Windows Longhorn was Microsoft's codename for the operating system that eventually became Windows Vista, developed during the early 2000s before Vista's release. Sounds from its test builds were preserved and shared by Windows enthusiasts long after Longhorn itself was abandoned as a name. The notify chime survived because it captures that unfinished, experimental era of Windows design. Today it is mostly used online as a retro computer sound, a shorthand for an old operating system alert in edits, streams and tech-themed memes.