Before I delve into the review, I think it'll be helpful to provide a little background on Windows Vista. As many may know, Vista is the successor to Windows XP (released late 2001). Vista was in development for about six years, the longest for any Microsoft operating system to date. In order to cement its stronghold on all sectors of the market, Microsoft released Vista on November 2006 with eight editions: Starter (available only to certain emerging markets), Home Basic N and Business N (to comply with EU antitrust laws), Enterprise (geared towards companies with volume licensing), Basic (for basic home users), Premium (for regular home users), Business (for businesses) and Ultimate (the one OS to rule them all).
The only real differences between these releases are the features they carry and their respective price tags. If you're wondering, the IT Department offers the most expensive and all-encompassing Ultimate edition. I installed this version on my ThinkPad, though only after partitioning the hard drive to set up a dual-boot system (this means I have both Vista and XP on my computer).
There are many new features in Vista, too many to write about in one short article, so I will focus on the ones I find most interesting and useful. The first is the new Aero interface. Aero allows for transparent windows and menus and live thumbnails of programs when you hover over them on the taskbar. Additionally there is Windows Flip 3D. When you press the windows and Tab keys together, you can cycle through all open windows as if they were a deck of cards. Windows DreamScene is an Ultimate-exclusive feature that allows video to be used as desktop backgrounds and there are some really nice DreamScene backgrounds that you can download from Microsoft when you run your regular updates. Also, remember to try some of the new games offered; I've spent countless days playing in the Purble Place [note to editor: it's really spelled "Purble" … why? I dunno]. Admittedly, some of the new features of this OS are just for eye candy; nonetheless, it's wonderful to see that Microsoft did have an eye for design when developing Vista.
Another new feature I like is the desktop gadgetry. These mini-programs sit on the side of the desktop and can be in the form of a graphical clock, live news feed, live weather display and even a quick notepad.
Microsoft has also improved the way the start menu operates. Instead of navigating through countless menus in order to find the program you want, there is a convenient search bar at the bottom of the start menu. Just start typing and the content pane will update as you type. For example, for Microsoft Word 2007, I just type "wo" and the program pops up at the top of the list. This search feature is really a part of the new indexing service of Vista. The OS indexes every file in order to make searches faster. There is even a handy search bar in the top right corner of the file explorer when you are browsing through folders. Here's a tip for those XP users who may panic when they can't find the classic menus (File, Edit, etc.) when using the file explorer: hold down the Alt key.
Microsoft has improved the security of its new operating system. Vista comes with Windows Defender, a small antispyware program that offers real-time protection against spyware. There is also the Backup and Restore feature that does automatic backups of certain files or even complete PC backups. As a side note: It is always wise to backup your data regularly because all hard drives will eventually fail. Another useful feature (when you bring your crashed hard drive into a data recovery center and pay hundreds of dollars because you didn't heed my advice) is BitLocker Drive Encryption. When activated, this service can encrypt the data on your hard drive, which is supposedly useful if the NSA is on your heels.
I can hear many of the Mac fans asserting that many of Vista's "new" features have been available on Macs for years. For example, Spotlight search is very similar to Vista's indexed search and Mac's Dashboard Widgets are analogous to Vista's Desktop Gadgets. While it is true that Microsoft has taken tips from Mac's OSX, it has reapplied them in an original way. Vista's integration of the search bar into the Start menu is original and quite useful. Linux users have said that Vista's User Account Control closely parallels a similar security feature in Linux. In truth, Vista feels a lot more Linux-like than its predecessors. Over the summer, I also tried Ubuntu (a popular free Linux distribution) with Beryl (a Linux window manager). Ubuntu coupled with Beryl's visual appeal made Vista's Aero look like Windows 3.1.
When it comes to hardware, Vista is taxing. With Aero turned on and no programs running, Vista consumed about 60 percent of my 1 GB of RAM. I ended up buying two GB of RAM to replace my two 512MB modules. If you decide to upgrade to Vista, I recommend having at least two GB of RAM for good measure. Another issue I had with Vista was the dreaded blue screen after installing Vista-approved drivers from the official Lenovo Web site. What I had to do (several times) was to boot up from the Vista DVD in order to repair the problem. Another common problem many users have with Vista is the lack of compatible software or drivers for products they use daily. Before upgrading, I recommend downloading and running Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor.
Vista is Microsoft's best operating system to date, but it still needs some more work in terms of product updates and eventually a service pack. Meanwhile, Windows XP is still a robust and stable operating system that will remain popular for many years.