With the new Microsoft Operating System called Vista now looming on the near horizon, it's time to start getting involved. This is going to be an adventure for all of us, so let's get started!
What is it? Microsoft Vista is the official name for Microsoft's next Windows release. There are many changes in Vista that may make it as revolutionary as Windows 95 was. Expect new PCs to ship with Vista sometime in the first quarter of next year. Whether you should upgrade or not is another issue. For more Vista information, visit www.microsoft.com/vista. When you get there, click on the Get Ready button for more information. PCs with Vista will not be available for purchase for the holiday season, but you may be able to get an upgrade certificate.
What is its status? Microsoft intends to ship Vista to manufacturers, like Dell or HP, in a few weeks. The early release to manufacturers will allow them to begin testing the final package and to prepare their distribution of it. The boxed retail upgrade should be available in stores sometime towards the end of the first quarter of 2007.
Who is it for? Well, just about everybody. To ensure that Vista covers the entire spectrum of users, they are going to be six different version of Vista - two for home, two for business, Ultra (supposedly all features) and a limited Starter version that will not be for sale in the US. Basically they are all the same system, and Microsoft has indicated that all versions will ship on the system DVDs. You can pay for an upgrade license if you wish to upgrade from a lesser version of Vista, but the code will already be there - you just have to unlock it.
I believe that this many versions will cause some confusion. Windows XP has three active versions - Home, Professional, and Media Center. But the differences between them were minimal, and you could count on having just about everything at your disposal when sitting down at a Windows XP equipped PC. Not so for Vista - if you want the advanced features you have to pay more.
What is new? The answer to that question would fill a book - literally. You can now buy books on the subject; I have just finished one by Paul McFedries called "Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled" which is intended to be used for planning purposes before Vista actually gets here.
Some of the highlights: Vista is much more secure against malware than Windows XP. This is a combination of better code, restricted user privileges, and better diagnostic information. But the cost to the user may be a difficult learning curve. For example, the average logon (user) in Vista will not have enough privileges to install a new program - you have to increase your privileges to do that. Be doing this, surprise malware that you don't even know about will not be able to install.
There are a lot more built-in diagnostics and status information for both hardware and software. But from what I see so far, the average home and small business user will not be comfortable using these tools - they are too complex. The new tools will help PC consultants like me, though.
This is a much more increased emphasis on organizing your data and on searching to find the things you need. Search capability is built into almost every aspect of Vista. Much more on this later.
There is a new way for programs to draw things to the PC monitor. I don't want to get off into the technical weeds here, but the new method switches everything from bit-mapped graphics to vector graphics. This will allow much faster graphics drawing capability and also allow any window to be infinitely scaled (resized larger or smaller) to the point where you will be able to see live icons of running programs when minimized.
Anyhow, lots of new stuff. I don't intend to devote every column to Vista (how boring!) but I will try to visit the subject often enough so that we are prepared when the new PCs come out.
Oh, and on the subject of upgrading your current PC: I don't recommend it. But if you want to see if your current hardware supports Vista, click "Evaluate Your Current PC" on the Get Ready page.
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport - Oak Island area. You can visit his Website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail questions or column ideas to him at bsc@bobseidel.com. For specific inquiries, please call Bob Seidel Consulting, LLC at 278-1007.)