About Windows Explorer:
That green bar can get annoying, especially for people with a lot of video files. However, I think once a folder is scanned thumbnails are now permanent.

Regardless of this, Vista should scan all the folders in low priority mode when indexing and eliminate the need for this wait. It would be incredibly simple to implement this.

Vista does have a lot of potential, but I find that some programs are a feature or two away from being usable and, if these features are not added I'll just use third-party software. The burning app is an example. I refuse to copy software without a verify feature. Actually, the whole burning app needs to be thought. The "burn" icon should bring up a windows explorer based window more dedicated to burning. I timed a burn in Nero and it took only a couple seconds to begin the burn process. Vista took several minutes and seemed to be creating an Image. Why??

I hope Microsoft polishes the product once released. If I use third-party software instead of the included Microsoft programs then the need for a new OS to replace XP diminishes.

One final thing. Why can't I even view a picture in full-screen in the Windows Photo Gallery?

I wonder if I'll use any software beyond what's in Windows basic. (heck, I don't even care for Transparency).

Don't get me wrong, I like Vista but I'm just not seeing a lot of reason to upgrade for the average home user with XP Home or Pro, besides, most people I know are used to the button arrangement and really have no desire to relearn a few things whether they are "better" or not.

ohh, come on! so you don't like it, so what? you all are still going to buy a new comp, stuff it with expecive dough just to run Vista. you are going to chew on this turd and love it. even if it half broke. why? because you don't have a choice!

we all know that good OS has to have pretty buttons, and vista will be the best looking one ever. people are going to see it on bestbuy
demo comps ,get it just for looks and salesman promisses of super easy miracle OS (they also will be sold entire new comp while they at it). it's not the informed who drive the market, it the dumb and so far they are the majority.

so shut up, stop b****ing and prepare to eat this sh...t. don't like it ? tough...

I don't buy prebuilt computers and even if I did I would have the option of wiping the hard drive and installing whatever OS I choose.

That's what I did. I'm back to Windows 98 SE...and happy!

I'm still wondering when SLI support will be included in a build !

Please, don't rush it.

To Little,Too(ooooooooooo) Late.

Trust me people will love it, majority of buyers will not be geeks. Geeks may turn on classic mode but most people will love those cool graphics those rounded buttons those flashy colors and the translucent bars, remember people were crying about same thing in xp.
Then there is security, then you have few well integrated productive features. There are going to be many thing invisible to most people(like moving away from registry). Then they had to make it compatible with huge huge huge list of hardware. And they had to keep the backward compatibility. And they have upgraded many apps in there.
And then and then and then and then, have you seen that "dude where is my car movie" and then and then and then ;p
and then it is lot more secure and then ....

Everyone I know with XP have turned the "pretty" crap off, even the novices.

I also like classic look but everyone i know love luna VS, and i am pretty sure there are going to be lot more screen shots of luna VS on google than of windows xp with classic look to prove that it has been success.

Yes novices know where you can change theme, but classic theme doesn't turn off all the stupid effects, and they're hidden much deeper most novices don't know where it is.

postRC1 (Build 5728) available from Microsoft here: (RC1 keys work).

From my experience so far, it's a faster more reliable build.

"This build (5728) has a number of improvements and updates from RC1, but has not been put through the same internal testing process as RC1 and therefore may be unstable in certain installations. We are making this release available for a limited time only (and only by download) in order to get broad distribution and testing in a variety of PC configurations. Please note: This build may not have the same level of support or servicing via Windows Update, and you may not be able to upgrade to the final version of Windows Vista."

64bit:

http://download.windowsv...ent-lrmcxfre_en_dvd.iso

32 bit:

http://download.windowsv...c1/en/download-5728.htm

Thanks again for the links and the info.

...

"As for vista taking
6 years, They made
some big mistakes
early on, after years
of development and
putting resources
into features that
were never added
they started over
from scratch with
Server 2003 code"

...

Absolutely.

~That~ is what happens when a corporation doesn't have
focus or vision, and makes decisions-by-committee !

Also when the Marketing Dept. has too much input on
OS features.

Listen, the PC Rat ain't anti-Microsoft. [ Although he's
against all the Microsoft adherents who are starting to
sound more and more like Microsoft versions of
Mac Snobs ! ]

Microsoft needs to wake up and smell the coffee.
Computer software -and especially an OS- is about
innovation.

Got to have an new idea (or, at least, improve on
an old idea), then have the discipline to implement it.

The DataRat will probably buy a copy of WinVista and
put it on one of his machines when it comes out in 2007
or 2008. But he's not very excited by Vista. It ~isn't~ a
'I-can't-wait' type of thing.

...

The Computer Rodent

...

I don't think I've ever seen anyone so gay as you.

...

"I don't think I've
ever seen anyone
so gay as you"

...

That's the problem with you sodomites: Because
you're homosexual, you think everybody else is too.

...

The Computer Rodent

...

...

"What if instead of
trying to keep up with
the Apples, Microsoft
had built an OS based
on XP and the classic
theme?
...Instead spending
years working on
stupid eye candy,
special effects and
other gimmicks"

...

Aereo doesn't impress your favorite rodent in
~either~ Vista or the Mac OS.

As you also stated: Microsoft pretty much copied
existing applets and inserted them into WinVista.

Sure we get 'em "free" in Vista. Or, do we ?
The PC Rodent ~already~ has all that stuff.
He needs to buy WinVista to get it again ?

Bro. Rat ain't even against "eye candy". But
ALREADY have special effects software that
makes a window do the tango when it opens !

And, PC Tablet support ? For who ? All 25 people
in the world who own PC Tablets ?

The most valuable thing in Vista is the security
enhancement. Which almost could've been done
as a service pack release for XP ! [ Or, at
least a version point upgrade to XP. ]

What's completely lacking in WinVista is
innovation.

The sluggards at Micosoft haven't had an
original idea for nearly a decade !

...

The Computer Rodent

...

Dude you are so gay. ~Really.~

...

"Dude you are
so gay"

...

You ~wish~ ! What's the matter ? Having trouble
getting a date with another guy, you homo ?

...

The Computer Rodent

...

I tried RC1 for a week, and I've never been so happy to see the XP startup screen as I was this morning when I formatted and reinstalled it. I tried my best to like Vista, there are some nice ideas in it but the interface is just horrible. Aero, the new Windows Explorer and all of the settings dialogs are now slow, kludgy and very confusing.

Take the Display Properties for example. From Windows 95 to Server 2003 all of the display related settings were available in one tabbed dialog. In Vista though, every single one of them has their own seperate screen that require you to click on hyperlinks to get to. Change the screen saver, open a window, then open another one to change the desktop background, and another one to for resolution.

The network settings are the worst though, the new Network and Sharing center is completely useless. You can't find anything now, there's no order or sense to any of it. This is progress? They've just made it require a lot more work to do things, if you can even figure out how to do them now.

Windows Explorer wants to scan everything, I got so sick of that green bar every time I opened a new folder. I hate how the folders now highlight as you move your mouse over them. That should only happen for selected items. The wasted screen space all over is ridiculous. For all these nuisances what are the advantages? In my opinion Vista is a serious downgrade from XP and if they don't improve it I'm skipping it.

I'm confused as to what you think is so bad about the network center.

connection settings? Click on 'view status', and 'properties'. (or the side-panel 'Manage network Connections')

File and printer sharing is now right out front...

Where's the extra work you're talking about? Give me an example.

I agree on the explorer issue. Damn green bar. I usually end up stopping it (red 'X', same as IE7) and closing the window / starting over. Definate PITA.

Ok a few things to say about vista.

Every single useful application that has come out or had features added or has been improved in the last 5 years and been copied by Microsoft and integrated into vista.

EVERY SINGLE THING!

Top 10 Examples:
1. Fancy interface - Apple os 10 or windows blinds, Linux has this as well much better as in xgl.
2. Calender application - everyone has it but Microsoft, they do now though obviously.
3. Windows defender- 10 other companies do antispyware
4. DVD maker - roxio, Nero and several others.
5. Photo viewer- Google's Picasa, countless others
6. Sidebar- equal to konfabulator, yahoo widgets, Google desktop.
7. indexing search/ window search - AOL, Google etc's indexing search programs among others.
8. FireFox- ie7 copies every aspect of FireFox from tabs to the neat search bar on the right. Obviously inferior in every way other then that. Live search only unless you "add more" to it.
9. Adobe PDF is now copied by Microsoft's own xps
10. user account control- Linux has had this forever. Also a feature of zone alarm.
11. Firewall- zone alarm does everything windows does and much more.

So with that in mind, do these companies own t hose ideas? No, but the fact is Microsoft has not had the original idea for any of these new features of the os and it's sickening. The only innovation Microsoft has done with vista, is how to copy the features make their own and the best way to bundle and bolt them into the os.

Sad sad so sad. Every single one of those companies will be out of business in a few years. I am guessing Microsoft just simply can't stand anyone else having a cool and innovative unique application . Microsoft sits around and figures out the best way to copy things. That it, enough said.

You sir, are a brainless troll.

Troll. So we should have one of every app?

A lot of these things that microsoft has "copied" have been around in windows for several years now, although some have been largely hidden from general users.
DVD maker is licenced from Sonic (The makers of Roxio).
The photo viewer has been with us for a long time now also, although it has now evolved into a reasonabley powerful bit of software.

Why complain just because microsoft includes these 'free' in vista. They all seem to run flawlessly, so far, and the more usable software included with the os the less likely that many users will install software that has been poorly written and often causes conflicts further down the track, most of which cause the problems that people claim microsoft has. Before complaining about value added software look at the long term - this included software is very unlikely to cause system problems at a later date where many third party apps do.

My point is we want more then one application. You don't seem to see the problem do you? Want to see a repeat of the netscape bomb? You will see it with every single other aspect of the software industry in the next few years when vista is released.

so I am a troll now for this reason? Nice.

Brainless troll, huh. What makes me brainless? The fact I can see right through microsoft's true intent. I can tell you right now, its not microsoft wants what's best for their customers. It's all about microsoft trying to take credit for inventing everything by simply copying it and then making a overwelming majority of users simply by tying it to the operating system

I think we all forgot what the term operating system means. Microsoft made it mean everything including the kitchen sink is well, included.

Microsoft in the dictionary should mean quite frankly "anti-competitive".

Why complain? Because it quite simply eliminates the need for anyone else to make anything new. They know they have no chance in hell. Making a superior product is meaningless. What happend when ie was tied to windows 98? It eliminated the need for netscape. Netscape went out of business and ie remained unchanged and unchallenged for years. Even now with its flawed security, lack of features and everything else it remains dominate. Does that mean firefox just isn't superior? No, microsoft has theirs tied to the os. Someone else comes out with something that is so much better through word of mouth it gains 10 percent share. Finally microsoft starts to improve ie.

That is my point, try to avoid this with every other application that is tied to the os. Once competition is destroyed there is no need to improve it. Eventually Microsoft will be the only software company left. They will destroy all other's through this method. Roxio and nero are next, watch and see. DVD maker was just the beginning.

You really don't need any other applications now, therefore all other software companies can cease to exist. More attention on microsoft and windows. One shot one kill, buy vista thats it. Want more features, upgarde vista to the next level.

Microsoft has a direct delivery method no other company can match. Even if their software sucks, it doesn't matter. That is my problem and why I am complaining. Does it matter? Will I change a thing? Nope, I will however get people calling me troll and mindless. You sir are the mindless troll not me.

Your complaints are still the same and you still say companies that microsoft is now licencing software from will go broke. Hardly.

It is completely mindless to say that this will reduce competition and improvement. Microsoft licencing software from other vendors will force them to get their acts together and actually produce some software that will be superior. If these vendors dont do this they deserve to go broke. The chance is now there for many of them to licence their software to microsoft or even apple which will give them a larger return than could ever be expected with retail sales alone.

Most people will still want cutting edge software that stands out from the rest either in terms of feature and or security. Software companies will now simply be forced to produce quality products that do have new features to get people to buy their programs.

It is funny that the same complaints were not used when roxio and nero started including more with their packages (as do most companies). Did their inclusion of photo viewers and organisers stop the many different and mostly better option available - no it did not. Did people complain when printers and scanner started coming packaged with image manipulation, ocr and other software - no they didnt many went out and purchased better software after learning the basics on their free inclusions.

Including software that can readily be uninstalled and that many people want should not cause complaint after all it is just included free, for many using this included software will lead to them wanting it to do more, run faster or work better. This will be when they start looking arround for better products.

As for internet explorer killing netscape, at the time netscape was not the best option available, just the most widely used, the same stands true now, internet explorer 7 is not the best arround, nor for that matter is firefox (incidently built on the same basic engine as netscape).

In an environment largely controlled by internet explorer and a small part by firefox many cutting edge browsers are still emerging one example - flock (probably the first web 2.0 browser available). While it is true that people generally will not want to pay for software they get free many will upgrade to a package that includes new ideas and runs better. Most of the other browsers around today including firefox do not offer anything that has not been available for some time - I will happily admit that firefox is better than internet explorer but the margin is not as large as people claim

While I laugh every time a new exploit is found in microsoft products I also remember that similar expliots exist in their competitors software also, microsoft largely seems to have more because being the maker of some of the most used software they are a bigger target for hackers and the makers of malware. Imagine the uproar if personal data was made available to all due to an exploit in a microsoft product. Now imaging the same happening with other companies, the person or people that made the data available would be hunted down and charged. Well this is what does in fact happen very often - many large companies have had personal data stolen, not from a microsoft based system but from unix and linux based systems, the question is then asked how did a large company have such poor security that personal data was stolen, not why are linux or unix based systems so easy to hack into.

Incidently linux and Mac OS were written using unix as their core, the first ever noted computer exploit - a small virus was found on a unix system.

The new interface is great and should not be targeted as being a mac or linux lookalike, it is just an improvement on what they already had. Further although most people claim that apple developed the first gui they didnt, it was sco unix that did have the first gui and apple borrowed the idea from them, it is now standard for os's to have a gui

By the way Roxio has not existed in its own right for a couple of years now, it was brought by sonic software who also make some of the most powerful multimedia programs available, I can not see how they could go broke when vista also earns them money via their licencing agreement with microsoft

Lets not forget that Mac OS and Linux also come with alot more than just the basic system, at least updates for microsoft (and linux of course) are free and dont need to be paid for.
All companies have included more and more in their packages for years, as does nearly every company around, it is called 'value added' people expect more than just the basics. Imagine a car without air conditioning, adjustable seats, no radio, heaps of road noise and poor suspension. Well that is what we got 30years ago, I dont hear people complaining that their new car came with all this and more.

If you want a system that just includes the very basics may i suggest dos or unix or maybe even os/2 if you want a few extras

Keep bringing up Netscape and blaming MS for it. I

It's fun to watch. It is a joke, right?

Okay, you're under the impression Bill sits at his desk thinking about what companies he can destroy next. You're wrong.

Here's the progression:

Customer whines about having to buy an additional product for this or that feature. Instead of building it in from scratch, Microsoft licenses the tech from folks like Roxio or Sonic and adds support into the OS.

Nothing Evil there. No ill intent. Microsoft didn't change the definition of OS, the consumer did. MS is just trying to keep up with them.Do you honestly think a "bare" OS would sell to the average consumer? Hell no, it's all about features and flash.

You see it as the end of the world. Others see it as this thing called "progress".

Are you serious dude? Why don't you go talk about how Apple put iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, iThis, iThat, into their OS? Why aren't you complaining about them? Is it OK for them to include every possible kind of software into their OS, but not for Microsoft? Is it innovative for them, but a copy-cat move by MS?

Truth is, I will never use Windows Movie Maker or Windows DVD maker. I use Sony Vegas+DVD. Everything MS includes in Windows is very low-end, limited in flexibility. Don't you think if other companies were worried, you would have heard a big outcry already, like from Symantec?

You are seriously a huge conspiracy theorist. Rediculous. Look at it from ALL angles before you start to blab about MS being so evil. Why don't you talk about the innovations in the Windows Presentation Foundation, or any of the other "Foundations"? The huge amount of resources available for developers to create stunning applications. You barely skim the surface of eye-candy just from the OS. Just because you can't see the innovations in Windows Vista, doesn't mean they don't exist. Just like how you can't see your brain just by looking in the mirror, doesn't mean it doesn't exist; but with you I'd question it.

I must say that this is the BEST post I have read on betanews comments ever since I first started coming to this website on dayly basis. I agree with you 110%

...

"Microsoft isn't a
miracle worker but
they should be for
their prices and
salary that is for
sure"

...

Microsoft has over 10,000 employees (not counting
thousands of contract workers). So, yeah, one might
expect a ~lot~ from Microsoft.

And there's no way with those kind of resources that
what little is in WinVista should have taken SIX YEARS
to be developed !

But you can't buy work ethic, or creativity. Nor can
Microsoft just hire more people to get either.

Sadly, Microsoft has become a hapless bureaucratic
giant ...musclebound yet having trouble tying it's own
shoe !

...

The Computer Rodent

...

I assume by 10 thousand you mean working on windows? Microsoft as a whole has about 71 thousand employees according to google finance. According to some stories about windows development they have 2 thousand active programmers on vista.

They say the project is so complex it's mind boggling in fact there 50 different areas that require specialists. The average programmer only sees 2 of these areas or know anything about. The other 48 areas are mysteries so no one person knows the secret sauce. Who knows if this is for security or because windows is such a complex piece of software.

The really sad thing is, how complex would it be if they took out all the crap and just made a core os? No ie tied to it, or media player or spyware software or picture mangager or dvd writer or movie maker or games that no one plays or anything else for that matter. Just a simple os with a second dvd that has click to install or not to install. I mean what is so difficult about that? That way the application people can simply work on that and not work on how it will effect the rest of the os. The security issues like with ie won't effect the entire os. I mean that is my take on it.

They also say from a team leader to gates has like 5 levels of mangement which is pretty rediculous. For the kind of money they have and brain power they should be able to do just about anything and programming code is just not their speciality, secure code is even further away then that.

Why is linux so much more secure, I can tell you it isn't simply because no one uses it. Not only that, but the fact is linux source code is completely available to anyone who wants to see it. Windows code is locked down so I mean i can't even imagine what would happen if the source code was leaked. virus writers hackers would have a field day and absolutely reek havok.

As for vista taking 6 years, They made some big mistakes early on, after years of development and putting resources into features that were never added they started over from scratch with Server 2003 code. This broke alot of stuff and with a different code base it was taking forever.

As for this build in this story I have been using it for a minute now and it is much more snappy. Features like the photo viewer program That is integrated into media player I might add will put picasa and any other picture manager in a choke hold is not too bad performance wise and features. I mean it should considering its now a part of the code base of windows.

Microsoft put their reputation in the toilet by adding all these features to the os. Does it make it more secure or nice? I really don't know, but considering most oem's sell the os I think it should be up to them and third parties as to what programs do what. We all know the next version of windonws will integrate a few other things. I have my money on anti virus, the only reason why it wasn't integrated along with defender is due to the antitrust regulators no doubt, thank god. That would of been the end of symantec, mcafee and trend micro and all other anti virus vendors in a heart beat.

I have no problems with microsoft wanting to make all these programs the problem is they suck, and they tie them directly to the os with no feature to uninstall it. It is quite literally bolted to the os. Why is this necessary other then to force the software on you and eliminate competition. There are vendors and these simple programs are their revenue. Putting these not only in windows, but then bolting them in with no uninstall feature is just plain wrong. That is what I hate the most about microsoft, their products typically suck. They play dirty and they are without mercy. They think they own the software industry and it shows with each new release of windows. First ie, then media player and movie maker, now windows defender, photo viewer and a dvd maker. These products all suck and I know third parties are going to have nightmare trying to fix their applications to work with it.

I also love how live search is default in ie7 and switching is not exactly easy. You have to do some clicks and then decide what you want. Why are people going to do that when they can simply use the default? Most people are not going to know the difference and microsoft will benefit from that. Where are the anti trust regulators when you need em huh?

What if instead of trying to keep up with the Apples, Microsoft had built an OS based on XP and the classic theme? If they had worked on adding support for new hardware, updated the security and added some of the new programs they added to Vista. Instead spending years working on stupid eye candy, special effects and other gimmicks not to mention rearranging the entire OS for no reason other than to make it different (and harder to use). It probably would have been out years ago. If they had a modern version of XP or even 2000 on sale now I'd buy it in a second. The interface for those systems worked, it did not need to be tinkered with. I've used Vista now, and I'm going to say no thanks. I'll stick with XP as long as it's viable, and then I will switch to another OS like PC-BSD or whatever is good by then.

i am going to assume that xp support will be terminated asap by microsoft. It has been out for so fricken long. I mean support is supposed, to only last for 5 years. So look forward to using xp with sp2 which will be unsupported very very shortly.

I wish they would of done that what you suggest and just improve the security of xp and make aero and other features just add on's that are OPTIONAL, imagine that microsoft.

Last I looked, aero was optional, you can just deselect it from your display properties :P

Unfortunately Classic is unfinished and unusable.

why would Microsoft make google or any other search the default for THEIR product? try downloading anything like adobe or buying a pc from dell...its covered in google this and google that and you dont hear anti trust complaining on that one...

changing the default in 4 easy clicks

click on the arrow (by the search box)
select find more providers
click on preferred provider
make preferred provider default...

You have to keep in mind we do not represent the majority or knowledge of the average user who uses Microsoft Products...Microsoft knows this and they look at joe user who does not want to pay more money for features he believes should be on that 1,000 machine he just paid ...so they add movie maker, photo viewer, burning software, media player because the common user (you know the one who has difficulty finding the power button or is relentlessly on a hunt to find the "any" key) No one is forcing you to use those programs and they are not hurting you being on there...the only way microsoft would be being anti competitive is if you could NOT install any other software but theirs but well we all know thats not true...yes the existing software is still there and yes it would be nice if you could take it all out together but well you can't and until the majority realizes this we are just a small number of complainers and will need to wait until either Microsoft makes a version of windows geared more towards someone that knows how to operate a pc

which reminds me I had a user today crying hysterically because her internet is not working...basically her connection was in a selecting state and was not binding to our router unfortunately the previous agent did not attempt to call her back (for whatever reason decided not to note anything he did either and we had to start over from scratch, hence why she asked for a supervisor at this point) so I told her we had to check a few steps she cried even more...shes late wants it fixed etcetc...since it was in the state it was in we needed to verify everything was ok with her tcp/ip settings and if we did a r/r if there were any winsock errors (the two biggest problems we seem to be dealing with lately) so she actually says she wants it fixed without having to touch her pc and quote..."why should I have to know how to use the pc to get my internet to work..." I wanted to cry too after hearing this...

Point is for them to not have a default. How about when you first open the browser it immediately says something like, lets get your browser configured. What do you want your default search to be? Yahoo, google, live search etc? What do you want your home page to be? gee wouldn't that be a noble concept. How about when the operating system first starts up, what would you like your default applications to be? ie7? firefox? how about photo viewer? dvd burner? Firewall? antivirus?

Offer these companies a deal to pay you a premium to be the top of the list, they compete for space on your 90 percent user base os. Now that would be a company that respects the industry and offers others a chance and even may make some friends in the process. let's just tie our stuff to the os and take the heat from lawsuits. Lawsuits cost 1 billion, but we made 40 billion a year in the process, sounds like goog business to me.

5 years? Then why did they just stop supporting Windows 98 in the last year or two. Windows 2000 is still supported. And they are working on XP SP3. Don't worry about lack of support.

well i know that there are going to be hackers finding a way in so keep your antivirus and antispyware locked and loaded updated because there will be lots of hackers finding new ways to get in and will eventually find a way just warning u when it comes out

TRUST ME

...duh? =p

I don't think there's anyone naive enough to say "I'm getting Vista. I don't need my anti-virus or anti-spyware anymore."

...unless all they hear about it is from Microsoft's ads.

If you want to download buuild 5728, you can get if from Microsoft here.

http://download.windowsv...c1/en/download-5728.htm

My experience, is that it's another major improvement over RC1. Still not close, but winning cigars.

32bit only at the mo.

Thanks for the link. My RC1 key should still work with this version correct?

They should be good on all builds until RTM.

I bet $1 on 5900 build for RTM (final).

Wow, I dunno. I want to take that bet, but I just can't afford the risk right now. That's a lot of money you know.

What Microsoft need to add:
1. More secure system, so almost impossible for virus, trojan, and others to Touch Windows system files.
2. Make the System recovery better. which can recover the windows even when we cannot go into the windows.
Win Xp system recovery is useless. it cannot recover when we cannot go into the windows.
3. add backup and restore activation code.
now we need to do it manually.
and please reduce the overall size and the resources use

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

IF the mbr is damaged then there really is no way to get a install to boot off the hard drive, solution is to boot using the install cd, then select from the menu the option to repair, fix the computer. They have backup solutions, memory testing and even boot repair.

I think they did a great job in this regard. But doing what you are suggesting would mean locking out all third party application, especially security vendors. Microsoft has already locked down most of the operating system and people are already complaining.

As for viruses, microsoft Windows needs to be able to tell the difference between what is a virus and what isn't right now it depends on user account control for this to help warn the user of possible danger.

Microsoft isn't a miracle worker but they should be for their prices and salary that is for sure. Windows vista I hope is at least more secure then xp. But hackers are able to put pace microsoft on this level. I mean its millions of hackers to just a few thousand people developing windows. What can you do?

As for backing up and restoration, its on the dvd install disc after bootup.

Vista is 3 years too late.
If it came out when scheduled, and by all accords; should have been if not for the gigantic blunders along the way, Apple would not be in the apparent David vs. Goliath position they are in now. Microsoft then would have all but won the OS market. Apple has an opening to make a move and gain support for their consistent OS that has been retooled for 6 years.
Come to think of it, this may well be a good thing for consumers: If MS didn't have competition, there wouldn't be competitive instinct that drives innovation. Sitting on your laurels and waiting for others to catch up will do that to most, however ;)

lol! Agreed, what a loon.

It's open ended software and I can't wait till it's retail...and hopefully I can afford it :)

For any naysayers out there, anything this big take time and cannot be perfect. No software in the world, especially an OS can not ship as is and never get anything additional patched to it. If you think otherwise, your are more arrogant than logic dictates.

It's a growing and evolving digital world...if it can't be patched or doesn't get patched...something's wrong, or nothing's ever made for it to warrant updates and patches.

Ultimate Edition...I have my poor eye on you! :)

I used RC1, it was nice, but kind of like a glorified XP. The user interface was neat, but certainly not necessary. The security features were nice especially if you don't know how to use a computer, but I just ended up disabling all their new stuff. I'm going to stick to XP for now even though I get Vista for free, I'm still not upgrading.

For all the flak Vista gets, it IS an upgrade, especially under the hood.

If you don't want your copy of Vista, send it to me, I'll be glad to install it.

C'mon - how arbitrary can you be? What if by build 5799 it's not seen as being ready? Send it out anyway?

They name the version whatever they want, it does not go one build at a time (5777, 5778, etc). RC1 didn't just happen to come out on build 5600 for example.

Are you kidding, when has any Microsoft software ever been good enough for release at RTM? We the consumers, are the product testers for Microsoft. Windows XP was buggy and slow when released to the public, only now in SP2 is is finally to the point where it should have been released. Vista will be the same way, only after 1 or 2 years in consumers hands will it actually be good enough to consume. Microsoft only needs a working version so that they can get some investment back, then the real work begins by building Patches, Updates, and Service Packs. Don't confuse Microsoft with a company that actually cares about releasing quality code the first time around.

So it is somewhat arbitrary, then? They make builds, determine which ones they want to make semi-public, and then assign a number to them afterwards?

Stupid reply bugs.

Are there any reviews out yet?

Strange that they can put a build number on what they think it'll be released on but they can't a month, or, ahem, a year?

It's a software management thing... you can indeed anticipate such a thing once you decide what's left to be added, fixed, etc.

Yeah, but by RTM, they should be at least feature complete, if not code complete and on to doing just bug fixes and QA and nothing else.

With my products, by the time I through with my first beta are feature complete and code lock-down happens after the final beta. These are rules that came out of MSFT years ago and most of us older developers still follow.

Surprises me that they are still adding features and such this far into the dev cycle.

~dnc

Microsoft said vista has been feature complete for a while now. since the beta phase. they're not adding features, they're fine tuning.

some how i think it will be around the 58xx range before it's ready.