Windows Longhorn Beta Screenshots

An anonymous reader writes "A few screenshots of Windows Longhorn Beta 1 have surfaced on the net showing off many of the new transparency features, Internet Explorer 7 and Avalon or WinFX."

Longhorn more like Copland.

[__aavhli5779]

What a failure. How many more features will they lose before they just abandon it entirely.

Ooh-wee, eye candy!

Let me in on this!

From TFA:

[Kethinov]

Windows Longhorn 5203 Screenshots

The article lies! There can't be more than a dozen screenshots in that article. Certainly not five thousand! :(

Copying Apple again?

[jtbauki]

Seems like Microsoft is doing what Microsoft does best. Copying other companies. Maybe that's an unfair statement, but man, I hate Microsoft =).

start to shut down

[smeagols_ghost]

Good to see you still need to click start to shut down.

I had great fun explaning that to my mum when she first used xp

Re:Longhorn more like Copland.

[HyperChicken]

Ooh-wee, eye candy!

They're just copying from Apple. ;)

Holy Shit!

[Anonymous Coward]

Transparency! Tabbed browsing! A search bar in the browser! Brilliant!

And why the fuck exactly did recycling old technology take them this long?

Re:Looks an awful lot like Ubuntu's themes

[Anonymous Coward]

That's because ubuntu stole the designs from microsoft, duh.

Down already?

[aendeuryu]

Is the server performance a Longhorn preview as well?

Slashdotted Already

[Joel Rowbottom]

"And in related news, Longhorn's webserver fell on its arse after 50 geeks attempted to look at the eye-candy simoultaneously..."

Re:From TFA:

[NTworks]

you misunderstoood.. 5203 is the projected release year for Longhorn.

So where's the screenshot of...

[Anonymous Coward]

...the bluescreen of death?

Re:start to shut down

[Anonymous Coward]

Takes about 1 sec for me to reach around and yank out the power.

Microsoft's motto should be...

[Stormwatch]

"The technologies of today --- TOMORROW!"

(yeah, I said that joke before. Kinda lame, I know...)

Transparency Features

[Anonymous Coward]

"many of the new transparency features"

Some one has turned the transparency up too far. When I click the link I can't even see the website.

Cool!

[SolitaryMan]

"The page cannot be displayed" looks cool! Since it is the page which explorer visits most often it is very important to make it look cool.

And I'm happy to see that cmd still doesn't show directory names properly.

GO Longhorn!

Re:How does transparancy improve my productivity?

[hilaryduff]

back in the old days, windows turned into just a 1 pixel border when you moved them, and solid window movement was a big new feature. progress, eh?

Re:Sigh..

[hilaryduff]

if you were a windows user, you'd understand why we hate microsoft!

Re:Wow ... (not!)

[DigitlDud]

If it was the Doom 3 of desktop engines it would be pitch black and the mouse cursor would be a flashlight.

Re:From TFA:

[NeuroManson]

No, it's clearly the retail price.

Re:Longhorn more like Copland.

[bmgoau]

You can put polish on a piece of shit, but you'll just end up with a shiny piece of shit.

Administrator

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice to see them running as Administrator for that 100% secure feeling.

(Or should it be "Nice to see them running as ADMINI~1"?)

Re:From TFA:

[Nailer]

Windows Longhorn 5203?

Sure, I've got 5.2Gs free. *clicks the torrent*.

What?!?!

Screenshots!?!?

2002 wants its article back.

rofl

[Anonymous Coward]

*rofl*
Did anyone elso notice the open "linux noob" webpage in the taskbar in the last 2 pictures? :D

Re:From TFA:

[Anonymous Coward]

You're all wrong. 5203 is the number of features that they've removed from it so far.

Re:From TFA:

[Kjella]

5203 is the projected release year for Longhorn

The poor chinese. They'll have to deal with it in just under 500 years.

Slashdotted, mirror URL

[Ilgaz]

http://www.apple.com/macosx/ [apple.com]

I think

[norppalaho]

they should release it as service pack 3 for XP.

Re:Wow -- way to go Microsoft! I'm blown away

[Coolnat2004]

Do you realize how long it would take to do a complete rewrite! Even with tons of people working on it, it'd take like 5 years! Oh, wait..

Re:Wow -- way to go Microsoft! I'm blown away

[balloonhead]

That's microsoft's new enhanced security.

No internet connectivity.

Re:Longhorn more like Copland.

[hedge_death_shootout]

Don't joke with the Mac boys. They can't handle it. ;)

Note, there are two icons on the desktop...

[Anonymous Coward]

The desktop seems to have the two most used icons shown as default... and these are:
Recycle Bin
(and, you guessed it) How to Report a Bug!
At least they have their priorities right. ;)
screenshot here [elliottback.com]

Originality (Re:Sigh..)

[Cl1mh4224rd]

Can we at least keep the attacks on Microsoft original this time?

Wouldn't that require something original to attack?

noticed the banner

[Kuscheltier]

Did anyone else notice the banner on the 3rd screenshot saying:
"Want longhorn today?
Cutting-edge Web UIs,
declarative XM dev approach.
Open Source"

:X

Re:How does transparancy improve my productivity?

[word_virus]

Just imagine if every technology we have were built only with its most narrowly conceived function in mind.

Gah, it'd be like living in IKEA!

Re:Screenshots are all you need

[ThePlague]

There was also a Office 95, and before that 4.3/2 (with Access/without Access). I think there was an Office 98 for Macs. It's been a while, but I think Office 95 was the release that had all the app versions go to 6.0, no matter what their previous version number was. Word went from 2.0 to 6.0 in one fell swoop, as a means of making it seem better than WordPerfect at version ~5.2 or so. Silly, of course, but that's marketing for you.

Re:Close Window 'X'

[IainHere]

[After short pause to restart browser and find location in thread]

I can verify the above statement.

[Hangs head in shame]

Re:Screenshots are all you need

[GraemeDonaldson]

wrong way around, it was 97's younger brother and 2000's older brother.

Re:Longhorn more like Copland.

[Anonymous Writer]

Oh yes we can handle it. With just one button too.

Re:Close Window 'X'

[Anonymous Coward]

Literally? Why doesn't anyone know how to use that word properly?

Re:Down already?

[cowscows]

Oh, come on...a glass trashcan? Like I want to see old gum stuck to the sides, mixed in with banana peels and crumpled up post it notes.

Re:From TFA:

[ben_rh]

I hear it's an estimate of the number of levels deep this thread is destined to grow.

Re:This is not the beta

[poot_rootbeer]

I can say with complete certainty that the beta is still under development and has not been released internally or to the public.

We can tell it's not the beta because they're not selling it for $199 at Fry's yet.

Windows Classic Theme

[JohnG307]

As someone who would never use the default WinXP theme, I can't wait to enable the "Windows Classic Theme" on Longhorn and then have it be EXACTLY THE SAME OS as XP. Rockin'.

In other words...

[SuperKendall]

"This is not the beta you're looking for"

this is not the beta I'm looking for

*blink*

Why?

[SuperKendall]

And why the fuck exactly did recycling old technology take them this long?

Well, to bake in the evil of course!

You think that stuff can just be sprayed on like Pam? It takes some time to bake it in so it can't be removed.

Longhorn = Cheese

[comzen]

Longhorn cheese refers to a mild Cheddar or Colby cheese made into a long orange cylinder.

Re:That is the CLI

[coolGuyZak]

If the cookie cutter housung units were the equivalents of the CLI, then every one would come with power windows, sinks, showers/bathtubs, and toilets. They would have interchangable interiors, automatic furnature generators, and customizable security controls. Depending on the parameters you pass (upon entry), you could romp around interactively, or have it do everything for you. You would be able to interactively move people into the forground or background, break, or even kill them with a simple command.

I don't know... it's sounding pretty good. ;)