Anything & Everything: Windows Vista

Microsoft’s done it again!!! The latest & the newest version of windows is out…. Windows Vista :)

So what’s new in it? Do I need to switch from XP to Vista??? Well knowing Microsoft’s style of correcting bugs, security issues, and all kinds of problems, only much latter down the line after they release their OS to the market. I guess I’ll just wait for a while before I switch to this new OS from Microsoft.

I’ll try writing about a brief overview about Vista & also listing what’s new in the OS.

Well Windows Vista definitely Microsoft's latest Graphical Operating system. [How can we ever forget DOS :)] When Microsoft first decided to come out with this OS, they made their codename for the OS, [Longhorn] really popular on the web. I at times actually thought that they would eventually name the OS as Longhorn, cos it’s seldom that Companies make their code name public.

So why Vista anyways??? Microsoft definitely has to make money, that why ;-) But then again in their press comments, they say they wanted to go ahead and fix a lot of security issues. Win XP was criticized beyond measure for the security flaws in it!!!!

So Microsoft finally did the unveiling on the 30th of Jan 2007, with it being available for worldwide release from then.

Microsoft claims that loads & loads of new features have been added into Vista. The claim seems to be close to 150 new features. Well then again, I’ve don’t really have the patience to go ahead and check whether they really have introduced so many features.

But I found a few prominent ones and they are as follows

1. Their GUI nicknames Windows AERO, this is definitely going to the universal selling point of vista, with the GUI being so much more nicer & more pleasing to view & deal with. Icons, thumbnails all being animated, instead of the traditionally still ones. You’re also able to control the transparency too!!!!

2. The Windows Sidebar, which is basically a transparent bar on the side of the screen where users can place something know as desktop gadgets, where these gadgets are nothing but applets used to show the user info about things like the weather, time form different time zones etc.

3. The Internet Explorer 7, well so typical Microsoft, they come out with a new browser, release a beta version of it for their current OS, then finally incorporate it as standard feature in their new OS. IE 7 is something that I have been using for a long long time on XP, I don’t really know why they bother calling it a new feature, huh!!!! The great thing’s about IE 7is, they’ve just very nicely mimicked FireFox, Ha ha ha :-D Tabbed browsing, more security fixes!!! Nothing more. Oops or is it, Of course not, they have a new look & feel too, but nothing out of the ordinary.

4. Windows Mail, this basically a replacement for Outlook express, with a few additional features & a better GUI. This sure is a relaxing break for Outlook users. [Not that anything was wrong with Outlook Express!!!!, it’s just that you need a change once in a while right :-) ]

5. Media Player 11. Once again very much like IE 7, where they release it out for XP & now integrating it as a standard feature in Vista. WMP 11, definitely has a better UI. It also incorporates support for a lot more codec’s , so basically can play more formats, without going through the pain of downloading codec’s on the net. I personally felt that the processing of the audio is better, with better Bass, treble & a great focus on the Midrange too :-)

6. Games & Game Explorer. This is a feature that has been put in to show what the Vista is really capable of delivering. Better Graphics!!! A new Games Explorer special folder will also hold shortcuts and information to all games on the user's computer.

There are also may other features that interests me, like the enhanced speech recognition software, Hard drive partition utility, system performance assessment etc. Me writing about all of these would unnecessarily make the post really long. The other reason, I’m writing about them is because, these are features that all of us have used via a third party software at some point of time.

Microsoft is definitely doing a great job on advertising Windows Vista in India. There’s a demo or a ad of the OS in most places where people hang out [Like malls, theatres, coffee shops, blah blah blah ….] I’m wondering how is it in most other countries??? Sharing it via replies would definitely be welcome.

Overall I think that the Vista is a great OS, but would definitely recommend you to wait a little longer before getting a copy of it, cos we want to make sure that Microsoft’s done their home work on fixing some amount of the bugs that is surely incorporated in it.