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Microsoft Longhorn Graphics User Interface Explained

Web-Site Wraps Up Information About WGF 2.0

by Anton Shilov

[ 05/06/2005 | 01:02 PM ]

Microsoft has been discussing its intention to transform Windows user graphics interface (GUI) into a fully 3D-based one and unify all the graphics operations of the PC under one API. At this year’s WinHEC Microsoft finally disclosed some particular details about the forthcoming project.

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Underlying the Longhorn is the Windows Graphics Foundation (WGF) which first version is prosaically dubbed WGF 1.0 and incorporates DirectX 9.0c as its primary interface. Longhorn will also have the next-generation 3D API, also built in at release, which will be called WGF 2.0 and will include, besides other things, Shader Model 4.0. Another corer-stone of the Longhorn is Longhorn Display Driver Model (LDDM) that allows better utilization of a graphics processor’s resources.

ExtremeTech has combined the known information about the Windows Longhorn Graphics Foundation into one article, which may be recommended to be read by those interested in modern graphics.