Windows Codname "Longhorn"



First off, DO NOT EMAIL ME asking me "Where can I get a copy?" If you don't know how to get it, then you should probably not have it (and for the people that can, it's still not a good idea). If you want Warez and Crackz, you came to the wrong website.

Now that I've finished the disclaimer, I can get to the real stuff. If you were able to get an ISO or NRG, like myself, you're lucky. There are tons of fakes, and only one P2P prorgram has real copies. As of 6/23/03, KaZaA has yet to even get a real version of 2003 Server (I currently host the 3-in-1 version on KaZaA), let alone a fake of Longhorn. This will serve as a review and overview of the status of Longhorn in general.

I found this picture on the internet, now you tell me what's wrong with this picture being on the internet.

I haven't put any screenshots here because my bandwith restrictions are getting tighter, so if you want them, go to google and type "Longhorn Screenshots" Besides, I wouldn't have anything that they don't have.

History



In late September 2002, Longhorn's first Alpha (build 3683) was leaked out with a Volume License key. For MSDN developers and lab mice, this was a look in a crystal ball. Flashy screens, animated windows; it was like OSX Jaguar for Mac, but on a PC. This build had a serious neon green theme and lots of grass (for grazing).

In late March 2003, the next big leak was the updated version of Longhorn, Buld 4008. This version, like me, has a big blue fetish; everything is blue. Everything that was in the 3683 build is in the 4008.

Currently there is a 4015 build with non-noticable changes to the OS. There are also rumors floating around that a 4025 build has been leaked, but I have yet to see any proof to those claims.

The Review



I like blue, it's pretty, especially when Microsoft wraps it up in a pretty box with ribbons. This OS is simply beautiful, and they have come one step closer to looking like Macintosh. There is a new side panel thingy that acts as a computer overview. Here you can put an analog clock, a small embedded version of Windows Media Player, tell you what account is logged on, Quick Launch bar, System tray, heck you can drag and drop My Computer in here. The Start Menu has a few more additional folders on it with more flexebility in it's makeup than XP. To a anyone used used Windows for a while and thought the changes to the Windows Explorer were bad in XP, your about to lose your lunch over this one; it has been totaly revamped. I'm still trying to figure it out, so I can't really explain it.

If you are intent on getting this to utilize your new machine, you should set your sights on XP Pro or 2003 Server. This OS is great and all but is has one huge, gigantic, major flaw, it is as slow as a sloth running the mile. Literaly speaking, you would hit the "start" button, wait 30 seconds, click My Computer, and play Halo for 2 minutes, waiting for even the frame to load. In the preceeding example, I have made no exagerations or overstatments. The OS is terebly, unbareably slow.

Dispite this eyesore, the operating system was beautiful, the menus were friendly, and it had an all-around good feel.

For this review I previewed the latest leaked build, 4015 or M5 (Milestone 5). I found a good Tweak Guide (popup) for Longhorn to speed things up a little and now I'm using it in conjunction with Mandrake 9.1. Keep in mind that all Longhorn Builds to date are still alpha versions, and the Beta's won't come out until 2004, with the commercial release not untill mid 2005. This OS still has a long way to go.