May 19, 2005

The New Windows Is Coming In 2006 - What's Inside

I have not yet had a look at the new version of Windows, expected to come in the fall of 2006 and code name Long Norn, but NY Times tech columnist Davd Progue has. He says that there are a LOT of visual enhancements.

He writes Apple-esque features include the new system-wide search box at the upper-right corner of every desktop window and atop the Control Panel window, much like the Spotlight search box that debuted in Mac OS X Tiger a couple of weeks ago. Similarly, the three control buttons at the top of each window light up as the cursor passes over them, and windows shrink away with an animation when minimized, just as in Mac OS X.

On the other hand, many of the new features represent Microsoft's own creative thinking, especially when it comes to everyday folder windows. Window title bars are translucent, which Microsoft says makes it easier to notice that one window is overlapping another. And you can make icons in a window larger or smaller in real time, with no loss of clarity, by turning your mouse's scroll wheel while pressing the Ctrl key.

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