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VISTA: First Impressions

At first glance Vista, the new Microsoft Desktop Operating System (OS) released this year, is quite different from former versions of the OS.  Vista, which replaces XP, was an extensive development effort.  Core functionality remains the same and you will still find all the old features in roughly the same places, but with a new look and feel.  The new version boasts improvements to help productivity as well as security improvements that will make it useful to regular users as well as businesses.  The new version is available as either an upgrade or can be purchased with new hardware, but businesses should put off the transition until some of the customary initial release bugs are worked out.

 

Look & Feel:

The start menu is one of the most noticeable visual changes, with the Start button replaced with the vista image, a circle with the Windows logo inside, instead of the old “start” that we have become accustomed to.  Also when you browse for a program, the menus expand underneath the folders, instead of branching out and covering your entire screen.  The overall look and feel with the new Aero desktop experience is largely different from previous Microsoft operating systems, which transfers the borders of normal windows into a glass interface that lets the windows in the background show through.  The Aero look and feel is very similar to the Mac OS and involves more animation when moving between windows than in previous versions of the OS.   Gadgets are another big visual change.  These are small items that you can display to customize your desktop and windows experience.  These include a clock, pictures that rotate on a set schedule, and a notepad to name a few.  While visually appealing, business users will probably get very little benefit from them, and opt to cover, or remove them, in order to give more space to the task at hand.

 

Security:

Microsoft has made large strides in security over the last few years and this is evident in Vista.  At first users may find the near constant prompts asking for permission to access the internet or install programs annoying.  These prompts are because Vista forces every user to run with minimum permissions to prevent accidental tampering with the system.  This could be in the form of malicious code accidentally downloaded from the internet, or someone poking around in an area they shouldn’t.  This security practice, called Principle of Least Privilege, has many benefits, but has been difficult to implement successfully in previous versions of the OS.  It is now easier, and safer to run apps that are not completely security conscious in a way that will not pose a threat to the machine.  This, along with a few other security initiatives bundled in Vista, will help make your network more secure.  It is worth noting that the increases in security coupled with the fact the OS is vastly different from previous versions could cause some of your current programs not to work on Vista. 

 

IE7:

Vista incorporates Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), which has some great user friendly features.  One favorite feature is the new tabs, which allows you to have multiple sites open inside one window.  For a multi-tasker this is a powerful tool to allow you to do an extensive web search without opening up a multitude of windows.  This version of Internet Explorer, when installed on Vista, also takes advantage of Vista’s new security processes and can operate in ‘protected mode’.  Running in protected mode is another way Vista works to keep you safe from malware, or any unwanted software such as virus’ and ad pop up programs.  IE7 also does a better job of letting users know if a website is legitimate, checking to see if the site has a valid certificate and performing an anti-phishing look up.  Phishing is when something tries to get information, like your social security number, by pretending to be a bank you do business with.  Since IE7 is relatively new, it does pose compatibility concerns when accessing sites or programs not specifically designed for it.  IE7 is one of the features you can download for Windows XP, so you don’t have to upgrade to get it, but some of the advanced security features are only available when installed on Vista, such as running IE7 with lower permissions. 

 

Performance:

Vista is hungry for high end hardware more than any other Microsoft OS has been in the past.  The new graphical display and animation are one of the higher impact processes requiring more power, especially on the video card used.  Hovering over a program on the task bar will show you a small window of what that program currently looks like, without having to click on and open it.  Browsing through Windows Explorer displays the first page of documents, even shots of documents inside a subfolder.  A new task-switching tool behaves similarly, and will even show you a real time video feed if that is what was on the original page.  Of course these neat new features will only work if your hardware can handle it.  Vista will detect the level of your hardware and automatically make adjustments to keep the user experience optimal.  On older hardware, especially laptops, this will mean shutting off many of the new graphical aspects in order for the system to run at an acceptable speed.  Many other hardware components will also need to be significantly improved for an optimal experience, including memory and processor.  If you are wondering when you will upgrade your current machine to Vista, it might be better to ask when you will buy a new machine with Vista installed.  Few machines currently running on a business network will handle the upgrade to Vista gracefully and enjoy all the new features without limitation.  To see how your machine will measure up, go to http://www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor, where you can find Microsoft’s tool to help you judge what version (see below for info on versions) will run best on your hardware. 

 

Functionality, Built in full text:

Full text search capability was built into the new operating system from the beginning.  One of the easiest options for accessing programs is to click Start and then begin typing the program you are looking for.  Vista quickly responds with matching results.  Some users may find it easier to find installed programs through this method rather than using the programs menu.  This search doesn’t stop at programs either.  The tool will also return any file containing the text entered, including Word documents and emails stored in Outlook (a feature also built into Outlook 2007).

 

Advanced Features, Encryption:

One of the biggest security improvements in Vista is the ability in the top of the line versions (Ultimate and Enterprise) to protect all your data on the entire hard drive.  Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption protects the entire hard drive, encrypting and decrypting data on the go while you work with minimum performance degradation.   When a machine that is using BitLocker is shut off, the data on the hard drive is unintelligible.  During boot up the machine requires a key to unlock the hard drive and finish loading Windows.  This key can be setup to be a few different options, one of the safer ones is a file stored on a USB drive, which is needed to start.  This improvement is a necessity in today’s environments where laptops with confidential information are at risk for loss or theft on a regular basis.  BitLocker by itself is not enough to protect data on a laptop, but it is one key element needed to get you closer to the goal of safeguarding it.

 

Versions:

Vista comes in 5 versions, including Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business and Enterprise, which can make deciding what to buy difficult.  Most small to medium-sized businesses will likely run the Business edition, which includes all the basics of Vista, but does not include features such as Windows Media Center.  The Enterprise edition will only be available to business’ on Software Assurance, or Microsoft’s maintenance program.  Ultimate edition provides all of Vista’s features and will be beneficial to businesses because it is the only edition offering BitLocker without Software Assurance.

 

How to proceed with Vista:

Eventually Vista will become the Operating System of choice for Microsoft users; the only question is how soon.  Whenever there are major changes in a program, like the Vista OS, a rough patch of road is to be expected.  So far Vista seems like a great product with benefits that both the business and home users will enjoy, but you may want to delay the transition until some of the initial bugs are worked out.  In 6 months from now when more programs readily support Vista and it has a few hot fixes (and maybe a service pack) under its belt, then you will want to start transitioning to Vista.  In the meantime you should install Vista on a machine and see how your hardware performs first hand and see how well your current applications work on the new OS.  You can contact program vendors to find if there will be an updated version and when to expect it.  Moving to Vista is not something you should jump into blind, instead prepare yourself to succeed with it, including giving companies time to ensure their software works correctly on Vista.

 

A view of Vista’s new start menu.

A view of the graphical task changer.  Gadgets are also seen in the background on the right.

 

Alex Fanous is a Senior Network Engineer for VP Solutions, Inc. in Framingham, MA 01701, www.vpsi.com.  Alex can be reached at VP Solutions, Inc. at 508-370-0388.