Microsoft Corporation released the Beta 2 of its Windows Vista operating system Tuesday, moving a step closer to the final launch of the next generation operating system.
The company has made the latest version available to some 500,000 to 750,000 developers and IT professionals around the world for testing.
Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, said Vista, which was originally scheduled for shipment this year-end, remained on track for a planned November release to enterprise customers. The version for PCs will be available in retail in early 2007.
Early evaluations of the second test version indicated that there is not much change from the initial beta released last summer. However, the company claimed it has improved on several of the system's functionalities and added new features. It said, for example, Vista will have three faces, depending on both the hardware capabilities of the PCs and which of the six core versions of the OS (four for consumers, two for businesses) a user is opting for. .
The company said the Aero interface, with its semi-transparent frames and glistening progress bars, will be displayed on PCs with sufficiently robust hardware that run either one of the two corporate-focused versions -- Vista Business and Vista Enterprise -- or one of the top-of-the-line consumer-oriented Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Ultimate.
Low-end PCs opting for the Vista Home Basic or Vista Starter editions will get a basic interface. However, if the PC is capable of Aero graphics, then a standard interface will be available, which will offer some basic Aero features.
Vista is also incorporating a new Microsoft document format called XPS (XML Paper Specification). XPS documents can be shared between people who have XPS viewer.
The Beta 2 has improved security systems intended to stop malware and hacker attacks on the systems.
Vista will allow only two classes of users -- administrators and standard users and unlike in other Windows systems, standard users will be able to make more routine changes like keyboard settings or installing a mouse.
The procedures for user authentication too have been changed so that users can add third-party alternatives, like biometric devices. This had been problematic in Windows XP.
Vista's firewall is more robust. It blocks inbound traffic except where users have specified exceptions; outbound traffic is permitted by default except where rules call for blocking.
The 64-bit version of the software will not allow use of unsigned device drivers -- drivers that Microsoft has not certified.
Vista also incorporates a strong search functionality, which takes contexts into account. The searches can be limited even to folders. It also allows file searches based on attributes such as author, file type, or tags (created either manually or by the authoring application). The search parameters can be saved to search folders.
The system has a feature called Windows Meeting Space, which creates an ad-hoc network between several Vista users for exchange of documents.
The Beta 2 launch coincided with the launch of a test version of Office 2007 programs suite and Windows Longhorn server software.
At the launch function, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said this is the first time there had been such a synchronized release of the three most important Microsoft products.
