Microsoft breathlessly informs us that Vista has been RTM'd - that is, released to manufacturing. In other words, it's now safe to inflict on a breathless public. Something like that, anyway.
If you've been wondering what Vista might include, you could do worse than have a browse over Microsoft Vista: the features.
Warning: the page(s) left Mac commentator John Gruber notably far from gruntled:
Sometimes — like at WWDC back in August — I feel like Apple overplays the "Microsoft copies us" card. But jeebus, you look at this list of new features in Vista and it reads like a "best of Mac OS X 10.3" feature list.
However, what Vista does that Panther didn't was to fit multiple different versions of the operating system onto the same DVD image. According to a conference call given by Jim Allchin, the chief of Windows (and quoted on ABC News):
[Vista] has already suffered so-called "pen" or penetration testing during its development, and is the first product to go through Microsoft's secure development lifecycle program, he said. "Thousands" of applications have been tested against the software. Allchin's own son uses a prerelease version of Vista without any antivirus software, Allchin said, although he advised customers not to do the same.
Well, yes.
Allchin also said that the new OS should see a reduction in the security bulletins the company typically issues, advising of potential flaws in the software. "We have been doing measurements all along," Allchin said. "I believe the severity of the [security] bulletins will be less and the number will be less, [although] that remains to be proven."
"I need to say the following: Windows Vista will have issues with security — the bar has been raised over time," Allchin added. "But in my opinion, it is the most secure system available and will be the most secure system we've shipped."
Talk about your hostages to fortune. We'll be examining what sort of improvement Vista might offer in security in Guardian Technology in the future.
