What Windows Vista could have been?

Since Microsoft managed to develop Windows Vista into RTM stage which I reported yesterday I think that it's convenient to look what Windows Vista could have been. And what it currently is after feature cuts. For those who haven't been interested development of Windows Vista can look more information from Wikipedia.

Generally Windows Vista, originally known only by it's codename "Longhorn", was supposed to be a minor upgrade for Windows XP in form of a service pack. But pressure to develop something better and pure curiosity about Windows Codename: Blackcomp (today known as Windows Vienna) project made Microsoft to change their plans. Windows Vista project started to assimilate features intentioned for Blackcomp and started getting bigger and bigger.

At first public really didn't have much information about Longhorn, but when development became bigger and more features started to appear also some interesting videos appeared on net showing some really cool graphical stuff.



But that wasn't enought for Microsoft. They wanted to make Longhorn a big next generation of Windows. They actually buried Blackcomp and started to develop something umbelivable. Something which could stand against new threat called Apple Mac OS X.



Windows Longhorn slowly but for sure transformed a full scale Blackcomp. It started something which is still on and will probably make into Windows Blackcomp by 2012 or earlier depending mainly on Microsoft competitors and other factors.

Anyhow Longhorn wasn't anything spesial until PDC2003. It was just going to be another version of Windows.



At this point general public didn't know that Microsoft had done a full 180' degree turn on development and that this PDC build was going to be one of the last ones based on Windows XP source code base. Think about standing during 2003 PDC and you will see this video...

Later on same event you will see something totally mind blowing. Something really exiting, that isn't that far away in a future. Let's take a look of real Windows Vista.



Here is same video with bit different cuts and music.



Well we can only compare it with current Windows Vista.
Problems with old design:
*too much text
*confusing UI
*too much detail
*too much evrything.