Windows Vista Beta 1: Already 4 Months Behind the Times

A short time ago, Microsoft finally released the first beta to its long-awaited Windows release known as Vista (and previously known as Longhorn.) The OS, which was originally slated to be released in 2004, has been delayed and pushed back for various reasons as fiscal quarters zoom on by. But after all the hoopla and ballyhoo about how great this thing is going to be, I finally got a chance to check it out in a recent article posted on IGN. I'm not just being a Mac-snob when I say that I wasn't very impressed. But I will be a Mac-snob when I tell you why.

I don't know many people that will tell me that "Windows is a pretty operating system," because it's not. It gets the job done in a manner that has stayed the same since their 95 release. The interface remains the same, the graphics largely remained the same, and the way it thinks and operates has remained the same. So when I heard that Microsoft was finally getting around to revamping things, and they were touting some sort of "browser-less operating system" I was happy to hear it. Now that the images of the Vista Beta are out on web, I can't say I understand what they were alluding to. As it stands right now, everything looks the same as it has for the past decade. Toolbar on the bottom, icons on the right, start menu, task bar, etc. The only thing I noticed right away how was similar they have made their toolbar on the bottom look like the menu bar in Apple's OSX Tiger. It has the same exact gradients applied to it... just a tad fishy, if you ask me. However it is the first of many OSX imitations I found within IGN's rundown of Vista.

The start menu in Vista looks strikingly like the start menu in Windows XP. The only difference is that now, instead of the menus branching out as you go from program to program, there is a pane on the left side of the menu that has a scroll bar. So you will traverse your program files through nested folders, like you would in Windows Explorer. While I haven't tried this out yet, just the idea of it sounds clunky. I hate nested folders, and navigating them in a small space like the start menu just sounds frustrating, especially if you install tons of programs!

In the start bar, there is a small search field, that allows you to search your computer for installed programs using a sort of database system. Sound familiar? If you are a Mac user it does... the newest version of Tiger features one of the most advanced search systems ever invented, called Spotlight. This allows you to search through every document on your computer. It can find a single word inside of a PDF or a map, it can pick out a name in a Word document or fetch an MP3 or movie all within the menu bar. It's simply amazing, and it looks almost identical to Windows lesser version.

Windows Vista [Note the Search bar on the bottom]

OS X Tiger [Note Spotlight in the top right]

But wait, there's more... Windows Vista will be utilizing a new folder system called "Virtual Folders" to organize things like documents and music. Basically, it will make a folder that has all of your MP3 files in it, or Photoshop files, whatever you like. These files aren't "moved" there, but they are simply mirrored there, so that when you click on them the file in its real location will open. Apple, no surprise, also has a file system similar to this. In fact it was something they began implementing in iTunes years ago. They're called Smart Folders, and as of Tiger they are now available for the entire computer (not just some apps). Basically they do the same thing, you set parameters for what you want in the folder, and it collects everything on your computer and makes aliases for them (so its not moving the original file).

The new Windows will also feature things like improved virus protection, a more reigned in Administrator privilege set, Internet Explorer 7 with tabbed browsing (the way of the future I hear...), and many other features that have been out for months or even years. Since this is just Beta 1, some of this could change, so I won't go in to all of it.. but interestingly enough, Macworld reported today that there are already viruses out for the Beta!

"An Austrian hacker earned the dubious distinction of writing what are thought to be the first known viruses for Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Vista operating system. Written in July, the viruses take advantage of a new command shell, code-named Monad, that is included in the Windows Vista beta code."