HYDERABAD: Microsoft India Development Center (MIDC) is going to work very closely with its Redmond headquarters to develop 'Longhorn', the next major desktop Windows release, that follows Windows XP and XP Service Pack 1 (SP1).

" We have all what it takes to come out with world class products and services and we have already shown this with the release of Services For Unix (SFU. We are looking forward for the development of the next version of Windows ‘Longhorn’," informed, Srini Koppolu, Managing Director at MIDC, Hyderabad on the occasion of Gates visit at MIDC.

"I will not be able to give details about the windows next release but yes we are working and would be doing a lot of work in this direction," he added.

Originally expected to be a fairly minor upgrade, Longhorn would now include a number of new features including a revised task-based user interface, an extensible dock-like Start panel and a SQL Server 2003-based file system.

Once envisioned as a minor upgrade to Windows XP, Windows' 'Longhorn' took an all-new importance in early 2002 when Microsoft decided to reach for the brass ring and make the new Windows release an all-encompassing major upgrade with a new security architecture called Palladium. Palladium, is a 3D-enabled user interface and a database-based file system with new features.

Though speculation on Longhorn continues, very little is known so far, it is still in its early stages of development. Sources and industry analysts said that Longhorn is likely to feature a task-based (or "iterative") interface that goes far beyond the task-based interface found today in Windows XP. Microsoft has been working to move beyond the dated desktop metaphor still used by Mac OS X and Linux for many years.

Being developed under the direct command of Gates himself, it is reliably learnt that Longhorn would take full advantage of 3D-video hardware to render special effects that would make the screen more photo realistic and deep. This doesn't mean that the basic windows and mouse interface is being replaced, just that it would look a lot better.

Longhorn would include a database-like file system called Windows Future Storage (WinFS), which is based on technology from SQL Server 2003 (code-named Yukon). This file system would abstract physical file locations from the user and allow for the sorts of complex data searching that are impossible today. For example, today email messages contacts, Word documents and music files are all completely separate. That won't be the case in Longhorn.

One of the most exciting aspects of Longhorn is its integration with Palladium, Microsoft's technology for realizing its Trustworthy Computing vision. Palladium is basically a secure run-time environment for Windows and other operating systems that allows a coming generation of software applications and services to protect the end user from privacy invasion, outside hacking, spam and other electronic attacks. Palladium requires special hardware security chips and microprocessors (which would be made by Intel and AMD) and doesn't interfere with the normal operation of the PC.

That is, Palladium-based PCs would still operate normally, working with legacy operating systems and applications. But specially made Palladium applications and services would offer a range of features of functionality not found in the non-Palladium world and if the initiative is successful, there would be only Palladium-based software everywhere.

Microsoft originally said that Longhorn could be released in late 2002 or early 2003, but the release was recently pushed back until 2005. This suggests that a XP refresh, possibly called Windows XP Second Edition (XP2E) would ship first, in late 2003. Microsoft will never let four years lapse between desktop Windows releases, contrary to their public stance on the issue.

(CNS)