Double Click
Windows Vista
Microsoft's latest operating system is functional and intuitive.
FROM:
NOV-DEC 2006 ISSUE | BY
G. WYNNE POWELL
Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, will soon be available for corporate use, with a public launch date to follow in early 2007. Vista offers a choice of five versions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate, available at retail outlets and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as the Enterprise version, available only through volume licensing and software assurance programs.
Here's a sneak preview of the features you can expect, based on a test of Vista Beta 2, which provided a beautiful graphical user interface experience that is dramatically different than Windows XP.
For Businesses
Windows Vista Business edition is designed to meet the needs of organizations with less than 50 employees. Businesses will appreciate the enhanced security for Internet-connected environments along with significantly improved document organization, easier network maintenance, and reduced deployment and support costs.
A highlight worth noting is Windows Meeting Space, face-to-face picture conferencing for small meeting groups that amounts to an ad hoc network and may prove to be one of those applications that users discover they cannot live without.
Windows Vista Enterprise edition is suited to large corporate environments. Its Windows Imaging Format (WIM) reduces the complexity of the deployment process as well as IT management costs. WIM also allows IT departments to handle a range of hardware configurations with a single installation image (historically this required additional
third-party software).
IT departments have longed for improved system management where users can be restricted from installing unauthorized software or device drivers. Vista prompts for administrative authorization before allowing such actions, and also enables IT departments to restrict removable storage devices by creating user profile rights that control how files are transferred. Windows Vista Task Scheduler allows IT departments to configure complex tasks that run in response to specific conditions at the desktop level; a form of automated problem solving.
Road warriors will be pleased with the improved file synchronization for portable devices that rely on information provided by a PC.
The Vista network environment is improved over XP, but when a problem occurs, even XP's cryptic connectivity messages remain more helpful than those demonstrated by Vista Beta 2. Hopefully this is an area Microsoft will improve in the second wave of patches.
For Individuals
For the entry level, Windows Vista Home Basic edition provides the basic Vista operating system, which requires a CPU processor with at least 800MHz speed, 512MB memory, and a DirectX 9 class graphics processor.
The more exciting Windows Vista Home Premium edition offers a host of features that bring the Windows operating environment to a new level. However, this does require greater hardware capabilities: a 32- or
64-bit 1GHz minimum processor, 1GB of system memory, 128MB video memory, a graphics card that supports WDDM drivers and DirectX 9, a
DVD-ROM drive, 15GB of hard drive storage space, audio output, and Internet access.
The most distinctive feature of the Premium edition is Windows Aero (not available in the Home Basic version), which allows title bars and other
non-dominant application windows to be semi-transparent so you can actually see what's behind them.
Vista has also eliminated lengthy searches through directories and folders. Simply type the name of the file or application into the Vista library feature and Vista will examine all files, regardless of where they are stored on your PC. Extensive use of meta tags allows users to organize and search files in a dynamic and intuitive manner that will no doubt boost productivity.
Users of USB flash drives with more than 256MB of memory will like the "Ready Boost" feature that uses excess flash memory for added RAM power. Ready Boost can also save desktop work sessions for faster access on reboots, and Windows ReadyDrive enables Windows Vista PCs equipped with a hybrid hard disk to boot up faster, resume from hibernate in less time, preserve battery power, and improve hard disk reliability.
With the new Photo Gallery and Movie Maker for HD (high definition), Vista makes it easier to plug and play digital cameras and offers improved colour printing using a new colour system. Original picture files are automatically saved to protect them from accidental editing.
Customer expectations for improved audio capabilities have been addressed with Windows Media Player 11, which provides easier music content management including online search capabilities. You can now synchronize your audio player with your PC and download audio tracks provided through Microsoft's partnership with MTV's
Urge.
For the gaming enthusiast, a new experience offered by Microsoft DirectX 10 and Direct 3D provides
high-speed response to graphic images. The intent is for the gaming experience to be scalable to the future by offering software developers new controller support sets. Parents can also use game ratings to determine which games Vista will block their children from playing.
Vista also features improvements to Internet Explorer in version 7, offering browsing capabilities that some critics say Firefox inspired. Its protected mode restricts the browser's ability to modify user or system file settings. Tabbed browsing reduces desktop clutter by loading multiple websites within a single browser window in thumbnail view.
Colour-coded address bars identify pages secured by a digital key or warn that the address is a potentially phony site looking to glean information from the PC.
Vista's "Gadgets" feature makes information applications such as RSS feeds, weather reports, and traffic updates, available at a glance on the desktop.
Security enhancements to Vista include the User Account Control (UAC), which
balances users' needs with
administrator-required security levels, and requires an administrator to provide security credentials before proceeding with potentially dangerous system actions. Nonetheless, comprehensive
third-party security products are still strongly advised. Despite these improvements, it appears that products like Norton Internet Security will still be needed to provide a more comprehensive defense for your computer.
Why Upgrade?
Vista's first and second beta releases have proved that this new operating system should be of interest to all PC users. Unfortunately, Vista will be relatively expensive to obtain as compared to previous Windows products. You will also need a powerful PC to experience the richness that is available with this new operating system.
A surprisingly compelling reason to upgrade to Vista is the ability to access new features in Office 2007, such as the revamped search functions and change tracking in Excel. But as with all Microsoft releases, you'll need to consider whether you should wait for the first patch updates before undertaking an upgrade.
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G. Wynne Powell, FCGA, D.Tech (Hon) is president and COO of
London Drugs Limited, a chain of drug stores in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and president of TLD Computers Inc., which specializes in PC networks and custom programming. He chaired the BC Institute of Technology from 1989 to 1995.
"Double Click" is co-ordinated by
John W. Yu, M.Sc., CDP, FCGA. Yu has been in the IT industry since 1970 in a broad range of roles in technology and in management. He is
vice-president, Information Technology, at
CGA-Canada.