Datasheet

Understanding the Vista Difference
Visio operates a little differently from a visual and security perspective under
Vista than it does under earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows XP. In
fact, you don’t get to see all of the functionality that Visio can provide unless
you use it under Vista. The best way to describe these differences is to group
them into two categories: graphical (what you can see) and security (the pro-
tection Visio provides).
In addition to Visio-specific changes, Vista also requires a change in how you
perform some Visio-related tasks. For example, when you want to work with a
printer in Vista, you must locate it within the Control Panel. It’s easy to find
the Vista specifics in the Visio help file. Simply type Vista in the Search field
of the Visio Help file and click Search. The following sections describe the
Visio-specific differences in Vista.
The graphical interface difference
Vista sports the new Aero Glass visual interface. This new interface offers
some efficiencies not found in older versions of Windows and, of course, it
provides a healthy dose of eye candy. The big thing to remember is that Vista
doesn’t affect the actual functionality of Visio. All of the features (the tech-
niques you use to perform a task) work the same under Windows XP as they
do under Vista.
You do receive some additional benefits from using Vista. Graphics do appear
faster on-screen and you’ll notice that Vista does tend to make the graphics
look better. For example, the fonts are easier to read and the lines used to
create a diagram look crisper. Even though this might seem like a small bene-
fit for Visio users who work in Vista, the effects can reduce eyestrain and
help you avoid mistakes that you might otherwise make. Vista makes it less
likely that you’ll encounter errors such as connections where you didn’t
think any existed.
Helpful user interface changes
Vista also promises to be a less painful experience for users. For example,
normally when you apply a patch and the system has to reboot, you have to
restart your applications, locate your position, and only then start work
again. It’s a waste of time and effort. Vista provides a new feature called
Freeze Dry that remembers program settings such as window size, window
position, and even cursor position. After a system reboots, Vista automati-
cally resets your Office application to its previous state for you.
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Part I: Starting with Visio 2007 Basics
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