Users considering Microsoft's next major operating
system, code-named Longhorn, can expect stronger security and
privacy, laptop roaming technology and improved desktop searching
and organising, Microsoft said last week.
A preview version of Windows Longhorn is being made available at
the WinHEC 2005 Windows hardware engineering conference this
week.
Jim Allchin (pictured), Microsoft's group vice-president, said his
priority was to make sure Longhorn meets quality standards, and
this was more important than releasing the product on schedule, or
having a full feature set.
He described Longhorn as "the OS platform for the next 10 years".It
will include the new Avalon graphics system, the Indigo web
services system, and the delayed WinFS file system.
He said the operating system was on track for a beta release this
summer and final release in the second half of 2006.
Allchin added that Longhorn would be available in 32-bit and 64-bit
versions, with "top-to-bottom" Internet Protocol Version 6 support.
Longhorn will also feature better methods for laptops to roam from
one network to another, said Allchin.
Security is also a high priority, and Longhorn will have a secure
start-up and support chip-level security via the Trusted Platform
Module - a standard backed by many hardware manufacturers.
Longhorn will prevent end-users from accidentally installing
malicious files by setting "least-privileged user" access as the
default. In addition, unlike standard applications, Internet
Explorer will run in a "containment area" to make it harder for
malicious applications to install themselves.
Other security enhancements include anti-malware technology,
protected user accounts and fast recovery.
The operating system will be based on a "virtual file system" to
help prevent application compatibility problems, and there are
performance enhancements including "instant on", smart caching and
disc optimisation.
Its system restore facility will include user data as well as
system data, and there will be a new back-up system to protect user
data and write incremental file changes to another disc.
Longhorn will also have file searching enhancements, such as
Windows Explorer, which will show mini-previews of documents
instead of icons.
A Microsoft spokesman said, "We expect to share additional details
about the features in Longhorn as we get closer to beta early this
summer, but the final feature set is something that will be
determined after extensive testing and feedback from
customers."
Infosecurity: Seeing the big picture >>
Hardware security in Longhorn
The WinHEC 2005 release of Windows Longhorn will incorporate the
first versions of Microsoft's next-generation Windows security
system. The Next Generation Secure Computing Base, originally
code-named Palladium, is part of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing
initiative.
Longhorn will use software technology called Trusted Operating
Root, which will work with the standards-based Trusted Platform
Module, a hardware-based component that encrypts data at chip
level. The system uses encrypted software partitions to protect
sensitive data and applications from hacking attacks.
Who can you trust? >>
