Source: Beta of Windows Vista due Wednesday

Microsoft plans to release a test version of the next version of Windows on Wednesday morning, according to a source familiar with the company's plans.

The Beta 1 version of Windows Vista isn't expected to have the look and feel of the final operating system. However, it is expected to reflect key changes that Microsoft is making under the hood of its flagship operating system. The test version is expected to be limited, at least initially, to developers and technical audiences.

Microsoft said on Friday that it was renaming the operating system, which had been known for years only by its code name, Longhorn. The company also promised that a long-anticipated beta version would ship by Aug. 3.

Windows enthusiast site WinBeta reported earlier Tuesday that the Beta 1 version was expected to come out on Wednesday.

A more feature-complete test version is expected to arrive by early next year, as Microsoft aims to have the final release of Windows Vista available in time to be on PCs that ship during next year's holiday shopping season.

Vista has changed significantly since Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates first showed an early version of the then-Longhorn in October 2003. The company has changed the way it is implementing a new Web services architecture, known as Indigo, and a new graphics engine, dubbed Avalon. It has also delayed a new file system, known as WinFS, that had been slated to be part of the OS.

Among the more visible changes in the OS are a new means of searching for files, as well as virtual folders that contain all of the documents that match a specific criteria, such as "edited in the last week" or "created by Mary."

The company is also working on business-oriented changes, such as making it easier to set up and manage a stable of Windows Vista-based PCs.

Also planned are improved home networking, stricter parental controls and a host of new laptop-related features, though not all of these changes may be visible in the test version due out Wednesday

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[nmcphers]

Virtual Folders....

...also know as Smart Folders in OS X. Will this OS actually have any feature not copied from OS X?

Yes, actually, it will have.....

the ability to run AutoCAD and Microstation. Can OSX do that, at a somewhat functional level?

No matter what OS you use, it comes down to the applications. Too many people are hung up on the OS. It's all about the applications. If my applications ran on my Atari 2600, I'd use that.

[SystemsJunky]

Hmm

Smart folders and Virtual Folders are two different beasts. I use OS X.4, Apple's implementation of the smart folder technology pales in comparison. Kind of like the One Button Mouse that Apple "innovated". Almost useless. Smart Folders are a pain to use and are almost pointless. Most of the people I know dont even bother using them. Vista will have a ton more features than OS X will ever had, Which mostly is due to its legacy support.(We cant drop that yet) The truth is, XP has more featuers in general than OS X ever will. Most of those features are useless to the average user, but very important tools for network admins and developers. Sorry man but even though I like OS X, I still would rather use windows. As for PMP or Protected Media Path goes, Thats no different than Digital Driver Signing or even Fairplay. Its a form of DRM to prevent you from unauthorized copies of A/V. Quicktime and iTunes both have this "feature" as well. Technically speaking, Windows Vista will Blow the Hair off of tiger. Until you have used it, how can you bash it? OS 9 was a peice of ****...But i never talked crap about OS X before it debut...Typical MacHeads, making blind judgments about something they've never seen. The fact remains that its about personal preference. Windows XP is as solid as X when installed on the correct hardware. If you dislike windows fine, no one really cares. At least we (windows users) can change our mainboards, chip and memory without a re-install and without paying out the wang for crap HW from Apple.

[unknown unknown]

Reason not to buy Vista

that is unless you like having your software crippled if you install anything not approved by Microsoft

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/003806.php#003806

[R. U. Sirius]

Does Linux Have that junk?

The Microsoft fanboys will still jump up and down claiming what a fantastic new feature this is.

[R. U. Sirius]

Hey but it's Windows

I heard that PC's allow you to control your own destiny and thats why Windows is such a cool OS and, like, you know, its cool and Explorer rocks on dude.

Ina Fried: Indigo, XML Web services

The Web services term can be very confusing and misleading, because most non-technical people still misunderstand it, taking it very very generally..................

[Earl Benser]

A Question....

...It seems that Windows is long overdue for a massive upgrade,
not just cosmetics. As the press flies, Vista is just one more step
in the 8088 DOS development - carrying legacy requirements
dating back to 1986 or so.

That's the sort of baggage that has to hurt by now. Apple saw
the light and shifted code with OS X. And evebtually the Apple
legacy requirements, as in Classic, have faded away. If MS really
wants to make a market move, Windows has to go through an
equivalent transform.

Or it should. Maybe MS has reached a point where the OS is too
complex to really change - no one knows how anymore. From
what I hear, that's already happened with COBAL and ALGOL
codes, and maybe FORTRAN too - programs got too massive to
truly rewrite, so the demand is for programmers who can still
work in arcane programming languages. Perhaps that's Windows
problem now...

Anyone got any ideas??????

Earl wins a cookie

Because he seems to be the only one that gets what I'm trying to say.

Quote from Earl - "So forget third party support - ist's just smoke. And as always,find the application(s) that do what you need, then buy the platform/OS they run on. Life's choices can be simple and easy."

It's all about the applications. If your application does not exist on the platform, or the best applications exists on a certain OS, that should be the major factor into your choice of OS. AutoCAD and Microstation do not exist on OSX, therefore, in my case it would be a poor choice for me as I would lose the ability to earn income in my choosen profession. So for me Windows is the best choice.

Viruses/spyware/malware that have infected my computers since I started using Windows = 0
Amount of time spent protecting my computer from viruses/spyware/malware = 10 minutes a year.
Cost = 0
= non-issue

And to the person who states "Blame AutoCAD", how can one blame a business for making smart business decisions. Do you understand what would be required (i.e. cost) in a port of AutoCAD to OSX? And what their ROI would be? Don't you think they have thought about that? Does 3% market share ring a bell?

If Apples market share continues to rise, I'm sure they will revisit it.

[shadowself]

I can blame AutoDesk

I most certainly can blame AutoDesk for coming out with a hopelessly crippled version of AutoCAD for Mac back in 89/90.

There were many design houses which used Macs, and they convinced AutoDesk to ship a version of AutoCAD for Mac. The problems is that the version and implementation AutoDesk shipped for the Mac was the DOS version wrapped inside a single window on the Mac. For all practical purposes the user opened a window on the Mac and then ran the DOS version of AutoCAD inside that window -- and it was not even equivalent to the last version of AutoCAD shipped for DOS! It was as if AutoDesk was saying to all the Mac users, "You want a Mac version? Take this and shut up ... or move to Windows." The version which shipped for the Mac took advantage of absolutely NONE of the capabilities of the Mac. Consequently the Mac version of AutoCAD sold extremely poorly.

There are several CAD applications that ship for the Mac. Some have been used to create designs which have won international competitions over those created with AutoCAD. Many of these programs can easily exchange files with AutoCAD.

If you personally prefer AutoCAD then great. Stay with Windows. Be Happpy.

If you have written tens of thousands of lines of AutoLISP code to customize your AutoCAD implementation (like a good friend of mine has) then stay with AutoCAD & Windows and press on.

If you just want a good CAD program then you are free to consider other applications and other platforms.

Beta Download Link?

Ok, the article is all well and good...But where is the *real* news about Vista? I need a download link! Yeah, I know it's probably far too late to signup for testing, but I'm holding out hope that some nice person will provide me a link to the beta.

[TMB333]

Beta link

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/default.mspx