by Playfuls Staff |
25th January 2007
5 days. That is all that is left
of the five years that have passed since Windows XP was launched and since Microsoft
announced that it would start work on Windows Vista (still [more] named
Longhorn at the time).
Actually, six years, because the
OS we all know as Windows Vista was talked about for the first time in 2001.
All this is history though and come Jan. 30, Windows Vista will set out on its
quest to conquer customers. Is Windows Vista capable though of becoming Windows
XP’s rightful successor?
From one point of view, Microsoft
resembles Metallica (I hope fans of neither entity are bothered by the
comparison). Both Microsoft and Metallica have been at the center of
impassioned controversies and still are. Both Microsoft and Metallica are capable
of being brilliant, even on a bad day. But neither Microsoft nor Metallica are
able to generate the same enthusiasm they did seven years ago. They have
reached a level where even if they function by way of habit they still produce
hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor Metallica
can surprise anybody any longer.
At a first look, Windows Vista is
superior to Windows XP from all points of view. Vista
customers can actually expect several thousand new functions, Microsoft claims.
Most of them are hidden underneath the hood, so to speak. One eye-catching
element is the new graphical interface, dubbed Aero. It is remarkable first for
its semi- transparent windows. Open several windows at once, and you can still
see which other folders and documents are open beneath them. This is not
exactly trailblazing in the world of operating systems, though. Transparent
windows are also available in Apple's Mac OS X and with various Linux versions.
Microsoft went one step further,
however, with its Flip 3D function. This positions all opened windows one
behind another, slightly offset. Switching between the individual windows is
somewhat easier than with XP, because the windows can be paged through using
the scroll wheel, for example.
The desktop search is certain to
be a major convenience. It finds objects not just based on folder or file
names, but based on the contents of a document itself. Typing "Lara"
into the search filter, for example, will pull up all e-mail messages and Word
documents containing the word "Lara." The searching is launched as
soon as the first letter is typed in.
The Windows Photo Gallery may
bring joy to anyone with a large collection of digital photos on the computer.
The software imports photos from a camera or scanner onto the PC, and also
offers simple photo editing tools.
The Sidebar is intended to
provide a quick overview. It is a collection of little programs that -
presuming an internet connection is available - retrieve specific information
in real time. That can be weather reports, stock quotes or sports scores, for
example. These programs, known as widgets, are available for free download from
Microsoft. But, according to Microsoft, the most important aspect of Windows
Vista is one that is not perceived at first glance: the security has been
greatly improved. Which remains to be seen and tested, but until then, we’ll
take their word for it.
Vista
comes with Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11 and the anti spyware
software Windows Defender.
And we’re still a long way off
from finishing the list, but which of the facilities mentioned above makes you
jump for joy and run into the first store so that you can order Windows Vista?
How many things can you do only with
or because Windows Vista and you can’t do with Windows XP and its third party
applications? Not too many, at least in my opinion.
Two years ago, Windows Vista
would have been a revolution. Now, it’s more of a hyperbolic finale to a
prolonged agony.
Indisputably, Windows Vista will
have its fans, who can’t wait to have the OS and install it on their PCs,
indifferent to the fact that they need 2 GB of RAM and 256 MB RAM video.
In the end, Windows runs on 90
per cent of the world’s PCs, so Windows Vista’s destiny cannot be disastrous.
Is this enough for Microsoft though? Not at all! In acerbic competition with
Google and Apple, Microsoft needs Windows Vista to be “a bigger bang” and not
just another Windows XP with another look. Those using Windows will certainly,
within a couple of years, migrate slowly and irrevocably towards Windows Vista,
because XP will become old-fashioned and Microsoft will not be willing to keep
it alive forever.
Microsoft played it right this
time with Windows Vista, even if it’s late by five years. The difference, considerable,
between what Windows Vista promised to be and it actually is, puts
extraordinary pressure on Microsoft’s following release, Windows Vienna, which
has to be truly outstanding.
Windows Vienna, or whatever
Microsoft eventually decides to name it, will have to be everything Vista is not at the moment, an OS that redefines the way
in which we interact with our PC. Will Microsoft manage to do that?
