Are you ready for Vista?
There has been a huge amount of talk and interest in the new Windows operating system on the net, so I thought it was only right to do an article on Vista.
I must say that from researching into the new operating system I am actually quite exited and really looking forward to seeing how it compares to the soon to be old, Windows XP.
Microsoft have been developing Windows Vista (code name - Longhorn) for around five years now which is quite a long time in comparison to the previous versions of Windows!
I remember back in 2001 when Microsoft released XP and I cant help but remember how many bugs it had, however over time I feel it has become, in my opinion, a very stable operating system.
There is without a doubt that Vista will have its problems however we have to understand that Microsoft has to release it at some point for the real de-bugging process to begin.
Microsoft has ambitious goals for Vista's deployment within businesses but it will take months if not years until we see Vista being used by most businesses and companies.
New Security Features
One of the major selling points of Windows Vista is the security and Windows is now offering a much more improved security system. Vista will now offer a better firewall (much improved over XP!) and will give the user much more control over how their computer runs and operates with other users.
Vista also comes with something called Windows Defender, which includes real-time protection to detect and block malware as it's being installed. With this and its new on-demand scanning checking for anything that's sneaked through, Vista is shaping up to be a very secure operating system.
Click this link to read more about Vista's new security features
New User Interface
Vista has marked the end of two-dimensional desktop rendering. A brand new 3D accelerator and graphical system built into Windows means its capable of creating a much more imaginative interface to display on the desktop.
Aero will be Microsoft's new default 3D desktop theme. Windows Aero builds on the basic Windows Vista user experience and offers Microsoft's best-designed, highest-performing desktop experience. A noticeably new element of the Aero experience is the translucent effect of Aero Glass, featuring dynamic reflections and smooth animations. The glass windows create an open, lightweight environment and more importantly, help you to better focus on your content, rather than on the surrounding interface.
Click this link to read more about Windows Aero
System Performance
Ok so the new Vista sounds great, but the new operating system will come at a cost and I am not talking about money! Vista will most certainly be quite heavy on your PC due to it being demanding on disk space memory and processing power.
Recommended tech spec
- 1 GHz or greater processor
- 1 GB RAM (memory)
- DirectX 9 video card that supports Pixel Shader v2.0 and comes with a special Windows Vista (WDDM) device driver
- At least 128 MB of video memory, 256 MB recommended
- 40 GB or greater hard disk
- At least 15 GB of hard disk space available
- DVD-ROM drive
However with the specs of PC's now, this requirement is not much, especially when you look at the new Duo Core chips that have flooded the market. After a good look at Vista it does look very appealing however I don't think I will be touching it for a while yet.
I say let everyone else do the bug finding first!
