• December 6, 2003 •
Windows Longhorn: First Look (page 2)
Search
The new Search tool is based on the WinFS system, and seems to work quite nicely. For example, I did a search on the phrase "Longhorn" (Figure), and it located it in the history of my IM (Instant Messaging); I had discussed exploring Longhorn with a friend on Windows Messenger.
The option to search the Internet defaults to (what else?) MSN Search. Let's hope that will be configurable; most users have their own favorite search engine.
Internet Explorer & Outlook Express
In this build, Internet Explorer has version 6.05.4051.0. It has quite a different look from the current Internet Explorer versions (Figure). A lot of users will be pleased that Internet Explorer now includes the ability to block pop-up windows. This can be either switched on from the Tools menu directly (Figure), or by going to the Privacy tab on the Internet Options dialog (Figure), where you can set additional options, such as allowing certain sites to serve pop-up windows, or to have Windows alert you by a sound that a pop-up was blocked. You can then use an icon on the Internet Explorer toolbar to show that pop-up window anyway, or place the site to your "allow" list, so it will be able to show you pop-ups (Figure). This can be particularly helpful on banking Web sites, which sometimes use pop-up windows to show you additional information.
The version of Outlook Express included in this build of Longhorn is called Outlook Express 7 (6.05.4051.0). It looks a bit different from the current Outlook Express versions (Figure), but it doesn't seem to have any additional functionality (such as Spam filtering).
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Networking
This proved somewhat of a mystery for a while. I could see the "Longhorn" PC on my Laptop once I adjusted the workgroup name on the Longhorn machine, but I couldn't connect to it, despite using the right credentials. Turns out that Longhorn turns on the ICF (Internet Connection Firewall) and you'll have to switch that off in order for computers to be able to connect. I still continue to have problems though. My Linksys Wireless router seemed to get "fouled up" somehow, causing the Longhorn computer and my Laptop to lose connectivity. Resetting the router solved this (for a while anyway). Connectivity between my own computers could only be restored by restarting the Longhorn machine. I also tried running the Network Setup Wizard, but despite being logged on as Administrator, the NSW would tell me that Your user account does not have adequate permissions to set up a home or small office network (Figure). |
Also have a look at images from My Computer (Figure 1) - (Figure 2). XP's msconfig is replaced by Startup Applications Monitor (Figure), which can be accessed from System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings. Picture thumbnails will now pop-up a reasnonable sized preview when you hoover the mouse over your picture (Figure), it also incudes tme extra information such as image size & date and time when the picture was taken. |
Conclusion
There would be more to tell, but I don't see the use of going into various little details on this build, since it is clear that Microsoft still has a lot of work to do before the first beta (expected next summer) will ship.
First impressions are fine. I sure like the new search feature based on WinFS. I have so much stuff in documents and text files, that I have a real hard time finding what I am looking for. And the ability to just search on a phrase and be able to find what I am looking for makes the Windows search perform more like a Web search.
The ability to block pop-up windows in Internet Explorer is nice, but I would really want to see the ability to open new windows as "tabs". That is something missing from Internet Explorer, and a big drawback in its functionality. I already find myself using the Mozilla Firebird browser just for this functionality.
Use the comment link below to tell me what you think about it, and to ask any questions you may have, I'll try to address them in a future article.
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