What's special about Vista?
November 21st 2008 10:48
Aero - Windows Aero (formerly/alternately known as Aero Glass) is the revamped version of the Windows GUI, a gussied up, prettified, 3D interface that's supposed to make you oooh and aaah... provided you have the hardware to run it. If you don't have a relatively recent 3D graphics card, you won't be able to run the full version of Aero and your system will default to a 2D interface which, while pretty, is not nearly as gorgeous. You'll also be able to drop "gadgets" onto your desktop: clocks, calculators, headlines, and the like.
Integrated Search - Windows XP's slow built-in search is annoying.
Vista's upgraded search includes thumbnails, real-time indexing, and other features of third-party search tools like Yahoo! Search.
Updated Graphics Engine - Microsoft frequently updates DirectX, the display drivers that power video games and other graphics tools. The new version for Vista, DirectX 10, is a big upgrade that fixes a number of issues (like letting you run 3D applications inside a window instead of full screen) that have long plagued the driver. Video games will get a host of new features, too, and many upcoming games will run best on Vista.
Security Upgrades - The jury's out on how well Vista's new file permissions/sharing system works, and what normal users might think of the lockdown of Vista from a security standpoint.
Simple tasks often require multiple confirmations (a lot like how Internet Explorer now requires your permission to download files), and the OS is more complicated because of this. However the increased level of security is probably a good thing and should help prevent spyware and virus infections, at least until hackers figure out how to get around the restrictions. Parental controls are also now integrated with the OS.
Updates for Laptops - As the world goes mobile, Windows is following suit. Laptops will get new power management options, and as external displays on the lids of notebooks start to appear, they'll get more features, too.
Called SideShow, this is one of Vista's cooler new features, though hardware that uses SideShow may be a long time coming.
Networking Upgrades - Wireless networking got a nice upgrade with Windows XP SP2, but Vista cleans it up even more. Newcomers to Wi-Fi should find it even easier to get online.
Unfortunately file sharing between Vista and XP machines is difficult.
Internet Explorer 7 - New browser.
New Backup Utility -
The new backup system might actually be something people will use.
New Mail/Calendar - Improvements to Outlook Express.
Integrated Spyware Killer
Those are the big changes, but Vista of course offers tweaks in virtually every corner of the operating system. For more information go through Microsoft's marketing materials for more pictures and details.
Info from the Web.
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I got to discover the Windows Experience Index - I love it in theory as it lets you know how good your hardware is to run things. What I hate is that my computer is struggling to run it. Being a World of Warcraft player it is quite annoying when graphics freeze or slow right down. But it has made me determined to build component by component the world's best in-house super computer able to rival Nasa and the Starship Enterprise.
So now I thank Microsoft for slowly over the next 6 months making me close to the poorest man alive.
Comment by Techno
Geeky Blog