Windows Vista

By Tyler Downer
4/12/08

For years, the public had been waiting for a new Windows operating system. No longer was Microsoft cranking out a new one every 3 years, like win 95, 98, ME, 2000, etc. Windows XP was been released in 2001 and almost immediately Microsoft had begun work on the next version of the largest operating system in the world. The deadline kept being pushed back until an OS that was expected to be released in 2006 was pushed out a year later. Even then it was missing some features that would have to wait until 2008 to be added in Service Pack 1. This OS is Windows Vista, easily the best looking OS Microsoft has ever produced. Vista was not well received and sales, in part influenced by a poor move by Microsoft a year earlier, did not go as well as Microsoft had hoped. Added to this were the poor reviews and compatibility issues. Providing Vista with a less that stunning reception. It is a major update from it's predecessor, Windows XP, however and has many improvements that make it quite attractive.

User Interface

Vista Home Premium includes support for the Aero interface. This translucent effect on the taskbar and on the windows gives the appearance of tinted glass, making the desktop feel much cleaner.

Aero also requires a lot of power to run, making in necessary to have at least 2GB of RAM for optimum performance. The start menu is changed in Vista as well. Instead of the collapsing tree format in previous version, Vista support a more compact folder arrangement. This uses less space but can become unwieldy if it has many installed.

Compared to XP's Start, it is major difference.

Added to these changes is a brand new Explorer, more consistent window style, and a powerful search built right into the Start manu. These feature make Vista very appealing visually and convenient to use.

Internet and Security

Vista released with new recognition of high-speed Internet. XP had been released at a time when dial-up internet was more common, so it was designed with that in mind. Vista incorporates the broadband users out there better and optimizes usage. The updater for Vista is now a separate program, instead of being a web service. Updates include reliability fixes, security patches and malicious software removal tools. The Vista update day has turned out to be the second Tuesday of each month, so be sure to check for updates that day if not other.

Vista also shipped with Internet Explorer 7. Although not the greatest of browsers, it is much better than any of it's ancestors. Security is much more improved as well, with alerts asking about opening or running suspicious files.

Microsoft has also shown it's commitment to improved security with Windows Defender, and anti-spyware program that ships with Vista. With the Firewall and Malicious software removal tool, and junk e-mail filter, combined with the anti-phishing filter, Vista is the most secure Windows OS to date. With ever security update, it just gets better.

Compatibility

One of the major problems with Vista is it's compatibility. Although it was designed with greater hardware support than XP and software compatibility upgrade are released regularly, it still refuses to run many programs properly. Fortunately, many of these are old, out-of-date ones that most people don't even use anymore. Most programs can be forced to run by applying compatibility modes to them before running. These stretch all the way back to Windows 95, so it covers most programs.

Overview

Despite to heated debate over Vista, it is simply the best OS released by Microsoft to date, even when compared with XP Service Pack 2. Although the additional hardware requirements makes it more expensive to upgrade, it is worth it from Windows 98 or ME. XP is currently about equal with Vista, but recent news from Microsoft shows that sales of Windows XP will end in June, 2008, with support ending in 2014. This will make Vista the only supported OS in the Windows line, until Windows 7 is released about 2 years from now.

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