but to the outside world, it will be Vista (or whatever they rename it to in the next year and a half.)

I don't know why they don't just call it Windows Media XP - because that's all it is, a jazzed up version of XP. Nothing new really. [shrugs]

Maybe 'Vista' isn't as dumb as it initially sounds...

It's likely to be shortened to Windows VI, as most MS Operating systems have two-letter abrieviations.

'VI' in Roman Numerals is 6 - and what version of Windows Vista be..... that's right, 6.0.

Call me a conspiricy theorist, but I don't think that's a coincidence...

Ha! I like it!!!

totally agrees, with you. But you know Bill has people sitting on thier a** making big bucks to come up with a name. hmm today will call frognuts!

Wow are you misinformed and obviously not paying attentiong. Nothing new? Give me a break and come back when you are more educated. K Thx

Jazzed up? Yeah, they added some new mouse pointers and screen-savers and called it quits...[/sarcasm]

Tut tut tut. Such a short memory.

Anyway back to the topic. Tell me - does Windows Vista have WinFS? Hmm? Then tell me what new stuff it does have that is such a leap forward from XP that it can be said to be a radial improvement on XP. Tell me why Vista isn't just an improvement of XP with improved media capabilities? You can be sure if I don't know then your average user won't know. And if your average user doesn't know then why the hell would he or she upgrade to it? Hmm? Vista meaning pleasing view just says it all - it's basically all bells & whistles written in new code based on XP no doubt. But tell me what's radical in Vista, I dare ya.

Nah, they should use Nero's naming convention. I think this one would be Windows 5.6.3.8....or something.

So, basically, because it doesnt have WinFS it isnt a major upgrade? Makes sense. I like your logic. So, if your car comes with a standard factory stereo and not a pioneer it isnt worth buying even if your driving a UGO?

Good answer. Doesn't even come close to proving your point. Avalon is Eye-Candy...at the very least until it's underpinnings get adopted by developers. What's left to make Vista a necessary upgrade? What new powerful features are going to make me want to spend $200 on a new OS?

As Aries said...answer that, I dare ya.

Exactly - you said it - major upgrade. ;)

Honestly, I don't care how revolutionary WinFS is. Microsoft's Filesystems have always been total crap compared to the existing alternatives. Additionally, the last "revolutionary" filesystem, NTFS, is so screwed up that neither Apple nor any of the Open Source Linux community has figured out how to reliably write to it. Don't underestimate those groups... They are intelligent and inventive by nature. I would rather Microsoft adopt one of the existing high-preformance filesystems that have been released into community control. These are XFS (very mature journaled FS by SGI), JFS (IBM developed filesystem - open license), and of course the heavily deployed and time-tested Ext3.

I hear they threw a texture on the blue screen of death.

Well what Microsoft was boasting before they cut WinFS off was a lot more than just a filesystem as I understand it. It wasn't just another NTFS or EXT3 journaled file system, in fact I'm not completly sure the actual file system mattered (that depends on how they were planning on implementing it). The idea was organization of stuff like pictures, music etc would not be done in the standard way of just folders. If you think about it there is really not much sense why we can only have our music organized in the file system one way such as /artist/album/song, with WinFS I believe the song would be stored in a manner which was not just a directory structure, and instead in a more dyanmic database based organization system.

Not to mention, it's being released in '06. The hits just keep on coming.

I believe that Microsoft stated that they scrapped all of the code from the 4000 alpha series, and restarted from scratch in the 5000 series. Meaning what? Is it possible that they are rewriting the OS code as well (because Lord knows that there are loads of security and memory holes in XP and other previous versions)? Or are they just reorganizing all of the extra coding that they are planning to add to the XP base system?

And good grief!!! Have any of you seen what the system requirements are going to be for Longhorn/Vista?

They are getting worse and worse as new builds come out. Yet Microsoft does claim that they will be cutting down of extraneous processes that run in the background.

When you try to sell the idea of an OS on a radical new file system - and then you withdraw it, that dents the credibility of the OS in question a helluva lot. A helluva lot.

I will not be installing Vista unless it can be hacked. I want total control of my OS and more importantly - my hardware. I'm not prepared to relinquish control of my bios and my hardware to what MS says is authorised, approved, recommended, obligatory, prefered, or however which way you want to put it!

hear, hear!

WinFS isn't a file system, is a service running on top of NTFS!

And there are some huge improvements over the Windows XP, a new core based on .NET Framework 2.0, and much more...

Go to school, boy!

BTW: Check www.winsupersite.com

Again WinFS isn't a filesystem, is much more...

Windows Vista will must be install only on the newest version of NTFS. (not FAT, FAT32 nor NTFS from XP, 2K or NT)

See all Windows Vista features: http://weakmind.org/uplo...s/LonghornFeatures.html

Oh no, god forbid microsoft decide to take advantage of new hardware as it comes out instead of tailoring to some person who wants to keep a pentium 2 400 just because he doesnt feel like upgrading. That is ridiculous. At some point you have to cut the umbilical and say hey, its time to upgrade your machine.

The word 'vista' defined means "pleasing view." I would be willing to bet that the price in the shops will not be as pleasing a view for customers!

Price aside. by vista meaning pleasing view I fear all we are going to get is a prettier XP. If so I'll probably just wait for the next Windows release.

I can bet u the name will change again cause it sucks.

Yep too right.

Hasta la vista, baby! ;-)

lolz nice one :)

Or it should be called Windows OS X Panther.

Yes, but "Whistler", "Cairo", and "Memphis" all sound better than their actual names. :P

I was hoping they'd just stick with "Longhorn", since it's better to name your product after a mountain, or a sheep, rather than a chicken.

"it's better to name your product after a mountain"

Not really - you can't Trademark the name of a location or mountain, which is precisely why MS uses these for codenames.... so they don't infringe anybody else's TM inadvertantly.

MS Windows Foghorn Leghorn!!

"...you can't Trademark the name of a location or mountain..."

Really? So Fuji Film has no trademark rights to their name? I think I'll start my own company and sell photographic film that I'll call "Fuji". And I suppose if you look closely at some Ford Motor Company products, you'll see that they're labelled "Lincoln", and in fine print under the logo, you'll see "Named after a person, not a city in Nebraska". Glad their lawyers were thinking before someone ran off and stole the brand name...

Mark Twain is supposed to have said something to the effect of "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

To those that have commented on Longhorn as an actual product name; if you don't know about the concept of codenames on pre-release code, you probably should reconsider shouting out about it. This is how it's been for ages; Win2k was Whistler, NT 4 was Cairo, 98 was Memphis, etc, etc...

Notice the title of the article, it's correct. "Longhorn gets a name", it's not renamed - it's named.

Of all the stupid discussions...

>Win2k was Whistler, NT 4 was Cairo,

Windows XP was actually Whistler, and Cairo was Windows 2000.

Cairo was actually NT 4. Windows 2000 didn't have a code name besides the preliminary name "Windows NT 5.0."

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_codenames

Actually, there seems to be some dissent on that:

http://www.mshelpwiki.co...ex.php?page=MsCodeNames claims they both used the code name Cairo.

http://hardware.earthweb...ystems/print.php/638471
http://www.phm.lu/Docume...n/Windows/Codenames.asp
and
http://mcpmag.com/featur...cle.asp?EditorialsID=96

all refer to Windows 2000 being Cairo.

gee.. guys.. isnt there anything you dont complain about? i dont care abt the name as long it looks good and works fine.. lmao..

Dont tell me even for a girl, you'd rather prefer one who has a nice name, rather than looks or shape. Hehe, you might want both but thats tough luck.. hahaha..

Do you have any comments about the box in which their operating system is shipped in? Do you think its too much? Or is it too big? hehe..

no offence guys.. just having a laugh..

Yes, it needs a "Big Horn Sheep" on the box!

Well... in Latvian language "Vista" means "Hen". How can they intend to sell this here?!

same as tele2 is operating here ;)

Well, they think of English mostly when writing these things. Maybe you will just laugh silently to yourself and use it anyway?

Windows Vista? :P Almost sounds like a bad car name. I guess that if it kept "longhorn" some would nicname it "Cash cow". Sorry to be so bullish. Just blame it on me having suffered WinMe.

The real test will be, of course, when it comes out, with what ever name it has, and we see how long it will take before they have to start patching it up like an old over used inner tube with tons of security updates.

Lol, Windows Vespa! Ironic, considering that I just watched spaceballs last night. Hmm...

Seriously, Vista? What would the shortened name BE for that? Windows V, VI, VS, VT, VA. That's about it, isn't it? I mean, if it is going to be called Vista, then there are only those possibilities above to shorten the name (down to the usual two character system). I could handle a new Windows OS called VT. It is sharp on the tongue, like ninety-eight, XP, so now we have Vee-Tee.

In the long run, it's just another series of certifications that we have to learn, and add to our resume.

Windows 3.1, 95, NT, 98, ME, 2000, XP (home, pro, media), 2003 server, and now VT.

Microsoft really screwed up when they made Windows ME. That program had some of the worst performance in an operating system that I have ever seen in my life.

Anyway, we will definately have to see what it's like when it's finally released. (Or leaked)

Windows Vermont? Windows Virginia? No, doubt those would work, so that leaves Windows V, VI, and VS.
Windows V, like that show in the 80's. Interesting..
Windows VI = Windows 6. Not good.
Windows VS, awful close to BS, so that one works out.

Whichever name they choose, we're stuck, unless someone in the community pins a nifty, catchy moniker on it.

Vista - that is one funy name. Why? Becouse in Latvian "Vista" means "Chicken" :)
Have fun using Windows Chicken :)

don't worry, there'll be fried vista available soon, vista burger and vista nugget. yeah, way to go McWindows.

Almost as much fun as using Windows Fish 2003. :) [http://24.77.99.160/OS-Tan/Downloads/2003/server-tan-icon01.jpg] "2003 Server is often portrayed as being half-girl, half-fish, with an ethernet hub as a bonnet on her head. ... Saba is a pun: in Japanese, the word for 'server' is pronounced 'saaba', while 'saba' is the word for mackerel." (http://24.77.99.160/OS-Tan/index2.html) Windows Fish, Windows Chicken, Windows Vespa, heh, all of 'em are better than Windows Miserable Edition. Still won't be as powerful, secure, or easy to use as Linux or Mac, 'though.

"pleasing view"

what view pleasing whom?

nice view, indeed - with all that DEP and TCPA and cast all your dearly bought software into the bin and don't touch my mouse or your monitor will blow up stuff . . .

what it this? your dearest child? your beloved mistress? rich uncle billy's ring to kiss?

gimme a break, folks. Who cares what names are given to a piece of software?!?!?!?

:->

Obviously you do not. Personally I was waiting for someone to bring up Iraq or how dumb Americans are because it happens in almost every thread...

And little did you know it'd be you bringing it up?

Hmm...I dunno, I think lots of people have been calling it "Longhorn" for years, and have gotten used to it.

Also, as someone pointed out below, 'Longhorn OS - It'll gore you to death.' would be kinda a cool slogan.

Heh...they could have put a big green mountainside with a "Big Horn Sheep" on the box.

Longhorn are cattle not sheep oh wise one! But then your from Canada aren't you!

Windows Grand Theft, Windows Hurricane, Windows Fracaso, Windows Whooly Booly, Windows Futura, Windows WhatsUpDoc, Windows WantSome, Windows Ultimate, Windows Woogle, Windows Winux, Windows WigWac, Windows WhatSamaCallit, Windows NeedCleaning, Windows ShortBow, WIndows Meteor, Windows......eh..eh...
remember these names are all (C) copyright by me, registered as early as 2000AD...

I have to say I like it. But as pipe so eloquently stated, xpsp3 would be nice -- maybe they will once IE7 is ready for release.

Windows XP Service Pack 3 would suit the product much better. :)

i couldn't agree more

Visto is such a lame name for an OS,
I thought they'd go like Platinum, Bizantium, Itanium, Pentium or something with -um.

I'll second that agreement.

Vista, if you ask me, sounds way better than Longhorn. And the whole vista = pleasing view is WAY BETTER than XP's "eXPerience". Just try to think of what bad phrase they'd make with "Longhorn".

'Longhorn OS - It'll gore you to death.'

It's not that bad... They should go back to their roots and call it OS/2 v7. :)

Vista? Ehhh I dunno. I'm trying to keep an open mind and all but that just doesn't sound like a name suited for an operating system in my opinion o_O

On the other hand, Windows XP is really Windows Experience, so maybe they're going along those lines...Windows VS? Windows VT?

*edit dubbel post

VS sounds be good
windows VS linux :P

but indeed vista is a strange name for a windows ;-)

Vista is an OK name for a window...sometimes you get pleasant views looking through a window...sometimes not.

Vista, in spanish, means Sight, or just View...so Windows Vista means they are going to be watching you, not the other way around....after several, several, several years of using MS WinXXX, and just one using OS X and other linuxes, I can certainly state that Windows sucks!

It just won't be complete without the Windows Vista Plus pack for an extra $39.99

vista hmm sounds like the car i own true it is a toyota..lmfao
just wanted to find out what kind of requirements it needs really do we all have to buy new processor (i recently bought 3400mhz)...someone expalain this 64bit procesin and not 32

and as for costs guys u all know everything which is on cd can be ripped and so product keys can be made and so is free i will enjoy is it also originally not bootable?

this is getting ridiculous...its always hate on ms everything they do is their fault blah blah...xp is by far their best os to date I have had only one problem with the os and it was a usb issue for my midi interface...but they dont make the drivers m-audio does....as for spyware adware and viruses...get educated not everyone of us downloads every pop-up and opens every email... if another os was as big as ms...hackers would go after it...but they are not but mac is getting bigger so don't be surprised if more viruses start appearing for the os...it makes no sense to attack a small market of people (linux, mac) yes mac has grown considerably but still not nearly as much as windows and the fact remains your more likely to pass a virus around through a windows pc then anything...win xp sp2 has increased security greatly and it comes down to are you stupid enough to d/l this? or open this? no os is idiotproof...and the whole its too fisher price graphics debate you can change that by converting it to standard windows or skin it. As with windows vista the name yeah it sucks but the os is still over a year away from release...I'll wait until the product comes out to review it but as of now it doesnt look good as the features were promised are looking slim...it seems like windows vista is a more sleeker verison of xp and enhanced gui...but not worth buying if thats all its going to be...

I'm with you on that one terminalx. Thanks for saying most of what was on my mind so I can make my post shorter. I like Windows XP (I'm not on the "Let's hate Microsoft!" bandwagon. Hating something to fit in is for middle-schoolers.) The only thing I really don't like about XP is that it too idiot-proof. I am not an idiot, so this user-friendly-ness only gets in the way. It wants me to save all my files to c:\documents and settings\taosu\my documents\my pictures..." or something stupid like that, you can't delete those folders, and it likes to decide for me the best view for a folder, even if I set it to remember my prefered view type. I have noticed that Microsoft has steadily been decreasing the user's controll with each new OS. I am very eager and excited over the release of Vista, but if I find it becomes my master rather than my servant, maybe it IS time for me to switch to Linux.
BTW, am I the ONLY one that really likes the name Vista? It is the best name MS has come out with so far, and it is the only name that is an actual word!
And Long live Fisher Price Graphics! I hope Vista has more of them =P

Microsoft. They hate it and they can't live without it. Why don't we just leave the guys at Microsoft alone. Everything in life needs improvement. You and I always need these improvement as human as well Not to talk of machine.

Most of us should believe that nothing comes perfect. Everything will make will in one way or the others need improvement. Most of the hackers out there target MS because of her dom on the market. Meaning that serious things need to be considered, serious patches need to be released.

Thanks everyone. Windows Vista is a name they chose. Sooner we will all get used to it.

I totally agree with terminalx and taosu. Almost every tom d*** and harry out there use windows for some purpose out there. I don claim that its the best OS but then its no bad either. People averse to consistent chnages keep supporting the old UNIX war horses. I do accept that XP is plagued by virus. But that proves its popularity. Try porting any closed source OS on the popular x86 platform. It will surely be plagued by the same problem MS faces today. Wait untill OsX comes on x86, so much for its stability. I always feel that anything MS does good no one opens their mouth. But the moment it slips somewhere the make a big rucass of it. Try to respect the programmers who have invested so much time and brains in devloping an OS that has changed the face of this earth. Well most of the ppl who crib abt its instability i beleive are still the 9x users. I have only one thing to tell them: Have u tried using XP Sp2. Have u noticied its stability. Be unbiased b4 u speak out. I dont say Linux sucks, but Windows is no less if not better.

I dont get why people argue so much about windows being crap and that they wont use it and linux or apple will take over. The thing is what do little kids use Windows what do they get used to Windows. Now a kid has spent most of his/her time using this OS they'll get used to it and since most people use it the average person wont even care about another OS. Some dont even know what an OS is they just want something they can go on the internet and type things with.

So the thing is as long as School are using Windows, Windows will still be at the top whether u like it or not.

I personally do not like or hate windows, all OSs have their advantages and disadvantages. Then some people go on about viruses and spyware. As stated by others STOP DOWNLOADING AND VISITING PORN. How come the people who dont do that dont get infected?

Somethings MS needs to think about are Cost and they need to fulfil more of the end users requests. Also you bought XP then a new version comes out why pay its from the same people.

Laters, in a couple years time XP will be 95 and Vista will be XP. So why argue when your probably gonna end up using it.

Dark, you don't seem to know what your talking about. Viruses can come in abundance whether one is downloading porn or not. This can be easily fixed, however, with apps to stop viruses and spyware.