What is Windows Vista?

Besides loads of new features and enhancements, Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista OS boasts seamless sharing across the world.

The operating system has undergone many surgeries since the DOS (disk operating system) and now XP versions. However, users always look for increasing functionality and ease-of-use. And so came Longhorn - now renamed Windows Vista.

Vista released its first beta version (for feedback) in October 2005 and is continuing with its Community Technology Previews. The OS is expected to hit the market in the last quarter of 2006, though the official version revolves around July-August this year.

What's happening with Vista is, put simplistically, that the OS is starting to think on behalf of the user. Till date, an OS had a two-fold function: hiding the management complexity of connecting to all peripherals like printers and scanners; and (what I term "minimal governance"), the OS would only govern the computer where it was installed.

With Vista, the OS is becoming more than just a device manager. For instance, Vista will allow users to share files seamlessly among workgroups (you as a user can assign people to your workgroup and have a number of them) across the world.

This would essentially mean that if you update a file or presentation on your PC, it would be simultaneously updated on all PCs within the workgroup (no need to send an email with an attachment of the updated file, and later check whether your friend has received it).

The "Remote Assistance" concept, whereby your friends can view and work on your computer from anywhere, already exists in Windows XP. Vista has extended the concept of "screen share" to "file share". Vista will feature SuperFetch, which will keep track of what applications you most use and when you use them.

Extended memory: Its EMD or Extended Memory Device will allow you to "upgrade" your computer with external memory via USB, much like you would connect an external DVD drive or hard drive.

Vista's restart manager will cut down on the need to restart your system considerably. Coupled with a sleep function, Restart Manager will allow your PC to be safely left on for a long time without shutting it down.

Microsoft is going to have high-definition TV available on its Media Center Edition PCs, XBOX 360, and portable devices. Microsoft and DirecTV have created a partnership that will let MCE users record TV from cable and transfer it to portable devices as well. The list is endless.

Among the new graphics abilities in Vista (the new graphical user interface is called Aero) that Microsoft showed off was Flip 3D, a tool for easily shifting among multiple open windows and the Windows Vista Sidebar, which runs in the corner of the screen and includes RSS feeds, sports scores and other small applications. The photo-editing programme allows basic editing and sorting by date or keyword.

There will also be visual changes, thanks to Avalon, ranging from shiny translucent windows to icons. Microsoft is planning to include anti-spyware tools, Internet Explorer (IE) 7 (an update to its Web browser), as well as Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Calendar, a new system-wide tool designed to do for date-book information what Outlook does for e-mail in Windows XP.

Home entertainment: Vista is looking to create a serious presence in the home entertainment and gaming market where Sony has a formidable presence. IE 7 will have many security improvements and tabs within the browser to reduce users from adopting Firefox rather than IE.

At the Consumer Electronic Show 2006, Bill Gates demonstrated Vista's new photo-editing tools and a revamped media player designed to improve the way Windows tackles commonly-used media files.

The million-dollar question is that with all the power that the OS hogs, will my PC run Vista? With hard-disks that can store gigabytes - and powerful processors - the size of the OS hardly matters any longer. So much depends on how recently you bought your PC. Windows XP, for instance, needs about 256 MB for a decent run. Vista should need about 512 MB of memory and the latest processors.

The Windows Vista personal firewall is better than the one included in XP Service Pack 2, says Gartner, adding that organisations still running Windows 2000 should consider upgrading as soon as Vista ships. As for the home user, as with other OSes, it is always advisable to wait for at least six months after the release (to let others iron out the bugs).

Vista is expected to ship nine (though some say seven) editions; all of which except for the Starter Edition will be in 32-bit and 64-bit. There's not much that you can do with the Starter Edition, which is aimed at the disadvantaged section in less developed countries.

The Home Basic Edition is akin to Windows XP Home. There's also a Home Premium Edition, and this is expected to include the next-generation Media Center capabilities including support for (High-Definition) HDTV, DVD authoring, and even DVD ripping, backed up by Windows Digital Rights Management.

The Windows Vista Professional Edition is for corporate users. Finally, there's the Ultimate Edition (earlier called Uber). The names could change before Vista's final rollout. Pricing, too, is yet to be decided.