Microsoft Shell won't make it into Longhorn

Microsoft added another application to the list of programs that won't make it into Longhorn. The company said Monad, or MSH (Microsoft Shell), will be postponed. Monad will replace the command line with a new object-oriented technology just like the Unix shell. Beta versions of Monad were released to testers of Longhorn alpha releases but Microsoft says it will still take three to five years before it will be fully developed.

Bob Muglia, Microsoft Senior Vice President, also said his company is building a next-generation user interface that will take the current Microsoft Management Console (MMC) technology to a new level in terms of usability.

He explained Monad is a fairly complex endeavor for Microsoft, which will ultimately give administrators a Unix-like shell that offers advanced scripting capabilities while remaining easy to program. Muglia claims Monad will exceed Linux and Unix shells for many years.

It is also reported that the Exchange 12 administration functions will be build atop Monad, allowing users to do everything from the command line that can be done from the graphical user interface. More info at BetaNews