Perhaps you have heard about the next new version of Microsoft Windows, called 
Vista? The Vista operating system has many promises to one great, stable and 
dynamic operating system. Not only will this operating system have the .Net 
framework built into the core of the operating system it will also feature some 
other key communications, user interface and security breakthroughs.

For instance Vista will utilize the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) which 
will greatly increase the aesthetic value of each application. Perhaps you may be 
familiar with a website developed with Flash animation software. Now picture the 
same type of functionality and aesthetics however instead of being restricted to a 
website format having the freedom to develop the interface so it is a true Windows 
application. Further, this WPF will allow for much easier and faster deployments of 
these applications through the use of "one click deployment" technology. If you are 
familiar with the updater application block and the BITS service then you are 
already familiar with innovation. However, instead of being some cumbersome 
application block you will be able to easily deploy these applications with just a 
few clicks from your development environment.

Secondly the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) will provide a secure and 
reliable messaging platform which will allow for a new era in the creativity of 
application developers. This WCF will bring in a new time when true service oriented 
applications will become commonplace. This will make it much easier to connect 
businesses to each other and their customers.

The in built security mechanisms will make for a much more secure platform as well. 
Since this operating system is built around the .Net framework Code Access Security 
will be much easier to enforce and maintain. Code access security is when the 
author of the program can specify exactly what the program is allowed to do based 
upon the role of the user who is accessing the software. This will allow for a much 
finer grained security mechanism which will make software much more trustworthy by 
the end user.

Another feature of Vista is called SuperFetch. SuperFetch seems to be a caching 
mechanism for frequently used files so that the end user experiences fast response 
times and is not hindered by the background tasks that the operating system is 
performing. This will greatly speed up and perhaps cause less system crashes 
thereby making the OS much more stable.

One other great feature of Vista is its use of the sidebar and gadgets. Gadgets are 
small programs that either you or someone else has created that performs some 
frequently used task such as viewing the latest weather or traffic information from 
your desktop. Now this might seem to be a small feature but I am sure the general 
public will eat this feature up and it is one place where some new innovative 
software inventions might take place. It might even make managing your life that 
much easier.

Perhaps the best feature of Vista is its new ability to easily search through and 
organize  your files for later retrieval. I cannot tell you how many times I have 
had to search my own hard drive for a file that I knew I created but could not 
remember where I stored it.

Let's face it Windows XP and Windows 2000 are by now old fashioned. The public 
needs a new operating system simply because the other's are beginning to show their 
age. It is time for an upgrade.