The Feature Set of Windows Vista
What will Windows Vista contain that represents an advance on XP? The full feature-set is constantly under review and development, and much is still locked up in the dark interstices of the Microsoft’s woodwork. But we do know quite a bit.
Perhaps the biggest change is that Vista’s code is not descended from the XP model. It derives instead from the successful Windows Server 2003, specifically its Service Pack 1. This is widely recognized as Microsoft’s most secure software environment. We also believe that Vista will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The 64-bit operating system will support an address space of 264 bytes (16m terabytes) compared with the 232 bytes (4GB) currently setting limits for both high-end PCs and servers alike.
Three key pillars (or baskets) are identified at the heart of Vista :
1. Avalon ~ gives developers a simplified means of building user interfaces.
2. WinFS ~ is a relational database system for document storage which opens up query mechanisms. It is a successor to the NTFS file system.
3. Indigo ~ assists developers build apps from distributed components.
We understand that WinFS will ship separately in beta at first, suggesting a major setback to Microsoft’s plans. Avalon and Indigo may also be available as plug-ins for XP SP2 and 2003 SP1.
Internet Explorer 7 will ship with SP3 for XP and later with Vista. It will support tabbed browsing, bridging the gap with Firefox, and improved CSS support.
Security is a major feature of Vista, with extra malware protection from recent acquisitions, and a decision to run most applications in a least-privileged user mode to limit malicious activity. It’s already clear, however, that some security features will not be available initially owing to delays in implementation. This is especially true for the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB).
The Vista shell is beginning to emerge. It’s said that Aero, the user interface, is a distinct departure from the old Windows appearance taking advantage of 3D graphics and “live” icons. There will be more serious animations ; and Metro, a device-independent XML formatting platform for PDF-type documents.
So, what’s in and what’s out from the original spec :
IN :
Avalon presentation system
Aero UI with transparency, scaling, and animation
Indigo service-oriented architecture
Integrated incremental searching
Virtual folders, stacks, and lists
Metro device-independent document rendering
Internet Explorer 7
64-bit version at launch
Windows Server 2003 SP1 code base.
OUT :
WinFS file system
NGSCB—A greatly scaled back version is planned
Windows XP Service Pack 2 code base.
[Thanks to PCMag for some information]
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