Once again I have taken the OS plunge. My little world now runs on Windows 2003 Server…
I’m happy to report that Microsoft seems to have gotten yet another step closer to the perfect OS. It’s obvious which parts they are swiping from the other OSs out there, namely OSX, but I’m not going to quibble over that. The OS in general is quite a bit more responsive than XP Pro on the same hardware base and has some really handy features even if you never use any of the server functions. It seems quite a bit more stable too. Even when I loaded an application known to “Blue Screen” XP every time, 2003 kept right on chugging though wowexec (the 16 bit app handler) hung and needed to be manually killed.
For starters *all* of the server functions, heck, most of the network functions in general, are disabled from the outset and need to be enabled before you can use them. Even something as simple as sound pops up with a box telling you that you must enable it when you first go to its control panel. This, in some ways, is very reminiscent of OSX which has a similarly flavored approach to network security which comes from its BSD roots I’m sure.
So far all of my regularly used software has installed just fine, with the exception of Norton Utilities 2003. Norton detects that the OS is server class and won’t install on it in favor of making one buy the very expensive “corporate” version.
You also get the latest drivers .CAB which is usually worth the upgrade in and of itself.
All in all, based on my 12 hours with 2003 Server, I can recommend it as a worthy successor to XP Pro…
What’s the cost for all this speed and security? 2003 Server starts at around $1000 (though you can find it online for around $700) and goes up from there. Compare that to XP Pro which costs around $150 these days and it becomes a very pricey upgrade. This leads one to note that one has to spend thousands of dollars to get a working product from Microsoft…
2003 isn’t a “required” upgrade for most folks and I would suggest, if you don’t need to upgrade immediately, to wait for Microsoft to finish “Longhorn”. What is Longhorn you ask?
Longhorn is Microsoft’s “next big thing” and will 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. The Longhorn Start Menu and task bar will be enhanced with a new Sidebar component that can optionally appear locked to one side of the desktop. The Sidebar is an XML-based panel that includes links to local and remote resources. So far, from what I’ve played with in the 4015 build of Longhorn, this is basically the “dock” from OSX.
Longhorn will require 3D video hardware to render special effects that will make the screen more photorealistic and deep. This doesn’t mean that the basic windows and mouse interface is being replaced, just that it will look a lot better. This didn’t work so well in the 4015 build I ran on my laptop because the laptop is lacking in 3D video hardware.
Longhorn will optionally include the Palladium security technology Microsoft is developing with Intel and AMD. What this holds in store for those up us not wanting to have our every move scrutinized by Brother Bill has yet to be seen.
Longhorn will include a database-like file system add-on called Windows Future Storage (WinFS), which is based on technology from SQL Server 2003. This file system add-on will abstract physical file locations from the user and allow for the sorts of complex data searching that are impossible today. For example, today, your email messages, contacts, Word documents, and music files are all completely separate. That won’t be the case in Longhorn. WinFS requires NTFS. This, again, is *very* reminiscent of the new file system used in OSX. Under OSX the file system acts like a large database which lets you do neat things like put a program folder anywhere on the HD and have it run the same… The install for Microsoft’s “Office X” under OSX is simply a matter of dragging a folder off the install CD and dropping it somewhere on the HD.
Longhorn will include new anti-virus (AV) APIs that will help developers more easily integrate their wares into the base OS. Microsoft will also offer Longhorn customers a subscription-based AV feature that uses AutoUpdate to keep your system up-to-date with new virus signatures. Herein begins the end of the “User Hard Drive”… Microsoft has wanted, for years now, to have everyone “subscribe” to their software. Basically you never own the physical media and just download the app, or key parts of the app, when you use it and pay a small fee each time… An example would be if you used Word once a week, you’d just pay 25 cents a week to use it – downloading the app, or a key for the app, each time. Of course there would be pricing schemes for those who use Word on a daily basis…
Longhorn will also include integrated recordable DVD capabilities and will work with every type of recordable DVD format. Digital media enthusiasts will be able to copy video from a digital camcorder directly to recordable DVD, bypassing the system’s hard drive entirely, if desired.
Longhorn will also have an advanced version of the successful Error Reporting Tool (ERT) that shipped in Windows XP; the goal is that only a small number of customers should have to report a bug to Microsoft before the company fixes it and ships the fix electronically and automatically to users. There is also a new Setup routine that installs the OS in about 15 minutes… More shades of OSX here.
All in all I think, based on some of the betas I’ve played with, that Longhorn will work out to be a very nice OS. What its initial price point will be has yet to be determined but I figure it’ll be in the $250-$300 range if you don’t buy a computer with it installed.