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It took five years for software giant Microsoft to replace its operating system Windows XP to Windows Vista. Now, instead of having just two versions, the company is expanding Windows Vista to five versions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate, perhaps all in the hopes of targeting specific markets with specific needs. The names of each Windows Vista versions are self-explanatory and as Microsoft Philippines Senior Product Manager Jojo Ayson would have described Vista, “it’s idiot-proof.”
But what are the new additions to Microsoft’s new operating system? The company claims there are hundreds of new features, but of these, ordinary users will be able to use or even be aware of only a handful. Microsoft Philippines recently briefed Philippine journalists about the new features and revamps in Windows Vista.
First of all, the entire Windows graphical user interface has been overhauled. The Start button, which has been the staple of the Windows OS for 10 years since Windows 95, is finally gone and replaced by the four-color Windows logo in an orb. There is also an additional opaque side-view panel called Sidebar and contains the most frequently used applets or “gadgets” in Windows, including a clock, thermometer and calendar.
Microsoft described its overall change of the interface as “Aero,” which may not mean anything but would probably be the biggest GUI change since Windows XP. Among those traditional Windows actions that have been changed is the venerable Alt+Tab hotkey, which toggles back-and-forth the active applications. This hotkey in Windows Vista now allows users to see translucent mini-windows of their applications instead of just the logo of the active application. Minimized applications on the Taskbar below the screen will also show off a translucent image when the mouse pointer floats over them.
Conversely, Microsoft has made a more practical use for the most useless button in a keyboard: the Windows button, which is wedged between Alt and Ctrl buttons. Now, pressing and holding the Windows button, plus pressing the Tab button will show a more eye-candy version of the Alt+Tab button -- a scrolling, Rolodex-like application toggle.
Going back to the overhauled Windows Start button, the pop-up menu will now have an up-and-down orientation, instead of left-to-right, which has been used since Windows 95. The company claims that based on research, the brain works better if it is looking at images vertically instead of horizontally. Besides, the up-and-down orientation has much less clutter and does not expand beyond the Windows borders.
Windows Vista now also features an expanded Help interface, which also includes short tutorial videos not present in previous Windows versions. First-time users will be treated to an easy-to-understand walkthrough of how to use Windows from using the new Start button to opening up applications. Effectively, Microsoft has even included in Windows Vista Help a video tutorial of how to use a mouse, which hopefully could make the new operating system truly idiot-proof.
Among the tried-and-tested applications of Windows that have been completely rebuilt include Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer, each having new interfaces. For Windows Explorer, the most common tasks are now in the Favorites link, instead of having to repeatedly press different folders in a directory. Likewise, its seventh version of Internet Explorer finally has tabbed browsing (which has been used in competing Internet browsers for years now) effectively lessening the number of open browser windows that may clutter the desktop. Also, IE now boasts of an intelligent, preemptive anti-spyware application called (Windows Defender), which identifies potential phishing (online identity theft) sites.
One of the most common features in Windows Vista is Instant Search, an entry box wherein users can type in questions regarding the use of the operating system or searching for particular files or folders. The internal search engine in Vista is powerful enough to actually search for keywords within files and not just the filenames themselves. Incidentally, this feature is already present in two other online services: Gmail and Yahoo! Mail.
Due to the trend of computers becoming home-based multimedia appliances, Microsoft has already integrated Windows Media Center to Windows Vista, which can be toggled on and off from the Control Panel. Previously, Windows Media Center was the third version of Windows XP and was targeted mainly at multimedia-type computers that are connected to home theaters. Only Windows Vista Home Basic does not come with Windows Media Center.
But with all of the new options and features in Windows Vista, this operating system is a system hog. If it had feelings, it could probably frown at a computer with only 512 megabytes of system memory, less than 2Ghz of processor power and less than a 128 MB video card that uses the latest DirectX 9 driver support. This computer, to run smoothly and use the beauteous GUI, may require a PC with an Intel Core Duo processor, 1Gigabyte of memory and 512MB of video card. Usually, PC set up like these could cost from 25,000 pesos to 50,000 pesos.
Take note also that not all third-party applications that ran on Windows XP may not be able to run on Windows Vista, including video games. This has prompted Microsoft to come up with a software compatibility list. Fortunately, many software developers have already started coming out with updating options for Windows XP applications to Windows Vista.
In layman’s terms, PCs that are more than two years old may have to upgrade to twice the power of their current setup, or better yet, buy a new one.
Microsoft Philippines has stated that Windows Vista will be available in the Philippines within the first quarter of 2007, although the company has already launched the Windows Vista Business version last November 30.