Connectivity in Longhorn...

I attended the "Connectivity and Future of Computing" session this morning, where Javad Khaki, the VP of Windows Networking and Device Technologies talked about some of the new connectivity features in Longhorn. I got there a little late, but he was talking about qWave (Quality Windows Audio and Video Experience) which offers better multimedia streaming over variable bandwidth connections (like wireless networks, for example) through better utilization of available bandwidth.

Another new feature is Link Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD). Users can get a visual map of networks, showing nodes with appropriate icons for desktops and mobile machines, IP addresses, signal strengths for wireless links etc. This makes network diagnostics and troubleshooting easier.

There was also a demo of Web Services for Devices which effectively turns IP into just another bus like USB. Devices like printers that are installed on a network are automatically discovered and installed. Taking that one step further, if any changes are made to the printer physically by an administrator (adding a new paper tray, for example), the changes are automatically and instantaneously reflected in the printer options dialog on every machine on the network. So basically, it ends up being automatic discovery, installation and configuration, which can save admins in enterprises a lot of time and effort.