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Microsoft Windows Vista™ – has the fun stopped and the serious work begun?
Version française Between the twin ski resorts of Whistler and Blackcomb in British Columbia, you'll find the Longhorn Saloon & Grill. It seems that a few years ago some Microsoft employees – perhaps on a break from Redmond to do a little snowboarding at the Intrawest-owned dual-mountain resort – also found the Longhorn. They must have had such a good time at this local watering hole that they codenamed Microsoft's new client operating system "Longhorn". This July, however, things got real serious as Microsoft renamed it "Windows Vista", released the Beta 1 version and began the big push to reach its 2006 target ship date. Microsoft Releases Windows Vista OS for Beta 1 Testing By Jay Parkes In July, shortly after naming its next generation Windows client operating system Windows Vista™ (previously code named "Longhorn"), Microsoft released the Beta 1 version, the first official release for testing. Characteristic of most first betas, this release of Windows Vista does not include all of the new user interface functions that can be expected with subsequent releases, but rather focuses on the foundation elements required to deliver a more stable and secure OS. The Beta 1 release, along with any interim releases, is available for initial trials and testing by individuals or organizations that are already part of either the Microsoft TechNet Program or the MS Developer Network (MSDN) Program. "In addition to seeing where the operating system is heading, organizations participating in the early testing phases have an opportunity to influence the definition of the product," says Marty Grosh, Compugen's director of enterprise services, who has helped sign up a number of Compugen customers to participate in the Beta 1 testing under Microsoft's Technology Adopter Program. "By getting involved early, our customers will get a feel for the various application and business process possibilities and start to identify what impact Windows Vista may have on their operations," he adds. "Customer participation in these early stages has obvious value for Microsoft as well," says Elliot Katz, senior product manager, Windows Client at Microsoft Canada. "Their testing in a real-world environment provides useful feedback on the capability, suitability and reliability of the product," he explains. The next formal testing phase, Beta 2, is expected to take place in early 2006, with the final verion of Windows Vista expected to be broadly available to the public in the second half of 2006. Based on its worldwide PC operating system forecast, industry analyst firm Gartner Inc. predicts that more than 65 per cent of new PCs will be shipped with Windows Vista in 2007. Gartner also expects Windows Vista to be adopted faster by consumers than by business users because mainstream companies typically delay deploying a new operating system (OS) until 12 to 18 months after its launch. By the end of 2007, 12 per cent of all consumer PCs in the installed base will be running Windows Vista, compared with only 8 per cent of professional PCs. And by 2009, Windows Vista will become the dominant OS, running on 51 per cent of all PCs.[1] Windows Vista Value Proposition "Windows Vista represents a total overhaul, bringing to market the next generation of Windows OS based on combining innovations coming out of Microsoft R&D labs with all that Microsoft has learned to date about developing operating systems," says Microsoft's Katz when asked about the overall strategy driving the Windows Vista development. Although the changes and additions cover virtually every single aspect of the most current Windows client, Windows XP, Windows Vista's primary value proposition addresses the following three objectives:
Gartner cautions that it may take some organizations up to 18 months from the time that Windows Vista ships to properly prepare to deploy Windows Vista, including time to test application compatibility (a large organization could be running literally thousands of applications), get independent software vendors (ISVs) to support applications, build images and run pilots.[2] Just because Windows Vista won't be shipping until Q4/06, however, doesn't mean there aren't things that your organization could and should be doing now. For example, you should be running the most current version of the Windows client OS (Windows XP SP2) and making sure that all patches and fixes get distributed to all your desktops. "Keeping your operating system environment fully up to date produces the most reliable and secure environment that Microsoft has to offer," recommends Compugen's Marty Grosh. "And it's the best starting point from which to migrate to Windows Vista." When it comes to any plans you and your organization might have for upgrading or deploying new PC hardware over the next 12 months, you should be considering where you'll be when Windows Vista comes out because Windows Vista does impose some hardware requirements. Although Windows Vista is designed to work well across a broad range of hardware, and the majority of PCs being shipped today will support Windows Vista, there are a number of hardware requirements and suggestions you should know about in order for users to have the best possible Windows Vista experience. These include:
Click here if Compugen can be of any help to you in understanding the Windows Vista value proposition and the things to think about as you start to consider your organization's Windows Vista deployment. Compugen is also ready to help you see how your organization can use Windows Vista technology to further reduce the cost to design, install and support your core IT infrastructure. "Windows Vista continues to address this challenge by helping organizations automate and gain efficiencies in maintaining a managed desktop," says Marty Grosh. "This enables our customers to focus on leveraging the desktop to create business value rather than having to spend all their effort and resources on just keeping the desktop running." | ||
