Windows Vista - So what's new?

Just my opinion on this whole Windows Vista thing. After lookgin at their website, it looks like playing catch-up with the rest of the OS vendors.

All the interesting stuff that was supposed to be in Longhorn (database as file system, the Paladin security stuff) except for Avalon UI and Indog (.NET 2.0) has all been removed. At the same time Apple is demonstrating ease of connection to portable devices and the internet with its iPod/iTunes, something which Bill Gates only talked about parrot fashion six months after iTunes launch. The best that Vista can be is nothing more than a copycat of what is already available elsewhere. You only have to look at the web site: every item on there is already available elsewhere. Desktop search, desktop widgets, integration with portable devices, different admin and user accounts, digital media hub functions are all already available, most notable in Mac OS X. More evidence of the lack of innovation at Bill's farm.

Microsoft have another problem. They would like .NET to be a global infrastrusture they can control. Unfortunately the web itself is overtaking them, particularly with the kinds of services already provided and being expanded on by Google, which are themselves creating their own platform. This makes writing for the web and web services rather than writing for .NET more attractive.

My conclusion is that although there will be little new functionality of value. However it would seem they have insufficient resources to be able to bring out monthly security updates and develop a new OS, resulting in more frequent but smaller scale OS releases. The risk is that we end up with a release hell. You might have the scenario where a PC purchased at the beginning of a project already has version of the operating system that is no longer available by the time the project is delivered. The question is then what version of the OS have you tested your software on and will it work with the new one.

One positive thing that a colleague of mine noticed is that it looks like they've finally discovered "modular" software design…

Time to move to Linux guys ;)