Robert Scoble, technology evangelist for Longhorn at Microsoft, has called into question several purported screenshots of the next-generation Longhorn interface code-named “Aero.” “These look like early demonstration screens, and not how Longhorn will eventually look,” Scoble wrote in his Web log. “The real “Aero” is one of Longhorn’s biggest secrets — I’ve seen it, but can’t load it on my own machine and am locked out of the server where it’s kept,” says Microsoft’s Scoble. “I am not even sure they’ll show it off at the PDC.” Indeed, the screenshots are using icons from all over the place (including a BeOS icon), which proves that these are just early concepts/mockups and not the real/finished thing.
Longhorn Evangelist Debunks Professed ‘Aero’ Shots
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Aero looked like crap, and imo longhorns gui should remain a secret. It’s more fun if it’s a surprise
The point is, this person is claiming this is not Aero. So you can’t unequivocally state that Aero looks like crap. You probably have not even seen it, according to this person.
Hopefully they’ll keep it under wraps and no new screenshots til at least beta, cuz everytime there’s screenshots of Longhorn posted here, it’s always followed by at least 3,000 zealots screaming about how it looks like KDE/OSX/whatever.
if kde4/gnome3 implemented the window fade-in code as its default, and used a smarter round-curve theme than the blocky square one in use now?
Then what new ‘features’ would longborn will have on the window-decoration front that linux didnt have 1+ years earlier?
just a thought…
They could have used that ugly keramik.
butt ugly, hey isn’t that a days to turn to linux for 100% finally… just looks like no future really…
is so slow. They only just now posted about the aero screenshots and they think it is the real thing.
The funny thing is Paul thinks these are authentic because Microsoft sent him the pictures.
Paul I don’t think so.
MS are trying to bring the Apple experience to the PC, because Apple failed to do this themselves, so those pretend Aero’s are it.
Expect very much a single interface for handling all images, a single interface for music and video, etc.
They are trying to conceptually modularise the interface eg iPhoto, iTunes, etc., where they can offer services from so that they can increase profits on the Windows OS platform.
My examples are not good, then again I am not an MS employee.
At least expect a simple looking windows server 2003 interface, that is not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Indeed, the screenshots are using icons from all over the place (including a BeOS icon), which proves that these are just early concepts/mockups and not the real/finished thing.”
Eugenia, doesn’t this mean that Microsoft is infringing the copyrights of Be Inc. Or does SCO own those icons?
I think the point is that they he is trying to state how unlikely the screenies authenticity is…
I for one agree that those had to be conceptual only… I don’t think some of the icons looked right, and using the same icons as XP is very unlikely IMO.
I hope that isn’t what they eventually go with, althought in some ways I liked what I saw, I just don’t think it looked very practical for every day use…
All I can say though is they better come with something radical… 4 years of developement better show major developments. They will be far behind the time at that point, hopefully KDE and Gnome will look more modernized, and OSX will look entirely different more then likely… not many people care what is under the hood if the surface looks lame…
gives a fuck about Longhorn………..
“RE: Who….”
Given that anywhere from 90-95% of the market is dominated by Windows…my guess would be a lot.
Well someone here spotted the BeOs icon a few days ago… So well done, a fake by any other name…
Q
was the audio meter embedded in the slider widget.
I believe the icons still belonged to their original creator, not Be Inc. Hence why you can still see them around on the the net.
thats call damage control isnt it.
i seriously dont think it even matters, becuase look at what happened to whistlers theme, didnt get changed till right near the release. this isnt comming out for A LONG TIME so whats the point in even saying it looks ugly?
Which one is a BeOS icon, anyway? I never used BeOS (and I don’t really plan to), so pardon my ignorance.
Apple comes out with OS X then Microsoft comes out with Windows XP.
Apple comes out with Aqua, Microsoft comes out with Aero.
It looks to me like Microsoft is following Apple while 95% of the world is following Microsoft.
– Mark
give it a break. OSX and winXP where both well on their way before anyone saw either and both being done at the same time. Even if th efirst release of OSX made it out the door before XP there would have been no time for MS to get anything from it.
Besides, only a blind person would see any resemblance in them. What is there the same, apps in induvidual windows?
Give it a break. Even if there is something similar it would be because groups of people in the same timeframe with the same requirements are bound to come up with similar ideas even if they have no idea what others are doing.
Besides, if your going to go down the MS ripping off apple path, then someone is going to bust out a list of ideas apple ripped of MS.
The http://www.winsupersite.com/images/showcase/lh-winhec-04.png“>Be… is the three cubes thingie in the middle.
As seen in this Beos Screenshot
http://www.beatjapan.org/mirror/www.be.com/aboutbe/pressphotos/R4/r…
Oh, okay, thanks. Well, they look like Q-Bert cubes to me… Somebody ever played that game?
That icon is also quite similar to the MFC logo… Anyway, I doubt it’ll be in the final version.
is they are going to ‘change’ the GUI later then it would be more practical, so more likely IMO, that the final Longhorn GUI will just be an XP theme. How very unexciting.
MS will not do anything too radical since they don’t want to alienate their 660 million consumers.
Microsoft are on the plateau like everyone else, but they are the only ones insisting they can get higher. So ultimately they will fail.
and again everybody is already Longhorn Ready.
You are already brainwashed.
Some sense!
That’s what I thought in the first place. And even if that shots were indeed Aero, though matter how much Microsoft tries, they can never stop themselves from changing it before release (Whistler in the early betas for example looked better).
Aero looked like crap, and imo longhorns gui should remain a secret. It’s more fun if it’s a surprise
Didn’t you even follow the links? Heck, you didn’t have to do that, just read the nice quotes Eugenia pasted. Too complicated? Oh Eugenia, mind translatiing that into Basic English?
It means the screenshots you just saw is NOT Aero. So how can you give an opinion on how it looked if you didn’t see it? Using your magical physic powers?
And how do we know he isn’t lying?
“The real “Aero” is one of Longhorn’s biggest secrets — I’ve seen it, but can’t load it on my own machine and am locked out of the server where it’s kept,” says ***Microsoft’s Scoble***. “I am not even sure they’ll show it off at the PDC.”
Large amounts of emphasis mine.
Apple comes out with OS X then Microsoft comes out with Windows XP.
Oh yes… I mean, once Apple comes out with a new version of their OS, Microsoft can’t do the same about a year later?
Apple comes out with Aqua, Microsoft comes out with Aero.
But then again, how do you know Aero resembles anything like Aqua? Do you have any proof? What you are saying is that once Apple release a brand new GUI, Microsoft must continue to stick to theirs or else be accused of being an copycat?
that were on this forum yesterday ranting and raving about how MS has ripped off Apple etc etc must feel pretty dumb right about now.
That would be the same as just about every story posted here on OSNEWs, no? And besides, I’m not brainwashed into thinking Longhorn is something great. I’m just debunking assumsions made with myths and not facts (as there is no facts anyway).
>That would be the same as just about every story posted
>here on OSNEWs, no?
No, Microsoft tacktics are different, they let some leaks out, here and there, and then go and respond to those leaks as if they came out of the blue. They are very good at it but the tricks are becoming very transparent and dull.
Longhorn is the same as Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP, while the product get a bit better (in comparison to FREE systems wich always set the standard to beat for security and stability)
Microsft focusses on “normal” users wich think a blue theme
has something to do with security and stabilty. These users
do not care about things like, security, freedom, stability,
compatibality, standard etc.. they only care about word, games and msn. So for the “normal” user Windows prod. X is better and the MUST have it because the ad said so..
Meanwhile there are a bunch of people that still use that dull, user unfriendly, old and devil/communist OS,
like me…
I am glad you still have your head.
Be sure to stick it out of the Windows sometimes to get
some fresh air.
The point is, this person is claiming this is not Aero. So you can’t unequivocally state that Aero looks like crap. You probably have not even seen it, according to this person.
I meant the faked Aero.
But then again, how do you know Aero resembles anything like Aqua?
Well, you can consider Aero as an element like Aqua… Um, nevermind.
I have a feeling that MS won’t abandon the start menu/taskbar thing. Although it is a possibility that they may go for the Mac-like interface. Either way I think the final GUI is going to be a lot different that what we are all expecting.
give it a break. [“”] Even if th efirst release of OSX made it out the door before XP there would have been no time for MS to get anything from it.
Oh really? Thats why the windows XP UI is aptly called ‘Luna’ and OSX UI is called ‘Aqua’ even tho OSX was released before XP? MS obviously had no time to come up with an original idea of their own, as you stated, so they obviously copied Apple. Again.
Give it a break. Even if there is something similar it would be because groups of people in the same timeframe with the same requirements are bound to come up with similar ideas even if they have no idea what others are doing.
lol, That’s funny. MS, just happened to create XP similar, and MS coincidently had similar ideas. LOL
I think it is you sir who should “give it a break”
By JSplice
Although it is a possibility that they may go for the Mac-like interface
really?
Microsoft cant live without Apple. It watches what Apple does- and then a year or so later, copies Apple (badly) and then declares it ‘Innovative’ software.
If Apple were to vanish, the PC world would be in a realm of Microsoft excrement. I think you PC fanyboys should thank apple for giving you windows XP- the closest attempt at a real OS.
🙂
If Apple were to vanish, the PC world would be in a realm of Microsoft excrement. I think you PC fanyboys should thank apple for giving you windows XP- the closest attempt at a real OS.
Right on. And if I had the money, I would definitely buy a Mac because I love their technology. It’s like you said: if it weren’t for Apple, the GUI as we know it would be a lot worse off than it is today.
You have to think that Windows will do something crazy. They tried the all in the start menu with Windows XP, which I don’t think they will ever be able to get away from unless they do something radical. Now since they placed everything in the start menu, where can they go from there. Could they make it like a BeOS where it will be a little drop down box in the top left for right, or maybe just a start button, but no task bar, or that task bar going accross the top like on the Macs with what programs are running.
BeOS example from another post here with how a start button could be done (replace BeOS with start, and then the MS major programs below it):
http://www.beatjapan.org/mirror/www.be.com/aboutbe/pressphotos/R4/r…
The fact that they used a BeOS icon, might mean they are incorperating ideas from that OS, because no one knows of BeOS other than geeks, and no one would give other than us about an operating system getting stolen from. Windows sealing gui from Mac, but Mac stole it first from someone else (forget who), so stealing a gui seems to be a no problem, can’t sue type of thing.
Another way you can figure out how it might look is though the media player, and how it has changed from just a block, to having parts that hid away that you don’t want to see. Like Word could end up just being the white paper you are writing on, and if you want to change something you hit the up arrow to get the tool bar back to change something, then it hides away again.
If they did those types of things, I think it wouldn’t look to shabby. Might be a little hard for normal windows users to get use to but I’m sure they will cope and learn to use it.
Like Word could end up just being the white paper you are writing on
Oh you mean like Word in Office.X in MacOSX?
Regards to Aero, when there idea was floated by Bill Gates, I was under the assumption that not only was it a new look ‘n feel but also a new, cleaner API to replace the pile of cruft that exists.
Also, regarding Aero, yes, it is most likely a fake. I really can’t see how people can claim that the executive is lying considering that if the Aero shot was real, the typical step would have been to claim it then hype it to the ceilings and beyond as the future of Windows. Microsoft hypes things before they are released, if this was truely a real screenshot, they would have already made a big issue about it by now and Bill Gates would have already shown screenshots when he originally floated the idea of Aero.
Aero: air.
Aqua: water.
The only thing I can see similar is the language used for the names. Again, proof that Aqua and Aero looks the same?
What is wrong with you people? Yes, if Microsoft copies some ideas from BeOS – SO WHAT?!?!?!. BeOS got a whole lot of ideas from Windows, why can’t it be vice versa? If it is a good idea, not patented, what’s wrong with copying it?
Besides, three little cubes were used far before BeOS, and even if it was from BeOS, it has been used in a whole lot of websites (all PHPBB forums IIRC comes with that, for example) as well as a lot of GUIs (Krystal on KDE, for example), could it also be possible that Microsoft didn’t copy anything from BeOS, but only copied someone who copied BeOS? Kinda like how Europeans got their numberings (from the Indians to the Arabs to the Europeans)?
“If it is a good idea, not patented, what’s wrong with copying it? ”
It’s just mental masterbation “ooh MY OS had that FIRST, all the stuff my OS stole isn’t that important though.. fap fap fap”
If Apple were to vanish, the PC world would be in a realm of Microsoft excrement. I think you PC fanyboys should thank apple for giving you windows XP- the closest attempt at a real OS.
Luna was no blessing. The Windows Classic interface was better than Luna.
I’d like to slap apple for releasing Aqua. MS ended up making a fisher price POS because of apple.
Gee THANKS APPLE!