Windows Vista RC1
The latest OS from Microsoft will be released soon. Windows Vista will be out in the market as early as January 2007. I have downloaded and installed the Windows Vista Release Candidate 1. What are the special features about Windows Vista as compared to Windows XP?
Firstly, it’s desktop graphic is better. There’s this Windows Aero which is an environment with an additional level of visual sophistication, one that is even more responsive and manageable, providing a further level of clarity and confidence to Windows users. It has a glass-like interface effect.
Also, Windows Vista provides two entirely new features to manage windows: Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D. Flip allows you to flip through open windows (by using Alt+Tab), providing a live thumbnail of each window, rather than just a generic icon and file name. Live thumbnails make it easier to quickly identify the window you want, particularly when multiple windows of the same kind are open. With Flip 3D (using Windows+Tab), you can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to flip through open windows in a stack, and quickly locate and select the one you want to work with.
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Next, Vista allows you to search the items in your computer easily. On the start button, there’s this “Search” which enables you to search for your items much easier and much much faster than Windows XP. You just type any word and it’ll start searching for the files. I feel that this is one of the features in Vista that would hope to refrain users from using “Google Desktop Search”.
 
Another additional feature in Vista is the Windows Sidebar. It’s a bit similar to Yahoo! Widgets. There’s the clock, the calendar, weather forecast, notepad and a lot more. Again, another effort by Microsoft to prevent people from using Yahoo! Widgets or the Post-it for windows desktop.
 
There’s a list of items that are bundled with Vista; the latest Internet Explorer 7, which has the tab feature like Firefox. You can actually upgrade your IE 6 now as the latest version is now available. You’ll not really get used to the IEÂ 7 initially as it’s quite different from IE 6. They say that they’ve stepped up the security in IE 7. So why not give it a try?
 There’s also Windows Media Player 11. It’s now in Beta 2 version. It was mentioned that new Media Player bring a whole new look to your digital entertainment. I would agree that it looks nicer. But if you are a hardcore music ripper of not original CDs, maybe you may want to remain using version 10. The latest version has this Media Usage Rights stuff which requires you to so-called verify the music license. Microsoft is helping the world to fight music piracy.
There’s also this Windows Defender, a newer version of Microsoft AntiSpyware. So far, there are only 3 anti-virus providers compatible with RC1; CA Anti-Virus 2007, F-Secure Corporation and Trend Micro. So it’s a bit risky if you are using RC1 now. Oh ya, about the Windows Games, there are new games for Vista like Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans etc. Minesweeper gets a new look too. It has more animations now. You can choose to have flowers to replace the bombs too.
Of course, there’s the other side of the coin. Firstly, you’ll need a lot of memory if you were to use Vista. Recommended would be 1-2GB RAM. Secondly, like XP when it was first released, a lot of softwares are not compatible with Vista at the moment. It’s a bit frustrating to know that the ATI graphic technology that I have in my comp is not compatible with Vista. Not to mention the pathetic number of anti-viruses softwares available now for Vista. Your computer will be more vulnerable to attacks for the moment. I guess I shall wait a while longer before I buy Windows Vista. In the meantime, I’ll spend more time to learn about the additional features in Vista. This RC1 will expire on 31 May 2007.
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