Longhorn leak offers peek at Windows future
BetaNews | at | by Mike
An internal alpha build of Microsoft's next Windows release, code-named Longhorn, has slipped out of Redmond labs for the second time in four months. Build 4008 began appearing on Internet sites late last week, following a path similar to last November's leak of build 3683.
To the casual observer, build 4008 shows little progress over 3683. Longhorn's "Plex" visual style has been slightly polished, sporting new graphics for buttons and tabs. The oft-discussed Longhorn Sidebar is also visually cleaner and less prone to crash.
Microsoft has added an optional new taskbar, which can be enabled via the Sidebar, featuring a slimmer design and modern clock display.