Microsoft, Intel, AMD and hundreds of PC manufacturers spent
last week discussing ways to get you to buy something you already
have or probably do not need: a new PC or server running a new
version of Windows. Yes, it was time for the annual Windows
Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle.
In terms of deliverables, the highlights are systems with dual-core
microprocessors, which both Intel and AMD launched last week, plus
four new 64-bit versions of Windows, which Microsoft released to
manufacturing late last month.
Microsoft is also starting to wind up the hype machine behind
Longhorn, the next version of Windows. All those attending WinHEC
were given an updated "developer preview build" of Longhorn to take
home and, in a small number of cases, use.
Some people may perhaps wonder why a 64-bit version of Windows is
news: hasn't it been available for most of this century? True, but
that was for the relatively unloved Intel Itanium processor. What
Microsoft is shipping this week is the x64 version, which is
x86-compatible. In other words, the new 64-bit Windows runs on AMD
and Intel extended 64-bit chips, which also run standard 32-bit
Windows applications.
Windows x64 comes in four editions, all built on the Windows Server
2003 code base. One is for desktop PCs and workstations, but this
is probably a small market. Three are for servers: the Server 2003
standard, data centre, and enterprise editions. These will
certainly be welcomed for their ability to support more than
4Gbytes of memory - up to 16Tbytes, in fact.
However, current hardware may not support this much memory, and use
may also be constrained by a shortage of 64-bit drivers.
Microsoft plans to ship an x64 version of SQL Server this year, and
versions of Exchange Server 12, Commerce Server 2006, Host
Integration Server 2006 and Virtual Server next year.
It is hard to get excited about the preview release of Longhorn,
which is likely to get an 18-month beta test starting this summer.
However, Jim Allchin, Microsoft's group vice-president in charge of
Longhorn, has divulged what could be an important feature.
Apparently, Longhorn applications will run with the minimum level
of privileges, unless explicitly granted more.
Today, Windows is usually run in "admin" or root mode, which is
inherently less secure than running it in user mode.
However, Microsoft has been unwilling to push people into running
their PCs in user mode because it breaks too many applications. The
Longhorn compromise will not eliminate that problem, but it should
help to reduce the adverse effects.
Jack Schofield is computer editor at The Guardian