There is a new Vista on the technology horizon. Microsoft, the Wal-Mart of computing, is currently Beta testing its successor to Windows XP. The new Windows is called Vista.
Vista is a completely redesigned operating system that has a simpler look and feel. It will be more graphically friendly using thumbnails instead of icons and arrive complete with easier search capabilities. Rigid directory structures give way to virtual folders that can be used to group any object on the hard drive.
This new computing interface is due to the efforts of all those programmers that Microsoft got from Apple when they bailed their desktop arch rivals out of the fiscal hole they were in prior to the introduction of I-pods.
The core software of the operating system is being re-written to plug most of the existing security holes and exploits that have plagued the software giant.
Another improvement is the changes in the desktop security model. The default user will no longer be the Administrator. When Administrative rights are needed the computer will prompt user for a password, execute the change and then return to User rights.
The guys at Microsoft have been listening to their customers and stayed up late into the night to try building a better OS. Vista is scheduled to be out in the fourth quarter of 2006. Historically, this really means more like third quarter of 2007 but we will see.
Chances are that you will need a new computer to get the most out of Vista. The system requirements are:
Dual Core Processor x64
1 GB RAM, Min is 512MB
Graphics must support Windows Vista Display Driver Model, Min is DirectX 9, >64 MB RAM, AGP or PCI Express
Hard drive—Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drive with an 8 MB cache and Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
This is the best reason to upgrade you computer since Y2K.