“Introd

(SIR M

Name : S
ID : S
 Agenda

1.History and Introduction

2. Types
3. Features
4. Issues about Windows Vista
5. Conclusion
 History and Introduction

Windows Vista is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating
systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook
computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005,
Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn”. Development was completed
on November 8, 2006; over the following three months it was released in stages to
computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels.
On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide to the general public, and was made
available for purchase and downloading from Microsoft's web site. The release of
Windows Vista comes more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor,
Windows XP, making it the longest time span between two releases of Windows
versions.

Microsoft started work on their plans for Windows Vista ("Longhorn") in 2001,prior to
the release of Windows XP. It was originally expected to ship sometime late in 2003 as a
minor step between Windows XP (codenamed "Whistler") and "Blackcomb" (now
known as Windows "Vienna"). Gradually, "Longhorn" assimilated many of the important
new features and technologies slated for "Blackcomb," resulting in the release date being
pushed back several times. Many of Microsoft's developers were also re-tasked with
improving the security of Windows XP. Faced with ongoing delays and concerns about
feature creep, Microsoft announced on August 27, 2004 that it was making significant
changes. The original "Longhorn," based on the Windows XP source code, was scrapped,
and Vista development started anew, building on the Windows Server 2003 codebase,
and re-incorporating only the features that would be intended for an actual operating
system release. Some previously announced features, such as WinFS, Windows Sidebar,
and NGSCB, were dropped or postponed, and a new software development methodology
called the "Security Development Lifecycle" was incorporated in an effort to address
concerns with the security of the Windows codebase.

After "Longhorn" was named Windows Vista, an unprecedented beta-test program was
started, which involved hundreds of thousands of volunteers and companies. In
September 2005, Microsoft started releasing regular Community Technology Previews
(CTP) to beta testers. The first of these was distributed among 2005 Microsoft
Professional Developers Conference attendees, and was subsequently released to
Microsoft Beta testers and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. The builds that
followed incorporated most of the planned features for the final product, as well as a
number of changes to the user interface, based largely on feedback from beta testers.
Windows Vista was deemed feature-complete with the release of the "February CTP,"
released on February 22, 2006, and much of the remainder of work between that build
and the final release of the product focused on stability, performance, application and
driver compatibility, and documentation. Beta 2, released in late May, was the first build
to be made available to the general public through Microsoft's Customer Preview
Program. It was downloaded by over five million people. Two release candidates
followed in September and October, both of which were made available to a large
number of users.

Through much of 2006, analysts and bloggers had speculated that Windows Vista would
be delayed further, owing to anti-trust concerns raised by the European Commission and
South Korea, and due to a perceived lack of progress with the beta releases. However,
with the November 8, 2006 announcement of the completion of Windows Vista,
Microsoft's most lengthy operating system development project came to an end.

Types
Windows Vista ships in six editions. These editions are roughly divided into two target
markets, consumer and business, with editions varying to cater for specific sub-markets.
For consumers, there are four editions, with three available for Western countries;
Windows Vista Starter is limited to emerging markets. Windows Vista Home Basic is
intended for budget users with low needs. Windows Vista Home Premium covers the
majority of the consumer market. Windows Vista Ultimate contains the complete feature-
set and is aimed at enthusiasts. For businesses, there are two versions. Windows Vista
Business covers organizations of all sizes, while Windows Vista Enterprise is only
available to customers participating in Microsoft's Software Assurance program.

All editions except Windows Vista Starter support both processor architectures, 32-bit
(x86) and 64-bit (x86-64), while Windows Vista Starter is only available for 32-bit
architectures. In the European Union, Home Basic N and Business N versions will also
be available. These versions come without Windows Media Player, due to EU sanctions
brought against Microsoft for violating anti-trust laws. Similar sanctions exist in South
Korea.

On September 5, 2006, USD pricing was announced for the four editions that are
available through retail channels. New license and upgrade license SKUs of each edition
are available.

Microsoft states that the packaging for the retail editions of Windows Vista is "designed
to be user-friendly, and the new packaging is a hard plastic container that will protect the
software inside for life-long use".The case opens sideways to reveal the Windows Vista
DVD suspended in a clear plastic case. The Windows Vista DVD-ROM disc itself uses a
holographic design similar to the discs that Microsoft has produced since Windows 2000.

Features
• Windows Shell: The new Windows shell is significantly different from Windows
XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities.
Windows Explorer's task panel has been removed, integrating the relevant task
options into the toolbar. A "Favorite links" panel has been added, enabling one-
click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a
breadcrumb navigation system. The preview panel allows you to see thumbnails
of all sorts of files and view the contents of documents, similar to the way you can
preview email messages in Outlook, without opening the files. The Start menu has
changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through
Programs. Even the word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue
Windows Orb (also called "Pearl").
• Windows Search (also known as Instant Search or search as you type):
significantly faster and more thorough search capabilities. Search boxes have
been added to the Start menu, Windows Explorer, and several of the applications
included with Vista. By default, Instant Search indexes only a small number of
folders such as the start menu, the names of files opened, the Documents folder,
and the user's e-mail. Advanced options allow the user to choose what file type,
how it should be indexed, and the properties alone, or the properties and the file
contents. This also doubles as the run command seen in previous versions of
windows (simply type in any command such as dxdiag or cmd and it will execute
that command), making accessing your computer significantly faster.
• Windows Sidebar: A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where
a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed for a
specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can
also be placed on other parts of the Desktop, if desired.
• Windows Internet Explorer 7: New user interface, tabbed browsing, RSS, a
search box, improved printing, Page Zoom, Quick Tabs (thumbnails of all open
tabs), Anti-Phishing filter, a number of new security protection features,
Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN), and improved web standards
support. IE7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the
operating system (protected mode); exploits and malicious software are restricted
from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit
user consent.
• Windows Media Player 11, a major revamp of Microsoft's program for playing
and organizing music and video. New features in this version include word
wheeling (or "search as you type"), a completely new and highly graphical
interface for the media library, photo display and organization, and the ability to
share music libraries over a network with other Vista machines, Xbox 360
integration, and support for other Media Center Extenders.
• Backup and Restore Center: Includes a backup and restore application that
gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as
well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only
the changes each time, minimizing the disk usage. It also features Complete PC
Backup (available only to Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions) which
backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete PC
 Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard
disk in case of any hardware failures.

• Windows Update: Software and security updates have been simplified; now
operating solely via a control panel instead of as a web application. Windows
Mail's spam filter and Windows Defender's definitions are updated automatically
via Windows Update. Users that choose the recommended setting for Automatic
Updates will have the latest drivers installed and available when they add a new
device.
• Parental controls: Allows administrators to control which websites, programs,
and games each standard user can use and install.
• Windows Sideshows: Enables the auxiliary displays on newer laptops or on
supported Windows Mobile devices. It is meant to be used to display Device
gadgets while the computer is on or off.
• Speech recognition is fully integrated into Vista. It is an improved version of
Microsoft Speech Recognition currently working under Office 2003, with a
redesigned interface, a flexible set of commands, and a command-and-control
capability to activate the computer by voice. Unlike the Office 2003 version,
which works only in Office and WordPad, it works for dictation system-wide. In
addition, it currently supports several languages: English US and UK, Spanish,
French, German, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), and Japanese.
• New fonts, including several designed especially for screen reading, and new
high-quality Chinese (Yahei, JhengHei), Japanese (Meiryo) and Korean (Malgun)
fonts. See Windows Vista typefaces. Clear Type has also been enhanced and
enabled by default.
• Problem Reports and Solutions, a new control panel which allows users to see
previously sent problems and any solutions or additional information that is
available.
• Improved audio controls allow the system-wide volume or volume of individual
audio devices and even individual applications to be controlled separately.
Introduced new audio functionalities such as Room Correction, Bass
Management, and Speaker Fill and Headphone virtualization.
• System Performance Assessment is a benchmark used by Windows Vista to
regulate the system for optimum performance. Games can take advantage of this
feature, reading the data produced by this benchmark in order to fine-tune the
game details. The benchmark tests CPU, RAM, Graphics acceleration (2D and
3D) and disk access.
• Windows Ultimate Extras: The Ultimate Edition of Windows Vista provides
access to extra games and tools, available through Windows Update. This
replaces the Microsoft Plus! software bundle that was sold alongside prior
versions of Windows.

Issues about Windows Vista

Criticisms of Windows Vista include protracted development time, more restrictive
licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of technologies aimed at restricting the
copying of protected digital media, and the usability of the new User Account Control
security technology. Reviewers have also noted similarities between Vista's Aero
interface and that of Apple's Aqua interface for the Mac OS X operating system,
particularly around the use of transition effects. Moreover, some concerns have been
raised about many PCs meeting "Vista Premium Ready" hardware requirements and
Vista's pricing.

Licensing and cost

The introduction of additional licensing restrictions has been criticized. Criticism
of upgrade licenses pertaining to Windows Vista Starter through Home Premium
was expressed by Technical’s Ken Fisher, who noted that the new requirement of
having a prior operating system already installed was going to cause irritation for
users who reinstall Windows on a regular basis. It has been revealed that an
Upgrade copy Windows Vista can be installed clean without first installing a
previous version of Windows. On the first install, Windows will refuse to
activate. The user must then reinstall that same copy of Vista. Vista will then
activate on the reinstall, thus allowing a user to install an Upgrade of Windows
Vista without owning a previous operating system.] As with Windows XP,
separate rules still apply to OEM versions of Vista installed on new PCs; these are
not legally transferrable. The cost of Windows Vista has also been a source of
concern and commentary. A majority of users in a poll said that the prices of
various Windows Vista editions posted on the Microsoft Canada website in
August 2006 make the product too expensive.] A BBC News report on the day of
Vista's release suggested that, "there may be a backlash from consumers over its
pricing plans - with the cost of Vista versions in the US roughly half the price of
equivalent versions in the UK."
Digital Rights Management
Another common criticism concerns the integration of new forms of Digital
Rights Management into the operating system, specifically the introduction of the
Protected Video Path. This architecture is designed such that "premium content"
from HD-DVD or Blu-ray discs may mandate that the connections between PC
components be encrypted. Devices such as graphic cards must be approved by
Microsoft. Depending on what the content demands, the devices may not pass
premium content over non-encrypted outputs, or they must artificially degrade the
quality of the signal on such outputs or not display it all. There is also a
revocation mechanism that allows Microsoft to disable drivers of compromised
devices in end-user PCs over the Internet. Peter Guttmann, security researcher and
author of the open source cryptic library, claims that these mechanisms violate
fundamental rights of the user (such as fair use), unnecessarily increase the cost of
hardware, and make systems less reliable and vulnerable to denial-of-service
attacks. Proponents have claimed that Microsoft had no choice but to follow the
demands of the movie studios, and that the technology will not actually be
 enabled until after 2010;] Microsoft also noted that content protection mechanisms
have existed in Windows as far back as Windows Me, and that the new
protections will not apply to any existing content (only future contents).
User Account Control
Concerns have been raised about the new User Account Control security
technology. While Yankee Group analyst Andrew Jaquith believes that critical
security vulnerabilities may be "reduced by as much as 80%," he also noted that
"while the new security system shows promise, it is far too chatty and annoying.
“However, this statement was made over half a year before Vista was actually
released (even before Beta 2 was released).

But also,
Microsoft does not consider the people who do not respect copyright its customers. The
occasional criticism of the Windows Content Protection system on the grounds that it
"disrespects users" has no merit; this feature is designed to help users, not disrespect
them, by guiding them within the limits of copyright law and teaching them to distinguish
right from wrong.

Windows Vista's alleged problems with hardware are non-existent; the worst a customer
can experience are problems with drivers, mostly caused by the potentially viral drivers
disabled by the Vista security system. Potentially viral drivers, especially those with
publicly available source code, can damage the Vista kernel, undermining the system's
security dramatically. We recommend you not to use hardware for which no Microsoft-
approved drivers exist.
 Conclusion
Hence, Windows Vista is complete operating systems which provide
working with excitement.

According to Darwin's Third Law of Evolution, convergent evolution is the process by

which different things change to look the same, even though on the inside, they are
entirely different. For example, a naturally thin woman is not the same as a fat chick that
has had liposuction.
During Vista's long development period, its physical appearance has changed
dramatically. While this was partly due to adaptation, many of the observed changes
seem to be totally random.
Windows Vista has not simply copied elements of Mac OS X, but rather adapted its own
similarly functioning analogous structures.
According to Darwin's Third Law of Evolution, convergent evolution is the process by
which different things change to look the same, even though on the inside, they are
entirely different. For example, a naturally thin woman is not the same as a fat chick that
has had liposuction.
During Vista's long development period, its physical appearance has changed
dramatically. While this was partly due to adaptation, many of the observed changes
seem to be totally random.
Windows Vista has not simply copied elements of Mac OS X, but rather adapted its own
similarly functioning analogous structures.
According to Darwin's Third Law of Evolution, convergent evolution is the process by
which different things change to look the same, even though on the inside, they are
entirely different. For example, a naturally thin woman is not the same as a fat chick that
has had liposuction.
During Vista's long development period, its physical appearance has changed
dramatically. While this was partly due to adaptation, many of the observed changes
seem to be totally random. Windows Vista has not simply copied elements of Mac OS X,
but rather adapted its own similarly functioning analogous structures.