Windows Neptune concepts...

[WinPC]

Just found these online while browsing some old websites in the Internet Archive Wayback Machine (among which Toastytech, as well as several others):

February 22nd, 1999:
http://web.archive.org/web/199910080735 ... 222a1a.htm

March 1st, 1999:
http://web.archive.org/web/199910081111 ... 301a1a.htm

Just thought I would post them here, in case anyone finds them interesting.

[xZEROx]

Looks like the early windows 8 concepts I saw in 2010.

[startmenuisgone]

I really did like neptune.
I kinda wish it would of been released.

I liked the idea of activity centers.

[hounsell]

Funny thing is, Neptune is probably the ultimate ancestor of Metro.

Neptune's Activity Centers -> Media Center -> Zune -> Windows Phone 7 -> Windows 8

There are certainly parts where you can see it - check out that top bar on the first link. Put it on the bottom and it could easily be an app bar in a Metro Win8 app.

[WinPC]

I know, hounsell, I noticed that myself. At first, when I had seen it, I thought exactly the same thing, to the point where I almost stopped dead and stared directly at it.

Of course, though, there's no verifiable evidence to prove that it was actually the same series of concepts used for Windows 8's user interface, but the only way to know the answer for sure would be to actually get in contact with some Microsoft employees (provided that they are not risking their jobs in doing so).

[Nightsteed]

I'll put them here for future references

[WinPC]

That's good, especially if the original (archived) page goes down in the future.

Also, what's even more interesting is how one of the screenshots/concepts clearly identifies itself as being the "StartPage" - as far as I know, the Start screen in earlier Windows 8 builds was also similarly called the "Start page".

Another thing to note would be that the second screenshot identifies itself as "Windows Entertainment Center" - betaluva once suggested that development of Neptune might have started work on some of the same ideas that were used for Windows XP Media Center Edition. I mean, I'm not sure how much any part of Neptune led to the development of the latter product, since we would need to talk with an actual Microsoft employee about this. However, the above concepts indeed show that Microsoft was already working on quite a lot of ideas for Windows at the time.

But what I think, personally, is that these concepts are almost certainly screenshots of earlier versions of the Neptune Activity Centers. This would have especially been interesting for KenOath back in the day (unless he already found them somehow), since he worked quite hard at rebuilding the Neptune Activity Centers in Build 5111 to the point where it was almost usable.

[CabaProductions]

I'll put them here for future references

That's looks like Windows 8.

[MSUser2013]

I have to agree, These concepts do look like Windows 8 with Metro IE10, If that bar was on the bottom, It would resemble more closer to Metro IE10, If you look at both side by side, You can see that the Back-Forward toolbar icons look nearly identical to the ones in Metro IE10, But instead of being Grey like it is in the concepts, It's Black and White in Metro IE10, This proves that the Metro IE10 UI isn't that new after all

[WindowsNeptune]

These pictures seems beautiful.
Which build?

[driver1998]

These pictures seems beautiful.
Which build?

They are just concepts, not a working build.
But they are really great.

[DeFacto]

If Neptune was ever released, Metro would probably appear a lot earlier (at least in some form)...

Anyway, thanks for posting this WinPC, I haven't seen these before...

[WTF_Replicator]

Just thought I would post them here, in case anyone finds them interesting.

Indeed, it's really interesting, I didn't know that they already had a windows 8-like UI at this early stage.

[XXLuigiMario]

I'm wondering how later versions of Windows would've looked like if Neptune was released...

[deBop]

If Neptune was ever released, Metro would probably appear a lot earlier (at least in some form)...

It did, there was Windows XP Media Centre Edition and then there was also Zune before the "main" implementations in Windows Phone 7 which was carried over to newer products.