Applications
SHARE
Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp

Microsoft Shows Off Longhorn’s Guts at WinHEC

Many will at long last get a peek at the guts of Microsoft’s forthcoming ‘Longhorn’ operating system this week as the software giant kicks off its Windows Hardware Engineering (WinHEC) trade show in New Orleans Tuesday. Windows Longhorn is the codename for the next major Windows operating system release, expected in late 2004 or early […]

Written By
thumbnail Thor Olavsrud
Thor Olavsrud
May 5, 2003
Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

Many will at long last get a peek at the guts of Microsoft’s forthcoming
‘Longhorn’ operating system this week as the software giant kicks off its
Windows Hardware Engineering (WinHEC) trade show in New Orleans Tuesday.

Windows Longhorn is the codename for the next major Windows operating
system release, expected in late 2004 or early 2005. Longhorn is expected
to integrate the Palladium security architecture, a 3-D enabled user
interface (codenamed “Avalon”) and a file system dubbed Windows Future
Storage, which is based on SQL Server 2003.

Attendees of the WinHEC show will have a chance to take in a slew of
sessions covering the upcoming operating system’s drivers, audio/video
capabilities and display architecture.

The company will also use the show as a platform to unveil its new Hardware
and Driver Developer Central portal.

On the Audio and Video Devices track, Microsoft will offer sessions in
Windows Longhorn Audio Architecture and Windows Longhorn Audio/Video User
Experience. The first takes a high level look at Longhorn’s audio
architecture, including an overview of the new “glitch-free audio
subsystem” which the company said has been “redesigned for ease-of-use and
flexibility.” The second session promises an overview of the new audio
video device support infrastructure and user interface that Microsoft said
will make audio/video devices “just work” within Windows and Windows
applications.

Another session will cover designing portable media players for Longhorn,
including technical information on new transfer software designs and
information on new wire protocols for device communications.

On the Client Storage track, the company will discuss its plans for optical
storage and writable CD and DVD file system support in Longhorn.

In Display Innovations, the company will unveil its Longhorn Signature
Monitor concept, which aims to change assumptions about traditional
computer monitor applications and create a monitor that enhances business
productivity while also serving as the ideal display device for video and
entertainment applications. Microsoft will also give an overview of
Longhorn’s color management architecture and show how independent hardware
vendors (IHVs) can use the architecture to develop new products. The
company has also promised demonstrations of medical imaging, professional
photography, enterprise printing and other scenarios using the
architecture.

For manufacturers, Microsoft is providing a session on the Windows Longhorn
Deployment Toolkit, which engineers will use to preinstall the operating
system on PCs.

Microsoft will give attendees an overview of driver development for the new
operating system, as well as hardware compatibility testing. Separate
sessions will break out information on Longhorn’s graphics drivers and
DirectX 9 for Longhorn, which leverage the power of today’s video cards to
drive more “stable and feature-rich” 3-D rendering.

The company is also using the show to launch its new Windows Hardware and
Driver Central (WHDC) community, which Microsoft hopes will serve as a
centralized community resource which helps provide hardware and driver
developers with the technical information they need.

  SEE ALL
APPLICATIONS ARTICLES  
thumbnail Thor Olavsrud

Thor Olavsrud is a journalist covering data analytics, security, infrastructure, and networking for CIO.com. He's especially interested in companies that use data to transform their business to tackle problems in innovative ways. As a senior writer, his articles focus on practical insights, analysis, and business use cases that can help CIOs and other IT leaders navigate the shifting IT landscape.

Recommended for you...

thumbnail 8 Best Data Analytics Tools: Gain Data-Driven Advantage
Big Data
8 Best Data Analytics Tools: Gain Data-Driven Advantage
Kezia Grace Jungco
May 23, 2024
thumbnail Common Data Visualization Examples: Transform Numbers into Narratives
Big Data
Common Data Visualization Examples: Transform Numbers into Narratives
Liz Ticong
May 20, 2024
thumbnail 10 Best Cloud-Based Project Management Software Platforms of 2024
Cloud
10 Best Cloud-Based Project Management Software Platforms of 2024
Leon Yen
May 14, 2024
thumbnail HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce: Head-To-Head Comparison (2024)
Applications
HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce: Head-To-Head Comparison (2024)
Kezia Grace Jungco
Apr 30, 2024
Datamation Logo

Datamation is the leading industry resource for B2B data professionals and technology buyers. Datamation's focus is on providing insight into the latest trends and innovation in AI, data security, big data, and more, along with in-depth product recommendations and comparisons. More than 1.7M users gain insight and guidance from Datamation every year.

facebook
youtube
x

Company

About us Contact us Advertise with us

Categories

Trends Big Data Data Center AI Cloud Applications Mobile Open Source Security Storage

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 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.

Terms of Service Privacy Policy California - Do Not Sell My Information