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Tomorrow might be the date of one of the most important steps in the roadmap of the new Windows Version, the release of it’s Beta 1 version according to the sources of Tom’s Hardware. On the official site they say that it will be released by August 3rd 2005, so it could be possible.

Contrary to what is expected from a Beta release (and from Microsoft’s earlier announcements), it will not be a public release and will only be released for developers and IT professionals, more specifically:

Beta 1 will be available to exclusive invitees and subscribers to the MSDN and TechNet development programs. However, Beta 2–whose release date is not yet known–may actually be a public beta, and will likely include a broader feature set.

So what is exactly is in the package, since many of the new features did not make the pack? Well, for starters, developers will get a sneak peek at the new Internet Explorer 7, a new advanced shell and a replaced video driver model. Doesn’t seem like much does it? Well, it isn’t.

Microsoft was practically forced to announce the name “Vista”, as Wilcox said:

the ‘Longhorn’ name carries a lot of baggage. ‘Windows Vista’ in some ways allows Microsoft to wipe the slate clean, because whatever the pre-conceptions, connotations, etc. that are wrapped around Longhorn, they won’t necessarily carry over to Windows Vista.

My personal opinion is that Windows Vista Beta 1 is just an attempt of giving the project a breath of fresh air and get it on the headlines again, but in the end it’s just probably an alternative name to what would be Longhorn Build 6***.