Closer look at what Longhorn could have been

Dec 14, 2018 07:59 GMT  ·  By

If we compare old-school and modern Windows versions, it’s pretty obvious that the operating system evolved significantly throughout the years, despite some parts still remaining pretty much unchanged here and there (I’m looking at you, Screen Saver Settings!).

A video published recently by Stephen Chapman on YouTube provides us with a closer look at what Longhorn was supposed to be back in the days when it was still a work in progress.

And one of the most interesting parts of the prototype is that it includes features that are still a key part of Windows or are currently being worked on at Microsoft.

The demo includes live desktop tiles with notifications, a feature that later evolved into desktop gadgets before it was pulled entirely after Windows 7.

Live tiles are still there in Windows, but more advanced functionality like pinning them to the desktop isn’t offered. Nevertheless, this is one of the most requested features in Windows 10, yet for the time being, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be planning any improvement in this direction.

The first version of the Action Center

Additionally, you can also see the huge sidebar which was pretty much the first iteration of the Action Center, as we call it these days. The sidebar, however, ate up quite a large part of the screen, as you can see in the video, but the purpose was to provide users with easy access to their essential apps and files, so they wouldn’t need to hide it.

Also interesting is that Microsoft worked on a Windows Longhorn Mobile, but this was obviously at a time when being committed to phones was still part of the software giant’s long-term strategy. We all know what happened with this one eventually.

And of course, the prototype also includes a quick look at the overall Windows Longhorn experience with the rest of the apps, animations, and effects, so hit the play button and check out what this operating system could have been if it actually received the go-ahead.