Now that Windows Vista is finally with us, it's time for enthusiasts to start looking forward to Vienna – Microsoft's next operating system
This article appears in the March 07 issue of PC Advisor , onsale now in all good newsagents.
It all starts with vague rumblings of a cryptically codenamed operating system upgrade. Next come multiple beta versions, repeated delays, disappearing features and other indications of altered plans. Eventually, there's a real, boxed product available for people to buy.
We speak, of course, of the amazingly predictable process that results in each edition of Windows. Now that arguably the most important product in Microsoft's history has launched, you may be forgiven for thinking you'll have a few years to wait until the hype surrounding its successor starts to surface. But you'd be wrong. Vienna – the code name for the OS that will replace Vista – is already in the works. And it could be with us sooner than you'd think.
Microsoft plans to increase the frequency with which it launches desktop OSes, hoping that Vienna will be ready to roll in three years' time. And despite Vista's long development process, this might not be overly ambitious. You may have imagined that it's taken Microsoft the full five years since Windows XP's launch to get Vista ready for release, but the real development work took only around two years, according to the head of the company.
"Time is sort of a funny thing. You need to give new technologies time to incubate before you try to bring them together," Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said at Vista's product launch. "Let each [technology] come to market individually and then do the integration."
Microsoft spent the first two years of its Vista-development process building a variety of new technologies and then struggled to integrate them, according to Ballmer. The third year went smoothly as Microsoft's developers focused their efforts on the Windows XP Service Pack 2, with some of that technology ultimately ending up in Vista, not XP. The bulk of what has now been released as Vista has been put together since 2004, Ballmer said. He estimates that by the end of January, Microsoft will have spent "hundreds of millions of dollars" on marketing Vista and Office 2007.
However, he was quick to add that the company won't rest on its laurels. In Vienna, Microsoft will look to do more to support the major changes already under way in hardware – notably the shift from single- to multicore processors and improvements in network infrastructure.
With its next operating system, Microsoft needs to take into account the move from software to software-as-a-service or, as Ballmer said, "software plus service". Users can expect to see "a lot more service enablement".
Windows Vienna user requirements
But enough about what Ballmer wants out of Vienna – what about what users want? When the operating system ships, we're hoping it has a number of things that Windows Vista – at least in its initial form – doesn't have.
We'd like to see real interface innovation. While it's fair to say that Vista's look, feel and functionality are advances from Windows XP, they don't introduce much in the way of big ideas – or, for that matter, ones that Apple's Mac OS X hasn't sported for a version or two.
Office 2007, which is arriving at the same time as Windows Vista, proves that Microsoft can retool an interface to be both radically different and meaningfully better. Rumour has it that Vienna may have a completely new look. Please, Microsoft, get the people who were responsible for Office 2007 involved.
Furthermore, the appearance of Vista's bundled applications could do with a bit of consistency. As you'll see on page 81, sometimes Vista helpfully gives different tools similar interfaces – Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Media Player are a matched pair – but the same can't be said for many of the other applications. Overall, it's the software equivalent of a huge country made up of municipalities with varying rules and regulations about matters such as menus and help systems. Mac OS X shows far more discipline. And so should Vienna.
Online operation
We'd like to see the fruits of Microsoft's push to make its operating system work on the web. So far, Microsoft's Windows Live offerings have little in common with the OS except a name. Why can't Windows make using online storage as simple as working with a local disk? Shouldn't you be able to sync multiple copies of the OS between PCs across the net? Is there any good reason why Microsoft couldn't provide browser-based access to at least some of Windows' features? There are glimmers of such concepts in Vista, but real breakthroughs are yet to come.
Finally, there's a case for Vienna having fewer (but better) bundled applications. Given Windows' security record, the addition of Windows Defender isn't just logical, it's long overdue. But does Windows need a photo organiser or movie editor? Nothing in Photo Gallery or Movie Maker convinces us that it does – and Microsoft has a history of adding stuff, then letting it fester.
How excited are you about Windows Vista – and what's on your wish list for future versions of the operating system? Visit PC Advisor's Windows Vista forum Windows Vista forum and join the debate.
This article appears as part of our comprehensive guide to Windows Vista in the March 07 issue of PC Advisor, available now in all good newsagents. Click here to visit our dedicated Windows Vista forum.
Comments
jcm said: what about a name change what about changing it to say Mac OS X
Derek said: Windows Vista should not inconvenience the user to protect their software Allow for such loses in the price of the software Activation is like having ones finger prints taken so as to eliminated them from the scene of a crime Activation has driven me just an ordinary honest person The type of person Microsoft believes are just casual criminals to use Linux
david (again) said: and for all you people gushing about ubunto linux i spent hours and several blank cds trying to create a ISO file that would work i gave up in a huff ill stick with MS even with all its problems im looking forward to Vista w aero And that new animated wallpaper with running waterfalls etc is going to be a kick dont see that on MAC
david said: they asked what youd like to see not what you hate about windows jeez heres my wish list the banishment of drop down windows amp menu scrolling give me one Option to click and then have every possible edit change format setting available on one page i hate having to click menu after menu scrolling and scrolling same with control panels merge them into fewer all communications in one all window settings in one etc id also like to see a bendable windows why do windows have to be rectangular allow me to pull up a corner to make a L shape or an O or triangular Another would be something akin to a peephole where i could cut a hole thru a window and see the data from another instead of having to contantly tab between applications dont load every conceivable driver and dll unless i want it there are thousands of files that never get used time comsuming when defragging or virus scanning Allow me to add target folders on any menu Macros would be nice too
marcos said: I love cocktail weenies
alegoje said: I am no computer genius or guru However I realized mid 2006 that a different operating system other than MS is the path to go I have now OSX and as an added token Ubuntu and XP through Parallels Like I said I am no genius but an average user if I am switching may be millions are
Joe said: It seems theres alot of anti MS feeling thats natural I suppose I was just realizing the other day that other than games I can do everything I need to do with Linux So maybe thats what MS should focus on
Dustin said: They need to improve the copy machines in Redmond to release something IDENTICAL to Mac OS X
bluebonics said: wow all the mac and linux fanboys are out today face it mac os x isnt as innovative as everyone claims apple rips off ideas just as much and linux would be great if i could run the software i need wine doesnt always cut it and where are the majority of games for either system you can only play doom3 so many times P
Ed said: I hate Microsoft I hate them so much that I spend all my time surfing the net looking for articles like this so I can post how superior OS X is Or Linux I cant figure out why 95 of the world uses Windows Those people must have no alternative because of the MS monopoly Other than OS X And Linux Ummm never mind
Slogger said: Im still amazed that an OS requires 1 gig or more to run plus new hardwareIm glad I switched to linux and have no plans to ever buy or use an MS OS againRight now Im using beryl on my desktop More features more customizations possible costs less and has better effects with less hardwareOpen source seems to be picking up more and more speed I doubt MS will be able to keep up if they have a 3 year release schedule when many linux distros release a lot more often
James said: the most important product in Microsofts history has launchedThat got me rolling on the floor laughing Keep up the comedy guys Youre great
possum said: As a former contractor working for the Microsofts product support team you may be suprised to hear I have had enough of IT and am looking for a complete career change In the business IT realm supporting companies with less than 30 users the pay is too low to make it worthwile having to pour through oversized books to stay on top of my game Quite frankly my time is worth more so see ya Microsoft Its been fun but I am happy its over
Fabius said: How about price How much of it is net operating revenue MS has an OS-Office monopoly It should be forced to split up or subject to price control
Ed said: One of the biggest reasons I do not recommend any windows program is the phone home senario with everything you doI spend way too much time turning off firewalls and remote ports and and back doorsVista does not support most 3rd party software and I do not trust theirsAvast is the only anti-virus I have tested that works If the drivers are not built in to the vista software forget itI have one of their first betasI spent too much time with fixes trying to make it work so I formatted and went back to Xp for now
Ed said: One of the biggest reasons I do not recommend any windows program is the phone home senario with everything you doI spend way too much time turning off firewalls and remote ports and and back doorsVista does not support most 3rd party software and I do not trust theirsAvast is the only anti-virus I have tested that works If the drivers are not built in to the vista software forget itI have one of their first betasI spent too much time with fixes trying to make it work so I formatted and went back to Xp for now
Nick said: Vista is a poor imitation of Mac OS X from a few years ago Microsoft is always trying to play catchup to Apple Ill go with a secure and innovative over bloatware anyday OS X is where its at
India Internet said: I look forward to installing Vista Does it support complete recovery from backups in case of HDD failurewwwindiainternetin
Clinton said: Down with planned obsolescence lack of security constant bugs and corporate profit margins Up with true support low cost innovation and a free operating system I switched to MEPIS Linux and have NEVER been more pleased with a decision
Marc said: Another vote for Ubuntu Linux Made the switch in June and love it The community is great as well Check out wwwubuntucom to get a live cd to try on your computer