Hook ‘em Horns

Ziff Davis has obtained a peek at the current build of the Windows “Longhorn” OS. They conclude, “Based on our analysis, the next Windows desktop version should be riddled with XML, contain tighter integration with the web, and be even easier on the eyes. Alas, at this stage no extremely dramatic interface departures can be found. ” It will be interesting to see if this release will be mostly aesthetic improvements to the UI, or if Microsoft will make substantial usability-related upgrades. Overheard on Slashdot: “Damn, Microsoft continues to prove they can make their interface look sweeter than anybody else. My X11 window manager, even when tripped out with themes doesn’t look as smooth and as polished as that. Is it the anti-aliased fonts or what? It’s just sweet looking. MacOS X’s Aqua interface also is lacking IMHO compared to that. Maybe I will just wait for Longhorn and succumb like the other 95% of the population and just run Windows. It looks SO cool. OK, I’m done. I’ll go back into Linux advocate rant mode now. Microsoft sucks. ”

Take a look at some screen shots…

December 4th, 2002