New Longhorn details

[Bifta]

4ghz processor? 3gb memory? 1gb video card? Balls to that!

There has been a lot of new info released about the way Longhorn works and handles graphics.

Longhorn uses the Windows Graphics Foundation, or WGF. WGF 1.0 will use DirectX 9.0c as it's primary interface, but Longhorn will also have the Next-Gen 3D API build in. You can see it as DirectX 10, but it's called WFG 2.0.

One of the important features of WGF is the Longhorn Display Driver Model (LDDM). It is possible with LDDM to install a new graphics driver without even rebooting your system. LDDM will ship in two stages. The first, called basic, supports current generation graphics hardware: shader model 2.0 and 3.0 capable hardware. The second stage of LDDM, "advanced," will support hardware features that ship ar the same time or after Longhorn is released, but will work with the new features in WGF 2.0. Because of the competitive way of graphics hardware development, we'll probably see advanced LDDM capable hardware before Longhorn is released. The current Windows XP driver model is still supported, but will be frozen going forward.

Advantages of Longhorn above XP:
- run more than 15 graphical applications at the same time instead of 2
- complete control manager to optimize system resources
- every window in Longhorn will be a 3D surface (when opening My Computer you're actually watching an interactive 3D texture)
- applications can be bigger than graphic card memory currently allows
- split your monitor into four pieces and play games at the same time while listening to music with Winamp, watching a movie with Media Player and posting BS on Guru3d.com
- Longhorn uses DirectX to show the Windows Desktop
- you are able to rotate your windows in a 3D way, so you can push it to the background, put it upside down or squeeze it in a corner
- Longhorn supports up to 160 windows open at the same time
- four different graphic modes for Longhorn (2GB/256MB/128MB/64MB textures)
- new motherboard BIOS'es will be integrated into Longhorn itself
- some of the BIOS settings can be changed within Windows and you won't even have to reboot to apply the new settings
- with XP, users got a lot of freedom to configure and tweak their system but Microsoft says that with Longhorn the 'more advanced' users will get the freedom to customize and tweak even more features of Windows that wasn't possible in XP

Now some very important info about gaming on Longhorn:
- there will be NO graphical difference between an ATI or nVidia card anymore, the only difference will be speed
- WGF 2.0 allows GPU processing without CPU intervention
- The Xbox 360 uses some of the technology Longhorn will use to handle games on the PC

If you want to play a game Longhorn will disable every component of your computer that isn't needed by the graphical interface and unloads the Windows Desktop (it's like running a game in MSDOS).

While it's true that the graphics technology for Longhorn is very advanced, it's also true that Microsoft is trying to have a wide array of hardware specifications. By the time Longhorn actually ships, almost every new PC should be able to support the user interface and Windows Graphics Foundation.

That doesn't mean users will need GeForce 6800 Ultras or comparable cards. As we've seen, the user interface will support four qualities, the most basic should even run on most of today's hardware. If you want the full Longhorn experience, you'll want a heavy system and graphics hardware, and lots of memory.

Windows Longhorn will probably be released in the second half of 2006.

Recommendations:
- Don't think of buying a computer today and use it to run Longhorn next year
- Memory is the most important component for future computing (graphics and system memory)

After reading this you probably are peeing in your pants, but don't worry, you still have 16 months before you need an upgrade!

Extreme minimum requirements:
1.6 GHz processor
512 MB memory
64 MB videocard
7200 RPM HD 16 MB cache

For the full experience:
4 GHz processor
3 GB memory
1 GB videocard with WFG 2.0 support
15000 RPM HD 1 GB flash memory

Update 1: LONGHORN CHANGES PC INTO CONSOLE
Dean Lester, the General Manager of Windows Graphics and Gaming says Microsoft is making the gaming-functionality of Windows Longhorn the same as a modern game-console, but wants to keep the advantages of PC gaming like high-end graphics and sound hardware, online communities, community support and downloadable content.

Update 2: COMPUTERS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS
Microsoft is working together with nVidia, ATI, AMD and Intel to develop pre-configured computers with different levels, low, mid and high range hardware-configurations for different sales prices. PC's with a certain configuration of CPU, videocard and memory will be split in different levels. Because of this, choosing a PC for gaming gets a lot easier, because fast computers will get a higher level. The system requirements on game-packages will have a level requirement, so you can see if the level of your computer is high enough to handle a game.

Update 3: EASY TO USE
With Longhorn Microsoft wants to eliminate the long installation procedures that PC games have. Installing and playing a game should be as easy as with a console. They too are developing a special driver manager, so you won't have any problems with different drivers. This means no problems with flickering textures, stuttering and crashing anymore, because the drivers will be fully controled by the graphics interface and because of this system nVidia and ATI can develop and test their drivers for problems within a few seconds. Updating drivers and BIOS'es will get a lot easier because Windows Update will get a special feature that automatically checks if your hardware is up to date and automatically updates your drivers, BIOS'es, the Longhorn graphics interface and even updates for the most important feature of Longhorn, WFG 2.0.

Update 4: FUTURE GRAPHICS
Microsoft is going to implement Pixel and Vertex Shader 4.0 support into the new graphics interface, so in the near future after Longhorn is released there doesn't have to be another newer version of WFG to be released. Epic has announced that their Unreal 3 Engine will support future pixel and vertex shader versions that are going to be implemented when the Unreal 3 Engine is near completion.

Update 5: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND RESOURCE USAGE
Longhorn uses a lot of memory, but it uses it for a very good reason. Longhorn actually doesn't even have loading times when you're using Explorer, Internet Explorer or any other Windows component. The big amount of memory thats being used isn't just for the textures but it contains every important file thats needed by Windows when running an application. When you start a game, the Longhorn graphics interface immediately unloads everything out of the memory that isn't needed by your 'game hardware' (video and sound card) such as the 3D Windows Desktop. Users are able to change the way Longhorn reacts when you boot up a game or 3D application. WFG is fully customizable to your own needs. For example, you can keep the Windows Desktop loaded and play a game at the same time, or if you have a fast system run both in split screen. To do all this fast loading and unloading you need to have fast memory and ofcourse a fast harddisk. But here's the problem. The harddisks we use today are far too slow (12000 RPM is still too slow) and will be a huge bottleneck when loading huge amounts of files into the memory. That's why Microsoft and Samsung are working on a new Hybrid hard drive that will use 1 GB flash memory as a buffer. They want to take part of the load of the spinning drive and to lower loading times and boot times drastically. Longhorn will fully support this technology. Microsoft and Samsung are still working on a way to unload files very fast from the harddisks flash memory. Next year Microsoft will start a huge marketing campaign for new hardware they are developing and they will give an update on the development of the Hybrid harddisk. When using a Hybrid harddisk in a mid-range computer of today (2 GHz, 1 GB RAM) you will have boot-times of about 5-10 seconds. Imagine how fast it goes in 2006.

Update 6: ICONS
In Longhorn icons will be completely changed. Documents don't have a icon anymore that shows the file-type, but it shows the first page of the document. Folder-icons will show you the inside files by using 3D technology. You'll see the files coming forward in a slideshow while you're watching the folder.

Update 7: STABILITY
Longhorn will be the most stable OS ever. Microsoft admitted that it had problems with stability with Windows ME and XP (without SP), but they really are making work of making Longhorn unbelievably stable. Microsoft even has made three special teams that researched Longhorn and future technologies for two years. After Longhorn is released, Microsoft doesn't even have to release any updates to make Longhorn stable, because Longhorn manages itself automatically and disables processes that can make your computer unstable and are unneeded by the applications you're running.

Update 8: SECURITY
Longhorn will have a better internet security. Instead of using very advanced ways to protect your computer, they're using somewhat primitive ways to keep users away from your harddisk. For example, Longhorn is able to completely halt every type of data transfer from your computer to any hardware component and is able to pause your internet connection when there is happening something suspicious. Microsoft is developing software together with Symantec (Norton Antivirus) to detect virusses the moment they reach your harddisk. Longhorn will be able to quarantine certain parts of the harddisk and make sure a virus gets automatically removed (using Norton Antivirus).

Update 9: HARDWARE FOR LONGHORN
Hardware especially made for Longhorn. Before Longhorn will be released in 2006, Microsoft will start the biggest marketing campaign ever, not just for the most advanced piece of software ever developed by more than 80.000 people (not only Microsoft), but also for the hardware that will be developed especially for Longhorn. As you've read before, there will be special harddrives, but there will be special videocards that will have to work constantly at 100%, extra fast memory and new processors to support the new multi-application technology Longhorn uses. For Longhorn Hyperthreading is a old technology. Longhorn will take advantage of it, but compared to the new technologies of the processors that are being developed it doesn't really help at all. There also will be newer soundcards to support the incredibly high sound quality that is possible when Longhorn is released. All hardware manufacturers are doing their best to get their new hardware finished before Longhorn is released. Microsoft promised that the prices won't go trough the roof.

Update 10: MULTIPLE INTERNET CONNECTIONS
Longhorn supports a new technology that has been developed. With this technology you're able to use multiple internet connections (max 4) at the same time. For example: You have an DSL internet connection with a download speed of 100Kb/sec and a cable inter net connection of 80 Kb/sec. And you're downloading a file from a different user who has an upload speed of 140 Kb/sec. When you're using those two internet connections, the DSL connection starts to download 100KB/sec and the left 40 Kb/sec gets downloaded by the cable connection. This means you'll always be downloading at top speed, as long as you can afford multiple internet connections. Because of this you're able to play up to four different games at the same time online with just one internet connection.

Update 11: COPY PROTECTION
Microsoft has teamed up with Disney and a lot of music labels to improve copy protection for movies, music and software using digital rights management functionality in Longhorn. Microsoft said they will use heavy copy protection schemes, so users won't be able to copy digital media. This may scare of a lot of consumers, but Microsoft doesn't worry about that, because eventually everyone will go Longhorn (their words). This means no Warez anymore. Damn, now I even have to pay money to play games and watch movies.

Update 12: LONGHORN AND THE XBOX 360
Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 controller will work on Windows Longhorn too. They did this because they want Longhorn to be an upgraded version of the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 and Longhorn both will use a new technology that makes games run at the fastest speed possible. Because Microsoft is the 'leader' of the Xbox and Windows, they made it possible to connect your Xbox to your PC and download special content and updates for your games, without having to subscribe anything. The Xbox 360 uses the new multiple internet connections technology seen in Update 10. Downloading files can take some time, but thats not a problem anymore, because now you can play a game offline or online and download certain files at the same time! This is one of the advantages over the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution. The XBox 360 has a lot more advantages, but the reason for all of that is the company thats behind the Xbox, Microsoft, the most powerful software company in the world. They made sure Sony and Nintendo couldn't make use of these new Windows technologies. So if you want compatibility between your console and your PC you'll have to buy a Xbox 360. It looks like Microsoft again has found a way to eliminate the competition.

[TheBlueRaja]

Hmm,
For top end enthusiast 3Gb main memory might just be about right by the latter half of next year - And already people are pushing 4ghz PC's. The only problem could be the GFX card but even then i can see 1Gb onboard memory for cards by then.

I suspect however that those specs will be for top end gaming and not for running apps on the desktop or Lonhorn as the guy insinuates. I would imagine that as long as you have a WGF capable GFX card that wether you have 1 or 3gb of main memory, a 2 or 4 ghz cpu or a 256meg or 1gb memory vid card that the desktop will not look or act much different.

The fact is you can still run Longhorn on the PC you have today its just that you wont get the full graphical experience as your card may be fast enough but not support WGF, therefore some of the more fanciful effects may not be present but it will work.

The guy needs to differenciate between Gaming and Desktop IMO.

[Ramrod]

Looks like I need to start thinking about building my next PC..............

If you want to play a game Longhorn will disable every component of your computer that isn't needed by the graphical interface and unloads the Windows Desktop

Now thats a good idea!

Originally Posted by TheBlueRaja

The only problem could be the GFX card but even then i can see 1Gb onboard memory for cards by then.

KP's got that atm

I can see Longhorn isn't going to take off for many years with those requirements

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Looks like I need to start thinking about building my next PC..............

Now thats a good idea!

The Amiga could unload all unnecessary programs (include the desktop) 17 years ago! Why has it taken Microsoft so long?

An awful lot of it seems to be "games" oriented - which is of no interest to many (inc me).

Looks like I'll be saving me money to get one of these "high" systems when they are released, if they are affordable (knowing Microsoft, no).

[keithwalton]

I'd question the reliability on the source of that one, since I dont know of a cpu manufacturer that is planning to build a 4GHz cpu and these things take years to roll out. Multi core is the name of the game, currently dual core is coming soon, quad core will be with us 2006/7 then 6 and 8 core are all on the horizons. Intel will be dropping core clock speed to just over 2GHz when they into the yonah and its desktop counterpart early next year.
I'm also confused as to why you'd need flash memory for the 'full experience' flash is slow and cumbersome

[Tristan]

Blimey, can you smell the BS?

The desktop will be rendered using the 3D capabilities of the video card. This isn't new -- Mac OS X has been doing it for donkey's years, and even the open source lot are likely to have it in place before Longhorn is released. I'm dubious about the claim that "everyone will have a 3D card by then". One of Microsoft's biggest markets (and the one they're most in danger of losing to Linux) is the office workstation. An IT purchaser looking for 200 PCs is going to go for the cheapest thing that will do the job -- they're going to want a £10 2D-only video card, and turn off the eye-candy. Trust me, Longhorn will have a non-3D fallback mode. I'd bet my mother on it.

Split your monitor into four? Why on earth would anyone want to do that? Much more useful would be the ability to display, for example, a game on screen 1 whilst showing my IM programme on screen 2, and then letting me pause and flick monitors. (Assuming you physically have two monitors).

Unloading all non-essential programmes? Well if Windows behaves nicely, they should already be swapped out of main memory. I'm not sure that witholding processor cycles from your antivirus and firewall is necessarily a good idea.

The use of dual bonded network connections is again nothing new. Servers have been able to do this for yonks -- as has Linux (and therefore presumably BSD and the Mac).

The "security" features combined with the DRM news also seems somewhat sinister. Put it together and you get that "Longhorn will have the ability to stop all HDD and internet data transfer if it realises you're copying files".

I'm really not convinced this is going to be worth the wait....

like you say Tristan, the DRM stuff is what is really scary

[jamesclarke555]

Those requirements are bull**** man, don't believe everything you read!

It's already been confirmed that Longhorn will run fine on legacy systems, such as a P3 with 256MB RAM; the GUI just reverts back to an XP like state.

I predict the recommeded hardware spec' to be around a 1.5GHz or higher CPU with 512MB (or more) RAM and for the GUI, a DirectX 9.0c compatible GPU.

Has anyone tried out Longhorn build 5048 from WinHEC 2005? It's the first external build since they scrapped what they had and started over again with the Windows Server 2003 code base, I was surprised how well it ran and it's actually quite stable.

[jtwn]

The ideas on running games really appeals to me, console style.

The copy protection features do not, and if somebody manages to hack them i certainly will use it. I control my computer, not Microsoft.

[Richard M]

Bifta have you got a link to that article?
Sounds to me like someone wildly speculating in a forum post or something.

Saying that, these specs are available now anyway:

Athlon64 FX-55 is equivalent to a 4GHz P4 CPU
2-4GB RAM is possible
1GB graphics RAM is available (2x6800U 512MB cards in SLI)
Raptor 15,000 RPM disk

Has anyone tried out Longhorn build 5048 from WinHEC 2005? It's the first external build since they scrapped what they had and started over again with the Windows Server 2003 code base, I was surprised how well it ran and it's actually quite stable.

Yep, just like XP x64 which is extremely stable.

The DRM stuff is a bit dodgy, which makes me think whoever originally said what was in the first post is just trolling.

[Paul K]

From the Microsoft Partners site
https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40018577

Requirements
The "Longhorn"-Ready PC requires a combination of essential PC hardware that will define great overall "Longhorn" performance, a triumvirate of CPU plus memory plus graphics. PCs should have a modern CPU, at least 512MB of memory, and a graphics processor that will be ready for the "Longhorn" Display Driver.

Final details regarding the "Longhorn"-Ready PC, including the name, logo details and marketing information will be available to partners in the second half of 2005. Check back here or contact your account managers for further information.

Looks to me as though they have yet to set the Spec in stone.

[philip.j.fry]

Originally Posted by Richard M

The DRM stuff is a bit dodgy, which makes me think whoever originally said what was in the first post is just trolling.

'A bit dodgy'? Very dodgy I would say. From what i can see, with Longhorn you are essentially handing over administrators rights to MS and it's partners.

If this article is correct, the future is not looking good. There are some very nice features described there, though I would content that to some extent many of them are already available.

Microsoft has made these promises time and again, yet has always failed to deliver. They always fail to deliver because of their effective monopoly. Recently with the threat of Linux (and Macs as well I think thanks to Ipod), MS have been making improvements. Unfortunately, with Longhorn, they are trying to maintain that monopoly. This is obvious when you look at some of the features, Longhorn only hardware, integrated bios's, this is just an attempt to create hardware incompatibility