In our undergraduate dissertation we will investigate the Microsoft Windows Longhorn operating system. Our target is to write a technical report and a response to Microsoft regarding our conclusions about Longhorn. With a testing-environment we collected a first impression of the new functionalities of the Pre-Alpha Version of Longhorn. To complete our research work about this topic we gathered additional information.

We notice that there are currently no fundamental problems to implement Longhorn into an existing network topology. Microsoft emphasizes on a new up-todate design of the graphical user interface. We also discovered a first approach on the new storage system WinFS combining features of a usual database with the current filesystem. The hardware requirements for a proper Longhorn system are quiet high.

It is still unclear if the final release will include the planned new security concept called NGSCB. This function should provide the ability to allow only certified code to be executed and verified applications to be installed and run on a computer.

The Windows Longhorn concept is built around three new subsystems (Avalon for the presentation layer of the data output, WinFS to manage the future storage system and Indigo for the different communication layers). The newly revised NT-based development architecture of Longhorn is called WinFX which will be based for all following applications on Longhorn technology. Microsoft also introduces a new development platform called Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey).

Our personal conclusion is ambivalent. On one hand Microsoft has implemented some useful new features. On the other hand because it is known, that WinFS will not be implemented in the first release of Longhorn, we have reservations regarding those small improvements. Thus we conclude that if all of the innovations will be fully contained in Longhorn the majority of companies will deal with the new operating system and think about a replacement.