Windows Vista is the scheduled next version of Microsoft Windows operating system, superseding Windows XP. It was previously known by its codename Longhorn, after the Longhorn Saloon, a popular bar in Whistler, British Columbia (see the other Microsoft codenames). The name "Vista" was unveiled on July 22, 2005. According to sources, the scheduled release date for Windows Vista is currently July 23, 2006. That release date is only scheduled for PC vendors so that systems will be made Vista-ready before Christmas. The general public availability is projected to be around late October to early November 2006, five years after the release of Windows XP, making this the longest time span between releases of desktop versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
Windows Vista has many new features such as an updated graphical user interface called Aero, improved searching technology, a number of new security features, and completely new networking, audio, print, and display engines. Vista also aims to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network using peer-to-peer technology, making it easy to share files, password settings, and digital media between computers and devices. Windows Vista also has an entirely new development API, called WinFX, based on the .NET framework, which aims to make it significantly easier for developers to write high-quality applications than with WinFX's predecessor, Win32. In many ways, as Bill Gates has said, Windows Vista is the broadest and biggest update since Windows 95, which was released over ten years ago.
Windows Vista will carry the version number 6.0 (Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 being Windows NT versions 5.0, 5.1, and 5.2, respectively).
Windows Server "Longhorn", the successor to Windows Server 2003, is also under development, and will be based on the Windows Vista codebase. It is expected to be released in the first half of 2007.
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Overview
Windows Vista was originally expected to ship sometime late in 2003 as a minor step between Windows XP and Windows "Vienna", formerly known as "Blackcomb". Gradually, Vista assimilated many important new features and technologies of "Vienna", and so the date of release was pushed back to first quarter of 2006. In August 2004, Microsoft announced that it was making changes to what was then only known as "Longhorn". Microsoft basically started development afresh, building on the Windows Server 2003 codebase. This decision was reached in the wake of Windows XP Service Pack 2. As part of this decision, Microsoft announced that it is delaying the release of WinFS so that Vista could be released in "a reasonable timeframe".
Vista Beta 1 (build 5112) is currently available to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and TechNet subscribers as well as a select group of Microsoft Beta testers and at select Microsoft developer conferences such as the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) and WinHEC. The preview release is classified as a beta version at the moment, although its feature set is not representative of the release product. Like many other products (including all Windows releases since Windows 98), it has since been leaked onto popular networks (file sharing or otherwise) such as IRC, BitTorrent, eDonkey and various newsgroups.
With build 5219, Microsoft started releasing monthly Community Technical Previews (CTP) to beta testers. Build 5219 was distributed among 2005 PDC attendees, and has been released to Microsoft Beta testers and MSDN subscribers. It is also known as CTP1. Although not enabled by default, this refresh sees the return of the Windows Sidebar, which had been removed from previous builds due to a memory leak, and the introduction of Desktop Gadgets, both of which are part of Microsoft gadgets line of mini-applications. These are similar to Apple's widgets. Microsoft has stated that these Gadgets will be available at www.microsoftgadgets.com, and they will be available for Windows XP as well. It also supported a new version of Windows Media Center code-named "Diamond" (previously available only in Windows XP Media Center Edition).
Although Microsoft has stated that WinFS will not make its wide-reaching debut in Windows Vista, users of the 5219 build noticed that WinFS is in fact included in that version. Several Windows 'rumor' sites and newsgroups such as Neowin and Paul Thurrott's Windows SuperSite have made speculation that WinFS will in fact be ready on time for Windows Vista's release.
About two weeks before its intended release, and one week after build 5219 was released, build 5231 was leaked, unfortunately containing a number of critical bugs. On schedule, about two weeks later, Microsoft released 5231, also known as CTP2 or the October 2005 CTP, to MSDN subscribers and Microsoft Beta Testers. This "Ultimate" build introduced the next version of Windows Media Player (version 11).
On November 22, 2005, the Windows Vista TAP Preview (build 5259) was released to TAP members, four days after its originally announced release date of November 18th as a November CTP. Microsoft cancelled the November CTP due to its instability, and decided to release it only to TAP members. The December CTP (build 5270), which was released to testers and MSDN on December 19, is very close to feature-complete. The first feature-complete CTP, the February Enterprise CTP (build 5308), was released on February 22.
Following that, Microsoft will release another CTP on April 12th. This will be the next CTP on the Beta 2 track, and will be available through Microsoft's Customer Preview Program — essentially a free download. According to Jim Allchin, the co-President at Microsoft responsible for Windows Vista, there will be no "Release Candidates" as with previous versions of Windows; they will instead continue shipping CTP's until the product is ready.[1]