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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft puts end to independent Longhorn Reloaded project

Longhorn ReloadedJust a few weeks after the independent developers of Longhorn Reloaded hit milestone 1, Microsoft has effectively shut the project down with a cease and desist notice.

Longhorn reloaded is an operating system based on an early release of Windows Longhorn, including features that were abandoned by the time Vista came out. It's really not at all surprising that Microsoft has asked the project to shut down, seeing as nobody bothered to get permission from Microsoft to use its intellectual property before spending the time and energy necessary to turn Longhorn into a usable OS.

One interesting side note: if you read the message posted on the JoeJoe forums, you'll notice that the author doesn't say development is stopping. Rather, the note reads "we are no longer able to provide you with a download link to longhorn reloaded." It might not be worth reading too much into that statement.

After all, there are already at least a handful of people who downloaded the image of Longhorn Reloaded M1 Technical Refresh. So perhaps, the message just acknowledges that the image exists and will no longer be publicly available. But it could also mean that development and distribution will now simply move from a public forum to the shady back alleys of the internet.

[via CNet]

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, OS Updates, Video, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Longhorn concept video - does Vista live up to it?

Longhorn promotional videoOver 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?

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Commercial

Windows Vista to keep PCs running like new

Windows VistaIt's a fact that after six months of ordinary use, Windows will be much slower than you remember it being when you first installed it. An occasional reinstall (or complete reformat) is standard operating procedure. According to CNET, Microsoft is claiming that Windows Vista (nee Longhorn) will eliminate this problem. Vista, the article says, "will automatically de-fragment hard disks, make better use of memory to more quickly load programs, and include a new performance control panel that will identify performance bottlenecks." The Microsoft rep claims, "Certainly a year after a user gets a Vista system, if they do the sort of standard things we encourage users to do (install Windows updates, etc.), it should run the same as when they initially got it." If it sounds too good to be true... well, you know the rest.

Other recent Windows Vista stories:

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