My aim is not to turn this into a monolithic review, just to provide an essential look at some parts of Vista that are likely to be regularly used by the average Windows user and features that will be new and interesting to some. Also, the pre-view is meant to give a user perspective of some aspects Vista and how it stands out in comparison to Windows XP. Microsoft has done an excellent job of providing thorough information about “all” of Vista; these include the Product Guide, MSDN, Vista MSDN Blog’s, TechNet and the Windows Vista web page. Below are links to those resources:

Windows Vista BETA 2 Product Guide
Windows Vista Developer Center
Windows Vista: Resources for IT Professionals
Windows Vista Official Website
Windows Vista Team Blog

I hope you find this preview useful and enlightening, be sure to send me your feedback and comments, and tell me what you think if you are also testing Vista, your likes and dislikes.

Introduction

You tend to get a bit jaded about beta software especially after testing 12 pre-release builds of it over a 14 month period, slowly watching it at times fall and progress. Windows Vista has been five years in the making; throughout that time we have seen Microsoft delay the release of this “major upgrade” over and over and over again. But the Company throughout that tumultuous time did manage to pick up the pieces and literally start all over again. Now with the 13^th and possibly final test build; Release Candidate 1, we are only a stones throw away from Release To Manufacturing (RTM). 

Microsoft will have two release phases for Windows Vista, one for Volume License Customers (businesses) starting this November and another for consumers sometime in January 2007. The Release Candidate 1 build of the OS I tested has shown tremendous improvements in areas such as stability and performance on the x86 RC1 build, which gives me the confidence to say, its definitely ready for daily usage, the general feel of the OS is more responsive and applications also launch faster. In fact, my bug count for Windows Vista has dropped nearly to zero with build 5600, which gives me greater confidence in Vista as my main operating system with this milestone release. Yes, there are some issues, but it’s nothing that has held me back at this point and if its hardware related, it’s most likely an IHV (Independent Hardware Vendor) issue and we should start seeing more stable and updated drivers appear soon. Like its predecessor Windows XP, Vista has improved deployment options and device driver detection; these improvements have proven to be very user friendly and reduced the time it takes to get Windows up and running.

Vista is not without its demons, areas of the OS such as compatibility still remains an issue and users will encounter cases of some of their favorite applications and/or hardware devices either not working properly or not working at all. Other parts of the user interface Microsoft claims to be new and improved feel like extra steps to accomplish simple task. A new feature User Access Control is sure to cause more annoyance than its intended purpose, which is to protect users although it has been lax since BETA 1 to provide a convenient response to actions executed by the user. Windows Vista will be available in six editions, please note this preview also contains information about the BETA 2 (build 5384), July CTP (build 5472) and the recent Pre-RC1 (build 5536) release.

Microsoft plans to release Windows Vista in six editions, they include: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. Each SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) has specific features targeting a melting pot of users, from emerging markets, enterprise customers to life style computer users. Some of the features include, improved Search, wireless/networking and authentication, collaboration, improved security, enhanced multimedia, improved group policy editor, file management, 64-bit computing and support for some of the latest hardware on the market. Actually, if you were to separate platform and SKU’s then add them up; Vista would total to a whopping thirteen flavors’, seventeen if you count in the “N” Editions available only in the European Union.

The system requirements for Windows Vista are in some ways welcome and difficult to comprehend especially for someone who might be coming from a P3 1GHz with 64 MBs of video memory. Performance will ultimately depend on your system specifications, the two main hardware components that matter the most to Windows Vista are RAM and Graphics memory. Microsoft has recommended that a Vista capable system should have the following: an 800 MHz processor (or better), 512 MBs of RAM (minimum recommended) or more (128 GBs of RAM maximum depending on the edition and platform) and 15 GB’s of free hard disk space. As for Graphics memory, your satisfaction will depend on your desire, whether you want the new Windows Aero theme or settle for one of the less graphically intense options such as the familiar Windows Classic or stripped down Windows Aero Basic. Windows Aero, which is the ultimate experience, requires a minimum of 64 MBs of video RAM, a Direct X 9 compatible card, 1 GB of dual channel RAM required if you are using onboard graphics. Of course, if you want the best performance and experience, a dedicated graphics card is recommended, 128 MBs or “higher”. My nVidia Geforce FX 5200 (128 MB AGP) card although old by today’s standard run’s the Aero visuals, but I don’t get the full experience in some areas. When I ran Slide Show from the Pictures folder or Photo Gallery my photos were shown in Basic mode instead of using the new photo album style effects. The other Windows themes (Classic and Aero Basic) are in the same category with Windows XP and will run just fine with onboard graphics or slower cards. 

It will be interesting to see how this affects consumer-buying decisions when the time to buy a new PC arrives. Of course, not all Windows Vista Editions utilize Windows Aero; these include Starter Edition and Home Basic, which are considered to be introductory versions of the OS targeting emerging markets, first time PC buyers and one PC homes.

The desktop in Windows Vista remains’ consistent but other parts of the OS have been extremely updated to feature a much cleaner, sleeker/professional look and feel that presents a more mature color palette called Windows Aero. Some elements of this new theme include semi-translucent window frames, window animations, transitions and high-resolution icons that are more life like and easier to understand. The Start menu panel has also been radically overhauled to provide a productive, logical layout when accessed. To best summarize Vista’s user interface, it’s an earthy, human tone that creates a deeper connection with the user. One of the Start menu’s most notable features is the integrated Search box, which is probably best described as the gateway to accessing all your program’s and stored files, which includes, documents, music, photos, or favorite web page’s just to name a few. You can even search the Internet from the Start menu; Google’s amber alert should be on about now.

Figure 1.A5 Say goodbye to cascading menus, Windows Vista introduces a new menu concept based on Windows Explorer’s hierarchical tree structure.

The Search feature in Vista is very impressive; just start typing a few letters of a keyword, for example “win” and a list of entries that start with “Win” are populated on the left pane. Type more letters or a specific part of the file name and it will be filtered further down to that specific file or most likely choices. This is all made possible by the new Indexing Engine, which continually indexes the name and contents of your files. This is also made possible by Metadata which is information about data contained within a file, for example, brand camera used to take a digital photo, date taken, author and file type. You might notice after copying over your files to Vista the performance of the OS might depreciate and your CPU usage accelerate, this is usually the indexing engine running in the background, over a few days you begin to see the performance of the system improve. You can check the Indexing applet located in Control Panel to see how many files have been indexed and configure it to index other locations in the system or additional partitions. Getting accustomed to the new Start menu is no effort and users will welcome the many changes that have taken place for the better. Most notable is the panel links such as My Documents and My Pictures have removed their familiar prefixes to just being listed as Documents, Pictures and Music.

Two new links included are the Games Explorer and User Folder, Games folder which is a link of the Games group added to the main panel, stores all your installed third party games and Windows Games and offers rating information and a link to purchase additional games online using Windows Market Place. A lot of the traditional Windows Games have been updated with stunning graphics and effects to give the user an attractive look and feel. Four new games included are Ink Ball (best played on a Tablet PC), Chess Titans, Purble Place (my 6 year old nephew is addicted to it) and Mahjong Titans, which will provide an alternative to the better-known titles that Windows users have been playing for years. Unfortunately one of my favorites Pin Ball has been removed, the reason for this is a bit cloudy but it has something to do with it not meeting Microsoft’s compatibility bar in Vista. If you can’t do without it, simply copy over the Pin Ball folder from XP and launch the games executable and you are back in business.

The Search Explorer in Windows Vista presents a simplified layout when launched. At first you will see an empty canvas with two hints, “To begin, type in the search box” and “To search more of your computer, use Advanced Search”. The Command bar, list the common content filters you can use to refine your search queries. Searching in Vista is very instantaneous, thanks to the new indexing engine, results immediately appear once you type in the search box, of course accuracy is not perfect, especially if you have tones of files relating to the same topic. But the tools are there to help refine your results; so I decided to use the Advanced Search tools and was presented with the familiar Criteria Fields from prior versions of Windows. In unison with the indexing engine, I was able to more accurately achieve the results I wanted by defining file types and locations. For instance, I was searching for Word documents with the topic Longhorn in them within a certain period from the Documents folder. Instantly I was presented with a list of Word documents that fit my desired results. I could take advantage of these results for future use by saving the Search Results, which would then populate the folder whenever files are created relating to the topic.

User Folder located at the top of Start Panel (represented by the account name) is a centralized location to access all of the common Explorers, some of these folders include: Downloads, Saved Searches, Videos, Saved Games in addition to the default content Explorer links on the Start Menu. Another big change to the Start menu is the Turn Off Computer modal dialog, which has been exchanged for a quicker context sensitive menu integrated into the Start panel. Just hover your mouse pointer over the arrow to the extreme left of the Padlock button at the bottom and a list pops out with the familiar options such as Shutdown, Switch User, Log Off, Hibernate and Sleep. I must warn users, don’t hit the Power Button on the Start menu unless you are planning to hibernate your PC. Windows Vista’s new Start menu and Taskbar offers strong visual cues that will make using the OS daily more productive, fun and friendly. One of these new features is the Thumbnail preview of open applications, simply hover your mouse pointer over an application window button on the Taskbar and you will see a miniature preview of the window. Each window stacked in a Group also displays a preview when the mouse pointer is hovered over each button within the stacked group.

The Notification Area clock might not look different, but when you click it, a Date and Time Settings floating dialogue is revealed with quick access to a monthly calendar and stunning full size clock. Click the Date and Time Settings link and a separate dialogue will reveal additional settings, which includes options for configuring your Time Zone, setting up additional clocks (for persons who travel a lot and work in multiple time zones, this will definitely provide a handy way to keep track of time in different locations). A new feature for cycling through lots of windows, called Flip 3D displays a Rolodex preview of stacked windows, a fun, easy way to find and switch between open applications. The traditional “Alt-tab” has also been improved to provide a preview of each open window (you can achieve some of this functionality on Windows XP using the ALT-TAB Power Toy, download here), one thing I must note, all these effects are only available if the Windows Aero Glass theme is enabled.

After my last preview, I received an e-mail about the window layout (Explorer) in Vista, how different they are according to the applications and tasks. Here is an excerpt from the actual message:

Windows in Vista do not abide by uniformity, but there is a reasoning behind this new change, I believe from early on Microsoft wanted a way of differentiating experiences throughout the OS. These three categories include the operating system (Explorer), Productivity and Multimedia. As for the removal of title bars, the purpose is really to just provide a cleaner look and feel and to give more emphasis on new improvements to areas such as the breadcrumb navigation now integrated into the Address Bar. So, it’s safe to say there is a combination of uniformity and organization throughout the interface with this new design.

Setup

Installing Windows Vista has been greatly streamlined to get users up and running with the operating system much quicker and easier. One of the targets is for IT Professionals to have greater control and management over how systems are deployed. The new imaged based deployment tools make it easier for multi-national corporations/institutions to maintain one image of Windows regardless of the machine or user languages. This provides businesses with deeper customization options, making it easy to add components/services as needed. Please note, some of these features are specific to certain editions of Windows Vista, for example the image based deployment tools are only available in the Enterprise editions (Enterprise Agreements). The installation process is very unique in this release of Windows for consumers. Basically, a preconfigured image is copied to the hard disk and then decompressed. The new installation process is based on Microsoft’s existing tools for deployment, Windows Imaging Format (WIM). The only drawback to this new method is the hard disk space required to store and decompress the image itself.

Description of the Installation process:

I launched Windows Vista x64 setup from within Windows XP Professional x64; the option to upgrade was grayed out. Microsoft has confirmed that Windows Vista x64 will not allow upgrades from previous versions of Windows, clean install only, so it is important you back up any valuable data before installing on the existing drive or it will format the contents of the disk. The disk space for setup continues to grow; setup requires that the hard disk has a minimum of 11.5 GBs, the actual install eats up approximately 10.5 to 11.1GBs, a major difference from the 1.5 GBs of free disk space required by Windows XP. So make sure you have substantial disk space if you plan on using Vista as your main OS. Vista also makes it very easy to load drivers for any storage devices you might have in your system, the graphical installer makes this a cinch, instead of floppies, you can also use a USB thumb drive or CD to do so if you boot from the DVD. Installation is identical to its x86 counterpart, Windows copies files to the disk, expands them, and restarts a couple times, install features, installs updates and Completes set up.

Check out ActiveWin’s visual tutorial showing an upgrade scenario from Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista RC1 here.

The simplified set up is a breeze though, and users will appreciate this very much, the only hurdle you will encounter is probably the Out of Box Experience itself. I would describe it as feeling clunky, and a bit inconsistent; the sequences just don't flow well in my opinion. Elements in Windows XP set up such as the synopsis, detailing features and what’s new in the product are not available yet but the place holders are there, I suspect we will see that by RTM (Release to Manufacturing). The first page configures your location and keyboard, next User account information, after which you select a profile picture; wallpaper (if you please), your network location and you are ready to start using Windows Vista. One of the nice things about the Out of Box Experience is after entering all that information, you don’t need to restart your computer; you are immediately taken to the Welcome screen so you can start using Vista right away.

A beautiful new fade effect along with a short chime presents the desktop to the user, after which, the Welcome Center appears, a new feature in Windows Vista that provides quick links to common task a user might want to accomplish after installation. This includes installing additional devices such as a printer, personalizing Windows, transferring files from an older computer or just learning about the new features in Windows Vista or learning how to use the computer with Windows Basics. First introduced in build 5536, the Welcome Center adds links to online services such as a link to download the Windows Live Messenger, Toolbar and OneCare software and a link to Windows Market Place for purchasing and downloading software online. There was some controversy earlier this year surrounding Welcome Center, OEMs complained there were no opportunities for them to add their own middleware solutions; this is pretty much similar to an issue that took place just before Windows XP was released in 2001 when OEMs complained about Microsoft preventing them from placing icons on the desktop. The Welcome Center issue was recently resolved it seems with OEMs working out an agreement to include their own third party solutions in Welcome Center, hopefully I will see some useful products instead of Google Pack, Toolbar and AOL.

For me, installing Vista has been a varied experience depending on the hardware; I tried different machines, all which successfully installed a combination of x86 and x64 platforms. The BETA 2 build released in May installed in approximately 35 to 40 minutes on both 32 and 64 bit hardware. Since June Microsoft has released updated builds (5456, 5472) otherwise known as interim releases. For build 5472 the install time on my desktop and laptop were nearly an hour, a significant drop in performance compared to build (5384 – BETA 2). Although we should take into consideration 5472 was an interim release and does not reflect the same quality and performance as a milestone build such as BETA 2 or RC1. In fact, I have seen a considerate improvement with RC1; the install took about 42 and 46 minutes to complete for both x86 and x64 respectively, which seems fair. What I like about Vista’s install process is the aim to lessen the user interactivity with the Set up and configuration phases; it’s almost an unattended experience in a sense. You only need to be at your computer during the initial phase of set up and the Out Of Box Experience. So, you can go and do something else while the OS installs instead of sitting at your computer throughout the whole process.

Check out my ActiveWin: Quick Start FAQ/Guide about preparing to install Windows Vista here

Hardware detection I would say in some areas is very superior to Windows XP, although a number of insignificant hardware devices were not installed out of the box such as my modem and HP scanner; I was able to successfully install both using existing XP Drivers. In the beta 2 release my 3COM 3C920 Ethernet adapter was not detected, which was my only gateway to my LAN or the Internet, I did not have immediate access to the XP Drivers. This was resolved though in the subsequent builds and I was able to successfully connect to the Internet and obtain drivers for undetected hardware and updated drivers through Windows Update. Other devices that were successfully detected and installed include my Canon A520 digital camera and printers, an old HP DeskJet 840c (Parallel and USB) and a Canon i320, unfortunately though my Motorola E398 Phone is not working fully with Vista, the built in Flash storage device was detected, but I am unable to use the modem capabilities which I regularly do on XP. Another device my SAN Disk Cruzer thumb drive seems to not be fully compatible with Vista x64, at times it will just hang the OS for no obvious reason at points triggering a BSOD. Windows Mobile Device Center, a new built in software that is supposed to replace ActiveSync only works with Windows Mobile based devices running versions 2003 SE and up software. My View Sonic v37 Pocket PC 2002 Premium device was detected and installed but not visible anywhere in the system for me to browse or exchange files between the device and my PC. It’s of fundamental importance though to have the essential devices installed, such as your modem and Ethernet, since I consider Vista to be a very Internet savvy OS. I hope to see more aggressive driver support for both x86 and x64 platforms post RTM, so far I have not been limited by driver support although earlier builds were known for unstable device drivers, support has remained pretty much stable since beta 2.

To learn more about the available upgrade paths to Windows Vista, click here.

Daily Usage

The Welcome Screen which first debuted in XP has been improved to incorporate elements of the Classic log on of NT 4/2000 based operating systems while maintaining the simplicity of the XP style interface adding new elements such as hi-res profile images of each user account now listed in a horizontal layout. The tube appearances of these profiles are not as interesting as I would want them to be but are a change none the less that fits the updated look of Windows Vista. Missing are user notifications that accompany each account profile on the Welcome Screen, such as unread e-mail. The flexibility of being able to log into a Domain and at the same time Fast User Switch to access files in a local account will give users a more flexible experience that does not limit them to one environment.

Speaking of Fast User Switching, my experiences so far has been disappointing, on my main desktop configured with 2.6 GBs of RAM, switching between accounts took a considerable amount of time compared to XP. Vista took about 10 to 15 seconds, while XP on the other hand took only 3 seconds.

It seems the Windows Team is trying very hard to simplify the interface for users; it doesn't matter if you are a first time user or an expert. This is also evident in Internet Explorer 7, which features a very refined layout (discussed further down in this article). Evidence that the interface is being dumb down is apparent by the removal of Classic menus, which were always on in previous versions of Windows dating back to 98, in a sense, Vista is doing an ode to Windows 95 it seems. Organizing and changing the layout is done by the Command bar well, that’s what the Windows Team is hoping users do; I don’t know how successful that will be though. In earlier builds of Vista the Explorer and new Toolbar were very confusing and archaic, not providing certain functionality for changing the appearance of the interface, turning on or turning off features, it just wasn't logical and easy to use. I wish the Command bar itself still retained some customization capabilities of past versions of Windows. I would like to add buttons such as Cut, Copy and Paste just to speed up simple task I might have to do; this only gives me a good reason to turn on back Classic menus. In RC1, under Organize you have a submenu, Layout, which reveals additional options for customizing the Explorer window. Search and Reading Panes are two additional features; Search Pane basically adds options for filtering your queries by kind such as E-mail, Documents, Pictures, Music and many other option fields you can add, (this is the default layout for the Search Explorer available from the Start menu).

File Management I would say has improved greatly since BETA 2, providing various opportunities for viewing, finding and manipulating your data in a more efficient way. The default view for folders and files are Details, which provides information such as File Name, Date modified, Type and Size. You can further modify and insert additional fields such as Title, Author and Tags, plus many more. Viewing the data is very flexible in Vista, in addition to Details View; you have Tiles, Small Icons, (which is reminiscent of List View), List View, Medium, Large and Extra Large Icons. The visually impaired will definitely have no problems seeing their files, of course certain program executables and file icons will look jaggy and pixilated if they are not designed to be resized at 256 by 256 which is the maximum size for icons in Vista. In the Documents folder, you can view files in a stacked view, which groups your files according to Name, Date modified, Type, Size and Tags. The Windows Team has returned the editable Preview Pane in RC1, so you are able to add Meta data information such as five star ratings on a music file, keywords for a document reducing the need to open the Properties dialog of a file, a convenient time saver, this in the end helps you personalize the Search experience in Vista.

Figure 1.2 Explorer Detail’s Pane provides the user with more information with less need to open the properties of a File.

Connectivity / Networking

Networking has improved in several areas; there is a lot to say about it especially since 2001 with advances in areas such as Wireless and Bluetooth. My experiences lie mostly in the basic network interface card and good old CAT-5 Cable. Connecting two PC’s is very simple, whether both are running Vista or a combination of XP/Vista or even 2000. The new networking wizard has been simplified to provide a wide range of choices, and to get users connected either to a corporate network, share a high speed network connection, its also easy to setup a Virtual Private network, Wireless Network, and share/restrict users from accessing files on your computer. Security is of course an integral part of the networking experience in Windows Vista, with many attacks that have plagued Windows over the years; Microsoft has really made a concerted effort to improve the safety for users on Windows. By default, certain features are turned off, in the new Networking and Sharing explorer under Sharing and Discovery: Network discovery, File sharing, Public folder sharing, Password protected sharing, Media library sharing – are all turned off. So, if you are unable to access a computer or a shared location you will know why.

I love the centralization of Network and Sharing Center, in prior builds I was badly disappointed by Networking overall in Vista, here is what I had to say about it:

The networking wizard looks and feels clumsy. Common links are all over the place making the layout difficult for users to understand. You have these wizards with huge title bars that make you wonder why? It’s just not well thought out, and I wish there was more focus on consistency and ironically simplicity. I believe most of the functions first introduced in XP could remain the same and some could be slightly improved. For example, the Local Area Connection properties should be an Explorer instead of this same old dialog I have been seeing since Windows 95. Its just too much clicking, I had to open Network Center then click Manage Network Connections, right click the connection, click Properties, its a chore really.

The primary focus has been lost and I think networking in Windows Vista has taken a definite step back. Come on, five to six windows for networking? Networking is still possible in Windows Vista and it can be accomplished with careful thought and planning. I was able to join a domain and network both my laptop and desktop using the traditional methods that we have known since prior versions of Windows dating back to Windows 95. I hope to see a miracle between now and Release Candidate 1 for areas such as this in Windows Vista, I just hope it’s not wishful thinking or even too late.

Barb Bowman, Networking MVP did an excellent tutorial detailing all the new improvements to networking in Windows Vista worth reading here

Figure 1.4 Updated Start Menu Panel with built in Search and a refreshing layout makes finding your files literally at your finger tips.

Some of this is still true, and I think Network should be one location, consolidation is very important I feel. I want to see everything the first time I click Network on the Start menu or Desktop. I created a concept here of how Network in Vista and other Explorer’s in addition to dialogs could be handled and interacted better with Vista, check it out:

Some of this is still true, and I think Network should be one location, consolidation is very important I feel. I want to see everything the first time I click Network on the Start menu or Desktop. I created a concept here of how Network in Vista and other Explorer’s in addition to dialogs could be handled and interacted better with Vista, check it out:

“………………………………”

Here in my modal concept the simplicity of Networking in Vista is more logical and easier to navigate. I don’t need to have 3 separate Windows open; I can easily switch back and forth by selecting a radio box for either “Viewing Computers and Devices” or “Network and Sharing Center”. I also think the LAN connection could also be an Explorer instead of having to open up a dialog.

There are slight improvements to Control Panel, Search is really essential in this area as the amount of applets have gone up from 28 in XP to 50 in Vista, although the simple view first introduced in Windows ME reduces the overwhelming confusion by consolidating all applets down to 10 categories, making it much easier to find the one you want. But the search really makes it much easier I believe; just type in a keyword and it will filter down to the most likely choice/s. I have to give Microsoft the credit though for trying to integrate uniformity throughout interface, I just wish they would have gone the extra mile, and apply this to every dialog. Areas such as Add/Remove Programs (now known as Programs and Features in Vista) is an Explorer instead of a different API, well thought out, it makes it easy to install, uninstall, view and organize your applications.

The new account setup only allows users with Administrative privileges or a limited account to all operate as a Standard user with a set of specific requirements and a deeper awareness of the actions a user takes while performing task throughout the operating system, Microsoft recommends this account for daily use “finally”! You might wonder what the deeper awareness is; well it’s a new improvement to the security model in Windows known as User Access Control, borrowing from other operating systems such as UNIX, Mac OS X and Linux, the aim is to essentially provide a secured environment from top to bottom. A bit intrusive, the aim of User Access Control from the get-go is to enable a lock on certain administrative privileges throughout the OS, making it more difficult for users to expose areas of the operating system that are most vulnerable to attack or user accidents. So far, the status from the public on UAC is, it seems like a highly annoying feature, trust me, it is at times, no matter how much the Windows Team say they are improving the experience. A shield attached to an icon or beside a link can easily identify components within the OS that require UAC. When such a link or icon is clicked a dialog will pop up freezing the current user session asking for permission before continuing or executing the action.

In addition to UAC, Windows Vista includes a revamped Security Center that displays notifications telling users when their system is fully protected, whether you have an installed or updated Antivirus, your Firewall AntiSpyware, Automatic Updates and Internet Security settings are turned on.

Application Compatibility

I am not a big fan of application compatibility, mainly because I don’t like doing it and it’s a chore digging into boxes in my closet and garage for old software. But I did manage to test a few applications, these include Office 2000 Premium, which works flawlessly on Vista (do I need Office 2007?), various versions of Photoshop, 6, 7, 8 and 9, I prefer 6, because the Splash screen does not look screwed up like later versions on Vista, it seems the graphics system has an incompatibility with those artistic splash screens from Adobes most recent releases.

Compatibility is a tricky situation, with the millions of users out there and infinite PC configurations, with thousands of legacy applications, there will definitely be a lot of hits and misses. Factors include no support for 16 bit applications and 32-bit applications with 16 bit installers are not supported on Vista x64. Careful research and planning will be the key to making a successful transition to either x86 or x64 platforms for Vista. Company’s that create custom applications will have the biggest hurdle, ensuring that applications function just as they did on XP. Microsoft did announce that the next version of Virtual PC version 2007 will fully support Vista, this should provide Company’s to run legacy applications older versions of Windows while taking advantage of the new capabilities that come with Vista.

Windows Internet Explorer 7

Everybody knows Internet Explorer, whether you hate it or love it, it’s the most popular web browser around the world. Apart from the new user interface, which seems a bit squeezed, Internet Explorer 7 biggest features are Security and Really Simple Syndication. RSS allows the user to subscribe to their favorite Website’s and receive notifications of updates to those subscribed sites without the need to individually browse each to check for new information. An orange button (also used by FireFox) indicates when a site is RSS enabled, click it and you are presented in a Feed view of the particular site, which you can then save and add to your collection of feeds in the Favorites Center. You can set the browser to download new updates automatically at certain intervals. It’s a new take on accessing information and will take some getting used to; the pervasiveness of this innovation will certainly be assisted and promoted by the popularity of the Internet Explorer platform providing users a more efficient and faster way to get the information they need whenever they want. If you have been using IE 7 on either XP or Vista, one of the first things you might notice is the disintegration between it and Explorer, for example, if you type a URL in the folder’s address bar, the IE window will be launched separately, compared to IE 6 on XP, the Explorer was automatically utilized. It seems Microsoft is realizing that tying the browser to Windows wasn’t such a good idea after all. As for security, IE 7 includes some advanced technologies; Protected Mode allows users to have a safer browsing experience on the web, so things such as malicious software will have greater difficulty getting installed onto the system, (please note, this feature is only available in the Vista version of Internet Explorer 7). IE 7 also provides Standard users with the flexibility of installing software without the need for administrative privileges. Another part of the secure browsing experience in IE 7 is Phishing Filter, which prevents the user from revealing personal or critical data to sites that pretend to be legitimate, such as your bank or a reputable merchant. Included is a no add on version of IE 7 located under Accessories > System Tools, which is basically a stripped down version of the browser that does not load ActiveX Controls or third party extensions in the browser, although I notice I could still do so if desired. The improvements to these areas of IE make experiences such as e-commerce less risky and provide a more confident and trust worthy browsing experience for the user.

The interface is a drastic departure from past versions, but it’s definitely a change for survival. The navigation buttons back/forward and the Address Bar have been merged to provide a more simplified navigation layout, but another reason could also be attributed to Tabbed browsing which is finally now a part of the IE interface. Tabbed browsing is a very convenient way to reduce Taskbar clutter and provide a centralized way to keep all of your open sites accessible from one IE window although I would preferably have my tabs not integrated with the menu bar, (it steals real estate). Some nice features include a Gallery view, which displays a thumbnail preview of all your open windows; other notable features include drag and drop rearranging of Tabs. Common interface elements, buttons such as Home, Print, Feeds and Favorites are spread across, Stop and Refresh button are now also a part of the Address bar, which in a sense is a more logical integration when you think about it. It’s almost difficult to describe the new layout as I sit here, you could best summarize it as one toolbar that contains everything. Integrated Search is also visible at the upper right corner of the IE window, which defaults to Windows Live but provides users the option of choosing another Search provider if they wish (mine is set to Google of course). The Favorites Center represented by a star, host your favorite websites, Feeds and History. A new Print Preview and fit to print feature finally allows for text be printed as seen on screen without chunks being cut off. Another user experience improvement is the ability to restore your IE settings if the browser becomes unstable. This process deletes all Internet Explorer Temporary files, disables browser add-ons and resets all changed settings, basically it turns IE 7 into a virgin again.

For almost 6 years now, Internet Explorer has been long in the tooth when it comes to new releases because of Microsoft’s previous stance on releasing major new versions of the browser with major new versions of Windows, but the trade off was a major blow and it was called innovation, while FireFox dawned on users with features such as tabbed browsing, built in download manager (still missing from IE 7), enhanced security and a grass roots following that has since propelled the browser to over 200 million downloads, around 15% market share. The question now is can IE 7 catch up? I would say yes of course, since the popularity of Windows plus the bundling with it will definitely give it a secured opportunity to continue its dominance way into the future. Version 7’s acceptance also will further be influenced by its disintegration from the OS, which will be seen as a safer move to provide the secure experience Windows users have been longing for. IE has just as much or even more of a cult following than many of the browsers out there, plus the millions of businesses that have tied specialty applications to the platform will further ensure that there is a secure moat around the Enterprise, keeping FireFox at bay for a long time.

Windows Mail / Calendar

Windows Calendar

Windows Calendar is a basic yet functional daily calendar, with options available for publishing and subscribing to .ics calendars, which includes settings for controlling how often it gets updated with new event dates. As noted, it’s basic, but provides most of the common features most users are looking for in a day-to-day calendar. The interface feature’s a consistent look with the Windows Mail and Fax programs. A blue command bar displays common buttons such as New Appointment, New Task, and options for viewing your calendar in different layouts; daily, weekly and monthly. In earlier test releases, I had a little issue with the controls at the bottom of the window; they were not distinct enough in their own right. Buttons such as New Task, Events or layout views were difficult to decipher, I am glad to see this improved.

Windows Mail

Windows Mail is a different name, with a familiar look and feel; the Windows e-mail program has improved a lot though since its introduction in Windows Vista. The interface has been updated slightly, with a new blue command bar that I consider being a bold look, it’s consistent though with Windows Calendar and I guess it’s just uniformity across the Windows productivity applications. Noticeable of course and I have to say one of the best features is the Word Wheel, this makes filtering through and finding e-mail messages or newsgroup post so much easier. Just press CTRL + E and the cursor places it self in the search box in the upper right hand, (this also applies to Explorer windows). Windows Mail also takes advantage of the Anti-Phishing capabilities included in Internet Explorer 7. Suspicious or Phishing e-mails are marked with a red shield, when viewed the heading is highlighted in pink indicating the severity of the message. So, you don’t end up giving personal information to sites that claim to be legitimate such as the “buying copies of Norton or your Pay pal account has expired”, the usual suspects. There is still a lot of work to be done and I believe the effectiveness of the junk filter itself is about 50% accuracy. I still see a fair amount of Spam in my inbox after the filter automatically moved suspicious mail to the Junk folder.

Other features that users might find of great interest includes the new Mail Store, the use of .dbx has now ended. This will remove the frustrations that users have encountered for many releases of Outlook Express when it came to backing up and migrating Mail settings and accounts, simply back up your Mail folders and import on another Vista computer running Windows Mail and you are all done. It has been finalized that there will be no support for free Hotmail or Live Mail accounts in this release of Windows Mail, grand fathered accounts have been said to be able to still access the service, but I have not been able to accomplish this with my accounts. I still believe there could be more done to the user experience in Windows Mail, such as subscribing to multiple newsgroups, I would have liked to simply check off the groups I am interested in and click subscribe instead of doing it one by one. Also, Office Outlook style integration with the Windows Calendar would make it more convenient instead of opening multiple applications all the time; the only integration between the two is a link to launch the Calendar from the Mail command bar. Still, the update is a welcome improvement over Outlook Express, which has been long in the tooth, features such as Word Wheel, easier migration of mail settings, Phishing Filter and Communities Rating tools will make communication less of a chore.

Figure 1.6A The new Address Bar adds a bread crumb navigation structure, featuring drop down menus along the current navigation path, making it possible to easily backtrack or navigate forward, anywhere along an address location.