Considering the Hardware

You have some pros and cons to consider when working with hardware under Vista. The advantages will delight anyone who has wrestled with non-standard hardware. Because Vista requires signed drivers, far less often will you run into odd hardware-related problems that eventually lead to an outdated or faulty driver. When you do encounter a troublesome driver, at least you will know who put it together, so you can obtain help. Combine the higher reliability and stability of the drivers with the new features in Visual Studio 2005, and you'll find that working with hardware is a lot less of a problem.

The disadvantages come in the form of expectations you won't see fulfilled. The biggest problem for most developers will be denied access. For example, you know that a certain file exists on the hard drive, but you can't access it because you haven't requested the required access. Vista won't completely reign in the sloppy security of the past, but you'll find that it tolerates slips less often. In short, make sure that your application addresses all hardware access requirements before it attempts to use something even as simple as the hard drive.

Thinking Outside the Operating System

Microsoft removed a lot of the planned functionality from Vista. For example, you don't have to worry about programming for the new Windows File System (WinFS) just yet. However, an operating system contains more than just the operating system itself. Vista includes a myriad of new applications that appear as part of the operating system, even though they're theoretically separate.

Consider, for a moment, the new version of Internet Explorer that comes with Vista. Unlike Windows XP and Windows 2003, where the user might have this new version, Vista has Internet Explorer 7 pre-installed. Consequently, you must consider changes that it might cause for your application, even if your application runs on the desktop. For example, if you use HTML-based help for your application, you have to consider any changes that using Internet Explorer 7 will require.

You can see a whole list of Internet Explorer 7 requirements in my article, Making Your Apps work with Internet Explorer 7.

If your application relies on the command line (such as to perform background tasks), you have a new command line to worry about in the form of PowerShell (previously known as Monad). Monad offers a great deal more flexibility that the old command prompt, but it also comes with a wealth of new programming requirements. Of course, security is at the head of the list of things to consider, but that's only the beginning. Many features no long automatically load; that's right, you have to manually load your code into memory before you can execute it. The safety features that Monad provides are outstanding, and I think it's an important change in direction for Microsoft.

Learn more about working with PowerShell/Monad in my article, Creating Scripts with Monad.

The fact is that most of the applications that you've used in the past have undergone some kind of change for Vista. Consequently, if your application relies on any of those external Windows applications that have been around forever, you can't assume that they'll continue to work under Vista.

Think about what's happened over the time that Microsoft has put Vista together. Not only has Microsoft taken it on the chin a lot for security problems (something Vista improves greatly, but doesn't fix completely), but the company also lost lawsuits that impact system functionality and it has found itself in trouble for including features that resulted in sanctions. Although many of these issues remain unaddressed in Windows XP and Windows 2003, you can be certain that Microsoft will take great strides in addressing them for Vista because the entire world is looking for the required fixes.

The Bottom Line

It's probably safe to assume that your application is going to require an upgrade to work with Vista. The four main areas of testing for anyone upgrading their application include graphics, security, hardware, and third party applications. You must address all four areas to launch the Vista version of your application successfully.

There's a final caveat for developers. Vista includes a new interface that many users will find confusing. The user interface is completely different from previous Windows versions, and some people are complaining that the clear glass appearance adds to the confusion. For example, some people say it's hard to tell which window has the focus. All of these user issues will add to the woe of distributing your application on Vista. Be prepared to spend time making the application intuitive, rather than assume your older Windows interface will work just fine.