Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    A Longhorn View for Microsoft

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    May 12, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Microsoft Corp.s plans for “Longhorn,” the next version of Windows, include a new graphics subsystem, a new file system and a new security system. But, so far, users arent nearly as excited about the features as Microsoft is.

      “The breakthroughs in Longhorn will really change the landscape that consumers and businesspeople see when they look at a new PC,” Will Poole, senior vice president of Microsofts Windows Client Division, said here at WinHEC last week.

      Users will also have to wait awhile for the new operating system. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., said it plans to release a prebeta developer release of Longhorn at its Professional Developers Conference in October. Two separate betas are due next year, and final release is scheduled for 2005, Poole said.

      The Longhorn graphics subsystem will include a new desktop composition system with a redesigned, three-dimensional-capable user interface, code-named Aero; animation effects; smooth window scaling; and advanced window translucency. It will also feature a new toolbox/ services stack, code-named Avalon, to power the interface.

      But some enterprise users are unimpressed by the attention to graphics. “[I] can imagine very little improvement in productivity due to an updated graphics subsystem, but Id have to see it first. However, I think scaled windows are way overdue,” said Tim Sagstetter, president of Kernel Software Inc., in Wausau, Wis.

      John Persinger, an internal network administrator for Source4 Inc., in Roanoke, Va., said, “Simply put, its a waste of time and of money and of processor power. Graphic enhancements are for the folks at home, and I pity the company whose IT department bases a buying decision on that.”

      Longhorn will be the first milestone product for the new security framework, known as NGSCB (Next- Generation Secure Computing Base), said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsofts security unit.

      The goal for Longhorn will be to focus on Nexus, the software module that is the heart of NGSCB. It functions as a separate operating system kernel, controlling how a PC interacts with Nexus-aware applications, hardware and memory.

      “We want to start with the deeper, more kernellike capabilities and build up from there,” Nash said. “This is a new capability that users can opt into or out of and will ship off by default. Users have complete choice in this regard.”

      But Source4s Persinger is dubious, saying that security is a business opportunity and source of revenue for Microsoft. “I will never trust security from Microsoft as long as it comes from Microsoft,” he said.

      Kernel Softwares Sagstetter is willing to give Microsoft a chance and said anything that improves Windows security will be worthwhile.

      Longhorn will also include the new file system known as WinFS, or Windows Future Storage, which will debut in “Yukon,” the next release of the SQL Server database. It replaces the current file managers, NT File System or FAT32.

      Gordon Mangione, corporate vice president for Microsofts SQL Server Team, told eWEEK that there is a lot of technology in Yukon that will allow Longhorn to do things such as transact across files, as well as have the system itself be a repository for XML technology.

      “I really think about the next generation of storage inside the operating system. It is not just about how … I file, save as into this mechanism. Its really about how … I find information inside my system,” Mangione said.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×