Microsoft Vista

[druiaghtagh]

Anybody kow what the main points of this operating system will be when it is eventually released please?

[dodgyshirt]

Apart from what it contains, I think this article will be more relevant to the average user.

[alan30]

Isn't the biggest factor it will be 64bit as opposed to 32?

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111508,00.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista

[vehelpfulguy]

Windows XP already has a 64 bit version, and Vista will also support 32 bit, so I do not think this is a major feature of Vista.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx

I have never understood why a new release of Windows garners so much interest. It is "only" an operating system.

Surely the applications that run on top of it are the important thing, not the operating system.

Sure, every new version of Windows has new features, and supports new hardware, but these are just gradual things that do not deserve as much publicity.

The only thing you can be sure of is it will need more memory, and a faster processor, and take longer to start up than the previous release of Windows.

[homeresque]

According to the superb geek who recently fixed my PC, another main feature is the enhanced security. I'm not sure if I'm remembering this correctly, but I think he said that Microsoft had bought out (what he considered) the company producing the best anti-spyware/adware software (Giant?). Given Microsoft's current firewall and anti-vrius stuff, this would make third party security unnecessary, he said. Good news, as I had McAfee and that has been identified as potentially causing problems on my brand of PC.

I have a beta version of this software loaded, thanks to him, but it's kind of hard to assess how good it is - I've had no problems, but maybe I haven't been subject to a malicious attack.

[Tweed]

Surely the interest in a new Windows OP is to see if they have sorted out all the bugs in previous versions, and will it require numerous 'service packs' in the future. For example: Windows XP is a huge improvement on its predecessor (as you'd expect), but much more so than Win 95/Win 98/Win ME where to each other.

[Bob A Job]

it will look like a giant I-pod, and have more problems with reliability and backwards compatability.

the enhanced security thing wont last long. any OS is open to manipulation if you work hard enough on it.

[fo3nix]

homeresque: do not believe a word your supposed "superb geek" is saying about vista. it _will_ require 3rd party security apps, it _will_ have lots of security holes, and it will need more memory, processor speed etc. as vehelpfulguy has said.

btw, when you say you're using the beta of that software, you mean you're using windows vista beta? You know, you really shoulnd't be using that. (if that's what you're using).

For those of you thinking vista is going to have some stuff in really worth upgrading to from XP, just read how much confidence the microsoft staff have in their new product
http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2006/03/vista-200 7-fire-leadership-now.html