Microsoft has a new operating system coming out in less that a year - Vista. Let’s look at some real questions about Vista. Are the rumors you hear about Vista true or false?
I’m going to need new hardware to run Vista.
Not really. but if you want the neat features of the Aero user interface you will need a good Direct9x graphics card . Example graphics cards that DO support Vista include the GeForce 7600 GT and the Radeon X1600 Pro. For legacy systems of recent years or systems without a good graphics card, Vista wil revert to a legacy mode that drops the fancy user interface. Within a few months, you should begin to see hardware selling that is certified for Vista but selling with the XP operating system.
Vista is a pretty face on an old system. Why upgrade?
Although the planned features for Vista have been dramatically scaled back, the emphasis has been on developing a system that was much, much more secure. The product is built on the Windows 2003 Service Pack 1, with lots of improvements. It is not built on XP.
Microsoft is having trouble developing Vista and that’s why the release is set back to early next year.
An operating system is generally the most complex program to run on a computer. It has to own ALL the resources of the computer and manage these for all running application programs. It also has to maintain security. Windows 9x systems, including ME, were not operating systems. Windows NT was Microsoft’s first stab at a real OS, and Windows 2000 was next. All of these took lots of memory and fast processor power. Windows XP was next and processor and memory prices dropped. Now you could have a real OS on your desktop.
It’s been six years now since XP came out. Vista now has to work with .Net, SQL Server, Office, Media Player, thousands of application programs, and more. It also has to provide an unprecedented security level for the user. There is also more competition and strong competition: Linux and Apple and even Google are breathing down Microsoft’s neck.
Vista won’t be secure.
Gates is promising that in the development of Vista they focused on providing much better security. Many features were dropped in order to focus on the goal in a very strategic way. To install applications, for example, you will have to enter a password. The malware artists are getting smarter and Microsoft can’t promise Vista can’t be broken, but you will have a much, much harder time doing it. And, let’s face it, with security issues the user is generally the weakest link. The better artists use social engineering to get the user to break their own system.
Vista has too Many Packaging Options
True. With XP, if you want the hot version of Media Center it only comes as an OEM version. You have to purchase it as part of a computer from a main-line manufacturer. You can’t build your own system and add it. With Vista, you will be able to purchase it as part of the Premium or Ultimate versions of Vista. Then there is the Vista Business version, which has the PC Tablet functions but not the Media Center. Or Vista Enterprise for corporate businesses. And then there are those features that aren’t ready yet that you may be able to add later.