Datasheet

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING WINDOWS VISTA

user interface, and not all of them are graphical. As a group, UNIX operating systems are 32/64-bit,

secure, and capable of running on a number of processor types.

UNIX is mostly a server OS these days; it’s not very popular as a client OS anymore. In the past,

artists and designers have used high-end UNIX-based workstations to create special effects for

films. Vista, however, supports high-end 3D protocols. Running Vista on a high-powered 64-bit

processor will give you equal processing power to those UNIX workstations, with the added punch

of Vista, for a fraction of the price.

Vista also adds managed code to the mix. No, Vista doesn’t run everything using managed code,

but you’ll find that the .NET Framework does appear with regularity as a requirement for Vista

applications. Using managed code can improve system reliability and security. Using MONO

(http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page) lets you run the managed code on Linux, Solaris,

Mac OS X, Windows, and UNIX systems, so in reality, these other operating systems are losing their

edge in platform independence. You may eventually see Windows applications in the same places

you see everything else. In short, Vista is closing any gaps it had with UNIX and is making signif-

icant improvements in the areas where it already excelled.

Windows Vista Compared with Linux

Linux is a freely distributed 32/64-bit OS, a variant of UNIX. Many shells are available that add a

friendly graphical face to Linux, making it more accessible to the average end-user than standard

UNIX, but with all of UNIX’s stability.

A large segment of the Linux fan base is the “anti-Microsoft” crowd that sees Microsoft’s indus-

try dominance as a very bad thing and wants to counteract it in any way they can. They love Linux

because of the philosophy behind it—free and constantly being collaboratively improved. There’s

something to be said for that. But me, I’m not political. I just want to run some applications.

In the end, the main reason for owning a computer is to run applications, right? So, it’s impor-

tant to choose an OS that runs the applications you need. Some business software companies have

released versions of their applications that run on Linux, but the majority of applications still run

only on Windows (including Vista). I’m not going to disparage Linux here, partly because I think

it’s a great OS and partly because I’m somewhat afraid of all those rabid Linux enthusiasts out

there. However, I will say this: not all of the applications I need to run will work on a Linux

system.

Windows Vista Compared with the Macintosh OS

Like Vista, the Macintosh OS is a 32/64-bit environment with built-in networking capabilities. Despite

its well-known and intuitive interface, the Macintosh OS lacks many of the powerful features found in

Vista. Object linking and embedding (OLE), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI),

and Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) are all unfamiliar to Apple users.

There’s also a relatively limited amount of software available to the Macintosh market as com-

pared with the Windows market.

The latest version of the Macintosh OS and Vista do have some significant changes to consider

from previous editions. The Macintosh has received a well-deserved reputation for supporting

magnificent graphics. That’s one of the reasons that this operating system is so popular with any-

one who works with graphics. In this respect, the Macintosh operating system is still superior, but

Vista is definitely making inroads. At some point, you can expect Windows and Macintosh to duke

it out over the graphics issue.

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