What’s on the Vista?

Despite many delays and setbacks, the latest version of Windows, named Vista, is finally ready to be released. The amount of time between the release of Vista and the release of XP back in 2002 has been the longest gap between releases ever from Microsoft. With all this waiting, it must be revolutionary.

As soon as you start up a computer powered by Windows Vista, you can immediately recognize the changes from past versions of Windows. The whole operating system seems to have taken a more adult look and feel, compared with the cartoon-natured interface provided with Windows XP. The Aero interface allows much easier switching and previewing of other open windows to enhance productivity while thumbing through five or more open documents in the workplace, as many of our clients do. The windows sidebar is also a welcomed feature, which can include a full-size clock, weather, and a stock ticker, eliminating the need for applications like Weather Bug that considerably slow down your system.

There are now several versions of the operating system to choose from, rather than only Home and Professional with Windows XP. Client’s now get to choose between Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate. The Home Basic edition is simply that – a bare version of the OS for a person who only uses the internet and email. The visual enhancement of Windows Aero is not present, and the gaming functionality is more limited. Home Premium adds to this better gaming support and all of the visual enhancements, as well as Tablet PC support. The Business edition substitutes Business Networking (to connect to your office server) and Remote Desktop capabilities for the video and audio capabilities of Home Premium. Finally, the Ultimate edition contains all of the features from its siblings – ideal for a home PC shared by all members of the family.

There are many things that we are pleased with in this latest offering from Microsoft. The first is the new visual interface – it just looks amazing, similar to a computer screen that you would see in a movie based over a hundred years in the future a few years ago. The search features are also greatly improved; you can now create virtual search folders for items that you search often, even on your network. There’s now a visual network map so that you can see exactly how all of your devices connect with each other, a flowchart that designs itself. The wireless connection manager has been improved and its ability to connect to different networks has been improved, no longer will you have to go into the connection manager and manually reset it to your home or business network when switching. The latest version of internet explorer borrows many aspects from Mozilla’s firefox, including tabbed browsing – you can now have multiple web sites opened in one Internet Explorer window – cut down on the clutter. The browser will even warn you if you get on a website suspected of attempting to steal your passwords or other information.

With any large update such as this, there are bound to be aspects that people do not like, or will at least have to get used to, and we have found a few items to share with you. The most annoying aspect is what Microsoft calls “user account control” – when you try to access something that you may not have permissions to, the computer warns you, but not just once, you usually have to click several errors to cancel your action, like a virtual nagging grandmother. Unfortunately the Microsoft Backup has still not been improved enough to offer an alternative to Veritas (now Symantec) Backup Exec, it would be great to have a free backup software that is feature-rich, but not this time. The Windows Meeting Space is basically just a chat-room with a fancy border; you cannot integrate telephony at all. The biggest gripe would have to be the hardware requirements. Any computer purchased say before 2006, will have to be upgraded to enjoy all of the features that Vista offers. On top of that, Windows Ultimate costing $399 new and $299 for an upgrade, this could be a very expensive venture.

In closing, Windows Vista has all of the beginnings of the next generation of computing. It would be a great option for a new or newer network to migrate to, but can be a tedious task for an older network. Couple that with Microsoft’s track record of security holes in new applications, and we say wait six months… the prices will probably be down, new entry-level computers will be up to requirements, and there should be a service pack released with all of the security fixes..