Microsoft Longhorn system unveiled

It is said that Microsoft named the next-generation desktop Windows System Longhorn according to the name of a bar at Whistler mountain foot. In those good memories, Whistler is the development code of Windows XP.

Therefore, you may guess that such a name makes the new operating system more similar to its predecessors. Indeed, the help and support dialog box contains a "whats new in Windows XP" project. However, if you go deeper, you may Start to wonder if the two have only the Start button and the taskbar in common.

We learned this in our first preview last year in the UK. We all agree that Longhorn may be the most important version in Windows release history. Maybe Longhorn will promote a global OS upgrade.

Easy installation

Microsoft has done a lot of work in limiting the sharp increase in operating system installation time. You will be notified that it takes 60 minutes to install XP on your system, but in our test, it takes only 20 minutes for Longhorn to start using it from installation to availability. Installing and using Longhorn requires 3 GB of hard disk space, and the code we tested just exceeds 600 MB, which can be placed on a CD. Obviously, Microsoft has applied some efficient compression technologies in this version.

Compared with piecemeal approach in earlier versions, installation in local environments is more efficient. We hope Microsoft can maintain this installation method in the finished product. It is really easy to install Longhorn. Start the installer and follow the most important instructions on the screen. The instructions will tell you that you can leave your computer for about 20 minutes. Then you can come back and the installation is complete.

After that, you need to click a few clicks and restart the machine. If you do not choose to leave your computer to install it on your own, you can sit in front of your monitor and enjoy some slides that describe the advantages of the latest Windows version. Finally, a logon interface containing a clock appears. In some cases, it seems that the interface of the early XP system is returned. Instead of graphical display of registered users, you still need to press Ctrl, Alt, and Del at the same time during logon, and manually enter the user name and password in the NT Style dialog box. System Administrators may easily take a look at this point.

Simple operation interface

In the Longhorn operation interface, we first noticed the task panel called sidebar, which occupies the right position of the screen. Sidebar can be placed on the left, right, top of the screen, or even below the Start Menu. In Longhorn, sidebar is not only an activity center, but also an information portal. Although it seems very simple and mainly targets Windows tasks, it is actually a very useful tool based on XML, theoretically, it will become an effective computer navigation tool in the future, playing the role of news or weather wake-up devices. Finally, it seems that Microsoft has shown a friendly attitude towards RSS (rich site abstract, rich site summary) in this version. This may also be used to explain why Microsoft has not integrated these functions into Outlook or Explorer, even though many third-party developers are working hard on related technologies.

It is minimized on the system tray. In the minimal state, it is displayed as an extensible icon or a series of buttons. The button is used to display a single function in the tray in a larger format, rather than by the original size. This design is very useful for task management. Based on your preferences, you can record the applications you have recently used at any time, just like in the lower left corner of the Start Menu of XP.

In this way, the classic Longhorn Start menu looks very simple. Because it does not dynamically rewrite itself when each application is executed, this method is easier for beginners to understand. Sidebar includes some other options and shortcuts. All these elements can be disabled, minimized, changed, or moved up or down in the sidebar to change the order.

Implement Trusted Computing

Perhaps for the Longhorn operating system, the two most revolutionary changes are behind the user interface. The first is the Control Right management (controls rights management) with the code name Palladium ). Another WinFS. Palladium responsible for processing the entire underlying file structure of the operating system is the product of Microsoft's efforts towards trustworthy computing. It gives digital content creators the right to control how the content is used. Some companies want to integrate similar functions into existing Windows and Linux systems through their third-party plug-ins, but now we can see that, microsoft is integrating such a technology into all aspects of the operating system structure.

By working with compatible hardware such as Intel and AMD, each file can be tagged secretly and set to run only on a specific computer, or it cannot run after a certain period of time. This technology will allow DVD vendors to publish self-destructed discs or ensure that documents written by the enterprise are not readable outside the internal network.

Furthermore, trusted computing plans can be used for validation and identification. If used by online banks or retailers, it can provide considerable security for services. Longhorn is the first desktop operating system based on trusted components. We believe that the basic installation should not be a fixed configuration mode, and the PC manufacturer should be able to make some modifications on its own. According to the operating system organization method, Microsoft gives software and hardware manufacturers the right to replace the key parts of the basic code internally, so that the manufacturers can produce products with real custom versions. Similarly, Longhorn may lay a solid foundation for powerful multimedia computers and seize the market occupied by Windows Media Center Edition and other similar Linux-based software.

Organize your work

WinFS is Windows Future Storage ). As a centralized data storage technology driven by databases, WinFS will change our views on existing files and their organization methods.

In all existing operating systems, the work we do is saved in the environment related to the application that creates the job. For example, our email is stored in an email application. Our workbooks use completely different file formats and may be stored in hard disks in a scattered manner. WinFS creates a way to store data in all files in a centralized manner, regardless of the application that created these files. In this way, you can perform system-level search and collect all the information of the entire database. For example, if you look for "subscriptions to PCW in January (New York Stock Exchange report order for June)", the system displays a list of results. It lists the workbooks containing the names of existing subscribers, emails from new subscribers, and emails sent or received from subscribers. The system searches all resources.

The core of this technology is SQL-based, which also indicates that WinFS will only work on the NTFS file architecture. Imitating the naming method adopted by UNIX decades ago, WinFS will not store files according to the drive letter, which can save resources for storing data. However, what do users feel if they do not know where their data is stored? But at least this method can force us to go down the Microsoft product line.

So far, we have tested two Longhorn versions: 4008 and 4015. Only the latter uses the WinFS architecture. Therefore, in version 4015, Microsoft sidebar provides an option that allows you to search all data, whether on a local machine or on a network. As the search technology improves, the system reduces the emphasis on directory and file storage location attributes. However, Microsoft has improved the navigation function.

There is also a small tracker in the file system that can track multiple stages of your work. This is similar to the back drop-down menu in the browser. Therefore, you can quickly jump back to any previous position without the need to continuously click the back button.

Search for files with letters

In Windows XP, Microsoft introduced the idea of arranging file dialogs randomly by letter or type. This function is hidden in a file window dialog box menu. In Longhorn, this feature is placed in front. Index hyperlinks in the three regions link to files that meet specific requirements, such as names, sizes, or locations. For example, if you know that you want to search for A file with the letter A headers in A folder named pcw, then, you can click a simple mouse to restrict the search range to a folder with the letter p headers. A similar dialog box is used to store files. Windows will track the location of your recently stored files and place the quick links to these folders at the top of the Save dialog box.

Improve multimedia features to combat Apple

Apple's goal in the multimedia market is to make itself a realistic choice for users who focus on Digital Entertainment. Apple is making a huge step towards this goal as the market for iPod and iLife devices continues to expand. Microsoft is aware that this is a key part of the entire operating system battlefield. Therefore, Microsoft decided to launch a counterattack against Apple by improving the way digital media files are stored.

Currently, image search can take advantage of multimedia data and search by camera type or user. Therefore, if you only remember to take a photo with your Kodak camera instead of a Nikon camera, you can specify this condition and the returned search results will meet this condition. Similarly, the Music files stored in the Music Library can be organized according to the genre, performer, and album. This similar technology will allow us to introduce the features we see in Musicmatch, Winamp and other media play software into the operating system kernel.

It is also possible to directly record the video data in the DV recorder to a DVD disk. Regardless of the format of the Target media file, the video data can be directly input to the disc without going through the hard disk. Of course, you 'd better edit the captured image first. However, the Longhorn version We previewed does not include any special video editing applications. We feel that the new version of Movie Maker will be released together with Longhorn.

We cannot determine whether Longhorn has integrated the function of creating a DVD menu. We may get more information after we see the updated document. Images and videos are now stored in the Library. You can access them from the Start Menu. This design makes access to the data very convenient. Compared with the XP version, Image Viewer has made significant improvements. Similar to earlier versions, it includes rotation, zoom-in, slide display, and printing what you think is appropriate.

Some new features are added to Longhorn. You can adjust the exposure level, remove the red eye, cut the image, and select all appearances, you can even close the Image Viewer by clicking the button on the pop-up menu and edit the image in the specified image processing program. In short, the media data of images can be accessed and edited directly through the viewer itself.

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