The History and Development of Microsoft Vista
Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest offering, took five years in the making. This is easily the longest time that has lapsed between two offerings from Microsoft. Vista came into being in May 2001 as a passing product for Blackcomb. It was code named Longhorn, which is a peak between Whistler and Blackcomb in British Columbia. Blackcomb was meant to be a future version of Microsoft Windows but has faced several delays. It has now been renamed Vienna. Windows Vista and can be used on PCs, Tablet PCs, and media centers, etc.
As work progressed on Longhorn, it began to take shape as an individual entity of its own and not just an interim product for Blackcomb. Many new features and technologies intended for Blackcomb were added to Longhorn. Microsoft deliberated for quite some time before settling on Vista as the product name. Finally, it was first introduced by its now well-known name on July 22, 2005. Afterwards, a massive beta-test followed in which hundreds of thousands of people volunteered. Jim Allchin, co-president of Windows Development announced that Vista was ready in November 2006. The three main aspects that were promoted most to the public for Vista were the clarity, connection, and confidence that the operating system gives its users.
Vista has been packed with new features that run into hundreds; Microsoft has stated that the main focus in the development of Vista has been plugging security vulnerabilities that were present in the earlier systems due to malware and viruses. In fact, the development of Vista was delayed because of the time it took to improve security features in Windows XP. An interesting development during the making of Vista was Microsoft's tests for combining Next-Generation Secure Computing Base technology with Longhorn. The move received massive criticism and Microsoft dropped the idea.
Members of the Microsoft Developer Network were the first to test the Windows Vista Beta 1 in July 2005. This release featured several changes to the interface with hi-res icons, new search capabilities, and virtual folders. The September Community Technical Preview (CTP) saw the introduction of Desktop Gadgets, which are a major new addition in Vista and Windows Media Player 11 made its debut with the October 2005 CTP.
By October 2006, Microsoft had arrived at a pre-RTM stage of its product. The release-to-manufacture system of Microsoft requires that the code in question should have less than 500 bugs to iron out before it enters the RTM phase. In the pre-RTM phase, Microsoft focused on removing bugs and hoping that no show-stopper bugs turn up. Sadly, their worst fears came true when such a bug was found on October 17, 2006. This bug rendered all systems useless that were upgraded from XP. The only solution was a complete reinstallation.
The RTM build of Vista was finalized on November 18, 2006. This is the version that is now shipped to consumers. Volume license customers were able to purchase the Enterprise edition from November 30, 2006 whereas the edition for home users was made available on January 30, 2007.
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