What do you know about Microsoft Windows 'Blackcomb' or Windows 'Vienna'?

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

The code name "Blackcomb" was originally assigned to a version of Windows that was planned to follow Windows XP (codenamed "Whistler"; both named after the Whistler-Blackcomb resort) in both client and server versions. However, in August 2001, the release of Blackcomb was pushed back several years and Vista (originally codenamed "Longhorn" after a bar in the Whistler Blackcomb Resort) was announced as a release between XP and Blackcomb. Since then, the status of Blackcomb has undergone many alterations and PR manipulations, ranging from Blackcomb being scrapped entirely, to becoming a server-only release. As of 2006, it is still planned as both a client and server release with a current release estimate of anytime between 2009 and 2012, although no firm release date or target has yet been publicized.

In January 2006, "Blackcomb" was renamed to "Vienna"

Answer 2

Windows Blackcomb is the code name for the successor to Microsoft Windows Server 2003, announced in February 2000

Windows Vienna is the codename for the next Microsoft operating system after Windows Vista.

Vienna was originally announced in February 2000 as the successor to Windows XP. Windows Vista was planned as a small interim build in between the two. Due to significant delays, Vienna was pushed back and Vista became a full version of Windows in its own right. Service Pack 2 for XP is the closest we get to an interim build. Fiji is also a recent addition, planned as the interim between Vista and Vienna.

Vienna was formerly codenamed Blackcomb, just as Windows XP was ‘Whistler’ and Windows Vista was ‘Longhorn’. The first two got their name from the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort in British Colombia, Canada. There was also a popular bar at the base of the mountains nearby called the Longhorn Saloon. Design meetings were held at these retreats, so maybe they didn’t think too hard for a codename.

We all know about Windows Vista, what it contains and what is intended for it to bring to the Windows platform that we haven’t seen before - redesigned Start Menu and Explorer windows, the new Aero Glass theme, the Windows Sidebar and gadgets. Alongside these interface tweaks are new items of Microsoft software including Windows Defender, Windows Live OneCare, Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media Player 11.

So, by all accounts, Vista is simply a new version of Windows – it is essentially Windows XP plus some new features plus a bit of a redesign.

Vienna, however, is not just another rebadged version of windows with a new theme and a few new gadgety features, but a complete rethink of how we, as users, interact with our computers - a brand new user interface will completely replace Explorer and everything we know about the Windows Operating System. Say goodbye to Explorer, the taskbar, and even the start menu. Say hello to a pie menu, Windows Power Shell (Monad) and WinFS.

Answer 3

This was a version of Windows originally intended to be released in about 2000, I think. You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Blackcomb