Although the next version of Windows is still about two years from release, Microsoft on Friday offered developers an early look at the new graphics engine that will accompany it.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software powerhouse released what it calls a "community technology preview" of the Avalon presentation engine for Windows. It's not a full beta, or test, version, but rather an incomplete set of code that lets developers test certain features and pass along their thoughts to Microsoft.
"It's basically a build that has a couple new features that we want to test out with customers," said John Montgomery, a director in Microsoft's developer division. "This is just our way of getting feedback." Avalon was originally envisioned as a core feature of Longhorn, the next version of Windows. It will still be a part of that operating system, but it will also be made available as an add-on for users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
News source: C|Net News.com
The Redmond, Wash.-based software powerhouse released what it calls a "community technology preview" of the Avalon presentation engine for Windows. It's not a full beta, or test, version, but rather an incomplete set of code that lets developers test certain features and pass along their thoughts to Microsoft.
"It's basically a build that has a couple new features that we want to test out with customers," said John Montgomery, a director in Microsoft's developer division. "This is just our way of getting feedback." Avalon was originally envisioned as a core feature of Longhorn, the next version of Windows. It will still be a part of that operating system, but it will also be made available as an add-on for users of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
News source: C|Net News.com
Cont...
"Natural challenges with finalizing all the key features and localization issues across worldwide territories have led to the difficult choice of pushing back the release date," SCEA said in a statement, "in order to ensure that Gran Turismo 4 lives up to the exacting standards of the 36 million-plus fans worldwide that have purchased previous versions."
The delay leaves egg on the face of Sony, who only last week held a high profile party in Tokyo to celebrate the "completion" of the game, and which previously removed the much-vaunted online functionality from the title in order to ensure that it came out in time for Christmas.
There's some speculation that this fresh delay - which may also have a knock-on impact on the launch date of the European version, which had already been delayed into Q1 2005 - will give the firm time to reintegrate the online component, but Sony has so far not commented on this possibility, and is still officially planning to launch a separate online-enabled Gran Turismo product later next year.
Anyway, good to see they're getting something out now that they basically started from scratch with those new Longhorn builds and all.
I'm still in the dark of what Longhorn will actually be, besides a new and probably more secure Windows OS. However security will come from future SP's of XP too along with numerous LH techs. I thought I was starting to get the picture with the leaked alpha's but then they threw it out the window...
For developers only and not would be and BETA testers. Let the real people take a look.
Not to mention the close, minimize and their stupid "maximize" buttons. True that, a task bar and a system tray type thing, who's copying who?
Quartz is only 2D. It uses 2D graphic card funtions to simulate 3D.
Avalon on the other hand is a complete 3D api.
It will use the 3D capabilities of the graphic card.
Apple didn't steal the task bar. They made it different. The Dock is not the same thing as the task bar. Same principle, but not the same execution. Fast User Switching was, indeed, a copy, but they did make it better. Avalon is clearly trying to play catchup with Quartz Extreme, and seems like it might actually already have fallen behind with the announcement of Core Image.
Avalon does include some Quartz-like functionality. Namely, the compositor. However, Avalon is a far more ambitious system than Quartz/Quartz Extreme.
So yes, when it comes to desktop composition technology, Apple has been ahead of Microsoft. But then, they also had an easier time getting there... as they were designing OS X without regard to compatability with previous Mac OS releases... something Microsoft could never do.
Furthermore, they have a way tighter control over the hardware that their system runs on, specifically the display driver.
But don't think that Avalon is just Microsoft playing catch-up. It's a leap frog scenario... Avalon is going way beyond anything Apple has done (so far).
One thing everyone must know here is there are insiders in each company that give information about which products and technologies each are working on. Microsoft knew about Spotlight a year before we did. That's why most products come out at the same time. Apple has done many neat things, and so has Microsoft. Each has it's own right to say they're creative, revolutionary companies. But every single product they ship doesn't have to be.
Sure it is. You can minimize running apps to it, and you can pull them back up by clicking on it's icon in the dock. Only difference is it's pretty, quicklaunch and taskbar in one is exactly what it is though.
if you claim that windows is copied from other operating systems, you are also impling that any software that has a similar feature to another software is copied...like norton copied mcafee in anti virus...
and the dock was designed to be a taskbar that allows users to access their files and folders in a much easier format!
Could you please explain that....searching a comp and the web is two different things..
Last edited by 79383 on 22 Nov 2004 - 11:44
Before you start spouting off about Xerox being a copier company, maybe you should read up on the history of the PC's you are using...
It's pretty much common knowledge that Xerox had the GUI first, and Apple/Microsoft 'borrowed' the tech. They even borrowed the idea for the mouse...
Well you are right first of all, in saying they are different, but Web searching is built on indexing, which is way faster than the slow computer inbuilt searching, by using web indexing technology on files on your PC, you can get your results in the time it takes to do a normal search (on MSN, or Google).
So thats why he related them together
Wow, how about you read up on a little history there pal? This is by far the most ignorant statement I've read all week.
So because it was designed for that, no one invented it then? I'm having trouble following your logic there....
Good one Sherlock
Utter genious. That's pretty much what he said. They are different, and web search is much easier (is what he said).
Anything written for .NET 1.1 will work on any system with the .NET Framework version 1.1
Unlike Sun with Java, Microsoft has done a good job keeping runtime environments sepereate. If you have an app that uses .NET 1.0, you need the .NET Framework 1.0. If you write and app for 1.1, the user needs the 1.1 framework. The simplicity comes from the fact that you can have as many versions of the framework installed as you want. And they won't conflict with each other like JRE installs infamously do.
If you write a program for .NET 1.1, it will run fine on Longhorn.
But, Longhorn will include Whidbey's .NET 2.0 (or possibly 3.0 with Orcas). And so, he's saying that if Longhorn comes out now, he won't be using the latest technology.
That's kind of a silly argument, though. As no one would be.
However, he's right that Microsoft gives developers lots of early exposure to their next-gen systems so that they can have apps ready to not just run... but to take advantage of the new platform.
since when was the windows gui ripped from xerox...xerox makes photocopiers did u knoe that...its not a software company"
Ok, by making that comment that clearly shows you have no idea about the history of the GUI, yes they make photcopiers but Xerox was also a very large research and development company, and yes they did invent the first computer with a GUI that had a mouse. Both Apple and MS ripped them.
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