Windows Vista Beta 2 - ICCM International



Windows Vista Beta 2

and

2007 Office System Beta 2

At a glance

ICCM – June 2006 -- Bill Stevenson

Key Points:

Windows Vista has a product guide

300 pages but worth skimming to see if

it is what you want and need.

New formats – XML, smaller file size, more

reliable

This software takes more “horsepower”

to work. What is your deployment

strategy?

Many great features – this is cursory.

Available 1Q2007 (latest rumor)

Requirements



Windows Vista Windows Vista

Capable PC Logo Premium Ready

Processor >= 800mhz (min.) >=1 ghz 32 bit or 64 bit processor

Memory 512 MB (min.) 1 GB

Graphics Direct X 9 capable Aero capable

WDDM driver support rec. - Supports Direct X 9 GPU supporting

800x600 (min.) WDDM

Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware

128 MB graphics memory

HDD 20 GB with 15 GB free (min.) 40 GB with 15 GB free

Other CD ROM DVD ROM

When

1Q2007 (indirect source)

Important web sites

Windows Vista upgrade advisor (beta):



My experiences.

Windows Application Compatibility Resource Guide:



Deployment:



Microsoft Think:

Confidence (more time doing what you need to do and less babysitting)

Clarity (better file representation/less icon focus, file organization (store/manage/search)

Connecting (people, places, devices)

Versions:

Audience focused (consumers, small businesses, and medium and large organizations)

Entry and premium levels available for each segment

Consumer : Basic, Premium, Ultimate

Small Business: Business, Ultimate

32 and 64 bit versions not separated (except for Starter)

The following table summarizes the SKUs by sales channel:

[pic]

The following table compares the Windows XP SKUs with

the Windows Vista SKUs:

[pic]

This comes out of the Windows Vista Product Guide and gives you an idea of the feature set of this product.

| |

|User Account Control |

|Windows Vista Basic user interface |

| |

|Network Center |Yes |Yes |

|Network Center |A central, easy-to-use place for quickly viewing network status and important network |2 |

| |settings. | |

|Connecting Interface |A single, easy interface for viewing and connecting to all available wireless |2 |

| |networks, corporate (VPN and RAS) connections, and dial-up connections. Helpful | |

| |wizards are also available to help you set up these connections for the first time. | |

|Network Explorer |In one place, you can browse all computers and devices on the network. The speed and |2 |

| |reliability of discovering networked computers, servers, and devices is significantly | |

| |improved compared to Windows XP. | |

|Network Map |A visual map of the network that displays computers and devices as well as the ways in|2 |

| |which they are connected. Broken connections are clearly displayed on the map, and you| |

| |can use Network Diagnostics to help diagnose the problem and find possible solutions. | |

|Network Diagnostics |Windows can diagnose network problems when they occur and suggest solutions. |2 |

|Network Setup Wizard |Easy, self-guided wizard that recognizes when supported networking hardware is |2 |

| |connected and helps you create a network. It then guides you in using the Windows | |

| |Connect Now technology to create a secure wireless network and easily connect devices | |

| |and computers to it. Rather than writing these settings down, you can transfer them | |

| |with a USB flash drive or an Ethernet cable. | |

|Network Awareness |A platform that reports changes in network connectively to supported applications, |2 |

| |enabling a customized user experience for each network. | |

Windows SideShow – use of gadgets to view information without powering up, for example

New XML PaperSpecification Document Format – replaces GDI, which is still available

Speech recognition software

UDF burning, which allows you to add and remove files from your CDR/RW and DVDR/RW without ever having to launch a burn task. It makes CDs and DVDs virtually identical to removable media of any sort.

Windows Media Player 11 – partner is MTV’s URGE music service!! (Is this a problem?!)

Media Center included in Home Premium and Ultimate Editions

Burn your own data DVD’s and span them? Video DVD authoring as well?

Backup and restore – image based backup of computer

Start menu

Instant search of files, apps, etc.

Explorers:

Improved layout

Programs explorer (add/remove programs, available programs, licenses, etc.)

Live icons:

Office:

Pricing – May 2006

Enterprise Volume licensing

Pro Plus Volume licensing

Ultimate $679/$539

Pro $499/$329

SB $449/$279

Standard $399/$239

Home and Student $149/NA

Basic OEM’s only

To get beta 2: office/preview/default.mspx

Microsoft Think:

Redefined the desktop experience to help people get results better faster.

Redesigned interface, new graphics engine, better visualization,

improved task management, more professional looking contents, find

and assimilate information more quickly, better prioritize their time and tasks.

Features:

Interface:

Ribbon designed with contextual command tabs

Quick access customizable toolbar (save, undo, redo) toolbar allows one click access to commands from anywhere in Office.

Mini toolbar exposing most often used features.

Live Preview to see formatting/editing change before it is made

Simplicity:

Commands are easier to find. Grouped buttons. Most frequently used commands

shown as primary, organized around core tasks. Ribbon/tab concept.

Customizability on quick access tool bar. View selector. File menu still there.

File formats:

Embraces Microsoft Office Open XML Format, increasing file security, less chance of corruption, reduced file size, and wider data sharing range. Can still save in old formats. You will see an “x” at the end of the extension, or “m” if code or macros are included. Zipped files will have two versions – code or no code with this naming convention. If you open file created in previous version, you will be asked if you want to convert it. Early versions of office: user can download a converter to be able to read and edit a 2007 system file.

Excel:

User interface.

Data visualization tools.

More rows and columns. (1M rows, 16K columns, 16M colors)

Supports dual-processors and multithreaded chipsets.

Easy formula writing.

Table enhancements.

Easy-to-use PivotTables.

New looks for charts.

New file formats.

Better printing experience.

Outlook:

Time and task prioritization – new To-Do Bar.

Instant Search to more quickly find information

RSS capabilities, also manageable within Outlook

Word:

Interface.

High-impact graphics.

Digital signature.

Convert to PDF or XPS documents without third party tools.

Can use Word to create Blog posts.

Access:

Improved user interface

Rich text in memo fields

Attachment data type

Others

Document Inspector:

Word, Excel, PowerPoint to detect and remove unwanted comments,

personally identifiable information, hidden text, or other information

from a document.

Productivity:

Unified communications supports access to voice and fax messages, more efficient calendaring, integration of RSS feeds, all-in messaging and calendar access with speech recognition. AJAX API’s and Web parts for portal integration.

Groove for collaboration for smaller groups.

Wikis and blogs:

Enhanced support on Windows SharePoint Services.

Enterprise content management:

Infopath, records management (retention/auditing, vault behavior,

legal holds, etc.), web content management, forms services.

Business Intelligence with SharePoint Server, Business Data Catalog, Dashboards,

Report Center, Excel analysis tools, Excel’s new abilitiy to save spreadsheets

to a server and share them over the Web via HTML with control.

Enterprise Project Management:

Deployment and Migration Tools Available now available in beta phase.

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