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Vista, which was known as Longhorn during its long development, is a major re-working of Windows that makes changes, among other things, to the way the operating system looks and how it handles networking and sound. Microsoft said the six versions were designed to match the demands different users have for its software. No details have been given about the pricing of the separate versions. The six versions are: Vista BusinessVista EnterpriseVista Home BasicVista Home PremiumVista UltimateVista Starter Vista Business will be the basic version for companies of all sizes and includes tools that will help organisations manage their PCs. The Enterprise version of Vista will have all of the features in the basic version and add to them improved encryption including a BitLocker system that will stop confidential data being viewed if a computer is lost or stolen. The Home Basic version is intended for those who only want to use their PC to browse the net, use e-mail and create and edit basic documents. It will also include desktop search and security tools. Vista Home Premium includes everything in the Basic version and adds the new graphical interface called Aero. Microsoft said it will also have improved media handling abilities so it can help users organise and enjoy their digital images, music and movie collections. Also included will be tools to help people author and burn DVDs. PCs running the Premium edition will also be able to connect their machine to an Xbox 360 gaming console. Vista Ultimate has all the features of the business and home editions in one package. The Starter edition is a streamlined version intended for low powered PCs found in many developing nations. Also available will be versions made specifically for Europe that, in accordance with an EU mandate, remove the Windows media player.
Windows Vista won't have a backdoor that could be used by police forces to get into encrypted files, Microsoft has stressed. In February, a BBC News story suggested that the British government was in discussions with Microsoft over backdoor access to the operating system. A backdoor is a method of bypassing normal authentication to gain access to a computer without to the PC user knowing. But Microsoft has now quelled the suggestion that law enforcement might get such access."Microsoft has not and will not put 'backdoors' into Windows," a company representative said in a statement sent via e-mail. The discussion centers on BitLocker Drive Encryption, a planned security feature for Vista, the update to the Windows operating system. BitLocker encrypts data to protect it if the computer is lost or stolen. This feature could make it harder for law enforcement agencies to get access to data on seized computers. "The suggestion is that we are working with governments to create a back door so that they can always access BitLocker-encrypted data," Niels Ferguson, a developer and cryptographer at Microsoft, wrote Thursday on a corporate blog. "Over my dead body," he wrote in his post titled "Back-door nonsense."
Microsoft is planning to make it very easy for Windows Vista owners to upgrade to a pricier version of the operating system. In the past, such upgrades would have required users to go to a store to get a physical disc to update their machine. With Vista, which is due to go on sale later this year, Microsoft is adding a second option. Dubbed Windows Anytime Upgrade, the new mechanism will let customers buy the update online. New PCs that come with Vista will come with a Windows Automatic Upgrade DVD, which can be used with a later update that is purchased online. "If you want more features in Windows Vista, you can upgrade to another version," Microsoft said in help notes that accompany the most recent test version of Windows. "You can either buy a separate upgrade disc at a retail store or use Windows Anytime Upgrade to buy the upgrade online, and then use your Windows Anytime Upgrade disc or the Windows installation disc to complete the process." According to information in the Vista test version, the upgrade feature will allow Windows Vista Home Basic users to go to Windows Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate edition, while Vista Business users will be able to move only to the Ultimate edition. Microsoft's other business version--Windows Vista Enterprise--is available only for volume licensing customers.
This sounds like the usual lame excuse to require access to your machine 24/7,
whilst removing the service packs and updates except online
and I is a crafty move to hit back at pirate copies and trust me there will always be copies around however hard Microsoft try to lock them down.
Microsoft is taking a three-pronged approach with Windows Vista to reduce the threat of spyware.By default, Windows Vista will run with fewer user privileges. The privileges control how a user can interact with the software. Most Windows XP users have "administrator" privileges, which could be abused by malicious software to install itself on a computer. In Windows Vista, users will have to invoke administrator rights to perform certain tasks, such as installing software. IE 7 will run in "protected mode." This mode will prevent silent installs of malicious software by stopping the Web browser from writing data anywhere on the PC except in a temporary files folder without first seeking permission. Microsoft's anti-spyware tool will block and clean up any infections that do make it through. The tool scans for spyware, adware, rootkits and other malicious code, but does not include antivirus technology. "We have taken out a significant number of the attack vectors that spyware authors use today," said Austin Wilson, a director in the Windows Client group at Microsoft. "We're not saying that spyware will be gone because of Windows Vista. We do think we will make a significant impact."Also, Internet Explorer 7, included with Vista, will prevent silent installs of malicious code by stopping the browser from writing data anywhere except in a temporary files folder without first seeking permission. Lastly, Windows Defender will clean up any infections that do make it through. "It is three layers of protection," Wilson said. While this may be good news for buyers of Vista, it is not for anyone who makes a living from selling anti-spyware software
Llysander I,m pleased to say I make my own mind up and care not one jot whether any other site or forum agress with me.
If you wish to buy into a DRM ridden peice of crap go right ahead, I will be sitting and laughing everytime a new exploit comes out and come out they will.
Encouraging others to hand over their rights to Microsoft because you feel they know better tells me a lot about yourself and your views on digital rights or rather your wish to rid us of them, leaving a few rich gluttons to decide whats good for the rest of society.
For those blind to the danger: Intel have made motherboards that will operate with the DRM in Vista to deny you access to media or any othr file on your own machine and make it impossible to bypass, the media companies like this idea as you can at their whim be forced to pay again and again for access to something you have already paid for.
Okay, you go ahead and do that, but don't cry that no one's listening to you when you go on how Sunbelt's losing money and meanwhile you don't hear Sunbelt complaining about losing money anywhere.
The new OS is designed to offer a shiny new user interface, better security, improved data organization and near-instantaneous search. It will be a major gaming platform release because it includes DirectX 10, an upgraded and rebuilt collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) that, according to Microsoft, will offer six to eight times the graphics performance of DirectX 9.0. We're opening our series of Windows Vista features with a look at the most striking feature of Vista, the 3D desktop and the new Aero interfaceWindows Vista doesn't have official minimum system requirements yet, but Microsoft has recommended at least 512MB of memory, a "modern" Intel or AMD processor and a DirectX 9.0 graphics card for the current Windows Vista Beta 1. You'll need to have the right hardware to get the full Windows Vista experience. Yes, your system can run Vista if you don't have a DirectX 9.0 card, but you won't be able to enjoy the full Aero desktop effect because the system will default back to 2D mode.You can't have just any DX9-compatible card either. According to Andrew Dodd, product manager for ATI's software group, the quality of the graphics card can impact the performance of the Aero desktop because it's now just like any other 3D application.
Please point out where I did any such thing ?
So what have we got so far, a fancy interface ( aero )that they could easily bolt onto XP
and with it the requirement to spend more cash on a new video card and a new monitor if you want to get high resolution dvd playback
Let me total that up about a $1000 + of expense for a new desktop look ... hmm this is a hard one... NOT
Microsoft has said that Vista will go on widespread release in January 2007. It has given advice on the basic specifications to run the software as well as the higher capabilities needed to get the most out of it. Also available is a downloadable tool that lets people know if the PC they own now will run the systemThere is no information yet about the abilities of Intel-based Apple Mac computers and whether they will be able to run Vista.
