What's next for windows?

Microsoft Windows made its first appearance in 1985 and its most recent (in the form of Windows XP) in 2001.

In between there have been 12 new or updated versions of the ubiquitous PC operating system, which averages out at one every year and a bit.

Some might call this excessive and pointless reinvention; others simply see it as evidence of Microsoft's constant quest for perfection.

Whatever the case, it's certain that the version of Windows on your PC today will be subtly different in two years' time and quite possibly unrecognisable in five.

But how, exactly?There are very few certainties in Windows-gazing but one is that Microsoft's target dates tend to fluctuate.

The sequel to Windows XP, codenamed Blackcomb, was due to appear in 2002, but in July 2001 Microsoft instead announced an intermediate operating system.

Codenamed Longhorn, this was originally planned for 2002 or 2003, which then drifted to 2004, then 2005 and is now back on track for 2003.

What Longhorn will look like, however, is still very much an unknown. We do know some of the technologies Microsoft is focusing on and it's likely that these will find their way into a future version of Windows.

Pictures of what purports to be an early version of Longhorn have also appeared on websites. Although the final version may be very different, these do at least show the direction that Microsoft is following at present.

Windows look and feel
The look of Windows changed drastically in 1995. Although we've seen a few enhancements since, such as the Quick Launch toolbar, the Active Desktop and the Windows XP smart Start menu, the current look is much the same as it was seven years ago.

There have been rumours of another radical change, with the Desktop being scrapped for a 3D model.

You can see a video of the weird and wonderful 'TaskGallery' at the Microsoft Research website. Here, Windows are 'hung' on the walls of a virtual art gallery and the user has a handheld 'palette' of frequently used programs.

However, it's doubtful that such radical change will come about in the next generation of Windows; Microsoft's corporate customers would not be pleased at having to cope with learning a brand new interface.

Even if we won't be navigating our computers in 3D, we will be seeing more of the 'task-orientated' approach that first appeared in Windows XP's task pane.

Another hot rumour is the possible inclusion of Sideshow, a product of Microsoft's research with 8,000 users within the organisation.

Sideshow is a bar that stretches down the right-hand edge of the screen containing 'tickets'. Each ticket is related to a program, task or online resource and each shows a snippet of information.

For example, an Outlook Calendar ticket might show the time of your next appointment, or a Contact ticket a picture of a friend.

Clicking on a ticket opens a 'tool tip' view of the resource; this could be your calendar for today, your friend's contact details or an online traffic or weather report. Double-clicking a ticket opens the parent program.

A simpler version of this, known as the Dashboard, is incorporated in the new MSN (Microsoft Network) 8 software, recently launched in the US.

Alleged screenshots of an early version of Longhorn show an even less ambitious arrangement, known as the TaskShelf or Sidebar, which appears to combine the features of the Start Menu and Taskbar.

It's customisable, so you can add 'tiles' for launching programs, switching virtual screens, searching the internet and so on.

WinFS
Another piece of technology that may or may not be included in Longhorn is the Windows Future Storage (WinFS) file system.

In current versions of Windows, different types of files (emails, contacts, documents, music, pictures and so on) are all stored in different ways.

The WinFS database-style file system will take the emphasis away from the physical locations of files and folders and concentrate instead on the content.

This will allow us to search our stored data in ways that aren't currently possible, with a single search encompassing documents, emails, contacts, and 'metadata', such as artist and album information from media files.

.Net
Microsoft's .Net technology is something we are already seeing and will see more of.

As Microsoft product manager Adam Sohn says: "It's not only about people talking to computers, it's also about computers talking to each other on behalf of the user."

Imagine company B supplies company A with widgets. Company A's computer sees that widget stocks are low, so it passes an order to company B's computer. This, in turn, passes orders on to companies C and D who supply widget parts to company A.

In turn, messages pass back up the line to company A, acknowledging the order and giving a delivery date ... and all without human intervention.

On a more personal level, Microsoft gives the example of someone instructing an online music service to inform her when a favourite artist is coming to town, via her PC or Smartphone, and book tickets on her behalf.

Remote control
We'll also be seeing changes in the way we physically relate to our PCs and two pieces of related technology come into play here, taking us away from the 'piano-player' model of screen and keyboard.

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, recently launched in the US, comes installed on special PCs that have a remote control and can be linked to your TV and hi-fi.

This means you can watch and listen to digital media stored on or through your PC without leaving the sofa.

The Smart Display or Mira is another example of .Net technology, based around a TFT display which you can detach from its docking station and carry around the house or office.

The clever part is that the device has a wireless link to the PC and uses Windows CE, Microsoft's operating system for handheld computers, so you can use it as a pen-based computer as well as a monitor.

Version 2, which will possibly coincide with Longhorn, will let two people use the same PC at once - one at the conventional desktop and one from a Mira device. Mira screens should be in the shops in early 2003.

Window to the future
Whatever the final feature set of Longhorn - and, for that matter, Blackcomb - it's likely that most of us will still be running Windows in three years time.

Linux has its attractions, not the least of which being its low cost, and it is increasingly being bundled with entry-level PCs.

However, even its most outspoken advocates don't see it as a serious head-on competitor.

And the Mac OS X? Despite its critical acclaim, you are still going to have to buy comparatively expensive Apple hardware in order to run it - unless, of course, the Marklar rumours are true, in which case Microsoft might find itself in the unfamiliar position of having to compete with someone.

Old versions
Microsoft recently announced that all of its major products would have a support life of five years. In other words, Microsoft will continue to maintain the products and make copies (or licences) available for purchase.

Businesses have the option of paying to extend this by a further two years, but only for 'business' versions.

So, for example, Windows XP Professional, which made its debut in 2001, will be supported, at a price until the end of 2008, whereas XP Home will run out of time at the end of 2006.

Home users don't have such compelling reasons as businesses to keep upgrading, but there is a catch.

Generally speaking there's a 'two versions' limit on upgrading, so if you have Windows 98 or Millennium, you can buy an upgrade to Windows XP Home.

If you're still using Windows 95, however, you'll have to buy the full version of XP, which is considerably more expensive.

TCPA/Palladium
TCPA stands for the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, an initiative led by Intel with the goal of creating safer, more secure PCs. Palladium is software designed by Microsoft to exploit it.

Together, they will provide a PC that makes it possible for companies to control how their hardware and software is used.

But just what is meant by "safer" and "more secure" depends on who is telling the story.

Originally, Palladium advocates were claiming that the technology would stop snooping, viruses and even spam but more recently Microsoft has distanced itself from these claims.

What we do know is that Palladium will provide ways to create encrypted files that can only be read on "trusted" computers, destroy files after a certain length of time or number of uses and control the use of applications.

The idea of the originator of a file being able to delete it from a remote computer will also be welcomed by software and media companies keen on stamping out piracy.

Trusted Computing, however, has its critics, who argue that the "trust" is one-way and not to the user's advantage.

As privacy crusader Ross Anderson puts it: "Suppose the US government had the facility to disable every copy of Microsoft Office in China?"

MAC OS
The Macintosh operating system (or Mac OS for short), like Windows, started in the mid 1980s.

Its graphic interface attracted developers such as Adobe and Quark, giving the Mac a head start in the field of graphic design and publishing.

Unlike Windows, Apple has always, apart from a brief period, had a monopoly on the hardware on which the Mac OS runs.

The big excitement in the Mac world came with OS X. Codenamed Darwin, this was a complete rebuild of the operating system, with a core based on Linux, developed at the University of California.

A server version of the OS was released in 1999, with a Desktop version, codenamed Cheetah, appearing in early 2001. The current version - 10.2, aka 'Jaguar'- was released in August 2002. The next version is rumoured to be arriving in late 2003.

Further rumours suggest that Apple has developed a version of OS X, known as 'Marklar' (after the aliens in the South Park cartoon series) that will run on the PC.

Ten years ago, 'Star Trek', a similar project to transfer Mac OS 7 to Intel processors, was abandoned.

Opinion on the authenticity of Marklar legend is divided. Some analysts believe that a Mac OS for PCs would destroy Apple's hardware business, while others see the opening up of the PC market for the Mac OS and applications as a massive boost for the company.

WINDOWS CODENAMES - A BLUFFER'S GUIDE

Snowball: Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Daytona: Windows NT 3.5.
Cairo: planned successor to Windows NT. Never emerged as a concerted whole.
Chicago: Windows 95.
Memphis: Windows 98.
Nashville: The Internet Explorer 4 enhancements to Windows, originally planned as a web-based Windows version.
Neptune: Originally a project for a 'consumer' version of NT combined with Odyssey to form Whistler.
Odyssey: The proposed successor to Windows 2000, combined with Neptune to form Whistler.
Whistler: Named after a Canadian ski resort, this re-unification of the Windows NT/2000 and 95/98/Me versions emerged as Windows XP.
Longhorn: Successor to CP, named after a popular apres-ski bar in Whistler.
Blackcomb: A Canadian mountain and the projected successor to Longhorn.
Mira: Windows CE .Net-based smart display device technology.
Freestyle: Windows XP Media Center.