As everyone knows, Windows Vista is the next generation client operating system for both the business and home computing environments. It has a long checkered history of feature cuts, delays, and both good and bad press. I don’t think people realize what a major re-write of the operating system Vista is.
For example, the following subsytems have massive changes:
1. Network stack – Totally brand new with integrated IPv6 and SMBv2, with many performance enhancements for WAN connections.
2. Graphics- Totally new engine, called the Windows Desktop Manager (WDM) which enables Aero glass, and other features. Video drivers are now re-startable should they crash, among other improvements.
3. Security – Huge laundry list of security improvements, including User Account Control (UAC) which only elevates your rights when required, otherwise you run without Administrator rights. The list of improvements here is very long and well covered on the internet.
4. Audio- Totally re-written subsystem that now allows per-application volume controls.
5. Kernel – Numerous improvements in security, performance, and stability.
6. IE 7 Protected Mode – IE 7 runs in a protected mode in which it has extremely few rights, even less than a normal user. It can only write to a couple of directories, and is otherwise barred from accessing the system. This should be a major step forward in preventing spyware.
Shortly after beta 2 was released this summer, I installed it on my home PC. I didn’t want to chance it with my production laptop that I depend on heavily for my job. My home PC only has 512MB of RAM, so I knew it would be slow. I ran the Vista compatability wizard and it found that my old video card would not support Aero. Since Aero was a major enhancement in the user interface, I ran out to my nearest comptuer store and picked up a cheapo card that would support Aero. The card set me back about $75.
After I got Vista installed, I realized beta 2 was very bloated! A clean boot took almost 800MB of memory. Doing anything, even opening an IE session was paaaiiinnnffffuuuulllllyyyyyyy sllllooooooowwwwwwwww. Stability wise I didn’t have any crashes, although I had several power related issues (sleeping, hibernation, monitor sleeping, etc.). I also had several application compatability issues.
The day after Release Candidate 1 came out I did an upgrade on my home PC. The upgrade took well over two hours, but in the end it was well worth it. Memory usage on a clean boot was just over 300MB, a 500MB decrease! Applications were snappy, and performance seemed pretty on par with XP.
After running a week on RC1 and using it daily, I decided to take the plunge and reload my production Dell D810. I did a fresh install of RC1, loaded Office 2007 Beta 2 (TR hadn’t come out yet). Amazingly, Vista picked up *ALL* my hardware including the wireless card. No need to install additional drivers. I did go to the ATI site and download the latest video drivers, so I could get enhanced performance and more control options over the card.
After running RC1 for several weeks on my home PC and my laptop, I must say over all I’m quite impressed. Overall, I think this will be a killer operating system. That’s not to say there aren’t problems. I submitted nearly 100 problem reports and usability suggestions to MS via their beta client feedback tool.
Problems I’ve found relate to power issues (monitor sleeping, slow hibernation, etc.), application compatability (Nero 7.x won’t install), and a laundry list of GUI fit and finish issues. I’ve also found several reproducable bugs relating to the Remote Desktop Client, Live Messenger and other programs. Hopefully Microsoft can squash most of these bugs before RTM.
I think for the computing industry in general, Vista will be a major step forward. In terms of security alone, it leaves XP in the dust. That’s not to say there won’t be critical patches, buffer overflows, or other problems. But Microsoft has incorporated many layers of defence that when added together, provide the potential for a much more secure environment.
For our corporate customers that place a high value on client computer security, Vista will provide a compelling story. Additional group policy control also gives the IT department more control over the client environment.
You might also find it surprising that Longhorn Server and Vista share the same code base. Longhorn server isn’t due to be released until late 2007, which is a significant period after Vista ships. Microsoft has stated that their intent is to ship a service pack for Vista which will bring the changes made to the codebase post-Vista RTM that made it into Longhorn server.
Bottom line is that I would recommendig installing RC1 and start to get hands-on time with Vista. It’s such a major departure from previous client OS releases, that it will take time wrap your brain around all of the new features. Any time that you put into learning Vista should also translate to Longhorn server, since they will share a common code base.
