Were there any lesser known never released Windows projects?

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Zacchi4k
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Were there any lesser known never released Windows projects?

Post by Zacchi4k »

I already know about Odyssey, Neptune, Nashville and Longhorn (and Blackcomb? I guess I'll also include it), but are there any lesser known cancelled Windows projects?

I've also heard there was supposed to be a followup to Windows ME in the Windows 9x series (Tiger), but I can't confirm if it's true.

The Distractor

Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by The Distractor »

I wouldn't say lesser-known, but you missed out NT Cairo. The one that pre-reset Longhorn was compared to by devs.

(No, NT 4.0 isn't Cairo, that was codenamed SUR/Shell Update Release, even so, I believe the real Cairo was to be called NT 4.0, so..)

Zacchi4k
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Location: Italy

Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by Zacchi4k »

The Distractor wrote:I wouldn't say lesser-known, but you missed out NT Cairo. The one that pre-reset Longhorn was compared to by devs.

(No, NT 4.0 isn't Cairo, that was codenamed SUR/Shell Update Release, even so, I believe the real Cairo was to be called NT 4.0, so..)
Oh, yeah, Cario. I forgot about that.
Are there any others?

The Distractor

Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by The Distractor »

You could count Triton and anything else that was planned in the cancelled Neptune line.

jimmsta
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Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by jimmsta »

The Distractor wrote:I wouldn't say lesser-known, but you missed out NT Cairo. The one that pre-reset Longhorn was compared to by devs.

(No, NT 4.0 isn't Cairo, that was codenamed SUR/Shell Update Release, even so, I believe the real Cairo was to be called NT 4.0, so..)
Cairo was used for so many different projects - Initially, the Cairo Vision that included several technologies that should be included in NT, including the Object FileSystem, which eventually became WinFS and ultimately killed off. Then the name of the Shell Update for NT4. I'd go as far as to say that even the early betas of Windows 2000 were considered codename Cairo, even if not officially. The name stuck around for a long time.

Ultimately, Cairo was the list of goals that NT would somewhat reach over 20 years of development.
16 years of BA experience; I refurbish old electronics, and archive diskettes with a KryoFlux. My posting history is 16 years of educated speculation and autism.

The Distractor

Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by The Distractor »

jimmsta wrote:Then the name of the Shell Update for NT4.
Do you have any evidence that the NT4 SUR was codenamed "Cairo"?

Wizman
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Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by Wizman »

Evidence beyond anectdotal? Beyond what we all called it on Compuserve?
Meaning drectly from the horse's mouth aka Microsoft?

No, I don't.

But I do offer this code snippet as evidence it was a common attribution:
DECLARE FUNCTION IsWow64Process(BYVAL hProcess AS DWORD, BYREF Wow64Process AS LONG) AS LONG
'______________________________________________________________________________

FUNCTION WinVer() AS STRING
LOCAL Info AS OSVERSIONINFOEX
LOCAL sInfoWin AS STRING
LOCAL sInfoVer AS STRING
LOCAL sBitWidth AS STRING
LOCAL hLib AS DWORD
LOCAL hProc AS DWORD
LOCAL RetVal AS LONG
LOCAL Wow64 AS LONG

info.dwOSVersionInfoSize = SIZEOF(OSVERSIONINFOEX) 'Valid with Windows NT4-sp6 or newer
IF GetVersionEx(BYVAL VARPTR(Info)) = 0 THEN 'Windows all version, return zero on error
info.dwOSVersionInfoSize = SIZEOF(OSVERSIONINFO) 'Windows all version
GetVersionEx(BYVAL VARPTR(Info)) 'OS is pre NT 4.0 SP6
END IF

sInfoVer = FORMAT$(info.dwMajorVersion) & "." & FORMAT$(info.dwMinorVersion)

IF (info.dwPlatformId = %VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT) THEN 'NT family
SELECT CASE info.dwMajorVersion

CASE 3 '3.5
sInfoWin = "Windows NT3" 'Daytona

CASE 4 '4.0
sInfoWin = "Windows NT4" 'Cairo or SUR (Shell Update Release)

CASE 5
SELECT CASE info.dwMinorVersion
CASE 0
sInfoWin = "Windows 2000" 'Janus
CASE 1
sInfoWin = "Windows XP" 'Whistler
CASE 2
sInfoWin = "Windows Server 2003" 'Whistler
END SELECT

CASE 6
SELECT CASE info.dwMinorVersion
CASE 0
sInfoWin = "Windows Vista" 'Longhorn
'Windows Vista GUID: <supportedOS Id='{e2011457-1546-43c5-a5fe-008deee3d3f0}'/>
CASE 1
sInfoWin = "Windows 7" 'Blackcomb (Vienna)
'Windows 7 GUID: <supportedOS Id='{35138b9a-5d96-4fbd-8e2d-a2440225f93a}'/>
CASE 2
sInfoWin = "Windows 8.0" '8, Metro, Jupiter
'Windows 8.0 GUID: <supportedOS Id='{4a2f28e3-53b9-4441-ba9c-d69d4a4a6e38}'/>
CASE 3
sInfoWin = "Windows 8.1" 'Blue
'Windows 8.1 GUID: <supportedOS Id='{1f676c76-80e1-4239-95bb-83d0f6d0da78}'/>
'Operating system version changes in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012,
'http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library ... 02074.aspx
'GetVersionEx return 6.2 (Windows 8.0) instead of 6.3 (Windows 8.1)
'if no manifest with Windows 8.1 GUID.
END SELECT

CASE 10
SELECT CASE info.dwMinorVersion
CASE 0
sInfoWin = "Windows 10.0" 'Threshold
'Windows 10.0 GUID: <supportedOS Id='{8e0f7a12-bfb3-4fe8-b9a5-48fd50a15a9a}'/>
'GetVersionEx return 6.2 (Windows 8.0) instead of 10.0 (Windows 10.0)
'if no manifest with Windows 8.1 GUID nor Windows 10.0 GUID.
'GetVersionEx return 6.3 (Windows 8.1) instead of 10.0 (Windows 10.0)
'if manifest with Windows 8.1 GUID and no Windows 10.0 GUID.

CASE ELSE
sInfoWin = "Window 10.1 or newer. Need a valid manifest GUID"

END SELECT

CASE ELSE
sInfoWin = "Window 10.1 or newer. Need a valid manifest GUID"

END SELECT

Zacchi4k
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Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by Zacchi4k »

Here's some info I found about Tiger:
http://betanews.com/2000/06/21/microsoft-windows-tiger/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2000/06/21 ... ast_win9x/

These two links date back to year 2000

Overdoze
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Re: Were there any lesser known never released Windows proje

Post by Overdoze »

The only thing I can find in MS documents about this so called "Tiger project" is "Microsoft NetShow Theater Server (formerly code named Tiger)" in PX06369 from 1998. There never was an OS called Tiger under development, not only because there's no actual evidence for it (unless you count journo rumors as evidence) and it wouldn't make sense anyways since Whistler was already well into development by the time ME was released.
All roads lead to Neptune™

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