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Microsoft's next big thing: Vista

By DAVE GUSSOW
Published January 13, 2006

LAS VEGAS - Lest anyone forgets, Microsoft is more than a video game, Office software, hardware, Media Center PC, telephone software, Web portal and Tablet PC company.

The heart of its business is the Windows operating system, which runs about 90 percent of the world's computers.

And this year the company will roll out Vista, a new version of its flagship product for the first time since the 2001 release of Windows XP.

Five years in the high-tech world almost requires genealogical research. To get the ball rolling to build interest in Windows Vista, expected late third quarter or early fourth quarter, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates gave a preview at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show.

Gates has star power in his own right, but Microsoft has spared no expense in the past to hype Windows. In 1995, for example, the company spent millions for the rights to use the Rolling Stones' Start Me Up as the Windows 95 theme and Jay Leno showed up to party.

The marketing may be similar this year, but the reception Microsoft wants may be lacking. For one thing, XP substantially eliminated the old blue screen of death crashes that plagued early versions of Windows and became the punch line for countless jokes.

The release of the Windows XP Service Pack 2 in 2004 helped - but didn't completely fix - security issues. Microsoft has taken a well-deserved beating for security issues, and extra time devoted to that arena delayed Vista's release.

And, after five years, people may think XP is all the operating system they need.

Microsoft, naturally, insists Vista will be different. It will have more digital media functions for music, video and photos, meaning Vista will have many of the features of its separate Media Center software.

It's adding functions such as desktop search, "live" icons that show in a thumbnail screen the contents of a folder and a digital photo organizer. Many of the features are in the competing Mac OS X from rival Apple Computer.

Yet the empire is ready to strike back.

Microsoft didn't show all the features of Vista, which is undergoing beta testing. More likely others will trickle out as the release date nears to build interest. But it hit a number of major themes about the release:

SECURITY: A key feature in the Internet Explorer Web browser built into the operating system will require user approval before anything is downloaded. That's intended to fight the outbreak of spyware and other stealth software that has caused so many problems the past few years.

Parental controls will be enhanced, said Greg Sullivan, a Vista product manager. Parents will be able to control everything from what, if anything, their children can download from the Web to what games they play. And a user log will tell the parent what a child has been doing.

"We'll never be done fighting the security fight," Sullivan said. "But we've made a lot of significant changes underneath the covers in terms of security."

THE LOOK: It's a good-looking desktop. A glass effect lets users see what's behind open windows. A new sidebar on the right side of the screen is home to small applications, such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds from the Web.

SEARCH: From the Start menu to when you open various files, a search box will be available. Sullivan says it can do systemwide searches or be narrowed to within, say, the Control Panel, to make it easier for people to find files.

PERFORMANCE AND REQUIREMENTS: Vista will be the first version of Windows that analyzes the PC and will automatically adjust to fit the hardware.

So if the video card can't handle Vista, or there's not enough random access memory, Vista will not install some of its features.

Microsoft has not set final system specifications, but it's likely going to recommend at least 512 megabytes of random access memory, which really means 1 gigabyte will be needed.

But is all of this enough to attract consumers?

"Vista is inevitable for a lot of people," said Michael Silver, an analyst with the Gartner research firm. "When a consumer buys a new PC, it likely is going to come with Vista."

For businesses, it's a different story. Big companies may need 18 months just to check the compatibility of their software with Vista, Silver said.

"It takes Microsoft four years before the new operating system passes the old one as far as the installed base" with businesses.

Dave Gussow can be reached at dgussow@sptimes.com or 727 445-4165.

[Last modified January 13, 2006, 01:45:18]