Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, OS Updates, Video, Windows, Microsoft
Windows Longhorn concept video - does Vista live up to it?
by Jason Clarke Nov 7th 2006 at 9:00AM
Over on Digg, a user named anog has posted a link to a YouTube video which purports to be a promotional video made by Microsoft showing off Longhorn (Vista's development codename) for PDC 2003 attendees. Watching it really does get you excited about the possibilities for the next version of Windows, until you realize that what they showed really isn't what Vista turned out to be. So, have a gander at the video for yourself, and tell us: would you rather have Vista as it has turned out, or this vision of Longhorn? Or, maybe a better way to phrase the question would be: Do you think Microsoft is delivering on the Longhorn vision they put forth with the upcoming release of Vista?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Spenser said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
That looked amazing, I really wish we could have gotten "longhorn" instead of vista, like vista is nice and all but it kinda feels a bit bloated to me!
I wouldn't mind the bloat if there were features like that!
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joneric said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
Microsoft definitely dropped the ball. Vista pales in comparison to what Longhorn was promised to be and should have been.
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Jim said 2:39PM on 11-07-2006
I am happy with my decision to switch to Linux. I think that about 80-90 percent of the features that were promised back in 2003 have been diverted to Vista+1 or have been canned alltogether. I have tried the RC and it is almost nothing like that video. It is bloated, slow in some cases (depending on setup, hardware, customization), and for the most part offers what XP offers plus an over-done interface that needs work. No thanks, this is a lost Windows Vista sale here. Those who look to me for advice will be sticking to XP until Vista+1 arrives (at least).
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Jon said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
It is just me, or was that a MS version of Google Desktop along the right-hand side? Man, this version of Longhorn would have killed! Hopefully Vista incorporates what they claim it's going to.
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Jordan Running said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
Jon: That's the Longhorn Sidebar, one of the most hotly-anticipated Longhorn features. In Vista it takes the form of Windows Gadgets.
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xman said 12:49PM on 11-07-2006
I wanted to the file system from Longhorn and the searching capabilities. Those features were stripped unfortunately, and I think they would have put Vista on par with OSX
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james said 2:33PM on 11-07-2006
This video is inconclusive. It did not show the core features that were being developed (and then dropped) for Longhorn. So, based on this video, it is hard to see anyone complaining about Vista.
But since we all know what was cut and what is still there, are we disappointed? Seems like we are.
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Mark D. said 2:33PM on 11-07-2006
xman:
I agree, and judging by this video Microsoft would have had a comparable and visually pleasing OS. As it is Vista's lost all the features I wanted and the visual 'pop' this mock-up presented. At this point, aside from DX10, Vista just feels like a glossy XP.
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Seabass said 4:07PM on 11-07-2006
wow, PDC 2003? bwaaah aha ha ha ah aha haha aha ha.
he he he.
Oh and the first few sentences, Windows the "SOUL" of the pc in every home and business....
Bwaaah aha ah aha haa ha ah.
are you kidding me?
is this for real?
Windows and Soul in the same sentence....
at first I thought this was on of those fake videos.
It took me a sec to realize that this was a MS made pump me up video.
last time I checked, the "Soul" of wintel is full of diseases and this new upgraded version is on some heavy duty antibiotics, but superbugs are just around the corner waiting to attack.
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Jonathan Kok said 4:07PM on 11-07-2006
I'd pretty much forgotten what had originally been promised with Longhorn. And it saddens me to see how *much* was stripped from the interface. But what I don't understand is, "why?"
Here Microsoft went through all the trouble of making the 3D Aero interface. And for what...a fancy WIN+TAB program flip??? It doesn't make sense. I've seen a video recently released showcasing the programmability of the Aero interface, and it seems to me that much of the visual beauty displayed in the above clip is theoretically available in the final version. It just has to be programmed. Why did MS choose not to do the work?
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Andy C said 5:45PM on 11-07-2006
ahahah wow. I forgot all about that video but they had some good mockups. Microsoft just lacks the ability to stay decisive. It's too large of a company with too much weird politicing. I'm glad my PC only serves as a gaming rig, I lush out under OSX, and I serve in linux. This video, and what wasn't delivered shouldn't surprise anyone though.
Once OSX figures out how to create a DX competitor then we'll be talking.
-a
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DP said 7:48PM on 11-07-2006
That would have stopped me from switching to a mac but sadly it would even be to little to late now...
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Evan said 6:46PM on 11-07-2006
Now if only Vista lived up to what it was supposed to. Four years ago. Why did they cut all the awesome search and filesystem stuff? And what was that BS about Windows being the soul of the pc?! Windows? Soul?! Hahahaha! If Windows is the soul of the PC, then that soul is bloatted with registry keys, riddled with viruses, and just plain buggy. I'd like to see a Linux distro pick up some of these kinds of features that Microsoft screwed up.
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MiguelFC said 6:56PM on 11-07-2006
Very nice video, but something called my attention: There's a link to google.com in the toolbar of the browser (minute 02:20). I'm wondering if it was an official promotional video, why wasn't there MSN search?. That's what I'd call a great vision of future!
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asurroca said 7:11PM on 11-07-2006
Had this come out in 2003, it would've easily matched every whizz-bang graphical gimmick OS X 10.3 and 10.4 could have thrown at it.
Emphasis on the pretty effects being gimmicks, though. Unless the 3D interface improves the user experience beyond making him/her say "ooh, ahh", it has no place in the UI.
I can understand the pretty way that Tiger and Vista minimize windows as it enhances the user experience by identifying where the window is going. I accept the 3D flip in Vista or Expose in Tiger because it gives the user a good impression the stacking of windows. But, adding physics to your photos while sorting them (as in the video) is about as excessive as flying through a time/space wormhole in Leopard to restore previous states! :p
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Mr.Kaiser said 10:29PM on 11-07-2006
By far longhorn was better outside, for its dynamic effects and visual renderings, and inside for WinFS and its use of DX10. Sadly Vista is just glossy windows xp, with a poor file system and lack of innovative features, and useless visual dynamics (Flip 3D is just bad)
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Mathieu Tozer said 10:29PM on 11-07-2006
LOL 'coming October 2003'
Looks like they need a bit of Core Animation to do any of that snazzy stuff.
Did look snazzy though.
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lilpunk1302 said 11:27AM on 11-08-2006
Well, I'm running Vista on my comp, and i would have rather waited another year and gotten longhorn as it is, I especially like the log in screen, only thing tho is that i dont think my system will be able to run it, it can JUST barely run vista, so yeah
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Danny said 11:27AM on 11-08-2006
eep. horrible music. no digg.
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Fabulo said 5:30PM on 11-08-2006
Isn't it obvious that the Longhorn version shown in that video got tossed and MS had to rebuild the Vista we know from scratch?
There were so many features that were exciting in longhorn that just got pulled from Vista.
I wonder what kind of (dumb) internal struggle must have happened inside MS. Vista is a shiny XP with transparent border windows (high end hardware allowing) with very little extra substance. At least very little extra substance that would justify 5 whole years of development.
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