From a news.com article, Jim Allchin points out that even now Microsoft have been forced to strip WinFS (the database-backed "find where you dropped your car-keys" filesystem) out of Longhorn in order to make the 2006 ship date (The Register cites anonymous sources claiming that the new composited UI, Avalon, is also in danger), there are still a lot of great new features awaiting users two years hence:
Still, he said, dubbing Longhorn without WinFS as "Shorthorn" is "derogatory," because the operating system "is packed full of capabilities." Some of the features he mentioned were "great roaming support," .Net Framework 2.0, "new browsing capabilities," the "fresh" user interface, improved migrations and deployments, "more resilience to malware" and "a new photo experience."
Phew, am I glad to hear that. I was starting to get worried that my poor, benighted Windows-using brethren would be forced to wait another five years for their new photo experience.
I was going to point out how suspicious it was that Scoble has vanished for this particular weekend, but I'm afraid someone would think I was being serious.
Schadenfreude is such an ugly thing.
When you browse images in Windows, XP presents you with a list of businesses that will gladly take your money to give you prints of your photos. I can only guess that "a new photo experience" means that MS have signed up even more partners.
Alan, that isn't true. At least, not on my copy of XP.
Oops, I retract my previous statement, having just found the "Order Prints Online" link.
Ah, well that's still an improvement over iPhoto, which only suggests one such service, and only delivers in North America.
Having once disappeared for 36 hours while my organization's strategy was in the headlines, I am quite sure there's no connection to Scoble having been down in Silicon Valley to see his son this weekend. Besides, he's back big time this morning - how he managed to read so many of the blogs reacting to the Longhorn news in such a short period of time...just wow.
The news itself is interesting - not particularly surprising, and unclear what it will mean to the market as of yet... since it's still 18+ months out before it ships, and who knows what it will REALLY look like then.
People read blogs on weekends?
Weekends are amazingly useful things.
I also discovered this weekend that I can read blogs and watch Olympic synchronized swimming at the same time, without detracting one bit from my enjoyment of the latter.
Mark, some people have absolutely no life ... clearly.
i clicked the link to scoble. i am suitably traumatised.