Build a Windows Vista System Today! (
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Feature: Windows Vista is coming. If you plan on moving to the new Microsoft OS, or are simply curious, we offer our tips and strategies on how to build a system that will run Vista effectively.
Within the next few weeks, Microsoft will be releasing beta 2 of Windows Vista. The actual ship date of Vista hasn't been announced, but Microsoft's new OS is likely to ship sometime this Fall.
Since Windows Vista (formerly codenamed "Longhorn") was announced, some of the bleeding-edge features have been scaled back. For example, WinFS, a file system built using relational database concepts, won't be included in the final release. But it's likely that the Windows Vista's feature list is now stable enough that we can predict what kind of system you'll need to build today to accommodate the new OS. Here are a few details we do know:
Vista moves away from GDI/GDI+, Microsoft's current graphics API used for the Windows desktop. Instead, Microsoft will use a desktop compositing engine built on DirectX. Each window will be its own 3D surface. There will be a fallback mode for systems that can't handle the 3D load. Note that GDI apps will run, because a GDI layer will exist atop the Desktop Window Manager.
Windows Vista will ship on DVD discs, so a DVD-ROM drive, at a minimum, is required.
Microsoft is encouraging hard drive makers to develop
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First, we'll assume that people will want the full Aero Glass treatment, with 3D effects, transparency and so on. Secondly, users will want to use Vista's compositing engine, which enables more robust typeface handling. Finally, we'll also assume people will want reasonably good performance, though that's somewhat determined by your usage model. An office workstation won't have the same performance requirements as a multimedia powerhouse.
Why would someone just using office applications and web browsing want an enhanced 3D interface? There are several reasons:
Better performance. A decent 3D graphics card—which will only add about $75 to $100 in the Vista launch time frame—will improve performance. Since every window is a 3D surface, better 3D hardware means better responsiveness, even if most your apps are 2D.
Enhanced productivity. From what we've seen of the new interface, plus the better font handling with the composting engine, the overall usability of the system improves. Better usability equals higher productivity.
With these thoughts in mind, let's turn our attention towards several configurations that we could build to support Vista. Continued...
