Microsoft cancels key Vista feature
updated 11:40 am EDT, Wed June 28, 2006
MS cancels Vista feature
Microsoft has cancelled one of the most anticipated features in its next Windows operating system, code-named Vista, which is slated for release next year. Microsoft previously planned to ship the WinFS file system shortly after Windows Vista. In a weblog entry on Friday, however, Quentin Clark -- an executive of the project -- wrote that WinFS would not ship separately, and that some of the feature will be included in a later product. Investors considered WinFS the crucial feature that would encourage upgrades to Vista when Microsoft separated the technologies in 2004 in order to complete Vista by 2006, according to Bloomberg. The cancellation marks the latest change involving Windows Vista, which required Microsoft to restructure portions of the operating system and drop some features.
WinFS is designed to change the way certain types of data -- such as photos, emails, and music -- are categorized to simplify searches for related files stored in different programs, according to the report.
"This was the major feature of Windows Vista," said analyst Joe Wilcox of Jupiter Research. "It was part of the operating system and it was an opportunity for developers. Spreading it out into other things that might appear someday is not the same thing."
Portions of the WinFS technology will be rolled into the next release of Microsoft's SQL database server, code-named Katmai, according to Clark.
with all that cash
06/28, 12:00pm reply
What, they've had how much cash and years to work on this. What exactly will Vista ship [i] with [/i]?
boomer0127
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Joined: Jan 2004
What will Vista ship with
06/28, 12:05pm reply
An apologetic letter and a coupon to get 200 off a new Mac.
Horsepoo!!!
Banned
Joined: Jun 2003
Duh
06/28, 12:06pm reply
Aero?
Peter Bonte
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Joined: Aug 2001
no guts...
06/28, 12:11pm reply
The problem is that they're just not willing to compete with themselves. I imagine that a large fraction of the time is spent making sure they are as backward compatible as possible. Their installed base is their primary asset. Allowing large customers to upgrade their OS without their apps keeps their OS money flowing. They won't be able to truly evolve without cutting that cord.
Obviously this will be a tremendous opportunity for Apple. I don't know much about Leopard yet, but I hope they push the metadata framework much further than it is in 10.4 with the Finder and Spotlight. Right now, I almost feel like the UI of Spotlight and other system search functions (Mail.app, especially) is limiting the user's access to the metadata that they are now starting to catalog. I hope that opens up more with 10.5...
lmhaffner
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Joined: Apr 2002
Old news....
06/28, 12:51pm reply
The Register first reported this on 06/26 and has a subsequent story up today.
t6hawk
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Jan 2001
Re: no guts
06/28, 01:24pm reply
The problem is that they're just not willing to compete with themselves. I imagine that a large fraction of the time is spent making sure they are as backward compatible as possible. Their installed base is their primary asset. Allowing large customers to upgrade their OS without their apps keeps their OS money flowing. They won't be able to truly evolve without cutting that cord.
Yeah, that's why we all love Apple! Because when we upgrade our OS, we want to pay to upgrade our apps as well! And who wants to have an OS that's backward compatible? That's just stupid. Just because I paid for some software last year, why should I continue to expect to see it run for years to come?
(Yes, that's all sarcasm at a truly stupid comment)
Obviously this will be a tremendous opportunity for Apple. I don't know much about Leopard yet, but I hope they push the metadata framework much further than it is in 10.4 with the Finder and Spotlight. Right now, I almost feel like the UI of Spotlight and other system search functions (Mail.app, especially) is limiting the user's access to the metadata that they are now starting to catalog. I hope that opens up more with 10.5...
Well, its not much of an advantage. MS is still going to have a search system, using metadata and scanning file internals, using an enhanced version of MSN search. In fact, that makes it more like Spotlight, Google desktop, or any of the other searching tools out there.
I just hope Apple can fix the finder/spotlight so making a directory 'private' doesn't also mean you can't even search on file names.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Cairo slips again
06/28, 01:45pm reply
WinFS has been promised since NT 4. VI$TA = Copland
boris_cleto
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Joined: Sep 2002
Vista vs copland
06/28, 01:53pm reply
Longhorn server = Copland Vista = os8
Peter Bonte
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Joined: Aug 2001
Now
06/28, 02:58pm reply
I get why Gates walked away; I sure as h*** would if I were him (then again, I NEVER would have left the company to MonkeyBoy).
Longborn really is exactly like second-hand smoke.
paulc
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Re: cairo slips again
06/28, 04:03pm reply
WinFS has been promised since NT 4. VI$TA = Copland
Shouldn't that be WinFS = Copland? Vista itself hasn't been in production since NT4. WinFS was worked on then. Equating a whole operating system to one of its components is just trying to make you feel better when Apple slips on a schedule (not that anyone would know, because Apple doesn't tell anyone what they're going to be including until its nearly finished).
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001