Microsoft’s seemingly ubiquitous operating system, Windows comes in many flavors on both the client and server side.
Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said, in a speech hosted by the New America Foundation at the National Pres Club in Washington, D.C. that Microsoft’s goal is to be principle and transparent as the new Windows’ versions are developed. These principles are intended to provide the industry and consumers with the benefits of ongoing innovation, while creating and presenting robust opportunities for competition.
The principles, which consist of 12 tenets, are divided into the following three general categories:
- Choice for computer manufacturer and customers. Microsoft is committed to designing Windows and licensing it on contractual terms so as to make it easy to install non Microsoft programs an to configure Windows-based PCs to use non-Microsoft programs instead of r in addition to Windows features.
- Opportunity for developers. Microsoft is committed to designing and licensing Windows (and the parts of the Windows platform) on terms that create and preserve opportunities for applications developers and Web site creators to build innovative products on the Windows platform, including products that directly compete with Microsoft’s own products.
- Interoperability for users. Microsoft is committed to meeting customer interoperability needs and will do so in ways that enable customers to control their data and exchange information securely and reliably across diverse computer systems and applications.
The newest products, Windows Vista, Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 R2, and System Center Reporting Manager are available, as well as IE7.
After five long years, Microsoft will release Windows Vista in January 2007 to consumers. They’re re important upcoming technologies, as described by Paul Thurrott. As the product has been in development for over five years, that means that Vista had one of the longest development cycles in the 20-year history of Windows. Vista is, in the same time, evolutionary and revolutionary. It includes modern OS features, such as a new hardware - based graphical user interface. Vista will look familiar to anyone that’s already familiar with Windows XP. Mac fans can claim that many of Vista’s best features appeared first on MAC OS X, some year ago. It is true.
Microsoft’s Windows Vista is the future today. It is really hard to put Windows Vista in perspective; on the one hand, it is like XP with a pit-shine, but it is easy t get lost in the seemingly never ending lists of new features. It is a spectacular major Windows version all right. And now it is complete.
In reality, Windows Vista is quite different from its predecessors, despite the surface similarities. It is to Microsoft’s credit that hundreds of millions of Windows users will be able to upgrade o move to Windows Vista, install and run almost all of their existing applications, hook up and access almost all of their hardware peripherals, and access all of heir critical data files and other documents, all without any understanding at all of the major changes that Microsoft has wrought.
Microsoft described Windows Vista as the platform for the next decade, and it was not a hyperbole. It is a big and very complex product. There are lots of new functionality and many new features. It is also the first Windows release to provide developers with a major new programming model in a decade. Now Microsoft and its partners can build off for years to come… it is, as promised, the biggest new version of Windows since Windows 95. By this time next year, over 100 million people around the word will be using Vista.
It is easy to get lost in the never-ending lists of new features; it is a major version all right. This major new Windows version is very important and, ultimately, so desirable.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates signaled a dramatic shift in the company’s strategy, making a secure, private and reliable computing experience the company’s highest priority. In an increasingly interconnected world of PCs, devices and services, this commitment to Trustworthy Computing is more important than ever.
Microsoft is delivering innovations that help business and consumers maintain control over their computers in a world of constantly evolving security threats, to help users become more secure and protect the privacy of their information. Huge efforts were made to offer IT administrators’ new ways to make their companies’ networks more resistant to attacks. Data confidentiality can be preserve, as their integrity and availability as well.
Windows Vista brings a new level of confidence to computing through improved security, reliability and management. Building on these advances, Microsoft can work to make computing even more reliable and secure. This is the way they follow:
- Building a trust ecosystem in which people, device-makers, organizations and programmers can be properly identified and held accountable for their actions, while still protecting the privacy of end users.
- Simplifying security for consumers and IT professionals, through a combination of industry standards, common development tools, and unified practices across platforms, products and services.
- Engineering for security by establishing, publishing and sharing best practices, security diagnostic tools and security specific testing methods.
Windows Vista has so many compelling technologies, that I never really paid attention to its PDF-like creation technology, called XML Paper Specification (XPS). It is a printer option in all of the Print dialog boxes in Windows Vista.
XPS is more than a future competitor for PDF. The Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the new graphical subsystem in Windows Vista that replaces the old GDI graphical subsystem and makes many of the cool UI features possible; in addition, WPF provides the foundation for a new print subsystem that includes, among other things, support for better color management to allow high fidelity color printing.
One of the biggest features of having XPS as a native operating system feature is that it can better tie together what you see on the screen with what you see on the printed output. In other words, since the document can remain in the same format from the time it is created to the time it is printed, convention errors are eliminated and there will be a more consistent format for both screen and print output as far as layout and color.
Scheduled for release later this year, the Microsoft® Windows Vista product lineup will bring clarity to customers’ digital world by helping them easily accomplish everyday tasks, instantly find what they want, enjoy the latest in entertainment, improve the safety of their personal information, stay connected at home or on the go, and help ensure PCs are up-to-date, more secure and running smoothly.
The Windows Vista product lineup consists of six versions, two for businesses, three for consumers, and one for emerging markets: Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Starter. The number of offerings is the same as the number of offerings currently available for Windows® XP. More important, the lineup is designed to deliver clear value to a broad range of customers, each product tailored to meet specific needs of various segments of customers — home PC users, small and medium-sized businesses and the largest enterprises — and is aimed at bringing 64-bit, Media Center and Tablet PC functionality into the mainstream.
“We live in a digital world that is filled with more information, more things to do and more ways to communicate with others than ever,” said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management and Marketing at Microsoft. “The PC needs to give people the clarity and confidence to handle this ‘world of more’ so they can focus on what’s most important to them. With our Windows Vista product line, we’ve streamlined and tailored our product lineup to provide what our customers want for today’s computing needs.” Windows Vista is designed for businesses of all sizes.
Business customers can choose from two versions that are designed to meet their needs, based on the size and scale of their organizations:
Windows Vista Business is the operating system designed for organizations of all sizes. For small businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep PCs running smoothly and more securely so they are less reliant on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business will provide dramatic new infrastructure improvements that will enable IT staff to spend less time focused on day-to-day maintenance of PCs and more time on adding strategic value to the organization.
These are some of the specific features of Windows Vista Business:
- A new user interface, named Windows Aero™, is designed to deliver the most productive, highest-performing desktop experience possible. Windows Aero will provide a professional-looking, transparent glass design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth animations, along with Windows Flip and Flip 3D desktop navigation features.
- In addition to these navigation improvements, Windows Vista Business makes it easier than ever to manage huge volumes of business documents. By integrating search throughout the operating system and providing new ways to organize files, Windows Vista Business helps business users quickly find exactly what they are looking for.
Windows Tablet PC technology provides built-in handwriting recognition and enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard.
Windows Vista Enterprise: to better address the needs of large global organizations and those with highly complex IT infrastructures, Windows Vista Enterprise are designed to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection using hardware-based encryption technology. It will also include tools to improve application compatibility and will enable organizations to standardize on a single worldwide deployment image with the inclusion of all Windows user-interface languages. Windows Vista Enterprise will be available only to customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.
These are some of the specific Windows Vista Enterprise features:
- Windows BitLocker™ Drive Encryption helps prevent sensitive data and intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands if a computer is lost or stolen.
- Virtual PC Express is one of several built-in tools that improve application compatibility with previous versions of Microsoft operating systems. Virtual PC Express enables a legacy application to run unchanged on a legacy Windows operating system in a virtual environment on top of Windows Vista Enterprise.
- Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications enables users to run UNIX applications unchanged on a Windows Vista Enterprise-based PC.
The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
Windows Vista is an incredible new experiences and choices for the home PC user. Consumers can choose from three versions that deliver exciting new experiences for the home PC user:
Windows Vista Home Basic: Windows Vista Home Basic is a great choice for homes with basic computing needs. For consumers who want to simply use the PC to browse the Internet, correspond with friends and family through e-mail or perform basic document creation and editing tasks, Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safer, more reliable and more productive computing environment. It will provide new tools and technologies for making the PC more secure and enjoyable, including features such as a new Search Explorer, Sidebar and Parental Controls.
Windows Vista Home Premium: Windows Vista Home Premium will help consumers use mobile or desktop PC functionality more effectively while enabling the enjoyment of new, exciting digital entertainment experiences. Windows Vista Home Premium improves every aspect of digital entertainment experiences, including photos, video, TV, movies, music and games. Windows Vista Home Premium includes everything in Windows Vista Home Basic, along with additional features and enhancements such as the following: the new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
Windows Vista Home Premium integrates search throughout the operating system, helping customers easily organize and quickly find large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos and music.
Windows Media Center capabilities turn the PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. Consumers can use Media Center to record and watch TV shows (even high-definition TV) and access new kinds of online entertainment content. It also provides the ability to connect Windows Vista Home Premium to Xbox 360™, extending the Media Center experience to multiple rooms in the home.
Windows Tablet PC technology, which enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard, is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
Integrated DVD burning and authoring allows users to seamlessly burn personal videos photos and files to video or data DVDs, and easily create professional-looking DVDs from home movies that can be shared with family and friends.
Windows Vista Ultimate: Windows Vista Ultimate is the edition of Windows Vista that has it all. It is the first operating system that brings together all the entertainment features, mobility features and business-oriented features available in Windows Vista.
All new versions are available for either 32-bit or 64-bit systems, depending on the needs of the customer. Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate and Business will be available as a full-packaged product at retail and on new PCs. Windows Vista Enterprise will be offered only to business customers participating in Microsoft’s Software Assurance program.
Microsoft also will offer Windows Vista Starter in emerging markets. Windows Vista Starter is designed to empower families and entry-level PC users in these markets to experience the world of social and educational benefits that personal computer technology and the Internet makes possible. A 32-bit operating system designed specifically for lower-cost computers, Windows Vista Starter enables popular beginner PC activities and provides an easy-to-use and more affordable entry point to the Windows Vista family of products.
“Windows Vista is going to be a significant release for all Windows customers — including enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses as well as consumers,” said Al Gillen, research director for System Software at IDC. “Microsoft’s strategy to address different customer segments with versions of Windows Vista optimized for their needs should be well received by these diverse user segments.”
All versions of Windows Vista are available.
