Microsoftie clarifies Longhorn requirements

Looks like Mary Jo was wrong. From the blog of a MS developer:

First of all, let's go to MSN Search (Google brings up the same result, actually), shall we, and see if there's any official information from Microsoft. So, search for "What hardware does Longhorn need?" and you find video of Joe Beda talking about this issue over on Channel9. Now, he's one of the guys who works on Avalon. A key piece of Longhorn. I believe him before I believe any unnamed source.

Second, I go around and meet lots of people working on Longhorn. Most of us have standard Dell machines. 3GHz or so. One gig of RAM. 80GB hard drives. 128MB video card (ATI or Nvidia). Some of us are lucky and have 64 bit processors from AMD or Intel. Some of us are lucky and have high res screens. Lots of us have multiple monitors.

Here's a hint. Longhorn runs on my one-year-old machine. So, obviously the rumored requirement isn't a minimum one. At least I don't think I have a 8GHz processor yet.

Also, remember, there will be different scenarios supported. Will a business user need the same capabilities that a gamer will need? Will a Tablet PC offer the same hardware capabilities that a Dell desktop will supply?

Come on people, think!

And I thought Battlefield 1942 needed the horsepower

Longhorn to Steal Limelight at WinHEC

"Microsoft is expected to recommend that the "average" Longhorn PC feature a dual-core CPU running at 4 to 6GHz; a minimum of 2 gigs of RAM; up to a terabyte of storage; a 1 Gbit, built-in, Ethernet-wired port and an 802.11g wireless link; and a graphics processor that runs three times faster than those on the market today."

This can't be right. First of all, who has machines beefy enough to even beta test this thing? Second, Microsoft wants to sell this to as many people as it can. If they're going to require this kind of hardware, they may as well be writing an OS for the Mac.