Today, according to Microsoft's Windows Vista slogan, is "a new day." But I'll bet Bill Gates and his team would give anything to go back to the good ol' days.
By that I mean the launch of Windows 95, when the Rolling Stones' Start Me Up became the official theme of what remains the most important software launch in computer industry history. The world had seen operating systems before, but Windows 95 coincided with the point at which the Internet drove adoption of home computing to unprecedented levels. For consumers, the operating system (and in fact the computer itself) evolved from a novelty item like a video game console to a household staple like their washer and dryer. For companies, having Windows-based PCs connected to the Internet became part of the cost of doing business. Microsoft -- and the rest of the industry -- has been growing incrementally ever since.
Windows Vista, like predecessors Windows XP and Windows 2000, is approaching the kind of hurdle that the sequel to a Hollywood blockbuster might face: People may have enjoyed the original, but they wonder whether a follow-up was really necessary. Of course, you can't hang on to an old operating system (OS) forever, but even with all its bugs Microsoft generally does a good enough job with its products that customers can afford to delay an upgrade for years. And while a Hollywood sequel might promise more action and improved special effects -- essentially what Microsoft is promising with better security, improved reliability -- customers still might not bite unless they have recently experienced computer cashes, viruses or are tired of the same old desktop.
Microsoft and other vendors like to refer to the OS as a "platform," which means nothing to many users.
Instead, it might be better to think of Windows Vista as the stage in a theatre. When an audience comes to see a show, they come to look at actors, and in this case the actors are the applications that perform on top of Windows Vista. Of course, a good actor should be able to dazzle audiences in any setting, but there's no doubt that a space that can accommodate creative set pieces and offers sophisticated lighting equipment to showcase their movements is an important asset.
Windows Vista could be a great stage for a lot of strong performances from independent software vendors (ISVs). It offers desktop search features, for example, that might become a useful way of helping users locate and keep track of the growing number of files generated by many other software programs. SuperFetch and ReadyBoost could allow a lot of programs to launch more quickly and avoid using up a lot of a computer's memory. Speech Recognition might bring about long-promised opportunities for the disabled, as well as everyday users. Nothing on this fancy platform will mean much, however, unless Microsoft can cast some superstar ISVs.
Some Canadian firms that might end up justifying some Windows Vista upgrades include Flowfinity Wireless, a Vancouver-based firm whose software automates the way mobile business users exchange information. Its president, Dmitry Mikhailov, said Flowfinity made great use of Windows Presentation Foundation and Windows Communications Foundation, software that helps make programs work better together and allows for animated user interfaces. "Without having this technology, making some of these features would have required major investments," Mr. Mikhailov says. "I wouldn't even know how to do it."
Michael Matrick, president of 90 Degree Software, is also based in Vancouver and said Windows Vista will help bring about visually appealing applications that make it easier for users to understand how to share data.
